Protecting public health and the environment and restoring science to tackle the climate crisis

A fresh outbreak of monkeypox in Europe and the United States in recent weeks isn’t just a threat to public health. It’s also a warning sign. More and more dangerous viruses, having evolved in animal populations, are jumping to the human population. Bird flu. MERS. SARS-CoV-1. And of course SARS-CoV-2, which has killed 6.3 million people since the very first infection in Wuhan, China, 30 months ago. It’s not hard to see why these animal-to-human “zoonotic” viral outbreaks are getting more severe and more frequent. We’re chopping down more of the forests where animals live, exposing them to us and us to them. Climate change and the illicit wildlife trade only make the problem worse. As deforestation surges, so does the risk of viral outbreaks. “The combination of climate change, population density and urban expansion is worrisome because I think we will continue to see novel viruses with the capacity to cause human disease,” said Stephanie James, the head of … [Read more...] about Is Monkeypox Just the Beginning?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. The climate crisis is real. The statistics are grim. The hurdles are high. But if we learned anything from the recent vaccine development it should be that big things can happen when we all put our heads together, attack a common problem, and commit to making meaningful change. One easy change you can pledge to make is to walk the sustainable walk when shopping for shoes . Many titans of the footwear industry have probably earned a long walk of shame as shoe production accounts for a fifth of the fashion industry’s environmental impact and generates 1.4 percent of global carbon emissions annually. But nowadays, there are players like Allbirds and Rothy’s, as well as established giants like Adidas and Converse , who are thinking outside of the shoebox and making it easy to be green. A whole new world of vegan leather, bamboo … [Read more...] about Best Foot Forward: These 13 Shoe Brands Pair Style With Sustainability

The man accused of tackling Dave Chappelle onstage at the Hollywood Bowl two weeks ago is facing an unrelated attempted murder charge for the alleged stabbing of his roommate at a transitional housing complex back on Dec. 2, prosecutors said Thursday. Isaiah Lee, 23, quickly pleaded not guilty to the new charge and is set to return to court June 2, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. “The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement Thursday. “The incident that occurred at the Hollywood Bowl was misdemeanor conduct and rightfully referred to the City Attorney’s Office. Based on the nature and severity of the December attack, Mr. Lee is now facing felony charges which my office will prosecute.” Gascón faced criticism from Chappelle’s camp earlier this month after his office declined to file felony charges against Lee for storming the stage … [Read more...] about Dave Chappelle Assault Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder for December Stabbing

In case you needed a reminder, Father’s Day 2022 is coming up on June 19 th and we have the perfect gift list to find the right gift for that awesome Dad in your life.  From the music expert to the Dad that has everything, we’ve done the work to gather the best, personalized and unique gifts that will make sure to please that super hero Dad we all know and can’t help but appreciate! Methodology For that Dad that needs help in the meal prep department check out this great service. Methodology is a luxury meal prep service delivering the highest quality, sustainable, fully cooked meals for busy professionals. Meals are packaged in glass jars that are picked up for recycling and come in two sizes, Standard and Large (designed specifically for men). The Methodology menu merges science-backed nutrition with delicious, whole food recipes to optimize gut health, mental health, longevity, and weight management. Buy Now: Here Audio Advice For the Dad that … [Read more...] about The Best Gifts to Get for Dads This Year

Originally published by The 19th Nicole Bedera said she feels “scared” watching the defamation trial brought by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard . There has been an extraordinary amount of media attention to the case, which is taking place in a Virginia courtroom, but seemingly all across social media. With the near daily stream of graphic testimony that has emerged from it for weeks on end, Bedera, a sociologist who studies sexual violence, said she can see a new blueprint emerging: Defamation suits could become a way for perpetrators to lock survivors into years of abuse. “A defamation suit offers a perpetrator a deepening of the power disparities in the relationship and face-to-face contact with a survivor,” Bedera said. “Defamation cases are often a punishment for leaving.” Experts say that the amount of attention on this trial is offering abusers a look at a whole new way of potentially exerting power over a survivor. The situation is all the more … [Read more...] about Johnny Depp Trial Unlocks New Way for Abusers to Exert Power Over Survivors, Experts Worry

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, the FBI told Congress and the American people that the agency had failed to prevent or fully prepare for the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than 200 years in part because it lacked the authority and capabilities to more aggressively monitor social media, where much of the planning for the insurrection took place. As FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress last summer, the FBI had circulated intelligence materials and other resources before Jan. 6, but the agency had limits in what it could and couldn’t gather from social media. “When we have an authorized purpose and proper predication, there are a lot of things that we do at social media and we do do,” Wray said, “but [what] we cannot do on social media is, without proper predication and authorized purpose, just monitor just in case on social media.” Wray added, “Now, if the policies should be changed to reflect that, that might be one of the important lessons … [Read more...] about FBI Documents Expose Bureau‘s Big Jan. 6 ‘Lie‘

Moving through the lobby of a posh Santa Monica hotel one May afternoon, Jerrod Carmichael is not so much walking as strutting. Tall and slender, he’s wearing a black cashmere sweater, matching pants, loafers, an Afro pick, and an outsize smile. And then there’s the brooch: Stunning gold. Cursive font. The letter R. “I love it so much,” Carmichael says, gazing down to admire the pin. It was a gift from a friend a few weeks ago, for Carmichael’s 35th birthday. Ever since, he’s been “building outfits around it.” The R is a beautiful piece of jewelry, to be sure. But it’s much more than a sartorial statement piece. It represents a rebirth for the comedian. R is the first letter of his real first name, Rothaniel (Jerrod is his middle name), which he revealed in his most recent comedy special, along with a host of family secrets, including his own: that he is gay. “I don’t feel like a liar anymore,” Carmichael says as we take one of his favorite strolls down Wilshire Boulevard, … [Read more...] about Jerrod Carmichael Came Out in ‘Rothaniel.’ Now He’s Figuring Out How to Live That Way