RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Chile holds itself out as a global leader on climate change. Nearly 22% of Chile’s electricity is generated by solar and wind farms, putting it far ahead of both the global average, 10%, and the United States, at 13%. It was one of the first countries to declare a target for renewable energy, in 2008. Yet even as solar farms have spread across the north and center of the long, narrow nation, imported natural gas, a polluting fossil fuel, has been able to sideline the clean electricity they provide thanks to a sweet deal won from the government. Marcelo Mena witnessed that waste of clean power before he took the helm at the new Global Methane Hub, a nonprofit aimed at reducing global methane emissions. He's the former environment minister for Chile. Natural gas is basically methane. ”They’re actually hindering the power that we can deliver from renewable energy,” Mena said of his experience with natural gas in an interview with the Associated Press. “It’s … [Read more...] about How gas interests slowed Chile’s clean energy transition
Historical gas prices by state
The Shortage of Lab Space in the United States Is Stifling Innovation
The life sciences sector reported a record $70 billion of private and public capital investments in North America for 2020, a 93% increase from 2018, which held the previous record of $36 billion. During just the first three months of 2021, life science corporations had raised a record $12.2 billion. The market trajectory accelerated throughout that of 2020 and into 2021— with the demand for products in the industry surging as well. With a shortage of appropriate facilities and lab equipment to meet the complex and specialized needs as well as labor requirements of U.S. life sciences companies, joined with that of swiftly growing rent prices across established United States life science clusters, many scientists are facing tough times. As science has evolved, primarily due to the reducing cost and increasing speed of DNA sequencing and synthesis, there has been an explosion in new Biotech businesses . Space struggles facing the Biotech industry Biotech businesses have had … [Read more...] about The Shortage of Lab Space in the United States Is Stifling Innovation
A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 SLIDELL, La. - Tuesdays she asked for the needle in her left arm, and one afternoon in late April, Christina Seal, 41, arrived at the clinic after work. The parking lot was almost full, as usual. She had been giving plasma for nearly six months, and she had a routine locked in place. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two Sam's Club protein shakes and an iron supplement a day to keep herself serviceable. Afterward, vitamin E oil on her skin to prevent needle scars. The routine had helped tame into normalcy what at first had felt so bizarre. "I never thought I would be in a position where I would have to sell my plasma to feed my children," she would say later. This was where inflation had driven Seal. A month earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had announced that prices had risen 8.5% over the past year, the largest annual jump since December 1981. Fuel, food and housing costs … [Read more...] about A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
The U.S. census estimates it missed more than a half-million Texans during 2020 count
Tripped up by politics and the pandemic — and with only a last-minute investment in promotion by the state — the 2020 census likely undercounted the Texas population by roughly 2%, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. The once-a-decade national count put Texas’ official population at 29,145,505 after it gained the most residents of any state in the last decade, earning two additional congressional seats. In a post-count analysis using survey results from households, the bureau estimated that the count for people living in Texas households — a slightly smaller population than the total population — failed to find more than half a million residents. That’s the equivalent of missing the entire populations of Lubbock, Laredo and then some. The undercount means that many residents were missing from the data used by state lawmakers last year to redraw congressional and legislative districts to distribute political power. For the next decade, the undercount will also be baked into the … [Read more...] about The U.S. census estimates it missed more than a half-million Texans during 2020 count
Developing Team Efficiency in the Post-Pandemic IT Landscape
When Covid-19 struck in 2020, it affected every sphere of our daily lives and worldwide economy in ways most people couldn't have imagined. As the lockdowns forced everyone to work remotely, and most brick-and-mortar businesses went online, thousands of companies were about to face unanticipated changes. On the one hand, the global pandemic profoundly affected every business and team management process. But on the other, the pandemic has been the most significant driver of digitalization for U.S. and European businesses. According to the Flexera 2021 State of Tech Spend Report , one of the top concerns of CIOs in 2022 continues to be digital transformation. A report by McKinsey states that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by several years. The vast majority of these changes will remain even after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed. During the global pandemic, many consumers transitioned to online services, and companies and … [Read more...] about Developing Team Efficiency in the Post-Pandemic IT Landscape
Mahindra, Volkswagen Partner Up To Explore Usage Of EV Components
Home Four wheelers oi-Dennis Abraham James By Dennis Abraham James Published: Thursday, May 19, 2022, 13:04 [IST] Indian car manufacturer Mahindra has teamed up with German automotive giant Volkswagen to explore the usage of the Latter's MEB platform components for its upcoming Born Electric EV lineup. The new partnership between the two carmakers will see Mahindra explore the use of components from the Volkswagen Group's MEB electric vehicle platform including electric motors, battery cells and battery system agreements in its upcoming lineup of electric SUV In a joint statement, the two companies stated that the partnering agreement will evaluate the scope of collaboration between the two companies. The agreement between the two carmakers indicates binding rules for the evaluation phase as well as the non-binding scope of supply. The companies have stated that their joint goal is to electrify the Indian … [Read more...] about Mahindra, Volkswagen Partner Up To Explore Usage Of EV Components
Ola To Open Next Purchase Window For S1 And S1 Pro Electric Scooters On May 21
Ola Electric will open its next purchase window for the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters later this weekend, on May 21, 2022. The announcement came from the company's Co-Founder and CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, in the form of a Twitter post, which also added that customers who have already reserved the electric scooter will get early access. Ola will share more information with those customers over email. Bhavish in his Tweet also said that the company will commence test ride camps in 5 cities from May 19 onwards. Also Read: Ola Electric Chief Says E-Scooter Fires Rare But Can Happen In Future Opening the purchase window this weekend for all. #HyperMode . #EndICEage ⚡ pic.twitter.com/bcygnALvDc — Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) May 18, 2022 Last Ola Electric had opened the purchase window for the electric scooters was in March 2022 which again lasted 48 hours, between March 17 and 18. Back then the company had announced that the next time the purchase window is opened it will also … [Read more...] about Ola To Open Next Purchase Window For S1 And S1 Pro Electric Scooters On May 21
Dear Brit: ‘What Can I Do to Help My Business Grow?’
Brit Morin was 25 when she left Google to start Brit + Co , a lifestyle and education company aimed at helping women cultivate creative confidence. Now — 10 years, $50 million in funding and 1.2 billion pageviews later — Morin’s passion is empowering more women to take the entrepreneurial leap. She’s a managing partner at VC fund Offline Ventures, host of iHeartRadio podcast Teach Me Something New , creator of Selfmade, a 10-week start-your-own-business course for women founders, and most recently — Entrepreneur advice columnist. Find her here answering the most personal and pressing questions of women entrepreneurs . Have a question for Brit? Email it to [email protected] , and she could answer it in an upcoming column! I feel stuck in my business. What can I do to help it grow? Feeling stuck in your biz can be super uncomfortable, but it's also an opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate what is and isn't working. Depending on the specifics of what … [Read more...] about Dear Brit: ‘What Can I Do to Help My Business Grow?’
Somi pays tribute to Miriam Makeba, on album and on stage
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Miriam Makeba was one of Africa's first global stars. Her debut in Lionel Rogosin's "Come Back, Africa" in 1959 garnered critical acclaim and top honors at the Venice Film Festival and brought worldwide attention to her and her native South Africa. Her eponymous release a year later also allowed Makeba to push African identity to the forefront of world music, from donning natural hairstyles to popularizing Xhosa with her rendition of "Qongqothwane (The Click Song)." Widely known as "Mama Africa," she made music to directly tackle the plight of Black South Africans. As her political activism grew (she made an impassioned speech before the United Nations in 1963), Makeba continued to use her stardom as a platform to call out injustice against Black people everywhere. This, however, came at a considerable price. Not only was she exiled from South Africa until apartheid's dissolution, but a … [Read more...] about Somi pays tribute to Miriam Makeba, on album and on stage