A Boring Dystopia

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced an extension to the deadline for Israel to file its defense in the ongoing genocide case brought before the court concerning its ongoing war crimes in the Gaza Strip, setting the new date for January 12, 2026.

The original deadline for Israel to submit its counter-memorial in these proceedings was scheduled for July 28 of this year. The court revealed that Israel had formally requested this extension on March 27, articulating that “such an extension was necessary for a number of reasons.”

Among the justifications provided by Israel for the requested delay was the assertion that the preparation of its counter-memorial had been “significantly impeded because of a range of evidentiary issues that had arisen in connection with the Memorial of the Republic of South Africa.”

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62309984

Automakers and tech developers testing and deploying self-driving and advanced driver assistance features will no longer have to report as much detailed, public crash information to the federal government, according to a new framework released today by the US Department of Transportation.

https://archive.ph/wWwjG

https://archive.is/Cdvjx

If your dad is Bill Gates, you're probably not getting a Starbucks gift card for graduating college.

In 2018, Jennifer Gates walked off the Stanford stage and onto a 124-acre, $15.82 million horse farm in North Salem, New York. According to Architectural Digest, the lavish estate was a graduation gift from her billionaire parents—and came complete with rolling pastures, three parcels of land, and proximity to New York City for her future studies.

But in case that sounds too much like the plot of "Succession: Equestrian Edition," Melinda Gates would like to remind everyone: their kids were absolutely raised "middle class."

Original Post:

Am I supposed to be excited? How bad must your resturant be running if the best you've got to offer is your excess ice.

Update:

Some of you have expressed criticism of how I've framed this. You guys are right. I'm fuckin losing it.

I think I've been spending too much time reading news, seeing dead babies, Názis taking over the country, the cIimate crisis etc.. I'm not being sarcastic, I think this shit has fucked me up. I'm at the point where seeing a sign for lce is perceived as bleak doom.

I need to take a break from, everything. Thank you for holding up the mirror.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28461146

Making Salmonella Great Again

"The Texas Senate voted 22-9 to pass Senate Bill 819. The bill places restrictions on solar and wind power projects, requiring new permits, assessing fees, adding new regulatory requirements and placing new taxes on the projects.

The legislation “adds onerous requirements to new solar projects that would not apply to other energy sources except wind,” said the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).

Texas has the nation’s largest utility-scale solar market – a $50 billion industry that has enough solar installed to power nearly 5 million homes. The bill is expected to slow development, raise Texans’ utility bills, harm rural economies, worsen grid reliability and encroach on private property rights.

“This bill will kill renewable energy in Texas,” Jeff Clark, CEO of Texas Power Alliance, said during public testimony.

Senate Bill 819 requires solar and wind projects of 10 MW or larger to obtain a permit from the Texas Utilities Commission to interconnect to the grid. It requires projects to report a notice of applications and hold a public meeting for proposed projects.

The bill also places a new environmental impact review by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and established an annual environmental impact fee for permit holders.

SB 819 also requires all permitted facility equipment for solar projects be at least 100 feet from property lines and 200 feet from habitable structures unless it obtains a written waiver from the property owner.

The bill also prohibits property tax abatements for solar or wind projects of 10 MW of capacity or more. Property tax abatements are a common regulatory structure for utility-scale solar projects nationwide.

“We cannot afford to turn away from the pro-energy and pro-business policies that made the Lone Star State the energy capital, but that’s exactly what SB 819 does,” said Daniel Giese, Texas director of state affairs, SEIA. “We urge the Texas House to reject this bill.”

If approved by the House and Governor, the bill is expected to raise electricity costs for Texans. Clean energy is estimated to save ratepayers in the state $11 billion over the last two years.

The restrictions are also expected to lower grid reliability. Solar is the largest source of new generation added to the grid in Texas, and experts from the state’s grid operator ERCOT, the Texas Comptroller’s office, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas credit solar and storage for helping the grid remain stable during heat waves and cold snaps.

For rural economies, a slowed solar and wind power industry means less tax revenues. Research from the University of Texas estimates that existing and planned solar, wind and energy storage projects in that state will contribute $20 billion in local tax revenues and $29.5 billion in landowner payments over the life of the projects.

The bill also claws back the right of landowners in Texas to make land use decisions on their private property.

“The state telling landowners that they can’t use their land in the way they see fit is antithetical to the Texas identity,” said SEIA.

The solar industry employs over 12,000 people in Texas. It is expected to add the most solar among all states over the next 5 years, with a projected growth of 41 GW, according to SEIA. For context, the United States has about 224 GW of solar installed cumulatively in its entire history through 2024.

The bill next heads to the Texas House of Representatives for vote. If approved, it will be sent to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature."

• How much money on big energy causing this through lobbying?

https://xcancel.com/WhiteHouse/status/1913241658579440126#m

Paywall removed: https://archive.is/Bpddu

For those who don't want to use Substack, the article is also posted here:

https://formerlytomato.codeberg.page/posts/shortposts/newsletter/chatgpt-black-box/

“Busy life? You can’t call your parent every day – But we can” boasts the startup, inTouch.

The company promises for about $30 a month it will check in on your loved ones, so you don’t have to.

As 404 media reported, users can generate a profile of an elderly relative with topics and hobbies that they enjoy.

“Busy life? You can’t call your parent every day – But we can” boasts the startup, inTouch.

The company promises for about $30 a month it will check in on your loved ones, so you don’t have to.

As 404 media reported, users can generate a profile of an elderly relative with topics and hobbies that they enjoy.

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/39213552

Rubio is on a tear right now. Fuck this fascist piece of shit.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/7Zge0

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/34456652

Russia declined responsibility for civilian deaths that happened due to the strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday that killed 34 people and wounded dozens more.

It accused the Ukrainian army of using civilians as “human shields" in Sumy and said that it struck an Ukrainian Army meeting.