Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 1013

The Ridiculous, Revolting, Red-Hot Southwestern Heat Wave

When Las Vegas sets a new all-time high temperature record, something unpleasant is happening with the weather. When it is too hot for planes to fly out of Phoenix, or the country sets a new all-time high temperature for June? Be glad that you don't live in the Southwest. Or, if you do, spend a few minutes today giving thanks to the inventor of air conditioning.

Death Valley, as we noted last week, holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, 134 degrees in 1913. Now it adds another crown: the hottest temperature during June in the continental United States. Congratulations, foolhardy residents of the region, here is your award, it is lots of sweat.

Over the past three days, the temperature at Furnace Creek — site of the 1913 record — averaged 112 degrees. Averaged. At no point during those 72 hours did it drop below 96 degrees. That is ridiculous. (You'll notice that, meanwhile, the humidity barely registered. This was a large part of the problem contributing to the heat wave: no water vapor.)

Temperatures only hit 126 at Furnace Creek. At the non-jokingly-named Volcano, California, temperatures spiked to 129.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration logs daily records across the country. So far, there is only data for Friday and Saturday in the system. But here are all of the broken and tied same-day records during that period. At Iron Mountain, near San Bernadino, a 19-year record for June 28th was beaten by 8.1 degrees.

And of course, Sunday was the hottest day of the weekend. Las Vegas' new all-time record came just before 5 p.m. yesterday when temperatures in the city hit 117 degrees. If you'd ever wondered if Vegas could be more insufferable than it already is, there's your answer. (Just kidding! Vegas is always equally insufferable.)

US Airways had its own problems in Phoenix. Its planes are only certified to 118 degrees, so when the temperature in the city topped that on Saturday, the airline had to cancel flights. The problem is that planes need a certain air density to fly at peak performance, and the hotter the air, the lower the air pressure. If you're curious, which we were: yes, Furnace Creek has an airport.

The first day of a heat wave is kind of fun. It's novel, you get to complain. By day two, it has already gotten tedious. By now, day four or five, civilization has reverted to a microcosm of the city-states that once dominated the Grecian archipelago. Every house for itself; every spoken word understood first as an insult and a challenge to war. If you have friends and family in the Southwest, give them a wide berth for the day (maybe, week). If you are there yourself: May God have mercy on your soul and on your household appliances.

Photo: It seems that heatstroke causes your thumbs to jut out at odd angles and your face to be contorted into a grimace. (Reuters)

       

At Least 18 Firefighters Reportedly Dead in Arizona Wildfire

A fast-moving wildfire 85 miles north of Phoenix has killed 18 of the firefighters who were sent to stop it, according to a few local media reports and the Prescott Fire Department. Earlier, officials had lost contact with 19 firefighters as the blaze spread to Yarnell, Arizona, where it burned at least 250 structures. 

The fire, which started on Friday, expanded rapidly on Sunday thanks to high temperatures, windy conditions, and low humidity. Officials still don't know how it started. The fire is currently at zero containment. 

There's little information on the specifics of the incident that lead to the deaths of so many firefighters, aside from the severity of the entirely uncontrolled wildfire itself. According to the Arizona Republic, about 250 firefighters were out on Sunday fighting the blaze. They're listing about 22 firefighter injuries from today. 

       

Meet Ohio's Three New Anti-Abortion Laws

Ohio has three new abortion-restricting laws on the books now that Governor John Kasich has signed the new state budget without vetoing any of the abortion measures attached to it. 

Kaisich also continued the trend of keeping the visuals of abortion legislation 100 percent men: 

Signing budget - no mention of vetoes yet. pic.twitter.com/IgyRmtWf9d

— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) June 30, 2013

Keep in mind that there are actually two big anti-abortion legislative efforts going on in Ohio this month. HB 200, the bill that will, among other things, require doctors to give patients disputed scientific "facts" about abortion, is still making its way through the state's legislature. The budget measures signed today pertain to funding provided to family planning services (effectively prioritizing anti-abortion pregnancy centers over Planned Parenthood for federal funding), and bans surgical facilities that perform abortions from partnering with public hospitals for transfer agreements. The Cleveland Plain Dealer explains the practical effects of the latter: 

"Surgical facilities in the state are required to have a transfer agreements with a hospital, Ribbins said, adding that barring Planned Parenthood from drafting agreements with public hospitals would force the health care provider to seek agreements with private hospitals, which are often affiliated with religious groups that oppose abortion."

 A last-minute provision added to the bill will require doctors to listen for, and if detected, inform patients of, a "fetal heartbeat." The bill doesn't specify the method used to detect the heartbeat, but this could possibly mean that doctors will perform external ultrasounds. 

The new measures could cause the closure of some clinics and family planning centers that provide abortions. At the very least, they'll make it a lot harder for women in the state to receive any of the services offered by those providers.

While the three abortion measures in the budget went untouched, the governor did veto 22 measures from the budget, including provisions pertaining to Medicaid, the sales tax, and Spider Monkeys. 

       

Russia's Bad Weekend for Gay Rights

As the U.S. celebrated the intersection of Pride parades and two landmark Supreme Court decisions, Russia spent the weekend moving even closer to the Worst Timeline for gay rights there. On Saturday, police arrested dozens of protesters after anti-gay rights activists attacked about 100 pro-gay rights demonstrators. And today, President Putin signed a new law that criminalizes homosexual "propaganda" aimed at minors. 

That "propaganda," as the AFP explains, includes any information "'directed at forming nontraditional sexual setup' or which may cause a 'distorted understanding' that gay and heterosexual relations are 'socially equivalent.'" In other words, more or less anything that talks about an LGBT identity as normal. This would presumably include resources to LGBT teenagers in the country. The law imposes fines on legal entities, officials, and individuals for said "propaganda," and includes provisions specifically for foreigners and international organizations in the country, including possible deportation. RIA Novosti quotes Putin's response to criticism that the law is homophobic: "It’s not about imposing some sort of sanctions on homosexuality. … It’s about protecting children from such information." A version of the law was already in effect in ten regions of the country. 

Russia already has a 100-year ban on gay pride parades in Moscow, but Saturday's protest, specifically directed at the law Putin signed today, was authorized. Because of the ban, the Moscow pride march this year was held virtually. LGBT activists and individuals in the country are unlikely to be backed by popular support: according to Pew, just 16 percent of Russians think society should "accept" homosexuality. Plus, Putin's new thing in recent years has been trying to build a base of support form nationalists and Conservative Orthodox Christians. The "propaganda" law, along with a law Putin will likely sign soon banning gay couples worldwide from adopting Russian children, are part of that dual campaign. Earlier this month, the Atlantic published a good run-down of Russian homophobia and Putin's new emphasis on conservative values. 

Meanwhile, LGBT activists in Russia have told Human Rights Watch that they've observed an increase in attacks towards LGBT Russians since parliament began debating the new law in January. 

       

Here's What Today's Massive Anti-Morsi Protests in Egypt Looked Like

Across Egypt today, massive protests called for president Mohammed Morsi — and by proxy the Muslim Brotherhood party he represents — to leave office. And while the movement might sound like a repeat of the Arab Spring, which led to the ouster of Honsi Mubarak and to the election of the current government, the June 30 protests are likely some of the biggest the country, or for that matter, the entire region, has ever seen. Crowd estimates are always approximate, but Egyptian military representatives are estimating as many as 14 million demonstrators took to the streets today, out of a total population of 84 million. The consensus is that country-wide, the number of demonstrators are in the millions. The pro-Morsi counter protests were much smaller, estimated in the thousands. As for why the demonstrations were on June 30th: today is the one-year anniversary of Morsi's inauguration into the presidency. 

Few were expecting today's demonstrations to be this size, and Morsi had tried to downplay today's planned demonstrations by claiming that they were nothing more than pro-Mubarak shams, until the sheer numbers rendered that argument absurd. While there were reports of hundreds of injuries and at least four dead, the bulk of the main protests weren't as violent as feared. But, serving as a reminder of how quickly things can change, and how few people it takes to do so, a small group of protesters set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo late on Sunday. At least two were reportedly shot dead in response. Meanwhile, Ahram reports that Morsi supporters attacked and opened fire on an anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstration in  Beni Suef, south of Cairo. There were also multiple reports of sexual harassment in Tahrir Square, in Cairo. 

Morsi told the Guardian that he will not step down in response to the demonstrations, citing the elections that put him there as a strong enough mandate to justify serving the remainder of his term: 

"If we changed someone in office who [was elected] according to constitutional legitimacy – well, there will be people opposing the new president too, and a week or a month later they will ask him to step down." 

Protestors are hoping the demonstrations will turn into a sustained movement against the president. Labor strikes are planned for tomorrow, and at least some demonstrators have vowed to stay put until Morsi goes. It took 18 days of demonstrations, just for comparison, to remove Mubarak from office. 

Meanwhile, the photos coming out of Egypt are perhaps the most effective way to show just how big today's demonstrations were: 

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Photo: AP

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Photo: Reuters

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Photo: Reuters

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Photo: AP

Alexandria today - photo from Al Arabiya #June30 #Egypt pic.twitter.com/xkammPToeA

— שחררו את פלסטין (@SultanAlQassemi) June 30, 2013

Craziest photo of the day. RT @CairoScene: A view of the streets from the Cairo Tower. Completely flooded #June30 - pic.twitter.com/gjvDpTuWEf

— Tom Gara (@tomgara) June 30, 2013

This photo is of the demonstration in Mansoura:

المنصورة لوحدها أكبر من رابعة! pic.twitter.com/nF4s0BKZRj

— Sarah Ebeid (@SarahEbeid) June 30, 2013

A panoramic view of Itihadeya from our balcony pic.twitter.com/jcMCGt3OXU

— Amir Samy Effat (@amireffat) June 30, 2013

#PHOTO: Egyptian protestors direct laser lights on a military helicopter flying over the presidential palace in Cairo pic.twitter.com/FtNVpCgOAg

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) June 30, 2013

       

This Year's Pride Parades Were Something Special

With the Defense of Marriage Act repealed, and Prop 8 defeated (twice) in California, the emotions and celebrations at this week's gay pride parades, across the U.S., were going to be bigger, badder, longer, louder and more colorful than ever before. 

No picture from Sunday's celebrations struck people more than the one above. Capital New York's Azi Paybarah was the one who snapped the picture of the day: standing behind the New York Police Department band, watching them serenade the crowd in front of the Stonewall Inn some 44 years, nearly to the day, since gay residents resisted arrest and sparked the historic riots. Commissioner Ray Kelly was in the neighborhood, too. But the band weren't the only NYPD members who stopped by Sunday's celebrations. These members of the Gay Officers Action League were met with some big cheers during the parade, too: 

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(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

This picture of New York's Grand Marshall Edith Windsor, the 84-year-old woman at the center of the case that repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, will immediately raise the amount of dust in your immediate vicinity. She's a hero:

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(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

There was also a marching band!

Gay marching band FTW. pic.twitter.com/ij7pvzImIL

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) June 30, 2013

This new couple had something special to celebrate today. Giovani Miranda and Todd Fernandez were just married this morning in New York, if their sign is accurate. Congratulations, guys: 

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(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Sandy Stier and Kris Perry, the plaintiffs in the case that brought down Prop 8, participated in the San Francisco Pride parade with plenty of other newlywed gay couples. Stier and Perry were finally hitched on Friday: 

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(REUTERS/Jana Asenbrennerova)

Rep. Nancy Pelosi was also around for today's parade. Look at her wave that flag!

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(REUTERS/Jed Jacobsohn)

Aaaaand this is easily the best sign from the San Francisco parade. That's U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy -- really, it's them! -- telling the world which Illuminati member influenced them to decide in favor of gay marriage this week: 

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(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Democratic hopefuls in the New York mayoral race were out in full force celebrating with their supporters on Pride Day, too: 

Weiner marching to his supporters chanting his name. pic.twitter.com/MjO3yRjwy0

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) June 30, 2013

RT @MikeMorey: #Quinnpride blocks deep @Quinn4NY pic.twitter.com/EfpLOuGtEa

— Blabbeando (@Blabbeando) June 30, 2013

All in all, politics aside, this was a very good weekend and an even better party. 

       

'Monsters' Beat 'The Heat'

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we know sophomore year is when the wheels completely come off and you spend most of your time walking around like a zombie and avoiding the cops. 

1. Monsters University (Pixar): $46.2 million in 4,004 theaters [Week 2]

You can't stop and won't stop the Pixar sequel machine. If anything, Monsters U's sustained success over the last two weeks, to the tune of $171 million total so far, in the face of major challenges from big blockbusters bodes well for the upcoming Finding Nemo sequel. Pixar fans young and old will show up to see characters they know and love. However, another Cars sequel (or something along those lines) would be a terrible idea.

2. The Heat (Fox): $40 million in 3,181 theaters

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy's R-rated romp couldn't take the top spot this weekend, like McCarthy's last movie, Identity Theft. But this $40 million performance is much more impressive. It may seem like only $4 million more than Identity Theft's $36 million first weekend take, but The Heat debuted on a crowded weekend in June and not an empty weekend in February. 

3. World War Z (Paramount): $29.8 million in 3,607 theaters [Week 2]

Can we talk about Brad Pitt's hair in this movie? Maybe we're still not willing to accept this is Brad Pitt's "cool dad" era. Snatch was on TV the other night. Remember Snatch? 

4. White House Down (Sony): $25.7 million in 3,222 theaters

Channing Tatum starring in a Die Hard sequel was too obvious, so this is what happened instead. Because, you know, heaven forbid one of the new Die Hard movies actually end up being watchable. 

5. Man of Steel (Warner): $20.8 million in 4,131 million [Week 3]

At some point when they were editing Man of Steel, one of the producers must have realized "hm, maybe we shouldn't destroy so much of Manhattan Metropolis. This is all a bit gratuitous and unnecessary, no?" And then Zach Snyder fired him and ordered another fictional block be demolished as a message to any other staffers who would dare cross him again. The fictional citizens would suffer because of any more dissent. 

       

Assange: Snowden Was 'Marooned' by the U.S.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said it was a "disgrace" that the U.S. revoked Edward Snowden's passport, and effectively "marooned" him in Russia, after he leaked confidential information from the National Security Agency during an interview on ABC's This Week. "The United States, by cancelling his passport, has left him for the moment marooned in Russia," Assange said. "I think that every citizen has the right to their citizenship, to take someone's principal form of citizenship, their passport, is a disgrace." Assange didn't have any new information about Snowden's whereabouts or situation. He said the Wikileaks legal team was still in contact with Snowden, but that's as much as he would disclose. Assange has a "personal sympathy" for Snowden's situation, which he feels resembles his own. (Assange is still stuck in the Ecuador's embassy in London.) "We did what we could and will continue to try to help him through."

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Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis promised not to back down in her fight against Gov. Rick Perry and the abortion bill she fought to filibuster during her appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. "We will fight as we begin the session again on Monday," Davis said. "I don't think that we will concede that the battle is over." The Democratic lawmaker with potential aspirations to take Perry's job some day  stressed the abortion bill would close down nearly all of Texas's abortion clinics, which is just as hurtful as the ban on abortions after 20 weeks. "It's a huge omnibus bill that includes many many other aspects to it that are setting Texas back," Davis said. During her appearance on CBS's Face the Nation, Davis accused Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of using the abortion bill to advance their political careers. "I think really what’s happening here, Bob, is politicians are using this issue to boost their own political aspirations, their own political ambitions," she said. "Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst are willing to... put women in harm’s way in order to step up on the political ladder."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was hopeful gay marriage could be legal across the U.S. within the next five years when asked on NBC's Meet the Press. "Well, I would certainly hope so," Pelosi said. "Course I've been in this - shall we say - crusade for a long time. And to see the pace with which it has accelerated in the past few years is very encouraging. Let's hope it's even sooner than that." Pelosi tried to stress that changing the laws wouldn't affect any religious affiliations. "We're not talking about saying that religions have to perform wedding ceremonies," she said. "We're talking about the state-- what the state does and what the state recognizes. People have a right to believe what they believe. But we are a country that professes not to discriminate and this is a discrimination."

During a joint appearance on Fox News Sunday with Sen. John McCain, Sen. Chuck Schumer predicted the House would eventually pass the Senate's bipartisan immigration bill by the end of this year. "In fact, I believe that by the end of this year, the House will pass the Senate bill," Schumer said. Speaker of the House John Boehner said the House wouldn't vote on the Senate's bill earlier this week. But Schumer thinks the pressure will be too much for Boehner and he'll eventually have to relent. "The national Republican leadership will tell John Boehner, if you don't pass a bill, we're going to be a minority party for a decade," Schumer said. McCain hedged when it was his opportunity to criticize Boehner. "It's not going to be easy, but I really hesitate to tell Speaker Boehner how he should do this," McCain said. The two men did bond over their mutual criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his handing of fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden. "We should deal realistically, not a return of the Cold War, but realistically with Vladimir Putin," McCain said. "I think we pushed the reset back down to about 1955. We have to deal realistically with an autocratic ruler in Russia." Both men think Russia is constantly disrespecting the U.S. and deserve some type of punishment. "They thumb our nose at us no matter what the issue," McCain said. "They should pay a price," Schumer added. "They're always are putting their finger in our eye."

       

J-Lo Singing Happy Birthday to a Brutal Dictator Was a Last Minute Idea

Jennifer Lopez came under fire for singing "happy birthday" to Turkmenistan leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has been criticized by his fair share of human rights organizations in the past, but her representatives claim it was a last minute request and they had no idea he was so evil.

The concert was on the up and up, Lopez's team told The Hollywood Reporter. She was brought to  Turkmenistan by the China National Petroleum Corporation to perform at a lavish party for Berdymukhamedov and had no idea she would be singing "happy birthday, Mr. President" in traditional Turkmen dress with performers from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and China. It was a last minute request, they claim:

This was not a government sponsored event or political in nature. The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human right issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended.

The China National Petroleum Corporation made a last minute 'birthday greeting' request prior to Jennifer taking the stage. This was not stipulated in her contract but she graciously obliged the China National Petroleum Corporation request.

On Saturday, the Agence France-Presse reported Lopez serenaded the Turkmenistan's Berdymukhamedov with the birthday ditty at the expensive celebration at the $2 billion Caspian Sea resort in Turkmenistan. She was the first western performer to ever visit the country and perform for the crowd of ministers, ambassadors and CEOs. The performance was organized by China National Petroleum Corporation, which does business in the oil rich country, the company told the AFP. But the performance was reflecting poorly on J-Lo because besides their oil reserves, Turkmenistan is best known for being a former Soviet bloc country with a questionable human rights record.

"Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most repressive countries," said a January 2012 report from Human Rights Watch. "Turkmenistan continues to expand relations with foreign governments and international organizations, but without meaningful outcomes for human rights." The CIA's World Factbook calls out Turkmenistan's government for defining "itself as a secular democracy and a presidential republic," when it "in actuality displays authoritarian presidential rule."

At least one human rights group took aim at Lopez directly after the news of fer performance came out. "Lopez obviously has the right to earn a living performing for the dictator of her choice and his circle of cronies," said Human Rights Foundation president Thor Halvorssen, "but her actions utterly destroy the carefully-crafted message she has cultivated with her prior involvement with Amnesty International’s programs in Mexico aimed at curbing violence against women." 

It will be interesting to see whether this will be a minor weekend flare up or if the bad press will continue through the week. Performances for the Qaddafis didn't stop Mariah Carey, Usher or Beyoncé from succeeding back on home soil so it seems unlikely this will have any effect on J-Lo. 

       

Germany and France Demand to Know Why They Were Being Spied On

European politicians are taking their Sunday morning coffee with a side of outrage over the fact that the National Security Agency has been spying on them. Germany and France in particular are demanding answers over why the NSA would want to listen to their phone calls.

On Saturday, Der Spiegel reported seeing documents alleging the NSA has been spying on buildings across Europe that house European Union offices. The documents, reportedly obtained by Snowden and shown to Der Spiegel, show the NSA bugged phone lines and hacked the computer network in the EU's diplomatic representation in Washington, too. It seemed like another case of a spy agency performing its duty -- spying on other countries -- not unlike the leaks that showed the U.S. has spied on Russia.

But members of the European Union are quite upset because their relationship with the U.S. is supposed cozier than the frosty relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Germany and France seem really miffed over this whole spying deal. They thought they were exempt from surveillance because they are allies at the end of the day. "These facts , if confirmed, would be totally unacceptable," Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius told Le Monde. "We expect the U.S. authorities to stand up as soon as possible the legitimate concerns raised by the revelations of the press." German politicians are also demanding an explanation from the U.S. for why they were targeted. German's justice minister released a statement comparing the spying to Cold War distrust. "It must ultimately be immediately and extensively explained by the American side whether media reports about completely disproportionate tapping measures by the US in the EU are accurate or not," Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (above) said. "It’s beyond our imagination that our friends in the US consider the Europeans as enemies," she said.

Meanwhile, things aren't looking good for this Edward Snowden fellow. After abandoning his original plans to seek asylum in Iceland and instead opting for Eduador, at Julian Assange's behest, the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa doesn't sound like he will be granting Snowden asylum. Correa told the Associated Press the safe passage document grated to Snowden by Ecuador's London embassy was "a serious error" and that some employees will be punished because of it. For now, Correa said, Snowden is "under the care of the Russian authorities" and stuck in Moscow until he can get his U.S. passport back.