Obama rejects Keystone XL Pipeline, in huge win for environmentalists | Mashable

November 6, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

After a seven-year review process that gave rise to a grassroots climate activist movement, the Obama administration rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline on Friday, a decision that handed a major victory to environmentalists. Obama announced his determination at a morning news conference in the Roosevelt Room, alongside Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Biden.

“The State Dept has decided the Keystone XL Pipeline would not serve the national interests of the U.S.,” Obama said. “I agree with that decision.”

The move comes only weeks ahead of a crucial climate summit in Paris, where diplomats will work to forge a new global warming agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions for all countries starting in 2020. The administration has committed to reducing U.S. carbon emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025, and is pushing for an ambitious climate agreement to be forged.

During his statement on Keystone, Obama confirmed for the first time that he will be going to Paris to join other world leaders in addressing the summit.

One Map That Shows Why Regulators Are Freaking Out About Drones | Forbes

November 5, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In the wake of several high profile drone accidents and a spike in reported sightings over the past year tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration, the government is cracking down on the unmanned flying objects. By the end of the month new drone registration requirements are expected. The AS-MC01-P multicopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by Aerosense Inc., a joint venture between Sony Mobile Communications Inc. and ZMP Inc. (Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg)

The FAA and the Department of Transportation want drone registration and have called on a handful of interested parties—ranging from drone manufacturers to Amazon and other companies with drone delivery systems in their sights—for recommendations. Thursday marks the final day of a three-day meeting of the new “drone task force,” which has been issued a November 20 deadline to hand in its formal suggestions for policing drones.

Prop F Has Failed. But the Battle for SF’s Soul Will Go On | WIRED

November 5, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

PROPOSITION F HAS failed. The San Francisco ballot measure, which would have more severely restricted Airbnb-style short-term rentals, was defeated last night 55 percent to 45 percent, with about 133,000 votes cast and all precincts reporting. (Citizens in the state of California have the ability to bypass legislature and propose their own laws, which they vote on in these local elections.)

The measure—known casually as the Airbnb initiative—has captured the interest not only of residents living in San Francisco but beyond as a symbol of the tensions in a city grappling with the dramatic effects of the tech boom.

On one side, there are the San Franciscans who maintain that Airbnb and services like it chase long-term renters out of the city by restricting housing supply and sending rents skyrocketing. On the other, you’ll find the residents who say Airbnb helps them make ends meet by letting them make a little more income by renting out their homes. Airbnb reportedly spent north of $8 million on the measure, versus $1 million spent by Prop F supporters.

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

November 5, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

v.19 n. 45 – Released November 4, 2015

This Week’s Headlines:

SoCal Home Sales and Median Prices in September
Modest Third Quarter GDP Growth
Events of Interest
- November 12: LAEDC 20th Annual Eddy Awards
- November 13: Cal State LA’s 22nd Annual Policy Conference on the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

Jon Stewart strikes deal with HBO to comment on current events | CNN Money

November 4, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Jon Stewart’s next act will be on HBO.

The former host of “The Daily Show” has struck a four-year production deal with the company just in time for the 2016 election cycle.

“The partnership marks the next phase of Stewart’s groundbreaking career, beginning with short-form digital content, which will be showcased on HBO NOW, HBO GO and other platforms,” HBO said in statement on Tuesday.

In other words, whatever new work he creates will be streaming on the Internet.

Stewart will start by producing “timely short-form digital content,” allowing him to comment on current events, HBO said.

Paul Ryan’s Chairmen Do End Run On 9/11 Responders | Huffington Post

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 ~ CBPS ~ Leave a comment

WASHINGTON — Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader’s pledge to give power back to committees — and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.

In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.

US prisoner release: Nearly 6,000 drug inmates to go free | BBC News

October 30, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The US will release nearly 6,000 people jailed for drug crimes in the coming days, an effort to reform policies that led to mass incarceration.

About 3,400 inmates were already confined in places like halfway houses.

Another 1,700 of the inmates are not US citizens and will possibly face deportation.

The changes come as part of an effort to reverse long jail terms for non-violent offenders, who make up about half of the federal prison population.

Many of these prisoners were released from federal custody on Friday. The rest will be released by Tuesday.

Angel investor: don’t drop out of school | Business Insider

October 30, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Quitting school to operate a startup is all the rage these days. Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel even has a special fellowship that encourages young people to do that.

Most startup-minded students quit college, not high school, following in the footsteps of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

But teenagers are getting into tech at earlier and earlier ages. Writing apps and participating in hackathons are standard ways of getting internships at hot employers like Google and Facebook.

China to End One-Child Policy, Allowing Families Two Children | The New York Times

October 29, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party brought to an end the decades-old “one child” policy on Thursday, when leaders announced that all married couples would be allowed to have two children in a bid to reverse the rapid aging of the labor force.

The announcement came after the party’s Central Committee concluded a four-day meeting in a heavily guarded hotel in western Beijing where the committee approved proposals for China’s next five-year development plan, which starts next year.

“Improve the demographic development strategy,” said the official communiqué, or summary, of the meeting issued through the Xinhua news agency. “Comprehensively implement a policy that couples can have two children, actively taking steps to counter the aging of the population.”