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U.N. officials continue to sound the alarm over the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which theyve described as one of the worst in recent history. The U.N. Security Council met Wednesday to discuss the conflict as it nears the one-year mark since fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and rival Rapid Support Forces. Edem Wosornu, the director of operations for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned Sudan is possibly on course to becoming the worlds worst hunger crisis.

Edem Wosornu: Malnutrition is soaring to alarming levels and is already claiming childrens lives. A recent MSF report revealed that one child is dying every two hours in Zamzam camp in El Fasher, North Darfur. Our humanitarian partners estimate that in the coming weeks and months somewhere in the region of around 222,000 children could die from malnutrition. And with the estimated WHO estimates that more than 70% of health facilities are not functional.

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Sudan Could Soon Become the World's Worst Hunger Crisis - Democracy Now!

In the run-up to this years election, President Joe Biden has warned that American democracy is at stake. But when it comes to the democratic process of an entire nation, might the solution be local?

In an age of declining print media, losses of local newspapers and journalists are creating news deserts: areas bereft of a local paper. But does this matter, or is local news just a collection of obituaries and classifieds? Especially when rolling news coverage can be found online?

This week, Joan Greve speaks to the journalist and local news campaigner Steven Waldman, who argues that in an election year of increasing polarisation, we need local news more than ever. They will discuss why local journalism is a fundamental part of building communication, scrutiny and trust and what can be done to save it

How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know

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America's 'news deserts' and what it means for democracy podcast - The Guardian

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on March 14, 2024, The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel. It was an extraordinary public criticism of a longtime ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by an American government official.

Against the background of imminent famine in Gaza, Schumer, the top Democrat in Congress and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., said Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace and called for new elections in Israel.

Leading Democratic senators praised Schumers speech, while the GOP panned it. President Joe Biden said it was a good speech that raised concerns shared not only by him but by many Americans.

The Conversations senior politics and democracy editor, Naomi Schalit, interviewed scholar Dov Waxman about Schumers speech. Waxman, an expert on both Israeli politics and the American Jewish communitys relationship with Israel, described the speech as a watershed moment in the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Netanyahus response to Schumer was, The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who theyll elect. What does Schumers speech mean for Netanyahu, both in the U.S. and in Israel?

I dont think most Israelis are paying much attention to what Schumer said. Theyre focused on the war and especially on the current negotiations to secure a cease-fire and hostage agreement.

But Schumer is right that the vast majority of Israelis have completely lost confidence in Netanyahu and his government and want him to be replaced as prime minister. Yet there isnt majority support for immediate elections. A plurality of Israelis want early elections to take place after the war ends. At the same time, I think the positions Schumer was putting forward particularly about the need to create a Palestinian state are not ones that are widely shared by most Israelis.

Schumers speech matters more for American politics than for Israeli politics. It marks the culmination of a process thats been underway for some time, whereby the Democratic Party has increasingly turned against Netanyahu. This is not just the progressive wing of the Democratic Party but also the moderate wing and the most pro-Israel Democrats. Schumer is one of the most pro-Israel senators in American history. Hes had a long relationship with Netanyahu and was considered a friend of Netanyahu. So, the break between Democrats and Netanyahu is now complete. Netanyahu has clearly become persona non grata for the Democrats.

What was Schumers strategy in giving the speech?

What Schumer, and to some extent the Biden administration, are doing is trying to position the Democratic Party as anti-Netanyahu but not anti-Israel. They want to make a distinction that it is possible and indeed necessary to take issue with Netanyahus policies, but that doesnt mean that youre not supporting Israel.

Thats an attempt to triangulate between the different political pressures that the Democrats are under and the political risks that Democrats now face. President Bidens strong support for the war in Gaza has become a domestic political liability for him and for the Democratic Party as a whole. On the one hand, they need to try to win back support among progressives, younger Democrats and especially among the Arab American voters who are outraged over the Biden administrations support for the war. But they need to do that without alienating Jewish American voters and moderate Democrats who support the war and, broadly speaking, support Israel.

This is an attempt to find that balance without incurring major domestic political costs.

Schumer can say what he wants, Biden can say what he wants, and Netanyahu keeps doing what he wants. If what Schumer and Biden say doesnt affect the behavior of the Israeli government, can it be effective domestically in the U.S.?

Buried in the speech is a real political bombshell. Schumer said that if Netanyahu and his coalition remain in power and continue to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing U.S. standards for assistance, then the U.S. will be forced to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.

Its not the first time that a U.S. senator or policymaker is raising the threat of potentially conditioning U.S. military aid. But Schumer doing so sends a message to Israeli policymakers that mainstream, pro-Israel Democrats are now willing to consider something that was previously politically taboo, namely conditioning U.S. aid to Israel. That could induce changes in Israeli policy.

What kind of changes?

Specifically, the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has become a major public dispute between the U.S. and Israel. But whatever changes it does bring about in Israeli policy toward Gaza and the Palestinians, I dont think its going to be nearly enough to satisfy the left or progressives and others who oppose the Biden administrations policy.

But theres a moderate middle, particularly many American Jews, who dont want the Biden administration to stop supporting Israel but dislike Netanyahu and his right-wing policies. What Schumer is saying is that the Democratic Party is the party for them, that it is a place for people who, while supporting Israel, have deep concerns about the Israeli militarys conduct in Gaza, and are frustrated with the Israeli governments refusal to present a real plan for the day after, and its stonewalling on any prospect for a Palestinian state.

Schumer is expressing the sentiments of those voters, who we often dont hear about because its often those on the left and the right whose voices drown out that silent majority in the middle.

Are Schumer and Biden ahead of American public opinion or behind it?

I think they are, as is typical of politicians, behind public opinion. The distinction between supporting Israel while criticizing its government has already been largely accepted for some time now among Jewish Americans. But it hasnt always been reflected among politicians, who felt that when they supported Israel, they had to uncritically support the Israeli government.

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Pro-Israel but anti-Netanyahu: Democratic Party leaders try to find the middle ground - The Conversation Indonesia

Published 12:32 pm Tuesday, March 19, 2024

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA On Saturday, March 16, roughly 100 guests turned out in their Saturday best at the Shelby County Arts Councils Grande Hall for the seventh annual Easter Bunny Tea Party organized by the Columbiana Beautification Board.

The family-friendly event was tailored to younger audiences and allowed families to dress up for the approaching holiday. All attendees were able to sit for a formal style tea party that offered cupcakes, cookies and other snacks in the way of refreshments.

This is one of the main fundraisers for the Columbiana Beautification Board, and it is certainly one of our favorites, said Lisa Davis, chairperson for the Columbiana Beautification Board. We have the bunnies, the food, fun dancing and the music, so of course it is one of our favorite things we do.

Returning for its seventh year, the Easter Bunny Tea Party serves as one of the two major fundraisers for the board each year. Tickets to this years event were $15 per person and included a meet and greet with the bunnies for the children and the opportunity to mingle with the board for the parents.

We take the proceeds from this fundraiser and we give back to Columbiana in the ways of planting flowers, purchasing and installing benches and picnic tables, Davis said. The event helps support any kind of community project that we do that we might not have a budget for.

Davis and other members of the beautification board arrived at the Grande Hall as early as 5 a.m. the day of the event to finalize preparations and to begin the staging for the event. Burley Girl Bakery also aided in supplying the event by donating bunny shaped cookies for the occasion.

We have nine local ladies that are on our beautification board, and we are all volunteers, Davis said. We are an active and working board and we work hard to make these events as fun and successful as possible.

Decorations for the event included table runners featuring embroidered Easter imagery and lettering that matched with individualized table settings and decorations that made each place setting unique.

Following the formal tea party, where guests mingled and enjoyed their refreshments, younger guests and their parents were able to take to the dance floor. Throughout the event, songs were played from a number of Disney movies, most notably Encanto, Aladdin and Frozen.

The musical arrangement also included traditional Easter themed party songs that invited children to bounce like a bunny, and even featured popular pop music and a dash of Elvis Presley when Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny took to the dance floor to the tune of Cant Help Falling in Love.

We thought it would be nice to let Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny have a special moment between the two of them, Davis said. We had so much fun at the bunny tea. (It is) hard work, but (it is) such a reward seeing all those smiling, dancing, adorable kiddos.

This event also marked the third time that the event was held in the Grande Hall at the Shelby County Arts Council, which allowed the crowd ample area to move around and enjoy the festivities. The use of the venue marks a level of cooperation between the beautification board, the SCAC and the community.

We thank you all, Davis said. These fundraisers allow us to do so many things for downtown and throughout the city of Columbiana that we might not otherwise have the budget to do. When you see us downtown working, planting flowers and fun things like thatthese guys are the ones who support us doing that.

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Guests attend 7th annual Easter Bunny Tea Party in Columbiana - Shelby County Reporter - Shelby County Reporter

Mar 24, 2024 18:00:00

When reading science fiction novels set in a future where humans have left Earth and entered the solar system, you may come across scenes where people living on the Moon or Mars speak with a unique ``Moon accent'' or ``Martian accent.'' there is. If a colony is built on the moon or Mars and people start colonizing it, the scientific media Live Science explains whether or not an accent unique to that planet will really be born.

Will future colonists on the moon and Mars develop new accents? | Live Science

It is believed that in the not-too-distant future, humans will advance into the solar system and begin colonizing and establishing colonies on stars such as the Moon and Mars. The first manned space colony will be built on the moon, and it is possible that it will be settled within the next few decades. The idea of humans living away from Earth poses many challenges for experts to solve, such as securing food and water and adapting to an environment without gravity.

However, one of the questions that has been commonplace in science fiction works but has long been overlooked by experts is ``Will future space colonists have their own accents?''

Human accents are a fascinating research topic in their own right; people all over the world speak with some type of accent without realizing it, and accents can be related to the time period, place, language, or race in which they live. I am. However, the accent that space colonists develop is unknown because it does not even exist yet.

Professor

Accent changes happen unconsciously when you interact with people with different accents over a long period of time. Therefore, it seems that people who move from the place they used to live to another area will notice their accent change without them noticing.

Furthermore, Harrington argues that if a group of people with different accents are isolated from the rest of the world, the people in the group will imitate each other's accents, and eventually a completely new accent will be born. Especially in small groups, the birth of new accents can occur rapidly.

In a 2019 study , Harrington and colleagues analyzed how the accents of 11 researchers who lived in isolation for an entire winter at a research facility in Antarctica changed. The group is made up of a diverse group of members: five with accents from the South of England, three with accents from the North of England, one from the North West of the United States, one from Germany, and one from Iceland. Ta.

The results of the study showed that the subjects' accents changed throughout the experiment, with the entire group now pronouncing certain sounds with different accents. This can be said to be the first step in forming a new accent in an isolated group. 'Exactly the same thing should happen in any environment where individuals are isolated for long periods of time, whether it's Antarctica or space,' Harrington said. 'In fact, in space, contact with the population is more difficult, so the accent 'The changes should be even greater,' he said, expressing the view that unique accents will emerge in space colonies.

In colonies on Mars or the Moon, the accents of the colonists could begin to change unconsciously within a few months. In particular, on Mars, it takes about 20 minutes to exchange voice with Earth, so it is likely that accents will change, making it difficult to communicate with people on Earth.

For a unique accent to be passed down over time, a colony must be large enough to reproduce and produce offspring. However, once the ``Moon accent'' and ``Martian accent'' are fully established in the colony, it is thought that the way new settlers speak will slowly change due to the influence of that accent.

Harrington points out that the accents that develop within space colonies are likely to be formed by 'the most prevalent accents within the original group.' A good example of this is the Australian accent, which has many similarities with the Cockney accent, as many of the first settlers were

Colonies on the moon and Mars are likely to develop different accents depending on the composition of the colonists. On the other hand, Harrington thinks it's unlikely that environmental factors on the Moon or Mars will have a big impact on accents.

A 2019 study used a computer program to predict how subjects' accents would change and found that actual accent changes matched the program's predictions very closely. Therefore, if you know the accents of people who will colonize Mars or the moon, it may be possible to predict in advance what kind of accents will occur.

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Will future people living in colonies on the moon or Mars speak in a ``Moon accent'' or ``Martian accent''? - GIGAZINE