| Time |
Event |
| 2:02p |
Myth of abortions leading to psychological problems
Let's get rid of the right-wing myth that abortions lead to
psychological problems. They don't.
On the other hand, having a baby does sometimes cause them. (And
non-mental medical problems, too.) Being compelled to have a baby you
can't afford to take care of is even worse. |
| 2:02p |
Global heating havoc on US national parks
Global heating is wreaking ecological havoc on US national parks.
In some places, all the old trees are dying of various
climate-related causes. |
| 2:02p |
India's list of banned single-use plastic
India has banned a long list of single-use plastic products. |
| 2:03p |
Urgent: Limits on state use of facial recognition
Massachusetts residents: call on your state legislators to enact
limits on state use of facial recognition.
Here's the text I gave as my personal message.
Please vote to enact the recommendations of the Special Commission on
Facial Recognition Technology. Those recommended rules will limit the
use of facial recognition by and for state government agencies so that
it does not become oppressive — presuming that the rules apply to all
jurisdictions that are part of the state. (I can't see an explicit
statement about that.)
However, this will certainly not be enough to protect us from the
repressive potential of facial recognition. Private companies can
also use facial recognition in ways that repress people. Imagine that
Amazon Ring joins forces with Clearview AI: it could track almost
everyone almost everywhere. It could report every person from Texas
that visits an abortion clinic in Massachusetts, for possible
prosecution in Texas. There are many other unjust possibilities.
Other methods of tracking, for instance through cellular phones, can
have the same effects.
To prevent tracking technology from threatening many human rights, we
need to legislate that it not be used in Massachusetts.
Thus, I urge you to follow the adoption of the commission's recommendations
about governmental use of facial recognition with strict limits on
private use of tracking technology. |
| 2:03p |
New York thugs violently arrested saxophone player
New York thugs violently arrested a beloved saxophone player, injuring
him and damaging his instrument, for playing without authorization in
the subway.
Apparently Night-Mayor Adams has taken the bogus "broken windows"
theory one step further. Breaking windows is undisputedly wrong,
though not a heinous crime. Playing music in the subway is merely
against a regulation.
The first lesson is, never vote for an ex-cop for mayor. |
| 2:03p |
Supreme Court ruling on CO2 emissions
The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA can regulate CO2 emissions only
in limited, local ways, not aiming for major reductions in total
planet-roasting emissions.
That means it can't do the one task most important for civilization's
survival.
*Biden Urged to Take Emergency Action After "Disastrous" Climate Ruling by Supreme Court*.
What he has been doing recently is the opposite: unleashing a big
increase in US oil extraction, which will take effect several years
from now.
*Environmentalists condemn Biden administration’s offshore drilling plan.*
It would be better for gasoline prices to increase in a slow, steady,
predictable fashion, with gas tax increases scheduled in advance.
But they must increase!
Now legislators are calling for expanding the Supreme Court to undo
its climate attack, in addition to abortion rights and voting rights. |
| 2:03p |
Louisiana's racially rigged electoral map
*In Blow to Voting Rights, [the Supreme Court] Saves Louisiana's
Racially Rigged Electoral Map.* |
| 2:03p |
Arizona, pro-life and worst state for child health
*Arizona, the most "pro-life" state in America, "one of the worst states in the union" for child health.*
This is no surprise — the people who oppose abortion tend to reject
the idea of systematically helping postborn fetuses. |
| 2:03p |
Ron Johnson admitted participation in fake electors scheme
Senator Ron Johnson privately admitted participating in the fake
electors scheme. |
| 2:03p |
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| 2:03p |
Ecuador cutting fossil fuel price
Ecuador has reached a harmful deal to end indigenous protests: cutting
the fossil fuel price.
This eases the immediate suffering of the poor, at the cost of making
future suffering worse for them and everyone else.
The right way to help poor people cope with various kinds of high prices
is to give them extra money which is independent of the amount of
fossil fuel they use.
The desl also includes stricter geographic limits on search for and
exploiting fossil fuel. That part is good. |
| 2:03p |
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| 2:03p |
Vacancies in federal courts
Senate Democrats are likely to fail to fill all the vacancies in
federal courts by the end of this year. If they lose control
of the senate, those vacancies will go unfilled until 2024
and might be filled by Republicans instead.
Why do they not eliminate the rule that allows individual senators to
block these appointments? The Republicans did. Could it be that
Manchin or Sinema is sabotaging this? |
| 2:03p |
Nonfree software in ATMS and vending machines
ATMs and vending machines in Russia run nonfree software — the
machines' owners cannot fix them.
We might argue that it is ok for banks and companies in Russia to be
attacked in this way, as punishment for Putin's invasion of Ukraine;
but I expect the same attack vector exists in most or all other
countries too. |
| 2:03p |
Sizewell C nuclear power plant
Construction of the planned Sizewell C nuclear power plant would quite likely
destroy an adjoining wildlife reserve.
That is in addition to wasting billions of pounds on inefficient
decarbonization, rather than spending it on much cheaper solar or wind
power together with temporary battery storage. |
| 2:03p |
Funds for poor or black urban neighborhoods
Federal funds will be available for projects to undo the damage done
to poor or black urban neighborhoods in the 1960s by building highways
through them. |
| 2:03p |
Urgent: Authority for the EPA to regulate total emissions of any greenhouse gas
US citizens: phone your senators (each one) and call on them
to explicitly enact the authority for the EPA to regulate total
emissions of any greenhouse gas.
The Capitol Switchboard number is +1-202-224-3121.
If you call, please spread the word! |