Environmental activists seek quick action from Biden. National monuments on the agenda
Here’s Yachnin again:“We do need to resolve this question at some point to whether Trump had the authority to change the boundaries the way he did,” Squillace said, noting that without an opinion, monuments could be subject to seeing their boundaries expand and contract whenever party control of the White House switches.[…]“We are eager to have the protections restored,” said Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.“At the end of the day, what’s our expectation in Utah? As my Republican friends like to say, ‘Elections have consequences,’ and we absolutely expect that President Biden will restore these national monuments,” he added.Biden might not have to make any decision. If the federal judge now examining arguments in consolidated cases regarding the monuments were to rule before Inauguration Day 10 weeks from now that Trump exceeded his authority, the monuments would—absent a successful appeal to higher courts—revert to their original boundaries, and the new management plans allowing drilling, mining, and grazing on land removed from the original designation would be nullified.However and whenever the restoration of the monuments’ boundaries is accomplished, what would make many environmental advocates happy is if at least one item on the agenda during each of the first 100 days of a Biden administration would involve protecting the environment. That would be a helluva turnaround from the past four years. – Advertisement – Last December, a loose coalition of 16 environmental groups generated the #ClimatePresident Action Plan, 10 items that it said could be achieved by a new president without any need for congressional action. Scores of other groups have endorsed the plan. Among the proposals: “1. Declare a national climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act […] 8. Advance Climate Justice: Direct federal agencies to assess and mitigate environmental harms to disproportionately impacted Indigenous Peoples, People and Communities of Color, and low-wealth communities. 9. Make polluters pay: Investigate and prosecute fossil fuel polluters for the damages they have caused. Commit to veto all legislation that grants legal immunity for polluters, undermines existing environmental laws, or advances false solutions.”The group includes a 34-page dissection of the legal authority under which the new president could take these actions.- Advertisement – Then there are Trump’s more than 100 rule rollbacks requiring re-regulation. Some of those could also be handled by executive order, but others will require going through the lengthy rule-making process.“Day One” has a pleasant ring to it. But some issues won’t be so quickly dealt with. Take, for instance, Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah. Shortly before he left office, President Barack Obama established the 1.35 million-acre monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906, fulfilling the decades-old dreams of American Indians and environmental advocates to gain government protection for the natural beauty of this red-rock land, the plants and creatures living on it, tens of thousands of Native artifacts and petroglyphs dating back millennia, and sites sacred to the five tribes who worked in coalition with environmental organizations and politicians to make Bears Ears a reality. 
The outline shows original boundaries of the two monuments, with the shaded version showing what’s left after Trump took the ax to them.Intent on smashing anything Obama did, a year later Trump, in December 2017, shrank Bears Ears by 85% and cut the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument established by President Bill Clinton by almost half. Three lawsuits against the move were immediately filed by tribal, conservation, and paleontology groups to challenge the constitutionality of Trump’s action. With that litigation still working its way through the courts, in February 2020 the Trump regime implemented management plans that opened these lands previously off-limits to energy development to mining and drilling.- Advertisement – Biden could on Day One in office reestablish the original boundaries of both monuments or, in the case of Bears Ears, expand the boundaries to the 1.9 million acres that the Intertribal Coalition had asked to be included when the monument was designated. Last month, the Biden campaign said that once in office, he would take “immediate steps to reverse the Trump administration’s assaults on America’s natural treasures, including reversing Trump’s attacks on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bears Ears, and Grand Staircase-Escalante.” The pledge is included in a “Biden-Harris Plan for Tribal Nations.”Woody Lee, executive director of the Utah Diné Bikéyah, which fought for getting Bears Ears made into a monument, told Jennifer Yachnin at E&E News this week, “If he does it on his first day, that would be totally awesome. If he does it in the first 100 days, that would be great as well.”But the details about how Biden should go about reversing Trump’s cuts are a matter of concern for many advocates. One of those is University of Colorado Law School professor Mark Squillace. Simply restoring the boundaries before Trump got his mitts on them certainly has appeal. But Squillace said doing this would suggest that Trump’s decision to shrink the site had been valid. “I think it would be a mistake to simply issue new proclamations,” said Squillace, who filed an amicus brief in one of the lawsuits challenging Trump as not having the authority under the Antiquities Act to shrink existing monuments, something he says only Congress can do. – Advertisement –
“Third quarter occupancy at our hotels in North America reached 37 per cent, nearly double occupancy in the second quarter, primarily driven by leisure, drive-to demand, with business and group recovering more slowly. “Globally, 94 percent of our hotels are now open and welcoming guests.”As of the end of the third quarter, net liquidity at Marriott totalled approximately $5.1 billion, representing roughly $1.5 billion in available cash balances, and $3.6 billion of unused borrowing capacity under a revolving credit facility.The company had less $30 million of commercial paper outstanding. Sorensen added: “Although the timing of a full recovery remains unpredictable, we are pleased with the significant progress we have made in restructuring and repositioning the company to successfully manage through these challenging times. “Financially, we have strengthened our liquidity position, realigned our cost structure, and minimized our cash burn. “We have also remained keenly focused on working with our hotel owners and franchisees to significantly reduce hotel level costs and help preserve cash in this extremely low revenue environment. “Operationally, we have elevated our health and cleanliness standards to establish trust and credibility with travellers and to enhance the safety and wellbeing of our associates and guests.” OlderVirgin Hyperloop transports first passengers Marriott International has reported an adjusted net income of $20 million for the third quarter as the company continues to battle back from the impact of Covid-19 around the world. The figure compares to an adjusted net income of $488 million in the same period last year.- Advertisement – Adjusted EBITDA totalled $327 million in the 2020 third quarter, compared to a third quarter figure of $901 million in 2019.Comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR declined 66 per cent worldwide over the period – down 65 per cent in North America and 67 per cent outside North America – when compared to the 2019 third quarter.However, the company added more than 19,000 rooms globally during the third quarter, including roughly 1,400 rooms converted from competitor brands and approximately 7,600 rooms in international markets. – Advertisement –
Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International, said: “While Covid-19 is still significantly impacting our business, our results for the third quarter showed continued improvement in demand trends around the world. “Worldwide RevPAR declined 66 per cent in the quarter, a nearly 19-percentage point improvement from the decline in the second quarter. “Greater China continues to lead the recovery and demonstrates the resiliency of travel demand, with third quarter occupancy of 61 per cent and RevPAR recovering to down 26 per cent, a 35-percentage point improvement compared to the decline in the second quarter. – Advertisement – – Advertisement –
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Dustin Johnson was presented the Green Jacket by five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods Dustin Johnson’s record-breaking major victory and a disappointing week for Bryson DeChambeau are among the talking points in The Masters review edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast. Simon Holmes and Bunkered’s Digital Editor, Michael McEwan, join host Josh Antmann for the post-Masters special, which looks back at a history-making week in the final men’s major of 2020.Johnson broke the 72-hole scoring record at Augusta National on his way to a five-shot victory and second major title, with the panel questioning whether the world No 1 remains underrated in golf despite his dominant win. Johnson had never previously turned a 54-hole lead into a win in four major attempts, with the trio reflecting on the American’s discipline throughout the tournament and his emotional interview with Amanda Balionis after his victory.Away from the champion, the guests give their verdict on impressive performances from Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im, who both claimed a share of second, as well as another example of Bernhard Langer rolling back the years to become the oldest player to make the cut at The Masters. Dustin Johnson extended his lead as world No 1 with victory at The Masters Holmes takes a closer look at Rory McIlroy’s swing and tries to examine what goes wrong for him during the first round of a major, following the Northern Irishman recovering from an opening-round 75 to backdoor a share of fifth place.There’s also plenty of discussion about DeChambeau after his pre-tournament comments about Augusta being a ‘par 67’ to him didn’t come to fruition, with the group questioning whether the US Open champion will reassess his strategy for future majors. 
May 17, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – World Health Organization officials have confirmed five cases of H5N1 avian influenza in an Indonesian family in North Sumatra, plus a fatal case in a woman from East Java, news services reported today.Additionally, Indonesia’s health ministry said local tests revealed the H5N1 strain in a 12-year-old Jakarta boy who died 4 days ago, according to a Reuters report. This case, however, has yet to be confirmed by the WHO.The North Sumatra case cluster was first reported by Indonesian officials several days ago, sparking concern about the possibility of person-to-person transmission. In today’s reports, officials said the situation was still unclear and investigation was continuing. The WHO had not yet published an online update on the situation at this writing.WHO officials said four of the five infected family members in North Sumatra have died, according to reports. An Agence France-Presse (AFP) story described them as two males, aged 19 and 17, a 29-year-old woman, and an 18-month-old baby. The fifth person, a 25-year-old man, was recovering, according to AFP.The case in East Java was in a 38-year-old woman who worked as a caterer in Surabaya before her death last week, according to Reuters. She dealt with live pigs and handled pork in her work, the story said.The five cases in North Sumatra were confirmed by a WHO-accredited laboratory in Hong Kong, Reuters reported. Tests on a sixth family member, a 10-year-old boy who died, are pending, according to AFP. A 37-year-old woman was the first person in the group to fall ill, but she died without any samples being taken.WHO spokeswoman Maria Cheng in Geneva said it was “too early to draw any conclusions” about whether the virus has acquired the ability to spread among humans, according to Reuters. “I have not heard any suggestion that the virus is any different,” she said.Another WHO spokeswoman, Sari Setiogi, said the agency was carefully investigating the cases, according to AFP. “The current investigation that we have has no evidence of further spread beyond the cluster, so that’s quite good news for us because it tells that the virus is not spreading further,” she said.However, Hong Kong virologist Guan Yi told Reuters that the lag reported between symptom onset in the first victim and in the second wave of victims in the extended family was unusual.”If they were all infected by the same source,” Guan said, “their onset time [of illness] would have been closer. . . . They may have infected one another . . . but we have no evidence.”Unofficially, the six new cases—the North Sumatra family and the caterer in East Java—bring Indonesia’s case total to 39 and death toll to 30. The WHO had not yet updated its online case count at this writing.In Laos, H5N1 was found in a duck on a backyard farm, but it appears to be an isolated case, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported in a Reuters news story today.The duck, found 12 miles south of Vientiane in February by researchers, represents the first case in Laos since an outbreak in poultry in early 2004. There have been no human cases in the country, according to WHO data.See also:May 15 CIDRAP News story “Indonesia blames 5 deaths in family on avian flu”
Aug 22, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – An international research team working in Gabon has for the first time isolated Marburg virus genetic material and antibodies from a bat species, an animal that experts suspect may play a role in transmitting the virus to humans.A study detailing the findings was published today in the journal PLoS One (Public Library of Science One). Marburg virus can cause a severe, often fatal, hemorrhagic fever in humans and primates, and there is no vaccine or specific treatment.The virus’s hiding place between human outbreaks has been a mystery, but recent outbreaks in miners in Angola and Uganda have led tropical health experts to suspect that bats may carry it.The researchers tested more than 1,100 bats representing 10 different species, the report says. Testing was done at five sites in Gabon and the northwestern Republic of Congo.Genetic analysis of samples showed that only four bats had Marburg-specific RNA, and all of the positive bats were the same species, Rousettus aegyptiacus, a common fruit bat. All the bats that tested positive were trapped at two locations near caves in Gabon.When investigators looked for Marburg virus antibodies, they noted positive findings in 29 bats, and again, all were Rousettus aegyptiacus.Blood and genetic test results suggest the bats may be a reservoir for Marburg virus, the authors write, but add, “However, we cannot rule out periodic contact by the bats with an as yet unnamed reservoir.” Though the test results were consistent with extended viremia, they could also represent late-stage acute infections, the authors report.Daniel Bausch, MD, MPH, associate professor of tropical medicine at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, told CIDRAP News that the findings bring researchers one step closer to finding the reservoir for Marburg virus.Positive identification of a reservoir requires growing the virus out of a sample, he said. “Until you do that, you’re always going to have some questions,” said Bausch, who has also been involved with Marburg virus research.One of the study’s most surprising findings was that bats in Gabon had evidence of the virus, Bausch said. That location is far west of where Marburg virus has been found previously in eastern African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Uganda. That finding raises the possibility that Marburg virus has been recently introduced to Gabon, where scientists have also seen the closely related Ebola virus, he said.The fruit bat species that produced the Marburg virus findings is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a news release today.In the release, CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding called the discovery groundbreaking and said it would help world health experts combat the virus. “One of the challenges has been identifying how people become infected. This research brings us closer to understanding the transmission of Marburg virus,” she added.Jonathan Towner, lead author of the study and senior microbiologist at the CDC, is a member of another international team investigating a recent Marburg virus outbreak in Uganda. At least two miners, one of whom died, recently tested positive for the virus. The team is trapping bats at the entrance of the mine where the infected men worked.The discovery in Gabon helps guide the investigation in Uganda, Towner said in the CDC statement. “From a public health perspective, this discovery offers us new insight into the transmission of Marburg virus and potentially other filoviruses,” he commented in another CDC press release.Towner JS, Pourrut X, Albarino CG, et al. Marburg virus infection detected in common African bat. PLoS One 2007 Aug 22;2(8):e764 [Full text]See also:Aug 21 CDC press releaseAug 20 CIDRAP News story “Scientists net bats to look for Marburg virus source”
Jul 31, 2009Wal-Mart may help feds with vaccine campaignWal-Mart officials met with US health officials on Jul 29 to discuss what role the retail chain might play in helping to distribute the pandemic H1N1 vaccine this fall, Reuters reported yesterday. Dr. John Agwunobi, the company’s president of health and wellness, in an address at the annual meeting of the National Association of County and City Health Officials yesterday, said options might include giving flu shots in stores and helping federal officials with logistic and supply chain issues. Switzerland to be among first to get Glaxo pandemic vaccine shipmentsA GlaxoSmithKline spokesman said Switzerland will be one of 10 countries to receive the “first wave” of the company’s pandemic H1N1 vaccine, though he did not name the other nine countries, Bloomberg News reported today. He said first-wave-countries will get their supplies in September or October and that countries in the second wave will receive theirs “a bit later.” The spokesman said Switzerland signed an agreement with Glaxo in 2006 to receive priority delivery of pandemic vaccine.[Jul 31 Bloomberg News story] UK surveys find side effects in children given preventive oseltamivirTwo survey studies in the Jul 30 issue of Eurosurveillance report side effects in British schoolchildren who received prophylactic oseltamivir treatment. In an online survey of three London schools, 53% of the children reported side effects, including gastrointestinal (40%) and mild neuropsychiatric (18%) problems. In the other study, 51% of students from one school reported symptoms such as feeling sick, headache, or stomachache. Compliance was higher in the single-school study.[Jul 30 issue of Eurosurveillance] Two nurses die of novel flu infectionsA 51-year-old California nurse who worked on a cancer unit at a hospital in Carmichael died of a novel H1N1 flu infection, the Sacramento Bee reported today. A hospital spokesman said authorities don’t know if she was exposed to the virus at the hospital or elsewhere. Her death certificate said she also had pneumonia and was infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Meanwhile, a pediatric nurse in New Zealand recently died of a novel H1N1 infection, local media reported.[Jul 31 Sacramento Bee story] CDC says H1N1 hospitalizations total 5,514The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today said it is aware of a total of 5,514 H1N1 flu hospitalizations and 353 deaths from 47 states and territories. The agency said last week it would no longer list national H1N1 case counts. Meanwhile, the CDC’s flu surveillance report for last week says that novel H1N1 activity continued to drop for the fifth consecutive week, with only four states and Puerto Rico reporting widespread activity, down from seven states the week before.[CDC novel flu hospitalization and death count]
Ozljani, who are engaged in tourism and are planning new accommodation capacities, could achieve this more easily with city support.Namely, in 2018, the city plans HRK 50.000 for this purpose, for investment in new accommodation capacities and for promotional activities. It should also increase the number of beds from the current 91, as many as 13 renters, he writes KAportal.hr.”The measure of investment in accommodation capacities is granted for the purpose of subsidizing investments in accommodation capacities and raising them, for the construction of new accommodation capacities in the amount of HRK 1.000 per new bed. Support intended for investment in promotional activities refers to co-financing the costs of producing promotional materials (print, photo, web / online) and co-financing trips to fairs and events outside Ozalj, in the amount of 1.000 kuna per account”Points out the head of the Administrative Department Lidija Bošnjak.Beneficiaries can be family farms, crafts, companies for the provision of services in catering and tourism, and other legal and natural persons residing in the area of Ozalj, and the beneficiary can receive 5.000 kuna per year. By the way, so far the City has paid a little more than 23.000 kuna for such subsidies, but the allocations for tourism are ten times higher.”In addition to the aforementioned grants and the work of the Tourist Board, the budget allocates more than 200.000 kuna per year for various other tourist activities. The city and the Tourist Board jointly implement or support various tourist projects, of which we single out: Enjoyheritage – Interpretation Center Lović Prekriški, Adrenaline Park, Encounter with the river, Bathing project, Summer in Ozalj, Rumobil, Jaškovo – 2nd Strudel Festival, with Run of heart race , Month of Slave Raškaj, Winemakers and wine events – Vivodina, Vrhovac, Ozalj court balls in the Homeland Museum, Lace exhibition in Ozalj / Sprang weekend, Masquerade, Ozalj open taekwondo / Trekking in Vrhovec”Concludes Bošnjak.Source: KAportal.hr 
Google Maps provides travel information to nearly 7.000 carriers at more than 3,8 million stops and 20.000 cities in 78 countries. Google Maps is used by more than a billion users, more than half of whom use mobile devices. Google Maps Transit is available through the Google Maps application for Android and iOS systems, and users of Google Maps can also access maps.google.hr.GTFS format to support developersThe data used by Google Maps is in GTFS format, which is a standard open format for displaying timetables that, in addition to being a basis for display on Google Maps, can be used for other applications that the interested public wants to develop. In this way, HŽPP wants to make it easier for developers to access data and encourage them to develop their own applications. A successful example of such cooperation is the HŽPP Planer application, which uses GTFS data and is well accepted among users.HŽPP invites all those interested in using the data on the timetable of HŽ Putnički prijevoz in GTFS format to contact us by e-mail ( marko.knezevic@hzpp.hr ) with a brief description of the project or the need for timetable data, in order to give them direct access to the files In cooperation with HŽ Putnički prijevoz, Google provided its users with free information on the possibilities of traveling by train in Croatia on Google Maps (Google Maps) as part of the Google Maps Transit service.By entering the travel route in the territory of the Republic of Croatia in Google Maps, passengers can now plan their trips on HŽ Putnički prijevoz trains in accordance with the valid timetable. This selection is available with car / bike, other modes of transport and walking options.This initiative is the result of cooperation between Google and HŽ Putnički prijevoz, they point out from HŽ, which expands the possibilities offered by Google maps and which provides useful information to railway transport users. On the other hand, Google’s mission is to make Google Maps more comprehensive, accurate, and useful to millions of users who travel to their destinations by bus, train, subway, or tram. In addition to information on train schedules in Croatia, information on other types of public transport is also available in the Zagreb area. Photo: HŽPP”The presence of HŽ Putnički prijevoz on Google Maps enables boil visibility and greater reach to potential passengers who are users of this platform, who for their planned trip did not necessarily consider the possibility of traveling by train. In addition, Google Transit offers the ability to update service information in real time, which is especially important to inform passengers in case of emergencies that cause delays, which we plan to introduce as soon as possible”Said Marko Knežević, Head of the Service for Infrastructure Services, Logistics Support and Transport Execution of HŽ Putnički prijevoz.
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