6 water regulations the Trump administration has tried to roll back – Business Insider
sigh….
Hong Kong Protests: Inside the Chaos
The two women weren’t sure whether they would win. That’s also something I’ve heard often—these protesters aren’t the most optimistic group. No rose-colored glasses here. “But we cannot give up,” one insisted, “because if we do, there will be no future for us anyway. We might as well go down fighting.”
One of the young women gave me an umbrella: a tool protesters use to shield themselves from the sun, from CCTV cameras, from overhead helicopters, from the blue water laced with pepper spray and fired from water cannons, from tear-gas canisters. They had noticed I didn’t have one, and were worried for me. They had brought extras to share. “You might need this,” one of them said as she handed it to me, and wished me good luck. And then the clouds of tear gas drifted in our direction, as they so often do in Hong Kong these days, and we scattered.
Hong Kong Protests: Inside the Chaos – The Atlantic
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Elkhart Schools teams up with program to package unused food into take-home meals
“Mostly, we rescue food that’s been made but never served by catering companies, large food service businesses, like the school system,” said Jim Conklin, Cultivate. “You don’t always think of a school.”
It rescues the unused food.
…20 students will receive a backpack with eight individual frozen meals every Friday until the end of school.
Elkhart Schools teams up with program to package unused food into take-home meals | WSBT
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Kauai’s Waimea High School gets a taste of new farm-to-table menu
“It’s so important, I believe, for the people in the state of Hawaii to have food that’s locally grown, nutritious, delicious, and just easily accessible,” says First Lady of Hawaii Dawn Ige. “As an educator, I know how important a healthy meal is. If students have a healthy meal in their stomach, it just makes them feel better, so learning becomes a more natural and more exciting thing for them to do.”
Farm-to-school is one thing, but farm-to-state is an even bigger goal. Aside from the 100,000 meals that the Department of Education puts out a day, the prisons serve both the corrections officers and inmates. Senator Kouchi estimates that that’s another 13,000 meals, and points out that there’s also the state hospitals to take into consideration.
“If we hit this goal, we can more than double our food production here in Hawaii,” says Senator Kouchi.
Kauai’s Waimea High School gets a taste of new farm-to-table menu – HI Now
hmmm
California Dems question whether it’s time for Harris to drop out – POLITICO
“Is she a longshot now? Yeah,’’ says Doak. “I don’t think staying through Iowa will hurt her. And frankly, she will be forced to get out if she doesn’t do well in Iowa and New Hampshire.”
But as far as her future in the Senate, he said, “that stuff is forgotten pretty quickly.”
California Dems question whether it’s time for Harris to drop out – POLITICO
hmmmmm
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Native American Sites In Path Of Planned Highway
Greubel thinks this particular pit house was probably a center for ceremonies or gatherings for the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived here roughly 1,200 years ago. That was before they are believed to have migrated west to the Mesa Verde area and then south to become the ancestors of the Hopi, Zuni and various Pueblo tribes.
“When we were working down here, you kind of have a sense of peace and you feel like you’re accomplishing something good,” Greubel says. “I know not all people think that way, but we treated the site with respect and a sense of awe.”
…This pit house is about to be filled in and covered up by a highway, as are six other important ancient sites on this mesa.
…The new construction site will cross the outer boundaries of the tribe’s reservation.
But some Southern Ute citizens are still upset that the digs are happening at all, and they don’t feel empowered to stop them.
…”You know, those are my family’s bones in there,” Maez says. “We don’t have a ceremony to dig them up and put them somewhere else.”
He says projects like this have forced tribes to adapt to that process and create new rituals to remove and rebury remains.
…Local tribes didn’t have ultimate veto power to stop this highway project from moving forward.
…”It’s quite interesting to see how we lived, you know, and to compare in how we live today. But on the other hand, it’s very hurtful and sad too.”
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Native American Sites In Path Of Planned Highway : NPR
hmmmm
Katie Hill’s downfall highlights stark generational divide among Democrats
Hill’s situation is complicated.
The California Democrat vehemently denied an improper relationship with a congressional aide, allegations that prompted a House Ethics Committee investigation. But Hill acknowledged an “inappropriate” relationship with a separate campaign staffer. [And -potentially at the hands of an allegedly abusive husband-] she faced a barrage of nude photos published on conservative websites and the threat of hundreds more to come.
Some senior Democrats, who came of age long before the proliferation of cellphone cameras, have privately suggested that Hill should have been more careful.
…“Our darling Katie. It’s so sad,” Pelosi said, according to two Democratic sources with knowledge of the meeting. “It goes to show you, we should say to young candidates, …be careful when transmitting photos.”
…[Hill] initially vowed to remain in Congress and cooperate with the Ethics Committee investigation.
The details of the scandal — leaked text messages about being in a “throuple” and intimate photos where Hill also appeared to hold a bong — [controversial on their own, let alone] in a body where the average age of lawmakers is 57.6 years and the caucus’ top three leaders are all near 80 years old.
…While Hill’s circumstances may be extreme, it is the kind of situation that could become more commonplace as more lawmakers arrive in Washington with an extensive digital footprint, lawmakers and aides say.
Katie Hill’s downfall highlights stark generational divide among Democrats – POLITICO
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Towns like Mammoth want control of Forest Service recreation
“The Forest Service is overwhelmed,” he said, by 21st century challenges its founders could never have imagined: climate change, budget cuts, electric mountain bikes.
…Called the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership, the project would establish a new economic alliance among the Forest Service and the communities of Mammoth Lakes and Bishop and three counties — Inyo, Mono and Alpine. Local government agencies would take the lead in developing water systems and sewers, roads, campground services, restrooms, trails and signage in some of the Sierra’s most heavily visited corners.
The idea is popular in mountain towns that have struggled with economic development, but it worries some conservationists and local officials who want the region to retain its wild spaces and rustic personality.
Towns like Mammoth want control of Forest Service recreation – Los Angeles Times
hmmmm
EPA to ease rules on waste from coal-fired power plants
The Trump administration’s proposals weaken rules dealing with the residue from burning coal, known as coal ash, as well as the residue rinsed off of filters installed on smoke stacks. Both are often mixed with water and stored in giant pits that could leach into groundwater or be released directly into local waterways.
The rollbacks, which were spurred by a court decision ordering EPA to overhaul the use of unlined ponds, target 2015 Obama administration rules that required power plants to invest in wastewater treatment technology and monitoring of coal ash ponds, measures they estimated would stop some 1.4 billion pounds of coal ash from entering rivers and streams.
sigh…
The NY TIMES Tells US That Buttigieg Annoys His Democratic Rivals
“This is not a contest for who is the most established, it’s a contest for who is the most convincing,” Mr. Buttigieg said during an interview aboard his campaign bus in Waverly. “The better we do, I imagine the more we’ll feel some heat, but that just means we’re doing well.”
…Mr. Buttigieg drew the coveted first speaking slot, when the 16,000-seat arena was mostly full. He used the opportunity to describe Ms. Warren as a divisive character more interested in fighting than in achieving progressive policy outcomes.
Ms. Warren responded minutes later with a line interpreted as a shot back at Mr. Buttigieg and his campaign operation.
“I’m not running some consultant-driven campaign with some vague ideas that are designed not to offend anyone,” she said.
…“He got 9,000 votes in a college town that last voted for a Republican in 1964,” Mr. Bullock said.
Why Pete Buttigieg Annoys His Democratic Rivals – The New York Times
The peanut gallery likes many things about Mayor Pete but the reason it would not support him is abject lack of intersectionality. All other complaints are secondary. The quote in the first paragraph above is just repackaged Trumpism though. [Barf!]
The whole things sounds like the media being dramatic and making a story out of nothing though.
The Energy 202: ExxonMobil goes on trial over accusations it misled investors about climate change costs
When talking to investors, the company estimated that the regulatory cost per ton of carbon would rise to $80 per ton of carbon by 2040 in certain developed countries, according to New York’s complaint filed in October. But inside the company, when planners were deciding where to invest, they pegged that cost at just $40 per ton.
The Energy 202: ExxonMobil goes on trial over accusations it misled investors about climate change costs – The Washington Post
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Comments From The Peanut Gallery 