Latest news with #WesternHemisphere
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Fast Company
The June full moon tonight is also a low ‘strawberry moon.' Here's what that means and the best time to see it
The hit 1962 song 'Up on the Roof' reminds listeners that when the world is getting you down, 'at night the stars put on a show for free.' While not expressly stated in Carole King and Gerry Goffin's lyrics, it's implied that the moon gets in on the action and romance as well. About once a month, the night sky takes things to the next level with a full moon. June's offering, which is nicknamed the Strawberry Moon by the Old Farmer's Almanac, is extra special for those in the Western Hemisphere because its peak will be at its lowest in almost 20 years thanks to a major lunar standstill. Let's break down the science of it all before we discuss how best to view the nighttime spectacular. Strawberry Moon: What's in a name? The origin of the Strawberry Moon nickname comes from Native American culture and has nothing to do with the appearance of the full moon. The Algonquian, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota people used the moniker because that's when the delicious summertime fruit is ripening and ready to be picked. This year, because of the moon's low position and the wildfires in Canada, the orb might actually have a pinkish tint. Why is the full moon so low this month? The Strawberry Moon is always low because of the time of year. The orb is always opposite the sun and June's full moon takes place around the same time as the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point. This year it is even lower because of a recent major lunar standstill. The Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the Earth, but in different planes. This 5 degree tilt impacts the appearance of the moon in the night sky. Every 18.6 years, this tilt goes through a cycle of change. When the moon is in the highest or lowest periods of this cycle, it is called a major lunar standstill. When is the best time to see the Strawberry Moon? The Strawberry Moon will reach peak illumination at 3:43 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11. If that seems too early, never fear, you can catch it this evening (Tuesday, June 10) and it will already appear full to the naked eye. There's no need to lose any sleep. In fact, thanks to the moon illusion—the phenomenon that makes the orb seem bigger near the horizon because our brains compare it to nearby objects, such as trees and buildings—it is better to view it when it is rising: If you are in New York City, this takes place at 8:26 p.m ET Moon watchers in Los Angeles should look up at 8:05 p.m. PT. To find out when the moonrise occurs in your city, use this handy tool from TimeandDate. Once you know the optimal time, head up on a roof, preferably away from city lights and enjoy the show. Your cares might just drift right into space like King and Goffin promised.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
The Trump Doctrine
US president Donald Trump's second administration is barely four months old, but already there are signs of an emerging foreign policy doctrine. And like so much else about his presidency, it represents a striking departure from the past. Doctrines play an important role in American foreign policy. With the Monroe Doctrine, announced in 1823, the US asserted that it would be the pre-eminent power in the Western Hemisphere and would prevent other countries from establishing competitive strategic positions in the region. At the outset of the Cold War, the Truman Doctrine pledged US support to countries fighting Communism and Soviet-backed subversion. More recently, the Carter Doctrine signalled that the US would not stand by if an outside force sought to gain control of the oil-rich Persian Gulf region. The Reagan Doctrine promised assistance to anti-communist, anti-Soviet forces and countries. George W Bush's Freedom Doctrine, among other things, made clear that neither terrorists nor those who harboured them would be safe from attack. What these and other doctrines have in common is that they signal to multiple audiences critical US interests and what the US is prepared to do to advance them. Doctrines are intended to reassure friends and allies, deter actual or would-be enemies, galvanise the bureaucracy tasked with national security matters, and educate the public. Although no Trump Doctrine has been explicitly put forward, one has begun to emerge all the same. You could call it the 'look the other way' doctrine, the 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' doctrine, or the 'none of our business' doctrine. Whatever the label, the doctrine signals that the US will no longer try to influence or react to how countries conduct themselves within their borders. The administration has refrained from criticising Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for arresting his principal political opponent, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for repeated attempts to weaken the country's judiciary, or Hungary's long-serving prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has steadily undermined democratic institutions there. While Trump has disparaged the foreign policy of Russian president Vladimir Putin and the economic policy of Chinese president Xi Jinping, he has not made an issue of either leader's repression of his own people. The Trump administration has also cut back or dismantled many of the instruments, including Voice of America, the Agency for International Development, and the National Endowment for Democracy, long used to promote civil society and democratic movements around the world. The closest there was to a public articulation of the new doctrine came in Saudi Arabia on May 13. Trump spoke with admiration of what he described as that country's great transformation, adding it 'has not come from Western interventionists … giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs … In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use US policy to dispense justice for their sins'. Trump's actions, above all his pursuit of business deals with authoritarian governments in the Gulf and far beyond, underscore these words' import. Unlike Reagan, Carter, Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, Trump has made it clear that the US has no interest in advocating for human rights and democracy, speaking out against authoritarian abuses, and pressing for the release of political dissidents. To be sure, the look-the-other-way doctrine avoids the sort of overreach that characterised Bush's presidency, when zeal for spreading democracy led to the costly, ill-advised invasion of Iraq. It also makes it easier for the US to work constructively with governments carrying out policies at home that would normally pose an obstacle to commercial ties or cooperation on critical bilateral, regional, or global issues. But the downsides of the new approach offset these considerations. The Trump Doctrine increases the odds that governments so inclined will double down on domestic repression and efforts to subvert democracy – a form of government often associated not just with greater personal freedom but also with free markets supported by the rule of law and less aggressive foreign policy. Promoting democracy thus benefits US investors and limits the risk that America becomes mired in costly or prolonged foreign conflicts. The Trump Doctrine also distances the US from many of its traditional friends and allies, most of which, not coincidentally, happen to be democracies. Such estrangement works against American influence. That said, the ability of the US to conduct a foreign policy that supports freedom abroad depends in no small part on its willingness to practice what it preaches. No country can talk the talk without walking the walk, and the Trump administration's violation of many of the norms and practices that sustain democracy would undermine its ability to advocate for it elsewhere, were it so inclined. No doctrine is entirely consistent – during the Cold War, the US often supported anti-communists who were anything but democrats – and Trump's doctrine is no exception. There is a self-serving, rightist bias. His administration has been critical of European governments and has made clear its preference for far-right forces, including the nationalist Karol Nawrocki, who won Poland's presidency. Despite reducing America's foreign entanglements, Trump has also waged a campaign against Greenland and Canada. But these are exceptions. The thrust of the Trump Doctrine – not to allow anti-democratic behaviour to get in the way of doing business – is clear. For a long time, the US sought to change the world, annoying some and inspiring others. Those days are gone, in some ways for the better, but mostly for worse. The US has changed. It is coming to resemble many of the countries and governments it once criticised. It is as tragic as it is ironic. Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a senior counselor at Centerview Partners, and distinguished university scholar at New York University. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Haiti's full U.S. travel ban, drawing criticism and concern from South Florida Haitian Americans
Haiti is the only country in the Western Hemisphere included in the U.S. government's list of nations subject to a full travel ban, a move drawing concern and criticism from South Florida Haitian Americans and advocacy groups. The new travel restrictions are set to take effect on Monday. While the ban applies to Haitian nationals, some Haitian Americans are speaking out about its broader implications. "It actually amplifies the need" Rebekah Antoine, who was born in Miami but has deep ties to Haiti, told CBS News Miami her plans to move to the country later this month are unchanged. "It doesn't discourage me. It actually amplifies more of the need of my why, why I am going back to Haiti," Antoine said. Although she is not directly affected by the restrictions, Antoine acknowledged the difference in experience for Haitian nationals. "I acknowledge my privilege, you know, I am able to travel freely and, and go back and forth to my country with no stress," she said. She believes the ban could prevent others from contributing positively to the country. "We know the rhetoric and we see the countries that are listed on the ban and the common denominator of where these countries are located, it should not be a blanket ban." "Your people are not welcome" Paul Christian Namphy, political director of the Family Action Network Movement, said the travel ban is being met with "shock and outrage" among the community. "The majority of the countries are Black. You have 7 of the 12 countries which are in Africa and Haiti," Namphy said. He urged Haitian passport holders to seek legal guidance before traveling. "We are asking decision makers in the United States to resist these kinds of racist rules taking away our dignity," he said. "What this travel ban is saying is your people are not welcome."
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
UN food agency appeals for $46 million to help 2 million Haitians facing severe hunger
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. food agency is appealing for $46 million for the next six months to help about 2 million Haitians in dire need of food, including 8,500 at the worst catastrophic level of hunger. The appeal was issued by Lola Castro, the World Food Program's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, who recently returned from Haiti, where escalating gang violence has displaced well over 1 million people and left half the population — 5.7 million people — in urgent need of food. Two million of them are in the two worst categories in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on hunger crises, and 8,500 are in the worst Phase 5 category, she said. That means at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution. Haiti is one of only five countries in the world that have people in the Phase 5 category of catastrophic hunger, Castro said, 'and it is really dramatic to have this in the Western Hemisphere.' Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and are now estimated to control 85% of the capital and are moving into surrounding areas. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination, and the top U.N. official in the country said in April the country could face 'total chaos' without funding to confront the gangs.. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help quell gang violence, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned. The WFP, the world's largest humanitarian organization, is among the U.N. agencies facing funding cuts, mainly from the United States, which provided nearly half of its funding in 2024. Castro said WFP reached over 1.3 million people this year until March using carryover funds from last year. But the agency is facing a dramatic situation now with food stocks only until July to assist with emergencies, new displacements or hurricanes, she said. In the past four years, Castro said WFP always had stocks to help between 250,000 and 500,000 people with any emergency. 'This year, we start the hurricane season with an empty warehouse where we have no stocks for assisting any emergency, or we have no cash neither to go and buy (food) locally if it was possible in some areas, or to do a rapid humanitarian response,' Castro said. 'We are very concerned that a single storm can put hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti again into humanitarian catastrophe and hunger.' WFP normally provides a meal every day for around 500,000 school children, but that number will be cut in half without additional resources, she told a video press conference on Tuesday. With $46 million, she said, WFP will be able to help the 2 million Haitians in most need of food, keep providing school meals for half a million children, and provide social protection for very vulnerable people in camps for the displaced. Haiti must not be forgotten as the world deals with other crises, Castro said, urging donors to be generous. 'We really need to stop this and to hold the line on hunger,' she said. 'We continue calling the humanitarian community to provide support.' With $46 million, she said, WFP will be able to help the 2 million Haitians in the two worst IPC categories, keep providing school meals for half a million children, and provide social protection for very vulnerable people in camps for the displaced.
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Travel + Leisure
02-06-2025
- Health
- Travel + Leisure
The U.S. Government Changed Its Travel Advisory for Jamaica—What Travelers Should Know
A Caribbean island has just become safer for Americans to visit, according to the U.S. government. On May 29, the U.S. Department of State lowered Jamaica's travel advisory rating from Level 3, which means travelers should reconsider travel to the country, to Level 2, which recommends increased caution and possibly heightened risk. The main considerations driving the evaluation of Jamaica are crime and health care. 'While violent crime in Jamaica has decreased since 2024, it remains statistically high throughout the country. Tourist areas generally see lower rates of violent crime than other parts of the country,' the travel advisory for Jamaica states. 'The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica is among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Armed robberies and sexual assaults are common.' The advisory also notes that Jamaica does not provide the same level of health care that is available in the U.S., including less access to care for illness or injury, and slower emergency response times. 'Ambulance services are not always staffed with EMTs and are not always readily available, especially in rural areas. U.S. citizens should bring extra prescription medication as common medications, such as insulin, can be difficult to obtain,' the advisory states. It also reminds American travelers that Medicare and Medicaid is not valid overseas, and travelers should purchase insurance before their trip. Despite the change in warning level, there are still parts of Jamaica that retain a Level 4, or Do Not Travel, ranking. These areas include specific off-limits zones within 11 different parishes that are listed on the U.S. State Department's website. 'In our Travel Advisories, we suggest you do not to travel to high-risk countries or areas. These places are dangerous. By visiting, you may be putting yourself at extreme risk, and we may have limited ability to help you,' the U.S. State Depart website notes. The travel advisory also notes that visitors should not bring any kind of firearms or ammunition into the country, as the penalty for even accidentally bringing either into the country are severe and can include prison sentences. Travelers should also avoid walking or driving at night, avoid remote places, and be aware of their surroundings. In the case of a robbery attempt, the advisory recommends not to physically resist. Jamaica is well-known for its splendid beaches, distinct local culture, tropical forests, and lush beach resorts.
