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Powerful January 6 testimony from Georgia poll workers reveals a serious — and ongoing — threat to democracy.
By Zack Beauchamp@zackbeauchamp Jun 21, 2022, 6:10pm EDT
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Wandrea “Shaye” Moss testifies before the January 6 committee on June 21 as her mother, Ruby Freeman, right, watches.
Tuesday’s hearing of the House select committee probing the January 6 attack on the US Capitol ended with perhaps the single most emotional segment in the hearings to date: a mother-daughter team of former Georgia poll workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, discussing what it was like to be singled out as part of former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories that the election was stolen — and that poll workers like Moss and Freeman were involved in the plot.
In doing so, they highlighted a serious and ongoing threat to American democracy.
In the weeks following the 2020 election, the Trump campaign and its allies publicly accused the two women of committing election fraud in Fulton County (home to Atlanta). Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s lawyers, at one point claimed that the mother and daughter — who are Black — were passing around USB sticks full of doctored votes like they were “vials of heroin or cocaine” (it was actually a ginger mint, according to Moss).
During Trump’s now-infamous call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump pressured the latter to “find” enough votes to alter the election result, he mentioned the two women 18 separate times. (Raffensperger also delivered testimony at Tuesday’s hearing.)
The result was a wave of harassment that ruined the two women’s lives. Moss testified that she received “a lot of threats, wishing death upon me — telling me that, you know, I’ll be in jail with my mother and saying things like ‘be glad it’s 2020 and not 1920.’” She went into hiding and said she gained 60 pounds from the stress. Trump supporters attacked her grandmother’s home, barging in and “exclaiming that they were coming in to make a citizens arrest.”
Freeman, for her part, used to proudly wear T-shirts with her nickname — “Lady Ruby” — on them. “Now,” she testified in a videotaped deposition, “I won’t even introduce myself by my name anymore.” She continued:
There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you? The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American. Not to target one. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, a small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen, who stood up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of the pandemic.
This testimony revealed the real damage done to human lives by lies spouted by Trump and his allies. But it also pointed to something deeper — the way that attacks on individual poll workers chip away at the very foundations of our democracy.
Civil servants across the country, from ordinary people like Moss and Freeman to officials like Raffensperger, step up to make sure our elections run lawfully and smoothly. By targeting them so personally, Trump and his anti-democratic allies are raising the costs of such civic participation — and opening the door for MAGA disciples to infiltrate our elections infrastructure in 2022 and beyond.
Undermining democracy, one poll worker at a time
While Moss and Freeman were special targets of Trump and Giuliani, they were not the only poll workers to experience vicious harassment in the last election cycle. A 2021 survey found that 17 percent of America’s local election officials experienced threats due to their jobs during the 2020 election cycle. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told me last year that this was very far from normal prior to 2020.
“It’s not even accurate to say [threatening election workers] was rare prior to 2020. It was so rare as to be virtually nonexistent,” he said. “This is beyond anything that we’ve ever seen.”
Sometimes, these threats were the direct result of Trump singling a poll worker out — as was the case with Freeman, Moss, and other officials like Raffensperger.
Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican responsible for election oversight, became a lightning rod when Trump tweeted that he was someone who was “being used big time by the Fake News Media” as a cover for election fraud. He received a wave of threats; a deputy commissioner, Seth Bluestein, was subjected to antisemitic abuse. Schmidt’s wife got emails with threats such as “ALBERT RINO SCHMIDT WILL BE FATALLY SHOT” and “HEADS ON SPIKES. TREASONOUS SCHMIDTS.” The family left their home for safety reasons after the election; Schmidt has announced he will not run for reelection in 2023.
In other cases, presidential involvement wasn’t necessary to incite harassment. Trump’s conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen, and that local election officials were often part of “the steal,” had created a climate in which hardcore Trump supporters felt empowered to take matters into their own hands.
In Vermont, not exactly a swing state that interested Trump, one of his supporters sent a series of threatening messages to election officials in late 2020 — warning them, among other things, that “your days are fucking numbered.”
This harassment obviously did not enable Trump to overturn the 2020 election. But it has done immense psychological harm to election workers like Moss and Freeman, who work difficult jobs for little pay. A 2020 nationwide survey of election officials conducted by the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College found that about a quarter of respondents planned to retire before the 2024 presidential election. One of the top reasons cited was “the political environment” — meaning that the politicization of their jobs and attendant threats made them want out.
When dedicated poll workers quit, it means the person’s years of expertise in specialized and technical areas vanishes. One departure, or a handful, might be manageable. Mass resignations — and an environment that dissuades the civic-minded from stepping up to fill the vacancies — can be catastrophic to election management.
That’s especially true given that Trump’s allies are working to insert their supporters into key election roles. A September 2021 ProPublica investigation documented the emergence of a “precinct strategy,” beginning with a call to action on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s radio show, in which Republicans have begun flooding local voting precincts with volunteers who could shape the counting process in the next election cycle. They found that thousands of Republicans had signed up for these roles since Bannon’s campaign began, with no similar surge on the Democratic side.
“Your best-case scenario [if poll workers quit en masse] is more problems at polling places and in voting,” Becker told me. “The worst-case scenario is not just if we lose it, but what happens when that experience gets replaced by hackery … more people who believe that their job is to deliver their election to the candidate that they want to see win.”
Election security analysts are already worrying about the 2022 midterms — in particular, whether the campaigns of harassment and intimidation of 2020 will be repeated. There are good reasons to think they will be, given that a majority of Republicans still believe Trump’s fictions about a fatally compromised electoral system.
There is a real chance that Moss and Freeman will not be the last poll workers to have their lives upended as part of Trump’s quest for power. That looming possibility and its chilling effects on civic-minded Americans could prove debilitating for our democracy. | 2022-06-22T02:12:50Z | www.vox.com | Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman: January 6 testimony reveals threat to democracy - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/6/21/23177430/january-6-committee-hearing-georgia-poll-election-worker | https://www.vox.com/2022/6/21/23177430/january-6-committee-hearing-georgia-poll-election-worker |
Covid isn’t over, so you should still test before group events.
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Sorry to disappoint, but Covid-19 is still a present and persistent threat. The United States is amid a months-long ascent of confirmed cases — with no sign of leaders reimplementing mask mandates and two new, potentially more infectious omicron subvariants rearing their ugly heads — just as summer party season is in full swing.
Among the tried-and-true mitigation efforts, like masking and ventilation, testing remains essential, regardless of vaccination status, particularly if you plan on gathering in any capacity. (While risk of infection is much lower for outdoor events, testing is important regardless of whether your party is inside or outside.)
“Testing really, really matters,” says Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician and researcher at Stanford University. “The problem is, as time goes on and people are more fatigued, they may not think that it matters.” Testing fatigue can materialize during large events like concerts, Karan says, primarily because you’re not as likely to see other attendees again. It’s highly unlikely you’d ever know if other concertgoers got sick.
After years of postponed vacations and celebrations, Karan says people may be hesitant to test themselves before these significant events out of fear they may have to skip the occasion if they test positive. Add in the potential cost for tests and logistical hurdles in even finding a testing center and it’s no surprise folks might skip this precaution altogether. However, the ignorance-is-bliss mindset causes more harm than good since there is an extremely high likelihood of transmission should an unknowingly infectious person attend a party.
Testing before a gathering is quick, low-cost, and relatively accessible compared to during the omicron surge of 2021 and early 2022. Here’s what to keep in mind about testing if you’re attending or hosting a party this summer.
For guests
If you’re swabbing before a bash, test as close to the start of the event as possible, Karan says. This involves some planning, as testing is no longer free for people without insurance — costing anywhere from $100 to $200 for PCR tests and $10 to $40 for rapid tests — and some testing locations have shuttered. Because PCR tests take longer to process (and you have a higher likelihood of getting exposed to Covid in the interim between getting the test and the event itself), Karan recommends partygoers use rapid antigen tests. “Antigen tests are very good at detecting if you have transmission potential, especially early in your infection,” he says.
Every American household is eligible to receive free at-home tests by mail or can get reimbursed from health insurance companies for the cost of rapid tests. The government also maintains a database of testing locations offering free or low-cost tests; some municipalities are distributing at-home rapid tests at libraries and community health centers.
If you have been exposed to someone with Covid-19, you should ideally test multiple times in the week before your event. “That’s how you’ll really pick up an infection and stop spread,” Karan says.
As disappointing as it may be, if you get a positive result on your pre-party test, do not attend the gathering. Tell your host you’ve tested positive for Covid-19 and you’ll have to miss the event but you’ll celebrate with them once you’ve recovered. “You have to be willing to say, ‘I’m not going,’ and that’s the trouble that we have,” says Donald Yealy, chief medical officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “We noticed that people, either with symptoms or occasionally when they’re positive, still want to try to have that social contact. And that just means that you become a spreader.”
While testing before a party can help you feel confident you won’t spread Covid to other attendees, your single negative test won’t have a major impact on spread if no one else at the event has tested. In cases where hosts aren’t requiring guests to test beforehand, or if you’re unsure of the protocol, check the community’s Covid-19 level online and make the best decision based on personal risk assessment, says David Souleles, the director of the Covid-19 response team at the University of California Irvine.
For example, if the county where your cousin’s indoor baby shower is held has a high level of transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks indoors in public regardless of vaccination status and improving ventilation (which you likely have very little control over). For immunocompromised or high-risk people, the CDC recommends wearing an N95 or KN95 respirator and talking to your doctor about treatments like oral antivirals.
“If you are vaccinated and boosted and are not at high risk, you may choose to test yourself and attend the event, and then test again three to five days following the event. You may also decide that you want to mask while attending the event even if your host is not requiring masking,” Souleles says. “If you are someone who is at higher risk for serious disease, or live with or are frequently around someone who is at higher risk, you might decide to pass on a particular event in order to reduce your risk.”
For hosts
Party hosts have the power to dictate Covid protocols at their event. Should you require a negative Covid test from your guests before the event, it’s up to you to decide how to verify guests’ results, Souleles says. While most party-throwers are probably comfortable with an honor system, trusting their guests have indeed tested and would stay home if they’re positive, others may want to ask attendees to show a photo with a timestamp of their negative test. Another option, Souleles says, is to provide rapid tests for guests to take upon arrival — though, depending on how big your party is, this can get expensive if you’re paying $10 for a single test.
In the event you or another partygoer later tests positive and informs you, tell other guests as soon as you can, Yealy advises. Don’t tell the rest of the guest list who came down with Covid, but say, “I just wanted to let you know we had a guest who tested positive.” This way, guests can make a timely, informed decision about testing and whether to isolate.
In addition to swabbing prior to an event, Souleles says everyone should test again three to five days following the gathering just to be safe. If you’re traveling to a wedding and are extending your stay following the nuptials, pack a few rapid tests to take with you so you don’t have to scour local pharmacies for tests, Souleles recommends.
If you do test positive days after the party, again, tell your host or guests as soon as possible, Yealy says. “You won’t know the medical conditions and the risks for a serious version of Covid-19 of all the other people you came in contact with,” Yealy says. “The kind thing to do is to just let them know so that each individual can assess how worried do I need to be about that.”
While the process of informing your network can be “really tough psychologically,” Karan says, the sooner those around you are aware they’ve been exposed, the more likely they are to isolate and test and hopefully prevent further spread.
Testing is only one aspect of mounting a solid defense against Covid-19. When you can’t be sure if other party-, wedding-, or concertgoers have taken the same precautions as you, rely on other mitigating efforts, Yealy says: vaccination, masking while indoors or at crowded events, and improving ventilation. “Do the simple things,” Yealy says, “and do them well.” | 2022-06-22T12:26:18Z | www.vox.com | Yes, you should test for Covid before going to a gathering - Vox | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23169635/test-covid-party-concert-event-gathering | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23169635/test-covid-party-concert-event-gathering |
Facebook knows it has a TikTok problem. TV and streamers do, too.
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Watching an ad for TikTok in Shanghai, 2018.
The people who bring you video entertainment could be in for a rough time: A looming recession could hurt both their advertising revenue and consumer spending on subscription TV streaming services. But they’re also facing a foe that has nothing to do with the economic cycle: TikTok is coming for their eyeballs.
The free, Chinese-owned video-sharing service sometimes gets described as a social network, but that description masks what it really is: a colossally powerful entertainment app that keeps viewers glued to an endless stream of clips.
And TikTok is getting bigger every day: It now says it has 1 billion monthly users, but even that number likely understates its importance, because TikTok users spend a lot of time on TikTok — a year ago, the company was telling advertisers its users were spending nearly 90 minutes a day on the app. By contrast, US TV and streaming watchers were spending nearly five hours a day watching their shows and movies — but TV skews very old, and TikTok is very young. You can’t ascribe TV’s long-running viewer losses to a new app, but it’s very easy to see how it’s going to make it harder than ever to train young would-be viewers to watch traditional TV or even streaming.
“It is safe to say that TikTok has rapidly grown to be one of — if not the — largest social/communication/video apps in America in terms of time spent,” analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a report last week.
Traditional media has been dealing with — and losing to — the competitive threat from the internet for years. Remember NBC’s freakout when Saturday Night Live’s “Lazy Sunday” sketch went viral on YouTube way back in 2006? TikTok, though, seems both more dangerous and harder for media execs to spot, like a mostly submerged iceberg.
If you run a media company, you’ve been telling yourself for years that your network or service has stuff people simply can’t find on YouTube or Facebook or Instagram or Reddit. But TikTok eviscerates most of those arguments: It’s a direct competitor for video eyeballs; it’s more compelling than the stuff you’re programming; and, just like a slot machine, it promises viewers that there’s always another dopamine hit just a swipe away.
“Tiktok is so much fun, and it’s so addictive — much more than anything you can see on TV,” says Rich Greenfield, a Wall Street analyst at LightShed.
So what is Big Media doing to counter or respond to TikTok’s threat? Nothing more than hope it’s a fad that goes away, from what I can tell. But I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, so I called around and heard … crickets. I triple-checked by asking Nathanson, who just dug deep into TikTok’s impact — did he know of any media companies doing anything interesting in response? His one-word, all-caps answer: “NOPE.”
Give the media companies this, though: Unlike YouTube a generation ago, they’re not trying to sue TikTok out of existence. And they have realized that anything with that many eyeballs is a good place to advertise.
Right now, at least, they don’t have to pay to do it: While TikTok is happy to take their money — it charges up to $3 million for an ad at the top of its feed that it says can reach all of its users in the US and Canada — the service’s ad business is just beginning to ramp up. Right now, it really expects media companies to act just like its users — by giving it content it can use to entertain other users.
And lots of them are up for it, says Catherine Halaby, a TikTok executive whose job is to help networks and streamers establish a presence on the service. She says her three-person team works with more than 300 accounts, up from 100 a year ago.
“By the time they come to us, they’re 100 percent bought in on the idea that they need to be on TikTok,” she says. “But there’s lots of confusion about how to do that.”
Halaby says there are a couple of problems for media companies to solve when they put their clips on TikTok: The first is simply understanding that while TikTok users can actively follow and look for creators and videos they like, the great majority of videos are served up using TikTok’s vaunted data set and algorithm. That’s supposed to pick stuff an individual user will like, regardless of whether they knew they wanted it.
The second is the pace: TikTok users flit quickly from trend to trend. Which means a company that wants to capitalize on a new viral dance or audio clip — like the “Jiggle Jiggle” song that has turned documentarian Louis Theroux into an unlikely star — means that a corporate account that wants to do the same has to do it fast. “Moving at that speed is the biggest adjustment,” Halaby says.
She cites Netflix, with its 24 million subscribers to its main account making it the biggest streamer on the service by far, and Paramount Pictures, which maximized its shirtless beach football footage from Top Gun: Maverick, as entertainment companies that have figured out that TikTok is for entertainment.
Still, it’s not clear if the entertainment companies putting free content on TikTok are helping themselves or helping TikTok. Omar Raja, a social media star at ESPN, says he goes out of his way to find stuff to show TikTokers that isn’t traditional sports highlights.
“I’m trying to make content that typical sports viewers wouldn’t typically watch,” he says. That seems like a good strategy for making videos that work on TikTok — but it’s harder to understand how that helps a media property that caters to typical sports viewers.
And a studio executive I granted anonymity to in order to speak candidly says TikTok is “incredibly effective” at driving awareness for a film — just like a TV ad or a billboard — but says TikTok users are very unlikely to see a clip for a film and then go purchase a ticket. “They just don’t leave,” he says.
On the other hand, Sylvia George, who runs performance marketing for AMC Networks, says TikTok has been a good tool to prompt viewers to sign up for the company’s streaming services, like Shudder or AMC+. “It hasn’t proven to be this tangible threat that is taking people away from our platforms,” she says. “In some ways it’s the opposite.”
There is a subset of media companies that doesn’t need a wake-up call about TikTok: Tech companies have been paying attention to TikTok for a long time. Now they’re paying it the ultimate compliment, by copying its format (and using its videos) for their own TikTok clones like Facebook and Instagram’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts. Facebook is also reportedly set to revamp its main newsfeed to be more TikTok-y.
The tech companies are also telling investors they’re paying attention, and have been increasingly loud about it on earnings calls, per Michael Nathanson:
MoffettNathanson
Meanwhile, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings has been musing about TikTok’s potential as a “substitution threat” to his business for a couple of years. And you can see a little of Netflix’s TikTok envy surface in its “fast laughs” feature, which gives you a never-ending stream of funny/funny-ish clips from Netflix comedies in its phone app.
But just seeing the problem doesn’t mean you can solve it, as countless companies have learned during the digital age. And TikTok’s huge ambitions are growing: At first, you could only place clips that ran for a few seconds on the service; now it’s up to 10 minutes. TikTok has its eyes set on moving beyond the phone, to your connected TVs, where you’re watching an increasing amount of video. If that works, it would compete even more directly with the streamers and networks.
I can think of one possible solution for the established media companies: hope that the US government bails them out.
While the Trump administration’s attempt in 2020 to ban TikTok, or at least force it to sell to a US bidder, was ham-handed and transparently jingoistic, there are plenty of thoughtful people who have concerns about TikTok’s presence in the US, and think it shouldn’t be here.
One argument focuses on the potential for abuse of private data, since Chinese-owned tech companies ultimately have to answer to the Chinese government; another focuses on the fact that TikTok could be an enormously powerful propaganda tool, if the Chinese government wanted to use it for that reason.
“Donald Trump was right, and the Biden administration should finish what he started,” my former colleague Ezra Klein wrote in the New York Times last month. A jaw-dropping sentence. But once you understand what TikTok is and could be, jaw-dropping ideas don’t seem so wild.
Now might be a good time to think about crypto insurance As crypto crashes, the state of cryptocurrency and insurance is nebulous.
It’s TikTok’s world. Can TV live in it? Facebook knows it has a TikTok problem. TV and streamers do, too. | 2022-06-22T12:26:20Z | www.vox.com | How will TV and streaming adapt to TikTok? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/6/22/23177051/tiktok-tv-streaming-peter-kafka-media | https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/6/22/23177051/tiktok-tv-streaming-peter-kafka-media |
We can understand the entire history of the capitalist labor market through the Despicable Me franchise.
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Free the Minions!
If someone asked you to describe the Minions, what would you say? Likely, you would detail their small yellow pill-shaped bodies, dressed in overalls and oversized goggles. Perhaps you would provide the context that the Minions are characters first introduced in the 2010 animated children’s movie Despicable Me, and that their purpose is to serve their villainous master Gru while providing comic relief to an otherwise disturbing if bizarre plot. (A man wants to steal the moon.)
You can say that they speak a language of gibberish punctuated by recognizable English words like “banana” (Minions love bananas) and “potato” and that their likenesses appear on everything from shampoo bottles to thongs. If you were generally an uncynical person, you might say that Minions are cute and people like them. If you were not, you might posit that they are agents of the capitalist machine, ready-made and endlessly merchandisable mascots that make the world’s destruction at the hands of mega-corporations seem adorable and fun.
As of this summer, you might also say that the Minions have very cool taste in music. In May, it was announced that the soundtrack for Minions: The Rise of Gru (out July 1) would feature covers of ’70s hits by contemporary cult favorites: Phoebe Bridgers covering the Carpenters, Tierra Whack on Santana. It’s not the only example of Minion street cred: menswear blog Hypebeast has cataloged their most recent fashion collabs, which include Japanese graphic artist VERDY, Brooklyn-based fragrance company Joya Studio, and Supergoop, plus previous collections with it-brands like BAPE and Away suitcases.
it begins pic.twitter.com/sfpqnP5Rth
— Becca Laurie (@imbeccable) June 1, 2022
All of these pieces of merchandise are a blatant effort by Universal Pictures to convince adults — seemingly even adults without children who may already consider the Minions to be sort of subversive or ironically funny — to love and care about the Minions as much as children do already. Minions don’t need to be featured in streetwear collabs or on expensive sunscreen for their most fervent fans ( families) to buy tickets to see Minions 2. But Minions, above all, rely on a single principle: They must be everything, all the time — sort of like the economic system in which we live.
What are the Minions?
If you genuinely do not know what the Minions are, or would like to hear several fun facts about them, in 2015 my colleague Phil Edwards wrote 2,000 words on this very topic. The most interesting bit is that canonically, Minions have existed for at least 60 million years (the first Minions movie shows them serving a Tyrannosaurus rex), are all male (or have traditionally male-coded names), and are immortal (the same characters serve ancient Egyptian pharaohs, Dracula, and Napoleon). Most importantly, Minions are driven solely by their desire to serve a master villain, and become very depressed when they lack one.
Minions are the brainchildren of Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, the directors of the Despicable Me franchise, which includes three films (a fourth is slated to release in 2024), and two films centered exclusively on the Minions. Their design was inspired by the bright orange Oompa Loompas of the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film, as well as the short, furry Jawas from Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Coffin and Renaud voice the Minions themselves and told the LA Times that the Minions are funny because they are, essentially, kids. “They lose their focus, they’re not very smart,” said Renaud.
What’s so great (and terrible) about the Minions?
The Minions as we know them today weren’t in the original script for 2010’s Despicable Me. “In the first film, they were depicted as this big army of muscular thugs doing the dirty work of the arch villain Gru and we quickly realized that they were very unappealing and made Gru a totally unsympathetic anti-hero,” Coffin told the Guardian in 2015. In order to make Gru seem charming, they made the Minions cute.
That they are adorable is precisely what makes the Minions so charming, and also so insidious. With clown-like slapstick comedy and clumsiness, the Minions allow children to see themselves in the characters, and allow adults to fawn over them. The LA Times recounted in 2013 that when Illumination Studio CEO Chris Meledandri showed them to Japanese animators, they praised them as “kawaii;” the fact they speak in mostly unintelligible gibberish allows them to translate seamlessly across international borders.
Yet the Minions are, at their core, servants of evil, both on screen and online. In a 2015 piece for The Awl called “How Minions Destroyed the Internet,” Brian Feldman argues that by being the platonic ideal of a franchise mascot — palatable, recognizable blank slates that can be made to do or say whatever we want — they have become the perfect meme. “Minions have been engineered to be everything and nothing at once,” he writes. Therefore, nearly any meme can feature a Minion and it would make sense.
A post shared by minion memes (@funnyminionsdaily)
Over the course of the 2010s, Minions have become synonymous with a certain kind of meme in particular: the “Facebook mom meme,” referring to the pithy, sometimes misspelled and deep-fried images that say things like “I don’t care what you think of me! Unless you think i’m awesome, in which case you are right. Carry on…” or “Putting your phone away and paying attention to those talking to you? there is an app for that- It’s called RESPECT.” A Business Insider article from the same year titled “Teens on Facebook are begging their moms to stop posting bizarre cartoon memes that make no sense” details the fallout of this phenomenon.
The absurdity of the Minions exists in the physical world too, drawing on the surreal, uncanny quality of the memes: People have created Minions 5K races, Minions Tic Tacs, Minions lingerie, Minions pumpkins, a Minions crochet men’s thong, and so many others that one Vice reporter tried to live a whole weekend off of Minions products alone.
What do the Minions have to do with capitalism?
By being everything at once — you can find Minions memes where the Minions are gay and proud and Minions memes where the Minions hate gay people — Minions are the purest expression of capitalism, which exalts growth and expansion at the cost of any clear standards of morality or logic. The great irony, however, is that the Minions are, first and foremost, laborers: the very class most heavily exploited in capitalist systems.
This is the thrust of what may be my favorite academic article of all time, scholar Justyna Szklarczyk’s “Beautiful Exploitation: Notes on the Un-Free Minions.” The piece, which is translated from Polish, includes sentences such as “The working-class uniform clings to the Minion body” and “The bright yellow skin of the Minions makes it impossible for them to reject or abandon their class identity,” and makes the case that the Minions embody the ideal workforce and are exploited by it.
“They are standardized, highly interchangeable, and desperate for any job they can find,” writes Szklarczyk. “they neither bleed nor break, they do not require healthcare, they are tireless, unaffected by growth or aging, they remain unchanging and unchangingly ready to work.”
Their exploitation comes at the hands, she argues, not only of their master Gru but also of Universal Pictures. By being portrayed as the unruly proletariat, the film casts Minions as foolish and infantile creatures who are only able to actualize themselves under capitalism: Serving a master who belongs to the “transnational jet-set” of billionaire-coded villains who own private jets and live in palaces is the only way they seem to achieve happiness. Meanwhile, the film suggests that the Minion’s freedom from these masters is “precluded by the ostensibly limited cognitive capabilities of the working classes. Thus, the toil of the nascent subject is ultimately ridiculed.”
It might be possible to argue that by exemplifying the effects of capitalism, the Despicable Me franchise is actually producing anti-capitalist commentary. Szklarczyk doesn’t buy this, though: Because Gru is ultimately a good master to the Minions, the films fail as critiques of the system, and in fact condition children to live in an unequal world. “In such a world, those failing to side with Gru are considered misled, mistaken, or plainly wrong,” she writes.
This is, in short, how capitalism packages and sells itself: Those who are incapable of accepting the free market as an adorable, beautiful playground where everyone gets to feel happy and self-actualized are simply too stupid and childish to reap its benefits. It is not a mystery as to why the Minions’ most staunch critics are culturally aware left-leaning young people, people who might find them aesthetically creepy or cringe but metaphorically standing for something much more sinister.
Thus, there is only one solution: We must free the Minions, just as we must free ourselves. | 2022-06-22T16:31:15Z | www.vox.com | How Minions 2: The Rise of Gru explains capitalism - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23177505/minions-2-rise-of-gru-explained-capitalism | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23177505/minions-2-rise-of-gru-explained-capitalism |
How to be there for your people when you’re emotionally out of gas.
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In January, Bart Vijendra felt like the world’s worst friend. A few friends came down with Covid-19, another went through a terrible breakup, and they all needed a sympathetic ear.
Vijendra, though, was incredibly burned out. The 25-year-old works in the food industry, and between staffing shortages and long hours, he was exhausted, stretched thin, and felt as though he didn’t have enough energy to be there for his friends.
Life’s demands — long shifts at work, an ongoing pandemic, compounding tragedies, rampant inflation — have put people through the wringer. “We have more to handle — not just work but how we perceive the world, how we see ourselves emotionally, mentally, and physically — than we have the capacity for, so we burn out,” says Nataly Kogan, author of The Awesome Human Project: Break Free From Daily Burnout, Struggle Less, and Thrive More in Work and Life.
Being a good friend on top of everything else can seem like an uphill battle when you’re running on empty. You can’t meaningfully support friends, partners, colleagues, and community members, Kogan says. At the height of his exhaustion, Vijendra says he was unable to celebrate a best friend’s birthday. “She hit me with a text a few days later,” he says, “like, ‘Hey, I didn’t appreciate you didn’t do too much for my birthday.’” (He eventually smoothed things over with the friend.)
Instead of retreating into isolation or continuing to overwork yourself, there are ways to support those who mean the most to you while caring for yourself.
Rather than ignore the irritability, tiredness, and resentment that comes when we’re emotionally sapped, be open with your community about how you’re feeling, says marriage and family therapist Racine Henry. “I find that people often delay their own feelings by living in conflict with what’s happening to them,” she says. This can be as simple as telling your friends, “I love our friendship, but I haven’t been myself lately and I need to take some time away from others.”
Vijendra and his friends are in the practice of not only telling each other if they need to tap out of heavy talks, but giving their conversation partners space to take a break if needed. Statements like, “I know you’re suffering a lot. Things are hard. If you need to step back, please do. We understand, you can come back whenever you feel ready,” have proven successful, Vijendra says.
“If I’m not loving on myself and caring on myself just as much as I care about everyone else, I’m not going to be able to sustain that over time”
Knowing when to set a boundary is crucial, and it comes with some self-reflection. Knowing that helping your parents with seasonal cleaning drains your batteries, make an effort to clear your calendar afterward to recharge rather than extend yourself with further commitments (and have a mini meltdown later). “Give yourself what you need before you need it,” Henry says, “meaning before you hit that wall, before you are burned out, before you’re unable to function, you want to take some breaks. Give yourself rest, embrace doing less or saying no as a part of your normal way of being. That way, you’re deciding when to break from work or when you step back from friendships versus going and going and going and your body’s forcing you.”
Then you need to have an honest, and potentially uncomfortable, conversation with your loved ones about how you’re feeling and what could be improved, says marriage and family therapist Shontel Cargill. “Approach them in a way that’s like, ‘Hey, I really care about this relationship. I really want us to thrive and I want us to both be healthy. Let’s talk about the things that aren’t working. And I feel kind of scared about this conversation,’” Cargill says. This conversation can look like explaining to a friend that you’re not mad at her when you turn down her happy hour invites, but you like to keep your weeknights free to conserve energy.
Don’t feel guilty for turning down invites to parties, but instead think of stepping back as a way of restoring your capacity to support your network in the future. “If I’m not loving on myself and caring on myself just as much as I care about everyone else, I’m not going to be able to sustain that over time,” Cargill says. She also notes that even though exhaustion can cause you to retreat from relationships, these connections aren’t necessarily to blame. You should let your friends know that.
There will be people who won’t respect your boundaries. Perhaps a coworker responds to your explanation that you don’t have the capacity to organize a work social event by saying, “But we’re all overwhelmed. This won’t be that much work,” and you feel pressured to acquiesce. “That person … feels entitled to everything that you have and does not feel uncomfortable pushing your boundaries so hard that you stop trying to protect your ‘no,’” says Emily Nagoski, health educator and co-author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. “That is not a person with whom you should collaborate.” As hard as it may be, stick to your boundaries and don’t agree to anything simply because you’re afraid to turn down a request.
Be intentional
Humans need connection to survive, but when your cup is empty, you may have convinced yourself of the need to retreat. While some alone time is good, you need to engage in your communities, too. Agreeing to every social ask will only further burnout, so you’ll need to decide what circumstances or events are worthy of your emotional energy. Kogan suggests asking yourself if you truly want to do what is asked of you, whether that’s dining out with a large group, attending a community cleanup, or offering advice.
If the answer is yes, Kogan says to consider if you can energetically afford the event or hangout. Kogan likens the thought process to shopping. First, you have to decide if you want a shirt that catches your eye, and then determine if you can afford it. “We have a limited amount of energy,” Kogan says. “We can’t do all things always. We have to be choosy, especially if we’re feeling depleted.” Maybe you really want to celebrate a friend’s new home but can’t energetically afford a huge housewarming party. Suggest coming by for a one-on-one hangout another day. Instead of joining the planning board for a neighborhood block party, offer to cook a dish or make flyers for the event if staying involved locally is important to you.
However, setting boundaries and intentionally choosing your social expenditures doesn’t mean reneging on responsibility, Henry says. “Healthy boundaries include prioritizing what is important and committing your time and energy accordingly,” she says. If you’re the primary caregiver for your kids while your partner is traveling, you’ll want to prioritize putting your energy there and avoid overwhelming yourself with additional social asks like PTA meetings or snack duty at kids’ sports practice.
Sometimes even a scaled-back plan is too exhausting. That’s fine. Be honest with your network and explain how you’re going through a difficult time and you’re too exhausted to partake. Again, not everyone will agree or respect your boundaries, “but are those people that you want in your life?” Kogan says, and you may reconsider the future of the relationship.
Ways to show up for loved ones
Of course, there will be times when those in your life need support in the event of something like a breakup, a job loss, a death. When you’re in a high-stress physiological state like burnout, Nagoski says, it’s common to feel resentful, like everyone is asking for something from you. Even though your energy and time are limited, “love ... is not a limited resource,” Nagoski says. “When you can get to a place of love and care with a person who is suffering, as much as or even more than you are, that actually nourishes both of you.”
This can look like being physically and emotionally present for each other to mutually collapse and console. “We are both terrible right now,” Nagoski says. “Let’s just let it be terrible right now and not try to fix it and know that if we allow ourselves to release this emotion right now it will move through us.” Additionally, simply lending a sympathetic ear and letting a friend vent without the expectation of offering advice is a low-stakes way to be a good confidant, Kogan offers.
“Love ... is not a limited resource”
Don’t be a martyr for the sake of your friend if you can’t meaningfully support them in even a small way, Kogan says. “We’re not actually bringing the best of ourselves,” she says. “We’re not actually being a good friend.”
How to show up for your community
For those who find fulfillment and energy in volunteering and service, spending time working toward a meaningful cause can help refill your glass as well as aid the community, Cargill and Nagoski agree. Even if it seems counterintuitive, research shows community volunteer work improves happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and depression — and it can be a way of refilling your cup, Henry says. “Connecting with your community, being an active participant in the issues that matter to you, and spending time with people with whom you share a purpose is actually a treatment for burnout,” Nagoski says. Consider your values and passions — from cleaning up the neighborhood to ensuring access to mental health resources — to find a community where you’d do the most good.
Acts of kindness don’t need to be a heavy lift, either. When you’re stressed or isolated, doing a few small, nice things for others — like sending a friend a quick text or shipping them some candy — helps improve mood, Kogan says. Studies have shown performing acts of kindness for others, like holding open a door or greeting strangers, has a modest positive effect on happiness.
However, giving back can, unfortunately, deplete your energy if you’re already stretched thin, Cargill says. Feeling like volunteer work is another obligation will only compound feelings of tiredness and irritability and can actually harm relationships, so only partake if it genuinely won’t feel arduous. Again, this comes back to self-reflection and checking in with yourself regarding your emotions and energy levels.
Be open to receiving help
The healthiest relationships are reciprocal. For all the support you offer, you should feel comfortable receiving help, too. “When we feel like we need more grit, we need to persist, what we really need is more help,” Nagoski says. “Which is difficult to accept because we’ve been taught to give and not to need anything and not inconvenience anyone with anything so insignificant as our own emotional needs.”
As uncomfortable as it may be, you’ll need to be open about how you’re struggling in order to receive help, and then be explicit about how you’d like to be supported: just through text messages, daily FaceTimes, perhaps no contact at all.
Even when Bart Vijendra, the food industry worker, was at his most burned out, he continued to show up for those he cares about, with the caveat being he wasn’t at full capacity. It’s all in the name of being a good friend, and he knows to expect the same from his inner circle.
“I’m exhausted, but I still want to be there for you because you need somebody,” he says. “The support is definitely reciprocated. We’re all suffering, but we’re still there.” | 2022-06-24T14:22:01Z | www.vox.com | How to support your friends when you’re emotionally drained - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23144336/emotional-exhaustion-friendships-community | https://www.vox.com/23144336/emotional-exhaustion-friendships-community |
Choosing a color for my room felt like there was a little girl sitting with me, who did not grow up with the space she needed, helping me make a choice to sustain us both.
The idea that I could help myself recover was unknown to me. Then I decided to paint my room.
By Tshedza Mashamba Jul 3, 2022, 9:00am EDT
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I was raised by my unemployed, widowed mother in our three-bedroom home in a small suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa. There was only one bedroom for both my younger sister and me. It had two single beds and an antique chest of drawers that housed our underwear, socks, and pajamas between mulberry-painted walls. While I have reverence for the room for providing a safe space for my sister and me to share secrets since I was about 9 years old, sharing a very intimate space with someone else meant having no intimate moments alone. It was dreadful having to wait until my face was facing the wall right before I fell asleep to be able to cry. There was nowhere for me to feel anything that demanded to be felt, because I had to think of my younger sister’s feelings before I could even welcome my own.
I was incredibly lonely because I am an awkward, quirky Black girl and the eldest daughter, who was often barred from excitedly telling others about how happy her hobbies made her. Maybe I struggled to, because it all deviated from what is defined and accepted as culturally Black, or African. So I sat alone in the library and read fiction. I was isolated, with hundreds of thoughts, judging and belittling me for being me. I never learned to ask for help — not even from myself. My family never looked to objects and spaces that our hands can dismantle as easily as they can build them; when you were struggling, you had to remember to pray. The idea that I could help myself recover was unknown.
I was so alone that when my brother passed down his bedroom to me, just before I turned 18 years old, all I had was a double bed on its base between the four dirty baby blue walls that bore his exhaustion. I was okay with the bed and nothing more for about two years.
The state of the bedroom itself was crying for a functional body. The space was crowded and seeing unwashed cups heightened that feeling. I had to do something about the clothes that lay on the floor for days — the first thing I saw in the morning, the sight overwhelming me — and start asking myself for help.
So much of me needed so much more than a bed that only provided physical rest
So much of me needed so much more than a bed that only provided physical rest. So much of me needed mending. So much of me needed to do more, to be more in the process of mending myself. I wonder why I occupied the bedroom and did not play Alessia Cara’s debut album out loud? Why did I not bring in a desk and a chair to write? I had to stop yearning and seeking for what I desperately needed by spending hours elsewhere, when the sacredness of the mundane in my daily life could bring joy.
My grandmother and mother may have had prayer only to rely on, but while struggling to pray I had to ask myself what I had. At the time I did not know that learning to take care of myself would begin with routinely sweeping the floor. I looked around for a fresh start in what I had — something many of the women before me never had, a bedroom of their own.
I started over with Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir on her search for everything she required while in Italy, India, and Indonesia. My relationship with her search continually saves me. I fell in love with her memoir through the film one early evening on Netflix. There is a scene where Gilbert travels Italy and has intense, intimate moments with food. I do not know how many times I have rewatched that part of the film and had the strongest desire to feel that kind of intimacy.
I found myself crouching over a shelf in a bookshop to take a hard copy of the memoir home to read right before the pandemic. Gilbert taught me the importance of stillness in starting over. She listened to God when He told her to go to bed, she listened to those who understand silence, and most importantly, she listened to herself wholeheartedly. I allowed her to guide me when I read: “It was vital to my survival to have a one bedroom of my own. I saw the apartment almost as a sanatorium, a hospice clinic for my own recovery. I painted the walls in the warmest colors I could find and bought myself flowers every week, as if I were visiting myself in the hospital.” And it was not until I read this that I realized that I never offered the exhausted and wounded girl within me the opportunity to rest here, with me, at home, because I did not feel safe alone.
The sun suddenly started greeting me every morning and bidding farewell every afternoon, without hiding herself, because the cream white paint let her come in to see me
Recovery and happiness cannot be bought, but I do believe that it is crucial to allow financial freedom to mend us. I did not grow up in a home with abundant financial freedom. When I earned my first salary, I remembered that while the women in my family prioritized necessities, they still managed to put aside a little from the small amount that they earn to spoil themselves. Therefore, I took a little bit of the $387 I earned from my first full-time job ever as a content writer working in the heartbeat of Johannesburg, sometimes in a sunlit office and other times in the dining room.
I did not want to spoil myself, though. I wanted to take care of myself, so I asked my mother to paint my bedroom. When she agreed, I spent weeks on Pinterest choosing a color that would silence the remnants of my brother’s voice on the walls. Choosing a color felt like there was a little girl sitting with me, who did not grow up with a space she needed, helping me make a choice that would sustain us both.
When the bank notification came in telling me that I just spent $79 on three buckets of paint for a room of my own and we started painting, exhaling immediately stopped feeling like a task. The sun suddenly started greeting me every morning and bidding farewell every afternoon, without hiding herself, because the cream white paint let her come in to see me. I never knew that the sun could do that until the walls were carrying me.
The walls are carrying me in the black-and-white photograph of myself that I hung on my bedroom wall. It is a reminder that I am a story worth documenting and deserving of being kept alive. I learned this from Alice Walker’s “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” an essay on her liberating search of what kept our mothers alive daily. I continue to return to the highlighted hard copy when I need a reminder of my role as a writer. Like countless Black women, I come from women who spent many of their days cooking for others before thinking of feeding themselves and learning others’ names without ever learning to spell their own. Black women were refused the time to use their gifts freely for centuries. Walker taught me that Black women died with their gifts, because their genius was denied its necessary power. If I carry my ancestors’ trauma, it is therefore my responsibility to mend them through me.
This room — with cream white walls and a dandelion yellow satin duvet cover set, the first of my own — is my antidote. I have the women who raised me and women who write to themselves, for themselves — my ancestors who write through me, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Alice Walker — to thank for allowing me to bow at my own feet, for starting over.
Tshedza Mashamba is a BA law student and writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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View all stories in The Goods | 2022-07-03T16:26:09Z | www.vox.com | The best $79 I ever spent: Paint for my very own bedroom walls - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23156416/solo-bedroom-paint-best-money | https://www.vox.com/23156416/solo-bedroom-paint-best-money |
Court battles, new laws, and confusion over abortion policy have left politicians, providers, and patients in a state of flux.
Share All sharing options for: How Dobbs is affecting abortion care, one week on
Abortion rights advocates demonstrate at the Texas Capitol ahead of the state’s supreme court ruling reinstating an abortion ban.
The last few days have seen a flurry of activity amid states reckoning with the Supreme Court decision negating the constitutional right to abortion.
Courtroom battles over abortion access have been ramping up: judges recently postponed the implementation of abortion bans in some states, and allowed others to go into effect. Meanwhile, red state leaders have pushed new restrictions, as some blue states enacted fresh protections for abortion providers. And the Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is already having dire effects, causing clinic closures and forcing people to travel to obtain abortions.
Several states’ trigger laws banning or severely restricting abortion access have gone into effect since Roe was overturned on June 24; other states’ bans will go into effect imminently. Variation in when these bans will be enacted, as well as the volume of court challenges seeking to stay and overturn them, are causing confusion and distress for providers, advocates, and patients alike, as some people are unable to get abortion care in their state even in dire circumstances.
While Dobbs determined that states can regulate abortions before fetal viability, not every state that is likely to enact limits has yet. Indiana’s governor, for example, has called a special session of the legislature to enact new abortion bans “in short order,” though abortions are legal in the state for now. Trigger laws in some states, like Idaho and North Dakota, haven’t yet gone into effect. In the meantime, providers in these states are already making plans for what happens next — whether that means shutting their doors, seeing as many patients as possible, or planning to move across state lines.
In other instances, providers’ ability to perform legal abortions can change from day to day as legal challenges to trigger laws from abortion rights advocates change the status of abortion access.
In Kentucky, for example, the state’s two abortion providers suspended abortion services immediately after the Dobbs decision came down, but they were able to resume abortion care by Friday after abortion-rights groups sought a temporary restraining order against the state’s trigger law and a further law banning abortions after six weeks. And adding to the complexity is the fact that in states like Texas, Idaho, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Arizona, the Associated Press’s Rebecca Boone and Claire Rush report, older bans are conflicting with newer legislation, creating broad confusion about what’s legal and what’s not when it comes to abortion care.
Essentially, the first week following the overturn of Roe has been a chaotic one that’s often left immediate access in a state of uncertainty and long-term access under new attack in many red states. And it’s also been one that’s seen states under Democratic control scramble to expand access through new legislation.
Bans are taking effect, but how and when is still unclear
On Friday, abortion rights advocates in Texas and Ohio experienced defeats in their efforts to suspend the bans those states have enacted, days after a South Carolina law criminalizing abortion after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) cheered a decision by the state’s Supreme Court to issue a stay on a lower court decision that allowed abortions in the state to continue while a lawsuit against the state’s ban proceeds.
The law at the center of the lawsuit dates from 1925; it both bans abortion and allows providers convicted of performing abortions to be punished with at least two years’ prison time.
The law was never repealed even after Roe v. Wade, and it’s separate from two abortion laws Texas enacted in 2021: one criminalizing abortions except in extremely limited circumstances, and another allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers and those who assist people trying to obtain an abortion.
After a brief reprieve in which Texas clinics were allowed to perform abortion procedures, Whole Woman’s Health clinics in Texas announced Saturday their four clinics in the state would no longer provide abortion care.
“With the pre-Roe ban reinstated, Whole Woman’s Health is forced to cease providing abortion in our 4 Texas clinics,” the group wrote on Instagram. “This morning, our clinic staff embarked on the heartbreaking conversations with the patients whose appointments must be cancelled, and our clinics have started the wind down process.”
A post shared by Whole Woman's Health (@wholewomans)
The lower court order allowed clinics to perform abortions until at least July 12 — when the next arguments in the case will be heard, offering a brief window until the state’s trigger law takes effect, 30 days after the Dobbs decision. Texas clinics were able to perform some abortions before the Supreme Court’s decision. The Washington Post’s Caroline Kitchener and Meryl Kornfeld reported that an Austin-area clinic performed 10 abortions Tuesday, calling patients who had just had to cancel their appointments and make alternate arrangements and urging them to come in “as soon as you can.” That reprieve is over, at least for now.
Also on Friday, Ohio’s Supreme Court decided it won’t block that state’s six-week abortion ban, a trigger law passed in 2019, as lawsuits challenging it move through the courts.
That law has no provisions for abortion care in the case of rape or incest, and this month that meant a 10-year-old victim of sexual abuse was unable to get an abortion, according to the Indianapolis Star. The child reportedly had to travel to Indiana to receive care. One Indiana abortion provider told Star reporters Shari Rudavsky and Rachel Fradette that her clinic was receiving “an insane amount of requests” for abortion care from people in nearby Kentucky and Ohio, both states where trigger laws went into effect after the Dobbs decision, though Kentucky’s law is blocked by a court order for now.
Though Kentucky’s abortion rights are safe for the moment, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron has attempted to strike down the restraining order keeping the state’s trigger law and six-week abortion ban from going into effect; its citizens will vote on the constitutional right to abortion in November.
It’s not just Texas and Ohio — legal challenges to abortion restrictions abound
Laws in several other states are facing legal challenges as well.
A Utah judge, for example, granted a 14-day restraining order blocking the state’s trigger laws from taking effect after the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued on the grounds that the law violates multiple rights granted by Utah’s constitution, including equal protection rights.
In Idaho, where around three dozen sometimes conflicting anti-abortion laws are on the books, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, which operates a clinic in the state, sued to keep Idaho’s trigger law from being enacted, arguing that it violates Idahoans’ right to privacy under the state constitution. Similarly, a challenge to Mississippi’s trigger law claims abortion is protected in Mississippi’s constitution under its right to privacy.
Meanwhile, an Oklahoma lawsuit seeks to block two separate pieces of anti-abortion legislation there, saying both laws — including a law allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers who perform abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and a law originally enacted in 1910 — violates the Oklahoma Constitution’s guarantee of individual liberty.
A lawsuit in their state has Floridians in uncertainty about what’s legal. Thursday, a judge suspended Florida’s 15-week abortion ban; the ban’s opponents argue that it violates the state’s constitution. The law went into effect Friday, however, because that judge has yet to sign an injunction formally putting its implementation on hold. That means abortions are now banned after 15 weeks in Florida, but soon won’t be, at least temporarily.
Legislatively, abortion policy is in flux as well: While Indiana is currently serving as an oasis for its neighbors, abortion providers are by no means safe themselves; the state legislature will meet July 25 to discuss the state’s abortion policy.
In Arizona, state leaders are battling over which draconian law will determine abortion policy in the state — a ban from 1901, before Arizona was a state, or another passed in March of this year which outlaws abortions after 15 weeks.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R), who is running for the US Senate, claims that the 1901 law is enforceable and the law of the land, which conflicts with Gov. Doug Ducey’s claim that the March law overrides the pre-statehood ban. However, the bill’s authors say a provision allows for the 1901 law to take effect until the 15-week ban is enacted in September.
Some states are rushing to enact stronger protections
As restrictions intensify, progressive states like New York and California are acting to legally enshrine the right to abortion, whether by ballot measure or legislative process.
Both of New York’s legislative chambers passed the Equal Rights Amendment on Friday, which would provide far-ranging protections against discrimination based on many characteristics including sex. If the amendment is fully enacted, it will protect pregnant people and their access to abortion and contraception, the New York Times’ Grace Ashford reports.
The bill passed during an extraordinary session of the legislature convened by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to address the US Supreme Court’s new restrictions on gun laws, and come after the state passed a package of bills to protect abortion access anticipating the Dobbs decision.
Despite New York’s liberal reputation and Hochul’s support for the measure, it still faces an uphill battle before it’s enshrined into law as an amendment to the state constitution. Any amendment must pass two separate legislatures and then go to the voters as a referendum, which New York Democrats hope to accomplish in 2024, according to the Times. Though the legislature tried to pass the amendment during the regular legislative session, religious groups foiled that effort over concern that religion wasn’t written into the amendment as a protected class.
New York already has strong abortion protections written into law; in 2019, legislators codified the protections granted under Roe into state law, in addition to the further measures approved during the 2022 session. However, a constitutional amendment would be much more difficult to overturn should future leadership seek to do so.
As Vox’s Nicole Narea reports, both Vermont and California will also give voters the chance to enact constitutional amendments protecting abortion access this November, and abortion rights advocates in Michigan and Arizona are attempting to do the same by gathering enough signatures to petition to put such measures on the ballot in those states.
But even in states where there is broad and historical support for abortion rights, Dobbs showed it’s not safe to assume that settled law is, in fact settled. That’s why, in addition to laws protecting abortion access, whether already on the books or recently passed, states are moving quickly to to ensure constitutional protections.
Some Democratic states are also pursuing a quicker route to abortion protections. Friday, both Connecticut and New Jersey advanced laws meant to protect abortion providers.
Connecticut’s law, which the state’s Gov. Ned Lamont (D) has promised to sign, greatly expands the list of practitioners who can become abortion providers and tries to shield providers from the potential legal risks that come with giving abortion care to patients who’ve traveled from states where abortion is illegal. It bars state law enforcement from cooperating with their counterparts in states that have banned abortion, and creates a countersuit protocol for providers to follow if they’re sued for providing care.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed two abortion rights bills into law Friday, one banning provider extradition, and another that restricts access to abortion patients’ medical data and that prohibits state agencies, including state law enforcement, from cooperating with states trying to punish their residents for traveling for abortion care. The new laws arrived on Murphy’s desk just days after he approved a state budget that set aside money meant to help the state’s abortion providers prepare for an influx of out-of-state patients.
The post-Dobbs era is likely to be chaotic legally
The legal landscape surrounding abortion following the Dobbs decision will only become more complex if states enacting bans try to enforce them even where abortion remains legal, as legal scholars David Cohen, Greer Donley, and Rachel Rebouché write in “The New Abortion Battleground,” a forthcoming research paper in the Columbia Law Review.
“The interjurisdictional abortion wars are coming,” the paper’s introduction warns, meaning that as states begin enacting their post-Dobbs abortion laws, challenges over which court and what state has jurisdiction over things like traveling to obtain an abortion or purchasing mifepristone and misoprostol (commonly known as the abortion pill) to end an early pregnancy.
“Instead of creating stability and certainty,” the authors argue, the Dobbs decision ”will lead to profound confusion because advocates on all sides of the abortion controversy will not stop at state borders in their efforts to apply their policies as broadly as possible.” | 2022-07-03T23:01:20Z | www.vox.com | How Dobbs is affecting abortion access, one week after Roe was overturned - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/3/23193465/dobbs-roe-abortion-bans-texas-ohio-access-new-jersey-connecticut | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/3/23193465/dobbs-roe-abortion-bans-texas-ohio-access-new-jersey-connecticut |
My home state seemed far from a natural paradise. Then I found an otter.
By Benji Jones@BenjiSJones Jul 4, 2022, 8:30am EDT
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A river otter near the campground at George Wyth State Park in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in October 2021.
Steven Niewoehner
A few years ago, a friend said he had spotted river otters just outside of Fairfield, a small town in southeast Iowa where I grew up.
This was big news to me.
For most of my life, I thought Iowa was boring. It’s the land of cornfields and hog farms. One of the state’s only claims to fame is that it’s home to the world’s largest truck stop (with 900 truck parking spots, 24 private showers, and an onsite chiropractor and dentist).
And while my hometown is something of a spiritual paradise — it’s a hub for disciples of the late Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — Iowa is far from a natural paradise. Over the last two centuries, the state has lost more than 99 percent of its tall-grass prairie and 90 percent of its wetlands.
Yet there were apparently otters. Smart, mischievous, painfully cute, hand-holding otters.
I had to see one.
As a kid, I’d catch snakes and frogs but only dreamed of glimpsing something as exciting as a river otter. I thought of them as exotic animals you’d see in zoos or on TV.
River otters at Fisher Lake in George Wyth State Park in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in February 2018.
But my search for otters was about more than fulfilling a childhood dream. I wanted to understand how they were surviving in Iowa, one of the most ecologically transformed places in the country. If otters can live here, maybe there’s hope for wildlife in the nation’s countless other damaged landscapes.
So in late May, when I traveled to Fairfield for a wedding, I tacked on some extra time to look for one. It paid off.
How Iowa got its otters back
A few miles from Fairfield’s town square, meandering creeks crisscross vast fields of corn and soybeans. That’s where my friend said he had spotted otters and where my journey began.
It’s remarkable that there are otters in Iowa at all.
By the late 1800s, North American river otters — one of 13 species of otters worldwide — were extinct throughout most of state, following decades of fur trapping and severe habitat loss. But in the 1980s, Iowa wildlife officials saw an opportunity to bring them back.
At the time, state officials in Kentucky were looking to stock up on wild turkeys, which Iowa had plenty of to trade. In return, Kentucky officials turned to an otter supplier in Louisiana named Lee Roy Sevin, who was selling the mammals for a few hundred dollars each. The two state struck up a deal: Kentucky would buy otters from Sevin and then give them to Iowa in exchange for wild turkeys.
Wildlife officials release otters at Lake Red Rock in Iowa in 1985.
It was a good deal for Iowa, said Ron Andrews, a former Iowa state biologist. “It was easier to turn those turkeys into cash,” he said, than to pay for the otters with state funds. “We gave them two turkeys for every otter.”
(Leroy Sevin was quite a character. He had been trapping otters since 1957 and keeping hundreds at his home along a canal in the Mississippi Delta. “He was the otter man,” Pat Schlarbaum, another former state biologist, told me. Sevin was among the only people in the country who knew how to keep and breed otters, which he’d sell to zoos and state wildlife agencies.)
The deal went through, and in 1985, a truck full of river otters arrived in Iowa. State wildlife officials released them at a large lake not far from Des Moines, kicking off what would become a 20-year reintroduction campaign. (The state later bought otters outright, partly with donations from fur trappers.) Ultimately, more than 300 of Sevin’s otters were released in streams and wetlands across the state, including a lake about 30 minutes from Fairfield.
It didn’t take long for them to spread. While otters were likely still rare around Fairfield when I was growing up, there were roughly 4,000 of them in Iowa by the turn of the last century. By 2006, there were as many as 12,000, and the state opened up a trapping season (the very activity that drove them toward extinction in the first place).
Now there are likely even more. “All indications are that the otters are doing very well in Iowa,” said Vince Evelsizer, a state biologist who oversees the management of otters, beavers, and other fur-bearing animals
Vince Evelsizer, a state biologist in Iowa, looks for otter tracks in the mud.
Benji Jones
They’re so abundant, in fact, that the state wildlife agency receives several calls a year from farmers who complain that otters have emptied their ponds of fish. “Ponds are like cereal bowls for otters,” Andrews said.
But to me this meant one thing: I shouldn’t have a problem finding one.
Otters are sneaky
River otters are most active around sunrise and sunset — the technical term for this is “crepuscular.”
I call it inconvenient.
Over several warm days in late May, I walked the streams and wetlands near Fairfield at dawn and dusk. Wearing cheap rain boots and a heavy coat of bug spray, I’d wade through fields of tall grass and murky water. There were snakes everywhere.
Each night I’d come home with lots of ticks and no otter spottings.
Then I got a promising lead. While grabbing coffee at a cafe in town, I bumped into an old friend who’d heard there were otters at a pair of small lakes on the outskirts of Fairfield. We drove there that evening and hopped in a couple of borrowed kayaks. More snakes; no otters.
Bridie Nixon, a doctoral researcher at Iowa State University, looks through binoculars near Lake Rathbun.
I needed to bring in an expert.
One evening in early June, I met up with Bridie Nixon, a doctoral student at Iowa State University who’s studying river otters, at a big lake about an hour and half west of Fairfield. Nixon had previously tracked the animals here as part of her research into how otters move across the landscape.
We spent the evening walking down windy streams and creeping around the lake’s edge, looking for otter tracks and mud ramps that they use to slide into the water. Otters are famously playful creatures. “If you want to learn how to have fun, just follow the practice of a river otter,” Andrews later told me. “They’re nature’s clowns.”
As another otterless night wore on, I wondered aloud: If otters have recovered in such large numbers, why are they so hard to find?
“They’re curious about human activity but are definitely smart enough to avoid us most of the time,” Nixon said. It doesn’t help that otters can also hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes.
The following night, I went out with another professional: Evelsizer, the state biologist. I met him at a big park near Waterloo when there was still plenty of light in the sky. We sat by a large beaver dam as the sun began to set, listening to the chorus of frogs and insects. It seemed as loud as any jungle (I included a short recording below).
When it was nearly dark, Evelsizer sat up and fixed his binoculars at something moving through the water. A young beaver.
There was so much to see on these excursions: that adorable beaver, a water snake snatching a fish, deer — so many deer — grazing in the distance.
A common water snake tries to swallow a fish in a stream near Fairfield, Iowa.
An American bullfrog hiding among duckweed in a wetland in Fairfield, Iowa.
A female red-winged blackbird perches on a cattail in a wetland in Fairfield, Iowa.
A muskrat cleans itself at Lake Sugema in southeast Iowa.
By sitting still and paying attention, you can peer into the daily lives of wild animals and start to understand the complex ecosystems they inhabit.
The best part? You can do that pretty much anywhere, even in a state that has lost most of its natural land. You don’t have to travel to some distant place to see nature come alive.
But to be clear, I still wanted to see an otter.
When Evelsizer and I finally ended our search, it was dark and I was exhausted. I decided to spend the night at a cheap hotel and come back, alone, at sunrise. I set my alarm for 4:30 am.
When I arrived, the park was quiet and cold, and a thin layer of mist blanketed the lake. A large family of geese swam by in single file in almost complete silence.
I sat and waited, fixing my gaze on the water’s surface. Half an hour passed.
Then there was a splash and a small otter popped its head out of the water. I held my breath. The otter was long and sleek and slightly larger than a house cat, and it was ripping apart some kind of animal — maybe a fish or a crawdad.
When it climbed onto a dead tree jutting out into the water, I snapped the shot below.
After days of searching, I finally spotted this otter at George Wyth State Park in Waterloo, Iowa.
For 20 minutes I sat there, stuck in a trance. I watched the otter go through what I suspect was its morning routine. Dive. Catch something. Eat it. Repeat. Each time it dipped below the surface I thought I had lost it, but then it would reappear, often with a cap of algae.
My search was done. I had finally found an otter.
Where there are otters, there is hope
If you spot an otter, there’s a good chance it’ll be eating. These animals are voracious carnivores and need a steady supply of fish, frogs, and other critters to sustain their muscly bodies. So in a way, to see an otter is to see a much broader ecosystem at work.
Are Iowa’s ecosystems working?
In the last few decades, Iowa has restored thousands of acres of wetlands and grasslands through initiatives like the Conservation Reserve Program, which essentially pays farmers to leave some of their land out of production. Water quality in the state may be improving, too.
But Iowa is still, by and large, a degraded landscape. Much of my time searching for otters was spent driving down roads that bisected barren fields. From an airplane — the only way some people see the state — Iowa is a neat, human-made patchwork of monochrome greens and browns with only the occasional messy clump of trees.
The same is true for much of the country. By the 1980s, the US had already lost more than half of its wetlands, and much of its grasslands and forests. Yet even in these transformed environments, many animals have found a way to survive, including river otters. They’ve now returned to at least 90 percent of their historic range in the country.
So perhaps seeing an otter says less about the quality of ecosystems and more about the resiliency of wildlife. If you just give animals a place to live and don’t hunt them all down, they’ll often do just fine.
“You always think of river otters being in pristine, clear, cool mountain streams,” Andrews, the former state biologist, said. “Fortunately, they adapt.”
I went out one more time before leaving Iowa to a lake about 30 minutes from Fairfield where otters had been released. Surprise, surprise, I didn’t see any there. But it was far from boring. Frogs launched from the mud like missiles as I crept along the shore. A muskrat surfaced and started cleaning its fur. Iowa still might be known for its corn, for its utterly transformed agricultural landscape. But you can find delightful surprises if you take the time to look and to listen. | 2022-07-04T14:35:41Z | www.vox.com | Iowa is the land of corn, hog farms, and … river otters? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/23180428/river-otters-iowa-restoration | https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/23180428/river-otters-iowa-restoration |
Being critical all the time is exhausting. Here’s how to dial it back.
Share All sharing options for: How to be a little less judgmental
While it gets a bad rap, in pre-modern times, judgment helped keep people safe. Judgments were alarm bells allowing humans to distinguish between toxic and harmless food, trustworthy and untrustworthy tribe members, and hardworking and lazy kinspeople, explains psychologist Carla Marie Manly, author of Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend.
Judgment is also a signal that someone’s behavior is unusual or out of context to your particular in-group, says Adam Moore, lecturer of psychology at the University of Edinburgh, who studies judgment and decision making. “The role that automatic judgment plays,” Moore says, “is social signaling, social norm reinforcing.”
But in today’s mobile, digitally facilitated world, judgment can take on new, toxic forms, Moore says. When you silently cast judgment on someone from afar based on an Instagram story, you don’t get feedback from other people — or even the subject of your judgment — and you don’t learn how to make comments or critiques in a constructive way. “Normally in a social situation, you judge somebody’s behavior, and their response to you helps to calibrate your interaction with them, and also the responses of other people around you,” Moore says. “Because so much of our lives are disconnected from each other … we don’t perceive that body language and we don’t perceive that social feedback anymore.”
Digital platforms also incite and prioritize outrage and conflict, making it easy to look down on others from your moral high horse. When people are constantly sneering at others on public platforms, the perception of what “normal” social judgments should look like is skewed. “In normal communities and in normal, functional families, passing judgment on other people’s behavior, it functions very well,” Moore says. “Families rarely break up because somebody says, ‘Hey, you’re acting like a jerk’ at a Fourth of July party.”
While judgments help signal social norms and allow us to identify our people, mean-spirited critiques are unproductive. Discernment, on the other hand, can help you identify unhealthy and toxic behaviors, Manly says. In today’s polarized world, it’s important to detect when someone’s attitudes and beliefs pose a threat to others’ rights and well-being. Unless someone’s behavior is actively harming themselves or others (in which case, you should name the behavior, tell the other person how you’re feeling, and set boundaries on how you’d like them to act moving forward), learning to curb petty moral righteousness is possible, but requires slowing down your thoughts and having some empathy.
If you’re motivated to stop hurtful critiques, you have to evaluate their source. When you feel a twang of annoyance when a friend impulsively books a vacation despite constantly complaining about money, ask yourself why you’re upset by this behavior or what purpose your anger or annoyance serves in this instance. Anger is often a signal that another person isn’t taking your well-being into consideration or there’s a conflict, Moore explains. Does your friend’s last-minute trip conflict with upcoming plans the two of you have or is it simply something you wouldn’t personally do?
“Do I have any reason to demand that other people in this situation care more about me than whatever signal they’re trying to send?” Moore says. “Even if the answer to that question is yes, having to stop and think about it often turns the volume down on things.”
In order to reframe judgmental thoughts, you need to catch them in the act. “We have to pull back and go, ‘I’m being judgy, I don’t really want to do that,’” Manly says. If you find yourself whispering a snide remark to your friend about a stranger’s shoes, try to reframe the judgment by complimenting the person’s confidence, for instance. Just as being judgmental is a practiced habit, so is stopping thought patterns that lead to hurtful observations and assumptions. “If we come to notice we’re doing something that is unhealthy and pause and stop it, then we are far less likely to go down that path,” Manly says. “That’s why I like compensating because if I do catch myself doing something that’s comparative, rather than just noticing, I give myself other positive hits [like] ‘look at their beautiful smile.’”
Manly also suggests looking back on previous moments of judgment and thinking about what you could do better next time. Recall a moment you made a judgmental remark. What was the response? Would the statement make someone feel better about themselves if they heard it? Do you feel better about yourself having remembered it? If not, allow these reflections to guide you so the next time you see someone talking on speaker phone on the subway, for example, you can instead internally marvel at their interesting phone case instead of scoffing at having to hear their entire conversation.
Practice curiosity, compassion, and empathy
When people buck social conventions, those casting judgments are often quick to be offended before considering a reason why someone else is engaging in that behavior. Say your colleague is quitting their job before landing a new one and you’re outraged at their irresponsibility. Instead of jumping to conclusions, get curious and ask them about their reasons for resigning or what they hope to accomplish during their time off. “Curiosity is the antidote for judgment,” Manly says. Manly suggests meeting those you’re unjustly judging with compassion: hoping they’re happy and doing well.
When it comes to differences of opinion, it can be easy to assume that someone who doesn’t share your beliefs is “evil or stupid,” Moore says. Instead of reacting aggressively in an attempt to change their mind, Moore suggests thinking of a good-faith reason why someone would think this way as a means to slow down the judgment process. What does the person you’re judging know about their behavior or beliefs that you don’t know?
For example, when it comes to relatives with differing political opinions, Moore suggests thinking about how the loved one ended up believing what they believe: the media they consume, the people they surround themselves with. “I find that helps me to not make toxic judgments about other people’s motivations,” he says. “It’s really, really easy and very, very tempting to assume that people who disagree with you about something that you believe in very strongly or have very strong beliefs about are evil or stupid.”
Of course, you should never compromise on important moral and social issues, Moore says. Relationships with people whose views are antithetical to your own will have to be renegotiated and you’ll need to decide how to move forward if you want to maintain contact. But you can control your initial assumptions of them based on their beliefs. “What function is expressing those judgments serving right now?” Moore says. “Am I trying to build consensus about an issue or am I just trying to wave my flag and say I’m of the red tribe or the blue tribe or the green tribe?”
There are very few things you can do to convince people your way of thinking and living is ideal. Save for the occasions where someone’s behavior is dangerous and harmful, Manly says to focus only on what you can control. “We can only control our behaviors, our thoughts, and our actions.”
Many human behaviors are actions signaling to others what kind of person you are or what groups you belong to, Moore says. Instead of criticizing your aunt for constantly sharing bizarre Minion memes on Facebook, consider she’s just vocalizing her membership in the coalition of Minion-lovers. Understanding actions’ underlying meanings can help you avoid pointless arguments trying to sway someone to your side of an issue.
Instead of judging and attacking and hoping others see your way, sympathize with others’ reasoning for their actions, don’t feed into toxic thoughts, and lead by example.
“You can’t make somebody value the things that you value,” Moore says. “All you can do is try to gently demonstrate that valuing the things that you value makes the world around you better and people will want to move there in some intellectual or moral sense.” | 2022-07-06T15:45:54Z | www.vox.com | How to be a little less judgmental - Vox | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23188518/be-less-judgmental-tips | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23188518/be-less-judgmental-tips |
By Rachel M. Cohen@rmc031 Jul 7, 2022, 7:30am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Senate Democrats slowly consider their options after Roe
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Patty Murray hold a press conference about abortion rights outside the Capitol on June 15.
When the draft Supreme Court opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health leaked in early May, Democratic lawmakers in the Senate scrambled to figure out a response.
They settled on a vote on a bill that had already failed to pass in February, the Women’s Health Protection Act — a bill that would both codify access to abortion and invalidate existing state restrictions on the procedure. But in the wake of the draft opinion, the bill, which the House passed last fall, failed again in the Senate, 49-51. Supporters of the legislation brushed off the failure, stressing the point was to galvanize voters behind a vision that could be realized by electing more Democrats and overturning the filibuster.
Two months later, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. But Democrats in Congress are still negotiating their next move to protect abortion rights.
Democratic senators, led by Patty Murray (WA) and Elizabeth Warren (MA), have been pushing for a bolder response from the executive branch. Aside from pressuring the administration, the closest thing congressional Democrats have to a strategy is asking voters to help them maintain their House majority and elect two more senators in November. If they do, Democrats could scrap the filibuster for abortion bills, surmounting both Republican opposition and resistance from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
Behind the scenes, a debate among Democratic leaders, strategists, and reproductive rights groups that began with the draft opinion leak is still playing out.
Should Democrats hold votes on various angles of the abortion debate that poll well with voters — for example, a vote upholding abortion access nationally in cases of rape or incest, or threat to a mother’s life? These measures likely wouldn’t get 60 votes to pass, but they might get support from a few Republicans, would force others to take potentially unpopular positions ahead of the midterm elections, and could demonstrate majority support for some forms of abortion rights.
“I think a rape, incest, health-of-the mother exception gets probably 52 to 53 votes in favor, and from a morale standpoint there’s just a huge difference seeing something with 52 votes in favor rather than 49,” said a senior Democratic aide, one of several aides who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In interviews, aides and lawmakers suggested Democrats are also considering another path: introducing reproductive health bills through a process called unanimous consent. This parliamentary tactic could allow Democrats to bring up abortion issues often and blame Republicans when measures — even moderate or popular ones — fail. But only one senator is needed to block unanimous consent bills, so this wouldn’t get every lawmaker on record or offer the televised drama of a full vote.
Still, two weeks after Roe fell, there remains no organized plan. The Supreme Court decision came down on the morning of Friday, June 24. Lawmakers left for recess that weekend and do not return until July 11.
“Given that we had a leak draft of the opinion, I don’t know why there wasn’t an outline of all the things that we’d be voting on if Roe were overturned,” said a senior Democratic Senate aide. “If you could have gotten consensus around having a vote around a rape, incest, or health exception bill, or a bill on medication abortion, or on IVF, or contraception access, that all could have been ready to go the day the Supreme Court ruled.”
The Women’s Health Protection Act is Democrats’ effort to codify Roe
For the past year, Democrats have rallied around the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that lawmakers say would codify Roe into law, but would also override many state restrictions to make abortion more accessible.
Since the Supreme Court’s 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, states have been allowed to enact abortion restrictions as long as the restrictions do not present an “undue burden” on someone seeking to end a pregnancy. (What constitutes an “undue burden” is vague and heavily contested.) Nearly 500 restrictions have been passed by state and local governments since 2011, and the Women’s Health Protection Act would override most of these laws by invalidating medically unnecessary state restrictions, such as requirements for ultrasounds, parental consent, mandatory waiting periods, and admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
Mary Ziegler, a legal historian at Florida State University, told the 19th News in February that while it’s difficult to say whether the Women’s Health Protection Act is broader than Roe, it “definitely disallows more restrictions than the current interpretation of Roe/Casey.”
Reproductive health groups have been all-in on the bill, including urging the overturn of the Senate filibuster if necessary to get it passed. But in February, it failed 46-48, with almost all present Democrats voting in favor of opening debate on the bill, and no Republicans doing so. In the wake of the leaked draft overturning Roe, it hardly fared better, not reaching majority support.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Patty Murray, speaks during a news conference on the Women’s Health Protection Act at the Capitol on February 28.
The only Democrat in opposition was Manchin, who says he would support legislation to codify Roe but sees the Women’s Health Protection Act as going beyond the narrower Roe and Casey standards.
Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK), two Republicans who likewise support legislation to codify Roe, have also objected to the fact that the Women’s Health Protection Act would override states that have permitted religious exemptions for abortion providers. Following the overturn of Roe, Collins reiterated her position that abortion should be legal nationwide, though she supports allowing states to “account for regional differences with regulations like parental notification requirements.”
In February, Murkowski and Collins released their own bill, the Reproductive Choice Act, which would codify Roe and Casey, but also ensure that any existing religious conscience exceptions could stay in place. States could continue to enact abortion regulations so long as they don’t “have the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy.”
The bill picked up no co-sponsors, and was blasted as a harmful step backward by Democrats and reproductive health groups. “Senators Collins and Murkowski are trying to muddy the waters by pushing a flimsy bill that claims to codify the right to abortion into law but actually weakens the protections we have under current law,” NARAL Pro-Choice America said in a statement.
Sens. Tim Kaine, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski are working on a bipartisan bill
Democrats argue it’s a waste of time to expect any other Republicans to come on board with the Collins-Murkowski bill. The entire Republican Senate caucus except Collins and Murkowski, for example, recently voted for a measure that would strip federal funding for cancer screenings, STI testing, and birth control from health providers if they refer any patient for an abortion.
“This isn’t like the gun bill,” a Democratic aide said, referring to the bipartisan gun bill President Joe Biden signed into law last month. “There aren’t 10 votes there to find.”
Still, Murkowski and Collins have been working with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) on a potential bipartisan bill, though they have not made anything public so far.
Even if their bill couldn’t reach 60 votes, Kaine has said he thinks there’s value in a compromise measure that could command bipartisan majority support in Congress, especially since courts are still grappling with the issue of abortion rights.
A spokesperson for Kaine told Vox that the senator “is examining the [Supreme Court] opinion and talking to colleagues to determine how best ... to find bipartisan support to federally protect reproductive freedom.”
For now, Democrats and reproductive rights groups are skeptical. If Collins and Murkowski are not willing to change the filibuster, then their efforts at drafting a compromise bill are “nothing more than a political stunt that should not be taken seriously,” NARAL president Mini Timmaraju told Vox.
Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, said she’d need to know whether the Kaine-Collins-Murkowski proposal would protect people from the kinds of restrictions previously passed in states like Texas, where private citizens can now file lawsuits against providers and anyone suspected to “aid and abet” an illegal abortion.
“Would the bill protect people in those circumstances?” she asked. “And I don’t know the answer to that, but I think that is the question that has to be asked and understood.” Smith said she thinks the focus also needs to stay on how many votes there are.
A spokesperson for Warren declined to say whether she’d vote for a Kaine-Collins-Murkowski bill ahead of November if the filibuster were overturned, and a Murray spokesperson said simply that the senator “has spoken with” Kaine about his work with Collins.
Should Democrats hold votes on bills that won’t pass to get Republicans on record?
A thorny debate on the Democratic side of the aisle is whether to hold more votes that highlight where Republicans stand on reproductive rights, even if the bills have no shot of passage.
Republicans already voted in February and May against the Women’s Health Protection Act, but that was an expansive bill. More people are paying attention now that Roe has been overturned, and there is an election coming up. Could more votes help keep attention on the issues, and drive home more clearly where individual lawmakers stand? What about bills barring criminal penalties for women who seek or obtain abortions? Or barring penalties for friends and acquaintances who might assist them? Or codifying exceptions for rape and incest?
Other Democrats have floated the idea of voting on other rights besides abortion that are not spelled out explicitly in the Constitution, like same-sex marriage and the right to contraception.
For now, most Democratic lawmakers say they are waiting to see what their senior female colleagues want to do, and will take their lead from them. Others say they are waiting to get clearer signals from the reproductive rights advocacy groups, like Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and Emily’s List.
Abortion rights demonstrators block an intersection while sitting in the road during a protest near the US Supreme Court on June 30.
A group of female senators, led by Patty Murray, the health committee chair, started convening in May to explore response options after the draft opinion leaked; on June 7, more than a month later, Murray and Warren led 23 other Democratic senators in sending a letter to the Biden administration, urging the president to lead a national plan to defend reproductive rights. The letter listed seven specific ideas for the administration to consider, including increasing access to abortion pills and exploring travel vouchers for those who might need to go to another state for the procedure.
Reproductive rights groups had first approached female senators with the idea to urge Biden to declare the overturn of Roe a public health emergency, a suggestion Warren and Smith took up in a New York Times op-ed the day after the Supreme Court decision.
A Warren spokesperson declined to say whether the senator thought there was merit to taking individual votes on aspects of reproductive rights ahead of the November midterm elections, but did say Warren “supports putting everyone on the record with votes and every Republican senator voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act.”
A Murray aide said the senator plans to lead Senate Democrats “in using the floor to continue making clear the stark difference between where Democrats stand and where Republicans stand on every woman’s right to control her own body, calling for unanimous consent on women’s health bills and delivering floor speeches about the devastating impact of the Dobbs decision.” The aide pointed out that Murray also has a health committee hearing planned for July 13 to highlight the effects of the Dobbs decision.
In interviews, aides and lawmakers involved in these discussions said that rather than hold more formal votes, elected officials are leaning toward a Senate procedure known as “unanimous consent” or “UC.”
Unanimous consent moves more quickly: Any senator can bring up a measure for unanimous consent, and any other can block it. A Democratic lawmaker might introduce a bill codifying the right to birth control, for example, seeking unanimous consent. If just one Republican objects, then the legislation can’t move forward through this expedited process, and Democrats could theoretically then blame the whole party for the obstruction.
“Democrats could still credibly say it was Republicans who blocked the bill from moving forward,” said an aide familiar with the discussions.
“Democrats have a lot of bills and are interested in making that contrast between the parties clear, so UC offers an opportunity to highlight that week after week, and not let that momentum fall away,” explained another aide.
Recently introduced legislation includes bills to stop disinformation from crisis pregnancy centers, protect abortion care for military service members, and codify FDA regulations on abortion pills. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) reiterated the need post-Roe to strengthen online privacy laws, and a letter Speaker Nancy Pelosi circulated in the House floated ideas related to targeting personal data stored in period tracking apps, as well as legislation reiterating that Americans have a constitutional right to freely travel.
Still, some lawmakers and staffers say their caucus would be making a mistake in not holding more formal votes, especially on aspects that hold broad appeal among the American public. One downside with unanimous consent is that those tactics generally draw far less notice in the media, and they fail to put everyone on record.
“Has a [television] network ever cut to the floor during a UC?” said an aide who was critical of the strategy. “If we had a motion to proceed vote on a rape-incest-health bill, I guarantee CNN and MSNBC would put it on TV. That’s literally never happening with a UC, that gets dismissed in two seconds.”
These staffers point to disturbing examples mounting in the news of people denied abortion care in the wake of the Dobbs decision — including a 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio. Voting on a rape and incest exception bill could theoretically divide the Republican caucus and underscore how out of step Republicans are with the public.
Plus, one staffer said, framing this as a tactical retreat is not how it was viewed when Democrats voted on narrower pieces of the Affordable Care Act: “We voted on different aspects, like preexisting conditions, the contraceptive piece, the donut hole, and no one ever thought that was harmful in talking about the most popular parts of the law and having those standalone votes.”
But several Democratic aides dismissed the idea that further votes were needed, stressing that Republican opposition to reproductive health care was already clearly demonstrated with the two failed Women’s Health Protection Act votes. Anything above that would be redundant, and could serve to highlight Democrats’ inability to get legislation passed.
“I don’t think anyone in America is confused on where things stand, and do people even pay attention to a bunch of show votes in Congress?” an aide asked. “I just don’t think there’s a huge, compelling case for it, though I don’t think we’re strongly opposed either.”
Smith, of Minnesota, offered something of a middle-ground position. “It’s clear where Republicans stand on reproductive freedom — they are opposed to it. And they’ve made that clear in their votes and in confirming justices committed to overturning Roe, so voters know, and I don’t think we need additional votes,” she told Vox.
Still, Smith acknowledged, there’s value to taking votes.
“I can’t speak for all of my colleagues in the caucus about how they will want to proceed and what we might do, but let me just say that votes in the Senate can help us demonstrate how out of step the Republicans are with what Americans want,” she said. “I don’t think those votes are needed for Americans to understand the fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats. People, I think, understand that regardless, but I know we will continue to have conversations about what votes we want to have in order to put Republicans on the record again.” | 2022-07-07T15:26:43Z | www.vox.com | Senate Democrats slowly consider their options after Roe - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23195307/roe-wade-dobbs-abortion-congress-senate-fillibuster | https://www.vox.com/23195307/roe-wade-dobbs-abortion-congress-senate-fillibuster |
A classic Thor adversary from the comic books will join the fray.
By Alex Abad-Santos Jul 7, 2022, 5:00pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Thor: Love and Thunder’s post-credits scene is a big casting announcement
Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth star in Thor: Love and Thunder, aka the Thor movie where two Thors fall in love!
After a lot of joy and loss, Thor: Love and Thunder left our space viking in a relatively happy place.
Mortally defeated, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) had one last wish — courtesy of an omnipotent being named Eternity — to either destroy the universe or choose love. Before dying, astrophysicist turned thunder goddess Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) pleads with him to choose good over evil, humanity over destruction.
Inspired by how she gave up her own life for Asgard and the rest of the universe, Gorr asks Eternity to bring his daughter back from the dead (in the movie’s opening scene, she dies from starvation and exhaustion). Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as a promise to both the dying Jane and the dying Gorr, tells them that he will take care of Gorr’s daughter, love her and won’t let her be alone.
In the last minutes of the movie, we see Thor make good on that oath. Our beloved demigod is zipping across the universe with his adopted god daughter (quite literally, she’s a goddess). They’re protecting people who cannot protect themselves. She’s teaching him how to love. He’s teaching her how to live.
And they call themselves, fittingly, Love and Thunder.
But not everyone is on board with this happy ending.
As Thor: Love and Thunder established, every type of mythology — Greek, Norse, Wakandan, even Pixar’s Bao — and all of the deities that people worship are real.
In the mid-credits scene, Zeus (Russell Crowe) is lamenting his defeat at Thor’s hands to his assembled admirers. (Lovers? Fans? It’s unclear.) Earlier in the movie, Thor, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and Mighty Thor/Jane go to Zeus’s hometown of Omnipotent City to ask for an army to defeat Gorr. Instead of helping, Zeus laughs at them. Instead of taking that laughter in stride, Team Thors kills his guards and take his thunderbolt.
Zeus is annoyed that gods have become a laughingstock. He’s also bummed to have been embarrassed in front of his fellow gods.
He tells his captive audience that there was a time when he was worshipped and loved by everyone, deciding that mortals need to be reminded just how powerful the gods are. To remind said mortals of how feeble and weak they are, Zeus says he will send down his son ... Hercules. That’s right, the demigod who killed the hydra and did all of those labors.
The camera pans over to reveal Hercules who is played by Brett Goldstein — best known as Roy Kent or that actor with an indelible set of eyebrows from Ted Lasso.
Goldstein’s cameo is really a casting reveal, just like Charlize Theron’s in the credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Harry Styles’ in Eternals. Goldstein’s Hercules will probably show up in Thor’s next adventure, if not sooner.
Zeus seems to be setting up Hercules as a villain, and he could be portrayed as an antagonist in the MCU, But comic book Hercules is actually more of a good guy. Armed with superhuman strength, durability, and invulnerability, he’s teamed up with the Avengers and even Thor on multiple occasions. Usually, he’s pitted against his half-brother Ares, the god of war.
But the best thing about comic book Hercules is that he’s kind of a flop nepotism baby. In one comic book storyline, Hercules decides to become a movie star, but the movies he stars in are so embarrassingly bad that he loses the adoration of mortals. Zeus finds out about his son’s awful movies and leaves him on whatever the Olympian equivalent of “on read” is, barring him from Olympus until he earns that adoration back.
There are more than a few fun and goofy Hercules storylines like this. Like Thor and Hercules drunk fighting because Hercules forgot his name (and partly because of a pig). Or Hercules and Thor switching roles and powers and then fighting! Or Thor and Hercules battling over which one of these absolute units gets to cross a bridge first! And given that Marvel picked Goldstein, a comic actor and writer, it seems like it’s likely (hopefully!) to lean into the character’s inherent silliness.
In addition to the Goldstein casting, there’s a true end-credits scene.
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor
In it, Jane Foster finds herself in Valhalla. She has just helped to save the world and guided Gorr to choose love over destruction. But her cancer was just too far advanced, so she died a hero’s death. Heimdall (Idris Elba), the protector and watcher of the gods, greets her and thanks her for taking care of his son. He also tells her that she’s very dead. He knows because he is also dead, having died at Thanos’s hands in Infinity War. It’s a pretty brief scene, but it confirms Jane is now a hero and revered as a goddess. If Portman doesn’t return, it’s a nice, heroic end for a character that, at times, Marvel didn’t really know what to do with.
But there’s also some uncertainty: We don’t know the rules of Valhalla. We don’t know who else is in Valhalla (Tony? Odin? Loki? Freya?). We don’t know what heroes like Heimdall do in Valhalla all day? As we saw in Love and Thunder, even if death is glorious, it maybe isn’t permanent.
Boris Johnson was a winner, until he wasn’t Scandals finally forced the Conservatives to abandon their leader, as Johnson announces he will resign as UK prime minister. | 2022-07-07T22:45:47Z | www.vox.com | Thor: Love and Thunder’s post credits scene is a casting announcement - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/7/23191688/thor-love-thunder-credits-scenes-hercules-brett-goldstein | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/7/23191688/thor-love-thunder-credits-scenes-hercules-brett-goldstein |
Marvel’s Phase 4 has given us great villains, like Christian Bale’s Gorr, but they rarely stick around.
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Without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing about Thor: Love and Thunder is its villain: Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale).
It’s a great name. A butcher isn’t just a killer, he doesn’t just end a life and move on. He repurposes and reconfigures his victims, hacking at hunks of their meat with a cleaver. The name brings to mind flesh and metal and thwacks against a divine cutting board.
Then there’s the great story. Gorr, born in an unnamed world far away, was eternally devout — even in his own suffering, even after the death of his daughter. But then on his judgment day, he came face to face with the god he worshiped, Rapu (Jonny Brugh). High on haughtiness, Rapu told Gorr he didn’t care about him. With no faith to lose, Gorr killed Rapu with the magical Necrosword. Now, tries to make everyone feel the same hopelessness he does. He does this by butchering those gods, one by one.
But — spoiler alert — even though Gorr the God Butcher is the best thing about Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s likely to be the last fans ever see of him.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll be around for a grand flashback, but he dies at the end of the movie, and history shows that’s usually the end of the road for Marvel villains. Like Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger from Black Panther and Cate Blanchett’s Hela from Thor: Ragnarock, Bale’s Gorr probably won’t be back for another round.
That’s all sort of a shame.
Marvel has created an acclaimed and highly profitable web of interconnected superhero movies, but their villains are largely treated as disposable. Unless it’s the ultimate guy (see: Thanos), bad guys don’t stick around in the MCU. They’re just temporary obstacles that stand in until our heroes can unite to fight the biggest, baddest evil. When the villains are pretty forgettable (quick: name the villain in the first Ant-Man movie without Googling it) and are a part of heroes’ origin stories, it’s usually not a problem.
But it feels a little wasteful when you have a performance like Bale’s. This misuse is especially glaring now because for the first time in a while, it feels like the MCU is starting over.
The current slate of movies, known as Phase Four and following the events of 2019’s Endgame, aren’t yet bound to an overarching story. The Avengers are all scattered to the wind at this point: many of Marvel’s established heroes are gone (dead, or retired). Returning heroes like Thor and Doctor Strange are just making their way back. The new crop of supes like Shang Chi and the Eternals aren’t household names yet.
The only consistently great thing in the current MCU is the series of fantastic villains like Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, most of whom are only around for a movie. Marvel could do anything right now, but it seems frustratingly locked into its formula, stifling its most powerful assets.
The best thing about Thor is Gorr
I feel so strongly about Bale’s performance in Thor: Love and Thunder because I (surprisingly) didn’t enjoy the film. Love and Thunder is one of those movies that has four or five not-great movies rattling inside of it.
There’s a patchy flick about how Thor (Chris Hemsworth) deals with all his friends and family members dying; a loose Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) origin story that tries valiantly to round out a character that was underwritten in the first two Thor movies; a defiantly un-horny rom-com starring Thor and Jane; a satire about homelands turning into tourist destinations starring Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson); and the fantasy adventure about defeating the great evil we’ve all come to expect.
These all sound good in theory, but there’s just too much going on — The Shadow Realm! The Guardians of the Galaxy! A snowy bloodbath! Jane’s cancer treatments! The salvation of New Asgard! — to really allow any of the actors or director Taika Waititi to do them justice.
Some of the set pieces indeed are funny and flashy (see: Omnipotent City), but feel as though they only exist for one specific joke or moment to meme. And even with the quick changes in scenery, the pace still somehow lurches, plodding along as if Love and Thunder was just trying to cover all the bases, rather than thoughtfully unfold any of its many plots.
Gorr and his absolutely jaunty veil!
Coming from Waititi, it’s a little bit disappointing that some of these stories never find their mark. Love and Thunder, like Thor: Ragnarok, has a lot more freedom than a lot of Marvel movies, thanks in part to its director. It’s largely self-contained aside from the Guardians cameo in the beginning and there’s no direct connection to the multiverse, the big interlocking plot that Marvel has seeded in movies and television shows like Wandavision, Loki, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
But the film’s third act works, and I’d argue saves the entire thing. That’s because of Bale as Gorr.
Gorr’s tragedy grounds the movie, and Bale gets to splash around in monologues about fear, faith, and decapitation. If Gods are symbols of faith, their deaths should be soul-crushing for their worshippers, he believes, and the bloodier and gorier the death, the better. In Bale’s hands, Gorr’s so convincing that I found myself on his side. He raises compelling questions about modern-day hero worship, including how Marvel is responsible for so much of it.
As the God Butcher, Bale is under pounds of powder-white makeup punctuated by trails of crumbly charcoal around his eyes. It looks like someone smeared a blood sausage smile across his mouth. You have to assume he smells like rot. Yet there’s a gothic elegance about him. Gorr isn’t lumbering around in armor; he has this cute little veil. Bale could have easily phoned it in and the character would still have been effective because of his striking visuals.
But instead, Gorr’s gothic grandeur gives Bale something to chew on. He can be over the top and rev up the anger and enigma because the character is so striking.
Still, Gorr’s clear ending — he makes the dying wish to bring back his daughter, which also grants him a heroic redemption — pretty much seals his fate as a one and done villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That’s not extremely surprising.
Marvel’s MCU is structured so that villains, with the exception of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), are one-movie threats. Phase One, for example, encompasses the origin story-based movies like Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor and capped it with 2012’s The Avengers, which brought all of those heroes together. Essentially, Marvel movies build and build towards a team-up movie in which a villain who’s supposed to be bigger and badder than the rest presents the biggest threat to the universe. Endgame was the culmination of a decade of cinematic storytelling, a.k.a. Phases One through Three.
Allowing smaller villains — unless they’re Thor’s brother — to have stories that continue across multiple movies takes away from that grand threat. By the time the next Marvel movie comes out, you likely won’t remember what was so terrifying the last time around.
Marvel’s Phase Four could be all about the bad guys
Marvel is now in its Phase Four of movies — Shang Chi, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder are all part of this chapter — but they have yet to weave in a big bad for this cycle. According to rumors, the ultimate villain is supposed to be the legendary, time-traveling Kang the Conqueror. While a multiverse variant of Kang was introduced in Loki, there hasn’t really been the buildup with Kang that we saw with Thanos who was referenced in many Easter eggs and credits scenes. Kang hasn’t been in Marvel’s last few post-credits scenes (which are mostly casting announcements at this point) nor has he been a looming presence.
At the same time, like Gorr, the villains of Marvel’s Phase 4 movies have been the best parts of their respective films, often eclipsing the heroes they’re facing off against. Wenwu (Tony Leung) stole the show in Shang-Chi. Spider-Man’s Rogues Gallery, especially Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem DaFoe) were just as powerful as the Spiders-Man in No Way Home. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) should’ve been the titular character in the Multiverse of Madness.
They’re all really great performances by fantastic actors, and they helped give the first crop of post-Endgame MCU movies gravity and importance.. Marvel’s subsequent movies have the difficult job of introducing new characters in the wake of departing stalwarts like Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow, and Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers.
There’s no real reason Marvel’s villains have to follow in the footsteps of the hooligans before them
Without its established vets (Hemsworth aside), it’s the villains — not the heroes — who are soaking up the spotlight in the MCU. I suppose that’s why I’m more inclined than ever to see Marvel’s stable of super-powered baddies reappear and to see defeats that leave the door open for them to return, much like the way they do in the comic books.
For a company that revolutionized the way studios can build entire movie universes around characters, Marvel has rarely dared to try anything thrilling with its assembly belt of antagonists. There’s no real reason Marvel’s villains have to follow in the footsteps of the hooligans before them, especially now that it’s more of a free for all in the MCU than it’s ever been.
So why not have Bale’s glorious God Butcher or even Gorr’s predecessor in Ragnarok, Hela (Cate Blanchett) come back for a couple more swings? What if Wenwu didn’t have to step aside to make way for Shang Chi? Why not let these villains stick around, especially if A-list actors are signing on for these roles and delivering time and time again?
The timing is perfect: with Disney’s acquisition of Fox’s Marvel properties there’s going to be an influx of iconic evildoers and antiheroes like the Fantastic Four’s Doctor Doom and Galactus, as well as the X-Men’s Magneto, Apocalypse, and Mystique. They’re too high profile to be disposable or interchangeable, which might end up forcing Marvel’s hand.
While Marvel’s formula can certainly feel safe now, the studio didn’t reach the pinnacle of pop culture by sticking to the rules. Its universe full of connected movies, and now television shows, is still something that only Marvel has done successfully. With its villains, it’d be fantastic if Marvel would dare to break the rules again. Even if the company wrote those rules themselves.
Boris Johnson was a winner, until he wasn’t Scandals finally forced the Conservatives to abandon their leader, as Johnson announces he will resign. | 2022-07-08T14:04:52Z | www.vox.com | Marvel’s villains are eclipsing its heroes - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/8/23197353/thor-love-thunder-gorr-marvel-christian-bale | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/8/23197353/thor-love-thunder-gorr-marvel-christian-bale |
Despite a strong labor market, recession fears are growing as the Fed aggressively raises interest rates to bring down inflation.
By Madeleine Ngo Jul 8, 2022, 11:50am EDT
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The US Labor Department reported that employers added 372,000 jobs in June, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 3.6 percent.
Employers added 372,000 jobs in June, continuing a streak of strong job gains that have bolstered the US economic recovery.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6 percent, where it has held steady since March, according to the monthly Labor Department report released on Friday. That rate is only slightly above its pre-pandemic level, which was at a 50-year low.
“Today’s report just reiterates that the labor market is a bright spot in the recovery,” said Daniel Zhao, a senior economist at the career site Glassdoor. “Even though we have heard recession fears and other concerns, the labor market continues to plow forward.”
Even with the robust labor market recovery, fears of a recession have grown as the Federal Reserve aggressively raises interest rates in an attempt to cool consumer demand and bring down high inflation. The worry is that businesses will respond to more expensive borrowing costs by reducing production and laying off workers, which could push the economy into a recession.
Although the June numbers were higher than forecasters expected, there are signs that hiring could be starting to cool. Job gains in June slowed compared to levels seen earlier in the year (the economy gained an average of about 470,000 jobs per month from January to May). Job openings in May dipped slightly for a second straight month to 11.3 million, according to a Labor Department report released on Wednesday, although that number is still well above pre-pandemic levels.
“There might be evidence that the labor market is slowing modestly,” Zhao said. “But it’s still coasting at a good speed.”
Job gains in April and May were revised down slightly, totaling a combined 74,000 fewer jobs than previously reported (the June payroll numbers could also be revised up or down in future months).
Wages continued to climb in June, although growth has slowed in recent months. Average hourly earnings in June rose by 5.1 percent from a year earlier, down from 5.2 percent in the year through May. Average wage growth hasn’t kept up with the fast pace of inflation, but a slowdown in growth could be reassuring for Fed officials, who are closely watching for signs that rapid pay increases are driving up inflation.
The robust job gains could add pressure on the Fed to continue with its aggressive rate hikes. Central bank officials have said they’re poised to raise interest rates by either 0.5 or 0.75 percentage points at the Fed’s next meeting later this month. That would follow its last rate hike in June, when the central bank raised rates by 0.75 percentage points, the biggest increase since 1994.
The jobs report could put some recession fears to rest
Many economists and forecasters took the strong numbers as a clear sign that a recession is still distant.
“Overall, the jobs data support our view that talk of the economy being in recession right now is fanciful, while the wages numbers suggest inflation pressure is easing,” Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a research note after the report’s release.
And even though job creation has started to dip slightly, a labor market that’s still adding jobs but growing more slowly isn’t a bad sign, given the current economic situation. Because job gains have been strong for months, the country has less of a shortfall to make up than, say, a year ago, when the economy was down 6.8 million jobs compared to pre-pandemic levels.
A deceleration in job gains to a more sustainable pace could also be a positive sign for the Fed as it tries to rebalance supply and demand, some economists say. Right now, there are nearly two job openings for every unemployed person, meaning that many businesses can’t hire all of the workers they want to.
Raphael Bostic, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said the job numbers reaffirmed that “there is still a lot of momentum in the labor market.”
“We’re starting to see those first signs of slowdown, which is what we need,” he told CNBC on Friday. “Because what we have right now is a great imbalance between supply and demand that’s driving the inflation that we’re seeing.”
Still, some sectors have been slow to fully rebound from the pandemic, such as leisure and hospitality and child care. In June, the leisure and hospitality sector added 67,000 jobs and helped drive the overall gains, but the industry is still down 1.3 million jobs compared to February 2020 levels. Employment in health care also rose by 57,000 in June, but the sector is down 176,000 jobs, or 1.1 percent, from February 2020.
“There are still a lot of people out of the jobs market, making it difficult for businesses to hire workers,” said Beth Ann Bovino, the chief US economist at S&P Global. | 2022-07-08T21:49:07Z | www.vox.com | What the new US jobs report numbers from June 2022 mean - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/8/23198883/jobs-report-economy-june-2022-hiring-fed-inflation-recession | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/8/23198883/jobs-report-economy-june-2022-hiring-fed-inflation-recession |
A Pennsylvania trial is wrapping up, and billions of dollars for students are on the line.
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Konnie Serr, a retired elementary school teacher from the Shippensburg Area School District in Pennsylvania, speaks at a rally in Harrisburg in December 2021. She highlighted a comment made by the Panther Valley school superintendent that he had 75 kindergartners sharing a single toilet.
Education Voters of PA, courtesy of Susan Spicka
How China’s relationship to Hollywood has shaped the movies Big Hollywood movies are being made with Chinese audiences in mind.
Why disasters are getting more severe but killing fewer people An important but overlooked piece of good news about climate change. | 2022-07-11T12:49:23Z | www.vox.com | School funding lawsuits are long but crucial for fighting inequality - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23178172/public-school-funding-inequality-lawsuit-pennsylvania | https://www.vox.com/23178172/public-school-funding-inequality-lawsuit-pennsylvania |
With new episodes dropping on Saturdays in the Today, Explained feed, the four-episode series will offer families a smart, safe, and fun take on the big questions children are asking about the world around them.
By Vox Communications Jul 12, 2022, 9:56am EDT
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Vox today announced that it’s bringing back Today, Explained’s special spinoff series, Today, Explained to Kids, for another summer. The four-episode series is geared towards offering families a smart, safe, and fun take on the big questions children are asking about the world around them. This season, which is about making the future better, will run Saturdays in both the Today, Explained feed and the Today, Explained to Kids feed between July 16th and August 27th, with the trailer out today. The series was created with support from KiwiCo, which designs and delivers hands-on experiences and projects covering science, engineering, art, and design.
“The news can be scary and difficult – even for adults! This new series is a fun and accessible way to introduce kids to big issues while focusing on positive, practical ways we can all help make the future better,” says Vox’s editorial director for explanatory podcasts Katherine Wells.
Vox’s partnership with KiwiCo will expose the brand to an audience at Today, Explained that’s at least 56% parents, and bring Today, Explained to Kids to KiwiCo’s community via co-branded crates thematically aligned with each episode of the series, developed with experts in early childhood education. As Today, Explained to Kids explores topics like preserving natural habitats, plant-based eating, renewable energy, and more, their corresponding crates from KiwiCo will inspire kids to further engage with the episodes with activities that include growing your own hydroponic garden, making notebooks out of recycled paper, and building your own headphones, among others.
“The world needs innovation and problem-solving now more than ever. KiwiCo and Vox have a shared ethos to provide the next generation with the skills and confidence to become creative problem-solvers and critical thinkers. We hope that with this partnership, small actions we inspire today can create a big impact for tomorrow,” says Andrea Chen KiwiCo’s Sr. Director of Marketing.
This marks Today, Explained to Kids’s second run – the show launched its pilot season in 2020 with Today, Explained to Kids: Summer Camp, a fully realized and richly sound-designed magical island that tackled important, complex topics happening in culture and broke it down just for kids.
About the Vox Media Podcast Network
Named by Adweek as 2021’s “Hottest in Podcasts,” Vox Media Podcast Network has over 150 active shows featuring industry-leading editorial voices and storytellers from Vox Media’s networks and beyond. From daily news and tech to culture and sports, and talk and interview shows to rich narrative storytelling, the Vox Media Podcast Network is one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most topically diverse collections of premium podcasts. Learn more about the Vox Media Podcast Network here.
KiwiCo develops engaging hands-on projects and activities to spark a child’s curiosity and creativity. KiwiCo was founded based on CEO Sandra Oh Lin’s deep appreciation for kids’ innate creativity and curiosity. KiwiCo is on a mission to provide the next generation of innovators with the skill and confidence to become creative problem solvers and critical thinkers. KiwiCo delivers developmentally appropriate projects, inspiration, and activities created by in-house experts, and tested by kids. Shop the exclusive KiwiCo x Today Explained to Kids crates here. | 2022-07-12T19:51:44Z | www.vox.com | Vox’s Flagship Daily News Podcast Today, Explained Brings Back Its Summer Series for Kids, Today, Explained to Kids, Sponsored by KiwiCo - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205167/vox-brings-back-its-summer-series-today-explained-to-kids | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205167/vox-brings-back-its-summer-series-today-explained-to-kids |
Expansion of Vox’s offerings to parents, families, and educators aims to explain the world to adolescent children
By Vox Communications Jul 12, 2022, 1:51pm EDT
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“Extra Curricula is a chance for me to gather knowledge from multiple sources to try to help my son develop critical thinking skills. But, more importantly, to connect with him, which can be hard with a tween at the best of times but almost impossible when your kid is feeling the mental health effects of a world outside their control,” says Liz Nelson. “I’m super glad we are having these conversations so that he can test-drive his forming worldview on me.”
Each week, the newsletter will focus on one specific topic, paired with a small curation of content — videos, podcasts, articles, documentaries, TV shows, and books — for parents and educators to share directly with their adolescent human(s). The newsletter will focus on topics ranging from families dealing with inflation and international issues like the war in Ukraine to the pervasive reality of school shootings and more. You can sign up for the free newsletter here.
Liz Kelly Nelson is the mother of a 12-year-old who, like his peers, is coming of age in a crazy confusing world and one that, for the past three years, has been somewhat isolating for kids. As Vice President of Audio at Vox, she leads a team of podcasters producing a range of shows designed to help us better understand our world and feed curiosity. You can hear her team’s work on shows like Today, Explained, Vox Conversations, Unexplainable and The Weeds.
Vox recently launched the second season of its daily explainer podcast for kids, Today Explained to Kids in partnership with KiwiCo. The series is geared towards offering families a smart, safe, and fun take on the big questions children are asking about the world around them. | 2022-07-12T19:51:50Z | www.vox.com | Vox launches new weekly parenting newsletter, Extra Curricula - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205572/vox-launches-new-weekly-parenting-newsletter-extra-curricula | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205572/vox-launches-new-weekly-parenting-newsletter-extra-curricula |
Hawley invoked transphobia during an abortion rights hearing in an apparent attempt to rile up the GOP base.
Share All sharing options for: Josh Hawley’s viral transphobic comments, briefly explained
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks to reporters outside of a hearing on “Protecting America’s Children From Gun Violence” with the Senate Judiciary Committee at the US Capitol on June 15, 2022, in Washington, DC.
Bridges’s concerns reflect the fact that lawmakers’ political attacks on trans people — including denying their existence, and using legislation to limit their freedom of movement, access to activities, and availability of health care — have coincided with an increase in physical violence. According to a 2021 Time report, anti-trans violence has surged in the wake of an increase in legislation targeting trans people. A 2021 UCLA report also found that trans people, particularly Black and brown trans people, were significantly more likely to be victims of violent crime than cis people.
You can watch the full exchange, here.
Hawley’s questions, which failed to acknowledge how many people are impacted by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, are another instance of Republicans tapping into transphobia in their discussion of issues on which they’ve taken a stance that’s not reflective of the position of most Americans. As survey after survey has shown, most Americans support abortion rights, and Hawley’s focus on language allowed him to avoid engaging with that fact, and to instead focus on a topic that has proven to be galvanizing for the Republican base.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) used a similar tactic this past spring, during the nomination process for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who most Americans believed was a good fit for the Court. After other dishonest attacks that highlighted culture war issues, Blackburn asked Jackson to define what a “woman” was.
Turning their ire on inclusive language is a conscious strategy. It allows Republicans to misrepresent and minimize the effects of laws like abortion bans, by omitting groups that they affect. Engaging in transphobia also plays well with some members of the Republican base. And it deflects from arguments over the issue at hand: in Hawley’s case, that he and his party want to limit abortion access despite that being a nationally unpopular stance.
As Julie Allen, a Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative fellow, wrote for WBUR, “Transphobia is not an ideology — it is a sound-bite wedge issue being used by opportunistic politicians, fear-mongering to their right-wing base.” | 2022-07-13T01:22:30Z | www.vox.com | Josh Hawley is called out for transphobic comments by Khiara Bridges - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205239/josh-hawley-abortion-rights-khiara-bridges | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/12/23205239/josh-hawley-abortion-rights-khiara-bridges |
The latest hearing teed up what the committee members promise will be “a profound moment of reckoning” for America next week.
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Reps. Liz Cheney, left, and Jamie Raskin during the seventh hearing by the House January 6 committee, on July 12, in Washington, DC.
The seventh hearing of the January 6 commission, unlike the ones that were held before it, didn’t stick to a theme. The prior hearings focused on specific prongs of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, like his pressure campaign against Vice President Mike Pence or his scheme for states to select alternate slates of electors.
Tuesday’s hearing was chronologically organized, focusing on the three weeks between the meeting of the Electoral College on December 14, 2020, and the certification of the electoral votes on January 6, 2021, and the avenues Trump kept pursuing to stay in power.
It still provided lots of new information and teed up what the committee members promise will be “a profound moment of reckoning” for America in their hearing next week. Here are five of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s wide-ranging hearing.
Perhaps the most stunning moment happened at the very end of the hearing. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said in her closing statement that the former president had tried to contact a committee witness.
“After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in one of our investigations,” she said. “A witness you have not seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump’s call and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us. And this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice.”
The call came after the June hearing where the committee said a prior witness had received calls from other Trump associates urging the witness “to be a team player” and “to do the right thing” before their deposition.
Cheney added Tuesday, “Let me say one more time: We will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously.”
The question of whether the committee would issue formal criminal referrals has occupied a considerable amount of cable news time, though these referrals have no legal significance. But this is the first time the committee has said in its public hearings that it has explicitly flagged evidence for prosecutors that Trump may have potentially committed a crime.
2) Brad Parscale blamed Trump for January 6
Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale held the former president responsible for the violence on January 6. In text messages that day to Katrina Pierson, another longtime Trump aide, he wrote that this was “a sitting president asking for civil war. This week I feel guilty for helping him win.” Parscale went on to add, “yes, it was” Trump’s rhetoric that caused the mayhem and death that day.
It represents a rare admission of Trump’s culpability that day from a hardcore loyalist to the former president and makes clear what some close allies thought at the time. However, like many Republicans, Parscale has seemingly changed his tune about January 6. He has continued to work for Trump and his PAC after the attack on the Capitol.
The committee also established that Trump’s call on the crowd at the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6 to march to the Capitol was planned and not an ad-lib.
There had been a long-planned effort to get rally attendees to then march to the Capitol, as documented by texts from rally organizers and a draft tweet that Trump never sent.
As one organizer texted a conservative journalist on January 5, “Trump is supposed to order us to capitol at the end of his speech, but we will see.” Another organizer texted that the plans had been kept under wraps to keep it a surprise: “It can also not get out about the march because I will be in trouble with the national park service and all the agencies but POTUS is going to just call for it ‘unexpectedly.’”
4) A rioter says he entered and left the Capitol because of Trump
Stephen Ayres, a rioter who pleaded guilty to breaching the Capitol on January 6, testified before the committee about how Trump influenced his actions that day.
Ayres says if Trump had tweeted to leave earlier in the day, we wouldn’t be in this situation pic.twitter.com/PmxNFDUKqx
Ayres said that he had come to Washington, DC, with the sincere belief that the election was stolen but only planned to attend the rally at a park near the Capitol. However, he decided to march on the Capitol after Trump urged the crowd to do so. He thought Trump would also go. Ayres said he only left the Capitol after Trump tweeted out the video message asking people to go home.
“As soon as that come out, everybody started talking about it and it seemed like it started to disperse,” Ayres said. It served to reinforce the committee’s argument that the mob that attacked the Capitol was there at Trump’s direction and that he had the ability to call them off at any time.
5) The “unhinged” Oval Office meeting
The committee also shared eyewitness testimony about the epic Oval Office meeting between White House lawyers and Trump’s outside advisers on December 18, 2020, the night before he sent the tweet urging people to come to Washington on January 6.
At the time, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson wrote in a text, “The west wing is UNHINGED.”
However, that perhaps understates the fiery showdown between top White House lawyers like Pat Cipollone and an assorted cast of characters including Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, which included insults, personal attacks, and even challenges to fistfights as they sparred over whether Trump should issue an unprecedented executive order to have the military seize voting machines.
The order was never formally issued, and it was left unclear whether Trump had assented to Powell’s appointment to be a special counsel. Early the next morning, Trump issued his now-infamous tweet calling for a “big protest” on January 6 and promising it “will be wild.” | 2022-07-13T01:22:36Z | www.vox.com | Donald Trump’s witness tampering and January 6 hearing takeaways - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23205667/donald-trump-witness-tampering-january-6-hearing-takeaways | https://www.vox.com/23205667/donald-trump-witness-tampering-january-6-hearing-takeaways |
Meet the internet aesthetic romanticizing “the glamor of getting by.”
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The homepage of Very Famous Magazine.
Very Famous Magazine
“Money talks, wealth whispers” is a common, if a bit classist, phrase whose central idea has been observed as long as there have been social critics to point it out. We are currently emerging from a roughly decade-long aesthetic trend that reveres this kind of upscale subtlety: Nordic minimalism, sensible direct-to-consumer basics, dressed-down business casual, streetwear so nondescript it is almost violent, no-makeup makeup, bare-bones live-work spaces so indistinguishable from one another that you might be doing anything, anywhere in the world, and not know it. In the logic of 2010s corporate design geared toward (mostly) white, (mostly) hetero, (definitely at least) middle-class people, simple is good. Simple is clean. Simple whispers that it is better than you without having to say it.
It was at the apex of this culture awash in muted millennial pink that I discovered a blog called Very Famous Magazine, which exemplified its polar opposite. The website — purposefully not optimized for mobile viewing — is a shade of cyan so bright it hurts your eyeballs, with bright purple headlines and decorative stock gifs of roses and glitter from the pre-social media internet. But to dismiss these aesthetic choices as merely nostalgia for the GeoCities era or Y2K “trashion” would be to miss the point. Under the section “Who Is Very Famous?” it describes itself thusly:
A hotel lobby.
7/11 candy.
Watching Showgirls alone at midnight.
The condensation from your frappuccino.
The jet streams in your heart-shaped jacuzzi.
A strip mall in the late afternoon.
At the intersection of luxury and overdraft protection.
The smell of motel air conditioning and sprinklers on St. Augustine grass.
For terrible lifestyles.
The reason I came across Very Famous Magazine also sort of fits in with the Very Famous aesthetic of glamor minus elegance: The founder is my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, Kelsey Lawrence, who’s a freelance writer based in Texas and New York. (It’s not weird! We’re friends!) Kelsey launched Very Famous in 2018, while staring out the window overlooking her parents’ apartment complex pool, becoming increasingly disillusioned with women’s media and its refusal to publish anything truly off-kilter, as well as its stylistic loyalty to mainstream standards of “good taste.”
It’s difficult to categorize the precise ethos of Very Famous, and internet culture has enough catchy little nicknames for niche aesthetics — “I get a little tired of hearing ‘something-hyphen-core,’” Kelsey tells me — but I like her definition: “It’s sort of about the glamor of getting by each day, and finding those little moments of glitter, whether it’s a sparkly top from TJ Maxx or walking by a nail salon with roses in the window.”
I’m reminded of a phrase I read in the similarly weird, although more male-coded, newsletter Blackbird Spyplane, which coined the term “Un-grammable Hang Zone” to describe places that feel welcoming, lived-in, and unpretentious but whose pleasant auras are impossible to capture on Instagram. Like the widely reported return to “casual” posting or the end of the “influencer aesthetic,” it should be noted that all of these phenomena are still performances, none more or less “authentic” than the other. To embrace tackiness, camp, or anything deemed declassé on the grounds of individual enjoyment is also to partake in a long lineage of writers and artists who have done the very same thing, often invoking scholarly works of media theory as a sort of paradoxical means of justifying it.
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It may not be new, but stereotypically “bad taste” is having a moment. A recent piece in Time magazine lists the evidence: Selling Sunset, hyperpop, Pete Davidson, micro-miniskirts, cocaine decor, revisionist retellings of maligned ’90s women like Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, and Monica Lewinsky. Writer Judy Berman posits that the renewed interest is possibly due to, like many things, Americans’ growing sense of doom. “Nothing kills numbness like a sensory onslaught of color, sound, hedonism, melodrama, and sleaze,” she writes.
There is something that feels very of-the-moment about the pursuit of lowbrow pleasure, particularly to women who have never seen themselves in the quiet, willowy millennials who go to barre classes, drink smoothies, and journal (a trope that, unfortunately, continues to be repackaged and sold on TikTok). In an essay on the relation between tackiness and fatness, writer Margaret Eby notes that “Tacky is a way of saying, ‘That is too much.’ It’s a way to say, ‘Hush.’ You’re too loud, too bright, too attention-seeking. You take up too much space. You’re too costume-y. You’re too dramatic. Your excesses are not welcome here.”
Rax King, the author of a collection of essays called Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer, covers the topic as it relates to sexual promiscuity, adding in her book, “To my mind, every tacky loudmouth of a girl is behaving strategically. For a girl, a scream is a potent reclamation of space that cannot be claimed any other way. Everybody wants to sidle up to a pretty young girl all the time unless she’s screaming.”
The first time I visited Very Famous, I immediately thought of the Dollz. The Dollz, for those outside my precise age and gender demographic, were little Bratz-like digital avatars you could dress up in thigh-high boots, schoolgirl skirts, and cut-out crop tops, essentially all the clothes I could hardly fathom wearing myself as a then-12-year-old, but liked to imagine I might someday. Needless to say, the Dollz were tacky as hell, and I loved them: They were everything that was antithetical to the culture I grew up in, which valued functional, sensible design that withstood the outdoors; athleticism; and granola self-reliance. Nobody wore Juicy Couture at my mid-aughts high school, so as the resident “prep” who preferred polo shirts and wore too much makeup, if anyone embodied tackiness, it was me.
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When we talk about tackiness, what we’re often talking about is an excess of something deemed too feminine, too indulgent. But there seems to be a growing chorus suggesting that perhaps indulgence (at least the way normal people experience it, and not, like, billionaires) is not the human condition’s most shameful sin. The world doesn’t care that you’re wearing a scent from Bath & Body Works or that you ate a Lean Cuisine for dinner just because you like the taste. Our own individual choices, be they stylistic or financial or even political, seem to matter less than they ever have; most trends move too fast to be even a little bit meaningful anymore. Just because something’s tacky today doesn’t mean it will be tomorrow. Why even bother paying attention? | 2022-07-13T14:00:16Z | www.vox.com | Tacky is back! - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23205791/tacky-very-famous-bad-taste | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23205791/tacky-very-famous-bad-taste |
To protect reproductive rights after Roe, advocates will need to mobilize people with real reservations about abortion.
By Rachel M. Cohen@rmc031 Jul 13, 2022, 12:50pm EDT
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Rather than accept the “safe, legal, and rare” messaging popularized by Bill Clinton in the 1990s, celebrities, lawmakers, and activists have encouraged amplifying abortion stories, even, or especially, less sympathetic ones. Activists have also emphasized that messages about a “woman and her doctor” could diminish the reproductive agency of the pregnant woman herself. As feminist writer Rebecca Traister put it earlier this week, “It’s at the heart of the attitude that a person who can be pregnant... cannot simply get access to that procedure by their own damn self, without consultation or permission from anyone.”
“What happened in the context of political mobilization was the Democratic Party abdicated its responsibility around abortion to a few feminist organizations like Feminist Majority, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood,” she said. “And those groups were only speaking to those voters who prioritize abortion as their number one mobilizing issue, and among the 80 percent of the pro-choice majority, that’s only about 20 percent.”
For now Democrats say they don’t plan to listen to the DOJ guidance and they don’t seem to be abandoning “pro-choice” language, either. Some commentators have said they worry Democrats and advocacy organizations “haven’t passed the denial stage” of grief, and are failing to accept that post-Roe battles will look fundamentally different. Former campaign staffers told Vox they used to expect reproach from advocacy groups if candidates moderated their abortion language on the trail.
Gabby Richards, the director of federal advocacy communications for Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said polls are clear that protecting abortion access is a winning issue and there’s value to candidates and elected officials reiterating and clarifying their stances. “Anti-abortion politicians have never been afraid to tell people how they feel when it comes to abortion,” she said. “Reproductive rights champions, at every level of government, are on solid ground in sharing where they stand when it comes to safeguarding our ability to make decisions about our own bodies.” | 2022-07-13T18:25:20Z | www.vox.com | Will pro-choice messaging change after Roe and ahead of the midterms? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/13/23204957/roe-wade-abortion-dobbs-persuasion-midterms | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/13/23204957/roe-wade-abortion-dobbs-persuasion-midterms |
A Q&A with development economist Charles Kenny.
Share All sharing options for: The world is getting better. That doesn’t mean it’s good enough.
Charles Kenny and Kelsey Piper speaking at the Breakthrough Institute, which awarded Kenny its Paradigm Award.
YouTube/Breakthrough Institute
And yet, at the same time ... I got my shot fairly early on, at which point almost nobody, including a whole lot of people who needed the shot way more than I did in developing countries, had got it. And only recently can we now say that this is the fastest vaccine rollout in history worldwide. It has been the fastest vaccine rollout in history for rich countries for a while. For low-income countries, it only became the fastest vaccine rollout worldwide about three or four months ago. | 2022-07-14T12:39:12Z | www.vox.com | The world is getting better. That doesn’t mean it’s good enough. - Vox | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23198871/charles-kenny-interview-economist-getting-better | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23198871/charles-kenny-interview-economist-getting-better |
The new adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, starring Dakota Johnson, swings wildly from dour to dull.
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(L to R) Hardy Yusuf as Charles Musgrove, Jake Siame as James Musgrove, and Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Persuasion.
It’s hard to overstate just how bad Netflix’s Persuasion is, and in how many ways.
As an imitation of Netflix’s hit Bridgerton, Persuasion is a pale copy. While it aims for the candy-coated Regency pastiche that Bridgerton made fashionable, it’s too stolidly convinced of its own virtues to revel in the sudsiness that renders Bridgerton so satisfying. It apes Bridgerton’s cheeky anachronisms (“A 5 in London is a 10 in Bath!”) as if its audience should consider them revelations rather than weak jokes that by now are more than tired.
As a showcase for Dakota Johnson, it’s a letdown. Johnson’s easy screen presence has been the redeeming factor of many a bad movie before this one, but in the starring role of Anne Elliot, she does nothing to lighten Persuasion as it swings on its emotional pendulum from dour to dull. Instead, she winks at the camera with her best Jim-from-The Office smirk, as if to say, “Aren’t we all in agreement that this is charming?” We aren’t.
As an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, it’s a disaster. Where Austen’s original is devastating in its restraint, this film is broad in its humor, shallow in its emotions, and ham-fisted in its characterization. Unforgivably, it makes a mess of one of Austen’s most romantic moments, undercutting the iconic letter-writing scene until it’s lost all internal logic and with it, all emotional power.
Taken on its own, purely as a movie, Persuasion is simply bad. It is boring. It’s not romantic. It’s not funny. It’s not sad. It seems to have no reason to exist— and the reason it does eventually offer up is frankly insulting to everyone involved.
vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark
Persuasion, directed by Carrie Cracknell and with a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, loosely follows the plot of Austen’s original. Anne Elliot — rich, pretty, and charming — was once madly in love with the penniless young sailor Frederick Wentworth. They were engaged to be married. But Anne’s friends and relatives convinced her that she should not throw herself away at 19 on a man who had no money and few prospects, and so she broke Wentworth’s heart.
When both novel and movie open, it’s eight years later. Anne has never gotten over Wentworth, but she’s now a spinster, resigned to devoting her life to caring for her sisters and her sister’s children. Wentworth, meanwhile, has become a captain in the navy. He’s now wealthy and respectable, in search of a wife of his own, and still furious with Anne for ending their relationship the way she did. And circumstances have conspired to make him a guest at her sister’s home while Anne is staying there too.
Austen’s Anne reacts to these circumstances the way she reacts to most things: outwardly remaining as calm and composed as possible, while inwardly tortured. The tension between the social pressures Anne is forced to navigate and her profound emotional pain is part of what drives Austen’s Persuasion forward, what makes it so heartbreaking to read.
This sort of interior divide is admittedly a difficult one to dramatize onscreen. The solution Cracknell and her collaborators have invented is admittedly a novel one: they got rid of it entirely.
In Netflix’s Persuasion, Anne takes on the mannerisms of the heroine of a mid-tier ’90s rom-com, weeping in the bathtub, weeping into copious amounts of red wine, weeping as she pratfalls into accidentally pouring gravy over her head. When she isn’t weeping, she is either mugging to the camera over her relatives’ foibles or blurting out non sequiturs in awkward social situations. “Sometimes I have a dream that an octopus is sucking my face,” she tells one party.
Wentworth, meanwhile, has lost the polished charm and go-getter energy of his book counterpart. As played by Cosmo Jarvis, Wentworth is shy, brooding, and vague; a Darcy cyborg without the specificity. He gives good gaze, but no evidence of anything behind it.
The film picks up briefly when Henry Golding arrives to play Mr. Elliot, Anne’s cousin and Wentworth’s rival for her heart. Golding is in pure mustache-twirling villain mode (although unaccountably, Cracknell has omitted the plot line in which Mr. Elliot is actually revealed to be a villain). His presence adds a welcome jolt of energy to the proceedings.
Energy by and large is lacking here, a fact of which the film seems utterly unaware. Persuasion carries on under the apparent assumption that all its trendy anachronisms will jolt fusty old Austen to life. Where Austen wrote, with her finely tuned sense of irony and social paradox, “Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement,” Cracknell renders the line as the achingly clumsy, “Now we’re strangers. No, worse than strangers. We’re exes.” Then the camera pulls back to let you survey the result, as if this film has done you the service of making Persuasion make sense in the 21st century, in the same way that Clueless made Emma make sense in the 20th century.
But the thing is, Austen’s Persuasion already makes sense in the 21st century. (So, for that matter, does Emma, a fact of which Clueless was fully aware.) Sure, the social codes that made Anne Elliot determined to cover up her own heartbreak have changed. But the emotions at the novel’s core — loneliness, longing, despair — breathe powerfully through into the present.
Adapting Emma into Clueless worked because its transposition of Regency mores into a ’90s SoCal high school was playful and witty. Clueless wasn’t explaining Emma to an audience too dumb to get it. It was having fun with its audience.
Persuasion’s attempt to transpose modern mores into Regency England just feels clumsy and condescending. It feels like the movie thinks you’re too stupid to understand Jane Austen on your own, so instead of trying to bring her work to life, it’s decided to spoon-feed you a summary.
In one indelible moment of Austen’s Persuasion, Wentworth tells Anne, “I am half agony, half hope.” Netflix’s Persuasion is all agony. | 2022-07-15T15:44:36Z | www.vox.com | Persuasion review: The Netflix film is an absolute disaster - Vox | https://www.vox.com/culture/23220006/netflix-persuasion-review-dakota-johnson-jane-austen-henry-golding | https://www.vox.com/culture/23220006/netflix-persuasion-review-dakota-johnson-jane-austen-henry-golding |
The rise of the latest subvariant, explained.
By Keren Landman@landmanspeaking Jul 15, 2022, 12:40pm EDT
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A mix of masked and unmasked people wait in line in New York’s Times Square on June 6. The BA.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 is believed to be fueling a new wave of cases in New York City.
John Smith/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images
Americans’ willingness to dial up preventive behaviors will determine — and, perhaps, be shaped by — the path BA.5 takes as it rises to dominance.
This trend suggests BA.5 has biological advantages that previous omicron subvariants didn’t have — and laboratory data has begun to clarify what those advantages are.
Some of the differences are in the virus’s spike protein, a key target for Covid-19 vaccines. Scientists are worried that the more the spike protein changes, the less likely our current vaccines will elicit antibodies that can neutralize it. It’s possible this subvariant could lead to more infections than its predecessors, even among vaccinated people.
Epidemiological data to support this is in its early stages, but it’s highly plausible, based on some lab studies. An early-July report in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that in vaccine-boosted people, levels of protective antibodies were three times less active against BA.5 than against the first omicron subvariants. While these antibodies are not the only way the immune system protects the body from severe SARS-CoV-2 infections (we’re looking at you, T-cells), this finding suggests vaccines could be less protective against BA.5 infection than against earlier strains.
Even a variant that’s merely more transmissible — but not more severe — is concerning. The more people the virus infects, the greater chances it has to find the people most vulnerable to it. “The people that were at the highest risk of previously being hospitalized are going to still be at the highest risk of getting hospitalized with variants,” Glatt explained. “[Novak] Djokovic can beat me even if he’s not feeling very well,” and with any new variant, he says, “the people who are sickest, even if they’re in their best condition possible, are still going to do worse.”
While a one in 20 chance of long Covid represents lower odds of the syndrome than in earlier analyses, the risk is still more than enough to make many want to avoid any Covid-19 infection — even one that doesn’t land them in the hospital. | 2022-07-15T19:10:15Z | www.vox.com | The BA.5 Covid variant is cause for concern, but not alarm. Yet. - Vox | https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2022/7/15/23206836/ba5-variant-covid-south-africa-portugal | https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2022/7/15/23206836/ba5-variant-covid-south-africa-portugal |
Share All sharing options for: BA.5 doesn’t care that you just had Covid-19
Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising as the BA.5 subvariant of omicron takes root.
The pattern has become all too familiar: A new version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerges and begins to dominate new Covid-19 cases, until it’s replaced by an even more contagious version of the virus.
This year, subvariants of the omicron variant of the virus have ruled cases in the US. The BA.1 subvariant started the omicron wave. Then in April, BA.2 formed the majority of cases. By May, BA.2.12.1 took over. Now BA.5 is in the lead, triggering a rise in hospitalizations across the country. It may be the most contagious version of the virus to date.
It’s evolution. The more a virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to mutate, and eventually some of those mutations will confer a transmission advantage to the virus.
Omicron showed that it was adept at causing reinfections among people who were previously exposed to Covid-19. BA.5 appears to have an especially potent mix of mutations that evade protection from the immune system.
The good news is that Covid-19 vaccines still provide good protection against severe illness caused by BA.5 and are keeping death rates down. But because BA.5 spreads so readily, the small fraction of people getting seriously sick is adding up, an especially frustrating development for everyone who has been diligent about getting vaccinated, masking, and social distancing.
Scientists are now zeroing in on what’s making BA.5 so prevalent even in an era of widespread immunity. What they learn could help contain the current surge and counter the next one, potentially allowing them to devise booster vaccines that better shield against newer versions of the virus.
And SARS-CoV-2 isn’t done evolving. Figuring out how a variant as strange as omicron arose and how it fine-tuned into BA.5 could unlock tools for predicting and preventing other variants in the first place.
Why BA.5 is good at dodging our immune systems
If viruses have a purpose, it’s to make copies of themselves. They don’t have the tools to do that on their own, so they have to hijack cells from a host (i.e., us) in order to reproduce. The copying process can be sloppy, especially with viruses that use RNA as their genetic material, like SARS-CoV-2, so mutations abound.
Most of these changes are detrimental to the virus or have no effect, but some can make the virus cause more severe disease, infect more people, or better hide from the immune system. When lots of people have been vaccinated or previously infected, mutations that conceal the virus have a huge advantage.
“The high level of immunity in the population is likely exerting selection pressure on the virus and the virus is evolving to try to get around that immunity,” said Daniel Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
With SARS-CoV-2, when a version of the virus accumulates a distinct grouping of mutations and is deemed a public health threat, it’s classified as a variant and receives a Greek letter designation from the World Health Organization.
Smaller grouping of mutations within a variant are classified as subvariants, often described by letters and numbers based on their genetic heritage, though the line between variant and subvariant can be blurry. Adding to the confusion, SARS-CoV-2 can undergo recombination, where it blends traits from two different lineages. As researchers have improved their tracking of the virus’s genome, they’re seeing changes at a faster rate.
“What is striking is the speed at which we’re seeing the virus evolve,” Barouch said.
Omicron exemplifies how major and minor changes in the virus can take root. When it first cropped up in late 2021, it stood out for its suite of distinct mutations that set it far apart from other Covid-19 variants. Scientists couldn’t figure out its heritage since it didn’t closely resemble the major variants in circulation. Its closest known ancestor dates back to 2020, ancient times in terms of the virus’s evolution.
There are some theories, however. Omicron or a predecessor may have been circulating undetected. It may have evolved in a patient with a compromised immune system, granting the virus an unusually long amount of time to replicate and acquire mutations in a single host. It may also have jumped back into humans from another animal.
On the virus’s phylogenetic tree, a diagram that illustrates the evolutionary relationship among different versions of the virus, omicron is on a remote branch from the other variants. The dots represent reported sequences, and the distance between them reflects the number of mutations that divide them:
This phylogenetic tree shows how distinct the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (lower left) is from other variants, like delta.
Nextstrain
Compared to the original version of SARS-CoV-2 that arose in Wuhan, China, in 2019, omicron has more than 50 mutations. Thirty of these mutations are in the spike protein of the virus. These are the pointy bits that stick out from the virus and give it its crown-like appearance under a microscope.
The spikes directly attach to human cells to begin the infection process. They are also the main attachment point for antibodies, proteins from the immune system that recognize and inhibit the virus. So changes to the spike protein can alter how efficiently the virus can reproduce and how well the immune system can stop it.
Since omicron arose, SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences show that the virus has undergone more subtle changes. There are only a handful of mutations that separate BA.5 from earlier subvariants like BA.2, but they’re enough to give the virus a massive advantage. BA.4 and BA.5 actually have almost identical spike proteins and differ in mutations in other parts of the virus.
Antibodies are very picky about the parts of the virus they will stick to, so small changes in these portions can make antibodies much less efficient. This is bad news for some antibody-based treatments for Covid-19, some of which are no longer recommended for use against omicron. But other drugs like Paxlovid still work against the newer subvariants.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is studded with spikes that allow it to initiate an infection.
A narrow group of subvariants taking over the world is a shift from how the virus mutated earlier in the pandemic. “[T]he fact that these omicron subvariants are becoming so dominant and sweeping worldwide is different from what we saw with, for example, delta, where its subvariants (which never got separate letters) never dominated in the same way,” said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern, in an email. Even omicron subvariants have undergone recombination.
It’s partly a consequence of the global increase in exposure to the virus. There are few immune systems left that don’t have any familiarity with SARS-CoV-2. So BA.5’s most important trait for its success is how well it can elude the antibodies and white blood cells of people who were previously infected or vaccinated.
Barouch and his collaborators recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that existing immunity has a much harder time countering BA.5 compared to earlier omicron subvariants. So even people previously infected with omicron can get infected with BA.5. It may also spread more readily between people, though it doesn’t appear to cause more severe disease.
BA.5 may be in the lead now, but future Covid-19 threats could look vastly different
The fact that omicron is still spreading with just small tweaks to its genome compared to earlier variants shows that its combination of mutations is highly effective at spreading. But that doesn’t mean that future versions of SARS-CoV-2 will just iterate from BA.5. A completely different version of SARS-CoV-2 could yet emerge and start the process all over again.
“While things do seem to be at least somewhat different with omicron, in that [it’s] given rise to so many successful subvariants, I don’t think we can rule out that there may be another variant appearing unexpectedly,” Hodcroft said.
What can we do about this?
The best strategy is to limit the spread of the virus, denying it opportunities to mutate. Getting vaccinated and boosted if eligible remains critical, not just in the US, but around the world. Though vaccinated people can still get infected with BA.5, their chances are lower than those who are not immunized, they are less likely to spread it to others, and most importantly, are far less likely to get dangerously sick.
The BA.5 subvariant pushed Los Angeles County’s Covid-19 community level to “high” in mid-July.
It’s also worth noting that BA.5 was actually detected in South Africa back in February, but only in the past month has it gained momentum in the US. This highlights the importance of surveillance. That means tracking genetic changes to the virus and public health monitoring to catch surges before they erupt.
The concern now is that, in the US, vaccination rates have hit a plateau even though most of the population is now eligible for a Covid-19 shot. Public health measures like social distancing and mask mandates are almost gone. And with the rise of at-home testing, many cases are going unreported. So while BA.5 may not cause the same devastation as earlier versions of omicron, it can still cause a lot of misery as hospitals fill up.
Even now, in its third year, the trajectory of the pandemic remains murky, and the virus could still bring unpleasant surprises. “What this is telling us: we need to remain vigilant,” Barouch said.
How omicron could impact global progress to curb the pandemic
What the latest Covid-19 variants and subvariants mean for the pandemic | 2022-07-17T15:54:07Z | www.vox.com | The BA.5 subvariant of omicron doesn’t care that you just had Covid-19 - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23200811/covid-19-omicron-ba5-reinfection-vaccine-paxlovid | https://www.vox.com/23200811/covid-19-omicron-ba5-reinfection-vaccine-paxlovid |
The suits are just the beginning of the motion capture process.
By Phil Edwards@PhilEdwardsInc Jul 19, 2022, 5:14pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Why motion capture is harder than it looks
Motion capture has taken over a lot of computer animation for movies, video games, and TV. Coverage typically focuses on actors wearing funny suits and performing feats of imagination. But is it really that easy?
The above video shows that it’s a lot more complex than that. Motion capture requires heavy editing, tweaking, and processing after the actual capture to create animations that look real. That part of the process is key to understanding the images on your screen.
Try out some of these tools for yourself. It’s a fun way to see how far AI-based motion capture can go and it helped Phil Edwards create Moby Fitzsimmons. Other resources like Mixamo provide animations and 3D models for motion capture artists to work with.
As with most things related to visual effects, Befores & Afters has countless relevant nuggets of behind-the-scenes footage and deep dives into motion capture history. | 2022-07-19T21:49:43Z | www.vox.com | Motion capture is harder than it looks - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/19/23270521/motion-capture-animators-actors-suits | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/19/23270521/motion-capture-animators-actors-suits |
Share All sharing options for: Here’s what Netflix execs think about the Netflix problem
Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man, Netflix’s newest attempt to make a blockbuster action movie.
“I sign up for Netflix when it has something worth watching. Then I look around at what they have and nothing else interests me ... usually too graphic or apocalyptic. Modern stuff is mostly too violent or horrifying for me. Besides, there’s stuff on other streaming services to watch, and I’m not paying for all of them. So I drift around from service to service.”
“We canceled because Netflix just kept raising their prices without offering us anything more or better. We started at $7/month. Once it hit $20, we thought, ‘Is this worth it? We only watch a couple hours of TV a week...’” | 2022-07-20T14:59:19Z | www.vox.com | Netflix answers questions about ads, content and password sharing - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/20/23270633/netflix-earnings-q2-2022-subscriber-content-spend-ads-peter-kafka-column | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/20/23270633/netflix-earnings-q2-2022-subscriber-content-spend-ads-peter-kafka-column |
By Rebecca Jennings@rebexxxxa Jul 20, 2022, 12:00pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Not Okay is a horror movie for the influencer age
Danni Sanders, pretending to be in Paris.
At first glance, Danni Sanders, the protagonist of the Hulu film Not Okay, reads like a modern rom-com everywoman: She’s lonely, depressed, her career is stalling, she eats junk food and drinks too much (despite, like nearly all rom-com heroines, being extremely thin and traditionally hot), her helicopter parents coddle her, and yet she’s starved for attention. Unfortunately for her, however, Danni Sanders does not get the Bridget Jones redemption arc. Instead, Not Okay more closely mirrors Dear Evan Hansen, in that it’s about a deeply unlikeable person who does something so morally despicable that you become increasingly convinced she can’t possibly redeem herself. Spoiler: She doesn’t!
Not Okay is not the first film to satirize the age of influencers, but it is easily the most unsettling. The setup is this: Danni, played with eerie believability by Zoey Deutch, is a photo editor at a Refinery29-meets-BuzzFeed-esque media property called Depravity. Her office is filled with very cool and mean gays who rightfully see her behavior as off-putting and weird. (In an elevator one day, she asks two characters what they’re doing after work; they tell her they’re going to a queer bowling event. Danni replies: “Yas queen, slay! I’ll probably drink alone in my apartment until I black out and call my old best friend from high school or something. You guys are so lucky, you have a community, a parade, you get to go bowling!”)
Danni’s ultimate dream is to write, despite not having much to say. When she pitches an article called “Why Am I So Sad?” her editor rejects it on the grounds that it’s completely tone-deaf (“Can’t tone-deaf be, like, a brand? Like Lena Dunham?” she protests). Meanwhile, her professional nemesis, well-respected reporter Harper, mentions she’s applying for a writer’s retreat in Paris, so naturally, Danni pretends that she’s also going on a Parisian writer’s retreat by making a fake website for a nonexistent program. Rather than actually go, though, she Photoshops pictures of herself at random French landmarks to impress her boss, Harper, her followers, and her office’s token grungy e-boy stoner YouTuber, Colin (Dylan O’Brien). Yet only a few minutes after she posts an Instagram at the Arc de Triomphe, a terrorist attack hits, and she’s bombarded with “are you okay?” messages. In response, she posts a standard IG Story response: “Im ok and safe. I don’t have reliable service yet but please know I am alright. Devastated for those who are not.”
As the world grieves, Danni is rewarded with everything she’s always wanted: professional respect, attention from her crush, and minor celebrity in the form of a viral article and subsequent hashtag called “I Am Not Okay” about what it was like to witness the attacks. At a support group for survivors of mass violence, which she attends in order to mine the members for their trauma, she meets Rowan (Mia Isaac), a teenage school shooting survivor turned gun control activist. And this is where it gets truly dark.
Envious of Rowan’s success as an activist-influencer, Danni rides on her coattails by first befriending her, then co-writing a speech and joining her onstage at a rally. When Danni’s big lie falls apart and she gets subsequently canceled, Rowan’s reputation takes a hit, too. The film’s final scene is a poetry slam at which Rowan discusses the effect it’s had on her, and the unfairness of it all. “Why do people like you get movies on Netflix and Hulu and people like me get told to sit tight and wait for change?” she asks.
Danni and Rowan at an anti-gun violence rally.
The problem with this bit of meta-critique is that the film already knows the answer to that: It’s because one of those things (undoing centuries of pro-gun policies) feels depressing and impossible and the other one (watching movies about influencers) is easy and allows us to jeer at callous, desperate idiocy. While the film tries to emphasize the emptiness of professional Instagrammers through Danni’s dangerous obsession with clout and Colin’s general dimwittedness, the message might be more effective if it didn’t include, say, multiple sympathetic cameos of Caroline Calloway, an influencer with delusions of grandeur known for courting attention at all costs.
It’s a tough line that the movie doesn’t always succeed in walking, particularly considering that Not Okay pits a privileged white woman’s own victim complex against a young Black girl’s actual victimhood, and there’s a lot more at stake here than just follower counts. But ultimately, the landing sticks: Even if the last third of the movie feels tonally off and uncomfortable, that’s kind of the point. This isn’t a movie about Danni rehabilitating her image, it’s a movie about what happens when you make your own misery and narcissism everyone else’s problem. It was never going to have a happy ending.
I hope that Not Okay (out July 29 on Hulu) finds its audience, and that there’ll be more movies satirizing the creator economy that say something stronger than simply “This is all pretty stupid, huh?” Perhaps it’s the start of a new rom-com formula: Rather than seeking romantic love to fill the gaping void in our protagonist’s life, she’ll try getting famous instead, and, one assumes, realize that celebrity isn’t the silver bullet to happiness that getting married to the first guy who gives you the time of day is, either. Calling it now: In the fourth Bridget Jones movie, she and Colin Firth start an OnlyFans. | 2022-07-20T19:38:06Z | www.vox.com | Not Okay on Hulu review: Zoey Deutch stars in a horror movie for the influencer age - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23270278/not-okay-hulu-movie-review-zoey-deutch-dylan-obrien | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23270278/not-okay-hulu-movie-review-zoey-deutch-dylan-obrien |
What Biden meant when he called climate change an emergency.
By Rebecca Leber@rebleber Jul 20, 2022, 5:00pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Congress failed on climate. What can Biden do now?
Without congressional action on climate, there will be even more riding on Biden’s regulations on power plants, transportation, and fossil fuel leasing.
President Joe Biden promised on Wednesday that since Congress won’t tackle the climate crisis, he will.
“Let me be clear, climate change is an emergency,” Biden said, standing in front of a closed coal power plant turned renewable hub in Somerset, Massachusetts. “In the coming weeks, I’m going to use the power I have as president to turn these words into formal official government actions, through the appropriate proclamations, executive orders, and regulatory power that a president possesses.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) shredded any last hope for a climate-focused reconciliation package. As president, Biden still has the power to have more impact on climate change than he has so far. He’s also more constrained than Congress was to meaningfully cut emissions across the economy.
On Wednesday, Biden announced mostly piecemeal actions — $2.3 billion for a FEMA buildings program to combat heat waves, releasing guidance for the Low Income Housing Assistance Program to establish programs like community cooling centers, and opening up 700,000 acres for offshore wind energy bids in the Southeast.
None of this will fill the gap left by $550 billion in undelivered climate funds in the once-hoped-for reconciliation bill.
But Biden faces immense pressure from the left to do a lot more and to announce it soon. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) told reporters at the Capitol on Monday that the demise of a climate bill “frees up the president to use the full powers of the executive branch.”
One of the powers Biden could use is his emergency authorities under the National Emergencies Act of 1976. Declaring the first-ever climate emergency would show Biden is putting the full weight of the executive branch behind combating the climate crisis, climate advocates argue. In 2021, more than 40 percent of the country lived somewhere hit by a climate-related disaster; even as Biden spoke, more than 100 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings.
The Center for Biological Diversity argued in a February report that an emergency declaration would allow the president to use the Defense Production Act to boost renewable manufacturing; use the National Emergencies Act to halt crude oil exports and stop leasing to fossil fuels companies and new drilling offshore; and use the executive branch’s $650 billion procurement budget to buy clean energy and electric vehicles.
Biden did call climate change an “emergency” on Wednesday, but he was not moving forward with any kind of official declaration just yet, although the White House hasn’t taken it off the table. There is precedent for Biden to invoke these kinds of powers, even if it has never been attempted for climate change. Since 1976, every president has declared at least one national emergency while in office, although the vast majority have been for individual disasters.
Whether Biden would want to use the emergency declaration to implement those policies is another question. Biden might theoretically be able to halt fossil fuel exports, but practically he’s very unlikely to do it given Russia’s war in Ukraine. And an emergency declaration isn’t a silver bullet for climate change; it doesn’t necessarily exempt Biden from the scrutiny of the courts or asking for appropriations from Congress. Trump invoked the same law to redirect Defense funding to “build a wall,” which drew lawsuits challenging the reallocation (though courts ultimately sided with Trump or declined to review his actions).
There’s a lot Biden can still do that doesn’t depend on an emergency declaration
Every idea that the advocacy group Evergreen Action proposes is a regulation that agencies can pass without Congress. The most important rules will tackle pollution economy-wide, such as that from the power sector, transportation, and industry. Biden’s EPA is working on new climate rules for coal-fired power plants and has eight other rules to finalize that would also impact pollution from the power sector. The EPA also has regulations tackling truck pollution in the works and still hasn’t approved California’s waiver for setting more aggressive car-pollution standards. The EPA has not yet addressed emissions from heavy industry and buildings, either. And the Interior Department could change its five-year plan to prohibit all new offshore leases.
But even the full power of the executive branch won’t make up for what Congress could have done with $550 billion for climate programs. It’s even more distant from Biden’s campaign hopes of spending $2 trillion on clean energy manufacturing and programs.
A congressional bill was critical for reaching the US goal of slashing pollution in half by 2030. Right now, with no additional action, modelers at Rhodium Group expect the US to cut at most 35 percent of its pollution by 2030.
Congress’s failure means the executive branch has virtually no margin for error. And Biden must face the possibility that the Supreme Court could interfere with his regulations. | 2022-07-20T21:51:28Z | www.vox.com | Biden’s steps on “climate emergency” after Congress fails to act - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23270518/biden-climate-manchin-executive-action | https://www.vox.com/23270518/biden-climate-manchin-executive-action |
2 early takeaways from the January 6 hearing
What Trump did as staff pleaded for him to intervene during the attack on the Capitol.
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The first hour of the latest hearing of the January 6 committee was filled with revelations about what then-President Donald Trump was doing, and who was trying to influence him, during the 187 minutes between when he finished his Stop the Steal speech at the rally and when he tweeted a video calling for the rioters at the Capitol to leave.
The committee also heard live testimony from two White House aides — former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews and former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger — both of whom resigned on January 6.
Here are two of the most important things we’ve learned from the hearing so far.
1. During the siege, Trump watched Fox News and “poured gasoline” on what he saw unfolding
2. Pence’s Secret Service agents feared for their lives | 2022-07-22T03:09:10Z | www.vox.com | January 6 hearing: What Trump was doing during the Capitol attack - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23273654/january-6-committee-trump | https://www.vox.com/23273654/january-6-committee-trump |
The January 6 committee examined what Trump did as staff pleaded for him to intervene during the attack on the Capitol.
Share All sharing options for: 5 takeaways from the January 6 hearing
The January 6 committee concluded its first series of public hearings Thursday night with a revelatory look at what then-President Donald Trump was doing, and who was trying to influence him, during the 187 minutes between when he finished his Stop the Steal speech at the rally on January 6, 2021, and when he tweeted a video calling for the rioters at the Capitol to leave.
The committee also heard live testimony from two White House aides — former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews and former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger — both of whom resigned on January 6. And it aired new footage of a still-defiant Trump from the day after the attack.
We also learned that, despite billing this as a finale of sorts, there will be a new round of televised hearings in September. The committee left us with several revelations, though, including:
1) During the siege, Trump watched Fox News and “poured gasoline” on what he saw unfolding
2) Pence’s Secret Service agents feared for their lives
3) On January 7, Trump refused to say the election was over
In a series of outtakes from taped remarks he delivered the day after the attack on the Capitol, Trump could not bear to admit defeat. “I don’t want to say the election is over, I just want to say Congress has certified the results,” he said in footage obtained by the committee.
It was a remarkable refusal to acknowledge his defeat, even after people had died in the January 6 riot.
Trump also was pictured stumbling over words and making minor complaints about his script, including quibbling with describing those who went to the Capitol as law-breakers.
4) The humiliation of Josh Hawley
The select committee members have not been averse to calling out their congressional colleagues who supported Trump’s efforts in previous hearings, as it has done with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA)’s efforts to help install Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general in early January 2020. On Thursday, they reminded viewers of how critical minority leader Kevin McCarthy was of Trump immediately after the attack, before quickly resuming his status as a Trump loyalist.
But it went out of its way to dunk on Sen. Josh Hawley, the Missouri Republican who was the first member of the upper chamber to publicly say he would object to election results on January 6. It showed the now-infamous picture of Hawley walking into the Senate that day with his fist raised to a crowd of Trump supporters outside the Capitol.
As the picture was shown, Rep Elaine Luria (D-VA) narrated how one female Capitol Police officer was upset that Hawley was riling up the crowd from safely behind police lines while she had to deal with the consequences.
Shortly afterward, footage was shown of Hawley running down the corridors of the Capitol. The hearing room snickered — along with Twitter — as the footage was played and repeated.
5) More is coming from the committee
At the beginning of the hearing, chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said in videotaped remarks from his Covid-19 quarantine that this was not going to be the last hearing. There will be more in September, after the August recess.
While the committee had never ruled out further hearings, the roadmap presented at the first hearing in June had been followed with the exception of the hastily called hearing for the explosive testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. But on Thursday, Sen. Liz Cheney (R-WY) hinted at a variety of new developments as the committee’s investigation progressed through the summer, including recent ones about Secret Service text messages that were erased.
“Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued, and the dam has begun to break,” Cheney said. | 2022-07-22T16:59:39Z | www.vox.com | January 6 hearing: What Trump was doing during the Capitol attack - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23273654/january-6-committee-trump-takeaways-capitol-attack | https://www.vox.com/23273654/january-6-committee-trump-takeaways-capitol-attack |
Monkeypox is a viral disease that’s a much milder cousin of smallpox.
Contributors: Keren Landman and Kelsey Piper
Share All sharing options for: A worldwide monkeypox outbreak
The worldwide monkeypox outbreak began in early May 2022. Since then, more than 15,000 cases of monkeypox have been identified across more than 60 countries. Disease caused by the monkeypox virus typically involves a few days of fever and lymph node swelling followed by a rash, which can leave scars. Most cases in the current outbreak have resolved without hospitalization or the need for medication. As of July 20, there have been five deaths, all of them in Africa.
Monkeypox is related to the smallpox virus, and immunity to smallpox is protective against monkeypox. But as of 1980, smallpox has been eradicated in humans, and vaccinations against smallpox have grown rare — and human cases of monkeypox have been on the rise.
With monkeypox, the world faces a very different situation than in the early days of Covid-19. Monkeypox, unlike SARS-CoV-2, is a known quantity. We have more tools to prevent and treat it — far more than we did for Covid-19 at the outset of the pandemic — and both public health and the general public have had a lot of practice taking measures to prevent infections from spreading.
Follow here for all of Vox’s coverage on the monkeypox outbreak with expert analysis, guidance, explainers, and more.
May 23, 2022, 6:47pm EDT
By Keren Landman@landmanspeaking
A "public health emergency of international concern" is the organization’s loudest alarm bell. Here’s what it can accomplish.
Yes, monkeypox is a real threat — but risk level varies
Experts are worried about the overlapping risks of uncontrolled HIV and monkeypox infection.
Stop scolding people for worrying about monkeypox
The obsession with managing public opinion gets in the way of managing public health.
Health experts are optimistic monkeypox can be contained. Here’s why, and where it could go wrong.
What we know so far about monkeypox
Hundreds of cases of the rare viral disease have been detected in Europe and North America. Experts are cautiously concerned. | 2022-07-25T18:20:47Z | www.vox.com | A worldwide monkeypox outbreak - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/25/23277404/worldwide-monkeypox-outbreak-2022 | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/25/23277404/worldwide-monkeypox-outbreak-2022 |
US policy toward Taiwan is all about “strategic ambiguity.” That means every trip and remark has to be just right.
Share All sharing options for: The drama over Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan travel plans, briefly explained
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on July 21, when she said “it’s important for us to show support for Taiwan.”
How reckless can a trip to Taiwan be?
For House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, potential travel plans have already caused a domestic political debate and a minor foreign policy fracas.
On Monday, Taiwan held air raid drills. The cause: fears that China, antagonized by a senior American representative planning to travel there, may pursue military escalation against Taiwan, the neighboring democratic island that Beijing claims as its own.
Everyone from President Joe Biden to Trump alumni to a former speaker of the House has been weighing in on Pelosi’s itinerary.
The visit, potentially planned for next month, brings new attention to the balancing act of how the US handles the status of Taiwan. It’s a complex policy filled with diplomatic nuance, in an attempt to smooth relations with China while also supporting Taiwan against Chinese aggression. All of this has been accentuated by China’s rapid rise economically and militarily, which has focused US energy on countering its influence worldwide.
That’s created an atmosphere of dangerous competition between the two nuclear-armed countries, where even a trip abroad has strategic implications.
The travel plans — and everyone’s responses to them
Pelosi had canceled a Taiwan journey for April when she tested positive for Covid-19, and she rescheduled it for August, a move first reported by the Financial Times.
President Joe Biden said last week of Pelosi going, “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” (Some Biden officials have said that China may go as far as to ground her travel by implementing a no-fly zone over Taiwan, possibly bringing the US and China into direct conflict.)
In a press conference a day later, Pelosi retorted “it’s important for us to show support for Taiwan.” She said she never discusses international travel plans “because it is a security issue,” but added she hadn’t heard anything directly from the administration about the plane issue. But several senior American officials, according to the FT, think it’s a particularly dangerous moment in US-China relations for her to travel.
Congress occasionally clashes with and contradicts the White House on foreign policy, at least rhetorically. And Congress members frequently travel abroad to hot spots; House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-WA) led a group of lawmakers to Ukraine just in the last week, for example. Republican Rep. Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan when he was speaker in 1997, the last time someone second in line to the US presidency visited the island. But in addition to Pelosi being a leading member of the same party as Biden, the relationship with China has deteriorated since the ’90s. In response to Pelosi’s travel, China has boldly threatened “strong measures” against Taiwan and conveyed severe concerns to the White House about the trip.
Much of the disquiet in Washington and Beijing over the trip may have to do with timing. Next month, the Chinese Communist Party will hold its 20th congress, a major gathering that occurs every five years and in which Xi Jinping is expected to take on an unprecedented third term as president. At the confab, he will also likely discuss Taiwan at a time when experts see parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the power that China wants to assert over Taiwan. (Many are wondering what lessons China is taking from Vladimir Putin’s brutal adventurism and the West’s response to it.) And Biden and Xi are due to hold a phone call to ease US-China relations.
“There is bad timing and worse timing, and this is certainly worse timing,” Lev Nachman, a researcher at the Harvard Fairbank Center for China Studies, told me. “The worry is that Pelosi going could be a straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
China regularly aggravates Taiwan with military drills, but this time it could be something altogether more provocative. “Pretty much anytime there’s a congressional delegation, anytime there’s a weapons sale that goes through to Taiwan, China does a whole song and dance,” Nachman said. “When China says they’re going to do something to retaliate, the worry is: Is that going to be like the same, you know, shtick they always give us? Or is there going to be something more?”
When Xi wakes up each morning, what’s the first challege he thinks about? I’d confidently bet Taiwan is neither in his Top 5 nor even his Top 10. Pelosi’s visit, however, if it happens, will catapult Taiwan to very near the top, or number one. Is it worthwhile?
Even as Pelosi expresses support of Taiwan, her office hasn’t officially confirmed the trip. (A spokesperson reiterated to Vox that they do not confirm or deny international travel because of “security protocols.”) The trip’s status, right now, is as ambiguous as the US’s exact commitments to Taiwan.
A nuanced China policy, and an unscripted Biden
The ambiguity around US-Taiwan relations is head-spinning for those not fully proficient in the “One China” policy, which has been in effect since the 1970s. Officially, the US recognizes China’s claim over Taiwan but does not endorse that claim. The US officially says it doesn’t support Taiwan’s independence, but ensuring Taiwan’s autonomy is central to US actions in Asia. And Pelosi’s prospective visit to Taiwan may upset the delicate equilibrium.
There are no formal diplomatic ties between the US and Taiwan but plenty of unofficial ties; relations are dictated by a series of diplomatic protocols and laws — the Taiwan Relations Act (passed by Congress in 1979), the three joint communiques (between the US and China in the ’70s and ’80s), and the six assurances (between the US and Taiwan). That is how the US can, among other things, sell weapons to Taiwan for its self-defense against China while preserving relations with China.
The policy of strategic ambiguity — whether or not the US would back Taiwan in a Chinese attack — endures, as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized last week. But Biden has suggested otherwise.
As president, Biden has sparked controversy by describing “the commitment we made” to defend Taiwan if China were to attack it, although US policy holds out no such commitment. Biden’s persistent unscripted comments on this have led many to speculate that he’s changing policy. Even a tiny wording change is a big deal. When the US State Department changes a sentence on its website, China issues a formal condemnation. So the president contradicting his own government several times is either undermining himself or poking China. After each episode, the White House has downplayed the comments as, in essence, Biden being Biden.
Biden’s remarks suggest, as reporter David Sanger of the New York Times has posited, that hawkish personnel in the Biden administration are “winning the day” and “this administration is that they may be rethinking the utility of strategic ambiguity.”
Jessica Drun, a Taiwan expert at the Atlantic Council, says that China is able to get ahead of the narrative because its approach to Taiwan is explicit and declaratory — that Taiwan is theirs and the US is being militaristic by arming it. “Ours is wrapped in nuances, and some words hold different meanings from a diplomatic perspective,” she told me. “There are things that need to be caveated every time, and so it’s harder for us to articulate clearly, at least to a public audience, what our stances are. That’s why there’s so much misunderstanding on what US policy toward Taiwan is, sometimes even from elements within our own government.”
When Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken of China policy, like at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June, he basically read the Taiwan Relations Act aloud. He was careful to stay on script. Secretary of State Tony Blinken added some more details on the US approach to Taiwan in a major speech about Asia in May. He pointed out that policy has been “consistent across decades and administrations” and said, “While our policy has not changed, what has changed is Beijing’s growing coercion.”
The caution from Biden’s team contrasts with the more bombastic approach that the Donald Trump administration took, with trade wars, bitter words, and approving more than $18 billion of arms sales to Taiwan. (Biden’s approved just over $1 billion so far.)
Trump, as president-elect, broke US policy by holding a phone call with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. As secretary of state, Mike Pompeo delivered a speech that was interpreted as threatening regime change in China. And since leaving government, Pompeo and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper have both visited Taiwan. With Biden’s approval ratings low and another presidential election in just two years, many in the Chinese government view a much more anti-China Republican administration as imminent — all while members of both parties in the US hollow out the “One China” policy.
Rhetoric aside, Trump’s and Biden’s approach to China and Taiwan have some similarities. Biden, it might be said, is implementing a hawkish China strategy that former Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger pushed for in the Trump White House. Biden’s Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo even hosted Pottinger to discuss and coordinate industrial policy in March.
In Washington, there is a bipartisan consensus on Taiwan. “Republicans are louder on Taiwan than Democrats,” said Nachman, but he explains, “Every single Taiwan bill that has ever gone through Congress, both at the House and Senate levels, has been bipartisan and unanimously supported by both Democrats and Republicans.”
For now, Pelosi finds herself in a predicament. Canceling the visit to Taiwan would make the US look weak and China triumphant, while going could be reckless. The face-saving deescalation for Pelosi may be to postpone the visit till after the Party Congress.
Bonnie Glaser, who directs the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Washington, argues that the US and the world needs clarity from the Biden administration about how it sees the US-Taiwan relationship, so that the president’s unscripted remarks don’t inadvertently come to define policy. Without doing so, and as Pelosi is poised to travel, it risks adding new dangers to what she describes as toxic US-China relations.
“Try to convince the Chinese that it isn’t part of a grand plan to change our policy, and it’s very difficult to do so,” she told me. “They ascribe more coherence to our policy than they should.” | 2022-07-26T16:03:57Z | www.vox.com | The controversy over Pelosi’s Taiwan travel plans, briefly explained - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/26/23278113/drama-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-travel-plans-china-policy-biden-explained | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/26/23278113/drama-nancy-pelosi-taiwan-travel-plans-china-policy-biden-explained |
By Lavanya Ramanathan Updated Jul 26, 2022, 6:55am EDT
Photos by Gabriela Hasbun
Juanita Brown, left, and her granddaughter Iyauna Austin don African print skirts in this 2018 photo. The women wore the skirts for the Black Cowboy Parade and later for the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. “They get to see the hard work you put into your horse to make you look good,” Austin told photographer Gabriela Hasbun. “What you wear also helps your horse.”
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The tale of Bill Pickett, a legendary Black cowboy often barred from competing in largely white rodeos, stuck with Lu Vason. A Denver entrepreneur, Vason had first heard of Pickett — who invented the skill known as “bulldogging” to subdue wayward steers — on a chance visit to Denver’s Black American West Museum.
Historians estimate that one-quarter of American cowboys were Black, but Vason felt that Pickett and other turn-of-the-century Black figures who were part of the fabric of America’s Western expansion had been all but written out of history books. So, in 1984, Vason started the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, a Black rodeo that he saw as a way to challenge and broaden the narrow lore of the West. Today, the rodeo crisscrosses the US, serving as an inclusive gathering place for Black rodeo fans and budding Black rodeo stars alike.
San Francisco-based photographer Gabriela Hasbun was invited to tag along with friends to a Bill Pickett rodeo stop in 2007 at Rowell Ranch Rodeo, east of Oakland, California. Captivated, she returned a year later with a medium-format camera and a bag of film. For a decade, Hasbun captured what she saw: an age-old tradition infused with pride, highly modern fashion, and personal expression. A Bill Pickett rodeo is a place you might meet a horse named after Dapper Dan, catch a glimpse of a saddle emblazoned with the Louis Vuitton logo and artisan metalwork, or marvel at all the hair (horse), the nails (human), and the swagger (everyone).
Like Vason, Hasbun didn’t think the community was getting its due. “I couldn’t believe there was this huge Black community — very family-driven — having a wholesome event, and the media was overlooking it,” she told Vox.
Prince Damons and cowboys Sam Styles and Jonathan Higgenbotham parade through the grand entry of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in 2019. The touring rodeo, which launched in 1984 in Denver, attracts fans across the nation. “These kids are cool. They look cool,” says Hasbun. “They reek of cool. It’s this crazy attraction they have with the whole sport.”
“These kids are cool. They look cool,” says Hasbun. “They reek of cool. It’s this crazy attraction they have with the whole sport.”
Rodeo attendee Deidre Webb of Washington state shows off her manicure at the California Bill Pickett rodeo in 2019. “My first day there, Pam let me ride her horse, and she had one of the other cowgirls walk me around that whole big back area on the horse,” she told Hasbun. She has since become a rodeo regular.
From top left, an attendee of the rodeo shows off his style in this undated photo; longtime rider and rancher known as Mr. Theus, for whom decking out himself and his horse — he has saddles, he says, by the saddle maker for Roy Rogers and Gene Autry — has earned him many fans at the rodeo. Bottom, from left: Harold Williams Jr. (in chaps) and Lindon Demery, two junior rodeo champions, captured in 2018; and Adrian Vance and Ronnie Franks, left, in red, who are mother-daughter cowgirls from Atlanta. The two sit with other contestants to watch the races in this 2008 photo. Many cowgirls compete in the rodeo’s barrel-racing competition.
Hasbun’s new book, The New Black West, captures the horsey set as a colorful whirl of activity and flash amid the faded, sun-washed backdrop of the dusty beiges of the drought-ridden country and the denim blue of the clear sky.
Ronald Jennings III, a Texas teenager active in the rodeo, visits the Bay Area Rodeo in 2019 with his family. “I had to take care of all the steers and bulls at the rodeo and on my parents’ ranch,” he told Hasbun. “Having horses is a big responsibility.”
Joseph “Dugga” Matthews (far right), a horse trainer and veterinarian, is pictured with a group of riders from Stockton, California, in this 2008 photo. The parking lot, Hasbun writes, regularly turns into a social scene, allowing riders to interact, and fans to try riding — sometimes for the first time.
Images like her striking shot of Juanita Brown and her granddaughter Iyauna Austin atop their horses, with their African print skirts draped across their horses, and their dusty, worn lace-up boots peeking out from the stirrups, Hasbun believes, will help rewrite the story of the West, and of cowboy culture.
Prince Damons, a recording artist, tends his horse, Jesse James. “I know pretty much every time I get on my horse’s back, I’m breaking the stereotype out on the trails,” he told Hasbun.
A detail of Prince Damons with Jesse James. “I see people and a lot of them give me the same kind of look,” he told Hasbun. “Just like, ‘Oh, look! There’s a real-life Black cowboy?! I can’t believe it.’”
“No one,” Hasbun says, “can ignore a Black woman on a horse.”
The New Black West was published by Chronicle Books in 2022. Gabriela Hasbun is a photographer specializing in portraits; her work highlights marginalized and under-explored communities.
Lavanya Ramanathan is the editor of the Highlight. | 2022-07-26T16:04:13Z | www.vox.com | A Black rodeo rewrites the story of the West - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23178769/gabriela-hasbun-bill-pickett-black-rodeo | https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23178769/gabriela-hasbun-bill-pickett-black-rodeo |
4 ways Americans are still getting abortion pills
Banning abortion doesn’t eliminate the need for it.
By Kimberly Mas@QueKmas Jul 26, 2022, 4:54pm EDT
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In June, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade — eliminating the federal right to abortion and giving individual states the power to decide whether abortion is legal there. As of July, many states have already banned abortion outright, and more are soon to follow. But heavily restricting or banning abortion doesn’t eliminate the need for it. And abortion care looks a bit different than it did in 1973.
Over 50 percent of legal abortions in the United States are now carried out early in pregnancy with the use of a two-medication regime known as “the abortion pill” or “medication abortion.” Most people are able to take the medication in the privacy of their own home. And in December 2021, the Food and Drug Administration permanently allowed the pills to be shipped by mail.
Even the most restrictive states have had trouble stopping the pills from being discreetly mailed to patients’ homes. While doctors who live in states where abortion is banned can’t prescribe the pills for that purpose, people in those states are finding ways to get them with the help of websites like PlanCPills.
The video above outlines some of the paths they’re taking to get the care they need in a post-Roe America.
The Miscarriage and Abortion hotline can connect people with doctors via phone or text. If/When/How can provide legal advice. They also have a reproductive legal helpline. More information can be found in the resources mentioned in the video, like Aid Access, Hey Jane, and Just the Pill. | 2022-07-26T23:23:19Z | www.vox.com | How are Americans getting abortions? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/videos/23279290/medication-abortion-pill-obtain-ban | https://www.vox.com/videos/23279290/medication-abortion-pill-obtain-ban |
A civil rights battle with transgender kids caught in the middle.
By Laura Bult Jul 27, 2022, 12:20pm EDT
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In the past few years, an increasing number of state bills introduced in Republican legislatures have targeted the rights of LGBTQ Americans. Some of those laws are focused on what rights transgender school children have in public schools: what types of bathrooms they can use in school, whether their pronouns will be used, or whether they can participate in school sports.
The fight over school policy affecting LGBTQ students in states with anti-trans laws on the books puts schools in a difficult position: do schools follow federal civil rights laws that, under the Biden administration, obligate public schools not to discriminate based on gender identity? Or do they follow state laws which instruct them to discriminate against trans and nonbinary students? This legal gray area sets a trap for school districts that either makes them vulnerable to state funding cuts or a federal civil rights investigation. And those who suffer most are the trans children caught up in the fight.
This video focuses on how this legal battle is playing out in Tennessee, a state that has introduced more anti-LGBTQ laws than any other state this year. We cover two of the laws that target transgender public school kids: one about bathrooms and one about participation in school sports. | 2022-07-27T17:11:38Z | www.vox.com | Why US schools are at the center of trans rights - Vox | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/27/23279760/trans-rights-school-boards-federal-law | https://www.vox.com/2022/7/27/23279760/trans-rights-school-boards-federal-law |
AI is slowly getting better at household chores.
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If robots can do our dishes, we can do more things we actually like.
Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Carnegie Mellon team recently developed software that teaches robots how to learn new tasks, simply by observing humans doing the same tasks first. These robots have figured out how to open cabinets and remove trash bags without any direct instructions and could eventually learn how to complete chores just by watching YouTube videos. While the research is still preliminary, the software offers a glimpse into an uncertain future where robots are more helpful companions around the house.
For years, tech companies have teased a Jetsons-like future where robots clean our counters and mop the floor. Dyson, a company known for its fancy vacuums, revealed in May that it’s been building out a team to develop robots that can sort through dishes and even clean under couch cushions. Samsung suggested last year that we may soon have robot butlers zooming around the house, picking up dirty towels and pouring glasses of wine. Still, aside from smart speakers and semi-automated appliances, home robots are hardly common in the average household right now. But the future of these devices — and what they might ultimately do in our homes — will likely take shape in the next few years.
“The idea is you don’t have to wait for the robots to collect billions of data across lots of scenarios to learn something general and then get deployed,” Deepak Pathak, the Carnegie Mellon professor who worked on the project, told Recode. “It completely sidesteps that process by putting a robot in homes directly, and helps them improve in that environment, itself, by practicing.”
Versions of home robots have been around for years, and they’re becoming a lot more useful. Robot vacuum cleaners like Roomba, which is about two decades old, have evolved from relatively simple automatic robots into artificially intelligent devices that work with smart speakers and incorporate computer vision to study the rooms they’re cleaning. The latest Roomba models can even travel to and from charging docks, where they empty trash into a box, all on their own. Amazon has incorporated a similar kind of navigation technology to build a security robot, called Amazon Astro. This microwave-sized bot resembles Wall-E and can roam around your home and take video when you’re not there. It also functions as a personal assistant that can recognize family members and follow you around.
Advancements in AI have also fueled a whole other class of robots that can complete more specialized tasks, like clearing out snow, emptying cat litter, and cleaning grills and pools. There are also social robots, which are designed to simulate companionship, set reminders, and anticipate the schedules of the people using them — an application that’s particularly helpful for seniors. One such device, called ElliQ, recently went on sale in the US, and New York State already has plans to distribute 800 of these robots among the state’s older residents. One ElliQ robot costs $250, and then another $30 a month for an annual subscription to the robot’s content.
Most of these robots can’t accomplish much beyond what they’re explicitly designed to do, which can make the idea of spending hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on one of these devices unappealing. This is the problem that the Carnegie Mellon researchers aimed to solve by designing their software, which is called WHIRL, or In-the-Wild Human Imitating Robot Learning. WHIRL can be installed into any robot, and adapts based on the physical capabilities of that particular device. After studying what the human within its home is doing, the robot tries to teach itself how to complete the same task, using whatever mechanical limbs it might have.
“Every task is unique, and we as humans can do all those tasks,” Pathak, the Carnegie Mellon professor, told Recode. “Our robots currently are not capable of that. They’re the opposite. They can only do one task in one environment.”
The most promising advances in AI-powered robotics have yet to make it to market. And many of the robots consumers can buy are still struggling with basic problems: Amazon’s Astro robot can move around on even surfaces but can’t climb stairs, and sometimes struggles with navigation problems. Most home robots similarly lack the dexterity needed to grab and hold objects, which is a prerequisite for most chores. There’s also the risk of the robot making a mess instead of cleaning one up. iRobot famously had to update its Roomba software after pet owners complained that the vacuums couldn’t spot dog poop on the floor and would run over it, smearing it all over.
Home robots could get a boost as smart home tech takes off. Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Google are already collaborating on Matter, a common platform for smart home devices made by different companies. The hope is that tech could eventually direct a fleet of our devices, which, collectively, could monitor security cameras, adjust the thermostat, and turn lights on and off. Indeed, this idea that the entire home could become more autonomous exists alongside the dream of a robo-butler.
“You can almost imagine a Rosey The Robot scenario, where you have this one super-complex robot that can do everything. It can vacuum your floor, it can fold your laundry and do the dishes,” said Chris Jones, the chief technology officer at iRobot, the company that makes the Roomba robovac. “An alternative vision is actually more akin to the bridge in Star Trek. It’s kind of an ambient intelligence that stitches together many devices in the home that collectively form, essentially, one big distributed robot.”
Still, it’s not clear yet how home robots will ultimately fit into that picture, since many still aren’t that sophisticated, and feel more like a gimmick than an actually helpful hand.
“With the success of things like Google and Alexa, which has pushed artificial intelligence into homes, maybe that’s widening the gates for more robots. But I think robots still stumble around certain physical things,” said Scott Midson, a University of Manchester liberal arts professor. “They’ve got all this success in talking to us, and learning our quirks and our actions, but robots are still, for the most part, learning the quirks of our surroundings.”
Hopefully, home robots do get better, and our apartments and houses start looking a little more like the Jetsons. After all, if the smart home does become a reality for most people, a constellation of home robots, overseen by smart home technology, could take on all sorts of tasks we’d rather not do. This would give us humans a lot more time to do things that we love, or at least, things we like far better than taking out the trash. | 2022-07-27T17:11:50Z | www.vox.com | Roomba, Amazon Astro, and the future of home robots - Vox | https://www.vox.com/recode/23280840/smart-home-automation-robots-chores | https://www.vox.com/recode/23280840/smart-home-automation-robots-chores |
Build Back Better is, in fact, back
Sen. Joe Manchin has finally announced a deal.
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After months of back and forth, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has found a version of Build Back Better he likes.
On Wednesday, Manchin put out a statement in support of a new compromise, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which addresses everything from prescription drug costs to corporate taxes to the climate. The new bill, which Democrats released a one-page factsheet for, contains significantly less than what the party previously pushed for in Build Back Better, but is far more expansive than the reconciliation package Manchin signed onto a few weeks ago.
As of earlier this month, Manchin was only on board for a bill that would lower prescription drug costs and extend ACA subsidies. He’d argued that doing anything more would increase inflation and hurt the economy.
Now, Manchin says, he has found a way to decrease inflation (whether that’s correct is unclear) and advance Democrats’ legislative agenda.
The latest compromise includes the previously agreed upon health care provisions as well as a 15 percent corporate minimum tax, a proposal to close the carried interest tax loophole, and a provision for IRS enforcement. Additionally, it contains spending for “energy security and climate change” with few specifics about what that entails. Manchin, in his statement, alluded to investments that help the US “decarbonize” and new funding for multiple energy sources including fossil fuels and renewable energy.
All told, Democrats estimate the bill will bring in $739 billion in revenue and will invest $433 billion in spending. It also addresses Manchin’s goal of reducing the deficit and would do so by $300 billion or more.
Manchin made his announcement shortly after the CHIPS+ bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had threatened to hold that bill hostage if Democrats pursued reconciliation. With CHIPS+ over to the House, Democrats seemingly became free to make progress and put forth this new version of Build Back Better.
For now, the agreement, as has been the case with several of Manchin’s statements during the reconciliation negotiation process, is still extremely vague. Schumer has confirmed, however, that Democrats intend to vote on the bill next week and will do so via the budget reconciliation process, which allows them to pass the legislation with just 51 votes. That would suggest Schumer believes all members of the caucus will be on board by then.
According to Schumer, Democrats are on track to submit this iteration of Build Back Better to the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, for review Wednesday evening. She’ll determine whether the policies in the bill have sufficient impacts on taxing and spending to qualify for a vote via budget reconciliation.
This latest deal comes more than a year after Senate Democrats first reached a $3.5 trillion agreement on a reconciliation package. Several false starts later, they now seem ready to bring a much skinnier version of that bill to fruition. | 2022-07-28T00:52:43Z | www.vox.com | Joe Manchin has finally agreed to a Build Back Better deal - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23281547/build-back-better-joe-manchin | https://www.vox.com/23281547/build-back-better-joe-manchin |
By Emily St. James@emilyvdw Updated Jul 28, 2022, 6:38am EDT
Richard Langdeaux carried a Rosebud Sioux Tribe flag as he crossed the finish line Boston Marathon in 2021. Several indigenous runners took part in the race, which was held on on Indigenous Peoples Day and preceded by a land acknowledgement ceremony — the first for the marathon.
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what's the worst land acknowledgement you've ever seen? i don't know that anything will ever top this: pic.twitter.com/Yw8pWzEdK5 | 2022-07-28T12:52:15Z | www.vox.com | The meaning — and limitations — of land acknowledgements - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23200329/land-acknowledgments-indigenous-landback | https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23200329/land-acknowledgments-indigenous-landback |
You still need to tell your friends if you get Covid
The virus is surging again. Here’s how to be your own contact tracer if you get sick.
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As the pandemic crests into the second half of its third year, highly transmissible, immunity-evading Covid-19 variants are fueling another spike in infections. While Covid-19 fatigue and official case data might indicate a modest wave of positive cases, at-home test results are largely unaccounted for in published data. Just as the infrastructure of testing has largely turned to the individual given the closure of many public testing sites, so has contact tracing. In the event someone tests positive for Covid-19, the responsibility has now fallen onto that person to inform their network.
“These conversations, compared to a few years ago, are not only much more widely accepted,” says Donald Yealy, chief medical officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, “they’re actually expected more. It’s an act of kindness to share that.”
By telling those you’ve recently interacted with that you’ve gotten sick, you’re empowering them with the knowledge to get tested and to isolate, hopefully to further prevent spread — especially to older or immunocompromised people.
Who to tell
You don’t need to alert everyone in your contacts list that you’ve come down with Covid-19, but you should inform the people who are most likely to have picked up the virus from you, Yealy says: People you were within six feet of indoors — masked or unmasked — as well as people who were within arm’s reach outdoors during the two-day period before you started exhibiting symptoms, or the two-day period before you took a test, if you don’t have symptoms.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to inform anyone who you were around for 15 minutes or more during a 24-hour period, “the virus does gain a foothold more easily now,” Yealy says. “Think of how close was I and for how long? If you’re really close together, within feet of each other or in physical contact, you don’t even need that 15-minute period.” Think: intimate partners, roommates, live-in family members, co-workers, friends you recently saw, your child’s teacher (if your kid has tested positive), hosts of a party or wedding you attended.
Party hosts or organizers of events with more than a few people should tell as many attendees as possible whether they’ve come down with Covid-19 or another guest has. “We often don’t know all of the health conditions of [other attendees],” Yealy says. “We really can have a difficult time quantifying how much and how close the contact. I would advise on sharing the information more widely.” For example, when etiquette expert Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and author of a number of etiquette books, tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a friend’s Fourth of July party, she texted her host the news, who then informed the rest of the attendees.
If you were at the same event as someone older, or who you knew had underlying health conditions, even if you didn’t necessarily interact with them, “I’d let them know, because their risk of getting infected is higher,” Yealy says.
Of course, there are people you may not know — servers at a restaurant, friends of friends at a party — but you should make the best effort to contact every person you were in close proximity with, Yealy says.
When to share
If you’re feeling sick enough to warrant testing, you should start to inform your network that you could potentially have Covid. Given the relative accessibility of rapid tests, you could have a diagnosis fairly quickly after developing symptoms. But if you’re waiting on an appointment or results from a PCR test, you can still tell your roommates you’ve been exposed, for example, or are under the weather in the interim. Yealy cautions anyone against attending social events, work, or school if they have respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms of any kind.
Of course, once you get a positive diagnosis, whether from a rapid or PCR test, you should work your way through your close contact list. The sooner you let your network know, the better, since available treatments and antivirals are often most effective early in the infection.
How to inform your network
When it comes to the actual message and its mode of delivery, communicate with your contacts the same way you normally would. Prefer text over phone calls? Go for it. Do you typically email book club members? Opt for email. “Get in touch with people in the most common way you communicate with them usually, because that’s what they’re most likely to pay attention to,” Post says.
Be as straightforward as possible in your delivery and stick to the facts: tell them when you tested positive and if you had any symptoms. Post suggests saying something along the lines of “I wanted to let you know I tested positive for Covid-19 today. It seems like when we last saw each other was in the window of when I could’ve picked it up and spread it to others.” The same approach applies to everyone, from friends and family to your boss or children’s school. “I would keep it very factual and direct,” Yealy says.
While we might feel inclined to apologize for exposing others, remember you didn’t intend to get sick, says marriage and family therapist Abby Krom. Accidents happen. “We do have a tendency to blame ourselves, because it is hard to acknowledge that we’re not in control,” she says. “So it’s almost easier to feel in control even if you’re blaming yourself.” If you suggested indoor dining plans despite your friend’s preference for eating outside, for example, then you can say something along the lines of, “I minimized the risk and I realize that was wrong,” Krom suggests.
If you’re informing guests of your event on behalf of another guest who got sick, do not name them, and say “I just wanted to let you know another guest tested positive.”
Managing reactions
While a Covid-19 diagnosis is mired in much less shame than two years ago — an estimated 82 percent of people in the United States have come down with the virus at least once, after all — some people may get less-than-positive reactions when sharing the news. When people are angry or scared, their knee-jerk reaction might be to respond harshly; “How could you be so careless?” or “I was supposed to go to my cousin’s wedding. I can’t believe you’d jeopardize that.”
Take a beat to consider if what they’re saying is true: Were you being careless? Were you knowingly jeopardizing their health or travel plans? “Our instinct is to apologize or take the blame, but that’s not a healthy instinct because it might not be our responsibility,” Krom says. You might need to allow the person space to cool off. Then, to pick up the conversation later, say, “I can tell you were really upset with me. Are you still feeling that way? Can we talk more about that?” Krom suggests.
Another reaction might be genuine curiosity: A friend who inquires about where you think you might’ve caught Covid-19 or to describe your symptoms. Post says it can be helpful for your network to have access to this information so they can determine when they should test and whether they should start to inform their networks of a possible exposure. However, you’re under no obligation to divulge everything, Krom says. Try replying with “I’m a little overwhelmed myself and I’m still digesting the news,” if you’d prefer not to share.
The reality, Post says, is most people will be understanding and thankful for the insight. Out of the nearly two dozen people she informed of her Covid diagnosis, no one was upset. “I definitely felt guilty about the party I had been at and the fact that I had to tell these people, ‘I might have exposed you to Covid,’ and they were really gracious about it,” Post says. “So be gracious if someone tells you they have it. Don’t go to the fear-first mode. Go to information and questions. Get curious, get investigative.” | 2022-07-31T18:06:51Z | www.vox.com | How to tell your network you caught Covid-19 - Vox | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23282186/tell-friends-family-coworkers-covid-contact-tracing | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23282186/tell-friends-family-coworkers-covid-contact-tracing |
The quest to find a salamander that went missing 71 years ago
More than 2,000 species worldwide are considered lost. Could finding them avert extinctions?
The world’s only specimen of the Blanco blind salamander, Eurycea robusta, shown here on July 1, was collected in 1951. The amphibian is kept at the Biodiversity Center at the University of Texas Austin’s Department of Integrative Biology.
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Climate fixes are all aimed at property owners. What about renters?
Beavers are heat wave heroes
View all stories in Energy & Environment | 2022-08-01T15:13:57Z | www.vox.com | A salamander in Texas has gone missing. Is it extinct or just hard to find? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/23205853/lost-species-extinction-salamander | https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/23205853/lost-species-extinction-salamander |
Biden gets the blowback. But bad local decisions have helped drive prices of housing, energy, and everything else higher.
By Alex Yablon Aug 1, 2022, 7:30am EDT
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President Joe Biden speaks about the economy and inflation at the Port of Los Angeles on June 10. Inflation is a political struggle for Biden, but the decisions that could break supply chain logjams are usually made at lower levels of government.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that inflation has so heavily weighed down the Biden administration. The buck famously stops at the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, and when a buck doesn’t buy what it used to, that’s a problem for the president.
But many of the worst bottlenecks making the pandemic economic recovery so painful were put in place by political actors much lower down the food chain, from governors to city councilors to everyday citizens.
Two years of soaring prices once thought to be fleeting effects of the initial Covid-19 shock have reached their most painful point yet. The most recent consumer price report shows an increase of slightly over 9 percent from June 2021, the biggest yearly increase in four decades. The cost surge has been driven primarily by a lack of housing and an energy crisis that has notably rippled into food prices, along with lingering Covid-related supply chain problems.
The Federal Reserve’s 0.75 percent interest rate increase this week is its latest attempt to control inflation overall, but in many of the sectors hit worst by rising costs, delays, and shortages, the federal government has a relatively small role to play in getting supply to catch up to demand.
In our federalized system, it may make more sense to blame your state and local government or even your neighbors, not President Biden, for out-of-control costs in housing and energy or supply chain pain in our logistics infrastructure. That’s because most of the time, the US tasks lower levels of government with responsibility for infrastructure and land use — and the decisions made at those levels in the past are contributing to rising prices today.
State and local jurisdictions, not the Fed or the feds, determine how much housing is built and where, when to permit cheap clean energy sources and vital energy transmission lines, and whether to expand ports and logistics infrastructure. Across the country, local legislators, executives, and public authorities have declined to spend more to improve economic capacity, or placed additional hurdles in the way of badly needed new development.
Here are three big parts of the economy undergoing inflation stress that local officials have made worse, and what it would take to reverse course.
1) Energy and transportation
In the US and globally, energy has been perhaps the single most painful contributor to inflation. Surging energy costs hit Americans not only at the gas pump, but in nearly every other part of their budgets. Oil-based fertilizers have grown scarce, making food more expensive, while rising fuel costs hit transportation for basically every consumer good, and energy-intensive heavy industries pass on higher input costs to consumers.
The problem ultimately stems from disruptions in various fossil fuel commodity markets. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent diplomatic backlash cut off supplies of oil and natural gas from one of the world’s largest producers. Those markets were already tight before the war because producers thought it would take longer for economies to reopen after the initial Covid-19 shutdown and ramped down production.
As a result, countries less dependent on fossil fuels, like France, with its extensive nuclear energy infrastructure, have seen much less dramatic overall inflation. Americans have felt the energy price pain mostly at the gas pump, which is not surprising since, among its peer countries, it has the lowest rate of electric vehicle adoption and the lowest rate of public transit usage.
The Biden administration has tried to visibly fight the cost of fossil fuels by releasing stockpiles from the strategic petroleum reserve, and has framed legislation to promote electric vehicles and move away from fossil fuels as inflation-fighting measures. But the ultimate decision-making authority over US energy lies with states and localities.
The power authorities that oversee much of the energy market are creations of state governments, and decisions like whether and where to build new transmission lines and electric vehicle charging stations lie with municipalities.
As a result, local actors have stymied the transition away from fossil fuels, leaving the country more exposed to sudden shocks in prices, said Samantha Gross, the director of the Brookings Institution’s Energy Security and Climate Initiative and author of a report on local obstacles to renewable energy.
She pointed to endless delays on projects like the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line that would bring dirt-cheap Kansas wind energy across the plains to the Midwest and connect to the East Coast grid. Missouri legislators, among others, have been almost implacably hostile to the project. Local officials have deferred to local landowners, declining to approve the Express and instead pursuing legislation that would raise eminent domain compensation costs for building it and give lower-level county officials more discretion to cancel the project.
It’s not just red-state officials who have delayed electrification and kept the country dependent on fossil fuels, even as the cost of those fuels spikes. Maine voters shot down a 2021 referendum to build transmission lines to hook New England up to Canada’s ample existing supply of renewable hydroelectric power, leaving the region more dependent on fossil fuel generation. Opposition was led by local conservationists and hunters who objected to cutting down forests to make way for the lines. They found themselves strange bedfellows with incumbent fossil energy interests, who bankrolled efforts to kill the project.
Local opposition and procedural delay mean “you get projects that make sense financially and from an environmental perspective, that even already have private investment, are still really, really hard to get sited and built,” Gross said. As a result, she said, “We’re going to end up with a slower and more expensive energy transition than we need, and that’s a drag on the economy on a continuing basis for years, decades maybe.”
One of the largest drivers of national inflation has been housing costs. Shelter accounts for about one-third of the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, one of the most important measures of inflation. This spring, housing costs accelerated the fastest they have in more than 30 years, even as the Federal Reserve had been raising interest rates for months, which should slow down demand for homes.
Local officials ultimately have much more control over housing production than the Fed or Biden. Home building is constrained by three main factors: national credit conditions, supply chains, and local land use policy, explained Paul Williams, a housing economics expert and founder of the Center for Public Enterprise, a new think tank focused on public investment. Of those three factors, only one — land use policy — is truly within the remit of elected officials, and local leaders have almost all of the power. The local level is simply “where policy happens,” said Williams.
Through zoning regulations that dictate how much housing can be built and where, local governments determine how much the housing market can respond to new demand with corresponding supply. The majority of land in some of the most prosperous and rapidly growing cities, like Seattle or North Carolina’s Research Triangle, has been zoned exclusively for single-family homes, restricting housing supply even as demand in those areas rises.
Pre-pandemic, the hottest housing markets in coastal metros like the Bay Area and New York City were among the most restricted by zoning, sending house prices skyrocketing. When Covid hit and many of the well-paid professionals who had previously been tied to jobs in San Francisco or Manhattan shifted en masse to remote work, the price pressure that had been concentrated in a few nodes spread throughout the entire country. Simultaneously, a strong labor market led to a burst of long-delayed household formation by millennials who are finally able to move out of shared apartments or parents’ basements and might be starting their own families.
Local governments have only recently and haltingly begun to reverse course to encourage housing production. California, home to much of the country’s most in-demand residential real estate, passed landmark zoning reform bills last year, but some of its largest markets like Los Angeles have blown deadlines to develop plans to actually allocate more land for housing, and implementation has barely begun. In New York, meanwhile, a promising effort to include similar apartment legalization and transit-oriented development schemes in the state budget was torpedoed in the face of opposition from suburban politicians like Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate Tom Suozzi.
While there are some federal tools for addressing housing costs at Biden’s disposal, such as the newly revived Obama-era fair housing rule, they don’t radically move the needle on supply. Ultimately, these tools can work by offering carrots and sticks to local governments, who remain the final decision-makers.
The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, can only cool the market by raising interest rates to make the job market worse. That could have the effect of scattering young households, forcing people to move back in with parents or roommates, and further discouraging housing production. The most direct route to lowering housing costs, most people’s biggest expense, runs through state houses, city halls, and zoning board meetings.
3) Logistics infrastructure
Along with a housing crisis and energy price spikes, supply chain chaos has been one of the defining aspects of the post-Covid inflationary moment. The Biden administration has been working to solve this: It passed an infrastructure bill that will funnel lots of money into projects like port expansion and has launched a supply chain disruption task force to tackle backups of physical goods.
But as in the cases of housing and energy, many of these efforts fall apart because of local land-use fights, said K.N. Gunalan, former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
As Gunalan observed, “incentives at the local level don’t always align with national incentives.” He pointed to the recent decision by California authorities to abandon a decades-old plan to expand Highway 710, the main trucking corridor leading out of the country’s busiest port in Los Angeles and toward the intermodal transfer stations that move imported goods along to the rest of the country.
Local opponents have slowed down new logistics facilities in deep-red Utah as well, where a coalition has fought against an “inland” port that would take pressure off overloaded West Coast hubs.
The Highway 710 expansion would have imposed heavy costs on local communities, which would lose land and suffer worse air quality. But the absence of any alternative plan to get stuff out of the Los Angeles ports will lock in current congestion.
Local fragmentation creates national inflation
When all politics is local, as the cliche goes, stakeholders can only see local costs and not national benefits, so it’s a lot easier to say “no” than “yes.”
American deference to local jurisdictions on crucial land use and permitting questions has become a kind of meta-bottleneck, one that makes it impossible to straighten out the actual bottlenecks driving inflation. Local opponents of new infrastructure investments may have good reason to object to big projects. But right now, local quality-of-life concerns are not in balance with the need for new investment in housing and infrastructure, so stakeholders double down on procedural delays or throw up their hands and avoid the problem altogether.
If America is going to accommodate growth without crippling inflation — let alone avoid the worst losses from climate change — new housing, port expansions, power transmission lines, and other projects to build the nation’s infrastructure all have to go somewhere. That somewhere will often be in the middle of existing communities and across local jurisdictional lines.
These efforts require a level of coordination and prioritization policymakers haven’t practiced in decades. The American system of government splits responsibility for some of the most crucial parts of the economy across countless small fiefdoms and levels of government, which often have competing interests. Breaking the local economic logjams that are sending prices higher will require elevating and expediting the planning process for projects that could make a difference.
Alex Yablon writes about economics and public policy. He is a fellow with the Jain Family Institute.
Manafort book alleges Michael Cohen spied on Trump campaign | 2022-08-01T15:14:10Z | www.vox.com | How local decisions affect inflation in housing, energy and more - Vox | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23284170/inflation-prices-housing-transportation-local | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23284170/inflation-prices-housing-transportation-local |
President Biden has a case of rebound Covid after taking Paxlovid.
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President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday after testing negative for Covid. He has since tested positive again.
How risky is rebound Covid to Biden and others who take Paxlovid? Not terribly, according to Vox senior health reporter Keren Landman. For people at high risk of severe Covid disease or death, the risk of a bad outcome is greatly reduced by the treatment. The real problem with rebound Covid is it risks infecting others who come in contact with an individual who has gone back out into the world after a negative test. Biden, for example, had Cabinet members and staff with him for meetings at the White House and spoke to reporters indoors on Thursday, between his negative and positive tests. The White House doctor said Saturday that Biden had no reemergence of symptoms, and the White House said that no one who had been in close contact with Biden had tested positive.
If your endpoint is preventing severe disease and death in high risk folks, [Paxlovid] is still doing great. There’s no indication that it has fallen off in any way, even with BA.5 on the scene. But it is proving to be an incomplete treatment for controlling symptoms.
You probably heard that Anthony Fauci himself had what’s called a rebound symptoms after taking Paxlovid. He basically just took a second course of Paxlovid and did fine, as do most people who have these rebound symptoms. But he didn’t go to the hospital and obviously had no severe outcome from the infection, as do, to my knowledge, all people who have had rebound symptoms after a Paxlovid course. Part of fine-tuning a new drug is figuring out how it works in the real world. In Pfizer’s trial, only maybe 1 or 2 percent of people had rebound symptoms after five days of Paxlovid for an early Covid infection. But it seems just from the anecdotal reports, like in the real world, there’s probably a higher proportion of people who are experiencing that. It probably is going to need some fine-tuning in how it’s dosed and what we expect from it going forward.
It’s not that the Paxlovid is giving [patients] an additional bout of Covid. It’s that the original Covid that they had is giving them persistent symptoms that the Paxlovid was not enough to completely turn back. There’s some question about why that is. People are worried: Does that mean that if I take these five days of Covid and my symptoms come back, is it a super-Covid? Is that Covid stronger than it was before because it overcame those first five days, or is something else going on?
Single-patient studies suggest that’s not what’s going on, that it’s really just that the viral infection requires a higher dose for a longer time, or even just the same dose for a longer time to get into all the cells where the Covid might have gotten into. So I think it’s probably just a matter of the science of pharmacokinetics and how drugs get into your body’s cells and take action and how they get eliminated by your body. Drugs act differently in different people because our metabolism of drugs is different. I think we’ll probably end up seeing the dosage that’s recommended of this drug change as we learn more about how many people are experiencing this and and who need who might need a little bit more of the drug in order to completely treat the viral infection with Covid. | 2022-08-01T18:09:40Z | www.vox.com | President Biden’s Paxlovid rebound Covid: How risky is it? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/1/23287121/biden-rebound-covid-paxilovid | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/1/23287121/biden-rebound-covid-paxilovid |
With Paxlovid rebound cases, the risk of spread is the biggest concern.
Share All sharing options for: President Biden has rebound Covid. How risky is that?
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the Rose Garden of the White House on July 27 after testing negative for Covid. He has since tested positive again.
How risky is rebound Covid to Biden and others who take Paxlovid? Not terribly, according to Vox senior health reporter Keren Landman. For people at high risk of severe Covid disease or death, the risk of a bad outcome is greatly reduced by the treatment.
The real problem with rebound Covid is the risk of infecting others who come in contact with an individual who has gone back out into the world after a negative test. Biden, for example, had Cabinet members and staff with him for meetings at the White House and spoke to reporters indoors on Thursday, between his negative and positive tests. The White House doctor said Saturday that Biden had no reemergence of symptoms, and the White House said that no one who had been in close contact with Biden had tested positive.
If your endpoint is preventing severe disease and death in high-risk folks, [Paxlovid] is still doing great. There’s no indication that it has fallen off in any way, even with BA.5 on the scene. But it is proving to be an incomplete treatment for controlling symptoms.
You probably heard that Anthony Fauci himself had what’s called rebound symptoms after taking Paxlovid. He basically just took a second course of Paxlovid and did fine, as do most people who have these rebound symptoms. But he didn’t go to the hospital and obviously had no severe outcome from the infection, as do, to my knowledge, all people who have had rebound symptoms after a Paxlovid course. Part of fine-tuning a new drug is figuring out how it works in the real world. In Pfizer’s trial, only maybe 1 or 2 percent of people had rebound symptoms after five days of Paxlovid for an early Covid infection. But it seems just from the anecdotal reports, like in the real world, there’s probably a higher proportion of people who are experiencing that. It probably is going to need some fine-tuning in how it’s dosed and what we expect from it going forward.
It’s not that the Paxlovid is giving [patients] an additional bout of Covid. It’s that the original Covid that they had is giving them persistent symptoms that the Paxlovid was not enough to completely turn back. There’s some question about why that is. People are worried: Does that mean that if I take these five days of [Paxlovid] and my symptoms come back, is it a super-Covid? Is that Covid stronger than it was before because it overcame those first five days, or is something else going on?
Single-patient studies suggest that’s not what’s going on, that it’s really just that the viral infection requires a higher dose for a longer time, or even just the same dose for a longer time to get into all the cells where the Covid might have gotten into. So I think it’s probably just a matter of the science of pharmacokinetics and how drugs get into your body’s cells and take action and how they get eliminated by your body. Drugs act differently in different people because our metabolism of drugs is different. I think we’ll probably end up seeing the dosage that’s recommended of this drug change as we learn more about how many people are experiencing this and and who might need a little bit more of the drug in order to completely treat the viral infection with Covid. | 2022-08-01T22:20:31Z | www.vox.com | President Biden’s Paxlovid rebound Covid: How risky is it? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/1/23287121/biden-rebound-covid-paxlovid | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/1/23287121/biden-rebound-covid-paxlovid |
2 winners and 1 loser from the Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan primaries
Kansas’s abortion measure and Missouri’s GOP senate primary were among Tuesday’s key early races.
By Natalie Jennings and Li Zhou Aug 3, 2022, 12:31am EDT
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Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), right, shares a group hug with women at an election watch party in Overland Park on Tuesday.
Votes are still being tallied in key races, including Arizona’s GOP primaries for governor, Senate, and secretary of state, and Rep. Peter Meijer’s (R) primary in Michigan. Here are two winners and one loser based on what we know from Tuesday’s results so far.
Winner: Abortion rights
Kansas was the first state to put abortion rights on the ballot, in a referendum, since this summer’s Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade. And abortion rights won big.
Kansans rejected an amendment to the state’s constitution that would have removed protections for the right to an abortion, voting to do so by double digits. The Kansas state Supreme Court had previously ruled that the state constitution protected the right to an abortion. This amendment, backed by conservative organizers, would have removed one crucial barrier to the Republican state legislature’s ability to enact more aggressive abortion bans than the 22-week one it currently has.
Tuesday’s outcome is a pretty big statement considering the obstacles abortion rights advocates faced: Confusing wording on the measure (voting “no” meant keeping protections in place), a state where Republicans vastly outnumber Democrats, and a slate of GOP primaries that Republicans hoped would juice their turnout relative to Democrats’.
This calculus, however, was mistaken. Turnout was massive across the political board, far exceeding the previous two primaries. In Johnson County, which contains suburbs of Kansas City, almost four times as many early votes had been cast this year, compared to the same primary in 2018, according to the Kansas City Star.
For now, abortion rights are preserved in a state that, as Vox’s Rachel Cohen reported, expects a huge influx of women from neighboring states seeking abortion care. And, for Democrats who saw blowback over the Supreme Court decision as a way to mobilize their voters, the first bellwether is a big win.
Winner: ERIC (Schmitt, that is)
After months of lobbying from Missouri’s GOP Senate candidates, Trump issued a trollish non-endorsement on the eve of the primary. In a statement on Monday, he said he was “proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” leaving candidates Eric Greitens, Missouri’s disgraced former governor, and Eric Schmitt, the state’s current attorney general, both empty-handed and happy to issue simultaneous tweets touting the “endorsement.”
Schmitt wound up beating both six-term Rep. Vicky Hartzler — who had the backing of Sen. Josh Hawley — and Greitens, by double digits. It’s a notable victory for Schmitt, who won without help from Trump, and who is the favorite going into the general election this fall given the state’s Republican tilt. The prospect of a scandal-plagued Greitens winning had many Republicans concerned — and Democrats hopeful for a pickup opportunity. Schmitt has clearly defined himself as a “Trump Republican,” and previously joined other GOP officials to back unsuccessful lawsuits challenging the 2020 election outcomes in other states. But he has a lot less baggage than Greitens, and his win will dampen the likelihood of a safe Republican seat becoming competitive.
Schmitt will face off against Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, a nurse and scion of the famous Anheuser-Busch family, in the general election.
Loser: Progressives
Redistricting pitted two Democratic incumbents in Michigan against one another in the 11th district, and incidentally also set up a direct contest between the two wings of the party.
Progressive Rep. Andy Levin lost that contest to his moderate colleague, Rep. Haley Stevens. The contentious race involved fights over support for Israel (Stevens was backed by AIPAC), appeals to Black voters, and drew in hundreds of thousands in outside contributions.
In the Missouri Senate primary, veteran Lucas Kunce also lost to Busch Valentine after mounting a populist campaign focused on challenging corporate power, and garnering the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
There were bright spots for progressives in Missouri and Michigan, where Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) easily held off primary challengers. | 2022-08-03T08:29:27Z | www.vox.com | 2 winners and 1 loser from the Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan primaries - Vox | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/3/23289752/kansas-arizona-michigan-missouri-and-washington-primaries | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/3/23289752/kansas-arizona-michigan-missouri-and-washington-primaries |
Got a protein? This AI will tell you what it looks like.
By Bryan Walsh@bryanrwalsh Aug 3, 2022, 7:30am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Meet AlphaFold, a rare example of an AI that truly helps humanity
AlphaFold’s prediction for the structure of protein F20H23.2.
Here’s a thought: Artificial intelligence — what is it good for?
That might seem churlish, given the tremendous amount of energy, investment, and hype in the AI space, as well as undeniable evidence of technological progress. After all, AI today can beat any human in games ranging from chess to Starcraft (DeepMind’s AlphaZero and AlphaStar); it can write a B- college history essay in seconds with a few prompts (OpenAI’s GPT-3); it can draw on-demand illustrations of surprising creativity and quality (OpenAI’s DALL-E 2).
For AI proponents like Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, these advances herald an era where “AI creative tools are going to be the biggest impact on creative work flows since the computer itself,” as he tweeted last month. That may turn out to be true. But in the here and now, I’m still left somewhat underwhelmed.
Not by what these AI tools can do, exactly. Typing a short prompt into DALL-E 2 and getting back, say, “a medieval painting where the wifi isn’t working” feels close to magic. Still, human beings can write essays and human beings can draw illustrations, and while GPT-3 and DALL-E 2 can do those tasks faster, they can’t really do them better. They’re superhuman in velocity, not quality. (The exception in the above group is DeepMind’s game-playing model, which really is superhuman — just ask poor defeated Go master Lee Se-dol — but until those AI skills can be employed in the much more complex real world, it’s mostly an interesting research project.)
So AI can be fascinating and cool and even be a little bit scary, but what it isn’t yet is truly able to play a vital role in solving important problems — something that can be seen in the fact that all of these advances have yet to boost America’s sluggish productivity numbers.
That’s why the recent news about AlphaFold, an AI model from DeepMind that can predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins, seems genuinely monumental — heralding not just a new era in artificial intelligence but a new era in useful, important science.
A “grand challenge” solved
For decades, molecular biologists have been trying to crack what’s known as “the protein-folding problem.”
Proteins are the biological drivers of everything from viruses to human beings. They begin as strings of chemical compounds before they fold into unique 3D shapes. The nature of those shapes — as much as the amino acids that make them up — define what proteins can do, and how they can be used.
Predicting what shape a protein will take based on its amino acid sequence would allow biologists to better understand its function and how it relates to other molecular processes. Pharmaceuticals are often designed using protein structural information, and predicting protein folding could greatly accelerate drug discovery, among other areas of science.
However, the issue in the protein-folding problem is that identifying a protein’s eventual structure has generally taken scientists years of strenuous lab work. What researchers needed was an AI algorithm that could quickly identify the eventual shape of a protein, just as computer vision systems today can identify human faces with astounding accuracy. Up until just a few years ago, the best computational biology approaches to protein-folding prediction were still far below the accuracy scientists could expect from experimental work.
Enter AlphaFold. Another product of DeepMind, the London-based AI company that was bought by Google (which later became Alphabet) in 2014, AlphaFold is an AI model designed to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins. AlphaFold blew away the competition in a biennial protein-structure prediction challenge in late 2020, performing almost as well as gold-standard experimental work, but far faster.
AlphaFold predicts protein structures through a deep learning neural network that was trained on thousands of known proteins and their structures. The model used those known connections to learn to rapidly predict the shape of other proteins, in much the same way that other deep learning models can ingest vast quantities of data — in the case of GPT-3, about 45 terabytes of text data — to predict what comes next.
AlphaFold was recognized by the journal Science as 2021’s Breakthrough of the Year, beating out candidates like Covid-19 antiviral pills and the application of CRISPR gene editing in the human body. One expert even wondered if AlphaFold would become the first AI to win a Nobel Prize.
“A new era of digital biology”
The breakthroughs have kept coming.
Last week, DeepMind announced that researchers from around the world have used AlphaFold to predict the structures of some 200 million proteins from 1 million species, covering just about every protein known to human beings. All of that data is being made freely available on a database set up by DeepMind and its partner, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute.
“Essentially you can think of it as covering the entire protein universe,” DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said at a press briefing last week. “We are at the beginning of a new era of digital biology.”
The database basically works as a Google search for protein structures. Researchers can type in a known protein and get back its predicted structure, saving them weeks or more of work in the lab. The system is already being used to accelerate drug discovery, in part through an Alphabet sister company called Isomorphic Laboratories, while other researchers are tapping AlphaFold to identify enzymes that could break down plastics.
The sheer speed enabled by AlphaFold should also help cut the cost of research. Kathryn Tunyasuvunakool, a DeepMind research scientist, told reporters that AlphaFold required only about 10 to 20 seconds to make each protein prediction. That could be especially useful for researchers laboring on neglected diseases like leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, which are perennially underfunded because they mostly strike the desperately poor.
“AlphaFold is the singular and momentous advance in life science that demonstrates the power of AI,” tweeted Eric Topol, the director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.
AI that’s useful — now
It may well be that AI models like GPT-3 that deal in general language are ultimately more influential than a more narrow application like AlphaFold. Language is still our greatest signal of intelligence and potentially even consciousness — just witness the recent controversy over whether another advanced language model, Google’s LaMDA, had become sentient.
But for all their advances, such models are still far from that level, and far even from being truly reliable for ordinary users. Companies like Apple and Amazon have labored to develop voice assistant AIs that are worthy of the name. Such models also struggle with bias and fairness, as Sigal Samuel wrote earlier this year, which is a problem to be solved with politics rather than technology.
DeepMind’s AlphaFold model isn’t without its risks. As Kelsey Piper wrote earlier this year about AI and its applications in biology, “Any system that is powerful and accurate enough to identify drugs that are safe for humans is inherently a system that will also be good at identifying drugs that are incredibly dangerous for humans.” An AI capable of predicting protein structures could theoretically be put to malign uses by someone looking to engineer biological weapons or toxins.
To its credit, DeepMind says it weighed the potential dangers of opening up its database to the public, consulting with more than 30 experts in biosecurity and ethics, and concluded that the benefits — including in speeding the development of effective defenses against biological threats — outweighed any risks. “The accumulation of human knowledge is just a massive benefit,” Ewen Birney, director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, told reporters at the press briefing. “And the entities which could be risky are likely to be a very small handful.”
AlphaFold — which DeepMind has said is the most complex AI system it has ever built — is a highly effective tool that can do things humans can’t do easily. In the process, it can make those human biologists even more effective at their jobs. And in the age of Covid, those jobs are more important than ever, as is their new AI assistant. | 2022-08-03T13:02:09Z | www.vox.com | DeepMind’s AlphaFold could be the future of science — and AI - Vox | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/3/23288843/deepmind-alphafold-artificial-intelligence-biology-drugs-medicine-demis-hassabis | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/3/23288843/deepmind-alphafold-artificial-intelligence-biology-drugs-medicine-demis-hassabis |
By Kenny Torrella@KennyTorrella Updated Aug 3, 2022, 4:10pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: How Gordon Ramsay’s lamb slaughter joke explains our confusing relationship with meat
A baby lamb in College Park, Maryland.
Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Editors note, August 2, 2022: This piece was originally published in February 2022 and updated on August 2.
Last week, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay posted a TikTok video of himself climbing into a pen of lambs, saying, “I’m going to eat you!” He rubbed his hands together while saying “yummy, yum, yum, yum” and asked, “Which one’s going in the oven first?” He pointed at one lamb, said, “you,” and then exclaimed that it was “oven time.”
The cheeky video elicited plenty of laugh-cry emojis and comments from fans in on the joke (in 2006, Ramsay asked a contestant on his “Hell’s Kitchen” TV show for lamb sauce, which became a meme). But many commenters were also disturbed, saying the video was sad, that Ramsay had lost it, or that they had lost respect for Ramsay because of his seeming callousness toward cute little lambs.
The video and the reactions it sparked are a stark example of what psychologists have dubbed “the meat paradox”: the mental dissonance caused by our empathy for animals and our desire to eat them.
Australian psychologists Steve Loughnan, Nick Haslam, and Brock Bastian coined the term in 2010, defining it as the “psychological conflict between people’s dietary preference for meat and their moral response to animal suffering.” We empathize with animals — after all, we are animals ourselves — but we’re also hardwired to seek calorie-dense, energy-rich foods. And for most of human history, that meant meat.
When faced with that dissonance, we try to resolve it in a number of ways. We downplay animals’ sentience or make light of their slaughter (as Ramsay did), we misreport our eating habits (or dismiss personal responsibility altogether), or we judge others’ behavior so as to claim the moral high ground, as some of Ramsay’s commenters did (even if they likely eat meat themselves).
But the meat paradox doesn’t just flare up when it’s at play in pop culture; it’s a feature of our everyday lives, whether or not we pay any mind to it.
Almost one in four American adults tells pollsters they’re cutting back on their meat intake — while the country sets new records for per capita meat consumption. We abhor the treatment of animals on factory farms, where 99 percent of meat in the US is produced, yet we dislike vegans. And even those of us who say we’re vegetarian or vegan are often stretching the truth.
The meat paradox is also the subject and title of a recent book by Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, a UK-based nonprofit that advocates for organic farming practices, higher animal welfare, and lower meat consumption.
I wanted to speak to Percival because he is a walking embodiment of the meat paradox. He spends his days campaigning against industrialized animal agriculture while insisting animals should still play a role in our farming and food system, albeit a much smaller and more humane one.
Percival is quite sympathetic to the vegan cause, going so far as to call animal slaughter “murder,” but isn’t a vegan himself and doesn’t hesitate to criticize the vegan movement’s eccentricities and exaggerations. And he’s gravely worried about what will happen to the world if humanity can’t figure out how to resolve the meat paradox. The West’s meat-heavy diet is a major accelerant to the climate crisis that shows little sign of slowing, and that diet is already being exported to the rest of the world.
So in an effort to unravel the meat paradox, Percival talked to farmers, anthropologists, psychologists, and activists to better understand humanity’s messy, complicated, and millennia-deep relationship to the animals we hunt and farm for food.
The meat paradox in ourselves
Percival found that the meat paradox isn’t just a product of modern-day industrialized animal farming, but a psychological struggle that goes back to our earliest ancestors. Those animal carvings and cave paintings made tens of thousands of years ago? They may be more than mere caveman doodles.
“It’s partly speculative, but the case has been made by various scholars that these provide evidence of a ritual response to animal consumption which may well have been rooted in those dissonant emotions, that conflicted ethical sense,” Percival said. “There’s a profound moral dilemma posed by the killing and consumption of animal persons.”
But the meat paradox has intensified in the modern age. One of the founding studies of the meat paradox literature, Percival told me, was the one published by the psychologists Loughnan, Haslam, and Bastian in 2010. They gave questionnaires to two groups, and while the subjects filled in answers, one group was given cashews to snack on while the other group was given beef jerky. The surveys asked participants to rate the sentience and intelligence of cows and their moral concern for a variety of animals, such as dogs, chickens, and chimpanzees.
Some animals are more equal than others
The participants who ate the beef jerky rated cows less sentient and less mindful — and extended their circle of moral concern to fewer animals — than the group that ate the cashews.
“The act of thinking about a cow’s mental capabilities while eating a cow had created these dissonant emotions beneath the surface, which had skewed their perception in really important ways,” Percival said.
Even exposure to strict vegetarians or vegans can elicit a “heightened commitment to pro-meat justifications,” Percival says about one study. This might explain why we see per capita meat consumption rise in tandem with rates of veganism and vegetarianism.
One of the funnier and more telling passages of the book details a meeting Percival had with Charles Way, the head of food quality assurance for KFC in the UK and Ireland. After Way tells Percival how proud he is of KFC’s animal welfare standards, Percival asks Way, “If you knew that you were going to be reborn as a chicken, would you really prefer to be born onto a farm in KFC’s supply chain, more than on any other farm in the UK?”
Way asserts the company’s standards are above the industry norm (which isn’t saying much), but then says it wouldn’t make a difference, “so no.” Percival tries again: “If you knew that you were going to be reborn as a chicken, do you think you would eat less chicken?”
By Percival’s telling, Way simply doesn’t reply.
When confronted with these dissonant emotions through reports on the harsh reality of factory farming, we try to deny them, dissociating the meat on our plate from the animal that produced it, and in doing so, denying animals of their sentience and intelligence.
We make myths to justify our relationship with animals, too. One of the more popular ones is the “ancient contract,” which goes something like this: Animals give us their meat, and in exchange, we give them domestication and thus an opportunity to evolutionarily succeed. This concept was coined by science writer Stephen Budiansky in 1989 and has been touted by food writers Michael Pollan and Barry Estabrook, as well as iconic animal welfare scientist Temple Grandin.
Pollan and Estabrook don’t condone modern-day industrial animal farming, and Estabrook says it’s a violation of this ancient contract. However, “there is a glaring deceit at the heart of our ancient contract,” Percival writes: “No individual animal has consented to the terms of the deal.”
We also use language to obscure; one study found that replacing “slaughtering” or “killing” with “harvesting” reduced dissonance, and that replacing “beef” and “pork” on restaurant menus with “cow” and “pig” generated more empathy for animals. Adding a photo of an animal next to the dish further elevated empathy, while also making vegetarian dishes more appealing to study participants.
Percival says the meat paradox can be found across cultures and time periods, and that “there is no culture in which plant foods are problematic in the same way.”
The meat paradox in our institutions
The meat paradox is just as active in our institutions as in ourselves.
Percival’s book opens with a tour of the Natural History Museum of London, where exhibits tell the story of animals’ habitat loss and the effects of climate change on wildlife. But then when you visit the museum’s restaurant, “you might be served food which directly contributed to all those crises,” Percival said. (Meat production is a leading cause of habitat loss, as large swaths of forest are cleared to grow soy and other crops to feed farmed animals.)
Eventually, the museum changed up its menu — offering plant-based dishes, higher-welfare meat, and organic foods — after a pressure campaign from Percival.
That story had a happy ending, but I worry the meat paradox will only harden in ourselves and in our institutions as meat becomes more grist for the culture war, as when some Republicans freaked out over a made-up story that the Green New Deal would result in a “burger ban.” To overcome that, Percival argues, we need to stake out a middle ground in the meat debate.
“We need progressive farmers and omnivores to be trying to defuse the tensions with vegans and animal activists, and we need the vegans who say, ‘Okay, step one is let’s phase out the industrial systems and focus on higher animal welfare,’” he told me. “And if you can get a large enough demographic to claim that middle ground, then we might see some progress.”
The middle ground is a hard place to be in an increasingly polarized world. But there are signs of progress: Whenever voters are given the choice to ban cages for hens or pigs, they vote yes, and plant-based meat has gone mainstream in recent years.
And since more bold regulation, like a meat tax, would be politically toxic right now, the change has to start with us.
“I’m not of the view that individuals can fix all this on their own or that it’s the sole responsibility of consumers to fix the food system,” Percival said. “But at the same time, I am of the view that our own choices are influential. They help set social norms. And you need that sort of mass mobilization before political change becomes viable, before you can force businesses to change.”
And to get there, we first need to reflect upon the meat paradox within ourselves, which would allow us, he said, to “see our sort of complicity and entanglements in all this and understand what it might mean to begin to disentangle ourselves.”
Changing how we eat is one of the most effective actions we can take for the climate, but it’s also one of the most personal, as evidenced by the deep-seated influence of the meat paradox. But freeing ourselves from its dissonance really could help us claw our way out of some of the crises we find ourselves in — if we’re willing to confront it. | 2022-08-03T20:17:39Z | www.vox.com | How Gordon Ramsay’s lamb slaughter joke explains our confusing relationship with meat - Vox | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/2/24/22947967/gordon-ramsay-lamb-sauce-joke-tiktok-the-meat-paradox | https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/2/24/22947967/gordon-ramsay-lamb-sauce-joke-tiktok-the-meat-paradox |
Somehow, people are still underestimating Donald Trump.
By Zack Beauchamp@zackbeauchamp Aug 4, 2022, 9:00am EDT
Share All sharing options for: The ludicrous idea that Trump is losing his grip on the GOP
Former President Donald Trump reacts before speaking at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, on July 23.
Over the last few weeks, there has been rampant speculation in the American press that former President Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican Party may be slipping — citing, in particular, fallout from the January 6 committee, a seeming rift with the Murdoch media empire, and the rise of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a plausible alternative.
This speculation seems to be influencing the public: Predictit, a political betting market, now gives Trump and DeSantis nearly even odds to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
But there’s more than a whiff of wishful thinking in these reveries, an almost willful forgetting of the many prior times when predictions of Trump’s decline have been proven false. Tuesday’s Republican primary results felt like a rude reminder of reality: In elections across five states, including the swing states of Arizona and Michigan, Trump loyalists won contests up and down the ballot.
In Arizona, Senate nominee Blake Masters and likely gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake are Trump-endorsed 2020 election deniers. In Michigan, gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon is cut from a similar cloth. Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment in 2021, lost his bid for reelection to yet another Trump-endorsed Big Lie supporter (two other House impeachment supporters, Washington Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, seemed on track to fend off Trump-backed challengers in Washington state’s open primary). Rusty Bowers, the Arizona House speaker and star January 6 committee witness, lost a state Senate primary to — you guessed it — a Trump-backed election conspiracist.
It’s a splash of cold water on the narrative of a waning Trump.
“Pundits trying to will into existence a GOP that has moved beyond him are way beyond the facts,” the Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein wrote on Wednesday morning. “This remains a Trump-ified GOP, with most openly embracing him and almost none openly confronting him.”
Brownstein is right. And he’s right for a fundamental reason: Trump’s vision of politics, a war between true Americans and a system that has betrayed them, describes how many Republican voters see the world. And so long as Trump is available, they’re unlikely to opt for any imitations.
The numbers are clear: It’s still Trump’s party
The simplest barometer of whether Trump still dominates the party is the 2024 presidential polls. And by that metric, Trump’s grip is pretty hard to question.
The RealClearPolitics poll average has Trump leading the field by an average of 26.2 points. All but one national poll cataloged by FiveThirtyEight in July had Trump beating DeSantis by a similarly large double-digit margin (the sole outlier, from Suffolk University, had Trump ahead by a “mere” 9 points).
Granted, any challenger against an “incumbent” like Trump probably wouldn’t pop up on many voters’ radars this far ahead of an election. But much of the “Trump is slipping” coverage skips past all this vital context. For example, the New York Times recently ran a write-up of its poll with Siena College headlined “Half of G.O.P. Voters Ready to Leave Trump Behind, Poll Finds.” And indeed, the poll did find that 51 percent of Republicans would vote for someone other than Trump if the primary were held today.
Yet the headline is misleading. The Times poll found that Trump still commanded 49 percent support in the party; his next closest rival, DeSantis, garnered a mere 25 percent. In the article, reporter Michael Bender notes that the results show that “Mr. Trump maintains his primacy in the party,” contradicting the piece’s headline.
Much has also been made of the seeming turn against Trump in the Rupert Murdoch media empire. In recent weeks, the Murdoch-owned New York Post and Wall Street Journal both ran editorials blasting Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. “It’s been more than 100 days since Donald J. Trump was interviewed on Fox News,” the New York Times reported, pointing out that DeSantis seemed to have taken the marquee guest slot that Trump once occupied.
But we’ve been here before. Remember when Fox famously went to war against Trump during the 2016 primaries, culminating in a fight between Trump and Megyn Kelly? We know how that played out.
Murdoch, as the Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan argues, is driven by cold calculation: His properties will dump Trump only if doing so won’t alienate their audience and cost them money. He won’t lead the Republican Party against Trump, despite his reported personal distaste for the man, but will instead follow the direction he’s getting from his readers and viewers. That’s why Fox ultimately aligned with Trump in 2016, stayed with him throughout his presidency, and remains unlikely to truly abandon him absent clear signs that the base has moved on.
And so far, there’s little evidence that they have. The metrics used to suggest that Trump is in eclipse — like a survey finding that only a majority of Republicans (rather than a supermajority) believe the 2020 election was stolen, or DeSantis doing strong fundraising numbers — seem to pale in comparison to more direct measures of his support, such as head-to-head polling and the success of his endorsements in primaries across 2022 contests.
At this point, it would be silly to treat Trump as anything but the party’s leader — and the prohibitive favorite to win the Republican nomination in 2024.
The GOP’s Trumpian soul
If you read studies of the American conservative movement, Trump’s continued strength should be no surprise. The political strength of the movement never came from its policy ideas. Many of its positions, like tax cuts for the rich and stringent abortion restrictions, have ultimately proven to be extremely unpopular.
Instead, its strength has been rooted in grievance: the bitterness of those who believe that modern America is changing too fast, beyond recognition, turning “traditional” citizens into aliens in their own country.
A charitable observer might call this sentiment nostalgia for a bygone America. A more critical one might call it the venting of reactionary white male rage against a more egalitarian country. But whatever your assessment, it is this politics of cultural grievance that animates the GOP base.
And nobody is better at channeling it than Donald Trump.
The core of Trump’s success has been an ability to tap into the sense of loss — “Make American Great Again” — and direct that anger against the traditional GOP elite, Democrats, minorities, and even the US electoral system itself. His celebrity and charisma — two traits DeSantis lacks — have allowed him to build an unparalleled personal bond with this segment of the electorate.
And it is this connection that, again and again, has proven predictions of Trump’s decline to be premature.
There have been many such predictions. From practically the moment he glided down Trump Tower’s golden escalators to launch his campaign, pundits have been identifying events that they thought would break him: the crass insults thrown at John McCain in 2015, the Access Hollywood tape in 2016, the “very fine people” Charlottesville comment in 2017, the Democratic midterm wave in 2018, the Mueller investigation and report in 2019, the botched coronavirus response in 2020, the January 6 attack in 2021. Each time, observers predicted that it was the beginning of the end for Trump — that his supporters or the Republican leadership would abandon him, leading to the destruction of his political career.
Yet despite such setbacks, Trump has maintained his grip on the party. When faced with the most undeniable setback of all, his defeat in the 2020 election, he simply chose to lie and say he won — and Republicans decided, by overwhelming margins, to believe him. He incited an honest-to-goodness riot at the Capitol, and his supporters still see him as the patriot par excellence.
The broad coalition of people who oppose Trump’s assault on American democracy — Democrats, independents, Never Trump Republicans — need to disabuse themselves of the naïve idea that elite conservatives, especially the Republican leadership and Fox News C-suite, will somehow end the threat. At this point, it’s not clear they really want to — and that they might not be able to even if they tried.
There is a demand-side problem in American politics that many have chosen not to really grapple with. Trump may have lost in 2020, but his 74 million popular votes is the second-most in American history (Biden’s 81 million is No. 1). That 74 million is 10 million more than he got in 2016. Millions of people who didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 saw what he put the country through in four years and said, “I’d like more of that, please.”
That alone is enough to give Republican elites pause about abandoning him. And when you narrow the aperture to internal Republican dynamics, the picture is even more dire: The party’s base and activist grassroots are dominated by dyed-in-the-wool Trumpists, the sort of people that just bounced Meijer out of office. Republicans who turn on him, even ones as influential and well-pedigreed as Rep. Liz Cheney, risk total marginalization inside the party.
It’s not impossible that Trump’s numbers slide permanently and that he is ultimately supplanted by DeSantis or some similar figure. But all of our experience with the Trump phenomenon suggests that this is implausible at best — and, even if it happens, it will be less a defenestration of Trump and more that somebody else figures out some way to take up his mantle without outright rejecting him.
“‘Trump’s grip on the GOP is slipping’ discourse misses the point entirely,” writes Sarah Longwell, a pollster and prominent Never Trump conservative. “Trump the man can lose altitude, but the forces he unleashed have overtaken the whole party. Trump can go away, but a GOP full of cranks and conspiracists will be his enduring legacy.”
But it is for this reason that Trump the man is unlikely to slip. As of right now, nobody has figured out how to direct “the forces he unleashed” as effectively as he has: His personality is a key part of the Trump phenomenon.
Fox News knows this, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell knows this, and the GOP establishment knows this. They may signal their hesitation, they may hedge here and there. But they know it’s Trump’s party still. As long Trump is breathing, there’s unlikely to be a Trumpism without him. | 2022-08-04T17:38:51Z | www.vox.com | The ludicrous idea that Trump is losing his grip on the GOP - Vox | https://www.vox.com/23287527/trump-gop-control-august-gop-primary-2022 | https://www.vox.com/23287527/trump-gop-control-august-gop-primary-2022 |
Covid-19 cases are rising again, but redesigned vaccines are on the horizon.
By Umair Irfan and Keren Landman Aug 4, 2022, 8:30am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Should you get another Covid-19 vaccine booster now or wait for the new shots?
If you're not in a high-risk group — under 50 and pretty healthy — there's no need to rush, according to Pekosz. Severe disease rates in people without other preexisting health conditions are extremely low. "I don’t think, right now, there’s a good reason to have relatively healthy individuals get a booster,” said Pekosz.
Why BA.5 is cause for concern, but not alarm. Yet.
"A Covid infection in a vaccinated person — essentially that functions as a booster,” Pekosz said. “So you probably don’t need to get a booster for anywhere from three to six months after your Covid infection." | 2022-08-04T17:38:56Z | www.vox.com | Second Covid-19 vaccine boosters, explained - Vox | https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/23284234/second-booster-covid-19-vaccine-bivalent-pfizer-moderna | https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/23284234/second-booster-covid-19-vaccine-bivalent-pfizer-moderna |
Share All sharing options for: Would the Inflation Reduction Act actually reduce inflation?
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks to reporters outside his Washington, DC, office on August 2, as negotiations in the Senate continue over the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Rakeen Mabud: [In addition to the health care and climate provisions,] one that’s interesting to point out is the tax provisions. A significant portion of the reason we’re facing higher prices right now is because of this massive imbalance we have throughout our economy, between corporate power and the power that the rest of us have. And that’s shown up in the inflation conversation in a number of different ways, right? Groundwork has been pretty upfront with highlighting corporate profiteering and highlighting the ways in which corporate power and our supply chains really created this ... system that meant that we weren’t able to deal with fluctuations in demand, or sort of exogenous factors, like the war in Ukraine, for example.
Democrats are taking what they can get on Build Back Better | 2022-08-04T22:07:32Z | www.vox.com | Would the Inflation Reduction Act actually reduce inflation? - Vox | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/4/23292338/congress-inflation-reduction-act-reduce-biden | https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/4/23292338/congress-inflation-reduction-act-reduce-biden |
Nathan Fielder’s wild HBO show is reality TV at its most bizarre. Or is it a documentary? Or memoir? Or something else?
By Alissa Wilkinson@alissamarie Aug 5, 2022, 11:33pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Four ways of looking at The Rehearsal
Nathan Fielder, the mastermind of The Rehearsal.
Imagine a TV show so profoundly strange that the more you thought about it, the less you knew what it ... was. The more you dug into the straightforward parts, the less straightforward they got. The further down the rabbit hole you strayed, the more trap doors and dead ends seemed to be scattered along the passageway.
Yet. Yet. The Rehearsal repeatedly defies this. Are people like Kor and Angela (the middle-aged Christian woman with whom Nathan “raises” a “child”) and Robbin (the man she dates, who turns out to be kind of a numerologist) and Patrick (whose brother thinks his girlfriend is a “gold digger”) ... “real”? Are they victims? Are they in on it? What about the crew? The actors? Does turning the mechanics of Nathan’s contrived worlds inside out make them more authentic, or are there more layers to uncover?
I felt a rush of excitement come over me when I remembered there were cameras filming me. HBO cameras. I love being on camera, but I wanted to play it cool, like I didn’t care that much ... Wait, what is this show? Is it a show about an acting class? Am I supposed to be acting? Something doesn’t make sense. If you’re training actors for a show, why would you be filming the training? I wanted to ask, but I was worried it would seem rude. I didn’t want to stand out. I wanted to impress “Nathan.”
This whole episode causes him to question — or at least “question,” for the show — his own methods, from his actual teaching strategy to seemingly mundane things like asking actors to sign contracts they couldn’t possibly read carefully before they agree. Thomas, the real acting student he tries to more or less become, tells Nathan that he doesn’t like lying to people; Nathan realizes that he’s never really understood Thomas. That ... oh dear ... we never really know what’s going on inside people’s heads.
The Rehearsal is ... well, we don’t know yet
And there are some other, at minimum, clever Biblically inflected coincidences throughout. That Nathan’s “kid” is named Adam — a name he shares with the first man that God created in the Biblical account of Genesis? That the second episode is about not being able to find a suitable “mate” for Angela? That episode 3 prominently features a contentious relationship between two brothers? That the doubting Fielder method “disciple” in Nathan’s acting class is named ... Thomas? (In case you were wondering, there are only 11 students in the class.)
On the one hand, I don’t really think Nathan Fielder is invoking ancient scriptures or Midrash Rabbah in making The Rehearsal. On the other hand ... maybe? Check back with me when it’s all over. | 2022-08-06T04:57:56Z | www.vox.com | Nathan Fielder’s wild HBO show The Rehearsal, explained - Vox | https://www.vox.com/culture/23291914/rehearsal-hbo-nathan-fielder-explain-review-spoilers | https://www.vox.com/culture/23291914/rehearsal-hbo-nathan-fielder-explain-review-spoilers |
I had things to say, and a voice to wield, and what I needed to say needed different clothes that in turn had a statement to make.
By Ayan Artan Aug 6, 2022, 9:00am EDT
Share All sharing options for: The best $4 I ever spent: A sparkly hijab
In the same year that Muslims were victims of religious hate crimes 2,703 times in the UK, I put my all into celebrating myself.
Dana Rodriguez for Vox
For British Somalis especially, the weeks leading up to a big wedding rival the anticipation felt for the Met Gala. Once you have secured your embossed cream-colored invitation to an event, the planning and video chats with girlfriends begin, and it is game on.
You would think it was everyone in Leicester’s wedding day, the way mere guests go about dissecting the night’s details. Who will be doing our henna, and does she do nails, too? Does that girl you went to school with still do makeup? And let’s not forget the most important question: What are you wearing? This last question is one that sits at the forefront of our minds for weeks, but in typical Somali fashion, it is only ever addressed in the last 48 hours before the big night itself. Young or old, that question is almost as sacred to us as the wedding itself. We approach it with a mantra that our people have carried with them for generations: You must show up and show out. You must.
And when Leicesterians want to show up and show out — more specifically, when Leicesterians want to flex and are on a budget — we don’t go to River Island or Zara. We go to St. Matthews, the cornerstone of culture in our city. A relatively small neighborhood near the city’s center, it provides home and sanctuary to much of Leicester’s Black and Asian community, who make up an estimated 47 percent of the area’s population. With its diverse makeup, St. Matthews is at odds with much of the city, its streets filled with more masjids and barbershops than one can count. It is where most Muslim parents drive their kids to Madrasah in the evenings or where you go to get the freshest halwa for Eid day. Though an exceptionally working-class area of Leicester, it has a cultural currency that is undeniable. It is also where you come to find the drippiest traditional ’fits when you have a big wedding to attend, like I did last September.
We approach it with a mantra that our people have carried with them for generations: You must show up and show out. You must.
The cultural climate I grew up in was one where, at best, the Muslim experience was ignored and shunned by the mainstream. At worst, it was weaponized in a boogeyman narrative. Born a month before 9/11, I am a baby of the “war on terror” era and have never known a world in which I have not contended with people’s assumptions. It seems that instead of fading, the harmful stereotypes that have been stamped onto my people are more visible now than ever. It feels like political Islamophobia has become the easiest ticket into positions of power, with politicians needing simply to pander to fear in order to garner votes.
The consequences of mainstream Islamophobia have often manifested in unjust legislation, like the banning of burqas in places like France, Belgium, and China. But more times than not, it is an invisible weight on the everyday life of Muslims. It is a burden that dampens your joy, and I shrank into myself and lived without the vigor that I deserved until finally, enough was enough.
So, last September, in the same year that Muslims were victims of religious hate crimes 2,703 times in the UK, I put my all into celebrating the very marker of my difference at my first cousin Farhiya’s wedding: my hijab.
I went to the Somali corner shops in St. Matthews after work with my mum as I have since I was a child, geared with snacks and fizzy drinks. It was a tradition that we have kept even now in my 20s, meeting up after work before we walk home together. As was to be expected, the place was packed. Some women sat on the floor or on boxes containing freshly shipped clothes. One of the owners passed around shushumow and offered biscuits to the children in tow. A point is made about hospitality in Somali shops, especially on days like this. The vibrance of the garments and loud prints that line the walls may overwhelm outsiders who do not understand our trends, but to me, they bring the same comfort that my home brings. In fact, there are pieces in this shop that I recognize from my own closet, like an abaya with its sleeves lined with pearls.
In my periphery, something caught my eye: a display of hijabs bundled into rolls, organized by material, color and design.
At the top lay the hijab that would, unbeknownst to me, reignite my lost love for fashion.
Growing up, I had been obsessed with my mother’s closet. The wild prints and breathtaking textures had riled me into experimenting. But as I got older, I started to fall into the trap of dressing as far from my origins as possible in the hopes of assimilating better. Off came the zebra-print dress and on went a black pencil skirt that I wore because Sarah in my tutoring class had one. The multicolor hijab that my mother had gifted me for my 14th birthday was switched out for the generic slicked-back bun that the girls on the school netball team sported at a party earlier in the week.
I started to spend more of my summers back home in Somalia among the rest of my family, and I was struck by just how well everyone dressed. That combined with my political awakening meant that I started to reconnect with my roots through clothes.
The extroversion that I had hidden away as I battled against assumptions from others and myself about what a hijab should look like started to unravel when I turned 18. I had unlocked a newer version of myself — and I found that I gravitated toward different clothes, ones with personality and flair. I had things to say and a voice to wield, and what I needed to say needed different clothes that, in turn, had a statement to make. And right at that moment, a purple sparkly hijab from that bundle called to me. It seems silly to say, but it felt fated. It was flamboyant and loud, and it made me feel giddy. The $4 price tag was a small cost to pay for the rarity of partaking in all that is vain and pretty.
There is a somberness expected in your dress as a hijab-wearer. But the Somali shop has helped combat all of that limiting nonsense. To those who fled their homes so long ago, they have become a sort of fashion holy ground, cultivating a flashier, more extroverted (and African) take on modest dressing.
We needed our wooden Afro combs, organic sesame oil, tuna straight from our shores, and even sparkly scarves
Trends laid down by fabric owners in countries like Dubai and Turkey can help alter the way an entire community dresses. These small-business owners do everything themselves, from sourcing the fabric in bulk to negotiating with tailors to help them realize their vision for the fit. The lack of a middleman ensures that, for the most part, prices stay down. There is no one to interfere in the trade of these production workers; they are their own bosses and so negotiate their prices with each store owner on their own terms. That in combination with the fact that there is no cute merchandising or packaging to pay for also helps to make the Somali shop a cheaper option than your usual high-street stores.
When the civil war of the 1980s erupted in Somalia, many of her people fled abroad, making up the far-reaching diaspora that we see today. Leaving behind their hopes and aspirations, many needed to find ways to make money and so they did what many immigrant populations have done before: They hustled. When it became apparent that the war was not ending anytime soon, they decided to put down roots, a level of permanence for their children, while also connecting their community to the culture they were forced to leave behind. We needed our wooden Afro combs, organic sesame oil, tuna straight from our shores, and even sparkly scarves.
Whatever we needed, we provided for ourselves. There are few things more powerful than expanding when the status quo would have you shrink, few things more beautiful than seeing someone live their life on their own terms, no matter how inconvenient that is to the systems that exist to oppress us. For me, it took that hijab to help unlearn the falsehoods I had internalized about how a Muslim, Black woman should operate.
I paid $4 to help better understand myself, to legitimize my version of femininity. I stood in that shop and wrapped that scarf around me to “oohs” and “aahs.” My mother and I were the hijabis of the wedding, clad in the same tailored dress but she in jade. Besides the scarf itself, the most stunning thing about that purchase was the immeasurable confidence that it sparked in me. On that night, I perceived myself to be beautiful and dynamic. Seen. To the many thousands of Somali small business owners, I thank you. I paid someone $4 to help me better understand myself. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Ayan Artan is a culture and politics writer whose work focuses on engaging critically with intersectional viewpoints, exploring topics such as race, feminine identity, and the migrant experience through an original lens.
The best money I ever spent
The best $180 I ever spent: My union fees | 2022-08-06T16:12:08Z | www.vox.com | The best $4 I ever spent: A sparkly hijab - Vox | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23198478/sparkly-hijab-leicester-best-money | https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23198478/sparkly-hijab-leicester-best-money |
In The Year of Miracles, Ella Risbridger cooks through the end of the world.
By Constance Grady@constancegrady Aug 7, 2022, 8:00am EDT
Share All sharing options for: One Good Thing: A food memoir about love, grief, and lockdown
The Year of Miracles by Ella Risbridger.
British journalist Ella Risbridger’s new food memoir The Year of Miracles was not, she informs us in her first sentence, “meant to be” a book about grief. It was meant to be a cheerful little book about hosting dinner parties, a happy follow-up to Risbridger’s 2019 hit Midnight Chicken, about how she cooked as a way of dealing with her depression. “But what can you do?” Risbridger goes on. Grief “gets into everything.”
Part of the charm of Midnight Chicken was the way Risbridger conjured her lovely life onto the page: a life of quirky, cozy, bookish love with her partner the Tall Man (real name John Underwood) in their Tiny Flat. It was marred only by the tragedy tucked away on the back page in the acknowledgments: In the time between Risbridger handing in her manuscript and Midnight Chicken coming out, Underwood had died of a rare form of lymphoma at age 29. (Risbridger gives Underwood, along with the rest of her friends, a pseudonym in The Year of Miracles. Here, he becomes Jim.)
The Year of Miracles is Risbridger’s account of how she cooked her way through the ensuing grief. And because it is, ominously, set in 2020, she is grieving not just the loss of her partner, but also the loss of a whole way of pre-pandemic life.
“This is supposed to be the year when the world, my world, starts again;” Risbridger writes as she first hears news of the pandemic. “This is not the year the world is supposed to end, because my world has already ended.”
The world does not quite end, and Risbridger keeps cooking through it. She cooks Leftovers Pie for her new housemate, because she loves her; Crisis Cardamom Coffee Banana Bread, because everyone made banana bread at the start of lockdown; Turkish Eggs, because Jim would have hated them and he’s no longer there to object.
It’s this last question, of what to do now that Jim is no longer here to make his objections known, that leads Risbridger to some of her most affecting passages. She spent years of her life as Jim’s caretaker, guiding him through chemotherapy and all its accompanying horrors, rendered “subservient, essentially, in a way no other adult relationship demands.” Now that Jim is no longer there, she has space to think through her own preferences, and to deal with the guilt and the horror surrounding that space.
With her housemate, she invents “the Self-Esteem Finger: you hold up one finger, to indicate a desire that has no reference or recourse to anyone else, and you say ‘self-esteem!’” She stops making roast dinners, which Jim loved and she hated, and she indulges in meals with very little meat, such as the Turkish eggs in garlic yogurt.
A chapter header from The Year of Miracles.
You can successfully cook from these recipes, more or less. The rice bowl with Vietnamese flavors Risbridger has dubbed Coconut Pow comes out bright and sharp and sweet, although its many parts make it fiddly to put together unless, like Risbridger, you are already in the habit of keeping quick-pickled radishes and salted mango in your fridge. When I followed her recipe for cardamom buns, I found that she’d left out a few details about how to construct them, so that I couldn’t seal them properly and the spiced butter filling leaked out of the buns as they baked. They were still absurdly delicious.
But the recipes here are more indicative of Risbridger’s personality than anything else. They are organized chronologically, with 12 chapters, one for each month of the year, and they are optimized specifically for the way she runs her personal kitchen. As such, she is always specifying the exact color and flakiness of the kind of sea salt you should use, but when a recipe calls for just plain table salt she tells you to pinch your flaky sea salt into dust, because she can never remember to keep plain table salt in stock.
What you’re really reading for here is Risbridger’s sprightly, evocative prose, which is never more compelling than when she’s describing the sheer joy of her food. Roasted eggplants are “blistered and blackened and chewy and delectable;” fresh dukkah is “a beautiful sunset orange” that makes every salad “a riot;” soy-marinated eggs are “sticky” with “golden, liquid yolks.” Periodically, she peppers her instructions with bossy repetitions (“I do know your life, and you don’t need more flour”) and shameless confessions (“I have a weakness for adding leftover sour cream and chive dip, but I understand this is horrible”).
Bouncing up against Risbridger’s prose are Elisa Cunningham’s whimsical watercolor illustrations, which range in elaborateness from two-page-spread tableaux of the neighbor’s cat in Risbridger’s fire escape garden to half a lemon rolling around the bottom margin of a recipe for parsnip purée. They are sweetly messy sketches, matching the sweetly messy energy of this home cook’s recipe book.
And that, in the end, is what you read The Year of Miracles for: the sweetness and the mess. Cardamom buns that fall apart in the oven but are still buttery and rich with sugar and spices. An account of a life laced with grief that wasn’t supposed to be there, and a world that ends over and over and over again and manages to keep its beauty and its charm regardless.
It’s what makes this cookbook-cum-memoir feel exuberant, unstoppable, and triumphantly on the side of love and life in the face of death and loss and grief.
The Year of Miracles is now out in bookstores. For more recommendations from the world of culture, check out the One Good Thing archives.
The US and China might not get over the Taiwan crisis The US-China relationship will continue to deteriorate.
Why the Justice Department made a move in the police killing of Breonna Taylor It’s been more than two years since police shot the 26-year-old in her home. | 2022-08-07T14:15:01Z | www.vox.com | The Year of Miracles: Ella Risbridger cooks through the end of the world - Vox | https://www.vox.com/culture/23282863/year-of-miracles-review-ella-risbridger | https://www.vox.com/culture/23282863/year-of-miracles-review-ella-risbridger |
Life is short. Here’s how to cherish every day of it.
By Rachel Friedman Aug 8, 2022, 8:00am EDT
Share All sharing options for: An end-of-life doula’s advice on how to make the most of your time on earth
“I want a party in the woods with an all-night campfire. I’ll be off to the side in a sleeping bag, nice and cozy. There will be s’mores and cocktails. My friends can come and go, saying goodbye however they want, or just sitting quietly with me and holding my hand. Nobody should touch my feet, though. I hate having my feet touched. A playlist of my favorite songs should be on repeat. I’d like to die as the fire burns out at dawn. Lights out and lights out, you know?”
I’m on Zoom and a chaplain from Iowa is describing her ideal final hours of life. We’re training to become end-of-life doulas, and this morning’s assignment is to help each other talk through a final hours ritual. It’s one of many exercises designed to confront us with our own mortality, so we can leave our own feelings about death at the door before we step across someone else’s threshold to help with theirs.
End-of-life (EOL) doulas are at the opposite end of the life cycle spectrum from birth doulas. They provide non-clinical care (emotional, logistical, and physical) and help with planning; engage with life reviews and legacy work; and provide support for family and friends so caretakers can bring their best, rested selves to support their dying loved one.
I knew training to become a doula would change my relationship to death, but I didn’t anticipate how it would transform my day-to-day life. Like others, my smartphone use skyrocketed during the isolation of the pandemic. Even after those panic-inducing first months in NYC, I still found myself using my phone as a constant distraction — lurking on Instagram, clicking every New York Times alert, obsessively refreshing my email like it was a Vegas slot machine.
I didn’t become an end-of-life doula to fix my fragmented focus. I did it because Covid-19 made death suddenly feel very real and very present. But I found that a deep dive into death work profoundly clarified my priorities, and has helped me spend time in ways more aligned with those priorities thanks to the soul-shaking understanding that our time here is truly limited.
Here are three components of EOL doula training that have been useful in my never-ending quest to live a more present and focused life in this Age of Endless Distractions. Think of it as a looking-back-from-your-imagined-deathbed approach to living — which sounds morbid in theory but is empowering and enriching in reality.
Imagine you have three months to live
I’m not going to lie to you: This exercise isn’t going to feel great! Please do it only if you feel equipped to engage with feelings of grief and loss. I recommend having someone you trust read it to you, someone who also has the emotional bandwidth and who is not currently grieving. You’ll need a pen and paper. Choose a time when you’re not going to feel rushed and are in a comfortable space. Take some deep breaths. Settle in. Here we go.
Write down your five most-prized possessions, your five favorite activities, your top five values, and the five people you love the most.
Close your eyes. Imagine you’re at a doctor’s office. You’ve just been given a terminal diagnosis and told you have approximately three months to live. Sit with that news. Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross any four items off your list.
Close your eyes. You’re back home with your spouse or friends or children or pet. You have to find a way to tell those you love: “I’m dying.” Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross another four items off your list.
Close your eyes. You’ve started feeling the effects of your illness. You can’t get around as easily. Your sleep is restless. You’re nauseated from the medications you’re taking. Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross four more items off your list.
Close your eyes. You’re mostly confined to your bed now. Your loved ones have gathered because they know they will soon have to say goodbye. They drift in and out of your bedroom, or wherever you have chosen to spend your final days, holding your hand, perhaps playing music you like or reading aloud your favorite book. Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross four more items off your list.
Close your eyes. You’re in bed, eyes closed, unable to move much or to speak at all. You sense that you’re going to die soon, and you wonder what will happen when you go. What are you thinking about in these final moments? Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross the remaining four items off your list.
Whew. You did it. Make sure to give yourself as much time as you need to regroup before you reenter the “real world.” Sit still. Focus on your breath. Drink lots of water.
When I did a version of this exercise, I was amazed at how real loss and grief felt as I crossed items off my list. (There is nothing quite like imagining your kid’s life without you to bring on The Sobs.) I don’t want to overstate the impact of imagining loss versus actually experiencing it, nor minimize our individual, multi-faceted responses to real grief, but research has shown that stressful life events can change us, and that includes clarifying our values and priorities. Maybe you, like me, tapped into some of that clarity during this exercise.
A few days after I tried this exercise, I rewrote my Top 20 list on a notecard. I keep that notecard by my laptop and look at it often. It has been an unexpectedly powerful reminder of what and who I love, of who I am and want to be. Each day I think about how to fit in as much as I can from this list, even if I only have a few free minutes to myself. It has become the framework that informs my daily to-dos and balance of urgent/important tasks.
Practice deep, active listening
A good deal of EOL doula work is listening work. The deep, active listening doulas are trained for involves holding back our own stories, comments, and feelings. Doulas don’t tell a dying person what to do. They don’t try to fix the situation. They ask open-ended questions and understand that how people move through the dying process is up to them. This kind of listening requires empathy and restraint. It insists on being free from distractions, external (cellphone notifications, I’m looking at you) and internal (like that voice inside your head that wants to judge or give advice).
As the person at a party who makes approximately 30 seconds of obligatory small talk before diving into deeply personal conversations with strangers, I assumed I was custom-built for this part of being a doula. But it can be difficult to stick to open-ended questions, to sit comfortably in silence, or to resist giving well-meaning but unsolicited advice.
So, I’ve been practicing. A lot. This kind of listening has altered what I can only think to call the texture of my time. It has made me more present, empathetic, and curious in conversations and relationships.
The next time you’re having a conversation with someone who is sharing important information or struggling in some way, you might try it. Ask open-ended questions. “How are you feeling about X?” “Do you want to talk more about Y?” Give their answers space and silence to settle.
Reflect back what you think you’ve heard. Be open to being wrong about what you think you’ve heard. Be supportive, but don’t try to fix the situation with advice or talk them out of what they are feeling. Avoid platitudes like “give it time” or “it wasn’t meant to be.” Even “I know how you feel,” well-intentioned though it is, often misses the mark because we mostly don’t know exactly how someone else feels or entirely understand their specific situation.
Of course, not all our conversations require this therapist-like level of restraint, but challenge yourself to consider that plenty of them could benefit from a touch more deep listening.
Legacy projects in the here and now
Doulas often help with legacy projects: autobiographies, letters to loved ones, art projects, and more. These projects memorialize a person’s passions and creativity, values and contributions, and — spoiler alert! — you don’t have to wait until you or someone you love is dying to work on one.
Say you’re an amateur musician. You might already know who you want to leave your beloved instruments to. However, another kind of legacy could be recording a few minutes of playing each week and saving that audio in a digital folder to be passed on down the road.
To start thinking about a legacy project ask yourself questions like what life lessons have I learned so far? What brings me joy? How do I want to be remembered? What do I love to do outside of my paid work? Consider what form best fits your legacy project and spend a little time each week or month on it.
Researchers have found that “mortality legacy awareness” can be a “highly creative force,” and that “focusing on what you would like to leave behind could help you turn something terrifying into a positive motivational tool.”
I’m encouraged by recent shifts in our societal approaches to dying, like the death positive movement, empowering trends in end-of-life care, opportunities for exploration and discussion, a transition away from hospitals and back to dying at home when possible, and the increasing number of end-of-life doulas as a community resource. Still, proactively thinking about our own death isn’t always (ever?) easy. We live in a country that tends to overmedicalize death. We are currently facing unfathomable individual and collective grief over deaths from Covid-19, ever-increasing gun violence, a lack of accessible health care, and a horrifying real-time erosion of human rights. All this in a culture desperately in need of more space for individuals to rest and to mourn.
It’s easier in the short term to distance ourselves from thinking about death. But engaging with our mortality when we have the bandwidth to do so can offer clarity that in the long term infuses our lives with more joy and meaning. You’ll be living life knowing what you want to have accomplished at the end of it. And that, I swear, is the ultimate productivity hack.
Thanks to INELDA for their fantastic end-of-life doula training. The 20 favorites exercise is my abbreviated version of the loss exercise found here.
Rachel Friedman is the author of And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood and The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost. Find her on Twitter @RachelFriedman. | 2022-08-08T15:22:15Z | www.vox.com | How to come to terms with your own mortality - Vox | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23280546/end-of-life-doula-making-time-death | https://www.vox.com/even-better/23280546/end-of-life-doula-making-time-death |
Everything you need to know for the upcoming election
WAURIKA, Okla. (KSWO) - A proposition up for vote in the upcoming Special Elections in Waurika looks to extend franchise rights to Oklahoma Natural Gas Division, a division of One Gas, Inc.
The franchise would allow One Gas, Inc., and its subsidiaries, the rights to distribute natural gas within the city of Waurika over the next 25 years.
For more information about Oklahoma Natural Gas, a division of One Gas, Inc., click here.
For more information on the Waurika proposition, call the Jefferson County Election Board at (580) 228-3150. | 2022-08-16T20:45:20Z | www.kswo.com | Waurika Proposition to extend franchise rights to Oklahoma Natural Gas Division | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/waurika-proposition-extend-franchise-rights-oklahoma-natural-gas-division/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/waurika-proposition-extend-franchise-rights-oklahoma-natural-gas-division/ |
Stephens County, Okla. (KSWO) - Election day is August 23rd, and voters in Stephens County are considering a 14-million dollar bond proposal on the ballot.
If passed, the money would be used to construct a new elementary school in the Central High School District.
Kevin Dyes the superintendent of Central High said the school board voted to have a facilities committee come up with a long-term plan for the district. The committee decided the first thing that needs to be done is to build a new Elementary school.
Superintendent Kevin Dyes said the district wants to provide the students with more classroom space, and special activities, and to have all elementary students in one building for safety reasons.
“We currently have a tornado shelter, but in terms of getting all the elementary students to it takes a little while. Were it will be built in basically where they’ll be able to get in the tornado shelter quickly,” Dyes said.
Dyes said voters have supported bond proposals in the past. The most recent helped build a new gym. He said the board and the community want to continue to upgrade facilities.
“I think the board and the community wanted to see facilities continue to grow and improve for the district. And we are experiencing some growth, some growth in tax space, and growth in student enrollment,” Dyes said.
Dyes said the board and facilities committee put in a lot of time and work to develop this plan for the district, and he hopes for everything to come to fruition.
“That was one thing that was important to me, is to have them develop that long-range vision that long-range plan for the school district for the community. To say this is what we can be, this is where we’re like to be one day, so I think that’s important.,” Dyes said. | 2022-08-17T00:01:38Z | www.kswo.com | Central High Public Schools bond proposal to build a new Elementary school | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/central-high-public-schools-bond-proposal-build-new-elementary-school/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/central-high-public-schools-bond-proposal-build-new-elementary-school/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - School is back in session for many kids across Texoma, and what better way to celebrate than a local concert?
7News spoke with Gavin Taylor, a Lawton native, about his upcoming back-to-school concert, titled ‘Nurse, I’m Calling!,’ happening at 7 p.m. at the Cameron University Theatre on Friday, August 19th, why he decided to put the concert together, and how he fell in love with music.
The concert is a family-friendly rock event that Taylor constructed during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will feature his band “Gavin Taylor’s Muffled Sirens” and “The Peace Monsters,” both from the Lawton-Fort Sill area.
Gavin will also perform a song featuring five children from the Lawton Community Theatre.
Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased at the door or online at Gavin Taylor’s Muffled Sirens Facebook page. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m. | 2022-08-17T00:01:44Z | www.kswo.com | Interview: Gavin Taylor Discusses Upcoming Concert ‘Nurse, I’m Calling!’ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/interview-gavin-taylor-discusses-upcoming-concert-nurse-im-calling/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/interview-gavin-taylor-discusses-upcoming-concert-nurse-im-calling/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The Kiowa tribe housing authority will soon start constructing new homes thanks to a 5 million dollar grant they received.
This is a big deal for the Kiowa housing authority because they have not been able to build new homes for their tribal members in over 20 years.
The Kiowa Housing Authority said there is a great need for new homes.
“Increasing the number of housing units available for the Kiowa tribes low income tribal families and will help address the housing shortage and over crowding in the service area of Anadarko,” said Liberty.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that Anadarko was short 1,200 homes for their tribal population size.
The tribe said this is only the beginning of the home building project
“The plan is to have an additional 37 units constructed through other funding sources that we’ll apply for through the next five years,” she said.
Liberty said 99 applications were submitted from across the nation but only 25 tribes received funding.
She said making this possible took a group effort.
“These guys have become like family to me, and so being able to be a part of this team and watch the project grow and develop into fruition while working with the board of commissioners as well, they have been amazing supporters of the project and so I’m excited to continue on and help with all the future planning,” said Liberty.
The executive director of the Kiowa housing authority, Billy Komacheet, said they’ve done a lot of work to improve their efforts over the past 3 years.
“We are just here to do the best that we can for our tribal members and do the things that has not been done in a long time so we are very proud of the situation that we are in now and we look forward to new construction in the future,” said Komacheet. | 2022-08-17T00:01:50Z | www.kswo.com | Kiowa Housing Authority receives grant | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/kiowa-housing-authority-receives-grant/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/16/kiowa-housing-authority-receives-grant/ |
We reached out to the FBI field office in Oklahoma City for information about the search.(KSWO)
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Agents from the FBI conducted a search at a northwest Lawton home on Wednesday morning.
7News received a message from a viewer about the ongoing scene around 8 a.m.
When we arrived at the home near the intersection of NW 40th and Dearborn, agents were seen outside the house. Later they entered the home and appeared to be conducting a search.
We reached out to the FBI field office in Oklahoma City for information about the search.
In an email statement, Kayla McCleery said the FBI was conducting “court-authorized law enforcement activity at a residence in Lawton.”
Due to it being an ongoing investigation she declined to release any other information about the situation but said there was “no reason to be concerned for public safety.”
A search of federal court records has not yet led to any more information about the search.
We will continue to investigate and will bring you updates as they are released. | 2022-08-17T16:40:23Z | www.kswo.com | FBI searches NW Lawton home | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/fbi-searches-nw-lawton-home/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/fbi-searches-nw-lawton-home/ |
Early voting starts on August 18 and the election is next week.(WILX)
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Okla. (KSWO) - On August 23, those in Jefferson County will vote on whether or not to continue with a 1-percent sales tax.
Right now, Jefferson County has a 1-percent sales tax in place that is being used for the Jefferson County Healthcare Authority, but it’s about to end.
The proposition states that once the existing 1-percent sales tax expires or the healthcare authority’s debt is paid off, a new one will take it’s place to cover general operation of the county government.
Early voting starts on August 18 and the election is next week. | 2022-08-17T21:07:53Z | www.kswo.com | Jefferson Co. voters to decide on sales tax continuance | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/jefferson-co-voters-decide-sales-tax-continuance/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/jefferson-co-voters-decide-sales-tax-continuance/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) -A Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences student has brought home the first place prize in the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation’s state competition for the third year in a row.
Piper Martin is 13 years old and already a sophomore in high school.
Her toothpick bridge holds the max weight and is the winning bridge in this year’s competition.
The Oklahoma Engineering Fair contest is statewide and is hosted at the Oklahoma Science Museum every February each year. Within a few weeks of submission, schools are notified about a winning candidate who is able to receive a plaque and a cash prize.
“So it usually takes about three to four months. I start in September and the competition is in mid-February and halfway through sometimes it’s kind of hard to finish it but I know I really want to complete it and the end goal is definitely worth it,” Piper said.
The school has been participating in the bridge-building contest for years, but Piper Martin was the first student to win first place with her bridge holding the max weight.
Interview: Gavin Taylor talks about his Back to School Concert at Cameron University
Interview: Comanche Nation's Dr. Kathryn Briner talks 'Prey' | 2022-08-18T00:56:59Z | www.kswo.com | Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences student wins first place prize third year in a row. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/lawton-academy-arts-sciences-student-wins-first-place-prize-third-year-row/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/17/lawton-academy-arts-sciences-student-wins-first-place-prize-third-year-row/ |
The position’s long been held by Councilman Jay Burk.
“A lot of the streets need improvements, a lot of the streets need to be continued, so we have a lot of problems on the eastside with our infrastructure, and that was one of my main concerns as well as how we spend money and what our priorities are,” Gill said.
“Transparency after the fact isn’t really transparency,” Gill said. “If you’ve already voted on it and it’s already been appropriated, then it’s a little bit late to have a discussion with the people to see what they think about it.”
Eric Sharum moved to Lawton in 1987 fresh out of school and never looked back.
“I don’t have an agenda,” Sharum said. “I don’t have an axe to grind. I don’t have anything, but to make a difference and to be the voice of those that not only I represent, your constituents, but the city as a whole because I’m a Lawtonian and I look at it as a whole, not just I live in a particular area of town.”
You can vote early Thursday and the Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Comanche County Courthouse.
The election is Aug. 23. If necessary, a runoff will be held Nov. 8. | 2022-08-18T09:41:53Z | www.kswo.com | Meet Lawton City Council candidates for Ward 4 | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/meet-lawton-city-council-candidates-ward-4/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/meet-lawton-city-council-candidates-ward-4/ |
Three candidates are running to become Lawton City Council’s newest member, representing Ward 4.
The position’s long been held by Councilman Jay Burk, who’s now terming out.
“A lot of the streets need improvements, a lot of the streets need to be continued, so we have a lot of problems on the eastside with our infrastructure, and that was one of my main concerns as well as how we spend money and what our priorities are,” said Gill.
“Transparency after the fact isn’t really transparency. If you’ve already voted on it and it’s already been appropriated, then it’s a little bit late to have a discussion with the people to see what they think about it,” said Gill.
Eric Sharum moved to Lawton in 1987 fresh out of school, and never looked back.
“I don’t have an agenda. I don’t have an axe to grind. I don’t have anything, but to make a difference and to be the voice of those that not only I represent, your constituents, but the city as a whole because I’m a Lawtonian and I look at it as a whole, not just I live in a particular area of town,” said Sharum.
Early voting is August 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or on August 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Comanche County Courthouse.
If necessary, a runoff will be held November 8. | 2022-08-18T17:45:10Z | www.kswo.com | City Council Ward 4 candidates | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/city-council-ward-4-candidates/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/city-council-ward-4-candidates/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Obesity has been on the rise for decades. A local pediatrician at the Lawton Community Health Center said it’s gone up even more during the pandemic.
According to Shape Your Future OK, Oklahoma has the 4th worst obesity rate in the nation. They report that 1/3 of kids between the ages of 10 to 17 are overweight or obese.
Doctor Anne Fernando, a pediatrician at Lawton Community Health Center, is concerned about what her patients are eating and weighing.
“Of the children I see, almost 50% of the BMI, which is the clinical criteria we use to detect obesity, is increased,” said Dr. Fernando.
She gives parents dietary and nutritional advice.
“I monitor them closely,” she said. “Once every three months, I do screening lab work which is indicated for obesity. I also like to point out to parents that the sooner you take care of the problem, the younger they are, the easier it is.”
Dr. Fernando said parents should think about diseases that may come from obesity.
“So, number one, heart disease,” she said. “That is the prevention. I mean, it’s a major killer all around the world.”
She said it can also lead to an increased risk of hypertension, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Dr. Fernando said kids need to be getting protein, carbohydrates, and fruits and veggies.
“Because I go into dietary history in detail in my well-child checks, and I find that most children are lacking in the amount of vegetables that they eat,” Dr. Fernando said. “This could be many reasons. I mean, parents are busy working, they have no time to be shopping for healthy foods, so the child is given pretty much whatever is there, and they tend to miss on their vegetables.”
She said introducing vegetables when kids are young is crucial because you can’t force them to eat it when they’re older.
“Diet is the most important,” she said. “Physical activity is also important. So, we have to balance the two, but I want to stress the fact that diet is the most important.”
Teenagers and kids need one hour of physical activity every day.
“It’s also been noted in the recent years, with video games, TV watching, all these electronics, the children are getting less physical activity,” Dr. Fernando said.
Dr. Fernando said it’s easier to make changes if the whole family understands the problem and gets on board.
“It’s a lifestyle change,” she said. “It’s not something that we do quickly. It’s something we are going to change for the rest of our lives. So, the whole family can get involved so that ways it’s easier for parents to do parenting.”
She said kids need to be going to their yearly well-child checks to make sure doctors can make sure they’re growing and discuss what they’re eating. | 2022-08-18T17:45:30Z | www.kswo.com | Medwatch: The importance of preventing childhood obesity | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/medwatch-importance-preventing-childhood-obesity/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/medwatch-importance-preventing-childhood-obesity/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - This trading post will be built from scratch. It will be made with the same or very similar materials and tools as the original trading post in the 1800s.
The previous replica of the trading post was built in the 1980s and the Museum’s staff said it needed a lot of maintenance, so the best thing to do was to build another one.
The Museum personally sought out William Bailey who is the historical contractor for this project.
“I do these tasks, with the materials, and the tools the closest I can of the time period. I will do it the very best that I can do it. And I consider that to be a peasant-grade job. And that in a historical setting like this turns out really well,” Bailey said.
Bailey said he is a historian before he is a builder.
“So all of my thinking and direction is history first. A lot of projects I’ve done required excessive research. About the original builders and regional aspects of building,” Bailey said.
Hollin Coffee was the young entrepreneur who built the first trading post in southwest Oklahoma in the 1800s. He traveled more than 230 miles from Fort Smith to trade here.
“He gets the idea that he can come out here and set up a trading post and make some money of course. And also go on this new adventure. So Mr. Coffee and we think about a dozen men come out to southwest Oklahoma after the dragoons get back to fort Gibson. And they end up building a trading post in what’s not Tillman county,” Ian Swart historian interpreter at the Museum of Great Plains said.
The type of items that were in the trading post included: tin cookware, trading blankets, beads, and steel butcher knives.
Those are the type of items that will be displayed in the trading post.
“What’s so cool about this post, is that it shows or were able to show through this post. What life was like here on the southwest Oklahoma frontier almost 200 years ago,” Swart said.
The trading post is expected to be finished in September of next year | 2022-08-18T23:52:11Z | www.kswo.com | Construction is underway for a new trading post at the Great Plains Museum. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/construction-is-underway-new-trading-post-great-plains-museum/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/18/construction-is-underway-new-trading-post-great-plains-museum/ |
DUNCAN, Okla. (KSWO) - The family of 63-year-old Ronnie Pierce is struggling to understand how he went missing.
They say he is known as a man that sticks to his routines, so when he suddenly went missing, his family couldn’t understand why it happened.
“He doesn’t just get up at 3 A.M. and just leave. He’s always been about his grandkids and his niece’s and for him to shut his phone off and not tell nobody where he’s going is not normal,” Pierce’s stepdaughter Brittany Nicole said.
Pierce’s family said he was last seen early Tuesday morning on video camera, but hasn’t been responding to his stepdaughter’s attempts to contact him.
A friend of the family said he was seen leaving the 400 block of West Hickory Ave. at one point.
“He loves his family and he loves his grandkids so for him to not contact or not answer phone calls and shut his phone off is not normal... totally out of the ordinary,” Nicole said.
The family said they believe he may be driving a black 2017 Chevy Cruz and may be accompanied by a small black and brown dog.
They family said they are also communicating with Duncan Search and Rescue, but for now they are just spreading awareness.
“People keep driving by and hoping that his car is at home and we’ve been posting on social media and that’s really it right now,” Nicole said
Finding Pierce is a priority for the family, but Nicole said just knowing that he is okay would be enough for them.
“If anybody knows anything, just let us know. Even if it’s just ‘hey we’ve seen him and he’s okay, he’s alive’ because that’s not him.”
Missing Duncan Man | 2022-08-19T17:47:57Z | www.kswo.com | Family searching for missing Duncan man | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/family-searching-missing-duncan-man/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/family-searching-missing-duncan-man/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Hold on Texoma, because we’re in for a ride this weekend!
Tonight we’re looking at partly cloudy skies with gentle southeasterly winds and lows in the low 70s before things really begin to ramp up.
We can expect a drastic changes rolling through our area, starting tomorrow. Highs expected to get to the mid-to-upper 90s as the day progresses into the afternoon, though that will begin to change as the afternoon moves into the evening. The long-awaited second August cold front arrives on the scene to shake up a stagnant summer’s end. Temps plummet to the high 70′s and low 80s with the front’s passage. Yeah, you read that right. 70s and 80s.
Not only will the front drop temps, it’ll kick up rain. Saturday evening into early Sunday morning showers begin to move into our area with the potential for widespread heavy rain. The western areas and southern areas of Texoma looking to receive several inches over the next several days; 4-7 inches in some areas, and even more in others. This is going to be great for all the drought conditions we’ve been fighting, but it will also mean the potential for serious flash floods, which is why we’ve made Sunday and Monday First Alert Weather Days. Keep those phones handy, and if you see running water on the road: turn around, don’t drown.
Rain chances continue through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, though they’ll dwindle as next week progresses. Temps look to remain below average, hanging around the mid-to-high 80s for daytime highs and mid 60s for overnight lows. | 2022-08-20T00:21:38Z | www.kswo.com | First Alert 7 Forecast- Here it comes! | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/first-alert-7-forecast-here-it-comes/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/first-alert-7-forecast-here-it-comes/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Today is Oklahoma Aviation and Aerospace Day, and the city of Duncan is celebrating.
The Duncan Airport welcomed community members to see and even fly some of the planes. One of the people helping celebrate the holiday was Senator Chris Kidd of District 31.
“6 years ago the very first piece of legislation that I offered was senate bill 47 which created Oklahoma Aerospace and Aviation Day, and that’s what today is, and we’re celebrating that,” Kidd said.
Senator Kidd said this day is important to him because it’s important to Oklahoma.
“Most people don’t realize the Oklahoma story when it comes to aviation and aerospace. It’s fair to say if it wasn’t for Oklahoma we wouldn’t be in space, we wouldn’t be traveling commercial air travel, we wouldn’t know that the stratosphere or the jetstream, and the list goes on and on and on, all those things because of Oklahoma,” he said.
Doug Boggs, whose been flying planes for 54 years, said aviation is a great way to travel.
“The most dangerous thing about traveling is getting to and from the airport,” Boggs said.
Senator Kidds said the aerospace and aviation industry is growing and it is the second largest industry.
“I would bet money that the aerospace industry would surpass oil and gas if we stay on the track that is going,” Kidd said. | 2022-08-20T00:21:51Z | www.kswo.com | Happy Oklahoma Aviation and Aerospace Day | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/happy-oklahoma-aviation-aerospace-day/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/19/happy-oklahoma-aviation-aerospace-day/ |
82-year-old Doris Kennedy of Mangum was killed in a wreck Saturday night near Blair, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.(Source: Associated Press)
JACKSON COUNTY, Okla. (KSWO) - One person is dead after a wreck in Jackson County Saturday night.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, it happened just before 9 p.m. about two miles north of Blair.
82-year-old Doris Kennedy of Mangum was headed northbound on Highway 283. The second vehicle, although traveling southbound, was driving in the northbound lane and collided with Kennedy.
Both drivers were pinned in their cars for 30 minutes before being freed by the Blair and Altus Fire Departments.
Kennedy was pronounced dead at the scene by Jackson County EMS. The other driver went to the hospital in fair condition via Air Evac.
The cause of the collision and condition of both drivers is under investigation. | 2022-08-21T21:41:54Z | www.kswo.com | Woman dies in Jackson Co. wreck Saturday night | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/21/woman-dies-jackson-co-wreck-saturday-night/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/21/woman-dies-jackson-co-wreck-saturday-night/ |
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KSWO) - An Oklahoma County deputy succumbed to his wounds Monday, after a suspect shot him and another officer before leading authorities on a chase along I-35 and I-40.
According to KOCO, the shooting occurred in the 2200 block of Southwest 78th Street, near I-240, and lead to a chase involving a pickup truck towing a boat.
The driver was allegedly holding a firearm out the window before he pulled up to Tinker Air Force Base main gate, where he exited the vehicle, and was taken into custody.
No information has been released on the identity of the suspect, or the condition of the two deputies.
Tinker Air Force Base officials asked residents to continue to avoid the main gate on South Air Depot Boulevard, while their investigation continues. | 2022-08-22T21:58:42Z | www.kswo.com | Two Okla. Co. deputies shot, suspect in custody after chase | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/22/two-okla-co-deputies-shot-suspect-custody-after-chase/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/22/two-okla-co-deputies-shot-suspect-custody-after-chase/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Governor Stitt has signed House Bill 3132, which removes restrictions on rural first response agencies so they can perform emergency medical care until an ambulance can arrive on the scene.
According to Representative Gerrid Kendrix, before House Bill 3132, some first responders were not allowed legally to perform certain life-saving measures if necessary.
Altus-area Representative Kendrix played a crucial role in getting this bill passed and said it’s common sense.
When this bill goes into effect, first responders can enter into an agreement with local EMS agencies, and under their medical direction, they can assist in saving someone’s life.
“In several incidents, they have seen situations that were life-saving measures were necessary, such as providing oxygen. And under the current law, they were not allowed to do that, without operating under the EMS service or the medical director of the EMS service. So we want to make sure that’s available. I mean I know a lot of times the firemen are going to do whatever it takes to save a life regardless. We just don’t want to have a scenario where they’re providing service rescuing a citizen and they have a lawsuit against them because the law says their not allowed to do that,” Kendrix said.
Wayne Cain the director of Jackson County EMS said there is a shortage across the state and the nation for EMS services. He said someone’s life can depend on that local firefighter to be legally able to save someone’s life.
“You know those first few minutes until EMS arrives, are extremely critical. In a life-saving event, if they did not do something that they were qualified to do, we may not need the medics there. It’s sad to say but it’s true,” Cain said.
Jackson County EMS Paramedic Alex Garland said firefighters, first responders, and EMS members are in an industry where seconds matter.
“So it’s incredibly important that we get people there sooner, faster, in a more localized area. With people who know the roads, people who know the general locations, because the maps are not always right,” Garland said.
House bill 3132 will go into effect on November 1, 2022 | 2022-08-22T23:34:06Z | www.kswo.com | House Bill 3132 Rural fire departments | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/22/house-bill-3132-rural-fire-departments/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/22/house-bill-3132-rural-fire-departments/ |
An area internet provider is giving a little bit more to the community with a special donation.
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - An area internet provider is giving a little bit more to the community with a special donation.
On Tuesday, Nextlink, which offers internet to under-served rural areas, donated 500 dollars to Hungry Hearts.
Brian Burrough, an installation area manager with Nextlink, said the donation was part of a campaign to give back to communities across the state by offering financial support to those communities’ charities and local nonprofits.
“Everybody needs to eat. Covid kind of changed the landscape of what we do-- but it also changed the landscapes of what organizations and charities like they do. Being able to give back to those who are literally feeding their communities is something we find very rewarding,” said Burrough.
In addition to the donation, representatives from Nextlink took a tour through the Hungry Hearts facility, getting a first-hand look at how that organization helps and cares for the Lawton-Fort Sill community. | 2022-08-24T00:12:00Z | www.kswo.com | Area internet provider gives special donation to Hungry Hearts | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/23/area-internet-provider-gives-special-donation-hungry-hearts/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/23/area-internet-provider-gives-special-donation-hungry-hearts/ |
By Kevin Haggenmiller and Alex Rosa-Figueroa
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - A group of Lawtonians got a chance to learn what it’s like to do more with less with a special immersive experience, meant to simulate life while in poverty.
The Simulation was put on by the Comanche County Health Department and the Boys and Girls Club.
Participants learned the difficulties of navigating a low-income life, from budgeting to figuring out transportation.
Debra Johnson, a district health planning manager from Comanche County Health Department said events like these can be vital for people who want to make a difference.
“We often take for granted the situations that we have either come out of, once we’re in a different or maybe better place than we were, and some of us still experience those daily and do understand. So, it’s always important to have the knowledge, to be an advocate, and to really seek out conversations that are going to make a difference with that knowledge,” said Johnson.
The organizers hope to host more simulations, just like the one held today, and they hope to have more elected officials to join in for a unique perspective. | 2022-08-24T00:59:42Z | www.kswo.com | Comanche County Health Department hosts poverty simulation | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/comanche-county-health-department-hosts-poverty-simulation/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/comanche-county-health-department-hosts-poverty-simulation/ |
If you are an early-career teacher looking for a new position, then the Oklahoma State Department of Education may have a great opportunity for you!(KSWO)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KSWO) - If you are an early-career teacher looking for a new position, then the Oklahoma State Department of Education may have a great opportunity for you!
The OSDE has announced multiple opportunities for new teachers to create a sustainable career in Oklahoma classroom.
The department is now accepting application for its First Class Teacher Induction Program.
The program is open to teachers and instructional coaches, and will be accepting applications through Sept. 16.
Officials with OSDE said the program provides “comprehensive support to guide early-career teachers in classroom management and instructional practices that engage students and improve their academic performance.”
They are accepting up to 300 first-year teachers, 200 second or third-year teachers and 60 virtual instructional coaches.
All virtual instructional coaches must have taught for minimum of three years.
The program offers two separate support paths.
The first pairs first-year teachers with a mentor teacher on their home campus, which is assigned by the school district.
The second pairs second and third-year teachers with a virtual instructional coach.
The program begins in late September and will include mentoring and coaching through the end of the school year.
Teachers and site mentors assigned to the program by their school district will earn an extra $500 stipend for each completed semester.
Instructional coaches with the programs will receive a $1,125 stipend per teacher coaches and can work with up to three teacher throughout the school year.
The OSDE plans to invest $2.4 million in pandemic relief funding to the program through the summer of 2024.
Applications for the First Class program can be found here.
For more information about the The First Class initiative, click here. | 2022-08-24T20:07:32Z | www.kswo.com | OSDE now taking applications for First Class initiative for new teachers | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/osde-now-taking-applications-first-class-initiative-new-teachers/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/osde-now-taking-applications-first-class-initiative-new-teachers/ |
FORT SILL, Okla. (KSWO) - 7News spoke with Virginia Aid, the Community Relations Liaison for Fort Sill, about their rescheduled Alien 8k Race, Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, and other upcoming festivities on post.
Their Volunteer Recognition Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, and will be held at the Patriot Club. Brigades, units, and directors around the post were able to submit nominations for individuals who deserve to be recognized. Those chosen will be presented with awards from the Garrison Commander of the event. It is free to attend and open to the public.
Fort Sill’s Alien 8k Race was supposed to happen last Saturday but had to be canceled due to the rain. So, it has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. this Saturday, August 27, at LETRA. For the required $25 registration fee, participants will receive a medal, t-shirt, and bib.
Tee time for their CG Golf Scramble begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 26, and will feature 40 teams in total. Right now, they still have four available spots for the event. To register, you can call the Pro Shop at (580) 442-5441.
After the scramble, residents can unwind with the Patriot Club’s “Wine Down Yoga” event beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 26. Participants will have the option of enjoying a nice glass of wine or a beer with their yoga.
New to Fort Sill? Well, you’re in luck! Happening at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 26, is their Newcomer’s Spouse Orientation, where they show new residents in the area around the post. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn about the services and resources provided by Fort Sill. | 2022-08-24T23:10:41Z | www.kswo.com | Wednesdays with Fort Sill: Festivities on Post | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/wednesdays-with-fort-sill-festivities-post/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/24/wednesdays-with-fort-sill-festivities-post/ |
ALTUS, Okla. (KSWO) - Residents in Altus now have another option for internet service, after Bluepeak announced partial completion of their expansion of high-speed fiber network to more than 9,000 homes and business.
The company is now accepting new customers n the area west of the reservoir and north of Tamarack Road.
As further construction of the $9 million expansion continues east, services will continue to spread to those areas.
Residents interested in confirming service availability at their address, or needing more information on rates and services, click here. | 2022-08-25T20:29:15Z | www.kswo.com | Bluepeak announces partial completion of Altus fiber internet expansion | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/bluepeak-announces-partial-completion-altus-fiber-internet-expansion/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/bluepeak-announces-partial-completion-altus-fiber-internet-expansion/ |
An Oklahoma death row inmate was executed on Thursday.
MCALESTER, Okla. (KSWO) - An Oklahoma death row inmate was executed on Thursday.
James Allen Coddington was convicted of first degree murder in 1997 for the murder of Albert Hale, and has been awaiting his sentencing in prison since then.
After being rejected clemency this week by Governor Kevin Stitt, Coddington was executed at 10 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
Attorney General John O’Connor released a statement afterwards saying the execution was carried out with zero complications, and that justice for the Hale family has been served. | 2022-08-25T21:59:16Z | www.kswo.com | Death row inmate, James Coddington, executed Thursday | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/death-row-inmate-james-coddington-executed-thursday/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/death-row-inmate-james-coddington-executed-thursday/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) -John Wheeler spent all 2019 preparing for the Hotter’n Hell Hundred Ride. Just weeks before the big day he was hit by a semi and flown to the hospital. Now, he is back and more motivated than ever before.
John Wheeler was riding down highway 62 on the morning of August 19 of 2019 when he was struck.
He was flown to OU medical and had to go through surgery for his injuries.
Now after years of recovery and training Wheeler is prepared to accomplish this goal.
“I trained all year in 2019 and that opportunity to do that 100 miles with a group, I trained with about 20 or 30 people, that opportunity was taken from me but this year I’m going to go get it,” said Wheeler.
Wheeler now has permanent nerve damage in his left arm.
Due to his injuries, he is unable to straighten his arm all the way, but he said he doesn’t let this stop him.
“I have this motto that I talk to with the students and the young people that I come across in life, never quit, I have a plaque at home that says don’t give up now,” he said.
Wheeler was unable to ride for about 8 months after the accident. During that time he lived with his sister, Barbara Altic who says this was hard on everyone in the family.
“It wasn’t just the physical part but just the mental part too, it took a big toll on him and us as a family trying to get him through it,” said Altic.
It took time for Wheeler to get to this level again. She said Wheeler started off slowly by riding around the neighborhood until he was ready for bigger rides.
“I’m just really proud of him for pushing through and watching him go through all of the rehab, it was very life changing.” she said.
“I plan on coming across that finish line about 7 hours after the ride starts so about 2 in the afternoon I should be finished with my 100 miles,” said Wheeler.
It will be the longest ride Wheeler has been on since the wreck. To this day, his longest ride has been 72 miles. Wheeler said that at the end of the ride he will go home with a medal and personal satisfaction. | 2022-08-26T00:55:35Z | www.kswo.com | Hit cyclist returns to complete bike ride | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/hit-cyclist-returns-complete-bike-ride/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/25/hit-cyclist-returns-complete-bike-ride/ |
Oklahomans will soon get the chance to hunt without a state hunting license.
OKLAHOMA (KSWO) - Oklahomans will soon get the chance to hunt without a state hunting license.
The “Free Hunting Days” is traditionally held the first weekend in September, and this year is no different.
On September 3rd and 4th, all Oklahoma residents can participate in open hunting seasons without a license, however compliance with other hunting rules will still be enforced.
This year’s hunting season includes dove, squirrel, coyote, racoon, beaver, striped skunk, prairie dogs, rail, and gallinule.
More information on the Free Hunting Days and rules can be found by clicking here. | 2022-08-26T00:55:42Z | www.kswo.com | “Free Hunting Days” return, allowing residents to hunt without a license | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/free-hunting-days-return-allowing-residents-hunt-without-license/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/free-hunting-days-return-allowing-residents-hunt-without-license/ |
The “Texoma Gives” annual day of giving is coming up and participating non-profits are already accepting donations.(Texoma Gives)
Southwest Oklahoma (KSWO) - The “Texoma Gives” annual day of giving is coming up and participating non-profits are already accepting donations.
The fundraising group is partnered with organizations throughout the southwest Oklahoma to help them raise money. Now until September 8th anyone can donate on their website or call them at (904) 500-4453 to help out.
“We are just fortunate and happy to be able to provide the platform from all the non-profits out there to make it happen. We do all the back end stuff to make it easy and hopefully make it fun,” Valley View Volunteer Fire Department Chief Lin Newton said.
The Valley View Volunteer fire department is participating for their second year in a row. Last year the department raised more than $13,000 that was used to purchase life saving equipment.
But after a difficult year... the department is in need of funds.
“This year we’ve had some unexpected maintenance on some trucks that has been very expensive that has drained a lot of our account so we need to get our account back up,” Chief Newton said.
The Chief said the department also needs to replace the machines that help firefighters breathe in smoky areas.
“Most of them are very old that we had and some have malfunctioned on us and so we are needing to replace that for the safety of the firefighters. They can’t go inside of a burning residence without the S-C-B-A and I want to make sure that we’ve got some that are not gonna fail.”
Since the department doesn’t generate a profit, the they can’t take out loans to pay their expenses so donations from fundraisers like Texoma Gives are one of the only ways they can afford to serve the community. | 2022-08-26T03:55:26Z | www.kswo.com | “Texoma Gives” Accepting Donations | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/texoma-gives-accepting-donations/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/texoma-gives-accepting-donations/ |
Good morning! Well like I had mentioned yesterday, today is going to be very similar to what we experienced on Thursday. Mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low/mid 90s and light winds out of the southeast at 5-10 mph. Given the trend we saw yesterday with the present moisture across Texoma, it will feel muggy as feels-like temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 90s this afternoon. This evening for those going to any high school football games, or just being outdoors on a Friday night, temperatures will be in the low 90s around 7pm, cooling down to the low 80s by 10pm. This evening will also continue to see light winds and mostly clear skies.
Like much of this week, daytime highs for tomorrow will maintain our gradual warming trend, as highs will be in the mid 90s for most of Texoma with feels-like temps in the upper 90s due to still muggy conditions. Winds will be breezier out of the southeast at 10-15 mph. Intervals of sun and clouds as we could see a small chance for rain tomorrow in the late afternoon and evening hours, but will be limited only to northwestern counties. | 2022-08-26T13:11:35Z | www.kswo.com | 7News First Alert Weather: Much warmer temperatures heading through the weekend with return of moisture and rain chances | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/7news-first-alert-weather-much-warmer-temperatures-heading-through-weekend-with-return-moisture-rain-chances/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/7news-first-alert-weather-much-warmer-temperatures-heading-through-weekend-with-return-moisture-rain-chances/ |
Couple of in-person services to become available in Lawton City Hall
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - With the recent passing of Barbara Curry, many people are wondering what the next steps are in the runoff election for City Council Ward 4.
According to the city charter for Lawton, section C-6-5 reads: If one (1) of the two (2) candidates for an office nominated in a primary election dies or withdraws before the general election, the remaining candidate shall be elected to that office; and his name need not appear on the ballot for the general election.
The Comanche County District Attorney has released a statement confirming that the city is abiding by what the city charter states.
The statement means George Gill will be the council member-elect for Ward 4 and there is no reason to put Mr. Gills’ name on the November ballot. | 2022-08-26T20:45:16Z | www.kswo.com | Decision announced in Lawton Ward 4 council race | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/decision-announced-lawton-ward-4-council-race/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/26/decision-announced-lawton-ward-4-council-race/ |
CACHE, Okla. (KSWO) - A brand new Pickleball court is waiting for players in Cache after the City held a grand opening for it Saturday morning.
It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, combining aspects of tennis, table tennis and badminton.
An anonymous donation got the project started. Then Eddie Dabney Junior from the Cache Economic Development Authority led the charge.
He said he’s excited to see how this will benefit the entire community.
“It doesn’t matter your age, your skill set, its a game that’s going to make you smile and have fun,” Dabney said.
Dabney said this helps to promote health and fitness. Plus, it’s a safe environment for kids to play in.
He also said projects like this can help stimulate the economy by bringing in visitors.
The court is located in the city park, off Highway 115 and H Avenue. | 2022-08-28T00:05:49Z | www.kswo.com | Cache opens new Pickleball court | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/27/cache-opens-new-pickleball-court/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/27/cache-opens-new-pickleball-court/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra kicked off their 61st season with the ‘Classic Pops’ concert Saturday evening.
The orchestra performed popular tunes, many from movies, at the McMahon Auditorium.
This is the first of three concerts LPO has scheduled for this season, but Board of Directors President David Jackson said they are hoping this one will get people interested in the orchestra.
”John Williams, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, popular things they may recognize makes it a little more inviting for a wider audience. That’s what we are kind of hoping, to hook them in on this one and get them to come back and hear real classical music,” Jackson said.
Maestro Jon Kalbfleisch led the orchestra. They dedicated it to Bob Zwaan, a former board member that recently passed.
The next performance is planned for February 2023. | 2022-08-28T22:48:59Z | www.kswo.com | LPO kicks off 61st season with Classic Pops concert | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/28/lpo-kicks-off-61st-season-with-classic-pops-concert/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/28/lpo-kicks-off-61st-season-with-classic-pops-concert/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Community members celebrated the life of Barbara Curry on Sunday evening.
“We’re gonna miss her, but we know that her spirit is going to be with us in everything that we do in this community,” event organizer Beto Divino said.
Friends of Curry reflected on her character and significance to the community.
“She lead the way of volunteerism, she lead the way of leadership and with just such compassion and wisdom behind her that is going to carry on through each and everyone of us in this community,” Divino said.
Curry was known for her involvement in the city.
In addition to her campaign for city council... she was an influential member of Lawton - Fort Sill organizations such as Lawton Business Women... Young Professionals of Lawton... and the Chamber of Commerce.
“She was the epitome of just what community means to all of us. Every one of us that is here today has been touched by Barbara, has been impacted by Barbara, influenced, encouraged and loved,” Divino said.
The location of the celebration - Shepler Park - was a special place for Curry. Curry served as the CEO and President of the Women That Vote Arts Corporation. She led the charge to add lights and benches to the park.
“This was something that was really important to Barbara too so I’m really excited and happy that the people who had this concept and this vision to celebrate Barbara’s life were able to do this here,” Women that Vote Arts Corporation vice chair Jennifer Ellis said.
Those that knew Curry say the joy she brought to the community is something they will carry with them.
“The enthusiasm, and the happiness and the everything that she just wanted to bring to everything that she did that was what made her so influential,” Ellis said. | 2022-08-29T04:55:02Z | www.kswo.com | Friends, family gather to remember Barbara Curry | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/friends-family-gather-remember-barbara-curry/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/friends-family-gather-remember-barbara-curry/ |
FORT SILL, Okla. (KSWO) - Fort Sill will host their 44th Annual Retiree Appreciation Days event on Thursday, September 15th, and Friday, September 16th.
7News spoke with Fort Sill Retiree Council members Allen Shell, retired lieutenant colonel, and Jenny Clement, retired command sergeant major, about the upcoming event and what participants can expect.
The Retiree Appreciation Days event is held annually to celebrate the service of all military retirees throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas. They help support over thirty thousand retirees and their families.
From 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 15th, at the Rinehart Fitness Center, the event will kick off with an open house featuring numerous local vendors and service providers. Also in attendance will be a medical team to offer COVID boosters and dental screenings. They will also be helping retirees with updating their ID cards, wills, power of attorneys, and other services.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, September 16th, they will host a retiree luncheon for all retirees, military, civilians, and their families at the Patriot Club. Jack Tilley, a retired sergeant major of the army, will join the luncheon as the guest speaker. Tickets to attend are $15.
A Fort Sill Retirement Ceremony will be held after lunch at 3 p.m. at the Cache Creek Chapel.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the Retiree Appreciation Days, you can contact the Fort Sill Retirement Office at (580) 442-2645 or visit the Welcome Center on post. | 2022-08-29T23:06:51Z | www.kswo.com | Interview: Fort Sill Retiree Council Previews Upcoming Retiree Appreciation Days Event | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/interview-fort-sill-retiree-council-previews-upcoming-retiree-appreciation-days-event/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/interview-fort-sill-retiree-council-previews-upcoming-retiree-appreciation-days-event/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Lawton Police Department has confirmed 62-year-old Jennie Mangold lost her life in the crash, while the other three people involved are still receiving medical treatment.
Officials with the Lawton Police Department said Mangold was alone in her vehicle, while three people were in the other car. They’re still investigating the cause of the car crash.
“When it comes to an investigation of this magnitude, obviously this is a very big catastrophe. What we need right now is the communities patience cooperation in a situation like this. When officers arrived on scene there were upwards of 50 people there with only 4 or 5 coming forward with a statement,” Grubbs said.
They’re asking for people who were there or know facts about the crash to give official statements.
“My job as public information officer is to scour the Facebook, Twitter, social Media like that. I have seen several wrong accounts of what happened that night, several people have the stories wrong. So what we really need is those that know things for facts to come forward and give that information to the Lawton Police Department,” he said.
Since the intersection isn’t as busy as many others, he said they don’t have any cameras covering that section.
“We are trying to expand our reach to see which direction they were coming from and checking cameras at the other intersections but it’s going to be a needle in a haystack until we get more witnesses,” he said.
“I will say if you come forward and tells us the story we already know all you are doing is confirming a story. So, one amount of information is going to be useless in a situation like this. If you were there if you have the information please come forward because it will aid us in finding out the truth of the indecent,” he said.
One of the three people in the other vehicle is in the ICU at OU medical.
Also, the officer involved in a car crash on the way to this scene is okay and at home recovering and so is the other person involved. | 2022-08-29T23:30:57Z | www.kswo.com | LPD is asking for witnesses to come forward on recent car crash | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/lpd-is-asking-witnesses-come-forward-recent-car-crash/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/lpd-is-asking-witnesses-come-forward-recent-car-crash/ |
Limited coverage of rain later this week
For tonight, a nearly stationary frontal boundary will allow isolated-to-widely scattered showers and storms to be possible. A brief strong-to-severe storm can’t be ruled out before midnight. The main threats include damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph, hail up to the size of quarters and localized flooding. Overnight lows will fall into the upper 60s and low 70s.
On Tuesday, expect only a few peaks of sunshine with highs topping out in the low-to-mid 90s. There will be widely scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon and lasting into the early evening hours. Winds will be out of the northeast at 5-15 mph.
Hit and miss showers and thunderstorms are possible later this week with the primary target area being for areas mainly south of the Red River as the boundary moves south and east. Highs will be near seasonal with temperatures topping out in the low 90s to end the workweek and into the upcoming weekend. | 2022-08-30T00:13:05Z | www.kswo.com | 7News First Alert Weather: Showers and storms remain a possibility over the next few days | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/7news-first-alert-weather-showers-storms-remain-possibility-over-next-few-days/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/7news-first-alert-weather-showers-storms-remain-possibility-over-next-few-days/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The goal is to meet a need in the community while also providing high quality training for their students.
“It’s kind of a win win the students get a good learning experience and our community members get to get a really unique and high quality mental health service,” said James.
Director of the clinic, Paul James said the psychology clinic opened their doors back in 2016.
Each year, it starts in August and runs through the end of the school year in May.
He hopes more people seek help because it can really make a difference in a person life.
“We just want people to know that asking for help is okay, that help can make a big difference, and certainly the research supports that counseling can really transform people’s lives,” he said.
The clinic is ran by Cameron University graduates pursuing a masters degree in psychology.
The students work under the direct supervision of a licensed therapist.
Caley Filipek is working towards getting her Masters in behavior science, and she said you can only learn so much from a textbook .
“it’s really when you have the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice and see how it plays out in real life,” said Filipek.
Filpek said she looks forward to getting this hands on experience that will be valuable to her career. Her mother graduated from Cameron University with a Masters Degree in Psychology, and she said this experience helps her understand how much of an impact her mother has, by doing it herself.
“I want to be that person that I had whenever I needed it, I know that my mom was when people needed it, I want to be that person for somebody.” she said.
This clinic is located on the east side of the Cameron campus at 258 SW 27th st.
Clients have the option of meeting in -person or virtually via zoom. If you’d like more information, you can contact the clinic by calling (580) 580-3153. | 2022-08-30T00:13:11Z | www.kswo.com | Cameron Psychology clinic now open | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/cameron-psychology-clinic-now-open/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/29/cameron-psychology-clinic-now-open/ |
Lawton residents are invited to attend the upcoming Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's® on Saturday, September 24 at Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton.(KSWO)
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Residents are invited to attend the upcoming Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® on Saturday, September 24 at Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton.
The event begins with a celebration starting at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Promise Garden ceremony and walk at 10 a.m.
According to officials with the Alzheimer’s Association, the walk is held every year in over 600 communities nationwide, and is touted as being the largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
Participants are invited to honor those affected by Alzheimer’s by participating in the Promise Garden ceremony, which officials said is “a mission-focused experience that signifies our solidarity in the fight against the disease.”
The colors of the Promise Garden flowers help to represent the participants’ connections to the disease and their reasons for walking to end Alzheimer’s.
Sandi Pellow, chapter executive director for the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter said they are especially excited about this year’s event.
“We are thrilled to be back in Lawton this year at Elmer Thomas Park,” said Sandi Pellow, chapter executive director for the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter. “Our committee and staff are working hard to create an experience that is meaningful and inspiring for all our teams and participants.”
Officials said there are currently more than 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, which is a leading cause of death in the U.S. | 2022-08-30T18:59:06Z | www.kswo.com | Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s returns to Elmer Thomas Park | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/alzheimers-association-walk-end-alzheimers-returns-elmer-thomas-park/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/alzheimers-association-walk-end-alzheimers-returns-elmer-thomas-park/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Gabriel’s House is an after-school program located in Duncan, created nearly 25 years ago to provide a safe and nurturing environment for at-risk youth.
7News spoke with the founder of Gabriel’s House, Bonnie Tally, about how it came to be, its impact on the community, and what to expect from their upcoming fundraiser.
At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 8th, at the New Hope Baptist Church located at 380 SW 42nd St in Duncan, OK, Gabriel’s House will host a Christian concert to help raise funds for a more permanent location.
Tickets for the concert will be available at the door and will cost twenty dollars.
For more information about Gabriel’s House and the fundraiser, you can visit their website here. | 2022-08-30T22:24:51Z | www.kswo.com | Interview: Gabriel’s House Founder Previews Upcoming Fundraiser | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/interview-gabriels-house-founder-previews-upcoming-fundraiser/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/interview-gabriels-house-founder-previews-upcoming-fundraiser/ |
Being a first responder can be rewarding, but it also comes with some challenges.
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Deadly car wrecks, like the one that happened this past weekend, are traumatic for everyone family, friends, and even first responders. Here in Lawton, first responders can find help managing their mental health from an Oklahoma-based non-profit.
Often times first responders are running on adrenaline when arriving at a traumatic scene. They’re focused on remembering their training to possibly save a life. First responders don’t know what they’re going to see when they get to a scene or what’s going to stay with them.
“We try not to take our job home with us, but it does not always work like that. It’s really hard to separate yourself from a situation like that, especially when you work in a situation like that. So that’s what this team is about, is we want to teach people. You don’t have to take this with you, you can go home and you can process this out and you can have people that are there to help you through it and healthy coping mechanisms,” paramedic and assistant director at Kirk’s Ambulance Sandra Sand said.
Eddie Rice is a flight paramedic and founder of the mental health portion of Heartland Medical Direction. He said the trauma that comes with being a first responder caused one of his close friends to commit suicide.
“And I made it out of my situation and he, unfortunately, took his life. So it just lit a fire under me to give people an opportunity to have peers even if they think its all on their own, there always going to be somebody there for them,” Rice said.
Dena Williams is a licensed Counselor for Heartland Medical Direction. She said first responders are more likely to commit suicide than die in the line of duty, due to the trauma they are constantly exposed to. She said flashbacks and nightmares are some of the symptoms they deal with, but there are other ways to know if you are dealing with trauma.
“Incisive thoughts I think are key. If you can’t focus or if you keep having those incisive thoughts about the incident. Poor sleep is a big indicator, also isolation, avoidance, substance abuse any sort of addictive behaviors,” Williams said.
Law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, and dispatchers can all reach out for help via the Heartland Medical Directions peer support team.
Call 405-876-7090 (Option 4).
Veterans can call Veterans Crisis Line: 800-273-8255 (option 1) or text 838255.
Anyone can call, text, or chat 988. | 2022-08-30T23:54:08Z | www.kswo.com | First Responder’s mental health support | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/first-responders-mental-health-support/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/30/first-responders-mental-health-support/ |
Seasonal temperatures to end the workweek
For tonight, mostly cloudy with scattered showers and storms primarily along and south of the Red River. If a storm is able to become organized it could be capable of producing wind gusts up to 60 mph, hail up to the size of quarters and localized flooding. Overnight lows will fall into the upper 60s and low 70s.
On Wednesday, a few peaks of sunshine with highs topping out in the low 90s. However, there will be elevated dew points in the upper 60s and low 70s that will allow feels-like temperatures to get into the mid 90s. Winds will be out of the northeast at 5-15 mph. A slow moving front will be draped just south of the Red River allowing for a higher chance for rain in Northwest Texas. while a stray shower or storm is possible in Southwest Oklahoma.
There will be a shortwave off the Rockies that will interact with old outflow boundaries and a moist air mass to bring the chance for scattered showers and storms starting Thursday morning and continue throughout the day.
The ridge of high pressure staying across the Desert Southwest will favor additional shortwaves keeping rain chances alive on Friday and into the upcoming weekend. Temperatures will cool off into the low 90s which is typical for this time of year. | 2022-08-31T00:49:19Z | www.kswo.com | 7News First Alert Weather: Muggy air mass remains in place with rain chances staying alive through the weekend | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/7news-first-alert-weather-muggy-air-mass-remains-place-with-rain-chances-staying-alive-through-weekend/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/7news-first-alert-weather-muggy-air-mass-remains-place-with-rain-chances-staying-alive-through-weekend/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Lawton’s city council determined the Super 9 Motel was dilapidated a few months back.
The demolition has now been completed and clean up is underway.
“It’s been vacant for so long, it was starting to deteriorate, there was structural issues with the property. There were a lot of vagrants going in and out and out breaking in,” said Bowen.
The city says demolition was carried out by the owners of the property, after the city council determined the old motel was rundown and in disrepair.
The property has been vacant and deteriorating for several years which attracted vagrants.
The new company has decided to build a new hotel in its place that targets military families..
“Something real nice for everyone to see when they first come in to Lawton, so it will be another hotel if all plans work out,” he said.
Bowen said this is only the beginning of their efforts to clean up the city.
“We’re really looking at trying to beautify it, we’re working on a few different projects in that area trying to clean it up, it is the first thing people see as they come into town so we want to make a good impression on people coming in to town,” he said.
Cowen hopes they can start doing more work by the start of the coming year.
“Hoping at the beginning of the year to make a real big push in that area with some small things and some larger things like super 9 but we have some plans that you should start seeing some pretty significant improvement at the beginning of the year,” he said.
Several neighbors in the area who said they are excited for the new changes coming.
super 9 demolition | 2022-08-31T04:10:56Z | www.kswo.com | New plans for former Super 9 Motel | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/new-plans-former-super-9-motel/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/new-plans-former-super-9-motel/ |
FORT SILL, Okla. (KSWO) - If you’re an avid fisher, then Fort Sill has an exciting event for you this weekend!
7News spoke with Virginia Aid, the Community Relations Liaison for Fort Sill, about an upcoming Bass Tournament this weekend and other exciting events happening next week.
Beginning at 6 a.m. this Saturday out at LETRA, Fort Sill will be hosting a Bass Tournament that will be open to the public. Those wishing to participate in the event can register online prior to the event, or they can register in person. The tournament will cost $25 to enter, and the final weigh-in will be at 1 p.m.
From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7th, at the Grierson Child Development Center, Fort Sill will host a Child & Youth Services Hiring Event. They will be holding interviews, fingerprint scanning, and beginning background checks on the spot. To apply, you must bring a resume, preference/priority documentation, and education certifications, such as a high school diploma, GED, or college transcript.
Aid also previewed a Doggie Days of Summer Pool Party event happening at 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 10th, at the Quinette Pool on Fort Sill. Residents are encouraged to bring out their dogs for a fun time and the opportunity to win fun prizes, such as Laziest Sunbather, Best Water Fetch, and Biggest Splash. | 2022-08-31T22:32:44Z | www.kswo.com | Wednesdays with Fort Sill: Bass Tournament | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/wednesdays-with-fort-sill-bass-tournament/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/wednesdays-with-fort-sill-bass-tournament/ |
Interview: Museum of the Great Plains discusses multiple exciting events
7News was joined by Museum Assistant Director Kevin Lawrence, who shared more information on all their upcoming plans.
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The Museum of the Great Plains has started preparations for a number of upcoming special events for the Lawton-Fort Sill community.
Coming up on Sept. 20 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. the museum will host a “Member’s Only” event, followed by a Low Stimulus Event on Sunday, September 25 from 10 a.m. until noon.
The museum is also participating in the upcoming Texoma Gives campaign on Sept. 8, but if residents are interested in helping now, early donations are already being accepted.
To make a donation to The Museum of the Great Plains for Texoma Gives, click here.
For more information on museum events, click here.
Wednesdays with Fort Sill | 2022-08-31T23:41:37Z | www.kswo.com | Interview: Museum of the Great Plains discusses multiple exciting events | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/interview-museum-great-plains-discusses-multiple-exciting-events/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/08/31/interview-museum-great-plains-discusses-multiple-exciting-events/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - September is Sepsis Awareness Month both at the state and national levels. The CDC said sepsis killed over 200,000 people in the United States in 2019.
What starts as an infection can turn into sepsis. The CDC reports that sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. Haylee Peterpaul, the sepsis coordinator at CCMH, said it’s something doctors and nurses see at Comanche County Memorial Hospital frequently.
“It’s actually one of our leading diagnoses that we see,” she said. “We see probably 20 or 30 patients that can suffer from variations of sepsis in a day. It’s very prominent in our community.”
She said it’s the leading cause of death in hospitals.
“So it’s a really big impact on everyone,” she said. “And, it can progress really rapidly. So it can start as something small and quickly get people into a life and death situation.”
Multiple things can cause it, like an infected wound, cough, or pneumonia. Sepsis starts small but can spread into the body.
“And, then it becomes a toxic response and becomes overwhelming, and that’s when people start getting sick quickly,” Peterpaul said.
She said one of the major problems is people put off going to the doctor, thinking they’ll get better, but then get really sick. Knowing the acronym TIME can help you know when to seek medical treatment for possible sepsis.
“Temperature,” Peterpaul said, “they might have fever chills. Infection, so typically, people might have a complaint of a cough or a wound that won’t heal, and then a lot of people start to have a mental decline. So, they’re starting to get really sleepy, they might get confused, and the last one is extreme illness. So, these people aren’t feeling good, and they feel sick, and they’re not getting better.”
Peterpaul said for a long time, people just thought it was a vague infection or an in the blood, but it’s actually more than that.
“We’re really trying to draw awareness to if you have a concern, please be seen,” she said. “It’s so much easier to treat in the early stages versus waiting until you’re actually in a septic shock and trying to heal people that way.”
Peterpaul said they screen patients for sepsis as soon as they come to the hospital, so it can be caught as quickly as possible. | 2022-09-01T18:02:46Z | www.kswo.com | Medwatch: September is Sepsis Awareness Month | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/01/medwatch-september-is-sepsis-awareness-month/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/01/medwatch-september-is-sepsis-awareness-month/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The month of September is a busy one for the Lawton Public Library.
7News spoke with Hannah Hiller, the Community Engagement Associate for the Lawton Public Library, about the many events they have coming up this month.
One exciting concept returning to the library is their Early Reader’s Academy, which comprises age-based classes that promote school readiness skills for the young readers of Lawton. Part of that academy is Big Adventurers and Little Explorers.
From 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on September 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, the library will host Big Adventurers. It focuses on teaching early literacy through fingerplays, rhymes, stories, songs, and music and is designed for children ages 3 through 6.
Little Explorers will take place from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on September 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. The class uses rhymes, bounces, fingerplays, and songs that promote school readiness skills for children three and under.
The library will also host a Children’s Book Swap from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 17th, designed for those 18 and under. Community members are encouraged to bring in new or gently used books and swap them for an equal amount of new-to-you books.
Plus, the Lawton Public Library is accepting jokes for their Joke Writing Contest, happening all month long. You can submit your joke at the main or branch library. The winner of the contest will receive a gift basket from Raising Canes.
For more information, you can visit the Lawton Public Library website here. | 2022-09-01T23:02:52Z | www.kswo.com | Interview: Lawton Public Library Previews September Events | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/01/interview-lawton-public-library-previews-september-events/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/01/interview-lawton-public-library-previews-september-events/ |
Near-average temperatures through the next several days
First Alert Forecast 9/2 AM
Good morning! We start off this Friday morning with mild temperatures, light southerly winds, and humid conditions. Mostly clear skies through most of the morning will eventually transition into partly cloudy skies for some later this afternoon, as the moist tropical airmass continues to remain in place over the Southern Plains. This moisture, along with an upper-level trough across the central plains, will allow for a few isolated showers and storms to pop-up across eastern and southern Texoma counties this afternoon and evening. Most will remain dry, though keep that umbrella on you just in case a shower forms overhead. A strong storm can’t be ruled out, though don’t expect any kind of washout as precipitation will be limited.
Tonight we will continue to keep the chance for rain in the forecast, but will be low in the 10-20% range, with chances decreasing the farther into the night we go. Other than that, expect partly cloudy skies with light winds and lows in the upper 60s and low 70s.
This upcoming weekend will see a similar set-up to the past couple of days: near-average temperatures with variable clouds and isolated chances for rain. Most will not see any significant rain or storms, so don’t go about cancelling any weekend plans, but keep that chance of showers and storms in mind as you head throughout the next couple of days. Based on current models, Saturday will see widely-isolated, but low, rain coverage spread out across Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas, with Sunday having little-to-no rain coverage. Most will remain dry, as precipitation accumulation is less than a third of an inch between now and Labor Day. Temperatures will remain in the low 90s with partly cloudy and mostly sunny skies, so overall a nice and enjoyable weekend even with the chance for rain.
Early next week is a little more finicky when it comes to rain chances, as it all depends on the positioning of an upper-level weather pattern. As of this morning, we look to remain dry for most, if not all, through the first few days of next week. This means that conditions should be mostly sunny and warm for those celebrating Labor Day. By the middle of next week, models begin to deviate on what we can expect in terms of rain, but for now we will keep isolated-to-scattered showers and storms in the forecast as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will continue to funnel into the Southern Plains. Temperatures throughout next week will remain unchanged and near-seasonal in the low 90s and upper 80s. | 2022-09-02T11:43:24Z | www.kswo.com | 7News First Alert Weather: Isolated rain chances persist as we head into Labor Day weekend | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/02/7news-first-alert-weather-isolated-rain-chances-persist-we-head-into-labor-day-weekend/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/02/7news-first-alert-weather-isolated-rain-chances-persist-we-head-into-labor-day-weekend/ |
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - This week alone, there have been two shootings. One person was killed and two others were sent to the hospital.
“The fact that criminals are getting so bold, and things are happening in broad daylight. Early in the morning when people are out pumping gas or getting coffee that’s tough,” a resident who lives in an apartment complex right next door to where two people were shot said.
She said she walks to the store frequently to grab something to eat, a cup of coffee or just to socialize with employees.
“And it is scary knowing that I can go over there and something just happens. You know I see kids walking through the apartment just to go get candy of all kinds of ages and that’s also concerning,” she said.
She said she recently moved back to Lawton to be closer to her parents and the shooting has shattered her sense of security.
“I was looking to move to the west side, but for some reason, something inside me was like no because my safe haven is over here on the east side and it’s been my safe haven for some many years. And to come home and to see so much crime, especially now a lot more on the east side it’s scary and it’s sad and it hurts,” she said.
Pastor Garcia is a former Police officer, who gave up his career to pastor the Church of Lawton. He said Lawton should live by the traits of 1 Corinthians 13 and violence will go down.
Garcia said it’s not the gun, but the person with a gun that causes violence.
“It’s just a tool and it’s who’s hands it’s that weapon in. It could either be used to provide for a family or be used to take somebodies life. Kind of like a brick, a brick can be used to build a home or can be used to bust a window and causes destruction,” said Garcia
Pastor Garcia said violence is the product of hate. He said in today’s society hate is running rampant and the solution is love.
Lawton police have not released any details about yesterday’s shooting other than two people were taken to the hospital.
7News is also waiting on information from Tuesday night’s shooting where a man was killed.
You can count on us to stay on top of these stories and bring you new information as we get it. | 2022-09-02T23:37:48Z | www.kswo.com | Lawton pastor speaks on recent gun violence | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/02/gun-violence-rise-lawton/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/02/gun-violence-rise-lawton/ |
Officials have not released any further details other than this is an on going investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Ft. Sill officials say a soldier was found dead Friday evening on-post quarters.
The soldier’s next of kin must be notified prior to the name being released. | 2022-09-03T17:59:58Z | www.kswo.com | Ft. Sill soldier found dead | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/03/ft-sill-soldier-found-dead/ | https://www.kswo.com/2022/09/03/ft-sill-soldier-found-dead/ |
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