In Between Times 4-27-2023
Will AI subvert democracy?, Member of Congress threatens journalist who challenged her with jail, Green steel, GOP and Dems both want weed retailers to be able to bank
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Large companies can move the needle on things sometimes and Google is seeking to move the needle on packaging.
As the UK publication Circular reports;
Google says it aims to switch from using single-use disposable products in its onsite food service operations to more reusable solutions with the aim of eliminating the use of single-use plastics.
As well as launching the challenge, Google says that over the last two years it has mapped out the types of single-use plastic products purchased through its supply chain and partnered with distributors that use more reusable, durable containers to transport goods.
This sounds good to us. Let's show that we appreciate the digital giant's efforts on this front.
Click here to sign the petition!
Open minds, civility, respect, this is what is needed in today’s overheated political climate. We at In Between Times seek to embody these principals in our work.
Please consider becoming a PAID subscriber to this letter in solidarity.
Deep in the heart of Texas the world’s largest Earth Day celebration happened. We were there and it was a powerful experience.
On April 20th the sun came up over Dallas Texas and the world’s largest Earth Day celebration/convention/party. Held at the legendary and massive Fair Park, thousands of activists, business leaders, and everyday people mixed and talked. They ate great food. They learned about the newest innovations in sustainability. They debated, laughed, and networked.
The organization that sponsors this publication, In This Together, was there in force. We hosted a series of discussions with business leaders, societal innovators, and proven change-makers. We focused specifically on climate issues and how to move the needle forward on sustainability across the political spectrum. We also discussed why it is that it seems the middle 70% of the political spectrum doesn’t get the attention it deserves. We also discussed how we could change this. (Hint, we just need a really engaged 2-5% of that middle 70% to assert themselves.)
Our special guest, Van Jones, spoke to to us and the public in an illuminating discussion. Van, once seen (and no doubt for many still) as a very polarizing figure is doing much to bring people together these days. We will cover what he specifically had to say in more depth in future editions of this publication but suffice it to say that honest, respectful, open discussion among seemingly disparate political constituencies can move mountains. Your editor was personally very impressed by Van whose genuineness and good faith shone through.
For those who are not aware it was Van Jones who shepherded the criminal justice reform law of 2018, The First Step Act, by engaging with leaders from across the spectrum. When Trump signed the bill into law he handed the pen to Mr. Jones. That Van could push such an effort and get Trump to champion it is a remarkable bit of (we’d argue) effective politics. Van Jones and Donald Trump coming together in the Oval Office, who would have ever thought that could happen? But it did.
That much good CAN be done is one of the key bits that we take away from this remarkable gathering in The Lone Star State. Many things that we don’t think are possible because of the current polarization, are indeed actually possible. But it will take work. It will take open minds. It will take civility.
Let’s see what we can do!
‘Green Steel’ would curb carbon emissions, spur economic revival in southwest Pennsylvania, Study says
We have covered the emergence of “green steel” in this space in weeks past. It’s just starting to emerge in Europe. Green steel is steel that is created using renewable hydrogen as the heating catalyst instead of coal.
When so-called green hydrogen is produced from renewable sources via the electrolysis of water, the resulting “green steel” is virtually emissions-free.
Pennsylvania has long been steel country, largely because of easy access to both coal and water. It is where the US industry is still based and it is where the center of steel-making knowledge is in this country. The industry is vital to our prosperity. We need steel. But it is also a big polluter. Using hydrogen instead of coal could change that, and also ignite (wink) a renaissance in the industry. Having a green steel industry stateside could be a massive advantage for America in the years ahead.
(From Inside Climate News)
Pennsylvania’s steel industry has the potential to lead a national transition to reduce or even eliminate carbon emissions if it switched to making so-called green steel, according to a report issued Monday by the Ohio River Valley Institute, a nonprofit research group.
Southwest Pennsylvania, where the industry is concentrated, has the water and wind resources, as well as a long history of steel making, that would enable it to change from emissions-heavy coal as the fuel for making steel, to hydrogen, which can be used to convert iron to crude steel in an electric arc furnace. If the electricity that powers the furnace comes from a renewable source, the resulting steel would be almost free of carbon emissions, the report said.
Click here for the article.
Chilling: Journalists defend Matt Taibbi after House member sends him letter warning of five-year prison sentence for perjury
Your editor watched much of Mr. Taibbi’s testimony. One member of Congress, Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), the one who issued the letter even called Taibbi, who after Glen Greenwald is probably the world’s leading investigative journalist and heir to Hunter S. Thompson’s post at Rolling Stone, a “so called journalist”. This was patently absurd. If Matt isn’t a journalist who is? Now comes word that Ms. Plasket, a non-voting member of Congress it should be noted, sent Taibbi a threatening letter?
This is in addition to Mr. Taibbi having an IRS agent visit his house while he was testifying before Congress. Literally, that moment.
And what was Mr. Taibbi testifying about?
“The weaponization of government.”
Now why should the American people be at all concerned about that?
Also important to note, as the attached article explains, Taibbi basically misspoke. Not “misspoke” in the way that many in the public space do, but actually conflated 2 groups as almost anyone might. It was a simple and small mistake.
Yet because Mr. Tabbi rightly and publicly and took this member to task, she, it appears, felt she needed to do (sic) something.
(From Mediaite via AllSides.com)
The ranking member of the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), raised eyebrows on Thursday after she sent independent journalist Matt Taibbi a letter asking if he would like to correct his under-oath testimony before her committee and noted the five-year jail sentence for perjury.
Plaskett noted an error Taibbi made in his ‘Twitter Files’ reporting, which was very publicly called out by MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. Taibbi acknowledged the error – mistaking the government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency with the privately run Center for Internet Security – and issued a correction.
Click here for the article.
Mr. Taibbi goes to Congress
Will AI subvert democracy?
It is frankly a very real risk.
In another space your humble editor has done extensive writing on the emergence of AI over the past year particularly. What we have seen to date, Chat GPT etc., is just the tip of the digital iceberg. AI represents a truly revolutionary technology. Some argue that it is as important, or even more important than electricity. It is possible that these people are correct. In fact it’s more than possible.
AI is already changing our world. The ground is moving beneath our feet. It is changing society in ways we don’t even perceive. It is already changing our political system, and we largely don’t know how yet.
We must say that AI is not necessarily all bad. By no means. In fact it will do and has done much good. It is already pouring through sequenced DNA identifying chinks in our biological armor. This will save lives. And there are many many more examples like this. But it is also worth noting that hundreds of AI leaders and scientists have just signed a letter arguing for a 6 month pause in the development of AI so that humanity can get its head around what is happening.
This “pause” isn’t going to happen.
So we must be aware that AI will impact our political process and we must be vigilant as we watch for potential threats. In the attached article the author opens up with the idea that AI will be used to hack tax loopholes. That is small potatoes and so small as to not even be terribly relevant. The issues are much bigger than tax avoidance. Consider how AI could impact a global war.
(From SC Media)
This liquid democracy, he said, assumes a benevolent flavor of AI not controlled by large corporate monopolies or an oppressive government and works towards a societal greater good.
“Any AI system should engage individuals in the process of democracy, not replace them,” he said. “The goal has to accommodate plurality” and not foment tribalism within society.
“AI not controlled by large corporate monopolies or an oppressive government.”
Let’s hope so. But that isn’t the current trajectory.
And if you really want to get dystopian, what happens when the AI is far smarter than these corporations and governments? But we’ll leave that discussion for another time
Click here for the article.
Bipartisan support continues for bill legalizing banking for legal marijuana businesses
22 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis. But right now all the businesses selling legal weed have huge problems banking. In many places it’s practically impossible to do it. This should change.
Both Republicans and Democrats think it should change.
(From The UPI)
"Montanans should be able to conduct their small business without fearing for their safety," Senator Daines said in a statement. "My bipartisan bill would provide the security and peace of mind that legal Montana cannabis businesses need to freely use banks, credit unions and other financial products without fear of punishment. This bill will help keep our Montana communities safe, keep crime off the streets, support Montana small businesses and bolster local economies."
"This legislation will save lives and livelihoods. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer in a statement. "The House has passed the SAFE Banking Act on a bipartisan basis seven times. I am delighted that the Senate is joining us in making it a priority."