One of the upsides of the pandemic is that the National Archives is one of many institutions still offering most of its events online, allowing history lovers from anywhere to partake. This month, for example, the National Archives is hosting author talks discussing British blockade runners during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's relationship with Black people, and the "first civil war" between patriots and loyalists during the American Revolution as well as programs about the U.S. Constitution for elementary school students and a living history portrayal of Frederick Douglass. To register (for free) see www.archives.gov/calendar (Prior events available on the National Archives' YouTube channel.)
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Fighting broke out in Ethiopia almost exactly one year ago (Nov. 3, 2020). Earlier this week, the Ethiopian government issued a state of emergency as rebels from the Tigray Defense Forces (shown in light green on this map) advance south toward the capital of Addis Ababa (where the paths shown in red intersect). upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Ethiopian_Civil_War_%282020-present%29.svg/525px-Ethiopian_Civil_War_%282020-present%29.svg.png
This article is based on a recent report from the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Council, and the Director of National Intelligence (the head of the U.S. intelligence community) and looks at the varied challenges climate change poses to national security: "Worsening conflict within and between nations. Increased dislocation and migration as people flee climate-fueled instability. Heightened military tension and uncertainty. Financial hazards. ... The reports include warnings from the intelligence community about how climate change can work on numerous levels to sap the strength of a nation. For example, countries like Iraq and Algeria could be hit by lost revenue from fossil fuels, even as their region faces worsening heat and drought. The Pentagon warned that food shortages could lead to unrest, along with fights between countries over water.The Department of Homeland Security, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard, warned that as ice melts in Arctic Ocean, competition will increase for fish, minerals and other resources. Another report warned that tens of millions of people are likely to be displaced by 2050 because of climate change — including as many as 143 million people in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America." www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/climate/climate-change-national-security.html
This New York Times article highlights an important aspect of cultural geography in central Africa: the role of cows, as wealth, as status, and as an important nutritional source. In Rwanda, milk is the drink of choice in bars, hot or cold, fresh or fermented. www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/world/africa/rwanda-milk-bars.html
How often have you lost power over the last few years? This topological map, from The Washington Post, compares minutes of power outage from 2018 through 2020 to the average from 2013 through 2015 (the darker the color, the higher the ratio of recent power outage minutes). (Map from www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/10/24/climate-change-power-outages/.)
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