For Richer, For Poorer
November 4, 2021
The Good News
- Six million AstraZeneca vaccines arrive in Mexico (The Hill)
- Missing 4-year-old Cleo Smith found by Australian police 19 days after vanishing from campsite (CNN)
“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow–this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” — Elizabeth Gilbert
For Richer, For Poorer
The economic crisis in Gaza is the epitome of a Catch-22 for young couples, and the recipe for hardship is equal parts politics and culture.
The militant group Hamas has been in power since 2007, and Israel and Egypt have been enforcing ever-stricter blockades on the Strip that have damaged the Gazan economy and helped drive unemployment above 40%. At the same time, in a conservative society where the only acceptable route to sexual intimacy is marriage, many young couples are unwilling to wait. For many, a large wedding is an important rite of passage, so bridegrooms often take on debt to cover a relatively grand ceremony, even without a foreseeable way of repayment.
Under a 2015 law, the punishment for failure to pay a debt in Gaza can be jail time. Wasfi al-Garosha is a 29-year-old unemployed plasterer who took out a wedding loan in 2019. He has a wife and a one-year-old daughter and has been to jail at least 17 times for inability to repay his $2,000 loan, which is almost the average annual salary in the Strip.
Many Gazans marry in their late teens. In 2017, 25-year-old al-Garosha and a friend were running a street stall selling tea and coffee. One day the friend’s sister, Samar, showed up. She and al-Garosha spoke for a few minutes and he felt a connection. Most Gazan marriages are still arranged through the bride’s parents, and although he had no way to support a wife, al-Garosha called Samar’s father and asked permission to marry her. Four days later, the couple was engaged. Another Gazan tradition is the payment of a bride price to the parents. In order to raise the $3,500 for Samar, al-Garosha sold his phone, laptop, furniture, and drink cart, which deprived him of a revenue stream. Being a proud man, al-Garosha didn’t want to lose standing in the eyes of his friends and family, so 17 months later he hired a wedding hall for 70 guests, a motorcade, an outdoor stage, and several loudspeakers, and bought the furniture required for his new marital bedroom.
To pay for everything al-Garosha took out a wedding loan for about $2,375. He managed to make four monthly loan payments working part-time as a plasterer, but fell behind thereafter. His daughter was born in May 2019. Five months later, al-Garosha began the first of six three-week jail terms, beginning a rolling cycle of freedom and incarceration. He still has no employment and faces more jail time if the debt isn’t repaid. Samar al-Garosha would like to work in a shop to help pay down the debt, but her husband considers it dishonorable for his wife to work alongside men. (NYT)
A Dar-Win For The Environment
- The Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, is a province of Ecuador about 620 miles off its coast. The isolated terrain sheltering a diversity of plant and animal species, many found only here, is where a 19th century Charles Darwin saw a blueprint for the origin of every species. The Islands are considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife viewing.
- They are also one of the places most vulnerable to climate change. Not only do the Galápagos sit at the intersection of three ocean currents, but they’re also in the crosshairs of El Niño, a climate phenomenon that can have wide-ranging effects on weather globally. Climate scientists warned in 2014 that rising ocean temperatures were making El Niño more frequent and more intense.
- On Tuesday, at the COP26 summit, Ecuador’s president announced his government has agreed with the fishery, tourism, and conservation sectors to establish a new marine reserve of over 23,000 square miles in the Galápagos Islands. It will be added to an existing marine reserve of over 50,000 square miles. (NYT, $)
Ethiopia Under State Of Emergency
- One year ago, Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, launched a military campaign in the northern Tigray region hoping to quickly vanquish his political foe, the ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Instead, he was quickly drawn into a military quagmire that now threatens to tear Africa’s second-most populous country apart.
- The Ethiopian military suffered a major defeat in June when it was forced to withdraw from Tigray and several thousand of its soldiers were taken captive. Tigrayans have now joined forces with another rebel group and captured two key towns just 160 miles northeast of the capital city of Addis Ababa. Several more Ethiopian Army units appear to have collapsed or retreated as the rebels continue their advance southward.
- On Tuesday, the government declared a six-month state of emergency, which gives Abiy sweeping powers to arrest critics, impose curfews, restrict news media, and draft any citizen over 18 to fight. President Biden said Tuesday he would revoke trade privileges for Ethiopia, including duty-free access to the U.S., for “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” (Reuters, NYT)
Additional World News
- China targets 1.8% cut in average coal use at power plants by 2025 (Reuters)
- Israel launches missile attack near Syria’s Damascus (Al Jazeera)
- Japan PM Kishida, strengthened by election win, lays out broad policy plans (Reuters)
- Netherlands reimplements mask mandate as COVID-19 cases surge (The Hill)
- Palestinian Families Reject Deal in Area That Set Off Gaza Conflict (NYT, $)
- COP26: South Africa hails deal to end reliance on coal (BBC)
- Every 24 hours, 27,000 trees are cut down…just to create toilet paper. Honeycomb is fighting back by offering 3-ply luxury toilet paper that feels just like regular high-end toilet paper, but doesn’t harm trees.
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Trigger Warning
- The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over a New York law restricting individuals from carrying concealed handguns outside the home for self-defense. Judging from questions the justices asked, it appears SCOTUS could be ready to expand Second Amendment rights.
- Chief Justice John Roberts pressed New York’s solicitor general about the breadth of the law requiring an individual to show “proper cause” before obtaining a concealed carry permit in locations typically open to the general public, even in rural areas. “How many muggings take place in a forest?” Roberts asked. The justices suggested restrictions would be okay for sensitive areas such as schools and subways, but that New York’s law as written was overly broad.
- Twenty-one states generally allow people to carry concealed weapons in most public spaces without any permit, background check, or safety training. SCOTUS could potentially allow even more guns to be carried on some of the busiest streets in the largest cities in the nation, at a time when the Biden administration has vowed to push for enhanced gun regulations. (CNN)
Food For Thought
- Maine voters approved a referendum Tuesday amending the state’s constitution to protect a person’s “right to food.” The amendment, the first of its kind in the nation, would “declare that all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being.” This was an experiment not tried by any state before.
- Supporters used the campaign to make the case the amendment would ensure the right to grow vegetables and raise livestock in an area when corporatization threatens local ownership of the food supply. They say the amendment is a chance for Mainers to wrestle control of the food supply back from large landowners and giant retailers with little connection to the community. Opponents cast the drive as threatening food safety and animal welfare, possibly encouraging residents in big cities like Portland (pop. under 67,000) and Bangor (pop. 32,000) to try raising cattle in their backyards. Come on — Maine is the quintessential ‘small-town’ state. (AP News)
Additional USA News
- Democrats Push for Agreement on Tax Deduction That Benefits the Rich (NYT, $)
- Minneapolis voters reject replacing police with new agency (CBS)
- CDC recommends children as young as 5 get vaccinated against COVID-19 (CBS)
- Jury selection for the three men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery almost done (NPR)
- San Diego zip line course employee killed after fall (NBC)
- Cincinnati elects its first Asian American mayor, Aftab Pureval (NBC)
Coin The Club
- The Anglo-Saxon period, or Early Middle Ages, spans approximately the six centuries from 410-1066 AD. East Anglia was one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England; its two ‘counties’ were the north people (Norfolk), and the south people (Suffolk). The first king of East Anglia died between 616 and 628. East Anglian kings of Norfolk and Suffolk were very wealthy, and treasure hunters have long sought access from landowners to explore for treasures buried for centuries under their land.
- The first gold coin from the Anglo-Saxon period was discovered in 1991 by a metal detectorist. The Treasure Act became law in 1996. It says in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, all finders of gold and silver objects (and groups of coins from the same finds) over 300 years old have a legal obligation to report such items. In 2014, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins was found in a field in west Norfolk. 131 coins dating to about 610 AD were discovered, along with four gold objects, mostly by the same anonymous metal detectorist who found the first gold coin in 1991. As required by the Treasure Act and local artifacts laws, that individual reported his find to the proper authorities.
- The Merovingian dynasty was a ruling family of ancient Gauls in what today is modern France. A serving police officer and amateur metal detectorist contracted with a farmer to search his field in west Norfolk, and to split 50-50 anything he found with the farmer. In 2017, the officer found 10 solid gold Merovingian Tremissis coins dating to the same period as the Anglo-Saxon coins, but instead of telling the farmer or reporting his find, the officer sold them for £15,000. It would have been the largest find of its kind had he declared it. Eventually, the officer was caught, convicted of stealing national treasure, and jailed for 16 months. Because as everyone knows, if you see something, you’re supposed to say something. (History UK, BBC)
Additional Reads
- This Desert May Contain Secrets To Avoiding Climate Famine (HuffPost)
- NASA wants a scale to help explain discoveries about alien life to the public (NPR)
- Baby seals change their voices to be understood, study finds (CNN)
- An anti-Biden meme for the whole family: ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ catches on with conservatives (NBC)
- BIPOC or POC? Equity or Equality? The Debate Over Language on the Left. (NYT, $)
- Astronauts grew green chile on the space station and made themselves space tacos (NPR)