Yesterday, I had a rather klutzy computer day. For instance, I sent an email attachment but forgot to attach it, and in my pictorial program accidentally hid all the toolbars and it took m a half hour or more to figure out what I had done so I could get them back. Everything is resolved now but I’m running late as a result.
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The Washington Post – GOP donor described botched vote fraud probe in recording, prosecutors say
Quote – The filing Friday illuminates one of the most extreme tactics that far-right groups have employed in an effort to substantiate former president Donald Trump’s unproven allegations of widespread voting fraud in the election he lost. Groups have tried to gain access to sensitive election equipment, pushed for audits of the 2020 election by handpicked outside groups and recruited volunteers to scrutinize local election officials, sometimes leading to threats of violence. Click through for the news, which is not new, but just coming out, plua I had to wait a couple of days to get a gift link so we can all get past the paywall. Fortunately, it is NOt being ignored.
Democratic Underground – 45 Convicted Republican Pedophiles:
Quote – 42. Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was charged with rape for allegedly paying a 15-year old girl for sex. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young. Click through for complete list. Be aware these are not just people who happen to be registered Republican. They are elected or appointed officials and/or vocal activists. (I’m sure one could easily find 45 convicted pedophiles who are just registered Democrats but in no way involved in politics/activism – because we won’t stand for it.)
Amazon Watch – Peruvian Government Commits to Expel Narcotrafficking Settlers and Return Lands to Indigenous Communities
Quote – While Peru is in an ongoing political crisis, the Indigenous movement clamors for justice. The demands are clear: prevent the killings of threatened Earth defenders, pursue legal actions against the murderers, and guarantee Indigenous territorial integrity. According to the latest Global Witness report, Peru is among the ten most dangerous countries for Earth defenders. Since 2011, more than 45 environmental rights defenders have been killed there. Most recently, Indigenous leader Ulises Rumiche, was shot dead on April 20, 2022. Click through for details. It’s not as if we don’t know that indegenous peoles everywhere on earth are having their very survival (not to mention their customs, thir quality of life, even their basic dignity) threatened on a 24/7 basis. But it isn’t often we are given a window into those conditions that shows as much as this one does.
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
The sight of industrialists stealing resources from indigenous peoples, and of that theft essentially turning into genocide, is unfortunately nothing new. It is as famiiar at Standing Rock as it is in the Amazon basin. But there’s a new twist to this story – the potential use of satellite techno;ogy and data to provide proof of injury – and of agency when the guilty parties deny fault. See what you think.
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Satellites over the Amazon capture the choking of the ‘house of God’ by the Belo Monte Dam – they can help find solutions, too
NASA’s Landsat satellites have been monitoring changes on Earth’s landscape for 50 years. NASA illustration
The Xingu River is revered as the “house of God” by the Indigenous people living along its Volte Grande, or Big Bend, in the Brazilian Amazon. The river is essential to their culture and religion, and a crucial source of fish, transportation and water for trees and plants.
Five years ago, the Big Bend was a broad river valley interwoven with river channels teaming with fish, turtles and other wildlife. Today, as much as 80% of the water flow is gone.
That’s because in late 2015, the massive Belo Monte Dam project began redirecting water from the Xingu River upstream from the Big Bend, channeling it through a canal to a giant new reservoir. The reservoir now powers one of the largest hydropower dams in the world, designed with enough capacity to power around 20 million households, though it has been producing far less.
Indigenous communities living in the Big Bend region of the Xingu River and its Bacaja tributary rely on the river for food and to transport crops. Taylor Weidman/LightRocket via Getty Images
Most of the river’s flow now bypasses the Big Bend, and the Indigenous peoples who live there are watching their livelihoods and way of life become endangered. Some of the most devastating effects are during the rainy season, when wildlife and trees rely heavily on having high water. The consortium of utilities and mining companies that runs the dam has pushed back on government orders to allow more water to reach the Big Bend, claiming it would cut their generation and profits. The group has argued in the past that there was no scientific proof that the change in water flow harmed fish or turtles.
There is proof of the Belo Monte Dam project’s impact on the Big Bend, though – from above. Satellite data shows how dramatically the dam has altered the hydrology of the river there.
The front satellite image shows the Big Bend of the Xingu River on May 26, 2000, before the Belo Monte Dam project began. Move the slider to the left to see the same region on July 20, 2017.
The same satellite data can also point to potential solutions and ways that operators of the Belo Monte Dam could revise the dam’s operations to keep both its renewable power and the Xingu River flowing at the most important times of the year.
As scientists who work with remote sensing, we believe satellite observations can empower populations around the world who face threats to their resources. The fact that satellite observations of surface water of the Xingu River can be clearly tied to the construction and operation of the Belo Monte Dam offers hope that this kind of knowledge can no longer be hidden.
50 years of Earth observation
Satellites have been monitoring changes in Earth’s landscapes for 50 years, ever since the U.S. launched the first Landsat satellite in July 1972. By piecing together data from the Landsat program and other satellites, scientists can reconstruct historical patterns of change in the landscape and predict current and future trends. They can monitor forest cover, drought, wildfire damage and desert expansion, as well as river flows and reservoir operations around the world.
An example of how that data can be used to help threatened communities is the global Reservoir Assessment Tool, which was created by colleagues and one of us at the University of Washington. It monitors how much water is in about 1,600 reservoirs around the world.
The Reservoir Assessment Tool allows communities to track river flow changes caused by nearby dams and locate proposed dams. It currently tracks dams built before 2000. University of Washington
Dam operators already collect thorough on-site data about water flow, but their datasets are rarely shared with the public. Remote sensing doesn’t face the same restrictions. Making that data public can help hold operators to account for and protect local communities and their rivers.
How satellites could pressure Belo Monte to share
Satellite monitoring can provide unprecedented insight into the operations of dams like the Belo Monte and their impact on downstream populations.
Existing satellite data can be used to monitor recent historical behavior of a dam’s operations, track the state of the river and patterns of inflow and outflow at the dam, and even forecast the likely state of the reservoir. Much of that data is easily accessible and free. For example, a tool created for the regional governing body of the Mekong River Commission is empowering communities along the river in Southeast Asia by giving them access to satellite data about water flow at each dam – data that cannot be hidden or modified by those in power.
While estimates based on remote sensing have higher uncertainty than on-site measurements, unfettered access to such information can provide local populations with evidence to argue, in court if necessary, for more water releases.
Members of Indigenous groups living in the Big Bend region talk about changes they’ve seen since the dam was built.
Long-term observations of dams and hydroclimate records show it is possible to revise the standard operating procedures of dams so they allow more water to flow downstream when needed. A compromise with the Belo Monte Dam could ensure that enough water flows to the Xingu’s Big Bend region while also providing hydropower benefits.
By making the impact of the Belo Monte Dam and others like it public to the world, agencies and the general public can put pressure on the dam’s operators and its investors to release more water. Public pressure will become increasingly important, as water disputes in the Amazon are expected to worsen as the planet warms and deforestation continues. Climate change will affect river flow patterns in the Amazon and likely increase droughts, leaving less water during some periods.
Monitoring dams is a powerful way satellites can make a difference. Nearly two-thirds of Brazil’s electricity comes from more than 200 large and 400-plus small hydropower plants, and more large dams are expected to be built in the Amazon this decade. Many are in areas with Indigenous populations.
The Belo Monte Dam’s construction, shown here in 2012, flooded land and changed the river. Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Remote sensing may not directly solve the problem of social injustice, but it offers the tools needed to recognize the problems and explore solutions. Being able to monitor changes in near-real time and compare them with historical operations can help maintain the checks and balances required for equitable growth.
Raaghul Senthilkumar, a former Master’s student at the University of Washington, contributed to this article.
============================================================== Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, as the authors point out, satellite data is not a solution – it is only a tool – but it appears to me to be a darned good one. Put on your Eumenides hats, and stir up indigenous people and activists who care, and help them acquire and use this tool, with all other tools, to defend themselves. And, please – without delay. Our environmentsal losses, cultural losses, human losses have been so severe already, largely through delay, that we really cannot afford any more.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Don Carlos (which is how it’s spelled when it’s done in French. The Italian is Don Carlo.) There are more differences in the two versions than just the;anguage, however. The French version (which was the original) can be more than an hour longer – it includes scenes deleyed from the Italian version, and, os course, a ballet. The Paris Opera House would not stage any opera which didn’t have a ballet. In both cases, the enotions of the principals are depicted against the background of 16th century Spain. including the Spanish Inquisition which is seen) and the war in what is now Belgium to keep Spain (and therefore the Inquisition) in power over all French speaking people, including the Huguenots (French Protestants. Most of the principals actually lived, but they were not (especially Carlos) much like the way they are portrayed. Carlos and the one character who did not actually exist, Rodrigue, talk a lot about freeing the Huguenots from Spanish rule, but it doesn’t happen, as the Inquisition disposes of both to prevent it (Rodrigue is shot dead by an Inquisition hack, and Carlos is whisked away to – somewhere – by the ghost of his dead grandfather.) Those parts seem very timely to me. Verdi was always deeply interested in political freedom (he even served in the first Parliament of united Italy freed from Austrian rule.)
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PolitiZoom – White House Assembles Tiger Team To Plan Contingency If Putin Uses Chemical Warfare, Or Worse Nukes, On Ukraine
Quote – Joe Biden has arrived in Europe for an emergency NATO summit, the G7 summit and a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday. It’s safe to say that with things the way they are in Europe at this moment that these are all groups that are thrilled to see the return of sane US leadership and engagement in Europe after the train wreck and colossal embarrassment that was the former administration. Click through for more, including a lot of speculation. It’s good that the West is being pro-active, not reactive. I don’t say we won’t make any mistakes, but I’m fairly confident we will not make stupid ones.
Bill strengthening election security policies advances in Colorado legislature
Quote – The measure was crafted in response to Mesa County’s Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters, who is under indictment for allegedly compromising her county’s voting machines while searching for proof of fraud in the 2020 election. Critics had focused on a provision in the original bill that tried to prevent misinformation and disinformation. A prominent First Amendment attorney warned it could be problematic to try to regulate speech in that way, a concern also raised by the Colorado GOP, who said it was unconstitutional. The main sponsor of SB22-153, Democratic Senate President Steve Fenberg, said he doesn’t believe banning officials from spreading misinformation about elections violates free speech, but acknowledged the provision would likely be unenforceable in practice. He also didn’t want controversy over the idea to detract from the overall measure. Click through for story. Republicans will be Republicans, but Tina Peters was a bridge too far even for them.
Women’s History – Wikipedia – Ana de Mendoza y de Silva, Princess of Éboli
Quote – Ana de Mendoza de la Cerda y de Silva Cifuentes, Princess of Eboli, Duchess of Pastrana (in full, Spanish: Doña Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda), (29 June 1540 – 2 February 1592) was a Spanish aristocrat,[1] suo jure 2nd Princess of Mélito, 2nd Duchess of Francavilla and 3rd Countess of Aliano…. It is possible that Ana was the mistress of Philip II, King of Spain…. [She] form[ed] an alliance at Court with the King’s undersecretary of state… [and T]were accused of betraying state secrets which led to her arrest in 1579. Ana died 13 years later in prison on 2 February 1592. Click throuch for bio. Many considered her the most beautiful woman in Europe, eyepatch and all (most little girls then didn’t play with swords, to that is also a revealing detail.) “A character mased on her” appears in the opers Don Carlos (and often steals the show). A spicier biography is here. I realize this makes her sound larger than life, but she is still a legend in Spanish-speaking areas.
Glenn Kirschner – Putin’s Acts Against Ukraine & Trump’s Acts Against the US: Political Acts or Acts of Evil? (“Why not both?” – JD)
Robert Reich – The Real Reason Congress Gets Nothing Done
Rebel HQ – Veteran RIPS Lauren Boebert For Disrespecting Military (As I’ve said elsewhere, I expect she got a letter from the [Fascist] mother of a Marine Lance Corloral [E3] which is abbreviated LCpl. Granted to be what she said it should have been “LtCpl,” but no other service uses the word “Lance” in a rank, so she just assumed. I wonder what she would have done with GySgt.)
Zelensky visits hospitalized girl who shielded her younger brother from Russian gunfire
When the Russians shot Katherina, her parents thought she was dead. “The bullets went through her back, the ribs, the lungs, the thighs,” the mother said. “She suffered the most as she was covering her little brother.” She saved his life. He is 8yo. Pres Zelenskyy met them today: pic.twitter.com/IoqrSVBCAS
— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) March 17, 2022
The Lincoln Project – Putin’s Puppet
Puppet Regime – CoViD-19
Beau – Let’s talk about the country in the mirror….
Yesterday, I watched the Theater of War “The Nurse Antigone,” in which Margaret Atwood played Tiresias. Tiresias was blind, and she chose to present blindness with a hoodie covering a lot of her face, including her eyes – but oh, what a voice! All the actors were powerful certainly. And the discussion at the end raised issues which I didn’t realize that I didn’t realize, and not just pertinent to nurses. It was taped, which I hope means it will be available to re-watch – I will be looking for it. But a moral here is, don’t dismiss presentations for military because you’re not military (or have never been in compat), don’t dismiss presentations for medical professionals because you’re not one, and so on .. you could learn something, or hear something that really speaks to you, from any group in this web of projects.
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The New Yorker – How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London
Quote – Invoking Dean Acheson’s famous observation, in 1962, that Britain had “lost an empire but not yet found a role,” [Oliver] Bullough[, a former Russia correspondent,] suggests that it did find a role, as a no-questions-asked service provider to the crooked élite, offering access to capital markets, prime real estate, shopping at Harrods, and illustrious private schools, along with accountants for tax tricks, attorneys for legal squabbles, and “reputation managers” for inconvenient backstories. It starts with visas; any foreigner with adequate funds can buy one, by investing two million pounds in the U.K. (Ten million can buy you permanent residency.) Click through. It certainly gives me no pleasure to share this information. However … it is what it is.
The Daily Beast – ‘Many’ Spy Agency Staffers Think Capitol Riot Was ‘Justified,’ Ex-NSA Veteran Says
Quote – An internal U.S. intelligence messaging system became a “dumpster fire” of hate speech during the Trump administration…. Dan Gilmore, who was in charge of overseeing internal chat rooms for the Intelink system for over a decade starting in 2011, says that by late 2020 the system was afire with incendiary hate-filled commentary, especially on “eChirp,” the intelligence community’s clone of Twitter…. “Hate speech was running rampant on our applications… I’m not being hyperbolic. Racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic [sic], and misogynistic speech was being posted in many of our applications.” Click through for detail. I’m not naive enough to think the it would ever be possible to eliminate all of them (and I realize I am inviting the question “How many traitors would be about right?”), but before I would believe that so many of our intel agents knowingly and delberately lied under oath about their intentions, I would believe that so many of them simply do not know what the Constitution is and says. And that would be a failure of education.
Women’s History – Wikipedia – Enheduanna (23rd century BCE)
Enheduanna … was the EN priestess of the moon god Nanna (Sīn) in the Sumerian city-state of Ur in the reign of her father, Sargon of Akkad. She was likely appointed by her father as the leader of the religious cult at Ur to cement ties between the Akkadian religion of her father and the native Sumerian religion. Enheduanna has been celebrated as the earliest known named author in world history, as a number of works in Sumerian literature, such as the Exaltation of Inanna feature her as the first person narrator, and other works, such as the Sumerian Temple Hymns may identify her as their author. Click through for more. Sure, we can’t prove she did write everything attributed to her – but they also can’t prove she didn’t. But ar least she got recognition for the work. We do know for sure that she did not have to write under a male pen name to be piblished, like Amantine Dupin and Mary Ann Evans, to name just two. That is an accomplishment in itself.
