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Van Jones Wants You to Defeat Prop 23 and Maintain California's Clean Energy Policy

The Proposition would overturn California's progressive clean energy and air policy. Here's how to make sure that doesn't happen.

 Ben Jervey
10.08.10

Koch Industries, which Andrew wrote about here, has essentially hijacked California's crucial Prop 23 vote. At stake in the Prop 23 vote are California's extremely progressive clean energy and air pollution standards that were introduced with the passage of the AB32 clean air law four years back. While Texas-based oil companies are funding a massive campaign to pass Prop 23, everyone from venture capitalists to energy researchers to environmental justice activists to clean energy business leaders to Governor Schwarzenegger himself are speaking out against the Proposition.

Here's a great article from The New York Times about the interesting alliances forming to defeat Prop 23.

As I often do when the subjects of environmental justice, clean energy, politics, and jobs collide, I found myself wondering, why would Van Jones have to say about this. Well, here's what:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qjoggMWQ0E

If you're trying to make heads and tails of this Prop 23 debate, Jones has a longer piece on Climate Progress that's also well worth your while.

environment climate change energy van jones california climate prop 23 koch industries ab32
Articles

Greta Thunberg's Greatest Hits: 10 times the teen activist unflinchingly spoke truth to power

She sugarcoats nothing.

Screenshot via Sweden.se/Twitter (left) Wikimedia Commons (right)

Greta Thunberg has been dubbed the "Joan of Arc of climate change" for good reason. The 16-year-old activist embodies the courage and conviction of the unlikely underdog heroine, as well as the seemingly innate ability to lead a movement.

Thunberg has dedicated her young life to waking up the world to the climate crisis we face and cutting the crap that gets in the way of fixing it. Her speeches are a unique blend of calm rationality and no-holds-barred bluntness. She speaks truth to power, dispassionately and unflinchingly, and it is glorious.

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The Planet

The EPA announced it will begin to phase out animal testing

It will be cruelty-free by 2035.

Ottawa Humane Society / Flickr

The Trump Administration won't be remembered for being kind to animals.

In 2018, it launched a new effort to reinstate cruel hunting practices in Alaska that had been outlawed under Obama. Hunters will be able to shoot hibernating bear cubs, murder wolf and coyote cubs while in their dens, and use dogs to hunt black bears.

Efforts to end animal cruelty by the USDA have been curtailed as well. In 2016, under the Obama Administration, the USDA issued 4,944 animal welfare citations, in two years the numbers dropped to just 1,716.

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Science

A 22-year-old missing person’s case was solved thanks to eagle-eyed neighbors and Google Earth

The disappearance of 40-year-old mortgage broker William Earl Moldt remained a mystery for 22 years because the technology used to find him hadn't been developed yet.

Moldt was reported missing on November 8, 1997. He had left a nightclub around 11 p.m. where he had been drinking. He wasn't known as a heavy drinker and witnesses at the bar said he didn't seem intoxicated when he left.

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Communities

BIll Maher started a debate about fat-shaming and James Corden finished it beautifully

Who do you think is right?

via Real Time with Bill Maher / YouTube and The Late Late Show with James Corden / YouTube

A controversial editorial on America's obesity epidemic and healthcare by comedian Bill Maher on his HBO show "Real Time" inspired a thoughtful, and funny, response by James Cordon. It also made for a great debate about healthcare that Americans are avoiding.

At the end of the September 6th episode of "Real Time, " Maher turned to the camera for his usual editorial and discussed how obesity is a huge part of the healthcare debate that no one is having.

"At Next Thursday's debate, one of the candidates has to say, 'The problem with our healthcare system is Americans eat shit and too much of it.' All the candidates will mention their health plans but no one will bring up the key factor: the citizens don't lift a finger to help," Maher said sternly.

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Politics

People with low emotional intelligence are more likely to vote Republican, new study claims

"The results of this study were univocal."

via Gage Skidmore

The common stereotypes about liberals and conservatives are that liberals are bleeding hearts and conservatives are cold-hearted.

It makes sense, conservatives want limited government and to cut social programs that help the more vulnerable members of society. Whereas liberals don't mind paying a few more dollars in taxes to help the unfortunate.

A recent study out of Belgium scientifically supports the notion that people who scored lower on emotional ability tests tend to have right-wing and racist views.

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Politics