Nars heat wave

Most New York City construction projects will have to use power sources other than gas or oil in a few years after the City Council passed new legislation Wednesday restricting the use of natural gas, pending Mayor Bill de Blasio 's expected signature, CNBC reported . Once signed, the measure will enact for the country's most populous city a climate-change policy that is both encouraged and decried across the U.S. The legislation will require most construction projects submitted for approval after 2027 to forgo natural gas in favor of electricity or other more climate-friendly sources for heating, hot water and cooking. Some smaller buildings may be subject to the restriction as early as 2024. Hospitals, commercial kitchens and some other types of facilities will not be required to follow the rule. The heating, cooling and powering of buildings in the sizable city accounts for almost 70 percent of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gas emissions. A transition from … [Read more...] about NYC to prohibit new buildings from using natural gas in fight against climate change

In October, we invited students to submit short, powerful stories about meaningful life experiences for our second annual personal narrative writing contest . Three months, 60 judges and nearly 9,000 entries later, we have selected seven winners, as well as 130 additional finalists, that stood out for their superb storytelling, moving messages and artistic use of language. These 600-word essays offer us a peek into the lives of teenagers and the moments that have shaped them: a meal from a mother’s home country; a father’s terminal illness; a sexual assault; an unexpected first love. And while these essays struck us because of their uniqueness, underneath they were stories that almost anyone, anywhere could relate to — stories about family and belonging, about claiming one’s identity, about seeing the world (and oneself) anew, about cherishing life in the face of death. Below, we are publishing the seven winning narratives in full. We hope that, like our judges, you’ll admire … [Read more...] about The Winners of Our 2nd Annual Personal Narrative Contest

The Colleyville synagogue hostage-taking was a nightmare, a vicious, antisemitic attack on a vulnerable Jewish community. It is tempting to obsess on the antisemitism, to see it as the great, sole evil. But if we want change, we must recognize that Colleyville was about more. Especially since the 2018 shooting that killed 11 people and injured more at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life, synagogues and other Jewish institutions have been ratcheting up their security. Guards, often armed, are commonplace, as are bulletproof glass, “buzz-in” entry systems and strategically placed panic buttons. This is a consequence of a rise in antisemitism. We’re scared. A 2020 Pew Study found that most American Jews think there is more antisemitism today than there was five years ago. More than half of those surveyed say that, as a Jew, they personally feel less safe than they did five years ago. Opinion Op-Ed: The Texas hostage-taking was a symptom of conspiracy theories run amok … [Read more...] about Op-Ed: Attacks like the one in Colleyville are about more than antisemitism