Society's ChildS


Eye 2

California's energy war on the poor

Robert Bryce
Quillette
Mon, 11 Jul 2022 00:00 UTC
power lines
© Andrey Metelev on Unsplash
California continues to implement policies on energy, housing, and transportation that are anti-poor and anti-working class.

A few years ago, author and demographer Joel Kotkin declared that "California is a great state in which to be rich."

Of course, it's good to be rich anywhere. But California — the province that for decades has led the United States in cultural issues like fashion, gay rights, and entertainment — has devolved into a state where the American dream is being strangled by a phalanx of energy and climate regulations that are imposing huge regressive taxes on the poor and middle class. And worse yet, the state's vast bureaucracy is imposing yet more regulations that will further tighten the financial noose on Californians.

Before going further, it's essential to put California into context. While the state is known for posh spots like Beverly Hills, Marin County, and Silicon Valley, the Golden State has the highest poverty rate in America. Indeed, the poverty figures in the state can only be described as shocking. A 2021 report by the Public Policy Institute of California found that "More than a third of Californians are living in or near poverty. Nearly one in six (16.4 percent) Californians were not in poverty but lived fairly close to the poverty line ... All told, more than a third (34.0 percent) of state residents were poor or near-poor in 2019." Los Angeles, the state's biggest city, and a magnet for generations of immigrants has one of the highest poverty rates among America's biggest cities.

Comment: Over the last how many number of years the state of California has become a veritable poster child for how not to run a state; employing all the most provenly destructive policies, mandates, and cultural mores. The list of bad ideas emanating from its woke/neo-liberal/'progressive'/authoriatarian managerial class is truly staggering:

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Heart

Man saves 5 from house fire; jumps out window to save girl


Associated Press
Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:00 UTC
baby fire
© Lafayette Police Department via APPolice bodycam video on July 11, 2022 provided by the Lafayette, Ind., Police Department, Nick Bostic, 25, of Lafayette rescues a 6-year-old girl from a house fire in Lafayette, Ind.
An Indiana man who ran into a burning home and saved five people, including a 6-year-old girl he jumped out of a second-floor window with, says he's no hero and that the serious injuries he suffered were "all worth it."

Nick Bostic, 25, of Lafayette, was driving early on July 11 in the northwestern Indiana city when he saw a house in flames. He stopped and ran inside to alert its residents.

"I slammed on the brakes, I turned the steering wheel, I did a 180. I ran into the back of the house and I was yelling for anybody. Four faces, three or four faces, came out the top," he told WLFI-TV.

An 18-year-old woman was in the home babysitting her three siblings, ages 1, 6 and 13, along with a 13-year-old friend of the 13-year-old sibling, while the four siblings' parents were out playing darts, The Washington Post reported.

Comment: He sure sounds like a hero to us!

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X

Venue cancels Dave Chappelle performance, vows to become 'the safest space'

Robby Soave
reason
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 17:30 UTC
dave chappelle
© Panoramic/ZUMAPRESS/NewscomFirst Avenue cancels a Dave Chappelle performance due to criticism.
"We hear you and we are sorry."

First Avenue, a concert venue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, canceled a planned performance by comedian Dave Chappelle — mere hours before he was slated to take the stage.

The venue explicitly cited criticism from progressives, who view the platforming of Chappelle as an act of violence against the transgender community, given his jokes about this group.

Comment: See also:

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Syringe

Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic will NOT play the US Open after tournament confirmed it will follow US government advice and not admit citizens who have not had their shot

Paul Farrell and Stephen M. Lepore
Daily Mail
Wed, 20 Jul 2022 07:05 UTC
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic kissing the Wimbledon trophy following his victory over Nick Kyrgios following a more than three hour battle on center court on July 10
  • The US government requires non-citizens to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter the season's final major tournament
  • Djokovic, who has made it repeatedly clear that he will not take the vaccine, will not be allowed entry
  • The Wimbledon champion was also banned from playing in the Australian Open due to his anti-vaccination stance
  • Djokovic is a three-time champion at Flushing Meadows
  • The 21-time major singles champion is still chasing Rafa Nadal's record of 22
Novak Djokovic will not be allowed to play in the US Open due to his refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The US Open organizers have said they would respect the government's rules on non-citizens being fully vaccinated in order to enter the country, ruling out Djokovic.

Djokovic's anti-vaccine stance has been well-documented. In January 2022, he was deported from Australia prior to the Open in Melbourne over his refusal to get vaccinated.

Following the drama Down Under, Djokovic, 35, said that he would not get the jab just to compete in tournaments.

The former world number one told the BBC in February that he had vaccines as a child and that he was not 'against vaccinations.'

He added: 'I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.'

Djokovic was hopeful of competing in Flushing Meadows next month but won't risk a repeat of the deportation furor he went through in Australia.

The Serbian superstar has won the US Open on three occasions.

He was named on the entry list for the final grand slam of the year on Wednesday, but that is routine, rather than an indication that he will be allowed to play.

The list is made up of the highest ranking players in the world. Djokovic is currently ranked seventh. He is only one major win away from tying with fellow legend Rafa Nadal for 22 major titles.

Comment: See also:

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Snakes in Suits

Canada's 35% tax penalty on Russian fertilizer imports is a disaster for local farmers

Effi Stounem
Readovka
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 18:31 UTC
farm canada
FILE PHOTO
According to the Le Devoir newspaper, Christian Overbeck, chairman of the grain producers' association of the Canadian province of Quebec, has complained that the duties imposed in March this year worsen the already difficult situation for farmers, who previously faced rising costs for fuel and equipment.
«The cost of basic necessities has doubled or even tripled since 2021», - Overbeck said.
The agricultural association, which includes grain producers' associations from Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, estimates that about 660 to 680 thousand tons of nitrogen fertilizer is imported from Russia in the country's three regions, representing 85 to 90% of all fertilizer of this type used.

Comment: See also: Farmer protests spread across the globe

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Megaphone

Inflation protests erupt in Malawi, gov't bans broadcasting of demonstration, UK cuts aid


BBC
Wed, 20 Jul 2022 21:27 UTC
malawi protest inflation 2022
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Blantyre despite a ban on the demonstration
Riots have broken out in cities in Malawi as opposition groups protest against President Bingu wa Mutharika's government.

At least one person has died in the northern city of Mzuzu and protesters are burning barricades and looting property in the capital.

The authorities have banned live broadcasts of the riots.

The trouble started after a court ruled on Tuesday the protests, called against the high cost of living, were illegal.

'Running battles'

Comment:





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Recycle

Heatwave reduces efficiency of Europe's solar panels, generating power levels no better than springtime

Tsvetana Paraskova
Oil Price
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 11:43 UTC
solar panels
FILE PHOTO
The record-breaking heat wave in Europe doesn't mean record solar power generation, as extremely high temperatures actually reduce the efficiency of solar panels.

As temperatures in the UK hit the highest-ever on record at over 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) this week, solar power output hasn't set records and is unlikely to do so amid very high temperatures, scientists say.

On Tuesday, a provisional temperature of 40.3 C (104.54 F) was recorded at Coningsby in the UK, the UK's Met Office said, adding that it was the first time on record temperatures in the UK have exceeded 40°C.

However, power output during the heat wave has dropped below the levels that are typically reached during the spring when there is sunshine, but temperatures are cooler.

Comment: Obviously the above is just one of numerous failings of solar panels: "Renewable energy ... to be renewed with each storm"



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Red Flag

EU prepares for 'winter without Russian gas'


RT
Wed, 20 Jul 2022 18:59 UTC
Basilica of Koekelberg
© Wim Robberechts / Photonews via Getty Images
The European Union on Wednesday revealed a scheme to lower its gas use by 15% until next spring, with the European Commission ordering member states to comply with the plan. According to Commissioner Thierry Breton, the bloc is counting on some of its citizens not to be able to afford gas.

The measure is part of the 'Save Gas for a Safe Winter' plan presented in Brussels and aimed at ensuring uninterrupted supply to households and essential users such as hospitals and key industries. The reductions in gas use are to remain in force until March 31, 2023.

Member states will be asked to switch to renewable energy, or even coal, oil or nuclear power to achieve the target. Germany, which depends on Russia for more than half of its total gas supply, has already announced plans to restart its dormant coal plants, but industry groups say the switch will only cover 2-3% of its industrial gas demand.
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2 + 2 = 4

Those destroying public schools don't want you thinking about alternatives

Karol Markowicz
New York Post
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 17:49 UTC
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers
© Alex Wong/Getty ImagesTeachers union leaders like American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten don't want parents to have alternatives to failing public schools.
What comes after the end of public schools?

Anyone who cares about the education of children should be asking that question. So of course it's one that the teachers unions don't want us to discuss.

New York City schools are in trouble. As The Post reported Friday, "the city Department of Education expects to enroll roughly 28,100 fewer students this fall." Enrollment at the city's regular public schools already fell during the pandemic, and this new projection suggests it's not improving any time soon.

And New York leads a large pack: California, Illinois, Oregon, Mississippi and Michigan have all seen serious losses of students departing their public-school systems.

Why? A Gallup poll last week showed only 28% of Americans have "a great deal or a lot" of "confidence in U.S. public schools."

Comment: Between terrible Common Core curriculum, Woke teachers grooming kids, mask and vaccine mandates for the least vulnerable, and the failure of "remote learning" it's a wonder that more parents aren't opting out of the public school system for other alternatives. But then, the school system in the US has become almost impossible to escape and that's likely intentional. Which leaves parents in a difficult position and brings us to the final point in this article which is that children getting a well-rounded and useful education should be more important than anything else when discussing children's education. A revolutionary idea these days, but one that should be as obvious as the nose on our non-gender-specific faces.

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Pistol

Robot dog equipped with submachine gun is 'dystopian' nightmare fodder

Joshua Rhett Miller
New York Post
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 17:29 UTC
robot, robot dog, submachine gun, Skynet
© YouTubeThe original clip was posted in March by Alexander Atamov of Moscow, who showed a photo of the scary creature he referred to as “Skynet,” according to a translation of the post.
Man's virtual best friend — or mankind's greatest nightmare?

Video of a robotic dog equipped with a submachine gun is circulating social media — months after a man living in Russia posted frightening footage of the dystopian killing machine on YouTube.

"All the people who laughed off the 'worrywarts' years ago for freaking out about the Funny Dancing Robot Dogs ™ should be forced to watch this video once a day for the remainder of the year," a Twitter user posted Wednesday.

The 84-second viral clip, which has been viewed more than 4.3 million times, shows the robotic dog firing a machine gun and running rapidly across bricks in front of a snowy field. At one point, the killing machine opens fire — with intense recoil knocking it back onto its hind legs.

The footage also shows the dog — which sports a Russian flag on one side — advancing near a military vehicle.

Comment: Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if indeed these types of creations were limited in their use to solely military operations. Unfortunately, the reality is that these types of technological creations are not likely to remain in such a limited application. Why hire mercenaries to patrol your streets when a completely autonomous robot with a gun could do a similar job and wouldn't have to be paid, need breaks, question orders, and so on.

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