Antibody testing begins on the Big Island – West Hawaii Today

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Drive-through testing for COVID-19 antibodies, which started last week on the Big Island, is apparently the first of its kind available in Hawaii.

The presence of antibodies, or proteins that help fight off infections, can be detected with a simple blood test and can determine if an individual previously had COVID-19.

Premier Medical Group and Hawaii County began the antibody testings at a COVID-19 drive-through screening and testing clinic Wednesday in Hilo. The antibody testing took place again Friday in Waimea.

Kaohimanu Dang Akiona, a physician with Premier Medical, said the antibody test is intended for those who had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, those with close contact with a positive case, and those at higher risk of being exposed, like first responders and other essential workers.

In the coming weeks, Akiona said the goal is to refine the testing and share the results with the larger medical community and state leadership.

We all know its a good idea, she said. I want to give (people) a concrete example of how we did it. I think its harder to ignore the utility of the test if we can show that we did it, that its possible.

COVID-19 wont just go away, said Akiona, who added much remains unknown about the nature of the disease. But antibody tests help officials know how many people have been exposed to the virus so far and is one of the tools that will help the state safely reopen.

Identifying those who test positive for the antibodies also might help in the development of future treatments.

According to Akiona, the antibody tests also are very accurate.

On Wednesday, 38 tests were performed, and although all the results werent available, no positive results had been detected by noon Friday, she said.

We just need to show people it can be done and hope more people can join us and help, she said of the screening and testing efforts.

Additional COVID-19 screenings and tests, as well as the antibody tests, were conducted Saturday at Kamehameha Park in North Kohala. More will be done from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.

There will be a $43 out-of-pocket cost to individuals whose medical insurance will not cover the antibody test.

The standard COVID-19 screening and testing, however, is free, but individuals must meet the criteria established by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the states COVID-19 Response Task Force to be tested.

Clinicians on site will make the determination about who will be tested.

Those who visit the screening sites will be asked to show photo identification, and people should bring their own pens and health insurance cards.

Weve expanded pretty much around the entire island, Garrett Kim, Hawaii Fire Departments representative on the countys COVID-19 task force, said of the drive-through testing clinics. We were concerned we werent getting a good picture of what was really happening in our community.

The drive-through testing sites are a collaboration between the county and other testing providers, including Premier Medical.

Akiona said the clinics have performed about 3,000 tests, but have screened close to 10,000 people since the first clinic was held in late March.

We cant fight it as a task force unless we know where it is, Kim said. This testing will give us insight where it is in our community so we can allocate our resources and mitigate any outbreaks as soon as possible.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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Antibody testing begins on the Big Island - West Hawaii Today

Staten Island Home of the Week: Privately-gated community with panoramic views, $3M – SILive.com

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30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Built in 1989, this four-bedroom, six-bathroom home sits atop more than 15,600 square feet of property at 30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill, and is priced at $2,999,999, according to the listing on SILive.com.

The listing on Staten Island Multiple Listing Service at SIBOR.com states that the home is located in 'The Enclave - a sanctuary of only 10 luxurious homes in an exclusive and serene setting."

Features include a two-story dual staircase foyer and a newly renovated custom kitchen, as listed.

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

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With the housing industry one of the hardest-hit commercial sectors during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Staten Island Realtors have developed a virtual home showing and open house process to assist home buyers and sellers.

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is thelisting agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is thelisting agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is thel isting agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

30 Howard Circle, Grymes Hill

Paul Dapolito, United National Realty is the listing agent. (Courtesy Staten Island Board of Realtors)

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Staten Island Home of the Week: Privately-gated community with panoramic views, $3M - SILive.com

Hardwood logging on Manus Island has not delivered promised local benefits, report finds – The Guardian

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A Malaysian company that won a permit to clear tropical rainforest on Manus Island has been accused of failing to deliver on its promises to the local community, while reaping millions of dollars in profits from the logging of valuable hardwood timber.

According to licensing documents, the company, Maxland Ltd, secured a permit to clear land in the south of Papua New Guineas Manus Island in order to plant between three and five million rubber trees as part of the Pohowa Project. The projects stated aim in documents was to benefit smallholder rubber farmers [and] the surrounding communities.

However, according to a new report produced by Global Witness, two years into the five-year contract, not a single rubber tree had been planted, but there was evidence that valuable hardwood timber had been felled by the company and was being exported.

When Global Witness visited the project site in October 2019 they found that no rubber seedlings had been planted. However, Global Witness did observe a few thousand rubber seedlings on the far side of Manus Island.

The report cites emails from Josephine Kenni, the head of Papua New Guineas National Rubber Board, who said that since Global Witnesss visit some of the few thousand seedlings had been planted and 60,000 more were expected to arrive from Malaysia by late 2020.

But a local villager, Eddie Kalai, contacted by Global Witness after Kennis email was received, reported that no rubber had yet been planted at the project site.

The fact none have been planted is a pretty serious failing on the companys part, said Lela Stanley, forest investigator for Global Witness. They are more than a million seedlings behind at this point and theres no indication that theyre catching up.

What we see instead is very significant logging, said Stanley.

The Global Witness report cited extensive infrastructure [that] has arisen to support Maxlands logging operations, including a wharf so barges can transport logs to cargo vessels, a large logging camp with housing for staff and its own garage and petrol station to serve the companys fleet of trucks, as well as evidence of logging, including skidding tracks left by logs hauled from the forest.

The report estimated that more than 18,000 cubic metres of timber had been cleared, valued at 6.36m kina (AU$2.8m). As of October 2019, the company had declared log exports from the project worth about AU$2.8m.

Maxland Ltd has an address listed in Papua New Guinea. However, the Global Witness report reveals the company is linked to Joinland Group, a Malaysian conglomerate with a history of logging projects in PNG.

In documents filed with PNGs Investment Promotion Authority, seen by the Guardian, Joinland Group listed the Pohowa project as one of Joinlands operating locations and multiple people involved with the project confirmed Joinland was the mother company of Maxland.

Joinland was contracted to clear land on the island of New Hanover in New Ireland province in 2007 and establish a rubber plantation. An investigation by Global Witness found that despite its promises, no rubber was exported from this operation. A local activist told Global Witness the Hanover project was chaos, leading to the pollution of the local river system.

No one really cared if the rubber trees would grow, it was the logs they wanted, local activist John Aini told Global Witness.

This is the companys track record that we can point to, said Stanley. I hope thats not what is in store for Manus, but we worry that something similar is on the cards.

The Guardian attempted to contact Thomas Hah, the founder of Joinland Group, for comment. He did not respond before publication, but did respond to Global Witness denying all accusations about his company contained in their report.

For your information, all our projects in Papua New Guinea are granted by the National Forest Authority and proper[ly] monitored by the government, he said in an email to Global Witness.

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Hardwood logging on Manus Island has not delivered promised local benefits, report finds - The Guardian

Coronavirus claims 11 more Staten Islanders; more than 2K released from Island hospitals – SILive.com

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An additional 83 Staten Islanders tested positive and 11 more people died of coronavirus (COVID-19) from Thursday to Friday, according to the latest city statistics.

A total of 12,535 Staten Islanders have suffered from confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic through Friday. Thursdays total was 12,452, according to the most recent numbers released by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Citywide, there have been a total of 177,481 cases of COVID-19, according to Fridays statistics.

As the least populated borough, Staten Island makes up seven percent of the COVID-19 cases citywide. Our borough falls far behind Queens at 31 percent, Brooklyn at 27 percent, Bronx at 23 percent and Manhattan at 12 percent, as of Fridays statistics.

However, Staten Island is second behind the Bronx in the number of positive cases per 100,000 people.

The number of Staten Islanders who have died from the coronavirus is 852 as of Friday. Staten Islands fatality total was 841 on Thursday.

The death toll as of Friday evening includes 688 people who had a positive COVID-19 laboratory test and 164 people with death certificates that list COVID-19 or its equivalent as the cause of their demise, although they did not have a positive laboratory test for the coronavirus.

Citywide, 19,809 people have died of the coronavirus, with the number of confirmed deaths set at 14,482, while probable deaths total 5,313, as of Saturday.

Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton has had a total of 223 deaths related to COVID-19 as of Saturday, said Alex Lutz, a spokesman for the medical facility in West Brighton.

Staten Island University Hospital did not provide its total death toll as of Saturday.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK***

RUMC has 60 admitted COVID-19 positive individuals, with 34 of those in-patients being treated in the Intensive Care Unit on Saturday. During the pandemic, RUMC has discharged 407 COVID-19 patients, including eight in the past 24 hours, Lutz said.

Staten Island University Hospital has 128 COVID-19 positive patients at the Ocean Breeze campus and 20 COVID-19 positive patients at the Princes Bay site, said spokeswoman Jillian M. OHara

A total of 1,669 patients with COVID-19 have been treated and released from Staten Island University Hospital.

Hospitalizations citywide during the pandemic are 44,256 as of Friday.

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Coronavirus claims 11 more Staten Islanders; more than 2K released from Island hospitals - SILive.com

South Padre Island properties unphased by COVID-19 housing market, realtor explains – KGBT-TV

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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas In times of financial crisis, the housing market is an indicator of how the economy is fairing from a consumer perspective.

One of the first things sold is property, explained RE/MAX Elite Realtor Gayle Hood.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, properties were being sold at a higher rate and realtors were closing deals at market price or better on South Padre Island.

We dont get hit as hard for those desperate sellers as other areas do, said Hood.

South Padre Island has a unique market because the southernmost region of Texas and surrounding cities are considered low income, according to US Census data.

Neighboring city Port Isabel has an average of 32% of persons living in poverty.

Property on South Padre Island is predominately a second home or rental, according to Hood, but those on the market saw a drop in potential buyers amid COVID-19.

When this happened everything shut down and nobody could get to the island, there was a month that we had virtually no showings, no one could even get here.

As Texas Governor Greg Abbott has lifted travel restrictions, beaches have since reopened and consumer confidence is growing in the housing market, Hood has taken more calls and expects properties to be sold at higher market value as demand grows.

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South Padre Island properties unphased by COVID-19 housing market, realtor explains - KGBT-TV

Love Island’s Malin Andersson felt ‘shame’ for staying with abusive ex after he ‘beat her up’ – Mirror Online

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Malin Andersson has opened up about recovering from being in an abusive relationship.

The Love Island, 27, star admitted she felt "shame" for staying with her ex boyfriend after he was physically violent.

She told OK! magazine : "All of this gave me feelings of helplessness, anxiety, depression, shame and worry."

"He'd beat me up and the next day I'd forget it because I wanted to be with him," Malin added.

Malin was speaking to the publication as part of its Closet Clear Out Campaign, which encourages readers to clear out their wardrobe and donate to domestic abuse charity Refuge.

Refuge has reported a 50 per cent inrease in calls to its helpline and online requests for help have increased by 400 per cent since the coronavirus lockdown began.

Malin admitted she is still feeling the psychological effects of the abuse she suffered.

"The psychological impact is horrible. There are triggers to this day." she added.

Malin continued: "I think the emotional damage can actually be worse than the physical.

"I get flashbacks, I have post-traumatic stress disorder, I hear noises at night and still call friends to stay over because I hate being alone.

"I retrace memories constantly of different scenarios where beatings took place."

Malin shot to fame when she starred in the second series of Love Island, which aired in 2016.

She has opened up about her struggles with her mental health after the tragic death of her daughter Consy last year.

Consy was born premature with a heart condition and lived for just one month.

If youre in need of help, dont suffer in silence. Call the Refuge Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Its staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, with a dedicated team of experts on hand to offer help and advice. If youre in immediate danger, call the police on 999. If you cant talk and are on a mobile, press 55 when prompted and youll be connected to the local police force who will help without the need for you to speak.

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Love Island's Malin Andersson felt 'shame' for staying with abusive ex after he 'beat her up' - Mirror Online

Love Island 2020 could be set for surprise return this Autumn after cancellation – RadioTimes

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Love Island could yet return to our screens in 2020 with reports circulating that the reality show could be set for an Autumn edition this year.

Last week Love Island bosses had announced that the Summer edition would not be going ahead as usual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the new reports indicate that ITV might have found a way around it.

And the alleged plans would include a potential change of location with a chance that the usual Majorca base could be replaced by a new villa in the Canary Islands.

As reported by The Sun on Sunday, an insider said, The location is up in the air, as Majorca would maybe be a bit chilly by September/October, but the Canary Islands could be possible.

It added, Casting was well under way for the summer season and producers dont want to lose some of the gems they had hand-picked.

The winter series lacked a few standout characters, so they had been careful to find reality TV wannabes with looks as well as brains and personality.

The reports seem to contradict the announcement last week, with ITVs Director of Television Kevin Lygo and Love Island host Laura Whitmore both saying the show would return in 2021.

Lygo had said, We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically its just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority.

In normal circumstances we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly thats now out of the question.

We are very sorry for fans of the show but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021.

RadioTimes.com has approached ITV for comment.

If youre looking for more to watch, check out out TV guide.

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Love Island 2020 could be set for surprise return this Autumn after cancellation - RadioTimes

Tunnel to Towers Foundation working to take care of Staten Island – SILive.com

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The EMTs at Priority One Ambulance were adjusting to the new daily conundrum as the coronavirus (COVID-19) took over Staten Island: Do you toss or reuse that mask and gown, unsure if thered be any personal protective equipment (PPE) left at all in a few days time?

Then, a timely donation of equipment from the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation gave them some much-needed breathing room.

We were doing what we had to do at the time, said Christopher Magnus, operations manager for the Graniteville-based private ambulance company, which handles non-emergency and emergency transfers of patients between hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and medical clinics. We were always worried that we were running out.

The Tunnel to Towers delivery of face masks and other PPE couldnt have been more timely for his 90-member staff, Magnus said.

Were busier these days, and getting PPE has been rough. They do some great work, and it definitely helped us out, big time," he explained.

Magnus said he understands why hospital emergency departments are the first priority when it comes to PPE, but that does not ease the challenge of protecting his staff and patients during a pandemic.

Maybe you have a three-day supply one day, and your trying to buy it, even though the prices are inflated, he said. But they supplied us with face shields. They were great guys, very generous.

So far, the foundations COVID-19 Heroes Fund has provided 100,000 meals, and sorely-needed PPE to EMTs, ambulance workers and health-care workers, first responders and nursing home workers on Staten Island and all over the country.

In fact, the foundation will soon have delivered 3 million pieces of PPE, said Frank Siller, its chairman and CEO.

But, for Siller, that is not nearly enough. So, a new fundraising initiative is now underway.

FUNDRAISING PRINT SALE

To recognize and honor the heroism of front-line workers, the foundation has teamed up with Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido, who created Sunrise: A Tribute to First Responders, a painting depicting a firefighter, police officer, member of the military, health-care worker and an EMT -- raising a tattered American flag at sunrise, as the bottom of the flagpole jams the coronavirus into the ground.

Prints will be on sale for a limited time, from May 10 through Memorial Day, May 25, for $100, at Tunnel2Towers.org. Those who become an $11-a-month donor to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation between now and Memorial Day will receive the print for free, Siller said.

Were really, really excited about this painting, said Siller, who recently received a presidential citation from President Donald Trump for the foundations efforts aiding front-liners in the midst of the coronavirus Not only does it depict greatness and heroes, but, at the end of the day, itll raise money so we can buy even more protective gear for those on the front lines.

LoBaido, known as an at-times controversial political artist, said this painting is not political, its American. He said he was influenced by the iconic images of Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II, firefighters raising the flag at 9/11s Ground Zero and the recent flyover salutes to todays heroes performed by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds, which the artist incorporated as a last-minute touch to his work.

After I finished the painting, I went down to see the Blue Angels at the boardwalk, LoBaido recalled. Theyre flying around, paying homage and tribute. How can I not include them in the painting? Its the perfect balance.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales will go into the COVID-19 Heroes Fund, established in April by the foundation to assist healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. The fund has grown to over $5 million, Siller said, and the goal is to raise $10 million.

The fund had an initial $1 million set aside to provide temporary mortgage payments for families of health-care workers who lose their life to COVID-19, leaving behind young children. Currently, the foundation has assumed mortgage payments for 25 first responders and front line workers. No one on Staten Island has qualified thus far, Siller said.

The foundation was created by Siller, along with his siblings, in honor of their brother, firefighter Stephen Siller, an off-duty firefighter who died on 9/11 after running to the towers to rescue those trapped in the World Trade Center.

And though the foundations truck and three cargo vans have delivered PPE to all five boroughs of New York City and to other U.S. cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Austin, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., Siller stressed that charity begins at home.

Being a native Staten Islander, my heart is here, first and foremost, Siller said, noting that the very first deliveries of PPE went to Richmond University Medical Center and both Staten Island University Hospital campuses.

Were in a position to make sure we give back to Staten Island, he said. The community of Staten Island is second to none. Staten Islanders always step up to help someone in times of need. Were based here, and well most certainly take care of Staten Island.

The original painting, which is 5-feet-wide and 6-feet-tall, is encased in a gilded frame and will be moved and displayed from place to place, Siller and LoBaido said.

Maybe it will be put in hospitals, maybe a police station, Siller said. Eventually it will be auctioned off. Im in the business of raising money. If we dont raise it, we cant give it away.

The prints are signed by LoBaido and are 20 inches tall and 16 inches wide.

LoBaido, whose artwork has raised funds for the foundation many times before, said he considers this work his most epic painting.

He said it is fitting that the painting is being unveiled on Mothers Day, and credits his late mother, Karen, with teaching him the value of charity.

I love being able to give to my community, he said. My mom taught me that. She said to take care of the less fortunate. It was great hooking up with the Siller Foundation. Its just a great, great organization. Everybody is a gem. Everybodys heart is in the right place.

Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank Siller receives a presidential citation recently at the White House, for the foundation's efforts in aiding front liners and their families in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. (Courtesy of Tunnel to Towers)

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Tunnel to Towers Foundation working to take care of Staten Island - SILive.com

Reveling in the Enigmatic Beauty of Easter Island – The New York Times

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With travel restrictions in place worldwide, weve launched a new series The World Through a Lens in which photojournalists transport you, virtually, to some of our planets most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Benjamin Lowy shares a collection of photographs from Easter Island.

Some 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile, Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is among the worlds most remote inhabited islands. When I visited in 2008, it took nearly 20 hours of travel to reach its shores.

In recent years, Easter Island has drawn more than 100,000 annual visitors, most of whom are lured by its ancient monolithic statues, called moai, around 1,000 of which dot the landscape.

Much of the history of the island including that of its sculptures and the Polynesians who discovered it 1,000 years ago is shrouded in mystery. Many of the descendants of the Polynesian settlers have fallen prey to tribal fighting, European disease and the Peruvian slave trade.

Who were these ancient craftsmen, and why did they build these human figures? How did they transport massive stone figurines, some weighing nearly 14 tons? What happened to their ancient civilization? No archaeologist has been able to answer all these questions definitively.

I spent a week on Easter Island, exploring the awe-inspiring moai, whose long faces look out across the landscape. They were made in ancient quarries: gigantic factories where the stones were mined and carved. When European settlers arrived in the 18th century, there were hardly any trees; one prevailing theory suggests that they were all harvested in efforts to move the moai from the quarries to the seashore. (There are certainly other theories, too.)

Massive deforestation and the lack of trees for boat production led to a collapse of fisheries and, eventually, its theorized, to cannibalism: a gruesome end for an ancient and unique society.

The land here is lush but treeless, a fertile carpet of swaying grass covering long extinct volcanoes. Wild horses roam free, galloping along the seaside crests of rocky hills.

Though beautiful, the island faces its share of challenges. Fishermen use huge numbers of rocks to sink their nets, contributing to the erosion of the shore. Garbage is often left to wallow in giant pits away from tourists eyes. And the ocean, with its rising levels, is swallowing up the island inch by inch.

Nearly half of the islands population considers itself to be native Rapa Nui. Many islanders are mired in poverty and receive little support from the Chilean government.

The chasm between their daily experiences and those of the islands tourists many of whom withdraw to high-end secluded resorts ensconced in dense rolling valleys has led to tensions and standoffs.

Still, the moai continue to attract visitors en masse. They have long inspired outrageous tales of U.F.O.s, ancient magic and secret societies. And its easy to understand why.

As the sun set in the Southern Hemisphere, with warm golden rays burning off the moisture of the rainy season, I stood before head after massive head. Dwarfed by history, I was left to grapple with archaeological mysteries that no one can or likely ever will fully explain.

But perhaps the explanations dont matter. Perhaps here, as with the great pyramids and other ancient human endeavors, what matters is that we bask in the beauty of their mystery.

Benjamin Lowy is an American photojournalist based in New York, N.Y. You can follow his work on Instagram and Twitter.

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Reveling in the Enigmatic Beauty of Easter Island - The New York Times

Staten Island obituaries for May 10, 2020 – SILive.com

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The following is a roundup of obituaries published on SILive.com. Viewing times and guestbooks can be found here.

James Salvatore Adinolfi, 87, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to everyone he met, died peacefully on May 3, 2020 at his home on Staten Island.

Richard Currie, 78 Longtime English Literature professor at CSI died on April 16th 2020 of Covid-19. Richard is survived by his wife of 33 years, Margaret, his brother, Douglas Currie and his sisters-in-law Cindy and Patricia Kiley.

Eugene Harris Sr., 79 A familiar figure in West Brighton, sincere and benevolent. He passed away April 8, 2020 in his home. He is survived by his children, Chris Harrell, Eugene Harris, Deanna Miller, Kyle Harrell, Rochelle Harris; his siblings, Ernestine Harris and David Harris, and his beloved grandchildren.

Frank L. Hernandez, 94, WW II Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He passed away peacefully in his home on May 1, 2020. He was the beloved husband of the late Iris; loving dad to Julie Warbrick and Lisa Hernandez; and cherished grandfather of Danielle and Matthew.

Guy A. LaVignera, 76, of Morganville, N.J., a Army veteran, former Islander, retired from banking industry He passed away Tuesday, May 5th, at Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel, due to complications from COVID-19. He was the loving husband of Mary (Mazzella) LaVignera.

Robert Anthony Madrid, 65, grew up on Staten Island; He died from cardiac arrest in the early hours of May 7, 2020. He was the loving son of Manuel Madrid Sr. and Lydia Herrera Madrid, and loving brother of Manny, Philip and Frank Madrid. He is survived by his nephews, Frank Jr., Ronald and Kevin Madrid and his Uncle Otilio Madrid.

Margot H. OBrien, 80, former Staten Island resident of Kerhonkson, N.Y., passed away on Saturday, May 2, 2020 at Health Alliance Hospital. She was the the widow of Thomas D. OBrien. Surviving are her son, Thomas J. OBrien of Kerhonkson and her daughter, Margot K. Higgins of Staten Island and her grandchildren, Clare and Julie Higgins.

Mary Elizabeth Sullivan, 95, beloved aunt and native Islander Mary Elizabeth Sullivan ( nee Graham ) passed away on May 3, 2020. Mary lived in Leisure Village in Lakewood, NJ. Mary was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, John A. Sullivan, and survived by many nieces and nephews and grand- nieces and nephews.

Henry Toedt, 88, was a contractor, sports fan and longtime Dongan Hills resident. A proud father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he passed away peacefully at home on May 7, 2020 surrounded by his family.

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Staten Island obituaries for May 10, 2020 - SILive.com

NYC’s Coney Island Beach in Cyclone of Confusion for Summer – THE CITY

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Workers keep Denos Wonder Wheel going during the coronavirus outbreak, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

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With staff down to six and prospects for the summer uncertain, brothers Steve and Dennis Vourderis still happily stroll through their shuttered amusement park a few times a week to crank up their iconic Wonder Wheel.

For the first spring in a century, the 150-foot Coney Island landmark remains stripped of passenger cabins including its famed swinging cars which were removed as cold weather descended late last year.

But when the giant wheel still spins, it signals brighter hopes.

We have to run the rides every once in a while to keep everything lubricated, Dennis told THE CITY. Its good for our mental health, believe me it is.

Denos Vourderis inspects rides at Coney Islands Denos Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

The duo behind Denos Wonder Wheel Park are already one month into their four-month window to make money for the year. The brothers, hopeful theyll be permitted to open the gates sometime before summers end, have been making adjustments to prepare.

Theyve installed markers six feet apart near lines, added hand sanitizer throughout the park and installed Plexiglass to protect employees. Theyve also come to terms with the likelihood theyd have to operate at no more than 50% capacity, or 1,500 visitors at a time.

In a typical season, they would have not a half dozen employees, but 70 or 80. But they cant hire more until they know when and how and if they can open.

With New Yorks PAUSE order still firmly in place and Mayor Bill de Blasio saying he has no plan in motion to open beaches this summer, owners of businesses in the seaside amusement mecca fear theyll be pushed to the brink.

Some Boardwalk businesses are calling for the city to help broker a rent break from Central Amusement International, which leases much of Coneys land from the city Economic Development Corporation and subleases to a half-dozen tenants.

The Mermaid Avenue business corridor already has one of the highest storefront vacancy rates in New York City, despite draws ramging from the sideshows to the Wonder Wheel to the Cyclone.

While business owners said theyre grateful to Central Amusement for helping revitalizing the local economy, some told THE CITY a rent break may be their only path to survival if theres a summer without customers.

The owners of Rubys Bar & Grill on the Coney Island boardwalk were planning to reopen for takeout during the coronavirus outbreak, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

There are really no resources that are available to us and our business at this time, said Michael Sarrel, whose family has run Rubys Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk for nearly 50 years.

What were trying to do is see if we can get some sort of rent concession from our landlord and that remains the best possible way we can sustain the season, Sarrel said. We need a lifeboat, because right now were treading water.

The Economic Development Corporation, City Hall and Central Amusement International which also operates Luna Park didnt return requests for comment.

Sarrel said he recently got rejected by the U.S. Small Business Administrations Payroll Protection Program.

But even businesses that got PPP loans are hamstrung by the requirement to hire back staff on payroll and use most of the loan by June 30.

People enjoy a warm spring day on the Coney Island Boardwalk during the coronavirus outbreak, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Some seasonal businesses are still forbidden to reopen. Others, including restaurants, arent attracting the crowds needed to be profitable.

It wouldve definitely gone a lot further, I think, if they let us use that money for everything they wanted us to use it for, but use it over the timeframe we wanted to, said Jim Kokotas, the owner of Toms Coney Island, a popular Boardwalk eatery. It couldve helped us get to the end of the tunnel possibly.

We have to use it up in eight weeks, but we are not going to be able to open in eight weeks, not in New York, he added. I dont think theyre going to let us open.

Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn) told THE CITY hes penning a letter to the Small Business Administration calling for a new loan program to be crafted for seasonal businesses across the United States.

Its critical that a future federal business relief program is customized to meet the needs of a seasonal economy, Treyger said.

The business operators who spoke to THE CITY agreed that a controlled opening of the beach could be a lifeline for them, arguing that New Yorkers will likely trespass if forbidden to enter.

Treyger said he works with City Hall every year to determine a safety plan for the Coney Island beach. But he said he hasnt heard back from the de Blasio administration this time around.

Navy veteran DaSolovo Imeen said he spends time every morning on the Coney Island beach to get some fresh air and sun. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

The only thing the mayor seems sure about is fireworks on the Fourth of July, when its the least of our concerns on Coney Island when we want to make sure our people are safe and that our small business community can survive, said Treyger. We need a plan thats workable, feasible and is supported by strong science and public health experts.

Treyger acknowledged several logistical challenges. He noted that the city Parks Department hasnt been training lifeguards, which takes about a month.

The councilmember also said the city hasnt planned for social distancing enforcement on beaches.

Workers clean supplies for the Pauls Daughter food stand at Coney Island, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Sarrel, whose family has been operating Rubys since 1972, said theres a significant chance theyll be running a loss in 2020. But he and his family are determined to stay open and will take out a loan from their bank to stay afloat.

Rubys is part of our family, said Sarrel. So if you have a family member and they were to get sick or ill and there are things you have to do to help them, then you do it to help them because theyre your family.

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Help for parents and teachers; author gives tips – Shelter Island Reporter – Shelter Island Reporter

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With the Shelter Island School closed for the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, parents are trying to keep their children up to date with their schoolwork. But unfortunately, according to the New York State School Counselor Association, four out of 10 students are not doing their home instruction.

Richard OConnell, an educator who spent many summers on the Island teaching tennis in the Heights, was inspired to write a book to help teachers and parents learn how to motivate students. His experience in counseling and helping children includes serving as district guidance coordinator, assistant principal, director of guidance and counselor in various New York and New Jersey public and private schools over a span of 40 years. For the past 11 years, hes volunteered in a minority school assisting students in the college/career admissions process.

Hes the author of two previous books. One is for school counselors, The Secrets To Being A Great School Counselor, and he co-authored In My Mind, discussing Aspergers as it operates in the mind of a young man, Shelter Island native Alex Olinkiewicz.

Mr. OConnell is especially concerned about students falling behind by neglecting their school work while sheltering at home. Many of these children are poor students to begin with, he said, and as such, their future will not be too bright.

His new book has a brain-teasing title: Ad-For Every Vice-One* Unscramble it, of course, and hes offering advice for everyone and right now, it will be most welcomed by parents.

The book contains programs, reflections and anecdotes for the sole purpose of motivating students, the author said.

The anecdotes within the book are stories, instances and advice that the reader is asked to adapt to her/his special circumstances for the purpose of getting kids involved. The programs are innovative plans of action, offered for parents or teachers to incorporate into their school or home learning setting. The reflections are personal thoughts and ruminations from his own experience.

Learning from the experience of teachers

There are more than 40 anecdotes in the book. Some are shocking; some are funny; some are very didactic; but all relate to motivating students he said.

Heres one: A youngster in middle school came to school each day with a particular, unpleasant odor coming from his person. His teacher eventually called him aside. And as he came towards the teacher the odor got worse to the point where the teacher realized it was coming from his tie. In the day when students wore ties, this young man never remade the tie and just slipped it on each day.

Upon examining it, the teacher discovered a dead mouse, lodged in the webbing of the tie. If the teacher exclaimed, Oh! My God, a mouse! it would have been a grave embarrassment for the student and his classmates. And probably, it would have given him a nickname that would follow him for years.

The teacher discreetly invited him to step outside and requested he go to the bathroom and dispose of the tie in the garbage. While shocking, and humorous, Mr. OConnell relates the story to always remember to safeguard the self-esteem of every student.

Focusing on how parents can help

In light of the academic challenges many parents now face teaching their children at home, he offers the following advice, to ask their children: Do you want to get higher academic grades? Do you want your teachers to like you? Do you want to do well on school exams? Do you want to prepare for college?

If so, there are two simple rules to follow

1. Do your home work very, very well every night.

2. Ask your teachers privately for information about anything in your home work you dont understand. Mr. OConnell pointed out that psychologically, teachers are more inclined to give higher grades to students who demonstrate greater interest in their subject.

These rules are offered to answer all the questions listed above. And teachers will know you want to do well and reward you, he said.

Follow both rules, he urges parents to remind their children, and it will ensure theyll get higher grades.

Even if parents dont follow the literal guidance above, hes encouraging them to engage their children in a conversation about their goals and working together to overcome challenges, especially with material they find difficult.

All royalties from this book will be donated to charities. Its price [$11.99] is inexpensive, Mr. OConnell said, since its message is needed more than its price. The book is available by going to the Archway publishing site (archwaypublishing.com) and clicking through to the bookstore. Its fairly easy to find, since its near the top of their best-seller list.

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Danny Dyer says Love Island is a "pile of s**t" and leaves The Ranganation viewers – digitalspy.com

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Danny Dyer has made his feelings about Love Island perfectly clear, describing the ITV dating show as a "pile of s**t".

The EastEnders actor appeared via video link on the series 2 premiere of Romesh Ranganathan's The Ranganation, and it wasn't long before his daughter Dani's involvement in Love Island was raised.

After explaining the premise of Netflix's Too Hot to Handle a dating show in which the contestants are not allowed to kiss or engage in coitus until they've built a meaningful relationship Romesh asked Danny if he would have preferred Dani to have gone on that show instead, since seeing his daughter get intimate on national television was one of his main concerns.

"Yeah, also, the show's a pile of s**t, Love Island," said Danny with heroic conviction. "So that was the other thing I was worried about."

Bringing attention back to Too Hot to Handle, he continued: "I don't know. I can see what they're trying to do. Sort of trying to do all this spiritual connection stuff, but I would have thought you need quite intelligent people on the show to have some sort of spiritual connection."

Absolutely obliterated.

Romesh and his other guests, including comedian Katherine Ryan, immediately burst out laughing at Danny's damning indictment, as did those watching at home.

"This was the funniest thing Ive seen on telly in a while!! Danny Dyer talks about Love Island and calls it a 'pile of s**t'," tweeted one viewer.

Another wrote: "Danny Dyer saying that Love Island is a pile of s**t made me smile this evening. Nice distraction from the pile of shit coming out of Downing Street tonight."

Check out more of the reactions below.

The Ranganation continues next Sunday (May 17) at 9.15pm on BBC2.

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Danny Dyer says Love Island is a "pile of s**t" and leaves The Ranganation viewers - digitalspy.com

Island Luck CEO: No logic or rational in govt. decision making – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS Island Luck CEO Sebas Bastian called on the government to make its plan for economic reopening clear and inclusive, noting the prime ministers recent comments appeared to personally target the gaming industry.

Bastian questioned the decision to keep the sector that employs more than 3,500 people closed after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis made clear last weeks amended order did not authorize gaming houses to reopen.

He pointed to Minnis projection during his national address that the countrys unemployment would hit 30 percent in the near term.

Why the government is intent on keeping the sector closed and these Bahamians out of work is unclear, Bastian said in a statement.

What has become apparent is that there is no logic or rationale to support the governments ad hoc decision-making. Like other sectors, the gaming industry closed its doors to help mitigate the growing public health crisis, complying with all of the emergency orders announced by the competent authority.

Bastian noted Island Lucks commitment to paying the salaries of all employees, inclusive of approval to pay unemployment benefits directly to all eligible employees.

He said Island Luck has also paid the balance of any shortfall not covered by NIB unemployment benefits.

Island Luck has implemented new technology, along with our existing drive-through capabilities, physical distancing, and sanitization protocols during the shutdown, according to Bastian.

If governments core objective is to reduce the possibility of the spread of COVID-19, we have gone above and beyond to meet that objective, his statement continued.

In fact, Island Luck has one of the most efficient and well-organized curbside services in The Bahamas.

Given the Prime Ministers fingering-wagging at the gaming industry despite these measures, it can only be assumed that reducing the spread of COVID-19 is not the governments core objective. And, with liquor stores and other non-essential businesses open, we now know that the aim is not to limit so-called vices or to restrict the operation of non-essential businesses.

With unemployment set to peak at a record high, likely over 30 percent as asserted by the Prime Minister himself, one would expect some dialogue between the government and an industry that employs a significant number of Bahamians. Instead, there has been silence and the gaming industry has been assailed by this government yet again.

The gaming industry is more than willing to do its part to halt the spread of COVID-19 and help return The Bahamas to a state of normalcy.

The statement added: To avoid further confusion, the government should make clear its decision-making processes as it relates to business openings and take an inclusive approach to this decision-making by engaging industry stakeholders the same way that courtesy is extend to other industries. Regardless it leaves a glaring question are these measures Purposeful or Personal?

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Island Luck CEO: No logic or rational in govt. decision making - EyeWitness News

Review of Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System – Resilience

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Introduction

This review is a critique of Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System by Ian Angus. The review adopted a multi-theoretical framework that combines insights from socio-cognitive terminology theory (STT), legitimation code theory (LCT) and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to respond to some claims and a proposal discussed in the book. The review further appraises two essays in the appendix of the book that clarify some misconceptions and confusions on anthropocene discourse, particularly on whether the choice of the term anthropocene is appropriate. The review concludes with an analysis of the terms (climate change) and (global warming) with a view to show that: (a) the terminology of climate change discourse is also prone to variation and (b) the use of the terms (climate change) and (global warming) interchangeably in the book is indexical of growth in disciplinarity.

Background

Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System describes a new geological epoch (the anthropocene) and its impacts on the earth system. The book further identifies the possible cause of the present crisis of the earth system (fossil capitalism) and discusses the effects of fossil capitalism on the earth system (environmental degradation, climate change). The book concludes with a proposal on what needs to be done (eco-civilization and solidarity) to address the environmental crisis caused by exploration of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) for economic gains. The book is a critique of fossil fuel economy that is underpinned with Marxist Ecological Thinking and backed with epistemic inputs from cutting edge research in the sciences (Chemistry, Geology, Atmospheric Science, Geophysics, Hydrology, Marine, Meteorology and Cosmology) and the social sciences (Neo-classical Economics, Geography). The central thesis of the book is that the adverse changes in the physical environment today are caused by fossil capitalism and that humanity needs to evolve an eco-social civilization that can curb capitalist destruction of the earth system.

Overview of the thematic strands

The book has three major parts, with each discussing the different themes discussed in the book. The first part (A No Analog State) presents the scientific evidence for the anthropocene and clarifies some basic concepts related to planetary boundaries. The second section (Fossil Capitalism) examines anthropocene as an eco-social phenomenon and discusses its devastating impacts on the environment. In the third section (The Alternative), Ian Angus proposes an agenda for addressing climate change arguing that ecological issues should be integrated into socialist thinking rather than being viewed as a discretionary practice. The book also has a forward by John Bellamy Foster and a preface by a renowned environmentalist, Barry Commoner. The appendix of the book has two essays (What is in a name? and Confusions and Misconceptions) that respond to claims among conservative green circles that the choice of the term anthropocene is a misnomer and that anthropocene discourse blames humanity for the crisis of the earth system.

Part 1: A No Analog State

Anthropocene as a new biophysical phenomenon with little recognition in mainstream media and environmental discourse

In this section of the book, Ian Angus announces the emergence of a new geological epoch (anthropocene) and denounces how the recognition of this knowledge is lacking in the mainstream media and in climate change discourse. The author presents a range of scientific evidence and biophysical indicators to support his claim that the earth has moved beyond the threshold of its natural variability (in the Holocene with normal balance between carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) to a deadly climate regime (the Anthropocene), which according to Ian Angus is characterised by significant human impact on earths geology and ecosystem arising from an unprecedented levels of oxygen and nitrogen. The author concludes the section by outlining the implications of living in an age that is less biologically diverse, less forested, much warmer and stormier and capable of veering the earth into an uncharted territory.

Part 2: Fossil Capitalism

Market economies and technological projects are responsible for the earth crisis in the anthropocene

In the second part of the book, Angus identifies fossil capitalisms drive for profit [and] accumulation of more capital and technological projects (such as) as the root causes of the global environmental crisis. Motivated by Marxist Ecological Ideology, precisely the works of Justus von Liebig and Karl Marx, Angus describes the general features of global capitalism, the specific ways in which it has evolved since the latter half of the 20th century and its impact on the ecosystem from the standpoint of fossil market economy. Citing Americas military spending (of about 130 times what it spent on humanitarian aid in 2013), profits derived from war and military Keynesianism, the author justifies why market economies and technological projects are responsible for the present earth crisis. Angus concludes the section on a catastrophic note cautioning that if fossil capitalism remains dominant, the anthropocene will be a new dark age of barbarous rule by a few and barbaric suffering for most(Pp.187).

Part 3: The Alternative

Eco-socialist civilization and solidarity are needed to derail capitalisms Hell Bound Train

The third section of the book presents an eco-socialist agenda for addressing the environmental crisis caused by an economic system that values profits more than life. The neo-marxist proposal recommends a conscious and collective struggle to derail capitalisms destructive train. The components of the proposed framework include: the provision of decent human existence for everyone, the elimination of domination or control of humans by others, the development of worker and community control of factories, farms and other workplaces, promotion of easy recall of elected personnel, and recreating the unity between humans and the natural systems (Pp.196-197).

Responding to Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System using a multi-theoretical framework

A No Analog State: provision of epistemic access to knowledge on the anthropocene

This section adopts a multi-theoretical framework that combines insights from socio-cognitive terminology theory (STT), legitimation code theory (LCT) and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to respond to some claims and a proposal discussed in the book. From the standpoint of Legitimation Code Theory, discourse on climate science can be described as a field of practice that is dominated by knower codes. This means that, climate change narratives render knowledge invisible to outsiders (non-specialists) [possibly] because of its scientific subject matter. To an extent, Ian Angus can be exonerated of this criticism because he has been able to step down knowledge on the anthropocene to non-specialist readers. He particularly achieves this by employing related concepts on planetary boundaries that are clearly explained to the reader. The author also uses simple language to unpack technical concepts such that anyone could use the knowledge in the book to speak intelligibly about climate science. Furthermore, the discourse is persuasive. In other words, contentious issues in the book are backed with data from cutting edge research in science and social sciences. These discourse strategies not only provide epistemic access to knowledge on the anthropocene but also contribute to shaping knowledge on the crisis of the earth system, which the author decries were lacking in mainstream media and environmental discourse.

Fossil Capitalism: alignment with consensus view on the causes of climate change

The philosophical bias in the book is underpinned by a perspective that the cause of climate change is anthropogenic or man made. This argument runs counter intuitive to other theories linking climate change to effects of cosmic radiation arising from the successive passages of the planet through the various spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxy (Shaviv, 2002) or to an Astrophysical Cycle Event (Polar Wander), in which the spin axis of the earth shifts locations relative to the surface of our planet (Woodworth & Gordon, 2018). A critical discourse analysis of the book indicates that these perspectives are missing in Ian Angus book. The focus of the book rather is on the consensus claim that fossil capitalisms destructive role poses a grave threat to the future of humanity and should not be allowed to continue unabated. The non-recognition of these opposing perspectives can provide a basis for labelling Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System as a socialist plot that is aimed at undermining fossil fuel capitalist interests.

The Alternative: A Socialist Realist framework for Addressing the Crisis of the Earth System

Technological projects proposed to tackle the crisis of the earth system in anthropocene discourse are myriad. For instance, Roll Royce-Airbus-Siemens are developing a hybrid plane (known as E-Fan) that could reduce nitrous oxide by 90% and noise by 65 by using a supplemental electric motor to help supply the extra power needed for take-offs. Similarly, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Y Combinator, unveiled a radical desert flooding plan that would create millions of 1-acre-square micro-reservoirs to grow enough algae to eat up all of earths climate-changing carbon dioxide. Environmental scientists are also proposing an ingenious project that would require the spraying of sun-dimming chemicals into the earths atmosphere to reduce the impact of ultra-violet rays that depletes the ozone layer (Delluchi & Jacobson,2012).

While these responses to the environmental crisis are commendable, they appear to be top-down approaches that are championed by technocrats, politicians and NGOs. Ian Angus however proposes a bottom up approach that is people oriented and fosters participatory capitalism or worker community control of means of production (factories, farms and other workplaces) as was discussed in the 2020 Davos Summit on climate change. The framework is realistic and innovative and does not put its weight behind ameliorative measures (geoengineering, reduction of emissions,adaptation, climate engineering etc.) but is rather an epistemically-sensitive and coherent response that can foster behavioural change and lays a foundation for subsequent technological interventions.

Response to Ian Angus Essays

Is the choice of the term anthropocene a misnomer?

Ian Angus puts forward a very convincing argument in his first essay (Whats in a name?) to justify the choice of the term anthropocene and why he feels the term is the preferred term candidate that best describes the earths senescence. Alternative term candidates proposed in environmental discourse include: misanthropocene, homogenocene, econocene and capitalocene. He compares the appropriateness of each of the terms and concluded that anthropocene is the preferred term. Angus compared the term anthropocene and the most often proposed term that is popular in left wing green circles (Capitalocene) arguing that the choice of the latter would be a category mistake because capitalism is a 600 year socioeconomic system that predates the anthropocene, which is a 60 year old earth system epoch. Angus further argued that treating them as synonyms can only weaken efforts to get rid of capitalism and mitigate the harm it has caused to the earth system (Pp232).

A further argument put forward by Ian Angus on the choice of the term anthropocene is that the proposed terms (Technocene, Capitaloscene etc) have not been forwarded to a standard body where they would be formally evaluated. Even at that, Angus seems to be oblivious of the fact that neither theInternational Commission on Stratigraphy(ICS), theInternational Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS) and the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) have officially also approved the term anthropocene as a recognised subdivision ofgeologic time. A consensus on the choice of the term sent to the ICS by the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) is yet to be debated until 2021.

Response to Ian Angus Essay on Confusion and Misconception on the Anthropocene

Does the book Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System blame humanity for the crisis of the earth system?

Naomi Klein-a renowned critic of Angus thesis on the cause of the crisis of the earth system is of the view that the term anthropocene is unhelpful and suggests that humanity in general, rather than the capitalist system, is to blame for climate change. Ian Angus endorses this view but argues further that the anthropocene does not necessarily lead to such a conclusion. Based on insights from CDA, it can be argued that, although anthropocene discourse actually locates humanity as the geological force behind the climate crisis, Ian Angus identifies the capitalists and the affluent contemporary consumer as the human of the anthropocene epoch. Thus, the social reality of who is responsible for the crisis of the earth system is not obscured in the book.

Term variation in anthropocene discourse: intentional obfuscation or growth in epistemology?

As a final comment, the issue of term variation in discourse on the environment will be discussed with a view to illustrate a further source of confusion and misconception. It can be observed that the termglobal warmingand its variantclimate changewere used interchangeably throughout the book despite the fact that both terms activate different senses. In climate science, global warmingdenotes human-caused increase in global surface temperatures projected continuation over time while climate changeincludes bothglobal warmingand its effects, such as changes in precipitation (Wigley, 2006). In the public domain, the terms are contentious and perceived differently. Smith & Leiserowitz (2012) found out that people tend to display a strong negative affective feeling towards the term global warming than climate change. Similar findings were reported in a study by ONeill & Nicholson-Cole (2009) where respondents seemed to have negative and bleak imaginations of the concept of global warming. This distinction is blurred in the book and might constitutes a further source of confusion and misconception to some non-specialist readers.

The issue of Global warming has also been the subject of controversy in the political sphere, substantially more common in themediathan in the scientific literature. For some time now, the legitimacy of global warming as a social problem and its scientific evidence have been challenged on the grounds that global warming was some kind ofsocialistplot to undermine Americancapitalism. What then is the motivation(s) for the authors use of the variants global warming and climate change in his book? I argue in the next section that it is not intentional but indexical of growth in knowledge in the field of climate science.

A meta-analysis of the area which fifteen top most climate scientists have written their doctoral thesis indicates the climate science is a specialised discourse with different points of entry, some of which include: Applied Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology, Atmospheric Science, Geophysics, Hydrology, Marine Geology, Meteorology, Planetary Atmospheres, Physics and Mathematical Theoretical Physics. A cursory look at the bibliography of the book reveals that the author cited some of these scholars in order to provide a nuanced perspective on the crisis of the earth system. For instance, Wallace Smith Broeker, who is often called the grandfather of climate science and some others. It can therefore be argued that the author uses the term variants to possibly accommodate the different perspectives of the scholars whose findings formed the scientific basis of the major arguments in the book. This is consistent with research findings in terminology where multidimensionality and perspectivization (Bowker, 1997; Rogers,2004) are identified as different motivations for the use of term variants in specialised texts.

Conclusion

Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System by Ian Angus synthesises findings from cutting edge research in the natural and social sciences to demonstrate how capitalisms excessive drive for growth, fostered by the rapid burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) for economic gains, has driven the earth to the brink of disaster. Taken as a whole, the issues discussed in the different parts of the book are logical and coherent. The first part clearly describes the crisis of the earth system (climate change). The second part identifies what is causing it (fossil capitalism) while the third part proposes what needs to be done to address the problem (eco-civilization and solidarity). The perspectives offered by the author on the crisis of the earth system are nuanced, thought provoking and relevant for anyone who wants to talk intelligibly about climate change and its impacts on the environment.

References

Bowker, L. (1997). 1.4. 4 Multidimensional Classification of Concepts and Terms.Handbook of Terminology Management: Basic aspects of terminology management,1, 133.

Delucchi, M. A., & Jacobson, M. Z. (2012). Response to A critique of Jacobson and Delucchis proposals for a world renewable energy supply by Ted Trainer.Energy Policy,44, 482-484.

Koshy, J. (2017). Ian Angus, Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System. NYU. 2016. Pp 280 $95. The Hindu, 4th November, 2017.

ONeill, S., & Nicholson-Cole, S. (2009). Fear wont do it promoting positive engagement with climate change through visual and iconic representations.Science Communication,30(3), 355-379.

Rogers, M. (2004). Multidimensionality in concepts systems: A bilingual textual perspective.Terminology. International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Issues in Specialized Communication,10(2), 215-240.

Smith, N., & Leiserowitz, A. (2012). The rise of global warming skepticism: Exploring affective image associations in the United States over time.Risk Analysis: An International Journal,32(6), 1021-1032.

Shaviv, N. J. (2002). Cosmic ray diffusion from the galactic spiral arms, iron meteorites, and a possible climatic connection.Physical review letters,89(5), 051102.

Wigley, T. M. (2006). A combined mitigation/geoengineering approach to climate stabilization.Science,314(5798), 452-454.

Woodworth, D., & Gordon, R. G. (2018). Paleolatitude of the Hawaiian hot spot since 48 Ma: Evidence for a midCenozoic true polar stillstand followed by late Cenozoic true polar wander coincident with Northern Hemisphere glaciation.Geophysical Research Letters,45(21), 11-632.

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MOXY Is A Non-Partisan Online Ecosystem To Inform And Engage You In Politics – Android Headlines

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It's a cliche to say that we live in turbulent political times. Never before have the institutions and norms that underpin US democracy seemed more vulnerable to the forces of demagoguery, corruption, and maybe worst of all apathy.

We all know that our representatives take huge contributions from lobbyists, making them more accountable to interest groups than to us, their constituents.

But the blame for this parlous state of affairs doesn't only lie with corrupt politicians and amoral institutions. It lies with the nearly 50% of eligible voters who don't turn up. You may well be one of those abstainers.

No judgement here. Politics can be arcane, opaque, and aloof. That's why you need MOXY, a new app and online ecosystem from developer Epluribus, designed to demystify the political process and give you a more direct line of communication to your representatives.

MOXY is totally non-partisan, and exists purely to encourage democratic participation. It does this in a number of ways the eight keystones around which the app is designed.

First up, MOXY allows users to quickly and easily view upcoming local, regional, and national elections. It includes information on the candidates and other ballot measures.

It also has a section on elected representatives, allowing you to follow, contact, and review those that represent you on a local, regional, and national level.

Proposed and enacted legislation is visible in the app, too, along with pertinent details to enable users to understand how they might be affected by the new laws.

Then there are the forums, where users can discuss, debate, and exchange political views. Civil discourse is a vital ingredient of a healthy democracy, and this is where it happens. This is augmented by a handy chat function, where you can message friends, colleagues, and representatives.

MOXY also contains surveys and polls to help you get a sense of the big picture and contribute to the discussion in a quick and easy way.

There's a carefully curated library of featured podcasts, too. These allow users to avail themselves of the most insightful and informative punditry available. And there are live streams, where you can get immediate updates from community leaders and representatives.

The free, ad-supported version of MOXY lets you register to vote, check your status, connect with your representatives, and more. The premium version, meanwhile, gets rid of ads and lets you Go Live daily. A further Power User tier lets you lead your own forum, create chat groups, start a podcast, and Go Live three times a day.

Download MOXY right now on Google Play and the App Store.

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MOXY Is A Non-Partisan Online Ecosystem To Inform And Engage You In Politics - Android Headlines

Humio Joins the IBM Edge Ecosystem to Bring Real-Time Insights to Organizations Deploying Edge Computing – DevOps.com

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Humios live streaming log management platform adds scalability and real-time analytics to the IBM Edge Ecosystem

Already a member of IBMs Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management ecosystem, Humio is pleased to announce it is now part of the IBM Edge Application Manager Ecosystem, a platform designed to remove the complexity of the scale and variability of edge deployments, an initiative designed to help enterprises capture the opportunities of edge computing with a variety of solutions built upon IBMs technology. Humios log management platform streams event data in real time to give insights on data from edge computing for retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and any other industry.

Organizations are deploying edge computing strategies to extend compute and move data storage closer to where the data is being created, and to protect a rapidly-growing number of distributed endpoints. Humio is able to manage hundreds of terabytes of logs, events, and other data a day, in real time, to monitor performance, security, and business metrics, and search for threats, incidents and errors to discover the root cause.

Trifork operates more than 250,000 edge devices in a battlefield with IT security threads, OTA firmware updates and network infrastructure changes. We use Humio as the central component to monitor all edge devices and servers. The platforms capabilities to drill down in data reduces the time from issue detection to solution minimizing the impact of cyberattack or unforeseen changes in network infrastructure. Sren Eskildsen, CCO of IoT, Trifork

IDC predicts that by 2023, half of the newly deployed on-premises infrastructure will be in critical edge locations rather than corporate datacenters, up from less than 10% today.1 Humio enables customers to prepare for this transformation with a modern, scalable log management platform and its unlimited ingest plan to allow users to store any amount of data from across distributed systems. And Humios index-free design leverages principles of mechanical sympathy, reducing CPU power demand and making it suited for a system made up of less-powerful, decentralized servers.

Humio collects machine data from edge devices, gateways, and servers to monitor the health of the entire infrastructure, detect security incidences, and reveal insights into the customer experience.

Humio CEO Geeta Schmidt explains how IBM and Humio provide unique business value.

We are excited to be part of the IBM Edge Ecosystem to provide observability and deliver valuable insights for data coming from every part of the enterprise. Collaborating with IBM allows us to be part of the industry-leading movement to gain intelligence from an ocean of data. While most organizations struggle to understand whats happening at the edge, Humios ability to log everything at scale makes it possible for customers to monitor the performance and use of all endpoints in real time, and designed to dramatically improve their experience. Geeta Schmidt, CEO Humio

With the expansion of edge technologies, data will be created at unprecedented rates. IDCs DataSphere forecasts that the amount of data generated will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.8% through 2023.1 Made with an index-free architecture and 10-20x compression technology for log and event data, Humio is situated to meet the future data scalability needs of the IBM Edge Ecosystem, providing an affordable means of observability for complex distributed systems.

Humio helps secure the infrastructure and its endpoints by providing actionable, real-time alerts and the ability to instantly search streaming or historical data. Humio helps security response teams to quickly discover the root causes, and address problems that may otherwise prevent users from taking advantage of edge technologies.

Humio offers a view into what is happening across the network and at the edge in real time, or at any point in the past, at scale. Users can deploy Humio at a central location, or in locations near the edge.

Learn more about how Humio supports an unlimited flow of data:Why Unlimited?

See Humio in action by scheduling a30-minute live demowith one of our product experts, or get started with afree 30-day trial.

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Humio Joins the IBM Edge Ecosystem to Bring Real-Time Insights to Organizations Deploying Edge Computing - DevOps.com

Pakistan is one of the fastest emerging startup ecosystem in Asia, McKinsey & Co – Technology Times Pakistan

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Pakistan has become one of the fastest emerging economies in Asia which support startups. The startup ecosystem is flourishing in Pakistan and this is leading startups to become leading companies in the future.

The young talent with innovative ideas and advancement is growing a new era of the economy in Pakistan. According to McKinsey & Cos latest report on the Pakistani startup ecosystem, Pakistan has become one of the emerging economies in Asia.

The report also claims that since 2010, in Pakistan, around 720 startups had been created and from which 67 percent.

are still operational, including 100 that have gained funding from international investors.

International companies have also shown their trust in Pakistans tech market. The Chinese famous e-commerce giant Alibaba.com has acquired Pakistans well-known e-commerce store, Daraz.pk, for $200 million.

Here are a few of the shining startups of Pakistan that are achieving immense success in a short-term period.

Zameen.com was founded in 2006 and is one of the most well-funded startups in Pakistan. Up till now, in disclosed venture capital funding, Zameen.com has raised $29 million.

It is an app-based transportation service provider. To date, Airlift has raised $14.2 million in disclosed venture capital funding.

It is a Pakistan-based logistics company that offers multiple online delivery services such as delivering gifts, food, medicines, books, parcels, cosmetics, etc. The Startup managed to raise $7.8 million in a series.

It is the most popular website for employers and job seekers in Pakistan. Till now, Rozee.pk has raised $8.5 million.

Founded in 2016, it is an on-demand transport and logistics startup. Up till now, Bykea has raised $5.7 million in disclosed venture capital funding.

It is the most well-funded FinTech startup in Pakistan.According to Crunchbase, in 2019, investors poured $36 million into 14 Pakistani tech startups across 15 deals.

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Pakistan is one of the fastest emerging startup ecosystem in Asia, McKinsey & Co - Technology Times Pakistan

Square Still Represents a Very Attractive Investment – TheStreet

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Square's (SQ) - Get ReportrecentQ1 2020 results surprised investors by missingits EPS estimates, although its shares still rallied. Indeed, Square's stock has been very volatile, as have most stocks of late, and although Square missed bottom-line estimates due to having to take reserves for transaction and loan losses, these are one-off and there's more here than meets the eye.

Square's smaller peer-to-peer payment service, Cash App, makes up 33% of total gross profits, but it's growing very quickly at triple digit revenue growth ratesand shows no signs of slowing down.

Square is priced at 7.4 times trailing sales, but its revenues continue to grow rapidly year-over-year by 44%.

Square reports that before the impact of COVID-19, the company was growing its gross profits 51% year-over-year, excluding its divested Caviar business. Gross profits are Square's preferred key performance indicator rather than revenues, sinceits cost of revenues includesprocessing fees and bank settlement fees paid to third-party payment processors, which are largely out of its control.

Performance before the impact of shelter-in-placehas been a theme among most reporting companies this quarter. Square notes that Q1 was performing strongly, but that in the second half of March, its results severely contracted.

Further, similar to most companies, despite Square stating that it expects a "material impact" to its upcoming results, investors are willing to look past that on the expectation that once the economy reopens, companies will be performing strongly once again.

It has long been understood that although Square derives 66% of its total gross profits from its Seller ecosystem, making it by far Squares biggest segment, this segment'srevenue growth rate is rapidly decelerating.

Specifically, despite Squares strong performance in the first two months of Q1 2020, the final two weeks of Q1 dragged down its Seller ecosystem segments performance so that it ended the quarter growing its revenues at 18% year-over-year.

Looking back to 2018, Squares Seller ecosystem was growing its revenue growth rates at 38%, then in 2019 it was growing its revenue growth rates at 30%. And Square exited Q4 2019 growing at 27%. Hence, even without the impact of COVID and shelter-in-place, the trend on Squares Seller ecosystem was already slowing down. Why?

This spaces economics are simply too attractive and face intense competition from numerous players, such as PayPal (PYPL) - Get Report, Shopify (SHOP) - Get Reportand Stripe. What's more, the latter weeks of March and in early April were particularly challenging for Squares Seller ecosystem, as it mostly relies on person-to-person card contact.

However, starting in the second half of April, this business unit started to stabilize as many businesses adapted their operations. Indeed, Squares Gross Payment Volume bounced back slightly compared with the start of April, driven by new sellers adapting to contactless commerce, thetiming of the Easter holiday and government stimulus programs.

If Squares story ended there, the allure of this stock would be wrongly placed. But although Squares Cash App segment only accounts for approximately a third of Squares total gross profits, this segment continues to grow its revenues at a breakneck pace.

This latest quarter saw Squares Cash App gross profits grow by 115% year-over-year. The readers' first question will be, was this a one-off, somehow related to COVID? Absolutely not.

Looking back to Q4 2019 this segment was up 147% year-over-year, and for Q3 2019 this segment was up 115% compared with the same period in the prior year.

So why is this segment growing at such a rapid clip? As Squares CEO Jack Dorsey (who is also Twitters (TWTR) - Get Report CEO) states, Square is about making payments quick and painless.

Squares Cash App is also attractive because it has very strong network effects since when a friend or employee adopts Cash App, they ask someone else to join them so that they can send payments to each other.

Accordingly, not only is Cash App seeing increased customers using Cash App to send payments, including celebrities sending funds to help support their fans and followers during this troublesome period, but its increased array of products are resonating with its existing customers, which is increasing the lifetime value of each customer, driving an increase in profitability.

On the surface, Square has is barely profitable. Furthermore, this quarter saw Squares EBITDA fall 85% year-over-year, as Square took reserves for transaction and loan losses. However, investors are seeing past this bumpy period and are willing to give Squares diversified portfolio the benefit of the doubt.

Presently, investors are paying 7.4 times Square's trailing twelve-month sales, which is in line with what investors have been paying during the 2018-2019 period.

Square's portfolio has two main segments. Its larger segment, Seller Ecosystem is still growing its revenue growth rates, but at a decelerating rate.

It also has a smaller segment, Cash App, that accounts for approximately 33% of total gross profits and it's postingtriple digits growth rates and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

It's still early days for its Cash App segment, but its performance looks very promising.

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Square Still Represents a Very Attractive Investment - TheStreet

Revealed: Plants Molecular Alarm System That Protects Them From Predators – SciTechDaily

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A cellular pathway in plants to sense danger signals and elicit a response. Credit: Tokyo University of Science

Scientists uncover how oral secretions of the cotton leaf worm trigger defense responses in a plant.

In nature, every species must be equipped with a strategy to be able to survive in response to danger. Plants, too, have innate systems that are triggered in response to a particular threat, such as insects feeding on them.

For example, some plants sense herbivore-derived danger signals (HDS), which are specific chemicals in oral secretions of insects. This activates a cascade of events in the plants defense machinery, which leads to the plant developing resistance to (or immunity against) the predator. But despite decades of research, exactly how plants recognize these signals has remained a bit of a mystery.

In a new study published in Communications Biology, a research team from Tokyo University of Science, Ehime University, Okayama University, The University of Tokyo, and Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, led by Prof Gen-ichiro Arimura, attempts to shed light on exactly how plant HDS systems work.

They chose to study membrane proteins called receptor-like kinases (RLKs), which are found in soybean leaves. They based their study on previous evidence from plants like Arabidopsis, tobacco, and cowpea, in which RLKs play a major role in HDS systems.

Prof Arimura says, Scientists have been trying to understand the molecular mechanism of plant resistance for years, but the sensors involved in plant recognition of insect pests are still not known. Thus, we wanted to get a detailed understanding of these mechanisms.

To begin with, the scientists focused on soybean RLK genes that were structurally and functionally similar to a RLK gene, which is known to trigger a danger response by recognizing oligosaccharides (small carbohydrate molecules) during pathogen attack. They speculated that owing to these similarities, soybean genes might also show a mechanism similar to that seen in pathogen resistance. They found 15 such genes through genetic analysis.

Next, the scientists generated 15 types of Arabidopsis plants, each plant uniquely expressing only one of the 15 individual soy genes. When they tested these plants using oral secretions from the pest, they uncovered genes for two novel RLKs that showed a defense response specific to the oral secretions, called GmHAK1 and GmHAK2.

These findings were unprecedented: the role of these RLKs in soybean HDS systems had never been revealed before. Moreover, when the scientists dug deeper into the mechanism of these regulatory factors in Arabidopsis, they found two proteins, a HAK homolog and PBL27 (which play a role in intracellular signaling), to be involved in this pathway. Accordingly, this confirmed what the scientists had initially expected soybean and Arabidopsis possess similar mechanisms for danger response.

In agriculture, it is crucial to develop strategies for pest control in crop plants to avoid incurring losses. This study takes a massive step in this direction by uncovering an important cellular mechanism that triggers defense response in plants. Manipulating this innate cellular system may even help scientists to fuel the development of new agricultural products, potentially making life easier for farmers.

Prof Arimura concludes, It has been challenging to find new pest control methods that are effective and do not harm the ecosystem in any way. Our study offers a potential solution to this problem by uncovering the details of how certain plants develop resistance.

Reference: Soy and Arabidopsis receptor-like kinases respond to polysaccharide signals from Spodoptera species and mediate herbivore resistance by Takuya Uemura, Masakazu Hachisu, Yoshitake Desaki, Ayaka Ito, Ryosuke Hoshino, Yuka Sano, Akira Nozawa, Kadis Mujiono, Ivan Galis, Ayako Yoshida, Keiichirou Nemoto, Shigetoshi Miura, Makoto Nishiyama, Chiharu Nishiyama, Shigeomi Horito, Tatsuya Sawasaki and Gen-ichiro Arimura, 8 May 2020, Communications Biology.DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0959-4

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Revealed: Plants Molecular Alarm System That Protects Them From Predators - SciTechDaily