Daily Archives: April 6, 2020

2020-04-06: News Headlines

The Canary (2020-04-06). Firefighters work to contain forest fires near Chernobyl nuclear site. thecanary.co Ukrainian firefighters worked overnight trying to put out two forest blazes in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power station.The area was evacuated because of radioactive contamination after the 1986 explosion at the plant.Ukraine's emergencies service said one of the fires, covering about five hectares, had been localised. | It said the other fire was about 20 hectares.The head of the state ecological inspection service, Yehor Firsov, earlier said the fires had spread to about 100 hectares.Firsov said radiation levels at the fire were substantially higher than normal.But the emergencies service said radiat…

Dan Bacher (2020-04-06). California regulators approve new fracking permits during COVID-19 epidemic. indybay.org The increase in oil and gas drilling permits in recent years, including fracking operations — and fact that California has no health and safety setbacks like many other states do — is a result of the millions of dollars every year that WSPA and oil companies spend every year on lobbying state officials, including the Governor's Office and state regulatory agencies, as well as the many millions spent by the oil industry on campaign contributions to politicians and campaign committees.

Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai (2020-04-06). The landfill in our bodies. indybay.org The radioactive contaminated Hunters Point shipyard has left residents and workers with dangerous contamination in their bodies.

John Nichols (2020-04-06). Wisconsin's In-Person Voting Threatens Health and Democracy. thenation.com Wisconsin's In-Person Voting Threatens Health and Democracy…

sputniknews (2020-04-06). UK's Domestic Abuse Helpline Receives 25% More Calls During COVID-19 Lockdown. sputniknews.com "In the current climate, it is certainly more challenging for women suffering abuse. Lines of communication could be severely limited if women are unable to leave the home", the domestic abuse charity Refugee says.

news.un (2020-04-05). First person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief. news.un.org Greenhouse gas emissions are down and air quality has gone up, as governments react to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned against viewing this as a boon for the environment. In this First Person editorial, Ms. Andersen calls instead for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.

H. Patricia Hynes (2020-04-04). Civil Disobedience in the Time of Climate Crisis. zcomm.org What we—citizens, corporations, courts and government—do about the climate crisis will determine life on earth within the next few decades…

Jeremy Brecher (2020-04-04). First U.S. Union-Authorized Climate Strike? zcomm.org If Local 26 is forced to strike again, one thing is clear: It will do so not only as the representative of its own members, but as the champion of everyone who knows they are threatened by climate change…

John Nichols (2020-04-04). 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'. thenation.com 'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'

Mark Gruenberg (2020-04-03). News Guild, journalists' union, sets out to save newspapers. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Emphasizing their role in getting reliable information out to the public, the News Guild is setting out to save endangered newspapers across the country. The coronavirus pandemic has only added to the danger of extinction faced by many newspapers, the union says. While social media has exploded — along with opinion sites and siloes that …

Kevin Potter (2020-04-03). Austria's 'Unsozial' Capitalists in a Time of Crisis. mronline.org In a move seemingly reserved only for cartoonish villains, one of Austria's best-known millionaires, Attila Doƒüudan, CEO of DO &CO—one of the largest culinary companies in Austria, and who employs over 11,000 people worldwide—has used the COVID-19 crisis to orchestrate a widespread layoff campaign against all restaurant employees within Austria.

news.un (2020-04-02). Key COP26 climate summit postponed to 'safeguard lives'. news.un.org With no end in sight to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the UN climate change talks which were due to take place in Scotland later in the year, have been postponed until October 2021.

John Nichols (2020-04-02). 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'. thenation.com 'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'

imperial.ac.uk (2020-04-01). Traces of ancient rainforest in Antarctica point to a warmer prehistoric world. imperial.ac.uk Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time.

Staff (2020-03-26). "Chaotic Situation": India Begins Lockdown of 1.3 Billion Residents as Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads. democracynow.org As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, we look at India, which is now under the largest lockdown in human history, with 1.3 billion people ordered to shelter in place. As the country's economy and daily life come to an abrupt halt, hundreds of millions of Indians who live hand to mouth have been left without the means to support their families. We speak with Amitav Ghosh, whose books include "Gun Island" and "The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable."

CounterSpin (2020-02-21). Paul Paz y Miño, Saqib Bhatti & Beverly Bell on Environmental Justice & Cross-National Solidarity. fair.org There will only be an increasing number of frontline struggles between extractive, climate-disrupting industry and those willing to stand up to it. Corporate media's inadequate attention, and unwillingness to truly call out the moneyed interests causing present and future harms, make them more often part of the problem than the solution.

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

2020-04-06: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Firefighters work to contain forest fires near Chernobyl nuclear site
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-06
Ukrainian firefighters worked overnight trying to put out two forest blazes in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power station.The area was evacuated because of radioactive contamination after the 1986 explosion at the plant.Ukraine's emergencies service said one of the fires, covering about five hectares, had been localised. | It said the other fire was about 20 hectares.The head of the state ecological inspection service, Yehor Firsov, earlier said the fires had spread to about 100 hectares.Firsov said radiation levels at the fire were substantially higher than normal.But the emergencies service said radiat…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/04/06/firefighters-work-to-contain-forest-fires-near-chernobyl-nuclear-site/

The landfill in our bodies
Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai | indybay.org | 2020-04-06
The radioactive contaminated Hunters Point shipyard has left residents and workers with dangerous contamination in their bodies.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/04/18832105.php

California regulators approve new fracking permits during COVID-19 epidemic
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-04-06
The increase in oil and gas drilling permits in recent years, including fracking operations

Wisconsin's In-Person Voting Threatens Health and Democracy
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-06
Wisconsin's In-Person Voting Threatens Health and Democracy…
thenation.com/article/politics/wisconsin-covid-primary-election/

UK's Domestic Abuse Helpline Receives 25% More Calls During COVID-19 Lockdown
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-06
"In the current climate, it is certainly more challenging for women suffering abuse. Lines of communication could be severely limited if women are unable to leave the home", the domestic abuse charity Refugee says.
sputniknews.com/uk/202004061078852924-uks-domestic-abuse-helpline-receives-25-more-calls-during-covid-19-lockdown/

First person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief
news.un.org | 2020-04-05
Greenhouse gas emissions are down and air quality has gone up, as governments react to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned against viewing this as a boon for the environment. In this First Person editorial, Ms. Andersen calls instead for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061082

First U.S. Union-Authorized Climate Strike?
Jeremy Brecher | zcomm.org | 2020-04-04
If Local 26 is forced to strike again, one thing is clear: It will do so not only as the representative of its own members, but as the champion of everyone who knows they are threatened by climate change…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/first-u-s-union-authorized-climate-strike/

Civil Disobedience in the Time of Climate Crisis
H. Patricia Hynes | zcomm.org | 2020-04-04
What we–citizens, corporations, courts and government–do about the climate crisis will determine life on earth within the next few decades…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/civil-disobedience-in-the-time-of-climate-crisis/

'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-04
'We Will Not Sit Back and Let Transit Workers Be Treated Like Cannon Fodder'…
thenation.com/article/activism/public-transportation-worker-covid/

News Guild, journalists' union, sets out to save newspapers
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-03
WASHINGTON–Emphasizing their role in getting reliable information out to the public, the News Guild is setting out to save endangered newspapers across the country. The coronavirus pandemic has only added to the danger of extinction faced by many newspapers, the union says. While social media has exploded

Key COP26 climate summit postponed to 'safeguard lives'
news.un.org | 2020-04-02
With no end in sight to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the UN climate change talks which were due to take place in Scotland later in the year, have been postponed until October 2021.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1060902

'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-04-02
'People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote'…
thenation.com/article/politics/wisconsin-democratic-primary/

Traces of ancient rainforest in Antarctica point to a warmer prehistoric world
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-01
Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196516/traces-ancient-rainforest-antarctica-point-warmer

"Chaotic Situation": India Begins Lockdown of 1.3 Billion Residents as Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-26
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, we look at India, which is now under the largest lockdown in human history, with 1.3 billion people ordered to shelter in place. As the country's economy and daily life come to an abrupt halt, hundreds of millions of Indians who live hand to mouth have been left without the means to support their families. We speak with Amitav Ghosh, whose books include "Gun Island" and "The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable."
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/26/amitav_ghosh_india_coronavirus_lockdown