Huh: Study Shows Paper Straws Are Bad For The Environment

By William Teach October 27, 2026 – 3:00 pm

So, this means that the Enviroweenies/Warmists will make Everyone Else use metal ones

Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic ones: study

This scientific study might be the last straw.

A damning study out of South Korea has revealed that paper straws might actually be worse for the planet than plastic ones, especially when their life cycle is traced from the factory floor to the landfill.

The findings suck the air out of some long-winded environmental protests, which claimed for a decade that plastic straws were on par with toxic fumes or forest fires — and fought to make iced lattes nearly impossible to drink through a soggy, wilted tube of cardboard.

The research comes from South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, which analyzed four types of straws — paper, plastic, biodegradable plastic, and sugarcane-based — across 16 environmental categories.

Traditional plastic straws showed the lowest environmental footprint in 10 of the 16 categories, including human toxicity, particulate matter, and overall climate change impact.

Meanwhile, paper straws were found to generate over six times more carcinogens than standard plastic, along with double the impact on environmental acidification.

OK, so what about the others?

As for “Bio-PE” straws — the kind made from renewable sources like sugarcane — they produced 16 times the carcinogenic impact of standard plastic straws, along with six times the acidification damage (the metric scientists use to measure changes in ocean and soil pH levels).

And, whoops, paper straws rarely get recycled. And paper straws often do not degrade well, either.

Confronted with the findings, South Korean lawmaker Kim Wi-sang criticized domestic environmental groups and his own government for prioritizing feel-good narratives over hard science.

Is it feel good stuff or just cult business? Not that I think plastic straws are great for real environmental concerns, such as ocean and land pollution, but, the alternatives that they force on people aren’t the best, either.

Read: Huh: Study Shows Paper Straws Are Bad For The Environment »

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 27, 2026 – 1:00 pm

…is an area seeing extreme rain creating rivers, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Climate Depot, with a post on “U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Construction of Nation’s First Small Modular Reactor”

Sorry about all the downtimes, the host upgraded their server and getting nailed with bots and stuff, trying to put stuff on the backend to limit this.

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You Know What’s Ruining Haunted Houses? AI

By William Teach October 27, 2026 – 10:30 am

We’re not quite at doomsday cult status like with ‘climate change’ and fourth wave Feminism, but, it’s moving that way. Right now we’re just at derangement. You know, they see something and go “this is bad because of AI! Arrrrgle barrrrgle”

AI is Ruining Haunted Attractions

In 2005, I launched two major projects. The first was Plagiarism Today, the site you’re reading this on right now. The second was Bernie Baxter’s?Traveling?Sideshow, a home haunted attraction I run with my partner, Crystal. Both projects are still going on to this day.

In many ways, the two projects are polar opposites to one another. Plagiarism Today is a digital?first project that grew to become my full?time job. Bernie Baxter is an almost purely meatspace project that is completely an avocation.

But that’s what I love about haunting. It’s a creative outlet that built with lumber, paint, and actors. Despite all the walkthrough videos on the internet, there really is no way to experience a haunted house digitally. It’s an analog experience that truly does not have a digital equivalent. Haunts are a safe place to unplug and simply live in a truly unique moment.

So, imagine my disappointment when I walked up to my first haunted attraction of the year and was immediately greeted by low?quality AI art. One of the images was so bad that it even included the Gemini diamond in the lower?right corner of the page.

How horrible! It’s almost like a betrayal!

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise. In an age of AI menus and AI event flyers, why wouldn’t haunts use AI to generate their work? Why would haunted attractions be immune to the same pressures and temptations that other businesses face?

But somehow the betrayal feels even worse.

Told ya!

But it’s not just the promotional materials. AI art has also seeped into the actual haunted houses themselves. AtmosFX, one of the largest providers of digital projections to the haunt industry, has admitted to using AI to create some of their characters. Haunts, like the one I went to, have also used AI to generate props and other items that are part of the attraction itself.

Terrible! The worst! Seriously, you don’t blame the AI, you blame the people who are creating this stuff on the cheap and easy, and deciding that the crap is fine.

Anyhow, here are some of my favorite movies for haunted houses, the type that are built for Halloween season

  • Hell House LLC (watch the original cut, not the directors. Also, the 2 follow ups are great)
  • The Houses October Built 1 and 2
  • Haunt
  • Hell Fest
  • Scarehouse (more of a slasher)
  • House Of Fears

There’s a lot fewer that are good than you’d think.

Read: You Know What’s Ruining Haunted Houses? AI »

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New York To Appeal Climate (scam) Law Court Losses

By William Teach October 27, 2026 – 7:15 am

Why? They’re just going to spend a lot of taxpayer money and lose again. Oh, right, cult

NY will appeal federal rulings striking down Climate Change Superfund Act

The state attorney general’s office is appealing two recent federal court decisions that struck down New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act and determined the statute which seeks to punish companies deemed responsible for greenhouse gas emissions is preempted by federal law.

The notice of appeals were filed by the attorney general’s office in a case challenging the statute that was brought against the state in U.S. District Court in Manhattan by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, National Mining Association and the Business Council of New York State.

The second case, filed in New York’s Northern District in Albany, was brought by more than 21 states. Several industry groups, including the West Virginia Coal Association, Alpha Metallurgical Resources and the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, are also parties to that litigation.

Last month, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Brenda K. Sannes stopped short of declaring the statute is unconstitutional, but ruled that it is preempted by federal law and cannot be legally enforced. She also found the statute is “simply beyond the limits of state law.”

Too bad all the fossil fuels companies won’t simply stop selling their products to the State Of NY while the appeals are going on.

Read: New York To Appeal Climate (scam) Law Court Losses »

Posted in Global Warming | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

NYC’s DA’s Force Prosecutors To Downgrade Charges For Illegals

By William Teach October 27, 2026 – 7:00 am

Absolutely no one is surprised by this, right?

NYC’s sanctuary DAs ordered prosecutors to downgrade charges to keep illegal immigrants in US, House GOP report finds

New York City’s elected Democratic district attorneys are bending over backwards to keep illegal immigrants in the US, instructing prosecutors to downgrade charges to those considered “a non-deportable offense,” according to a stunning House Judiciary Committee report shared with The Post.

The GOP-led panel found that Bronx DA Darcel Clark trains her subordinates “to conceal facts from the record of conviction” and “pursue alternative charges” that would keep non-citizens free to roam in America.

Not even cases involving child sex crimes are off-limits — with Clark’s office asking assistant DAs in a 2019 guide to “immigration-conscious plea bargaining” to “[o]ffer something that does not have the child’s age as an element of the crime.”

Meanwhile, in Queens, DA Melinda Katz has told her prosecutors to “exercise extreme caution” and “not get caught up in the label of [f]elonies, [m]isdemeanors” for illegal aliens, according to the report published five months after the committee sent requests for information on the Big Apple’s so-called “sanctuary” policies to prosecutor’s offices in all five boroughs, as well as the NYPD and Department of Correction.

The report found versions of the practice in every borough. The Brooklyn DA’s office has explicitly sought an “immigration-neutral” disposition since 2017, having staff trained “to avoid disproportionate collateral consequence, such as deportation, while maintaining public safety.”

In some cases, prosecutors in Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez’s office are instructed to offer “a plea for a lesser offense in light of the disproportionate immigration consequences a higher level offense may result in.”

If this were you or me they’d throw the book at us, but, they go soft on illegals so that they hopefully do not show up on ICE’s radar. Also, then their pet media can say that the people are not bad criminals.

“When did protecting a criminal’s immigration status become a part of a DA’s job description?” asked New York City Council Member Joann Ariola.

“Our DA’s are entrusted with upholding the law and protecting the public,” Ariola told The Post. “If that’s not their priority, then they’ve got it backwards.”

That’s the Democratic Party in a nutshell.

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Courts Rule On Constitutionality Of Certain Knives And Body Armor

By William Teach October 26, 2026 – 3:43 pm

Arms are not just guns

Second Amendment fight moves beyond guns with Supreme Court poised for big ruling

Two federal court rulings Wednesday extending Second Amendment protections to switchblade knives and body armor have fueled optimism among gun-rights advocates ahead of a major Supreme Court showdown over bans on AR-15-style rifles.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal law restricting the interstate commerce of switchblade knives violated the Second Amendment, while a federal judge in the Western District of New York struck down New York’s restrictions on personal body armor. In both cases, the courts determined that switchblades and body armor qualify as constitutionally protected “arms.”

I’m not so sure that body armor is part of “arms”, but, also not sure where a state has the authority to ban a lawful goods like that just because they feel like it. Body armor doesn’t hurt anyone else, right? Switchblades, though, are arms. Dumb arms, the blades tend not to be very strong, better off getting a butterfly or even a gravity knife, but, Los Federales shouldn’t be able to ban interstate transport of them

The twin rulings come as the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in Viramontes v. Cook County, a case that could determine whether AR-15-style rifles qualify as “arms” protected by the Second Amendment.

National Association for Gun Rights President Dudley Brown, whose organization filed an amicus brief in Viramontes, said a Supreme Court ruling against AR-15 bans could influence future legal challenges to restrictions on ammunition magazines, automatic knives, body armor and other defensive equipment.

“The interesting thing about both of these cases is that they’re both going to be really decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Viramontes decision,” Brown told Fox News Digital.

I do not see the Court ruling against the rifles. And, per the Supremacy Clause, the 2nd applies to all states.

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 26, 2026 – 1:25 pm

…is a horrible fatty food place causing obesity which is bad for ‘climate change’, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Flopping Aces, with a post on “Obama nurtured the Muslim Brotherhood and gave it life”

Read: If All You See… »

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Bummer: International Students Reconsidering Staying In The US After Graduation

By William Teach October 26, 2026 – 10:30 am

Really, the purpose of a visa is you do your thing, be it work or school, and then leave when it is over. You aren’t just supposed to stick around and stick around and stick around, then bring your whole family over

International students weigh futures in US amid Trump’s visa, immigration crackdown

International students at GW said they are reconsidering whether to remain in the United States after graduation or pursue educational and career opportunities abroad as President Donald Trump continues to tighten immigration policies.

Students said uncertainty surrounding post-graduation work authorization and stricter visa requirements have prompted them to rethink plans to build careers in the United States, pursue graduate degrees abroad or finish their undergraduate degrees at GW. The hesitation comes as GW faces declining international student enrollment in the wake of Trump’s continued visa and immigration restrictions, including a new policy threatening international students’ employment opportunities.

Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has made it more difficult for international students to study in the United States by enacting policies like a travel ban impacting international student applications from 38 countries and Department of Homeland Security rules shortening the time frame that international students can stay in the United States for their education.

This is the way it is supposed to be. They don’t just get to decide on their own that the US is going to let them stay to build their careers. You graduate and then you return to your home country (or another country) and then re-apply for a visa. Which shouldn’t be a career. It should be a time period for said visa and then you leave. What the US has been doing though is constantly approving extension after extension for visas. And, yes, then they bring over the rest of their families, and demand voting rights, free stuff, and citizenship.

This is how you get problems like Mahmoud Khalil, who came over with a student visa, immediately started being an anti-Israel/Jew protester at Columbia, graduated, but, never left, and the leftist judges just let him stay.

This month, the Trump administration proposed a rule requiring universities to pay a $70,000 fee for each student’s initial application to the optional practice training program, which allows students to work in jobs in their field during or after their studies. The fee is in addition to last year’s proposed $100,000 fee employers would have to pay for each new H-1B visa, which federal courts struck down in October.

Yeah, that’s not going to fly, either. Maybe there should be some sort of deposit, depending on a student’s income status, that would be void if they refuse to leave when their visa is over. Plus, I’ve always maintained that the schools and companies that host legal aliens on visas should be held responsible for over-stays.

The Hatchet spoke to five international students, all of whom requested anonymity over fears their visa could be at risk or of deportation. All five described uncertainty about their futures in the United States, with some considering graduate school or employment abroad and others questioning whether GW had adequately supported them through changes to immigration policies.

They aren’t supposed to have futures, unless they go through the whole citizenship process, if approved to try it.

University President Ellen Granberg said during a September Faculty Senate meeting that GW enrolled nearly 1,000 fewer international students this year — a number she said she anticipates to continue declining over the coming years. Vice President and Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success Jay Goff told the Faculty Senate in December that GW enrolled 392 fewer international students in fall 2025 than in 2024, which came after he said in August 2025 the University could face a $10 million decrease in revenue because of declining international student enrollment.

And that’s why schools do not like Trump’s rules: money. They can get a lot more out of international students than Americans. Meaning lots of Americans, including those in-state, are not considered. Skipping all the way to the last paragraph

“For decades, this experiential education program has served as a critical pipeline of international talent for the U.S. economy—especially in STEM fields where there is a worker shortage—and as an essential component of a U.S. higher education for international students,” Stewart said in an email.

But, let’s be honest: a goodly chunk of these foreign students are doing STEM, while so many of today’s Yutes are getting degrees in things that end with Studies, or might as well end with Studies, which are virtually worthless.

Read: Bummer: International Students Reconsidering Staying In The US After Graduation »

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Hawaii Yutes Give Ideas On Dealing With Climate Doom

By William Teach October 26, 2026 – 7:15 am

Sadly, the article doesn’t share what their ideas are, and I can’t find anywhere with them

Hawaii youth share climate solutions with lawmakers at summit

Keiki, teens and young adults gathered Saturday at the Capitol Rotunda for the Youth Climate Summit.

The summit was hosted by the Hawaii State Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission and the Climate Future Forum to bring youth leaders to the capitol to engage with legislators and talk about their solutions for community issues.

Organizers hope events like these continue to spur on youth involvement in politics.

“You know, adults, we’ve been a part of the problem for so long and many adults are trying to be a part of the solution, but we also need the youth,” said Bill Unruh, Climate Outreach leader. “The youth want to be involved in their future, and that’s why, that’s what this is about.”

Participants also had the chance to share ideas to help bring youth perspectives into policy.

So, why not show the ideas? I have a few. Hawaii should get rid of their dozens of airports. And all the ports for cruise ships. And for all those fossil fueled cargo vessels bringing goods and food. And all the motors for boat for tourists and fishing. And ban all fossil fueled vehicles, including those for agriculture. Oh, and the roughly 61% to 75% use of petroleum for energy production. Let’s see how the kiddies like that.

Read: Hawaii Yutes Give Ideas On Dealing With Climate Doom »

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Oh, Noes, Students Fear AI Is Coming For Their Jobs

By William Teach October 26, 2026 – 7:00 am

Perhaps they should get degrees, or learn tech jobs and trades, that AI can’t do, instead of all the stupid stuff they’re paying way to much for?

Students fear AI is about to ruin their future

After he graduated with a computer science degree in 2022, Robert Marsh “could get an interview basically anywhere”. Today, applying for jobs is a struggle.

“The complete and utter shape of everything is changing,” said Marsh, a 26-year-old software engineer based in Easton, Pennsylvania. “In almost every interview it’s kind of like: ‘Do we really need you?’”

Marsh is on the front lines of a new industrial revolution as AI washes over the labour market. Job opportunities for younger people in exposed industries are drying up, leaving many new graduates despondent and angry.

“My job prospects feel like they’re basically being taken away by a cabal of the world’s most wealthy and intelligent individuals,” said Marsh. “I just wanted to relax, have a nice career and maybe own a house. But there’s a conglomerate that’s seeing to it that I can’t have that.”

Well, I’m sure those involved with horses and carriages were upset over automobiles. Everything moves forward. Anyhow, maybe the whole “learn to code” meme has already lost it’s power

Among AI-exposed occupations such as coding and accountancy, employment is now 19 per cent lower than if it had kept pace with similarly aged workers in less-affected occupations, according to research from Stanford University. Experts say it is just the start.

“There’s something real going on,” said Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. “We call it canaries in the coal mine?.?.?.?We see this effect in a few areas initially and I would expect over time there is a good chance that it will spread.”

At one point there were just way too many lawyers. Now it’s too many with some sort of computer science degree.

Warnings over the economic fallout have also mounted. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei said last year that AI could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs and push US unemployment to 10 to 20 per cent within one to five years.

“Cancer is cured, the economy grows at 10 per cent a year, the budget is balanced — and 20 per cent of people don’t have jobs,” Amodei told Axios, outlining one potential outcome. “We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming.”

Yeah, well, what if AI cures cancer? Baldness? Bad teeth? Diabetes? And more? Also, there are jobs in air conditioning, plumbing, and so much more! They could get jobs in installing and maintaining all those ordering machines at fast food and other places.

But 200 miles from Washington, in the university town of Bethlehem and the surrounding Lehigh Valley, where the FT is carrying out a multiyear reporting project, the revolution’s first casualties are emerging. Young people fear they are being treated as collateral damage.

“We don’t know where we’re needed anymore,” said Chloe Leong, an economics student at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. “It’s terrifying. If the entry-level jobs are getting cut?.?.?.?what base do we have to start at?”

Things change, kiddies. Gotta change with the times. Switchboard operators are gone. Most travel agents are gone. Typists? Gone. Video rental store workers? Are there any actually left? People who repair TVs? People who know how to do that are mostly gone. A lot of manufacturing jobs, like for cars, small and large appliances, cutlery, and so much more that used to be done mostly by humans have been replaces with machines. Go with the flow or get left behind.

Read: Oh, Noes, Students Fear AI Is Coming For Their Jobs »

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