Category: News and Views
What Just Happened to Solar and Wind is a Really Big Deal | Bloomberg Business
The clean-energy boom is about to be transformed. In a surprise move, U.S. lawmakers agreed to extend tax credits for solar and wind for another five years.
This will give an unprecedented boost to the industry and change the course of deployment in the U.S. The extension will add an extra 20 gigawatts of solar power—more than every panel ever installed in the U.S. prior to 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The U.S. was already one of the world’s biggest clean-energy investors. This deal is like adding another America of solar power into the mix.
The wind credit will contribute another 19 gigawatts over five years. Combined, the extensions will spur more than $73 billion of investment and supply enough electricity to power 8 million U.S. homes, according to BNEF.
“This is massive,” said Ethan Zindler, head of U.S. policy analysis at BNEF. In the short term, the deal will speed up the shift from fossil fuels more than the global climate deal struck this month in Paris and more than Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan that regulates coal plants, Zindler said.
Operator! Operator! The UberRush Logistics Layer Has Arrived | TechCrunch
The real goldmine for Uber is in becoming the transportation backend for tons of other services, not just its own apps. Now this logistics layer strategy is coming to fruition through a partnership with Operator, the chat-based shopping assistant backed by Uber co-founder Garret Camp.
Together, Uber and Operator they could compete with Amazon’s massive warehouses by aggregating inventory for instant delivery from local shops that are closer nearby.
Today, UberRush begins powering 1-hour delivery for Operator in San Francisco. At first, over 100 of the most popular gifts from the Westfield San Francisco Centre mall and Saks Fifth Avenue will be available for immediate arrival.
Inside Seattle’s Bold Plan to Let Its Uber Drivers Organize | WIRED
THE CLASH OVER classifying Uber drivers as independent contractors versus bona fide employees is the signature controversy of the on-demand economy. According to Uber, Lyft, and other on-demand driver companies, the independent contractor model offers the promise of a bright and flexible future in which each worker is a micro-entrepreneur—choosing her own hours and acting as her own boss. The problem, according to Uber detractors: these workers don’t receive benefits. And they can’t unionize.
Los Angeles schools closed after terror threat |Business Insider
Every school in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was closed Tuesday because of what officials described as a “credible” threat of violence.
The bomb threat came in the form of an email sent to a district board member and tied to an IP address in Germany, a spokeswoman for the school district told Reuters.
“The school district received a safety threat that we’re in the process of evaluating and vetting … As you can imagine, we take all threats seriously,” Jorge Villegas, the assistant chief of the LAPD, said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
v.19 n. 51 – Released December 14, 2015
This Week’s Headlines:
- California Financial Report for November
- Retail Sales in November – Take a Second Look
- Producer Price Index Rises on Strength of Service-Sector Profit Margins
- Consumers Give Credit Cards a Rest in October
- Events of Interest
- February 17, 2016: LAEDC February Economic Outlook
Internet rules could require parental OK for millions of teens | CNN Money
It could get a lot harder for kids and young teens to access the Internet in Europe over the next few years.
Top political leaders and lawmakers across the European Union are in the midst of finalizing updated regulations to protect the personal data of people across the region. An agreement could come as early as Tuesday and the new rules would go into effect in 28 European countries in about two years.
While intentions are good, one particular proposal that tries to protect children is drawing harsh criticism.
The proposal calls for all kids under the age of 16 to get parental consent before they use online services, including social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The Case For Putting A Tax On Meat | Co.Exist
Maybe you’ve already heard that your love of hamburgers is making climate change worse. But what would it actually take for you to stop eating them?
A recent report suggests that a tax on meat might be part of a solution.
Without doing something about the world’s appetite for beef, pork, and chicken, we have a big problem: Meat production is responsible for nearly 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s as much as all of the vehicles on the planet, and it’s only going to get worse; as more people around the world can afford meat, consumption is projected to increase by about 75% by 2050.
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
v.19 n. 50 – Released December 8, 2015
This Week’s Headlines:
- U.S. Labor Market Delivers in November
- U.S. Trade Deficit Back on Trend Following September Decline
- U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Setting Records
- Events of Interest
- February 17, 2016: LAEDC February Economic Outlook
These New Google Shopping Updates May Affect You | Small Biz Trends
If your small business regularly sells products via Google Shopping, a new reorganization of the company’s policies is on he way.
Though the company insists the new policies are mostly a simplification of the way merchants currently do business.
However, Google also insists those using the service do review the changes to make sure noting is missed when the new policy takes over.
Google’s Shopping Policy Center will be updated come February 2016.
Dispatches From The Front 