Fourteen US Army Leaders Fired or Suspended at Fort Hood ; Sharks in Australia Have Killed an Alarming Number of People This Year ; and More Picks 12/9
Fourteen US Army Leaders Fired or Suspended at Fort Hood (Dana)
From the Texas Tribune: “Fourteen U.S. Army leaders, including commanders and other leaders at Fort Hood, have been fired or suspended in an effort to correct a yearslong culture of sexual assault and a pattern of violence at the base, Army officials said Tuesday. That climate — which failed to prioritize the health and wellbeing of soldiers, particularly female soldiers — was detailed in a damning 150-page report released Tuesday after a year of startling and tragic deaths at the Central Texas installation.”
Oil Rich Nation Building Its First Coal Power Plant (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “A new wonder is rising in the southern desert of Dubai against the backdrop of Persian Gulf beaches, but it’s not another skyscraper to grace the futuristic sheikhdom. Instead, it’s one of mankind’s oldest power sources gaining its own space on the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula — a coal-fired power plant. The construction of the $3.4 billion Hassyan plant in Dubai appears puzzling, as the United Arab Emirates hosts the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency. It’s also building the peninsula’s first nuclear power plant and endlessly promotes its vast solar-power plant named after Dubai’s ruler.”
How Bike-Friendly ‘Slow Streets’ Are Changing Cities (Mili)
The author writes, “Biking has enjoyed a renaissance around the world as urbanites shun public transport for the relative safety of a two-wheeled commute. Now, many advocates … are working with local governments in the hope of turning these pandemic-response measures into lasting changes — ones that are more plausible now than ever after lockdowns provided an unprecedented opportunity to fast-track infrastructure trials. The results of these urban planning experiments could not only radically alter the way we commute across global cities, but also make them more resilient to future shocks.”
Sharks in Australia Have Killed an Alarming Number of People This Year (Mili)
From Mic: “2020 has been a banner year in all the wrong ways, and it’s really starting to feel like the planet and some of its inhabitants have just about had it with humanity. The coronavirus pandemic likely originated from bats, murder hornets made their way across the Pacific Ocean to settle in Washington, and according to a New York Times report, sharks in Australia are behaving much more aggressively than usual. There have been eight deaths linked to shark attacks in the country this year, which is the most in nearly a century. Scientists believe that climate change might be contributing to the spike.”
Underwater Museum: How ‘Paolo the Fisherman’ Made the Med’s Strangest Sight (Dana)
The author writes, “As a child, Paolo Fanciulli was fascinated by underwater shipwrecks, particularly the fish and algae that lived in them. He became a fisherman in the Tuscan village of Talamone at 13 and still plies the waters at the age of 60 in his small boat, the Sirena. But in the past decade, his job has become harder, as trawling near the coast has been destroying the marine ecosystem. … In 2006, a desperate Tuscan government dropped concrete blocks into the sea in an effort to disrupt the trawlers. Fanciulli says they didn’t work, however, as they were too far apart and the nets simply dragged between them. … He began to wonder: what if, instead of dropping concrete blocks into the water, he dropped art?”
