All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

FOTD 15th June 2024: Lilac | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Found this photo from this year’s lilac bush.

Source: FOTD 15th June 2024: Lilac | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

South Africa- Cape Town – 100CountryTrek.com

Simon’s Town – Boulders Penguin Colony- Less than an hour drive from Cape Town to . A very popular beach area for locals and tourists. Our goal was to see the penguins at Boulder Beach area. These penguins are only located on the coast of South Africa. They were building nests with each other.

Source: South Africa- Cape Town – 100CountryTrek.com

Citing Health Concerns, Some Jewish New Yorkers Push Back Against Proposed Mask Ban – Mother Jones

…Elana Levin, a Jews For Racial & Economic Justice member who has dealt with Long Covid, was horrified to see Hochul jump on the anti-mask ban bandwagon.

“This is in line with all of her other Covid-minimizing, anti-public health stances,” like removing masking requirements in hospitals, Levin said. “But it is still very beyond the pale.”

Levin plans to continue wearing their N95 in public but is concerned that their neighbors of color, who also continue to mask, could be targeted by the police for doing so.

Baker Keusch also worries that banning masks in the name of Jewish safety could lead to antisemitism in Covid-cautious communities. Hochul’s rhetoric “sets us up for more antisemitism,” Baker Keusch says, as some may blame “Jews for lowering Covid precautions…”

Source: Citing Health Concerns, Some Jewish New Yorkers Push Back Against Proposed Mask Ban – Mother Jones

Wisconsin Republicans block PFAS cleanup until polluters are granted immunity | Wisconsin | The Guardian

Wisconsin Republicans are withholding $125m designated for cleanup of widespread PFAS contamination in drinking water and have said they will only release the funds in exchange for immunity for polluters.

The move is part of a broader effort by Republicans in the state to steal power from the Democratic governor, Tony Evers, the funding’s supporters say, alleging such “political games” are putting residents’ health at risk.

“People really feel like they’re being held hostage,” said Lee Donahue, mayor of Campbell, which is part of the La Crosse metropolitan area and has drinking water contaminated with astronomical levels of PFAS. “It’s ridiculous, and some would argue that it’s criminal, that they are withholding money from communities in dire need of clean drinking water.”

PFAS are a class of chemicals used across dozens of industries to make products water-, stain- and heat-resistant. They are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, and they persist in the environment and accumulate in humans’ and animals’ bodies. The compounds are linked to cancer, decreased immunity, thyroid problems, birth defects, kidney disease, liver problems and a range of other serious illnesses.

Source: Wisconsin Republicans block PFAS cleanup until polluters are granted immunity | Wisconsin | The Guardian

Despre o anume fericire – ore de drum

Narva, 2024

Atât de aproape de Rusia nu mai ajunsesem niciodată, dar am fost întotdeauna curioasă cum e să respiri aerul în care au creat capodopere Ceaikovski, Rahmaninov, Dostoievski, Cehov, Nikita Mihalkov, Andrei Koncealovsky, Pavel Lungin, toți zeii.

Un râu atât de îngust desparte două lumi. Frontiera dintre Estonia și Rusia e trasată la jumătatea râului Narva, pe al cărei mal răsăritean se înalță reduta ce străjuiește micul oraș Ivangorod, față-n față cu donjonul teuton al estonilor.

Din 1649 până în 1845, Ivangorod figura în toate documentele administrative drept o suburbie a orașului imperial Narva și, în 1780, cu tot cu Narva, a fost integrat în guvernoratul St.Petersburg.

Într-o petiție care a circulat în 1998, populația din Ivangorod a solicitat ca orașul să fie alipit Estoniei, însă, de atunci, s-au schimbat multe.

Ivangorod e situat într-o zonă frontalieră rusă și, ca să poata fi vizitat, e nevoie, pe lângă viză, de un permis specific de intrare. Instituția care-l emite se numește Serviciul Federal de Securitate al Federației Ruse și aprobă, în plus, ca administrator al frontierelor, toate vizele de intrare pe suprafața întregii Federații.

Source: Despre o anume fericire – ore de drum