ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE: vox

An expert on why wars start, and how to prevent them

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tX9ZxCDOyxsqf4HffdVp6Um1erY=/0x0:5442x2849/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23420063/1240098294.jpg" /></div>
War is a stupid idea.
Fighting is a bad way to resolve disagreements. If two countries want the same land, it is almost always less costly to each side to split it than to fight. The same is true if they are arguing over a shared natural resource, like oil. Fighting costs lives and money, with an incredibly uncertain payoff when the dust settles.
And yet wars persist, both within nations and, as appallingly demonstrated by Russia’s devastation of Ukraine, between them. Why? Why do governments and private armed groups still resort to violence when it’s so often mutually destructive?
That’s the question Chris Blattman’s new book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/636263/why-we-fight-by-christopher-blattman/">Why We Fight</a>, seeks to answer. Blattman is an economist and political scientist at the University of Chicago, and he has studied the roots of violence in many different contexts. In academic work, Blattman and his coauthors have examined the roots of <a href="https://chrisblattman.com/documents/research/2010.Consequences.RESTAT.pdf">child soldiering</a> in Uganda, the potential of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/04/15/jobs-and-jail-might-not-keep-young-men-out-of-crime-but-how-about-therapy/">cognitive behavioral therapy to prevent violence</a> in post-war Liberia, and the policy choices of <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/5nyqs/">drug gangs who govern neighborhoods</a> in Medellín, Colombia.
Why We Fight is an effort to summarize what he and other social scientists have learned about violent conflict, both between and within states: where it comes from; if it can be prevented; and how to stop it once it’s begun.
Blattman and I spoke for this week’s episode of the Vox podcast The Weeds. A transcript, edited for length and clarity, follows. Note that our conversation occurred on April 7, so we didn’t cover the past couple weeks of developments in Ukraine. As always, there’s much more in the full podcast, so listen and follow The Weeds on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weeds/id1042433083">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vdGhld2VlZHM">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1vSUO6Bg4abtjRF7fnGpT1">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/show/voxs-the-weeds">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
<h3>Dylan Matthews</h3>
You start from a standpoint that is kind of surprising for a book about war, which is that war usually is a bad idea, it usually isn’t in anybody’s best interests, and most conflicts are resolved peaceably. Can you explain that organizing framework and why you think that’s important?
<h3>Chris Blattman</h3>
It is kind of amazing how much attention we pay to violence. We want doctors to pay a lot of attention to sick people, but then we don’t want them to forget that most people are healthy.
For example, two weeks into Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/12/world/asia/india-pakistan-missile.html">India accidentally lobbed a cruise missile at Pakistan</a> and nothing came of it, and we shouldn’t be surprised at that. Likewise, schoolchildren will learn about the US invasion of Afghanistan for decades, [but] very few kids will be taught about the <a href="https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/">US invasion of Haiti in 1994</a>, which ended before it began. Colin Powell went to the coup leader [Raoul Cédras] who ousted a democratically elected president, showed him a video of US troops loading into planes and taking off and said, “This isn’t live. This happened two hours ago,” and he sort of surrendered right there.
All of these things are happening all the time. And they’re happening for a pretty simple reason. If you’re Pakistan [after India’s missile launch], it’s just going to be ruinous if you go to war over this, even if you think it might not have been an accident. And this military leader in Haiti … It wasn’t just that the US was strong and Haiti was weak. That was part of it, but we know that weak parties can mount insurgencies. I think he just looked at [the situation] and he said, this isn’t going to be worth it, because I can basically use whatever bargaining power I have to get some kind of deal. [The US government wound up <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-14-mn-50281-story.html">giving the coup leader over $1 million</a> to leave.]
That’s just the normal everyday business of what happens, precisely because war is so costly. Peace has this gravitational pull, from all the costs of war. So war only happens because some other force yanked it out of that orbit, which is actually pretty hard to do.
<h3>Dylan Matthews</h3>
You list five explanations for war, which are all explanations of how bargaining breaks down and why people can’t reach agreements peaceably. Could you walk through those five?
<h3>Chris Blattman</h3>
I call them:
<ol>
<li>Unchecked leaders</li>
<li>Intangible incentives</li>
<li>Misperceptions</li>
<li>Uncertainty, and</li>
<li>Commitment problems</li>
</ol>
Three of them are more strategic in nature, and then two are more psychological.
Let me just start with a couple examples that I think are the most intuitive. We live in a world with a lot of autocrats, and even if they’re not autocrats, we live in a world where leaders are not totally constrained by their people, which means they don’t have to do the thing that’s in the interest of their group. This especially matters for someone who is completely unaccountable, like a <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/03/23/the-rise-of-personalist-rule/">personalized dictator</a>, which Vladimir Putin has increasingly become.
If you’re a personalized dictator, you don’t have to consider all these costs of war. You consider some of them, but you consider a much narrower range, so you’re much more ready to use violence. Sometimes leaders, particularly dictators, have a special incentive to invade or attack that their group doesn’t share. In Liberia, maybe the warlord Charles Taylor thinks he’s going to get more diamond profits by keeping the war going. Or maybe Putin thinks that too — to keep his regime of control the war needs to keep going. That’s one example of a very powerful thing that can yank us out of that peaceful orbit.
Another, which is related, I call intangible incentives. What if the group or a leader — or in particular the dictatorial, personalized ruler — is seeking some ethereal benefits, something they value? That gives them a strong incentive to go to war. It’s not a material incentive like diamonds or something strategic, like “I need to gain this territory in Ukraine or exterminate democracy there because it’s going to threaten me.” Rather, it’s this nationalist ideal of a unified Russia. Or, in Charles Taylor’s case, a nationalist ideal of a unified West African Republic that, by the way, he would rule. It could be personal glory, like wanting to be the next Catherine the Great. It could be the desire to exterminate a heretic, or in service of some kind of religious or ethnic ideal. If you value this thing that only war can bring you, it’s going to yank you out of the peaceful orbit.
“Misperceptions” includes all the ways war happens by mistake. Uncertainty is about times when we don’t know the strength of our opponent, we don’t know their resolve, so it seems like the optimal choice to fight. Commitment problems are mostly cases where there’s some way we can avert our opponent from being strong in the future. It actually pays to invade now to lock in our advantage forever. That can overcome the costs of war.
<h3>Dylan Matthews</h3>
We’re having this conversation as a war in Ukraine rages. Just before the war broke out, you wrote a <a href="https://chrisblattman.com/blog/2022/02/15/when-we-focus-on-russian-aggression-and-motives-are-we-asking-the-wrong-questions/">short post</a> asking the question of why diplomacy didn’t work, why the countries hadn’t been able to come to a deal. Looking back, how do you think about that question? How do you apply some of the lessons in this book to that context?
<h3>Chris Blattman</h3>
I know exactly how to apply each of the lessons in the book. What I don’t know is which ones are correct.
What it comes down to is you either think Putin and his cabal are being strategic, or they’re not. I always lean on this side of [strategy]; fundamentally they’re not bonkers. Certainly in week four, they’ve woken up and they’re becoming strategic.
But at many lunch hours, I knock on the door of my colleague <a href="https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/konstantin-sonin">Konstantin Sonin</a>, who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/opinion/masha-gessen-putin-and-his-new-years-resolutions.html">used to be the provost</a> of one of the most major universities in Moscow. He’s a game theorist, so he’s the kind of person who’s biased to think that everything is strategic, and he thinks it’s completely non-strategic. He thinks [Putin’s] inner circle has basically gone downhill in quality of thought and quality of individuals and experience, and that they’re both mass-deluded and ideological. He puts in the misperceptions and the intangible incentives, and that’s enough for him.
I lean more towards the strategic camp. We can all understand Konstantin’s point of view because it’s what we read in the paper every day. I’m always suspicious of it because it gives those people very little agency. It denigrates them. It makes us feel superior.
I think it comes down to Putin’s unchecked-ness: the fact that he is not responsible for the costs [of the war], and he has some private incentives, in terms of the preservation of his regime, to exterminate democracy in Ukraine. There’s uncertainty; he got bad draws and Ukraine got good draws. There’s maybe a little bit of a commitment problem, where he could see a point where [Ukraine] is more democratic, closer to the West, maybe even armed with long-range missiles by the West and thus impossible to invade, and so the window of opportunity is closing.
I think those are really important to understanding the war. But for the record, Konstantin totally disagrees with me.
<h3>Dylan Matthews</h3>
The US is still processing <a href="https://www.vox.com/22217039/capitol-attack-trump-rally-election-biden-explained">what happened on January 6th</a> last year. On the extreme end, your colleague Barbara Walter has a <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624156/how-civil-wars-start-by-barbara-f-walter/">book</a> raising the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22814025/democracy-trump-january-6-capitol-riot-election-violence">possibility of widespread political violence</a> in the US. Even if not a Liberia-style civil war, then widespread terrorism and street violence. I’m curious how you think about that question, especially because I left your book oddly hopeful about our odds of finding peace.
<h3>Chris Blattman</h3>
Barbara’s not the extreme end — there’s people who think there could be full-scale civil war. Barbara’s more like, “At worst this is probably going to look like the Irish troubles, and that’s not assured.” She’s definitely more pessimistic than I am. I agree with a lot of what she says. We just have very different probabilities. We can all look at the same evidence and disagree.
Again, it comes down to these costs [of war]. These costs are very high and we have a lot of institutions that have not been politicized and are very good at internalizing these costs, and therefore will work very hard to avoid them. The thing that would push me to be as pessimistic as Barbara is if those institutions, like our military and our Supreme Court and police forces, were more split, or more unaccountable, and thus were not internalizing these costs of violence. But I actually have found those institutions to be amazingly resilient in a polarized age. I draw some optimism from that.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/4/28/23041726/chris-blattman-why-we-fight-war-peace">https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/4/28/23041726/chris-blattman-why-we-fight-war-peace</a>

vox An expert on why wars start, and how to prevent them

War is a stupid idea. Fighting is a bad way to resolve disagreements. If two countries want the same land, it is almost always less costly...

Time is running out for Biden’s EPA to act on climate

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zJSKZRyYib-elfza4vWcS6rUx4s=/0x0:3519x1842/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23421273/GettyImages_181753803.jpg" /></div>
So far, President Biden’s legacy on climate change is pretty insubstantial. There’s time to change that if he can quickly make much better use of his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The president put nearly all his hopes for climate action into passing his Build Back Better legislation through Congress. That bill would have spent <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/10/28/22748554/biden-budget-build-back-better-democrats-child-care-taxes">$550 billion</a> on clean energy and electrified transit. It failed to garner a majority in the Senate, and due to continuing reticence about the measure on the part of more conservative <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/greens-push-climate-compromise-manchin-00027511">Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)</a>, it appears unlikely any slimmed-down replacement will pass.
In an ideal world, congressional and EPA action would complement each other. Laws are more durable than EPA policy alone, while the EPA can maneuver around legislative gridlock. Congressional spending on clean energy tax incentives helps bring down implementation costs for businesses, making it easier for the EPA to implement stricter rules.
But even without Congress, the EPA has many regulatory powers it can unilaterally use to fight climate change. The agency can rein in climate emissions from the country’s biggest polluters in the power sector, transportation, industry, and oil and gas by upgrading efficiency standards and monitoring. Biden’s EPA needs to act soon if it wants to make these rules and make them last. Every significant rules change must go through a mandatory multistep process that can take up to two years — roughly the amount of time Biden has left in his first term.
That process requires sifting through tens of thousands of public comments and amassing enough scientific evidence to justify the regulation. The Obama EPA showed what happens when an administration gets around to finalizing these rules too late in a term; the climate rules finalized in his last two years were reversed by Trump and the courts because they were either still in draft form or not yet implemented.
All this becomes much easier if Biden gets a second term, but given his <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/">polling numbers</a>, there’s no guarantees. Addressing climate change can’t wait out another decade of policy reversals by presidents from opposing parties. So Biden’s got to get as much done as permanently as he can while Democrats still hold power.
That’s why, 15 months into the Biden administration, the EPA is at an extremely important turning point — especially if Biden is serious about his goal of <a href="https://www.vox.com/22397364/earth-day-us-climate-change-summit-biden-john-kerry-commitment-2030-zero-emissions">halving US pollution</a> from peak levels in the next eight years. The agency needs to finalize as much as possible by the end of 2022, and needs to do so carefully, allowing it to mount the strongest defense possible in conservative-tilting courts.
If it fails to do so, the Biden administration will have squandered valuable time in the fight against climate change. In a matter of years, the world is likely to pass <a href="https://www.vox.com/23009894/un-ipcc-climate-mitigation-report-ar6-summary">1.5 degrees Celsius of warming</a>, and be well on its way to catastrophically higher levels, if steep cuts aren’t made by 2025. Even if Biden gets a second term, every moment counts — and with congressional action off the table, he needs to start making far better use of the EPA.
<h3>Why Biden’s climate policy has gotten off to a slow start</h3>
In the first hours of his presidency, Biden promised a “whole of government” approach to climate change, signing executive orders that prompted agencies to change the way they operated during the Trump era.
After that, the White House placed most of its bets on Congress passing a massive infrastructure package along with historic climate spending. Congress did pass a historic infrastructure law, but it’s one that may wind up increasing emissions because of its investment in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/climate/highways-climate-change-traffic.html">highway expansion</a>. The climate legislation — with <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/1/21/22892382/joe-manchin-climate-change-biden-negotiations-bbb">$550 billion</a> in tax credits for clean energy and electrification — is unlikely to ever happen.
The executive branch is on its own. Thanks to the broad powers granted by the Clean Air Act, however, Biden has a tool for combating climate change in the EPA.
Asked about the agency’s accomplishments, deputy assistant administrator Joe Goffman of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation told Vox by email, “We’ve set the strongest climate pollution standards for cars in history by model year 2026.”
The EPA has also finalized its initial phase-out of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-and-epa-continue-progress-cutting-super-pollutants-barring">hydrofluorocarbons</a> used in refrigerants. And it managed to meet all the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/documents/2-epa_allocations_workshop_mdis_final_3-11-21.pdf">congressionally required</a> deadlines imposed by the 2020 law the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.
Those are important successes. But the current list of finalized rules is pretty short compared to the list left to tackle. As David Doniger, senior strategic director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate program, put it: “We’re way in overtime with dealing with many of these problems.”
At a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs419yYyz8k&ab_channel=SenatorSheldonWhitehouse">budget hearing</a> in early April, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the Senate’s most vocal lawmaker on climate change, rattled off the number of rules the EPA has yet to finalize on climate change. They include new regulations targeting coal in the power sector, methane from oil and gas, industrial operations, and cars. He was dissatisfied with the pace of progress. “How long do you think you have?” he asked.
Biden’s EPA administrator Michael Regan responded that the EPA had a slow start because he inherited a mess of an agency.
“I think we have to be honest about the state the EPA found itself in when President Biden was elected,” Regan said, claiming he has “staff working nights and weekends” to play catch-up. He added, “I am damn proud of what the agency has done over the past year with the resources it has.”
It’s true that the Trump administration rolled back more than <a href="https://grist.org/project/accountability/trump-rollbacks-biden-climate-tracker/">200 environmental regulations</a>, and EPA morale was at <a href="https://peer.org/epa-scientist-survey-yields-horrific-results/">record lows</a> in the Trump era. Over his term, the 15,000-person workforce dwindled by over a thousand. That’s equal to 1988 levels, and the agency’s workload has increased a lot since then, in part because it has been given a mandate by Congress and through Supreme Court rulings to regulate toxic chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions.
Staffing is certainly a big piece of the problem, according to Doniger, who says a diminished workforce means the EPA is forced to pick and choose what gets done on deadline. At its current levels, getting one rule done by a certain deadline means borrowing staff from other programs and leaving other priorities understaffed. Moving people around was how the EPA was able to accomplish the things it has so far, Doniger said.
The other big issue the EPA is facing is money. While the Biden administration is working down the ranks to fill political slots (some of which depend on a painfully slow Senate confirmation process), it is constrained to a limited budget for filling out the rest of the EPA’s ranks. That has made the process of filling vacancies slower than ideal.
<h3>Most of the EPA’s biggest rules are still works in progress</h3>
With fewer staff and a smaller budget than it needs (Biden’s 2023 budget request asked for a <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/epa-would-see-highest-funding-level-ever-under-biden-budget-plan">29 percent increase</a>), the EPA still promises ambitious action is on the way.
Those promises include regulating the main sources of climate pollution, including coal-fired power plants, and burning off methane leaks in a practice called flaring from existing oil and gas producers. Many of these haven’t been officially proposed yet, meaning there’s a long road ahead for them.
Other rules are still in draft stages, meaning they’re still months (or years) away from being finalized, and don’t go as far as climate advocates feel is needed. The EPA’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/climate/trucks-pollution-rules-epa.html">proposal for trucks</a> is expected to slash 90 percent of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide by 2031, but does far less for carbon emissions from the tailpipe; the change will likely increase the electric truck fleet to just 1.5 percent by 2027.
Should they be implemented, all of these would be considered landmark policy. But at this stage in the climate crisis, they’re also the minimum of what’s expected from a Democratic administration to tackle the main sources of US climate pollution.
And there’s more the EPA could and should do. Notably, it hasn’t written a methane proposal that addresses smaller oil and gas wells — lower-producing sites that <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/new-study-low-producing-oil-and-gas-wells-drive-roughly-half-well-site-methane-pollution">make up 80 percent of the nation’s wells</a>, and are responsible for making areas like New Mexico and Texas’s Permian Basin one of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/2/17/22933671/climate-change-methane-emissions-satellites-permian-basin">biggest sources of methane emissions</a> in the world.
Then there’s the power sector: The most important step for tackling climate pollution includes closing the last of the nation’s 200 coal-fired power plants. But the EPA hasn’t proposed any rule yet for existing plants.
Regan promised in the April hearing the EPA would be ready to go with a new power plant rule soon after the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/2/23/22937517/supreme-court-epa-west-virginia-clean-power-plan-climate-change">issues a decision</a> in June expected to limit its tools for cleaning up electricity. Depending on the decision, the EPA’s ability to mandate more renewables on the grid over the next decade could be severely restricted.
The huge amount of unfinished business that remains adds up to a bleak picture. Essentially, the Biden administration could be more talk than action if it doesn’t really accelerate work on these issues and follow through with tougher EPA policy through 2022.
<h3>Biden’s EPA needs to balance limited time with durability</h3>
In making new policy, the EPA needs to exercise a lot of caution: It’s important that the agency checks all its boxes in putting forward new regulations to ensure they aren’t just overturned by the next Republican president.
“The Trump administration had this huge loss rate in court for its rollbacks in part because it skipped a lot of those steps and did a lot of terrible analysis,” NYU Law’s regulatory policy director Jack Lienke said.
The Biden administration is working more thoroughly, and has endeavored to ensure science supports its policy changes. Even thorough work, however, doesn’t guarantee long-lasting climate regulation.
From the conservative-dominated Supreme Court down to the lower courts, judges are more skeptical than ever of deferring to agency expertise, a precedent that is affecting the Biden administration’s social cost of carbon and <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2022/04/25/biden-administration-resumes-oil-and-gas-leases-on-public-lands-but-significantly-cuts-back-where-that-can-happen-in-colorado/">public lands’ leasing policy</a>: In February, a Louisiana federal judge (and Trump appointee) <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/02/21/social-cost-of-carbon-biden/">banned</a> the administration from reinstating an Obama-era calculation of the social and economic costs from carbon emissions, an important metric used throughout government policymaking. The inevitable threat of lawsuits has slowed everything down even more.
“An agency can’t seem to be doing anything too ambitious or novel,” Lienke explained. “Agencies have to do even more in terms of building up an incredibly detailed record, cataloging exactly why they have authority to do this, and why the benefits of doing it outweigh the costs. They’re up against a more hostile judiciary.”
That leaves the Biden administration with two imperfect options: Move quickly and risk a greater chance of an upset in courts, or move slowly and leave rules more vulnerable to a possible Republican successor.
So far, the EPA has proceeded cautiously, choosing between priorities. To tackle climate change, it needs to find ways to move not just with caution but with speed. How much forward momentum it can muster will become apparent in the next few months, but the more it can do, the better off the US will be as it attempts to make serious progress toward its climate goals.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/23036107/biden-climate-epa-regulation-power-plants-coal">https://www.vox.com/23036107/biden-climate-epa-regulation-power-plants-coal</a>

vox Time is running out for Biden’s EPA to act on climate

So far, President Biden’s legacy on climate change is pretty insubstantial. There’s time to change that if he can quickly make much better ...

How to use Apple’s new repair program

With Apple’s blessing, you can finally fix your iPhone from the comfort of your own home. On Wednesday, the company announced <a href="https://www.selfservicerepair.com/order">a new section of its website</a> where you can buy tools and replacement parts, including new display screens, batteries, and speakers. The online store seems easy enough to use, and Apple is even offering <a href="https://www.selfservicerepair.com/tool-kit-rental">customer repair kits</a> — which weigh around 79 pounds — that you can rent for $49 a week.
This new program is a major shift for Apple. Historically, the company has typically only offered repair tools and replacement parts to its 5,000 Apple-authorized service providers and another 3,000-plus independent repair shops that have <a href="https://support.apple.com/irp-program">Apple-certified technicians</a>. Apple has long faced criticism from right-to-repair advocates, who want manufacturers to give customers the ability to fix their own devices, for this policy as well as for <a href="https://gizmodo.com/apples-war-on-upgrades-continues-with-the-new-touch-bar-1789002979">its practice of designing hardware that can’t be easily upgraded</a> or incorporating certain components that <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/ifixit-ceo-names-and-shames-tech-giants-for-right-to-repair-obstruction/">only Apple has access to</a>.
The new repair program looks simple enough. Apple has made repair manuals available for certain device lineups, including the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13, and the third-generation iPhone SE. After you’ve studied the repair manual for your particular phone, you can go to the company’s <a href="https://www.selfservicerepair.com/home">Self Service Repair Store</a>, which allows you to search from <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/04/apples-self-service-repair-now-available/">more than 200 parts</a> based on the iPhone model you own. The site also offers tools you can use to complete your repair, including a $99 torque driver and a $216 press for display screens.
If you don’t want to buy an expensive tool that you’ll have to own forever, you can also rent a customized kit that includes all the gadgets you might need. These kits, which come in either one or two boxes, are extremely heavy, so Apple also <a href="https://selfservicerepair.com/tool-kit-rental">recommends several strategies</a> for lifting them, including “Think before your lift” and “Take your time.” Once you’ve decided what you need, Apple will ship all the supplies you’ve ordered to your home. When you’re done with the repair, you can even send some of your old parts back for recycling in exchange for an Apple store credit.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651092335_2759_20137" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23419994,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NyqUTTFB1Ba1qj637kExdf_iOjY=/0x0:1960x1102/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YerYbFgqf41ralFR5_TNjKpSAqU=/0x0:1960x1102/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J4VlUrS7VhN419vVX18Gdx9pF9E=/0x0:1960x1102/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T17SWJxZcHoMVnSkTLy3OIktzxs=/0x0:1960x1102/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s1YzHNYyajlXQhw2w9JoEWb-f7E=/0x0:1960x1102/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yw72SGPPMqm-s-cDNAifUIZizVQ=/0x0:1960x1102/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uNlfzha7FETnfaUfMH1caj3GWuc=/0x0:1960x1102/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wf_jLldHVUamXl3NVOFBeOnMIwc=/0x0:1960x1102/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZYT48DuppO0rLtmMUfUNd8QPcAY=/0x0:1960x1102/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="1960" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fijb7kct-OvJbBQ62INMBGk1td8=/0x0:1960x1102/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ehn59fmNYTm77UC6AdS_jkpA1hU=/0x0:1960x1102/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aGkMwfLyVZ5kvgIZeLwKpOfvncs=/0x0:1960x1102/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l_re7cysGBJ9QtoKlfGEbSaKiHw=/0x0:1960x1102/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NHpG-OZKOy3RXPPuIQ1tKavAda4=/0x0:1960x1102/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N_YsLsX1ZCXzDz1zaaF6xYFvoG4=/0x0:1960x1102/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CnZ7_OPG5EYk-pHHTKjyYqwY-Is=/0x0:1960x1102/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y5X5R8u_upHpT1DmSoJA8sUzZRI=/0x0:1960x1102/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_m-64WynjTXMff0_pRQHXorWmbM=/0x0:1960x1102/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LkKzRN_qN7MusNWC-uYPa0JvUNg=/0x0:1960x1102/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1960x1102):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419994/Apple_Right_to_repair_Hero.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Customers can finally buy replacement parts for their iPhones directly from Apple.</figcaption>
<cite>Apple</cite></figure>
Right now the program is limited to iPhones and is only available in the US. But later this year, the store will expand to include some Mac computers, and will become available in other countries, starting in Europe.
Getting Apple devices repaired has long been an expensive and annoying process, so the company’s new store is certainly welcome progress. But at the same time, it’s not clear that Apple is doing all that it could to make it easier to repair its products, especially since the program is still limited to just a few iPhone models. After all, dozens of states <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-20/microsoft-and-apple-wage-war-on-gadget-right-to-repair-laws?sref=Wg6QzS2e">have proposed right-to-repair legislation</a> in recent years, bills that Apple has fought. For instance, the company <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/1/18525542/apple-right-to-repair-bill-california-lobbyist-comptia">successfully convinced California lawmakers</a> in 2019 that customers might set off a fire if they accidentally damage the lithium-ion batteries in iPhones while trying to repair them. Apple has also suggested that the security and privacy of its devices could be <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/30/21348240/apple-right-to-repair-legislation-antitrust-investigation-policy">compromised</a> by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2021/03/30/apple-lobbies-against-right-to-repair-bill/">non-authorized repairs</a>.
Despite Apple’s best efforts, this right-to-repair movement has recently won support in the White House. In July, President Joe Biden passed an <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22569969/biden-antitrust-executive-order-prices">executive order</a> that, among other things, directs the Federal Trade Commission to create new right-to-repair regulations. Later that month, the agency also declared that it would ramp up enforcement against “<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/07/ftc-ramp-law-enforcement-against-illegal-repair-restrictions">illegal</a>” restrictions on repairs, after <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/05/ftc-report-congress-examines-anti-competitive-repair-restrictions">an investigation</a> documented different strategies technology makers used to make products harder to fix. Apple’s decision was announced in November on the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787336/apple-right-to-repair-self-service-diy-reason-microsoft">same day as a key deadline</a> related to a right-to-repair resolution filed by activist Apple shareholders <a href="https://www.greencentury.com/green-century-shareholder-proposal-presses-apple-to-expand-access-to-repair/">back in September</a>, a connection first reported by The Verge.
Green Century — the sustainability-focused mutual fund that led that effort — has since rescinded its resolution, which would have <a href="https://www.greencentury.com/green-century-shareholder-proposal-presses-apple-to-expand-access-to-repair/">pushed</a> Apple to study the environmental impact of its strict repair policies.
“We felt it was a big enough step forward,” Annalisa Tarizzo, a shareholder advocate at Green Century, told Recode in November. “We hope to continue engaging companies that we invest in on this topic because we think it is really important and there are real risks to investors related to this issue.”
New guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may have influenced Apple’s timing, Tarizzo added. Two weeks before Apple’s announcement, the agency rescinded a Trump-era rule that had made it <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-eases-path-for-shareholder-proposals-on-environmental-social-issues-11635979349">easier for companies to dismiss socially conscious shareholder resolutions</a>. Wednesday was also Green Century’s deadline to defend its proposal to the SEC, which Apple had requested the agency to block.
So Apple’s concessions to some demands from right-to-repair activists seem to be an attempt to preempt new regulations with its repair program. But the company‘s steps forward have some limitations. It isn’t exactly encouraging all users to start rooting around in their iPhones and MacBooks. In <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/">the press release</a> announcing the Self Service Repair, Apple said the program is intended “for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices” and that the “vast majority of customers” should visit an authorized repair shop. Meanwhile, customers who decide to repair their devices themselves under the new program will still need to buy parts directly from Apple, which also sets the price of those components.
“This isn’t the open source repair revolution we’ve sought through our fight for the right to repair,” Elizabeth Chamberlain, the director of sustainability at iFixit, said in <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/55370/apple-diy-repair-program-parts-tools-guides-software">a November blog post</a>. “If there’s now an ‘official’ way to avoid warning messages and a loss of features when you need to replace a <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/32343/apple-is-locking-batteries-to-iphones-now">battery</a>, <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-repairable-iphone">camera</a>, or <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/33147/apple-is-discouraging-screen-repair-with-an-iphone-11-genuine-warning">display</a>, there’s less incentive for Apple to help those using third-party parts, or even those salvaged from other iPhones. By controlling the parts marketplace, Apple can also decide when devices go obsolete.”
This is not the first time Apple has adjusted its strategy to get ahead of potential regulations or legal action. In a proposed settlement with a class-action lawsuit representing software developers last summer, Apple said it would let companies <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/8/27/22644616/apple-app-store-changes-antitrust-spotify-epic-fortnite">tell iPhone and iPad users about ways to pay for purchases like subscriptions</a> outside of the App Store ecosystem. In September, the company also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-11/apple-loosens-app-store-rules-that-hurt-streaming-games-classes?sref=Wg6QzS2e">tweaked its rules for in-app purchases</a> while the company was locked in a contentious lawsuit with Epic Games. Neither of these app-related updates involved Apple changing its policy of charging sizable fees to third parties operating in Apple’s ecosystem, while Apple’s own apps get a free ride.
Apple seems to be taking a similar approach with its new repair system. But even though the company’s new program comes with plenty of caveats, the move is still a big win for customers who don’t want to send their devices to Apple or hunt down an authorized repair shop.
Update, April 27, 11:30 am ET: This story has been updated to note that Apple’s repair store is now available.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22787724/apple-self-service-right-to-repair">https://www.vox.com/recode/22787724/apple-self-service-right-to-repair</a>

vox How to use Apple’s new repair program

With Apple’s blessing, you can finally fix your iPhone from the comfort of your own home. On Wednesday, the company announced a new section ...

One-fifth of all crocodiles, snakes, and other reptiles are threatened with extinction

They aren’t fluffy, and some of them bite, but reptiles are an incredibly important feature of our planet. These cold-blooded creatures, such as crocodiles and snakes, help keep ecosystems healthy, they’ve inspired <a href="https://www.vox.com/22553793/gila-monster-lizard-venom-inspired-obesity-drug-semaglutide">medical</a> and <a href="https://geckskin.umass.edu/">engineering</a> advances, and they can even be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dsuMqClh38M">cute</a>. (I swear!)
But like other animals, charismatic or not, many reptiles are at risk of disappearing. More than a fifth of all reptilian species — over 1,800 — are threatened with extinction, and 31 species have permanently vanished already, according to a new study in the journal Nature.
Turtles and crocodiles face the greatest risks, the analysis shows. There are also hundreds of reptiles that scientists haven’t yet assessed — and many more they’ve yet to discover, said Timothy Colston, a reptile researcher at the University of Puerto Rico, who was not involved with the study. Researchers describe <a href="http://www.reptile-database.org/db-info/SpeciesStat.html">more than 100</a> new reptile species each year, which means some reptiles could go extinct before we even know they exist.
Then again, many people don’t know much about the reptiles that scientists have documented — the pancake-like softshell turtles, the fearsome thorny lizards, and so many more. Each species is unique and part of a delicate ecosystem that other life (including humans) depends on. So, perhaps let’s start there, with the wondrous realm of reptiles, and why it’s smart to keep them on Earth.
<h3>Reptiles, explained</h3>
Reptiles are not amphibians, i.e., a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/5/26/22451394/poison-frogs-deforestation-toxins">frog</a> is not a reptile. There are a few key differences: Amphibians typically have smooth and moist skin that’s porous, whereas reptiles have dry scales. Amphibians also tend to have a closer association with water, although there are a number of water-loving reptiles (such as the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/marine-iguana">marine iguana</a> in the Galapagos Islands, aquatic turtles, and watersnakes).
Some of the world’s most interesting creatures are reptiles, such as the color-changing chameleons and the oldest living land animal on Earth, Jonathan the tortoise (he’s around <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/31/oldest-animal-tortoise-jonathan-/">190</a> years old). Reptiles are also a diverse bunch. Our planet has nearly 30 species of crocodilians alone, ranging from the massive “true crocodiles” to <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/gharial">gharials</a>, which have very long and narrow snouts.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651092570_1527_5193" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23418498,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o2ppzHx2gS27PKdqB1q-7hRjmAc=/0x0:3600x2400/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1iekNOvwUsNaTFoNChhhmMzU9K4=/0x0:3600x2400/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RnzyA5_fT1U5YKAAFtfrPBbOAt4=/0x0:3600x2400/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CU45McFXj0LX3v3pPG_B0epUfRI=/0x0:3600x2400/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/461cfXEusDZuH8IPt_2rv78thsg=/0x0:3600x2400/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2mKwnzlxMrdsX_2sllSzp0HeRrM=/0x0:3600x2400/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D8RJyUDptvsURB8nrm1heFRb9Tc=/0x0:3600x2400/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZvqkeRxI-ocGl2d5uMRWAhWMPfw=/0x0:3600x2400/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5tBheMFK4YqY6u9uD85K333evwg=/0x0:3600x2400/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zo2fqK63EdwqabxxgftinWFZR8I=/0x0:3600x2400/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dPgSkf9BGo18aNX3lllRIiAsmAY=/0x0:3600x2400/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rOKtB1XMQpRKjYwh1c5zn9B7muo=/0x0:3600x2400/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NGwuFrnPEoiGbQ6okwKfp3k13Xg=/0x0:3600x2400/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zb578WtHBILOXfaS72kzp9d2TUM=/0x0:3600x2400/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f-JJG5Eyv-2fFov9pUsYedTfpdw=/0x0:3600x2400/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lQ_ZfepTdUwejYLY_cO6JndLXtc=/0x0:3600x2400/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xKp0O-7VTNk9C_unJj3memkDiak=/0x0:3600x2400/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Brc_PiVoQXsAFVYwBG4M-Mnz3Ns=/0x0:3600x2400/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o39DStcPg1QWFMQsW9qhWLgqPX4=/0x0:3600x2400/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418498/GettyImages_863814132.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, was likely born in the 1830s, and is considered the oldest living land animal on Earth.</figcaption>
<cite>Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images</cite></figure>
Reptiles display a number of evolutionary marvels. Viper snakes, for example, can detect infrared radiation, allowing them to find warm-bodied prey. Crocodiles, meanwhile, have scales with built-in motion sensors, which help them find and capture fish in complete darkness, according to Phoebe Griffith, a doctoral researcher who studies crocodiles at the University of Oxford.
Gharials also make incredible parents, said Griffith, who was not involved in the new study. They nest in communities, and one male or female gharial becomes the “primary guardian” for the babies. If there’s a threat nearby, hundreds of baby crocs will jump on a guardian’s back as it floats in the water like a safety raft, Griffith said. Tell me <a href="https://www.livescience.com/gharial-crocodile-papa-photo.html">this isn’t cute</a>.
Reptiles are a massively understudied group, but scientists know that they play an important role in the environment. For example, gopher tortoises found in the southeastern US dig deep burrows, Colston said, that more than <a href="https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/gopher-tortoise/">350 species</a> rely on. Some reptiles, like snakes and crocodiles, are predators and keep populations of fish, small mammals, and even human pests in check (which is one perk of having insect-loving geckos visit your home).
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651092570_5173_5194" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23418510,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TY9m3Nv_mR_IuD2F2D8uL5sExf8=/0x0:5568x3712/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j_NcH2H6mtPZkPAP8Iz0PFrul1M=/0x0:5568x3712/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CSFPu-g_STpnax1ejKGdRvrnZZU=/0x0:5568x3712/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jGcoK4IaFUDK4T3Q9b27qWba0Uc=/0x0:5568x3712/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EG-pvdIWAh06bm3nbOEG80TgMt4=/0x0:5568x3712/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/b1QU_2-2hDWVvM-r6to216il5v0=/0x0:5568x3712/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Md_jFNzQqnvt-b4R0R8HnXoAZvc=/0x0:5568x3712/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-h5PogNWuKQpmdlILbqG20xRSTE=/0x0:5568x3712/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6fIgMhs__1sZ7VKz-zwLCXQliYo=/0x0:5568x3712/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="5568" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C97KcxJzg-gxSaEl3zVJpULh9Xo=/0x0:5568x3712/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2F4NPt8uSdWD3i2XQ8OTLptNDOQ=/0x0:5568x3712/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QzbraFdrbzIoSZ9bI1OghPlFlgk=/0x0:5568x3712/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lYhzbcZdWSZlnIqbiuPgs9lJsoU=/0x0:5568x3712/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/boMaM2G1lGw9K4PDV9f4KldZdy4=/0x0:5568x3712/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9SuexR3NaKBlEQx4WA3y3rqVFT0=/0x0:5568x3712/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KQUpe5XMgkZpD_XI4VcrfF5lZ2c=/0x0:5568x3712/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XqJRZzAw2ClMBTntZzM2Gp1YbGA=/0x0:5568x3712/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UB4SkyJ18II2YujUQDUNoeZFx4k=/0x0:5568x3712/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/91XsqRahiU44Ip6k6S9znBntHPY=/0x0:5568x3712/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5568x3712):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418510/GettyImages_1300061737.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>A golden eyelash pit viper on a branch near Corcovado National Park, on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.</figcaption>
<cite>Dave Kempe Photography/Getty Images</cite></figure>
Although they’ve got a rotten reputation, snakes are important, too. Beyond their role in bringing balance to an ecosystem, they often eat things that are — unlike themselves — a major risk to humans, such as rodents that carry ticks with Lyme disease. Scientists have also used snake venom to develop <a href="https://www.bbcearth.com/news/how-venoms-are-shaping-medical-advances">life-saving</a> drugs.
<h3>The great reptile decline</h3>
Researchers have largely overlooked reptiles, the authors of the new paper write, which is one reason why their study is so important. Risk assessments like theirs help scientists prioritize a limited amount of funding for conservation.
With input from nearly 1,000 herpetologists, the authors reviewed the threats facing roughly 10,200 species. They found that just over 21 percent of them are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, according to standards set by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Animals in these categories are “threatened with global extinction,” the nonprofit <a href="https://www.iucn.org/resources/conservation-tools/iucn-red-list-threatened-species">says</a>.
That number is large even compared to other animal groups. There are more reptile species threatened by extinction than species of birds or mammals facing similar threats. (More amphibian species are threatened than reptiles, and both amphibians and mammals have a greater overall percentage of species at risk of disappearing.)
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651092570_8821_5195" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23418519,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3zso_AbjX_dqgYbk2gwNpNDU4O8=/0x0:5616x3744/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CiNfirgYyiCGW-aIu3Sa_jJt0ZQ=/0x0:5616x3744/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KV8QdceV1ah9HtzFqioYHGZA-gU=/0x0:5616x3744/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rjoj9Ye8rBug1KPpv8OJLBUlIsQ=/0x0:5616x3744/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LA633ANGdwta5HRVQhPsCMlkydw=/0x0:5616x3744/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F_IPondziyTltKNT4F9LJcSbm3g=/0x0:5616x3744/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t-rOBfQJkbYo1f_8YG6xn2h7Wyc=/0x0:5616x3744/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rgfZPI_6HWFPbxb7ax-LEUw2eWQ=/0x0:5616x3744/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ATIeKNrJIQwBWmUxCB3ti0sXKRc=/0x0:5616x3744/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="5616" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kXWyu5hGUwyW3m_VjVAhxnt4Drk=/0x0:5616x3744/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gMO0IWseASB2hBb3eaO9EAu70Hk=/0x0:5616x3744/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZQPBYSPjIc4VsdgRHt1R8_4wVGs=/0x0:5616x3744/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qswrN_U585_93rk81ffbvNzEgYs=/0x0:5616x3744/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W29p7Gf130bn2EqrIDL4ctn7E7Y=/0x0:5616x3744/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QRftxwAT-jCptRe75y1PrchqK6w=/0x0:5616x3744/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CyP5GNjsPIRBSFKLeMJuG2punc4=/0x0:5616x3744/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y4-rQO5P97PIn1VVFO2GKIhQgM4=/0x0:5616x3744/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/838eags5tcYzvrLT91Wvsfhztrc=/0x0:5616x3744/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/keC1UEOkt3g2dEUdr6OHeMSVXaU=/0x0:5616x3744/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5616x3744):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23418519/GettyImages_157692990.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>A Florida softshell turtle.</figcaption>
<cite>Nancy C. Ross/Getty Images</cite></figure>
Humans have caused these steep reptile declines by destroying or polluting many of their habitats, especially freshwater ecosystems, Griffith said.
The streams and wetlands of South and Southeast Asia are home to a large number of aquatic species, in addition to dense human populations, which pollute and exploit the environment. One issue in rivers, Griffith said, is the plundering of sand, the <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/GLOBAL-ENVIRONMENT/SAND/ygdpzekyavw/">most mined</a> material on Earth. Humans use sand to make products like cement, glass, and tarmac, but many turtles and crocodiles need it to nest.
Half or more of all turtle and crocodile species face extinction, the study revealed. Not only are these animals losing habitat but, for decades, humans have also exploited them for their skin and meat, or caught them accidentally in fishing nets. People also kill crocodiles out of fear or for retaliation. “People don’t like to live near reptiles that can be dangerous,” Neil Cox, a study co-author who manages a project run by IUCN and the nonprofit Conservation International to document threatened species, said on a call with reporters.
Climate change also poses a problem, threatening around 10 percent of all reptiles directly, the authors said. Oddly, global warming may also alter the gender ratio of many reptiles. For certain species, such as sea turtles, the temperature in the environment <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-how-will-climate-change-affect-animal-sex-ratios">determines</a> their babies’ sex — warmer temperatures could mean turtle clutches <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sea-turtle-sex-ratio-crisis-from-climate-change-has-hope">will have more females</a> than males. If warming skews those ratios too much, it could make it hard for reptiles to reproduce.
<h3>Saving reptiles is easier than we thought</h3>
The study’s headline figures are alarming, but the paper revealed something hopeful: Efforts to protect mammals, birds, and amphibians, such as setting up protected areas, seem to benefit reptiles, too. So, even though conservationists may have been ignoring these creatures, reptiles are still somewhat protected.
“If you set out to protect the places where many threatened birds, mammals, and amphibians live together, then you will simultaneously protect many more threatened reptiles than you would expect by chance,” Bruce Young, a study co-author, said on a call with reporters Tuesday. “The situation is less dire than it could be,” said Young, the chief zoologist and senior conservation scientist at the nonprofit group NatureServe.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651092571_9793_5196" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23419153,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dK6uO52brxgI70XyOS-rGTe0OYQ=/0x0:4928x3280/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A3DGpPC3eT-w2GmSm4sNc1tfZX4=/0x0:4928x3280/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3S1elIi6ESnsRZm7qGZx98YJmZs=/0x0:4928x3280/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DZ91PDs8sKNkfgXfxQphVe7ZACU=/0x0:4928x3280/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9LdNriAXNYtBmdgc5MKdTatN4VA=/0x0:4928x3280/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pFrObaqbYbKDMM9lnGa3UGF0fiI=/0x0:4928x3280/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1Rf13Ur0DVMtUi8LFyFXi19Pmq4=/0x0:4928x3280/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tAF3Y5M7OMpHx6scca6H2uE2jmc=/0x0:4928x3280/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MUk7tdgR5I1cHTJa20aMNtCYJug=/0x0:4928x3280/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4928" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fK15rPwEW2ZTiqNqp2QXPNxInG0=/0x0:4928x3280/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gy5U4sPaL6DyOWkUxUkK3TqLWhU=/0x0:4928x3280/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wFh_U5Q23b99NlyoAAXRyKLilI0=/0x0:4928x3280/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/90Ga5V5j1KEBCiz1VjXFH5mlbgQ=/0x0:4928x3280/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wKQW_Ne2hG9amgxJs7Hdtylv-R4=/0x0:4928x3280/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X5M0D6_94Mzzh_mUOTzSLCg33m4=/0x0:4928x3280/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HYC_A_FvOoZMvQxSfFZFVoZctuM=/0x0:4928x3280/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m_-FZrCEc-fdfGp68oHJSSfyO7s=/0x0:4928x3280/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1HVAVUxWjiUN28K7f3DA-U4tbg8=/0x0:4928x3280/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ibXA2hA_EjpdzOjBbSUu-lGsSxw=/0x0:4928x3280/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4928x3280):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23419153/GettyImages_544517430.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>American Alligators at the Everglades Alligator Farm in Homestead, Florida.</figcaption>
<cite>Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images</cite></figure>
Environmental advocates have also shown that humans can reverse the damage they’ve caused. Half a century ago, hunters <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/06/17/we-saved-the-alligators-from-extinction-then-moved-into-their-territory/">nearly wiped out</a> the American alligator from the southeastern states, but in 1967, the US government granted them protection and outlawed hunting. Now they’re so abundant that some states have <a href="https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/alligator/snap/">nuisance alligator</a> programs. Decades of conservation efforts have also <a href="https://phys.org/news/2015-03-green-sea-turtles-recover-florida.html">restored</a> many populations of sea turtles.
Public opinion may be shifting, too, Griffith said. She’s seen more and more people become excited about reptiles in Nepal, where she works, and elsewhere. And there’s a growing community of “herpers” — people who go out, typically at night, in search of reptiles and amphibians. There’s a certain thrill that comes from tracking down loud spring peeper frogs or looking under logs for salamanders. It’s hard not to fall in love with reptiles when you’re immersed in their world.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/4/27/23040966/snakes-turtles-lizards-reptiles-extinction">https://www.vox.com/2022/4/27/23040966/snakes-turtles-lizards-reptiles-extinction</a>

vox One-fifth of all crocodiles, snakes, and other reptiles are threatened with extinction

They aren’t fluffy, and some of them bite, but reptiles are an incredibly important feature of our planet. These cold-blooded creatures, suc...

The Supreme Court seems fed up with a Trump judge who sabotaged Biden

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CFn8IXCevDMueU0pIZI-DCzdvRw=/0x241:5372x3054/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23417314/1239925798.jpg" /></div>
Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump judge in Texas who essentially <a href="https://www.vox.com/23032702/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-texas-biden-trump-immigration">seized control of much of the United States’ southern border policy</a>, appears likely to join the small cohort of Republican judges who went so far out on a limb that even this Supreme Court will not tolerate their behavior.
Last August, Kacsmaryk ordered President Joe Biden’s administration to reinstate Title 42, a Trump-era policy colloquially known as “Remain in Mexico,” which requires many migrants who arrive at the US-Mexico border to stay in Mexico while their asylum case is pending in the United States. But Kacsmaryk read federal immigration law so narrowly that even President Donald Trump’s version of this program wasn’t harsh enough to comply.
Indeed, as Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone conceded during an exchange with Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday morning while the Supreme Court was hearing the case, under Kacsmaryk’s reading of federal law, no administration has ever complied with that law since it was enacted in 1996.
The case is <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/biden-v-texas-2/">Biden v. Texas</a>, and it concerns what options are available to the federal government when it is confronted with an asylum seeker at the Mexican border. Under <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.346680/gov.uscourts.txnd.346680.94.0.pdf">Kacsmaryk’s incorrect interpretation</a> of federal immigration law, the government only has “two options vis-à-vis aliens seeking asylum: 1) mandatory detention; or 2) return to a contiguous territory.”
Kacsmaryk’s reading isn’t just wrong, it is obviously wrong. On its face, federal immigration laws give the government at least four options when confronted with an asylum seeker at the Mexican border. It can do what Kacsmaryk says, or it can <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1182">grant parole</a> to someone seeking admission to the United States “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” And, when parole isn’t available, the government can also release an immigrant into the United States on “<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1226">bond of at least $1,500</a>.”
As Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted during the oral arguments, the case largely turns upon the proper meaning of the words “significant public benefit.” Arguing on behalf of the Biden administration, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said that these words permit the government to reserve its limited detention space for immigrants who present a danger to the public or who might be a flight risk, and to parole other immigrants.
It’s debatable whether Prelogar offered the best possible interpretation of this statute, but her case was bolstered by the fact that Stone was unable to offer a coherent alternative interpretation. At one point in the oral arguments, at least five different justices, including conservatives Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, seemed to take turns castigating Stone for being unable to provide a coherent answer to one of the most important questions in the case.
Stone’s inability to offer a good answer to this question, combined with the fact that his interpretation of the law would lead to truly absurd results — as Justice Elena Kagan noted in a particularly heated contention with Stone, Texas’s reading of the law could give the Mexican government significant power to extort the United States — seems to have been enough to convince most of the Court that Kacsmaryk must be reversed.
That said, it remains likely that the Court will send the case back to Kacsmaryk to resolve some lingering issues. And, given Kacsmaryk’s past performance, it seems overwhelmingly likely that he will bend over backward to rule against the Biden administration — no matter what the law actually says.
It may be quite a while, in other words, before President Joe Biden and his administration regain their lawful authority to end the Remain in Mexico policy.
<h3>Kacsmaryk seized control over much of the United States’ foreign policy</h3>
Under Kacsmaryk’s incorrect reading of the statute, the United States must either return every asylum seeker who arrives at the Mexican border to Mexico, or detain them at a facility within the United States. But the United States has only a fraction of the detention facilities it would need to detain every single asylum seeker — at one point Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts quipped that the federal government may only have enough detention capacity for 2 percent of the relevant population.
That means the country has to do something about the other 98 percent of migrants, and, under Kacsmaryk’s approach, they must be returned to Mexico.
But that approach creates an obvious problem. The Mexican government must consent before the United States can send a flood of asylum seekers back across its border, and if it does not consent, that means that the United States could not possibly comply with the law — at least as Kacsmaryk understands it.
The other problem is that, if Mexico knows that the United States government is under a court order requiring it to return Central American migrants to Mexico, it can demand extraordinary concessions before it permits the US to do so.
As Kagan pointed out, “Mexico can change its mind any day.” It can make one set of demands today, then make another, more onerous set of demands tomorrow. If the Biden administration believes that it is not in the United States’ interest to comply with Mexico’s demands, its only option is to seek relief from a right-wing judge known for his extreme ideology. (Kacsmaryk, previously a lawyer with a Christian conservative law firm, once <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/17/22627107/trump-judge-remain-in-mexico-matthew-kacsmaryk-immigration-asylum-joe-biden-donald-trump">labeled being transgender</a> a “mental disorder,” claimed that gay people are “disordered,” and denounced what he called a “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/17/22627107/trump-judge-remain-in-mexico-matthew-kacsmaryk-immigration-asylum-joe-biden-donald-trump">sexual revolution</a>.”)
The Supreme Court, moreover, has long warned judges not to get involved in these kinds of foreign policy disputes. As the Court said in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/569/108/">Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.</a> (2013), judges should be “particularly wary of impinging on the discretion of the Legislative and Executive Branches in managing foreign affairs.”
The Supreme Court bears much of the blame for placing the United States in this precarious position with Mexico. Last August, the Court handed down a surprising order which <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/24/22640424/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-trump-biden-samuel-alito-immigration">left Kacsmaryk’s decision in place</a> while the case worked its way through appeals. That means that, for the last several months, the Remain in Mexico policy has been in place, and the United States has been forced to deal with Mexico — under threat of a contempt order from Kacsmaryk.
Now, however, a majority of the Court appears to be ready to reject at least some of Kacsmaryk’s reasoning.
<h3>What does “significant public benefit” mean?</h3>
No justice appeared sympathetic to Kacsmaryk’s claim that the United States only has two options when an asylum seeker arrives at the Mexican border. Even Justice Samuel Alito, the Court’s <a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/the-most-partisan-supreme-court-justice-of-all-fd31c58a25aa/">most reliable Republican partisan</a>, seemed to concede that federal law permits some asylum seekers to be granted parole — although he insisted that this determination must be made on a “case-by-case” basis.
But, as Solicitor General Prelogar explained, the government does make these determinations on a case-by-case basis. Asylum seekers are interviewed by immigration officials, they must submit to a background check, and they are screened to see if they’ve ever entered the United States before and fled immigration officials.
The purpose of this process is to identify immigrants who may either present a danger to Americans or who might be a flight risk, and thus should not be granted parole.
Prelogar spent much of her argument time responding to questions about whether a statute permitting immigrants to be granted parole “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit” was broad enough to permit parole to be granted to the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who cannot be detained because the government lacks the capacity to detain them.
Under Prelogar’s argument, the public benefits from ensuring that the government’s limited detention capacity is reserved for “high-priority” cases, such as for immigrants suspected of violent crimes or terrorism. And the public also benefits if the United States does not have to make concessions to Mexico in order to maintain the Remain in Mexico program.
Stone, meanwhile, struggled to offer an alternative interpretation of the words “significant public benefit.” At one point, after he spent several minutes bobbing and weaving in the face of multiple justices’ questions trying to pin him down on this issue, Justice Barrett seemed to cut him off — telling him that these are questions “which you have to surmount” to prevail.
Kavanaugh seemed to believe that the words “significant public benefit” are sufficiently ambiguous that it may make sense to simply defer to the Biden administration’s interpretation of them. We “give a lot of deference to agencies” on these sorts of interpretative questions, Kavanaugh told Stone.
If Kavanaugh and Barrett vote with the Biden administration, it’s difficult to see how Stone could prevail. And Chief Justice Roberts, who told Stone at one point that “Congress may want detention but it hasn’t provided the money” to detain everyone, also seemed inclined to vote with the administration.
So that’s good news, both for asylum seekers and for anyone who believes that policy should be set by an elected president and his administration, and not by unelected judges like Kacsmaryk.
But there is one catch.
<h3>This case could still go on for a long time</h3>
Though Tuesday’s arguments largely focused on Kacsmaryk’s misreading of the statute, there’s also another issue lingering in this case. When the government makes a policy change, it <a href="https://www.vox.com/23032702/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-texas-biden-trump-immigration">typically must explain why it did so</a>. The Supreme Court’s August order allowing Kacsmaryk’s order to remain in effect suggested that the Biden administration did not adequately explain its decision to end the Remain in Mexico policy — though the administration released a <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1029_mpp-termination-justification-memo.pdf">new memorandum in October</a> that offers a more detailed explanation.
Some of the justices, most notably Kavanaugh, asked some questions suggesting that they might send the case back down to Kacsmaryk to determine whether this October memorandum is sufficient to end Remain in Mexico. And, if Kacsmaryk gets his hands on this case again, he’s likely to seize that opportunity to sabotage the Biden administration one more time.
Alito — and to a lesser extent Justices Thomas and Neil Gorsuch — asked a few questions about a jurisdictional question that the Biden administration mentioned in a footnote in its brief. This may be an effort by Alito to draw this case out even longer by ordering the parties to submit additional briefings on this jurisdictional issue before the case can be resolved.
And, for every minute that the Court leaves this case unresolved, Kacsmaryk’s order remains in effect.
It is possible, in other words, that even if the Republican Supreme Court ultimately allows President Biden to set policy compliant with federal law, they may try to delay their resolution of the case to frustrate him a little while longer.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/4/26/23042653/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-trump-biden-texas-immigration-border-asylum">https://www.vox.com/2022/4/26/23042653/supreme-court-remain-in-mexico-trump-biden-texas-immigration-border-asylum</a>

vox The Supreme Court seems fed up with a Trump judge who sabotaged Biden

Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump judge in Texas who essentially seized control of much of the United States’ southern border policy , appears lik...

Even Elon Musk doesn’t know what he means by free speech

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tVaq43WDAuhAn2_oQ9KU8-tkAuI=/0x422:4400x2726/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23417316/GettyImages_1232944328.jpg" /></div>
Changes are coming to Twitter. And if we’re to believe Elon Musk, those changes will transform the app in the name of preserving free speech online.
But what exactly does that look like or mean for your account? <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23041717/twitter-musk-business-plan-peter-kafka-column">Not even Musk knows yet</a>, and these changes won’t be coming overnight (Musk’s offer of $44 billion to buy the company is expected to take several months to close).
Even if we don’t know the details, any potential change to Twitter — a platform used by nearly 400 million people including some of the world’s most influential politicians, celebrities, and public figures — will have a major impact. Already, many conservatives are hoping that Musk will reverse the company’s ban on former President Donald Trump (for now, <a href="https://twitter.com/meridithmcgraw/status/1518669690465366019">Trump has said that he won’t return to Twitter</a> if given the chance, but that could change). At the same time, some activists, civil rights leaders, and Twitter employees are worried about whether Musk’s absolutist approach to free speech will undo the progress Twitter has made in the past several years to reduce the prevalence of harassment, hate speech, and misinformation.
“The idea of allowing more speech sounds like a very positive thing,” said Renee DiResta, a researcher at the Stanford Internet Observatory. “The question is, how is [Musk] going to balance that with the recognition that content moderation has always existed in the interest of community creation online?”
Musk has talked a lot about the virtues of free speech, but he has no experience managing that on a social media platform where <a href="https://www.internetlivestats.com/twitter-statistics/">hundreds of millions of tweets</a> are posted a day. The billionaire has offered a few clues, however, about what his overall approach to content moderation on Twitter might look like. In an interview at the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/14/elon-musk-ted-talk/">TED conference earlier</a> this month, Musk said he plans to “err on the side” of leaving content up — no matter how controversial — and only taking down content that clearly violates the law, such as an incitement to violence. This would be a stark departure from Twitter’s current content moderation policies, which, in recent years, have been aimed at limiting hate speech, harassment, and other types of content on the platform it deems harmful.
In the press release this week about his acquisition of Twitter, Musk also suggested less-controversial changes to Twitter, including “making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.” These are all areas that critics have called on Twitter to improve in the past, and in some cases, the company is <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2021/introducing-responsible-machine-learning-initiative">already working on</a> improvements. So we’ll have to see whether Musk can execute and how long it will take. Many of those eager for him to take the helm want him to turbocharge feature improvements like authenticating all users, and to dial back what they view as Twitter’s heavy-handedness in moderating people’s speech online.
Meanwhile, Musk’s motivations for buying Twitter seem somewhat complicated. One of the most remarkable aspects of this takeover saga is that Musk has publicly said that, for him, it is not about making money, it’s about promoting free speech. This free speech slogan has earned Musk the support of many conservatives who feel that Twitter and other social media companies unfairly discriminate against them. For Musk, it’s more than that: This deal is also a way to exert influence over a major media platform that is used by some of the most important politicians, celebrities, and leaders in the world. Given <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/musk-asks-us-judge-end-2018-sec-consent-decree-2022-03-08/">Musk’s own public battle with the SEC</a> over his tweets, owning Twitter provides a valuable way for Musk to be the one to set the rules.
“If in doubt, let the speech … let it exist. If it’s a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist,” said Musk at the conference. “I do think that we want to be just very reluctant to delete things.”
What Musk is talking about reflects the same ideology on which social media companies like Twitter and Facebook were founded: Let anyone say what they want online. But in practice, nearly every major platform — and even more recent free speech absolutist ones like Parler, Gettr, and Trump’s own Truth Social — have <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-truth-social-developing-content-moderation-practices-to-ensure-family-friendly-community">put into place some rules against</a> things like hate speech, harassment, or inappropriate content. That’s because if they don’t, these platforms tend to devolve into cesspools of hateful, negative, or spammy content that isn’t good for users or advertisers. For example, when trolls flood someone with targeted harassment, they can be exercising their free speech, but their intimidation tactics are also potentially discouraging that user from sharing their own viewpoints.
“One of the things that we’ve seen on every single social platform since the invention of the internet is that some people’s free speech is deployed to try to prevent other people’s participation and assembly,” said DiResta.
In his TED interview, Musk did acknowledge some limitations to the idea of letting free speech remain up all the time. He said that, in some cases, Twitter could potentially deprioritize content to make it less prominent in people’s feeds.
“In a case where there’s perhaps a lot of controversy, then you would not want to necessarily promote that tweet,” said Musk. “I’m not saying that I have all the answers here.”
Twitter does have people in place to figure out the answers to these hard questions. Currently, Twitter’s moderation and safety teams, which reportedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/technology/twitter-employees-elon-musk.html">include hundreds of employees</a>, help make decisions about when to downrank, label, or delete tweets that violate its policies. It’s unclear what Musk plans to do with these teams, and some at the company are worried he’ll cut back.
There’s also a fear that Musk’s plan to “open up” Twitter’s algorithm could prove difficult. The idea is that in cases where the company down-ranks certain tweets, Twitter should make it clear to users what’s going on. As Musk put it in his TED interview, this would show users that “there’s no behind-the-scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually.”
It’s an idea that, in theory, even some of Musk’s critics on content moderation agree with, but in practice, it needs a lot more fleshing out. For starters, Twitter has many algorithms, so which one is Musk referring to? Also, how would Twitter share its proprietary technology without giving out its secret sauce, thereby allowing its competitors to copy its business?
There’s still a lot we don’t know about how Musk would run Twitter. But what we do know is that his views on how much Twitter should be moderating content are drastically different from his predecessors’ in running the company. If handled well, that could result in a more open, robust realm of conversation on one of the world’s most influential social networks. But if handled poorly, that could mean that problems like harassment, hate speech, and misinformation will only get worse.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23042878/elon-musk-twitter-free-speech">https://www.vox.com/recode/23042878/elon-musk-twitter-free-speech</a>

vox Even Elon Musk doesn’t know what he means by free speech

Changes are coming to Twitter. And if we’re to believe Elon Musk, those changes will transform the app in the name of preserving free speec...

A day in the life of a professional Twitter flirt

Welcome to <a href="https://www.vox.com/24-hours-online">24 Hours Online</a>, where we ask one extremely internetty person to document a day in their life looking at screens.
For Rosie Nguyen, flirting with her Twitter mutuals is all part of the job. Nguyen, better known by her online persona <a href="https://twitter.com/jasminericegirl">@JasmineRiceGirl</a>, is the co-founder and CMO of Fanhouse, an OnlyFans-meets-Patreon platform for creators to monetize their followings. She’s also an influencer, which can involve anything from singing to her Twitch subscribers to posting about her bowel movements.
There are less-fun parts, too. As a woman who tweets about being horny and other topics that fall under the general umbrella of “hot girl culture,” Nguyen regularly receives creepy DMs, unsolicited dick pics, and even “hate raids,” which is apparently a thing when a bunch of people swarm your Twitch stream to say vile things about you. The 24-year-old is still figuring it all out. “There used to be a weird tension between my internet persona and my professional life,” she says over a recent Zoom call, “but I’m really starting to embrace those weird overlaps.” Here’s how Nguyen spent her April 20th online (sans weed), in her own words:
8:50 am
I try to wake up around 9 am. I’ll usually straight-up spend an hour on my phone before I move or do anything — I don’t know how people have the energy to get up right after waking up. I scroll through Twitter and see people clowning on the <a href="https://news.knowyourmeme.com/news/twitter-users-meme-on-foster-parent-complaining-about-the-emotional-labor-involved-in-parenting-18-year-old">person who complained</a> about the “emotional labor” of parenting children. I didn’t comment on it because it’s not my business, but I hope the kids are okay.
It’s one of those things that you’ll only know if you live on Twitter. My roommates don’t know anything about it, so then I have to give them the full context and what everyone is saying and I’m just like, “This is so interesting that I just have all this information in my brain, every day.”
10:30 am
After my hour of doomscrolling, I use the Headspace app and meditate for 10 minutes. I’m never as consistent with it as I wish I was, but one more meditation is better than none?
11 am
I have a meeting with my marketing team and take my ADHD medication, which I should have taken earlier when I woke up but I forgot. I feel like a lot of content creators tend to have ADHD, because being online is one of those things that really work with it — you have these constant notifications keeping your attention.
11:15 am
I go through my Slack notifications and reply to everything. It always feels like there are a hundred in the morning to get through.
One thing that we do at Fanhouse that’s really important to me is protect creators from harassment and leaks. When I used to be on OnlyFans, it happened a lot. There will be Reddit threads devoted to leaks from people’s accounts with disgusting comments, so we DCMA all of those. Everything on Fanhouse has a unique watermark so we know exactly who leaked it, and then we fine them. I feel like most platforms don’t care about creators unless it’s copyright infringement, but we really do care.
11:50 am
I take a “Fanhouse break,” which is technically work, but it’s not work. I’m the co-founder and CMO, but I’m also on Fanhouse as a creator. I post “sad sad sad sad sad” on my private feed. I’ve been feeling stressed and overwhelmed and tired and all I want to do is sleep and cry, which is kind of just what you feel sometimes. Fanhouse is the place where I put all of those shout-into-the-void feelings.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651006110_4061_69678" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23409977,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AgattDA-XUkameEZvBwTHOFjxSE=/0x0:642x1172/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5vLhox0-OuUVNyeNI5k3ot1BS6s=/0x0:642x1172/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aGidNo7qlYTtJKIt1bsWIZUsfRs=/0x0:642x1172/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tlGwPIfAEL_KSg_KgF_04elvqs8=/0x0:642x1172/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dDXPkW58i6NbPGr72I8SIz5v_Js=/0x0:642x1172/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qLyqnM__H7-PdDbRSN_RDvDaDxk=/0x0:642x1172/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7WpxHLP9rHNupm8mysiC1bpqqMY=/0x0:642x1172/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DKorpxj55Kf04tnH-zCXxJ95rnQ=/0x0:642x1172/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k85c7uPwTWLSo4scBb7NLzzq15g=/0x0:642x1172/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="642" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Px8GgDZdwaTqcKid1JpDkBk0qi8=/0x0:642x1172/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zJBHVLqMXH8uKF64aYMyywdYnMo=/0x0:642x1172/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QlHMlt1-5dNmmHLsMtuFmmegMHQ=/0x0:642x1172/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d8RaB1T9UpRIE8qbsE5u3OkrkGQ=/0x0:642x1172/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9g8qbhr5SaPBCfSBceI5BZnkxH0=/0x0:642x1172/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MceucRmPAQ6OpwJYj8Q7gCOscSA=/0x0:642x1172/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RgqltfYQ_ZtZWBS2tI_msj-Y9FI=/0x0:642x1172/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2b1YW7co-7LRB4tqg9ekLIDFLYo=/0x0:642x1172/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OG0NRbFFE-auvWT8Nf23h1lS3qc=/0x0:642x1172/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QuyEHIMejzvguxAglyC0avwTtsQ=/0x0:642x1172/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:642x1172):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409977/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.29.28_PM.png 1920w" /></picture></figure>
A fan comments on my post, writing “hey stinky pup” to make me feel better. I message her back and ask how she is, and then I get curious how she became a fan of mine because she’s been really supportive in the past few weeks. I have a lot of small supporters — the $5 Twitch sub, the $5 Fanhouse sub. This fan in particular has gifted, like, 120 subs in my Twitch channel (cost: about $600).
12:40 pm
My most recent tweet was a more formal, professional one, which means that my next tweet should be a fun one. I try to keep my fun-to-work ratio on Twitter something like 9:1. I’ve had a tweet in my drafts I’ve been meaning to post, so I send it. It says, “this account is a safe space for horny women. You are loved and seen.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
this account is a safe space for horny women. you are loved and seen
— jasminericegirl (@jasminericegirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasminericegirl/status/1516866698749509632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
</div>
12:55 pm
I get a notification that my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/akaNemsko/status/1516867837381468160">@akanemsko</a>, a beautiful chess streamer, has replied to my tweet saying “I LOVE YOU JASMINE,” which makes me smile. I reply, “i love you too (i have very dexterous fingers btw).” Often when I interact with my friends on Twitter what we really do is aggressively flirt with each other. Flirting with everyone is maybe my toxic trait but it’s my favorite thing to do and it’s how I show love. I cannot tell you how much life it gives me. To my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrissyCostanza/status/1516871272738795522">@chrissycostanza</a> I comment, “my room is also a safe space for horny women btw if you would like to come over sometime.”
1:00 pm
My computer crashes and I lose all my tabs so I’m stressed. I’m one of those people who keep tabs open for all the things I need to do and I just hope I’ll get to all of them again. Knowing me, I’ll definitely forget something unless it pops up in front of my face. ADHD life.
1:50 pm
I use my phone when I poop. That’s the only way to poop. It was my third poop of the day, so I post on my Fanhouse asking if that’s normal. Someone responds that it’s impressive. Someone else responds, “women don’t poop, nice try.”
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651006110_4903_69679" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23409978,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4Hgx3ODwV1pSdX8kfsnL-jlDZ8o=/0x0:650x984/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3AaXeSfZhIqmOZeWcmMHNaB9TJE=/0x0:650x984/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uG7-PMUqYjyyPLmGTTnItqQCmXQ=/0x0:650x984/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lRPBlmfWuO63bbh8zNPXIH_wF-o=/0x0:650x984/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6jrIGBLp76hFh-ow2Fy9JnEcJtQ=/0x0:650x984/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Pdr2S0ECD2KaokoG3D7Qt6zQHqE=/0x0:650x984/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sKI-QvDjY4bQqubaxoC-HY2IB84=/0x0:650x984/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wtkF9wh02LtbKTxS5HcJYKYGSJc=/0x0:650x984/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XB5O03l6cqx7B3tUL7jc41oALGY=/0x0:650x984/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="650" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H_tBBSwkzzBM0E2HVehoAcxTeFI=/0x0:650x984/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JJ_y7mgCqneh_6swINXOUY9KYq0=/0x0:650x984/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Vdmmih0pkdjvrNb5heSA7y_2uSA=/0x0:650x984/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1RvlCyO5xN3nxNULMImyiTmZjk0=/0x0:650x984/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4NG20h9eFZLj_bgv0UIg2rZGUZQ=/0x0:650x984/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BJq49FHlJVVOdA5R4XMPMv5MBq8=/0x0:650x984/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PznN4GJMeljS9CXqb4AuO6uABNg=/0x0:650x984/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TJpoG7OH8NDlGNfonW5dkD_TPRg=/0x0:650x984/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h-Xu5d1uE11xxCErB4P4FLx8Wg4=/0x0:650x984/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W_ScFMkn_G6_FeQ1AbWCIZoPFMM=/0x0:650x984/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:650x984):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409978/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.37.03_PM.png 1920w" /></picture></figure>
4:00 pm
I read through more Twitter replies. A bot on Twitter informs me that my tweet was a haiku. I count the syllables to myself and confirm they are right. I think, “Wow, I am a poet and a genius.”
A lot of “thank yous” from weird dudes. I do get told gross things on Twitter sometimes. My coping mechanism as a creator is to just block anyone who makes me feel weird in any negative way.
There’s always the component of people wanting sexual things from you. I get unsolicited dick pics all the time because my account is very sex-positive and I love talking about sex. Then men will comment, “I have a boner for you” or will ask me to do sexual things with them, and that is not at all what I’m inviting. I just block and ban them.
5:30 pm
I have to go to an event hosted by one of our investors for founders and other people in tech. I don’t love network-y tech events, and there’s no hour of the day where I go a full 60 minutes without picking up my phone, so at some point I sit down and scroll on my phone — Twitter, Instagram Stories, Fanhouse.
10 pm
Finally done with events and dinner. I make the mistake of looking at my DMs and the latest is a disgustingly horny message, so I block the sender.
I usually stream on Twitch at night after dinner — I’ve been trying to become a partner on Twitch, which is sort of the Twitch version of being verified. I do “Just Chatting” streams where I talk about my day and answer questions. I’ve also been learning how to play piano since the beginning of the year, so sometimes I’ll sing. People can request songs for $3.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1651006110_27_69680" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23409980,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DJuTijdfYjj93xhHZtaEAO9KZi0=/0x0:1724x970/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4X2wU6q69nmgdtoKJvF2MjJyjvo=/0x0:1724x970/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0gBFRWYuuMQN34G5SCp2nGD2lqU=/0x0:1724x970/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VJ9GTr-DwYYk-atyFPyLfXEZxD8=/0x0:1724x970/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1v8G_qlmTYpd0oJ2RhRMTKiCfyI=/0x0:1724x970/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LmcmzTDUYDr-70naWwiWo3Ufj3c=/0x0:1724x970/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IgCgu7f8Tc7c_MqQLiEOg-TYI3s=/0x0:1724x970/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lBxXyiNbw5ntph8jVCWlZSLixCw=/0x0:1724x970/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RJVms_BIuZnBpHY8uFffcg4In5A=/0x0:1724x970/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="1724" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7MiG7GILmusdrOoLt1GEDpBPzEM=/0x0:1724x970/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KuPGAqoeW9tf0eIBJlEYdB5Dya4=/0x0:1724x970/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PCHuX5CKs2lvWXsAz_WbD1YIZrk=/0x0:1724x970/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ojeUVifo1X4bLHrgzEWt5x7n9cg=/0x0:1724x970/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/feNlhiCoFoKkANvAInyg4i2pM6Q=/0x0:1724x970/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F-vnXvl0Ia-WX-lPtrPxWgeTr_k=/0x0:1724x970/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lb21wF_hf3LgfdHRaSDlx2j2h2U=/0x0:1724x970/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lrviMBVlgRG5pCKpVlzSLU6TONI=/0x0:1724x970/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JMjbtwtb1H5TZHNwrvvYzjbufUU=/0x0:1724x970/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d08IE_yC2MuGsdcG2VdXoJVor8k=/0x0:1724x970/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1724x970):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23409980/Screen_Shot_2022_04_22_at_3.38.01_PM.png 1920w" /></picture></figure>
I wish Twitch were better at blocking people. You can ban an account, but they can still watch your streams or make new accounts, so the harassment sometimes feels endless. Hate raids are a big thing, too: A ton of people at once will call you slurs, and the only way to get away from it is to end the stream. But tonight, my friend messages me on Discord because they need another player on Valorant, so I do that instead.
12:00 am
I try to have a rule where I get off my PC by 11 pm, but I don’t follow it. I usually scroll my phone while brushing my teeth — I can’t remember a day where I brush my teeth without using my phone. It’s like when you take a dump without your phone and you feel bored and empty.
At midnight I play the new Wordle and then spend another hour on my phone and check more replies to my tweet. It got about 7,000 likes, which is pretty good engagement for my account. These silly tweets are my content, my art, in a sense, so it’s sort of like if I did this painting that I was kind of proud of and my friends being like, “This is a beautiful painting!” Except it’s a horny tweet.
Total screen time: 6 hours, 47 minutes
This column was first published in The Goods newsletter. <a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters">Sign up here</a> so you don’t miss the next one, plus get newsletter exclusives.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23037735/rosie-nguyen-jasmine-rice-girl-fanhouse">https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23037735/rosie-nguyen-jasmine-rice-girl-fanhouse</a>

vox A day in the life of a professional Twitter flirt

Welcome to 24 Hours Online , where we ask one extremely internetty person to document a day in their life looking at screens. For Rosie Ng...