EXTRAS

[Gio]

Out with the poor In with the rich ...


Anchored Out: Evicted at Sea

The New Yorker Documentary

The documentary, directed by Katie Bernstein and Clara Mokri, follows San Francisco's vibrant liveaboards as their boats are targeted by a wealthy community who want them gone—revealing the dark underbelly of class conflict in California.

May 18, 2022

25:57 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSoDkEk-eYE

[Gio]

America ...

At War.

[Gio]

One would imagine this is a worldwide phenomena ...

From Feb. 2022, and ongoing ...


Pharmaceutical contaminants discovered
in South Florida bonefish

"A three-year study by FIU and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) has discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in the blood and other tissues of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys.

“Coastal fisheries face increasing threats associated with human-based contaminants,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT President and CEO. “Pharmaceuticals are an often overlooked dimension of water quality and their presence in South Florida bonefish is cause for concern. These contaminants pose a significant threat to the flats fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater fishery, which has an annual economic impact of $9.2 billion and directly support over 88,500 jobs.”

Since the study began in 2018, FIU scientists and BTT research associates, in partnership with Sweden’s Umeå Unversity and the University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), have sampled 93 fish in South Florida, finding an average of seven pharmaceuticals per bonefish, and a whopping 17 pharmaceuticals in a single fish. The list includes blood pressure medications, antidepressants, prostate treatment medications, antibiotics, and pain relievers. Researchers also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey — crabs, shrimp and fish — suggesting that many of Florida’s valuable fisheries are exposed, and not only the bonefish fishery."



"Lead researcher Jennifer Rehage, a coastal and fish ecologist and associate professor at the FIU Institute of Environment, presented the study’s findings at a BTT panel event in Tallahassee, FL.

“These findings are truly alarming,” Rehage said. “Pharmaceuticals are an invisible threat, unlike algal blooms or turbid waters. Yet these results tell us that they are a formidable threat to our fisheries, and highlight the pressing need to address our longstanding wastewater infrastructure issues.”

Approximately 5 billion prescriptions are filled each year in the U.S., yet there are no environmental regulations for the disposal of pharmaceuticals worldwide. Pharmaceutical contaminants originate most often from human wastewater and are not sufficiently removed by conventional water treatment. They remain active at low doses, can be released constantly, and exposure can affect all aspects of fish behavior, with negative consequences for their reproduction and survival. Pharmaceutical contaminants have been shown to affect all aspects of the life of fish, including their feeding, activity, sociability, and migratory behavior.

“These troubling findings underscore the urgent need for Florida to expand and modernize wastewater treatment facilities and sewage infrastructure statewide,” said McDuffie. “Governor DeSantis’s leadership and historic funding for water quality improvements, along with legislative support and funding, have set us on the right path. Now we must expedite those efforts, increase investment over the long term, and pursue innovative solutions. We must accelerate septic to sewer conversion, and in those places where sewage is not available, require the use of advanced septic technology. The health of our citizens and the coastal resources that support Florida’s economy depend on it.”"


Source/references page

[Gio]

From my view seems quite accurate ... ...

War in Ukraine: how has the world changed?

The Economist

It’s been more than three months since Russian tanks rolled across the border into Ukraine. The global impact—from the isolation of Russia to the hit on the world economy—has been far-reaching. Our experts explain how the invasion has fundamentally changed the world for the foreseeable future.

0:00 - The Ukraine war: three months that shook the world
0:45 - In what ways has the world been affected?
2:54 - Russia’s struggles in Ukraine
4:18 - What is China learning from the war?
4:50 -The impact of the war on the world economy
6:53 - How has Russia changed since the war?
7:43 - Ukraine: the strong and resilient country

May 31, 2022

8:18 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcXVt3zaVw

[Gio]

Why is MOSCOW TERRIFIED of FINLAND's NATO membership?

VisualPolitik EN

Sweden and Finland are about to join NATO. The war in Ukraine has put an end to decades of neutrality in these two countries: especially Finland. Finland endured a Russian invasion in 1939: since then, it has maintained a neutral stance towards its eastern neighbor.

All this has changed in 2022. The entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO would be a huge blow to Russia's strategy. The Kremlin would lose all control of the Baltic Sea: its only access to the Atlantic Ocean. This means a loss of deterrent power. The question now is, what can Russia do to prevent Finland and Sweden from joining NATO? What are the obstacles to the entry of these two countries into the Alliance? In this video we tell you.

May 31, 2022

15:32 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4uLLSuUeDc

[Wind]

Good info in that video. Even I wasn't aware that all of those nukes are stored so close to Finland.

[Aragorn]

Good info in that video. Even I wasn't aware that all of those nukes are stored so close to Finland.

Most Belgians don't even have an inkling that there are (and have for at least 40 years already been) American nuclear weapons here in Belgium. The weapons in question are stored at a USAF enclave within the Belgian Air Component base of Kleine-Brogel in Peer, in the Limburg province.

[Gio]

Vladimir Putin would soon show Russians, and the world, what he was made of.

The New Tsar: How Putin Became Russia's Dictator

Foreign Correspondent
ABC News In-depth

He started as a low-level spy. He ended up President For Life. For two decades, former Moscow correspondent Eric Campbell has tracked Putin’s rise to power.

When Russian President Boris Yeltsin appointed a little-known spy chief as his Prime Minister and successor in 1999, the rouble crashed. Nobody had heard of this former KGB agent and few believed he would make any mark.

Vladimir Putin would soon show Russians, and the world, what he was made of.

Within weeks of his appointment as Prime Minister, apartment blocks in Moscow and other cities began exploding, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians. The Kremlin blamed Chechen separatists and soon launched a brutal war against the tiny state.

The war resulted in huge civilian casualties but it raised Putin’s profile at home. Months later, he was elected president. Correspondent Eric Campbell was in Russia when Putin began his rise to power and has followed his career ever since.

Campbell tracks Putin’s journey to the top, from his origins in an impoverished tenement in St Petersburg to his ruthless prosecution of the war against Chechnya to his relentless attacks on any political opposition at home.

Campbell closely chronicled Putin for over two decades as the leader set about muzzling the media, rigging elections and targeting his political opponents, at home and abroad.

Now as the President-for-Life invades neighbouring Ukraine and threatens the world with the nuclear option, Campbell asks, how far will he go?

This is an in-depth profile of a man who’s smashed the world order and dared the West to risk World War Three to stop him.

Jun 2, 2022


31:35 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAncC-f5uGQ


Worth the watch ...

[Gio]

And speaking of, she's been on the thrown
longer than Vlad's been alive ...

Thousands greet Queen outside Buckingham Palace

Jun 2, 2022

2:57 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOBtn5mZJpA

[Gio]

Ms Amber Heard ...

Mustang Sally


by Wilson Pickett


3:12 min.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1FRrZD2y9Y

[Wind]

Nice ride with not so nice driver.

[Aragorn]

Nice ride with not so nice driver.

Would you believe that I've never even followed that whole media circus trial? But the headlines are of course always under your nose when you pull up a news site. There's just no escape from it.

As for the 'Stang, a friend of mine used to own two of them. One was a 3.3-liter six-cylinder, I believe, and the other one was a 1966 4.8-liter V8. He also owned a couple of other American classics, among which a convertible Corvette.

His brother had an even far greater classic car collection, including a DeLorean DMC-12. I've sat behind the wheel of it once, although I've never driven it. It didn't have a flux capacitor, but it was still quite spectacular, though.

[Wind]

I've always admired the look of those Mustangs from the late 60's, they're stunning and sound great.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX7nDurCbHQ

[Aragorn]

I've always admired the look of those Mustangs from the late 60's, they're stunning and sound great.

They were great in a straight line, but not so great at going around corners, though. That live rear axle would come stepping out of line at the first chance it got, and especially on a wet road.

[Wind]

They were great in a straight line, but not so great at going around corners, though. That live rear axle would come stepping out of line at the first chance it got, and especially on a wet road.

I suppose if I were driving a car I would like it to look nice, but also the driving should feel rather smooth. Wouldn't want to wreck it.