Greta Thunberg changes her name to 'Sharon' on Twitter after actress fails to recognise her

WION Web Team New Delhi, Delhi, India Jan 04, 2020

Climate activist Greta Thunberg (File photo) Photograph:( AFP )

Greta Thunberg gave another example of her sense of humour when she changed her name to Sharon on Twitter on Friday when an actor recognised as Sharon on a gameshow.

British actress Amanda Henderson recently appeared on BBC's Celebrity Mastermind where she was asked about the 17-year-old climate activist.

Also read: After Trump mocks Greta on Twitter, Michelle Obama tells Thunberg to 'ignore the doubters'

“The 2019 book entitled No One is Too Small To Make A Difference is a collection of speeches made by a Swedish climate change activist. What’s her name?” asked the game show host to Henderson.

2020 is cancelled pic.twitter.com/aGDZCTTQmb— Mark Smith (@marksmithstuff) January 2, 2020

The actress appeared quizzed and answered "Sharon".

Also read: Greta Thunberg mocks Putin's 'kind girl' jibes on Twitter
A clip of this question became viral on Twitter and has got more than 154,000 likes.


On Friday afternoon, the climate activist changed her name to Sharon, a day which also marked his birthday.


This is not the first time Thunberg has had the last laugh on social media.

Last month, US President Donald Trump also tweeted that the Swedish activist needs to work on her anger management problem and "then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill, Greta, Chill!"

Responding to the US President, Thunberg edited her bio which then said "a teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend".

Earlier too, Thunberg responded wittingly to the US President when he commented in a video: "She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future."

Thunberg changed her bio which said "A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future".

In October, Thunberg changed her bio to "a kind but poorly informed teenager" which is exactly how Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier described her.

UH OH
Australian wildfires developing their own 'weather systems': Authorities
Reuters Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Jan 04, 2020


Wildfires in Australia Photograph:( Reuters )

On Saturday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned that a fire on the coast was generating its own weather system 287 km (178 miles) south of Sydney.

The bushfires ravaging Australia are generating so much heat that they are creating their own weather systems including dry lightning storms and fire tornadoes.

On Saturday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned that a fire on the coast was generating its own weather system 287 km (178 miles) south of Sydney.

"A fire-generated thunderstorm has formed over the Currowan fire on the northern edge of the fire near Nowra. This is a very dangerous situation. Monitor the conditions around you and take appropriate action," the RFS said on social media.

The weather conditions are the results of the formation of pyrocumulonimbus clouds. They have been recorded all over the world but as the global climate changes, they may become a more frequent occurrence for Australians, the country's Climate Council said in a 2019 report.

An RFS firefighter was killed on Monday by a fire tornado caused by the collapse of a pyrocumulonimbus cloud formation that rolled over the fire truck he was in.

Shane Fitzsimmons, the NSW RFS commissioner, pointed to that death when asked about the fire-induced weather patterns.

"That extraordinary event resulted in cyclonic-type base flipping over a 10-tonne truck. That is the volatility and danger that exists," he said.

The pyrocumulonimbus clouds are essentially a thunderstorm that forms from the smoke plume of fire as intense heat from the fire causes air to rise rapidly, drawing in cooler air, according to information from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

As the cloud climbs and then cools in the low temperatures of the upper atmosphere, the collisions of ice particles in the higher parts of the cloud build up an electrical charge, which can be released as lightning.

These can cause dangerous and unpredictable changes in fire behaviour, making them harder to fight as well as causing lightning strikes that could ignite new fires.

The rising air also spurs intense updrafts that suck in so much air that strong winds develop, causing a fire to burn hotter and spread further.

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Last year was marked by defiance & dissent, 2020 is likely to be no different
Singapore Jan 02, 2020, 02.39 PM(IST) Written By: James M Dorsey


An Iraqi student shouts slogans during ongoing anti-government protests, in Basra, Iraq, December 24, 2019 Photograph:( Reuters)


Fragile protest outcomes are likely to co-shape the Middle East and North Africa in the coming decade.


Like 2019, the new year and perhaps the new decade is likely to be pockmarked by popular protest, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.

The question is what the protests that last year toppled the leaders of Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq but only led to a genuine transition process in Sudan will produce.

The protests’ outcome so far suggests that there may not be a clear-cut answer.


What is clear is that protesters have learnt not to surrender the street when a leader agrees to resign but to maintain the pressure until a process of transition to a more transparent, accountable and open political system has been agreed.

Protesters in Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq, demanding appointment of a leader untainted by association with the old regime, have stood their ground as governments and vested interests have sought to salvage what they can by attempting to replace one leader by another with close ties to ruling elites.

Equally clear is the fact that repression at best buys embattled regimes time and more often than not reinforces protesters’ resolve.


Harsh repression enabled the government of Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, one of the Middle East and North Africa’s most brutal leaders, to squash last year’s protests. The question is for how long.

The question is all the more relevant given that by and large protesters in the Middle East and North Africa, like in Hong Kong, are driven by a sense of now or never, a sense of having nothing more to lose.

The killing of more than 100 protesters in Sudan did not stop them from sticking to their guns until a transition process was put in place. The death of hundreds of protesters in Iraq and injuring of thousands more has failed to weaken their resolve.

The resilience suggests a more fundamental shift in attitudes that goes beyond the sense of desperation associated with having nothing more to lose.

It reflects the evolution of a new assertiveness, sense of empowerment, and rejection of submissive adherence to authority that first emerged in the 2011 popular Arab uprisings that toppled the leaders of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen.

Vested interests backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rolled back the achievements of those revolts, with the exception of Tunisia, leading to the rise of Al-Sisi and brutal civil wars in Libya and Yemen.

In some ways, the counterrevolution has backfired. The war in Yemen has severely tarnished Saudi Arabia’s image, focused attention on the dark side of UAE rulers, and fuelled the resolve of the 2019 protesters.

The last decade’s change in attitudes is also evident in Lebanon and Iraq where protesters are demanding political and social structures that emphasise national rather than ethnic or sectarian religious identities in a world in which civilizational leaders advocate some form of racial, ethnic or religious supremacy.

This weekend’s US military strikes targetting Iraqi militias associated with Iran suggest that world leaders ignore the protests at their peril.

If protesters focussed their demand for a withdrawal of foreign forces primarily on Iranian influence prior to the strikes, it now focuses equally on the presence of US forces.

The strikes also put at risk a stalling effort by Saudi Arabia to dial down tension with Iran in the wake of attacks in September on two key Saudi oil facilities and US reluctance to respond.

Reduced Saudi-Iranian tension, coupled with changing youth attitudes towards religion, facilitates moves away from debilitating sectarian politics that have long served to keep autocratic leaders and ruling elites in power.

Even so, fragile protest outcomes are likely to co-shape the Middle East and North Africa in the coming decade.

Both successful uprisings like in Sudan and stalemated ones as in Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq run a continuous risk of being thwarted by power grabs by militaries and other vested interests that produce harsh repression and potentially civil wars.

“While protesters have the power to force a change of prime minister and can remain in the streets, they do not seem to have the means to realise their broader goals. The country’s politicians and parties have grown rich off the current system and will do everything to defend it, but they do not have an answer for the protests,” said political analyst Stephen A, Cook.

The lesson of the last decade for the coming one is that waves of protest are not a matter of days, months or even a year. They are long drawn out processes that often play out over decades.

2011 ushered in a global era of defiance and dissent with the Arab uprisings as its most dramatic centrepiece.

The decade of the 2020s is likely to be one in which protests may produce at best uncertain and fragile outcomes, irrespective of whether protesters or vested interests gain an immediate upper hand.

Fragility at best, instability at worst, is likely to be the norm. To change that protesters and governments would have to agree on economic, political and social systems that are truly inclusive and ensure that all have a stake. No doubt, that is a tall order.

(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Haiti's Opposition Leaders Announced More Protests In 2020

Protests for the Resignation of Jovenel Moïse to Continue into 2020, says Michel André.

By Marco Dubois, Neighbor

Jan 3, 2020 12:34 am 

(Haiti Chaos)

Hundreds of protesters are planning to march from downtown Port-au-Prince to the U.S. Embassy to demand the Trump administration stop supporting President Jovenel Moise, who is named in the latest corruption report issued by Haiti's Superior Court of Account and Administrative Disputes.

"Protests will take place across Haiti on January 1st, 2020.", said human rights lawyer, Michel André, spokesman for the leading opposition coalition, Consensual Alternative.

"The United States is well-developed but Haiti is not. The U.S. must understand and allow us to save our only home country because it is time for Haiti to deliver from the Elites who don't want Haitians to deliver.", one protester told BDR! Live, Radio Television Caraibes, Tripotay Lakay, Radio Kiskeya, VOA, and Bon Déjeuner! Radio's journalists.

Protests are expected to continue into 2020 until the current President Jovenel Moise steps down reclaim opposition leaders, Mr. Michel, Senators Youri Latortue (AAA - Artibonite) and Nenel Cassy (Fanmi Lavalas - Nippes) and others.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Cynthia Kierscht arrived Thursday to meet with government officials and business leaders.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale visited Haiti several times for a meeting with Jovenel Moise and Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond to discuss Haiti's need for an inclusive national dialogue and a functioning government capable of restoring order, maintaining rule of law, expanding the economy, and serving the Haitian people, according to a U.S. Embassy statement but he failed. Hale was to meet with members of the Haitian opposition, and with members of the civil society and the private sector but all the political leaders rejected the meeting.

"We heard that American envoy David Hale will visit the country again to negotiate with us to keep Jovenel Moise in power," a female protester told VOA.

"But we, the people, are ready to march in 2020 to let the Americans know we are not interested in negotiating with them. We are asking for PHTK and Jovenel Moise's resignation, arrest, and judgment for their crimes against the Haitian people."

Speaking in Haiti's northern city of Gonaives, opposition Senator Nenel Cassy told VOA that government opponents will continue to press the U.S. to stop supporting Moise.

"We consider Jovenel (Moise) to have fallen already, but the Americans are propping him up. They are our friends, so we will talk to them and say it's time to let Jovenel go," he told VOA on Thursday. "As long as Jovenel is in power, we'll keep protesting."

U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison last week urged national dialogue to resolve Haiti's political crisis. She also affirmed support for peaceful protests and the people's right to air their frustrations.

Haiti has been roiled by protests, initially sparked by a fuel price hike, for more than a year. Outrage grew after an anti-corruption report accused the current and former presidents and members of their governments of misusing oil revenue earned under the PetroCaribe accord that Haiti signed with Venezuela in 2006.

Since then, protests have turned into larger anti-government and anti-corruption movements sweeping the country's major cities. Protesters, opposition leaders, and anti-corruption activists say they have no faith in Moise's ability to fix the country's woes.

Although protests waned in November, they returned this week and are now targeting the United States and France in 2020. Protesters reject calls for a national dialogue and insist the only conversation they are willing to have is about Moise's departure. They vow to keep protesting in front of the U.S. Embassy until their demands are met.

Protests expected as 3,000 astronomers gather for ‘Super Bowl of Astronomy’

Astronomers to gather for 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' (Source: Hawaii News Now)
By Mahealani Richardson | January 3, 2020 at 7:03 PM HST - Updated January 3 at 7:05 PM


HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Demonstrations are expected as 3,000 astronomers gather for a 5-day conference at the Hawaii Convention Center. It's known as the 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' where the industry will gather to hear the latest research and scientific discoveries of the universe.


“There are about 5,000 astronomers in the U.S. and two-thirds of them are going to be here,” said Roy Gal, Associate Professor at Institute for Astronomy at UH Manoa.


The American Astronomical Society website says protests may occur. In 2015, anti-TMT activists held a peaceful rally outside the International Astronomical Union General Assembly at the convention center.


In a visitors guide, AAS advised attendees to "be respectful and avoid engaging with large groups, particularly during pre-planned demonstrations that may be captured on video."


Organizers say AAS it isn't shying away from the controversy and there will be daily Mauna Kea discussions.


"I hope people coming in understand it's a very complex issue. We have folks who are experts in that like the Imiloa Astronomy Center who are hosting places for people to discuss it," said Gal.


Gal is hosting a public stargazing party at Ala Moana Park on Sunday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.



“I think we are mostly concerned that we get good information provided to all the attendees. That they are well-informed about the issues in Hawaii and see the broader context of how TMT fits into Hawaii astronomy,” said Doug Simons, Executive Director of Canada-France-Telescope.


Simons is presenting with Larry Kimura of UH Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language & Hawaiian Studies Monday about astronomy and culture in the Hawaiian creation chant.


Hawaiian activists we talked to said demonstrations could happen, but the temporary truce at Mauna Kea, they're hoping for dialog.


Laulani Teale, coordinator for Hoopae Peace Project says her group asked to speak at the convention, but did so at the last minute so she understand that they haven't heard back.


"We are making a diplomatic effort to reach out and to speak to the astronomers in the astronomy community," she said.


Long-time TMT opponent Kealoha Pisciotta, President of Mauna Kea Anaina Hou has a unique perspective. She previously worked for years as a telescope technician, but is dedicated to opposing the telescope project.


“Astronomy is a noble endeavor but it loses its nobility when it loses it’s humanity,” she said.


Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Puffins scratch their itches with sticks in first example of seabirds using tools
Scottie Andrew

CNN

Published Friday, January 3, 2020 

Puffins caught using 'tools' to scratch itch


Surveillance video of an Atlantic puffin suggests the species may be smarter than we thought.Perhaps puffins aren't as bird-brained as previously believed.

A team of animal experts observed two Atlantic puffins, more than 1,500 kilometres apart, spontaneously scratching themselves with sticks -- the first time wild seabirds have been spotted using tools, according to new findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It's exciting for a few reasons, author Annette Fayet said: It could mean wild birds are capable of using tools and have a reason to use them. Animals who use tools typically have higher cognitive abilities.

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What's more, the birds exhibited the same behavior on different islands -- so while it may be rare for the swollen-chested birds to scratch themselves with branches, the behavior isn't restricted to a single population.

"Seabirds' physical cognition may have been underestimated," the authors wrote.

An itch their beaks couldn't scratch

Researchers observed two puffins -- one in Wales, one on an Icelandic island (where researchers planted a camera) -- using a stick to scratch themselves.

In footage from Iceland, a puffin toddles toward the camera, picks up a stick in its beak, then reaches under its chest to scratch itself with the tiny branch.

The authors aren't sure just why the puffins picked up sticks, though they assume it needed to knock off seabird ticks that plague coastal populations. Perhaps the branch was a more effective removal method than its beak.

Stick scratching is the second type of tool use in birds

The study rules out any doubt that the birds were merely building nests -- puffins are particular, and prefer lining their burrows with softer materials, like grass and feathers. The footage shows the puffin in Iceland collecting both.

The stick it used to scratch its chest, meanwhile, remains on the grass, right where the puffin dropped it.

Animals use tools for a few reasons, researchers noted, mainly to feed. It's not uncommon for some creatures to maintain themselves using tools, like chimpanzees that groom or wipe themselves with natural objects and captive parrots that scratch with sticks.

The puffins' scratching is only the second type of tool use related to body care spotted in wild birds -- the first is "anting," when birds smear ants all over their plumage to fight parasites.

"Our observations alone cannot solve the puzzle of the evolution of animal tool use," Fayet told CNN. "Many more species may also be using tools, but we simply haven't observed them yet."

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NASA news: Space agency reveals ‘cosmic snowflake’ birthing new stars

NASA has snapped an image of stars being born inside a ‘stellar snowflake’ in which the space agency said a “dusty cosmic finger” points at the cluster of cosmic entities.

By SEAN MARTIN

PUBLISHED: 11:37, Mon, Dec 30, 2019 | UPDATED: 11:46, Mon, Dec 30, 2019

An image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed a sputtering of new stars forming in the Stellar Snowflake Cluster. The newly formed stars appear as pink and red dots inside the cluster, which spirals outwards resembling a snowflake made of gas and dust, hence the name Stellar Snowflake Cluster. Stars begin to form in clusters as all the gas and dust is condensed, providing the right ingredients.

“At a mere 100,000 years old, these infant structures have yet to ‘crawl’ away from their location of birth.

“Over time, the natural drifting motions of each star will break this order, and the snowflake design will be no more.

“While most of the visible-light stars that give the Christmas Tree Cluster its name and triangular shape do not shine brightly in Spitzer’s infrared eyes, all of the stars forming from this dusty cloud are considered part of the cluster.

“Like a dusty cosmic finger pointing up to the newborn clusters, Spitzer also illuminates the optically dark and dense Cone Nebula, the tip of which can be seen towards the bottom left corner of the image.”

The Spitzer Space Telescope, along with the Hubble Space Telescope, is set to be retired in the coming year, with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) set to take its place.

The JWST is so powerful it will reach back to the furthest realms and the earliest moments of the universe.

JWST, which is named after NASA’s second administrator James Webb who served from 1961 to 1968 who played a major part in the Apollo missions, has the capability of scanning thousands of planets for alien life – even though those planets are thousands of light years away.

One of the major differences between Hubble and JWST will be how far back in time it will be able to see.

Hubble can see far into space and is essentially looking back in time as light travels to the craft.

Through Hubble, experts have been able to view the formation of the first galaxies, about one billion years after the Big Bang.

However, as JWST is much more powerful, it will be able to see just 0.3 billion years after the Big Bang to when visible light itself was beginning to form.

JWST will also be situated much farther out in space than Hubble. Hubble is placed in Earth’s orbit just 354,181 miles (570,000 kilometres) from the surface, but JWST will be placed an astonishing 932,056 miles (1.5 million kilometres) from Earth, meaning if it breaks down while it is up there, it will not be able to be fixed.

Archaeology shock: Ancient skeleton and gold found buried in Siberia's 'Valley of Kings'

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Siberia’s “Valley of the Kings” have discovered the skeletal remains of an ancient Scythian warrior who was buried hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The incredible archaeological discovery was made by a team of Polish researchers on the Southern Siberian Steppe. This barren part of the Russian Federation is known as the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” thanks to mysterious structures dotting its landscape.

Ancient mounds raised from the ground by a long-lost civilisation, known as kurgan barrows, give a hint as to what lies beneath the soil.

Archaeologists from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków made their discovery at the Chinge Tey dig where nine of these kurgans were built in a row.

According to lead archaeologist Dr Łukasz Oleszczak, the Scythian remains date back at least 2,500 years.

He told the Polish Press Agency (PAP): “Inside was the skeleton of a fully equipped young warrior.

“Near the skull of the deceased, there were decorations: a gold sheet pectoral, a glass bead, a gold spiral braid ornament.”

Alongside the warrior’s skeletal remains, the archaeologists have found many of his weapons.

These included an ice axe stylised into the shape of an eagle, an iron dagger, bow fragments and arrows.

Dr Oleszczak added: “Objects made out of organic materials have also been well preserved.

“Among them is a leather quiver, arrow shaft, ice axe shaft and a belt strap.”

The Scythians were an ancient nomadic people who thrived between the 11th century BC and 2nd century AD to the east of the Roman Empire.

Inside was the skeleton of a fully equipped young warrior

Dr Łukasz Oleszczak, Jagiellonian University

Scythia covered much of what is today’s Siberia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and even touched upon China.

The Scythians were known for their warmongering practices, as demonstrated by the contents of their burial sites.

Unfortunately, many of the Scythian artefacts buried across Siberia are at risk of disappearing thanks to looters.

Archaeology news: The Scythians were a nomadic civilisation of warriors (Image: DBACHMANN)

According to Dr Oleszczak, the first of two barrows found in Chinge Tey was robbed before the archaeologists uncovered them.

The archaeologists did, however, discover partially preserved bones and an arrowhead.

The researchers will analyse the second kurgan barrow for its contents next year.

The main discovery, however, was made in a third kurgan nearby.

Dr Oleszczak said: “For our research, we chose an inconspicuous, almost invisible kurgan with a diameter of about 25m.

“We had hoped it had remained unnoticed by robbers.”

The Polish archaeologists have joined an international team of researchers at Chinge Tey.

Their discovery comes after another team of archaeologists in Poland found the site of an unusual settlement from 2,500 years ago.

Archaeologists in northern Poland have also two neolithic structures predating the Great Pyramid of Giza by 2,000 years.

Researchers have also found signs of cannibalistic rituals at an ancient burial site in Poland’s Kuyavian-Pomeranian region.

Archaeology news: The discovery was made in Southern Siberia (Image: GETTY)

Reassembling the Natural

"Compensatory Postures: Natural History, Necroaesthetics, and Humiliation"

— essay co-written for Tristan Garcia & Vincent Normand (eds.), "Theater, Garden, Bestiary: A Materialist History of Exhibitions," Sternberg Press, 2019, 161–72.

We’re very pleased to be co-contributors to Tristan Garcia & Vincent Normand’s forthcoming edited publication “Theater, Garden, Bestiary: A Materialist History of Exhibitions” with contributions by Etienne Chambaud, Elitze Dulguerova, Anselm Franke, Tristan Garcia, Fabien Giraud & Raphael Siboni, Dorothea von Hantelmann, Yuk Hui, Pierre Huyghe, Jeremy Lecomte, Stéphane Lojkine, Sami Khatib, Rafael Mandressi, Vincent Normand, Peter Osborne, Filipa Ramos, Juliane Rebentisch, Joao Ribas, Pamela Rosenkranz, Anna-Sophie Springer & Etienne Turpin, Lucy Steeds, Olivier Surel, Kim West, and Charles Wolfe. Berlin: Sternberg Press, published in August 2019.

[ more ]

2019 02 28

"Biomonotony" by Etienne Turpin

— essay in the catalog for the "Broken Nature" XXII Triennale di Milano

photo by Armin Linke

The XXII Triennale di Milano, Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, highlights the concept of restorative design and studies the state of the threads that connect humans to their natural environments—some frayed, others altogether severed.

Etienne’s essay contribution to the exhibition catalog is accompanied by a selection of Martina Pozzan’s photographic research project Musa x paradisiaca L. on “micropropagation” of plants in the lab; a commercial plant multiplication technique that offers genetically identical shoots for plantations and orchards.

[ more ]

2019 01 09–13

Prototype for a Museum of Man

— Seminar project at the (Un)-Learning Place: The New Alphabet School, HKW, Berlin

During the Opening Days of the Haus der Kulturen’s new long-term project “The New Alphabet” in January 2019, HKW offers a five-day curriculum for gathering, discussion and workshops—entitled the “(Un-)Learning Place” curated by Boris Buden and Olga von Schubert. Here, eight Berlin-based collectives from the scenes of art, culture, and activism work with more than 80  international participants to develop transdisciplinary, decolonial, and anti-hegemonic strategies in relation to data-based knowledge, translation, archives, and embodied infrastructures. The seminar that we will offer in this context is entitled “The New Education: Denaturalizing the Cultural Pedagogy of Museum Technologies” and critically explores the traditional belief in human exceptionalism as one of the foundational principles of museum traditions. The outcome of this collaborative research process will be a global yet partial taxonomy of the technologies of human exceptionalism in museological culture past and present. The taxonomy will be presented under the title “An Incomplete Museum of Anthroposupremacism” and displayed as a web-based, annotated, searchable digital museum.

[ more ]