WHAT GOES AROUND.
Coal plant-induced smog has gotten so bad in India that the government is on the verge of implementing its first-ever pollution lockdown on the nation’s capital. Things are that bad. Per the Associated Press, “Schools were closed indefinitely and some coal-based power plants shut down as the smog-shrouded Indian capital and neighboring states invoked harsh measures Wednesday amid considerations of a lockdown in New Delhi to combat worsening air pollution. India’s top court is deliberating on the lockdown — a first of its kind in the country to stem pollution and not to control coronavirus infections. It’s not clear how far it would go, but the New Delhi government has already shown its willingness to impose an emergency weekend lockdown, similar to the one implemented during the pandemic. It’s now waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision, which could come as early as Nov. 24.” Oh the irony, considering India was one of the two countries who essentially torpedoed COP26 by its insistence that language regarding coal be watered down to Coors Light territory. https://bit.ly/3qPR6sX
FINALLY SOME LONG TERM VISION.
U.S. President Joe Biden wants to make it easier for American electric vehicle makers to compete domestically and internationally. Per Reuters, “General Motors Co’s (GM.N) ‘Factory Zero’ in Detroit is on the front line of a battle for the U.S. electric vehicle market between ageing, unionized factories, and new, non-union plants run by young electric vehicle companies. President Joe Biden’s administration wants to give the older part of the American auto industry a boost. Biden’s scheduled visit Wednesday to Factory Zero will put a spotlight on his administration’s proposals to bring billions in federal aid to help older auto factories and the Midwestern communities that depend on them, as part of his ‘Build Back Better’ spending bill.” This makes sense and is a definite step in the right direction. https://reut.rs/3Csp4WF
GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE GASLIGHTING.
Still smarting as a result of COP26, which was held in Scotland, being yet another climate change policy dud, the BBC has put together a cheat sheet about the new versions of climate change denial that emerged prior to and during the United Nations conference. “As world leaders met at the COP26 summit to debate how to tackle climate change, misleading claims and falsehoods about the climate spiralled on social media. Scientists say climate change denial is now more likely to focus on the causes and effects of warming, or how to tackle it, than to outright deny it exists. We’ve looked at some of the most viral claims of the past year, and what the evidence really says.” It’s a good point of reference since it’s so hard to keep track of all the gaslighting that goes on. https://bbc.in/3HohkZo
GET YOUR FLU SHOTS.
The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review reported on the how many Americans received flu shots during peak Covid-19 months. The visualization is titled: “Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Received an Influenza Vaccination in the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020.” We’ve included it for you. https://bit.ly/3Cpwlq4
THE FACTORY BEFORE THE FACTORY.
Researchers studying a piece of ancient Egyptian art have made intriguing discoveries. Per Science, “The analysis also showed the work was a team effort, done in phases by different artists, Stupko-Lubczynska reports today in Antiquity. ‘The wig can be awfully done, and in the same figure, the face is perfect,’ she says. ‘Maybe the master artisans came in at the end to finish the figure.’ With no natural light in the cavernous, windowless hall, there must have also been assistants holding oil lamps crowding onto the scaffolds. Laboury likens the effort to the busy workshops of Renaissance painters, where the master focused on the most challenging tasks while delegating backgrounds, supporting characters, and prep work to trainees. Evidence that more skilled hands were correcting beginners’ mistakes suggests that even a pharaoh’s temple was seen as a place to school rookies. ‘You have more experienced hands next to less experienced hands,’ Laboury says. ‘The master was training apprentices on the spot.'” https://bit.ly/3FqqK4Y
Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.