- A Red Cross/Red Crescent convoy carrying humanitarian aid has come under fire in Gaza City; which side in the conflict was responsible is not clear. Also far from clear is who's going to be in control of Gaza once the smoke clears. Antony Blinken says he doesn't think it should be either Israel or Hamas, but I'm sure he'll understand if the Israelis say they have no choice. In the UK, a Labour frontbencher has resigned in protest over the party's staunch support of Israel. In the US, the House of Representatives has voted to censure Rashida Tlaib, and in California someone has died in a scuffle between competing protesters. In this country, a cardiologist and professor at McMaster University is under investigation for calling for pro-Palestinian demonstrators to be deported. Despite all this, some still hold out hope for a two-state solution; not sure how plausible that is though.
- Meanwhile, looking at the bigger picture, climate change and biodiversity decline continues. In the UK, serious declines are being observed in woodland birds, and some predict forest ecosystems could collapse entirely within a few decades. Marine ecosystems are also gravely threatened by many factors, including overfishing. If something isn't done about these things, it has the potential to render such petty issues as Gaza and Ukraine moot; the suffering that would result from widespread starvation around the globe will dwarf that from those wars. Researchers are still trying to figure out how to manage and triage biodiversity, using AI in some cases. Some are working on saving coral by creating artificial reefs; while others are trying to call out disinformation. It's an uphill battle though. Meanwhile the EU seems to be caving to auto industry pressure to nerf their emissions laws. And sometimes controlling one sort of pollution can exacerbate the impact of other sorts.
- The price of olive oil is so high that gangs of thieves in Greece are cutting limbs off olive trees with chainsaws. Sometimes they take the entire tree; even when they don't, the damaged trees can take years to recover. Israeli settlers have been known to do that sort of thing to Palestinian olive farmers too, albeit with different motives.
- The proposal to loosen zoning restrictions in Winnipeg is drawing criticism from some who question whether it will be enough to solve the housing crisis, as well as from NIMBYs who don't want any of those darned poors in their neighbourhoods, thank you very much.
- Winnipeg's notorious Balmoral Hotel has been purchased by a consortium including Pimicikamak Cree Nation, a local psychiatrist, and an entrepreneur; they plan to transform it into a health centre and use the hotel rooms for patients from northern communities coming to the city. Sounds like a big improvement.
- Another strike looms in the US; this time it's American Airlines' flight attendants who are preparing to walk out.
- A federal law in the US that bans anyone convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms is being challenged in the Trump-stacked Supreme Court. Because freedom, man.
- A Republican legislator in New Hampshire has introduced a bill to allow residents of the state to own kangaroos without the need to buy a permit. Because freedom, man.
- A small-town mayor and pastor in Alabama had his secret drag identity outed by a rightwing news site. In response, he atoned in the all-American way, by shooting himself. Naturally, the ethics of outing someone in the media like this are being called into question.
No comments:
Post a Comment