Yesterday, I did a little constructive oversleeping. Even when everything goes slowly, any time I drive anywhere farther away than 5 or 10 miles, I stress and get very tired. (When I was in my twenties, I could actually lose weight drving long distances, even when eating as much as (or even a little more than) usual. I’m pretty sure that’s not true any more, but it’s still tiring. Hence the need for a little extra sleep. And it helps – though it probably would have helped more if I had awakened to a happier news day.
Click through for graphic article. I like vultures. I had very few plushies when I was a kid, but one day on my mid-teens I saw a lushie vulture and had to have it, and “Nigel” became a beloeved companion. So this story – which is less about vultures than about the many ways we contribute to loss of biodiversity, even when doing things which seem very positive, caught my eye.
Los Angeles Times – Column: Cops, not books? This town’s library may become a police station
Quote – [Frank] Cervantes [Library Associate] didn’t want to give too many opinions, partly because he had a bunch of kids to look after. But he did emphasize the importance of having a library in a small town like McFarland. He himself grew up in the even smaller agricultural community of Mettler, an hour away. His hometown had no library, but his mom was able to take him to libraries in bigger cities. “It was the difference,” he quietly said, “between a bright future and the futures that some of my peers had.” Click through. I can guarantee tht if they do this, crime (or at least “crime”) will increase. If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
No More Mister Nice Blog – The CDC Really Needs to Look into This Cluster of Right Wing Amnesia
Quote – I think I understand what’s happening here. The right needs to make the reaction to this decision the real story, in order to distract from the decision’s unpopularity and radical nature. Part One of this attempt to manufacture consent was the phony outrage at the leak, which the right blames on liberals, despite lacking any evidence to do so. Click through for full blog. Right wing amnesia is nothing new But it’s getting worse … and their attacks on public education suggest that it’s currently far from bad enough to suit them.
Glenn Kirschner – Giuliani now in contempt of Congress, literally & figuratively. Will Congress use inherent contempt?
Meidas Touch on Twitter – Someone you love
Someone you love might need an abortion someday. Help ensure that when that day comes, they are able to get the care they need. Pass this video on and show your support. pic.twitter.com/iyjha2jfAJ
Yesterday, of course, I visited Virgil. I was glad I left early, and glad I stopped for gas. I didn’t remember the road as well as I thought I did (and construction here and there didn’t help.) When I arrived and turned where the road sign said the complex was, I drove right past the visitation center to the complex gate – who told me eexactly where is was. Although all the prisins follow the same manual there are always details in which they are individual There’s a form that every facility requires, but his last facility wanted it filled out in pendil (in other words, by have every time) but they were willing t let it last longer than one visit unless something has changed. This faciity doesn’t care about pencil (which means I can fill one out in good dark ink, scan it, ans print it off) but they do want it every visit. There’s another form about CoViD sympotoms that the last place wanted to go through the questions with visitors verbally and fill it out for us. The same form, this facility wants us to fill out for them (not in pencil.) It’s short and sweet so I won’t be scanning it,. The gave me a (surgical) mask without question, and one of the shuttle busses has a wheelchair life. I also saw some dress code differences, though probably none I’s want to emulate (like flip flops – not for me.) Because of the bussing, one can’t just leave whenever one feels like it, as one could at the last facility – but that’s not going to be a problem, as the route is not almost due south and almost due east to get ther (and the opposite returning) as the last facility was, which made both sunrise and sunset problematic duting winter, but rather roughly south sotjeast (about 30 from due south) and roughlt due west going, and yje opposite returning, and that alone takes care of most of the sunlight issues. All this is probably more than anyone wanted to know; hope I didn’t bore you too much.
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Wonkette – Nation’s Long Nightmare Over As Chuck Todd’s Daily Wankfest Banished To Streaming
Quote – Poor Chuck. When in under a year and a half your network moves you to a new time slot so the world can have another hour of Nicolle Wallace, and then out of that time slot to an online streamer, it feels like they are sending a message, and the message is not, “Great work, Mr. Cronkite.” Anyway, what can yr Wonkette say about Todd that isn’t being said very scornfully on Twitter? The man has been a scourge of the sort of view-from-nowhere bothsidesism and horserace politics that has fueled both our rage and our alcohol problems for many a year. Click through for details. I doubt whether anyone here actually watched Chuck Todd… but it’s interesting that this comes so soon after the WHCD.
Crooks and Liars – Trump’s DHS Altered Russia Report To Help Trump
Quote – Trump’s acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and others in his department altered parts of a report and delayed its release. The original reports stated clearly that Russia helped Trump in 2020 (never mind 2016?) for political reasons. On Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox News finally covered a negative Trump story. Click through for story. You might wonder, what DHS other than Trump’s would do this? But if the GQP is capable of suggestiong that AntiFa did the insurrection to overthrow an election which their side won, then the GQP is capable of suggesting just about anything.
Salon – Did a justice’s wife leak Supreme Court drama?
Quote – We already know her husband, Clarence Thomas, is an extraordinarily angry and bitter person, thanks to his memoir, “I Am Still an Incredibly Angry and Bitter Person on Account of That Time Anita Hill Told the Complete Truth About Me.” (And Clarence Thomas is apparently buddies with CBS’s Jan Crawford.) And Ginni made a living, for years, touring the nation telling everyone how awful and unconstitutional healthcare reform was, which means she was probably pretty upset when her husband told her John Roberts voted to kill liberty forever. She’s also known for having really poor impulse control[.] Click through for discussion. I don’t think it’s necessarily true that once a leaker, always a leaker, because some – many – people are capable of mental and emotional growth. But then, this is Ginni Thomas we are talking about here.
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
The sight of industrialists stealing resources from indigenous peoples, and of that theft essentially turning into genocide, is unfortunately nothing new. It is as famiiar at Standing Rock as it is in the Amazon basin. But there’s a new twist to this story – the potential use of satellite techno;ogy and data to provide proof of injury – and of agency when the guilty parties deny fault. See what you think.
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Satellites over the Amazon capture the choking of the ‘house of God’ by the Belo Monte Dam – they can help find solutions, too
NASA’s Landsat satellites have been monitoring changes on Earth’s landscape for 50 years. NASA illustration
The Xingu River is revered as the “house of God” by the Indigenous people living along its Volte Grande, or Big Bend, in the Brazilian Amazon. The river is essential to their culture and religion, and a crucial source of fish, transportation and water for trees and plants.
Five years ago, the Big Bend was a broad river valley interwoven with river channels teaming with fish, turtles and other wildlife. Today, as much as 80% of the water flow is gone.
That’s because in late 2015, the massive Belo Monte Dam project began redirecting water from the Xingu River upstream from the Big Bend, channeling it through a canal to a giant new reservoir. The reservoir now powers one of the largest hydropower dams in the world, designed with enough capacity to power around 20 million households, though it has been producing far less.
Indigenous communities living in the Big Bend region of the Xingu River and its Bacaja tributary rely on the river for food and to transport crops. Taylor Weidman/LightRocket via Getty Images
Most of the river’s flow now bypasses the Big Bend, and the Indigenous peoples who live there are watching their livelihoods and way of life become endangered. Some of the most devastating effects are during the rainy season, when wildlife and trees rely heavily on having high water. The consortium of utilities and mining companies that runs the dam has pushed back on government orders to allow more water to reach the Big Bend, claiming it would cut their generation and profits. The group has argued in the past that there was no scientific proof that the change in water flow harmed fish or turtles.
There is proof of the Belo Monte Dam project’s impact on the Big Bend, though – from above. Satellite data shows how dramatically the dam has altered the hydrology of the river there.
The front satellite image shows the Big Bend of the Xingu River on May 26, 2000, before the Belo Monte Dam project began. Move the slider to the left to see the same region on July 20, 2017.
The same satellite data can also point to potential solutions and ways that operators of the Belo Monte Dam could revise the dam’s operations to keep both its renewable power and the Xingu River flowing at the most important times of the year.
As scientists who work with remote sensing, we believe satellite observations can empower populations around the world who face threats to their resources. The fact that satellite observations of surface water of the Xingu River can be clearly tied to the construction and operation of the Belo Monte Dam offers hope that this kind of knowledge can no longer be hidden.
50 years of Earth observation
Satellites have been monitoring changes in Earth’s landscapes for 50 years, ever since the U.S. launched the first Landsat satellite in July 1972. By piecing together data from the Landsat program and other satellites, scientists can reconstruct historical patterns of change in the landscape and predict current and future trends. They can monitor forest cover, drought, wildfire damage and desert expansion, as well as river flows and reservoir operations around the world.
An example of how that data can be used to help threatened communities is the global Reservoir Assessment Tool, which was created by colleagues and one of us at the University of Washington. It monitors how much water is in about 1,600 reservoirs around the world.
The Reservoir Assessment Tool allows communities to track river flow changes caused by nearby dams and locate proposed dams. It currently tracks dams built before 2000. University of Washington
Dam operators already collect thorough on-site data about water flow, but their datasets are rarely shared with the public. Remote sensing doesn’t face the same restrictions. Making that data public can help hold operators to account for and protect local communities and their rivers.
How satellites could pressure Belo Monte to share
Satellite monitoring can provide unprecedented insight into the operations of dams like the Belo Monte and their impact on downstream populations.
Existing satellite data can be used to monitor recent historical behavior of a dam’s operations, track the state of the river and patterns of inflow and outflow at the dam, and even forecast the likely state of the reservoir. Much of that data is easily accessible and free. For example, a tool created for the regional governing body of the Mekong River Commission is empowering communities along the river in Southeast Asia by giving them access to satellite data about water flow at each dam – data that cannot be hidden or modified by those in power.
While estimates based on remote sensing have higher uncertainty than on-site measurements, unfettered access to such information can provide local populations with evidence to argue, in court if necessary, for more water releases.
Members of Indigenous groups living in the Big Bend region talk about changes they’ve seen since the dam was built.
Long-term observations of dams and hydroclimate records show it is possible to revise the standard operating procedures of dams so they allow more water to flow downstream when needed. A compromise with the Belo Monte Dam could ensure that enough water flows to the Xingu’s Big Bend region while also providing hydropower benefits.
By making the impact of the Belo Monte Dam and others like it public to the world, agencies and the general public can put pressure on the dam’s operators and its investors to release more water. Public pressure will become increasingly important, as water disputes in the Amazon are expected to worsen as the planet warms and deforestation continues. Climate change will affect river flow patterns in the Amazon and likely increase droughts, leaving less water during some periods.
Monitoring dams is a powerful way satellites can make a difference. Nearly two-thirds of Brazil’s electricity comes from more than 200 large and 400-plus small hydropower plants, and more large dams are expected to be built in the Amazon this decade. Many are in areas with Indigenous populations.
The Belo Monte Dam’s construction, shown here in 2012, flooded land and changed the river. Mario Tama/Getty Images
[Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.Sign up today.]
Remote sensing may not directly solve the problem of social injustice, but it offers the tools needed to recognize the problems and explore solutions. Being able to monitor changes in near-real time and compare them with historical operations can help maintain the checks and balances required for equitable growth.
Raaghul Senthilkumar, a former Master’s student at the University of Washington, contributed to this article.
============================================================== Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, as the authors point out, satellite data is not a solution – it is only a tool – but it appears to me to be a darned good one. Put on your Eumenides hats, and stir up indigenous people and activists who care, and help them acquire and use this tool, with all other tools, to defend themselves. And, please – without delay. Our environmentsal losses, cultural losses, human losses have been so severe already, largely through delay, that we really cannot afford any more.
Yesterday, The opera was Puccini’s “Turandot” – it may be the only opera which requires more suspension of disbelief that Verdi’s “Ls Forza del Destino” (and I’m not knocking them – both are wonderful – just not believable.) Turandot is where the aria “Nessun dorma” which became Pavarotti’s signature tune comes from. During intermission, the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb spoke about what the Met is doing to boost Ukraine, including sponsoring and helping to assemble an orchestra of Ukrainian refugees (“The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra”) which is or will be touring to raise both awareness and funds. I’ve never seen the Met do so much for a cause, and it turns out Mrs. Gelb has some Ukrainian ancestry. Not surprising he is emotionally involved (not that we all aren’t). More power to the Met.
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Crooks and Liars – Republican, In Jail For Murdering His Wife, Wins Primary
Quote – Because nothing says traditional family values like killing your wife and still winning a spot for an election while in jail awaiting trial. And in case you were wondering, he’ll be on the November ballot unless convicted beforehand for his heinous act. He has confessed. Click through for story (BBA). He intends to plead guilty, so technially I suppose it’s not his trial but his plea hearing which he is in jail awaiting. And he’ll go back to jail to await sentencing. and then who knoes. Looks to me like a perfect GQP candidate.
Colorado Public Radio – If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Colorado will become an island of abortion access
Quote – [Neta] Meltzer [with Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains] said that if the Supreme Court decision comes down as it was drafted in the leaked ruling, it will have a ripple effect across the country. And Colorado will be an island of access, surrounded by states, save for New Mexico, that have partial or total bans on abortion. In the meantime, abortion rights advocates are gearing up. “We have been preparing for some time. We have been working with the clinics that provide care. We are working with abortion funding, and we are going to continue to try to coordinate to make sure we don’t turn anyone away,” said Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt, formerly NARAL CO. Click through for details, although, because no one here is clairvoyant, they are tentative. But I’m proud of my state for this.
KUT 90.5 Austin TX – So the $35 sculpture you got at an Austin Goodwill was looted from a museum during WWII. Now what?
Quote – Young wanted to figure out what the sculpture was, so she did some Googling and she started to piece things together. She contacted an auction house in London that confirmed it was really old — like FIRST CENTURY old. Another auction house managed to find the head in a catalog of items from a German museum in the 1920s and 1930s. It was listed as a portrait bust of a man named Drusus Germanicus. And so began Young’s four-year ordeal trying to get rid of a 2,000-year-old sculpture.
Looks as though the Republican-corrupted SCOTUS has voted to overturn Roe v Wade and send reproductive rights back to the individual states. Already, fortunately, people and institutions are making plans to fight back.
Without Roe v Wade, the USA will become a crazy quilt of restrictions, while evil vigilantes hunt for anybody planning to have an abortion or help someone who is, hoping to collect their thirty pieces of silver. Women will be forced to travel hundreds, possibly thousands, of kilometers, for care. Those who can’t will try to obtain Plan B pills, possibly exposing themselves to prosecution – and persecution – or fake medicine. Many may go the old “coat hanger” route, like animals caught in leghold traps chewing off their own paws, trying to self-abort with knitting needles or other long, sharp objects. A lot of them will suffer infection, excessive bleeding, even death. And the “pro-life” crowd won’t give one hair off a rat’s ass.
However, there is good news – and the possibility that we can turn the compulsory-birth ogres’ victory into one of the Pyrrhic variety. A number of blue states, including Colorado, California, New York, Minnesota and Vermont, are ready to become bastions of reproductive rights. Many of them could even codify reproductive rights in their state constitutions, which would be sharp blows to the anti-choice hordes. Some companies have already declared that they will provide assistance for their employees who need to travel out of state for abortions, even though this could expose the company to harsh fines and other legal actions.
The possibility of the GOP getting a hammerlock on the Senate this election cycle is a frighteningly real possibility. The party of the incumbent President tends to lose ground in the midterms. We have already seen how the GOP-controlled Senate has frustrated Biden’s attempts to pass meaningful legislation, such as the Green New Deal. Repubs appear to have just one item on their agenda: Frustrate Democrats. The successful nomination of Justice Jackson must be a fluke.
On the other hand, leaking the SCOTUS decision has galvanized Progressives and reproductive rights advocates. Overturning Roe v Wade could backfire horribly against the Right-wing Reich. Not just the aforementioned states making abortion the law, but also motivated voters turning out in droves to support Democrats and flip seats to blue at all levels of government. Local and state races will be critical if the SCOTUS does go ahead and gut Roe v Wade. Since the leak was a rough draft and not the final word, they have the opportunity to change their decisions before releasing the final ruling. However, I doubt they will even after the tremendous poop storm that has arisen after the leak.
If you think that abortion is the only thing the Right is after, you are wrong – dead wrong. They intend to push us back – way back. They intend to strip LGBTQ people of their rights, not just the right to same-sex marriage but even their right to be true to themselves. And why stop there? They could easily set civil rights as well as women’s rights back decades. They could make it a lot harder to become a legal immigrant, or a citizen unless you’re white, straight and rich. Give them a centimeter, and they’ll take an entire meter.
This is why we need to fight back hard and loud. We need to let our (alleged) representatives in government know that WE THE PEOPLE will NEVER allow our precious rights to be taken away – not without a long, hard and bloody fight. And if they still insist on catering to a shrinking minority, we will vote them out – because we must.
