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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
June 23, 2021
Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) is preparing to operate one of North America’s largest fleet of 40-foot battery-electric buses following the county issuing a Notice to Proceed on an agreement that will expand electrification of Metrobus fleet.
Miami-Dade County gave the green light to add 42 battery-electric buses to its existing order of 33 buses from Proterra. In addition to the 75 total buses to be supplied, the project includes the installation of 75 Proterra chargers at three bus depots.
The initial order of 33 40-foot Proterra Catalyst® E2 electric buses is expected to be delivered to DTPW in 2022. The additional 42 buses will be Proterra’s newest ZX5+ model. A pilot Proterra ZX5 electric bus is scheduled to be delivered to DTPW in mid-July for internal and in service route testing.
“This is a major step forward in Miami-Dade County’s commitment to incorporate clean, renewable energy to protect our environment and offer better transportation options,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “With these new electric buses, Miami-Dade will lead the way with the largest sustainable transportation fleet in Florida and one of the largest in the nation.” ..............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/vehicles/hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicles/article/21227862/miamidade-to-add-42-proterra-electric-buses-to-existing-order
Miami-Dade to add 42 Proterra electric buses to existing order
Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) is preparing to operate one of North America’s largest fleet of 40-foot battery-electric buses following the county issuing a Notice to Proceed on an agreement that will expand electrification of Metrobus fleet.
Miami-Dade County gave the green light to add 42 battery-electric buses to its existing order of 33 buses from Proterra. In addition to the 75 total buses to be supplied, the project includes the installation of 75 Proterra chargers at three bus depots.
The initial order of 33 40-foot Proterra Catalyst® E2 electric buses is expected to be delivered to DTPW in 2022. The additional 42 buses will be Proterra’s newest ZX5+ model. A pilot Proterra ZX5 electric bus is scheduled to be delivered to DTPW in mid-July for internal and in service route testing.
“This is a major step forward in Miami-Dade County’s commitment to incorporate clean, renewable energy to protect our environment and offer better transportation options,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “With these new electric buses, Miami-Dade will lead the way with the largest sustainable transportation fleet in Florida and one of the largest in the nation.” ..............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/vehicles/hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicles/article/21227862/miamidade-to-add-42-proterra-electric-buses-to-existing-order
June 23, 2021
(Bloomberg) -- Nine months after the declaration of a national emergency due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. births fell by 8% in a month.
The December drop marked an acceleration in declines in the second part of the year. For the full year, the number of babies born in the country fell 4% to about 3.6 million, the largest decline since 1973, according to a Wednesday report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest data are early evidence of the drastic impact from the health crisis on birth rates, with the full effect expected to show in 2021 data.
Births have generally been on the decline in the years since the Great Depression, as Americans have been getting married later and putting off having kids. That’s only grown more pronounced during the pandemic, as people feared going to hospitals and lacked nearby family support because of lockdown restrictions. ..........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/nine-months-after-lockdowns-u-s-births-plummeted-by-8
Nine Months After Lockdowns, U.S. Births Plummeted by 8%
(Bloomberg) -- Nine months after the declaration of a national emergency due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. births fell by 8% in a month.
The December drop marked an acceleration in declines in the second part of the year. For the full year, the number of babies born in the country fell 4% to about 3.6 million, the largest decline since 1973, according to a Wednesday report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest data are early evidence of the drastic impact from the health crisis on birth rates, with the full effect expected to show in 2021 data.
Births have generally been on the decline in the years since the Great Depression, as Americans have been getting married later and putting off having kids. That’s only grown more pronounced during the pandemic, as people feared going to hospitals and lacked nearby family support because of lockdown restrictions. ..........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/nine-months-after-lockdowns-u-s-births-plummeted-by-8
June 23, 2021
(Salon) The Republican-led Arizona election "audit," which recently has inspired a new echo in Montana, now faces opposition from a conservative talk radio who initially backed the effort and also fresh turmoil surrounding Cyber Ninjas, the previously unknown firm hired to carry out the audit.
With the audit entering its final days, conservative talk-show host Mike Broomhead told CNN anchor Pamela Brown over the weekend that his position on the audit had changed in recent weeks because Republicans had let the procedure become "biased" and overtly partisan in nature.
"I just think that they lost focus on being fair and unbiased," he stated on CNN. "I think they have allowed it to turn into a very biased audit, where they are speaking only to the people that already believed ahead of time that the election was stolen, and they haven't really produced any evidence to the contrary."
Broomhead had not initially argued that the election was stolen, but said he thought the audit would be a worthwhile measure to ensure confidence in the electoral process.
"This is not about politics for me," he told The Arizona Republic in mid-June. "It's not about right and left. It's about right and wrong. I'm an Arizonan, and I'm an American before I'm a Republican, but I'm proud of all three. I don't see the direction this audit is going as doing the state of Arizona or the country any good anymore. The goal of a transparent and unbiased audit is gone. You've either got to fix it or end it." .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/arizona-republicans-finally-backing-away-from-cyber-ninjas-and-its-dubious-election-audit/
Arizona Republicans finally backing away from Cyber Ninjas and its dubious election "audit"
(Salon) The Republican-led Arizona election "audit," which recently has inspired a new echo in Montana, now faces opposition from a conservative talk radio who initially backed the effort and also fresh turmoil surrounding Cyber Ninjas, the previously unknown firm hired to carry out the audit.
With the audit entering its final days, conservative talk-show host Mike Broomhead told CNN anchor Pamela Brown over the weekend that his position on the audit had changed in recent weeks because Republicans had let the procedure become "biased" and overtly partisan in nature.
"I just think that they lost focus on being fair and unbiased," he stated on CNN. "I think they have allowed it to turn into a very biased audit, where they are speaking only to the people that already believed ahead of time that the election was stolen, and they haven't really produced any evidence to the contrary."
Broomhead had not initially argued that the election was stolen, but said he thought the audit would be a worthwhile measure to ensure confidence in the electoral process.
"This is not about politics for me," he told The Arizona Republic in mid-June. "It's not about right and left. It's about right and wrong. I'm an Arizonan, and I'm an American before I'm a Republican, but I'm proud of all three. I don't see the direction this audit is going as doing the state of Arizona or the country any good anymore. The goal of a transparent and unbiased audit is gone. You've either got to fix it or end it." .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/arizona-republicans-finally-backing-away-from-cyber-ninjas-and-its-dubious-election-audit/
June 22, 2021
(Detroit Metro Times) Calling all motherfuckers, ball-lickers, and anyone who may be stuck in 1999 — it's time to get some Hater Totz, yo.
Filmmaker, wearer of backward caps, heart attack survivor, and the dude who attempted to rescue Marvel comics legend Stan Lee (R.I.P.), Kevin Smith, is taking what he calls a "fake fast-foodery" inspired by a "bunch of dopey movies" he made from screen to street for some IRL eats.
Mooby's made its movie debut in Smith's 1999 film Dogma (or as we refer to it, "the movie where Alanis Morrisette plays god" ) and made appearances in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, and, again, in 2019's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. In other words, Mooby's is a major player in the KSCU (that's Kevin Smith's Cinematic Universe), and starting Tuesday, July 6, Mooby's will be making a cameo at Detroit's Tin Roof for a two-week engagement.
The McDonald's/Burger King-inspired fast food joint will transform Tin Roof into a Mooby's from the films, as well as a Jay and Silent Bob merch shop, and staged photo ops for fans of Smith's offbeat filmography. ...............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/table-and-bar/archives/2021/06/21/kevin-smiths-fictional-fast-food-chain-moobys-is-coming-to-detroit-via-vegan-friendly-pop-up#.YNH86sjDzT4.link
Kevin Smith's fictional fast-food chain Mooby's is coming to Detroit via vegan-friendly pop-up
(Detroit Metro Times) Calling all motherfuckers, ball-lickers, and anyone who may be stuck in 1999 — it's time to get some Hater Totz, yo.
Filmmaker, wearer of backward caps, heart attack survivor, and the dude who attempted to rescue Marvel comics legend Stan Lee (R.I.P.), Kevin Smith, is taking what he calls a "fake fast-foodery" inspired by a "bunch of dopey movies" he made from screen to street for some IRL eats.
Mooby's made its movie debut in Smith's 1999 film Dogma (or as we refer to it, "the movie where Alanis Morrisette plays god" ) and made appearances in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, and, again, in 2019's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. In other words, Mooby's is a major player in the KSCU (that's Kevin Smith's Cinematic Universe), and starting Tuesday, July 6, Mooby's will be making a cameo at Detroit's Tin Roof for a two-week engagement.
The McDonald's/Burger King-inspired fast food joint will transform Tin Roof into a Mooby's from the films, as well as a Jay and Silent Bob merch shop, and staged photo ops for fans of Smith's offbeat filmography. ...............(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/table-and-bar/archives/2021/06/21/kevin-smiths-fictional-fast-food-chain-moobys-is-coming-to-detroit-via-vegan-friendly-pop-up#.YNH86sjDzT4.link
June 22, 2021
(Detroit Free Press) LANSING Michigan's Republican Party has become representative of the political fringe, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a national TV appearance Tuesday.
Whitmer, speaking about the state's Tuesday lifting of mask requirements and most other coronavirus restrictions earlier than planned, was asked her opinion on what the Republican Party in Michigan has become, considering:
"This GOP in Michigan right now has really bought into, kind of, the fringe," Whitmer said.
"It's harder and harder for moderate Republicans to call the GOP home." ............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2021/06/22/whitmer-michigan-republican-party-gop-cnn/5302114001/
Whitmer appears on CNN: What she said about Michigan GOP
(Detroit Free Press) LANSING Michigan's Republican Party has become representative of the political fringe, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a national TV appearance Tuesday.
Whitmer, speaking about the state's Tuesday lifting of mask requirements and most other coronavirus restrictions earlier than planned, was asked her opinion on what the Republican Party in Michigan has become, considering:
* Michigan GOP chairman Ron Weiser said in March that Whitmer and fellow Democrats Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson were "witches" who should be "ready for the burning at the stake."
* Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock organized bus trips to Washington, D.C. for the rally that immediately preceded the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and spoke at a U.S. Capitol rally on Jan. 5.
* Maddock suggested in May that Michigan should secede from the U.S "Brexit-style."
"This GOP in Michigan right now has really bought into, kind of, the fringe," Whitmer said.
"It's harder and harder for moderate Republicans to call the GOP home." ............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2021/06/22/whitmer-michigan-republican-party-gop-cnn/5302114001/
June 22, 2021
Ridership on the New York City subway reached 44 percent of pre-pandemic era ridership, carrying more than 2.5 million passengers—the highest number since COVID-19 hit New York in March 2020.
The milestone extends a string of previous records set within recent weeks: 2.4 million riders on June 10; 2.38 million riders on June 9; 2.35 million riders on May 27; 2.27 million on May 14; and 2.24 million on May 7.
“The subway is a reflection of New York City at large, and more people moving around means more people are taking the subway,” said Demetrius Crichlow, executive vice president of Subways for Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit. “To hit the 2.5 million mark at the start of the summer only makes us more optimistic about hitting major ridership milestones and reaching a full recovery.”
The MTA says it has undertaken unprecedented cleaning and disinfecting protocols in the year since the pandemic began to ensure that the system is as safe as possible for its customers. The authority has also rolled out public education campaigns and issued millions of masks to its customers. The MTA is hosting public vaccination hubs at Grand Central and Penn Station. ..................(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/press-release/21227387/mta-new-york-city-transit-new-york-subway-daily-ridership-reaches-25-million-breaking-pandemicera-record
New York subway daily ridership reaches 2.5 million, breaking pandemic-era record
Ridership on the New York City subway reached 44 percent of pre-pandemic era ridership, carrying more than 2.5 million passengers—the highest number since COVID-19 hit New York in March 2020.
The milestone extends a string of previous records set within recent weeks: 2.4 million riders on June 10; 2.38 million riders on June 9; 2.35 million riders on May 27; 2.27 million on May 14; and 2.24 million on May 7.
“The subway is a reflection of New York City at large, and more people moving around means more people are taking the subway,” said Demetrius Crichlow, executive vice president of Subways for Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit. “To hit the 2.5 million mark at the start of the summer only makes us more optimistic about hitting major ridership milestones and reaching a full recovery.”
The MTA says it has undertaken unprecedented cleaning and disinfecting protocols in the year since the pandemic began to ensure that the system is as safe as possible for its customers. The authority has also rolled out public education campaigns and issued millions of masks to its customers. The MTA is hosting public vaccination hubs at Grand Central and Penn Station. ..................(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/press-release/21227387/mta-new-york-city-transit-new-york-subway-daily-ridership-reaches-25-million-breaking-pandemicera-record
June 22, 2021
(Guardian UK) Just as the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began in earnest in the United States, the Informed Consent Action Network (Ican) sent its subscribers a “legal update” on its war against employers and schools planning to require the shots.
An unspecified number of organizations had supposedly dropped their mandates – one just after Ican took them to court – and the Texas-based anti-vaccination nonprofit was prowling for more plaintiffs.
“If you or anyone you know is being required by an employer or school to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, Ican is pleased to offer to support legal action on your behalf to challenge the requirement,” read the January email.
Ican was founded in 2016 by one of the loudest voices in the US anti-vaccine movement, Del Bigtree, who produced the widely discredited propaganda movie Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe. For the last year, the nonprofit has capitalized on fear surrounding supposed vaccine mandates, going on the offensive months before any lifesaving vaccines became available to the public. Now, as vaccine hesitancy persists, Ican’s legal blitz has fueled disinformation, using costly legal threats to deter schools and businesses from implementing vaccination requirements. ................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/22/anti-vax-group-legal-blitz-deter-vaccinations
Anti-vax group mounts legal blitz to sow disinformation against vaccinations
(Guardian UK) Just as the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began in earnest in the United States, the Informed Consent Action Network (Ican) sent its subscribers a “legal update” on its war against employers and schools planning to require the shots.
An unspecified number of organizations had supposedly dropped their mandates – one just after Ican took them to court – and the Texas-based anti-vaccination nonprofit was prowling for more plaintiffs.
“If you or anyone you know is being required by an employer or school to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, Ican is pleased to offer to support legal action on your behalf to challenge the requirement,” read the January email.
Ican was founded in 2016 by one of the loudest voices in the US anti-vaccine movement, Del Bigtree, who produced the widely discredited propaganda movie Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe. For the last year, the nonprofit has capitalized on fear surrounding supposed vaccine mandates, going on the offensive months before any lifesaving vaccines became available to the public. Now, as vaccine hesitancy persists, Ican’s legal blitz has fueled disinformation, using costly legal threats to deter schools and businesses from implementing vaccination requirements. ................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/22/anti-vax-group-legal-blitz-deter-vaccinations
June 21, 2021
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. airlines and their unions want the Justice Department to send a strong message against the rise in unruly passengers with additional federal criminal charges.
Several airline trade groups and unions sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for criminal enforcement that goes beyond the increase in civil charges filed so far this year by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
“The federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance,” the groups said in the letter.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the letters.
The FAA says it has been aggressively acting against people who violate federal regulations. It has sought more than $300,000 in fines in more than 20 cases. ...........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/airlines-seek-federal-criminal-charges-against-unruly-passengers
Airlines Seeking Criminal Charges Against Unruly Passengers
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. airlines and their unions want the Justice Department to send a strong message against the rise in unruly passengers with additional federal criminal charges.
Several airline trade groups and unions sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for criminal enforcement that goes beyond the increase in civil charges filed so far this year by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
“The federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance,” the groups said in the letter.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the letters.
The FAA says it has been aggressively acting against people who violate federal regulations. It has sought more than $300,000 in fines in more than 20 cases. ...........(more)
Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/airlines-seek-federal-criminal-charges-against-unruly-passengers
June 21, 2021
Why Tucker Carlson loves UFOs: Jason Colavito on the hidden links between conspiracy theories
There's immense overlap, Colavito says, between QAnon believers, UFO enthusiasts and Donald Trump's superfans
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED JUNE 21, 2021 6:00AM
(Salon) The American people live in the same country. That does not mean they share a common reality. This inability to agree upon basic empirical facts and the nature of the truth is undermining the country's democracy.
Moreover, a type of collective malignant narcissism, in which entire communities of people believe that their opinions supersede empirical reality and scientific fact, is undermining America's present and future prosperity, stability and freedom, not to mention the basic health of our society.
....(snip)....
Jason Colavito is a professional skeptic, researcher and author whose essays have been featured at The New Republic and Slate. He has also appeared on the History Channel and the American Heroes Channel. Colavito is the author of several books, including "The Mound Builder Myth," "Jason and the Argonauts Through the Ages" and the forthcoming "The Legends of the Pyramids: Myths and Misconceptions about Ancient Egypt."
In this conversation, Colavito places these "new" conspiracy theories about QAnon and the Big Lie about the 2020 election — as well as the decades-long popular obsession with UFOs — in a larger context of fear and anxiety about social change in America, arguing that a particular version of insecure white masculinity (and white supremacy more generally) is central to many of today's most widely believed conspiracy theories.
....(snip)....
QAnon, the "Deep State," Donald Trump's Big Lie and and now a report by the U.S. government on UFOs. How do you explain this confluence of events?
First, it's important to understand that all these conspiracy theories are interrelated. It's not like QAnon is completely separate from UFOs and that is completely separate from a conspiracy about Jewish bankers taking over the world — as Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested, by using "Jewish space lasers." These conspiracies are all connected by this idea of rejected knowledge — that there is a secret body of knowledge that can tell a person how the world really works, and is being hidden away from the public by elites.
People who believe in conspiracy theories are searching for a means to understand a complex and changing world in a simple way, one that flatters their own particular prejudices, particular beliefs and feelings that they should be the ones at the center of the historical narrative. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/21/why-tucker-carlson-loves-ufos-jason-colavito-on-the-hidden-links-between-conspiracy-theories/
Why Tucker Carlson loves UFOs: Jason Colavito on the hidden links between conspiracy theories
Why Tucker Carlson loves UFOs: Jason Colavito on the hidden links between conspiracy theories
There's immense overlap, Colavito says, between QAnon believers, UFO enthusiasts and Donald Trump's superfans
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED JUNE 21, 2021 6:00AM
(Salon) The American people live in the same country. That does not mean they share a common reality. This inability to agree upon basic empirical facts and the nature of the truth is undermining the country's democracy.
Moreover, a type of collective malignant narcissism, in which entire communities of people believe that their opinions supersede empirical reality and scientific fact, is undermining America's present and future prosperity, stability and freedom, not to mention the basic health of our society.
....(snip)....
Jason Colavito is a professional skeptic, researcher and author whose essays have been featured at The New Republic and Slate. He has also appeared on the History Channel and the American Heroes Channel. Colavito is the author of several books, including "The Mound Builder Myth," "Jason and the Argonauts Through the Ages" and the forthcoming "The Legends of the Pyramids: Myths and Misconceptions about Ancient Egypt."
In this conversation, Colavito places these "new" conspiracy theories about QAnon and the Big Lie about the 2020 election — as well as the decades-long popular obsession with UFOs — in a larger context of fear and anxiety about social change in America, arguing that a particular version of insecure white masculinity (and white supremacy more generally) is central to many of today's most widely believed conspiracy theories.
....(snip)....
QAnon, the "Deep State," Donald Trump's Big Lie and and now a report by the U.S. government on UFOs. How do you explain this confluence of events?
First, it's important to understand that all these conspiracy theories are interrelated. It's not like QAnon is completely separate from UFOs and that is completely separate from a conspiracy about Jewish bankers taking over the world — as Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested, by using "Jewish space lasers." These conspiracies are all connected by this idea of rejected knowledge — that there is a secret body of knowledge that can tell a person how the world really works, and is being hidden away from the public by elites.
People who believe in conspiracy theories are searching for a means to understand a complex and changing world in a simple way, one that flatters their own particular prejudices, particular beliefs and feelings that they should be the ones at the center of the historical narrative. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/21/why-tucker-carlson-loves-ufos-jason-colavito-on-the-hidden-links-between-conspiracy-theories/
June 21, 2021
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Police say an angry Florida man pulled a gun on a drive-thru worker because they forget the cream cheese with his bagel. The employee just happened to be the daughter of the Miami Gardens police chief.
Police say the man became angry at a Starbucks drive-thru when they messed up his order earlier this week.
According to an arrest report, he returned to the window, screaming at the employee and pulled out a gun. ........(more)
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/police-man-pulled-gun-on-chiefs-daughter-over-cream-cheese/
Police: Florida man pulled gun on chief's daughter over cream cheese
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Police say an angry Florida man pulled a gun on a drive-thru worker because they forget the cream cheese with his bagel. The employee just happened to be the daughter of the Miami Gardens police chief.
Police say the man became angry at a Starbucks drive-thru when they messed up his order earlier this week.
According to an arrest report, he returned to the window, screaming at the employee and pulled out a gun. ........(more)
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/police-man-pulled-gun-on-chiefs-daughter-over-cream-cheese/
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Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,072
