It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, February 20, 2020
AFP: EU leaders condemn Syrian regime attacks in Idlib
Source: Focus Information Agency Brussels. The EU's 27 leaders on Friday condemned Syrian government attacks on the city of Idlib, the country's last rebel enclave, warning of humanitarian disaster, AFP reports.
"The renewed military offensive in Idlib by the Syrian regime and its backers, causing enormous human suffering, is unacceptable," said the EU council, which represents the EU's 27 member states.
"The EU urges all parties to the conflict to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to allow unimpeded and direct humanitarian access to all those in need," the statement added.
The warning came during an EU summit devoted to drawing up an EU budget. Syrian government forces seize more villages in northwest
Issued on: 16/02/2020
Beirut (AFP)
Syrian regime forces on Sunday seized a dozen villages and small towns as they pressed an offensive in the country's northwest against the last major rebel bastion, a war monitor said.
Backed by Russian air strikes, government forces have kept up the assault on the Idlib region and areas of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces since December.
On Sunday, they captured 13 villages and small towns north and northwest of the city of Aleppo, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syria's state run agency SANA said army units were pushing on with their advance around Aleppo.
Regime forces have for weeks been making gains in northwestern Syria and chipping away at territory held by jihadists and allied rebels, focusing their latest operations on the west of Aleppo province.
The drive aims to bolster security in Syria's second city Aleppo, which President Bashar al-Assad's government retook completely from insurgents at the end of 2016 but which is still targeted by rocket fire.
Last week, regime forces seized control of the strategic M5 highway which connects the capital Damascus to Aleppo, the country's former economic hub, and is economically vital for the government.
According to the Observatory, Assad's forces are trying to consolidate a "security belt" around the M5 and on Friday they seized a key base lost to the rebels in 2012 just west of Aleppo.
The Russian-backed offensive has triggered the largest wave of displacement in Syria's nine-year conflict, with 800,000 people fleeing since December, according to the United Nations.
More than 380,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out nearly nine years ago with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
ROCK N ROLL HISTORY
Peter Green still part of Fleetwood Mac's fibre, five decades after walking away from fame
PHOTO: Peter Green announced he wanted to give all his
money away and that all his band mates should do the same.
(Wikimedia Commons: W.W.Thaler — H. Weber, Hildesheim)
As the 60s folded and the 70s dawned, the members of the English band Fleetwood Mac knew they had a big problem.
Their singer and lead guitarist Peter Green announced he wanted to give all his money away and that they all should do the same.
It got worse. He told them he wasn't so sure about the idea of being a rock star and he wanted out of the band.
To say the group was stunned would be an understatement.
"I don't remember trying to talk him out of it. I just remember going … Oh, shit!" bass player John McVie recalls. Green wasn't just a great guitarist
He had good reason to be concerned. Green was no ordinary musician. In 1966, he had been called on to replace Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
When he arrived for the first recording session, producer Mike Vernon asked Mayall, "Who the hell is this?"
When he went on to say the new guitarist was just as good as the man they called "God", Vernon laughed. The laughter stopped a few minutes later when Green started playing.
Green wasn't just a great guitarist. He was a great band leader and could write. Having poached Mick Fleetwood and John McVie from Mayall's band, he formed a new group called Fleetwood Mac.
Leading from the front, he encouraged creativity in his bandmates, making them better musicians and big money earners in the US.
Establishing a reputation for their mastery of the blues, Green broadened the group's musical style, penning original hits including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.
The songs took Fleetwood Mac to the top of the charts, regularly outselling the Beatles.
Now, however, things were falling apart in a big way. Green's final contribution to the band would be a song called The Green Manalishi, detailing his struggle with fame and the voices he was hearing in his head.
Within six months, Peter Green would succumb to mental illness, leave the band and for several decades, virtually disappear from public life.
Fleetwood Mac, of course, would continue, becoming one of rock's biggest-selling and longest-running bands.
But Green wasn't forgotten. Despite his illness and his obsession with privacy, the music world has never stopped talking about him.
Now, five decades after walking away from fame and riches, a who's who of rock musicians — including members of Fleetwood Mac from different eras, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd and John Mayall — will gather at the London Palladium to pay tribute to the man who BB King described as having "the sweetest tone [of any guitar player] I ever heard".
The big question is, will the man himself make an appearance and might he be coaxed into playing guitar?
PHOTO: A who's who of rock musicians — including members
of Fleetwood Mac from different eras — will gather at the
London Palladium to pay tribute to Green. (Danny Clinch )
Some think it's unlikely, but whatever happens, the concert will rekindle old questions about the nature of his precipitous fall.
It will also allow fans young and old to recall what an extraordinary talent Peter Green really was. Setting the template for a new form of rock
Born in 1946, Peter Allen Greenbaum seemed like many other kids growing up in the suburbs of London. All that changed, though, when he picked up a guitar.
Like many other young musicians, he played in a succession of little-known bands. His big breakthrough came when he joined the Bluesbreakers.
Replacing Clapton was no small task, but Green did it with ease.
PHOTO: Peter Green said he wasn't so sure about the idea of being a rock star and wanted out of the band. (YouTube)
The key to his playing was impeccable technique and an ability to sustain a note. He once told a friend his intention was "to express as much as he could in his music, playing as few notes as possible".
He also had a unique guitar sound. In part, it came as the result of a fateful error. Replacing the pick-ups on his Gibson Les Paul, the technician installed them so they were out of phase. It gave the guitar a tone unlike any other.
But technique and tone were just part of his gifts. He was also a composer. On the first album with Mayall, he stunned the band with a song called The Supernatural.
Taking the blues as his launching pad, Green created something else, otherworldly.
Here, well before Pink Floyd and Santana became famous, Green had set the template for a new form of guitar rock that defied categorisation. 'I believe they were some sort of cult'
But if Peter Green's talent will be celebrated at this month's concert, there will also once again be questions about his descent into illness.
What part did drugs play in his downfall? And what role did a shadowy group of people the guitarist met in Germany, who fed him a powerful and destructive form of LSD, play?
As band members tell it, Green had always been keen to experiment with drugs. By late 1969, they also knew their leader had begun to question fame and fortune.
PHOTO: Both Green and guitarist Danny Kirwan (pictured)
were fed a very potent form of LSD in Germany. (Wikimedia Commons)
They had watched while he began wearing robes and crosses on stage, all the while talking about giving his money to the poor.
Nothing, though, prepared them for what happened when they landed in the city of Munich in Germany in early 1970.
Arriving at the airport, Peter was met by a group of people, including a beautiful and mysterious young woman, who whisked him and guitarist Danny Kirwan away to a large house in the country.
Road manager Dennis Keane now believes Green had been targeted because of his wealth and fame.
"I believe they were some sort of cult. That's what they do, they get you and strip you of your identity and the money helps them to become more powerful," he said.
With the rest of the band in tow, Keane arrived at the house to find both Green and Kirwan had been fed a very potent form of LSD.
Dennis Keane would later recall the scene as utterly weird. When they finally found Peter, he seemed to have lost touch with reality, playing his guitar in the most bizarre way.
The road manager's response was to call security from the hotel they'd booked into, to help him extricate the two musicians. The nail in the coffin
Extricate them they did. But in truth, the real nightmare was just beginning, according to manager Clifford Adams.
"Both of them, as of that day became seriously mentally ill … I think it's too much of a coincidence."
To this day, Green says the music he played that night was some of the best he ever made. Others saw it very differently.
Either way, according to Mick Fleetwood, that night was the "nail in the coffin" of Peter and the band. It was also the moment when the master guitarist began his long journey through the hell of full-blown schizophrenia.
The decision to hold a concert to pay tribute to the talent and work of Peter Green is timely.
Reports suggest Green is living comfortably, cared for by his family, and still enjoys playing the guitar.
What he doesn't like is publicity. 'The reason there is a Fleetwood Mac is because of him'
Mick Fleetwood — a key organiser of this month's musical gathering — says the concert is "a celebration of the early blues days, where it all began. Peter was my greatest mentor".
It would be easy to believe that the gathering might simply recall an almost-forgotten period that has nothing to do with later Fleetwood Mac achievements.
PHOTO: Mick Fleetwood believes that night in
Germany was the "nail in the coffin" of Peter and
the band. (ABC News)
Fleetwood disagrees, pointing out it was the lessons of band leadership that Peter Green gave him that allowed him to guide the Mac through five decades of success.
"Peter could have been a stereotypical superstar guitar player but he wasn't, he named the band after the drummer and the bass player for Christ's sake!" he says.
"He was always willing to give space and freedom to other band members … the reason there is a Fleetwood Mac at all is because of him."
It's quite a tribute and Peter Green deserves every bit of it.
Media raids on ABC and Newscorp journalist Annika Smethurst could have been better handled, AFP admits By Michael Inman and Tom Lowrey
Australia's top cop admits the Australian Federal Police (AFP) could have better handled media raids on the ABC and the home of a Newscorp journalist, but threw his support behind investigators, saying they were simply abiding by their oath to uphold the law.
Key points: A review of the AFP's handling of media raids found community confidence in the force was "negatively impacted" Commissioner Reece Kershaw says the AFP's communication "could have been better" Separate investigations of the ABC and Newscorp's Annika Smethurst, as a result of the raids, are still active
The reports covered allegations of unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
The raid on the ABC's Sydney headquarters happened just a day after a raid on the home of Newscorp journalist Annika Smethurst, linked to leaked classified information she had used in stories more than a year earlier.
Both investigations are still active and the AFP provided no suggestion they would be dropped.
But Commissioner Reece Kershaw — who replaced predecessor Andrew Colvin a month after the raids — commissioned a report on how similar "sensitive" investigations should be handled in the future.
The review, by former Australian Crime Commission head John Lawler, was released late last week and found community confidence in the AFP had suffered as a result of its investigations of how national security information had found its way into the media.
Speaking publicly for the first time since both the report's release and this week's Federal Court ruling against the ABC, Commissioner Kershaw acknowledged the AFP could manage delicate investigations better.
'Our communication could have been better'
The Commissioner said the review took a much broader approach than the two investigations of the ABC and Smethurst, but admitted they were a "trigger point".
He said, with hindsight, the AFP's handling was not perfect, as images of officers raiding a journalist's home and at the front doors of the ABC were broadcast across the country.
"We may have been able to improve some of our communication and expectations of what is going to occur," he said.
"I always think that's probably an area we can improve in. And I have acknowledged that perhaps some of our communication could have been better in those matters.
"I think, as police, we're always wanting to improve, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that." Opportunity for reform
The Lawler review provided 24 options for change, including formalising a definition of what constituted a "sensitive investigation", communicating directly with media outlets under investigation, changing the language of the status of investigations and establishing an escalation framework when a sensitive investigation was declared.
The Commissioner adopted all of the recommendations in principle and an AFP team is reviewing them.
"It's a great opportunity for change and reform in those areas," Commissioner Kershaw said.
"We're setting up a new senior executive board that looks at those sensitive matters so that we, as an executive, have full coverage of the sensitive investigations and whether or not they've got enough resources, or the timelines are met … and so on.
"So it's a broader definition. It sort of recognises the complex work and the complex environment we're now operating in." Cases still remain in a state of limbo
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Despite this, the Lawler review noted that "community and stakeholder confidence in the AFP [had] been negatively impacted as a result".
And Commissioner Kershaw was not gloating about the court's decision.
"I wouldn't say it's pleasing. I'd say it's an outcome," he said.
"But we know that, often, matters can be appealed, so it's not over until it's over."
Despite the Federal Court decision, both the ABC's case and the case against Smethurst remain in a state of limbo — unable to progress due to ongoing court action.
Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says he wants them both finished.
"I am very frustrated about the time that it's taking to resolve this matter, as are other senior ministers. That is a frustration that has been voiced," he said. Journalists are not above the law: Attorney-General
Some, including ABC managing director, David Anderson, are calling for explicit protections for journalists and whistleblowers.
Mr Porter said protections for journalists might be worthwhile, but journalists were not above having their homes searched.
"If what is being suggested is that the law be changed so that is no longer in the future legally possible to execute a warrant on a third party's house, even if that third party is a journalist, even if the warrant pertains to the retrieval of information on a very, very serious criminal matter, then I'm not sure that I accept that that is the starting point for law reform in this area," he said.
Last year, Mr Porter directed Commonwealth prosecutors to get his office's consent before prosecuting a working journalist.
The Lawler review suggested the AFP adopt the same protocol, seeking the Attorney-General's advice before proceeding with an investigation involving a journalist.
It found the idea had merit, but came with a range of legal complexities.
Commissioner Kershaw said he supported the idea in principle, but "it's the how-to bit that is probably the more difficult component". AFP not politicised, Commissioner says
In the wake of this week's Federal Court decision, ABC head of investigative journalism John Lyons contrasted the probe into the ABC with the now-abandoned investigation into Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
"After 18 months, we still have two journalists that face possible criminal charges," Mr Lyons said.
"I contrast this to Angus Taylor and what the AFP's treatment of him was — that case was over within weeks."
But Commissioner Kershaw dismissed the comparison, saying the AFP was independent and the force had not been politicised.
"Minister Taylor's referral, from my information, was not relating to national security, [while] those other two matters are relating to national security," he said.
"I think there's a big difference between comparing those matters.
"As police … we follow the evidence and we gather evidence. I'm able to operate independently, as my officers are, and we haven't had any sort of political interference.
"We want to make sure that we focus on crimes, which is what we're here to do, enforce the law. And that's the lane that we need to stay in."
AFP warrants used to raid ABC valid, Federal Court rules By Jamie McKinnellUpdated Mon at 6:23am
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A case over the validity of police warrants used to raid the ABC's Ultimo headquarters last year has been dismissed by the Federal Court of Australia.
Key points: The story at the centre of the raid was based on leaked Defence documents ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the raid was "attempt to intimidate journalists" The ABC was ordered to pay the costs of other parties
The reports covered allegations of unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
The ABC launched a challenge to the validity of the warrant, arguing it was "legally unreasonable" and included search terms which failed to create any meaningful limitation on the scope.
Federal Court Justice Wendy Abraham on Monday morning dismissed the case and ordered the ABC to pay the costs of the other parties.
The Afghan Files, by investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, were based on leaked Defence documents.
A whistleblower involved in the stories has, separately, faced legal proceedings.
In a statement, the ABC's managing director, David Anderson, said the raid was "an attempt to intimidate journalists for doing their jobs".
"This is at odds with our expectation that we live in an open and transparent society," he said.
"We are not saying journalists should be above the law, we're saying the public's right to know should be a factor that is taken into account — and legitimate journalism should not be criminalised."
The AFP case argued the terms of the warrant clearly indicated its investigation was focused on alleged offences concerning the provision and receipt of the leaked documents.
In a 117-page judgment, Justice Wendy Abraham ruled the warrant's three conditions, when read in the context of the warrant as a whole, provided "sufficient particularity in the offence descriptions".
"The applicant's primary submission is based on a consideration of words and phrases in the conditions in isolation, devoid of their context," she wrote in the judgment.
"It is of no assistance to consider the breadth of individual words and phrases in the warrant in isolation, as material must satisfy all three conditions before it can be seized pursuant to the warrant."
The ABC argued the case on several grounds, but named the registrar who issued the warrant as the first respondent.
It argued the decision to approve the warrant was not authorised under the Crimes Act, having regard to the implied freedom of political communication.
Further, the ABC argued the warrant itself was too broad and included terms which failed to provide any meaningful limitation on its scope.
The ABC sought a declaration that the warrant was invalid.
In a statement, the AFP said it "respects the decision of the Federal Court".
"As the investigation remains ongoing it is not appropriate to comment further."
In October, ABC solicitor Michael Rippon told the court the warrant's terms included very general words such as "secret".
The court heard the AFP's executing officer told Mr Rippon, in the lead up to the raids, that he wanted them carried out in a fashion "amenable" to all parties.
Mr Rippon also recalled words to the effect of "we don't want any sensationalist headlines like AFP raids the ABC".
The material seized included 124 files on two USB sticks, some which were duplicates.
The AFP has previously given the court an undertaking that the material will remain sealed until the legal proceedings have been resolved.
The ABC had also sought an immediate injunction to return the seized material and prevent any part from accessing or copying it.
ABC head of investigative journalism John Lyons said the decision was disappointing.
"It is a bad day for Australian journalism," he said.
"After 18 months, we still have two journalists that face possible criminal charges.
"I contrast this to Angus Taylor and what the AFP's treatment of him was, that case was over within weeks."
ABC news director Gaven Morris described the ruling as "a blow to the way Australians have access to information in their society and their democracy".
"Urgent law reform is clearly required and all the way through this process, it's clear that the way that journalists go about doing their role, the way public interest journalism is able to be undertaken in this country is a mess."
A man wearing a protective facemask walks in a shopping mall in Shanghai on February 7, 2020. (AFP / Noel Celis)
Busting coronavirus myths
Published on Wednesday 19 February 2020 At 03:45Updated on Thursday 20 February 2020 At 01:47
Rumors, myths and misinformation about the novel coronavirus have spread as quickly as the virus itself. AFP Factcheck has been debunking disinformation as it emerges along with new cases across the world.
Here is a list of our 71 fact-checks in English so far, starting with the most recent:(Updated 20 February 2020)
71. This video has circulated online since at least March 2019 – months before the novel coronavirus outbreak
A video of a rainbow forming in the wake of a truck spraying moisture over a street has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim that the footage shows a truck disinfecting a street in China in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus. This claim is false; the video, which shows a truck spraying in China's Sichuan province for dust control purposes, has circulated online since at least March 2019, months before the viral outbreak. 20 February 2020
70. This video was filmed before the novel coronavirus outbreak
A video shared hundreds of times on social media purports to show people running from a Chinese man who collapsed in Mauritania. The claim is false; the footage was shared online months before the start of the novel coronavirus epidemic. 20 February 2020
69. Sri Lankan health experts stress there is no evidence that cannabis boosts immunity against the novel coronavirus
(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 01, 2018 Marijuana plants grow under artificial light at the Green Pearl Organics dispensary on the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in California, at the Green Pearl Organics marijuana dispensary in Desert Hot Springs, California. (AFP / Robyn Beck)
A YouTube video of a doctor discussing the health benefits of cannabis has been viewed thousands of times among Sri Lankan Facebook users alongside a claim that cannabis can boost a person's immunity to the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; medical experts have emphasised there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis improves immunity against the virus and have urged the public to follow official government health guidelines. 20 February 2020
Kashmir journalist wins AFP's Kate Webb Prize #FREEKASHMIR
Freelance reporter Ahmer Khan was named the winner of the 2019 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on Thursday for his coverage on the ground in India-controlled Kashmir during Delhi's lockdown of the region.
The award, named after one of AFP's finest correspondents, recognises journalism by locally hired reporters in Asia operating in risky or difficult conditions.
Khan, 27, was honoured for a series of video and written reports that vividly illustrated the impact on locals in the Muslim-majority area following India's decision to strip Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status in August.
The country's Hindu-nationalist government imposed restrictions on movement and a communications blackout, virtually cutting the Himalayan region off from the outside world.
India insisted the move was aimed at bringing prosperity and peace to a region where tens of thousands of people have died in a decades-old separatist rebellion that India blames on arch rival Pakistan.
Despite curfews and a heavy security presence, Khan took to the streets with his camera to document the tensions, concerns and frustrations among the residents of Srinagar and other cities in Kashmir.
Unable to skirt the communications shutdown, he flew in and out of Delhi to file his stories.
"Reporting from Kashmir at this time has been extremely challenging for everyone, including the established foreign media," said AFP's Asia-Pacific regional director Philippe Massonnet.
"For an independent, local journalist those challenges have been far greater, and it is to Ahmer's enormous credit that he managed to provide accurate, high-quality journalism when it was so sorely needed."
Khan said on learning of his win: "This is a real honour, and a huge motivation to carry on my work with enthusiasm and determination."
"I want to dedicate this award to the courageous and resilient journalists from Kashmir who have been reporting in extremely difficult conditions for the past six months. This is a collective award."
The Kate Webb Prize, with a 3,000 euro ($3,400) purse, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering the world's troublespots.
The award, which in 2018 went to reporter Asad Hashim for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan, is administered by AFP and the Webb family.
The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in Hong Kong later this year.
USC makes tuition free to students of families making $80,000 or less
NOW USC JANITOR'S KIDS CAN AFFORD GO TO USC
The University of Southern California expanded its financial aid package Thursday. Photo by aastock/Shutterstock
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The University of Southern California said Thursday tuition will be free to students whose families make $80,000 or less.
The announcement was part of a financial aid expansion to benefit low- and middle-income families, a university statement said. Along with offering tuition free to students whose families have an annual income of $80,000 or less, owning a home will not be counted in determination of a student's financial need.
The change will be phased in with new entering classes beginning in the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021.
"We're opening the door wider to make USC education possible for talented students from all walks of life," USC President Carol Folt said in the statement. "This significant step we are taking today is by no means the end of our affordability journey. We are committed to increasing USC's population of innovators, leaders and creators regardless of their financial circumstances. Investing in the talent and diversity of our student body is essential to our educational mission."
Folt was named USC president last year amid an admissions bribery scandal in which prosecutors said dozens of wealthy parents bribed exam administrators and school officials to get their children into prestigious schools. USC was among those schools, along with some others such as Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, and the University of Texas though none of the schools were accused of complicity in the case.
The financial aid expansion will increase undergraduate aid by more than $30 million annually, allowing the university to provide more financial assistance to over 4,000 students a year once fully implemented, according to the statement. It is estimated that approximately one-third of the fall 2020 and spring 2021 classes will benefit from the financial assistance.
The Los Angeles Times said that the changes will place the private USC on par with the public University of California as far as generous aid. Other elite private universities like Harvard and Stanford provide tuition-free educations to families earning as much as $150,000 annually, but their endowments are much larger. Harvard's endowment is $40.9 billion and Stanford's is $27.7 billion, compared to USC's $5.7 billion.
The announcement comes amid rising costs of college education. Tuition alone at USC cost $57,256 in 2019-20. With housing, food, books and other costs such as transportation included it was $77,459 the same year.
"USC is committed to educating the strongest minds, independent of background or ability to pay," USC Provost Charles Zukoski said in a statement.
Funeral set for S.D. man killed in year's fifth fatal grain bin accident
FAILURE TO HAVE PROPER FARM SAFETY REGULATIONS WORKING ALONE, CONFINED SPACE Farms often are not required to adhere to the same Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations that commercial facilities must follow -- like wearing a safety harness, turning off equipment while inside the bin and never working alone. A South Dakota farmer was killed Monday trying to empty
a grain bin filled with corn. File photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
| License Photo
EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Funeral services will be held Friday for a South Dakota farmer who was killed earlier this week in a grain bin accident.
Christopher Bauman, 27, was found dead in a bin filled with corn in rural Elkton on Monday afternoon. Bauman had been emptying corn from the bin, according to the Brookings County Sheriff's Office. Officials do not know why he entered the bin.
Local fire crews removed sections of the silo to quickly remove the corn and reach Bauman, o the sheriff's office said.
Bauman leaves behind a wife and three young children, according to his obituary. Instead of flowers, his family has asked for people to donate money to his wife to help care for their children.
Friends have established a Go Fund Me page that, as of Thursday afternoon, had surpassed $28,000.
Bauman worked with his father and brother on the farm where he grew up, according to his obituary. In high school, he was an active member of the Future Farmers of America. He later earned his associate's degree in agricultural production.
"He enjoyed farming, snowmobiling, being with family and friends, and talking on the phone with family and friends constantly," according to his obituary. "His favorite summer pastime was baling hay and cornstalks in late fall. He loved his J.I. Case Tractors."
His family has invited friends and neighbors to bring their tractors Friday for the procession to the cemetery.
Bauman is at least the fifth farmer to die in a grain bin accident in the United States this year.
Dozens of farmers and farm workers lose their lives in grain bin accidents every year. Such accidents happen most often on farms, rather than commercial grain elevators, said Jeff Adkisson, a board member on the Grain Handling Safety Council.
Farms often are not required to adhere to the same Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations that commercial facilities must follow -- like wearing a safety harness, turning off equipment while inside the bin and never working alone.
March for Our Lives co-founders endorse Bernie Sanders for president
WHILE BIDEN TRIED TO LAY A CHEAP SHOT ON SANDERS AT THE NEVADA DEBATE RAISING 'GUN MANUFACTURERS' IT FELL FLAT INDEED RAISED SOME BOO'S WELL THIS IS GOING TO MAKE THAT TROPE EVEN LESS PALATABLE
Several co-founders of the March For Our Lives organization recorded
a video supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders. File Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI
| License Photo
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Several co-founders of the anti-gun violence organization March For Our Lives endorsed Bernie Sanders for president Thursday.
Co-founders Delaney Tarr, Daud Mumin, Robert Schentrup, Nurah Abdulhaqq, Chris Grady, Thandiwe Abdullah, Ryan Deitsch and Maxwell Frost declared their support for the Vermont senator in a video released by the Sanders campaign "The truth is we need a president who can do it -- who can build a populist movement, who can create structural change and who can speak to the intersection of every American issue," Tarr said. "Bernie has created a movement that I not only believe in, but I fight for. I am so excited to join in creating a campaign to be proud of -- and an America to be proud of."
March For Our Lives was founded in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, 2018, and has hundreds of chapters throughout the country headed by student leaders.
It organizes events related to preventing gun violence, and lobbies for school safety measures as well as state and national legislation.
Maxwell said that he is "beyond excited" to endorse Sanders for president.
"He gets that all of the issues we fight for are connected and gun violence isn't the cause, but a symptom of systemic injustice," he said. "He's inspired an intersectional movement of working class people, which is built upon a love for humanity and justice for all people.
Barbie introduces Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Jean King and Florence Nightingale dolls
Barbie added Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Jean King and Florence Nightingale to its Inspiring Women series on Thursday. Photo courtesy Barbie
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Toymaker Mattel introduced three new dolls in its Inspiring Women line of Barbie dolls on Thursday, featuring likenesses of accomplished women throughout history.
"The Barbie Inspiring Women Series pays tribute to the incredible heroines of their time -- courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before," the company said. "Today, we're excited to welcome three new role models into this remarkable series!"
Each of the dolls costs $29.99 and can be purchased on Barbie's website or at other retailers such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.
The collection previously included dolls based on the likenesses of Sally Ride, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson and Frida Kahlo.
OK I ADMIT IT
I BOUGHT THE FRIDA KAHLO, AND THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
THEY ARE COLLECTIBLES
Vinyl record production hurt by California factory fire
A fire that destroyed the Apollo Masters factory in Banning, Calif., on Feb. 6 caused a break in the supply chain for vinyl records, industry sources said. Photo courtesy of Cal Fire Riverside
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Vinyl records survived the onslaught from CDs, but a factory fire at a California manufacturer of special parts may have broken a key link in the supply chain.
The Apollo Masters plant in Banning, Calif., which burned down Feb. 6, was the sole U.S. source of the blank lacquer master disks engineers cut on special lathes
The ability to press new vinyl records could be hurt until a new, large-volume manufacturing source can be found, industry observers say.
"Obviously, it's really tough news, and nobody was injured [in the fire], thankfully," said Matthew Fiedler, CEO of Denver-based Vinyl Me, Please, a record-of-the-month club and online record store.
"One of the things that this made pretty clear is that the manufacturing supply chain in the vinyl industry is pretty fragile, and there's a ripple effect," Fiedler said.
Closing in on CD sales
Vinyl record sales have been growing, hitting some $225 million in 2019 -- almost as much as the $247.9 million in CD sales last year. That is the first time since 1986 that vinyl came even close, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. RELATED Ariana Grande to re-release studio albums on vinyl
Vinyl accounts for 4 percent of total U.S. music sales, which are dominated by streaming services and digital downloads.
The only other producer of lacquer master disks is a small Japanese company, MDC, which produces a small percentage of the world's supply, said Culver City, Calif.-based audio engineer and vinyl historian Len Horowitz, owner of History of Recorded Sound, a high-fidelity record company.
Vinyl records survived threats from the growing popularity of radio in the 1920s and reel-to-reel tape in the 1950s, as well as the rise and fall of the CD, "because they are really part of the art world," Horowitz said.
"Records' sound quality is excellent and continues to improve in the 21st century. But they're also part of something I call 'havingness.' People like to have things -- something worthwhile to show your friends," he said.
Creating vinyl is a form of artisanship, Horowitz said. "The employees at Apollo have highly specialized skills. Many of the processes were apprenticed and handed down for 30 years."
Apollo used a patented process from the 1930s to apply a thin, flawless layer of lacquer on highly polished aluminum plates, Horowitz said. The deep reddish blue lacquer, derived from tree sap, is kept pliant with castor oil in a proprietary process. Each side is cured for six weeks. The master disks sell for about $40 each.
Volatile lacquers
Because of restrictions on manufacturing with lacquer, there's even a question whether the business can rebuild without special permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Horowitz said.
"All lacquers are volatile and require safety precautions. It's amazing they managed to keep that place running without incident for 40 years," he said.
Apollo Masters owner Terry Carlson could not be reached for comment.
"We are uncertain of our future at this point and are evaluating options as we try to work through this difficult time," the company posted on its website.
Adam Gonsalves, vinyl mastering engineer for Willie Nelson, Sun Ra and Elliott Smith at Telegraph Mastering in Portland, Ore., said he thinks a shortage of lacquer disks will hit in a few months, especially at larger companies that pump out numerous releases.
"I had an engineer call me and try to buy $25,000 worth of lacquers from me," he said.
Mastering engineers "cut" the blank disks on a revolving turntable and they then are sent off to be electroplated in a bath of nickel and silver. The metalized master is pressed into a negative metalized stamper mold, which is used to press vinyl plastic into records at one of the few remaining record plants in the United States.
The special sapphire styli used on the revolving mastering lathes were also produced by Apollo.
Another mastering process, called direct metal mastering, was developed in Europe and does not require a lacquer process. But it's expensive, and not many machines are in operation, engineers said. Most companies using this system are at capacity.
New technology
Vinyl records still are produced because a demand exists for them, and the uncertainty around the supply chain might be a time to try new technology, said Drake Coker, founder of Scratch Vinyl, a startup that is patenting new ways to manufacture records.
"CDs are office supplies. Records are art," Coker said. "The biggest outcome from the Apollo incident might be a call for innovation. It might be a plea from the universe that it's time to do something."
But new technologies, if they even work, might be years away.
Still, in the specialized market for long-playing records, demand is strong.
"For lots of people, there was never a vinyl downturn," Gonsalves said. "For various pop music subcultures, dance music, hip hop, underground punk and metal, vinyl remains the release format of choice, in perpetuity."
The drying up of the mastering lacquers supply may spike costs for vinyl recordings, which already can run more than $20.
But vinyl has too strong a pull for that to be a death sentence for the market, Fiedler said. A break in supplies might have made a difference 20 years ago, "when everyone thought records were dead in the water," he said.
"But now, it might actually drive more demand for the format, and the perceived value of records will increase. For vinyl collectors, for better or worse, when there's scarcity, there's more demand for it."
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Raymond signs Space Force vision for satellite communications strategy
Gen. Jay Raymond has signed the USSF Vision for Enterprise Satellite Communications, according to the Space Force NO SHARPIE FOR THE GENERAL
Gen. Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force, and Commander, U.S. Space Command, signs the USSF Vision for Enterprise Satellite Communications. Photo by Patrick Morrow/U.S. Department of Defense
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Gen. Jay Raymond has signed the USSF Vision for Enterprise Satellite Communications, according to the Space Force, the branch said on Wednesday.
"We must move faster than our adversaries to ensure warfighters receive the operational benefits of an integrated SATCOM enterprise capable of delivering SATCOM effects in CDO environments. We must adopt faster acquisition processes and faster command and control constructs to maintain the advantage in any conflict," the vision paper states.
The vision, which was written with input from experts from USSF, the Space and Missile Systems Center and Space Force Commercial SATCOM Office, also states that the newly-created branch's SATCOM needs to be a single system that can continue to communicate with warfighters in a contested, degraded and operationally limited environment.
Raymond's signing of the vision paper comes a little more than a week after he said Space Force was watching two Russian satellites that appear to be observing a U.S. satellite at close range -- behavior he described as "unusual and disturbing."
"Despite the global, instantaneous reach of our satellite communications systems, which includes both military and commercial capabilities, the current loose federation of SATCOM systems needs to improve in resiliency, robustness, flexibility, and manageability," Maj. Gen. Bill Liquori, USSF Director of Strategic Requirements, Architectures and Analysis, said in a statement.
The single, integrated SATCOM structure is intended to enhance integration between the military and private sectors, the branch said.
The signing of the vision paper is the culmination of efforts to transfer and streamline satellite communications in the armed forces.
In December 2018, Air Force Space Command assumed sole responsibility for COMSATCOM services on behalf of the Pentagon. In May 2019 the secretaries of the Air Force and Navy agreed to transfer responsibility for the future narrowband capacity from the Navy to the Air Force to consolidate space capabilities.
And, in December 2019, Air Force Space Command was re-designated as the U.S. Space Force, which -- according to the branch's announcement of the vision -- allows the branch new acquisition authorities.
In January, the Pentagon's chief acquisitions officer said the speed of space-related acquisitions was unlikely to slow even as the Pentagon restructures its acquisitions structure.
So far, the new branch has wrapped a flag exercise that began before its official creation and reassigned 6,000 Air Force Space Command troops to its ranks, as well as starting the process of transferring personnel from other branches, with the goal of a 16,000-strong force once all transfers are complete.
Knowledge may increase American interest in plant-based diets A new survey suggests people in the U.S. would be willing to eat a plant-based diet but don't know enough about the products or what they cost.
By Health Day News
A new poll suggests that education is all that stops most Americans from embracing plant-based diets that are better for the planet.
The poll, of just over 1,000 adults nationwide, found that 51 percent said they would eat more plant-based foods if they knew more about the environmental impacts of their eating habits, but 70 percent said they rarely or never discuss this issue with friends or family.
Nearly two-thirds said they'd never been asked to eat more plant-based foods, and more than half rarely or never hear about the topic in the media.
In addition, more than half said they're willing to eat more vegetables and plant-based alternatives or less red meat.
Even though only 4 percent self-identified as vegan or vegetarian, 20 percent said they chose plant-based dairy alternatives two to five times a week or more often, and about the same percentage said they didn't buy products from food companies that aren't taking measures to reduce their environmental impact. Along with a lack of information, other barriers to eating more plant-based foods include perceived cost, taste and accessibility, according to the survey findings from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Earth Day Network.
For example, 49 percent of respondents believed a meal with a plant-based main course is more expensive than a meal with a meat-based main course. Additionally, 63 percent said they would eat more plant-based foods if they cost less than meat products, while 67 percent said they'd eat more of the foods if they tasted better.
"Many American consumers are interested in eating a more healthy and climate-friendly diet," Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, said in a Yale news release.
"However, many simply don't know yet which products are better or worse -- a huge communication opportunity for food producers, distributors and sellers," Leiserowitz explained.
According to Jillian Semaan, food and environment director for Earth Day Network, "This data is a wake-up call for the climate movement. Animal agriculture is one of the major drivers of our climate crisis. We need to provide people with the relevant information that connects food choices, animal agriculture and climate change."
A St. Louis fireman sprays foam on the underside of a fire truck October 10, 2008. The U.S. government developed a plan to incinerate stocks of firefighting foam, which contains cancer-causing chemicals. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Phot
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A group of environmental and community organizations sued the Trump administration Thursday, accusing the government of improperly burning stockpiles of so-called "forever chemicals," which could cause cancer and other deadly illnesses.
Earthjustice, which filed the lawsuit in federal court in California, said the Department of Defense should have considered the environmental and health impacts of incinerating the substances before doing so. The organization is representing concerned groups in several communities, including East Liverpool, Ohio; Port Arthur, Texas; and St. Louis, as well as the Sierra Club.
The lawsuit concerns the incineration of foam firefighters used to use to battle blazes. The foam contains a class of chemicals known as PFAS, which have been shown to cause cancer, liver disease, infertility and other health problems.
The government stopped using the foam after facing multiple lawsuits over the safety of the substance. The Department of Defense then decided to incinerate the unused foam.
But Earthjustice said defense officials should conduct an environmental review before doing so to ensure that particles released in the incineration process can't harm local communities.
"Incineration does not solve the Defense Department's PFAS problems; it just pawns them off on already overburdened communities," said Earthjustice attorney Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz. "PFAS chemicals are used in firefighting foam precisely because they don't burn. Instead of destroying those chemicals, incinerating the foam releases PFAS and other toxins into the air. DOD's decision to authorize large-scale PFAS incineration without considering the health impacts is shortsighted and illegal."
The organization said it obtained government documents indicating the government has already begun incineration in East Liverpool; Arkadelphia and El Dorado, Ark.; and Cohoes, N.Y.; and plans to begin doing so in Port Arthur and Sauget, Ill.
"It is critical for local communities to be informed of potentially dangerous chemical operations that could impact the health of the residents," said Hilton Kelley, founder and director of Community In-Power and Development Association in Port Arthur.
"It's not just the families living near the incinerator, we don't even understand how many people living in this area could potentially be impacted or how far the emissions from burning PFAS might travel. We have a right to know what's in the air we are breathing, in order to decide what's best for ourselves and our families."
The lawsuit says the Department of Defense's decision to incinerate the firefighting foam violates the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Defense Authorization Act.
The Department of Defense told UPI it can't comment on pending litigation.
President Trump is now at a rally in Colorado complaining that the Oscar for Best Picture went to Parasite, a film from South Korea, and complaining that the country has trade problems with South Korea.
“Can we get Gone with the Wind back please?” Trump asked.
Claudia Koerner(@ClaudiaKoerner)
Trump goes off on the Oscars for giving Best Picture to Parasite because it's a South Korean moviepic.twitter.com/GUGKdExTbw
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday ridiculed the historic best-picture Oscar win for South Korean film “Parasite,” telling a campaign rally he wished for the return of Hollywood classics like 1939’s “Gone with the Wind.”
“Parasite,” a dark social satire about the gap between rich and poor in modern Seoul, earlier this month became the first non-English-language film to take Hollywood’s top prize. It also won three other Oscars - best director and original screenplay for Bong Joon Ho and best international feature film.
“How bad were the Academy Awards this year?” asked Trump at the rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Imitating an Academy Awards presenter, he said: “And the winner is a movie from South Korea.
“What the hell was that all about? We’ve got enough problems with South Korea, with trade. And after all that, they give them best movie of the year?” Trump added.
Can we get ‘Gone With the Wind’ back, please?” he said to thousands of supporters, referring to the film about the Civil War-era South that won the best-picture Oscar 80 years ago.
Trump also dismissed actor Brad Pitt, who won an Oscar for best supporting actor for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Pitt said in accepting the award that he got more time to speak, 45 seconds, than former national security adviser John Bolton received at Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
“I was never a big fan of his. He’s a little wise guy,” Trump said of Pitt.
Trump, who is on a four-day Western U.S. swing, gave a harsh review as well of Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate, particularly the performance of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who the president said had a ragged night.
“I was going to send him a note saying: ‘It’s not easy doing what I do, is it?’ It’s not easy, Mike. It’s not easy for any of them,” he said of the contenders for the Democratic nomination to face him in November’s election.
Trump is set to return to Washington after speaking at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday.
Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney
Himalayan wolf uniquely adapted to life at high altitudes
New research suggests the Himalayan Wolf is uniquely adapted to life at high altitudes. Photo by Geraldine Werhahn
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Through a combination of genetic analysis and field observations, scientists are gaining new insights into the uniqueness of the mysterious Himalayan wolf.
According to the new study, published this week in the Journal of Biogeography, the Himalayan wolf is genetically adapted to life at high altitudes.
"The outcome of this research is absolutely astonishing," lead researcher Geraldine Werhahn, zoologist at University of Oxford, said in a news release.
Prior to the study, scientists had hints that the Himalayan wolf was genetically unique from the grey wolf, but they weren't sure why. Data was hard to come by.
"Now we know that these wolves are different from genetics to ecology, and we have an indication of what the reason may be: the evolutionary fitness challenge posed by the low oxygen levels in the extreme high altitudes," Werhahn said.
The research showed the range of the Himalayan wolf is more expansive than previously realized, encompassing high altitude regions throughout Asia, including habitats of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.
Scientists watched the dens of wolves in Nepal and found Himalayan wolf packs feature five wolves on average, smaller than the packs of grey wolves.
Researchers also used scat samples to study the wolves' DNA, and found a variety of genetic markers indicating the Himalayan wolf's distinct evolutionary history. The scat samples also helped scientists study the diet of the Himalayan wolf.
By studying the movement and diet patterns of the Himalayan wolf, scientists hope to create improved wildlife management and conservation plans. In places where the wolf's preferred prey are declining, the new research suggests wolf-livestock interactions are more likely.
Retaliation killings by livestock owners are one of the wolf's biggest threats, but according to researchers, improved wildlife management strategies could help protect the wolf.
Because the wolf's home consists of some of the largest intact pieces of wilderness left on Earth -- and is home to the sources of freshwater drank by millions -- scientists say it is imperative that the Himalayan wolf is protected.
In addition to developing improved conservation plans, scientists plan to conduct additional field research to gain a better understanding of the wolf's ecology, behavior and population size.
