The volunteers who participate in search and rescue operations after which assist disaster survivors belong to organizations which have change into more formal and established over the past decade. We found this out after greater than 4 years Volunteering alongside eight of those groups to higher understand their role and the motivations of the people participating in these efforts.

We did this research as part of a bigger one Team of sociologists, an urban planning scientist and emergency management specialists. We all worked with civilian volunteer search and rescue groups from Louisiana and Texas during and after many hurricanes between 2017 and 2022. including Harvey And Laura, the winter storm Uri and other major disasters.

While volunteering with these organizations, we observed them in motion and interviewed their leaders and volunteers to search out out why they take the time and private risks to avoid wasting others. Many cited their personal values, expressed their have to belong to a bunch, and said this helped them find meaning. Others shared that they were motivated by their personal circumstances and experiences, feelings of guilt, or that one of these volunteer work gave them a deep sense of satisfaction.

“I lost everything I owned in Katrina. They considered my family’s property uninhabitable,” said a boater we’ll call Dylan to guard his anonymity. “I can’t sit here after knowing what it means to lose everything.”

Some volunteers said one reason they’ve done this work repeatedly is to counteract stereotypes about individuals who take part in these efforts. When he heard people say, “Oh, you're just out there doing this just to get the spotlight,” Roger said and told us he desired to respond by saying, “Yeah, dude. If you’re flooded, call me and I’ll pick you up.”

While the organizations we studied were based in Louisiana and Texas, the volunteers participating in these efforts come from across the United States and, in some cases, from other countries. One volunteer we met was from the UK.

Why it matters

Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, volunteers have been involved in search and rescue operations following major disasters, particularly on this region. But these volunteers come from in every single place.

Many of those groups are often known as “Cajun Navy” organizations. Whether or not these organizations use the Cajun Navy trademark of their names, they share the common mission of helping others in times of need.

These volunteers aren’t fair Operating boats and helicopters. Others act as dispatchers, handle logistics and run social media activities.

Over time, a number of the organizations have begun working with local emergency responders. Signing of letters of intent with you. They work with government agencies and assist in disaster relief and relief efforts, but operate primarily autonomously and might travel to where they imagine the necessity is biggest.

This kind of group tends to dissipate after a disaster passesmoderately than becoming a longtime nonprofit organization.

But most of the eight groups we studied have change into nonprofits or are within the strategy of doing so.

How we do our work

We were capable of conduct this research by becoming volunteers ourselves. We participated in local and distant shipping operations and supported logistics planning. In addition, we observed and in some cases participated in search and rescue training and operations in water and on land.

The Research Brief is a brief version of interesting scientific work.

By MARCIA DUNN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the 2 astronauts stuck on the International Space Station on Saturday and sent a scaled-down crew to bring them home, but not until next 12 months.

The capsule shot into orbit to select up the test pilots Boeing spacecraft returned to Earth empty earlier this month as a consequence of safety concerns. The change in voyages left recovery to Nick Hague of NASA and Alexander Gorbunov of Russia Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Because NASA rotates space station crews about every six months, this newly launched flight is not going to return until late February with two free seats for Wilmore and Williams. Officials said there was no approach to bring them back to SpaceX sooner without disrupting other planned missions.

When they return, the couple may have spent greater than eight months in space. When they signed up for Boeing's first astronaut flight, which launched in June, they expected to be gone for just per week.

NASA ultimately concluded that Boeing's Starliner was too dangerous after a cascade of problems with the engines and helium leaks marred the flight to the orbiting complex. The space agency excluded two astronauts from this SpaceX launch to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return flight.

Williams has now been promoted to commander of the space station, which can soon return to its normal population of seven. Once Hague and Gorbunov arrive this weekend, 4 astronauts who’ve lived there since March will have the ability to depart in their very own SpaceX capsule. Their return home was delayed by a month as a consequence of the unrest on the Starliner.

Before the flight, Hague noted that change is the one constant in human spaceflight.

“There is always something that is changing. Maybe this time it was a little more visible to the public,” he said.

Hague was appointed rescue mission commander six years ago due to his experience and handling of a launch emergency. The Russian rocket failed shortly after launch and the capsule carrying him and a cosmonaut catapulted from the highest to safety.

New NASA astronaut Zena Cardman and veteran space flyer Stephanie Wilson were pulled from that flight after NASA selected SpaceX to bring the stranded astronauts home. Both had promised a future space mission and were at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where they attended the launch livestream. Gorbunov remained on the flight as a part of an exchange agreement between NASA and the Russian space agency.

“Every manned launch I have ever seen has really touched me. This one was particularly unique today,” said Cardman with tears in his eyes after the beginning within the early afternoon. “It was hard not to observe the rocket take off without considering, 'That's my rocket and that's my crew.' ”

Shortly before the beginning, Hague paid tribute to his two colleagues who had stayed behind: “Unbreakable. We did it together.” In orbit, he called it a “sweet ride” and thanked everyone who made it possible.

Previously, Hague acknowledged the challenge of launching with half a crew and returning with two astronauts trained on one other spacecraft.

“We have a dynamic challenge before us,” Hague said after arriving from Houston last weekend. “We know each other, are professionals and do what is asked of us.”

SpaceX has long been a pacesetter in NASA's industrial crew program, which was founded when the space shuttles were retired greater than a decade ago. SpaceX surpassed Boeing in carrying astronauts to the space station in 2020 and is now as much as 10 crew flights for NASA.

Boeing has struggled with quite a lot of problems through the years, repeating a Starliner test flight with nobody on board after the primary one went off beam. The Starliner that left Wilmore and Williams in space landed effortlessly within the New Mexico desert on September 6 and has since returned to Kennedy Space Center. Per week ago, Boeing's defense and space chief was replaced.

The latest SpaceX launch was delayed by Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida, and was the primary for astronauts from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX took over the old Titan rocket platform nearly 20 years ago and used it for satellite launches while crews from Kennedy's former Apollo and shuttle pad flew round the corner. The company wanted more flexibility as more Falcon rockets got here onto the market.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely liable for all content.

Originally published: September 28, 2024 at 10:18 am

With a attack against Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, the United States experienced one other violent episode in its increasingly polarized politics. Former President Trump, who’s officially set to change into the Republican presidential candidate within the 2024 election, survived the assassination attempt when, as initial reports said, a the bullet grazed his ear. But one demonstrator was killedother bystanders were injured and the suspected shooter can also be dead. The Conversation's political editor Naomi Schalit spoke to University of Massachusetts, Lowell, scientist Arie Perliger after the event. Perliger shared insights from his study of political violence and assassinations. Given the strong political polarization within the US, Perliger said, “it's no surprise that people end up behaving violently.”

Schalit: What was your first thought while you heard the news?

Pearls: The very first thing that occurred to me was that we’re principally just one centimeter away from a potential civil warI consider that if Donald Trump had actually suffered fatal injuries today, the extent of violence that we’ve got seen up to now could be nothing in comparison with what would have happened over the following few months. I consider that may have unleashed a brand new level of anger, frustration, resentment and hostility that we’ve got not seen within the United States for a lot of, a few years.

The attackat the least at this early stage, it’d confirm the strong sense amongst many Trump supporters and lots of people on the far right that they’re being delegitimized, that they’re on the defensive, and that there are efforts to fundamentally prevent them from participating within the political process and stop Trump's return to the White House.

For many individuals on the far right, what we’ve got just seen suits thoroughly right into a narrative that they’ve been constructing and spreading for months.

Political assassination attempts usually are not nearly killing someone. They have an even bigger goal, don't they?

In some ways, Assassinations to avoid the lengthy technique of downgrading and defeating political opponents when there may be a sense that even an extended political struggle is not going to be enough. Many perpetrators see murder as a way That will allow them to realize their political goals in a short time and effectively without having to have quite a lot of resources or quite a lot of organization. If we try to attach that to what we've seen today, I believe quite a lot of people see Trump as a unicorn, a singular phenomenon that in some ways has absorbed your entire conservative movement. So when you remove him, you’re feeling just like the problem shall be solved, or may very well be.

I believe the conservative movement has modified dramatically since Trump was first elected in 2016. Many features of Trumpism at the moment are quite popular in various parts of the conservative movement. So even when Trump eventually decides to step down, I don't think Trumpism – as a set of populist ideas – will disappear from the Republican Party. But I can definitely understand why individuals who see Trump as a threat consider that removing Trump will solve all problems.

In a study on the causes and effects of political assassinationsYou have written that if the electoral process fails to deal with “the most serious political grievances,” electoral competition has the potential to trigger further violence, including the assassination of politicians. Did you see that on this attempted assassination?

Democracy cannot work if the several parties, the several movements, usually are not willing to work together on certain issues. Democracy works when several groups are willing to succeed in some type of consensus through negotiations, to work together and cooperate.

What we’ve got seen over the past 17 years, essentially since 2008 and the rise of Tea Party Movementis that there may be increasing polarization within the United States. And the worst thing about that polarization is that the American political system has change into dysfunctional within the sense that we’re pushing out all politicians and decision makers who’re eager about working with the opposite side. That's one thing. Second, people delegitimize politicians who’re willing to work with the opposite side, thus portraying them as individuals who’ve betrayed their values ​​and their political party. And third, people delegitimize their political rivals. They turn a political disagreement right into a war wherein there is no such thing as a room for cooperation to deal with the challenges they consider the nation faces.

When you mix these three dynamics, you essentially create a dysfunctional system where either side are convinced that it's a zero-sum game and that it's the top of the country. If the opposite side wins, it's the top of democracy. When either side keep drumming into people's heads that losing an election is the top of the world, it's no surprise that individuals will eventually be willing to take the law into their very own hands and use violence.

Today is Monday, July 8, the a hundred and ninetieth day of the 12 months 2024. There are 176 days left within the 12 months.

Today’s highlight of the story:

On July 8, 2018, divers rescued 4 of the 12 boys who had been trapped with their soccer coach in a flooded cave in northern Thailand for greater than two weeks. (The remaining eight boys and their coach were rescued over the subsequent two days.)

Also on this date:

In 1776, Colonel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence publicly for the primary time in front of the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.

In 1853, an expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Edo Bay, Japan, with the mission of creating diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.

In 1889 the primary issue of the Wall Street Journal was published.

In 1947, the New Mexico newspaper Roswell Daily Record quoted officials at Roswell Army Air Field as saying that they had recovered a “flying saucer” that had crashed on a ranch. Officials then said it was actually a weather balloon.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as commander-in-chief of the UN forces in Korea. (Truman fired MacArthur nine months later for insubordination.)

In 1972, the Nixon administration announced that it was going to sell $750 million price of grain to the Soviet Union. (However, the Soviets were also busy secretly buying subsidized American grain, resulting in what critics called the “Great Grain Robbery.”)

In 1994, Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died on the age of 82.

In 2000, Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport to win her first Grand Slam title, becoming the primary black Wimbledon champion since Althea Gibson in 1958.

In 2010, the biggest spy swap between the United States and Russia for the reason that Cold War took place. Ten people accused of spying in American suburbs pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were deported to Russia in exchange for the discharge of 4 prisoners accused of spying for the West.

In 2011, the one hundred and thirty fifth and final Space Shuttle mission began with the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center.

In 2021, President Joe Biden said the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan would end on August 31. In a speech within the East Room of the White House, Biden made a passionate plea for ending the nearly 20-year war without sacrificing more American lives, but acknowledged there could be no “mission accomplished” moment to have a good time.

In 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech.

Today's birthdays:

• Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 80.
• Drummer Jaimoe Johanson (The Allman Brothers Band) is 80.
• Actor Kim Darby is 77.
• Children’s musician Raffi is 76.
• Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is 75.
• Actress Anjelica Huston is 73.
• The author Anna Quindlen is 72.
• The writer and politician Marianne Williamson is 72.
• Jack Lambert, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is 72.
• Actor Kevin Bacon is 66. Singer Joan Osborne is 62.
• Actor Rocky Carroll (TV: “Roc”) is 61.
• Actor Lee Tergesen (TV: “Oz”) is 59.
• Actor Billy Crudup is 56.
• Actor Michael Weatherly (TV: “NCIS”) is 56.
• The musician Beck is 54.
• Actress Kathleen Robertson is 51.
• Christian rock musician Stephen Mason (Jars of Clay) is 49.
• Actor Milo Ventimiglia (MEE'-loh vehn-tih-MEEL'-yuh) is 47.
• Actor Lance Gross (TV: “Tyler Perry's House of Payne”) is 43.
• Actress Sophia Bush is 42.
• Actress Maya Hawke is 26.
• Actor Jaden Smith is 26.

Several people trapped on a cliff above the ocean cliffs along the Daly City coast were rescued by firefighters Saturday, authorities said.

The hikers became stuck sometime before 1 p.m. near Westline Drive on a trail near Mussel Rock Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Rescue crews from the North County Fire Authority advised the general public to avoid the realm while they worked to free those trapped.

In an update later within the afternoon, the hearth department announced that “all trapped people had been brought to safety.”

In a social media post, the agency reminded the general public to “stay on the main trails when hiking around the cliffs.”

Dangerous situations on the cliffs near Mussel Rock Park will not be unusual.

In recent years, several people have died or been seriously injured after falling from a height of 45 to 60 meters from the cliff onto the beach.

Others have been rescued after becoming involved in extremely unsafe situations related to the cliffs, including an incident in 2013 by which a 79-year-old man nearly died while paragliding on the cliffs – an activity for which Mussel Rock Beach is notoriously unsafe and where crashes are steadily reported.

SANTA CRUZ – A strawberry tree within the car parking zone of a Santa Cruz office constructing was spared after residents of a neighboring constructing protested its planned cutting down – with one man climbing the tree and occupying it.

“I've always considered myself an activist,” said neighbor Brett Garrett, who climbed the tree Tuesday morning. “And I like trees in general, but I didn't consider myself a tree activist until last week.”

The strawberry tree, believed to have been planted about 10 years ago, towers over a patio within the neighboring Walnut Commons, an apartment complex. One of the office constructing's tenants – the nonprofit Ecology Action – had planned to remove it on Tuesday to make room for a shed to store electric bikes.

According to Heather Henricks of Ecology Action, the situation of the shed had been planned for a yr and the tree's welfare had been taken under consideration, however the nonprofit's leadership saw its existence as a possible nuisance to neighbors.

“We gave a lot of thought to the location and whether to remove the tree,” Henricks told the Sentinel. “Until last week, we were under the impression that the residents of Walnut Commons would welcome the tree's removal, as they had complained about its tree debris on their patios and the possibility that thieves could use it to climb over the dividing wall between our properties.”

But about every week ago, some Walnut Commons residents on the patio overheard the office constructing's property manager discussing the tree's removal. Word quickly spread to other residents, including Garrett, who has lived within the constructing because it was built nearly 10 years ago.

“The news spread like wildfire throughout the building and everyone was really concerned that we might lose this tree,” Garrett said. “It's right next to our patio and feels like a part of our environment even though it's on their property.”

Neighbors put together a petition against the removal of the strawberry tree, and nearly every resident within the constructing signed it — 23 signatures. Garrett said he and his neighbors thought the tree's removal was supported by Cruzio Internet, one other tenant within the constructing, and were surprised to search out out it was Ecology Action. After residents created the petition, they reached out to the nonprofit.

“As the climate crisis worsens, we need passionate environmental advocates more than ever,” Henricks said. “We were deeply touched to learn that our neighbors felt a strong connection to the strawberry tree and felt compelled to ask us to adapt the plan.”

As of Monday afternoon, the tree was still scheduled to be cut down. But Garrett, who is often involved in environmental issues akin to clean energy and transportation, decided he needed to take drastic motion. At around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, he climbed the tree – inspired partly by Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in an old Humboldt County redwood tree for greater than two years within the late Nineties to forestall it from being cut down.

“I don't know how many weeks she spent up in that tree,” Garrett said. “I was prepared to spend a few hours.”

Garrett said climbing the tree was an empowering experience and that he felt peaceful as he sat there Tuesday morning. After about two hours, Chuck Tremper, chief operating officer of Ecology Action, gave him some excellent news.

“He pulled into the parking lot, noticed me in the tree, came over and said he wanted to know the tree wasn't going to be cut down,” Garrett said. “I was very relieved.”

Garrett mentioned that an activist's actions don’t at all times produce the specified end result and that he was thrilled that the neighbors' efforts saved the tree.

“As an activist, you're usually working on things and banging on walls and nothing ever changes,” Garrett said. “It was really satisfying to just work on it for a couple of days with a good group of other people and actually save the tree. It shows me that activism is really worthwhile and you can really make a difference.”

After Garrett safely descended the strawberry tree and returned home on Tuesday, Tremper sent a message to the residents of Walnut Commons.

“All of us at Ecology Action are touched by how many people in our neighborhood have come to love and appreciate the tree – and feel moved to protect it. And we want to protect it,” Tremper wrote. “After some late-night brainstorming and drawing, we've found a way to do just that. While we'll need to further reduce our parking and make some other adjustments that will increase our team's workload, we're proposing to move our bike storage building farther from the southern property line so the tree can stay.”

In a mix of incidents described by animal rescuers as rare, two young peregrine falcons fell from their nests within the Bay Area this week – and were each reunited with their families.

A falcon named Lucia, a part of a Family that plays the important role on San Jose City Hall's popular hawk cam, fell from an 18th-floor ledge near his nest.

The young bird of prey, who’s near with the ability to fly, was present in an alcove at City Hall on Friday by volunteers who were tracking the progress of him and his three sisters, Alma, Zoe and Luna, toward flight, in response to a city Facebook page. The 4 falcons hatched in May and Females typically begin to fly just over six weeks after hatching.

“She will need to stay there, cover herself for the night, and be fed by a parent for a few more days so the wing feathers can grow an additional 1/4 inch each day for optimal flight AND a little fluttering to keep the wings strong,” a post on the town's website said. San Jose City Hall Falcons Page.

Late Saturday morning, the page was updated to report that Lucia was getting “a little nervous.”

Earlier this week, one other hawk that might not yet fly from a lesser-known family somewhere in San Mateo County fell from a 100-foot-high nest on Caltrans property, the Peninsula Humane Society reported. A biologist brought the bird to the Humane Society, where staff found it was dehydrated. “Fluids were administered,” the Humane Society said in an emailed statement. After the hawk was stabilized, UC Santa Cruz biologists and Caltrans staff reunited the bird with its family.

“It looks like these babies caught spring fever and are trying to leave the nest a little early,” said Colleen Crowley, spokeswoman for the Peninsula Humane Society.

Peregrine falcons are considered the fastest birds on the planet and might Speeds of virtually 200 miles per hour while diving. The species was nearly worn out, together with bald eagles and brown pelicans, by the now-banned pesticide DDT, which thinned eggshells. All three species have recovered. Peregrine falcons were faraway from the endangered species list in 1999.

Webcams of peregrine falcon nests are very talked-about, including those on the Campanile Tower at UC Berkeley and, since May, on Alcatraz Island.