Wicked Blue
Wicked Blue's JournalCourt orders Shell to slash CO2 emissions in landmark climate ruling
Source: CNN
London -- A Dutch court has ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must dramatically reduce its carbon emissions in a landmark climate decision that could have far reaching consequences for oil companies.
The company must slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, according to a judgment from a district court in The Hague on Wednesday. That includes emissions from its own operations and from the energy products it sells.
This is the first time that a court has ruled a company needs to reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals, according to Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell (RDSA).
The verdict could pave the way for similar cases to be brought in other countries, holding oil companies liable for greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/26/business/shell-court-case-climate-change/index.html
D.C. attorney general brings antitrust lawsuit against Amazon
Source: Washington Post
May 25, 2021 at 11:51 a.m. EDT
D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Tuesday brought an antitrust complaint against Amazon, alleging that the e-commerce giant wields monopoly power that has resulted in higher prices for consumers.
Racine’s office accused the company of fixing prices through contract provisions with third-party sellers who peddle their products on its platform. The attorney general said that Amazon prevents sellers from offering their products at lower prices or on better terms on any other online platforms, including their own websites, and that that prohibition results in “artificially high” prices across e-commerce sales.
(Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
“Amazon has used its dominant position in the online retail market to win at all costs,” Racine (D) said in a statement. “It maximizes its profits at the expense of third-party sellers and consumers, while harming competition, stifling innovation, and illegally tilting the playing field in its favor.”
The suit follows years of Washington antitrust scrutiny of Amazon and comes as consumer advocates have called on the Biden administration to bring federal antitrust charges against the company. Biden recently nominated one of the company’s key critics, Lina Khan, to the Federal Trade Commission.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/25/dc-ag-antitrust/
Brood Q is about to emerge!
After 7 months of hiding, dozens of Brood Q lunatics are preparing to burrow out of their dusty basements, molt, and start yammering.
The crazycadas, as they are sometimes known, clatter loudly and ceaselessly, day and night, about the dangers of masks, vaccines and common sense. They clack their insectoid lips and shriek about pedophile pizza and other baseless conspiracy theories. Their hideous carapaces clutter lawns and sidewalks.
They extol the superhuman glory of their deranged leader, who himself has been forced to burrow deep into the Florida sand to avoid the hazards of lawsuits and indictments.
His brood awaits the mythical day when the former guy digs his way out to lead his babblers into higher decibels and spheres of delusion.
Little do they know that a handful of rolled up subpoenas wielded by savvy prosecutors will swat them into oblivion.
Florida Woman Survives Being Hit By Flying Turtle
Huffington Post
04/22/2021 11:33 am ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It’s not unusual for rocks and other debris to crash through a windshield and injure a driver or passenger — but a turtle?
A 71-year-old woman riding with her daughter on Florida’s Interstate 95 suffered a gashed forehead Wednesday when a turtle smashed through the windshield of their car, striking her, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
The daughter pulled over and got help from another motorist. According to a 911 recording, both were surprised by what they found.
“There is a turtle in there,” the man can be overheard saying.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/flying-turtle-hits-florida-woman_n_608194c0e4b0e7cb020bfbcf
Turtle was apparently unharmed.
Scientists create 'whitest paint ever' to help reduce reliance on air conditioning
Independent
Liam James
Scientists have developed what they claim is the whitest ever paint as a way to tackle global warming by reducing the need for air conditioning.
Engineers at Purdue University say said it reflects up to 98.1 per cent of sunlight – up from 95.5 per cent on their last attempt from six months ago – and can cool surfaces by as much as 19F or 10.5C.
Ordinary white paints that are designed to reject heat reflect only 80-90 per cent of sunlight and cannot make surfaces cooler than their surroundings, according to researchers.
...
The paint is so white due to a high concentration of barium sulphate, which is used to make photo paper and cosmetics white.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/whitest-paint-air-conditioning-purdue-b1831972.html
I am really excited about the possibilities for this paint. More than a decade ago I wrote articles about using white roofs to cool buildings for a small magazine about energy solutions.
When we replaced our roof several years ago, we opted for a type of shingle that was the most reflective we could find at the time. We also had the roofers install a ridge vent and soffit vents. Before doing this, our ceilings were hot to touch during the summer. Now they no longer get hot, which likely reduces our cooling bill.
With the addition of solar panels. our electric bill in summer is usually $8.50, which PEPCO lists as a "customer charge," whatever that is. Now and then they also send us a small check for supplying them with the excess power from our solar panels.
Union to file charges against Amazon over 'blatantly illegal conduct' in Bessemer election
Source: Raw Story/Common Dreams
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
April 09, 2021
As Amazon on Friday received the votes needed to defeat a unionization effort at its Bessemer, Alabama warehouse, the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union announced that it intends to formally object to the election results and file unfair labor practice charges against the tech behemoth for "unlawfully interfering" with employees' right to organize.
"We won't let Amazon's lies, deception, and illegal activities go unchallenged, which is why we are formally filing charges against all of the egregious and blatantly illegal actions taken by Amazon during the union vote," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of RWDSU, the union that attempted to organize the roughly 6,000 Bessemer warehouse workers.
"Amazon knew full well that unless they did everything they possibly could, even illegal activity, their workers would have continued supporting the union," Appelbaum said. "That's why they required all their employees to attend lecture after lecture, filled with mistruths and lies, where workers had to listen to the company demand they oppose the union. That's why they flooded the internet, the airwaves, and social media with ads spreading misinformation. That's why they brought in dozens of outsiders and union-busters to walk the floor of the warehouse."
"Amazon's conduct has been despicable," added Appelbaum. "We demand a comprehensive investigation over Amazon's behavior in corrupting this election."
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/union-to-file-charges-against-amazon-over-blatantly-illegal-conduct-in-bessemer-election/
A 3,000-year-old 'lost golden city' has been unearthed in Egypt
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post
April 8, 2021 at 10:22 a.m. EDT
CAIRO — A 3,000-year-old “lost golden city” has been unearthed in the southern city of Luxor, a discovery that could be the most significant find in Egypt since the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, the archaeological mission said Thursday in a statement.
The lost city, known as Aten, is believed to have been founded by King Amenhotep III, the ninth king of ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty who ruled the country from 1391 to 1352 B.C., the mission’s statement said. It is believed to be the largest administrative and industrial settlement in that era, nestled on the western bank of Luxor.
“The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun,” Betsy Bryan, an Egyptology professor at Johns Hopkins University and member of the mission, said in the statement.
Its discovery, she added, “will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the ancient Egyptians” at a time when the empire was at its wealthiest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/luxor-lost-city-tutankhamun-archaeology/2021/04/08/4d9577d0-9863-11eb-8f0a-3384cf4fb399_story.html
All adults in Montgomery County MD can now pre-register for Covid-19 vaccination
E-mail announcement this morning by County Executive Marc Elrich
Montgomery County has opened preregistration at County-operated COVID-19 vaccine centers to all County residents 16-and-over.
To register for a County-operated center, go to https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/
As more vaccines come into Maryland, residents also can continue to preregister for State mass vaccination clinics online or by calling 1-855-MDGOVAX (1-855-634-6829). Residents are encouraged to preregister with the State and with the County—and advised to take the first vaccination appointment they are offered at any clinic.
A new vaccine center is now open on the campus of Montgomery College in Germantown. The County is operating the vaccine center through Wednesday, April 7. It is expected that the State will convert the site to a Maryland mass vaccination center beyond that date. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced last week that a State mass vaccination site will open at the Germantown campus starting next week. He did not establish a date that will happen. The site will be managed by the State and vaccinations will be available to all Marylanders.
Free Ride-On bus shuttle service is operating from the Shady Grove Metro station to the vaccination site at Montgomery College in Germantown. Buses will run every 15 minutes from 8:30 a.m. until 30 minutes after the last vaccination (approximately 5 p.m.). Pick up the shuttle on the east side of the Shady Grove Metro. Buses will be marked “Vaccination Shuttle.”
As of Thursday morning, approximately one-third of all County residents have received at least one vaccine. State statistic shows more than 340,700 County residents (32.5 percent) have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are more than 185,700 fully vaccinated County residents (17.7 percent).
There's one organization to blame for creating a nation of sociopaths
Amanda Marcotte
Salon, by way of Raw Story
Right on the heels of last week's horrific shooting spree by a 21-year-old at three Atlanta-area Asian day spas that left eight dead comes another mass murder, this time with a death toll of 10 at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store. The suspect, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was reportedly armed with an AR-15. While everyone waits for an apparent motive (officials said an investigation would not take fewer than five days to complete) one thing is absolutely certain: Little will be done to address the primary cause of mass shootings. The ease with which any random man with an inchoate grievance can pick up a gun and rapidly snuff out the lives of strangers to make himself feel powerful will remain unchecked.
That's not because Americans oppose stricter gun control laws. In fact, around 90% of Americans polled consistently support background checks for all gun sales. But when House Democrats introduced a bill earlier this month making background checks universal, all but eight Republicans voted against it. And forget about even turning this bill into law. The filibuster's continued existence makes it impossible to get it past Republican obstruction in the Senate.
The grim reality is that the entire nation is in the thrall to a minority of extremely insecure mostly white men who, drunk on decades of NRA-fueled propaganda, have decided that having the ability to commit mass murder at a moment's notice is a crucial component of maintaining their manhood against the ever-encroaching threats from de-gendered Potato Heads and lady video game players. Most of these men claim exoneration because they don't personally grab one of their many overpriced killing machines to lay waste to a grocery store or high school. Grotesquely, some even use these mass shootings to indulge in public fantasies about how they would totally stop an active shooter, though somehow they never seem to actually get around to doing it. But ultimately, they've become complacent in the face of mass murder from decades of being told by right-wing media that there's a binary choice between preventing murder and watching Michelle Obama personally run off with their testicles in her handbag. Worse, the right has cultivated an overall suspicion of the very concept of concern for the lives of others at all.
https://www.rawstory.com/national-rifle-association-nra/
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Maryland
Home country: United States
Member since: Tue Aug 11, 2020, 09:58 PM
Number of posts: 5,831
