September 25, 2020
what we are watching...
empowering you with insights and information from the edge of today’s headlines
Climate Change
California takes aim: Governor Newsom of California signed an executive order to ban gas-powered cars in California by 2035. All new cars sold in the state must be zero-emission vehicles by that time. His administration says transportation accounts for 50% of CA's greenhouse gas emissions, and if the goal is achieved, California is expected to have a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The plan also calls for the development of new statewide rail and infrastructure projects. For a detailed discussion of Newsom’s plans have a listen to Sway.
China’s pledge: China, the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases, has said it will cut its carbon dioxide emissions to nearly zero by 2060, in a surprise move announced at the virtual UN General Assembly in New York. President Xi Jinping added that the Paris climate agreement was the “minimum” that was necessary to protect the Earth, and pointed to the pandemic as an accelerator for the need for “green development.”
Where’s Jeff? Seven months ago Jeff Bezos announced a $10B climate fund and he said he would start issuing grants this summer. Despite making over $73B (in his personal fortune) during the pandemic, Bezos has yet to announce a single recipient. The $10B now amounts to just 5% of Bezos’s total wealth, but he has yet to fulfill his promise. Let’s hope for some accountability and action soon.
Meanwhile, Amazon is launching a new feature that will make it easier to buy sustainable products. The program called Climate Pledge Friendly will label products that meet one of 19 certifications for sustainability.
Politics
Arnold makes a come back: Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today that he wants to put his money where is mouth is when it comes to voting. The former Governor of California pointed out that many states have closed polling stations for “budgetary” reasons, and asked “what if I made it easy & solved the budgetary issue? How much would it cost to reopen polling places?” He then sent a request to 6,000 election officials asking them to apply for grants to improve voting access. We’ll see if any districts take him up on the offer.
Bloomberg steps back in: Mike Bloomberg and his team have raised $16M to pay the court fines and fees of nearly 32,000 Florida voters with felony convictions. The money is funding the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition which helps former prisoners clear their debts before voting. Unfortunately, Florida’s Attorney General (and several of its representatives) didn’t like this act of philanthropy and are attempting to impose criminal charges on Bloomberg. Apparently, former prisoners can’t vote if they don’t pay their fees, but no one else can pay them either.
Russian Trolls: In case you missed it, Russia’s state-affiliated media group RT went full troll on Donald Trump, creating a deep fake video which shows Trump accepting a job in Russia on November 5. We thought it was a cold open for SNL, but while we aren’t laughing, the rest of the world seems to be.
Belarus: The US formally announced that it no longer recognizes Lukashenko as president of Belarus. The EU and the German government have already made similar statements. Protests have continued since the rigged election this summer, and they erupted further when news spread that he had held a secret inauguration. Britain is also preparing Magnitsky sanctions against individuals in Belarus in coordination with the United States and Canada, while EU sanctions have yet to pass.
On the flipside, however, the Trump administration has cut funding for the Open Technology Fund which is a non-profit organization that supports pro-democracy groups in Belarus, Hong Kong and Iran. The OTF had helped to create technologies that evade cyber surveillance and circumvent internet blackouts. The technologies were mainly used by activists fighting for democracy.
Burying the Lede: We have nothing more to add to this headline: “Chris Christie once threatened to sit on Mike Bloomberg, memoir claims.”
Technology
Missing commute: Microsoft announced several new features to Teams including meditation breaks using the Headspace app and a virtual commute. Microsoft wanted to help employees spur their productivity and take breaks, which can help to delineate time between work and home or just reset one’s focus. Microsoft will let you schedule a virtual commute: “this virtual commute experience allows you to take a step back, again going into and coming out of your day to just organize your thoughts and to make sure you’re really processing, doing some pre- and post-processing of your work.” We hope the experience doesn’t include virtual traffic and road rage.
Drone at home: We are not sure who needs this, but Ring (the connected doorbell owned by Amazon) has just announced a new home security camera, the Always Home Cam — a drone you can fly around inside your home. Ring claims that we’ll want to use a drone to check if we’ve left the stove on or an anxious pet. Personally, we prefer to leave our surveillance outside (or to a Roomba).
Battle for the Apps: Several app makers have started the Coalition for App Fairness, a non-profit group that aims to “protect the app economy” by pushing for changes in the app stores of both Apple and Google. You may remember several public battles by large developers with Apple over the rules in the App Store; Apple was fighting for its 30% cut of fees; developers took their app subscriptions to their webpages, and Apple proceeded to dump them from the App Store. Some members of the coalition include Epic Games, Basecamp, Match Group and Spotify who have all been involved in public battles. Apple did change its rules, but it remains under scrutiny for anti-competitive behavior from the Justice Department. The Coalition has released a list of 10 principles for fairer app practices. Next up is Epic’s courtroom battle with Apple.
Work from a National Park: Japanese National Parks have taken steps to attract teleworkers - even using the term “workation.” The parks have upgraded their wi-fi access and lodging facilities. The goal is to boost local economies, giving workers an excuse to travel within Japan, spend the morning on Zoom and the afternoon on a trek.
Track the trackers: Want to find out which websites are following you? The investigative news site, the Markup, has created a tool called Blacklight which allows to enter any website address and see who is tracking you.
Culture
Paying our respects: There have been some incredible images coming out of the Supreme Court, as Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in state. The image of her army of law clerks awaiting her casket. Her personal trainer doing push ups as a salute. The Fearless Girl statue gets a collar. And the army of young girls visiting the memorial. If you happen to be in DC, Snapchat has teamed up with The National Constitution Center to place an augmented reality filter above the US Capitol — placing some of RBG’s famous quotes in the sky above.
Norwegian way of life: Add a new word to your vocabulary: friluftsliv (a Norwegian term which roughly means “open air living.”) Friluftsliv is a lifestyle, and “it’s very tied to … what it means to be a Norwegian.” It is about enjoying the outdoors, through long strolls, picnics, hikes or even a dog walk. Combine the pandemic and the upcoming winter, and we’ll all need to find respite or joy in the cold outdoors. Even outdoor eating could become a Norwegian adventure.
Digital Blackface: The app Gradient has created a new photo filter which allows you to replicate what your face would like as another race. This app felt incredibly insensitive and creepy even before we learned that one of its most enthusiastic users is Brody Jenner, of the Kardashian-adjacent.
Grand Central Man Cave: We’ve all heard the stories of the cities of homeless people that have formed in the tunnels underneath Grand Central Station in NYC. But the employees seem to have taken their work underground one step further. The employees found an unused room and turned it into a man cave complete with a fridge, TV, air conditioning and work out equipment.
Chips for Charity: The world’s most expensive potato chips are all sold out — luckily, the proceeds go to charity. The limited edition set of 5 chips (at $15 a chip) by Swedish Brewery St. Eriks was created as a publicity stunt, and the five exquisite chips were meant to be enjoyed with the brewery’s finest beers. We particularly love the sense of humor and the exquisite packaging.
— Lauren Eve Cantor
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