Saturday, July 10, 2021

Alone Out Here: A Gay Farmer on Love, Isolation, and Disrupting the Meat Industry in Australia | The New Yorker

Jun 9, 2021 • In “Alone Out Here,” by Philip Busfield and Luke Cornish, an Australian rancher who is openly gay in a conservative industry fights to reduce carbon emissions through his cattle farming.

Washington de nouveau confronté au chaos haïtien

LE MONDE : Editorial. Après l’assassinat du président haïtien, Jovenel Moïse, aider les Haïtiens à former un gouvernement de transition, susceptible de stabiliser le pays afin de le mener à des élections, devrait être la priorité des Etats-Unis.

Editorial du « Monde ».
C’est peu de dire que Haïti, dont le président, Jovenel Moïse, a été assassiné, mercredi 7 juillet, est un Etat failli. La malédiction semble frapper ce pays de 11 millions d’habitants qui partage, avec la République dominicaine, l’île d’Hispaniola et qui fut, avec les Etats-Unis, la première nation indépendante des Amériques. Dictatures, coups d’Etat, corruption, tremblements de terre, cyclones et épidémies ont entretenu depuis des décennies la misère et l’insécurité d’une population impuissante.

L’assassinat d’un chef d’Etat élu est en soi un traumatisme politique majeur. Il est encore plus déstabilisant lorsque, comme c’est le cas à Haïti, il intervient dans un vide de pouvoir quasi total. Jovenel Moïse fut d’ailleurs l’un des artisans de cette faillite politique, gouvernant par décret depuis janvier 2020 après avoir échoué à organiser des élections législatives. » | Éditorial | Samedi 10 juillet 2021

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Julio Iglesias, Stevie Wonder - My Love

Les prix de l’immobilier flambent dans les stations balnéaires

LE MONDE : La pandémie de Covid-19 entraîne une demande grandissante pour les résidences secondaires en bord de mer. La Bretagne est de plus en plus recherchée, à l’inverse de la région PACA en perte de vitesse.

Dans les grandes villes, la tendance est à l’exode depuis le début de la crise sanitaire. Conséquence, les prix de l’immobilier s’emballent sur les littoraux français, selon une étude publiée vendredi 2 juillet par Meilleurs Agents.

Au palmarès des plus fortes hausses, citons la Bretagne (+ 7,2 % en un an, à 2 996 euros du mètre carré), la Manche (+ 5,9 %, à 3 110 euros du mètre carré) et la côte Atlantique (+ 5,6 %, à 4 372 euros du mètre carré). « La Bretagne et la Manche sont des territoires où les prix n’ont rien à voir avec la Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur [PACA] ni même le Sud-Ouest, il y a donc un effet de rattrapage », explique Thomas Lefebvre, directeur scientifique de Meilleurs Agents.

Les stations balnéaires de la Manche séduisent les Parisiens par leur facilité d’accès : à peine trois heures de voiture séparent la capitale du Touquet-Paris-Plage, la station manchoise la plus chère (6 544 euros du mètre carré en moyenne). » | Par Isaline Thomas | Samedi 10 juillet 2021

Meals by Wheels: UK Drive-through Booms as Brands Invest in New Sites

THE GUARDIAN: Social distancing is feeding an appetite for a new generation of US-style drive-through restaurants

Drive-through restaurants used to be a US-inspired novelty but a big increase in custom during the pandemic means money is pouring into new UK sites, with even upmarket names looking to serve food through car windows for the first time.

New property research suggests that demand for drive-throughs has increased by 25% post-Covid with restaurant chains looking to open a total of 200 sites a year. The clamour comes as established names such as McDonald’s and Burger King face competition from North American brands such as Tim Hortons, famous for its coffee and doughnuts, and burger chain Wendy’s.

The growing trend for ordering burgers, fizzy drinks and coffee from our cars, which comes at a time when the UK is trying to reduce car use and obesity, is spreading beyond its traditional heartland of Big Macs and chicken nuggets. » | Zoe Wood, Consumer affairs correspondent | Saturday, July 10, 2021

More junk food for the troughs! There’ll be no shortage of baby elephants by the end of the decade! – Mark

US West Heatwave: 31 Million People Brace for Record-breaking Temperatures

THE GUARDIAN: Las Vegas could surpass its record-high of 117F as residents of US west face very high risk of heat-related illness

More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records could be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.

The “heat risk” is classified as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness due to both the long duration heat, and the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said. » | Victoria Bekiempis | Saturday, July 10, 2021

Haiti Calls US for Troops, after Wild Day of Gunfights and Suspicion

THE NEW YORK TIMES: At least 20 people were arrested in the assassination of the Haitian president — 18 Colombians and 2 Americans of Haitian descent — on a day of deepening mystery.

After 24 hours of wild gun battles with suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s president, the nation’s authorities announced the arrests of 20 people and called on the United States to send troops to help protect crucial infrastructure.

Haiti’s remarkable request for military assistance from the United States, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation’s affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. As new developments unfolded at a dizzying pace on Friday, the mystery over who was ultimately behind the assassination only deepened.

On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and the police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia — former military men said to have turned mercenaries — as questions arose about why it had been so easy for attackers to burst into President Jovenel Moïse’s home and kill him, seemingly with no shots fired from security staff. » | Natalie Kitroeff, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Catherine Porter and Julie Turkewitz | Friday, July 8, 2021

Political Crisis in Haiti Deepens Over Rival Claims to Power »

Citizens, Not the State, Will Enforce New Abortion Law in Texas

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The measure bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. And it effectively deputizes ordinary citizens to sue people involved in the process.

People across the country may soon be able to sue abortion clinics, doctors and anyone helping a woman get an abortion in Texas, under a new state law that contains a legal innovation with broad implications for the American court system.

The provision passed the State Legislature this spring as part of a bill that bans abortion after a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Many states have passed such bans, but the law in Texas is different.

Ordinarily, enforcement would be up to government officials, and if clinics wanted to challenge the law’s constitutionality, they would sue those officials in making their case. But the law in Texas prohibits officials from enforcing it. Instead, it takes the opposite approach, effectively deputizing ordinary citizens — including from outside Texas — to sue clinics and others who violate the law. It awards them at least $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful.

“It’s completely inverting the legal system,” said Stephen Vladeck, a constitutional law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “It says the state is not going to be the one to enforce this law. Your neighbors are.” » | Sabrina Tavernise | Friday, July 9, 2021

Journalist’s Monthslong Hunger Strike Points to Perils of Reporting in Morocco

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Soulaimane Raissouni, who has been held without trial for over a year, is more than 80 days into a hunger strike.

For years, Soulaimane Raissouni, a Moroccan newspaper editor, didn’t shy away from reporting on some of the most sensitive issues in the North African kingdom, including antigovernment protests that erupted in 2011 and 2016. But his criticism of how the authorities have handled the pandemic appeared to go too far.

A little over a year ago, he was arrested at his home in Casablanca after accusations of a sexual assault — allegations that he says are false and trumped up to intimidate him. Imprisoned ever since, he launched a hunger strike almost three months ago in protest.

On June 10, he appeared in court, emaciated and unable to walk without assistance. “Please take me back to prison to die,” he told the judge.

Mr. Raissouni is one of at least 10 Moroccan journalists who have been jailed in recent years, most of them accused of sex crimes and other acts deemed illegal in Morocco, including certain forms of abortion. Rights groups say the cases are being pursued by authorities whose true aim is to silence the country’s small cadre of independent journalists with false and politically motivated accusations.

All of the journalists detained had published articles about corruption or abuse of power within the kingdom, many of them targeting businesses or security officials with ties to King Mohammed VI.

Morocco, a constitutional monarchy in which the elected Parliament has little sway over the royal palace, has close ties to the United States and is a reliable ally in counterterrorism cooperation. But rights groups have long criticized the kingdom over its limits on freedom of expression and violations of human rights. » | Nicholas Casey and Aida Alami | Saturday, July 2, 2021

Maroc : le journaliste Soulaimane Raissouni condamné à cinq ans de prison »

Au Maroc, le combat désespéré du journaliste Soulaimane Raissouni contre l’« injustice » de son emprisonnement »

Soulaimane Raissouni »

“Goodbye! Where? I don’t know” »

In Spanien hat das Virus wieder Hochsaison

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Auf der Iberischen Halbinsel stecken sich vor allem Jüngere mit den Mutanten an. Die fünfte Corona-Welle gefährdet die spanische Sommersaison.

Die spanische Sommersaison ist in Gefahr. Nachdem die französische Regierung vor einem Spanien-Urlaub gewarnt hatte, hat die deutsche Bundesregierung am Freitag das gesamte Land zum Risikogebiet erklärt. Bisher war das nur für rund ein halbes Dutzend Regionen der Fall – allen voran Katalonien, das zum neuen Corona-Hotspot Spaniens wurde. Seit drei Wochen steigen die Fallzahlen wieder stark an. Nach Angaben des Gesundheitsministeriums lag die Sieben-Tage-Inzidenz am Freitagmittag bei 179 und am Abend bereits bei 199 Neuinfektionen pro 100.000 Einwohnern.

In Katalonien betrug die Inzidenz sogar 448. Immer mehr spanische Regionen verhängen deshalb neue Restriktionen. In Katalonien mussten am Freitag Diskotheken und Nachtclubs nach nur gut drei Wochen wieder schließen. Auf Mallorca und seinen Nachbarinseln verzichtet man auf geplante Öffnungen im Nachtleben. Valencia, die Kanaren und andere Regionalregierungen forderten die Zentralregierung dazu auf, nächtliche Ausgangssperren zu ermöglichen. » | Von Hans Christian Rößler, Madrid | Freitag, 9. Juli 2021

Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love – from the Soundtrack of Call Me By Your Name

Friday, July 09, 2021

Lebanon Faces Dire Crisis after the Elite Plundered the State for Decades, Exacerbating Inequality

Jul 9, 2021 • Lebanon is days away from a “social explosion,” according to the country’s prime minister, amid what the World Bank has described as one of the worst economic depressions in modern history. The country’s currency has lost more than 90% of its value, unemployment has skyrocketed, and fuel prices have soared. Most homes and businesses, and even hospitals, only have power for a few hours each day, and pharmacies are running low on medicine. The U.N. has warned over three-quarters of households in Lebanon do not have enough food or money to buy food. Lebanon is also facing a massive political crisis following the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut last August, which killed over 200 people, injured 7,000 and left more than a quarter-million Beirut residents unhoused. Nisreen Salti, an economics professor at the American University of Beirut, says “the entire system crumbled” in Lebanon due to decades of structural inequality. “The business and political class that benefited from the system was able to plunder the economy for 20-odd years,” Salti says. We also speak with Middle East scholar Ziad Abu-Rish of Bard College. He says the economic crisis and the port explosion, for which there have been no major prosecutions, both reveal the impunity with which the country’s elites operate. “Part of the problem is the total lack of accountability,” Abu-Rish says.

Joe Cocker: Up Where We Belong

Provided to YouTube by Parlophone UK

The Beach Boys: I Can Hear Music

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Beach Boys: God Only Knows (Remastered)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Covid-19 : Emmanuel Macron s’adressera aux Français lundi à 20 heures ; le variant Delta « bientôt majoritaire » dans le pays, selon Olivier Véran

LE MONDE : Ce vendredi, le conseil scientifique a préconisé « une obligation vaccinale pour les soignants » ainsi que des « mesures partielles de restriction » pour cet été dans les zones les plus touchées.

Emmanuel Macron prendra la parole lundi 12 juillet à 20 heures pour s’adresser aux Français, a annoncé l’Elysée vendredi. Cette allocution intervient dans un contexte de dégradation de la situation sanitaire en raison de la propagation du variant Delta du SARS-CoV-2.

Cette allocution, prévue depuis plusieurs jours, interviendra deux mois et demi après l’entretien qu’avait donné, le 29 avril, le chef de l’Etat à la presse quotidienne régionale, et dans lequel il détaillait le calendrier du déconfinement. L’Elysée n’a pas donné de détails quant au contenu de l’intervention, mais l’entourage d’Emmanuel Macron a récemment fait savoir qu’elle avait pour objectif de définir le cap à suivre pour les dix derniers mois de la fin du quinquennat, en particulier sur des réformes telles que celle des retraites. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

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Taliban Sweep through Herat Province as Afghan Advance Continues

THE GUARDIAN: Fears grow for Kabul government after militant group seizes two key border crossings

The Taliban has swept through western Herat province, seizing two key border crossings to Iran and Turkmenistan, and much of the countryside beyond city limits.

It was the latest part of Afghanistan to collapse in the face of a rapid militant advance, during which they have taken control of areas far beyond their original southern strongholds. Their speed has fuelled fears the government in Kabul could fall within months.

In Herat, the civil war era warlord Ismail Khan called up his supporters overnight, and deployed armed units to guard key parts of the city and its outskirts. He is in his mid-70s, but called on all armed men in the city to join the fight and promised to go to the frontline himself. » | Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul and Akhtar Mohammad Makoii in Herat | Friday, July 9, 2021

La Lituanie va construire un mur à la frontière avec la Biélorussie

LE QUOTIDIEN : La Lituanie a annoncé vendredi qu’elle allait construire un mur à la frontière avec le Bélarus, suite à une forte augmentation du nombre de migrants arrivant via ce pays.

Les forces armées de Lituanie, pays membre de l’Union européenne et de l’Otan, ont d’ores et déjà commencé à installer des barbelés le long de la frontière, une mesure rapide destinée à dissuader les migrants, pour la plupart originaires du Moyen-Orient et d’Afrique, de passer du côté lituanien. “La première étape est une clôture en fil de fer barbelé. Dans un deuxième temps, nous allons construire une clôture physique”, longue d’environ 550 kilomètres, a déclaré la ministre lituanienne de l’Intérieur, Agne Bilotaite. » | LQ/AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

Call Me By Your Name | Official Trailer HD (2017)

Aug 1, 2017 • CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman.

It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).

Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.

One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.



I am no film buff, but I streamed this movie two Christmases ago. It put more than a little sparkle into what would otherwise have been a pretty dull Christmas for me. If you’re feeling blue, try this fix: it is sure to buck you up. It did me; no end!

Actually, I found the movie by chance; I stumbled upon an ad for it online. God knows how it got there! You know the kind of ad I mean: one of those often bothersome ads dangling in the ether in the corner of your screen. So, without further ado and out of more than a little boredom, I clicked on it. Thank God! I had never heard of the film before. Watching that film turned out to be a Christmas-changer for me! I cannot tell you how many times I watched it over the Christmas period because I lost count!

The film hits all your senses – head on! You’ll feel as if you’re in Italy with all the characters. In a grand, old villa. It’s rather mesmerizing; it’s certainly delightful, too. Truly delightful! Warning: It is not for those without an iota of fantasy, for the boring, or for the prudes. If you are easily shocked, don’t watch it! The movie will take you on a ride. You might even end up in seventh heaven! Go for it! And enjoy! © Mark

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — July 9, 2021