Wednesday, September 6, 2023

News roundup, 6 Sept 2023

- The Manitoba NDP is promising to add 5 "neighbourhood health clinics" to ensure services are available in underserved areas. Meanwhile the Cons are beating the usual drum about cutting taxes; Dan Lett figures this may be a risky approach since he reckons the masses are starting to clue in that cutting taxes will inevitably mean cutting services at some point. Let's hope he is right.

- Manitoba's Francophone school division is banning cellphones from classes. Seems like a good idea really. Even some of the students think so, according to the article.

- Somebody has gone on a rampage with an excavator at a water treatment plant outside Winnipeg. Nobody hurt, and no damage to the actual water supply, but he made a mess of some vehicles and a building.

- Wildfires are turning carbon sinks into carbon sources. This is ungood.

- The summary of this article claims that "nearly all" stolen cars in this country are exported by organized crime. When you read the actual article it becomes clear that they're talking specifically about Ontario and Quebec; in Manitoba I think most stolen cars are either taken on joyrides or maybe used to commit other crimes, then ditched.

- There is currently a constitutional challenge against Alabama's abortion legislation, which among other things appears to allow conspiracy charges to be levied against those helping someone leave the state to get an abortion.

- Some municipalities are giving employers tax breaks - subject to the condition that they mandate a return to the office.

- Imagine the impact that a mass exodus from the American Southwest would have on American and world culture. You might not have to imagine much longer. And the thing is, it's not just there that we're going to see big problems with agriculture. By the middle of the century food scarcity may well be a reality.

- On a positive note, Brazil - and the world - are far better off now that Bolsonaro is out of office; there's been a big drop in the deforestation rate since Lula took power.

- Iceland, a progressive country in many ways, is not so progressive on whaling.

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