#2030 year standard

[aoisouken]

▶ “What is the 2030 Standard for Energy-Saving Housing?

▶ “What is the 2030 Standard for Energy-Saving Housing? @aoisouken_official ←Click here for other useful housing information! Minimize energy waste and drastically reduce utility costs.

In this issue, we will provide you with the benefits of energy-efficient housing!

Please take a look at it as a reference for your home building. Please take a look at it as a reference for your home building ✨.

What is the 2030 standard for energy-efficient housing? By 2030, the ZEH (Net Zero Energy House) level of energy-efficient housing will be the standard for new construction. (Net Zero Energy House) level of energy-saving housing will be the standard for new construction. Energy consumption will be minimized by installing highly insulated and airtight structures and high-efficiency equipment. These are homes that minimize energy consumption through the use of highly insulated and airtight structures and high-efficiency equipment.

Reduction of High Utility Costs By adopting high thermal insulation performance and high-efficiency equipment, daily energy use can be significantly reduced. energy consumption can be significantly reduced by adopting high thermal insulation performance and high-efficiency equipment. This reduces the burden of utility costs and and can be expected to bring economic benefits over the long term. Comfortable indoor environment Highly airtight and insulated houses are less susceptible to outside temperatures, comfortable room temperatures can be maintained with minimal air conditioning. This results in a comfortable living environment throughout the year.

Reduction of Health Risks By reducing temperature differences, health risks such as heat shock and elevated blood pressure can be reduced. health risks such as heat shock and elevated blood pressure can be reduced. In addition, condensation is less likely to occur, This is also effective in preventing the growth of mold and dust mites, as well as allergic reactions.

Utilization of Preferential Treatment Programs Energy-efficient homes are eligible for various preferential programs, such as mortgage tax breaks and Flat 35 interest rate reductions. and Flat 35 interest rate reductions. By taking advantage of these programs, the initial cost burden can be reduced. Summary It has been decided that housing performance will be required up to ZEH standard by 2030. ZEH standard by 2030. It will be indispensable to build a house in the future, so let's prepare now. It will be essential to build a house in the future, so let's start preparing for it now.

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A post shared by あおい創建｜宮城県石巻市｜注文住宅・リフォーム・リノベーション (@aoisouken_official)

▶「2030年基準の省エネ住宅とは」を徹底解説 @aoisouken_official ←その他の役立つ住宅情報はこちら！ エネルギーのムダを最小限に抑え、光熱費を大幅に削減しましょう。

今回は、省エネ住宅のメリットをお届けします！

ぜひ皆様の家づくりの 参考にしてみてください✨ 1.2030年基準の省エネ住宅とは？ 2030年には、ZEH（ネット・ゼロ・エネルギー・ハウス）水準の 省エネ住宅が新���の基準となります。高断熱・高気密構造や高効率 設備の導入により、エネルギー消費を最小限に抑えた住まいです。 2.高熱費の削減 高い断熱性能や高効率設備を採用すること��、日常的なエネルギー 使用量を大幅に削減できます。これにより、光熱費の負担が 軽減され、長期的に経済的メリットが期待できます。 3.快適な室内環境 高気密・高断熱住宅は、外気温の影響を受けにくく、 最低限の空調で快適な室温環境を保てます。 これにより、年間を通じて快適な住環境が実現します。 4.健康リスクの軽減 温度差が小さくなることで、ヒートショックや血圧上昇などの 健康リスクを軽減できます。また、結露が発生しにくく、 カビやダニの繁殖を抑制し、アレルギー対策にも効果的です。 5.優遇制度の活用 省エネ住宅の導入には、住宅ローン減税やフラット35の 金利引き下げなど、さまざまな優遇制度が適用されます。 これらを活用することで、初期費用の負担を軽減できます。 6.まとめ 2030年には、ZEH基準まで住宅性能がもとめられることが 決定しています。これからの家づくりには 不可欠になってきますので、今から準備をしていきましょう。

[reasonsforhope]

"Legislative momentum against PFAS has surged this year, as at least 11 states enacted laws to restrict the use of “forever chemicals” in everyday consumer products or professional firefighting foam.

The legislation includes bans on PFAS in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, and cosmetic and menstrual products. Meanwhile, lawmakers in some states also passed measures that require industries to pay for testing or cleanup; order companies to disclose the use of PFAS in their products; and mandate or encourage the development of PFAS alternatives, according to Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals.

In total this year, at least 16 states adopted 22 PFAS-related measures, according to the group. Since 2007, 30 states have approved 155 PFAS policies, the vast majority of them in the past five years.

The thousands of chemicals categorized as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, do not naturally break down and are found in the blood of 97% of Americans. Some PFAS compounds can harm the immune system, increase cancer risks and decrease fertility...

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released new standards limiting PFAS in drinking water. Water systems have five years to comply with the rules. Even before the EPA action, 11 states had set their own limits on PFAS in drinking water, starting with New Jersey in 2018.

Water utilities and chemical manufacturers are challenging the new EPA standards. But states also are heading to the courthouse: So far, 30 states have sued PFAS manufacturers or key users for contaminating water supplies and other natural resources, according to Safer States...

Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, said one reason states have been so successful in enacting PFAS limits is that more companies are willing to stop using the chemicals.

“When California restricted PFAS in textiles, all of a sudden you saw companies like REI saying, ‘We can, we’re going to do that. We’re going to move to alternatives,’” Doll said.

In Vermont, state lawmakers in April unanimously approved a measure banning the manufacture and sale of PFAS in cosmetics, menstrual products, incontinence products, artificial turf, textiles and cookware.

“The same as everyone else, like Democrats, we want to make sure that we remove PFAS and get it out of products as soon as we can,” said Vermont Republican state Rep. Michael Marcotte, who said his district includes cosmetics manufacturer Rozelle Cosmetics, in Westfield.

Democratic state Sen. Virginia Lyons, the chief sponsor of the Vermont bill, said it is particularly important to get PFAS out of products that are essential to consumers.

“There are some consumer products where you can say, ‘I don��t need to buy that, because I don’t want PFAS,’” Lyons said. “But it’s really tough to say that [about] a menstrual product.”

California’s latest PFAS measure, which Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last month, specifically bans the use of PFAS in menstrual products. Democratic Assemblymember Diane Papan, the author of the bill, said it was particularly strong because it covers both intentional and unintentional uses of PFAS, so “manufacturers will have to really be careful about what comes in their supply chain.”

While more states enact laws focused on specific products, Maine is preparing to implement the world’s first PFAS ban covering all consumer goods. The Maine law, which is scheduled to take effect in 2030, will include exceptions for “essential” products for which PFAS-free alternatives do not exist. Washington state has also taken a sweeping approach by giving regulators strict timelines to ban PFAS in many product categories.

[lovingbarbariancomputer]

Being a man in America means involuntarily moaning every time you eat a 2000 calorie meal. Having to hide your boner when you notice your hairy thighs starting to brush up against each other. Giving up on trying to suck in your fat belly. It’s ok, it’s not a fluke, it’s by design. A long process of being hypnotized and conditioned. You don’t just accidentally become the fattest country in the world. Men are getting fat cause it feels so fuckin good to be so full they can’t even think. It’s just so easy to become hypnotized by the cycle of feeding, edging, sleeping, and showing off that thickboy body. And corporations are more than happy to get you as fat as possible. Portion sizes get bigger every year. Crammed with as many calories as physically possible. Even healthy options are designed to get you fatter bro. No matter what, you’ll end up with a belly to keep you perpetually turned on. And you know you want it

Let it all out bro. You know it makes feel like a fuckin man, letting everyone see how fuckin fat your getting. Push that belly out. Do your part to set the example for American masculinity. No point in resisting the transformation. By 2030, fatboys will be the new standard of American masculinity and sexuality. Deep down, we all know we’re destined to be dumb fatboys. And we all know it makes our dicks rock hard feeling our bellies strain against our clothes. Eat big, bro. Everybody’s doing it. What are you gonna do, resist that primal urge? We both know that ain’t gonna happen, big guy. I mean, just look at yourself bro, your dicks gettin hard just reading this 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #10

March 15-22 2024

The EPA announced new emission standards with the goal of having more than half of new cars and light trucks sold in the US be low/zero emission by 2032. One of the most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history, it'll eliminate 7 billion tons of CO2 emissions over the next 30 years. It's part of President Biden's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 on the road to eliminating them totally by 2050.

President Biden canceled nearly 6 Billion dollars in student loan debt. 78,000 borrowers who work in public sector jobs, teachers, nurses, social workers, firefighters etc will have their debt totally forgiven. An additional 380,000 public service workers will be informed that they qualify to have their loans forgiven over the next 2 years. The Biden Administration has now forgiven $143.6 Billion in student loan debt for 4 million Americans since the Supreme Court struck down the original student loan forgiveness plan last year.

Under Pressure from the administration and Democrats in Congress Drugmaker AstraZeneca caps the price of its inhalers at $35. AstraZeneca joins rival Boehringer Ingelheim in capping the price of inhalers at $35, the price the Biden Admin capped the price of insulin for seniors. The move comes as the Federal Trade Commission challenges AstraZeneca’s patents, and Senator Bernie Sanders in his role as Democratic chair of the Senate Health Committee investigates drug pricing.

The Department of Justice sued Apple for being an illegal monopoly in smartphones. The DoJ is joined by 16 state attorneys general. The DoJ accuses Apple of illegally stifling competition with how its apps work and seeking to undermining technologies that compete with its own apps.

The EPA passed a rule banning the final type of asbestos still used in the United States. The banning of chrysotile asbestos (known as white asbestos) marks the first time since 1989 the EPA taken action on asbestos, when it passed a partial ban. 40,000 deaths a year in the US are linked to asbestos

President Biden announced $8.5 billion to help build advanced computer chips in America. Currently America only manufactures 10% of the world's chips and none of the most advanced next generation of chips. The deal with Intel will open 4 factories across 4 states (Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon) and create 30,000 new jobs. The Administration hopes that by 2030 America will make 20% of the world's leading-edge chips.

President Biden signed an Executive Order prioritizing research into women's health. The order will direct $200 million into women's health across the government including comprehensive studies of menopause health by the Department of Defense and new outreach by the Indian Health Service to better meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Women. This comes on top of $100 million secured by First Lady Jill Biden from ARPA-H.

Democratic Senators Bob Casey, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, and Jacky Rosen (all up for re-election) along with Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Sheldon Whitehouse, introduced the "Shrinkflation Prevention Act" The Bill seeks to stop the practice of companies charging the same amount for products that have been subtly shrunk so consumers pay more for less.

The Department of Transportation will invest $45 million in projects that improve Bicyclist and Pedestrian Connectivity and Safety

The EPA will spend $77 Million to put 180 electric school buses onto the streets of New York City This is part of New York's goal to transition its whole school bus fleet to electric by 2035.

The Senate confirmed President Biden's nomination of Nicole Berner to the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Berner has served as the general counsel for America's largest union, SEIU, since 2017 and worked in their legal department since 2006. On behalf of SEIU she's worked on cases supporting the Affordable Care Act, DACA, and against the Defense of Marriage act and was part of the Fight for 15. Before working at SEIU she was a staff attorney at Planned Parenthood. Berner's name was listed by the liberal group Demand Justice as someone they'd like to see on the Supreme Court. Berner becomes one of just 5 LGBT federal appeals court judges, 3 appointed by Biden. The Senate also confirmed Edward Kiel and Eumi Lee to be district judges in New Jersey and Northern California respectively, bring the number of federal judges appointed by Biden to 188.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - January 15, 2024

🎊 - As we embark on another journey around the sun, I am thrilled to bring you the first newsletter of the year, packed with inspiring, informative, and sometimes downright amusing stories.

1. Marijuana meets criteria for reclassification as lower-risk drug

Marijuana has a lower potential for abuse than other drugs that are subjected to the same restrictions, with scientific support for its use as a medical treatment, researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration say in documents supporting its reclassification as a Schedule III substance.

2. South Korea passes law banning dog meat trade

The slaughter and sale of dogs for their meat is to become illegal in South Korea after MPs backed a new law. The legislation, set to come into force by 2027, aims to end the centuries-old practice of humans eating dog meat.

3. After 20 years in a tiny cage, these 'broken bears' are finally feeling the grass beneath their paws

These bears, termed "broken bears" due to physical and psychological trauma from years of abuse, are treated at the Tam Dao rescue center with individually tailored diets, physiotherapy, and medical care. The bear bile trade, which involves extracting bile for traditional Asian medicine, has been illegal in Vietnam since 2005, but a black market still exists.

4. France just got its first openly gay prime minister.

Gabriel Attal is France’s youngest-ever prime minister at age 34 and the first who is openly gay.

5. Australian ‘builders without borders’ repairing war-torn homes and schools in Ukraine

Manfred Hin, a 66-year-old builder from Townsville, Australia, spent most of 2023 volunteering in Ukraine to rebuild homes and schools damaged by Russian attacks. Having contributed to over 50 house and a dozen school renovations, he worked with Ukrainian charity Brave to Rebuild, mentoring young volunteers and sourcing three tonnes of donated tools.

Inspired by Hin's story, Tasmanian carpenter Hamish Stirling also joined the efforts, learning Ukrainian, traveling to Europe, and volunteering for three months to help rebuild homes.

6. The age-standardized death rate from cancer has declined by 15% since 1990

The age-standardized death rate from cancer declined by 15%

Cancer kills mostly older people – as the death rate by age shows, of those who are 70 years and older, 1% die from cancer every year. For people who are younger than 50, the cancer death rate is more than 40-times lower (more detail here).

7. Germany Reached 55% Renewable Energy in 2023

In 2023, 55 percent of Germany’s power came from renewables — an increase of 6.6 percent, according to energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur, reported Reuters. Europe’s biggest national economy has a goal of 80 percent green energy by 2030.

---

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[katacala]

1.20.25 • Today the United States Climate Alliance delivered a letter to UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, making it clear to the global community that our climate work will continue regardless of federal action or inaction.

If you're not familiar with the U.S. Climate Alliance, they are a bipartisan climate action coalition of 24 governors representing approximately 55% of the U.S. population and 60% of the U.S. economy.

To read their letter, read more here or explore their press release on their website. Onward!

•••

Mr. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

P.O. Box 260124

D-53153 Bonn, Germany

January 20, 2025

Dear Executive Secretary Stiell,

We write as co-chairs of the United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of two dozen governors representing nearly 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, to make it clear to you, and the rest of the world, that we will continue America’s work to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and slash climate pollution.

As you know, this is not the first time we’ve responded to this challenge in the U.S. Our coalition was launched after the President’s decision to withdraw our country from the Paris Agreement back in 2017. Since then, our reach, resolve, and impact have only grown.

In fact, our states and territories are now on track to meet our near-term climate target by reducing collective net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Our recent progress reflects a wave of ambitious state policies and federal funding enacted over the last few years – and it builds on our coalition’s 15-year trend of cutting emissions while simultaneously growing our economies. We have continued to ramp up our longer-term commitments as well, pledging to reduce GHG emissions at least 50-52 percent by 2030 and 61-66 percent by 2035, below 2005 levels, in alignment with the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution. Most importantly, this action is bringing better health, cleaner air, good-paying jobs, new economic development, and lower costs to our communities.

Our states and territories continue to have broad authority under the U.S. Constitution to protect our progress and advance the climate solutions we need. This does not change with a shift in federal administration. States across our coalition are implementing a suite of policies and programs to secure our net-zero future, including statewide and regional carbon markets, 100 percent clean energy standards, and methane reduction programs for the oil and gas, waste, and agricultural sectors, among many others. We are also deploying billions of dollars to eliminate pollution in our communities and sustain our country’s clean energy boom.

It’s critical for the international community to know that climate action will continue in the U.S. The Alliance will bring this message to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil (COP30) later this year – just as we have at every COP since our coalition’s founding – as we work to implement our climate goals. We are also committed to tracking and reporting on our progress and look forward to working with you and the global community to identify the most impactful ways to do so. The Alliance is proud to publish an annual report each year on our latest action, and we are enclosing here our most recent report for your reference.

We will not turn our back on America’s commitments. For our health and our future, we will press forward.

Sincerely,

Governor Kathy Hochul, Co-Chair

State of New York

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Co-Chair

State of New Mexico

[blueminuet]

So the JimmyTimmy PacRim AU is ending, so it's time to give everyone a rundown of what they really want...

A detailed list of all Jaegers in the AU and what they are based on:

The first few jaegers got really long, so sorry about the long winded post. A lot of this was stuff from my planning notes, and may or may not change depending on if I contradicted myself somewhere, or if co-author @fauvester accidentally contradicted me, in which case forget what I said, Fauve has never done anything wrong in her life.

The AU Itself

This AU takes place in roughly 2030, with the Kaiju War starting around 2015

The Jaegers

Logo made by fauve tm tm tm tm

Cranium Blast

In universe:

Mark III Jaeger built circa 2020

Original pilots: Cindy Vortex and Jimmy Vortex (née Neutron)

Originally stationed at the Anchorage Shatterdome

One of only two jaegers to be successfully solo piloted (by Cindy Vortex in 2025)

Retired in 2025 after encounter with Kaiju Calamitous

Re-activated in 2030 at the Hong Kong Shatterdome with pilots Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner

Meta Info:

Pretty obviously based on the canonical jaeger Cherno Alpha (personally my favorite jaeger)

Unlike Cherno, Cranium Blast is a third generation jaeger that incorporated the best of the Mark I Cherno Alpha, and made some improvements (notably, escape pods)

Also unlike Cherno, Cranium Blast has a detachable conn-pod, which sits on the front of the head (see: the little white box on the head in the image)

The "head" of this style jaeger is actually a huge amount of power cells that store excess energy from the jaeger's nuclear core, which allows it to have pretty powerful armaments, in exchange for slightly less mobility.

Cranium Blast's armaments: Tesla Fist, Static Cannon (mostly made up), and a Nuclear Vortex Turbine (the canonical name of the swirly thingy on the chest of G. Danger.)

Umbral Phantom

In universe:

Mark III Jaeger built circa 2019

Original pilots: Danny Fenton and Valerie Grey

Additional pilot teams: Danny Fenton and Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton and Sam Manson, Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley

Originally stationed at the Anchorage Shatterdome

One of only two jaegers to be solo piloted (by Danny Fenton, 2024)

Valerie Grey retired from the program after the encounter with Kaiju Plasmius in 2024

Danny Fenton continued, cycling through 3 different co-pilots in two years, before quitting the program in 2026

Standard Mark III armaments, including the plasma cannon hand.

Meta Info:

Yeah, this is just Danny's trauma mech

I kind of imagine it being a mix between Romeo Blue and G. Danger but with the classic black/white Danny Phantom colors with ecto-green accents

Art and logo made by fauve tm tm tm tm

Tigre Pantera

In universe:

Mark V Jaeger built circa 2028

Original pilots: Rodolfo Rivera and Manny Rivera

Originally stationed at the Panama Shatterdome

Two years later, Tigre Pantera was reassigned to the Hong Kong Shatterdome.

Renamed to Tigre Fantasma in 2030, after Manny Rivera and Danny Fenton became the pilot team and the jaeger was re-fitted with one of Umbral Phantom's arms.

Logo made by fauve tm tm tm tm

Meta Info:

Very obviously based on Striker Eureka, right down to the father/son jaeger pilot team.

Fauve wisely added cat ears though.

The color scheme was very obviously chosen by Rodolfo, the shiny white with gold trim.

The armaments on this one are pretty much the same as Striker Eureka, but we added cat claws because obviously.

I put Tigre at the Panama Shatterdome even though Los Angeles is closer to where Miracle City would be, but like... p much all of these cartoons are either based in North America or a fictional version of North America, we gotta spread out a little.

OKAY YES FINE I FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT JENNY:

The XJ9 system is an artificial intelligence created by Dr. Wakeman to take on some of the neural load from jaeger pilots. All studies on artificial intelligence taking a full person's worth of the neural load have failed, but Dr. Wakeman found success with implementing AI to take the edge off.

Jimmy, personally, thinks Dr. Wakeman is kind of a nutjob, and the only reason the XJ9 system ended up in the Mark V jaegers is because Jimmy was not involved in its development.

Anyway, Manny loves Jenny, he insisted she pick a name and that's what she picked. She's his big Mech-AI sister and we love that.

Samurai Bravo

In universe:

Mark I jaeger built circa 2016

Originally assigned to the Tokyo Shatterdome

Original pilots: Johnny Bravo and Jack Oda

Reassigned to Hong Kong Shatterdome in 2030

Armaments: Plasma Sword, Chest Gatling

Meta info:

If I were to pick a canon jaeger this one is based on, it's Tacit Ronin

I decided that Johnny is from Russia in this AU, because really we needed people to spread out a bit.

I gave Samurai Jack the family name Oda because I'm from the Kamen Rider fandom where Oda Nobunaga's ghost, resurrected zombie, and catholic cowboy spirit imprint are all just vibing.

Oh right, people might want some backstory on Samurai Bravo…

Johnny is Russian in this AU, but is obsessed with America and “American culture” which is… why he is the way he is…

He probably did a study abroad in America back in college and still talks about it 

(The political landscape of this AU is never discussed unless it is, but since Russia is one of the PPDC counties well just assume they are friendly enough to have had a study abroad program with the US.) 

Anyway, Johnny was a cadet at the Russian Shatterdome at Vladivostok and could never find a drift partner because he’s… like that. 

Jack is Japanese, obviously, but lived in America for some time, earning him the nickname “Jack”. (What’s his real given name? Unimportant.) 

Jack joined up as a jaeger pilot cadet early in the program, but had trouble finding a partner because he was too closed off and individualistic. 

Shatterdomes nearby each other (in a global sense) would often collaborate and send cadets to new Shatterdomes to try to find matches if they had enough skill to continue in the program. The Vladivostok Shatterdome was all too happy to send Johnny off to Tokyo… 

Jack instantly disliked Johnny, especially as his reputation as an arrogant troublemaker preceded him. 

Johnny did NOT pick up on that AT ALL, and just wanted to make a new friend who had lived in America to talk about America Stuff. 

Jack eventually got fed up and challenged Johnny to a spar. He quickly learned that despite Johnny’s bravado (lol) he was actually quite observant and insightful. 

Jack was still reluctant to drift with Johnny, but their first drift test went very well, both of them getting insight into the others’ was of thinking, and quickly learning how they could compliment each other. 

Despite being assigned to Tokyo full time, Johnny maintained close connections with the Russian Shatterdome. 

When the Utonium triplets were cadets, they were the first candidates for a triple pilot jaeger. Despite having strong drift compatibility, they experienced issues with maintaining the drift due to each of them preferring different strategies and styles 

Chemical X

In universe:

Mark IV jaeger built circa 2026

The only three person jaeger

Originally stationed at the Vladivostok Shatterdome

Current pilots: Rangers Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup Utonium 

Reassigned to Hong Kong Shatterdome in 2030

Armaments: Triple Arms!

Meta info:

Pretty obviously based on Crimson Typhoon.

I originally had the PPGs based out of Nagasaki, but decided to put them in Russia, and built in the narrative that Johnny may have helped train them (despite having been moved to Japan)

I would, again, like to apologize for killing off the PPGs...

Unstoppable Sitch

In universe:

Mark III jaeger built circa 2020

Originally stationed at the Los Angeles shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Ron and Kim Possible

Reassigned to Hong Kong Shatterdome in 2030

Meta info:

I thought about assigning Kim and Ron to Russia, in my shuffling around of people, but eventually decided they could stay in North America

I would like to, again, apologize for killing Ron Stoppable

ComVee Wild

In universe:

Mark IV, built circa 2024

Originally assigned to Sydney shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Eliza Thornberry and Darwin 

Meta Info:

Only mentioned in dialogue, not actually active in the AU

Darwin is a human in this AU, that's it, that's all I got.

Football Heart

In universe:

Mark II built circa 2017

Originally stationed at Lima Shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Arnold and Helga Pataki

Meta info:

Only mentioned in dialogue, not actually active in this AU

Did I have Arnold take Helga's last name because I forgot what his is? Yes. Yes, absolutely I did.

Originally this was going to be one of the still active jaegers, but there were just too many things going on so I dropped them.

Also, Helga would never die, I fully believe that if there was going to be a third solo pilot, it would be her.

Castor Fury

In universe:

Mark I built circa 2015

Originally stationed at the PPDC Jaeger R&D yards in British Columbia. Later loaned out to various other coastal cities as there were few jaegers to go around.

Original pilots: Norbert and Daggett Beaver

Meta info:

Yeah, I literally made this jaeger up on the spot, I just saw another opportunity to drop in an OG nicktoons reference...

Castor is the genus name for beavers...

But I also felt like Castor was clever too for the association with twins (Castor and Pollux) and Norbert and Daggett would be twins in this AU.

I see Norbert and Daggett as being the equivalent of the Beckett twins in pacrim. They aren't necessarily good at fighting or anything, but they happened to be there when they needed to put two people with shared experiences into a robot.

Note: most jaegers past this point are mentioned in the prequel, Fools Rush In.

Puma Loco

In universe:

Mark I built circa 2016

Originally stationed at Panama Shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Jorge Rivera and Rodolfo Rivera

Retired in 2027 when Jorge Rivera finally retired and a new jaeger was commissioned for Rodolfo to pilot with his son.

Meta info:

Did you know there's a canon jaeger called Puma Real?

I just thought it was fun if the Riveras were still a legacy family in this AU

Hawaiian Shore

In universe:

Mark I built circa 2016

Originally stationed at Honolulu Shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Tito Makani and Raymundo Rocket

Retired in 2020 after death of co-pilot Raymundo Rocket

Meta info:

Fauve mentioned the Honolulu Shatterdome in a throwaway line, and I, knowing there was no Honolulu Shatterdome in pacrim canon, decided to make the Honolulu Shatterdome canon and then make everything tragic. This is my role as a radical canon inclusionist.

I need you to listen to me, I need you to hear what I am saying.......... Tito and Raymundo were gay for each other.

Rocket Power

In universe:

Mark III built circa 2020

Originally stationed at Honolulu Shatterdome

Original pilots: Rangers Reggie Rocket and Otto Rocket

Destroyed in 2024, both rangers lost

Meta info:

I actually really like Rocket Power, I promise...

You can't make a pacrim AU without killing a few Blorbos

If you were wondering, in Fools Rush In, yes, the blond guy is Sam and he's the only one of the gang that is still alive aside from Tito...

Honorable mention: "Marquez’s busted up Mark II"

This is Dora the Explorer's jaeger. No, I do not know who co-piloted. No, I do not know the name of it. It is canon to the AU though.

[kali-tmblr]

Solarpunk Singapore

We talk about solarpunk like it's a dream, but Singapore is already living the dream. As of 2018 all new large buildings have to meet a standard of sustainability, with the goal to "green" 80% of the capital city by 2030.

Oasia Hotel

Gardens by the Bay

ParkRoyal Hotel

CapitaGreen Office Tower

Kampung Admiralty Senior Housing and Services, named World Building of the Year in 2018

Solarpunk isn't just a dream anymore.

ETA Here's a video about Kampung Admiralty.

[datapacks]

Would you say the Pale Garden still seems lackluster following the updates after it was announced at Live?

Yes & no, honestly. My feelings are a lot more complicated, to say the least. It feels now like the Pale Garden biome is kinda... complete? But only by the standards mojang themselves has set.

It feels like mojang is falling into their age-old trap of insisting that Every Single Feature needs to be wholly and entirely unique, where its just like... it would be genuinely easy for them to add 2, 4, 8, 16 new flowers to the pale garden. Now, mind you, I don't think it needs that many! but the last time we got just a normal-ass flower was 2018. Since then, we've gotten... 4, arguably 5. Two of these flowers were from the sniffer- the only things that the sniffer does. Then we have the pink petals, which I'll get to. The last of these are from the pale garden.

With the Pink Petals, it kinda highlights this entire thing. They just... added a new biome with 1 tree, 1 flower, called it good. That's the standard. Technically, they went above and beyond here by adding a new mob and a new moss type.

While I love the amount of uniqueness in the creaking not having a drop, instead having its "drop" be obtained by breaking the blocks around the heart, in the pale eyeblossom opening & closing, it's just like... it feels a bit unnecessary at this scale, yeah? like. If the entire biome is just "yeah theres a wood, a moss, a flower, and oranger bricks" and that's the entire plan, then it feels like... a lot of work for just that. like, go with me on a mind journey for a second:

Mojang announces Minecraft 1.28.46, the Squibeldy Squop Bop Drop. In this update, they're adding the Squibeldy Squop Bop Biome, which has massive implications for the lore with the inclusion of the Squob Mob. They're also adding a new wood type and new tree type. And a flower. You can kill the Squob Mob to get Squibeldy Squop Bop Blocks, which have brick variants. And get this: to get any of this working, we spent 8 months programming new mechanics for the mob so that it'll Call your Real Life House and Call You a Nerd.

Like, the pale garden is cool! The vibes of it have inspired me really heavily to do some cool things! but ultimately it's like... why are we adding this at all? Where's the focus? It kinda feels like they just chose "oh hey Jim had a cool idea for a new thing completely unrelated to anything else, lets add it". With nothing in it, it feels lackluster. With too much in it, it feels out of place. Ultimately the issue is that it's just like... why this?

I'm not a huge "we need an end update RIGHT NOW" person, but consider that it has been 8 years. Consider that it may not be until 2030 that we ever have even an idea of what the deep dark portal does. Consider that, for anything that feels incomplete with this completely random thing they're adding, you will sit with that feeling for a decade.

[rjzimmerman]

Why ‘chaos wheat’ may be the future of bread. (Washington Post)

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

Farms were once a riot of biodiversity. A single field might have contained five different varieties of corn, a mix of oats and barley or whatever jumble of grains suited farmers from France to Ethiopia.

These offered a hedge against hardship: plant mixes in the field shifted with the weather. More rye one year, less wheat another. The French even had names for such flours with shifting ratios of grains, from “grande meteil” to “ble ramé,” each one rising into a delicious bread all its own.

But when industrial roller mills arrived in the late 1800s, the supply chain coalesced around white bread virtually overnight, writes Stephen Jones, founder of the Breadlab at Washington State University. The new mills meantwhite flour could be produced at enormous scale for low cost. Professional wheat breeders developed strains for refined white flour, stripped of its nutrient-rich germ, which could be stored longer. In 1890, 90 percent of U.S. households baked their bread at home. Forty years later, 90 percent were buying mass-produced white bread instead.

This transition to monoculture helped drive a fourfold increase in U.S. wheat yields. It also created a food system vulnerable to climate shocks and reliant on enormous inputs of agrochemicals. Today, global grain production emits more greenhouse gases than Russia, Brazil and Germany combined, while researchers in the journal Nature estimate that wheat yields in North America could fall 1 to 10 percent for every degree of warming without adaptation.

So I was intrigued when I saw King Arthur’s “climate blend” flour in the baking section of my supermarket. Could it be the vanguard of a new breed of crops making their way into everyday products?

I bought the flour for my kitchen. And I also obtained my own wheat seed climate blend from the Breadlab — a mix of Salish blue, a perennial released in 2021, as well as hardier varieties developed over the last few decades.

I wanted to see what it’s like to grow a wheat crop in my own backyard — and share it with readers around the world to hear about their experiences. Here’s what I learned trying to grow what the Breadlab calls “chaos wheat,” and why we still have a long row to hoe before the food system is on a sustainable path.

King Arthur Baking Company, the employee-owned company that released its Climate Blend Flour last year, is probably the most well known. The blend of wheat varieties, including a perennial capable of growing for years rather than being replanted every season, is part of King Arthur’s push to source 100 percent of its flour from “regeneratively grown wheat” by 2030. The result, says King Arthur, is a rich, nutty flour that can work in any whole-wheat recipe (something I confirmed in my own muffins).

The scale so far is tiny (just 120 acres), and prices are higher: A one-pound bag of Climate Blend Flour sells for $2.98, compared with $1.12 for standard whole wheat. But the company says it hopes to drive down costs as it assesses the climate benefits. “We believe in this work and understand it needs to be a long-term commitment,” Janis Abbingsole, the chief operating officer at King Arthur Baking Company, wrote in an email. “We need to allow time to listen to our growers and support them as they test and learn.”

[mariacallous]

Europe is confused, and understandably so. Since returning to office, U.S. President Donald Trump’s treatment of Washington’s oldest allies has been incoherent and disjointed.

He wants Europeans to spend more on defense, yet he is hammering their economies with tariffs. He wants to withdraw U.S. assets from Europe, yet he wants to take over Greenland. He wants Europeans to buy American weapons, yet he threatens to pull vital technical and logistical support to use those weapons.

“The Trump administration’s approach to Europe has a coherency problem,” said John Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush. “You cannot muse publicly that you may not sell advanced fighter jets to Europe because they might become enemies then express unhappiness when they suggest they might not buy arms from you.”

Europe is getting ready to break its long-term dependency on U.S. defense planning. The European Commission has earmarked 800 billion euros ($883.8 billion) on national and pan-European defense projects over the next five years as part of its “Readiness 2030” plan.

The most contentious part of the proposal is a package of 150 billion euros ($165.7 billion) that will be raised on capital markets by the commission and handed out as loans to member states. These funds, as things stand, will be limited to spending within EU countries or countries approved by the EU, as part of a drive to bolster the European defense industry.

While there are loopholes that would allow U.S. firms to sell into this scheme as part of the global supply chain, the overall goal is clearly to direct cash into regional industry, allowing it to grow and possibly rival that of the United States at some point in the future.

Naturally, this is bad news for U.S. arms companies.

“Of course we want those sales. We are currently the world’s top arms exporter and have no interest in losing that market dominance,” said a U.S. defense industry insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Our manufacturers are very aware that if the Europeans are serious, they could lose out—and are not happy about it.”

The EU’s Readiness 2030 plan is much more thorough and extensive than previous efforts to recalibrate security planning.

“The Europeans were fundamentally unserious in how they went about defense planning, procurement, manufacturing, and weapons and stockpiling until recently,” says William Alberque, a former director of NATO’s Arms Control, Disarmament, and WMD Nonproliferation Centre.

“Their defense industry, in a nutshell, relied on duplicative product lines with overcomplicated requirements processes run through the EU, in competition with the U.S. and NATO,” he added. “Incredibly, in Germany, their procurement process was built with a dual-stamp procedure run through the Foreign Ministry, focusing on political imperatives rather than fulfilling real requirements.”

The EU political system meant that 27 (previously 28, before the United Kingdom left) countries were competing with each other’s national interests, meaning that decision-making was slow, ineffective, and often protectionist.

“Now, however, the Europeans are coordinating plans with NATO to provide real military capabilities that can fight beside U.S. forces,” Alberque added. “New investment schemes and banks focused on defense are popping up, allowing a longer-term set of investments that is restructured around what they need—fielding credible, autonomous military capabilities—rather than what is politically useful.”

The long-term risk for U.S. firms is that Europe’s internal politics turn on MAGA, and EU nations use political mechanisms to lock U.S. companies out of its procurement plans. If, for example, European countries circle the wagons on regulation standards designed to make importing American weapons more difficult, that could make life incredibly complicated for U.S. firms attempting to serve multiple markets.

Why might they do this?

“The U.S. has burned through so much goodwill at this point that the balance is now strongly tilting toward the traditional French model of buying as much kit domestically as possible,” said Anand Sundar, an advisor at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Across Europe, countries have suddenly become hyperaware of what their reliance on the U.S. for key military systems means in practice,” Sundar added.

The reduction in goodwill that Sundar talks about isn’t purely a result of Trump’s policy, but rather what the Europeans see as a long-term anti-Europeanism that has crept into U.S. politics.

The George W. Bush administration wasn’t exactly rammed full of Europhiles. Famously, even in the aftermath of 9/11, the United States was hesitant to involve NATO allies in Afghanistan for fear that it would overcomplicate the campaign. It is a common misconception that the Americans invoked Article 5 following the 9/11 attacks, a decision that was actually made by then-NATO Secretary-General George Robertson.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s disinterest in Europe has been well documented, as his administration paid greater attention to Asia and the Middle East. At this time, this seemed to be a sensible pivot, as Washington’s greatest threats were widely thought to be the rise of China, North Korea, Iran, and fundamentalist Islamic terror.

Ukraine pulled Washington’s attention back, but the return of Trump has destroyed that. Multiple European officials were dismayed, if not shocked, at comments made by Trump administration defense officials that were published in the Atlantic last month.

“You look at those comments, and they came from younger guys,” said one European security source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “This type of thinking could last another 25 years, so we need to act accordingly.”

Europe pulling together and bolstering its own security is exactly what Trump wanted. Bluntly, it is what Europe has needed to do for decades.

Done correctly, it could even be a good thing for the United States. If Europeans can look after themselves, it makes it easier for Washington to redeploy troops and resources in Asia or the Middle East, should the need arise. The cumulative effect of a greater emphasis on security should also mean that Europe has more intelligence and combat power to share with the United States.

But if you offer someone both the carrot and the stick, as Trump has done, they may end up taking neither. As Herbst put it: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. No other country has allies as wealthy or strong as the U.S. has in NATO and Europe. Ending that could prove more costly than the MAGA movement comprehends.”

[young-royals-confessions]

A wedding day and date suggestion, based on facts about the Swedish education system and canon events.

First of all, Hillerska closes, and per the Swedish education system, they'll have to redo their first year of high school. Even if Hillerska reopens, there's no way they'll keep going there - the very walls are poisoned, according to Wille.

They'll most likely move anyway so there's that. But it means they'll finish HS the year they turn 20, which is this spring, 2024.

Then at least 5 years of university studies, meaning they will be done with their masters in 2029 at the earliest. It's also likely that they'd either study abroad or at least somewhere they'd get a fresh start, so not Stochholm.

The veil Simon held against Wille's cheek at the palace tells us what he wants. In 2029 they're 25, but they've been a couple for 8-9 years, depending on how you count. That's still very young by Swedish standards, but old enough to be considered an adult decision. I'll go with @stretchoutfics reasoning and say that I think they'd make Wilmon endgame day their anniversary, or at least their wedding day. That's the day they chose each other.

If they return to Sweden after their studies, they may want to work a year before they marry too.

That moves us to the year 2030. They've worked for a year, it's nearly a decade since they met and fell in love, and it's a nice, round number.

I cast my vote for June 3, 2030.

💍

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #7

Feb 23-March 1 2024

The White House announced $1.7 Billion in new commitments from local governments, health care systems, charities, business and non-profits as part of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. The Challenge was launched with 8 billion dollars in 2022 with the goal of ending hunger in America by 2030. The Challenge also seeks to drastically reduce diet-related diseases (like type 2 diabetes). As part of the new commitments 16 city pledged to make plans to end hunger by 2030, the largest insurance company in North Carolina made nutrition coaching and a healthy food delivery program a standard benefit for members, and since the challenge launched the USDA's Summer EBT program has allowed 37 states to feed children over the summer, its expected 21 million low income kids will use the program this summer.

The US House passed a bill on Nuclear energy representing the first update in US nuclear energy policy in decades, it expands the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and reduces reducing licensing fees. Nuclear power represents America's single largest source of clean energy, with almost half of carbon-free electricity coming from it. This bill will boost the industry and make it easier to build new plants

Vice President Harris announced key changes to the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. The CCDBG supports the families of a million American children every month to help afford child care. The new changes include capping the co-pay families pay to no more than 7% of their income. Studies show that high income families pay 6-8% of their income in childcare while low income families pay 31%. The cap will reduce or eliminate fees for 100,000 families saving them an average of over $200 a month. The changes also strength payments to childcare providers insuring prompt payment.

The House passed a bill making changes to the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. The 8(a) is an intensive 9 year program that offers wide ranging training and support to small business owners who are socially and economically disadvantaged, predominantly native owned businesses. Under the current structure once a business reaches over 6.8 million in assets they're kicked off the program, even though the SBA counts anything under $10 million as a small business, many companies try to limit growth to stay on the program. The House also passed a bill to create an Office of Native American Affairs at the SBA, in order to support Native-owned small businesses.

The White House and HUD announced steps to boost the housing supply and lower costs plans include making permanent the Federal Financing Bank Risk Sharing program, the program has created 12,000 affordable housing units since 2021 with $2 billion and plans 38,000 additional units over ten years. As well as support for HUD's HOME program which has spent $4.35 billion since 2021 to build affordable rental homes and make home ownership a reality for Americans. For the first time an administration is making funds available specifically for investments in manufactured housing, $225 million. 20 million Americans live in manufactured housing, the largest form of unsubsidized affordable housing in the country, particularly the rural poor and people in tribal communities.

The Department of Energy announced $336 million in investments in rural and remote communities to lower energy costs and improve reliability. The projects represent communities in 20 states and across 30 Native tribes. 21% of Navajo Nation homes and 35% of Hopi Indian Tribe homes remain unelectrified, one of the projects hopes to bring that number to 0. Another project supports replacing a hydroelectric dam in Alaska replacing all the Chignik Bay Tribal Council's diesel power with clear hydro power. The DoE also announced $18 million for Transformative Energy projects lead by tribal or local governments and $25 million for Tribal clean energy projects, this comes on top of $75 million in Tribal clean energy projects in 2023

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put forward new rules to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. Under the planned rules mishandling a wheelchair would be a violation of the ACAA, airlines would be required to immediately notify the passenger of their rights. Airlines would be required to repair or replace the wheelchair at the preferred vendor of the passenger's choice as well as provide a loaner wheelchair that fits the passenger's needs/requirements

The EPA launched a $3 Billion dollar program to help ports become zero-emission. This investment in green tech and zero-emission will help important transportation hubs fight climate change and replace some of the largest concentrations of diesel powered heavy equipment in America.

the EPA announced $1 Billion dollars to help clean up toxic Superfund sites. This is the last of $3.5 billion the Biden administration has invested in cleaning up toxic waste sites known as Superfund sites. This investment will help finish clean up at 85 sites across the country as well as start clean up at 25 new sites. Many Superfund sites are contained and then left not cleaned for years even decades. Thanks to the Biden-Harris team's investment the EPA has been able to do more clean up of Superfund sites in the last 2 years than the 5 years before it. More than 25% of America's black and hispanic population live with-in 5 miles of a Superfund site.

Bonus: Sweden cleared the final major barrier to become NATO's 32nd member. The Swedish Foreign Minster is expected to fly to Washington to deposit the articles of accession at the US State Department. NATO membership for Sweden and its neighbor Finland (joined last year) has been a major foreign policy goal of President Biden in the face of Russian aggressive against Ukraine. Former President Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO and declared he wants to leave the 75 year old Alliance, even going so far as to tell Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" with European NATO allies

[s1eepingsapphic]

Apparently we aren’t joking, folks…

Friday, November 15th, 2024

Hi friends, this is a (occasional) daily segment where I share with you the most baffling headlines out of the Trump Administration. I will also accompany sources to provide the level of threat and if possible, background on what this means for all of us.

RFK Jr. Appointed to HHS

The Trump Administration appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. As a queer disabled woman myself, it is critical for me to outline the baseless claims and conspiracies that have come from this incompetent man.

Blamed anti-depressants for mass shootings.

Was one of 12 people found most responsible for COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

Consistently. Claims. That. Vaccines. Cause. Autism. (X) (X)

Suggests chemicals in water make kids gay and/or transgender.

Played part in one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent history.

In an interview with NPR, RFK Jr. said this:

"President Trump has given me three instructions: He wants the corruption and the conflicts out of the regulatory agencies. He wants to return the agencies to the gold standard empirically based, evidence-based science and medicine that they were once famous for. And he wants to end the chronic disease epidemic with measurable impacts on a diminishment of chronic disease within two years."

Updates on Matt Gaetz

Department of Government Efficiency… Needs 2 Leaders

Not only does the “DOGE” need two leaders for this imaginary department to be in good shape, they need people like YOU to volunteer about 80+ hours a week with no pay. C’mon y’all… this is embarrassing and exhausting. Here you go, half-ass coverage for a half-ass administration.

Misc. News

Trump Administration selects Jay Clayton to be US Attorney, despite no experience as a federal prosecutor.

Politico: Trump picks his New York hush money defense lawyers for top spots at DOJ

NPR: Trump picks his lawyer, Todd Blanche, as deputy attorney general

Trump keeps selecting people who already have a job in Congress. Republicans are sweating over maintaining their slim majority.

An Opportunist: Doug Burgum, the same guy who wanted to see “carbon neutrality by 2030” is appointed to Trump’s Interior Secretary. Drill? Baby? Drill?

Dean John Sauer former leading lawyer in Supreme Court in Trump v. United States… picked for US solicitor general.

For the love of Appalachia… we have got to keep our eye on JD Vance. (X)

[doamarierose-honoka]

About a decade ago, Zack Snyder developed a storyline for the DC Extended Universe that involved Bruce Wayne impregnating Lois Lane.

The subplot in which Batman cuckolds Superman was poised to unfold in “Justice League,” with Batman dying in the sequel and Lois raising their spawn with Superman. Snyder’s vision for Wonder Woman was equally unorthodox, with visuals featuring a superheroine who brandished the decapitated heads of her conquered enemies like an ISIS jihadi.

Warner Bros. and DC Studios — which hold a firm grip on their intellectual property — rejected Snyder’s ideas, which were deemed “super creepy,” according to a source familiar with the back and forth. (DC declined to comment for this story. A representative for Snyder did not respond to a request for comment.) But in the next decade, artists and rival studios won’t need permission to create their own take on the characters.

A sad fact of Hollywood is that while superheroes never truly die, all copyrights do. On Jan. 1, Disney lost control of “Steamboat Willie,” and within 24 hours two horror-comedies starring Mickey Mouse were announced. The DC characters are the next major expirations looming on the horizon. Superman and Lois Lane will enter the public domain in 2034, followed by Batman in 2035, the Joker in 2036 and Wonder Woman in 2037.

Chris Sims, a comic book author and Batman expert, expects a flood of unauthorized Batman comics to hit the stands as soon as the copyright expires.

“There’s going to be 100 of them,” he says. “They’re going to have them ready to go.” Movie producers will also be able to make their own versions — much as they already do with public domain characters like Dracula and Robin Hood — though in the beginning they will have to stick to the original versions of the characters.

“You get Batman, but you don’t get Robin,” Sims says. “You get Superman, but you don’t get kryptonite.”

The initial Superman could only leap — not fly. “Those characteristics are going to fall into the public domain one by one,” says Amanda Schreyer, media and entertainment lawyer at Morse.

DC has been preparing for this for years. At a press event in 2023, CEO James Gunn noted that the next Superman film will introduce characters from “The Authority,” a comic series that launched in 1999, in part because the Superman copyright is about to expire.

Jay Kogan, DC’s deputy general counsel, laid out a strategy to protect characters that fall into the public domain in a 2001 article. Since only the older versions lose protection, he urged: “Keep ’em fresh and up-to-date.”

“By gradually changing the literary and visual characteristics of a character over time, a character owner can keep whatever the then-current image of the character is as the de facto standard in the public consciousness,” he wrote.

The company has done a good job of updating Superman, argues Steven Beer, an IP lawyer at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith.

“The public’s perception is the contemporary Superman. It’s distinctive,” he says. “That gives them a lot of protection.”

Another tactic: Maintain a high level of quality control.

“The public should be conditioned to view any works from unrelated parties featuring a trademark owner’s characters as second-rate knockoffs,” Kogan wrote.

Kogan also suggested that trademarks could be used to block the use of a character’s name, image and slogan even after the copyright expires.

But trademark is not a cloak of immunity, argues Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain. “That only prevents uses that are likely to cause consumer confusion about source or sponsorship,” she says.

In other words, the characters’ names should be fair game, so long as it’s clear that the depiction is not coming from DC.

“You could still create a Superman horror movie or Batman horror movie,” says Jonathan Steinsapir, an IP attorney at KHIKS. “You just need to be careful about how you advertise it and how you use images of Superman in a branding sense.”

DC has done a careful job of tying the characters to itself by trademarking the terms “Man of Steel” and “Caped Crusader,” as well as Superman’s “S” and Batman’s logo.

“The bat symbol is a very strong mark,” Schreyer says. “That is going to limit what subsequent creators can do.”

Even so, expect the mid-2030s to see a glut of off-brand superhero content.

“People will make a run at these characters because there’s money to be made,” says Mark Waid, a comic book author and historian best known for his work on DC Comics titles like “Superman: Birthright.” “Or how about Superman versus Godzilla. It’s a gray area. But this town works on the speed of capitalism, right? That’s how we work.”

Sims believes more superhero comics will be a good thing. But the idea that there will be a Superman renaissance is oversold, he says.

“It’s gonna come down to execution,” Sims says. “There’s one company that’s used to doing it.”

Steinsapir says nothing would keep Snyder from making a non-Warners film featuring the DC troika.

“Zack Snyder could reshoot it and make his own new iteration of it,” he says. “You just need to be careful. For example, he definitely couldn’t call it ‘Justice League.’”

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

A New Dawn for Air Quality in Brazil

As researchers, our role often involves identifying and highlighting flaws and obsolescence in environmental policies. However, it is equally important to acknowledge and commend notable advancements, regardless of political affiliations. One such advancement is the recent implementation of Brazil's National Air Quality Policy (PNQAr), officially unveiled at a prestigious event on June 27, 2024, in Brasília.1 This event marked an important moment in Brazil's environmental policy, offering clarity and direction in the nation's approach to air quality management.

Since 1990, with the promulgation of the first resolution by the National Environment Council (CONAMA) concerning air quality standards—CONAMA Resolution number 03/1990—and the subsequent update in CONAMA Resolution number 491/2018, Brazil has struggled with ambiguous goals, undefined deadlines, and a lack of accountability in meeting proposed air quality limits.2,3 Historically, Brazil has lagged behind international standards, adopting WHO guidelines years after their recommendation, as evidenced by the 2018 adoption of the 2005 WHO standards. The introduction of PNQAr and the proposed revision of the legal framework regarding air quality, now enacted through the publication of CONAMA Resolution number 506/2024 on July 5, 2024,4 mean a policy shift in Brazil's commitment to air quality (figure).

Established by Federal Law number 14.850/2024, PNQAr sets forth principles, objectives, instruments, and guidelines for managing air quality across the entire nation.5 This law applies to all entities responsible for air quality management, pollution control, and emitting atmospheric pollutants. Crucially, the law underscores Brazil's intention to expand its air quality monitoring network, going beyond just a few urban areas to regions with recognised high emission activities and other identified risk areas, and aligns with the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development concerning air pollution. The CONAMA Resolution number 506/2024 includes specific timelines for achieving interim targets: Interim Target 1 will remain effective until the end of 2024, with subsequent interim targets set for 2025, 2033, and 2044. The final target, aligned with the 2021 WHO guidelines, will have an implementation date set by CONAMA in the future.4 Although these advancements are commendable, it is clear that the proposed revision still has room for improvement. Considering 2044 is 20 years away, new WHO guidelines will probably be released before then, potentially rendering the proposed objectives out-of-date. Therefore, from the current perspective, the air quality goals of the final target are sufficient and ambitious; however, the delays in reaching these interim and final targets is concerning. In an ideal scenario, the deadlines would be more ambitious to ensure Brazil's path to being at the forefront of air quality standards.

Continue reading.