BAD BOSS

Shopify faces class action over severance offered to recently laid off staff

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

A class-action lawsuit alleges Shopify Inc. reneged on a deal it offered some employees who were laid off in a recent round of cuts.

The class action alleges some of the Ottawa software business' employees laid off at the start of May were presented with departure packages outlining hefty severance sums they would be entitled to should they sign the agreement within a few days.

However, once workers signed the agreements and before the deadline passed, Shopify allegedly told departing staff they would instead be given substantially smaller sums than were initially offered.

"The individuals did the reasonable thing, which is to accept, only to be told even though we made you reasonable offers, even though you accepted that reasonable offer, we're just not going to do it and you have to sign a brand new agreement for a much lesser amount,” said Lior Samfiru, a lawyer pursuing the case.

“It just doesn’t work like that. I review severance packages every day and have 21 years of doing this and I have never seen any employer ever do anything like that.”

The class action's plaintiff Iain Russell, who worked for Shopify for seven years, says he was initially offered more than $88,000, which he accepted. Then, Shopify allegedly put forward a roughly $44,000 agreement. If he did not accept the $44,000 offer, he was told he would receive about $36,000.

When their severance offers were revised, Samfiru said workers were sent a “vague statement about miscalculating.”

"For many people...the difference is significant," Samfiru said.

"We've seen anywhere from a $10,000 to $50,000 and $60,000 difference between what individuals accepted and what Shopify now says they're not going to get. We are not talking about anything minor here."

Samfiru alleges Shopify's actions constitute a breach of contract and is seeking $80 million in damages and $50 million in punitive, aggravated and exemplary damages.

Those amounts could change based on how many workers were presented with shifting offers, he said.

Shopify did not respond to a request for comment.

The company reduced its head count by 20 per cent at the start of the month and by 10 per cent last year.

The company refused to give the number of staff that would be departing the company during the May cut, but it reported in a regulatory filing that it had 11,600 employees at the end of 2022. Twenty per cent of that amounts to about 2,300 people.

In an open letter announcing the layoff, Shopify founder and chief executive Tobi Lütke promised departing staff at least 16 weeks of severance plus a week for every year of tenure at Shopify. Medical benefits and an employee assistance program will cover departing staff over the same period.

Those leaving will also be able to keep their office furniture and though they'll have turn in their company laptops, Lütke said Shopify promised to help pay for new ones.

He positioned the layoff, which came at the time as Shopify sold its logistics business, as an effort to reduce distracting “side quests” that divert attention away from the company’s main goals.

“I recognize the crushing impact this decision has on some of you, and did not make this decision lightly,” Lütke wrote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2023

INSTITUTIONAL WHITE SUPREMACY

Nurses report frequent experiences of racism in new survey
Story by Cara Tabachnick • Yesterday 

Public sector nurses rally in New York City© Selcuk Acar/ via Getty Images

Nurses report seeing or hearing racism and experiencing discrimination from almost 80% of their patients, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Asian, Black and Latino nurses are significantly more likely to experience racist microaggressions than their White peers, and they told researchers that patients frequently use racial slurs or question their credentials.

Six in 10 nurses also reported they face discrimination from their colleagues as well, according to the survey. Of the nurses who have experienced racism or discrimination, 9 in 10 said it has affected their well-being and mental health.

And even though an overwhelming majority of nurses faced some form of racism, few reported the incidents. Just 1 in 4 nurses reported the discrimination they saw or experienced to management, the survey said.

Nurses said that increasing diversity in management would help address the issues, as well as more training on diversity, equity and inclusion. Eight in 10 nurses said "zero-tolerance workplace discrimination policies, clear consequences, and reporting anonymity" would improve the ability to retain racially and ethnically diverse nurses.

"We as nurses must hold ourselves accountable for our own behavior and work to change the systems that perpetuate racism and other forms of discrimination," Beth Toner, a registered nurse and director of program communications at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a news statement

Researchers surveyed 980 nurses in March and April 2022 to gather their experiences and perceptions of racism. These latest findings follow a 2022 survey of 5,600 nurses released last year by the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing in which half the nurses agreed there is "a lot" of racism in nursing.

There are about 4.2 million registered nurses in the United States, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, comprising the largest component of the healthcare profession.

Why 4 dead California sea otters have scientists so alarmed

Story by Melanie Haiken • Yesterday 

National Geographic

A southern sea otter, an endangered subspecies, feeds on a clam in California's Monterey Bay.

Photograph By Suzi Eszterhas, Nature Picture Library

This spring, wildlife officials in California did something unusually dramatic—they sounded a public alarm over the deaths of four wild sea otters infected with an extremely rare parasite.

This strain of Toxoplasma gondii, the single-celled parasite that causes the disease toxoplasmosis, has never been recorded before in the U.S. It's also unusually virulent and could pose a threat to other mammals—including people.

The otters, found dead on California’s central coast between 2020 and 2022, had “astronomically high levels of parasites and massive numbers in the fat, which was severely inflamed,” says Melissa Miller, a wildlife veterinary specialist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. That’s a notable contrast to other types of toxoplasmosis, which typically affect an animal’s brain and central nervous system.

“These otters looked sicker and died faster than otters infected with other strains. We’re talking weeks rather than months or years,” says Miller, a co-author of a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science. (Learn how this common parasite manipulates the minds of its hosts.)

Infecting at least a third of the world’s human population at any given time, Toxoplasma can only reproduce in the intestines of domestic or wild cats, which is the reason pregnant women are warned not to clean cat litter boxes. Though usually mild, the parasite is widespread in nature, affecting all warm-blooded mammals; 60 percent of adult southern sea otters have active infections, Miller says. The southern sea otter, a subspecies, is endangered in California, with only 300 animals remaining.

“These findings completely shocked us,” says Karen Shapiro, an associate professor with the University of California, Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine.

“We’ve been characterizing other types of toxoplasmosis in sea otters for 20 years, but this was a complete doozy—a strain linked to a really severe form of disease we’ve never seen before. We needed to let people know,” says Shapiro, also a study co-author.

Genetic analysis revealed another surprise: The parasite strain was a match with samples taken from two Canadian mountain lions nearly 30 years ago. That strain, dubbed COUG for its origin, was detected and identified after residents of Victoria, British Columbia, contracted toxoplasmosis from contaminated drinking water.

People can also be exposed through their cats, or from some foods, such as undercooked meat and raw shellfish. Symptoms, if there are any, include mild fever and muscle aches—but some people, especially those who are immunocompromised, can develop severe illnesses, with damage to the brain and other organs. (Read how toxoplasmosis can impact human brains.)

At least five additional suspected COUG cases in otters are currently in various stages of testing, Shapiro adds.

“The more cases we find and the more we learn, the more we need to figure out how to protect animals and people."

Trickster parasite

After Toxoplasma enters the ocean through stormwater runoff, the parasite is picked up and concentrated by shellfish and crabs, which are favorite foods of southern sea otters. Researchers recently linked another group of T. gondii variants known as type X with cats from nearby watersheds, cementing the land-sea connection.

T. gondii can survive in seawater for as long as two years. The parasite can also go dormant for years, hiding out in cells, then reactivating if a host’s immune system weakens.

“Theyʻre considered one of the most widely successful parasites globally because they have so many tricks up their sleeves to move themselves around and hide in hosts,” Miller says.

And they may be getting a boost from increased precipitation in the West.

California's recent intense rains, flooding, and high tides, expected to intensify due to climate change, could increase the amount of Toxoplasma-infected cat fecal matter flowing into the ocean. However, Shapiro cautions more long-term studies are needed to draw solid conclusions. (Read how heavier rainfall will increase water pollution.)

To connect the dots, scientists are studying a host of different parasites and pathways by which they’re making their way through the environment. Shapiro’s research has found more Toxoplasma in mussels collected during the wet season than during the dry season, while another study linked increased levels of the parasite in the ocean with increased precipitation.

Another fatal disease

Scientists have confirmed a land-sea-rainfall connection with another parasite, Sarcocystis neuroma, which receives less attention because it isn’t a human pathogen. Hosted in possums rather than cats, sarco, as it’s called, is easier to track because the disease develops more rapidly. In one such event, 40 sea otters died on one 12-mile stretch of coastline. (Read how toxoplasmosis is harming endangered seals in Hawaii.)

“We do see a pretty close trend where usually if thereʻs a big storm that comes through, several weeks later we get an uptick in sarco cases,” says Devinn Marie Sinnott, a veterinary pathologist and Ph.D. student at UC Davis who is studying the phenomenon.

Sinnott spent the past rainy winter worried about the arrival of every new storm. “Part of me knew we needed the rain, but part of me feels dread because I know we’re going to see a lot of sick otters soon. It’s a little heartbreaking.”

The bigger picture

Meanwhile, the researchers hope that the public’s love for sea otters and other marine life will focus attention on the ways land use and development is affecting the sea environment.

“It’s not only climate change that we’re responsible for, it’s also the ways we have altered coastal environments so that there is profoundly more pollution entering the sea,” says Shapiro.

“The fact that we’ve filled in all these wetlands and paved all these parking lots and driveways means there is nowhere for the water to go other than downstream, and the water is entering the sea with much more force, carrying the parasites with it.”

What’s more, sea otters have nowhere else to go, Sinnott says. The southern sea otter’s range is limited by the rise in great white shark populations to the north and south. (Read how some sea otters are rebounding in western North America.)

“Sea otters are already under a lot of pressure from habitat loss, contact with oil spills, shark bites, and other diseases, and their population numbers are still trying to recover from their historic low,” Sinnott says.

“If we want to preserve and conserve this keystone species, we really do need to consider this land-sea connection and how climate change is affecting their population health.”

NOVA SCOTIA

Rolling like a freight train:’ How province’s other major wildfire keeps getting bigger

Story by Mitchell Bailey • Yesterday


The wildfire that began at Barrington Lake, Shelburne Co. Nova Scotia, has since grown to 17,186 hectares and caused over 5,000 people to evacuate from their homes. It's now been documented as the largest wildfire in Nova Scotia history. 

Credit: Communications Nova Scotia

As more than 16,400 residents have evacuated their homes due to an 867-hectare wildfire in the Halifax area, an even larger fire is continuing to rage on in southwestern Nova Scotia.

The fire occupying an enormous wooded region in Shelburne County isn't just slightly larger; on Wednesday, it was reported at 17,602 hectares, making one of the largest wildfires in Nova Scotia history.

On Wednesday evening, additional mandatory evacuations were ordered for the area.

An emergency alert issued by the province at around 6:15 p.m. said the fire was travelling from the Municipality of Barrington in a northeast direction, and had crossed into the Municipality of Shelburne.

Some civic addresses are under a mandatory evacuation. Shelburne County East Emergency Management also posted some addresses that are "recommended" for evacuation. Both Facebook posts are as follows:

The blaze, reported on Saturday, is believed to have started near Barrington Lake and has since spread throughout the Shelburne County area.

David Rockwood, public information officer for Shelburne, said the fire is still out-of-control and noted a substantial increase in the number of homes lost.

"We are confident that we've lost about 50 residences in the area," he said during Wednesday's provincial update on the fires.

"We're concerned about it, it's still very active, it's very fast-moving. We're at those crucial hours of the day right now, wind is up, temperature is up, and the relative humidity is down, and this is where the fire can definitely take off on us," said Rockwood, referring to the persistent dry, warm weather in the province.

"This thing has been getting up and rolling like a freight train."

Related video: Wildfires burn through Nova Scotia (The Washington Post)

Duration 0:54  View on Watch

In the same press conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston confirmed that eight water bombers have arrived from New Brunswick and are currently fighting the blaze in the Shelburne area.

"The Shelburne fire is a breathtaking fire for sure," he said.

"Unprecedented resources are being used because these fires are unprecedented but the effort going into the response is significant," said Houston as he reiterated measures taken by the province to reduce the potential of additional wildfires, such as the current ban on all travel into wooded areas and a province-wide burn ban.

In addition, Houston thanked the federal government for supplying coast guard support to Shelburne.

"The Prime Minister has told me time and time again that he will be there, the federal government will be there for Nova Scotians; we need them to be there for Nova Scotians, we have made the ask," he said, adding that the province has applied for support under the disaster financial assistance program.

Nolan Young, MLA for Shelburne, referred to the wildfire as being "unlike anything I've ever seen" during an interview with Global News on Wednesday morning.

"There have been some houses that have been lost due to the conditions and the smoke and the intensity of this fire, at one point there were 300-foot flames in the air."

"We're not turning things away at this point," he said while expressing gratitude for firefighters and other front-line workers, acknowledging that all the responding firefighters stepping forward from the Shelburne County area are volunteers.

"We're trying to secure some more water bombers to come to the area ... we need more air support ... I know we have some more volunteers that'll be coming from across the province, we're working with other provinces, we're working with the federal government to secure as much support as we can," said Young.

In addition to the eight airplanes from New Brunswick, the province announced on Wednesday afternoon that there are currently two water bombers from Newfoundland and one helicopter on the scene to fight the fire.

Seventy DNRR firefighters, 40 volunteer firefighters and four helicopters remain on the scene while battling the blaze.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 2,350 homes and 5,000 people have been evacuated in response to the ongoing fire, with all schools in Shelburne County being closed on Wednesday.

Despite being tasked with one of the biggest challenges in the area's history, Young said the community has been great in standing together and supporting each other.

"People really pull together, we have warming centers set up, we have shelters set up, we have people staying with friends and family ... people set up in campers with all kinds of food, so they're well supported when they get out," he said.

According to Young, 66 elderly residents and care staff from the Roseway Manor, a non-profit nursing home, were evacuated due to the building's proximity to the fire and have since been provided shelter at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.

On Monday morning, the Municipality of the District of Shelburne declared a local state emergency that will remain in effect for the next seven days.

The Canadian Red Cross has since set up shelter centers for evacuees at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Shelburne and at the Barrington Municipal Arena in Barrington.

GOP Gov. Kristi Noem Demands Drag Show Ban While Touting 'Free Speech'

BY ANDREW STANTON 

NEWSWEEK

ON 5/27/23

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem called for a ban on drag performances at public universities in a memo that also touted efforts to protect "free speech" on college campuses.

Noem released a memo on Friday detailing new plans to improve higher education in South Dakota, which currently has a 6-year graduation rate below the national average. In the memo, Noem calls for a flurry of new policies aimed at making the state a model for "strong, conservative" higher education. Noem's plan, however, is also facing scrutiny for allegedly calling for restrictions on LGBTQ+ students' rights, including the removal of any mentions of "preferred pronouns" in school materials and a ban on drag shows.

Noem's higher education plans come amid an ongoing debate about how issues of sexual orientation and gender identity should be approached in a broad range of institutions, including colleges, which have long sought to strike a balance between safeguards for LGBTQ+ students and the free speech of those who oppose the expansion of rights for the LGBTQ+ community.

Republican-led states have emphasized efforts to protect those "free speech" rights while also rolling back protections for the LGBTQ+ community in schools, saying that educational institutions should not be engaged in "divisive" topics. Critics, meanwhile, have accused GOP lawmakers of targeting an already-marginalized group, calling for stronger protections against discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks in Washington, D.C. on February 17. Noem released a new plan to improve higher education in her state on Friday that calls for a ban on drag performances on college campuses, despite also urging new protections for free speech.

ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES

Noem, a social conservative who has been named as a potential future presidential candidate, expressed opposition to drag shows in her education plan while also calling on the removal of "any policies" that "prohibit" students from expressing their free speech rights.

"The Board of Regents should go further and remove any policies or procedures that prohibit students from exercising their right to free speech. Recently, Black Hills State University came under fire for one such policy that limited student speech – thankfully, the policy was removed. We must prepare our students to discuss and debate opposing ideas in a civil way," the memo reads.

In the next paragraph of the memo, however, Noem called for a ban on drag performances, saying that "divisive theories" surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity should not be "celebrated" using public funds.

"Next, the Board of Regents should prohibit drag shows from taking place on university campuses. Gender theories can and should be debated in college classrooms, but these divisive theories shouldn't be celebrated through public performances on taxpayer-owned property at taxpayer-funded schools," Noem wrote.

Ex-Trump official blasts anti-trans boycott

Newsweek reached out to Noem's office for comment via email.

While Republicans have pushed for protecting the free speech of conservatives who do not support LGBTQ+ rights, critics have accused them of disregarding the freedom of speech of drag performers through their support for banning these performances in public.

In March, a judge appointed by former President Donald Trump ruled against Tennessee's ban on drag performances, citing concerns that such a ban would violate the First Amendment rights of drag performers.

HOMOPHOBIA IS COLONIZATION
Anti-LGBTQ disinformation surges online in East Africa


Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law a controversial anti-gay bill - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP CHIP SOMODEVILLA

James OKONG'O
 AFP
Published May 31, 2023

Anti-LGBTQ bills in Kenya and Uganda have unleashed an unprecedented wave of online disinformation targeting the community, with experts accusing political leaders of spreading falsehoods that put lives at risk.

Social media platforms have been rife with false claims, including one alleging that Kenya’s president called for the killing of gay people and another that the United States ordered Uganda to legalise homosexuality.

“Politicians (in Kenya and Uganda) have tapped into populist homophobia to keep themselves relevant to the masses,” said Nairobi-based political analyst and journalist Patrick Gathara.

“An anti-LGBTQ stance translates into one being accepted by voters.”

Homosexuality remains a taboo across much of Africa, where gay people are often forced to hide their sexual orientation out of fear for their safety.

Opinion polls show that many East Africans believe that the lifestyle of LGBTQ people threatens traditional values.

Uganda announced on Monday that President Yoweri Museveni had signed into law a draconian bill prescribing harsh measures including the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in certain circumstances, although Uganda has not carried out capital punishment for many years.

Gay sex is also a crime under colonial-era legislation in neighbouring Kenya whose President William Ruto recently declared that homosexuality was a Western import incompatible with his nation’s “customs, traditions, Christianity and Islam”.

A proposal calling for the criminalisation of homosexuality is currently before parliament, spurring false claims that the bill had already been approved.

– ‘Constant lies’ –

The brutal murder in January of prominent Kenyan LGBTQ campaigner Edwin Chiloba sparked national and global outcry. While a man reported to be his lover was charged over the killing, the case put the spotlight on rising homophobia in the region.

In the aftermath of Chiloba’s death, several false reports began to circulate online, such as claims that Ruto called for the killing of people in same-sex relationships.

The claim was shared via a graphic made to look like it came from local news site Kenyans.co.ke, which rejected it as fake.

“We did not publish the graphic calling for the killing of gay people, that information is false,” the outlet told AFP.

In February, a ruling by Kenya’s Supreme Court further stoked anti-gay discourse.

The court ruled that the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission must be allowed to register as a non-governmental organisation — a decision which incensed conservatives.

In a rare show of agreement, Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga both ranks criticised the ruling, arguing that Kenya was a religious nation and that the court had overstepped its mandate.

Following the legal decision, a video emerged on social media in Kenya and Uganda purporting to show US President Joe Biden vilifying gay people.

AFP Fact Check’s investigation showed the clip was a deep fake.

Another conspiracy theory that surfaced after the Supreme Court announcement claimed that Kenya was struggling economically because of LGBTQ people.

Kevin Mwachiro, an openly gay LGBTQ rights activist from Kenya, said the ruling had been misinterpreted as meaning that homosexuality would be legalised.

Political and religious leaders “have used misinformation to twist the reality and this puts LGBTQ people’s lives at risk,” he told AFP.

“The constant lies make queer people misunderstood. They need to be supported, not persecuted.”

– Politics of homophobia –

The LGBTQ community also lacks critical legal protection in Uganda, where homosexuality was criminalised under colonial laws, although there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex activity since independence from Britain in 1962.

Lawmakers in March approved a new bill criminalising anyone coming out as LGBTQ. It also introduced the death penalty in certain cases in what UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said was “probably among the worst of its kind in the world”, while the United States threatened economic repercussions.

In the face of international pressure, the legislation was revised to clarify that identifying as gay without engaging in sexual acts would not be outlawed.

But it nonetheless generated disinformation, including claims that a viral video showed a White House spokesman allegedly threatening to pull US aid unless Uganda legalised homosexuality.

In reality, the clip — which drew thousands of shares on platforms like TikTok and Facebook — was from 2014, when Washington briefly halted financial assistance in response to Uganda’s anti-gay bill.

But following Museveni’s approval of the revised legislation, Biden on Monday threatened to cut aid and investment in the East African country.

Experts warn that homophobic rhetoric is unlikely to abate on the continent.

“Many people in Kenya and Uganda have strict views on sexuality and an intolerance toward homosexuality because they have been conditioned to believe that homosexuality is un-African — they view sex through a different lens,” said Melody Njuki of the Kenyan Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination.

LGBTQ+ Pride month kicks off with protests, parades, parties


NEW YORK (AP) — The start of June marks the beginning of Pride month around the U.S. and some parts of the world, a season to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and to protest against recent attacks on hard-won civil rights gains.

This year’s Pride takes place in a contentious political climate in which some state legislators have sought to ban drag shows, prohibit gender-affirming care and limit how teachers can talk about sexuality and gender in the classroom.

Events have been disrupted. Performers have been harassed. And in Colorado in November, five people were killed and several injured when a gunman shot them inside a gay nightclub.

“What we’re seeing right now is probably the worst that it’s been since the early days, in terms of the demonization of our communities,” said Jay W. Walker, one of the co-founders of the Reclaim Pride Coalition, a New York City-based group.

But that won’t stop people from coming out to mark Pride this month, he said.

“You can’t keep our communities down. No one can. It’s basic human rights," Walker said.

HOW IT STARTED

June has been an important month for the LGBTQ+ rights movement since New York City's first Pride march — then dubbed the “Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day” march — on June 28, 1970.

That event marked an act of defiance from the year before, a 1969 uprising at New York City's Stonewall Inn. After a police raid at the gay bar, a crowd partly led by trans women of color channeled their anger to confront authorities. It was a catalyst to what became a global movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

For more than a half-century, the annual marches have been an opportunity to demand action on specific issues such as the AIDS epidemic and same-sex marriage while also serving as a public celebration.

Related video: Western Montana LGBTQ+ Community Center looks for volunteers ahead of Pride Month (KPAX Missoula, MT)
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Dailymotio n'Pride Plays' to explore stories about the LGBTQIA+ community | New Day
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KTLA-TV   Los AngelesLGBTQ flag burned at California elementary school ahead of controversial Pride assembly
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KSTU FOX 13 Salt Lake City, UT   Utah Pride celebrations expected to be biggest, safest yet
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These days, Pride celebrations and events can be found all over the country.

Many of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis — hold their main marches on the last weekend of June, while some cities host their events throughout the month or even at other times of the year.

Along with the marches, Pride organizers fill the month of June with events ranging from readings and performances to parties and street festivals.

In Florida this weekend, Orlando-area theme parks and hotels will play host to annual Gay Days events, which are going ahead even after Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators passed a series of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, some of which barred classroom discussion of sexual orientation.

Pride events are happening globally as well, drawing major crowds in places including Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv, Madrid and Toronto.

At some past events, there have been concerns about commercialism and corporate presence that overshadow real issues that are still unresolved. In New York City for the past few years, there has been a second event on the same day of the larger Pride march. The Reclaim Pride Coalition says their event hearkens back to the spirit of protest that animated Stonewall.

The New York City Dyke March channels the idea that Pride is about protest, not just parades.

WHAT ARE THE FLASHPOINTS?

Pride parades had plenty to celebrate in recent years, such as in 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

But the last several years have been more difficult; Pride events were restricted during the pandemic, and when they returned to in-person last year, it was with a sense of urgency, given the rise of hateful rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ legislative action.

Around the country, at least 17 states have put restrictions or bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors, and transgender athletes are facing restrictions at schools in at least 20 states.

“This is a year where sentiment is going to be revolving around resistance and about finding strength and community and centering our joy and our right to exist and our right to be here,” said Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign organization.

LGBTQ+ communities, Oakley said, need to “commit ourselves to continued resistance against the forces that are trying to prevent us from being our full, joyful, happy, thriving selves. ... And band together and fight back against the very oppressive forces that are coming for us.”

Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press

SEE

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for STONEWALL 

 

 

UCP Candidate's win despite trans-feces comparison not surprising: Pride Lacombe
Story by The Canadian Press • Yesterday 


EDMONTON — The head of an LGBTQ group in central Alberta says he wasn't surprised a candidate who compared transgender students in schools to feces in food won her seat in Monday's provincial election, which saw the United Conservative Party win a majority government.

"Jennifer Johnson was going to get in … there wasn't a huge opportunity for that to be changed," said Jonathan Luscombe, the executive director of the Lacombe Pride Society.

Johnson was the UCP candidate for Lacombe-Ponoka and garnered more than 9,000 more votes than the New Democrats in the constituency. Premier Danielle Smith said during the election campaign that Johnson would not sit in the UCP caucus because of the "vile" remarks, but also said she believes in redemption and second chances.

For more than a decade, the constituency has been held by either the UCP or the Wildrose Party, the more conservative of the two parties that merged in 2017 to form the UCP.

Johnson apologized during the election campaign for the Sept. 1 audio clip that surfaced two weeks before the election.

In it, she is heard telling a group that Alberta's high-ranking education system counts for little against the issue of transgender students, comparing their presence to a batch of cookies laced with feces.

"That little bit of poop is what wrecks it," Johnson is heard saying on the audio. "It doesn't matter that we're in the top three per cent in the world."

Luscombe said it was disheartening to see so many in the community vote for Johnson despite the comments.

"So many kids are going to look into this legislature and see this woman, who told them they were literal pieces of poo, being a voice for them," he said. "I can't imagine how they would feel."

Luscombe said he reached out to Johnson offering to sit down with her and talk about her comments. He said he could see the messages sent through social media were read, but got no response.

"It's a slap in the face, where you feel like you're trying to make it better and trying to offer these opportunities for them to learn and to understand" but they don't respond, he said.


Johnson said in a social media post on May 18 that she had a productive conversation with the Transgender Equality Society of Alberta, and was "willing to meet with any community group to educate (herself) on their concerns."

Luscombe said Ponoka Pride, Lacombe Pride and Central Alberta Pride have been working together and Johnson hasn't reached out to any of the local groups.

"It was all talking, no action."

Luscombe grew up in Lacombe, about 125 kilometres south of Edmonton, and said he doesn't feel safe in the community and has often thought about leaving for a more a progressive city.

"I told myself: 'As much as you're scared, Jon, there's some queer kid that's looking at this right now, and they're even more terrified.'"

He said he would stay in the community and fight for the safety of the LGBTQ people.

"Every kid deserves to grow up feeling safe. They deserve to grow up in their hometown … and to be themselves without fear of someone calling them a name or discriminating against them," he said.

Luscombe said the group's next step would be to reach out to Smith.

"I would like to see her taking a prominent stance and saying, 'No hate … this is not accepted in the legislature.'"

Smith's office and Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anna Murphy, a Calgary LGBTQ community advocate and trans woman, said she hasn't completely lost hope in Alberta "being a place where all equity-deserving individuals feel an unwavering sense of belonging."

But, she said, the Lacombe-Ponoka result sends a destructive message to the community.

"It means there's so much more work we need to do, but I think we as Albertans are up to the task."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.

----

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press

UFO'S; FOX GOES SPUTNIK

NASA UFO hearing: Experts weigh in on if there's enough evidence to prove alien existence

Story by Chris Eberhart • Yesterday 

Speakers at NASA's UFO meeting said there are unusual incidents that should be investigated further, but there's nothing definitive to say whether there is extraterrestrial life.

NASA said during Wednesday's meeting many UFO sightings are still likely unreported, and the available data has been inconclusive when put through the "rigorous" scientific test because of the poor quality of data, grainy images and blurry videos.

These were the final deliberations before NASA's independent study team, which includes 16 experts across diverse areas on relevant UFO matters, before the U.S. space agency releases its final report that's expected by the end of July.

Several speakers said this meeting, as well as the Pentagon's investigative undertaking, is "a turning point" for destigmatizing UFO reporting and discussions, although members of the panel and the Department of Defense's team have reportedly been harassed and chastised for their work.

ALIENS ‘HAVE BEEN ON EARTH A LONG TIME’: STANFORD PROFESSOR

NASA's study of UAPs – unidentified anomalous phenomena, which is a government-derived word for UFOs – is separate from the Pentagon's investigation, although the two studies are running on parallel tracks that include corroborative efforts.

While NASA's science mission was seen by some as promising a more open-minded approach to a topic long treated as taboo by the defense establishment, the U.S. space agency made it known from the start that it was hardly leaping to any conclusions.

‘UFO’ SPOTTED LURKING ABOVE U.S.' LARGEST MARINE BASE: 'WE GOT ALIENS

NASA examines unclassified UFO sightings and other data collected from civilian, government and commercial sectors, while the Pentagon's newly formed All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) uses both classified and unclassified data in the name of national defense.

Sean Kirkpatrick, director of AARO, said his office is investigating over 800 cases, but only 2-5% of the cases are "truly anomalous."

He defined what makes an incident anomalous as "anything not readily understandable to the operator or the censor."

NASA talks UFOs with public ahead of final report on unidentified flying objects

FULL HEARING 2HRS

UAP reporting trends presented during April 19, 2023, Senate hearing and again during NASA's May 31, 2023, meeting. All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)© U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services


A potential UFO was seen flying over a U.S. Marine base in 2021. The photo was obtained by Jeremy Corbell, who shared it with Fox News Digital. @Jeremycorbell/WeaponizedPodcast.com© @Jeremycorbell/WeaponizedPodcast.com

He defined what makes an incident anomalous as "anything not readily understandable to the operator or the censor."


"It's doing something weird," Kirkpatrick said, "whether that's maneuvering against the wind at mach 2 with no apparent propulsion or it's going into the water, which we figured out was a censor anomaly… It's something not readily understandable."

‘RUNAWAY FIREBALL’ COULD BE ALIEN PROBE THAT CRASHED OFF COAST OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: HARVARD SCIENTIST

NASA defines "anomalous" as "observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective."

During the hearing, Kirkpatrick shared with NASA recommendations, which are included in the slide below.


Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the Pentagon's newly formed All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shares recommendations at NASA's May 31, 2023, meeting on UFOs. All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)© All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)

Mike Freie, technical adviser in the FAA, said the agency receives about three to five UAP reports from air traffic controllers throughout the U.S. per month.

There was an uptick in reports in August 2022 and in February, around the time of the Chinese balloon, according to Freie, although they are likely explained.

FOOTAGE OF UFOS OVER CONFLICT ZONES SEEN FOR FIRST TIME: ‘THIS IS DEVASTATING’

The speakers were peppered with questions from NASA's expert panel about the "stigma" around reporting possible UFO/UAP sightings, which follow introductory remarks about gathering higher-quality data and visuals.

Kirkpatrick said reports of UFOs are being destigmatized, but harassment and some ridicule still continues, and he said he believes it's because of the average person's lack of knowledge about how the scientific process works.

"The greatest thing to happen to me is to say, ‘Hey, I know what all these things are,’" Kirkpatrick said. "But I don't, and it's going to take time to research all those. But people want answers now."

WATCH VIDEOS AND INTERVIEW ABOUT POTENTIAL UFO OVER CALIFORNIA MARINE BASE  Duration 0:35View on Watch

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U.S. defense officials have said the Pentagon's recent push to investigate such sightings has led to hundreds of new reports that are under examination, though most remain categorized as unexplained.

The hearing was paused for lunch and will resume this afternoon.

Aliens 'have been on Earth a long time': Stanford Professor

Dr. Garry Nolan, a pathology professor at Stanford University, said, " "Aliens have been on Earth for a long time and are still here."

By Chris Eberhart | Fox News

Jeremy Corbell talks about potential UFO over a military base

An unknown object with flashing lights appeared to hover over Marine base in Twentynine Palms, California, in 2021.

A Stanford University pathology professor said, "Aliens have been on Earth for a long time and are still here," and claims there are experts working on reverse engineering unknown crashed crafts.

Dr. Garry Nolan made the bold statements during last week's SALT iConnections conference in Manhattan during a session called, "The Pentagon, Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Crashed UFOs."

The host, Alex Klokus, said that's tough to believe and asked him to assign a probability to that statement that extraterrestrial life visited Earth.

"100 percent," Nolan responded.

‘UFO’ SPOTTED LURKING ABOVE U.S.' LARGEST MARINE BASE: 'WE GOT ALIENS

"I think it's an advanced form of intelligence that using some kind of intermediaries," Nolan said. "It's not that they walk among us wearing a skin suit. You're going to put something there that I think of as an intelligence test."

He said it’s like the South American native tribes when they first saw the Spanish ships. They didn’t know what they were seeing but it was out of the ordinary.

FOOTAGE OF UFOS OVER CONFLICT ZONES SEEN FOR FIRST TIME: ‘THIS IS DEVASTATING’

They didn't know what they were seeing or who or what was coming, Nolan said.

"They're showing up and saying who amongst you are intelligent enough to realize what it is you're looking at … "Can you see what's in front of you for what it really is? Can you see the anomalous data point?"

The "most compelling evidence," according to Nolan, is how the U.S. government has handled UAPs - unidentified anomalous phenomena, which is government-derived word that means UFO - over the last couple of years.

That includes the creation of The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) within in the Department of Defense, which is tasked with investigating potential UFO sightings, and public Senate hearings on UFO.

‘RUNAWAY FIREBALL’ COULD BE ALIEN PROBE THAT CRASHED OFF COAST OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: HARVARD SCIENTIST

The most recent hearing was held on April 19 in front of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, which Nolan said "created a hornet's nest in Washington."

"Then my personal experiences with one individual who was involved in collecting the original information," Nolan said, "and my experiences with people who have worked or working on reverse engineering programs of downed crafts."



A potential UFO was seen flying over a U.S. Marine base in 2021. The photo was obtained by Jeremy Corbell, who shared it with Fox News Digital (@Jeremycorbell/WeaponizedPodcast.com)



UFO seen in clip released by Department of Defense. A Pentagon watchdog is launching a probe into the actions taken by the Department of Defense after a series of UFO sightings in recent years. (Department of Defense)

Nolan said that he knew people who were working on reverse engineering a downed craft.

Some of these unknown crafts have been captured on video performing maneuvers never seen before and seemingly defy the laws of physics.

UFO SENATE HEARING: PENTAGON OFFICAL ‘CONCERNED ABOUT CHINA AND RUSSIA’S ‘ADVANCED TECH’

"A tiny piece of knowledge from that could revolutionize what we're doing," Nolan said. "I'm always looking for the opportunity. I'm looking at the upside of this.

"I'm not worried about (aliens) coming and raiding us or taking our women and children. That's not my concern. My concern is how do we use it."

Video

UAP reporting trends presented during April 19, 2023, senate hearing (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)

During the April 19 UFO Senate hearing, AARO Director Sean Kirkpatrick said there's no definitive evidence of extraterrestrial life.

"Of the cases that are showing some sort of advanced technical signature … I am concerned about what that nexus is," Kirkpatrick said after he was asked about Russia and China's capabilities to attack and surveil U.S. interests.P

"I have indicators that some are related to foreign capabilities. We have to investigate that with our [intelligence community] partners."

He didn't expound on what the "indicators" are.

The AARO director said he's talking about a "single percentage" of all the cases analyzed, which he said is about 650 reports, and it's difficult to definitively determine the object's origin without seeing a country's flag on the side of the object.

Chris Eberhart is a crime and US news journalist for Fox News Digital. 

Scientists generate 'electricity from thin air.' Humidity could be a boundless source of energy, they say.

Story by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY • Yesterday 

Sure, we all complain about the humidity on a sweltering summer day. But it turns out that same humidity could be a source of clean, pollution-free energy, a new study shows.

"Air humidity is a vast, sustainable reservoir of energy that, unlike solar and wind, is continuously available," said the study, which was published recently in the journal Advanced Materials.

“This is very exciting,” said Xiaomeng Liu, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and the paper’s lead author. “We are opening up a wide door for harvesting clean electricity from thin air.”


Clouds glide over Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. In the new study, scientists say that "What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”© AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

In fact, researchers say, nearly any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air.

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Air 'contains an enormous amount of electricity'

“The air contains an enormous amount of electricity,” said Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the paper’s senior author. “Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt – but we don’t know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning.

"What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”

The heart of the human-made cloud depends on what Yao and his colleagues refer to as an air-powered generator, or the "air-gen" effect.

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'Significant implications for the future of renewable energy'

The study builds on research from a study published in 2020. That year, scientists said this new technology "could have significant implications for the future of renewable energy, climate change and in the future of medicine." That study indicated that energy was able to be pulled from humidity by material that came from bacteria; the new study finds that almost any material, such as silicon or wood, also could be used.

The device mentioned in the study is the size of a fingernail and thinner than a single hair. It is dotted with tiny holes known as nanopores, The Washington Post reported. "The holes have a diameter smaller than 100 nanometers, or less than a thousandth of the width of a strand of human hair," The Post said.

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Power from air could be harvested 24/7, rain or shine, night or day

In addition, according to a statement from the university, because humidity is ever-present, the harvester would run 24/7, rain or shine, at night and whether or not the wind blows, which solves one of the major problems of technologies like wind or solar, which work only under certain conditions.

"The work opens a wide door for the broad exploration of sustainable electricity from air," the study said.

Yao told The Washington Post that roughly 1 billion air-gens, stacked to be roughly the size of a refrigerator, could produce a kilowatt and partly power a home in ideal conditions.

“Imagine a future world in which clean electricity is available anywhere you go,” Yao said. “The generic air-gen effect means that this future world can become a reality.”

Scientists achieve advance in fusion energy, get a step closer to clean energy

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