All posts tagged: installed

Fentanyl scanners that were sitting idle for lack of federal funds can now be installed at the border to catch smugglers

Fentanyl scanners that were sitting idle for lack of federal funds can now be installed at the border to catch smugglers

Published by skeptic

Fifty-six scanning systems that can detect fentanyl in personal vehicles at southern U.S. border crossings will now be installed because of $200 million in new funding that was approved by Congress after NBC News reported the scanners were sitting unused in warehouses. Ninety-five percent of the fentanyl U.S. law enforcement seizes is discovered in personal vehicles driven across the border by U.S. citizens, according to Department of Homeland Security officials, and the scanners are the strongest tool the Biden administration has to detect fentanyl in vehicles. After the NBC News report, two senators, three House members and two state attorneys general called for additional funding to install the scanners that had been previously requested by DHS. Funding to finally install the machines came through the House Homeland Security appropriations bill, which Congress passed in late March. The 56 that will be installed because of the new funding will be in place by 2026, according to a senior Customs and Border Protection official. Thirty-one scanning systems are already in place, and 27 are under construction. All of the scanners …

Record number of EV chargers installed in the UK last quarter

Record number of EV chargers installed in the UK last quarter

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A record number of public electric vehicle charging stations were installed in the UK this quarter, as charging companies struggle to keep up with the growing number of plugin cars on British roads. Almost 6,000 new EV chargers were installed in the UK during the first three months of 2024, according to quarterly figures from data company Zapmap and published by the UK’s Department for Transport. Approx. 25% (about 1500) were DC fast chargers. There were nearly 60,000 public vehicle chargers energized and active in the UK as of April 1st, up nearly 49% compared to 2023 and nearly 2x the number of public chargers available in 2022. Ben Nelmes, CEO of automotive think tank New AutoMotive, says the recent expansion of the UK’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure has brought public charging to areas that had previously been poorly served. This is thanks, in part, to local governments gradually taking advantage of central government grants to put more EV chargers in the ground. “I think there is a coming together of two things,” Nelmes told The …

‘Mammoth task’ awaits Haiti’s newly installed transition council

‘Mammoth task’ awaits Haiti’s newly installed transition council

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Interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, center, surrounded by members of the Transitional Council at an installation ceremony, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 25, 2024. RAMON ESPINOSA / AP Lined up on a podium, right hand raised in unison, the nine members of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council took their oath of office on Thursday, April 25, outside the Palais National d’Haïti in Port-au-Prince. “I swear, before God and the nation, to faithfully observe and ensure the observance of the Constitution and the laws of the Republic, and to respect and ensure respect for the rights of the Haitian people,” read the eight men and one woman appointed to the body, whose creation was decided on March 11 in order to resolve the political and security crisis that has been worsening for several years in the Caribbean country. The ceremony formalizing this moment, awaited for six weeks, took place “on the sly,” according to the daily Le Nouvelliste, which added that the seven full members – representing the country’s main political forces and the private sector – and …

US renewables’ installed generating capacity beats coal

US renewables’ installed generating capacity beats coal

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Photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels.com Solar capacity additions hit the ground running in 2024, pushing renewables’ installed generating capacity past coal, according to new US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) data.  FERC reports in its latest “Energy Infrastructure Update,” with data through January 31, 2024 (which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign) that solar accounted for 2,527 megawatts (MW) of new installed generating capacity in the first month of this year – or 87.3% of the total. That’s the second-highest monthly total ever reported for solar, behind only December 2023, when 4,979 MW were added. The new solar capacity reported for January was accompanied by 320 MW of new wind capacity, as well as 44 MW of natural gas, 2 MW of oil, and 3 MW of “other.” The new solar and wind brought the total available installed generating capacity of renewable energy sources (including hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) up to 376.33 gigawatts (GW) or 29.17% of all US generating capacity. That’s more than the installed capacity of coal (207.15 GW). Installed …

Keith Piper Video Installed at Tate as Counterpart to Racist Mural

Keith Piper Video Installed at Tate as Counterpart to Racist Mural

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Nearly four years ago, Tate Britain in London closed its restaurant amid controversy. For the first time, public scrutiny had erupted over on a 100-year-old mural in the eatery containing racist imagery. The painting, by Rex Whistler and titled The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats (1926–27), contains graphic vignettes depicting an enslaved child. In response, Tate placed an interpretive text that attempted to place Whistler’s design in a historical context, but this was no permanent fix. This week, museum leadership since revealed its solution to the controversy: A commissioned artwork by Keith Piper that uses a research-based approach to examine the context and legacies of the mural. Related Articles The piece, a two-channel video installation titled Viva Voce, pits a fictitious Whistler against an academic, called Professor Shepherd and played by Ellen O’Grady. The two delve into Whistler’s biography and body of work, as O’Grady interrogates the explicit derogative themes that unite both.  In February 2022, Tate announced that Piper would create a “site-specific installation” to the mural. The new work would be “exhibited alongside and in dialogue …

“Make the RNC white again”: Minority outreach cut, Trump election lawyer installed in MAGA takeover

“Make the RNC white again”: Minority outreach cut, Trump election lawyer installed in MAGA takeover

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The Republican National Committee is cutting its minority outreach program after a takeover by Trump loyalists who plan to steer as much money as possible to support the former president’s campaign, The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger reports. The RNC has decided to scrap an effort launched in 2022 to engage voters in heavy minority populations, particularly in Latino communities. One source told The Daily Beast the tagline might as well be “Make the RNC White Again.” The Messenger previously reported in January that the RNC had already shuttered most of its nearly two dozen Hispanic Community Centers. The RNC claimed that the closures were temporary and that it planned to open 40 new similar centers but now the program “appears to be another casualty of the RNC’s recent restructuring,” according to the report, a purge that has been likened to a “bloodbath.” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called criticism of the closures “racist” and “complete bulls**t” but did not deny the program was shut down. “The racist accusations about the RNC and Trump campaign are …

Pakistan’s New Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, Installed As Pro-Khan Protests Hit Parliament

Pakistan’s New Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, Installed As Pro-Khan Protests Hit Parliament

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Shehbaz Sharif, the chairman of the PML-N party (Pakistan Muslim League-N), has been elected as the new prime minister of Pakistan by lawmakers in Pakistan’s National Assembly on Sunday, according to national broadcasters. This will be the 72 year-old Sharif’s (who is brother of Nawaz Sharif) second time to lead the country as prime minister, having previously been in office between April 2022 and August 2023. He’s entering office for a five year term. New Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, via PTI Sharif said in his acceptance speech after a tumultuous and at times violent election season, “We were subjected to political victimization in the past but never took any revenge.” This appeared to be a shot at former PM Imran Khan, but without naming him directly. Sharif had secured 201 parliamentary votes to become the clear victor over rival Omar Ayub (at 92 votes), who significantly had the backing of Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Khan has been urging on his political movement and allies, candidates which were forced to run on independent platforms, from jail. Khan’s party …

Mechanics Installed Tank Treads on a Cybertruck

Mechanics Installed Tank Treads on a Cybertruck

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Finally: a Cybertruck that doesn’t get stuck in the snow. Snow Doubt Spiritually, the unwieldy and stupidly heavy Tesla Cybertruck may be more akin to a tank than your typical SUV. Throw some treads onto one, and you may be onto something. Lo and behold, that’s pretty much what a team of mechanics did. The monstrosity of a machine comes courtesy of the YouTube channel Sparks Motors, run by the titular trio behind the reality TV show “Diesel Brothers,” which recently showed off its modded Cybertruck with four really, really big snow tracks — which are basically small tank treads designed to give vehicles next-level performance in the snow. All together, the mods make it look like some off-world APC, and based on some early — and very brief — footage that the mechanics released, the beefed up EV will tackle whatever cold climates it comes up against. Heaven knows it needed some help with that. Despite Tesla’s claim that the Cybertruck is “durable and rugged enough to go anywhere,” the SUV soon garnered a comical …

Edward Colston Statue to be Lastingly Installed in Bristol Museum

Edward Colston Statue to be Lastingly Installed in Bristol Museum

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The statue is on display at the M Shed. Via Wikipedia   Edward Colston statue’s new home could be the M Shed, a history-focused institution in the city. In 2020, Black Lives Matter demonstrators knocked down this 18th-century monument. The sculpture is out of public view since January 2022. But, we will finally know its ultimate fate – a plan for exhibiting it permanently at a museum is getting closer to clearance.   Edward Colston Statue Simbolically Sunk (PHOTO BY POLLY THOMAS/GETTY IMAGES)   The mayor of Bristol spoke about events in his statement. “I remain in support of the view that the best place for the statue is in a museum where its context, and that of what it represents to many communities can be appropriately shared with diverse audiences”. The monument and platform are each Grade II classified. In England, this denotes historical significance. Also, it guarantees specific safeguards.   On February 21, the planning control committee of Bristol City Council will likely cast its vote, regarding the statue’s removal. The goal is to …

Barriers to be installed after sat-nav errors send vehicles down Edinburgh steps | UK News

Barriers to be installed after sat-nav errors send vehicles down Edinburgh steps | UK News

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Temporary barriers are to be installed on an Edinburgh street after sat-nav errors have sent a spate of drivers down a set of steps. Images of stranded motorists have been widely shared on social media after GPS software failed to acknowledge the steps added to Greenside Lane last year. City of Edinburgh Council said Google Maps has since updated its directions, while a request for a correction has been made to Apple Maps. While this update is awaited, temporary barriers will be installed this week. Councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, said: “The footpath in this area is incredibly busy, so these incidents are really concerning. “While we would expect drivers to use common sense in a situation like this, we are going to install temporary barriers this week to prevent it happening again.” Image: Greenside Lane before the steps were installed Read more from Sky News:Edinburgh first city in Scotland to enforce pavement parking banBMW washes out to sea after parking on beach Greenside Lane, next to The Theatre Royal Bar and along …