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Climate Activists Block Private Jets in Netherlands

Published

2 years ago

2022-11-06

Hundreds of climate activists in the Netherlands halted private jets from leaving Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Saturday. Protesters from Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion sat around private jets.

Greenpeace Netherlands’ Dewi Zloch stated that the activists want “fewer aircraft, more trains, and a ban on unneeded short-haul flights and private jets.”

According to military police, several demonstrators were dragged away for being on airport premises without authorization.

In response to Greenpeace’s open letter, Schiphol’s new CEO, Ruud Sondag, stated that the airport aims to be an “emissions-free airport by 2030 and net climate-neutral aviation by 2050.” And we have a responsibility to lead the way in that,” he said, admitting that it needed to happen faster.

More than 120 international leaders will attend this year’s United Nations climate talks, which begin on Sunday in the Red Sea beachfront resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Thorny issues on the agenda for the Nov. 6-18 negotiations include further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing financial aid to impoverished countries dealing with the effects of climate change.

Egypt is facing a storm of criticism as it prepares to host the COP27 climate meeting beginning Sunday, which rights groups claim is a crackdown on protestors and activists.

After Egyptian dissidents abroad called for protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on November 11, during the United Nations climate conference, rights groups accused the Egyptian authorities of arbitrarily detaining activists.

Human rights organizations claim that security officers have set up checkpoints on Cairo streets, stopping people and examining their phones for anything relevant to the scheduled protests.

According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), an NGO, 93 climate activists have been imprisoned in Egypt in recent days.

According to national security prosecution investigations, several arrested allegedly sent demonstration footage using social chat applications.

Some were also accused of using social media inappropriately, distributing false information, and joining terrorist organizations, a repressive allegation regularly employed by the state establishment against climate activists.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, and many other organizations have all spoken out in support of the arrested climate activists.

Climate protestors have flung tomato soup, scattered potatoes, and even attached themselves to iconic paintings in recent weeks.

The climate activists stated that their activities were intended to draw attention to the use of fossil fuels and the global environmental catastrophe.

Last month, two activists spilled tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery.

“Which is more valuable, art or life?” the two activists posed to others in the gallery. “Is it more valuable than food?” More than just justice? “Do you care more about preserving a picture or preserving our world and people?”

Two more climate activists spread potatoes on a glass-covered painting by French painter Claude Monet inside a German gallery several weeks later.

Another protester hung his head from the glass covering of a famous painting by Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, in Amsterdam’s The Hague.

A climate activist who stuck his head to Vermeer’s painting said, “How do you feel when you witness something beautiful and priceless supposedly being destroyed before your eyes?” in a viral video. “Where is that sensation when you watch the planet being destroyed?” he asked.

The protests were in response to a recent incident in which protestors threw paint at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

Climate activists also bonded themselves to a replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, and a sculpture at the Vatican.

Alex De Koning is a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil, the organization responsible for tossing soup cans onto Van Gogh’s painting.

He stated that the organization will target paintings and artwork “unless the government makes a significant statement about the closure of new fossil fuel assets in the U.K.”

“There are still people who are far more offended about that action than the 33 million people in Pakistan who floods have uprooted,” he told Euronews.

However, University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann expressed concern that the activists’ activities would harm their cause.

According to the Associated Press, such moves will turn off those who are “natural allies in the climate war.” Some of those people, according to Mann, “will associate such behaviours with climate advocacy and activism.”

Dana Fisher is a University of Maryland social scientist. She claimed that the protestors appeared to have targeted paintings with glass covers to inflict minimal damage.

“These approaches are explicitly focused toward attracting media attention,” she told the Associated Press.

People’s attention has traditionally been drawn to attacks on artwork.

A supporter of women’s suffrage slashed The Toilet of Venus, a famous Spanish artist Diego Velazquez’s painting, in London’s National Gallery in 1914.

An Iranian artist sprayed the words “Kill Lies All” on Pablo Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece Guernica at the Museum of Modern Art in New York during the Vietnam War.

The paint was removed, and the museum official shortly after the individual vandalized the mural.

Mona Lisa, the most renowned painting of all time, has been assaulted more than any other work of art. Over the years, people have thrown rocks, chemicals, paint, and even a teacup at da Vinci’s picture.

The Louvre has subsequently placed the Mona Lisa behind bulletproof glass, keeping people at a safe distance.

Following the Girl with a Pearl Earring incident, a Dutch cultural official stated, “Everyone has the freedom to make a statement.” But, please, respect our common heritage. Climate Activists attacking vulnerable objects of art is not the proper course of action.”

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Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

Published

8 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.

The Prime Minister dances.

This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.

Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf

— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

Published

9 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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Canada’s Lotto Max jackpot Climbs to $80M

Published

9 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
Numbers cannot be repeated
Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
Each play buys 3 lines
Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)