Anthropology conference drops a panel defending sex as binary
For an annual conference on anthropology, Kathleen Lowrey, an associate professor at the University of Alberta, put together several panelists around a controversial theme: that their discipline was in the midst of erasing discussions of sex, which they believe is binary — either male or female. Lowrey invited a slate of speakers and called the discussion “Let’s Talk About Sex Baby: Why Biological Sex Remains a Necessary Analytic Category in Anthropology.” Let’s not talk about it, conference organizers said this past week, removing the panel. The two sponsors of the conference, the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society, said they wanted to protect the transgender community.
Biden’s lead pipe removal plan faces hurdles
Getting rid of the lead pipes in homes, schools, offices, homes and day care centers around the country has proved to be enormously complex, even after President Joe Biden promised early in his administration to remove every lead pipe in America by 2031. The reasons are a mixture of financial, logistical and even semantic concerns. The way in which certain communities define the term “disadvantaged,” for example, affects whether they receive federal grants for lead pipe removal. Some renters say they struggle to get their landlords to start the removal process. Others said they are simply too overwhelmed with daily issues.
At least 5 dead after crash causes anhydrous ammonia leak
Five people died after a crash involving multiple vehicles including a tractor-trailer carrying anhydrous ammonia that overturned in Illinois on Friday night, leading to a leak of the toxic gas and prompting residents within a 1-mile radius of the crash site to evacuate, officials said. The vehicle rolled over on U.S. Highway 40 about 9:25 p.m. Friday, releasing a plume of anhydrous ammonia and causing dangerous air conditions, officials said Saturday morning. The Effingham County coroner said five died as a result of the crash, adding it was possible additional fatalities could be reported later.
Fire in a Maine village destroys three Jamie Wyeth paintings
A fire in a Maine village Wednesday destroyed multiple original paintings by the renowned painter Jamie Wyeth of the Wyeth family of artists, along with several waterfront buildings. The fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday at The Dip Net restaurant in Port Clyde, Maine, and spread quickly, said Michael Smith, the chief of the fire department in St. George, the town that includes Port Clyde. The fire eventually engulfed other establishments, including a general store, an art gallery displaying the Wyeth artworks and the offices of the Monhegan Boat Line, a company that ferried passengers to nearby Moneghan Island.
At Carter’s birthday party, rescheduled in case of shutdown, a wary celebration
There was trivia, doll-making and a chocolate marble cake that was gone in minutes. Hundreds of admirers of Jimmy Carter celebrated his 99th birthday in Atlanta on Saturday at the presidential library and museum named for him, after organizers moved the festivities up one day earlier than his actual birthday because of the threat of the government shutdown. The rescheduled birthday celebration did not dampen the mood of the party nor the turnout. Carter did not attend the party. Outside the library was a Jumbotron display playing birthday wishes from figures including President Joe Biden, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and the Carter Center staff.
On anniversary of illegal annexation, Russia strikes Ukrainian region it claims as its own
Russia launched a missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, a region in Ukraine that it claims as its own, on Saturday, wounding at least five people, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered dueling speeches underlining their determination to keep fighting. Russia illegally annexed four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — a year ago Saturday. Battles for control have continued to rage in all four areas. In an address timed to the anniversary, Putin insisted that Ukrainians in the occupied regions chose to be a part of Russia, a position rejected by Ukraine and its allies. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, called for continued national resistance.
Ukraine’s war of drones runs into an obstacle: China
More than any conflict in human history, the fighting in Ukraine is a war of drones. That means a growing reliance on suppliers of the flying vehicles — specifically, China. That has given China a hidden influence in a war waged partly with consumer electronics. As Ukrainians have looked at all varieties of drones and reconstituted them to become weapons, they have had to find new ways to keep up their supplies and continue innovating on the devices. Yet those efforts have faced more hurdles because Chinese suppliers have dialed back their sales, as new Chinese rules to restrict the export of drone components took effect Sept. 1.
Modi’s Hindu nationalism stokes tension in Indian diaspora
The Canadian government’s startling accusation that Indian government agents were behind the professional-style killing of a Canadian Sikh separatist in Vancouver, British Columbia, has focused attention on the growing tensions within the vast Indian diaspora, reflecting divisions in India that have been fueled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brand of Hindu nationalism. Modi’s Hindu-first policies and increasing intolerance of scrutiny have spilled over into Indian communities worldwide, intensifying historical divisions among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and different castes. They have also played out in city councils, school boards, cultural celebrations and academic circles.
In an Israeli oasis, a model for peace
From a distance, the cemetery looks much like any other in Israel, but examine the tombs closely, and a startling fact is revealed: Jews, Muslims and Christians are buried here. The graveyard lies in the Oasis of Peace, a village off the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and home to some 70 Arab and Jewish families — all citizens of Israel — who moved there from across the country with the intention of creating a shared life, side by side. The place stands out at a time when Israel is more divided than ever and the prospects for resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians seem to be fading.
Iraq wedding fire’s death toll rises, as investigators point to safety violations
In the small town of Qaraqosh in Iraq late Tuesday, a fire destroyed a wedding hall in the middle of a reception. As of Friday night, at least 119 people were dead and an unknown number of others were still missing of the roughly 1,000 guests in attendance. An initial investigation revealed the wedding hall violated basic safety requirements and lacked emergency exits and a sprinkler system. The building’s construction material was also highly combustible and seems to have been made of materials similar to those used in Grenfell Tower in London, where a fire in 2017 killed 79 people.
Hunter-gatherers were making baskets 9,500 years ago, researchers say
Hunter-gatherer societies on the Iberian Peninsula were making sophisticated baskets with decorative geometric patterns 9,500 years ago, more than 2,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers in Spain reported. Carbon-14 dating tests were carried out on 76 objects, including the baskets, found by 19th-century miners in the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a cave in southern Spain. The objects were previously believed to have been made by Neolithic farmers, but the testing showed the best-preserved baskets were, in fact, crafted by hunter-gatherer communities in the much earlier Mesolithic era.
By wire sources