Zero emissions and big carmakers
24 May 2022
*Big carmakers stuck in slow lane over switch to zero emissions.*
(Satire) No way to prevent this
24 May 2022
(satire) *"No Way To Prevent This," Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.*
Authoritarianism and global heating supported by same industries
24 May 2022
*Rising Authoritarianism and Escalating [Global Heating] Are Supported by the Same Industries.*
Bezos thanks Manchin
24 May 2022
Bezos thanked Manchin for blocking a tax increase on corporations.
When you think of Amazon, think "Manchin." This is one more reason to refuse to buy from Amazon, on top of all the others.
(Satire) Abusive Etiquette Coaches
24 May 2022
(satire) *CIA Criticized For Use Of Abusive Etiquette Coaches In Black Site Finishing Schools.*
EU proposes mandatory censorship to scan for prohibited communication
24 May 2022
The European Union proposes to become a branch of China.
The European Union executive branch has proposed a directive for mandatory censorship of communication services including chat and email, which includes requiring client software to scan for prohibited communications. Interpreting the description here literally, this would prohibit free software email or chat clients.
The rules would also apply to cloudy services that offer to store data and snoop on it. Under these rules, they would be required to snoop on everything.
The proposal would also require all digital services to make users prove their identity, presumably through some nonfree software and/or online disservice. This would be the total surveillance society that we have long feared the internet would turn into — a place in which whistleblowing and dissent would inevitably be caught.
Rome's favorite herb wiped out from climate alterations
24 May 2022
2000 years ago, local climate alterations wiped out Rome's favorite herb. Now, global climate alterations can wipe out many plant species, including some we grow massive quantities of.
UK makes poor people pay higher gas and electricity rates
24 May 2022
The UK's plutocratist government has arranged to make poor people pay a higher rate for gas and electricity than everyone else. Now some poor people are disconnecting those services rather than pay debts of around 10 to 20 dollars.
Robot assistance in bladder cancer surgery
24 May 2022
Robot assistance in surgery for bladder cancer has made it much more reliable. It also enabled patients to recover faster.
I wish the article explained more about what "robot" means here. Is it a kind of wireless waldo, or does it have some autonomous capability?
I also wonder how they get the robot to the bladder. Through a small incision?
Decrease in sea ice thickness
23 May 2022
Between two expeditions to find the Endurance on the bottom of the ice-covered Weddell Sea, one in 2019 and one in 2022. there was a big decrease in the thickness of the sea ice.
Global drought
23 May 2022
Global drought forecast: 700 million people forced to move by 2030, 7 or 8 billion affected by 2050.
This probably implies food shortage — everywhere, all the time. And many deaths. And lots of cities burning. We may need desalination plants to get water to fight the fires, as well as water to drink.
Drought is only one of the deadly effects of global heating.
Meat processiong companies and Covid-19
23 May 2022
The big US meat processing companies used their political influence to keep operating in 2020 with no precautions against the spread of Covid-19 among their workers. The result was hundreds of workers dead, and Covid-19 spreading through the local area.
California coastal fire
23 May 2022
*[California] Coastal Fire Shows Even the Rich 'Are Not Safe From Earth Breakdown'.*
With the current drought, the fire season is now all year long.
Abott wants migrant babies to starve
23 May 2022
*Texas Gov. Abbott's Solution to Formula Shortage? Let Migrant Babies Starve.*
Driverless cars used for systematic snooping
23 May 2022
A driverless car constantly takes video in all directions. San Francisco thugs use them for systematic snooping.
Covid vaccine donation model has failed
23 May 2022
In a testament to the the power of plutocracy, only 15% of people in poor countries have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Manchin and Sinema denounced for maintaining the filibuster
23 May 2022
Women's rights groups denounced Manchin and Sinema for maintaining the filibuster and their claim that this will protect against Republican wrongdoing if they ever control the senate.
With Republicans' "by hook or by crook" attitude, we can expect them to cancel the filibuster whenever they get a chance.
Various governments against non-nuclear deal
23 May 2022
Various Arab governments (hostile to Iran) have lobbied very hard to block a new non-nuclear deal.
Culture wars
23 May 2022
In substance, culture wars are a distraction. But that doesn't mean they are unimportant. This distraction can be deadly, by enabling right-wing extremists to control who has power on questions that do matter.
Putin forces holding strongpoints close enough to Kharkiv
23 May 2022
The Putin forces are holding on to some strongpoints close enough to Kharkiv to bombard the outskirts of the city from them.
US wants the US to prosecute only non-US war criminals
23 May 2022
The US Senate wants to enable the US to prosecute non-US war criminals. US war criminals don't seem to be included.
Urgent: Indict Trump
23 May 2022
US citizens: call on Attorney General Merrick Garland to indict Trump promptly.
Urgent: Broadcast the Jan 6 committee hearings
23 May 2022
In the US: call on major US broadcast TV networks to show the Jan 6 committee hearings.
Urgent: Take action against predatory for-profit colleges
23 May 2022
US citizens: call on the Department of Education to take action against predatory for-profit colleges.
We should prohibit for-profit colleges; allowing them is asking for trouble.
Urgent: Kigali amendment
23 May 2022
Russian soldier pleads guilty among first Ukraine war crimes since invasion
23 May 2022
A Putin forces soldier pled guilty to killing a Ukrainian civilian.
The civilian was talking on a phone while riding a bicycle, and The soldier was ordered to shoot the civilian to stop him from reporting on the presence of Russian soldiers.
At the time, the soldier was driving around in a seized civilian car. That would have limited what the civilian could have known and reported about the actions of the Putin forces.
But what if the situation had been different? What if the soldier had driven by in his tank instead? Is it considered a war crime to kill a civilian who seems to be acting as a scout for the enemy? Should it be? What are soldiers supposed to do in that situation?
New federal law to prosecute lynching is not enough
23 May 2022
The new federal law to prosecute lynching is not by itself going to make racist murder cease. To achieve that requires other kinds of efforts, including rooting out white supremacists (and white supremacist ideas) from thug departments.
The point that states are making it illegal to teach what happened to Emmett Till is a very important one.
One of the things we need to do is to teach people to reject bigotry. Engaging in bigotry, even in a symbolic way as that article does by capitalizing "black" but not "white", works against that goal. Normally I decline to link to articles which promote bigotry, but I make exceptions for some articles which give important information about racism or the fight to eliminate racism, as here.
Bank of England and inflation
23 May 2022
* As the Bank [of England] lurches to reverse its own policies, there is a risk that "stability" will again be delivered on the backs of poor people.*
the Two major parties in Australia have disregarded protecting the
environment.
23 May 2022
The two major parties in Australia have disregarded protecting the environment. As a result, both land and sea have been grievously damaged.
The list of recommendations are good ones, but a crucial recommendation to reduce population growth (in Australia and elsewhere) is missing.
Fate of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers unclear as Azovstal resistance
23 May 2022
Will Putin treat the Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in Mariupol as prisoners of war, or try them for war crimes?
The Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol would have had few opportunities to commit war crimes while besieged. The civilians around were Ukrainian and the soldiers would not have hurt them. Fighting Russian soldiers with their personal weapons would not be a war crime.
It is possible that a few of them could be accused of committing war crimes before the start of this war. In a few cases, they could even be guilty. However, accusing enemies of fictitious crimes is standard practice for Putin.
Putin could treat them properly as prisoners of war, while refusing to exchange them while the war continues.
Global food systems and instability
23 May 2022
George Monbiot: the global food system is becoming more concentrated in various ways, and some scientists that study complex systems suspect this is responsible for increasing instability.
Regulatory systems are becoming weaker
23 May 2022
Regulatory systems are becoming weaker: Elon Musk regularly gets away with violating laws and regulations and suffers no significant penalty.
Audit finds systemic failures in how Victorian police treat indigenous complaints
23 May 2022
In Victoria, more than 40% of complaints about thug departments by indigenous Australians meet with bias.
It is very rare that the complainants win.
The [German] business dynasties who benefited from Nazis
23 May 2022
*The [German] business dynasties who benefited from Nazis*,
and in some cases remained close to Nazis after the war.
Right-wing PACs spent millions on plutocratist Democrats in several
primaries
23 May 2022
Right-wing PACs spent millions on plutocratist Democrats in several primaries, aiming to defeat progressive Democrats, but many of the progressives won anyway.
One incumbent that was defeated was Kurt Schrader,
who set up a devious scheme to defeat Sanders's plan to pass the Build Back Better bill by not voting on the infrastructure bill until after it was passed before.
Urgent: Climate defense
22 May 2022
Urgent: Abbott Labs
22 May 2022
Urgent: Increase subway frequency and service
22 May 2022
Anyone with a connection to New York City: tell Mayor Eric Adams to increase subway frequency and service, not punitive fare enforcement.
Urgent: Stop funding GOP election deniers
22 May 2022
US citizens: call on Toyota to stop funding GOP election deniers.
Urgent: Protect immigrant workers
22 May 2022
US citizens: call on the DHS to protect immigrant workers.
Urgent: Make your state a safe haven for abortion rights
22 May 2022
US citizens: call on your state legislators to make your state a safe haven for abortion rights.
To sign without running nonfree JavaScript code from the web site, use the Salsalabs workaround.
Urgent: DNC should invest in a summer youth organizing program
22 May 2022
US citizens: call on the DNC to invest in a summer youth organizing program.
Urgent: District attorneys should not prosecute abortion
22 May 2022
US citizens: call on your district attorney not to prosecute abortion.
Urgent: Nonviolent first responders
22 May 2022
US citizens: call for nonviolent first responders, not more extreme police spending.
Green energy increase
22 May 2022
*EU plans "massive" increase in green energy to help end reliance on Russia.* Not to mention the even bigger danger of global heating disaster.
Speaker and microphone tracking movements without people knowing
22 May 2022
A new sort of ultrasonic speaker and microphone could be used to track people's movements in within a house without their knowing.
Afghan army set up along modern American lines
22 May 2022
A US investigation says that the Afghan army collapsed because it was set up along modern American lines and that made it dependent on US support.
Defense Production Act
22 May 2022
Biden should use the Defense Production Act to speed conversion to renewable energy.