THIS APPLIES TO ALBERTA TOO

'Naive. Reckless. Irresponsible': Ontario doctors question decision to lift province's mask mandate as BA.2 variant rises

Elisabetta Bianchini

Wed., March 9, 2022, 

As of March 21, the mandatory masking requirement in Ontario will be removed for most settings, including schools.

Exceptions to the change in the provincial masking mandate includes public transit, healthcare settings, long-term care homes and high-risk congregate settings.

"It is now a choice not a mandate," Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone, COVID-19 transmission is still occurring across the province and masks can help protect you, and others, from becoming infected with COVID-19."

Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health

"In fact, we can expect indicators such as cases and hospitalizations to increase slightly as [Ontarians] increasingly interact with one another. However, thanks to our high vaccination rates and natural immunity that is developing, as well as the arrival of other therapeutics and antivirals, Ontario has the tools necessary to manage the impact of this virus."

Dr. Moore added that for individuals most vulnerable to the virus, including older Ontarians and people with a chronic illness, it is still "strongly recommended" that they continue to wear a mask.

Ontario's chief medical officer of health stressed that the public should be "considerate and kind" to those who choose to wear a mask, adding that, personally, he will not be wearing a mask in outdoor settings and will be doing a personal "risk assessment" for "high-risk" indoor settings.

"If I go to the Eaton Centre, I'll wear my mask, if I'm on the subway it will be mandated, and/or a public bus or streetcar," he said. "If I go to a busy, busy box store, I'll put my mask on in those settings."

"You have to recognize, you can't mandate masking forever. It has to be, eventually, an individual choice based on an individual's risk assessment, and we're at that point, by March 21."

As of March 21, schools and childcare providers will no longer be required to conduct on-site screening for all children, students and staff, but any individuals in these settings should stay home if experiencing worsening symptoms. Ontario is also eliminating the cohorting and distancing requirements.

"In alignment with community masking requirement, masks will no long be required of children, students and staff, or visitors in childcare, schools, school board offices, and/or student transportation," Dr. Moore confirmed. "Should individuals chose or are required to continue to wear a mask at school or childcare, I would ask that we respect and be supportive of these decisions."

Changes to isolation rules

Ontario's chief medical officer of heath added that while, previously, everyone in a household with someone who was sick or tested positive for COVID-19 had to stay home, household members who are fully vaccinated, including a booster dose for adults, now do not have to stay home.

"These household members still need to wear a mask outside the house and avoid vulnerable people in high-risk settings, like long-term care homes, for 10 days, but they can continue to go into work and/or school, as long as they’re asymptomatic," Dr. Moore said.

"For those non-household members who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you are no longer required to self-isolate, regardless of your vaccination status. You do have to self-monitor for 10 days, wear a mask when outside the house, avoid activities where mask removal would be necessary and avoid vulnerable individuals in high-risk settings, like hospitals."

Symptomatic individuals do have isolate right away and get test, if they have access to a PCR test or rapid antigen test.

Several people in Ontario, including health experts, took to social media to comments on the removal of the provincial masking mandatory masking requirement.

Korean Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee, 33, dies from Russian shelling after joining war defense

Ryan General

 

23 hours ago NEXTSHARK

• Actor-turned-soldier Pasha Lee was killed from a shelling attack by Russian forces in Ukraine’s city of Irpin on Sunday.
• Lee, who worked as an actor, singer, TV host and composer, joined the Ukrainian army after Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.
• Colleagues and fans have taken to social media to mourn Lee’s death.

Pasha Lee, a 33-year-old Ukrainian actor of Korean descent, died on Sunday while defending his home country.

Lee joined the army after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. He was killed from a shelling attack by Russian forces in Ukraine’s city of Irpin.

Before Russia’s invasion less than two weeks ago, Lee worked as an actor, singer, TV host and composer. 

Serhiy Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, shared news of Lee’s death on Facebook.

The Odesa International Film Festival (OIFF) celebrated his legacy by listing his acting roles in various films such as “Shadows of Unforgotten Ancestors,” “The Fight Rules” and “Meeting of Classmates,” among others.

“We call on the world community to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia and stop the war,” wrote the OIFF. “We urge you to close the sky over Ukraine immediately and continue to boycott Russian cinema.” 

Lee was also known for his voice work, most notably in the Ukrainian dubbings of “The Hobbit” film series and the 2019 live-action remake of “The Lion King.”

Fellow colleagues and fans have taken to social media to mourn Lee’s death.

Ukrainian actor Anastasiya Kasilova, who co-starred with Lee in the TV show “Provincial,” wrote on Facebook that Lee “is an actor, TV presenter, my colleague and a good acquaintance… Never forgive!”

Meanwhile, Ivana Chubbuck, an American acting coach who worked with Lee during her last workshop in Ukraine, and Vlad Davidzon, the founding editor of Ukrainian magazine The Odessa Review, also posted about Lee.

The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than 351 civilians since Feb. 24. 

Featured Image via @pashaleeofficial

TWO YEARS AGO

California Passed Bill to Make Ethnic Studies a Requirement for High School Students

Ryan General

September 3, 2020

A new California bill headed to Governor Gavin Newsom is set to make ethnic studies a graduation requirement for high school students in the state.

Assembly Bill 331: Should the governor sign the landmark bill, California would become the first state to require that all high school students pass a one-semester ethnic studies course, SF Chronicle reports.  

• Legislature passed the bill on August 31, which marks the last day of the legislative session.
• In passing AB331, a Senate committee voted 33 to 4 without much discussion, according to EdSource.
  
• Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno), who supported the ethnic studies and voted for the bill, raised the question of whether the legislature should mandate additional graduation requirements for those who might consider vocational studies.
  
• Completing an ethnic studies course would satisfy one of the English or social studies course requirements for graduation.
• Student groups GENup, Diversify Our Narrative, and March for Our Lives California, created a petition to rally support for the bill.
• The petition states: “Our education system owes it to us to equip us with the tools to adequately navigate these systems, yet our history courses largely focus on the highlights of European and American history, disregarding the negative impacts of the European experience and misinforming us on how the U.S. government harmed and discriminated against marginalized groups.”
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) California believes it is “essential for students to learn about the origins of various ethnic groups and our transnational linkages.”
• The curriculum will reportedly study history, culture, politics, contributions and prejudices.
• On August 17, Newsom signed another bill requiring ethnic studies for California State University graduates into law.

One slight change: The bill’s primary author, Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside) needed one amendment to be accepted by several others before it was sent to the final vote.

• Medina’s amendment pushes the start date for the inclusion of ethnic studies to the 2029-30 year, instead of the original plan offering the course in the 2025-26 year.
• This should give schools and districts “plenty of time to prepare for a smooth implementation,” such as giving the state more time to provide funding for the new courses, according to the assemblyman.
• Another amendment was pushed to give the governing board of a school district or charter school authority to adopt a “locally developed” ethnic studies course instead of a statewide model ethnic studies curriculum that is being developed.
• The proposal essentially gives power to some districts to adopt a course that may deviate attention from the model curriculum’s focus on the four minority groups traditionally covered by ethnic studies courses: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans.

Los Angeles Unified, adopted an ethnic studies graduation requirement on its own last week, while Fresno Unified adopted a two-semester ethnic studies requirement a month ago. Other districts are expected to also establish an earlier timetable in adopting the requirement.

Featured Image via Official GDC (CC BY 2.0)

AMERICAN FASCISM

Furthering Attacks on Trans Kids and Abortion Rights, GOP Targets Those Who Leave State for Care

New proposals would criminalize parents of transgender youths in Idaho who leave the state for gender-affirming care and women in Missouri who travel to obtain abortions.

Thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets of Manhattan on June 27, 2021 to participate on the Reclaim Pride Coalition's third annual Queer Liberation March, where no police, politicians or corporations were allowed to participate. 

(Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

JULIA CONLEY

COMMON DREAMS

March 9, 2022

Republican-led state legislatures are intensifying attacks on transgender and reproductive rights by trying to bar people from leaving their home states to receive gender-affirming healthcare and abortion care, as lawmakers in Idaho and Missouri have proposed in recent days.

In Idaho on Tuesday, the state House passed a bill that would make providing gender-affirming care to transgender youths a felony—punishable by life in prison. It also includes a provision making it a crime for parents or guardians to permit their child to travel out of state for treatment.

"Denying someone medically-necessary healthcare simply because you don't approve of who they are is textbook discrimination."

The bill, H.B. 675, easily passed in a 55-13 vote, with just one Republican joining all the Democrats in rejecting the measure. The measure will now move to the state Senate and may be signed into law by Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, if it passes.

The legislation passed as more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills are making their way through state legislatures, targeting transgender youths' right to play on sports teams that correspond to their gender rather than sex assigned at birth and to access healthcare, teachers' rights to discuss LGBTQ-related topics at school, and other rights.

According to state Rep. Lauren Necochea, a Democrat who spoke out against the bill on the House floor, multiple transgender children in Idaho have made suicide attempts since H.B. 675 was introduced.

"Our transgender youth are so incredibly courageous, and I know how stressful it has been for transgender youth and their families as they've watched this bill move through this body," Necochea said. "An Idaho doctor has had to assist three transgender youth related to their suicide attempts since this bill has been introduced. We need to trust those parents and providers to make these deeply personal decisions."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's directive calling on the state Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the families of transgender youths who obtain treatment has pushed Texas Children's Hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in the U.S., to halt gender-affirming care for minors.

According to The Washington Post, more Texas parents of transgender children are now "looking to get treatment out of state—or move altogether."

If parents in Idaho make similar attempts, they could be found guilty of a felony.

Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice at the ACLU, called the proposal "deadly."

"These bills do nothing to invest and protect Idaho youth and families and Idahoans deserve better," said Strangio. "Criminalizing healthcare for transgender adolescents is counter to science, medicine, and ethics and we stand ready to fight any attack on transgender youth and their families."

Major national medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association support gender-affirming care for youths. As Human Rights Campaign state legislative director and senior counsel Cathryn Oakley said in a statement Tuesday, new research has found that such treatment "reduces the risk of moderate or severe depression by 60% and suicidal thoughts by 73%" in transgender young people.

"Every kid in Idaho deserves the chance to grow up feeling safe and respected for who they are," said Oakley. "Denying someone medically-necessary healthcare simply because you don't approve of who they are is textbook discrimination."


As H.B. 675 moves through the Idaho state Senate, at least one Republican lawmaker in Missouri is attempting to bar pregnant people from leaving the state to obtain abortion care, as thousands of residents have since Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill banning abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy in 2019.

That law has since been enjoined amid litigation, but it includes provisions banning the procedure at 14, 18, and 20 weeks in case earlier bans are struck down.

Since the law was signed, a Planned Parenthood clinic at the Missouri-Illinois border has reported that at least 10,644 Missouri residents have received care there.

The new proposal, which GOP state Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman is adding to several abortion-related bills ahead of debates in the legislature, would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a person obtain an abortion out of state.

Coleman's proposal is "more proof that it's not about abortion, it's about controlling people who can become pregnant," said reproductive rights advocate Justine Sandoval.


"They are putting bounties on the heads of women," said political consultant Fred Wellman. "That's what this is."

NOT FOR ARACHNOPHOBES

A spider as big as the palm of your 

hand could soon invade the East Coast, 

scientists say

Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY

Tue, March 8, 2022, 

If you haven't met the colorful, massive Joro spider yet, you may soon be introduced to the invasive species if you live on the East Coast, scientists predict.

The predominately yellow spider, which can get as big as the palm of your hand, was first spotted in Georgia in 2013. Originating from Asia, there is no clear answer for how it made it into the United States other than it likely came in a shipping container. But in nearly 10 years, the species has rapidly spread across Georgia and other parts of the Southeast.

Now, scientists from the University of Georgia say in a study published in the journal Physiological Entomology the Joro spider could take over much of the East Coast in the coming years.

“People should try to learn to live with them," Andy Davis, research scientist at Georgia's Odum School of Ecology and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year."

The joro spider, a native of Asia, has become a common sight in neighborhoods in Athens and across Northeast Georgia.

Scientists came to their conclusion by comparing the Joro spider to its relative, the golden silk spider. Known as the "banana spider," the golden silk spider hails from the tropical regions of Central and South America, but made its way into the southeast U.S. around 150 years ago and similarly took over the region, making it the "perfect experiment" to use for comparison.

But as much as the golden silk spider population has grown, it has yet to expand into the North because the spider is susceptible to the cold. The scientists collected the two species and measured numerous physical traits as well as how they adapted to different environmental conditions, including brief periods of temperatures below freezing.

The results showed Joro spiders, compared to their relative, had a metabolism twice as high, a 77% higher heart rate in low temperatures and they survived 74% of the time in the temperatures below freezing, while the golden silk spider survival rate was only 50%. Scientists also noticed the species does well in Japan, with some regions that have climates similar to the Northeast.

"While we should not draw sweeping conclusions from this comparison of just two species, it is at least clear that the Joro spider has a physiology that is more suited to a cooler environment than its congener," the study reads.

Unhappy Meal: A customer's McDonald's chicken and bacon wrap came with a side of spider

New spider: YouTuber uncovers new species of tarantula. The spider crawls out of bamboo stalk.

Davis also noted humans play a factor in how far the species could spread, as they can hitch rides on vehicles and in containers. He said he heard reports of someone "accidentally" transporting a Joro spider to Oklahoma.

The size of the spider may frighten people, but experts say they shouldn't worry. They are poisonous, but they don't bite humans unless they are cornered. Plus, their fangs don't penetrate human skin.

University of Georgia entomologist Nancy Hinkle told USA TODAY in September that Joro spiders also serve as "pest control," feeding on insects like mosquitoes, flies and stink bugs. Birds also feed on the spiders, but the official impact on the Southeast and its species has yet to be determined.

So if you do eventually run into a Joro spider, let them be, says Benjamin Frick, a graduate student in the Integrative Conservation and Sustainability program at the University of Georgia and study co-author.

"There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them," Frick said. "Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider."

Contributing: Jay Cannon, USA TODAY; Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giant, invasive Joro spider could soon be throughout the East Coast

US officials reverse course on pesticide's harm to wildlife


 In this Nov. 27, 2012 photo, endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes stand in their temporary transitional habitat, to be later released into the wild, at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, Miss. U.S. wildlife officials have reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic pesticide could jeopardize the cranes and dozens of other plants and animals with extinction

 (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)More

MATTHEW BROWN
Tue, March 8, 2022, 

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic pesticide could jeopardize dozens of plants and animals with extinction, after receiving pledges from chemical manufacturers that they will change product labels for malathion so that it’s used more carefully by gardeners, farmers and other consumers.

Federal rules for malathion are under review in response to longstanding concerns that the pesticide used on mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other insects also kills many rare plants and animals. A draft finding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last April said malathion could threaten 78 imperiled species with extinction and cause lesser harm to many more.

Wildlife officials reversed their position on the 78 species in a Feb. 28 biological opinion following talks among malathion manufacturers, officials from the wildlife service and the Environmental Protection Agency, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Wildlife service officials now say malathion could cause limited harm to hundreds of species, but is unlikely to jeopardize any of them with extinction as long as labels that dictate its use are changed. Their conclusion depends on farmers, gardeners and other consumers abiding by the instructions on where and when to use the pesticide.

Environmentalists who wanted more restrictions on malathion said the proposed label changes would do little to protect species that in some cases have dwindled to very few individuals. They said assuming malathion users will follow the guidelines is unrealistic, and objected to an 18-month timeline for the EPA to put them into effect.

“This is an enormous punt,” said Brett Hartl with the Center for Biological Diversity. “There's not a single endangered species that will see anything change on the ground because of this biological opinion for at least 18 months, but probably never.”

The manufacturers agreed to use labels that provide extensive guidelines on when and where malathion should be used to avoid killing wildlife. For example, the labels would say not to spray malathion to kill mosquitoes during the middle of the day, when bees and some other insects are more active and thus more likely to be inadvertently killed.

Gary Frazer, the wildlife service’s assistant director for ecological services, said the measures would “significantly reduce many of the effects of malathion use.”

The manufacturers were largely represented by FMC Corp., a Philadelphia-based agricultural chemical company, according to the wildlife service. FMC spokesperson Lars Weborg said the proposed labels and other updates to malathion guidelines “were developed using a standard procedure common to any industry.”

He said the company couldn't speculate if less malathion would be used as a result.

The species that were found in jeopardy last year included birds such as the Mississippi sandhill crane and various fish, insects, snails and other animals and plants.

U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva criticized the Biden administration for not taking stronger steps to protect endangered species from pesticides. The Arizona Democrat said “theoretical restrictions” on the use of malathion would not help.

“We must stop using malathion as soon as possible,” Grijalva said.

Every year almost a million pounds of malathion are used on crops in California, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Ohio and other states, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Close to 2 million pounds is used every year in home gardens, for mosquito control and other uses, according to data from a 2018 government survey. The amount used on farmland has fallen by about two-thirds since its 1998 peak, according to the data.

Malathion is considered highly toxic to insects, fish and crustaceans. International health officials have said the chemical is probably carcinogenic to humans.

The EPA said it would post online details that pesticide users should follow, such as no spray zones in areas of critical wildlife habitat. In many cases those are merely guidelines. That includes spraying for mosquito control “where feasible” to protect species including the Houston toad and the Miami tiger beetle, according to government documents.

The fish and wildlife service analysis marks the first nationwide review of an EPA-regulated pesticide that's come up for re-approval, officials said. The EPA said in a statement that the measures would protect threatened and endangered species and also reduce pesticide exposure for other plants and animals

The review of malathion’s impacts on wildlife came under a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The environmental group first sued the EPA two decades ago, for failing to consult with other federal agencies about the risks of pesticides on wildlife and plants, and filed more lawsuits leading up to its 2013 settlement with the Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 2017, the AP reported a push by Dow Chemical for the Trump administration to ignore government studies on a family of pesticides that includes malathion. The lobbying came after initial findings from the EPA that the pesticides had negative effects on more than 1,000 endangered and threatened species.

The Trump administration later that year sought a two-year delay in its review of malathion and other pesticides.

A separate review of malathion’s effects is pending from the National Marine Fisheries Service. The agency said in a Feb. 25 draft analysis that malathion could jeopardize 37 species. The draft did not include consideration of the label changes planned by manufacturers, which fisheries service officials said they would incorporate into their final opinion.

___

Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter: @MatthewBrownAP

Bookchin M. Our Synthetic Environment - Libcom

https://libcom.org/files/Bookchin M. Our Synthetic Environment.pdf · PDF file

Our Synthetic Environment Murray Bookchin 1962 Table of contents Chapter 1: THE PROBLEM 

Chapter 2: AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH Chapter 3: URBAN LIFE AND HEALTH 

Silent Spring-Rachel Carson-1962 : Free Download, …https://archive.org/details/fp_Silent_Spring-Rachel_Carson-1962

 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is an expertly written environmental science book published in 1962. It focuses on the documentation of detrimental effects that the haphazard use 

of pesticides has on the environment.

Why “Silent Spring” still matters - Earth Day

https://www.earthday.org/why-silent-spring-still-matters

2019-09-26 · Nearly 60 years ago, Rachel Carson shocked the agricultural industry with her critique of indiscriminate pesticide use in the United States. “Silent Spring,” 

UPDATED

Ex-top prosecutor elected South Korea's new president

HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative former top prosecutor, was elected South Korea’s new president on Thursday, defeating his chief liberal rival in one of the country’s most closely fought presidential elections.

With more than 98% of the ballots counted, Yoon had 48.6% of the votes against his rival Lee Jae-myung’s 47.8 %.

A huge crowd of supporters gathered near Yoon’s Seoul home, shouting his name early Thursday.

“I didn’t know you’ve come here without sleeping. I thank you for having supported me so far. Thank you, my neighbors!” Yoon said. He was expected to make a formal victory speech soon.

Yoon is to take office in May and serve a single five-year term as leader of the world’s 10th largest economy.

Earlier, Lee, a former governor of Gyeonggi province, conceded his defeat at his party headquarters. “I did my best but wasn’t able to live up to expectations,” a glum Lee said. "I congratulate candidate Yoon Suk Yeol. I sincerely ask the president elect to overcome division and conflicts and open a new era of unity and harmony.”

The election boiled down to a two-way showdown between Yoon from the opposition People Power Party and Lee from the governing Democratic Party. They spent months slamming, mocking and demonizing each other in one of the most bitter political campaigns in recent memory, aggravating the country’s already severe domestic divisions.

Critics say neither candidate has presented a clear strategy for how they would ease the threat from North Korea and its nuclear weapons. They also say voters are skeptical about how both would handle international relations amid the U.S.-China rivalry and how they would address widening economic inequality and runaway housing prices.

Yoon says he would sternly deal with North Korean provocations and seek to boost trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo. Yoon has said he would make a enhanced alliance with the United States the center of his foreign policy while taking a more assertive stance on China.

After North Korea’s latest reported ballistic missile launch on Saturday, Yoon accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of trying to influence the results of the South Korean election in favor of Lee.

“I would (teach) him some manners and make him come to his senses completely,” Yoon told a rally near Seoul.

Lee, for his part, has called for greater reconciliation with North Korea and a diplomatic pragmatism amid the U.S.-China confrontations.

The election comes as South Korea has been grappling with an omicron-driven COVID-19 surge. On Wednesday, health authorities reported 342,446 new virus cases, a record high. People infected with the coronavirus voted after regular voting ended Wednesday evening.

South Korea’s Constitution limits a president to a single five-year term, so Lee’s party colleague, President Moon Jae-in, could not seek reelection. Moon came to power in 2017 after conservative President Park Geun-hye was impeached and ousted from office over a huge corruption scandal.

With conservatives initially in shambles after Park’s fall, Moon’s approval rating at one point hit 83% as he pushed hard to achieve reconciliation with North Korea and delve into alleged corruption by past conservative leaders. He eventually faced a strong backlash as talks on North Korea’s nuclear program faltered and his anti-corruption drive raised questions of fairness.

Yoon had been Moon’s prosecutor general but resigned and joined the opposition last year following infighting over probes of Moon’s allies. Yoon said those investigations were objective and principled, but Moon’s supporters said he was trying to thwart Moon’s prosecution reforms and elevate his own political standing.

Yoon’s critics have also attacked him over a lack of experience in party politics, foreign policy and other key state affairs. Yoon has responded that he would let experienced officials handle state affairs that require expertise.

Exit polls: Race to elect SKorea leader is too close to call

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

1 of 15

A woman casts her vote for presidential election at a local polling station in Busan, South Korea, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. South Koreans were voting for a new president Wednesday, with an outspoken liberal ruling party candidate and a conservative former prosecutor considered the favorites in a tight race that has aggravated domestic divisions. 

(Park Sung-jae/Yonhap via AP)


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Exit polls released after South Korea’s hard-fought presidential election on Wednesday indicated that results for the two main candidates -- an outspoken liberal governing party candidate and a conservative former top prosecutor -- were too close to call.

The election has boiled down to a two-way showdown between liberal Lee Jae-myung, the former governor of Gyeonggi province, and his main conservative challenger, Yoon Suk Yeol. The two spent months slamming, mocking and demonizing each other in one of the most bitter political campaigns in recent memory, aggravating the country’s already severe domestic divisions.

A joint exit poll by KBS, MBC and SBS television stations predicted that Yoon, from the opposition People Power Party, would win 48.4% of votes cast, beating Lee of the Democratic Party with 47.8%.

But another exit poll by the JTBC television network projected that Lee would defeat Yoon by 0.7 percentage points.

Election officials earlier said vote counting may take longer than usual because of an extended voting time for COVID-19 patients, and that the winner may not be clear until early Thursday.

About 44 million South Koreans aged 18 or order were eligible to vote, out of the country’s 52 million people. About 16 million cast ballots during early voting last week. The tentative turnout was 77.1% after polls closed Wednesday, the fifth highest ever since the country restored direct presidential elections in 1987 following decades of military dictatorship, according to the National Election Commission.

The winner of Wednesday’s vote will take office in May and serve a single five-year term as leader of the world’s 10th largest economy.

Lee and Yoon recently agreed that if they won they would not launch politically motivated investigations against the other, but many believe the losing candidate could still face criminal probes over scandals they’re been linked to.

Critics say neither candidate has presented a clear strategy for how they would ease the threat from North Korea and its nuclear weapons. They also say voters are skeptical about how both would handle international relations amid the U.S.-China rivalry and how they would address widening economic inequality and runaway housing prices.

“Despite the significance of this year’s election, the race has centered too much on negative campaigning,” said Jang Seung-Jin, a professor at Seoul’s Kookmin University, adding that neither leading candidate laid out a convincing blueprint on how they would lead South Korea.

The election comes as South Korea has been grappling with an omicron-driven COVID-19 surge. On Wednesday, health authorities reported 342,446 new virus cases, a record high. People infected with the coronavirus voted after regular voting ended Wednesday evening.

Ahead of the vote, Jeong Eun-yeong, a 48-year-old Seoul resident, said she was agonizing over which candidate is “the lesser of two evils.”

“Nobody around me seems happy about voting” for either Lee or Yoon, she said. “We need a leader who would be really devoted to improving the lives of working-class citizens.”

While Lee and Yoon have some similar economic and welfare policies, they’ve clashed over North Korea and other foreign policy issues.

Lee, who has often expressed nationalistic views, calls for exemptions to U.N. sanctions on North Korea so that dormant inter-Korean economic projects can be revived, and hopes to mediate between the North and the U.S. over the North Korean nuclear crisis. Yoon says he would sternly deal with North Korean provocations and seek to boost trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo.

On confrontation between Washington, Seoul’s top military ally, and Beijing, its biggest trading partner, Lee says picking a side would pose a greater security threat to South Korea. Yoon wants to enhance the alliance with the United States.

After North Korea’s latest reported ballistic missile launch on Saturday, Yoon accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of trying to influence the results of the South Korean election in favor of Lee.

“I would (teach) him some manners and make him come to his senses completely,” Yoon told a rally near Seoul.

Lee wrote on Facebook that he would push for a diplomatic solution to North Korean nuclear tensions but won’t tolerate any act that would raise animosity.

South Korea’s Constitution limits a president to a single five-year term, so Lee’s party colleague, President Moon Jae-in, could not seek reelection. Moon came to power in 2017 after conservative President Park Geun-hye was impeached and ousted from office over a huge corruption scandal.

With conservatives initially in shambles after Park’s fall, Moon’s approval rating at one point hit 83% as he pushed hard to achieve reconciliation with North Korea and delve into alleged corruption by past conservative leaders. He eventually faced a strong backlash as talks on North Korea’s nuclear program faltered and his anti-corruption drive raised questions of fairness.

Yoon had been Moon’s prosecutor general but resigned and joined the opposition last year following infighting over probes of Moon’s allies. Yoon said those investigations were objective and principled, but Moon’s supporters said he was trying to thwart Moon’s prosecution reforms and elevate his own political standing.

Yoon’s critics have also attacked him over a lack of experience in party politics, foreign policy and other key state affairs. Yoon has responded that he would let experienced officials handle state affairs that require expertise.

Lee, a former human rights lawyer who entered local politics in 2005, has established an image as a tough-speaking anti-elitist who can get things done and fix establishment politics. But his opponents call him a dangerous populist relying on divisions and demonizing opponents.

Yoon has launched a political offensive against Lee over allegations that he was a key figure in a corrupt land development project in the city of Seongnam when he was mayor there. Lee has tried to link Yoon to the same scandal. Both of their wives have offered public apologies over separate scandals.

Women in South Korea say no to 'No 2' men when choosing who to date

Rebecca Moon
Tue, March 8, 2022

As South Korea prepares for its presidential election on March 9, women in the dating scene are taking dates’ presidential candidate preferences into major consideration.

The two leading candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) are running in a tight race while representing opposing ideologies.

Lee’s campaign advocates for expanding welfare and basic income while driving economic growth through investments in digital and renewable energy industries. Yoon’s conservative campaign promotes smaller government, deregulation and market-led solutions.

Young voters and prospective dates have begun using a numbering system to indicate their preferred presidential candidates, referring to Lee as “Candidate No. 1” and Yoon as “Candidate No. 2.”

The term “No 2 man” has been trending online amongst women in reference to men who support presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. And as gender politics have continued to play a big role in the election — with many critics calling out Yoon for making misogynistic comments — women online have taken to using the term “No 2 man” to refer to any young man who displays similarly misogynistic behaviors or tendencies.

Yoon campaigned on an election pledge to abolish South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family while suggesting that the country’s low birth rate is attributed to feminism.

Many of Yoon’s opponents and critics have compared him to former U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that both have shown support for controversial global political figures, expressed antifeminist sentiments and made offensive comments about foreign countries.

As a result of Yoon’s allegedly antifeminist sentiments, Korean women have begun calling his supporters “No 2 men” and have described them as undesirable partners who are misogynistic “losers” and “nobodies.”

In contrast to the “No 2 men,” Korean women have labeled supporters of Lee Jae-myung as “No 1 men” and described them as possessing more praiseworthy characteristics.

A viral tweet posted by @hohoholov comparing the physical appearances of “No 1 men” and “No 2 men” using snippets of televised coverage of the election, also suggested that “No 1 men” were more physically attractive.


Male supporters of Yoon have responded to the trending tagline by posting and sending photos of themselves holding signs that state, “I am a No 2 man” to the antifeminist organization New Men’s Solidarity.


Featured Image via Lee Jae-myung (left), Yoon Suk-yeol (right)

S. Korea chooses new president with inequality key concern

South Koreans will vote for a new president Wednesday with economic inequality a top concern despite growing sabre-rattling from the nuclear-armed North.

© Jung Yeon-je

 A man walks past posters of South Korea's presidential candidates (top row) in Seoul on March 6, 2022, ahead of the March 9 presidential election

Record early voting indicates turnout will be high after a campaign dominated by mud-slinging between liberal Lee Jae-myung and conservative Yoon Suk-yeol.

The pair have been neck-and-neck in the polls for months, with around 90 percent of the electorate supporting one or the other.

Analysts say South Korean politics is particularly adversarial, with democracy only restored in 1987 after decades of authoritarian rule.

Presidents serve just a single term of five years, and every living former leader has been jailed for corruption after leaving office.

Yoon has already threatened to investigate outgoing President Moon Jae-in, citing unspecified "irregularities".

Polling stations open at 6 am (2100 GMT) and shut at 6 pm. For 90 minutes after closing, Covid-positive voters will be allowed to cast their ballots.

South Korea is in the grip of an Omicron wave with more than 200,000 new cases being recorded on most days this month.

More than a million people are currently isolating at home after testing positive, health authorities say. The country amended its electoral laws last month to ensure they would be able to vote.

In a two-day early voting exercise last week, a record-breaking 37 percent of the 44 million people eligible cast their ballots -- the highest number since the system was introduced in 2013.

Polls show the top concerns among the electorate are skyrocketing house prices in the capital Seoul, rising domestic inequality and stubborn youth unemployment.

The new president will also have to confront an increasingly assertive North Korea, which has embarked on a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests this year including a launch just days before the election.

- 'Tone deaf' -

Lee, a former child factory worker turned politician, has offered a slew of fresh policies from a universal basic income to free school uniforms -- but his ideas have been overshadowed by media coverage of scandals.

The 57-year-old is under pressure over a controversial land development deal in which private investors profited from a state-funded project on Lee's watch as mayor of the city of Seongnam.

He was also forced to start his campaign by apologising for a profanity-laden phone call with his family involving disputes with his late brother and mother.

His conservative rival Yoon has called for a relaxation of labour regulations including a lowering of the minimum wage and the removal of limits on working hours.

The former top prosecutor is also promising to abolish the gender equality ministry, saying South Korean women do not suffer from "systemic gender discrimination", despite evidence to the contrary.

Yoon has made a series of gaffes on the campaign trail including most recently with a tweet on Ukraine in which he posted a tangerine with an angry face in a bizarre reference to the country's Orange Revolution of 2004.

Critics described the tweet as "tone deaf".

The winner of the election will formally succeed Moon in May. The incumbent remains popular, despite not achieving a promised peace deal with North Korea.

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