Seeing deforestation through the trees

The weather forecast that scientists have been warning about for decades is here. In some places it’s more obvious than in others. Which brings us to Brazil, where human-caused climate change, exacerbated by human-caused deforestation (got the theme yet?), is boiling the country’s north. “Even in a country increasingly desensitized to the ravages of drought — which in recent years has dried out large swaths of the Amazon rainforest, killed dozens of river dolphins and led to some areas being reclassified as dry — the recent scenes of deprivation and strife have been shocking.” WaPo (Gift item): More than half of Brazil is hit by drought. “Along the Rio Madeira in Amazonas state, locals are trekking miles across the hot sands of the dry riverbed in search of water. In the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, fires have burned an estimated 20,000 square kilometers (7,720 square miles). The vast Cerrado region is in the grip of its worst drought in at least 700 years, according to researchers from the University of São Paulo. And the air in São Paulo state has become so thick with wildfire smoke that authorities have urged people to avoid outdoor physical activity.”

+ When life gives you bananas ripened by extreme heat, making banana wine.

+ If you missed my report from Tuesday’s debate, you can find it here: The Rage of Concepts.

“In Texas, a woman whose waters broke at 18 weeks — far too early for her baby to survive outside the womb — couldn’t get an abortion until she became septic. She spent three days in intensive care, and one of her fallopian tubes permanently closed due to scarring. In Tennessee, a woman lost four pints of blood when she delivered her stillborn fetus in a hospital waiting room. In Oklahoma, a bleeding woman with a nonviable pregnancy was turned away by three different hospitals. One told her to wait in the parking lot until her condition became life-threatening.” Sarah Zhang in The Atlantic Ocean (Gift item): ‘That is something you as a doctor never recover from.

+ The broader question on the November ballot is whether we as a nation will recover from the attacks on women’s health care. Where does America lean on this issue? You can determine the answer by looking at which side is desperately trying to get it off the ballot. WaPo: Abortion opponents are trying to thwart or undermine state fall votes“An unprecedented number of abortion initiatives are on state ballots in November. Nearly all of them are aimed at protecting reproductive rights. But opponents are trying to thwart them before the vote even begins, through litigation, administrative maneuvering and, critics say, outright intimidation.”

+ Right knocks down North Dakota’s abortion ban.

“One of the things a lot of companies try to do is not become the next Bud Light.” Jessica Guynn in Today in the US: This anti-DEI activist focuses on LGBTQ rights. Some big companies listen.

“Regret is an inevitable part of the 127. Should have bought that T. rex cookie jar, that metal jug, that surfboard, that sled. These laments crop up frequently on the 127’s Facebook page, along with images of priceless finds. Recently, one of the group’s 80,000 members posed a question to a man who had posted a video of newly acquired Depression-era glassware in a garage already full of it: “What do you do with your new loot? Resell it?” The man replied, “I just collect. My kids are nervous about me dying.” Another shopper’s scene included retro patio furniture, a metal ice bucket, corroded playground animals, a shamrock sign, a butter roller, a Hoosier cabinet and, literally, a kitchen sink. She captioned the photo, “Spending my children’s inheritance, one flea market at a time.” The world’s longest flea market is six hundred and ninety miles long. It gives new meaning to shopping till you drop. Paige Williams in The New Yorker: Land of the Flea.

Long Arm of the Lawless: “Iran’s perceived reliance on criminals rather than intelligence agents underscores an alarming evolution in the tactics of a country considered by U.S. and Western security officials to be among the world’s most determined and dangerous practitioners of ‘transnational repression,’ a term for the use of violence and intimidation by governments on the soil of others to silence dissidents, journalists and others seen as disloyal.” WaPo (Gift item): Iran turns to Hells Angels and other criminal gangs to tackle criticsAs we learned a few weeks ago, the strategy to reach Western countries is not limited to Iran. WaPo: How China Extended Its Repression to an American City.

+ Good night Good night: The FBI has been pretty overworked lately. Well, specifically the FBI units that have been targeting the administration and appointments of NYC Mayor Eric Adams. NYC Police Chief Resigns Amid Nightclub Investigation“Caban’s phone was seized last week, around the same time that FBI agents were searching the homes of top Adams administration officials as part of a separate investigation.”

+ Stupid people do: Bomb threats have been made in multiple buildings in Springfield, Ohio(The dog-eating nonsense, which should have destroyed Trump and Vance’s candidacies immediately, is not only insane, it’s dangerous.)

+ Floating a check: “A tech billionaire jumped out of a SpaceX capsule hundreds of miles above Earth and performed the first private spacewalk Thursday, a very risky venture previously reserved for professional astronauts.”

+ Time for De-Deshaun: “His ability to play quarterback in the NFL — or perceived ability to play quarterback in the NFL — helped his professional career survive lawsuits and allegations of sexual misconduct by nearly two dozen women — mostly massage therapists — in Houston. Despite the ugly, disturbing details and a looming NFL suspension, Cleveland sent three first-round draft picks, a third-rounder and two fourth-round picks to the Texans in exchange for Watson. The Browns subsequently signed Watson to a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million deal. It was the ultimate sign that talent trumps all. Even in the NFL, where there is no such thing as shame, it was a breathtaking, bottom-line deal.” The Browns put all the sexual assault aside when they signed Deshaun Watson. But now he’s terrible on the field, too. Will the Browns finally take notice of what he’s reportedly doing off the field?? (Deshaun Watson reportedly facing new lawsuit over sexual abuse.)

+ Smoked out: The best, worst and most surprising moments from the 2024 MTV VMAs. The smoke machine pumping during Shawn Mendes’ performance looked like my apartment in the ’90s. In other news, lip-synching hasn’t improved.

+ wanted, Dead or Alive: “The 62-year-old singer happened to be filming a music video for his song ‘The People’s House’ on the bridge… At one point he saw a woman in blue standing nearby on the outer edge.” Jon Bon Jovi helps a woman talk herself off the edge of a bridge. Ledge-endary.

The adorable and the bright star in the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

+ For the second time in three weeks, Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis came up painfully short for a no-hitter.