Good Monday morning.
So far, April is living up to its name in terms of the weather. Saturday was glorious after a bit of a rocky start, yesterday was…well, let’s just not mention it. Today will be better, with a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s.
Given what’s going on in Ukraine, it seems fitting to mention that today is International Land Mine Day, designated by the UN in 2005 to foster the establishment of “mine-action capacities” (a fancy way of saying “mine removal”) in countries where mines and other explosive remnants of war remain a threat to public health and safety, as well as an impediment to development.
As of 2017, there were an estimated 110 million unexploded landmines in the ground worldwide, and an equal number in stockpiles waiting to be either destroyed or deployed.
The most impacted countries include Egypt, which accounts for about 20 percent – 23 million – of ALL mines, single-handedly; Angola, Iran, and Afghanistan – just to name a few.
Mines, which kill or main an estimated 5,000 people a year, many of them children, (this figure actually seems very low, compared to some others out there), are horribly cost effective. They cost between $3 and $30 to fabricate and deploy, but between $300 and $1,000 to remove. And the cost of removing every single one of them? In the billions.
The use of buried explosive devices dates back centuries, but the first modern land mine was created during the Civil War. Inspired by simple explosive booby traps, General Gabriel J Rains developed the landmine to defend the positions of the outnumbered Confederate Army at the Battle of Yorktown in 1862.
In 1997 the Mine Ban Treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention, which was signed by 162 counties – NOT the US, notably, or Russia, or Egypt, or Israel, Pakistan, and China – banned the manufacture, stockpiling and use of anti-personnel mines.
Major arms producers (us, Russia, and China) have retained huge stockpiles of mines, while India, Myanmar, Pakistan and South Korea still manufacture them and other countries reserve the right to do so. (Antitank mines, which contain larger explosive devices, are not banned under international law).
The Trump administration caused controversy in military circles when it changed US landmine policy, reversing an Obama-era directive in 2014 that limited the use of so-called persistent mines, which stay deadly indefinitely, to the Korean Peninsula.
Much to the disappointment of human rights groups, the Biden administration has maintained Trump’s landmine policy, though as of last April, said the matter remained “under review.”
And for the record, mines are designed to explode when someone triggers them by stepping on them or driving over them. Those scenes you’ve seen in the movies where a person is standing on a mine and told not to move – re-enforcing the idea that when you step OFF a mine, it explodes – those are not true.
Actually, a mine technically can be triggered by direct pressure from above, pressure applied to a wire or filament attached to a pull switch, or simply the proximity of a person within a pre-determined distance – it all depends on how they’re designed.
There is an International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and a number of organizations that work to clear landmines from impacted countries or provide support and medical assistance to those who have been injured by mines. Learn about a few of them here, here, and here. (Note that many of these groups have shifted focus temporarily to assist victims in, and refugees of, Ukraine).
In the headlines…
Western officials expressed outrage at videos and images emerging from Bucha, a town near Kyiv, that appeared to show civilian bodies scattered on the streets after Russia withdrew its troops from the area in recent days.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted that he was “deeply shocked” by images of civilian deaths in Ukraine circulated over the weekend, and “it is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability.”
Moscow is facing calls for international investigations and harsher sanctions — even a ban on its gas industry — because of growing evidence that Russian forces committed atrocities against civilians in Ukraine.
A leading human rights group said it had documented “apparent war crimes” by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians in the occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions in Ukraine.
More than a month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House is preparing for the possibility of a brutal, violent quagmire that could last several months or more and test the West’s resolve.
Six people were fatally shot and another dozen were injured when multiple shooters opened fire in downtown Sacramento as people flooded out of bars and restaurants around 2:00 a.m. yesterday morning, officials said.
Police Chief Kathy Lester said among the dead were three men and three women. All of those killed or wounded were adults, she said during an afternoon briefing. Chief Lester said police are searching for multiple suspects in the mass shooting.
Biden addressed the horrific shooting in Sacramento, Calif., urging Congress to pass gun control restrictions in the wake of the tragedy.
Jury selection begins today for a trial over whether the gunman in the 2018 Parkland, Fla., high-school massacre should be sentenced to death, a rare instance of a mass shooter facing capital punishment.
Biden is “confident” that his son Hunter didn’t break the law, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said.
Klain took a shot at former President Trump, comparing him to Richard Nixon, who resigned from the presidency, to make the point that President Biden does not believe any president should call for prosecutions from the Oval Office.
Trump endorsed former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin just days after the ex-vice presidential candidate announced her run for Congress.
While COVID vaccinations increased cardiac risks in some young men, the virus itself was much more likely to cause heart problems, the Centers for Disease Control found in a new study.
Recent studies suggest that 30 to 40 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the United States have occurred among people with diabetes.
Deaths at American nursing home residents from Covid appear to be at their lowest levels since the coronavirus first swept the United States more than two years ago, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
Pay increases for U.S. chief executives have gained steam, putting compensation on pace to set a record amid a tight labor market that is also driving pay higher for many of their workers.
U.S. companies are relaxing many of the vaccine and other Covid-related requirements that had become a staple of corporate life in the pandemic.
Dr. Robert Malone says he helped invent mRNA vaccines and has been wronged for decades. Now he’s spreading unfounded claims about the vaccines and the COVID-19 virus.
Vaccine debates, pandemic parenting and general burnout have converged to create yet another shortage in the United States: of women willing to carry other people’s babies to term.
The lead singer of the British alternative-pop band Glass Animals — a nominee for best new artist — tested positive for the coronavirus, and all of its members have decided to not attend the awards show, the group said in an Instagram post.
Several performances of the new “Macbeth” were canceled after star Daniel Craig tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday.
Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker, said Friday that she had tested positive for COVID after developing cold-like symptoms.
Though their average number of new cases remains much lower than during the winter Omicron surge, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut have seen cases jump by more than 40 percent over the latest 14-day period as of Saturday.
New York’s Onondaga, Oswego and Cayuga counties were among only 16 counties nationwide that were marked as at “high” COVID-19 transmission risk by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of yesterday.
New Yorkers ages 50 or older who received their booster shots at least four months ago, or adults who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are now eligible for a second booster dose.
The city’s youngest children must continue to wear face masks in school after an Appellate Division judge stepped in late Friday to uphold Mayor Eric Adams’ mandate on the controversial issue — for now.
Adams was confronted by parents furious at his decision to extend a mask mandate for under-5s as he hit the town for a Broadway show.
The NYPD’s largest police union claims Adams’ rollback of the vaccine mandate to allow unvaxxed performers and athletes, such as Kyrie Irving, to play in NYC proves the mandate was arbitrary, new court papers say.
Democrat Kathy Hochul holds a slim 4-percentage-point lead over presumptive Republican Party nominee Lee Zeldin in the race for governor, a new survey reveals.
A battle for former President Trump’s blessing is raging in New York’s Republican gubernatorial-primary race.
Global Strategy Group, the top pollster for Hochul and other Democrats who proclaim they’re fighting for working people, aided Amazon’s campaign to try to stop employees from unionizing on Staten Island.
Hochul and legislative leaders moved quickly to appeal a trial court judge’s ruling that declared the state’s new congressional and legislative district maps unconstitutional.
In her first budget process, Hochul has so far struck out at producing an on-time spending plan – or is at least taking a long at-bat. And much of that stems from political pressure from both the right and left this election year.
Brigadier General Denise Donnell was sworn in as the new commander of the 5,900-member New York Air National Guard, the aerial arm of the New York National Guard – the first woman to hold that position.
Hochul’s recently released daily work schedules show she attended 224 “private events” over a three-month period, from October through December. It’s unclear how many of these private events were for fundraising or other campaign activities.
Hochul’s first substantive conversation about building a stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Western New York happened before she was governor and her main focus was to get the team to stay in Erie County.
New York’s absurdly generous stadium giveaway to the Buffalo Bills “was the cause of giddy, borderline incredulous reaction” among NFL owners who recently gathered in Florida.
Twenty state Democratic lawmakers from New York City told Hochul they oppose the $850 million public subsidy for a new Buffalo Bills stadium, calling it a “giveaway” of taxpayer dollars.
The debate over bail in New York is emblematic of a fight taking place elsewhere in the U.S.
The popular property tax break 421a may be sidelined in state budget negotiations, leaving developers with less leverage and time to fight for its renewal.
The high cost of fuel is hurting vulnerable residents, many of whom are struggling to pay their bills or cutting trips to the grocery store as New York lawmakers negotiate behind closed doors whether to suspend taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel as a way to help.
Advocates are pushing for passage of the Safer Consumption Services Act to authorize overdose prevention centers (OPCs) where people could consume pre-obtained drugs while under medical supervision and be connected to services when they’re ready.
More than three years ago, the state attorney general’s office announced it was launching an investigation into the handling of child sexual abuse by New York’s Catholic dioceses. Since then, no cases have been pursued by local DAs.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sued New York’s ethics commission on Friday, contending that its efforts to force him to turn over the proceeds of a $5.1 million book deal were a violation of his constitutional rights.
Half a dozen political consultants and polling firms said in interviews that Cuomo has become persona non grata in the consulting world — with some shying away from helping him rebuild his career and make another run for governor.
Adams appeared on “Face the Nation” yesterday, where he discussed his efforts to curb violence crime in New York City.
The gun violence in New York City is on a chronic level, and now Adams is asking Washington for help.
The NYPD’s new anti-gun unit has netted more than 100 arrests since it launched last month — and nearly 70 percent of those busted have a prior criminal history, officials said.
Adams painted himself as a compassionate but tough-on-crime Democrat as he looks to build his national profile amid a rise in gun violence across American cities.
Some who disagree with Adams’ approach to combatting homelessness are comparing the Democrat to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican who in the 1990s criminalized sleeping on the street.
Adams defended his approach to public safety, rejecting suggestions that he’s bringing back controversial “broken windows” policing.
Workers at the Amazon warehouse on Staten Island voted decisively to form the first U.S. union in the retailer’s history, a surprise outcome that dismayed the mammoth multinational company and delighted labor activists across America.
A former warehouse worker, Christian Smalls and his best friend from the warehouse, Derrick Palmer, set their sights on unionizing after he was forced out. Along with a growing band of colleagues with no affiliation with a national labor organization, they won.
Smalls and his group, called Amazon Labor Union, are trying to unionize a second Amazon facility in Staten Island, and the group says they seek to expand their efforts and have heard from interested workers throughout the country.
New burdens, low pay and pandemic malaise prompted the resignations of a fifth of the legal work force in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
The New York City Correction Department has a new man in charge of the sick leave system that is rife with abuse — and he’s been under investigation for two years for stealing time.
A Manhattan judge on Friday denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for a new trial, rejecting her claim that a juror’s failure to disclose his personal history of being sexually abused as a child had deprived her of a fair and impartial jury.
The decision in New York City to end public library late fees set off a wave of returns, accompanied by bashful notes of apology and gratitude.
About 750 straphangers were evacuated from a smoke-filled subway in Queens yesterday after the train got stuck when it struck an object on the tracks, officials said.
Coney Island kicked off its 2022 season Saturday as intrepid patrons screamed their lungs out, rode the word-famous Cyclone roller coaster and spun like tops on other rides throughout Luna Park.
Dwayne Killings will remain the University at Albany men’s basketball coach following an investigation into alleged physical contact between him and a player, though he will pay a $25,000 fine and serve a five-game suspension.
The Albany Symphony has established a long-standing legacy in the Capital Region since its founding in 1930, but it has never had a single Black musician as an official member.
The City Mission, which is looking to expand its Pearl Street footprint, is a flashpoint for disagreement, and some blame it for the failure of the economy of the nearby South End neighborhood to thrive.
Rensselaer Mayor Michael Stammel fired Kristin Daly, the city’s comptroller, late last month for what he said were a number of things the two “just didn’t agree on.”
The South Carolina women’s basketball team carried its regular-season dominance into the NCAA title game, overpowering UConn 64-49 last night to win its second championship.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards featured major wins by Silk Sonic, Jon Batiste and Olivia Rodrigo, elaborate performances from a music industry struggling to emerge from the pandemic and an impassioned plea for help from President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Here’s a full list of Grammy winners.
Comedian Louis C.K. took home a Grammy award, sparking a social media backlash as it came five years after accusations of sexual misconduct temporarily derailed his career.
Actress Estelle Harris, who played Estelle Costanza on the hit sitcom “Seinfeld,” has reportedly died at the age of 93.
