De Blasio to ban gas hookups in new buildings by 2030

De Blasio to ban gas hookups in new buildings by 2030

The city will officially ban fossil fuel connections in new construction by 2030, a major step toward phasing out a reliance on gas and oil that other liberal cities have pursued across the nation.

Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce the new policy, reviewed in advance by POLITICO, during his State of the City address on Thursday. The city will first establish intermediate goals for the policy in the short term and work to ensure the ban doesn’t negatively impact renters and low-income homeowners.

De Blasio last year pledged to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in large building systems by 2040 and to block any new fossil infrastructure, like pipelines, in the city. But it was unclear at the time how he would achieve those lofty goals as cities are mostly beholden to the state or federal government when it comes to new energy infrastructure — from siting new power plants to building offshore wind farms.

But banning gas hookups in new or renovated buildings is one of the few ways cities can exert local authority to cut greenhouse gas emissions — and New York will now pursue the measure.

The Dictatorship of Data

The Dictatorship of Data

McNamara epitomized the hyper-rational executive who relied on numbers rather than sentiments, and who could apply his quantitative skills to any industry he turned them to. In 1960 he was named president of Ford, a position he held for only a few weeks before being tapped to join President Kennedy’s cabinet as secretary of defense.

As the Vietnam conflict escalated and the United States sent more troops, it became clear that this was a war of wills, not of territory. America’s strategy was to pound the Viet Cong to the negotiation table. The way to measure progress, therefore, was by the number of enemy killed. The body count was published daily in the newspapers. To the war’s supporters it was proof of progress; to critics, evidence of its immorality. The body count was the data point that defined an era.

A growing share of lung cancer is turning up in never-smokers – STAT

A growing share of lung cancer is turning up in never-smokers – STAT

But when a PET scan in November 2019 revealed that Pike, a 33-year-old oil trader, wife, and mother of two in Edmond, Okla., had lung cancer — she had been coughing and was initially misdiagnosed with pneumonia — her first reaction was, “but I never smoked,” she said. “It all seemed so surreal.”

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Join the club. Cigarette smoking is still the single greatest cause of lung cancer, which is why screening recommendations apply only to current and former smokers and why 84% of U.S. women and 90% of U.S. men with a new diagnosis of lung cancer have ever smoked, according to a study published in December in JAMA Oncology. Still, 12% of U.S. lung cancer patients are never-smokers.

Scientists disagree on whether the absolute number of such patients is increasing, but the proportion who are never-smokers clearly is. Doctors and public health experts have been slow to recognize this trend, however, and now there is growing pressure to understand how never-smokers’ disease differs from that of smokers, and to review whether screening guidelines need revision.

January 29, 2021 10 AM Update

Upcoming Sunrises

Today the sun rose at 7:11 AM.

7:00 am sunrise – Monday, February 8
6:45 am sunrise – Friday, February 19
6:30 am sunrise – Monday, March 1
6:15 am sunrise – Wednesday, March 10

Then come the start of daylight savings time, we not only gain an hour in the evening but loose an hour in the morning …

Daylight Savings Time Begins – Sunrise on Sunday, March 14 is at 7:08 am
7:00 am sunrise – Thursday, March 18
6:45 am sunrise – Saturday, March 27
6:30 am sunrise – Sunday, April 4
6:15 am sunrise – Tuesday, April 13
6:00 am sunrise – Friday, April 23
5:45 am sunrise – Tuesday, May 4
5:30 am sunrise – Monday, May 17

Woodlawn Lake

Why It Pays to Be Grumpy and Bad-Tempered

Why It Pays to Be Grumpy and Bad-Tempered

The truth is, pondering the worst has some clear advantages. Cranks may be superior negotiators, more discerning decision-makers and cut their risk of having a heart attack. Cynics can expect more stable marriages, higher earnings and longer lives – though, of course, they’ll anticipate the opposite.

Good moods on the other hand come with substantial risks – sapping your drive, dimming attention to detail and making you simultaneously gullible and selfish. Positivity is also known to encourage binge drinking, overeating and unsafe sex.

Albany Skyline

Looking down from Hang Gliders Cliff at the City of Albany. I work in the upper mid-rise of Alfred E Smith Building, which looks so small from up here. It makes me realize how small us humans really are.

Taken on Sunday January 16, 2011 at John Boyd Thacher State Park.