Portland will have the most racially diverse City Council the city has ever seen, with a progressive majority. by Courtney Vaughn

A fourth round of preliminary election results was released Friday, showing little to no changes in presumptive winners. That means Portlanders now have a clear idea of what the city's future leadership will be, come January.

Portland City Council is likely to have a progressive majority and for the first time, and a roughly 40 percent BIPOC Council.

Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson is slated to receive onboarding and training at City Hall starting next month, before the new City Council and mayor are sworn in in January.

In District 1, Candace Avalos, who previously ran for a seat on Portland City Council and served on Portland's Charter Commission, is leading handily and is a presumptive winner. She will most likely serve alongside former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith and Jamie Dunphy, whose career has been spent helping to shape public policy while formerly working for US Sen. Jeff Merkley and the late Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish. Dunphy has recently led the charge to stop a Live Nation music venue from being developed in Southeast Portland. While Dunphy is leading for third place, he currently sits at just 23 percent, which is less than the 25 percent threshold for election. County officials say that can happen when ballots become "exhausted." Dunphy will likely still win election.

In District 2, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Sameer Kanal, and current City Commissioner Dan Ryan are all but guaranteed Council seats. The latest results show Ryan and Pirtle-Guiney were neck-and-neck in first-round counts, with just 73 votes separating the two. Pirtle-Guiney is a labor organizer and member of former Gov. Kate Brown's executive team. She also led the charge for Oregon Measure 114, which sought to limit gun magazine capacity and add a required permit for gun ownership. The measure passed but is currently held up in a court battle. Kanal served as the project manager for Portland's Police Accountability Commission and also serves on the city's Parks & Recreation Board.

District 3 saw Steve Novick, a former city commissioner, pull off a first-round win, guaranteeing his return to City Hall. He will be joined by elementary school teacher Tiffany Koyama Lane and nonprofit policy advocate Angelita Morillo, who were nearly tied with 19 percent of the overall vote in round one counts. Both Koyama Lane and Morillo ran on a progressive agenda, with Koyama Lane picking up an endorsement from Portland's Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Candidates in District 3 will be up for election again in two years.

In District 4, Olivia Clark, a communications professional who previously worked in Gov. John Kitzhaber's office, secured a first-round win Thursday. She'll be one of three city councilors representing the district that includes Southwest Portland, including downtown, and small portions of Southeast Portland like Sellwood. Along with Clark, energy economist Mitch Green is a presumptive winner. Green emerged as easily the most progressive front-runner candidate in District 4, securing an endorsement from the Portland DSA. The third-place winner is appears to be political insider Eric Zimmerman, though first-round results show him with less than a percentage point lead over Eli Arnold and the race is still close.  Both candidates secured 11 percent of the overall vote in round one counts. Zimmerman previously worked in Mayor Ted Wheeler's office and currently works for Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim Edwards. Arnold is a Portland police officer. District 4 seats will be up for election again in two years.

In a closely watched federal race for Oregon's 5th Congressional District, Democrat Janelle Bynum secured a win over Republican incumbent Lori Chavez DeRemer, flipping the US House seat from red to blue. Other winners include incumbent Suzanne Bonamici in the 1st District and Maxine Dexter in the 3rd Congressional District.

By Friday, the vast majority of ballots were received and counted, though the Multnomah County Elections Office says it still has about 45,000 ballots to count. Overall voter turnout in Multnomah County is now hovering around 71 percent.

Results won’t be finalized until Dec. 2.

Amy Sedaris, QDoc Film Festival, and More by EverOut Staff

Stay busy with some of the many top-notch events happening this week, from Amy Sedaris to the QDoc Film Festival and from BrewLights at the Oregon Zoo to opening weekend of the Portland Winter Ice Rink. And check out our November events guide to see what the rest of the month has in store.

Amy Sedaris
Referring to someone as "whimsical" feels vaguely off-putting, but I'm not sure there's a better word to describe Amy Sedaris—the host of the Emmy-nominated series At Home with Amy Sedaris was just as comfortable making raisin necklaces and popsicle stick buddies as she was gutting a fish. Although the series was canceled after three seasons, I look back on it fondly as a reflection of my early pandemic days, when making sense of the world meant baking a sourdough bread loaf shaped like a mermaid (true story). Find out what Sedaris is cooking up next at this live talk, moderated by "professional nervous person" Courtenay Hameister. LINDSAY COSTELLO
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)

by Courtney Vaughn

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

Good morning, Portland! Take a deep breath. Hold for six seconds. Exhale. 

We might be treated to some fleeting morning sunshine, but for the most part, expect more rain with a high of 54 degrees and a low of 50. 

Let's catch up on what's happening in our city and around the world.

In Local News: 

• Important fox update! The young arctic white fox spotted in Portland a few weeks ago is now in the care of the Bird Alliance of Oregon. Last Friday, the Bird Alliance posted an update, noting the fox was likely illegally kept in captivity in Oregon. And while the fox sniffed out and found several mice hidden for her around her enclosure, it’s unlikely she’d survive in the wilderness. The organization reports the fox is in good health and they’re looking for a permanent home for her with a wildlife agency.

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Bird Alliance of Oregon (@birdallianceoforegon)

• The body of a missing hiker was found in Mt. Hood National Forest last Friday. Police say 33-year-old James Robert MacDonald was found by search and rescue crews after his family reported he didn’t return from a hike Wednesday, Nov. 6. KATU reports MacDonald had four children, including 1-year-old twins, and was finishing a radiology residency at OHSU.

This is the second major search conducted for a missing hiker in Mt. Hood National Forest in less than two weeks. Last Tuesday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office found a missing mushroom hunter in densely forested terrain as he exited the Eagle Creek Trail. He was found “cold and wet” but otherwise in good health.

• Dozens of Portlanders and local organizations have signed on to a letter urging the Portland City Council to postpone a vote on a contract that would funnel more money into the Portland Metro Chamber. This Wednesday, City Council is likely to approve the expansion of one of the city’s Enhanced Service Districts, Downtown Clean & Safe. The expansion also accompanies a $58 million contract renewal for Clean & Safe. Enhanced Service Districts are special districts where property owners pay a tax to fund extra security services and cleanups around the district. If it were any other organization or even any other ESD, few would bat an eye at the contract renewal, but Downtown Clean & Safe is essentially operated by the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance). The city funnels millions of district tax dollars into this no-bid contract, to give ESD ratepayers–most of which are downtown businesses–an added layer of private security, as well as trash and graffiti removal. While plenty of folks are supportive of the extra services, quite a few Portlanders, including condo owners in the district, say the contract arrangement is barely ethical, and serves primarily to funnel taxpayer money into the Metro Chamber, which is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the city. There are few, if any, checks and balances on the contract. Aside from ethical concerns, condo owners in the Downtown Clean & Safe ESD say they are being charged for services they already pay for through their Homeowners Associations and city taxes. 

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Tom Toro (@tbtoro)

• Oregon has repeatedly failed to protect or keep data about the kids in its foster care system who wind up being sex trafficked. If you have an Oregonian subscription, this heartbreaking story is worth a read. The series shines a light on a disjointed foster care system in Oregon that failed to protect more than two dozen foster care children from being sold for sex or "anything of value," including one woman, who's now 21 but ran away with men multiple times and was forced to perform sex acts when she was 16. Multiple teens in foster care are at risk of being sold into prostitution, but for years, the state has been slow to respond and/or failed to identify those at risk, despite federal requirements to keep data on the high-risk teens in state custody.

• It’s World Vegan Month, and Veganizer is partnering with local restaurants to offer fun menu items with a portion of the proceeds from those items going toward local nonprofits. Pssst…going vegan is a great excuse to skip Thanksgiving dinner with any family members you don’t like, or those you’re just not ready to stomach after the election.

• And if you need other things to distract yourself or just need a reason to get out of the house, check the Everout weekly rundown for the best in dining, live music, film, and miscellaneous outings. Looking for a show tonight? Consider watching Salami Rose Joe Louis deliver an experimental fusion of electro-jazz rock (if that's not a thing, it is now) at the Jack London Revue.

In National/World News:

• Yesterday was Veterans Day, and perhaps the most notable event of the day was the posthumous military rank awarded to Civil War-era activist and abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Tubman escaped slavery and went on to help rescue an estimated 70 other people from slavery via the Underground Railroad. Aside from her activism and liberation of others, she's also regarded as the first woman to lead an armed combat regimen for the Union during the Civil War. In 1863, Tubman led 150 African American Union soldiers in a raid that ultimately rescued an estimated 700 slaves. For her efforts, Tubman was named a one-star brigadier general in the Maryland National Guard.

•In a move that feels like the Trump agenda is already setting in, the Intercept lays out a bill scheduled to be voted on next week with bipartisan support that would essentially allow the government to revoke tax exemption from any nonprofit organizations it deems to have a connection to terrorism or support terrorism. HR 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, would give the US Treasury secretary the power to notify any organization that its tax-exempt status will be revoked. The nonprofit will have 90 days to appeal. The ACLU is sounding the alarm, noting a bill of that magnitude would only serve to chill free speech and other activities of orgs that don’t align with Trump’s political allies or agenda. The fact that this bill was introduced is a likely indicator that members of Congress and US government officials already have a few nonprofits in mind. 

I want to be absolutely clear. Having reviewed the text of the law, it is, quite possibly, the most unconstitutional bill I have ever encountered during my time as a legal professional. It makes the Patriot Act look like an appropriations bill. It’s the modern equivalent of the Sedition Act of 1798.

— ????️‍⚧️ June Licinio ✡️ (@jwlicinio.bsky.social) November 11, 2024 at 2:15 PM

• With just over three months left in President Biden's term, chatter among Democratic senators suggests US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor should step down so Biden can make a SCOTUS appointment before he leaves office. Sotomayor, 70, hasn't indicated her intention to retire from the court, but with a current Democratic majority in the Senate, some say the time is now for her to step aside and allow for another justice to be appointed by a Democrat president. At least one senator is pushing back on that suggestion. On a recent episode of Meet the Press, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont told NBC's Kristen Welker he doesn't think it's a good idea. Dems are trying to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2020, when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg ignored calls for her to step down, then died while still serving. Trump was president, and replaced Ginsberg—often revered as a feminist icon—with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

• US transportation safety officials are investigating whether certain models of Hondas and Acuras are prone to engine failure. The AP reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into rod bearing failures that can cause the engines on several makes and models to fail. Honda last year issued a recall to fix the engine problem, but the NHTSA says nearly 175 complaints from vehicle owners who experienced the same engine failure issues, but whose vehicles weren’t included in Honda’s 2023 recall. The issue covers the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX (2016-2020 model years); the Honda Odyssey and Acura TLX (2018 through 2020), and the Honda Ridgeline (2017-2019).

@livviathepig

the gift that keeps on giving

♬ original sound - liv

The history of school desegregation in America has long been centered around the southern United States.

The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv Saturday, with Duncan Laurence's doleful piano ballad "Arcade" crowned champion of Europe's annual music extravaganza.

Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security. It's one of the biggest government agencies that will be integral to his vow to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Kevin Kwan. Host Peter Biello talks with the author of the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians about his new book Sex and Vanity.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Rebecca Carroll. Carroll is an award-winning author, podcast host and Black culture critic.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Diane Rehm.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with environmental activist Erin Brockovich.

The Exchange presents a special broadcast of Writers on a New England Stage with Kevin Kwan. Host Peter Biello talks with the author of the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians about his latest book, Sex and Vanity.

The solid waste company Casella says it's running out of space for Northern New England's trash. So it's taking the rare step of planning a brand-new landfill, in the small Coös County town of Dalton. Lots of locals agree – they don't want the landfill. But they're divided on one potential tool to block it: zoning.

Earlier this year, the city of Lebanon gave a small group of residents the chance to bring not their trash and recyclables to the local landfill, but their compost too. It makes Lebanon one of a few cities in the state helping residents reduce food waste, which is a major contributor to climate change.

NHPR and The Music Hall in Portsmouth present Writers on a New England Stage with i nternational bestselling author and podcast host Malcolm Gladwell, who sat down with Peter Biello to discuss his new book, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know .

A recent documentary centers on Boston’s WBCN radio, a 40-plus year fixture on the New England airwaves. Rock radio is fading out in many cities around the country. Last month, WAAF, a rock radio station in Massachusetts, was sold and abruptly changed its format after 50 years. It’s been more than a decade since WBCN left the air. Both stations were widely heard in New Hampshire. We could focus on the demise, but Bill Lichtenstein, a filmmaker and one-time ‘Rock of Boston’ staffer, decided to tell the story of the beginning of WBCN. He started back in 1968, as a 14-year-old kid answering the station’s listener line. This transcript of Rick Ganley's conversation with Bill Lichtenstein has been lightly edited. Lichtenstein: People were told call with anything – questions, your roommate's having a bad acid trip, whatever, and we'll be happy to try to help you. And so I started answering the listener line. I was one of a number of young people that were recruited to do that. Ganley: And I

As I learned during a return visit this summer, the real draw in Plymouth is the centuries of maritime history. It goes well beyond the Mayflower, whose sailing from here 424 years ago on Sept. 16 was a historical fluke.

After a 2nd place finish in the MLS last season, the Columbus Crew SC are looking for a little revenge to start their 2016 campaign.

India's strategic pivot towards liquefied natural gas (LNG) is set to redefine its energy landscape, especially amid the shifting dynamics of global energy trade. Earlier this year, GAIL (India) Ltd, the country's largest government-owned natural gas company, secured a 10-year LNG purchase agreement with Vitol, a global energy trader with extensive operations in Russia. This deal, which begins in 2026, will ensure approximately 1 million metric tons (mt) of LNG annually, including gas sourced from Russia. This agreement is instrumental for India as it strives to elevate natural gas consumption to 15% of its energy mix by 2030. India's LNG imports have demonstrated considerable variability, reflecting its dependence on this critical energy source. Imports surged to 3,516 million standard cubic meters (MMSCM) in May but fell to 2,794 MMSCM in July. Over the first four months of the year, LNG accounted for a substantial 12,269 MMSCM out of a total gas consumption of 24,210 MMSCM, underscoring the country's reliance on imported LNG to meet its growing energy needs. This volatility highlights the strategic importance of agreements, like the one with Vitol and the one between Novatek and Deepak Fertilisers, signed in February 2023, for both spot and long-term supply contract markets in securing energy stability. Russia, for its part, has been adapting its LNG export strategy in response to global pressures and the evolving market landscape. In the first half of 2024, Russian LNG imports to Europe rose by 11% from last year, with Russia supplying 69.95 million mt so far. Despite a general decline in European gas consumption and a shift toward long-term contracts, Russian LNG remained a significant portion of imports, with France alone seeing a 110% increase. This demonstrates the resilience of Russian LNG in maintaining its foothold in European markets. Additionally, Russia's LNG exports to China have also seen growth, with 1.648 million mt shipped in the first quarter of 2024-a 2% increase from the previous year.

Competition between vendors to provide POS software remains fierce, with more than 125 suppliers working with major retail and hospitality chains, according to Global POS Software 2023, the latest study from strategic research and consulting firm RBR Data Services, a division of Datos Insights.

The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka has intensified. In the village of Ust-Kamchatsk, kindergartens and a school have been closed, sports and music classes have been cancelled. According to Oleg Bondarenko, the head of the Ust-Kamchatsk District, the amount of volcanic ash that fell in the village on the night of November 8 is insignificant as most of the ash cloud is moving towards the sea. However, it was decided to suspend the work of two kindergartens and three schools. Transport services in the settlement operate as usual. Click here to see more pictures and videos of the eruption.

The Top Supply Chain Projects 2024 (formerly known as SDCE 100) profiles innovative application success projects designed to automate, optimise, streamline and improve the supply chain.

Avantra, provider of AIOps and automation solutions for SAP environments, was a prominent participant at the recent SAP Sapphire events held in Orlando and Barcelona. The company unveiled its latest AI capabilities and highlighted its pivotal role in enabling organizations to transition from manual operations to advanced automation.

[Domestic] :
Testimonies from surviving crew members who were aboard the fishing boat that sank in waters off Jeju Island on Friday suggest that the excessive amount of fish caught may have caused the ship to go down. According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Coast Guard on Saturday, all of the rescued crew members ...

[more...]

[Inter-Korea] :
The South Korean military has dismissed North Korea’s claims that a drone invaded its airspace earlier this month after taking off from the South’s Baengnyeong Island near the western de facto maritime border. At a press briefing Monday, spokesperson Lee Sung-joon from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of ...

[more...]

[Science] :
Rain is in the forecast nationwide on Tuesday, with downpours expected along the southern coastal areas of South Jeolla Province, in the southeastern Gyeongsang region and on the southernmost island of Jeju. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, over 100 millimeters could fall on the ...

[more...]

Band FTIsland will make a comeback with their seventh full-length album in July.The group's agency FNC Entertainment released the band's promotion schedule for the album 'Serious' through its official...

[more...]

Explore the Aquarius Moon's traits, emotional depth, and how it influences relationships, creativity, and personal growth in astrology. Unlock its mysterious power.

BGS receives award at the World Landslide Forum 2023  British Geological Survey

Earthquake hits Midlands as British Geological Survey confirm magnitude  Birmingham Live

BGS completes first mapping expedition to Ascension Island  British Geological Survey

BGS collaborates with Icelandic colleagues to assess windfarm suitability  British Geological Survey

Funding awarded for study on hydrogen storage potential in the East Midlands  British Geological Survey

A novel approach to computationally enhance the sampling of molecular crystal structures is proposed and tested. This method is based on the use of extended variables coupled to a Monte Carlo based crystal polymorph generator. Inspired by the established technique of quasi-random sampling of polymorphs using the rigid molecule constraint, this approach represents molecular clusters as extended variables within a thermal reservoir. Polymorph unit-cell variables are generated using pseudo-random sampling. Within this framework, a harmonic coupling between the extended variables and polymorph configurations is established. The extended variables remain fixed during the inner loop dedicated to polymorph sampling, enforcing a stepwise propagation of the extended variables to maintain system exploration. The final processing step results in a polymorph energy landscape, where the raw structures sampled to create the extended variable trajectory are re-optimized without the thermal coupling term. The foundational principles of this approach are described and its effectiveness using both a Metropolis Monte Carlo type algorithm and modifications that incorporate replica exchange is demonstrated. A comparison is provided with pseudo-random sampling of polymorphs for the molecule coumarin. The choice to test a design of this algorithm as relevant for enhanced sampling of crystal structures was due to the obvious relation between molecular structure variables and corresponding crystal polymorphs as representative of the inherent vapor to crystal transitions that exist in nature. Additionally, it is shown that the trajectories of extended variables can be harnessed to extract fluctuation properties that can lead to valuable insights. A novel thermodynamic variable is introduced: the free energy difference between ensembles of Z' = 1 and Z' = 2 crystal polymorphs.

The Azotobacter vinelandii FeSII protein forms an oxygen-resistant complex with the nitrogenase MoFe and Fe proteins. FeSII is an adrenodoxin-type ferredoxin that forms a dimer in solution. Previously, the crystal structure was solved [Schlesier et al. (2016), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 239–247] with five copies in the asymmetric unit. One copy is a normal adrenodoxin domain that forms a dimer with its crystallographic symmetry mate. The other four copies are in an `open' conformation with a loop flipped out exposing the 2Fe–2S cluster. The open and closed conformations were interpreted as oxidized and reduced, respectively, and the large conformational change in the open configuration allowed binding to nitrogenase. Here, the structure of FeSII was independently solved in the same crystal form. The positioning of the atoms in the unit cell is similar to the earlier report. However, the interpretation of the structure is different. The `open' conformation is interpreted as the product of a crystallization-induced domain swap. The 2Fe–2S cluster is not exposed to solvent, but in the crystal its interacting helix is replaced by the same helix residues from a crystal symmetry mate. The domain swap is complicated, as it is unusual in being in the middle of the protein rather than at a terminus, and it creates arrangements of molecules that can be interpreted in multiple ways. It is also cautioned that crystal structures should be interpreted in terms of the contents of the entire crystal rather than of one asymmetric unit.

Gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland, and Wales can now donate blood, plasma and platelets under certain circumstances without having to wait three months, the National Health Service announced this week.; Credit: Wilfredo Lee/AP

Gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland, and Wales can now donate blood, plasma and platelets under certain circumstances, the National Health Service announced this week in a momentous shift in policy for most of the U.K.

Beginning Monday, gay men in sexually active, monogamous relationships for at least three months can donate for the first time. The move reverses a policy that limited donor eligibility on perceived risks of contracting HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted infections.

The new rules come as the U.K. and other countries around the world report urgent, pandemic-induced blood supply issues.

Donor eligibility will now be based on each person's individual circumstances surrounding health, travel and sexual behaviors regardless of gender, according to the NHS. Potential donors will no longer be asked if they are a man who has had sex with another man, but they will be asked about recent sexual activity.

Anyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months can donate, the NHS said.

"Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do. This change is about switching around how we assess the risk of exposure to a sexual infection, so it is more tailored to the individual," said Ella Poppitt, Chief Nurse for blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, in a statement. "We screen all donations for evidence of significant infections, which goes hand-in-hand with donor selection to maintain the safety of blood sent to hospitals."

People who engage in anal sex with a new partner or multiple people or who have recently used PrEP or PEP (medication used to prevent HIV infection) will have to wait three months to donate - regardless of their gender.

Why did the U.K. make this change?

The NHS moved to alter its blood donation eligibility rules following a review by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group. The panel determined an individualized, gender-neutral approach to determining who can donate blood, platelets, and plasma is fairer and still maintains the safety of the U.K.'s blood supply.

The findings were accepted in full by the government last December.

Researchers will continue to monitor the impact of the donor selection changes for the next 12 months to determine if more changes are needed, NHS said.

What is the policy in the U.S.?

Despite efforts by advocates to change regulations in the U.S, the ability for gay and bisexual men to donate blood is still restricted.

A ban on gay and bisexual blood donors has been in effect since the early 1980s when fears about HIV/AIDS were widespread.

The Food and Drug Administration's current policy states a man who has sex with another man in the previous three months can't donate. Federal rules previously made such donors wait 12 months before giving blood, but due to low blood supplies during the pandemic the federal government changed the policy in April.

The Red Cross said they are participating in a pilot study funded by the FDA using behavior-based health history questionnaires, similar to those used in the U.K.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

For two decades now, and counting, the LANDFIRE program continues to assemble the most easy-to-use, intuitive and complete clearinghouse of remote sensing data products for wildland fire managers. 

The USGS is pleased to announce the release of new US Topo maps for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These updated topographic maps offer valuable, current geographic information for residents, visitors, and professionals, providing essential resources for communities in these areas.

The USGS is working with federal land management agencies to develop a series of structured science syntheses (SSS) to support National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. This new synthesis is the third publication in the SSS series and provides science to support NEPA analyses for agency decisions regarding oil and gas leasing and permitting.

Actor Dwayne Johnson (L) and Simone Alexandra Johnson attend the People's Choice Awards 2017 at Microsoft Theater on January 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Christopher Polk

When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson debuted his Hollywood persona in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003, he was two years removed from his first successful protagonist role in "The Scorpion King" and on the heels of more film success with roles in "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall." 

Little did anyone foresee that "Hollywood" Rock would buoy the overall representation for Asian and Pacific Islanders in popular film for the next 20 years.

Last week, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a report documenting the prevalence of Asian and Pacific Islanders both on-and off-screen across the top-grossing films each year from 2007 to 2019.  Of the 1,300 films examined, only 44 featured API actors playing lead roles, nearly a third of which were played by Johnson. 

The report offers more staggering statistics:

• In 2019, over a quarter of API characters in the top-grossing films died. Most died by drowning, explosions, stabbing or suicides

• Of the over 51,000 speaking characters in the 1,300 films examined, only 6% were Asian, Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders

• Only 50 of the 1,447 directors in the 1,300 films examined were of API heritage.

• In 2019, 67% of API characters played stereotyped roles

The release of this report comes at a time of rising anti-Asian hate crimes nationally, and the authors of the report believe the portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders in mass media contributes to that. Today on FilmWeek, we delve into the study's findings and discuss the history of API filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.

Guests: 

Nancy Wang Yuen, professor of sociology at Biola University in La Mirada; she is co-author of “The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders Across 1,300 Popular Films”; she tweets @nancywyeun

Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Fresh Air; he tweets @JustinCChang

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Silicon Metals Corp. (SI:CSE) has expanded its Ptarmigan Silica Project by acquiring 919 hectares of contiguous claims, increasing its land position by 40% in British Columbia's Rocky Mountain Trench. Read more to find out how this expansion supports their vision for high-grade silica production.

Beginning July 1, 2011, computer equipment and televisions will be banned from disposal in North Carolina landfills, under a law passed last year by the General Assembly. Catawba County will provide four one-day electronics recycling collection events in fiscal year 2011-2012, free of charge. All residents of Catawba County will have access to these electronics recycling events, including those who live in the cities and towns in the county.

Catawba County offers electronics and paint recycling, year round, at Blackburn Landfill during regular landfill operating hours, as of July 1.

The U.S. Department of Energy should place a higher priority on developing an accurate and actionable inventory of agency-owned or managed properties that can be leased or sold for energy development, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The winners of the sixth annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge were announced at this year’s National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Annual Meeting.

The winners of the seventh annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge were announced at this year’s National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Annual Meeting. The challenge aims to promote interdisciplinary, problem-based learning around a public health issue of importance to the Washington, D.C., community.

The 1.3 million nursing home residents in the U.S. make up less than 0.5 percent of the nation’s population, but represent approximately 15 percent of COVID-19 related deaths to date.

Many scientists and researchers are among the millions of Ukrainians who have fled their country since the Russian invasion. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has launched a new initiative to help these researchers and their families resettle in Poland.

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Sciences brought together leaders from the National Academy of Sciences Ukraine and several other national academies for a meeting in Warsaw to identify concrete actions the international science community can take to support Ukrainian researchers and science capabilities.