Latest news with #DrillBabyDrill
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
In Pune on May 9, man with a green funnybone and a wake-up call
'Ever wondered why Valentine's Day and World Pangolin Day are celebrated back to back?' asks one pangolin to another. 'No, but we're endangered and I love where this is going,' replies the second pangolin as a full moon glows on them. Elsewhere, there is Donald Trump in a MAGA cap. 'Today, this great nation stands at par with Iran, Libya and Yemen…,' says the US President. Ripping open the jacket of his suit to reveal a heart inscribed with 'Drill Baby Drill', he adds, 'in being the only countries outside the Paris climate agreement.' The cartoons, with a playful mix of tongue-in-cheek wit and edgy artwork, are by Nagpur-based Rohan Chakravarty. Chakravarty might not be a familiar name, but that is because his fans know him as Green Humour. Green Humour is considered the world's largest online collection of cartoons, comics and illustrations on wildlife and the environment. In December 2013, it was picked up by the international comics platform Gocomics and became the first series of cartoons and comic strips from India to be distributed globally. Green Humour has received awards from the United Nations Development Programme, WWF International and the Royal Bank of Scotland, among others. Chakravarty has been invited to make live art at COPs 26 to 29, the United Nations climate change conferences. On May 9, the cartoonist and illustrator will make a rare trip to Pune, at Pagdandi Bookstore, to discuss Bird Business, his new book that delves into the surprising lives of birds. More than 100 birds have been covered in the book as the author highlights the many peculiarities among birds that laymen and even bird watchers often overlook. The Nicobar megapode, for instance, is only found in the Great Nicobar, and it is from the only family of birds known to compost. There are greater racket-tailed drongo, which is an accomplished mimic and can reproduce metallic jingling sounds, and birds that dance, mimic and flirt. 'I've been bird watching for around 20 years, and everything I've learnt on this journey has gone into creating the book. When I started Green Humour, it was a sort of distraction for me from the rut of animation because I used to do a lot of corporate projects as an animator. I needed something to challenge myself more creatively. Over time, as I started to secure columns and spaces for Green Humour in the media, I began to realise that it comes with responsibility,' says Chakravarty, who is trained as a dentist. 'Initially, it would only be the science and the conservation community that would engage with my work. Later, people from all walks of life started to engage with it. That was when even my narrative started to get longer and more complex, and include a lot of not just wildlife conservation but also the politics around it. I tried to show that this is not just an environmental matter but also a social and a political one,' says Chakravarty. Bird Business has resulted from Chakravarty's conviction that field guides that are available on birds and bird watching only tell you how to identify some birds and never go beyond that. 'This book tries to bridge the communication gap in a visual and entertaining manner,' he says. Chakravarty himself goes out every morning, usually in the company of his two dogs, to observe birds. As he speaks about his fascination for the Greater Painted Snipe, a bird in which the gender roles are starkly reversed, so that it is the female that indulges in courtship displays, courts one mate after another and leaves her eggs to the care of mates. Chakravarty is afraid that a climate disaster is looming closer, and many species are on borrowed time. 'I am not a very optimistic person in this matter. Though I try to project as much optimism as I can through my art and my cartoons because I think I owe it to my readers, especially younger ones, I don't have much hope left anymore. Ever since I started out, it has just gotten consistently worse year after year,' he says. Chakravarty is a pioneer in making art exclusively on the environment and climate change, but several artists across forms are now making their voices heard on the issue. He, however, is worried as the days get hotter every year. As an artist, though, he is fighting on. 'I am at a stage where I research hard and put everything I can into a comic or a piece. I put it out there and let viewers decide how to interpret it and apply it to their lives,' he says. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Lauren Boebert hints Trump administration is working to rename DC the ‘District of America'
Rep. Lauren Boebert has hinted that the Trump administration is working behind the scenes on a plan to rename Washington, D.C., the 'District of America.' 'I would caution my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to refrain from making fun of the 'Gulf of America' because next up, you know it may end up being the 'District of America' that we're working on,' Boebert told lawmakers during a Water, Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee hearing Tuesday in response to jibes from opposition members. 'So just, you know, keep the jokes at bay, and maybe we'll just stick with the Gulf of America for now.' President Donald Trump took bold action on his first day in office after he signed an executive bill that ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' Earlier on in the hearing, Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, brought up the contentious issue of renaming the water basin. He began by stating: 'Now, back to the Gulf of America. Stephen Colbert proposed this as a joke in 2010, and it's important to remember what was going on at the time – what led to the joke.' Huffman went on to explain that the late-night show host first made the 'Gulf of America' suggestion in relation to the catastrophic BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The roughly 4.9-million-barrel spill caused widespread environmental devastation in the Gulf region, claimed 11 lives, and devasted the coastal economy. 'Colbert used the name change as a gimmick to raise awareness of the disaster. It dragged on for five months – something our Republican friends seem to have forgotten about as they advance to a dirty drilling agenda,' Huffman continued. 'My entire career has been centered around natural resources,' Huffman told reporters in December 2024 upon being re-elected. Boebert, a MAGA loyalist who has made a determined effort to advance President Trump's agenda – including his 'Drill Baby Drill' pledge and the suggestion to place Trump's face on a $100 bill. According to her manifesto on energy, she supports the development of 'all domestic energy sources, including hydropower, nuclear, oil, natural gas, geothermal, and renewables.' While she claims to want 'clean air and clean water,' she recognizes the need for 'recreation opportunities and good-paying jobs.' In 2022, Boebert brazenly entered a State of the Union address draped in a shawl emblazoned with Trump's 'Drill Baby Drill' pledge. Huffman was vocally critical during the meeting of the 'chaotic government takeover' under Trump and Musk and did not hesitate to call out the renaming of the Gulf. Boebert chided opposing lawmakers, telling them to 'keep the jokes at bay, and maybe we'll just stick with the 'Gulf of America for now.' The hearing was held to discuss several contentious environmental issues, including the 1973 Endangered Species Act. 'It is weirdly appropriate that they are taking what started out as a joke and actually moving it forward as part of their 'Drill Baby Drill' agenda and unfortunately that means the joke is on us', Huffman rebuked. He also slated DOGE's recent flurry of federal cuts on environmental staff, claiming that Fish and Wildlife 'had lost almost 50 percent of their team,' including biologists and scientists, because of Musk's pillaging. According to the National Wildlife Refuge System, roughly 370 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees were axed in mid-February in the wake of DOGE federal cuts. 'These firings, which disproportionately target biologists and natural resource professionals, are a direct attack on science-based conservation and the future of America's wildlife,' the organization wrote at the time.
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rep. Lauren Boebert hints Trump administration is working to rename DC the ‘District of America'
Rep. Lauren Boebert has hinted that the Trump administration is working behind the scenes on a plan to rename Washington, D.C., the 'District of America.' 'I would caution my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to refrain from making fun of the 'Gulf of America' because next up, you know it may end up being the 'District of America' that we're working on,' Boebert told lawmakers during a Water, Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee hearing Tuesday in response to jibes from opposition members. 'So just, you know, keep the jokes at bay, and maybe we'll just stick with the Gulf of America for now.' President Donald Trump took bold action on his first day in office after he signed an executive bill that ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' Earlier on in the hearing, Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, brought up the contentious issue of renaming the water basin. He began by stating: 'Now, back to the Gulf of America. Stephen Colbert proposed this as a joke in 2010, and it's important to remember what was going on at the time – what led to the joke.' Huffman went on to explain that the late-night show host first made the 'Gulf of America' suggestion in relation to the catastrophic BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The roughly 4.9-million-barrel spill caused widespread environmental devastation in the Gulf region, claimed 11 lives, and devasted the coastal economy. 'Colbert used the name change as a gimmick to raise awareness of the disaster. It dragged on for five months – something our Republican friends seem to have forgotten about as they advance to a dirty drilling agenda,' Huffman continued. 'My entire career has been centered around natural resources,' Huffman told reporters in December 2024 upon being re-elected. Boebert, a MAGA loyalist who has made a determined effort to advance President Trump's agenda – including his 'Drill Baby Drill' pledge and the suggestion to place Trump's face on a $100 bill. According to her manifesto on energy, she supports the development of 'all domestic energy sources, including hydropower, nuclear, oil, natural gas, geothermal, and renewables.' While she claims to want 'clean air and clean water,' she recognizes the need for 'recreation opportunities and good-paying jobs.' In 2022, Boebert brazenly entered a State of the Union address draped in a shawl emblazoned with Trump's 'Drill Baby Drill' pledge. Huffman was vocally critical during the meeting of the 'chaotic government takeover' under Trump and Musk and did not hesitate to call out the renaming of the Gulf. Boebert chided opposing lawmakers, telling them to 'keep the jokes at bay, and maybe we'll just stick with the 'Gulf of America for now.' The hearing was held to discuss several contentious environmental issues, including the 1973 Endangered Species Act. 'It is weirdly appropriate that they are taking what started out as a joke and actually moving it forward as part of their 'Drill Baby Drill' agenda and unfortunately that means the joke is on us', Huffman rebuked. He also slated DOGE's recent flurry of federal cuts on environmental staff, claiming that Fish and Wildlife 'had lost almost 50 percent of their team,' including biologists and scientists, because of Musk's pillaging. According to the National Wildlife Refuge System, roughly 370 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees were axed in mid-February in the wake of DOGE federal cuts. 'These firings, which disproportionately target biologists and natural resource professionals, are a direct attack on science-based conservation and the future of America's wildlife,' the organization wrote at the time.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unemployment Rate for Veterans Spiked More than a Percentage Point to 4.2% in January
The first jobs report of President Donald Trump's second term Friday showed a troubling rise in the unemployment rate for all veterans from 2.8% in December to 4.2% in January, even as the jobless rate for all Americans ticked down from 4.1% to 4.0%. The monthly employment situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also showed that the closely watched unemployment rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans bumped up from 3.9% in December to 4.7% in January. The first BLS report since Trump took office on Jan. 20 marked one of the few times in recent years that the unemployment rate for veterans exceeded the rate for the general population. The BLS report also stated that the economy added 143,000 jobs in January, which was well below the forecasts of economists at Goldman Sachs and others that 190,000 jobs or more would be added in January. Read Next: Air Force Has Troops Remove Names, Unit Patches from Uniforms During Deportation Flights Without giving supporting evidence, the White House quickly seized on the BLS report to claim that Biden administration policies had wrecked the economy, but a turnaround was coming under Trump's plans to cut taxes and regulations, and "Drill Baby Drill" to boost oil and gas production. The BLS report "reveals the Biden economy was far worse than anyone thought, and underscores the necessity of President Trump's pro-growth policies," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "President Trump is delivering on his promise to restore our broken economy, revive small business optimism, create jobs, and ignite a new golden age for America," Leavitt said. However, most analysts maintain that the labor market for veterans and the general population has shown resilience in the long recovery from the double-digit unemployment rates of the COVID-19 pandemic. Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said on CNBC that "this is still a good labor market," although "not as hot as a few years ago. The economy is in a good place," and "we want to keep it there." Despite the rising unemployment rates for veterans, "this is a solid report" on the state of the labor market and the economy, Robert Frick, corporate economist for Navy Federal Credit Union, said of the BLS report. He said the numbers on jobless rates for all veterans and post-9/11 veterans tend to be variable from month to month. "We really haven't seen a pattern there yet," Frick said. "It's something to keep an eye on but nothing to worry about -- at least not yet." The latest statistics from the BLS show "a pretty big jump" over the course of a month in unemployment rates that "has left a lot of veterans in a very uncertain place," Will Attig, executive director of the Union Veterans Council at the AFL-CIO, told in an interview. "It's a very big concern as we start to see furloughs and layoffs" at federal agencies, where veterans make up about 30% of the federal workforce, said Attig, a former Army sergeant who served two tours in Iraq. Related: Veterans Still on a Roll in Jobs Market with Low Unemployment Rate of 2.8% in December
