Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 868

U.S. Navy Will Convert a Ship into a Floating Chemical Weapons Disposal

Not the boat that will be turned into a floating chemical weapons disposal. But still, you get the idea. 

The U.S. Navy has offered to convert one of its ships into a floating chemical weapons disposal, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the watchdog responsible for policing Syria's disposal progress. 

The as-yet-unidentified ship offer ends a weeks-long, agonizing search for a place to dispose of the embattled country's 1,300 tons of chemical weapons. The BBC first reported the dismantling would be handled at sea, and said the MV Cape Ray, a U.S. Navy cargo ship, was the likely choice. Now they just have to find a Mediterranean port where the Cape Ray can park itself and perform the process, called hydrolysis, required to destroy the weapons.

Syria has, so far, cooperated fully with the international agreement to get rid of its chemical weapons supply, which gives the country until December 31 to complete the job. This week OPCW denied a request from Syria to convert some of its chemical weapons facilities for other functions.

 The watchdog searched high and low for a country to volunteer their services to host the weapons once they're removed from Syria, and to handle their destruction. Even Albania said no thank you.

       

Eight People Dead After Helicopter Falls Through Roof of Scottish Pub

AP

Scottish police say eight people are now dead after a helicopter fell from the sky and crashed into a packed Scottish pub while over 100 people enjoyed live music. Chief Constable Stephen House confirmed the death toll Saturday morning, and said 14 others were seriously injured and receiving treatment at Glasgow hospitals.

According to Reuters, a Eurocopter EC135 T2 carrying two police officers and a civilian pilot crashed into the roof of The Clutha, a pub in Glasgow, around 10:25 p.m. Friday evening. Police have not yet confirmed what caused the helicopter to crash. "The aircraft did not appear to have caught fire," remarks Reuters. The Guardian says the helicopter "suffered a catastrophic loss of power." 

"Midway through their set it sounded like a giant explosion," Fraser Gibson, who was inside the bar when the helicopter landed, told the BBC. "Part of the room was covered in dust. We didn't know what had happened. We froze for a second; there was panic and then people trying to get out the door."

Over 100 people were packed into the bar for a live concert from a local band, Esperanza. Panicked patrons scattered into the nearby street, while the collapsed roof trapped some inside the building. Rescue workers spent the evening scouring the remains for any possible survivors trapped under the debris.

 
       

Remembering Peter Kaplan, a 20th Century Editor

Peter Kaplan at the Chrysler Building's Cloud Club, via Matt Haber's Twitter.

Peter Kaplan, an editor who defined an era of New York City publishing, died Friday night. The cause was cancer, his brother told The New York Times. His death at age 59 came as a shock to many admirers since his illness was not well known outside of a close circle of confidants.

Kaplan, who most recently had been the creative director of Fairchild Publications, had many stops during his career — Esquire, The New York Times, the Charlie Rose show, Condé Nast Traveler, and short-lived business magazine Manhattan, inc. — but he will always be best known for the fifteen years, from 1994 to 2009, that he edited The New York Observer.

Paul Morigi / Getty Images Entertainment

Kaplan trained journalists to harness their voice and write with an unimpeachable wit. He filled his paper with writers like Candace Bushnell, whose Sex and the City column would inspire the HBO show, Philip Weiss, Joe Conason, Ron Rosenbaum, Rex Reed, Frank DiGiacomo, Terry Golway, Alexandra Kuczynski and trusted lieutenants Jim Windolf and Peter Stevenson. Observer alums are scattered throughout the media landscape: Alexandra Jacobs, Jim Rutenberg, Lorne Manly, Landon Thomas at The New York Times, Nick Paumgarten at The New Yorker, Andrew Rice and Carl Swanson at New York,  Jason Gay at The Wall Street Journal, Choire Sicha at The Awl,  Tom McGeveran and Josh Benson at Capital New York, Ben Smith and Doree Shafrir at BuzzFeed, John Koblin at Deadspin, as well as writers like Rebecca Traister, George Gurley, Andrew Goldman, and Spencer Morgan. (Gabriel Snyder, editor of The Wire, started out at The Observer, too.) 

Kaplan's New York City was a vibrant, powerful place, whose characters and energy, from Wall Street titans, showbiz stars, politicians, real estate developers and media creatures, sketched the 20th century. Kaplan was "regarded by those who knew him as a throwback to an earlier age — to the New York of the Stork Club, the Automat and the Algonquin," as The Times' Margalit Fox put it in her obituary. Many of Kaplan's former proteges heralded his recent editor's note for M magazine, the men's fashion title he relaunched for Fairchild in 2012, as "real Peter Kaplan writing":

It is often hard for me to reconcile the New York City of 2013 with the grainy brown-and-white images of my childhood—when the city seemed to be a clogged network of narrow streets and ancient restaurants with broken fizzing neon lights, often missing a letter.

Kaplan cherished power, "paying homage to Gotham’s elite even as it tickled the feet of the city’s titans," as Nathan Heller wrote in The New Republic last year. "The vigorously reported, tart-tongued coverage of New York’s power elites that Mr. Kaplan helped bring to The Observer prefigured the work of many websites devoted to politics, culture and the press," wrote The Times' Margalit Fox.

Heller drove around Kaplan's neighborhood with the former editor, talking about life with the man who embodied print media more than anyone. Kaplan told Heller about an ugly stretch of high-rises he wanted to "dynamite," that ruined his view.

Known for his years spent as an editor, Kaplan was also a stunning writer, with an unforgettable eye for English and its many hypocrisies. "The barefoot contessa wore rubber thongs," begins a famous Ava Gardner profile written by Kaplan for The New York Times. 

I don't know why I'm still bothering you with my words; I never worked for Peter and did not know the man. He was a personal hero, a man made a myth through whispers, New Republic profiles and cranky, wise impersonations online. We spoke on the phone once about the fate of those Twitter accounts; he was everything in that 76 seconds people say he is. M is my favorite magazine.

So you should be reading something from the Longform selection of Kaplan-related work. You should dedicate time to his essay on New York City before and after the September 11 terrorist attacks, written for New York Magazine's 9/11 anniversary issue. You should dedicate time to the oral history of his New York Observer tenure. You should dedicate time to the Slate and Village Voice essays, written in 2010 but just as important now, about his many parody Twitter accounts, in all their cranky, wise and real glory, run by Windolf and Stevenson.

But you should really read "Never Hold Your Best Stuff," the essay written by Kaplan after the passing of his own former editor, Clay Felker. 

       

North Korea Releases Video of Detained American Accused of Spying

North Korea released video of Merrill Newman, the 85-year-old Korean War veteran detained last month, apologizing for his actions during the war. 

Newman was on a 10-day tour of North Korea when, suddenly, he was detained while trying to leave the country. Officers arrested Newman while the senior, who entered North Korea with a neighbor through China, was on his flight to Beijing. 

The video confession is a new touch for North Korea. Though, given North Korea's storied trouble with Photoshop, the editing is about you expect from the regime. What purpose the video serves, exactly, is almost impossible to guess. "If I go back to USA, I will tell the true features of the DPRK and the life the Korean people are leading," Newman says, reading from a prepared statement. It's fair to assume he didn't write the apology himself. At the end of the video, he signs and applies his finger print to every page.

Until now, North Korea offered no explanation for Newman's detention. But CNN now reports, per Korean media, that he's accused of "acts of infringing upon the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and slandering its socialist system." So, like Kenneth Bae, the other American detained in North Korea right now, Newman was accused of spying. 

What purpose this video serves is almost unknowable. The regime has never had a thorough legal system, or one in which an American can hope to succeed within. But the American animosity has kicked up a notch recently with Newman's detention, new threats of attacks against the U.S., and the long-awaited defiant restarting of a dormant nuclear power plant. North Korea wants attention.. 

       

Scientists Hit the Prehistoric Poop Jackpot

Wikimedia Commons: Dmitry Bogdanov

Several scientists hit the proverbial jackpot recently when they discovered a massive trove of prehistoric reptilian feces in Argentina recently.

Seven clusters adding up to thousands of fossilized chucks of poo, some weighing several kilograms and measuring over 40 cm wide, were discovered in what scientists are calling the earliest documented "public toilet," according to a study in Scientific Reports. "Some were sausage-like, others pristine ovals, in colours ranging from whitish grey to dark brown-violet," the BBC reports. The poops were all found in the "Chanares Formation, an Argentinian site known for its rich fossil record," according to the Telegraph.

Dr. Lucas Fiorelli of Crilar-Conciet, who led the study, discovered the dung heaps. "There is no doubt who the culprit was," he told the BBC. The first communal poopers were "Dinodontosaurus, an eight-foot-long megaherbivore similar to modern rhinos," the BBC says. Some modern animals, like elephants, antelopes and horses, do their business in the same area. The reptiles traveled in herds, and used their pooping grounds to defend against predators. If a threat came along looking for a snack, the size and quantity of the poo would warn the hungry danger that Dinodontosaurus travel in packs, and are large enough that one should look elsewhere for food. The fight probably wouldn't be worth it. Dinodontosaurus also pooped in the same place to avoid health infractions, scientists believe. 

       

Archaeologists Hit the Prehistoric Poop Jackpot

Wikimedia Commons: Dmitry Bogdanov

Several scientists hit the proverbial jackpot recently when they discovered a massive trove of prehistoric reptilian feces in Argentina recently.

Seven clusters adding up to thousands of fossilized chucks of poo, some weighing several kilograms and measuring over 40 cm wide, were discovered in what scientists are calling the earliest documented "public toilet," according to a study in Scientific Reports. "Some were sausage-like, others pristine ovals, in colours ranging from whitish grey to dark brown-violet," the BBC reports. The poops were all found in the "Chanares Formation, an Argentinian site known for its rich fossil record," according to the Telegraph.

Dr. Lucas Fiorelli of Crilar-Conciet, who led the study, discovered the dung heaps. "There is no doubt who the culprit was," he told the BBC. The first communal poopers were "Dinodontosaurus, an eight-foot-long megaherbivore similar to modern rhinos," the BBC says. Some modern animals, like elephants, antelopes and horses, do their business in the same area. The reptiles traveled in herds, and used their pooping grounds to defend against predators. If a threat came along looking for a snack, the size and quantity of the poo would warn the hungry danger that Dinodontosaurus travel in packs, and are large enough that one should look elsewhere for food. The fight probably wouldn't be worth it. Dinodontosaurus also pooped in the same place to avoid health infractions, scientists believe. 

       

Sorry, America, but Rob Ford Probably Can't Cross the Border

Reuters

The chances Rob Ford will ever successfully visit the U.S. now that Customs knows he smokes crack are slim. 

Toronto mayor Rob Ford is a huge sports fan. This has been well-established by now. (He was wearing a fifteen-year-old NFL tie when he admitted smoking crack for pete's sake.) His sports fandom, while probably his purest quality, brought a whole new problem to the forefront over the last two days. 

Ford's favorite hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, play in the National Hockey League's annual New Year's Day outdoor extravaganza, the Winter Classic, against the Detroit Red Wings, in front of approximately 107,000 people at Michigan's Big House football stadium, this year. Ford told the Toronto Sun he "definitely" wants to attend the game, which means crossing the Canada-U.S. border. Thing is, people who admit smoking crack usually run into trouble at Customs. So the question presented itself: will Ford be allowed into the U.S.?

Considering the story involved Rob Ford, the Toronto Maple Leafs and American validation, Canadian media did a full court press to get the answer. “Under the law, (immigration officers) are supposed to bar, or at least ask him, because they’re now aware of it,” Henry Chang, an immigration lawyer at Blaney McMurtry, explained to the Toronto Sun. “My advice to Rob Ford would be, ‘Don’t leave town.’ The short version of a long story is yes, he has a border problem,” Joel Sandaluk, a lawyer with the Toronto firm Mamann, Sandaluk & Kingwell LLP, told the Toronto Star.

A Customs spokesperson very patiently confirmed Ford will have trouble crossing the border to the Toronto Star: 

In an email exchange, Customs and Border Protection public affairs officer Mike Milne quoted from the controlled substances section of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which says someone is “inadmissible” to the U.S. if he has either been “convicted of” or “admits having committed” a violation of drug laws in the U.S. or elsewhere.

When pressed to clarify, Milne highlighted the words “admits having committed” and “inadmissible” in bright yellow. Translation: the admission of crack use is itself grounds for refusing a foreigner entry.

But border guards are given some wiggle room, Michael Niren, an expert in both Canadian and U.S. immigration issues, told Yahoo Canada News. So there could be, seemingly, some hope for Ford, right? Wrong. "There is discretion for border officials to 'parole' him on humanitarian grounds, but that happens usually only in extreme cases," Nirren said. "Not sure the Winter Classic event would cut it."

The border guards probably won't care the Winter Classic is the biggest game ever.

Ford's best hope is to apply for a “waiver of inadmissibility” that will assure him safe passage. But the form takes up to a year to process and costs over $500 dollars. 

Of course, other admitted drug users pass over the border all the time. Another Canadian politician, federal Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau, visited Washington recently a few weeks after admitting he smoked weed once after getting elected. Snoop Dogg, a well-known fan of the chronic, loves Canada, and passes through the border quite regularly. 

Realistically, another legal expert explained, Ford sealed his fate long ago during his many infamous press conferences. “Even people who flippantly mention to a U.S. customs agent that they smoked a bit of weed in their life can have problems,” Sandaluk said the Star. “And I believe in Ford’s case, he said ‘a lot’ of weed. And then (he) spoke about smoking crack.” The spotlight, which Ford clearly enjoys, as he and and his brother are negotiating a reality show, will likely keep him from his beloved Maple Leafs. But in a year or two, if he files the right papers — files, not rolls— his problems may go away. 

       

Thanksgivmukkah Gave Instagram Its Best Day Ever

Insta: @leckybulman

Families across America sat down for some turkey, stuffing and football on Thursday, and, depending on your family's denomination, lit menorahs for the first day of Hanukkah, too. Two holidays on the same day? Most reached for their phone. 

The unlikely convergence of the two major holidays on the same day — labeled Thanksgivmukkah by some — led to Instagram's best day yet. "We saw record usage as Instagrammers shared a heaping helping of holiday cheer," the company wrote in a Friday blog post. "Your Thanksgiving and Hanukkah-related photos and videos helped make yesterday our busiest so far—and for that we give thanks to you."

To be fair, the boost in service isn't all that surprising. Last year Instagram users shared 10 million photos on Thanksgiving. (Christmas eventually beat Thanksgiving's record, natch.) And the service has only grown in the intervening year; Instagram now boasts over 150 million active users. 

On top of the two holidays, though, Isntagram benefitted from the rise of Throwback Thursday. The popular hashtag game wherein you upload an old picture of yourself and/or your friends on, well, Thursdays. That part's fairly obvious, even if the appeal is not. "It’s an excuse to show yourself off, either as lovably goofy or, possibly, tanner and thinner, in a way that is both flattering and reaffirming, like thinking warm thoughts in the dead of winter," Silvia Killingsworth writes for The New Yorker. "It also reflects one of the original reasons that people keep photo albums—to remember good times gone by." Users used the day as an excuse to upload vintage photos of family Thanksgiving dinners and Hanukkahs. 

You should read Silvia's entire essay while Instagramming your leftover turkey sandwich. 

       

Josh Romney Saved Four People From a Car Wreck

Mitt Romney's middle son recently saved four people from a car wreck in Salt Lake County, Utah. Josh Romney is a hero. 

Update 1:11 p.m. Utah police confirmed Romney's story to Talking Points Memo. "Romney was on the scene and was there in the house with these individuals," Lieutenant Justin Hoyal of the Unified Police of Greater Salt Lake said. "Our officers and Romney helped get these individuals outside and to medical attention."

Josh, the third of Mitt and Ann's five children, uploaded a photo to Twitter showing him smiling in front of an overturned car inside a house. That is not where a car belongs. Clearly something serious happened here. "Was first on scene to big accident, see pic of car in the house. I lifted 4 people out to safety. All ok. Thankful," reads Josh's accompanying note. 

Some enterprising Romney journalist cracked the code early. Talking Points Memo's Hunter Walker notes Josh "lives in lives in Salt Lake County, Utah," and an accompanying local news report seems to back up Josh's story. KSL says a car crashed into a Salt Lake County house on Saturday, and "all the occupants of the vehicle as well as the person inside the house escaped uninjured." The corner is no a residential concern because it's not the first time a car has crashed into the same house. Buzzfeed's Ellie Hall noticed Romney included more details about the crash in a Facebook post. His story matches the information in the KSL report. 

Adding some weight to the story's accuracy, Josh is no stranger to saving lives. Josh led a Romney family rescue party at their New Hampshire cottage one summer, in 2003, when another family's boat sank off their beach. Josh saved the family's dog, too. 

       

Comet ISON Might Not Be Dead after All, Scientists Say

AP

In a reversal that would make a comic book writer blush, scientists seem ready to resurrect Comet ISON after its untimely Thanksgiving demise. 

Over the holidays, NASA brought leading astronomers together to watch Comet ISON as the flying bundle of material made its first and only trip around the sun. But the viewing ended up being an astronomical snuff film: ISON seemed to die as it passed by the sun.

But, wait! There's hope on the horizon. New photos show ISON streaming past the sun. Some scientists noticed ISON's remnants brightly shining on the other side of the sun yesterday, and NASA admits now they may have been on to something. NASA, brimming with excitement, explains the fortunate turn of events: 

As ISON appeared to dim and fizzle in several observatories and later could not be seen at all by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory or by ground based solar observatories, many scientists believed it had disintegrated completely. However, a streak of bright material streaming away from the sun appeared in the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory later in the evening. The question remains whether it is merely debris from the comet, or if some portion of the comet's nucleus survived, but late-night analysis from scientists with NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign suggest that there is at least a small nucleus intact.

Per Gizmodo, these GIFS shows why scientists were quick to declare ISON dead after its sun trip. When it emerged on the other side, ISON seemed to dim significantly on the other side. Scientists knew something would come out the other side, but weren't sure what. Initially they assumed what was showing on the telescopes was merely... what's left. But, as you can see, ISON gets brighter as it travels away from the sun, further confusing the professionals. 

Slate's Phil Plait is excited too, saying it "sure looks like something survived intact," according to the new evidence. Piatt explains why, really, the only strategy available to scientists is the "wait and see" approach:

 At this point all I can say is the same thing I've been saying all along: predicting comets is like predicting cats. Good luck with that. For those keeping score at home, it got bright, then it faded, then it got all smeared out, then it came around the Sun smeared out, and then it seemed to get its act together again. At this point, I refuse to make any further conclusions about this comet; it seems eager to confuse. I've been hearing from comet specialists who are just as baffled... which is fantastic! If we knew what was going on, there'd be nothing more to learn.

If ISON does survive its close call with the sun, earth will receive a magical show as it passes by our planet (hopefully without major incident) in December. Scientists have no idea what ISON is made of, lending to the confusion surrounding the mysterious comet.