| Time |
Event |
| 4:38p |
Unmarried foreign domestic workers in Salafi Arabia
Unmarried foreign domestic workers in
Salafi Arabia that have babies
cannot ever bring their children home with them because
Salafi Arabia
punishes them for their parents' "sin" by
forbidding
them to leave.
It also denies those children all normal rights, including schooling.
Many of these women are effectively trapped there too, because they
will not abandon their children.
This shows the vicious nature of religious condemnation of sex and
pleasure.
It seems incomprehensible that
Salafi Arabia despises these children
while forcing them to remain there. But perhaps the practical result
is that they are compelled to spend their lives working underground at
low-pay menial jobs. That must be convenient for powerful people in
Salafi Arabia.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
Immigration deported US citizen's wife
The US deportation thugs
hastily arrested
and deported a US citizen's
wife for missing an immigration appointment.
She missed the appointment because
she suddenly started to give birth to US citizen children.
Anyone who is so heartless and rigid as to make a decision like that
should not be in a position to make such consequential decisions.
Doing so merits punishment.
The punishment for the first such offense should be publicly begging
for forgiveness. For the second offense, dismissal.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
Trees destroyed by hurricanes
*10m
trees to be planted in US to replace ones destroyed by hurricanes.*
If the hurricanes were a freak one-off event, this would correct the
damage. But since they represent a new normal, there will be more
hurricanes and many of these new trees won't live very long.
Generally, repairing damage from local climate disasters cannot
substitute for curbing the global heating that regularly causes worse
disasters.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
Cooperative to operate trains on national tracks
The UK has authorized
a cooperative to operate trains on the national
train tracks alongside money-extraction corporations.
But it won't operate until 2026.
This may prove to be a good solution. It will certainly treat its workers
better. However, a worker-owned cooperative does not automatically treat
passengers better, and there is no assurance that it will respect
travelers' privacy more than any other train operator.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
Proposal to burn garbage over fossil fuels
The UK government
proposes
to burn more garbage instead of some of the fossil fuels.
That produces as much CO2, as well as random mixture of toxic pollutants.
So I think it is more harmful even than coal. As far as I can see, the only
advantage is that the garbage is cheaper than fossil fuels. That suggests
this is an example of short-term thinking by the government,
instead of the long-term planning that is crucial for survival
Aside from the materials that can be put to better use immediately if
separated, a landfill may be the best alternative. Not perfect:
harmful substances (some toxic, some planet-roasting) do seep out.
But they emerge over a much longer period, and a substantial fraction
may not get out.
I wonder if the UK has a searchable national register of all proposed
projects that would need planning permission. I think every country
should have one.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
Constitutional crisis in South Korea
South Korea's recently impeached president is wanted for arrest for
insurrection, but the question of how to arrest him has
raised
a constitutional crisis.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
Design new towns for use without a car
When building "new towns", design them to be
easy
to live in without a car.
Reminder: don't assume everyone can ride a bike.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
New Orleans terrorist murder
The New Orleans terrorist murder
endorsed
fanatical Muslim views
condemning music and lewdness, as well as alcohol.
Islam prohibits drinking alcohol in even small quantities. Mainstream
Islam does not condemn music, but there is a long history in the
Muslim world of extremist movements that prohibit all music. The
Almurabitun and Almohad empires which conquered Morocco, and most of
what is now Spain in the 11th century and 12th century, prohibited music.
ISTR that the Taliban did so before 2001, and maybe they do that again today.
Most Muslims think that is crazy.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
|
| 4:38p |
Filling gap that makes for "existential boredom"
On filling the gap that makes for "existential boredom" with
finding out
what really matters to you.
One kind of thing that you might find really matters to you is making
a free and just society. There are many ways of working for that
goal, one of them being the free software movement. Maybe one of them
will give meaning to your life.
</li> |
| 4:38p |
Pay to play cops' footage, OH
Ohio, ruled by Republicans, will charge a fee to look at
thugs'
body camera footage. That will interfere with checking whether
the thugs were honest. |
| 4:38p |
Fossil fuel shipping ports flood
13 of the world's principal oil export ports will be put out of action
by 1 meter of sea level rise, which could happen
as
soon as 2070.
However, if it gets as far as 1 meter of sea level rise, lots of other
things will be going very wrong too. And the rise won't stop then. Even
worse, oil companies could make replacement ports and go on
flooding the world's coastal cities.
|
| 4:38p |
Free hardware designs
There are crucial differences between hardware and software, This will
not come as a surprise to you, but based on them I conclude that it
makes no sense under present circumstances to talk about "free
hardware". What does make sense as a concept is
"free hardware designs".
That article addresses many issues about freedom raised by digital
hardware.
|