A company you’ve probably never heard of caused half the internet to go dark

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1LeAQwkso_yATpiK_jdel4CQ_xo=/0x344:4399x2647/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22644909/GettyImages_803544702.jpg" /></div> <p>Swaths of websites went down on Tuesday morning after an outage at the cloud computing services provider Fastly. Internet users were unable to access major news outlets, e-commerce platforms, and even government websites. Everyone from Amazon to the New York Times to the White House was affected.</p> <p>At around 6:30 am ET, Fastly said it applied a “fix” to the issue, and many of the websites that went down seemed to be working again as of 9 am ET. Still, the outage highlights how dependent, centralized, and susceptible the infrastructure supporting the internet — especially cloud computing providers that the average user doesn’t directly interact with — actually is. This is at least the third time in less than a year that a problem at a large cloud computing provider has led to countless websites and apps going dark.</p> <p>Fastly is a content delivery network (CDN), which maintains a network of servers that transfer content quickly from websites to users. The company, which counts Shopify, Stripe, and countless media outlets as customers, <a href="https://www.fastly.com/">promises</a> “lightning fast delivery” and “advanced security.” The nature of such a network also means that problems can quickly spread and affect many of those customers at once. In the case of Tuesday’s incident, Fastly <a href="https://twitter.com/fastly/status/1402221348659814411">says</a> it “identified a service configuration that triggered disruptions” around the globe. It <a href="https://status.fastly.com/incidents/vpk0ssybt3bj">took about two hours</a> from the time the problem was identified until a fix was implemented.</p> <p>At the moment, there’s no reason to suspect the outage was the result of a cyberattack. Still, the outage comes amid a slew of recent cyberincidents that have impacted everything from <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/1/22463179/jbs-foods-ransomware-attack-meat-hackers">the global meat supply</a> to a major <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22428774/ransomeware-pipeline-colonial-darkside-gas-prices">oil pipeline</a> in the United States.</p> <p>It’s nevertheless clear that the outage caused momentary mayhem. The site <a href="https://downdetector.com/">Downdetector</a>, which tracks complaints about website failures, shows a slew of sites received an uptick in complaints this morning, not only for media outlets like the New York Times and CNN but also for Reddit, Spotify, and Walt Disney World. Outages at payments systems like Stripe and e-commerce platforms like Shopify also suggest money could have been lost in transactions that didn’t go through, though it’s so far unclear if that’s the case.</p> <p>All Vox Media websites, including this one, were offline for a half-hour. The Verge, which is owned by Vox Media, <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisSinjo/status/1402214570278768643">transitioned</a> to offering its content on Google Docs before internet users swarmed the doc and started editing (editors accidentally left the page unrestricted). Kentik, an internet observability company, <a href="https://www.kentik.com/analysis/fastly-outage-knocks-major-websites-offline/">reported</a> that the outage was responsible for a 75 percent drop in traffic from Fastly’s servers.</p> <p>The scale of Tuesday’s outage — and the frequency of large outages like this one — is what’s really worrisome. Last July, connection issues between two of the data centers operated by Cloudflare <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/17/cloudflare-dns-goes-down-taking-a-large-piece-of-the-internet-with-it/">ultimately took</a> many sites, including Politico, League of Legends, and Discord, briefly offline. Then, <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/message/11201/" has-subtag="true" data-cdata='{"rewritten_url":"https://aws.amazon.com/message/11201/?ascsubtag=[]vx[p]22288065[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder","subtag_max_length":99,"subtag_delim_length":2,"subtag_key":"ascsubtag","subtag_data":{"ascsubtag":"[]vx[p]22288065[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder"},"encode_subtag":false}'>a data-processing problem for Amazon Web Services</a> last November caused problems for sites like the Chicago Tribune, the security camera company Ring, and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/25/21719396/amazon-web-services-aws-outage-down-internet">Glassdoor</a>. The Fastly outage shows the trend continuing, especially as most of the web remains increasingly dependent on cloud providers.</p> <p>While the issue seems to be fixed for now, it will take some time to measure the damage caused by even a couple hours of downtime at a major cloud computing provider. And that leaves the world anxiously awaiting the next time this happens.</p> <p>One of the reasons the Fastly outage seems so wide scale is that cloud computing service companies like Fastly are consolidating, leaving websites dependent on a shrinking number of providers. Even if there aren’t that many total outages, the fact that so many everyday sites rely on fewer cloud providers makes each individual outage feel pretty significant to an average internet user who just wanted to buy some stuff on Amazon and read the New York Times early Tuesday morning.</p> <p>There are benefits to consolidation, explains Doug Madory, the head of internet analysis at the network monitoring company Kentik. For instance, a smaller number of cloud providers means it’s much easier to get those providers to deploy a particular security change. “The flip side is the liability [of] having a few megacompanies, whether they’re CDNs or other types of internet firms, responsible for a lot of our internet activities,” Madory told Recode.</p> <p>In other words, when one of these megacompanies updates its systems and inadvertently causes an outage, the damage radius could be quite wide. This is what happened in 2011 when one of Amazon’s cloud computing systems, Elastic Block Store (EBS), crashed and brought Reddit, Quora, and Foursquare offline. After the incident, Amazon explained that engineers inadvertently caused <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/message/65648/" has-subtag="true" data-cdata='{"rewritten_url":"https://aws.amazon.com/message/65648/?ascsubtag=[]vx[p]22288065[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder","subtag_max_length":99,"subtag_delim_length":2,"subtag_key":"ascsubtag","subtag_data":{"ascsubtag":"[]vx[p]22288065[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder"},"encode_subtag":false}'>technical problems</a> that trickled down through its systems and caused the outage.</p> <p>“You end up with these cascading failures,” explained Christopher Meiklejohn, a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon’s Institute for Software Research. “They’re difficult to debug. They’re stressful and difficult to resolve. And they can be very difficult to detect early on when you’re thinking about making that change, because the systems are so complex and they involve so many moving parts.”</p> <p>Central to these challenges, Meiklejohn said, is the fact that these cloud computing systems can involve tens of thousands of servers deployed across the world. It’s very difficult for developers working on new changes to anticipate all the characteristics of the larger system, a scenario that makes it more likely for an error to occur when updates are finally implemented. Companies don’t always have the tools to detect these problems before they happen, though there’s growing research and effort into better solutions.</p> <p>The Fastly outage also happened amid growing concerns about cybersecurity. Now, many are anxious for more details from Fastly — which markets itself as a dependable and speedy service — about how its systems went down. The outage serves as a reminder that the internet is built on increasingly complicated infrastructure, one that’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/business/fastly-internet-outage.html">global</a> and can potentially affect the sites and services of countless companies. That means little mistakes can have massive consequences.</p> <p><strong>Update, June 8, 2021, 3:15 pm ET:</strong> This piece has been updated with new information and analysis.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/8/22524024/fastly-web-outage-news-websites">https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/8/22524024/fastly-web-outage-news-websites</a>

vox A company you’ve probably never heard of caused half the internet to go dark

Swaths of websites went down on Tuesday morning after an outage at the cloud computing services provider Fastly. Internet users were unable...

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Nobody knows exactly how tornadoes form — and the mystery can be deadly

<p>Shortly after midnight on March 3, 2020, Moe Odhwani woke up to find his cellphone buzzing violently beside him. The screen told him that a tornado was nearing his home in East Nashville, Tennessee. In the past, these alerts had never amounted to much — but he took shelter in the garage just to be safe.</p> <p>It was a good thing he did. About seven to 10 minutes after the warning, the tornado howled over the area with winds in excess of 130 miles per hour. “The whole building started to shake,” says Odhwani, a 32-year-old who works in logistics. He worried that he wouldn’t survive: “Just, like, ‘This is it? This is how I’m going out?’”</p> <p>Odhwani stayed safe, but the storm in the area <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_March_2%E2%80%933,_2020">killed 25 people that night</a>. Thinking back on how little warning he had, he says, “Seven or 10 minutes is definitely not enough time.”</p> <p>Tornadoes are some of the most deadly and damaging weather on Earth. The next day, “it was like a bomb went off in East Nashville,” Odhwani says. “Everything was destroyed.” Yet people in harm’s way are only given minutes to take cover from winds that can surpass 250 or even 300 mph.</p> <p>This is one of the most frustrating, stagnant problems in meteorology. As of 2011, the average lead time for tornado warnings <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/tornadoes-101#:~:text=The%20current%20average%20lead-time,warning%20lead-times%20much%20further.">was just around 13 minutes</a>. But as the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/05/21/joplin-tornado-warning-improvement-nws/">has reported</a>, lead times have been getting worse in recent years, dropping to 8.4 minutes between 2012 and 2020. Some people <a href="https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/why-tornado-not-warned">have even less warning</a>. (Odhwani says he didn’t hear the city’s warning sirens, and might have kept sleeping if his phone wasn’t nearby.) Think about it: If you had less than a quarter of an hour to prepare for devastation, what could you accomplish?</p> <p>The truth is that those minutes of warning actually represent an improvement. “If you look back into the ’50s, even as late as the ’70s or the ’80s, tornadoes ... they kind of came out of nowhere,” says <a href="https://staff.ucar.edu/users/jweber">Jeff Weber</a>, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.ucar.edu/">University Corporation for Atmospheric Research</a>. In 1990, the average lead time was <a href="https://www.outlook.noaa.gov/tornadoes/tipsheet.htm">five minutes</a>.</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <div> <div class="c-entry-sidebar"> <p>Have you experienced a tornado you had little warning to prepare for? Share your story with Unexplainable@vox.com. We may feature it in an upcoming podcast.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Between 1990 and 2019, tornadoes killed, on average, 68 people per year, <a href="https://www.weather.gov/hazstat/">according to the National Weather Service</a>. Tornadoes can also cause billions of <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events.pdf">dollars’ worth of damage in any given year</a>.</p> <p>The lack of progress on tornado warnings is frustrating considering just how good meteorologists have gotten at predicting other severe weather, including hurricanes. In 2019, the National Hurricane Center’s <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/verification/figs/ALtkerrtrd.jpg">predictions</a> three days in advance of a storm were more accurate than its predictions one day in advance of a storm in 1990.</p> <p>When tornado warnings do come, an actual twister may not follow. The <a href="https://www.weather.gov/lwx/IdentifyThreatsTOR">vast majority</a> of tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service prove to be false alarms; in some years, the false alarm rate can be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/04/20/americans-are-getting-less-advance-notice-for-tornadoes-as-researchers-struggle-to-understand-why/">as high as 70 to 80 percent</a>. Tornado forecasting hasn’t improved much <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/05/21/joplin-tornado-warning-improvement-nws/">since the 2011</a> tornado disaster <a href="https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2021-05-19-joplin-tornado-memories">in Joplin, Missouri</a>, killed <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wcas/6/2/wcas-d-13-00022_1.xml#:~:text=On%2022%20May%202011%2C%20a,%2C%20Missouri%2C%20killing%20162%20people.">162 people</a>.</p> <p>Tornado predictions are clearly an unresolved problem in meteorology. But weather researchers are optimistic they can solve it.</p> <p>“There’s no doubt in my mind that in 100 years from now, we’ll probably be able to have a far greater accuracy for warning communities when a tornado is going to literally drop out of the sky,” Weber says.</p> <p>To do that, scientists will need to confront these storms head-on — and start to solve the mystery of how they form.</p> <p>Why is it so hard to predict when a tornado is going to touch down?</p> <p>Scientists know tornadoes mainly form out of huge, violent “supercell” thunderstorms, which are particularly violent storms that rotate as if they were mini hurricanes. These storms are particularly common <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/03/29/replacing-term-tornado-alley-south/">in the middle and southeastern portions</a> of the United States, where moist, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets dry air from the Mountain West and Southwest. They’re especially likely to form during the spring and early summer.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623203242_6144_77604" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22643200,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/31lp2GHj1-Lmj9TVekNNtU32TvI=/0x0:2400x1503/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yl1wJLr65hrfBdQsoo1LcvVjyVw=/0x0:2400x1503/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cR1wPW4bTj-nb6bJ8a0mpG1ogrM=/0x0:2400x1503/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pAcqZ3WIWHZsbxnfrbQVmO4To9E=/0x0:2400x1503/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UqvVC69MsnjZVnTRXSv0OPKs-7k=/0x0:2400x1503/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mIpDAB2C64MqlBQDsFZXbmwR30M=/0x0:2400x1503/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NRQGPS2FH50ob4FgVtCEa7709cg=/0x0:2400x1503/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2T6EeLb_ofM10Ytss1KSmTPTRuI=/0x0:2400x1503/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ELt0SKhckhu2zH_G13wy5UruvpI=/0x0:2400x1503/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="2400" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h0SbOZ0oZKP0XRPjabeHBRiJ8og=/0x0:2400x1503/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BVeEe30lDsi0GBRd7qLblinwZUQ=/0x0:2400x1503/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lnVenz91nHV2vH2CmUx2l7PE8PQ=/0x0:2400x1503/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hyTFh76CLeU3wkkuw7ChLqatDUU=/0x0:2400x1503/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RKPRfh64FipQksajgCjPZsAF5lo=/0x0:2400x1503/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NwrbuBRz6294PZ40yYKHMKdevLw=/0x0:2400x1503/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uKk8IV5u1bLrWvfsb-yIOx4srws=/0x0:2400x1503/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SWHBKrS7YXK-FTa41I3wZEWfi9Q=/0x0:2400x1503/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mdOW4YuJa81xjWlfs8oUNNi_dvE=/0x0:2400x1503/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_lnJpxAumdKvq1FEJV9K4LpTEQE=/0x0:2400x1503/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2400x1503):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643200/Tornado_Alley_Diagram.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dancraggs" target="_blank">Dan Craggs</a>/Wikipedia</cite></span></figure> <p>The problem is that meteorologists can look at two supercell thunderstorms that seem identical, and only one of them will produce a tornado. “Why is not well understood,” <a href="https://www.ou.edu/coe/cs/people/mcgovern">Amy McGovern</a>, a meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma, says.</p> <p>This is also why the false alarm rate for tornado warnings is so high: Forecasters just can’t easily tell when a storm that looks like it could produce a tornado actually will.</p> <p>Scientists do understand the ingredients that go into creating the type of supercell storms that produce the most violent tornadoes.</p> <p>Check out Vox’s video on why the central US spawns so many tornadoes:</p> <p>You need a lot of moisture in the atmosphere and a lot of wind shear, or variations in wind speed and direction (this gets a storm spinning). You also need atmospheric instability, which allows updrafts to occur, and lift, or upward motion of air that gets the storm to spin along a vertical axis.</p> <p>“Each of those, you can think of them as like four knobs ... and depending on how much you tune one versus the other, that will determine what type of thunderstorm you get and how likely it is to produce a tornado,” says <a href="https://www.eaps.purdue.edu/people/profile/rtanama.html">Robin Tanamachi</a>, a tornado scientist at Purdue University.</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623203242_718_77606" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22643651,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7r6Xdi2xdZAHcZHM0n_X_B4xOns=/0x0:1897x1175/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oR5hcjc2vAHclosUpVW7kj_m4Kw=/0x0:1897x1175/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lfOGRWVEGr1KO7cR2ztRWgrjK5E=/0x0:1897x1175/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KeQECsBcYYpX003Cj2dYPx2O5VA=/0x0:1897x1175/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wAlnBXJX1vJ9653Q8pQ4asncdn8=/0x0:1897x1175/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zMTWeD3E9MAuf01EU3ZtdYcsDto=/0x0:1897x1175/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CEMgeyaZLT3rvkMGO-K-YEZruzs=/0x0:1897x1175/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XUHq9PAlfWdmaPn3M0yxuwx9LE4=/0x0:1897x1175/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3TEbYOGZaAPet_OJbiHVZfQ1WAU=/0x0:1897x1175/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="1897" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2trQetqexxC3YyZpF1jILXecaBM=/0x0:1897x1175/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uierPphXhR6W1HuqJ-By1jmet_0=/0x0:1897x1175/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9M_-0Fxex08fneRLIUAL6hGmXyI=/0x0:1897x1175/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tsWSw9Pv6aPaf1QWQRnfABwSRN0=/0x0:1897x1175/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4nSkfShGasx6d6UiOMBSNY-xNP8=/0x0:1897x1175/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KCKJcCPBrPgoQQ-Fe3WrKsX10F0=/0x0:1897x1175/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WYs5x0OnUGGmyUVE5KPynyT-M2E=/0x0:1897x1175/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j7s83B6xc4yyS8mI9Du1HW90Tb0=/0x0:1897x1175/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FWxHlZp6B-BQfo8N6YsevtoZucQ=/0x0:1897x1175/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M721cCANb32ntOuSL_0LUuQ8nfo=/0x0:1897x1175/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1897x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643651/updradft.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">And then an updraft pushes the spinning air to spin on a vertical axis, forming the supercell storm.</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercell#/media/File:Meso-2.svg" target="_blank">Vanessa Ezekowitz</a>/Wikipedia</cite></span></figure> </div> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623203242_1824_77607" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22643657,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0OkTZ84xbOYZb4q6pIrcHLWoI9A=/0x0:3977x2651/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q-scRnsHnvALrRiGtYcaTBhilWw=/0x0:3977x2651/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ULWuonyFC5U9flq1sq_gm5mivvo=/0x0:3977x2651/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tbwSCYX7eeFJNZd6pCnMCxM9bXk=/0x0:3977x2651/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zKlmsrOgRucCc9aHoONqm-Qz4o8=/0x0:3977x2651/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E0L-mwlsMmR4wI7vnrF2RthM1g0=/0x0:3977x2651/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7wn1flJZd-bDaSCQ-YVYunjMUuE=/0x0:3977x2651/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zBVhJYaJ5cZ2wYIWPNhZQ9AzFDs=/0x0:3977x2651/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MUaF8NAWjQINurj1iyBPHuTwfWQ=/0x0:3977x2651/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3977" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U-24bu7ptazfj7xVwCexNA4EbGE=/0x0:3977x2651/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1ArvagNjqha2XHXJWQHfoBdF60A=/0x0:3977x2651/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xwdKpHp3Bst8VP6T-wD0X0Gh4E8=/0x0:3977x2651/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MI-Ey2jTGF67QqmYTBFJ9EUJNps=/0x0:3977x2651/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jqrvO9DG-TM13AwXHvlbmnz0IwU=/0x0:3977x2651/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8cECt-ltzL5CkBecbteVvmiQIeU=/0x0:3977x2651/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kio-svB9fVi22tFoTaxfznSzpGw=/0x0:3977x2651/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BnTEslR8qvr2LvQxd2wVUxS6XwU=/0x0:3977x2651/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kspP-uVmlpF_zqrjIvxj3Q-aupo=/0x0:3977x2651/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sZ3hAZ8cez92lpWkrXQDRFF4jp0=/0x0:3977x2651/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3977x2651):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643657/GettyImages_633646240.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">A supercell thunderstorm in Texas in 2016.</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Chase Miller/Barcroft Media/Getty Images</cite></span></figure> <p>But whatever sparks a tornado happens on a much smaller scale — perhaps at the level of individual molecules in the atmosphere — and is highly impacted by peculiarities of the local geography. “Even trees can disrupt surface circulation as opposed to grassland,” and that can affect tornado formation, Weber says. The atmospheric conditions that produce a tornado in Oklahoma would not necessarily produce a tornado in Alabama.</p> <p>Many storms even produce rotating winds without leading to a twister. “The question that we’re trying to solve is, how do you take that rotation and concentrate it to a point where you have this very narrow, intense vortex that we call a tornado?” Tanamachi says. Meteorologists haven’t agreed on an answer to that question yet.</p> <p>It’s possible, if counterintuitive, for tornadoes to form from the bottom up — to start as a disturbance on the ground that then connects upward to the thunderstorm. “There may be a small eddy or swirl at the surface that, for whatever reason, happens to connect with the updraft in the thunderstorm,” Tanamachi says. “And then it’s like the skater spinning her arms, you know, she pulls her arms in and stretches and spins faster and faster.”</p> <p>But it’s also possible for the tornadoes to descend from the storm cloud — or a mix of the two: “In some cases, they both happen at the same time,” Tanamachi says. “The tornado seems to form simultaneously all the way from the top to the bottom all at once.”</p> <p>Why don’t scientists know how tornadoes form? Currently, Tanamachi explains, weather radar just can’t get a good glimpse of the rapid, relatively low-altitude conditions that lead to twisters. “It seems like the processes that control whether tornadoes form or not happen on timescales of a minute or less, and within just a couple hundred feet of the surface, which is a very hard area to scan with radar,” she says.</p> <p>So whatever the trick to tornadoes is — whatever differentiates a thunderstorm that produces them from thunderstorms that don’t — is concealed as by a magician’s sleight of hand. The way to improve tornado predictions, researchers say, is to confront them head-on.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623203242_6834_77608" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22643689,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-xSaA2CiSKM0weHkcZTG-9J9QWo=/0x0:3591x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wlIwVa4OKvCaD5l5uBVBwvH4j4A=/0x0:3591x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TRmrCiF1b8APPtGZ-juktkxXaIY=/0x0:3591x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SiZrT8VNP_aDIzR7akYvLx6W7lU=/0x0:3591x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jfD7lVeptmLWPInU3sPihH9BcC8=/0x0:3591x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yqzeJB9hvtmWP1q3uja24YBxbxM=/0x0:3591x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hD2bTtY8_-j7arLSpu0Mtn6vo7k=/0x0:3591x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2lQvqMT4bLmJUQmKop3JrYsJu9Q=/0x0:3591x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mXasSxbyu-_2ul8v9zUyXZfVJpk=/0x0:3591x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Storm Chaser Braves 2017s Most Dangerous Weather" data-upload-width="3591" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hNlGBt5a_O634RiUpH2f7L4PC98=/0x0:3591x2394/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/enBxuqDrALuJfpk5960G9Qxtp9E=/0x0:3591x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kd0YO7VQsu2UCN7q0uZzWFkgdYY=/0x0:3591x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mwLWnkOKjQAEaYYHNY1-BTX0oWE=/0x0:3591x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kkIjvoaF4NsgHzRjP_0lKKLcKOE=/0x0:3591x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VFSoiu_d-ESYmE_UFgbToKopajQ=/0x0:3591x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZaEusa7I7K82r3UIOghJowTxmNI=/0x0:3591x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vUMej82LecvF_8GczhIKSb2_d3M=/0x0:3591x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HASPTx2gtO9carrQxmknE0kv1e0=/0x0:3591x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XF2NKMNYnA0ParCSfcjys9k_VCU=/0x0:3591x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3591x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22643689/899201074.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">A cone tornado on May 16, 2017, in McLean, Texas.</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Jason Weingart/Barcroft Media/Getty Images</cite></span></figure> <p>Hurricane forecasts have gotten so good over the past decades, Weber explains, because scientists have been able to intensely study their every move. It helps that they move more slowly than tornadoes and that they persist for days. “We can fly planes into and out of the hurricane eyewall and collect all sorts of data.”</p> <p>Tornadoes, by contrast, are smaller and short-lived. The scientists who study them don’t have that wealth of data to funnel into their forecasts. (Weber jokes that scientists sometimes feel cursed: Tornadoes rarely seem to appear when scientists go looking for them in the field.) To make matters worse, tornadoes easily damage scientific equipment. “Any type of sensors or equipment that you have in place will often be destroyed before they can sample all that you’re hoping to gather,” Weber says. “So being able to get a full data set of that phenomena is very difficult.”</p> <p>But it’s not impossible. Researchers need to make more direct observations of tornadoes, Weber says — they need to chase them. Scientists “are literally running down and trying to place sensors on the ground in front of tornadoes, where they think the tornado track is going to go, so they can get the data,” he says. (The 1996 movie <em>Twister</em>, he says, is “not too far from the truth” about tornado research methods: “When tornadoes come through town here, all the citizens go down to the basement and all the scientists go to the roofs.”)</p> <p>Some very careful citizen science could help, too. “Even if we just get incredibly good photographs from all the angles of a tornado ... that can lend knowledge,” Weber says. This does <em>not</em> mean you should run toward a tornado. Those who study tornadoes minimize the risk by chasing after them, meaning that they only follow a storm that’s moving away from them.</p> <div class="c-float-right"> <div> <div class="c-entry-sidebar"> <h2>The world needs more wonder</h2> <p>The Unexplainable newsletter guides you through the most fascinating, unanswered questions in science — and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them. <a href="http://vox.com/unexplainable-newsletter" data-analytics-viewport="related-story" data-analytics-link="related-story">Sign up today.</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Upgrades to the nation’s weather radar system could help, too. “The current radar network that we’re using dates from the late 1980s,” says Tanamachi, the Purdue meteorologist. It also involves components that have to spin, which adds some lag to the data collection. Newer systems called phased array radar, she says, don’t need to mechanically spin, and could scan an area more quickly, possibly helping meteorologists see tornadoes forming on a more granular level.</p> <p>At the University of Oklahoma, McGovern is trying to put artificial intelligence to work. Machines could pick up on hard-to-spot patterns that already exist in the radar data. She’s not sure AI can solve the mystery of how tornadoes form, but believes it can help “at least to bring the false alarm rate down.”</p> <p>What if tornadoes are just too chaotic to fully understand, and we won’t ever be able to predict them with precision? The researchers I spoke with all insist that, at the very least, we can do better than several minutes of lead time.</p> <p>It is theoretically possible to precisely predict a tornado an hour out, Tanamachi says. This might take modeling every single molecule of the atmosphere and running it in a simulation. “Once we have that capability, we might be able to solve tornado genesis,” Tanamachi says.</p> <p>This molecule-by-molecule modeling might sound like science fiction now, but it could be possible in the future. “There are specialized branches of physics where they literally do that” — model every molecule — “but just usually in very tiny volumes of space, like, you know, a cubic centimeter,” Tanamachi replies. It’s a matter of scaling that capacity up over time.</p> <p>Even if meteorologists don’t succeed in predicting tornadoes, it’s worth the effort to try. This is an area of science where just small improvements could make a meaningful impact in the real world.</p> <p>A few weeks ago, a hailstorm — another incredibly hard-to-predict weather phenomenon — pelted McGovern’s house. Her family only had 10 minutes of warning before the storm hit. “We personally lost windows in our house,” she says. “If I had an hour’s warning, what else could I have done? I couldn’t move my house out of the way. But maybe I could have taken other precautions.”</p> <p>Odhwani, the tornado survivor in East Nashville, says that more time would have allowed him to “call some of my friends here that were actually sleeping,” and to help them get to safety. They too survived the storm, but he heard about others who weren’t so lucky — like two people who <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/04/us/victims-tennessee-tornado/index.html">died in the storm as they were leaving a cocktail bar</a>. “There was not really much of a warning for anyone,” he says.</p> <p><strong>Correction, June 8, 5:40 pm:</strong> This article was corrected to include more recent estimates of tornado warning lead times.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22465340/tornado-science-how-do-they-form-mystery">https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22465340/tornado-science-how-do-they-form-mystery</a>

vox Nobody knows exactly how tornadoes form — and the mystery can be deadly

Shortly after midnight on March 3, 2020, Moe Odhwani woke up to find his cellphone buzzing violently beside him. The screen told him that a ...

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The FBI recovered most of Colonial Pipeline’s ransom, but the ransomware threat remains

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QTRzZu9lR3sDjqzwxm-gQf4XpYA=/0x191:4000x2285/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22504888/GettyImages_1232803321.jpg" /></div> <p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) has managed to recover part of the ransom paid to the criminal hacking group believed to be responsible for the attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which disrupted a major supply of fuel to the East Coast for roughly a week in May.</p> <p>Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-seizes-23-million-cryptocurrency-paid-ransomware-extortionists-darkside">announced on June 7</a> that the DOJ, through its new Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, was able to recover about 64 of the 75 bitcoins paid to the attackers by “following the money” — even though the money was in difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency. Once it knew the address of the hackers’ wallet, it was able to get a court order to seize the funds in it. The FBI apparently had the digital key needed to open the wallet. How it got that access has not been made public. The seizure is a rare example of ransomware payments being recovered.</p> <p>The attack has been attributed to DarkSide, a criminal hacker group based in Eastern Europe. The pipeline, which supplies about half of the East Coast’s gasoline, went down for several days, causing gas panic-buying, shortages, and price spikes in some states. It appears to be the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack/">largest ever cyberattack</a> on an American energy system and yet another example of cybersecurity vulnerabilities that President Joe Biden has promised to address.</p> <p>The Colonial Pipeline Company reported on May 7 that it was the victim of a “cybersecurity attack” that “involves ransomware,” forcing the company to take some systems offline and disabling the pipeline. The Georgia-based company <a href="https://www.colpipe.com/about-us/faqs">says</a> it operates the largest petroleum pipeline in the United States, carrying 2.5 million barrels a day of gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and jet fuel on its 5,500-mile route from Texas to New Jersey.</p> <p>The pipeline provides nearly half of the East Coast’s fuel supply, and a prolonged shutdown would have caused price increases and shortages to <a href="https://zetter.substack.com/p/biden-declares-state-of-emergency">ripple across the industry</a>. This was largely averted when the pipeline came back online within the week, but price increases and shortages happened anyway, largely due to panic rather than supply. Five days after the hack was announced, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas had <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/12/national-average-for-gasoline-tops-3-a-gallon-amid-pipeline-shutdown-rush-to-buy-in-southeast.html">pushed past</a> $3 for the first time since 2014 (though gas prices were already on an upswing before the pipeline shutdown), with bigger jumps in some states the pipeline serves, including Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/georgia-to-suspend-state-gas-tax-amid-colonial-pipeline-outage/HWFRZL6TIFCYTMTNLV4XXEGP5E/">temporarily suspended</a> the state’s gas tax to compensate for the increased prices. <a href="https://wpde.com/news/local/south-carolina-price-gouging-law-in-effect-due-to-pipeline-disruption">Other</a> <a href="https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-price-gouging-law-effect-gas-pipeline/36398316">states</a> put price gouging laws into effect.</p> <p>“It’s more likely that fuel shortages will be a result of panic buying from consumers watching the headlines unfold, as opposed to shortages directly caused by the attack,” Marty Edwards, former director of <a href="https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics">industrial control systems for CISA</a>, and vice president of operational technology security for Tenable, told Recode. “This is something we saw with Covid and grocery stores selling out of household items. Regardless, it shows the impact cybersecurity has on our everyday lives.”</p> <p>“It’s much easier to understand the impact of a cyberattack if it directly impacts your day-to-day life,” he added.</p> <p>The FBI <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-statement-on-compromise-of-colonial-pipeline-networks">confirmed</a> DarkSide is responsible for the attacks. DarkSide does not appear to be linked to any nation-states, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/statement-suspected-us-pipeline-hackers-say-they-dont-want-cause-problems-2021-05-10/">saying in a statement</a> that “our goal is to make money [not to create] problems for society” and that it is apolitical. DarkSide <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/web-site-of-darkside-hacking-group-linked-to-colonial-pipeline-attack-is-down-11621001688">claimed</a> it was shutting down in the wake of the pipeline attack.</p> <p>According to cybersecurity company Check Point, however, DarkSide supplies its ransomware services to its partners. “This means we know very little on the real threat actor behind the attack on Colonial, who can be any one of the partners of DarkSide,” Lotem Finkelstein, Check Point’s head of threat intelligence, told Recode. “What we do know is that to take down extensive operations like the Colonial Pipeline reveals a sophisticated and well-designed cyberattack.”</p> <p>Colonial acknowledged on May 19 that it did indeed pay $4.4 million worth of bitcoin (which is now <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/5/18/22441831/elon-musk-bitcoin-dogecoin-crypto-prices-tesla">worth considerably less</a> — even though the DOJ was able to recover 64 bitcoins, they’re only worth $2.3 million now). CEO Joseph Blount <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/colonial-pipeline-ceo-tells-why-he-paid-hackers-a-4-4-million-ransom-11621435636">told the Wall Street Journal</a> that paying the ransom was a difficult decision, but one that he felt was “the right thing to do for our country.”</p> <p>Blount added that it will cost Colonial far more — tens of millions of dollars — to completely restore its systems over the next several months.</p> <p><a href="https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/5/12/15632482/ransomware-explained">Ransomware attacks</a> generally use malware to lock companies out of their own systems until a ransom is paid. They’ve surged in the past few years and <a href="https://blog.emsisoft.com/en/38426/the-cost-of-ransomware-in-2021-a-country-by-country-analysis/">cost billions of dollars in ransoms</a> paid alone — not counting those that aren’t reported or any associated costs with having systems offline until the ransom is paid. Ransomware attacks have targeted everything from private businesses to the government to <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/10/29/21540039/hospital-ransomware-coronavirus-hacking-ryuk-malware">hospitals and health care systems</a>. The latter are especially attractive targets, given how urgent it is to get their systems back up as soon as possible.</p> <p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-08/colonial-is-just-the-latest-energy-asset-hit-by-cyberattacks?sref=Wg6QzS2e">Energy systems and suppliers</a> have also been a target of ransomware and cyberattacks. The cybersecurity of America’s energy infrastructure has been a particular concern in recent years, with the Trump administration <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/president-trump-signs-executive-order-securing-united-states-bulk-power-system">declaring a national emergency</a> in May 2020 meant to secure America’s bulk power system with an executive order that would forbid the acquisition of equipment from countries that pose an “unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of American citizens.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-04/hackers-breached-colonial-pipeline-using-compromised-password?sref=Wg6QzS2e">Bloomberg reported</a> about a month after the attack that the company was likely breached through a leaked password to an old account that had access to the virtual private network (VPN) used to remotely access the company’s servers. The account reportedly didn’t have <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22419794/authenticator-apps-and-you-authy-google-authenticator">multifactor authentication</a>, so the hackers only needed to know the username and the password to gain access to the largest petroleum pipeline in the country.</p> <p>The attack underscores two of the Biden administration’s stated priorities: improving American infrastructure and cybersecurity. The large-scale Russian <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/12/14/22174314/government-hack-solarwinds-cozybear-russia">SolarWinds hack</a>, disclosed in December 2020, was shown to have affected several federal government systems. Biden said then that, as president, “my administration will make cybersecurity a top priority at every level of government — and we will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office. ... I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation.”</p> <p>Biden has also unveiled a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/31/22357179/biden-two-trillion-infrastructure-jobs-plan-explained">$2 trillion infrastructure plan</a> that includes $100 billion to modernize the electrical grid, which cybersecurity experts hoped would <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/31/cybersecurity-202-here-how-biden-infrastructure-package-could-address-electric-grid-cybersecurity/">include</a> improved cybersecurity measures. Biden also suspended the Trump bulk power system executive order to roll out <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/20/cybersecurity-202-biden-administration-rolls-out-100-day-plan-improve-electric-grid-cybersecurity/">his own plan</a>.</p> <p>And Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/12/fact-sheet-president-signs-executive-order-charting-new-course-to-improve-the-nations-cybersecurity-and-protect-federal-government-networks/">has signed an executive order</a> meant to strengthen the federal government’s cybersecurity standards for software and technology services it uses, which a senior administration official described as a fundamental shift in the federal government’s approach to cybersecurity incidents — away from spot responses and toward trying to prevent them from happening in the first place. The order has been in the works since shortly after Biden took office, the official said.</p> <p>But these measures are more focused on preventing another SolarWinds-like attack. Federal officials <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/09/us/politics/biden-cyberattack-response.html">told the New York Times</a> they don’t think the order does enough to prevent a sophisticated attack, nor would it apply to a privately held company like Colonial. The oil pipeline attack might strengthen demands for cybersecurity standards for companies that play an important role in Americans’ lives. As it stands, it’s often left up to them which security measures they use to protect critical systems.</p> <p>“Ransomware is about extortion, and extortion is about pressure,” James Shank, chief architect of community services at cybersecurity company Team Cymru, told Recode. “Impacting fuel distribution gets peoples’ attention right away. ... This emphasizes the need for a coordinated effort that bridges public- and private-sector capabilities to protect our national interests.”</p> <p>The pipeline was able to get back up and running before a major or prolonged disruption to the fuel supply chain, and customers’ wallets weren’t hit too hard. But the next one — and many cybersecurity experts fear there will be a next one, or several next ones — could be a lot worse if measures aren’t taken at the highest levels to prevent it.</p> <p>“The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline by cyber-criminals highlights a massive problem — many of the companies running our critical infrastructure have left their systems vulnerable to hackers through dangerously negligent cybersecurity,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said in a statement. “Congress must take action to hold critical infrastructure companies accountable and force them to secure their computer systems.”</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22428774/ransomeware-pipeline-colonial-darkside-gas-prices">https://www.vox.com/recode/22428774/ransomeware-pipeline-colonial-darkside-gas-prices</a>

vox The FBI recovered most of Colonial Pipeline’s ransom, but the ransomware threat remains

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has managed to recover part of the ransom paid to the criminal hacking group believed to be responsible for...

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Loki gives Marvel’s beloved villain a charming second chance

<p>Loki is undoubtedly one of the most compelling characters Marvel has ever created. Played by the perpetually grinning Tom Hiddleston, Loki carried the first two Thor movies and pound-for-pound outshines every Avenger not named Tony Stark or Steve Rogers in the charisma department. He’s also the most memorable villain in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and please don’t ask, “What about Thanos?” because while menacing, Thanos couldn’t muster even a whiff of sympathy or compassion from me.</p> <p>While so many of Marvel’s villains end up being one-shot wonders, Loki stands out not just because he survives past one movie but because he never feels truly evil. Yes, he’s very into alien invasions, turning Earthlings into his servants, and sometimes indirectly hurting his family, but he’s also the product of a terrible childhood during which, because of his true nature (Loki is actually an adopted frost giant), he was never as loved or respected as his Thunder God brother, Thor.</p> <p>Maybe if he’d experienced a little more love and empathy, he’d be a little less diabolical and horny for backstabbing. MCU history has shown that when push comes to shove and the apocalypse is nigh, he will do the right thing. <a href="https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/in-defense-and-celebration-of-loki-the-best-character-in-the-mcu">Love for Loki</a> justifiably runs strong and deep.</p> <p>Fittingly and finally, Marvel has capitalized on that love and given its most beloved antihero his own TV show. Well, sort of.</p> <p><em>Loki</em> is about a specific version of the character who, thanks to some time-meddling Avengers, is temporally displaced from the MCU’s main timeline amid the events of the 2019 blockbuster <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/4/23/18512851/avengers-endgame-review-marvel-miracle"><em>Avengers: Endgame</em></a>. The ripple effect of the Avengers’ time-jumping in that film leads to there being two different Lokis — the one who would defend Asgard and die at Thanos’s hand in <em>Avengers: Infinity War</em>, and this one, the one who gets his own TV series on Disney+ to inevitably show us what happens when the character gets a second chance at life with this twist of fate.</p> <p>Two of <em>Loki</em>’s six hour-long episodes were sent to critics for review ahead of the show’s June 9 debut. Here are some initial thoughts about what feels like a promising new addition to Marvel’s ever-growing collection of movies and television.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623201845_9062_72295" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22645049,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nAe8hg0p0B-_F2E7tGD-G9vHM6A=/0x0:2000x1312/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R17zN8jSBIS3MCgfBXm8wmif-0Q=/0x0:2000x1312/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JibJZkHmhTE_AGi0ATgUEpjMs2Q=/0x0:2000x1312/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nV0a3hNqQEjTODaC8_1U7xlxqTI=/0x0:2000x1312/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OHGdQ5ZOwCMWvqy7bHTrBgZrJvQ=/0x0:2000x1312/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xge5rtbBz1hbT7A1Low806-h0j8=/0x0:2000x1312/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lIPYW0kT_cul4fjeW9v1pZoDA_I=/0x0:2000x1312/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A1XjnlUE-ap356MidBMH13oit9c=/0x0:2000x1312/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cBQmSY7xuTaIA6icwSiWrHstuN8=/0x0:2000x1312/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="2000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n461yt1B59lfhip6ffJewDAleDI=/0x0:2000x1312/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eQZAdqCkfKvWGDgS68GZtVEGN0A=/0x0:2000x1312/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_4tTqas7eHN1zXOgt6-ZBWDCCHY=/0x0:2000x1312/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wh7nl4BJFaWdETSFwQEwg0v1U38=/0x0:2000x1312/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/b79vwKwN1yZomYpERIv92uN1ibw=/0x0:2000x1312/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gC3BefJdF_eNURrHLT2eKrFsHpw=/0x0:2000x1312/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IG2ncuQoUyJHtuovOLQcMLFDC3E=/0x0:2000x1312/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zo34hh30ywvWvB9laTtebQOlCmI=/0x0:2000x1312/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/So-9UkVh0BqGEklEIQYRDrApDzo=/0x0:2000x1312/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/snKs_v7v3lmyKJ3qQR2PkQpj3wQ=/0x0:2000x1312/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2000x1312):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645049/arc_101_04703_aa4be94e.jpeg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Loki is captured!</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Marvel</cite></span></figure> <p>Loki is the third television series in Marvel’s very young but super-ambitious Disney+ slate. It follows the weird and stylish <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22229407/wandavision-review-disney-plus-marvel"><em>WandaVision</em></a> and the more rigid bromantic dramedy <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22335323/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-review-disney-plus-sebastian-stan-anthony-mackie"><em>The Falcon and the Winter Soldier</em></a>, and it’s difficult not to compare it to its predecessors.</p> <p><em>Loki</em> looks more in line with <em>WandaVision</em>, as the show has a very distinct mood and aesthetic — there are a lot of browns and muted earthy palettes, and the set pieces are purposely anachronistic, placing the show in some distant future that also looks like a sharp office from the 1960s.</p> <p><em>Loki</em> also deals heavily in existential emotion and grief, and similar to <em>WandaVision</em>, it juxtaposes those themes with a problem that could spell the end of the world.</p> <p><em>Loki</em> takes place in a specific pocket of time sketched out by <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> — and please forgive me, this gets complicated — when the Avengers travel backward in time to 2012 to retrieve the Infinity Stones so they can ultimately defeat Thanos. The heroes deduce that the Infinity Stones were all in New York during the Chitauri invasion and decide to jump back to that particular moment to retrieve them.</p> <div> <div>[embedded content]</div> </div> <p>Not everything goes to the Avengers’ plan, and the 2012 version of Loki escapes with the Tesseract, which houses one of the Infinity Stones. Instead of pursuing him, the present-day Avengers do one more time jump, and kinda sorta let Loki off the hook. (Also, If you can’t recall the events of <em>Infinity War</em> and <em>Endgame</em>, do not fret; this is all recapped as <em>Loki</em> begins.)</p> <p>But it turns out Loki isn’t quite in the clear.</p> <p><em>Loki</em> reveals that his escape triggers an alert from an almost-omnipotent organization called the Time Variance Authority (TVA for short). The TVA’s job is to maintain the main timeline in the MCU, and events like Loki’s escape are seen as threats because they have the potential to screw up what’s supposed to happen in the main timeline. To be clear, the TVA exists in Marvel’s comic books — but on TV, the secret organization becomes infinitely more useful as a story device to keep the current MCU timeline and all the links between various movies and shows intact. The TVA has the ability to reset time itself and “prune” or dissolve all threats.</p> <p>Apprehended by the TVA and shown his future death in <em>Infinity War</em>, this Loki falls into a massive existential crisis. Remember, this is a character who has always compensated his internalized feeling of being less-than by searching for and cozying up to power. The TVA is more powerful than anything Loki has ever known because it oversees everything. Thanos, the Infinity Stones, every single apocalypse — it doesn’t happen unless the TVA determines it.</p> <p>This raises several questions about who’s running the TVA and their own sense of order and morality. I’m sure we’ll learn more about the organization soon enough, but for now, <em>Loki</em> asks what happens to Loki when you take away everything he thought he knew about what drives the universe. Absent his taste for power, is this character good or evil? And could he be heroic and less wicked if given a new purpose?</p> <p>The show’s other driving force is a whodunnit mystery.</p> <p>Despite all the powers that the TVA seemingly has at its disposal, the organization is having problems with a killer. Someone has figured out how to track its time jumps, and has gotten really good at murdering members of its strike force, the Minute Men. What’s concerning isn’t just how dangerous this person is, but ultimately what their plan might be for the MCU’s main timeline. And maybe Loki is the key to unlocking this unidentified villain’s plan.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623201845_7155_72296" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22645010,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E9zn5EjxA8u-p27Mzt1injVSGnE=/0x0:4096x2130/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k8hhgx7-17t1OdJ_eDi5e2yprSg=/0x0:4096x2130/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/e9sZYghSaIW_7_F1lWYLsc0fNTg=/0x0:4096x2130/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RXfLYlkjSf79UCZmMd7Tpwg8i1E=/0x0:4096x2130/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oThZ54z3HlXcdsHla88IJ9XopXA=/0x0:4096x2130/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AUmMhHRQ08NHfyxPtqwu4gD3B94=/0x0:4096x2130/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rb_9GXOtS3CpEeY7sHE2Ic67APM=/0x0:4096x2130/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m9lfvb9wvsjljsKt2JeYJYB2j54=/0x0:4096x2130/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/paRzjVhyz44YKYgBxAob3FlJj44=/0x0:4096x2130/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4096" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ta2Zg3wl6-IJVqktpj3_fbv79zo=/0x0:4096x2130/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QXXYMjfCZDaf8NeWIxlbY-_gO7o=/0x0:4096x2130/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OWr0kZzMVK8rCyB3uWXHX4QAEC8=/0x0:4096x2130/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LBRyyZKiokU21TcB8U5bXTpq3gs=/0x0:4096x2130/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uktYF3fTf0U6OzrFp8kxi49I9Ck=/0x0:4096x2130/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PYksXEqJXSxjxWPuVTdK_reQLxk=/0x0:4096x2130/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GxO6TskGCON9RtqcB05lWKibXoY=/0x0:4096x2130/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gldHlKssXbM98DAiJevie8qsxYk=/0x0:4096x2130/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dHmAhA75n0qfDvtckVwZrZIGC-Y=/0x0:4096x2130/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iFAsro4xKUW3v5QahXnhKqMDTN4=/0x0:4096x2130/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2130):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645010/be565e2c65d5284ab9dbc894eae57099_4096x2130_bdddeaef.jpeg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston in <em>Loki.</em></span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Marvel</cite></span></figure> <p>Similar to my feelings about carrots and celery, I have never had strong opinions on Owen Wilson. He’s been aggressively fine to good in the movies I’ve seen him in, and I haven’t thought about him much, positively or negatively.</p> <p>Perhaps in its greatest accomplishment, <em>Loki</em> has now changed my perspective on Wilson — for the better!</p> <p>Wilson plays TVA Agent Mobius, who’s in charge of investigating the recent spate of Minute Men deaths. Wilson plays the character warmly, making him seem a little aloof and maybe a bit in over his head. Compared to Loki’s rakish charisma, Mobius is decidedly unhip, a rule-follower of the bureaucracy that is the TVA. However, there also seems to be something simmering beneath the surface of Mobius’s “aww shucks” facade.</p> <p>At the core of the character appears to be a lot of frustration and desperation over being stuck, quite literally, in time. Mobius and Loki are both looking for a way out, it seems. That shared desire manifests itself onscreen with Hiddleston’s Loki giving us more of his familiar chin-stroking scheming, while explaining exactly how he’ll outmaneuver the seemingly simple Mobius. Wilson goes along with it, giving his character a seemingly all-too-trusting earnestness. The two play off of each other brilliantly.</p> <p>Yet Wilson’s portrayal reminds us — with the slightest shift in body language or the smallest sharpening in his face — not to confuse feeling sympathy for his character as weakness.</p> <p>There’s one debate when it comes to Marvel and its slew of movies that I fully believe will endure long after I’ve shuffled off this mortal coil: Is there actually any art to Marvel’s world-building, or is everything Marvel does just another trailer for the next Marvel project?</p> <p>The studio has spent the past decade or so creating a complex, interconnected world where all of its movies link up with and expand on each other. The events in <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> involved an intricate, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/4/26/18514287/avengers-endgame-ending-explained-spoiler">self-referential plot</a> centered on plucking Infinity Stones from a specific moment that happens in 2013’s <em>Thor: The Dark World</em> and assembling a vast team of superheroes that are sometimes only connected through <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/3/7/18253137/captain-marvel-end-credits-scenes-explained-spoilers">end-credits scenes</a>.</p> <p>Now, with three television series on Disney+, there’s even more stuff that’s connected and growing each branch of the MCU.</p> <p>Usually, the way any given viewer feels about Marvel’s intricate design hinges on how much that viewer loves Marvel. Fans love the <a href="https://www.vox.com/21448893/wandavision-trailer-house-of-m-easter-eggs-spoilers">Easter eggs and theorizing</a> how each moment in a specific movie or TV series <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/7/20/20699437/marvel-phase-4-schedule-black-widow-eternals-thor-4-doctor-strange-2">might play into the bigger picture</a>. Less enthusiastic observers <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11595344/marvel-cinematic-universe-captain-america-avengers">believe this method</a> undercuts the storytelling, that the result is essentially a pile of cogs coming off an assembly line that’s building a profit machine, rather than a collection of artistically interesting films strong enough to stand on their own.</p> <p>Regardless of how you may feel about that debate, I’m here to report that there’s even more world-building and interconnectedness in Loki. In the first episode alone, there are a few mentions of multiple timelines, the “multiverse” at large, and how the TVA is worried about “madness” that will sink in if the timeline is left uncorrected.</p> <p>To Marvel fans, this is a huge, flashing sign that the TVA and Loki are connected to the upcoming 2022 movie <em>Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,</em> which will also star <a href="https://www.vox.com/22302680/wandavision-agatha-harkness-credits-scene-episode-8-scarlet-witch-mcu">Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch</a>. Loki and Doctor Strange had a previous run-in in <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/26/16537186/thor-ragnarok-review"><em>Thor: Ragnarok</em></a>, where Strange informed Thor that his brother was a threat to Earth. Wanda, with her newfound ability to manipulate reality that we witnessed in <em>WandaVision</em>, would be someone whom both the TVA and Doctor Strange would keep tabs on. So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine that Loki, at the conclusion of his television show, would make an appearance alongside Wanda in the <em>Doctor Strange</em> sequel.</p> <p>And, well, now I’ve gotten way ahead of myself and should say that it’s still possible to enjoy <em>Loki</em> on its own terms — even if Marvel wants you to be thinking ahead.</p> <figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1623201845_7585_72297" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22645042,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/baF2vWvRSsZ39Cb-dQv8q-gRYEs=/0x0:3832x1704/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H63vlQk0NgBYwS4p3osdKZLF0zQ=/0x0:3832x1704/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_O4aTa_C0A-a5nEWdt5aaS0vcCU=/0x0:3832x1704/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d5w-yesLJ2XLDLHokG4v96HMsBs=/0x0:3832x1704/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kIwaju-3VYocAawb-Kjx0zMlvPY=/0x0:3832x1704/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C_nvPGDKous8yfhu42PLadiV2lI=/0x0:3832x1704/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LSoon7uG9L6Hygq-P4YTBe_exHw=/0x0:3832x1704/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vXvbw2gU6FbY_wiznNhGSUVy-Xo=/0x0:3832x1704/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OTwgLkjGqacMoYIhoDMmFWFyRHM=/0x0:3832x1704/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3832" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5_mzQjxYfJ4bWA09tXDf9920jWY=/0x0:3832x1704/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XB3YH9soKHHmaccmRHwjUiot6BE=/0x0:3832x1704/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EJgOfiJDriltKVRGvxVm9BM6Rgg=/0x0:3832x1704/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZgHHasuK6W_0RCy5tgxNydisWXU=/0x0:3832x1704/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2eCYYmVaEqfzz_UTl0_QOFSRi78=/0x0:3832x1704/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KXdK0M9FVKT90ZQA_uIEs8wqzfo=/0x0:3832x1704/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bmHFBnxJJRodCTzy_AMX_Pgif9w=/0x0:3832x1704/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J7YvEqOwK_6zIJgmj_LYabyASu4=/0x0:3832x1704/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n_Tp3lg7fD-RHEz8Or_Ramftys0=/0x0:3832x1704/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IneMPDyggcYdemoI1efmJnWxiUE=/0x0:3832x1704/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3832x1704):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645042/rox1400_102_comp_v005_88b343b1.jpeg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">I kind of want this jacket that Loki is wearing.</span></figcaption> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Marvel</cite></span></figure> <p>It’s impossible to judge an entire show by two episodes, even if those episodes comprise a third of its season. That said, I had a good feeling about <em>WandaVision</em> after its first <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22243464/wandavision-episode-3-recap-spoilers-sword-marvel">three</a> installments, and that show turned out to be pretty well-loved (despite <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22318436/wandavision-episode-9-wanda-future-spoilers">a polarizing season finale</a>). Similarly, I had a lukewarm feeling about <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22335323/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-review-disney-plus-sebastian-stan-anthony-mackie"><em>The Falcon and the Winter Soldier</em></a> after one episode, and that series ended up going out with a whimper.</p> <p>Based on what I’ve seen of <em>Loki</em> so far, the show is off to a great start. I’d even say it’s more promising than <em>WandaVision</em> at the outset: The show’s murder mystery coupled with Hiddleston and Wilson’s chemistry makes me want to watch more. With the time-jumping and the double-crossing and satirical bureaucracy, the show’s writers have a lot to play around with. I also hope that we see more of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays the imposing authority and time judge Ravonna Renslayer, in upcoming episodes.</p> <p>Anything could happen in <em>Loki</em>’s remaining four episodes, but the show has the makings of a big hit.</p> <p>Loki <em>starts streaming June 9 on Disney+.</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22522332/loki-review-marvel-tom-hiddleston-owen-wilson">https://www.vox.com/culture/22522332/loki-review-marvel-tom-hiddleston-owen-wilson</a>

vox Loki gives Marvel’s beloved villain a charming second chance

Loki is undoubtedly one of the most compelling characters Marvel has ever created. Played by the perpetually grinning Tom Hiddleston, Loki c...

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How radical gardeners took back New York City

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CHsZm_ua2QLpP7C7kf10bhCW9GQ=/0x38:1920x1043/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22645004/Thumb_clean__1_.jpg" /></div> <p>In the 1960s and 1970s, New York City faced a sharp economic decline and white flight. Buildings were abandoned or burned down, particularly in the city’s lower-income neighborhoods. Communities faced mass disinvestment — and what was left was urban decay.</p> <p>It was around this time that Hattie Carthan, a 64-year-old woman living in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, began a grassroots effort to transform that urban decay into green space. What started with four newly planted trees in her neighborhood turned into 1,500.</p> <p>Along with guerrilla gardening efforts popularized by the “seed bombs” of Lower East Side gardener Liz Christy, Hattie’s urban environmental movement paved the way for the city’s support for community gardens.</p> <p>Today, around 500 community gardens line streets across New York City. But the history of how we got them — through the radical work of people like Hattie and Liz — is often overlooked. Check out the video above to learn more about their stories and how they ultimately transformed the landscape of New York City.</p> <p>Today, their legacy lives on through the <a href="https://www.hattiecarthancommunitymarket.com/"><strong>Hattie Carthan Community Garden and Farmers Market</strong></a>, the <a href="http://lizchristygarden.us/"><strong>Liz Christy Community Garden</strong></a>, the <a href="https://www.greenguerillas.org/"><strong>Green Guerillas</strong></a>’ ongoing work, and many other urban gardens — including the <a href="https://ny.curbed.com/2015/10/1/9915402/inside-the-casitas-of-the-south-bronxs-community-gardens"><strong>South Bronx casitas</strong></a> — that are still thriving today.</p> <p>This is the fifth and final installment in season two of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ8cMiYb3G5fR2kt0L4Nihvel4pEDw9od"><em><strong>Missing Chapter</strong></em></a>, where we revisit underreported and often overlooked moments of the past to give context to the present. Our first season covers stories of racial injustice, identity, and erasure. If you have an idea for a topic we should investigate in the series, send it via <a href="http://bit.ly/2RhjxMy"><strong>this form</strong></a>.</p> <p>You can find this video and all of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXo7UDZvByw2ixzpQCufnA"><strong>Vox’s videos on YouTube</strong></a>.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/2021/6/8/22524208/how-radical-gardeners-took-back-new-york-city">https://www.vox.com/videos/2021/6/8/22524208/how-radical-gardeners-took-back-new-york-city</a>

vox How radical gardeners took back New York City

In the 1960s and 1970s, New York City faced a sharp economic decline and white flight. Buildings were abandoned or burned down, particularl...

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US, Japan Covid Aid Aims To Counter China Influence In Indo-Pacific: Taiwan

<div class="ins_instory_dv"> <div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US, Japan Covid Aid Aims To Counter China Influence In Indo-Pacific: Taiwan" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-08/0hfj07kg_taiwan-flag_625x300_28_August_20.jpg" title="US, Japan Covid Aid Aims To Counter China Influence In Indo-Pacific: Taiwan" /></div> <p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">China which considers Taiwan its own territory (Representational)</p> </div> <b class="place_cont">Taipei:</b> <p>The United States and Japan COVID-19 vaccine support to Taiwan is intended as a countermeasure to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan News reported, citing a political scientist.</p> <p>As Taiwan faces a spike in COVID-19 cases, US and Japan have stepped forward and provided vaccines against the infection to the island. The move has irked China which considers Taiwan its own territory.</p> <p>Japan's donation of over 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan last week was followed by a visit by three American senators who announced that the US has pledged 750,000 vaccines to the country as part of its program to distribute unused vaccines worldwide.</p> <p>While the relief was interpreted by some as reciprocating Taiwan's assistance to the two countries in the past, the moves also demonstrate Washington and Tokyo's determination to check Chinese political manoeuvring aimed at sowing discord in Taiwanese society, said Lin Wen-cheng, distinguished professor at National Sun Yat-sen University's Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies (ICAPS).</p> <p>ICAPS professor Kuo Yu-jen reckoned that the speedy assistance from the US and Japan suggests the two nations are including Taiwan in their collaborative strategy toward China.</p> <p>Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.</p> <p>Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.</p> <p>A US delegation travelled to Taiwan to announce the donation of 750,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses.</p> <p>Reacting to the visit, the Chinese defence ministry on Tuesday said the trip had seriously damaged the foundation of China-US ties and the stability of the Taiwan Strait, calling it "extremely irresponsible", South China Morning Post had reported.</p> <p>"If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from mainland China, the People's Liberation Army will hit back and be determined to protect national unity and territorial integrity at all costs," ministry spokesman Wu Qian had said in a statement.</p> <p><i>(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)</i></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-japan-covid-19-vaccine-support-to-taiwan-intend-to-counter-chinas-growing-influence-in-indo-pacific-2459510">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-japan-covid-19-vaccine-support-to-taiwan-intend-to-counter-chinas-growing-influence-in-indo-pacific-2459510</a>

news world US, Japan Covid Aid Aims To Counter China Influence In Indo-Pacific: Taiwan

China which considers Taiwan its own territory (Representational) Taipei: The United States and Japan COVID-19 vaccine support to Taiwa...

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