- The dramatic surprise attack by Hamas on Israel is noteworthy for a number of reasons, not least because the death toll among Israelis is much higher than previous conflicts of this sort, comparable to that among the Palestinian population. The lack of warning, as well as reports that substantial numbers of Israelis have been taken hostage suggests meticulous planning. Hamas will probably be hard pressed to follow through, though.
- A Winnipeg city councillor is calling for speed limits on active transportation paths. Enforcement could be difficult, though. In other municipal news, council is looking at relaxing height limits on apartment buildings in Osborne Village in the hope that this will spur the construction of more affordable housing.
- The co-chair of the Manitoba PC party is defending the decision to take a hard right turn in the leadup to the election. Interestingly, she acknowledges that this made things more difficult for the party in suburban Winnipeg, but that it secured support in rural Manitoba; she says that polling data indicated that a less extreme campaign would have cost the party in those areas. Presumably this is because voters would have stayed home rather than voting NDP.
- Of course, the troubles of the Manitoba Tories pale before those of the Republican Party in the US. Currently they remain competitive due to heavy gerrymandering, but they seem to be losing ground, because they are driving away moderates in droves (see for example Mitt Romney's decision not to seek reelection) and are incapable of breaking away from Trump. Since over half of the country is not insane (contrary to stereotypes) the party's ability to govern will only weaken. Unfortunately, since nearly half the country is insane, it will not lead to a peaceful and stable society, in the short run at least.
- An eminently reasonable move in Wales to lower the default speed limit in residential neighbourhoods to 20 mph (32 km/h) has sparked a rabid populist backlash, complete with vandalism of signs, slowdown protests on highways (which aren't affected by the law) and wackadoodle conspiracy theories (check out the placards held by some of the protesters in that photo).
- Speaking of those conspiracy theories, the warped, paranoid idea of what a "15 minute city" really is has led to similar madness around the world, with urban planners receiving death threats in some places.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill which would have decriminalized natural psychedelics (notably mushrooms), saying that the regulatory infrastructure is not yet in place that could make such a move safe.
- Sobeys and its subsidiaries have removed some turkeys from the shelves and are offering refunds to people who have bought them.
- NASA is sending a probe to the asteroid 16 Psyche, a highly metallic asteroid whose value, if somehow mined, has been estimated at around 1019 US dollars.
- The FCC has fined a satellite TV company for contributing to the space junk problem. A step in the right direction for sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment