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☆ Avocado goldrush links U.S. companies with Mexico’s deforestation disaster
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

The U.S. lawsuits filed in DC Superior Court Monday shine a spotlight on the supply chains of some U.S. companies operating in the Mexican avocado industry. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts from the local residents or Climate Rights International’s findings. “They have even gone to destroy avocado orchards,” said Claudia Alejandra Sanchez, an activist for Michoacán’s Purepecha Indigenous people. Reuters reviewed copies of letters shared by Climate Rights International. Most of those companies have publicly pledged to adhere to sustainable supply chains in compliance with local laws.

Persons: Del, Richman, Mexico Ken Salazar, avocados, ”, Claudia Alejandra Sanchez, Michoacán’s, Guardian Forestal, ’ avocados, ” Daniel Wilkinson, Climate Rights International’s, Alejandro Mendez, Savas Melchor Gómez, deforest, Alfredo Ramírez, ” Ramirez Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Organic Consumers Association, Inc, Produce Inc, West Pak, DC, Rights, Climate Rights International, Richman Law, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Climate Rights, Residents, Foods, Costco, Guardian, Pak, Trade, “ Locations: Madero, Mexico’s, United States, Minnesota, U.S, West, Irvington, N.Y, Mexico, Washington, Michoacán, Jalisco

☆ What’s So Funny About a Dead Comedian?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Christopher Maag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A few weeks after Kenny DeForest died, a group of his friends gathered in an apartment in Los Angeles. The mood was somber — Mr. DeForest was only 37, and he had died from traumatic brain injuries after falling off an electric bike in Brooklyn. But Mr. DeForest was a professional comedian, and his friends were all comedians, and any gathering of comedians eventually comes to feel like a party. They were playing a game where everybody gets a card with a single word and then gives clues to help their teammates guess the word. Will Miles, one of Mr. DeForest’s best friends, plucked a card from the deck.

Persons: Kenny DeForest, DeForest, Will Miles, DeForest’s, “ Kenny Locations: Los Angeles, Brooklyn

☆ ‘Dune: Part Two’ can inspire you to revisit these other timeless sci-fi sequels
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Twentieth Century Fox/Courtesy Everett CollectionWhat better way to start off than with one of the greatest sequels – and sci-fi films in general – ever made, with a screenplay that’s been taught in film schools. ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (1982)DeForest Kelley, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (2014)Andy Serkis in 2014's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." ‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). “Dune: Part Two” is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros.

Persons: Denis Villeneuve’s, there’s, Sigourney Weaver, –, James Cameron’s Oscar, Ridley Scott’s, Ellen Ripley’s, Carrie Henn, Khan ’, DeForest Kelley, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Khan, Everett, ”, Ricardo Montalban, “ Khan ”, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, he’s, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s, Linda Hamilton, Sarah Connor –, Andy Serkis, Caesar, “ Dawn ”, Max, Thunderdome, Mel Gibson, Warner, Mad Max, George Miller’s, Tina Turner’s, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Miller, Theron’s Furiosa, Anya Taylor, Joy, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, Peter MacNicol, Howard Huntsberry, George Lucas Organizations: CNN, Rotten, Century Fox, Paramount, “, TriStar, Columbia, ‘, Lucasfilm Ltd, Wars, Warner Bros . Pictures, Warner Bros . Locations: Ripley, ‘, “ Kingdom

SEATTLE (AP) — Inside the ballroom of a swanky downtown Seattle athletic club another small piece to the legacy of Pac-12 football ended Thursday. The Morris Trophy was never a name-brand award handed out following the college football season in part because it honored offensive and defensive linemen, players who sometimes don't get the recognition they deserve. If there’s any other awards like that in the country, we haven’t found one yet,” said Wayne Milner, chairman of the Morris Trophy board. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Bruce Matthews, Randall McDaniel, Gary Zimmerman and Tony Boselli have won the award. There’s talk of trying to continue the award in some way, but if it does it won’t be the same.

Persons: it's, “, ”, Vince Goldsmith, Troy Fautanu, Laiatu Latu, Wayne Milner, Traci Morris Drake, Don James, ” Drake, Bruce Matthews, Randall McDaniel, Gary Zimmerman, Tony Boselli, Lincoln Kennedy, Steve Emtman, Terrell Suggs, DeForest Buckner, Vita Vea, Tedy, Kayvon, Tyron Smith, Alex Mack, Penei Sewell, ” Goldsmith, ___ Organizations: SEATTLE, Washington, UCLA, NFL, Trophy, Pro Football Hall of Fame, USC, ACC, Big, AP Locations: Seattle, West, Oregon, Washington, Southern California, Colorado, Washington , Oregon, California, Stanford, Utah , Arizona, Arizona State

☆ Brazil proposes global forest conservation fund at COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smoke from a fire rises into the air as trees burn amongst vegetation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest near Humaita, Amazonas state, Brazil, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Brazil on Friday unveiled a proposal at the COP28 climate summit to set up a global fund to finance forest conservation that it hopes can raise $250 billion from sovereign wealth funds and other investors, including the oil industry. The plan unveiled by Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad calls for the creation of an innovative global instrument to remunerate the maintenance and restoration of tropical forests. Brazil is asking other countries to contribute to the final design of the fund. The funds would be deposited at a global organization, which could raise further resources by issuing low-risk bonds.

Persons: Leonardo Benassatto, Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva, Fernando Haddad, Andre Correa, Lago, deforest, Lisandra Paraguassu, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Brazilian Environment Minister, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Humaita, Amazonas, Brazil, Dubai

☆ Brazil lures China's Cofco to finance recovery of degraded land
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"They have every interest," said Augustin, adding that a Cofco delegation is expected for talks in Brasilia next month. China is Brazil's biggest trade partner and Brazil accounts for 22% of Chinese imports, driven largely by farm goods. One version would have farmers guarantee sale of their production to the companies that finance land recovery, he said. "You don't need to deforest another hectare to increase (farm) production," Augustin said. Agriculture Ministry studies estimate a cost of 15,000 to 23,000 reais to recover one hectare of degraded land.

☆ Democrats choose Chicago as the site of the 2024 convention
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Natasha Korecki | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Democratic Party has chosen Chicago as the site of its 2024 convention. "Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention," Biden said in a statement. "The last Chicago convention was a huge success. It makes sense to put the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. Republicans are holding their 2024 convention in Milwaukee.

☆ 'Unfinished business': Biden visits Northern Ireland as political tensions persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

He will give a speech in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, before traveling south of the border to the Republic of Ireland, where he will remain until Friday. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. while the Republic of Ireland is a separate nation state that remains part of the EU. "Whilst it's positive in many ways — particularly on movement of food and medicines between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it really removes a lot of the frictions — it doesn't deal with all the problems of the Northern Ireland protocol, so I'm afraid it's unfinished business," Villiers told CNBC's Tania Bryer. Clinton became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Northern Ireland and the first to appoint a U.S. special regional envoy. Though Biden is expected to use the trip to promote a return to functioning government in Stormont, his previous support for the Northern Ireland Protocol has drawn criticism from DUP politicians.

☆ Biden's clean energy factory jobs may elude U.S. union workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Right to work laws allow employees to work in union-represented workplaces and be covered by collective bargaining agreements without joining a union or paying dues. American products, he vowed, would be made with union labor. Union labor. Many of the jobs created will be union jobs, the official added. "It's not a favorable environment, but we can still organize," Samantha Smith, senior adviser for clean energy jobs at the AFL-CIO, said in an interview.

[1/3] John Kerry, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, talks with Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva during a meeting in Brasilia, Brazil February 28, 2023. Lula and U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to work together on climate change in a meeting at the White House earlier this month. Protecting the Amazon is vital to curbing climate change because of the vast quantity of greenhouse gas its trees absorb. He said that the United States was still considering how much to give to the Amazon Fund. Silva said she discussed with Kerry the possibility of opening up the United States to more sustainable sourced products from Brazil.

In Wisconsin, the Democratic president told workers at a union training facility "it looks like we negotiated a deal last night" on Social Security. Deal or no, Biden reasserted that Republicans want to cut the popular old-age and healthcare programs in Wisconsin, pointing to statements by some Republican lawmakers. Democrats hope Biden can turn the economy - a perceived weakness among some independent voters despite record-setting job creation - into a selling point during his expected re-election campaign. Wisconsin is a closely contested state that flipped from supporting Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to favoring Biden in 2020. Biden is expected to address Social Security and Medicare in Florida, a state where more than 20% of the population is 65 years and older.

President Biden headed to Wisconsin on Wednesday, taking the economic pitch he delivered during the State of the Union on the road, and ramping up his criticism of a Republican proposal on entitlements that led to lawmakers heckling him during the prime-time speech. Mr. Biden sought to explain to the public in his address on Tuesday how they stand to benefit from the trillions of dollars in spending he helped shepherd through Congress, arguing that his policies have helped the U.S. economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic with the unemployment rate now at a 53-year low. Republicans say he has spent far too much federal money and has been an unsteady steward of the economy.

☆ After State of the Union speech, Biden heads to key 2024 campaign states
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Fresh off a State of the Union speech to Congress that challenged opposition Republicans to help unite the country, President Joe Biden heads to two U.S. states crucial to his expected 2024 re-election bid. Biden travels first on Wednesday to DeForest in Wisconsin, a state that flipped from supporting Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to favoring Biden in 2020. There, Biden is expected to laud the economic progress he touted in his State of the Union speech on the strength of the U.S. labor market. The old-age and healthcare programs are popular among voters, especially in a state with one of the largest elderly populations. Tuesday's speech was widely considered among officials as a test run of the message he will use in his campaign.

Brazil has yet to publish its official annual figures for Cerrado deforestation, based on satellite analysis by the government's space research agency Inpe. The Cerrado neighbors the Amazon, occupying more than 2 million square kilometers in central Brazil – larger than Mexico. FARM-DRIVEN DEFORESTATIONThe Brazilian savanna is now a major concern for top grains traders, who have broadly pledged to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains by 2025. The sources discussed Cerrado deforestation data from Brazil's PRODES program, which produces annual data that is far more accurate than rapid alert data published on a weekly and monthly basis. An Inpe official said earlier this year that Brazil would soon stop publishing PRODES Cerrado data due to lack of funding.

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