And another day of no, it’s not wind turbines, more deadly storms coming, education software not meant for a pandemic, Kroger closing more stores, AZ allowing guns in govt buildings, and the death of one of the most destructive voices in American history comes to a close:
“Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees.” -- Marcel Proust
Deaths
US: 502,544 (+2553)
World: 2,440,928 (+11,221)
Cases
US: 28,453,526 (+72,306)
World: 110,430,072 (+397,710)
More deadly storms coming so prepare better, experts say. Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America had better get better at dealing with it, experts said Wednesday as Texas and other states battled winter storms that blew past the worst-case planning of utilities, governments and millions of shivering citizens.
Former Texas governor Rick Perry suggests that going days without power is a sacrifice Texans should be willing to make if it means keeping federal regulators out of the state’s power grid. -- Republicans literally try to kill you. And all to make rich people richer.
How one Texas storm exposed an energy grid unprepared for climate change. A devastating winter storm that has plunged Texas into an electricity crisis offers warning signs for the U.S. as the Biden administration seeks to prepare for a future in which extreme weather is a greater risk and America is almost entirely powered by renewable energy. Generating energy is one challenge. But an equally daunting task centers on storing power from renewable energy for extreme events like the one hammering Texas.
No, frozen wind turbines aren’t the main culprit for Texas’ power outages. Frozen wind turbines in Texas caused some conservative state politicians to declare Tuesday that the state was relying too much on renewable energy. But in reality, the lost wind power makes up only a fraction of the reduction in power-generating capacity that has brought outages to millions of Texans across the state during a major winter storm. An official with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Tuesday afternoon that 16 gigawatts of renewable energy generation, mostly wind generation, were offline. Nearly double that, 30 gigawatts, had been lost from thermal sources, which includes gas, coal and nuclear energy.
Texas grid was 'minutes' from failing, lawmaker says. A winter storm and lengthy cold snap have crippled power facilities in Texas and caused about 2.4 million outages as of Wednesday evening, leaving residents in the cold and dark for several days. The lack of power to about a quarter of the state has created a widespread emergency, with families huddling in homes or cars without heat, burst water pipes, failing water systems and gasoline shortages.
Fact check: Biden makes at least four false statistical claims at CNN town hall.
Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70.
Edgenuity's software wasn't meant for a pandemic. That didn't stop some school districts. The company has been the target of picketing, anger-filled school board meetings and local freedom-of-information requests from parents and students who say its software is inadequate for taking classes at home. Parents have turned to Edgenuity's Facebook page to lodge complaints, and petitions have popped up on Change.org to ban Edgenuity's software. In Rhode Island, a teachers' union alleged that administrators were using Edgenuity to replace them.
DeSantis defends controversial vaccine deal with developer -- and threatens to pull vaccines if officials don't like it. Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to move a pop-up vaccination clinic that his state has set up in an affluent community in Manatee County after he was confronted with allegations of political favoritism and preference for the wealthy at a news conference Wednesday.
U.S. still hasn't ruled out lab accident origin for COVID-19 because China hasn't been transparent.
Thousands of service members saying no to COVID-19 vaccine.
The world's first Covid-19 human challenge study will begin within a month in the UK, officials said. During this trial, volunteers will be exposed to Covid-19 in a controlled environment to increase understanding of how the virus affects people.
Kroger will close more stores over hazard pay laws for workers. Kroger will close two stores in Seattle over the city's $4-an-hour hazard pay requirement for grocery workers, an escalation of the grocery chain's push against newly-passed hazard pay laws growing on the West Coast.
Executioners sanitized accounts of deaths in federal cases. Executioners who put 13 inmates to death in the last months of the Trump administration likened the process of dying by lethal injection to falling asleep and called gurneys “beds” and final breaths “snores.” But those tranquil accounts are at odds with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners’ stomachs rolled, shook and shuddered as the pentobarbital took effect inside the U.S. penitentiary death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana. The AP witnessed every execution.
Arizona lawmakers are moving to let more people carry guns into government buildings. They also want to block local law enforcement from enforcing federal gun laws.
Bills in at least 20 states are targeting the transgender community in what LGBTQ advocates say is an organized assault by conservative groups.
Japan student forced to dye her hair to comply with school rules wins compensation. A woman in Japan has won compensation after teachers repeatedly pressurised her to dye her hair black, causing her to drop out of school. The school did not believe her natural hair colour was brown and told her to dye it black. It banned her from attending some classes and school trips because "her hair was not dyed black enough". A court ruled the school's actions were legal but the ex-student should get 330,000 yen ($3,100) in damages...Many schools in Japan strictly control pupils' appearances, even going so far as to dictate the colour of underwear. — Yeah, you read that last part correctly.
After years of development, a West Coast earthquake early warning system will be ready to send alerts to your phone in a matter of weeks. The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System is a network of sensors that can detect an earthquake in real-time. It sends a warning message—then alerts go out to your cell phone—before the shaking gets to you.
If you own an Android smartphone, paying for parking or mass transit is about to get much easier.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment