The ramming of a car Saturday afternoon into a crowd protesting a white nationalist rally in Virginia, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring several others, has left many lawmakers and ordinary Americans shocked, angry and upset.

There were also two other fatalities related to the rally: A Virginia State Police helicopter crashed into woods nearby, killing two officers. Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates died at the scene.

Below, a primer to the deadly incident and the details we know so far:

WHAT HAPPENED

The chaos kicked off when a group of white nationalists -- including neo-Nazis, skinheads, and Ku Klux Klan members — descended upon Charlottesville for the Unite the Right rally. The gathering was spurred on by the city's plans to remove a Confederate statue from a local park. The white nationalists were met with hundreds of counterprotesters, which led to street brawls and violent clashes. That, in turn, prompted Gov. Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency.

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Protesters gather at Justice Park in Charlottesville #cvilleaug12

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As the counterprotesters were marching along a downtown street, a silver Dodge Challenger suddenly came barreling through the crowd. The impact tossed people into the air, and left a 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, dead.

"It was a wave of people flying at me," Sam Becker, 24, told The Associated Press as he sat in a hospital emergency room, where he was treated for leg and hand injuries.

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UPDATE: 1 deceased, 19 injured in crash at 4th and Water streets. Fifteen other injuries reported related to rally downtown#cvilleaug12

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WHO IS THE SUSPECT AND WHAT ARE THE CHARGES

Law enforcement officials say the driver is James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old who recently moved to Ohio from where he grew up in Kentucky.

Fields' mother, Samantha Bloom, told The Associated Press during an interview in Toledo, Ohio, that she knew her son was attending a rally -- but she thought it was a rally for President Trump, not for white nationalists.

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"I thought it had something to do with Trump. Trump's not a white supremacist," she said.

She added, "I just knew he was going to a rally. I mean, I try to stay out of his political views. You know, we don't, you know, I don't really get too involved, I moved him out to his own apartment, so we -- I'm watching his cat."

Fields has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene. A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Fields’ former high school history teacher described the suspect's "radical ideas on race" toABC’s Cincinnati affiliate WCPO.

"He was very infatuated with the Nazis, with Adolf Hitler. He also had a huge military history, especially with German military history and World War II. But, he was pretty infatuated with that stuff,” Derek Weimer told WCPO. Weimer taught history to Fields at Randall K. Cooper High School in Union, Kentucky. He said overall Fields was a quiet, respectful student, albeit with radical views.

"In his freshman year, he had an issue with that that was raised, and from then on we knew that he had those issues. I developed a good rapport with him and used that rapport to constantly try to steer him away from those beliefs to show clear examples -- why that thinking is wrong, why their beliefs were evil, you know, things like that," Weimer said.

WHO ELSE WAS ARRESTED

Virginia State Police announced on Saturday night that three additional arrests were made related to the rally.

The individuals were Troy Dunigan, 21, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, arrested and charged with disorderly conduct; Jacob L. Smith, 21, of Louisa, Virginia, arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery; and James M. O’Brien, 44, of Gainesville, Florida, arrested and charged with carrying a concealed handgun.

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UPDATE: 3 arrested in connection with events in Charlottesville today. #cvilleaug12

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VICTIMS

Heyer was killed while marching with the crowd hit by the car allegedly driven by Fields. A GoFundMe page for Heyer's memorial raised over $80,000 in just 11 hours.

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Of the 19 patients from the car incident Saturday that were transported to UVA Medical Center, 10 are in good condition and nine have been discharged, Angela Taylor with UVA Health Systems said on Sunday afternoon. She added that the hospital has treated additional patients related to Saturday’s events, but the facility does not have an exact number of patients.

LAWMAKERS REACT

In remarks from his golf club in New Jersey on Saturday, President Donald Trump said, "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides."

The president's implication that "many sides" were responsible for the violence, didn't sit well with both lawmakers and private citizens.

"Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists," tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Facing mounting criticism, the White House issued a new statement on Sunday, saying, "The president said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry and hatred, and of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups. He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together."

Others politicians who weighed in were less blatantly critical of the president, but expressed their disgust at the rally and its attendees.

Sen. Ted Cruz slammed the violence associated with the rally and its aftermath in a strongly worded Facebook post.

"The Nazis, the KKK, and white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred that they propagate," Cruz wrote in the statement.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the lone African-American Republican in the senate, also called the attack "domestic terror" and encouraged it to be "condemned."

"Otherwise hate is simply emboldened," wrote Scott.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent and self-described Democratic Socialist, called the rally "reprehensible."

"The white nationalist demonstration in #Charlottesville is a reprehensible display of racism and hatred that has no place in our society," Sanders wrote.

SUNDAY'S VIGILS AND SOLIDARITY RALLIES

A slew of gatherings across the country were held Sunday to stand in solidarity with Charlottesville, including a candlelight vigil at the White House, the "Vigil for Justice" is slated for 5 p.m. at the World War II Memorial at the National Mall, and the "River of Light in Solidarity with #Charlottesville" vigil is slated for 7 p.m. at Lafayette Park.

Elsewhere, rallies were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Denver, New York City and Chicago.

(abcNEWS)

Water Depletion and Overfishing

Animal agriculture consumes a whopping 34-76 trillion gallons of water annually. Let’s put this into perspective: Adults typically drink two litres of water today, which translates to roughly half a gallon. The water used in average households is approximately 98 gallons per day. The amount of water required to make one apple is about 18 gallons. The water used to make one burger is 660 gallons.

Likewise, 1 pound of beef uses 1,799 gallons of water. This calculation includes irrigation of the grains and grasses used to feed the animal in addition to the water used for drinking and when processing. It’s not just beef, it’s all animal products. 1 pound of chicken uses 468 gallons of water, 1 pound of pork uses 576 gallons, 1 gallon of milk uses 880 gallons, and 1 pound of cheese uses 600 gallons.

How does that compare with plant-based products? 1 pound of corn uses 108 gallons of water, 1 pound of soybeans uses 216 gallons of water, 1 pound of potatoes uses 119 gallons, and 1 orange uses 13 gallons.

That’s not the only problem when it comes to animal agriculture and water. In 2010, 53% of fisheries were completely used up, and it’s only gotten worse, partially because factory fishers inadvertently kill and discard 200 million pounds of non-target fish daily. Over-utilizing these resources affects ecosystems negatively and puts societies at risk of losing valuable resources.

Meanwhile, 500 million tonnes of factory farm waste are produced in the U.S. annually and 35,000 miles of river across 22 U.S. states were polluted as a result in 2013. This waste is difficult to prevent and control given the exponential growth of the industry, and it won’t get any easier as demand rises. Farm animals produce 130 times more waste than humans; do we really need so many of them in order to feed ourselves?

Many people are happier and healthier eating plant-based diets, and you would reduce your environmental footprint significantly if you followed one. Even just cutting our meat, especially red meat, can reduce your environmental impact significantly. Giving up just beef would do more for the environment than if you stopped using your car entirely!

Check out this cookbook: Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year

Final Thoughts

It’s important that we educate one another on our environmental impact so we can try our best to reduce it. Even if you don’t want to go vegan entirely, just being mindful of this information and trying to reduce your intake of animal products is a big step in the right direction. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

Ultimately, we vote with our dollars, so we do have a power to make a difference. Without demand for animal products, we wouldn’t have these issues. So, if you want to reduce your ecological footprint, all you have to do is stop supporting companies that contribute to environmental destruction.

If you’re looking for some inspiration to eat more plant-based or go vegan, check out these CE articles:

6 Vegan Cookbooks You Need To Try This Summer!

16 Vegan One-Pot Recipes If You Are Considering Cutting Animals Out Of Your Diet

7 Simple & Delicious Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes

21 Easy Vegan Lunches To Take To Work


(collective-evolution.com)

Written by James Holbrooks

(ANTIMEDIA) — Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, one of South Korean president Moon Jae-in’s top aides criticized Donald Trump’s recent bellicose rhetoric against North Korea, calling the U.S. leader’s comments “very worrisome” because they’ve only made the situation worse.

“This is very unusual,” ambassador-at-large for international security Moon Chung-in said. “We do not expect that the president of the United States would make that kind of statement. It is very worrisome for the president of the United States to fuel the crisis.”

To be sure, this “crisis” aide was speaking of, if fanned into the flames of military engagement, would have immediate ramifications for North Korea’s neighbor to the south. Some in the media, however, have begun pointing out that despite all the sabre-rattling, most South Koreans simply aren’t all that concerned.

From Buzzfeed News on Friday:

“Between North Korean threats to launch missiles toward Guam and President Donald Trump boasting the US is ‘locked and loaded’ for a conflict, many Americans are on edge.

“But in the South Korean capital of Seoul, which hears regular North Korean promises to turn it into a ‘sea of fire’ and has lived under the threat of war with Pyongyang for decades, locals — especially younger Koreans — told BuzzFeed News this just isn’t that big of a deal to them.”

Reporter Jihye Lee, based in Seoul, spoke to young people around the country’s capital, and the responses to questions about North Korea may come as a surprise to Americans who get their news solely from the mainstream media.

“I don’t really think about it,” said one 31-year-old while speaking about the threat to the north, adding that South Koreans know the Hermit Kingdom is “just making a whole bunch of noise as they always do” and “begging for some more attention.”

A 30-year-old said the “news about both Koreas on CNN or BBC” doesn’t “feel like the world I live in.” One 26-year-old South Korean agreed, telling Buzzfeed News she has a “knee-jerk eyeroll reaction” when she goes overseas because “the first thing people think is that I live in a war zone” and this “couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“I don’t feel threatened at all, and I don’t see why I should,” another 25-year-old said of North Korea, adding that “they need this drama for people to even remember that they exist on Earth.”

“Old people care about it, probably, not my friends,” the young man also stated.

This indifference to Kim Jong-un’s blustering — particularly among South Korea’s youth — was highlighted by Haeryun Kang, managing editor of English-language magazine and website Korea Expose, for The Guardian on August 9:

“The reality of South Korean ‘indifference’ is complex and even contradictory. Widespread indifference to North Korea is definitely real — especially among the younger generation, whose education was not as strictly dictated by cold war ideologies — but it coexists with a deeply personal attachment that many South Koreans — even the young — still harbour to North Korea.

“South Korean history and identity are, paradoxically, indivisible from the northern neighbour it was decisively separated from 67 years ago when the Korean war began. Spy missions, terrorist attacks, verbal and physical threats, one-dimensional portrayals of ‘The Other’ as ‘The Beast’; all this has existed, on both sides of the border, throughout modern Korean history.

“But this pervasive narrative of North Korea as a dangerous, existential threat coexisted with an equally pervasive narrative that it was ‘our brother’. The majority of South Koreans still want unification.”

In an interview with Vox published Friday, Kang again echoed this sentiment while describing the multifaceted nature of the relationship between citizens of the North and South.

“But in South Korea, it’s deeply personal, and it’s deeply complex,” Kang told Vox’s Lindsay Maizland. “You don’t encounter North Korea just as a foreign country. It’s supposed to be your brother, your family, that one day you’re supposed to reunite with.”

Of the current spike in tensions between the U.S. and the Hermit Kingdom, Kang painted a picture similar to that of the young people who spoke to Buzzfeed News’ Lihye Lee:

“When you go out to the larger public, you see that life goes on as usual and a lot of people are pretty unfazed by what is going on. There’s a certain level of fear about what’s going on, if this or that were to happen, but on the whole, there’s not a hugely palpable sense of fear. Certainly not as much as what I encounter when I go abroad.”

Indeed, Kang told Vox’s Maizland, the biggest concern over nuclear weapons is the fact that they exist in the first place. Asked if, at the end of the day, all the tough talk over North Korea’s nuclear program is disconcerting, Kang replied:

“I think if I really think about it, I’m a little concerned. But it’s also in the sense that I’m concerned about how easily accessible nuclear weapons are increasingly in this world. And it’s not just North Korea. It’s the United States, it’s Russia, it’s all these different countries.

“There’s another layer of hypocrisy in the way we report about North Korea. Like, the United States owns nuclear weapons, but why is North Korea in the axis of evil that doesn’t get to because it’s supposed to be the less rational one? I’m just generally afraid of nuclear weapons in general. I’m just as afraid of Trump owning nuclear weapons as Kim Jong Un owning one.”

Perhaps Americans should listen to South Koreans — the people in closest proximity to the Hermit Kingdom — before they begin building bomb shelters in preparation for nuclear war with North Korea.

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