24 - we can promote the brand every day!}

Rob in Vermont

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday December 03, 2023 · 5:09 PM PST

2023/12/03 · 17:09

no image description available — We can help elect Democrats in local, state and national races by continuously promoting the Democratic brand.

“Thank you! Your gorgeously concise stickers just arrived in 3 hand addressed envelopes! Soon my friends & neighbors will be driving them all over the northwest.”~sybild

Promoting Democratic values and achievements — the Democratic brand — is one of the ways that we in the grassroots can help elect Democrats.

Promoting the brand helps remind both voters and politicians of the importance of progressive leadership.

You can get up to 4 FREE pro-Democratic bumper stickers. Just log onto Daily Kos and use this link to send a Kos-mail letting me know which ones you’d like!

When you request stickers, I’ll add your Daily Kos username to the “Messengers Across America” list below. Thank you for volunteering your bumper and/or distributing stickers to your pro-Dem contacts!

This project is not run by or funded by Daily Kos — it’s a voluntary effort by Community members like you and me.

Daily Kos members all across the country have volunteered their bumpers, distributed bumper stickers, and/or contributed to the free inventory. See the “Messengers Across America” list below.

To contribute to the free inventory, visit Mightycause. For about $1 you can sponsor a pro-Democratic message which will get many thousands of views. That’s a lot of bang for the buck!

All contributions are used to buy inventory: bumper stickers and stamps to mail them. Visit my Mightycause page to see the current campaign (aiming to distribute another 1000 bumper stickers) and read about how this project started and how crowdfunding makes it more economical.

If you send a Kos-mail to let me know you contributed, I’ll add your username to the “Messengers Across America” list, below.

You can request a bumper sticker for a friend — we can mail to any address in America!

Whether you’re volunteering your own bumper or helping to get these messages onto other pro-Dem folks’ bumpers, THANK YOU for participating in this messaging campaign!

These bumper stickers are also available online; see the links below. MakeStickers offers quantity discounts in levels ranging all the way up to 10,000 stickers. Cafepress is the better bargain if you want just 1 or 2 of a particular sticker; they also offer magnetic versions.

Note: I designed these stickers to promote the Democratic brand; I make no profit from their sales.

If you purchase these stickers or car magnets and would like your username added to the “Messengers Across America” list below, just send me a Kos-mail.

Quick Links to View or Order Bumper Stickers

Note: if you order from MakeStickers, I recommend selecting size 10x3 and entering “No proofs needed” under Special Instructions. To order multiple designs: choose a link below; add item to shopping cart; repeat.
Message	Cafepress		MakeStickers
DEMOCRATS INVENTED & PROTECT	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR WORKERS	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS LEAD ON HEALTH CARE	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS FOR AMERICA’S KIDS	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS MULTITASK	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS FOR CLIMATE ACTION	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS GOVERN WITH CARE	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
DEMOCRATS ARE BETTER FOR THE ECONOMY	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl
VOTE DEM	vinyl	magnetic	vinyl

Not every driver is comfortable displaying a political message on their vehicle, but I have no doubt that there are many tens of thousands of pro-Dem drivers who would gladly display pro-Dem bumper stickers — and only a small fraction of them are currently aware of this project. So I encourage you to help spread the word:

▶ Recommend the free-sticker diaries. Getting onto the Recommended (Trending) list is crucial for visibility of this project.

▶ Share our links:

dailykos.com/tags/MessagesAcrossAmerica (free bumper stickers)
cafepress.com/donkey (no-markup bumper stickers and car magnets)

▶ If you have other ways to promote this project, please do so! And please share your ideas!

Testimonials

“Such a good project. Thanks for initiating it, Rob.”

—Meteor Blades

“Happy to [contribute] — to get the message out. Thanks for the opportunity”

—Denise Oliver Velez

“I still have the one on my car. I’ll leave it on after I remove my candidate’s stickers. It’s relevant and has a positive message...” —kaja

“You sent me a bunch last year and I gave them to our Indivisible group in Santa Fe and they sent them out to others.”

—Singing Lizard

“Gave the [‘Democrats Lead on Health Care’] one to [Sen.] Jon Tester last Sunday night. He loved it. I told him it was for his truck, I think he said ‘God damn right’ when he read it.”

—Smurf

“Yesterday, a delivery guy...said ’I see by your bumper sticker you’re a Democrat.’ … He was excited to talk with me, felt validated by seeing my bumper sticker… People need to see that they aren’t alone and there is remarkable power in a simple bumper sticker.” —Besame

“Keep it up Rob; I’ve already received positive responses here in Red State TN.”

—jarbyus

“I still have the Workers bumper sticker on my truck from the last election - and it still gets comments! Thanks!”

—CathyM

“I love your project. Anything to put good ideas for Democrats in front of the eyes of prospective voters is a GREAT IDEA.”

—Angela Marx

*Messengers A c r o s s* America** In addition to the users below are all the folks who have ordered directly from the print shop and/or contributed anonymously to the free inventory.
Daily Kos Members Who Have Contributed to the Free Inventory
^{a mighty deuce, Angela Marx, balancer, BCO, bethann, bleeding blue, bmaples, Captain Action, carlsbadcarol, Catkin, chrismorgan,}^Claudined66,^{Counselor730, David Akajian, Denise Oliver Velez, DownHeah Mississippi, ecowyoming, eliaVL, Gatorgirlnc, greenandblue, hilltopper, igualdad, J Graham, jimrundle, JimTheGeek, J L B, joanbrooker, keepiru, Kitty Praptic,}^{laperry23, Leileis, MargaretPOA, Matilda Briggs, Meteor Blades, Mimikins, moondanc, Mother Mags, nancyjones, Naturelvr, no more low hanging fruit, oc hope, PJ the WB Lefty, Portlaw, Puddytat, raspberryberet, Robert Norman, Rob in Vermont, scifiowa, sharondonovan, sidnora, socrates shoes, SolarMom, sweetthesound, Tamar, TomP, TrainRyder}
Daily Kos Members Who Have Volunteered to Display and/or Distribute These Bumper Stickers
^{18038, 1mare1, 19Trumpf____d, 45forPRISON, 8ist, a mighty deuce, A Siegel, abuannie, acornweb, ACTESQ, activeinmd, Aequaliter, Agnes1966, agoldnyc, aimeehs, AJDJR73, Albion1, AllAmericanChica, alsoknownas, AnalGeezer, anamac1210, AndyT, Angela Marx, annan, AnneofGreatHope, annetteboardman, AnnoyedFrog, antonrobb, aPauledInNJ, Arbiter88, Arizona Mike, Argyle Gargoyle, arich, ArkansasJoseph, art ah zen, Art Doyle, Atlanta Biker, Audri, Aureas2, B52D, BabblingBrook, Badkitty2016, balancer, baldysinclair, BaritoneWoman, basquiat518, bbamboo, Belle Ame, bernardsnatager, Besame, besttymes, bethann, betsydc, beverlywoods, bgblcklab1, Bidenmytime, big spoiled baby, bill dog, Bill888, birdfeeder, bjwelvis, bkamr, BlackSheep1, blakman1313, Blue Boomer, Blue Colorado, Blue in WNC, BlueFender, bluegirlinpoorredstate, blueinthedeeprad, Blueismycolor123, Bluefirewolf5, BlueJohn, bluesophie, bluetigereye, bluetownship, bluetoo, bluewabash, bmaples, bmihevc, bob5148, bob62old, bobinalaska, BobbyBoomBoom, bobobo, Bones1, bonitamia, britt88, brookela, Brunehild, Btemmink, bulb, Bunkerhobbit, bvljac, C Noir, cadam, Cal Worthington, Cali girl, calldonna2, Canid Micturate, CanyonWren, Captain Action, Captain Davie, Captain Gary, carlsbadcarol, Carmeninvermont, carolgs, carpunder, carriekc, Cat in the Hat, catdoor, CathyM, Catkin, catlady3, cbuschkat, Centrist Dem, CereusBison, cgcandela, changeofview, Chartreuxe, chatnoir, cheesedae, Chickie74, Chilipalmer, Chinton, chigh, chrismorgan, chrisron, Christianfirst, chuicuito, Cincinnatus53, CitizenJoe, cjfb, Claudined66, CoastalLib, codyalexis, ColoGal, ColoTim, Compost on the Weeds, Constitutional Patriot2, cooperjubilee, Copp, copymark, Costanoan, Counselor730, CountryKen, CoyoteSue, cpbn, Crazycab214, CroneRanger, cruisersailor, CSVAC, ctamatt, cumberland sibyl, cwsmoke, cwv, Cyclopsgirl, CynF, Cynical Sonya, Cynizen, Czechjournalists, Da Rock, DaddyO, DanielCoyne, DannyB, Darkchylde, dadadata, DannyG123, DarkestHour, Darrell 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jcarrington, jdgVDFP, jdmaxell, jdpilch, JefFrohn, jegeisler, jEly, jenfordem, jenheinz, jennifree2bme, jennybravo, jeremyfryberger, JerryNA, Jesus Ghandi, jev12b, Jill, JFHardy, jimmycck9, jimrundle, JimTheGeek, jimwolf359, J L B, joanbrooker, Joey Bagadonuts, John in Denver, Johnnie L Smith, JohnnyBabs, johnrhoffman, Joker2101, jorge gurk, JosBon, josephthebuilder, Joshua Bloxom, Joyce Siegel, joyful505, jrasicmark, Jshell, July4rocks, Junipertree, Just Saying, just us, just working, justcruisin55, justKD, justmypiece, kaeleewilliams, kainein24, kaja, Kamalaska, KansasJarhead, Kateinrp, kathg, KathrynZ, KATIESMUM, kck, KD143, keepiru, Ketttlemom, Kipsap River, Kitty Praptic, kittycoldfeet, kmkentots, kmp67, krakenstrong, kriski, krwheaton, kwozny, ladybug53, ladypockt, LAgraves, LamontCranston, lao hong han, laperry23, Lavendersblue, lawcat2012, Leileis, LibChicAZ, libdoc, liberaldad2, LiberalePietro, Lilredhead, Limelite, Linda Q, lizagnello, LL Brown, LLEmerson, lockthetraitorsup, LoneWolfOhio, loois, LordBlunt, lornakeith, lovinretirement, louavul, louiseal94, lovinretirement, Lsands1950, lsong, luanne brazewell, Luarvin, Lujane, lupinella, Lupus, mabon, MACGEG, MacroMolly, MadScientist, maggiejean, Mamanyt1953, mandalayt, manoffire, ManyKnives, MargaretPOA, marina, marktheonegun, Mariebn, Martin Lydick, Martin in MD, martinincalifornia, MartyM, maryalden, maryrainbow, MatchGirl, Mathetria, Matilda Briggs, mattoqp, MaxxW, mbh1023, mcfarlin999, mcmomannon, Me and My Aardvark, mealresa, megcrane, mehunt6367, melainoman, Merck3333, merwin, mesawyer, metalmmom, Meteor Blades, mflinn, Michelle 2774, mightynurse, mike34mike4, mikejay611, MikeTheLiberal, Milret2, Mimikins, Miss Blue, mission419, misterwade, mjroach, mmcguire, Mmeadowmist, MoDem, moji23, moldawer, MomcatBlueinNY, MommaBear2, mommyof3, monamongoose, moondanc, Motonirvana, mpcmpc, mpotter, Mrsanders2, MrsTarquinBiscuitbarrel, Ms Fyre, mslat27, mspage, mst4king, mt41w, MTMark, Munchkn, MWF49andforObamaBiden, mwind, Mystery Roach, nailkeg, naiyacp24, nancelot, nancyjones, nannyboz, Naturelvr, nawlinscate, nawlinscate, ndgoldendomer, nela1872, NeoCleo, nfeller, nhdlady, Ninalyn, ninemileskid, Nstin1, NMDEM19, No9nan, Nomoto, NOREMORSE, norselandc, Not So Sirius, notdarkyet, notdrinkingtherightwingkoolaid, Nova Land, nsburge, Nuevo Davo, NYSuperLib, oakroyd, obiwandb, oc hope, oconnor303, ohamaker, old iowa guy, OldDragon, oldhippiedude, oldlogan, Ole Texan, openvision, operculum, ornerydad, ORVoter, outtabody, owlswan, ozsea1, Pahli1969, Parkerbelanysupporter, patrickelliot, PatsBard, Paul E, Paula Writer, PaulNFortWorth, peacearena, pecosbob, pepperpie, peregrine kate, pete080, PeteinVT, PeterHug, Pfirshizzle, pholkiephred, pierre9045, pittgreg, PittJas90, pizzaconnection, PJEvans, plankbob, pluck, praxEs, PLeopard, pluck, political junquie, pooka1953, Poswald463, poyma, PrairieFuser, pray4snow, prrnbsn, ptgkc, PubliusMinor, Puddytat, PushMama, puzzled, QDMacaw, 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dailykos.com/tags/MessagesAcrossAmerica

Cartoon: GOP Christmas

Clay Bennett for Comics

Sunday December 03, 2023 · 4:46 PM PST

2023/12/03 · 16:46

A cartoon by Clay Bennett.

Favour's Baby

McCrowlerr

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday December 02, 2023 · 2:11 PM PST

2023/12/02 · 14:11

I know I said I wouldn’t write any more diaries on Ghana but I thought there would be those who would care to know about Favour’s baby.

Favour is the seventeen year old Nigerian girl currently living in Ghana who recently gave birth to a little baby boy. The boy almost lost his life in a fire about a week ago but he was rescued by a neighbor.

At any rate, John told me last night that the baby has been lethargic since then. He is not doing well.

He also told me that the doctors told Favour when the baby was born not to nurse him because she has an infection that she might pass on to him and they are concerned that he may already be infected. This I only learned last night.

Considering that this is Africa it is easy to speculate what the infection really is.

So sorry, but another sad story.

Prayers and positive meditations would be a kindness.

Black Kos, Week In Review ~ Michelle Obama ignoring the haters and doing good works

Black Kos for Black Kos community

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 29, 2023 · 2:45 PM PST

2023/11/29 · 14:45

Commentary by BlackKos editor JoanMar

I clicked on Twitter the other day and saw “Where’s Obama” trending. Even after going through a dozen or so tweets, other than the fact that this was primarily about Barack Obama, I still didn’t get why he was trending. What I did notice, however, was that the typical vile racists, who are not known for making an opportunity to share their bile go to waste, were out in full force attacking Michelle Obama. Oh, they were giddily and freely enjoying their little hate-fest. Nowadays, it’s a waste of time & energy to report these deplorables. They revel in the knowledge that Apartheid Man is their s/kinfolk and that because of him they now have free rein to plumb the depths of their depravity.

While the haters were busy hating and slandering her, Michelle Obama was busy doing good works in Africa. Some of us may have forgotten the groundbreaking initiatives she launched while she graced the White House… initiatives that the squatters who came after her — you know, That Mutha and his Queen Birther plagiarist wife — did everything in their power to destroy. You remember her “Let’s Move” campaign, the “Joining Forces” initiative, the “Better Make Room” initiative, her “Kids State Dinners,” to name a few. Michelle’s stature has only grown since her White House days. She’s written two best sellers, she and her husband have a major Netflix deal, she’s a major player in the Obama Foundation, and she’s still finding ways to make a difference in the lives of the underserved.

This week, I'm in Malawi with @MelindaGates and Amal Clooney as part of our work together to advance gender equality and help end child marriage. We’re visiting programs like @AGEAfrica that are supporting girls to pursue their dreams. pic.twitter.com/OsU2GtPgZl
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 16, 2023

Educating girls is one of the best ways to help young women reach their full potential, strengthen economies, and change outcomes for entire nations. I hope you’ll support organizations like @AGEAfrica through the @GirlsAlliance today: https://t.co/OD9qhmAcZQ pic.twitter.com/aM3G8EozDa
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 16, 2023

Mrs. Obama joined by Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates in Africa:

LILONGWE, Malawi, November 15, 2023 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, global philanthropist Melinda French Gates, and leading human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, were in Malawi to support the fight against child marriage, advance gender equality, and learn how their three organizations can best support grassroots organizations and experts who are actively engaged in this work.

The three women are committed to continuing their work around the world, in partnership with local organizations, to eradicate child marriage and ensure girls and women have the power to make decisions over their own lives. In addition to furthering the impact of their work, they hope to inspire others to join them on their mission to ensure girls everywhere can reach their full potential.

Michelle Obama will be remembered as one of the most consequential first ladies in this country’s history. Soulless little bigots crawling around on Twitter and Fox will not succeed in tarnishing her legacy. She will not be diminished.

And while we are at it, in case you have a dollar or two to spare, you may consider donating to http://gofundme.org/girls-opportunity-alliance.

The Girls Opportunity Alliance seeks to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, allowing them to achieve their full potential.

Hope you all had a beautiful Turkey (or Callaloo & Jerk) Day!

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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor

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After Oklahoma Republicans targeted public school lessons on race and gender, some Black teachers and parents in Tulsa have banded together to ensure their kids still get honest Black history. NPR: Oklahoma restricted how race can be taught. So these Black teachers stepped up

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The schoolchildren arrived at the community center's cafeteria on a Saturday morning, their parents in tow. Some adults came without children, because they, too, wanted to learn the African American history that a new law has made many Oklahoma schoolteachers too afraid to teach.

Kristi Williams, a leader and activist in Tulsa's Black community, led them in the pledge they recite each time they gather for a day of lessons.

"We will remember the humanity, glory and suffering of our ancestors," they said in unison, "and honor the struggle of our elders."

Williams started offering these lessons early this year, after the state law — adopted by Republican legislators in 2021 — placed restrictions on how race and gender can be taught in Oklahoma's public schools.

The law has had a chilling effect on teachers who now fear that touching on race and racism in their classrooms could cost them their jobs if a student or parent complains that a lesson made them uncomfortable.

"They're just staying away from it and not teaching it," Williams said. "So I had to create a space for families to come in, and teach it."

She called it Black History Saturdays. It's one local, grassroots initiative among numerous that have sprung up across the country in places where Republicans have adopted restrictions that make it harder for teachers to discuss race in classrooms.

A sign reading Hire More Black Teachers is displayed in front of an elementary school in Washington, DC, on February 19, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Gullah Geechee are fighting to save the structures, used as places of worship by enslaved people, before they’re erased by sprawl and fading memories. NYT: Saving Praise Houses Before Their African Lineage Is Forgotten

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The Rev. Kay Colleton will never forget the time she first laid eyes on Moving Star Hall, a tiny white clapboard building with a leaning chimney, a crooked roof and a storied history. The hall is a rare surviving example of a praise house — humble one-room structures used as places of worship by enslaved people on coastal plantations throughout the Carolinas and Georgia. They have been providing spiritual sustenance for generations of African Americans ever since.

“There were no keys, so we just came right in,” Pastor Kay recalled of that day in 1989. “It was in a

Pastor Kay and her church, Manna Life Center, on Johns Island, S.C., vowed to breathe new life into the hall. And on a hot and humid day last summer, rife with tiny no-see-ums — and the ubiquitous hand-held straw fans in these parts providing little relief — about a dozen longtime congregants of Moving Star Hall came together for prayer, song and reflection. All of them were Gullah Geechee, whose enslaved ancestors had been abducted from west and central Africa; and their knowledge of rice cultivation and other crops was used to generate incomparable wealth for this region’s brutal white planters.

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Radical Monarchs, an organization for Black and Brown youth, celebrates the positive. Bloomberg: An Alternative to the Girl Scouts Is Gaining Fans in US Cities

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Since it was founded in 1912, the Girl Scouts of the USA has been the best-known option for preteen girls interested in joining a youth organization with a nationwide presence. It took 102 years, but an alternative is gaining steam.

First established in 2014 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Radical Monarchs is a troop for Black and Brown girls—as well as children who identify as nonbinary—from 8 to 11 years old.

Its mission, says Marilyn Hollinquest, who started it with her friend Anayvette Martinez, is to teach children to “advocate for themselves and their communities and make the world a more just and joyful place.” There are 104 kids enrolled in cities across the US, including Denver, Minneapolis and Washington.

Just as in Girl Scouts, Radical Monarch troop members earn badges to show they’ve mastered specific skills. But these aren’t your typical certifications for first aid or painting.

The first, called Radical Roots, requires delving into history. For the troop in Richmond, California, this could mean a stop at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park to learn how Black women helped the cause in World War II. In Minneapolis, they learn about Native environmentalist Winona LaDuke, who in 1985 helped form the Indigenous Women’s Network whose members focus on empowering themselves and others in society.

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The rapper has been charged under the same law as the ex-president in a case fueling debate over the use of lyrics in court. The Guardian: What the Young Thug trial means for hip-hop, mafia laws and Donald Trump
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In November of 2021, Young Thug appeared on Saturday Night Live to promote his second studio album, Punk. Introduced by the actor Rami Malek, the Atlanta rapper appeared sporting a puffy fuchsia fur coat and baby pink pants. He was joined on stage by the rapper Gunna, the pop singer Nate Ruess and the drummer Travis Barker. His two performances that night played up the genre-bending, psychedelic sensibilities that the rapper had long infused into his art.

That night, in his performance of Tick Tock, a song that didn’t make the final tracklist for Punk, he rapped: “I was a capo in my hood way before a plaque or a mention.”

Two years later, as the rapper faces a racketeering trial in Georgia that begins on Monday, the pre-trial hearings have featured fierce debates over lyrics including this one. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is arguing that his lyrics are fictional works of art that do not serve as admissions to any crimes. His attorney, Brian Steel, says the prosecution is simply pulling out lyrics by a “prolific, accomplished songwriter” and saying they speak to his character.

Young Thug is one of the most lauded rappers of his generation, releasing scores of mixtapes and albums, including two No 1 albums (2019’s So Much Fun and the 2021 compilation Young Stoner Life: Slime Language 2) and collaborating with the likes of Elton John, Drake and Camila Cabello (including on her No 1 global hit Havana.) Outside of rap, he’s become a staple in the fashion world thanks to his gender-fluid style, including a dress he wore on the artwork for his mixtape Jeffery.

As well as his success as a solo artist, Williams was also the lead figure in the Young Stoner Life, or YSL, music collective and record label, which released his music as well as records by collaborators like Gunna. This is where things get complicated for Williams. Prosecutors say that YSL also stands for Young Slime Life, which they characterize as a criminal street gang in which Williams was the head.

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WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY PORCH

IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLACK KOS COMMUNITY, GRAB A SEAT, SOME CYBER EATS, RELAX, AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.

Hamas Releases Abigail Mor Edan, Youngest American Hostage

Ulanopo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 27, 2023 · 4:24 AM PST

2023/11/27 · 04:24

Story from CBS News

Abigail was released in the second batch of hostages. She turned four while being held.

Story from The Jewish Chronicle

Both ABC News and The Jewish Chronicle report the family was attacked on October 7th.

The toddler was reportedly being held by her father when he and her mother were shot and killed by Hamas.

She crawled out ‘from under her father’s body… full of his blood’ and fled to a neighbour’s home, where she was kidnapped by Hamas, Hirsh Naftali said.

Her siblings, ages 6 and 10, who witnessed their parents’ murder, escaped by hiding in a closet for 14 hours.

- The Jewish Chronicle

President Biden had specific comments on her release,

"She's free and she's in Israel now," Mr. Biden said, adding that Abigail has "been through a terrible trauma." The child's mother was killed in front of her by Hamas militants before her father was also gunned down while using his body to shield Abigail from the attack. Abigail then ran to neighbors for help, Mr. Biden said.

"What she endured is unthinkable," he said.

- CBS News

Abigail is expected to remain in Israel with her aunt, Liz Hirsh Navtali, and other relatives, including her siblings.

A sinking and thirsty Mexico City imposes drastic months-long water restrictions.

Pakalolo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 19, 2023 · 6:11 PM PST

2023/11/19 · 18:11

Lost Mayan Temple — There is a deprivation-inundation natural water cycle in Mexico City, and due to modern human interference, a looming disaster is underway. Today's water crisis starts with bad decisions by the Spanish who, after conquering the capital city of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlán (present-day Mexico City), 'drained the lake, destroyed the Aztec city, and built their own in the European style, which exacerbated seasonal flooding. The City of Mexico would fill up like a cup in the rainy season—it was once underwater for five years. But the Spanish continued draining the lake system, and the city took deeper root at the silty-clay lakebed. Texcoco and all the other lakes are gone, except for a few marshlands and a region of canals south of the city. h/t Quartz (see article below)

Severe and unrelenting drought is not limited to Mexico City, the largest city in North America with a population of twenty-one million. It is a global impact in its infancy. According to Mexico's National Meteorological Service, 75 percent of the country is in exceptional or severe drought.

Water shortages and flooding are a historical reality. It is a “part of a weather pattern where warmer months typically usher in low-pressure weather systems that bring rain.”

Mexico is sandwiched between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, making it vulnerable to natural disasters. Climate change makes most of them more potent, intense, and frequent. Impacts include hurricanes, earthquakes, heavy rainfall, drought, forest fires, and volcanic activity. This year was ferocious.

The most violent hurricanes since 2018 (only 2023 storms included in my edit).

Otis: October 17-25, 2023, Wind speed: max. 269 km/h, Diameter: max. 556 km, Air pressure: below 923 mbar, Saffir-Simpson scale: category 5
Lidia: September 30 to October 11, 2023. Wind speed: max. 222 km/h, Diameter: max. 556 km, Air pressure: below 942 mbar, Saffir-Simpson scale: category 4

Idalia: August 24 to September 2, 2023, Region: Gulf of Mexico, Wind speed: max. 194 km/h, on land, Air pressure: below 944 mbar, Saffir-Simpson scale: category 5.
Hilary: August 13-21, 2023, Wind speed: max. 232 km/h on land, Diameter: max. 1333 km, Air pressure: below 939 mbar, Saffir-Simpson scale: category 4

Climate change has been exacerbating and disrupting rainfall patterns across Mexico and the earth.

In Mexico City, the consequences of a fast-warming planet, too many people, El Nino, and a dilapidated water infrastructure have created severe water restrictions necessary for the megalopolis during this time.

The Voice of America writes:

MEXICO CITY —

Mexican officials imposed severe, monthslong cuts to Mexico City's water supply at midnight Friday, acting just a month after initial restrictions were ordered as drought dries the capital's reservoirs.

The Mexican National Water Commission and mayor announced the moves at a news conference, but officials did not report the cuts on social media until just four hours before they took effect.

Abnormally low rain has dropped the Cutzamala system — a network of three reservoirs serving more than 20 million residents in the Valley of Mexico — to historic seasonal lows. The system is 44% lower than it should be at this time of the year.

Officials began restricting water from Cutzamala by roughly 8% on Oct. 17. Friday's cuts are much more drastic, representing a further 25% of the system's total flow. Twelve boroughs, mostly in the west of the city, can expect lower water pressure until the restrictions lift, officials said.

Officials did not specify when that would be, saying only that restrictions would stand for "the next few months." They noted the rainy season — which at normal levels of precipitation would replenish the city's water — won't start until around May.

Mexico has never before announced such stringent or long-running restrictions to the city's water because of drought. The city's residents have suffered worse cuts in the past, but only because of strikes or repairs, all of which ended within days.

Workers cut down disease-stricken palm trees in Mexico City. Climate change and a deadly disease spread by insects have forced authorities in Mexico City to chop down palm trees beloved by residents as an emblem of the capital. Phys.org

From Weather.com:

Much of the city relies on wells that tap into the valley's groundwater. In response to the cuts on Tuesday, the government said it would drill new wells. But it may be hard to find enough water that way, especially as less water is returned to the valley's overexploited aquifer.

"Mexico City is a monster; it's a beast," said Adams. "All the asphalt, all the plastic in the gutters means that water disappears. It never enters the system" by reaching the aquifer, he said.

The government is also working on a new water treatment plant at the Madín reservoir, just northwest of Mexico City, which will add 132 gallons per second to the Cutzamala system.

"That's not a medium- and long-term solution," said Perló. "We cannot be living on the edge all the time."

Another solution could be local-level water capture.

Working with Mexico's Environment Department, Isla Urbana, a group working to improve water access in the city, has installed 10,000 rain collection systems house-by-house across the traditionally underserved southern boroughs of Tlalpan and Xochimilco. The systems gather, filter and treat rain falling on a building before storing it in a personal tank.

With an increasing population, the extraction of groundwater is only getting worse.

Emilia Segura, left, and her daughter Cecilia Rivera Segura arrange containers after filling them with water at a free, public well in Pueblo Santa Cruz Acalpixca, Xochimilco, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Segura, 62, has been selling water daily for over a decade with the help of her four donkeys. The system which provides the capital with over a quarter of its drinking water is 44% lower than it should be and have set a new record, according to government figures, and authorities have begun cutting water to the city. — Camilia Segura, left, and her daughter Cecilia Rivera Segura arrange containers after filling them with water at a free, public well in Pueblo Santa Cruz Acalpixca, Xochimilco, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Segura, 62, has been selling water daily for over a decade with the help of her four donkeys. The system which provides the capital with over a quarter of its drinking water is 44% lower than it should be and have set a new record, according to government figures, and authorities have begun cutting water to the city

Zoë Schlanger wrote on the crisis in 2018 in the online magazine Quartz ( an excellent read, by the way) on Pedro Camarena, who advocates for the city to open an ancient lava flow to help alleviate the water crisis plaguing Mexico City.

At the bottom of the hole, a ripple of black, porous rock told a story of magma once in motion. Beside the ripple, a bulb of lava rock marked a spot where magma flow may have hit water, formed a bubble, and hardened just as it was set to pop, a spectacular moment of generative violence. The hole is a sort of time portal to roughly 1,700 years ago, when waves of lava from the nearby Xitle volcano coursed over this plateau. It’s a time all but forgotten by the megacity that grew up and engulfed the landscape. But Camarena hasn’t forgotten. He stood in his hole and beamed.

The city is sinking because Mexico pumps water out of the ground in their dried-out reservoir lake beds like there is no tomorrow. Once that water is gone, space fills the void, and with a significant city above, the land sinks. As a result, tap water is unreliable and often tainted with impurities.

In many areas of the city, “families have to pay for “pipas,” or water trucks, to fill up cisterns. Some pipas are run by the government, while others are privately managed. In both cases, they’re inundated with corruption and more demand than they can handle.” The wait for water can take hours, and the women fill that role, keeping them from employment and leading to poverty. Since the lakes have dried up, even more groundwater extraction is standard.

The groundwater was, and still is, stored in the relatively shallow aquifers that lie beneath the lake beds. In theory, groundwater can be replenished, but it’s a slow process; before rainwater can refill an aquifer, it must fall through layers of earth and rock, past many thirsty soil layers. In fact, while Mexico City residents endure months of regular flooding during the rainy season in some parts of the city, virtually none of that water makes it underground. That’s because rapid urbanization has sealed up any permeable surfaces in the city with pavement. In short, the city’s pores are clogged.

Camarena and his team at UNAM are trying to figure out how much time and money would be needed to re-expose some of the lava rock on a larger scale, in parts of the Pedregal where it’s trapped beneath highways and parking lots. Could you take out a concrete median on a highway, and let falling rain hit lava rock below? Could you peel back the city’s decorative lawns, and make lava-rock gardens instead?

It would be a herculean task; in parts of the Pedregal outside the reserve where the rock is covered by soil, not cement, an invasive African grass has grown like a mat, choking out the soil’s ability to let water through. All that soil would need to be moved out. “It would be extremely hard to re-expose the Pedregal,” Camarena says.

But it’s still easier than the most obvious alternative: building a second pipe to pump water from some far-off source into the city center to supplement the dwindling aquifers. Mexico City already has one such pipe system, which uses vast amounts of electricity to pump in water from a reservoir system in Cutzamala, more than 100 km (60 miles). It’s also highly inefficient: by the time the piped-in water makes to people’s homes, 40% has been lost to leaks along the way.

MIT Technology Review wrote in 2018: Get ready for tens of millions of climate refugees. The increasing heat and worsening climatic conditions make that era seem quaint compared to today's challenges. Today's climate is deteriorating so rapidly that we will be hard-pressed to plan for anything. In other words, expect the unexpected.

But is that a number we can trust? Modelers make many assumptions, like whether people will react the same way as they did to earlier climate disasters. Although models are improving, predicting how high seas will rise and how long droughts could last involves many unknowns. “There’s still a lot of work to do in this field, and I think we’re just scratching the surface,” says Bryan Jones of Baruch College, one of the report’s authors.

Modelers are trying to get more accurate numbers with new information from satellite images or mobile-phone data. But there are “constraints in using that technology,” says Valerie Mueller, an economist at Arizona State University and author of a number of studies on climate-change-induced migration. For example, satellite imagery can be used to count populations, but changes in population could result from births and deaths, not just migration. SIM cards in mobile phones can show where the phone went, but not why; and more than one person might use any given phone.

These examples focus on migration within rather than between countries, because that’s what most of the existing models focus on. Why? Because when people move, they don’t usually go far— people forced into migrating typically don’t have a lot of money, and if people in a neighboring country speak a different language, that’s yet another disincentive to leaving the home country. And in some cases a potential destination country has physical or legal barriers that can compel people to stay close to home.

Improving these models is crucial, because if governments know where people might go, they can prepare for what’s coming. For example, a city with great economic opportunities is likely to draw more migrants if a climate shock happens. If policymakers can get a better sense of how many people might arrive and when, they can prepare by directing investment to that area for affordable housing, hospitals, and schools.

I call the MIT piece hopium. Migration from climate-ravaged nations will not be orderly regardless of new technology attempting to make it so. Too much hate and desperation in the world for it to be otherwise.

YouTube Video

The Sinaloa Cartel Is Controlling Water in Drought-Stricken Mexico in northern Mexico and California.

URIQUE, Mexico — Deep inside a canyon in the mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico—a place that’s accessible only by mule or on foot—locals haven’t seen this river full for over eight years. And now, the waterway is the property of the Sinaloa Cartel.

“Here, everything has an owner,” said a mid-level Sinaloa Cartel commander for the region, who asked to be called “El Señor.” “Rivers, creeks, lakes… everything, and especially water.”

During what Mexican authorities called the worst drought in the country’s history last year, thousands of local farmers—many of them Indigenous Raramuri people—lost their crops. But the Sinaloa Cartel saw a new business opportunity: the control and distribution of water.

Using water trucks, pipelines, and an army of lookouts, the cartel is siphoning water from lakes, rivers, and creeks in the mountains of the northern state of Chihuahua. The business model is twofold: The cartel wants to keep its own weed and poppy fields irrigated, and it wants to be the broker that supplies water to farmers, hotels, and other local businesses that have been left dry.

YouTube Video

Ex-Mossad division chief says "all of the Gazans voted for Hamas" - is he right?

TheCriticalMind

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 19, 2023 · 6:08 PM PST

2023/11/19 · 18:08

The claim

On Friday, during an appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Rami Igra, a former division chief for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, told Cooper there was no such thing as a “non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip” because “all of the Gazans voted for Hamas” and “most of the population in the Gaza strip are Hamas.”

In his words:

“As you will have seen in the last couple of weeks, the fighting is very surgical. It is slow. It is very methodical. We are trying not to reach any of the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip.”

However, he adds: “Now, again, one little note, the non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip is really a non-existent term because all of the Gazans voted for the Hamas, and as we have seen on the 7th of October, most of the population in the Gaza Strip are Hamas.”

He concludes, “Nonetheless, we are treating them as non-combatants, we are treating them as regular civilians, and they are spared from the fighting.”

Whether the fighting is surgical and methodical and if the IDF is treating the civilian Gazans as non-combatants is beyond my expertise. And opinions on the subject will depend on who you think is “right." This diary only addresses the truth of Igra’s statement, “All of the Gazans voted for the Hamas.” Fortunately, unlike his other statements, Igra's voting contention can be addressed empirically.

The numbers

The last Palestinian election, which took place in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, was held in January 2006. Hamas won a plurality of the votes (44.45%) and ended up with a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

I can find no English language source that isolates the results in the Gaza Strip, But the map above shows that Hamas had similar mixed results there as it did on the West Bank. So, for argument's sake and simplicity, I will say that Hamas won 50% of the vote. (Note: even if they won 100% of the vote, it would not change the conclusion of this essay)

The salient fact is that this last election in the Gaza Strip took place almost 18 years ago.

Gaza has one of the youngest populations in the world. The median age of Gazans is 18. This means that c.50% of Gazans alive today were born after that election. A further c.25% are under 36, making them too young to have voted in 2006.

This means that c.25% of contemporary Gazans were old enough to vote in 2006.

The percentage of Gazans who voted for Hamas

The turnout was 76%. Therefore, only 19% of today's Gazans actually voted then. And 50% of them (see above) voted for Hamas. Which means 10% (rounding up) of living Gazans voted for Hamas.

Those are the numbers. Even if you added 50% to the total (making it 15%) — which will more than account for any low-ball figures — 85% of Gazans did not vote for Hamas.

No matter how you slice it, Igra’s claim that “all of the Gazans voted for Hamas” is inaccurate.

Additional thoughts

This does not mean that Igra is necessarily wrong when he says that “most of the population in the Gaza strip are Hamas.” Except he offers no evidence. Maybe because he has none.

Even if he is correct that the vast majority of Gazans support Hamas, we have to remember that almost 50% of the population are minors. And, at least by American mores, we do not consider them old enough to make political choices. It is why the voting age is 18.

Some people may also argue that the Hamas vote was not pro-terror as much as it was a vote against the corrupt Fatah. But that is beyond the scope of this diary.

I lived in England through the Northern Irish ‘Troubles.” Both sides argued they had the moral high ground. Their supporters could provide a raft of reasons why their side was in the right. I am sure some DK readers have strong thoughts on the subject. But let us note that in the end, peace was negotiated after 30 years of conflict — because neither side had the resources to win that asymmetric conflict.

Disclaimer

Nothing in this piece should be taken as support for one side over the other. It merely analyses one quantifiable claim made by one person.

Israel and Hamas close to deal to pause conflict for 5 days, free hostages. Thanks Biden.

AKALib

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 19, 2023 · 12:59 AM PST

2023/11/19 · 00:59

Israel and Hamas ~~have agreed to~~ are close to a tentative deal to pause the ongoing conflict and free dozens of hostages. The plan, engineered by the Biden Administration, has been in the works over weeks of talks in Doha.

www.washingtonpost.com/...

Israel, the United States and Hamas are close to an agreement that would free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza, in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting.

The release, which could begin within the next several days — barring last-minute hitches — could lead to the first sustained pause in conflict in Gaza, according to people familiar with its provisions.

Under the terms of a detailed, six-page agreement, all parties to the conflict would freeze combat operations for at least five days while an initial 50 or more of what are believed to be a total 239 hostages are released in batches every 24 hours. Overhead surveillance would monitor movement on the ground to police the pause.

The stop in fighting is also intended to allow a significant increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance, including fuel, to enter the besieged enclave from Egypt.

There is a six-page document with all the details of the agreement, but no link to it yet.

However, www.timesofisrael.com/…reports that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no deal yet to secure the release of some 240 hostages held by Hamas ‘as of now’.” So, there are probably some last-minute negotiations over the agreement.

Also — “Only minor obstacles to Israel-Hamas hostage deal remain, Qatari PM says” — www.theguardian.com/...

This is a welcome development, at least for the short term. Yes, it should have been done earlier. No, we don’t know what will happen during or after the 5 days. But the Biden administration is doing its job in the face of enormous difficulties and political pressures, and a rabid republican party and its billionaire backers who will trash Democrats no matter what we do. Now let’s beat up on republicans for a change 😄

P.S. The Washington Post has changed the wording to now say that “Israel and Hamas are close to agreement on a U.S.-brokered deal ...”

Caribbean Matters: November is Puerto Rican Heritage Month

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday November 09, 2023 · 7:58 PM PST

2023/11/09 · 19:58

The month of November has been proclaimed as “Puerto Rican Heritage Month” in cities across the mainland with large Puerto Rican populations, like in New York City, since 1998. More recently, cities like Springfield, Massachussetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and parts of Florida and Texas have also begun having events.

Caribbean Matters covers all things “Boricua” here very frequently; however, today we’ll do it a little differently. El Museo del Barrio in NYC held its “13th Annual International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival,” which went live Nov. 1-5, 2023, and is streaming Nov. 6-12. I’ve been watching many of their offerings online. I decided to hold our very own Puerto Rican Heritage film fest right here, with some very important documentary films from the past, as well as some more current selections, which you may never have seen. I realize you won’t be able to view them in one sitting, so I hope you will bookmark today’s story and come back throughout the month (and year) to view them. So join me for today’s “found film fest” below!

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Meteor Blades

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Thursday November 09, 2023 · 7:39 PM PST

2023/11/09 · 19:39

Screenshot2023-11-09at10.21.03AM.png — NuScale's planned small nuclear reactor project slated for completion in 2030 has been axed.

The only planned and approved small modular reactor project in the United States was canceled Wednesday, adding to the troubles the so-called “nuclear renaissance” has encountered since that term came into prominence a couple of decades ago.

At the turn of 21st Century, the Department of Energy funded research on the development of small, modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for various uses. Idaho National Environment & Engineering Laboratory led the project with support from Oregon State University (OSU). Scientists at OSU at the time were also looking into developing passive safety systems using natural circulation to cool nuclear plants, a passive design engineers chose to make these plants inherently safer.

While critics have long criticized nuclear power as too dangerous, too expensive, and with a potential for terrorist attack, advocates have pointed to the advantages of power plants that can reliably run 24/7, have low greenhouse gas emissions over their life cycle, and take up far less space than solar and wind farms.

Although advocates argue that the overall safety record of nuclear plants has been excellent, they say SMR designs are even safer. Best of all, they assert, SMRs with a 50- to 300-megawatt generating capacity will be cheaper than the giants of 1,000 megawatts or more that make up the majority of the 92 U.S. nuclear power plants currently in operation. These modular SMRs can be built in a factory and shipped to the needed locations as opposed to the expensive, customized reactor approach used to build the current flotilla of U.S. nuclear plants.

Environmental advocates are split on whether expanding nuclear power or even maintaining existing nuclear power plants should be part of addressing the climate crisis. Currently, these plants provide more emissions-free electricity than any other single source, though solar and wind are catching up. (Note: We’re talking operationally here. The manufacture and installation of all these sources generate some carbon emissions.) Some advocates say the U.S. cannot achieve zero operational emissions from power plants without at least some new nukes. The Biden administration has made clear it favors a build-out of new nuclear technology, having budgeted a 50% increase in the DOE’s nuclear office and an additional $6 billion to keep existing reactors from shutting down. He also added $100 million to the $600 million already spent on an SMR project in Idaho.

The DOE and OSU research a quarter-century ago led to the founding of NuScale Power, owned by Fluor. After a six-year process, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a NuScale design for an SMR this February. With its Carbon Free Power Project, NuScale planned to build six 77-megawatt reactor modules at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory by 2030, a change from the original 2026 startup date made after running into technical snags and a cost estimate that soared from $3 billion to $6.1 billion.

But on Wednesday, even that date was scuttled as NuScale and its partner utility announced the cancelation of the project after estimated costs had risen to $9.3 billion. As a consequence, utilities in towns that would have received its electricity chose not to participate, and NuScale noted in a press release that "it appears unlikely that the project will have enough subscription to continue toward deployment."

Pakalolo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday November 04, 2023 · 11:48 PM PDT

2023/11/04 · 23:48

The Irish Farmers' Association ( IFA) has called the 2023 potato harvest the worst in recent memory and is now a salvage operation. The culprit is heavy rainfall, an increasingly common phenomenon due to the disruption of global rainfall patterns due to climate change.

Sean Ryan, the chair of the IFA, reported that flooding had put the drills underwater following recent flooding. A drill is the mounds in rows of potatoes (see cover image).

A drill is a shallow furrow for seed potatoes, it will look like rows of mounded soil and it can be made using a furrower or more easily by dragging a ridging hoe in a straight line through the earth. Seed potato tubers are then placed in the drill and covered over.

Ryan stated that 60 percent of the potatoes grown in Ireland have yet to be harvested. Sizable fields of the crucial food tuber have already been lost. With the extratropical storm Ciarna and the rapidly approaching Diogenes on its tail, the outlook for the remaining crop is grim. Potatoes are grown in Europe and likely will affected by the same storm systems. The crop is also grown internationally in such countries as China and Australia.

Irish Examiner Farming .43 acres of main crop potatoes which should be harvested by now only for the very wet conditions on the lands of Tillage farmer Dick Fitzgerald, Loughane, East Cork. Picture Dan Linehan — 43 acres of main crop potatoes which should be harvested by now only for the very wet conditions on the lands of tillage farmer Dick Fitzgerald, Loughane, East Cork

“Met Eireann data shows some stations have already exceeded the average annual total rainfall and others close to it. Now that we are in November, we are in extremely difficult territory with this much crop left to be harvested,” he said.

“The heavy rain has washed most of the clay off the top of the drills which leaves the crop more prove to frost damage. A few hard frosts at this point will wipe out entire crops,” he added.

The 2023 potato season was always going to be a late year as crops were planted very late due to weather conditions in the springtime. Maturation was slow and crops were a minimum of six weeks behind schedule before the current weather conditions kicked in.

“This year, potato growers were forced to harvest in reverse due to weather conditions. Dry fields were harvested first leaving the wetter ground to be harvested now. Very little potatoes have been harvested into stores to date as the market absorbed a lot of crops as they were harvested,” the IFA National Potato Committee Chair said.

Farmers will be in serious trouble, may take an economic hit, and will only survive with outside help. Ryan ended by stating, "Growers will not be able absorb the financial hit if crops are lost due to weather damage and are going to need to be supported if we want to ensure the medium-term survival of the sector. "

The already saturated soil in the country flooded with the arrival of Ciaran, and hail along with hurricane-force winds shredded the remaining plants in some parts of Ireland and Northern Island.

Watch: Flooding hits Northern Ireland ahead of Storm Ciaran pic.twitter.com/vwQgYIj5RY
— The Independent (@Independent) November 2, 2023

Flooding Strikes Northern Ireland, Travel Advisories Issued Amidst Heavy Rainfall.#Newry #Storm #Ciaran #Flood #NorthernIreland #Flooding #flashflood #rain #weather #climate pic.twitter.com/ik0Ofj6UjL
— Nitish Verma (@nitsonnet) November 1, 2023

A major storm #Ciaran will blast the UK and France with violent, hurricane-force winds on Thursday. Significant waves along the coast.https://t.co/ZtZ22J1EJr
— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) October 30, 2023

Storm Domingos is rapidly approaching Europe.

#ImageOfTheDay

After #Ciarán, another #storm is closing in on western Europe#StormDomingos will bring strong winds, high waves and heavy rain to #France 🇫🇷, #Spain 🇪🇸, Portugal 🇵🇹 and #Italy 🇮🇹

⬇️🌀 #Domingos as seen by #Copernicus #Sentinel3 🇪🇺🛰️ on 3 November pic.twitter.com/XKeCz9H1ec
— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) November 4, 2023

From NASA on worldwide agriculture and climate change:

Climate change may affect the production of maize (corn) and wheat as early as 2030 under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, according to a new NASA study published in the journal, Nature Food. Maize crop yields are projected to decline 24%, while wheat could potentially see growth of about 17%.

Using advanced climate and agricultural models, scientists found that the change in yields is due to projected increases in temperature, shifts in rainfall patterns, and elevated surface carbon dioxide concentrations from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. These changes would make it more difficult to grow maize in the tropics, but could expand wheat’s growing range.

YouTube Video

The Great Potato Famine:

From 1845 to 1852, the Great Hunger devastated Ireland and Scotland. A widespread outbreak of potato blight wiped out the potato crop, killing more than a million Irish people, and sending many Irish and Scots emigrating to new lands, largely Australia, Canada and the United States.

A few days after potatoes were dug from the ground, they began to turn into a slimy, decaying, blackish "mass of rottenness." Expert panels convened to investigate the blight's cause suggested that it was the result of "static electricity" or the smoke that billowed from railroad locomotives or the "mortiferous vapours" rising from underground volcanoes. In fact, the cause was a fungus that had traveled from Mexico to Ireland.

"Famine fever"--cholera, dysentery, scurvy, typhus, and infestations of lice--soon spread through the Irish countryside. Observers reported seeing children crying with pain and looking "like skeletons, their features sharpened with hunger and their limbs wasted, so that there was little left but bones." Masses of bodies were buried without coffins, a few inches below the soil.

Storm Ciarán wreaks havoc in parts of Europe, likely tied to climate change and the start of El Niño

Pakalolo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 03, 2023 · 3:41 PM PDT

2023/11/03 · 15:41

TOPSHOT - This photograph shows foam in the street of Penmarc'h, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert on November 1, 2023 as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region. (Photo by FRED TANNEAU / AFP) (Photo by FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images) — This photograph shows foam in the street of Pen marc, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert on November 1, 2023 as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region.

Yet another climate-enhanced natural disaster that American media ignores is unfolding across parts of Europe, bringing high ocean waves and heavy rainfall with significant urban flooding. It is another example that the world’s infrastructure is not built for a changing climate. The media and governments had best get to work.

We are caught with our pants down after having raised worldwide temperatures by the burning of fossil fuels aggravating rainfall distribution patterns across Earth. The atmosphere holds more water in the atmosphere when temperatures rise and combine with what is expected to be a super El Nino 2023 and 2024 will be interesting indeed. A new study has found that strong El Nino has caused a significant reduction in water availability in the Southern Hemisphere.

London dodged a bullet, but Ireland and other areas of the UK, France, and Italy did not, and the storm now covers most of Europe. Powerful winds knocked out windows and toppled trees, which brought down power lines. Deaths have been reported.

Storm Ciarán is an extratropical cyclone storm. It is a “rotating storm which forms outside the tropics) and unusual among North Atlantic storms, which rarely produce both heavy rain and high winds over large areas.”.

It has been three years since we saw an El Nino, and images out of Europe show a dangerous winter ahead.

Storm #Ciarán generated monster waves as it approached European coasts this week.
As shown by #CopernicusMarine #MyOceanViewer
Throughout the 150 years of WMO's existence, one of our enduring priorities has been safety of lives at sea.#EarlyWarningsForAll
via @CMEMS_EU pic.twitter.com/55biGlsJFn
— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) November 3, 2023

Straight after Storm Ciarán, here comes Storm #Domingos

France, Spain, and northern Portugal will receive yet more very strong winds and heavy rain from Saturday afternoon onward. #BorrascaDomingos pic.twitter.com/3Z9ljpLZdj
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) November 2, 2023

Some of the most dramatic footage of flooding is from Tuscany in central Italy.

Storm Ciaran is still just off the coast of the UK.
The far outer bands have reached Italy causing the flood in this video.
Another major storm is on its way and may run right into Ciaran. https://t.co/FC9PGau0qj
— STORM WATCH- Lake Erie (@StormsOnErie) November 3, 2023

Water Bomb triggers deluge in Porretta Terme #Italy turning this town into a water world in 30 minutes#Flood #PorettaTerme #italyflood #Flooding #Flashflood #PorrettaRain #WeatherAlert #Rain #Climate #Weather #Viral #storm pic.twitter.com/FM5N5J6e3z
— Earth42morrow (@Earth42morrow) October 25, 2023

Live From #Italy #StormCiaran #storm

Video #collected pic.twitter.com/0tmXx6AAc0
— Green Time (@greentime_media) November 3, 2023

Very heavy flooding in Figline di Prato, Italy 🇮🇹 2 November 2023 #floods #Ciaran #flooding #storm #StormCiaran #Italy pic.twitter.com/LgiW9INlKc
— Disaster Tracker (@DisasterTrackHQ) November 3, 2023

In Campi, Tuscany, the Bisenzio River has Overflowed caused by #StormCiaran.
A very grave situation is developing in Italy.#Italy #Storm #CIARAN #Climatechange #Climatecrisis #ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/PyEHBOHDth
— Eco Discussion (@EcoDiscussion) November 3, 2023

Italy: Situation at Santo Stefano Hospital in Prato. Record-breaking rain caused flooding in a vast swath of Tuscany.

Three people have died as Storm Ciarán wreaked havoc in central and northern Italy overnight.#Italy #Flood #Weather #Climate #StormCiaran pic.twitter.com/1I8S2XgU12
— The World Reviews (@tworldreviews) November 3, 2023

#इटली के #Genoa में तूफानी बारिश से बाढ़ के हालात! मेट्रो में पानी घूसा! Italy 🇮🇹

In the video, the completely flooded Príncipe metro station, and its guards try to remove the water with brooms#Italy #Genoa #Genova #SevereWeather #storm #Flooding #Metrostation #LatestNews pic.twitter.com/flUP9QfZlE
— Rajan Singh (@rajansi45) August 28, 2023

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Storm Ciarán wreaks havoc in parts of Europe, likely tied to climate change and the start of El Niño