Edition 22: Eye in the air, on the ground, and in my home?!
(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on May 1, 2020.)
Happy Friday, muggles. Hopefully, most of you have settled into a good WFH routine by now, but NASA engineers may still have some issues to work out: namely, making sure their cats don’t step on a keyboard and … say, commandeer a spacecraft? While the engineers work through this issue, take a break from work to give your pet some love and read through this week’s stories.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS WITH AFRICA
Africans face coronavirus discrimination in China
Mon Apr 27
While China has just ended a 76-day lockdown on “all” its residents, Africans in Guangzhou are being told by police to remain quarantined — even if they have no recent history of travel or viral symptoms. They’re also facing blatant discrimination by authorities *and* locals, including being:
- Barred from public spaces and some restaurants
- Evicted from their apartments by landlords
- Required to take multiple tests for the virus, despite negative results
Why is this happening?
Earlier this month, five Nigerians living in Guangzhou tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, the city’s 15,000 African residents have become a scapegoat for spreading the virus.
The discrimination and inhumane treatment has angered several African countries, which threatens China’s business dealings with those nations. Meanwhile, China denies any wrongdoing, but has been giving out gift packages of cookies, thermometers, and medical masks to African residents.
The Trump administration has launched a record number of airstrikes in Somalia
Wed Apr 22
With the coronavirus spreading rapidly through Somalia, the U.N. has called for a ceasefire. While the U.K., Germany, and France support the decision, the U.S. has instead ramped up its attacks.
In the last four months alone, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has launched 39 airstrikes against terrorists in Somalia. For reference, the U.S. had conducted 36 strikes over the course of eight years under President Obama. The U.S. and other UN-backed troops have been combatting a militant group known as the al-Shabab since 2007, which still has control over many Somalian provinces.
In related news: A new report reveals that the U.S. has been undercounting the number of civilians killed or wounded during airstrikes against the al-Shabab. In over a decade of fighting, the U.S. military has admitted to just two civilian deaths, while evidence suggests that, just last year, 18 people had been killed or wounded.
TECHNOLOGY
China installs surveillance cameras *inside* people’s homes
Tues Apr 28
For at least two months now, Chinese authorities have been installing cameras in order to enforce 14-day quarantines on residents who have recently traveled. Many cameras were fixed right outside residents’ homes — which many individuals accepted without complaint. However, some residents had cameras fixed *inside* their homes.
Why is this happening?
Police officers reasoned to one resident — who used a fake name while talking to reporters — that the camera might be “vandalized” if left outside. The resident was also promised by local government officials that the camera would only capture photos (not video or audio) but he did not believe them. The camera was removed after his 14-day quarantine, but it is still unclear why it had to be inside his home in the first place.
The Human Rights Watch organization is also skeptical, pointing out that governments don’t need to look inside people’s private lives to ensure public safety during a pandemic.
Blockchain technology may help streamline hospital operations
Thurs Apr 23
With healthcare facilities overwhelmed with patients and understocked with necessary medical supplies, there is a great need for a tool that connects these providers to reputable vendors. The proposed solution: Blockchain.
How would this work?
Quick background: Blockchain serves as a type of electronic record-keeping, commonly used in retail and cryptocurrency industries. The concept is similar to a Google Doc that has been shared with multiple users, except every single change made to the original data can be easily tracked. This system offers an efficient way to keep updated records while ensuring that the information has not been tampered with.
In reference to healthcare, companies believe blockchain can be used to:
- Connect healthcare providers with a list of vetted, verifiable medical equipment suppliers — expediting a process that can take four to six weeks
- Share test results of patients who have recovered from or developed some kind of immunity to COVID-19 with other authorities, such as airport security officials or employers
ENVIRONMENT
The largest-ever hole in the earth’s ozone has closed up all on its own
Mon Apr 27
In late March, scientists found a tear in the earth’s ozone, which over the next month, grew into a hole three times the size of Greenland (the largest ever recorded). This was cause for concern, as the ozone layer protects against UV radiation, which has been linked to the development of cataracts and skin cancer. Then suddenly, that gaping hole had somehow disappeared.
Was it because of the quarantines?
Nope. Despite the documented instances in which the environment has improved thanks to a lack of human activity, this is not one of them. The ozone hole was caused by a particularly strong polar vortex — a swirling expanse of clouds and cold winds that naturally occur in the North and South Poles. The clouds from the vortex had mixed with air-pollutants, which dissolved the ozone gas in the atmosphere.
Fortunately, researchers saw that, about a week ago, the polar vortex had “split,” allowing for ozone-rich gases to flow into the area.
Fertilizer production yields a toxic byproduct that’s killing the environment
Wed Apr 22
Phosphorus, a key component in plant growth, can be found in two places: decaying plants or animals and phosphate rocks. For centuries, farmers fertilized their crops with combinations of animal dung, bone meal, and other natural sources of phosphorus. However, in pursuit of maximum profits, makers of commercial fertilizer have replaced that natural, circular process with phosphate mining, a method that:
- Destroys hundreds of square miles of landscape, including homes of endangered species
- Produces a mildly radioactive waste product, which has been known to contaminate waterways and kill the existing wildlife
How is this happening?
Phosphogypsum, the radioactive byproduct, is not typically stored underground or in a secure storage facility; instead, it is piled on empty stretches of land in huge mounds. One site in Mississippi is over 200 feet high and spans over 975 acres. These mounds can’t be allowed to “fail” or else they will release millions of gallons of toxic slurry — which has happened multiple times over the past two decades.
Despite the significant health and environmental risks associated with this waste, the “marketable product” it creates for commercial fertilizers is worth roughly $1.8 billion. For this reason, environmental groups face an uphill battle in the fight to pass stricter regulations over the mining industry.
Is there anything we can do? Several environmental groups are attempting to create more sustainable farming practices, which could use your support.
PRISONS
Justice Department demands prison employees be held accountable for sexually abusing inmates
Mon Apr 13
For decades, inmates at a women-only prison in New Jersey were subjected to sexual abuse by their guards. Now, the Justice Department is calling for major prison reform and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
The Justice Department has released a report detailing harrowing and humiliating experiences — such as being forced to engage sexually with other inmates while guards watched — and has given the prison 49 days to address the problems that allow this cycle of sexual violence to continue. Suggested changes include:
- Installing more cameras in the facility
- Reestablishing a board of women to advocate for the inmates
- Creating a confidential channel where women can report sexual abuse
Heads Up, California
The ocean along the coast of Newport Beach was literally glowing neon blue, a rare and beautiful phenomenon that occurs when bioluminescent plankton are moved by the waves. Photographers and videographers were able to capture footage of this extraordinary sight, including a magical, glowing pod of dolphins.
Heads Up, New York
Today, NYC tenants have coordinated the city’s largest rent strike since the 1930s, with over 5,000 residents promising to participate.
That’s all for this week. Have a magical weekend.✨
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