By Doug Porter
Southern California may have lucked out in 2015 when it comes to the torrential rains associated with El Nino, but that’s about the only good news, according to the State of the Climate in 2015 report.
The 300-page report, utilizing 450 scientists from 62 countries around the world was published by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bottom line: 2015’s global surface temperature towered over any year preceding it.
The planetary fever underway was linked a record-challenging El Niño event, with warmer-than-normal tropical Pacific Ocean waters heating up the atmosphere. Record-setting concentrations of heat-trapping gasses from human activity were also cited as a cause.
How Bad Was It?
Global average temperatures surpassed preindustrial levels by more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time. The all-time record set in 2014 fell by the wayside.
Oceans continued to rise due to melting ice and rising temperatures. The report found that the sea level has been rising at a rate of .15 inches per year over the past two decades.
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time in modern history. Additional heat-trapping gases related to human activity, including methane and nitrous oxide, also set record highs.
Grocery Strike on the Horizon
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local 135 boycott and picket line at specific store locations owned by Kroger (Albertsons, Vons & Ralphs) continues into its second week, and negotiations are once again under way.
On Monday, August 8th, the UFCW has called for a vote to accept or reject whatever offer is on the table. Balloting for members will take place at two meetings (8:30am or 6:30pm) held at the Scottish Rite Center.
The locations currently being picketed are Ralphs (Twin Oaks Vally Road, San Marcos & Mission Center Road, San Diego), Vons (Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas & University Ave., La Mesa) and Albertsons (Campo Road, Spring Valley & Third Ave, Chula Vista).
The UFCW is urging its supporters to take their business to Stater Bros, Gelsons, Keils and Food 4 Less.
The union represents 47,000 grocery employees in Southern California, including 10,000 in San Diego County. Back in June members authorized the leadership to call a strike if needed.
District 9 council candidate Sarah Saez (who has now endorsed Georgette Gomez) is now working with the UFCW.
#BOYCOTT Day 9! Thank you to all our supporters!! #FairContractNOW pic.twitter.com/YGC9GFZCWz
— Sarah Saez (@SarahSaezSD) August 2, 2016
Libertarian Offers Path to Citizenship
In the wake of stories published indicating that Melania Trump broke American immigration laws when she first came to the United States, the campaign of Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson issued a statement yesterday proposing legislation giving people like her a pathway to citizenship if they initially entered this country illegally.
From Raw Story:
“While Donald Trump is running on a platform to deport 12 million people, apparently including his own wife, Johnson-Weld stands for allowing people in Melania’s circumstances to stay if they learn English, pay their back taxes, and pay a fine,” the campaign wrote.
The Johnson-Weld ticket also promises to make “legal immigration vastly simpler and more available to people around the world — including Slovenian models.”
Two Charts Worth Considering
First up: remember that polls are just points in time. Candidates go up, and candidates go down.
A week ago FiveThirtyEight.com had Donald Trump in spitting distance of winning the presidency.
Today’s snapshot of polls (it’s just today, not an aggregate!) gives an idea of just how bad things are going for The Donald.
However, a win for Hillary Clinton doesn’t mean much if the Koch brothers (who are at best tepid about The Donald) can suceed in keep the lergislative branch of the federal government hewing to their agenda.
Local races also count, and that’s why we’re seeing stances where Koch money is even showing up at the level of school board contests. So look at the chart below and realize why getting supportive of ‘down ballot’ contests is important.
The Koch Brothers are pouring $$$ into local elections in almost every state https://t.co/AFm9dKvkUJ pic.twitter.com/vXb8niQzVR
— Rewire (@Rewire_News) August 3, 2016
On This Day: 1944 – Nazi police raided a house in Amsterdam and arrested eight people. Anne Frank, a teenager at the time, was one of the people arrested. Her diary would be published after her death. 1987 – The Fairness Doctrine was rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission. The doctrine had required that radio and TV stations present controversial issues in a balanced fashion. 1997 – Nearly 185,000 Teamsters began a successful 15-day strike at United Parcel Service over excessive use of part-timers.
Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to “The Starting Line” and get an email every time a new article in this series is posted!
I read the Daily Fishwrap(s) so you don’t have to… Catch “the Starting Line” Monday thru Friday right here at San Diego Free Press (dot) org. Send your hate mail and ideas to DougPorter@SanDiegoFreePress.Org Check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
Doug Porter
Latest posts by Doug Porter (see all)
- Last Call. Last Column. - December 14, 2018
- Which Presidential Candidate Will You Support in 2020? - December 13, 2018
- Mounting the Assault on Big Gay and Other Drivel From SDSU’s Minimum Wage Scrooge - December 12, 2018
Hillary won’t get much done in her Presidency if Repubs hold both Houses. They’ll do to her what they did to Obama – take an oath to doom her Presidency to failure. Why should anyone believe any differently? None of the Progressive legislation will get passed. The same thing would have happened to Bernie.