Friday, February 2, 2024

News roundup, 2 Feb 2024

- The Manitoba PCs are accusing the NDP government of "interfering" in the operations of Manitoba Hydro, because they intend for new power generation to be built by the utility itself rather than contracted out. No surprise here, the Cons are an enemy of the public sector. A bit rich, though, considering how much they interfered with MPI as well as Hydro when they were in power.

- Half of all American adults now say that Israel has gone too far in their campaign against Hamas. 

- China installed more solar capacity last year than the US has in total.

- The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as "forever chemicals", be categorized as "hazardous to human health".

- Legislators in several American states are introducing bills aimed at stopping the use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria for public investments such as pension funds. One of the most extreme was introduced in New Hampshire of all places, and if passed would have made it a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, for any official with the state treasury, pension fund or executive branch to "knowingly" make investment decisions using ESG criteria. Fortunately that bill was killed off in committee.

- A community organization called SABE Peacewalkers, which calls itself a "relationship-based de-escalation team", has come under fire after a couple of its members were caught on video being less than peaceful with vulnerable people.

- Glenn and Jennifer Ferris, a couple who installed security cameras in their home, are getting pushback from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, following objections from the home care staff looking after his elderly mother. This despite the fact that the cameras are on the outside of the house, and in rooms where the home care workers shouldn't have to go, which calls into question the workers' motives for wanting them turned off. The WRHA has threatened to withhold service if the cameras are not turned off.

- A trucker was arrested at the border crossing at Boissevain, south of Brandon, after allegedly trying to smuggle more than 400 kilograms of meth. That's equivalent to about three doses for every resident of the province.

- The erratic Lauren Boebert has called for measures such as "alligator moats" to secure the border with Mexico. Sounds like something out of Jacob Two-Two Meets The Hooded Fang rather than a serious proposal.

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