#not to mention the ongoing drought conditions

[ocean-sailor]

Alberta will block renewable energy projects on “prime” agricultural land and limit the placement of wind turbines to preserve “pristine viewscapes”, a decision that increasingly pits the western Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energy – and the companies investing in it.

The decision, announced by the premier, Danielle Smith, and utilities minister, Nathan Neudorf, on Wednesday, follows a controversial six-month ban on new renewable energy projects that is due to expire on 29 February.

Alberta’s moratorium, announced in August, left energy companies uncertain about billions in future investment, even as the region, with its clear skies and an abundance of wind, led the country in new renewable projects.

Nearly a third of Alberta’s grid is now powered by renewables and the province has shifted away from coal at a far faster rate than expected.

But Smith has pushed back against federal rules that aim to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions of provincial power grids.

Last month, amid recording-breaking winter temperatures, Albertans were sent emergency alerts asking them to conserve power as the electrical grid buckled from the cold. Smith and others in the province used the cold snap to express skepticism about the feasibility of renewable energy.

On Wednesday, she framed the decision to put limits on new projects as one designed to grow the industry in a “well-defined and responsible” way.

“Alberta has led the country in renewable energy investment, and we will continue to lead the country,” she told reporters.

Under its new rules, Alberta will ban renewable projects on private lands that it believes have “excellent or good irrigation capability” as well as land that can grow specialty crops.

Landowners can request an exemption if they can show crops or livestock can thrive alongside the project. Developers of projects will be responsible for cleanup costs and must secure a bond with the government.

Smith said that the new rules reflect what she called “errors” in the way liability for oil and gas companies was structured in the past – and has since led to mounting crisis in the province as officials contend with roughly 170,000 “orphaned” oilwell sites.

“You don’t correct a problem by compounding it,” the premier said.

In order to preserve its vast open prairie landscapes and sight lines of the Rocky Mountains, the province will put in buffer zones at least 35 kilometres (22 miles) separating what the government believes is a “pristine viewscape” and wind turbines.

Neudorf admitted there was no “universal definition” of the term, but cited other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, with rules surrounding buffer zones.

Neudorf also said the policy would apply to the “vertical footprint” of all wind turbines – but that other industries that physically alter the landscape, such as coal projects or clearcut logging, would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The government decision was met with skepticism by renewable energy analysts, who warned the vagueness of the new rules amounted to a second “soft moratorium”.

“By introducing three new regulatory frameworks without details, investors and developers are left wondering what this actually means for their projects. Investors required certainty, and the government offered confusion,” Jorden Dye, director of the Business Renewables Centre-Canada, said in a statement.

He called the “unprecedented” 35km buffer zone a “backdoor land ban” that could eliminate the possibility of projects in three-quarters of southern Alberta.

“Overall, today’s announcement extends the climate of uncertainty and leaves us with the task of analyzing how many projects and how much investment Alberta will lose to other provinces,” he said. “Further details are needed to pin down exactly what the fallout will be. Failure to provide those details in a timely manner will also shift investment to other provinces and countries.”

[haru-natsuka]

Last step part 2 (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader)

Genre: Romance

Continuation of Chapter 1 : First step (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader) and Last step part 1 (Leona Kingscholar x Wife Reader)

Someone should keep her company during the day too and you hardly could do that now as you are responsible to take care of your state affair. Even in her weak state, she was calling out for her father and you could only caress the back of her hand to calm her down. You were lost as a single parent on the things you should have done.

You could not even sleep in the same bedroom as you used with Leona so you switch rooms although it barely helps. His death was not accepted by you and instead you push to remember him at all cost. You could not afford to be swayed by your negative emotion now. Not when your people need you.

So why did his images keep on appearing in your new room? It was as if he was alive and well just before he left. He was sleeping like usual in the bed on his side while facing the door. His big body already took the entire space in the super single bed. Was this a dream? Maybe his death was not a reality at all? Which one should you believe now? Leona groggily tried to open his eyes as if he was awakened by your presence.

"You took so long again. You should sleep to keep your health in good shape. Should I cuff you to the bed so you will sleep for the entire day with me?"

Leona's words sounded so familiar that you could barely move from your spot as you left standing with your back on the door. Although you did not reply to his words, he already turned to the other side and talked by himself.

"You think I'm joking. I will never joke around if it involves you, Y/N. I will not unwrap my arms around you till I know you get enough sleep."

This was horrible. This was a nightmare. You were tormenting yourself. Stupid unique magic. Why did you unconsciously use it at this time? You did not need to see images of Leona if he was not there at all. You closed your eyes and inhaled air multiple times to get control of yourself.

When you opened them back, Leona was not there anymore except for the empty bed. Most nights, you could not even sleep or go near your bed due to this incident that replayed all the time.

Your daughter did not even know her father was labelled as betrayer of the kingdom as you forbid anyone from mentioning any of it to her. For you, it was not true anyway as you did not want to believe it. You knew Leona better than anyone else and since you married him, he never tried to take the throne.

He felt bitter as everyone just regards him as the trouble maker prince but he still thinks Farena deserved to be the king. Something or somewhere was wrong. Your husband might be assassinated for all you could know.

Since the drought was still ongoing and your citizens were having a hard time surviving, you tried to supply their necessities by giving out things from the palace that might be helpful for their daily life. Even if you barely eat any food and just ask the servant to give it out to the people instead of you.

How could you even eat properly in this situation? You lost your husband and your daughter seemed still sick too. What was happiness without Leona in your life?

"Report" You commanded Ruggie as you were busy yourself reviewing another pile of documents. A lot of it contained the complaint of your country's condition and some of it was about the netizen asking for help for their dying family.

"A lot of families fell into despair as the number of deaths increased due to starvation and dehydration. Lot of families choose to leave the continent to search for a way to survive but others are still willing to stay to support the Royal Highness."

"It is that bad..." The mention of death managed to stop you from continuing your work. This has been going on for the last four month. If this still continues in the future, everyone could be dead staying in this land. The help from the palace was not enough as it was also in a state of hopelessness. Worst case scenario, you needed to beg for help from the main kingdom. The kingdom where Leona was born.

"How is my daughter? Is she good? I hope your son keeps her company very well." You were very worried about her condition as they were no sight of her being cured.

"She no longer cries a lot like before and she slowly opens up back to my son. Nowadays, they even play in the garden back."

"That's good. Very good. I will reward you plenty."

"I will not reject it, Your Highness" You laugh a little at Ruggie antics which stayed the same from the time you first met him.

"Ruggie, I want you to let your son stay in the palace for a while. No, I will prepare rooms for your families. Please bring them here and keep my daughter company."

"Your Highness, do you think it is wise-" You did not even let Ruggie finish his sentence as you do not want him to question your decision. This was the best path you had been thinking about after all.

"Ruggie, you know better than me that we need of desperate help by now. I cannot bear to be selfish now."

Without informing anyone including your daughter except your attendant, Ruggie, early in the morning while everyone was still fast asleep you set to go to the mainland, Sunset Savana.

"I don't think you should go alone, Your Highness. The danger is everywhere."

"This is my responsibility. We are also in-laws so I believe I will be safe. While I'm not here, you will be in charge, Ruggie. In a week, I will return."

"At least, inform the princess, Your Highness. She will be devastated about your leaving."

"Just tell her I'm busy with work. I will come back. Make sure nothing happens to her during my absence."

With that, you instruct the carriage man to move and you set to leave the home which you and Leona had built. Everything is for a better future. Everything is for the people of your country.

Upon your arrival at Sunset Savana after 3 days of your journey, instead of being thrown with hurtful words due to the rumours of betrayal your husband had done, they welcomed you with open arms, especially Farena's wife. You were very thankful that they were even willing to help to supply some food and water to your country.

"The past is the past. I cannot blame you for the act your husband committed." You could not reply with any words for the queen as you did not want to agree with it. If you agree, it means you are admitting that Leona did betray his blood brother which you deemed untrue. Leona is a kind-hearted person. To kill someone is out of his nature.

"You are so kind, my queen." Therefore, you choose to compliment her with simple words which just made the queen smile politely in return.

It had been a long time since you could fall asleep but that night, you found yourself in the unfamiliar bed. Your body finally gave in to the extreme exhaustion and you found yourself dreaming about your husband.

"Whatever you do, never spend time with the queen." Leona harshly said after he pulled you from the ball to a secluded place. His face looked so angry with his eyebrows furrowed that you could not even focus on your husband's face properly as you hung your head low.

Leona must be scared that your action might damage his bad reputation more. However, you had to make sure with yourself to practice etiquette until you excelled in it for his sake. Why could he not trust you this much?

"Promise you will never disobey my words, Y/N" Now, he just treats you like a servant. Huh, your marriage must be on the paper only.

"Yes, Leona..."

Immediately, you woke up from the dream and your heart could not stop from pounding loudly that caused you to inhale short breath. There were uneasy feelings inside your heart that you cannot interpret. Why do you suddenly dream about your past memory with Leona before both of you reconcile?

These unsettling feelings make you unable to sleep any further so you choose to take a walk during the night. As you were about to close the door, you heard noises coming from the queen's room. Your room was side to side as she mentioned there was no one except the two of you so might as well stay in the room that close by.

"Why choose to help her, Your Highness? They do not deserve our kingdom's benevolence" That voice sounds like the queen secretary.

"Everyone regards us as the better one so we should act according to people's view. You should call Cheka back. Everyone already believes the rumours so he has no need to be afraid anymore."

"I think Prince Cheka still needs more time to accept his wrong action. The former king death take a great tools in him"

"That kid should listen to his mother once. I already covered up his wrongdoings using his uncle as an excuse. He should be grateful!"

"You did the right thing, Your Highness. Everyone already dislikes Prince Leona. What is the damaged if dislike turn to hate"

You could not listen anymore as you took multiple steps back while covering your mouth tightly with your hands. Tears silently strimmed down your face as you digested the information you got. Your head was almost blank for a while.

You felt like you wanted to scream in distress. Your knees felt weak as you fell down on the floor. What on earth did you just hear?! They were using your husband to cover up Cheka's murder! He name was being used!

Why could no one appreciate Leona's existence? Why keep on throwing him bad words? Why use him to cover up someone else murder? Much worse announced him as someone who killed the king. What did he do to receive this disdain! Just because he was the second prince so it was fine to do anything harmful to him?!

You should run away from this place and return to your home. All of them were fake. Their kindness was fake. The dream might be a warning of their true nature. You tried to regain the strength in your legs to stand up back but the sounds of the door creaking stopped you.

"Have fun hearing everything?" The queen leaned on the door frame with her hand crossed across her chest, smugly looking down at you.

"How could you do that to him?! He is your husband's brother!" You retort back without concealing your true feelings.

"Because he is my husband's brother he would need to be eliminated"

"He already declares he will never take over the throne. You even use him to cover up your son's murder! Cheka the one who killed Farena! How can you call yourself a mother?!"

"That's why as a mother I took care of the situation. You think everyone wants a killer as their new king?"

"You tyrant! Insolent! Bastard! Villain!"

"You should learn how to take care of your mouth. No worries, I will help you until you forget how to speak anymore. Guards!"

You squirmed to let yourself free as the guards dragged you away. They keep on dragging you with force until you reach the dungeon in the basement. They harshly throw your body inside the dark cell and lock the door before leaving without saying anything.

You felt useless as you could not fight for Leona's rights. You cannot even focus on yourself now as your mind had been thinking of your husband, on how his life was being treated as trash.

"Oh God, please for his next life make it easier for him. I just want him to be happy as who he is. He deserves it. Even if I cannot be by his side, as long as he enjoys his life, that's enough."

To be continued...

[odobasian-empire]

Realm of the Odobasian Empire (Founding & first wave of expansion)

The planets the empire of gluttony comprises of, in order of their establishing as part of it's realm.

ELDINA: The biggest planet and home to the empire's capital- the City of Eldina. A gigantic, dry surface consisting of vast deserts and equally inhabitable plateaus with it's southern part being made up of a huge ocean. For an immeasurable amount of time, the planet was mainly known for it's reccuring droughts and harsh living conditions, making it unattractive for other intergalactic empires to explore or even settle on. Yet it was just on this planet, where a cult spawned by a beautiful princess, with it's promise to enable everyone of her followers a life of until then unknown gluttony and absence of any form of physical activity, if desired. Less than several hundred years later, more than 95% of the planet's inhabitans need to rely on mobility aidments, like the sort of scooters, wheelchairs or gliders to haul their grotesquely obese bodies around. If they even care to leave their homes, which gradually became temples of hedonism and nonstop feasting.

TATOGORDA: A small planet, situated north-west of ELDINA, it shared a simmilar history of hunger and drought, like the above mentioned planet. On top of that, the planet was a favored harbor for space-pirates, smugglers and criminals of all kind, due to the complete absence of any kind of state authority. So the first odobasian expedition-corps were warmliy greeted and the promise of obesity and hedonism fell on fertile grounds. To this day, the planet wasn't able to completely shake of it's image as a place attracting criminals, but at least the pirates waist now share the same obscene circumstances than those of honest odobasian civilians.

NALL GAUDE: To the west of TATOGORDA, the swampy planet with it's countless moons and other celestial bodies is an known center of trade and business since times unknown. Incorporating TATOGORDA into the empire being a minus deal, the odobasian queen Eldina hoped to stabilise the empire's household with aquirring one of the universe's major trading hubs. She was able to do so, by taking advantage of the trading clans on NALL GAUDE, who made up the planet's elite. Those who agreed to do their business under the odobasian banner are exactly the same, which still hold respectable and powerfull positions on this planet till this very day.

OPIT: A big planet, with it's surface made up by one enourmous ocean, countless islands and three continents, is loacated eastwards of ELDINA. The natives of OPIT were accostumed to a maritime lifestyle and renowned for their knowledge of weapon manufactury, used for the steadily ongoing small-wars between different tribes or islands. As expected, Eldina was confronted with far more resistance, when the empire started to invade the planet, than she was used to. The empire's fleet, quickly aquired before, trough confiscated pirate spaceships and vessels from NAL GAUDE's trading clans, suffered tragic losses. Even when the landing troops were able to set up forts and bases on several islands, with the help of tribes, which were susceptible for the teachings of the Odobasercult and it's lifestyle, the conquering wars dragged on for decades. Hastly OPIT was introduced as the empire's 4th planet, when Eldina's troops barely held over 40% of the planets landmass. But the sheer material superority of the intruding fatties and wittnessing to luxerious lifestyle many cooperating tribes already experienced under the new rule, most rebellious parties were gradually giving up resistance and swore fealty to their new queen Eldina. Fortunately the planet's economy quickly recovered and today OPIT is the driving force of the Odobasian Empire's economy as a whole, with it's many space-shipyards and hight-tech industries of any other kind.

[brickrestorationguide-blog]

How to Repair Cracked Bricks?

Brick buildings are sturdy, and they look solid. Many homeowners are embracing "exposed brick" as their home design. This can lead to some issues. Cracks are common in brick walls. Although they don't necessarily indicate structural damage, cracked brickwork can lead to mould and water damage.

Brick walls can crack in two ways: either by natural disasters like earthquakes or through time. The cracks in brick walls can usually be repaired, so they shouldn't pose a problem. Appreciating cracks is essential as they can spread quickly and grow in size.

What causes cracks in brick walls?

You might be wondering why brick walls crack. Here are a few reasons you need to know.

Ground movement

The construction of a house is the first step. Soil excavation is necessary to place the foundations of a building. As the ground settles, the house's foundation moves a bit. Although this movement can cause small cracks, it is rarely a significant problem. The foundation of your house can be severely damaged by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.

Climate and seasonal changes

Our houses are constructed with materials that can adapt to changing seasons and climate conditions. Both walls and foundations can be damaged by rain and water, and long periods of drought can also cause damage.

Material deterioration and corrosion

Building materials are durable, but they don't last forever. Our structures are constantly affected by weather, gravity, and poor maintenance. Building reinforcement can corrode, especially if it isn't properly poured. Cracks in foundations can expose steel reinforcement to moisture, which can lead to rusting and brick wall cracks.

Ongoing construction works in the neighbourhood

Brick walls can be affected by living near construction sites. Brick walls can crack from vibrations caused by heavy machinery, digging, excavating, and other activities.

Reactive soils in your region

Clay is one example of soil that reacts to moisture. It expands when it's moist, shrinks, and cracks when it's dry. This reaction can cause your clay soil house to move slightly, causing tiny cracks in the walls. These cracks can be repaired quickly and are cosmetic. If cracks grow larger than 3mm over time, it is a sign that the problem is severe. You need to call the experts when this happens.

Trees near the house

Dry soil can cause cracks in walls, as we have already mentioned. Large trees near your home can cause brick wall cracking. Their roots can cause foundation damage and are very invasive. They require a lot of water and can affect the soil's moisture.

How to fix cracked bricks?

Use a raking tool to remove the cracked horizontal mortar from the joints. You must be careful not to damage bricks. Also, only dig 1.5-2 cm into the wall.

To remove all mortar:

Use a wire brush to scrub the joints gently

Remove the vertical joints at each end of the bricks

Use a hammer and a chisel to do this

Use the hammer to tap the mortar with the chisel

Stay under 1.5-2cm

Once all mortar has been removed, water must be sprayed on the wall. Dry brick walls will absorb all of the water from new mortar and cause cracking on the bricks again.

Once the mortar has been mixed thoroughly and is in line with your wall's colour, use a brick jointer to push the mortar into the joints. Make sure you fill all the holes.

Mix the mortar well. Bricks expand according to the weather conditions. If the mortar is too hard, it can crack and cause more damage. To flatten the mortar, spray some water on your pointer. © Evto Bricks Restoration Ltd

[coursesjust]

Top heroine poducer

Three of the last four years have seen some of Afghanistan's highest levels of opium production, according to the UNODC. In recent years, many have installed Chinese-made solar panels to power deep water wells. Yet even during droughts and wheat shortages, when wheat prices rocket, Afghan farmers have grown poppy and extracted opium gum that is refined into morphine and heroin. These range from annual precipitation and the price of wheat, the main alternative crop to poppy, to world opium and heroin prices. The longest war: Scenes from almost two decades of conflict in AfghanistanĪfghan farmers weigh myriad factors in deciding how much poppy to plant. assistance stop if the Taliban seize power. "What you're going to find is that it has exploded."Īsked for comment, a State Department official said the United States would continue to support the Afghan people, "including our ongoing counternarcotics efforts," but declined to say how aid would continue should U.S. and international partners have continued to pull out and not addressed poppy cultivation," the official said on condition of anonymity. official with knowledge of Afghanistan's drug trade. "We've stood by on the sidelines and, unfortunately, allowed the Taliban to become probably the largest funded non-designated terrorist organization on the globe," said a U.S. The Taliban banned poppy growing in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts.ĭespite the threats posed by Afghanistan's illicit drug business, experts noted, the United States and other nations rarely mention in public the need to address the trade - estimated by the UNODC at more than 80% of global opium and heroin supplies. With the insurgents entering Kabul on Sunday, "these are the best moments in which these illicit groups tend to position themselves" to expand their business, Gudes said. "More production brings drugs with a cheaper and more attractive price, and therefore a wider accessibility." Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told Reuters. "The Taliban have counted on the Afghan opium trade as one of their main sources of income," Cesar Gudes, the head of the Kabul office of the U.N. officials worry Afghanistan's slide into chaos is creating conditions for even higher illicit opiate production, a potential boon to the Taliban. That dependence threatens to bring more instability as the Taliban, other armed groups, ethnic warlords, and corrupt public officials vie for drug profits and power. Widespread destruction during the war, millions uprooted from their homes, foreign aid cuts, and losses of local spending by departed U.S.-led foreign troops are fueling an economic and humanitarian crisis that is likely to leave many destitute Afghans dependent on the narcotics trade for survival. Shops close, security guards flee in Afghan capital.

[mashkaroom]

Lengthy analysis of Holes, as promised!. This will include spoilers, which will be marked. Just gonna go through the book and the philosophy/themes/connections I caught onto this time around. Stuff discussed, in order: connections to Camus, on the question of children’s books, systems, cycles, and why Stanley is gay and jewish 😏

Camus:

The first and perhaps most obvious set of texts/theories it makes sense to put Holes in conversation with is the works of Albert Camus. Holes starts out with a description of the sun and the heat, which readers of the Stranger will remember are major themes there. The heat continues to be a prominent part of the story, though thematically, it functions very differently in the two books. In The Stranger it primarily represents the indifference of the universe (or at least so claim a ton of sources and I’m inclined to agree) and the lack of control we exert over our own lives while in Holes it’s basically the opposite of that. The heat and drought is implied to be a semi-divine punishment for a past injustice and, moreover, the elite adults of the camp have air conditioning and access to shade: the sun does not affect everyone equally in Holes as it does in The Stranger (though even that is debatable: I don’t think this was Camus’s intent, but it’s notable that it’s only the white englishman who’s driven to murder by the sun. This could certainly be read as critique of colonizers who cannot/refuse to coexist with the land and environment and how the indigenous population always suffers for it, but I digress). The other Camusian parallel one is immediately inclined to draw is that, of course, of Sysiphus: there’s the repetitive and seemingly meaningless act of digging holes not to mention that carrying stuff up a mountain is both thematically and plot-wise a very important part of Holes. But, once again, it is eventually revealed that both acts do carry an inherent meaning. Holes does not present the image of an uncaring universe: on the contrary, destiny and semi-divine influence plays a major role. The story may start out with a series of seemingly random and inherently meaningless events, but as the story progresses, people, actions, items, and events become increasingly imbued with meaning. In the Holes universe, one must imagine Sisyphus redeemed, not through the act of rolling the stone but by rebelling against it. I have difficulty imagining that Sachar was not thinking of Camus while writing Holes, or, at the very least, that if he encountered Camus afterwards, he must have been struck by the similarities. I don’t know if there was a specific intent in creating a story so embroiled in Camusian absurdism, especially since the target readership is (allegedly) children who almost certainly are not recognizing specific allusions to Camus, so perhaps the similarities are purely aesthetic — after all, everything that is nominally similar does play quite different thematic roles. However, I would never pass up the opportunity to talk about the myth of sisyphus and I think placing Holes in dialogue with Camus can raise some interesting questions about the nature of meaning.

Is Holes a children’s book?

Speaking, though, of the target audience, the audience for this book is in fact children. What about it makes it a children’s book makes it difficult to say: the protagonists are children (and, I would argue, it is not a coming of age story, despite the claims of one piece of lit crit about Holes in which i disagreed with almost every claim made, but i digress once more) and the writing style is fairly simple: you can read it with a second-grader’s vocabulary. Also, of course, being a children’s book doesn’t (and crucially shouldn’t!) mean that it’s lacking in depth and complexity. However, I think most thematically rich children’s books tend to be quite allegorical. The Little Prince is a good example. Holes is just way too specific for its sole market to be children. It’s either intended to be read by multiple generations at once or for child readers to return to it as an adult. It addresses themes of racism (and not just generic racism, anti-black racism in the reconstruction south), homelessness, intergenerational trauma. and the modern carceral system. These are social critiques that will probably go over most kids’ heads (certainly over mine). However, the themes of the text are not inaccessible for children. You don’t have to understand the particular history of the US criminal justice system or even that Sachar is making a comparison to anything specific to get that the system that he’s portraying is unjust. Knowing the real-world context just adds another layer to the text. Holes also has one of the hallmarks of children’s books that I really like, which is a particular type of absurdism that the child characters come up against. This always rang true to me as a kid and well into my teens, when you start understanding that your life is controlled by some set of systems, but you haven’t quite gotten what those systems are or why and how they came about. Like nowadays, I can say “we did this in elementary school because of a state law, that because of a federal law, that because of the history of puritanism, and this because we got a grant for it”, but as a kid nobody tells you these things or really even cares to explain why the rules are as they are, and the systems that govern your world, often with no small degree of violence and almost always with an inherent disregard for your agency, are ineffable and slippery, and good children’s books capture this really well (Series of Unfortunate Events is probably my favorite example of this, where a secret organization that everything is implicated in and more more tragicomic details about it get revealed until the Baudelaire children find themselves to some degree members with mixed feelings is honestly an excellent coming-of-age allegory. oh, not to mention the constant conflict with bureacracy. god that series is so good, everyone read it). Back to Holes, Sachar weaves the more fantastical ineffable elements in with real-world issues so neatly. Stanley’s family is allegedly cursed, which is why Stanley keeps having bad luck, but he also lives in systemic poverty, which is also why he keeps having bad luck. Sachar eschews neither the allegorical elements common in children’s literature nor the more direct systemic critiques more often found in YA and adult lit, and it creates a really unique vibe. I think the story really benefited from having a children’s author, and I would love to see more authors in both children’s and adult lit do this!

Systems

Speaking of the systems, this book is surprisingly radical. Like it’s full-on an abolitionist text. The law is pretty much only ever presented as adversarial, both in the story of Stanley’s present time, and in Kate and Sam’s story. It’s implied if not stated repeatedly that Stanley and the other boys are pretty much victims of circumstance and have been imprisoned pretty much for the crime of being poor. The hole-digging is shown to be cruel and bad for the boys. It’s noted that in digging the holes Stanley’s heart hardened along with his muscles. This is of course very evocative of the system of retributive justice we have in America. Additionally, Camp Greenlake’s existence can ultimately be traced back to an act of racist violence, also in close parallel with our prison system. Hole’s stance on justice is very restorative. Punishments are never shown to work: only through righting the wrongs can true justice be achieved. Moreover, Holes even gives the opportunity for redemption to a minor antagonist when [minor spoiler] Derrick Dunne, the kid who was bullying Stanley in the beginning ultimately plays a small role in helping Stanley regain his freedom [spoiler over].

Cycles

Cycles are a major theme in holes, and Sachar creates a unique temporality to support this theme. There are 3 interwoven stories: that of Stanley’s in the present date, that of Stanley’s ancestors, and that of the land that Stanley is on (though, as I will delve into later, it’s at least a little implied that Stanley is descended from the characters in that story also). The stories from the past reach in and touch the present. You can’t untangle the past from the future. Looking at this again through a social justice lens, it could be seen as fairly progressive commentary on what to do with regards to America’s past wrongs. The past cannot and will not be left in the past: it must be dealt with on an ongoing basis. Even the warden, the greatest villain of Stanley’s story has a sympathetic moment at the end where it’s revealed that she, too, is stuck in a cycle of intergenerational trauma she can’t break free from.

Stanley is gay and jewish

Ok, I will now talk about how Stanley is a queer Jew, but this entire section will be riddled with spoilers, so read the book first and then come back!

A queer Jew?? i hear you ask. You’re just projecting. Yes, 100%. However, I think that interpreting Stanley as both these things adds to the thematic richness of the text. Let’s start with the Jewish bit: it’s not explicitly stated that Stanley is Jewish, but his great-great grandfather is a nerd-boy Latvian immigrant with the last name Yelnats, and his great-grandfather was a stockbrocker, so, like, ya know. Louis Sachar is also himself Jewish, as was the director of the movie, who cast Jews in the roles of Stanley and his family (dyk Shia LaBeouf is Jewish?? i did not), so I know I’m not the only one interpreting it this way. And honestly, does it not resemble the book of exodus quite a bit? They escape what is pretty much a form of slavery and wander in the desert. Sploosh resembles the well of Miriam, and then they ascend up a mountain to the “thumb of god”, perhaps in a parallel to Moses receiving the commandments. Is this a useful way to look at the text? Who knows. But what I think we do get from reading Stanley as Jewish is a more nuanced discussion of privilege and solidarity. If Stanley and his ancestors are Jewish (or at least Jew-ish), then what placed the curse upon his family (and, we see, Madame Zeroni’s family isn’t doing so great either) is the breaking of solidarity between oppressed people. But also, the fact that you are also marginalized does not wash you of the responsibility to other marginalized groups. I don’t think Sachar intended it this way, because I think he probably would have talked about it more if he had, but I would say this book can be read as a call to the American Jewish community to take an active role in forging solidarity with other marginalized groups and actively righting the wrong you, your ancestors, and your community wrought upon them.

Now, why do I think Stanley and Zero are gay? Before I go into how it augments the text thematically, I bring to your attention this passage.

Two nights later, Stanley lay awake staring up at the star-filled sky. He was too happy to fall asleep. 

He knew he had no reason to be happy. He had heard or read somewhere that right before a person freezes to death, he suddenly feels nice and warm. He wondered if perhaps he was experiencing something like that. 

It occurred to him that he couldn't remember the last time he felt happiness. It wasn't just being sent to Camp Green Lake that had made his life miserable. Before that he'd been unhappy at school, where he had no friends, and bullies like Derrick Dunne picked on him. No one liked him, and the truth was, he didn't especially like himself. 

He liked himself now.

 He wondered if he was delirious. He looked over at Zero sleeping near him. Zero's face was lit in the starlight, and there was a flower petal in front of his nose that moved back and forth as he breathed. It reminded Stanley of something out of a cartoon. Zero breathed in, and the petal was drawn up, almost touching his nose. Zero breathed out, and the petal moved toward his chin. It stayed on Zero's face for an amazingly long time before fluttering off to the side. 

Stanley considered placing it back in front of Zero's nose, but it wouldn't be the same.

Girl, I’m sorry, that’s gay as shit! It’s such tremendous tenderness, not to mention the traditionally romantic imagery of moonlight and the flower petal. There’s also the non-romantic aspects. Stanley’s inexplicable happiness and suddenly liking himself evokes, for me, at least, the experience of coming out to yourself, of realizing who you are. Later in this chapter, Stanley contemplates running away with Zero despite the fact that it would make them lifelong outlaws. This book, remember, was written in 1998, and homosexuality was decriminalized in 2003, and the book takes place in Texas. It would have been, if anything, even more evocative of gayness when it was published. Now as to how this increases the thematic richness of the text: obviously, in carrying Hector up to the thumb, giving him water, and singing the lullaby, he redeems the wrong done by his ancestor, after which his family’s luck immediately changed. However, after Hector and Zero return to camp Greenlake, rain falls there for the first time. What was redeemed here? Remember that earlier on we learn that what caused the drought was the fact that Sam the onion man (who was black) was murdered for kissing Kate Barlow (who was white) — so what would a [post-factum wronging of that right look like? Zero, as we remember, is black while Stanley is white, so them being in a romantic relationship would be a successful interracial relationship to redeem the one Kate and Sam weren’t able to have. It’s also, as I said earlier, implied that Stanley is descended from Kate Barlow on his mother’s side: Stanley remembers seeing the other half of the lipstick tube with her initials on it in his mother’s bedroom. I’d also argue that Sam the Onion Man is implied to be descended from Madame Zeroni (chronology-wise, I think he’d be her grandson). First of all, there’s no follow-up with Madame Zeroni’s son who moved to America, and pretty much all other plot threads are followed up with in Holes. Secondly, Sam mentions water running uphill, just like Madame Zeroni does. Even without these speculations being true, Stanley and Hector being gay would redeem the land they’re on, but If they are, the parallel with the other ancestral redemption arc becomes to much to imagine it was unintentional.

So anyway, those are my thoughts on Holes, now everyone go read it!

[trilliontrees]

Trillion Trees Initiative for climate protection environmental biodiversity and species protection worldwide

The Greening Deserts Trillion Trees Initiative and Greening Camps can reduce negative climate changes, deforestation, droughts, desertification, land degradation, floods and global warming on a large scale - especially in human-made deserts, drylands, savanna and wastelands. Inviting nations, organisations, personalities and institutions since years and many have shown interest. You are also welcome to join the projects and greening initiative. Let's make the world green again, together! Let's plant billions or even a trillion trees to improve the climate and to reduce global warming significantely, especially with urban greening camps in urban areas. It is maybe the cheapest and most effective solution to cool down planet Earth, clean up the air and waters. Greening Deserts founder developed good solutions and projects to regreen drylands and wastelands with different kinds of resistant and typical plants. The greening and research camps will be green spots to cultivate all the plants and trees are needed, for example ground cover, flower trees, wild grasses, wild flowers and medicinal plants. Together with soil improving plants top soil layers will be created in just a few years - the basis for the following tree plantations and mixed forests. Seeds and seed balls can be dropped by seeding balloons and seeding drones.  

Greening Deserts economical, educational, cultural, social, scientific and sustainable projects have really big potential to reduce desertification and global warming, to improve healthy environments, sustainable agriculture (EcoFarming) and ecological forestry (EcoForestry). It are also projects for innovative Cleantech and Greentech developments. Here are some of the main projects: like Agrophotovoltaik, Desert Bamboo Africa, Greening Coasts, Greening Drones, Greenhouse Ship, Green Ring Africa, Great Green Wall North Africa, Seeding Balloon and Transparent Solar Greenhouses. All these projects were founded and initiated by Oliver Gediminas Caplikas during the last years. Strong future partners and investors for the ongoing project developments are always welcome! Invest in true values like education, ecological or real sustainable products and services together with our upcoming education, greening and research camps. Your investment in Greening Deserts projects will really change the world and we will create a better history or future. Global Cooling with Global Greening is not just possible, it is very realistic and the most effective solution – especially in relation to the costs, energy and time. Another important points are environmental education, climate adaption, mitigation, resilience and sustainability. All these points and developments will be realised at the forestation, greening and research camps.

Building a basic camp with a little team needs approx three to nine months, depends on the conditions and region. Greening and forestation of each concerned region starts from the very beginning, so like planting trees for the first parks. Bigger camps can get an Energy Storage Park with a solar park, water park and or wind park. Smaller camps will have of course solar energy and water supply, too. There are many developments and other projects connected, most of them will be realised with the camps. It is also interesting for urban areas, city forests and gardens - especially community and rooftop gardens. Many ambassadors, ministers, trade commissioners, scientists and experts were invited to join Greening Deserts campaigns, initiatives and projects during the years. We exchanged a lot about the sustainable developments, technics and techniques could be developed at the new Greening Camps. You can read more about on the official and social pages.

Many scientists confirming Greening Deserts concepts and projects, for example to plant a trillion trees to reduce human-made climate change effects and global warming worldwide. With financial support the projects like the Greening and Research Camps could finally start with forestation and greening, especially of drylands or wastelands in Africa and Europe. The Greening Camp project development is running since 2018, after successful funding in 2019 or 2020 the project can start fast as possible and build the first pilot camps.

More important information about Greening Deserts special projects like the new Critically Endangered Species (CES-RPP) research and protection program.

It's about Greening Camps, innovative developments, research, global goals and effective solutions. Greening Deserts projects like the greening and research camps will be platforms for Cleantech, climate protection, nature conservation, culture, education, environmental and species protection, Greentech and science. All camps can have a library, lounge and media room. Perfect to exchange with education, book and media branch, to experiment with creative designs, green building and sustainable architecture. Bigger camps can get an Energy Storage Park and even could be expanded to a kind of campus or science park.

We have not much time to establish hundreds of camps, greenhouses and new special areas, on land and at sea, for the most endangered species and keystone species of this world. It is similar as with other cascade effects like the permafrost and wetlands problem. If more keystone species like the bees extinct, even relative unknown or small ones, it will accelerate the mass extinction and reach 'tipping points' in relation to the critical biodiversity loss is ongoing. The only way is to focus on this most important issue of the world and put it on the first place of all agendas, concentrate on the most endangered known species and find the forgotten and unknown keystone species with best of search algorithms, networks and intelligent systems like AI, Deep Learning, cloud and crowdworking, archive management and intelligent library systems - powered by best of computing environments, so like special supercomputers. It has really more priority as using so much computing resources for astrological calculations, brain simulations or other mega applications which doing all the same or nearly simliar kind of tasks or work. Not to mention all the energy wasting computers, servers and smartphones in idle mode or used for time wasting tasks like certain films, series or war games.

It is important for us all to prevent the mass extinction in the next years, to restore and improve biodiversity in so many areas, also in urban areas. We all need to care more the species who are endangered or treatended the most! It makes no sense if there are so many conservation and species protection initiatives or programs for a single species like elephants, pandas,.. in background much more important species dying out. The species protection community and organisations like IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should overwork their agenda and priorities in this relation. Humanity must protect more the keystone species, particularly on which many other life forms depend on! For example if the most important species bees extinct, humans will extinct some years later. Another point is to support the climate adaption of animals and plants on the long term, help the species to survive by providing extra wildlife habitats like more biotopes, game reserves, meadows, parks and diverse forests for more biodiversity.

Every day counts to protect the most endangered species with all means and to bring this aspect, this task and the topic to the top on all relevant agendas - on all possible channels, daily and internationally. Of course, corresponding protected areas with the highest concentrations of life forms in all possible regions and climate zones also have priority. The 'overprotected' species and programs, resources, energies, .. in this context.. they should also concentrate more on these aspects, because to protect so much elephants, polar bears, giraffes, pandas, etc. who are relative save and every day important key species dying out ! It is a similar problem as with the neglected tipping points and the wrong prioritization of politics and economy - see United Nations Climate Change Conference. Only if the problems mentioned are resolved promptly the cascade effects can be reduced and possibly over decades of massive efforts stopped, and new disasters in this regard prevented. Then there may be a real chance to prevent extinction, also of humanity. Every action and every person counts in this regard, whether large or small, known or unknown. We maybe have approx two years to solve these problems and ten years to plant a trillion trees worldwide.

Bees have been declared as the most important species on planet earth. However, according to wildlife experts and scientists, the bees have joined the endangered species long list. Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other pesticides must be reduced, so like the air pollution. Let's plant more wild flowers and flower trees, especially for the bees, birds and other animals who need trees to survive. We need more biotopes, real natural and wild habitats or wildlife reserves with wild meadows, mixed forests and protected areas like game reserves, landscape conservation, nature conservation and water conservation areas. Greening Deserts projects goals are mainly to restore natural landscapes like mixed forests, grasslands and wetlands - to bring back biodiversity, clean air, topsoils and water. Reduce and stop deforestation in near future, replace wood with other sustainable materials like hemp and rice straw.

Further information and news:

The Greening Camp plants like desert bamboo and hemp will improve the soils, underground water and waters in general. Drylands and wastelands can be turned into fertile lands easily with Greening Deserts technics and technologies were developed during the last three years. It improves the soils in just a few years, after this other soil improving plants, environmental friendly crops and trees can be planted. There will be many side products of the forestation or greening processes, it can be delivered to hemp product producers like the paper branch and packaging industry. All would win at the end - the poor people or regions, the degraded lands or soils, the forestry, paper and wood industry - even big wood paper consumers like the book, newspaper and packaging industry. Hemp and rice straw paper books could reform the book and paper branch in many ways. If you want to know more about, don't hesitate to contact. We are experts in these fields and markets since 2003. The worldwide cleaning and greening process can accelerate the global peace building process siginificantly.

And again! You and colleagues are welcome to join the Greening Deserts campaigns and initiatives like the official Trillion Trees Initiative to reduce negative climate changes, deforestation, droughts, desertification, land degradation, floods and global warming on a large scale - especially in human-made deserts, drylands and wastelands. The initiative was founded in 2018.

The founder launched another great initivative to reduce plastic waste in worldwide waters and it will open a complete new sustainable market. It's called Plastic Fishery, more news will come on the plastic fisher network and platform.

Awareness programmes, communications letters and statements were initiated and shared with thousands of worldwide governments, institutions and organisations in summer, autumn and winter 2019. Diverse collaborations, cooperations, partnerships and sponsorships are possible. Feel free to contact by the official channels and pages on Greening Deserts and Trillion Trees Network.

Climate protection, nature conservation and environmental protection is also species protection. Please do not ignore and forward if you can, it affects us all. Childrens Rights are Human Rights. Clean air, soils, waters and healthy environments are Human Rights, too. We need more environmental awareness and sustainability, sustainable living and sustainable working, in all fields or areas. We need to create a world of understanding, acceptance, respect, tolerance, compassion and consciousness.

Do more for green places in your city, try to establish more community gardens, city parks, city forests, urban farming areas, fascade and rooftop gardens. Show that you can live and work really sustainable by saving energy, water and other natural resources. Reduce waste and pollution, especially plastic waste. Use alternative packaging and ecological products like bamboo or similar products. - Oliver Gediminas Caplikas

Visit the official pages:

http://trilliontrees.eu

http://trilliontrees.in

http://trilliontrees.us

http://trilliontrees.net

http://trilliontrees.info

http://trilliontrees.africa

http://www.trilliontreesinitiative.com

http://www.trilliontreesinitiative.org

http://afforestation.org

http://forestation.net

[nsabasesp]

Writing Sample: Sustainable Revenue OOG: Hipcamp

Through various interviews, we uncovered another goal that Dr. Adest has for his ranch is to generate sustainable revenue sources with limited environmental consequences. One method that Dr. Adest discovered is an online platform called HipCamp. This site allows landowners to list their cabins and camping spots for reservations to outdoor enthusiasts ("Getting more people outside", n.d.). The usage data of Dr. Adest’s HipCamp sites were graciously offered for this research. He has listed nine different HipCamp spots located throughout his property over the past four years since he started with HipCamp. Dr. Adest has chosen not to enlist some or all of his spots when his land is facing an environmental extremity such as drought for the purpose of alleviating the burden on the land. The goal of this OOG is to improve revenue from HipCamp by ten percent in the most productive year. This OOG will be different for landowners and depend on how they manage their HipCamp sites.

Our interviews with Dr. Adest showcased the factors that go into running a working ranch while focusing on restoration. The goal of opening the land to outdoor enthusiasts is to bring in income to replace cattle ranching on the ranch. HipCamp is one of the 10 of the sources of income Dr. Adest has set up on the ranch. The drivers of the OOG are the variables that entice people to reserve campsites and cabins. One driver is location; the proximity of River Ridge Ranch to Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and other outdoor recreational spaces. According to Dr. Adest, his HipCamp sites provide space for outdoor enthusiasts when popular campsites within the national parks are fully booked. While these national parks are some of the most visited, weather conditions tend to control the amount of visitors that River Ridge  Ranch sees. During the spring and summer seasons, River Ridge Ranch sees more reservations than the winter. Finally, the amenities on River Ridge Ranch are also drivers for HipCamp bookings. Many national park sites are crowded and do not offer things like showers, bathrooms, wifi, and in some cases AC/heating. These three drivers and more are reasons why Dr. Adest has been able to make nearly 100,000 dollars in four years. Almost 900 bookings have taken place in River Ridge, and each booking leaves a footprint on the land.

The constraints of this OOG focus on the obstacles of using HipCamp as a source of income. Conservation easements, seasonality, and land degradation are mentioned as constraints for using HipCamp as a source of revenue. A conservation easement limits the amount of campsites and cabins that landowners can build on their land, in turn limiting reservations and revenue. Seasons and their accompanying weather also affect the popularity of camping. July and August experience the highest number of reservations, shown in Graph 1. This figure shows the total count of bookings per month for the cumulative years since Dr. Adest began. For example, the month of May corresponds with a count of 88 bookings between the years of 2017 and 2021. A third constraint is the effect that camping and visitors have on land degradation. It may disturb the landscape and result in temporary or permanent unwanted changes to the land through persistent use of land and resources, and possible damage to property. For example, persistent use of land can lead to changes in the land such as the creation of trails, introduction of invasive species, and movement of wildlife; amongst other effects. To bring in the most revenue, land managers must find equilibrium with the use of land to preserve its enjoyment for future visitors.

To monitor how HipCamp could affect the landscape, there are several monitoring systems in place that can lead to relebations. With a continuous partnership with CSULB, students can continue to monitor changes on River Ridge Ranch. With ongoing monitoring projects like soil sampling and animal waste collection students can uncover changes in the landscape. Sampling soils twice a year can uncover invasive seeds, changes in bulk density and other signs of degradation that can be linked to HipCamp bookings. By collecting animal waste, students can see the distribution of animals throughout the ranch. They can aslo map their movements over time. For example, if fox waste begins to move to higher elevations, this could hint that HipCamp bookings and human presence have something to do with their movement. To tie everything back to making revenue through HipCamp while keeping sustainability in mind, a bi-annual cost benefit analysis could be a powerful monitoring system. HipCamp booking information and data from the monitoring systems in place can be used to create a cost benefit analysis. The cost benefit analysis asks a tough question; does the revenue outweigh the land degradation from continuous use? Using the cost-benefit analysis, Dr. Adest and other stakeholders can come to a decision to continue, expand, or contract HipCamp on River Ridge Ranch.  

[cottagecreekvine]

Terroir, Rootstock, Clones, and Cross-Breeding: Quality Wine Starts In the Vineyard

To the casual observer, wine might appear to be a relatively straight forward beverage to create. But now that I am wanting to plant a few vines the whole process is becoming mind-boggling; aside from the winery, just the simple task of planting a few vines is a series of complex considerations. Obviously, I am not purporting that my earlier wine making hobby efforts produced a quality wine; far from it. But I have concluded, just any grape juice, even in the hands of an accomplished winemaker, does not bring forth a quality wine. So, what makes a great juice?

I am reminded of an adage: Great wine starts in the vineyard. "The phrase is not meant literally but implies that you can't make great wine if the raw material isn't up to scratch (sic). This is certainly true and in the past two decades wineries have been putting a huge amount of effort into their vineyards in a bid to improve their fruit quality, trialing new methods from green harvesting to fancy irrigation systems," writes Rebecca Gibbs, Editor at Wine-Searcher.

There are indications that wines are being elevated starting in the vineyard. Just look at the amount of money being spent on new varietals, clones, new plantings, research into disease tolerant vines, and better soil chemistry/research. Even major universities are expending significant resources on research efforts that are improving the attributes/characteristics of wine grapes. For example, the University of Arkansas, under the direction of Dr. John Clark has a great wine grape program and has been awarded patents on brand new varietals. I am only pointing out that there is significant research, even in areas not known for being a bastion of wines. Of course, the recognized big players in wine research are: UC-Davis, Fresno State, Penn State, Cornell, Oregon, and Minnesota Universities.

There are many universities in the U.S. that have major programs underway to develop new clones, growing techniques and varietals that address specific needs of vineyard owners relative to improving plant and fruit quality. Such programs are bringing forward vastly improved fruit that make quality wines. The focus on grape/vine research is to improve the viticulture characteristics that address the ever-changing needs of the wine industry (and ultimately the consumer). With wineries in all 50 states, thus dictating differing needs of these geographically disparate wine centers, there is constant need for new ways to improve wine, starting in the vineyard. Such words as cloning, rootstock, breeding, and hybrids encourage wine lovers to think a little deeper about their wines. Know more here www.cottagecreekvineyards.com

Consider this, a vineyard owner/winery owner may need new vines with distinct characteristics. For example: improved cluster size, higher yields, different fruit chemistry, color of the juice, phenolics, a specific aroma profile, drought and wet climate resistance, more disease tolerant, etc. Obviously, this is a challenge that only relates to vineyard operations. In an earlier article I mentioned that there is an ongoing research program with the Catena Winery in Mendoza, Argentina and UC-Davis to develop new clones (and maybe varietals) that grow quality grapes in high and arid soils and climatic conditions. Again, you need good fruit for good wine.

Probably the most recognized grape varietal for wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, a varietal from France that came about by an act of nature. There are references to this grape that goes back to the 17th century. It is a "cross" between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. This varietal is planted basically worldwide and has some very admirable character for winemakers; it is hearty, great color and nice aromas. (By-the-way, the ancestry of the Cabernet Sauvignon was validated by UC-Davis in 1997. "UC- Davis scientists John Bowers and Carole Meredith solved the mystery using DNA fingerprinting technology that proved that Cabernet Sauvignon was the progeny of a surprising spontaneous crossing of the Bordeaux cultivars, Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc," as reported in Foundation Plant Services 2008.)

With pollination happening in nature, even the Cabernet Sauvignon goes through mutational changes constantly. This would result in new clones coming about. Some have said there are 29 Cabernet Sauvignon clones.

Yes, we know vineyards select the vines they plant based upon a number of considerations, some were noted previously. In reality a vineyard manager, confronted with the need to plant new wines is confronted with a plethora of options for the vine specifications they will take to their vine nursery. The considerations run the gambit. For example, what are the soil conditions and what varietal will grow best? Climate trends can impact varietal selection and the clone type for that varietal. Then the vineyard manager must select a rootstock. And the list goes on. Sufficed to say: soil, climate, disease resistant, yields, colors and aromas of a grape can all be overruled by considerations dictated by the market place; what the consumer wants to buy. Sometimes the useful life of a vine (vines can produce for approximately 75 years) is never achieved because of considerations outside of human control.

So, when you are driving through vineyards in Sonoma or Napa on the way to a wine tasting, let's explore the options that go into producing a high-quality fruit that will make high quality wines. All vineyards are not created equal. Today we know that the wine consumer is paying considerably more for quality wines. Ultimately, the vineyard owner will select a vine that will produce fruit that a winery will buy, that will also meet their specifications. After all, there are more than 10,000 varieties in the world. Of course, there are probably only a thousand or so used for wine and there are thousands of clones within varietals.

Morgan Hill, California, USA

[newstfionline]

After years of unrest, Ethiopians are riding an unlikely wave of hope. Will it last?

By Paul Schemm, Washington Post, May 6, 2018

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia--When Ethiopia’s prime minister resigned in February after more than five years in office, there was little reason to think his successor would be an improvement.

The East African country was under a state of emergency that followed a years-long crackdown on opposition political activity. Thousands of activists and dissident journalists had been detained, and hundreds had died in demonstrations crushed by government forces.

Then came Abiy Ahmed, who at 42 is one of the youngest leaders on the continent. In his first month as Ethiopia’s premier, he has ushered in an unlikely wave of hope and even optimism in this close U.S. ally that serves as something of a linchpin to the stability of East Africa.

While ostensibly a democracy, Ethiopia is a highly centralized state with only the ruling party and its allies in Parliament. In recent years, however, unrest has grown, and on April 10, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution urging the government to increase its respect for human rights and the rule of law.

In a riveting speech at his April 2 inauguration, Abiy acknowledged some of Ethiopia’s enduring problems. He apologized for the deaths of protesters at demonstrations, welcomed differences of opinion and promised to heal the wounds between Ethiopia’s ethnic groups.

The accession of Abiy, who hails from the Oromo community, brought a sharp drop in tension. Since he took office, Internet service has been restored to the countryside, charges against dozens of activists have been dropped, and he has embarked on meetings around the country, listening to grievances and promising reform, including term limits for his position.

“As someone who grew up in Addis Ababa, one thing that is very foreign was seeing a prime minister come and organize town hall meetings and just sit down with people and discuss things,” said Zecharias Zelalem, a journalist and frequent commentator on Ethiopian affairs. “That has never happened, and it’s been going on for the past three weeks.”

Activists, many of whom were released in the days following Abiy’s inauguration, pronounced themselves “cautiously optimistic” that, at long last, Ethiopia may be changing.

“Our release means something. It is a signal for change, that he wants change,” said Eskinder Nega, a journalist who spent part of his youth in Washington, D.C, and had just spent six years in an Ethio­pian prison for his writings.

He was released in February but detained again during the state of emergency a month later for meeting with friends--ironically in celebration of their release. Ten of his colleagues were also arrested.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of Ethiopia to the stability of East Africa. It has the largest army in the region and the continent’s fastest-growing economy, and it is surrounded by disintegrating states such as Somalia and South Sudan.

This regional rock of stability has looked shaky in recent years, with persistent anti-government protests by the country’s largest ethnic group, the Oromos, as well as unrest among the second-largest community, the Amharas. At the same time, clashes between Oromos and ethnic Somalis elsewhere in the country have left hundreds dead and displaced more than a million.

All that has been compounded by the return of devastating droughts that have put millions in need of food aid.

In the midst of the crisis, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned, and a state of emergency was declared as strikes erupted around the capital.

As soon as he took office last month, Abiy started visiting the centers of dissatisfaction. He went to the Oromo town of Ambo and complimented the young men at the forefront of the demonstrations for protecting democracy. He visited the Somali region to discuss the ongoing clashes that have displaced so many, and he journeyed north to the Tigray region, seen by many government critics as unfairly dominating the military and economy, to put the population at ease about having an Oromo in charge of the government.

He also met with opposition politicians and said that he welcomed their views and saw them as legitimate competition rather than as enemies of the state.

In a speech before 20,000 people in Addis Ababa on April 15, he acknowledged that the bureaucracy and justice system have not been serving the people and promised reforms, including in the security services.

In contrast to his predecessor, Abiy has strong popular support, which could give him leverage against elements of the establishment that might oppose changes.

A reorganization of the security services, which critics maintain are dominated by the Tigrayans--who formed the backbone of the military after they overthrew the communist regime in 1991--has yet to take place, however. They were left untouched in a recent cabinet reshuffle.

The international reaction to Abiy’s first few weeks has been remarkably positive. A statement from the U.S. Embassy struck a note of hope as the State Department announced its 2017 human rights report, which describes the occurrence in Ethiopia of conditions such as “arbitrary deprivation of life, disappearances, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by security forces; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention by security forces.”

“2018 has seen positive steps as well, including the release of thousands of prisoners. We are also encouraged by strong and clear statements by Prime Minister Abiy regarding the need for reforms,” the statement said.

Some are saying Abiy may have saved the country--not to mention the reputation of the ruling party.

In an editorial last year, the English language weekly Addis Standard issued a stark warning about the future of Ethiopia, saying that government infighting, ethnic tensions and popular anger had pushed the country toward collapse.

Editor Tsedale Lemma, who now lives in Germany, said the peaceful transition of power to Abiy may have halted that slide.

“They recognized that unless they do something, they were going down, and we came that close,” she said, lauding the outreach to the opposition and the release of prisoners. “What they are doing has given breathing space.”

[lawrencedienerthings]

MEDIA: On climate change and Colorado wildfire coverage Your weekly roundup of Colorado local news & media

#onfire🔥 🛣 🏚 🌒 🖼 🔥 🍃 ♨️ 👩‍👧‍👦

Colorado News

Colorado is on fire again.

Last week, four major blazes scorched forests with flames leaping tree to tree during historic drought conditions as the planet warms. Main highways shut down for days. Blazes forced residents to abandon homes, and they threatened fragile natural attractions like Hanging Lake. Apocalyptic images of the state’s fourth largest recorded wildfire at the time competed for attention on social media feeds with photos (and news coverage) of breathtaking sunsets caused by the smoky haze.

Amid local coverage, some journalists and news outlets made a clear early point to mention climate change for context as part of their reporting on the fires; others left such mentions out. (This week was different, as you’ll see below.)

I wondered why, and created a Twitter poll offering four responses, the maximum number of responses Twitter allows, for those covering the fires:

In your Colorado wildfire story, was climate change not mentioned because…

— Corey Hutchins (@CoreyHutchins) August 15, 2020

To be clear, I do not believe the results, doubting heavily that 65 Colorado journalists actually weighed in — or even covered the fires. (Twitter doesn’t show who voted in these polls.) Regardless, the question drew out an illuminating discussion among some who drive the news agenda in different parts of the state. Responses at times offered a picture into Colorado’s rural-urban divide when it comes to the relationship between some news producers and their audiences.

“If we mention climate change, we immediately lose the attention of readers, to their detriment and ours,” wrote Niki Turner, publisher of the rural Rio Blanco Herald-Times in Northwest Colorado. “If we mention it, people literally turn away and won’t listen to anything else we say. It’s a terrible position to be in.”

Erin McIntyre, co-owner of the small Ouray County Plaindealer, backed her up. Sometimes, McIntyre added, “the story is more of a ‘breaking news’ story and there isn’t room to get into that because it’s just too big to tackle in the space/time constraints.” (For more on the discussion, see here; find an argument against the former point here.)

This isn’t a new debate. Two years ago, Columbia Journalism Review criticized local coverage in California, writing how climate change played “second fiddle” as the state burned. The report’s author, Jon Allsop, saw it as “part of a broader trend of news organizations doing detailed enterprise reporting on climate, then neglecting to cite it in quick-turn stories on natural disasters.” A year later, he wrote in CJR how as California burned once again, “news outlets [neglected] climate change again.” In Colorado, there has indeed been enterprise reporting linking fires to climate change in recent years. And like in California, there also has been a lack of mention of climate change in some early stories about the blazes as they burn.

Below are a few paragraphs that did appear in local Colorado wildfire coverage last week.

From Sawyer D’Argonne at Summit Daily News:

The results of ongoing climate change and a history of questionable land-management policies are already impacting the kinds of wildfires we’re seeing today, often more frequent and more intense.

From Chase Woodruff at Colorado Newsline:

Nineteen of the 20 largest fires in Colorado history have occurred since 2000, during a two-decade-long Southwestern drought driven in large part by rising temperatures caused by climate change. The Western Slope has warmed by an average of more than four degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels, and long-term reductions in stream flows along the Colorado River and other river basins across the state have led to a dry period more severe than any the region has experienced since the 16th Century.

From Jessica Snouwaert in the Colorado Springs Gazette:

Large wildfires have become more common across the West since the 1980s as the climate has changed. The higher temperatures and drier landscapes increase wildfire risk, help fires spread faster and make them harder to extinguish, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

From Billy Jenkins at KOOL 107.9FM in Grand Junction:

As the Earth continues to get hotter, climate change is likely to bring more hard-to-predict occurrences. But as historically unusual weather happens more often, people are getting used to it. Direct evidence of climate change — extreme heat, for example — is seen as normal. That may make it hard for people to grasp how much climate change is affecting the planet, according to a study published in the scientific journal PNAS.

From Andy Stein in 5280 magazine:

How did we get here? We’ve seen very little rain produced from this summer’s Monsoon season, and [the] over past several months we’ve experienced major drought across the state. As of August 13, 100 percent of Colorado is abnormally dry and 94 percent of the state is experiencing a moderate drought. There are several areas — primarily in southwestern and eastern Colorado — facing extreme and exceptional drought, as well. Coupled with rising temperatures and the effects of climate change, much of Colorado is primed for burning.

The last one, however, caught a dart from Colorado Newsline editor Quentin Young, who said “Good to see ‘climate change’ in there. Except climate change isn’t *coupled* with the drought. Climate change is largely *to blame* for the drought, or aridification,” as his outlet has reported. “Climate change,” he reiterated, “is water change.”

This week, it seemed more climate change mentions were popping up more in non-breaking wildfire news stories, including in The Denver Post, The Aspen Times, The Colorado Sun, and on TV at KOAA. Newsline’s Aug. 17 coverage went further, reporting, “Rising concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the earth’s atmosphere — mostly the result of fossil-fuel combustion — have caused many parts of the state, especially on the Western Slope, to warm by an average of more than four degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.”

The debate over whether and when to mention climate change in wildfire coverage, and how, reminded me of something former Gazette reporter Liz Forster once said while speaking to a class about her approach to coverage from a science-based perspective. Forster majored in environmental policy and minored in journalism at Colorado College and said her major informed much of her work as a journalist when she worked at The Gazette from 2017 to 2019 beginning as an intern and becoming the paper’s environmental reporter.

Now an environmental law student at the University of Montana, Forster told me over the phone this week what it was like being a young reporter who advocated for mentioning climate science prominently in beat coverage of climactic events at a regional newspaper with a fairly conservative audience. Early on, she says, her references might have been met with a key-stroke delete during editing, but after sustained conversations about it things changed. “That was something I really respected about my editors,” she adds. “They were willing to push past that political message when I was there and support the reporting that I did.”

Forster also said she sought to treat some quick-turn wildfire coverage like breaking news crime story: Get the news quick up on the web, sure, but then return to the story and update it with context like the number of homicides that year or other important nuance. That’s the beauty of news in the digital age. “I don’t see it as any different as that— as putting in that broader context,” she says. “So maybe the ultimate question is do [reporters] understand … are they asking what is that broader context … when it comes to wildfire, or again, is there someone in the newsroom who says ‘That’s too political, take it out?’”

Michael Kodas, senior editor of InsideClimate News and author of the book Megafire, believes there are times when it isn’t particularly appropriate to mention climate change in early reporting on raging wildfires. The relationship between climate and wildfires is complicated, he says. In his own reporting on blazes he has been criticized by readers who accused him of insinuating climate change was a driver while others argued he must be a climate denier because he didn’t go into it enough.

Climate change is big, and it’s something readers can do something about, he says. But there are also other actions individuals can take to mitigate bigger and bigger fires each year — like not developing land in certain areas, or living on it, re-thinking fire-suppression tactics, and more. Focusing on one of the other issues, though, can lead to criticism for not underscoring the impact climate has on wildfires, he says, when there are almost always multiple factors that require a certain amount of detail in reporting. It’s hard to do them all justice in a breaking news story that takes into account different ecosystems and differing relationships to climate. Some fires have clearer links to climate related issues than others.

“I do think that there are plenty of stories about wildfires that don’t mention climate change that should, and I very often see stories, like breaking news stories about the wildfires here in Colorado, where as a longtime newspaper journalist — even as focused as I am on climate — I probably would have made the same decision,” he says of not making a mention. “The people who are picking up this story want to know if their house is going to burn down,” he says of readers concerned about immediate threats.

Thankfully, and especially in the digital age, wildfire coverage for news organizations is iterative. Outlets repeatedly reporting on a wildfire as it burns can get into the larger context as they do — eventually with climate change as a main focus. On Wednesday and Thursday, two of Colorado’s most far-reaching news outlets did just that. Colorado Public Radio produced an Aug. 20 story headlined “Colorado Wildfires Are Climate Change ‘In The Here And Now’ — And A Sign Of Summers To Come.” On Aug. 19, The Denver Post’s Bruce Finley published his own 1,300-word take-out drawing a direct climate connection in the headline.

Here was the lead: “Climate change hit home in Colorado this week, exacerbating multiple environmental calamities: wildfires burning across 135,423 acres, stream flows shrinking to where state officials urged limits on fishing, drought wilting crops, and record temperatures baking heat-absorbing cities. This is what scientists, for decades, have been warning would happen.”

Indigenous storytellers can share their experiences at Native Lens on RMPBS and Tribal Radio

How has life changed for Native communities during the COVID-19 pandemic? A new partnership between Rocky Mountain Public Media and KSUT Tribal Radio in Ignacio, Colorado, seeks to find out.

From the Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education:

Native Lens invites Native and Indigenous stories to be seen and heard. Tribal college student, Charine Pilar Gonzales, who is studying cinematic arts and technology at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), was recruited as the Native Lens lead editor based on her contribution to the Rocky Mountain PBS productions “Press of the West” and “Ben Nighthorse Campbell[“]. …

The Native Lens project presents an opportunity to highlight storytellers from tribal colleges and Native communities throughout the Four Corners and beyond, enabling them to share their stories widely on multiple platforms. When released, the Native Lens’ call for submissions will encourage any Native and/or Indigenous person, and those who work, live, and serve Native communities, to submit a two- to five-minute video or audio documentary, sharing personal experiences on “how life has changed (or remained the same) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Holding a platform for Native and Indigenous people to tell their own stories, we can create discourse about how to address systemic issues we face as individuals and as Native nations, which will also allow us to exercise visual storytelling as a medium that can increase respectful growth and ethical change,” Gonzales told the publication. “Native people controlling their own narrative is powerful,” she added.

“Collectively, native visibility in the media hasn’t been widely controlled by the people that it actually actively affects,” says Mandolin Eisenberg of Taos Pueblo in a video clip at the NativeLens site.

    All someone wanting to participate needs is a cellphone camera and a personal story to see their work on Native Lens. “No filmmaking experience necessary,” says Earnest House Jr. of the Keystone Policy Center. Find out more here.

Coloradoan and Pueblo Chieftain pledge ‘to better reflect our communities’ with diversity

For the first time, Colorado’s two major USA TODAY network newspapers, the Coloradoan in Fort Collins and the Pueblo Chieftain, said they would provide a census of the race and gender makeup of their newsrooms — and make it public. View the results for the Coloradoan here, (and what the editor has to say about it here), and the Chieftain here.

Newspapers in Colorado used to provide such information to an annual survey of the American Society of News Editors, but some stopped sending it.

From Colorado’s USA TODAY network editor Eric Larsen in a column this week:

Today, I’m pleased to say that I work for a company that will actively fight for social equity, not only in the stories that we tell, but in our actions. Today, the USA TODAY Network is launching a sweeping initiative to transform its newsrooms into places that truly reflect the communities we serve by 2025. …

We’re constantly working to broaden the perspectives that we present. But some of those perspectives have been historically absent in our newsrooms. Today, it’s more clear that we have to do a better job of telling stories of diversity and inclusion both inside and outside of our walls. …

But it’s clear that we have work to do in the recruitment and retention of people of color — especially Latinos. Diverse hires we’ve made in recent years have gone on to new jobs at the Denver Post, Denverite and Boulder Daily Camera. While we’re proud to provide a springboard for journalists who want to move to larger markets, we need to work harder to build pipelines into pools of diverse candidates.

Read the whole column here.

Welcome Rachael Johnson, Colorado’s new pro-bono press freedom lawyer

As newsroom budgets dwindle and press freedom challenges have increased, the national Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press decided to provide some help to local journalists — including here.

As part of RCFP’s Local Legal Initiative, the group is focusing its attorney firepower on five states: Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Colorado. Here’s why, according to its website:

Unlike many jurisdictions, Colorado does not have an administrative appeals process or ombuds office, meaning public records requesters interested in challenging a denial must do so in court. In addition to the substantial legal need in Colorado, the state has many new and innovative reporting partnerships. And a new building in downtown Denver will soon house a number of diverse news organizations, including the Associated Press, several nonprofit newsrooms and the Colorado Media Project.

Attorney Rachael Johnson, who the RCFP says comes “with more than a decade of experience in both journalism and media law, most recently as a staff attorney for Hollingsworth LLP, where she specialized in complex litigation matters,” will handle public information and open meetings issues in Colorado. More from RCFP:

Previously, she directed the review of documents sought through Freedom of Information Act requests at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and served as a senior writer and creative communications advisor to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. Johnson has also worked as a journalist, editor, and producer, as well as represented pro bono media clients for the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society’s Online Media Legal Network.

In a statement, RCFP’s legal director Katie Townsend said “there is a substantial opportunity to improve the press and public’s right to access government information and proceedings in each of these states.”

Johnson starts in Colorado Sept. 14. If you want to reach her, try the RCFP’s hotline here. “Our hotline is always available to any journalist with legal questions, in Colorado or elsewhere, so reporters should still feel free to reach out if they need help before Rachael joins us,” said the group’s spokesperson Amelia Nitz.

Colorado Press Association joins JournalList

Last fall, this newsletter reported on the activities of Coloradan Scott Yates who is trying to combat misinformation online by enacting standards to certify journalistic organizations. In June, he launched JournalList, a startup that seeks to sort out which outlets are professional journalistic operations based on associations they belong to. He argues a simple line of code, a trust.txt file, might help.

Here’s how Yates, an entrepreneur and former journalist, explains it:

Groups of publishers come together in any form. Think anything from the members of the Associated Press to the Wyoming Press Association. … Those associations join JournalList, and then encourage their members to do the same. … Anyone who publishes news on a URL and belongs to any association will want to join on this site. This will help advertisers, platforms and more know that you are who you say you are. … JournalList will compile the data, and publish it in a machine-readable format the advertisers and platforms will love.

Now, the Colorado Press Association is promoting his work to its members. From a recent CPA email:

We’ve taken the first step for you by posting our own trust.txt file, but you will be helping yourself much more by taking the next step and posting your own. It’s a new thing, but it’s really easy and may help a lot.

Through JournalList’s trust.txt files, you can list all credible associations you are a part of (like CPA!) plus your official social media channels and ownership of other websites. The file will be “a positive signal” to determine whether news posted online is trustworthy. It should also make it easier for platforms to detect fake social media accounts claiming to be connected to reputable news organizations.

Learn more about how JournaList works here.

More Colorado local media odds and ends

A recent New York Times story about a fatal house fire in Denver carried no Colorado dateline, cited or linked to zero local news outlets, but did attribute information to Twitter.

Two Colorado cities paid up in settlements for First Amendment complaints.

Eugene Volokh writes in Reason about the First Amendment and protesting outside someone’s home.

CBS4 in Denver reports the ABC affiliate in Colorado Springs, KRDO, “approached police … after receiving a tip” about an officer.

Newsweek apologized, per the AP, for “an op-ed that questioned Sen. Kamala Harris’ U.S. citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden’s running mate, a false and racist conspiracy theory which President Donald Trump has not dismissed.” (The op-ed’s author has Colorado ties.)

Bad TV graphic alert: “…there are not 155 cases of covid19 at Colorado College today. There are 155 people quarantined for exposure to a case. Covid19 is still a mess, but details matter.” (Indeed.)

The libertarian Independence Institute in Denver, which was broken into, plundered, and vandalized, boasts, “Our three separate video studios create the right’s media center.”

From Jeff Roberts at the CFOIC: An audit of the state’s Sex Offender Management Board is a reminder of the Sunshine Law’s “unspecific meeting minutes requirement.”

This CPR story “leaves behind the political finger pointing and dives deep on what the stalemate in DC means for some of the smallest businesses in Colorado.”

The Colorado Magazine is “a publication for all Coloradans.”

Denverite journalist Donna Bryson blogs about what it’s like covering people experiencing homelessness.

The University of Colorado’s ‘Mini Law School’ registration is open again. (As a 2016 participant, I highly recommend it.)

*This column appears a little differently as a published version of a weekly e-mailed newsletter about Colorado local news and media. If you’d like to add your e-mail address for the unabridged versions, please subscribe HERE. 

from https://ift.tt/31fzc5O https://ift.tt/2YosoB0

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/farmers-report-disruption-sales-loss-due-to-covid-news-sports-jobs/

Farmers report disruption, sales loss due to COVID | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Natasha Matteliano Roberto Fred of Fred Farms on Temple Road in the town of Dunkirk participates in a number of local farmers markets. Leaders of the New York State Farm Bureau held a digital conference with farmers from across the state Tuesday.

Sixty-five percent of farms surveyed by the New York State Farm Bureau this month reported negative outcomes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders of the NYSFB held a digital conference with farmers from across the state Tuesday to review the new data, which was collected from over 500 farms of various types and sizes.

“We wanted to get a broader understanding of what the pandemic has meant to agriculture, and that is why we sent out an informal survey to our members last month asking them a range of questions,” said David Fisher, NYSFB president.

“What we found was that no farm was untouched by the pandemic or the economic fallout. Most of us have had to deal with price drops and supply issues, but on the flip side some farms that can direct market to their customers were able to adopt quickly and take advantage of customer demand.”

Of the 65% of farms reporting negative outcomes due to the pandemic, 28% characterized the impact as very negative. Just 8% of farms reported positive or very positive outcomes, many of which were related to increased demand at roadside stands or farmers markets.

Looking at specific business impacts, 35% of farms reported market disruption, 43% lost sales, 37% had cash flow issues, 19% lost restaurant sales, 9 % had transportation issues, 7% supply issues and 9% labor issues. In addition to the direct impact on farmers, the pandemic has also disrupted spending on equipment vendors and planned construction projects or expansions. 35% of farms surveyed said that vendor spending has been an issue. Supply chains for a wide range of farming and agricultural equipment have been disrupted, and some farms have had to cancel construction plans in 2020.

“In New York state, 50% of what we produce goes to institutions, whether it be schools, restaurants, hospitals, things like that,” said Jeff Williams, NYFB public policy director. “Once things like schools and restaurants closed down, that is where we saw a real impact on the farm economy.”

The dairy farming industry has been one area of particular concern, with supply chain disruptions and milk prices being impacted during the early months of the pandemic. Fisher, a dairy farmer by trade, and Kim Skellie of Wayne County offered some perspective on these specific issues.

“For me, during the pandemic probably my biggest concern hasn’t been exactly the price of milk or shipping concerns, we deal with those things routinely, it is the health and safety of our employees and our family,” Fisher said. Skellie noted that farmers had seen about a 10 % drop in demand for dairy products during the peak of the pandemic, but said that problems like milk dumping have mostly tapered off.

Farms specializing in fruit and vegetable agriculture have had their own set of challenges to face this summer, with difficult weather also causing headaches in addition to COVID-19. Sarah Dressel Nickels of Dressel Farms in the Hudson Valley and Jim Bittner of Bittner-Singer Orchards in Niagara County shared their experiences with those in attendance.

“Big thing is worker training,” Bittner said. “Trying to educate the workers that you have to take this seriously at the farm and at home, that is another issue. You can do everything at the farm, at the workplace, but if you go home and have parties or have a lot of people over it sort of negates the safety things you are doing at the place of employment.”

Bittner and Dressel Nickels both mentioned this summer’s hot and dry weather, as well sa late-season freezes as problems during this growing season. Both also addressed the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program, which allows farms to employ foreign nationals during busier times of the year. “We had some H-2A workers come in just before COVID got complicated back in March,” Bittner said. “They came from Mexico, when they got here they were isolated for 14 days. They did work, but they worked in a separate group, didn’t mingle with the other workers for two weeks. After that they were brought in with the rest of the workers.”

All of the farmers in attendance explained that they have taken extra health and safety precautions during the pandemic when necessary, such as sanitizing common areas and encouraging any ill workers to remain home. Bill Zalakar addressed farming issues specific to Long Island, explaining that the area’s greenhouse industry was hit especially hard during the early weeks of the pandemic. Long Island farmers have also been delaying with a heavy drop in demand from restaurants in the New York City area.

In discussing solutions to these COVID-19 problems, many in attendance expressed a desire to focus on the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, who are already in a naturally stressful profession. Federal assistance given to farming organizations and resources, such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension and nyfarmnet.org, will be important to the success of the industry moving forward.

“Unpredictability comes with farming, look no farther than the weather,” Fisher said. “This year we are dealing with an exceptionally hot summer and drought conditions for much of the state. All this underscores the need to continue to invest in our food system while making health and safety a priority.”

WIN FOR DIARY

The national dairy industry did receive some positive news last week despite ongoing COVID-19 concerns when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reaffirmed the importance of dairy in a healthy diet.

“The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee today restated what consumers already know, that regular dairy consumption offers essential nutrition that nourishes people throughout their lives,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation “Across different types of diets and throughout all stages of life, dairy products provide the nutrients people need to be healthy.”

The report concluded that 88% of Americans are falling short of dairy recommendations in their diet, including 79% of 9-13 year-olds.

Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

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[steamkeygenerator372thegame-blog]

Arma 3 Steam Cd Key Giveaway

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[xtruss]

Locusts Swarm East Africa, Middle East With Worst Plague in Decades

Clouds of locusts are swarming through East Africa in historic numbers, forming a potentially catastrophic plague unlike anything seen in generations.

— Russell McLendon | March 10, 2020 | Mother Nature Network

Locusts swarm through Lerata village in northern Kenya on Jan. 22, 2020.

Clouds of locusts are swarming from East Africa to the Persian Gulf in historic numbers, forming a potentially catastrophic plague unlike anything some areas have seen in generations. The insatiable insects, which seem to be capitalizing on a mix of environmental conditions favored by climate change, pose a fast-growing threat to farmers and food availability across the region.

"The situation remains extremely alarming in the Horn of Africa, specifically Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia where widespread breeding is in progress and new swarms are starting to form," the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a March 10 update.

The outbreak is now being tracked in 15 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, according to Scientific American. It’s the worst infestation U.N. officials have seen in 25 years.

'Ravenous swarms' of desert locusts, already unprecedented in size and destructive potential, threaten the entire East Africa subregion, the U.N. warned Jan. 20.

The locusts have devoured hundreds of square kilometers of vegetation in Ethiopia since November, according to Oxfam, and are now entrenched in Kenya and Somalia. Kenya has not experienced a locust outbreak like this in 70 years, an FAO official tells the Associated Press, while it's the worst Ethiopia or Somalia has seen in a quarter century.

These countries now have larger populations and already face other threats to food security, including both droughts and flooding. That has left them more vulnerable to a locust plague of this scale, along with nearby countries like Uganda and South Sudan.

"Uganda has not had to deal with a locust infestation since the '60s, so there is concern about the ability for experts on the ground to be able to deal with it without external support," the FAO's Rosanne Marchesich tells the AP. "And in a country like South Sudan, already 47% of the population is food insecure."

During plagues, desert locusts have the potential to damage the livelihood of a tenth of the world's population, according to the FAO.

These are desert locusts, which are not only the most destructive kind of locust, but also "the most dangerous of all migratory pest species in the world," as one U.N. expert describes them.

They're normally solitary insects, but under certain environmental conditions, they undergo an incredible transformation, changing their appearance, physiology and behavior as they shift from solitary to "gregarious" mode. That means brighter coloring — like pink or yellow instead of brown — as well as broader shoulders, longer wings, higher metabolic rates and a more "restless and irritable" temperament. The two phases are so different that, until 1921, scientists thought they were separate species.

Most importantly, gregarious-phase locusts are compelled to swarm, mate and eat as long as they can find enough food to sustain them. Populations can explode in the right conditions, prompting them to ride high-level winds in search of food, sometimes covering 130 km (80 miles) or more in a day. They regularly cross the Red Sea, a distance of 300 km (186 miles), and have been known to travel even farther. Desert locusts flew from West Africa to the British Isles in 1869 and 1954, for example, and from West Africa to the Caribbean in 1988, a trip of 5,000 km (3,100 miles) they completed in about 10 days, according to the FAO.

Children swing sticks at locusts as they run through a swarm in Kenya's Larisoro village on Jan. 21.

Locusts have plagued humanity for millennia, yet we still struggle to control them. People have tried a variety of tactics, including flamethrowers and explosives, but the swarms often grow too large and resilient too quickly. Our best bet seems to be catching them early or predicting their irregular surges, both of which have also proven difficult. Large amounts of insecticide can help, although that raises new issues for human and ecological health, and may be inadequate anyway once a swarm is big enough.

When solitary desert locusts transform into their 'gregarious' phase, they grow larger and change colors, from brown to pink (immature) and yellow (mature).

There is no evidence to suggest desert locusts swarm after a specific number of years, according to the FAO. Their plagues seem to hinge more on circumstance than any kind of cycle.

Desert locusts need good places to lay eggs — with bare ground and moist, sandy soil 10 to 15 cm (4 to 5 inches) deep — plus lots of greenery for their young to eat. Ideal conditions often exist without sparking a plague, though, and predicting the rise and spread of locust swarms remains a challenge, despite long-running efforts of scientists at the FAO and elsewhere.

And while the threat of locusts is nothing new, it is becoming more dangerous. That's partly because of growing human populations, since food supplies are already thin in many places, and partly because of human-induced climate change, which promotes many of the conditions that favor locust plagues like the one now sweeping through East Africa.

A yellow shroud of desert locusts removes foliage from a shrub in Kenya's Samburu County.

Desert locusts often thrive in warm, wet weather, which provides deeper moisture for their eggs and more vegetation to feed their offspring. East Africa had one of its rainiest years on record in 2019, as Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker recently told the AP, and some parts of the region are still receiving heavy rains.

Babiker traces all that rainfall back to rapidly warming waters in the Indian Ocean, which helped create a barrage of storms off the eastern coast of Africa, including a high number of strong tropical cyclones.

Along with hot weather on the ground, this led to "exceptional" conditions for desert locusts to swarm. "Countries are trying to prepare," Babiker says, "but this took them by surprise."

Locusts swarm above a highway in Samburu County on Jan. 22.

Even a small swarm of desert locusts can eat enough food for 35,000 people in a single day, according to the FAO, and plagues can become economically devastating. An outbreak from 2003 to 2005 covered 20 countries and cost more than $500 million to contain, along with more than $2.5 billion in crop losses.

"Clouds of approximately 80 million desert locusts per square kilometre are voracious," writes Robert Rotberg, founding director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Intrastate Conflict, in an opinion piece for The Globe and Mail. "In one day they consume wheat, barley, sorghum, or maize crops that feed 35,000 people. Masses the size of cities can consume 1.8 million metric tons of vegetation every day – enough to feed 81 million people."

And as big as this plague already is, it could grow another 500 times larger by June, according to the FAO. Local authorities are scrambling to contain it before that happens, and the U.N. has allocated $10 million to help with that effort, mainly via pesticides.

Locust swarms can cover hundreds of square kilometers, with as many as 80 million individual locusts per square kilometer.

As with almost any pest, the need to control locusts probably shouldn't grow into a desire to eradicate them completely. They are wild animals performing a natural phenomenon, as Mashable points out, and simply wiping them out could have countless unintended consequences across many ecosystems.

"It's one of the wonders of the natural world," Iain Couzin, who studies locust swarms at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, tells Mashable. "We don't want to stop them. We just want to manage them."

That's easier said than done, of course. Researchers continue to work on better tactics, from safer pesticides to more accurate ways of forecasting locust swarms, not to mention ongoing efforts to curb the greenhouse gas emissions behind climate change.

And while it may have little effect on its own, there is also another ancient technique for taking a bite out of locust swarms. Locusts are rich in protein and easy to collect during a swarm, and since they eat our food, there is some justice in eating them instead. "Locusts are usually stir-fried, roasted or boiled and eaten immediately, or dried and eaten later," according to the FAO, which includes a list of recipes.

Editor's note: This story has been updated since it was first published in January 2020.

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Record-shattering heat, strong winds cause Australia's bush fire crisis to escalate International Jan 05. 2020 As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. By The Washington Post · Andrew Freedman As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. But the disaster facing the country is nowhere near over.Ahead of a cold front moving from southwest to northeast, strong, dry winds out of the northwest helped instigate new blazes, vaulting embers from fire lines into areas not already ablaze. The fires knocked out power and water in some communities and forced the government to call up the military to assist in firefighting efforts.As of Saturday morning, the Rural Fire Service of New South Wales was still issuing emergency warnings, the most severe level, containing dire language: "The fire is spreading quickly. If you are in Tallong, Werai, Exeter, Manchester Square, Avoca, Fitzroy Falls, Barrengary or surrounding areas it is too late to leave. Seek shelter as fire approaches," read one emergency warning for the Morton Fire.Because the cold front is still making its way through the area of most intense fire activity, the hottest part of the day came and went with little to no relief. This allowed temperatures to soar to what appears to be a record high temperature for Sydney, with Penrith, located in the far western reaches of the metropolitan area, hitting 120 degrees (48.9 Celsius). In addition, Canberra, the nation's capital, hit a record high of 110 degrees (43.6 Celsius), breaking the previous record of 109 degrees set in 1939.Many of the fires that intensified on Saturday developed smoke plumes that were vaulted high into the atmosphere. Some of them turned into what are known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorms birthed by the combination of rising heat, smoke particles and water vapor from a major fire. At one point on Saturday, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a thunderstorm warning for storms generated by smoke plumes.These pyroCb clouds, as they are known in the meteorology community, typically indicate that a fire is exhibiting extreme behavior, since they help a blaze draw in more surrounding air and can shift surface winds while also giving rise to fire tornadoes. A young firefighter in Australia died when a fire tornado overturned his vehicle.On Friday into Saturday, fires also erupted in other parts of Australia, including a destructive blaze on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. That island is home to a nature preserve that contains numerous unique species. Fires have devastated habitat for iconic animals that are only found in Australia, including koalas and rare birds, though the toll on wildlife won't be fully known for some time.Bush fires are expected to continue burning through the weekend and in the weeks and months to come as Australia enters its dry season in a precariously hot and desiccated position. However, the fire weather forecast for the next few days features cooler weather, which could help weary firefighters hold flames back behind containment lines.Last year was the hottest and driest year on record in the country, and December turned out to be one of the top 2 hottest months ever recorded. December featured the country's hottest day on record as well. No significant rain is expected in the hardest-hit areas of New South Wales and Victoria for months.While bush fires are a regular occurrence during the Australian dry season, a combination of long-term climate change and natural variability is making the situation far worse.Human-caused global warming is raising the odds of and severity of extreme-heat events and also adding to the severity of wildfires by speeding the drying of the landscape, among other influences. One of the most robust conclusions of climate studies has been that human-caused warming would increase the frequency and severity of heat waves and also boost the occurrence of days with extreme fire danger.Both trends are playing out in Australia right now, a country that has recently seen other severe climate impacts in the form of marine heat waves that devastated parts of the Great Barrier Reef.The southern part of Australia has warmed by 2.7 degrees since 1950, according to climate researcher Zeke Hausfather, climate and energy director at The Breakthrough Institute. This is consistent with the period of faster human-caused warming worldwide.The unusually warm and dry year in Australia is also due in part to a weather pattern that has set up across the Indian Ocean. It's known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD, which is an air circulation pattern in the Indian Ocean. When the IOD is in its positive phase, the water is cooler than average off the coast of Sumatra, leading to reduced atmospheric lift there and reduced rainfall over Australia, and there are warmer-than-average waters off the coast of Africa.A positive IOD the past two years has meant drier-than-average conditions in much of Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology found that it's unusual to have back-to-back years with a positive dipole, which helps influence precipitation patterns across South Asia and Oceania.This natural climate cycle is changing over time as ocean and air temperatures rise in response to increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the air because of human activities, namely the burning of fossil fuels for energy. This is expected to make back-to-back positive IOD events more common and make Australia even more prone to drought conditions accompanied by extreme heat."While the IOD is a natural mode of variability, its behavior is changing in response to climate change. Research suggests that the frequency of positive IOD events, and particularly the occurrence of consecutive events will increase as global temperatures rise," the bureau stated.The scale of the ongoing disaster in Australia is difficult to fathom even for those on the ground. At least 12 million acres have gone up in smoke so far in Victoria and New South Wales alone, which dwarfs the amount of land that burned in California's worst fire season in 2018. It's equivalent to the burning of the entire state of West Virginia.Smoke from the blazes has made it to South America, a journey of 9,000 miles, and some may stay aloft for months, having a small effect on the planet's climate.On the ground, though, residents in affected areas feel helpless and scared, and increasingly weary.Rebecca Butterworth, a house painter and journalist in Albury, a city in southern New South Wales, says it's been surreal to hear the small towns in the picturesque Murray-Darling Basin, some of which have populations under 100, mentioned on national newscasts."The signal for 'leave' is a red rimmed triangle with a black interior, and a little traffic light guy at full hock within it. It's just hanging everywhere," she said in an email. #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

Record-shattering heat, strong winds cause Australia’s bush fire crisis to escalate International Jan 05. 2020 As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. By The Washington Post · Andrew Freedman As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the hardest-hit state this time being New South Wales. It will take another day for fire a to ease as temperatures drop but winds remain high. But the disaster facing the country is nowhere near over.Ahead of a cold front moving from southwest to northeast, strong, dry winds out of the northwest helped instigate new blazes, vaulting embers from fire lines into areas not already ablaze. The fires knocked out power and water in some communities and forced the government to call up the military to assist in firefighting efforts.As of Saturday morning, the Rural Fire Service of New South Wales was still issuing emergency warnings, the most severe level, containing dire language: “The fire is spreading quickly. If you are in Tallong, Werai, Exeter, Manchester Square, Avoca, Fitzroy Falls, Barrengary or surrounding areas it is too late to leave. Seek shelter as fire approaches,” read one emergency warning for the Morton Fire.Because the cold front is still making its way through the area of most intense fire activity, the hottest part of the day came and went with little to no relief. This allowed temperatures to soar to what appears to be a record high temperature for Sydney, with Penrith, located in the far western reaches of the metropolitan area, hitting 120 degrees (48.9 Celsius). In addition, Canberra, the nation’s capital, hit a record high of 110 degrees (43.6 Celsius), breaking the previous record of 109 degrees set in 1939.Many of the fires that intensified on Saturday developed smoke plumes that were vaulted high into the atmosphere. Some of them turned into what are known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorms birthed by the combination of rising heat, smoke particles and water vapor from a major fire. At one point on Saturday, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology issued a thunderstorm warning for storms generated by smoke plumes.These pyroCb clouds, as they are known in the meteorology community, typically indicate that a fire is exhibiting extreme behavior, since they help a blaze draw in more surrounding air and can shift surface winds while also giving rise to fire tornadoes. A young firefighter in Australia died when a fire tornado overturned his vehicle.On Friday into Saturday, fires also erupted in other parts of Australia, including a destructive blaze on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. That island is home to a nature preserve that contains numerous unique species. Fires have devastated habitat for iconic animals that are only found in Australia, including koalas and rare birds, though the toll on wildlife won’t be fully known for some time.Bush fires are expected to continue burning through the weekend and in the weeks and months to come as Australia enters its dry season in a precariously hot and desiccated position. However, the fire weather forecast for the next few days features cooler weather, which could help weary firefighters hold flames back behind containment lines.Last year was the hottest and driest year on record in the country, and December turned out to be one of the top 2 hottest months ever recorded. December featured the country’s hottest day on record as well. No significant rain is expected in the hardest-hit areas of New South Wales and Victoria for months.While bush fires are a regular occurrence during the Australian dry season, a combination of long-term climate change and natural variability is making the situation far worse.Human-caused global warming is raising the odds of and severity of extreme-heat events and also adding to the severity of wildfires by speeding the drying of the landscape, among other influences. One of the most robust conclusions of climate studies has been that human-caused warming would increase the frequency and severity of heat waves and also boost the occurrence of days with extreme fire danger.Both trends are playing out in Australia right now, a country that has recently seen other severe climate impacts in the form of marine heat waves that devastated parts of the Great Barrier Reef.The southern part of Australia has warmed by 2.7 degrees since 1950, according to climate researcher Zeke Hausfather, climate and energy director at The Breakthrough Institute. This is consistent with the period of faster human-caused warming worldwide.The unusually warm and dry year in Australia is also due in part to a weather pattern that has set up across the Indian Ocean. It’s known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD, which is an air circulation pattern in the Indian Ocean. When the IOD is in its positive phase, the water is cooler than average off the coast of Sumatra, leading to reduced atmospheric lift there and reduced rainfall over Australia, and there are warmer-than-average waters off the coast of Africa.A positive IOD the past two years has meant drier-than-average conditions in much of Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology found that it’s unusual to have back-to-back years with a positive dipole, which helps influence precipitation patterns across South Asia and Oceania.This natural climate cycle is changing over time as ocean and air temperatures rise in response to increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the air because of human activities, namely the burning of fossil fuels for energy. This is expected to make back-to-back positive IOD events more common and make Australia even more prone to drought conditions accompanied by extreme heat.”While the IOD is a natural mode of variability, its behavior is changing in response to climate change. Research suggests that the frequency of positive IOD events, and particularly the occurrence of consecutive events will increase as global temperatures rise,” the bureau stated.The scale of the ongoing disaster in Australia is difficult to fathom even for those on the ground. At least 12 million acres have gone up in smoke so far in Victoria and New South Wales alone, which dwarfs the amount of land that burned in California’s worst fire season in 2018. It’s equivalent to the burning of the entire state of West Virginia.Smoke from the blazes has made it to South America, a journey of 9,000 miles, and some may stay aloft for months, having a small effect on the planet’s climate.On the ground, though, residents in affected areas feel helpless and scared, and increasingly weary.Rebecca Butterworth, a house painter and journalist in Albury, a city in southern New South Wales, says it’s been surreal to hear the small towns in the picturesque Murray-Darling Basin, some of which have populations under 100, mentioned on national newscasts.”The signal for ‘leave’ is a red rimmed triangle with a black interior, and a little traffic light guy at full hock within it. It’s just hanging everywhere,” she said in an email. #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380151?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

Record-shattering heat, strong winds cause Australia’s bush fire crisis to escalate International Jan 05. 2020

As authorities feared, Australia saw a dramatic escalation of its wildfire crisis on Friday night and Saturday, with the…

[nsabasesp]

Current Research - Writing Sample

Sustainable Revenue: Hipcamp

Through various interviews, we uncovered another goal that Dr. Adest has for his ranch is to generate sustainable revenue sources with limited environmental consequences. One method that Dr. Adest discovered is an online platform called HipCamp. This site allows landowners to list their cabins and camping spots for reservations to outdoor enthusiasts ("Getting more people outside", n.d.). The usage data of Dr. Adest’s HipCamp sites were graciously offered for this research. He has listed nine different HipCamp spots located throughout his property over the past four years since he started with HipCamp. Dr. Adest has chosen not to enlist some or all of his spots when his land is facing an environmental extremity such as drought for the purpose of alleviating the burden on the land. The goal of this OOG is to improve revenue from HipCamp by ten percent in the most productive year. This OOG will be different for landowners and depend on how they manage their HipCamp sites.

Our interviews with Dr. Adest showcased the factors that go into running a working ranch while focusing on restoration. The goal of opening the land to outdoor enthusiasts is to bring in income to replace cattle ranching on the ranch. HipCamp is one of the 10 of the sources of income Dr. Adest has set up on the ranch. The drivers of the OOG are the variables that entice people to reserve campsites and cabins. One driver is location; the proximity of River Ridge Ranch to Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and other outdoor recreational spaces. According to Dr. Adest, his HipCamp sites provide space for outdoor enthusiasts when popular campsites within the national parks are fully booked. While these national parks are some of the most visited, weather conditions tend to control the amount of visitors that River Ridge  Ranch sees. During the spring and summer seasons, River Ridge Ranch sees more reservations than the winter. Finally, the amenities on River Ridge Ranch are also drivers for HipCamp bookings. Many national park sites are crowded and do not offer things like showers, bathrooms, wifi, and in some cases AC/heating. These three drivers and more are reasons why Dr. Adest has been able to make nearly 100,000 dollars in four years. Almost 900 bookings have taken place in River Ridge, and each booking leaves a footprint on the land.

The constraints of this OOG focus on the obstacles of using HipCamp as a source of income. Conservation easements, seasonality, and land degradation are mentioned as constraints for using HipCamp as a source of revenue. A conservation easement limits the amount of campsites and cabins that landowners can build on their land, in turn limiting reservations and revenue. Seasons and their accompanying weather also affect the popularity of camping. July and August experience the highest number of reservations, shown in Graph 1. This figure shows the total count of bookings per month for the cumulative years since Dr. Adest began. For example, the month of May corresponds with a count of 88 bookings between the years of 2017 and 2021. A third constraint is the effect that camping and visitors have on land degradation. It may disturb the landscape and result in temporary or permanent unwanted changes to the land through persistent use of land and resources, and possible damage to property. For example, persistent use of land can lead to changes in the land such as the creation of trails, introduction of invasive species, and movement of wildlife; amongst other effects. To bring in the most revenue, land managers must find equilibrium with the use of land to preserve its enjoyment for future visitors. 

To monitor how HipCamp could affect the landscape, there are several monitoring systems in place that can lead to relebations. With a continuous partnership with CSULB, students can continue to monitor changes on River Ridge Ranch. With ongoing monitoring projects like soil sampling and animal waste collection students can uncover changes in the landscape. Sampling soils twice a year can uncover invasive seeds, changes in bulk density and other signs of degradation that can be linked to HipCamp bookings. By collecting animal waste, students can see the distribution of animals throughout the ranch. They can aslo map their movements over time. For example, if fox waste begins to move to higher elevations, this could hint that HipCamp bookings and human presence have something to do with their movement. To tie everything back to making revenue through HipCamp while keeping sustainability in mind, a bi-annual cost benefit analysis could be a powerful monitoring system. HipCamp booking information and data from the monitoring systems in place can be used to create a cost benefit analysis. The cost benefit analysis asks a tough question; does the revenue outweigh the land degradation from continuous use? Using the cost-benefit analysis, Dr. Adest and other stakeholders can come to a decision to continue, expand, or contract HipCamp on River Ridge Ranch.