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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
November 29, 2023
Trump’s aberrant behavior is getting worse. Why are Americans ignoring his decline?
Mental health experts plot out what they believe is Trump’s increasingly psychopathic behavior
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 29, 2023 5:45AM (EST)
(Salon) In evaluating his public and private behavior, America’s leading mental health professionals have concluded that Donald Trump is mentally unwell, and likely a sociopath — if not a psychopath. In even more direct terms, Trump has shown himself to apparently have a diseased mind, which in turn amplifies his already corrupt morality and ethics, attraction to violence, and overall capacity for evil. Ultimately, if he were to become president again, such an outcome would be a disaster for both the United States and the world.
In a new essay in the New York Times, Thomas Edsall consulted with mental health professionals from some of America’s most prestigious institutions about this emergency. Their conclusion: Donald Trump’s aberrant behavior is getting worse.
....(snip)....
Leonard Class, who is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, told Edsall that:
....(snip)....
Collectively, the small group of mental health professionals who followed through on their “duty to warn” the American people about Trump and his dangerousness were marginalized, harassed (including death threats) and in at least one example suffered sanctions and loss of employment. Their warnings about Trumpism and the ascendant neofascist movement and the type of widespread harm, including violence and mass death (as seen with the Trump regime’s negligent if not outright criminal response to the Covid pandemic) have proven to be prescient. Trump’s plans to become America’s first dictator are creating a cataclysmic synergy between his diseased mind, with its megalomania and God complex, and a fascist political party and movement that is eager to rubbleize democracy with the goal of creating an American apartheid Christofascist plutocracy. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/29/trumps-aberrant-behavior-is-getting-worse-why-are-americans-ignoring-his-decline/
Trump's aberrant behavior is getting worse. Why are Americans ignoring his decline?
Trump’s aberrant behavior is getting worse. Why are Americans ignoring his decline?
Mental health experts plot out what they believe is Trump’s increasingly psychopathic behavior
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 29, 2023 5:45AM (EST)
(Salon) In evaluating his public and private behavior, America’s leading mental health professionals have concluded that Donald Trump is mentally unwell, and likely a sociopath — if not a psychopath. In even more direct terms, Trump has shown himself to apparently have a diseased mind, which in turn amplifies his already corrupt morality and ethics, attraction to violence, and overall capacity for evil. Ultimately, if he were to become president again, such an outcome would be a disaster for both the United States and the world.
In a new essay in the New York Times, Thomas Edsall consulted with mental health professionals from some of America’s most prestigious institutions about this emergency. Their conclusion: Donald Trump’s aberrant behavior is getting worse.
....(snip)....
Leonard Class, who is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, told Edsall that:
If Trump — in adopting language that he cannot help knowing replicates that of Hitler (especially the references to opponents as “vermin” and “poisoning the blood of our country”), we have to wonder if he has crossed into “new terrain.” That terrain, driven by grandiosity and dread of exposure (e.g., at the trials) could signal the emergence of an even less constrained, more overtly vicious and remorseless Trump who, should he regain the presidency, would, indeed act like the authoritarians he praises. Absent conscientious aides who could contain him (as they barely did last time), this could lead to the literal shedding of American blood on American soil by a man who believes he is “the only one” and the one, some believe, is a purifying agent of God and in whom they see no evil nor do they doubt.
....(snip)....
Collectively, the small group of mental health professionals who followed through on their “duty to warn” the American people about Trump and his dangerousness were marginalized, harassed (including death threats) and in at least one example suffered sanctions and loss of employment. Their warnings about Trumpism and the ascendant neofascist movement and the type of widespread harm, including violence and mass death (as seen with the Trump regime’s negligent if not outright criminal response to the Covid pandemic) have proven to be prescient. Trump’s plans to become America’s first dictator are creating a cataclysmic synergy between his diseased mind, with its megalomania and God complex, and a fascist political party and movement that is eager to rubbleize democracy with the goal of creating an American apartheid Christofascist plutocracy. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/29/trumps-aberrant-behavior-is-getting-worse-why-are-americans-ignoring-his-decline/
November 28, 2023
(Salon) The Republican Party's finances are heightening concerns amid party members, advisors to Donald Trump and other operatives involved in the 2024 election effort, 10 people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. The Republican National Committee revealed that, as of Oct. 30, it had $9.1 million in cash on hand, the lowest amount its recorded in any Federal Election Commission report since February 2015. At the same point in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles, the RNC had about $20 million and $61 million, respectively. In contrast, the Democratic National Committee reported having $17.7 million as of Oct. 30.
“It’s a revenue problem,” Tennessee RNC member Oscar Brock told the Post. “We’re going through the same efforts we always go through to raise money: the same donor meetings, retreats, digital advertising, direct mail. But the return is much lower this year. If you know the answer, I’d love to know it. The staff has managed to tighten down on expenses to keep the party from going into the red.” RNC donor support has dwindled in recent years while the party's small-dollar program has also taken a hit, sources told the outlet. Some donors aren't giving money to the RNC because they believe doing so will aid Trump, the sources added, while others said they prefer to wait until 2024 to make a donation. Some have also grown frustrated by party leadership, sources close to major donors said. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/27/its-a-revenue-problem-panic-over-plummeting-finances-as-donors-grow-frustrated-with/?in_brief=true
"It's a revenue problem": GOP panic over plummeting finances as donors grow frustrated with Trump
(Salon) The Republican Party's finances are heightening concerns amid party members, advisors to Donald Trump and other operatives involved in the 2024 election effort, 10 people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. The Republican National Committee revealed that, as of Oct. 30, it had $9.1 million in cash on hand, the lowest amount its recorded in any Federal Election Commission report since February 2015. At the same point in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles, the RNC had about $20 million and $61 million, respectively. In contrast, the Democratic National Committee reported having $17.7 million as of Oct. 30.
“It’s a revenue problem,” Tennessee RNC member Oscar Brock told the Post. “We’re going through the same efforts we always go through to raise money: the same donor meetings, retreats, digital advertising, direct mail. But the return is much lower this year. If you know the answer, I’d love to know it. The staff has managed to tighten down on expenses to keep the party from going into the red.” RNC donor support has dwindled in recent years while the party's small-dollar program has also taken a hit, sources told the outlet. Some donors aren't giving money to the RNC because they believe doing so will aid Trump, the sources added, while others said they prefer to wait until 2024 to make a donation. Some have also grown frustrated by party leadership, sources close to major donors said. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/27/its-a-revenue-problem-panic-over-plummeting-finances-as-donors-grow-frustrated-with/?in_brief=true
November 28, 2023
"Don't waste your time": Marjorie Taylor Greene's memoir a flop at bottom of Amazon best seller list
(Salon) Looks like people couldn't care less about Marjorie Taylor Greene’s self-titled autobiography, which has received a slew of negative reviews following its recent release. Titled “MTG,” the memoir reveals Greene’s “personal account of the battles she fights in the halls of Congress and beyond,” according to its plot synopsis. It further tells the story of Greene’s rise in politics from “small town business owner to MAGA firebrand!”
Nearly a week after its release, “MTG” appeared at the very bottom of Amazon’s best seller list at No. 9,805. The book is also ranked at No. 26 on Amazon’s list of Political Commentary best sellers. For comparison, Ted Cruz’s Audible audiobook “Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America” is currently ranked at No. 6, according to Newsweek.
As for its reviews, “MTG” has earned 1.8 out of 5 stars with many online critics poking fun at the memoir’s title and calling it straight-up “garbage.” ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/27/marjorie-taylor-greene-memoir-flop/?in_brief=true
November 28, 2023
(Salon) The 2024 presidential election is a full year away – and many of the rules that will govern the pivotal contest have already been written.
The past three years make up one of the most prolific periods for election legislation in American history. Over 560 new laws governing our elections – many of them containing pages and pages of changes – have become law in states all across the country.
While voters in states like Michigan and Nevada will experience more voting options than ever, new restrictions in states like North Carolina and Georgia will create significant barriers in 2024 – barriers that didn't exist just four years ago.
The University of Virginia Center for Politics projects that the outcome of the elections in just eight states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – could determine our next president in 2024. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/28/a-quiet-swing-state-crackdown-could-new-voting-laws-shift-the-outcome-in-2024/
A quiet swing state crackdown
(Salon) The 2024 presidential election is a full year away – and many of the rules that will govern the pivotal contest have already been written.
The past three years make up one of the most prolific periods for election legislation in American history. Over 560 new laws governing our elections – many of them containing pages and pages of changes – have become law in states all across the country.
While voters in states like Michigan and Nevada will experience more voting options than ever, new restrictions in states like North Carolina and Georgia will create significant barriers in 2024 – barriers that didn't exist just four years ago.
The University of Virginia Center for Politics projects that the outcome of the elections in just eight states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – could determine our next president in 2024. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/28/a-quiet-swing-state-crackdown-could-new-voting-laws-shift-the-outcome-in-2024/
November 28, 2023
Now the Washington Post has joined a campaign to shame women for having the bare minimum "no Trump voters" standard
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2023 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) It's an amusing truth that comes up with regularity: Men who love Donald Trump struggle on the dating market. This is neither surprising nor regrettable. Supporting Trump is much like refusing to bathe, blowing your nose in your hands or farting loudly on purpose. It's a repugnant habit that makes you repulsive to normal people. The whole point of dating and marriage is to find happiness, not to spend the rest of one's days suffering in silence while the racist you live with cackles over Greg Gutfeld's latest hateful diatribe disguised as "comedy."
This should be common sense. Yet our sexist culture remains too enamored by stories of female self-sacrifice to accept that it's just fine if Trump voters never get laid. Even people who really should know better have taken to bullying liberal women for their refusal to date male Trump voters. "If attitudes don’t shift, a political dating mismatch will threaten marriage," declared a recent headline of a Washington Post column by the editorial board. To make it even grosser, the op-ed was published the day before Thanksgiving, as if to arm "concerned" relatives who planned to spend the holiday pestering single women at dinner over when they will get serious about finding a husband.
In this unsigned essay, the authors fret that the "ideological divide" between young men and women is preventing Gen Z — who range in age from 9 to 27— from getting married. Women under 30 are far more likely to be liberal than men, who are far more likely to identify as conservative. Citing data showing Democratic voters generally refuse to date Trump voters, the Post editors argue that people should be more willing to date across party lines, and learn to appreciate "alternative perspectives that may at first seem odd or offensive."
....(snip)....
Marrying a Trump voter isn't just a matter of minor political differences, or expecting someone to be exactly like yourself. For women, in particular, it's about being able to be safe and respected inside your own home, which is a very minimum standard all people deserve. Voting for Trump means backing a man who has been accused of sexual assault by two dozen women, and who a judge and jury deemed responsible for rape. It means backing the man who repeatedly brags about how he got Roe v. Wade overturned. In addition, the MAGA media consumed by most Republicans is hardly neutral on the question of sexism. They are all for it, from the tired sexist jokes on Fox News to bizarre internet trends like "tradwives." For a woman, marrying a Trump supporter isn't about being with someone who has different views on tax rates. It's bringing someone into your home who ascribes to an ideology in which you are not fully human. .................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/28/its-a-good-thing-women-wont-date/
It's a good thing women won't date Trump voters
It's a good thing women won't date Trump votersNow the Washington Post has joined a campaign to shame women for having the bare minimum "no Trump voters" standard
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2023 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) It's an amusing truth that comes up with regularity: Men who love Donald Trump struggle on the dating market. This is neither surprising nor regrettable. Supporting Trump is much like refusing to bathe, blowing your nose in your hands or farting loudly on purpose. It's a repugnant habit that makes you repulsive to normal people. The whole point of dating and marriage is to find happiness, not to spend the rest of one's days suffering in silence while the racist you live with cackles over Greg Gutfeld's latest hateful diatribe disguised as "comedy."
This should be common sense. Yet our sexist culture remains too enamored by stories of female self-sacrifice to accept that it's just fine if Trump voters never get laid. Even people who really should know better have taken to bullying liberal women for their refusal to date male Trump voters. "If attitudes don’t shift, a political dating mismatch will threaten marriage," declared a recent headline of a Washington Post column by the editorial board. To make it even grosser, the op-ed was published the day before Thanksgiving, as if to arm "concerned" relatives who planned to spend the holiday pestering single women at dinner over when they will get serious about finding a husband.
In this unsigned essay, the authors fret that the "ideological divide" between young men and women is preventing Gen Z — who range in age from 9 to 27— from getting married. Women under 30 are far more likely to be liberal than men, who are far more likely to identify as conservative. Citing data showing Democratic voters generally refuse to date Trump voters, the Post editors argue that people should be more willing to date across party lines, and learn to appreciate "alternative perspectives that may at first seem odd or offensive."
....(snip)....
Marrying a Trump voter isn't just a matter of minor political differences, or expecting someone to be exactly like yourself. For women, in particular, it's about being able to be safe and respected inside your own home, which is a very minimum standard all people deserve. Voting for Trump means backing a man who has been accused of sexual assault by two dozen women, and who a judge and jury deemed responsible for rape. It means backing the man who repeatedly brags about how he got Roe v. Wade overturned. In addition, the MAGA media consumed by most Republicans is hardly neutral on the question of sexism. They are all for it, from the tired sexist jokes on Fox News to bizarre internet trends like "tradwives." For a woman, marrying a Trump supporter isn't about being with someone who has different views on tax rates. It's bringing someone into your home who ascribes to an ideology in which you are not fully human. .................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/28/its-a-good-thing-women-wont-date/
November 27, 2023
(Guardian UK) The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has announced she is quitting X, formerly Twitter, calling it a “gigantic global sewer” that is “destroying our democracies” by spreading abuse and misinformation.
After buying Twitter in 2022, the billionaire Elon Musk laid off thousands of employees, including many who moderated content on the platform. Rebranded as X, it has lost several major advertisers and has been criticised, including by the White House, for not doing enough to curtail antisemitism.
“I have made the decision to leave Twitter,” Hidalgo wrote in lengthy posts in English and French on Monday, citing manipulation, disinformation, antisemitism and attacks on scientists, climatologists, women and liberals.
“Twitter, far from being the groundbreaking medium that initially made information accessible to the greatest possible number of people, has in recent years become an impressive tool for destroying our democracies,” she added. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-quits-x-calling-social-media-site-a-gigantic-global-sewer
Paris mayor quits X, calling social media site a 'gigantic global sewer'
(Guardian UK) The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has announced she is quitting X, formerly Twitter, calling it a “gigantic global sewer” that is “destroying our democracies” by spreading abuse and misinformation.
After buying Twitter in 2022, the billionaire Elon Musk laid off thousands of employees, including many who moderated content on the platform. Rebranded as X, it has lost several major advertisers and has been criticised, including by the White House, for not doing enough to curtail antisemitism.
“I have made the decision to leave Twitter,” Hidalgo wrote in lengthy posts in English and French on Monday, citing manipulation, disinformation, antisemitism and attacks on scientists, climatologists, women and liberals.
“Twitter, far from being the groundbreaking medium that initially made information accessible to the greatest possible number of people, has in recent years become an impressive tool for destroying our democracies,” she added. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-quits-x-calling-social-media-site-a-gigantic-global-sewer
November 27, 2023
The insidious rise of "tradwives": A right-wing fantasy is rotting young men's minds
There's serious money in peddling fantasies of female submission online, but it may be exacerbating male loneliness
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 27, 2023 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) If the average American were asked what they imagine the priorities of the feminist movement are these days, most people would likely cite concerns like "fighting abortion bans" or "getting justice for sexual violence victims" or boring mainstays like "equal pay for equal work." But if you listen in to the world of right-wing social media influencers, they have a different answer. To them, feminists are single-mindedly obsessed with destroying women who identify as "tradwives."
....(snip)....
"Tradwife" is internet slang for "traditional wife." It's largely a social media trend of conventionally attractive white women putting out TikToks and videos gushing about the joys of submissive marriage and "modesty," though notably this "modest" clothing often leaves little to the imagination.
It's a neat marketing trick from tradwives to position themselves as a dangerous threat that feminists are desperate to take out. It helps sell the central, lucrative fantasy to credulous audiences: That female submission is a woman's natural desire, one that's being stolen from them by sinister feminist forces. And that you, male viewer, would be gifted with a compliant helpmeet of your very own, if not for those dastardly feminists. But these brave women of YouTube, with their picture-perfect make-up and slender-but-curvy physiques, will stand up to those bitches and restore your birthright: A smoking hot 22-year-old housewife who never talks back, never gets tired, never says "no," and never gains weight, no matter how many children she has.
By feeding conservative audiences a largely imaginary war with feminists, the tradwives are also pulling off another sleight of hand: distracting from how their content preys upon men, especially young men, by selling them a silly fantasy as reality. In the process, they're contributing to the male loneliness epidemic, by discouraging young men from developing the skills and mindset they need to get a real girlfriend, instead of just subsisting on a steady stream of social media delusions. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/27/the-insidious-rise-of-tradwives-a-right-wing-fantasy-is-rotting-young-mens-minds/
The insidious rise of "tradwives": A right-wing fantasy is rotting young men's minds
The insidious rise of "tradwives": A right-wing fantasy is rotting young men's minds
There's serious money in peddling fantasies of female submission online, but it may be exacerbating male loneliness
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 27, 2023 6:00AM (EST)
(Salon) If the average American were asked what they imagine the priorities of the feminist movement are these days, most people would likely cite concerns like "fighting abortion bans" or "getting justice for sexual violence victims" or boring mainstays like "equal pay for equal work." But if you listen in to the world of right-wing social media influencers, they have a different answer. To them, feminists are single-mindedly obsessed with destroying women who identify as "tradwives."
....(snip)....
"Tradwife" is internet slang for "traditional wife." It's largely a social media trend of conventionally attractive white women putting out TikToks and videos gushing about the joys of submissive marriage and "modesty," though notably this "modest" clothing often leaves little to the imagination.
It's a neat marketing trick from tradwives to position themselves as a dangerous threat that feminists are desperate to take out. It helps sell the central, lucrative fantasy to credulous audiences: That female submission is a woman's natural desire, one that's being stolen from them by sinister feminist forces. And that you, male viewer, would be gifted with a compliant helpmeet of your very own, if not for those dastardly feminists. But these brave women of YouTube, with their picture-perfect make-up and slender-but-curvy physiques, will stand up to those bitches and restore your birthright: A smoking hot 22-year-old housewife who never talks back, never gets tired, never says "no," and never gains weight, no matter how many children she has.
By feeding conservative audiences a largely imaginary war with feminists, the tradwives are also pulling off another sleight of hand: distracting from how their content preys upon men, especially young men, by selling them a silly fantasy as reality. In the process, they're contributing to the male loneliness epidemic, by discouraging young men from developing the skills and mindset they need to get a real girlfriend, instead of just subsisting on a steady stream of social media delusions. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/27/the-insidious-rise-of-tradwives-a-right-wing-fantasy-is-rotting-young-mens-minds/
November 26, 2023
(Guardian UK) For five months this year, homosexuality was prohibited in a Tennessee college town.
In June, the city council of Murfreesboro enacted an ordinance outlawing “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct”. The rule did not explicitly mention homosexuality, but LGBTQ+ people in the town quickly realized that the ordinance references 21-72 of the city code, which categorizes homosexuality as an act of indecent sexual conduct.
The ordinance was essentially a covert ban on LGBTQ+ existence.
Erin Reed, one of the first and only national journalists to cover the ordinance earlier this year, noted that Murfreesboro isn’t “the only community that has these old archaic bits of code that target homosexuality”. ...............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/26/tennessee-homosexuality-lgbtq-book-bans-florida
'Archaic': the Tennessee town that made homosexuality illegal
(Guardian UK) For five months this year, homosexuality was prohibited in a Tennessee college town.
In June, the city council of Murfreesboro enacted an ordinance outlawing “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct”. The rule did not explicitly mention homosexuality, but LGBTQ+ people in the town quickly realized that the ordinance references 21-72 of the city code, which categorizes homosexuality as an act of indecent sexual conduct.
The ordinance was essentially a covert ban on LGBTQ+ existence.
Erin Reed, one of the first and only national journalists to cover the ordinance earlier this year, noted that Murfreesboro isn’t “the only community that has these old archaic bits of code that target homosexuality”. ...............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/26/tennessee-homosexuality-lgbtq-book-bans-florida
November 26, 2023
Cats have driven many species to extinction. Experts share tactics for reducing feline destruction
Outdoor and feral cats can seriously harm native ecosystems. Here's how to fix it
By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 26, 2023 5:30AM (EST)
(Salon) Cat owners and cat admirers alike tend to be intrigued by their enigmatic companions. When we see an intrepid feline carefully stalking its prey or happily playing with other cats, we ponder the mysteries of its mind and the depths of its soul. What manic misadventures do cats engage in when we're not around?
Unfortunately, the real world of cats differs significantly from the innocent, whimsical versions depicted in movies like "Cats" and "The Aristocats." In fact, when domesticated cats are allowed to roam freely, they often leave a trail of ecological destruction in their wake. Many species have gone extinct due to domesticated cats being allowed to roam outdoors, and many other animals are suffering immensely because of it.
....(snip)....
"These birds have been ravaged by outdoor cats, even more so than other introduced predators, because cats not only kill the young in the nest but also kill adults, eliminating the chance for that adult bird, which has already survived the trials of youth, to breed again in subsequent years," Sizemore explained. "Sadly, whether on islands or elsewhere, the impacts of cats adds up, and cats have now contributed to the extinction of at least 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide." Outdoor cats have a particularly devastating impact on birds, ranking as "the top source of direct, human-caused bird mortality in the United States, killing an estimated 2.4 billion birds every year."
....(snip)....
If there is any good news here, it is that humans can solve the problem they helped create. According to Arie Trouwborst, a professor of nature conservation law at Tilburg University, "the only effective way to protect vulnerable wildlife from cats is for people to keep their cats indoors or otherwise within their control — just as we expect pet owners to do with any other animal." He cited the Australian city of Canberra as an example of a government that has done this effectively. .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/26/cats-have-driven-many-species-to-extinction-experts-share-tactics-for-reducing-feline-destruction/
Cats have driven many species to extinction. Experts share tactics for reducing feline destruction
Cats have driven many species to extinction. Experts share tactics for reducing feline destruction
Outdoor and feral cats can seriously harm native ecosystems. Here's how to fix it
By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 26, 2023 5:30AM (EST)
(Salon) Cat owners and cat admirers alike tend to be intrigued by their enigmatic companions. When we see an intrepid feline carefully stalking its prey or happily playing with other cats, we ponder the mysteries of its mind and the depths of its soul. What manic misadventures do cats engage in when we're not around?
Unfortunately, the real world of cats differs significantly from the innocent, whimsical versions depicted in movies like "Cats" and "The Aristocats." In fact, when domesticated cats are allowed to roam freely, they often leave a trail of ecological destruction in their wake. Many species have gone extinct due to domesticated cats being allowed to roam outdoors, and many other animals are suffering immensely because of it.
....(snip)....
"These birds have been ravaged by outdoor cats, even more so than other introduced predators, because cats not only kill the young in the nest but also kill adults, eliminating the chance for that adult bird, which has already survived the trials of youth, to breed again in subsequent years," Sizemore explained. "Sadly, whether on islands or elsewhere, the impacts of cats adds up, and cats have now contributed to the extinction of at least 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide." Outdoor cats have a particularly devastating impact on birds, ranking as "the top source of direct, human-caused bird mortality in the United States, killing an estimated 2.4 billion birds every year."
....(snip)....
If there is any good news here, it is that humans can solve the problem they helped create. According to Arie Trouwborst, a professor of nature conservation law at Tilburg University, "the only effective way to protect vulnerable wildlife from cats is for people to keep their cats indoors or otherwise within their control — just as we expect pet owners to do with any other animal." He cited the Australian city of Canberra as an example of a government that has done this effectively. .........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/26/cats-have-driven-many-species-to-extinction-experts-share-tactics-for-reducing-feline-destruction/
November 25, 2023
(Mother Jones) One last-minute round-trip flight from Biloxi, Mississippi, to Cancún, Mexico, runs about $171 USD; three nights at a three-star hotel there can cost as little as $129. A three-day car rental in the resort town rings in at just $20 per day. And the price for one surgical abortion at MSI Reproductive Choices’ Cancún clinic would be about $350. The total cost for a trip to Cancún to access reproductive health services no longer available in some American states? $710.
Starting November 23, when the international sexual health organization MSI Reproductive Health Services opens the doors to its first Cancún reproductive health center, a pregnant American from a US state where abortion is banned could find the procedure to be both more affordable and more accessible in Mexico. Quintana Roo, the Mexican state where Cancún is located, has become one of at least a dozen Mexican states to decriminalize abortion in the last two years amid a series of judicial rulings that have strengthened reproductive rights, culminating in a September Mexican Supreme Court ruling that made state laws criminalizing abortion unconstitutional nationwide.
While $710 is not an insignificant sum for a pregnant person living near the poverty line in America, it could still turn out to be several hundred dollars less expensive than the costs associated with obtaining similar treatments in post-Dobbs America, where 14 states have banned abortion completely, and four more have restricted it to the first trimester. A surgical abortion alone can cost more than $1,000 in the US, on top of out-of-state transportation and lodging needs. All these factors came into play when MSI planned its Cancún annex, which is being funded by an anonymous US donor.
....(snip)....
Called “reproductive health migration” by abortion-rights advocates and “abortion tourism” by detractors, people from multiple continents have crossed international borders seeking reproductive health care for decades. Traveling internationally for healthcare is a common practice in abortion-restricted Poland, some South American countries, and parts of Asia, for example. But the movement has gained new urgency and visibility after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022, spurring some US states to adopt more restrictive abortion laws just as Mexican states were loosening theirs. ...............(more)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/mexico-has-become-a-haven-for-americans-seeking-an-abortion/
Mexico Has Become a Haven for Americans Seeking an Abortion
(Mother Jones) One last-minute round-trip flight from Biloxi, Mississippi, to Cancún, Mexico, runs about $171 USD; three nights at a three-star hotel there can cost as little as $129. A three-day car rental in the resort town rings in at just $20 per day. And the price for one surgical abortion at MSI Reproductive Choices’ Cancún clinic would be about $350. The total cost for a trip to Cancún to access reproductive health services no longer available in some American states? $710.
Starting November 23, when the international sexual health organization MSI Reproductive Health Services opens the doors to its first Cancún reproductive health center, a pregnant American from a US state where abortion is banned could find the procedure to be both more affordable and more accessible in Mexico. Quintana Roo, the Mexican state where Cancún is located, has become one of at least a dozen Mexican states to decriminalize abortion in the last two years amid a series of judicial rulings that have strengthened reproductive rights, culminating in a September Mexican Supreme Court ruling that made state laws criminalizing abortion unconstitutional nationwide.
While $710 is not an insignificant sum for a pregnant person living near the poverty line in America, it could still turn out to be several hundred dollars less expensive than the costs associated with obtaining similar treatments in post-Dobbs America, where 14 states have banned abortion completely, and four more have restricted it to the first trimester. A surgical abortion alone can cost more than $1,000 in the US, on top of out-of-state transportation and lodging needs. All these factors came into play when MSI planned its Cancún annex, which is being funded by an anonymous US donor.
....(snip)....
Called “reproductive health migration” by abortion-rights advocates and “abortion tourism” by detractors, people from multiple continents have crossed international borders seeking reproductive health care for decades. Traveling internationally for healthcare is a common practice in abortion-restricted Poland, some South American countries, and parts of Asia, for example. But the movement has gained new urgency and visibility after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022, spurring some US states to adopt more restrictive abortion laws just as Mexican states were loosening theirs. ...............(more)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/mexico-has-become-a-haven-for-americans-seeking-an-abortion/
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