Thursday, August 10, 2023

News roundup, 10 Aug 2023

- A catastrophic wildfire has devastated the Hawaiian town of Lahaina.

- No, COVID-19 is still not over.

- Danielle Smith has sabotaged billions of dollars worth of green energy projects and the associated jobs. Even free-market types are bewildered that she would do this. Meanwhile the feds are threatening to withhold funding from energy projects that don't reduce greenhouse emissions, which of course has got the UCP's knickers in a knot. 

- On the other hand, Colorado, which has been compared to Alberta, is moving forward with emissions reduction plans, despite the annoyance of energy companies.

- Ontario's auditor general has found signs of conflict of interest in the government's plans to build in the Greenbelt. No surprise there.

- A religious nut from BC, who is trying to sue the Quebec government for cancelling his booking at a convention centre for a rally, claims that wildfires are divine retribution for allowing access to abortion.

- Apparently when you rant on social media about wanting to kill people, including the President of the United States, and then confront the FBI with firearms when they come to get you, you might get killed. Who'd have thought, eh?

- Trump fans at fundie/evangelical churches apparently don't like it when their pastors cite woke nonsense like the Sermon on the Mount. And rather than backing down when it's pointed out that the pastor is actually quoting the word of Christ, they try to argue that it no longer applies in our time. Strangely, they never seem to apply that logic to other biblical verses such as Leviticus 18:22.

- In New Zealand they're making inroads in housing affordability by reforming zoning. There's a lesson in there if Americans - and Canadians - are willing to listen.

- A lot of people don't realize that the impact of climate change will be disproportionately on the poorest. Perhaps we shouldn't be too quick to correct this misconception, though; they're probably more likely to favour action if they think it's a concern for them.

- Apparently people are more likely to try plant-based food if it doesn't have the word "vegan" on the label.

- India is making significant inroads into greenhouse gas emissions.

- Apparently pardoning murderers and sending them to the front lines of a war doesn't always teach them not to kill people.

- Ron DeSantis, who has vowed to pardon Trump if elected President, is punishing prosecutors who aren't aggressive enough for his liking.

- Spain may lose their remaining glaciers within a decade.

- A candidate for Ecuador's presidency has been assassinated mid-campaign.

- China, despite its huge size, has only one time zone. Yes, the reason is political.

- Good news on the green energy front from Morocco.

- A huge donor to the Republican Party has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors. Apparently it's not drag queens we have to worry about after all. As someone in a Reddit thread on the subject said, "every accusation is a confession with them."

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