The Daily Populous

Thursday January 4th, 2024 day edition

image for It took decades, but San Francisco finally installs nets to stop suicides off Golden Gate Bridge

On Wednesday, they finally got their wish when officials announced that crews have installed stainless-steel nets on both sides of the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) bridge.

City officials approved the project more than a decade ago, and in 2018 work began on the 20-foot-wide (6-meter-wide) stainless steel mesh nets.

The nets — placed 20 feet (6 meters) down from the bridge’s deck — are not visible from cars crossing the bridge.

The bridge is sealed up,” said Dennis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

Firefighters in both San Francisco and Marin counties are being trained to climb down and rescue anyone who jumps into the nets.

Bridge officials were first asked to do something about the suicides shortly after the bridge opened eight decades ago.

In 2014, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District officials approved the project for $76 million. »

Names in Jeffrey Epstein court documents unsealed

Authored by cnbc.com

New York federal court documents containing previously hidden names of people associated in some way with the late notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein began being unsealed Wednesday evening.

They include victims of Epstein who testified at the criminal trial of his procurer and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

The documents were filed in connection with a Manhattan federal court lawsuit by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell. »

Climate scientists hail 2023 as ‘beginning of the end’ for fossil fuel era

Authored by theguardian.com

A growing number of climate analysts believe that 2023 may be recorded as the year in which annual emissions reached a pinnacle before the global fossil fuel economy begins a terminal decline.

“We can take a small pause to celebrate this tipping point,” said Dave Jones, a director at the climate thinktank Ember.

This creates a disincentive to switch from a fossil fuel vehicle or heating system to an electric alternative if it’s cheaper to use gas or oil. »

A Joint Statement from the Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom

Authored by whitehouse.gov

Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing.

These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action.

We remain committed to the international rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks. »