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May 19, 2022
‘All your friends were dying’: revisiting the horrors of the Aids crisis
In a damning new season of podcast docuseries Fiasco, journalist Leon Neyfakh revisits a period of devastating loss and horrifying apathy
Benjamin Lee
Thu 19 May 2022 02.08 EDT
(Guardian UK) Over two years into a global pandemic that’s killed more than 6 million people, infected over 500 million others and irrevocably changed the way we all live, work and interact, while some mourn and some continue to constantly readapt, for others, an investigation continues.
How did we get here? What mistakes were made? And what can we learn? For those who survived another global health crisis decades prior, one with a far higher mortality rate but drastically lower visibility, many of these questions still remain. In the summer of 1981, a quietly alarming new illness started to afflict gay men, initially reported in localised gay media but soon covered in the New York Times with the still rather unforgettably chilling headline “Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals”. In that year 234 people in the US died. In 1982, the CDC used the term Aids for the first time. By the end of the decade, over 100,000 Americans had died.
“I think fear was the overwhelming feeling,” journalist Leon Neyfakkh said to the Guardian, having interviewed many who survived the era for the most recent season of his Fiasco podcast. “Just knowing that you might have it but you don’t know for sure and you might not know for months or years because for a long time there was no way to check while at the same time, all your friends were dying.”
While there are many, still-to-be-unpacked problems with how the US and many other countries mishandled and continue to mishandle Covid-19, there has been at least some sense that it was being handled. But under Ronald Reagan’s administration, at a time when the majority of US states still upheld sodomy laws, dealing with a condition that mostly affected gay men, and then eventually needle-sharing drug users, was not seen as a priority. “Any time you’re talking about sex or drugs, it’s a moral issue, not a public health issue,” says Bill Clinton’s former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders on the podcast. ..............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/19/fiasco-audible-podcast-docuseries-aids-crisis
'All your friends were dying': revisiting the horrors of the Aids crisis
‘All your friends were dying’: revisiting the horrors of the Aids crisis
In a damning new season of podcast docuseries Fiasco, journalist Leon Neyfakh revisits a period of devastating loss and horrifying apathy
Benjamin Lee
Thu 19 May 2022 02.08 EDT
(Guardian UK) Over two years into a global pandemic that’s killed more than 6 million people, infected over 500 million others and irrevocably changed the way we all live, work and interact, while some mourn and some continue to constantly readapt, for others, an investigation continues.
How did we get here? What mistakes were made? And what can we learn? For those who survived another global health crisis decades prior, one with a far higher mortality rate but drastically lower visibility, many of these questions still remain. In the summer of 1981, a quietly alarming new illness started to afflict gay men, initially reported in localised gay media but soon covered in the New York Times with the still rather unforgettably chilling headline “Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals”. In that year 234 people in the US died. In 1982, the CDC used the term Aids for the first time. By the end of the decade, over 100,000 Americans had died.
“I think fear was the overwhelming feeling,” journalist Leon Neyfakkh said to the Guardian, having interviewed many who survived the era for the most recent season of his Fiasco podcast. “Just knowing that you might have it but you don’t know for sure and you might not know for months or years because for a long time there was no way to check while at the same time, all your friends were dying.”
While there are many, still-to-be-unpacked problems with how the US and many other countries mishandled and continue to mishandle Covid-19, there has been at least some sense that it was being handled. But under Ronald Reagan’s administration, at a time when the majority of US states still upheld sodomy laws, dealing with a condition that mostly affected gay men, and then eventually needle-sharing drug users, was not seen as a priority. “Any time you’re talking about sex or drugs, it’s a moral issue, not a public health issue,” says Bill Clinton’s former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders on the podcast. ..............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/19/fiasco-audible-podcast-docuseries-aids-crisis
May 19, 2022
TikTok's viral "bark at your dog" challenge may not be a good idea, experts say
Dog behaviorists say barking at one's dog may stress them out, and could even be a breach of trust
By NICOLE KARLIS
PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2022 5:06PM
(Salon) Since late last year, dog owners on TikTok have been participating in what might seem like an innocent, even cute TikTok trend that involves barking at your dog.
The hashtag #barkatyourdog has over 156 million views on TikTok, and its participants run the gamut in age and popularity (many TikTok stars have dabbled in it). The video trend involves getting close to your canine's face, barking loudly and recording the dog's reaction. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most dogs look confused.
While it might seem like just another harmless social media challenge, canine behaviorists are warning against participating in it.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Cathay Madson, a lead dog trainer at Preventive Pet, told Salon. "From what I've seen, the majority of dogs just don't know what to do with that." ........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/tiktok-barkatyourdog/
TikTok's viral "bark at your dog" challenge may not be a good idea, experts say
TikTok's viral "bark at your dog" challenge may not be a good idea, experts say
Dog behaviorists say barking at one's dog may stress them out, and could even be a breach of trust
By NICOLE KARLIS
PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2022 5:06PM
(Salon) Since late last year, dog owners on TikTok have been participating in what might seem like an innocent, even cute TikTok trend that involves barking at your dog.
The hashtag #barkatyourdog has over 156 million views on TikTok, and its participants run the gamut in age and popularity (many TikTok stars have dabbled in it). The video trend involves getting close to your canine's face, barking loudly and recording the dog's reaction. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most dogs look confused.
While it might seem like just another harmless social media challenge, canine behaviorists are warning against participating in it.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Cathay Madson, a lead dog trainer at Preventive Pet, told Salon. "From what I've seen, the majority of dogs just don't know what to do with that." ........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/tiktok-barkatyourdog/
May 18, 2022
Spanish govt proposes wider abortion rights, menstrual leave
MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government approved a draft bill Tuesday that widens abortion rights for teenagers and may make Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave.
The measures are part of a package of proposals that will be sent to the Spanish parliament for debate. The package includes an extension of abortion rights, scrapping the requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain parental consent before terminating a pregnancy.
The Spanish move comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to reverse that country’s constitutional right to abortion, in place for nearly a half-century.
Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said the proposals represented “a new step forward for women, a new step forward for democracy.” ...........(more)
https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-government-and-politics-bff94c9ca0b73d0a1126c91d7d2121ba
Meanwhile, in a sane country (Spain).......
Spanish govt proposes wider abortion rights, menstrual leave
MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government approved a draft bill Tuesday that widens abortion rights for teenagers and may make Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave.
The measures are part of a package of proposals that will be sent to the Spanish parliament for debate. The package includes an extension of abortion rights, scrapping the requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain parental consent before terminating a pregnancy.
The Spanish move comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to reverse that country’s constitutional right to abortion, in place for nearly a half-century.
Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said the proposals represented “a new step forward for women, a new step forward for democracy.” ...........(more)
https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-government-and-politics-bff94c9ca0b73d0a1126c91d7d2121ba
May 18, 2022
MICHIGAN, USA — It was a dismal 2020 for small businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Michigan's main street has rebounded stronger than ever.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that Michigan had the fastest small business job growth in 23 years.
The Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information said that in the first three quarters of 2021, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees created almost 170,000 jobs.
The surge in small business was in part fueled by 150,000 new small business applications filed to start businesses, a 59% increase from 2019. ............(more)
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/money/economy/michigan-record-small-business-growth-2021/69-8de6e793-7f85-43d2-a621-765c5ca3c56f
Michigan saw record small business growth in 2021
MICHIGAN, USA — It was a dismal 2020 for small businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Michigan's main street has rebounded stronger than ever.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that Michigan had the fastest small business job growth in 23 years.
The Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information said that in the first three quarters of 2021, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees created almost 170,000 jobs.
The surge in small business was in part fueled by 150,000 new small business applications filed to start businesses, a 59% increase from 2019. ............(more)
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/money/economy/michigan-record-small-business-growth-2021/69-8de6e793-7f85-43d2-a621-765c5ca3c56f
May 18, 2022
(Salon) Republican candidates backed by former President Donald Trump had a mixed night on Tuesday but election deniers dominated contested primary contests.
Several prominent candidates backed by Trump went down in defeat as five states held primaries.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., conceded his race to three-term state Sen. Chuck Edwards before the election was even called on Tuesday. Cawthorn faced a growing number of personal scandals amid attacks from both the left and Republicans in his own party, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Trump begged voters to give Cawthorn a "second chance" despite "some foolish mistakes" but Cawthorn ultimately narrowly lost the race, trailing Edwards by just over 1,300 votes with 95% of ballots counted.
Trump-backed Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who ran a MAGA challenge to Gov. Brad Little after repeatedly trying to usurp his powers, lost her race to the incumbent by more than 20 points.
In perhaps the most-watched contest of the night, Trump-backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz is locked in a too-close-to-call race with hedge fund manager David McCormick, who also worked in the George W. Bush administration. Oz led McCormick by just 0.2% with 95% of precincts reporting, but McCormick's camp said they are "confident" that a large number of outstanding absentee ballots — which Trump world has long decried — would ultimately put him back in the lead. Kathy Barnette, a surging Republican who sought to out-MAGA Trump's pick, ultimately fizzled and came in third. ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/cawthorns-loss-highlights-trumps-waning-influence-but-deniers-win-big-in-primaries/
Cawthorn's loss highlights Trump's waning influence but election deniers win big in GOP primaries
(Salon) Republican candidates backed by former President Donald Trump had a mixed night on Tuesday but election deniers dominated contested primary contests.
Several prominent candidates backed by Trump went down in defeat as five states held primaries.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., conceded his race to three-term state Sen. Chuck Edwards before the election was even called on Tuesday. Cawthorn faced a growing number of personal scandals amid attacks from both the left and Republicans in his own party, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Trump begged voters to give Cawthorn a "second chance" despite "some foolish mistakes" but Cawthorn ultimately narrowly lost the race, trailing Edwards by just over 1,300 votes with 95% of ballots counted.
Trump-backed Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who ran a MAGA challenge to Gov. Brad Little after repeatedly trying to usurp his powers, lost her race to the incumbent by more than 20 points.
In perhaps the most-watched contest of the night, Trump-backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz is locked in a too-close-to-call race with hedge fund manager David McCormick, who also worked in the George W. Bush administration. Oz led McCormick by just 0.2% with 95% of precincts reporting, but McCormick's camp said they are "confident" that a large number of outstanding absentee ballots — which Trump world has long decried — would ultimately put him back in the lead. Kathy Barnette, a surging Republican who sought to out-MAGA Trump's pick, ultimately fizzled and came in third. ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/cawthorns-loss-highlights-trumps-waning-influence-but-deniers-win-big-in-primaries/
May 18, 2022
India is home to the world’s largest wild tiger population, but human-tiger conflicts are on the rise
By NIRANJANA RAJALAKSHMI
PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2022 8:15AM
On a late August afternoon in 2019, a farmer named Shivamadaiah walked with his cattle near Bandipur National Park. The roughly 330-square-mile forested reserve, known for its resident wildlife, lies serenely in the foothills of the Western Ghats in India's southwest state of Karnataka.
That night, Shivamadaiah didn't return home. When a few people went to find him the next day, they initially came upon his ripped slipper. The group walked further, recalls his son, Madhusudhan, who like his father and many Indians, goes by one name. After half a mile, they found Shivamadaiah's half-eaten body lying under a large banyan tree. A tiger had initially aimed for the cows, says Madhusudhan. But then it pounced on their owner instead.
The tiger had taken to roaming outside the forest in order to avoid competing with other tigers for food, says Madhusudhan. "It started getting close to human habitats," he says; it preyed upon cattle. After attacking Shivamadaiah, the big cat went on to kill another local resident.
....(snip)....
As the carnivores have rebounded and reclaimed some of their historic range, humans have pursued development in areas not far from tiger habitat. Likely as a result, from 2010 through 2019, tigers killed 383 humans and valuable livestock. People are starting to lose their tolerance for the big cats, some wildlife biologists say. In 2019, villagers in the state of Uttar Pradesh beat a tigress to death after she attacked a local resident.
But the majority of tigers do not attack humans, and according to some experts, it is important to identify and remove those that do present a threat, in order to minimize human suffering and maintain popular support for tiger conservation. To this end, the Indian government developed guidelines for classifying "man-eating" tigers (the official term has since changed). But classification of individual tigers is often fraught, as are decisions about whether to kill or tranquilize and relocate these large carnivores. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/indias-man-eating-tigers-entangled-in-a-game_partner/
India's "man-eating" tigers entangled in a blame game
India’s "man-eating" tigers entangled in a blame gameIndia is home to the world’s largest wild tiger population, but human-tiger conflicts are on the rise
By NIRANJANA RAJALAKSHMI
PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2022 8:15AM
On a late August afternoon in 2019, a farmer named Shivamadaiah walked with his cattle near Bandipur National Park. The roughly 330-square-mile forested reserve, known for its resident wildlife, lies serenely in the foothills of the Western Ghats in India's southwest state of Karnataka.
That night, Shivamadaiah didn't return home. When a few people went to find him the next day, they initially came upon his ripped slipper. The group walked further, recalls his son, Madhusudhan, who like his father and many Indians, goes by one name. After half a mile, they found Shivamadaiah's half-eaten body lying under a large banyan tree. A tiger had initially aimed for the cows, says Madhusudhan. But then it pounced on their owner instead.
The tiger had taken to roaming outside the forest in order to avoid competing with other tigers for food, says Madhusudhan. "It started getting close to human habitats," he says; it preyed upon cattle. After attacking Shivamadaiah, the big cat went on to kill another local resident.
....(snip)....
As the carnivores have rebounded and reclaimed some of their historic range, humans have pursued development in areas not far from tiger habitat. Likely as a result, from 2010 through 2019, tigers killed 383 humans and valuable livestock. People are starting to lose their tolerance for the big cats, some wildlife biologists say. In 2019, villagers in the state of Uttar Pradesh beat a tigress to death after she attacked a local resident.
But the majority of tigers do not attack humans, and according to some experts, it is important to identify and remove those that do present a threat, in order to minimize human suffering and maintain popular support for tiger conservation. To this end, the Indian government developed guidelines for classifying "man-eating" tigers (the official term has since changed). But classification of individual tigers is often fraught, as are decisions about whether to kill or tranquilize and relocate these large carnivores. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/05/18/indias-man-eating-tigers-entangled-in-a-game_partner/
May 18, 2022
(Detroit Metro Times) A Court of Claims judge granted a preliminary injunction in a suit brought by Planned Parenthood against Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban law.
Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ordered the injunction Tuesday, writing that “forced pregnancy … contravenes the right to make autonomous medical decisions.”
Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit last month to block enforcement of the state’s 1931 felony abortion ban, naming Attorney General Dana Nessel as the defendant.
“This is a win for individuals, families, and communities. For those of us who provide abortions, it means we can continue to provide essential health care for our patients,” said Dr. Sarah Wallett, the plaintiff and chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Michigan. “Today’s ruling means all Michiganders will continue to be able to access the health care they deserve and to be able to decide for themselves their own futures.” ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/michigan-judge-grants-injunction-against-1931-abortion-ban-if-roe-is-overturned-30074766
Michigan judge grants injunction against 1931 abortion ban if Roe is overturned
(Detroit Metro Times) A Court of Claims judge granted a preliminary injunction in a suit brought by Planned Parenthood against Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban law.
Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ordered the injunction Tuesday, writing that “forced pregnancy … contravenes the right to make autonomous medical decisions.”
Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit last month to block enforcement of the state’s 1931 felony abortion ban, naming Attorney General Dana Nessel as the defendant.
“This is a win for individuals, families, and communities. For those of us who provide abortions, it means we can continue to provide essential health care for our patients,” said Dr. Sarah Wallett, the plaintiff and chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Michigan. “Today’s ruling means all Michiganders will continue to be able to access the health care they deserve and to be able to decide for themselves their own futures.” ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/michigan-judge-grants-injunction-against-1931-abortion-ban-if-roe-is-overturned-30074766
May 18, 2022
(Guardian UK) Last week, Dr Maya Bass, a family physician, was on a call with the medical director of Trust Women, one of four abortion clinics in Oklahoma. They were scrambling to figure out how to keep their doors open after the leak of a draft opinion signaling the supreme court’s intent to overturn Roe v Wade and the Oklahoma governor’s signing of SB1503 into law, banning abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
“With my colleagues, there’s a lot of anger,” Bass says. “As a medical professional, it’s really hard to spend your life studying to become an expert in a certain area and then have a politician with no medical expertise and not even a uterus take away your power to offer patients safe medical care.”
About once a month since 2017, Bass has traveled from her home in Camden, New Jersey, to moonlight at Trust Women Oklahoma City to help mitigate the shortage of abortion providers in the middle of the country. The tiny clinic’s staff had been stretched to its limit since September, when neighboring Texas banned abortions past six weeks of pregnancy, forcing an estimated 6,000 Texans to travel to Oklahoma.
But Oklahoma will no longer be a refuge for Texan patients. A near copycat of the Texas law, Oklahoma’s new ban would allow any private citizen to sue any individual – doctors, nurses, pharmacists – who “aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion” after signs of fetal cardiac activity. And in the aftermath of a Roe reversal, Oklahoma is one of 13 states that would immediately ban almost all abortions. .............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/17/abortion-providers-post-roe-v-wade
'I feel angry and incredibly motivated': US abortion providers consider options for fighting back
(Guardian UK) Last week, Dr Maya Bass, a family physician, was on a call with the medical director of Trust Women, one of four abortion clinics in Oklahoma. They were scrambling to figure out how to keep their doors open after the leak of a draft opinion signaling the supreme court’s intent to overturn Roe v Wade and the Oklahoma governor’s signing of SB1503 into law, banning abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
“With my colleagues, there’s a lot of anger,” Bass says. “As a medical professional, it’s really hard to spend your life studying to become an expert in a certain area and then have a politician with no medical expertise and not even a uterus take away your power to offer patients safe medical care.”
About once a month since 2017, Bass has traveled from her home in Camden, New Jersey, to moonlight at Trust Women Oklahoma City to help mitigate the shortage of abortion providers in the middle of the country. The tiny clinic’s staff had been stretched to its limit since September, when neighboring Texas banned abortions past six weeks of pregnancy, forcing an estimated 6,000 Texans to travel to Oklahoma.
But Oklahoma will no longer be a refuge for Texan patients. A near copycat of the Texas law, Oklahoma’s new ban would allow any private citizen to sue any individual – doctors, nurses, pharmacists – who “aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion” after signs of fetal cardiac activity. And in the aftermath of a Roe reversal, Oklahoma is one of 13 states that would immediately ban almost all abortions. .............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/17/abortion-providers-post-roe-v-wade
May 17, 2022
Students walk out of Birmingham school to rally against anti-LGBTQ+ bills
(Detroit Metro Times) More than 70 students walked out of a Birmingham school Monday afternoon to protest the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures.
“We stand at a choice: Will we embrace the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity or fall back into ignorance and reaction?” 16-year-old Phillip Rabinovich told students at the beginning of the protest at Roeper Middle and Upper School.
LGBTQ rights have come under attack by conservative state lawmakers across the country, including Michigan. In the first three months of this year, nearly 240 bills have been been introduced in state legislatures that would limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people, according to Freedom for All Americans.
The bills target gender-affirming medical care for trans children, LGBTQ discussion in classrooms, and trans people in youth sports. One of the most notorious is a Florida bill, which opponents dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay bill” because it limits classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3. ............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/students-walk-out-of-birmingham-school-to-rally-against-anti-lgbtq-bills-30066052
May 17, 2022
President Biden to lift many restrictions on travel to Cuba
Major changes are coming to U.S. Cuba policy. First reported by the Miami Herald and McClatchy, and later confirmed by the Department of State, the Biden administration will again open travel and trade with Cuba to Americans.
https://twitter.com/mawilner/status/1526316162526629888
The policy changes will reportedly include a big expansion in flights between the United States and Cuba, allowing more group travel, lifting the cap on money transfers to families in Cuba and reestablishing a family reunification program. Under former President Donald Trump, flights had been limited to Havana and most trade and tourism were forbidden.
While it appears individual tourism to Cuba will remain off-limits, Americans should soon be able to book group tours again.
The policy changes come after a long review of Cuba policy and could help open Cuba back up to tourism and investment by Americans.
The Trump administration had sought to freeze a reopening to Cuba that former President Barack Obama started during his presidency. ..........(more)
https://thepointsguy.com/news/cuba-policy/
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