Mega is one of the only cloud storage services that offers end-to-end encryption, a great feature for people who value security. However, after political pressure from MPAA-affiliated goons, PayPal recently decided to stop providing payment services to Mega. What gives?
If you’re planning an overseas trip anytime soon, today’s Amazon Gold Box features Level 1 Rosetta Stone packs in over a dozen languages for $69 each. [Rosetta Stone Language Software, $69]
You’ve probably never heard of the Xiaomi Mi Note. You can’t buy one in the US. You should read this story anyhow. It’s about a smartphone—a really good smartphone—but it’s also about the future of personal electronics. You care about the future, no?
It has been months since the idea of an Illinois millionaire’s tax seemed to be off the table in the General Assembly, but House Speaker Michael Madigan has revived talks of the surtax again. Now, many Illinois teachers unions and education organizations are coming out in favor of the added three percent income tax. But at least one member of Madigan’s super-majority Democratic Party isn’t on board. Reboot Illinois’ Madeleine Doubek has more:
Madigan, union officials and two prominent school advocacy groups issued statements supporting the millionaires’ tax push. They said it was part of a solution to the state’s severe fiscal crisis, even though it would require a supermajority vote among lawmakers and then would have to go to voters, which could not happen now until 2016. Therefore, even if approved, it wouldn’t help solve the immediate $6 billion budget hole Gov. Bruce Rauner, Madigan and lawmakers face.
“With the rollback of the temporary income tax increase on January 1, we are facing new budget-making obstacles,” Madigan said in a rare statement released by his office. “According to the bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the rollback is expected to result in a loss of nearly $5 billion in state revenue each year. With lower revenues, many state services will be in very precarious financial positions.
“Schools in Illinois need greater financial support to ensure our children can compete in a global economy,” he continued. “This is why I am renewing my call for a constitutional amendment requiring a 3 percent surcharge on income over $1 million, with the extra revenue devoted to schools across the state on a per-pupil basis. This change, filed as House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 26, would result in about $1 billion in additional funding for Illinois students, or about $530 in additional funding per student, per year.”
Support for the amendment, not surprisingly, came from Illinois Education Association President Cinda Klickna, Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery and Large Unit District Association Executive Director Diane Rutledge. They were joined in supporting a resolution calling for an amendment by Stand for Children and Advance Illinois, two education advocacy groups.
“While not a complete solution to our education funding concerns, this proposal can start to move our students and schools toward and adequate base level of funding,” said Advance Illinois Executive Director Robin Steans. “Money alone will not improve education or close achievement gaps, however, money matters. … A more equitable funding formula, in tandem with the proposal in HJRCA 26 for increased revenue, would begin to open the doors of opportunity for all Illinois students.”
“We commend this proposal’s focus on increasing investment in education,” said Jessica Handy of Stand for Children Illinois. “Schools have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the last five years, which hurts the education that our children receive and the professionals in the classroom.”
Read the rest of Doubek’s explanation of Madigan’s support for a millionaire’s tax at Reboot Illinois.
Speaking of millions of dollars, exactly how much money do Illinois colleges rake in in a year? We took a look at which colleges made the most in private donations in 2014 in Illinois, broken down along the top 10 private schools and top 10 public schools. The answers might surprise you.
NEXT ARTICLE: Devils Advocate: When will legal marijuana come to Illinois?
[Backyard in Datong with coal/Peter Van den Bossche]
Good news! China’s coal consumption fell by 2.9 percent in 2014, the first drop in 14 years, according to official Chinese energy statistics released yesterday. Glen Peters of the Global Carbon Project calculates that China’s CO2 emissions have also fallen, by 0.7 percent, for the first time this century. So contrary to grumbling in the U.S. Congress about the strength, or even existence, of China’s climate commitments, it’s clear that China’s efforts to cut its coal consumption and carbon emissions are not only real, but are already producing results.
[Glenn Peters/Responding to Climate Change]
Here are three reasons why China is acting on climate change and air pollution:
National War on Pollution: Much of the drop in China’s coal consumption can be attributed to efforts to tackle the country’s staggering air pollution. China’s air pollution control action plan, adopted in September 2013, focuses heavily on cutting coal consumption in its three most polluted regions surrounding Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Some cities, including Beijing, are already starting to see some improvement in air quality, though the smog is still so bad that the mayor has declared the city “unlivable.” Overall, the situation is still dire, as the air quality in 66 of China’s 74 major cities failed to meet basic standards last year. As a result, we expect the pressure to intensify for China to move further away from its heavy reliance on coal.
2. Renewable Energy: China is rapidly fulfilling its pledge to increase the share of renewable energy in its power mix to 15 percent by 2020. China led the world in renewable energy investment in 2014, boosting its investment from $56.3 billion in 2013 to a record $89.5 billion. This was equivalent to about 29 percent of all global investment in renewable energy in 2014, with the United States in second place with $51.8 billion in funding.
China led the world in newly installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity last year, having added 10.6 GW of solar PV to the grid, about a quarter of all new global capacity. Solar PV capacity reached 28 GW at the end of 2014, rapidly catching up to world leader Germany’s 38 GW, and China plans to add another 15 GW in 2015. Nearly one-fifth of the new solar panels were installed on the rooftops of individual households or companies.
China also leads the world in installed wind power capacity, with 96 GW of grid-connected wind capacity at the end of 2014. The extent to which wind is being used to displace coal in China is vividly illustrated by yesterday’s story in CleanTechnica: Wind has now become the second-largest source of electricity in Shanxi Province, one of China’s most polluted provinces and the longtime center of China’s coal industry.
3. Energy Efficiency: China has made energy efficiency a key strategy for cutting pollution and emissions without sacrificing economic growth. According to the World Bank, China accounted for more than half the world’s energy savings over the past twenty years. Last year, China surpassed its key energy efficiency target by cutting energy intensity by 4.8 percent below 2013 levels. This puts China on track to meet its five-year target of reducing energy intensity by 16 percent below 2010 levels by 2015.
Much of this reduction has been achieved by shutting down highly polluting and inefficient factories, including 570 million tonnes of cement and 75 million tonnes of steel capacity over the past four years. China’s market for energy efficient building technologies is also growing rapidly, which is extremely important, since half of the world’s new building construction is expected to be built in China between now and 2030.
It is still too early to predict just how quickly China will phase out coal, though a number of analysts believe that China’s coal use is very likely to peak before 2020. Yet as Joe Romm, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Founding Editor of Climate Progress, recently said, one thing is abundantly clear: “This reversal on coal utterly refutes the GOP claim that China’s recent climate pledge with the United States ‘requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years.'”
LONDON (AP) — Former pop star Gary Glitter has received a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing three young girls in the 1970s.
The 70-year-old singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, showed no response as he was sentenced Friday.
He had been found guilty earlier this month of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.
The singer was arrested in October 2012 under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation British police launched in the wake of a child abuse scandal surrounding the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Glitter is best known for the hit “Rock & Roll (Part 2),” but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on child abuse charges in Vietnam.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) compared the Islamic State, the terrorist group sometimes referred to as ISIS or ISIL, to a computer virus in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday.
“You got to take them out entirely,” Walker said of the Islamic State. “They are like a virus in your computer that takes out your whole computer. If you don’t weed it out you’re just gonna be back at it again more and more.”
While speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference earlier on Thursday, Walker said he is prepared to take on the threat of the Islamic State thanks to his experience undermining labor unions in Wisconsin.
“If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world,” Walker said.
The governor later clarified his comments, telling the Wisconsin State Journal, “I’m just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling this difficult situation is the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with.”
“You all will misconstrue things the way you see fit,” Walker said. “That’s the closest thing I have in terms of handling a difficult situation, not that there’s any parallel between the two.”
Watch Walker on Fox News above.
On the heels of the whitest Oscars since 1998, Patricia Arquette’s semi-accidental rebel call for “gay people and people of color” to fight for women’s rights, and a generally rising tide of consciousness about how minorities are treated in Hollywood, HBO announced that it will launch a new fellowship geared specifically towards diversity.
On Wednesday, the network that currently has hit shows “Game of Thrones,” “Girls,” “True Detective” and “Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver,” declared that they will seek “emerging writers from diverse backgrounds” and that those selected will participate in a week of master classes, focusing on things like story development and how to pitch their work, before embarking upon an eight-month writing journey paired with an HBO development executive.
In the past, HBO has come under fire for the general whiteness of its programming — particularly “Girls” — and while many may feel that its unfair to pin all diversity requirements on one half-hour program, critics like The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica proclaimed: “Television is nowhere near diverse enough — not in its actors, its writers or its show runners. The problems identified by critics of ‘Girls’ are systemic, traceable to network executives who greenlight shows and shoot down plenty of others. It’s at that level that diversity stands or falls.”
Bustle wrote an article titled “Why HBO and Other Networks Need to Pay Attention to Diversity,” and used HuffPost infographics to make their point.
For example, between 1975 and 2014, 38 individuals created hour-long dramas at HBO. Of the 38, 33 of these people were white men. Three were women and only one was a non-white man. But it looks like HBO is passionate about addressing the issue.
“It all starts with the page”, Kelly Edwards wrote to The Huffington Post via email on Thursday. Edwards is the vice president of HBO Talent Development and Programming and is directly responsible for developing the HBOAccess program. “We are on the lookout for new voices with an authentic and original point of view,” she continued.
The HBO writing program seeks people over 21 years of age and is clear about wanting to find undiscovered or un-nurtured talent. Those applying may not have been staffed on a television show with more than 13 episodes, cannot have made more than one feature film or had more than two plays produced.
“The fellowship program is [an] avenue we use to access emerging talent while providing a unique opportunity to writers who are just getting started,” Edwards said.
Last year, HBO tried a similar format focusing on directors. The HBOAccess Directing Fellowship produced four short films that will be aired on HBO Go and HBO On Demand this March.
The transgender movement is more visible now than it has ever been. From the State of the Union address to the Golden Globes to an upcoming series where Laverne Cox will play an attorney, the transgender narrative is becoming a greater part of prime time television and public consciousness.
Still, the increase in visibility has not translated into increased acceptance or a reduction in violence; since the beginning of 2015 alone, eight transgender women of color have been murdered in the U.S. The 2011 Injustice at Every Turn report shows that a large number of transgender and gender nonconforming people face extreme levels of unemployment and poverty, poor health outcomes, violence and harassment. These ongoing crises underscore the critical need for comprehensive protections against discrimination.
Two new reports, “Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans” and “Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being Transgender in America”, highlight the widespread discrimination and inequities that transgender people face, particularly transgender women and transgender people of color. From high rates of poverty to harassment to violence to poor health outcomes to limited job opportunities to isolation, transgender people are among the most vulnerable communities in the country.
“Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being Transgender in America” paints a stark portrait of the economic insecurities that leave transgender people at high rates of unemployment and poverty. Transgender people in the U.S. face clear financial penalties simply because they are transgender and are left economically vulnerable because of two primary failures of law: Pervasive discrimination and a lack of legal protections mean that transgender people struggle to find work and safe housing, make less on the job and have higher out-of-pocket medical costs than their non-transgender peers.
Failure to adequately protect transgender students means that transgender people and their families often face hostile, unsafe, or unwelcoming school environments. Harassment, bullying, and violence make it difficult, if not impossible, for transgender students to obtain the skills and education they need to succeed.
“Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans” provides a high-level overview of issues facing transgender people in the U.S., including:
Transgender people, especially transgender people of color, experience life-threatening situations, including violence, higher rates of HIV and AIDS, homelessness and extreme poverty. Transgender people who live under these adverse conditions are also some of the most resourceful and most resilient advocates of our communities. Organizations and initiatives led by transgender and gender nonconforming people are moving work nationally to advance the rights of TGNC people such as the Transgender People of Color Coalition, the Transgender Women of Color Collective, Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Trans-Latin@ Coalition. There is also a wide range of local, grassroots groups advancing TGNC rights and justice; many of these groups are listed in the Trans Justice Funding Project’s recent annual report “Building TransJustice from the Ground to the Sky”. As we make great strides in media and popular culture, we must also continue to win and work hand in hand with community leaders to enact many more critically needed protections and societal changes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression.
A man and woman were arrested by Hawaii police on Wednesday after video surveillance allegedly showed them stealing a jar of donations for a young girl fighting for her life.
The footage shows Jeffrey Kleinschmidt, 57, and Kristin Johnson, 45, inside a Big Island smoke shop on Monday. Kleinschmidt can allegedly be seen removing the donation jar from a countertop and shoving it into his pants when an employee turns away. The shop’s manager, Jose Miranda, said he set up the jar in an effort to raise money for Madisyn Tamaki, an 8-year-old who is in desperate need of a heart transplant.
The couple was taken into custody after being recognized at another Big Island smoke shop. Miranda was able to pick them out of a line-up on Wednesday afternoon.
According to local news outlet KITV, Kleinschmidt was charged with theft following the pair’s arrest. According to Hawaii News Now, police records indicate that he has 31 prior offenses. Johnson, however, has been released pending further investigation.
Miranda said the best thing to come out of the situation was an outpouring of community support for Tamaki. “People calling us wanting to replace the money that was taken. A few people called saying they wanted to donate double what was taken. It just was unreal the support that’s flowing from this situation for her,” he told Hawaii News Now.
Tamaki was recently transported to Seattle Children’s Hospital where she awaits a heart transplant. She is in critical but stable condition.
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