The Bee, or Not the Bee

NYC Mayor Eric Adams turns to Chicago's Lori Lightfoot for ideas on how to tackle subway crime and gun violence.

The mayors of New York City and Chicago met Friday to exchange ideas on tackling crime, which continues to skyrocket in both cities - a trend that began during the worst days of the COVID pandemic and continues to dog both cities.

New York's Eric Adams and Chicago's Lori Lightfoot, both Democrats, have in recent weeks sparred with their cities' top prosecutors and accused them of pushing for lenient policies that don't hold criminals accountable.

Crime in NYC is up by over 45 percent compared to this time last year as Adams battles a growing crisis at Rikers Island - the city's main jail - as well as a spike in hate crimes and an overburdened court system.

In Chicago, crime is up by 34 percent.

‘The Sports Bra’: Bar showing only women’s sports opens



PORTLAND, Ore. - Anyone can find a bar that shows men’s sports, but Jenny Nguyen wanted to change that when she opened a bar in Portland, Oregon, that only shows women’s sports.

"The Sports Bra" opened its doors this month in Northeast Portland with a "mission to make great food and delicious drinks, and provide a space that supports, empowers, and promotes girls and women in sports and in the community."

"When I first set out on this journey to open up, I had no idea the impact it would have on so many so quickly," said Nguyen. "And we are just getting started."

The bar features five televisions and offers standard pub food such as burgers, sliders and tater tots. Nguyen said some of the recipes will be from women in her family and she plans to source ingredients from women-owned businesses.

"The statistics about girls and women dropping out of sports are staggering," she added. "Girls who play sports have higher self-esteem and a more positive body image. The Bra will be more than just a place to view women’s sports. It gives people a space to be together and celebrate. It can star with the viewing, and then expand to how that could grow into a larger movement."

Nguyen said she wants to make up for the remaining percentage, and if there aren’t any women’s sports being broadcasted, the televisions may be turned off. But Nguyen said she is working with media companies to show more women’s sports.

"The more attention we draw to viewers demanding women’s sports coverage, the more power we have as a community to push for change and equity!" she continued.

Why a Biden comeback may be coming


While Democrats face challenges in the midterm elections, this is the first of two columns breaking ranks with many in the commentariat class by suggesting the real possibility of a President Biden comeback, which is worthy of serious discussion today.

Readers might do a search for “Joe Biden,” “2020 Iowa caucus” and “2020 New Hampshire primary,” where words such as “humiliating” and “disaster” were widely used — and his candidacy for president was pronounced dead and buried by almost all political analysts.

The Democratic rally cry is appealing and true. Keep us in control of the House! Give us just one more Democratic senator! And here is how we lift your lives, from California to Florida to Ohio and, you bet, West Virginia!

The So-Called Murder Hornet Has a New Name
The Entomological Society of America has officially adopted the name "northern giant hornet" for the invasive, bee-eating wasp.

The Asian giant hornet, popularly known as the murder hornet, is getting a new moniker. This week, the Entomological Society of America announced that it will officially adopt the term “northern giant hornet” as the common name for Vespa mandarinia. The change was implemented to avoid the use of a potentially stigmatizing geographic reference for the invasive species, while also more accurately describing the insect’s origins.

V. mandarinia has gained a menacing reputation in recent years. Since 2019, they’ve been spotted in parts of the Pacific Northwest, in both the U.S. and Canada. Their arrival is concerning because they have a voracious appetite for bees. In fact, their murderous nickname comes from how viciously they will hunt down their prey, going as far to decapitate them. So experts with the Entomological Society of America wanted to pick a more fitting label for its first official recognition of the insect, as part of its ongoing Better Common Names Project.

In light of the growing rise of anti-Asian sentiment within the U.S., the ESA didn’t want to endorse the old common name, especially in the context of it being an invasive species. And the term never really made much sense, anyway. All 22 known species of hornets are native to or very common in Asia, for instance, so it hardly provided much relevant context. Perhaps for obvious reasons, “murder hornet” was never up for serious consideration either. “Northern giant hornet,” on the other hand, is a reference to its geographical range in Asia.

The ESA has also decided to adopt new common names for the very closely related species Vespa soror, now known as the “southern giant hornet,” and another hornet species Vespa velutina, now referred to as the “yellow-legged hornet” (that name was already being widely used by researchers in the field). The proposal for the name changes was submitted by Chris Looney, one of the researchers at the Washington State Department of Agriculture trying to track and stop V. mandarinia.

“Common names are an important tool for entomologists to communicate with the public about insects and insect science,” said ESA President Jessica Ware in a statement. “Northern giant hornet is both scientifically accurate and easy to understand, and it avoids evoking fear or discrimination.”

A ‘Moral Obligation’: California Looks To Ban Diesel-Powered Trucks To Rectify ‘Decades Of Racist’ Practices



The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering new regulations to ban the sale of all diesel semi-trucks by 2040 to fight climate change and rectify a legacy of racist practices, according to a CARB report released on Aug. 30.

The proposal would require medium and heavy-duty trucks entering ports and railyards to be fully electric by 2035, according to the report. CARB believes that such freight vehicles should be banned because the diesel emissions that come from such vehicles disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities due to racist zoning policies.

“Decades of racist and classist practices, including red-lining and siting decisions, have concentrated heavy-duty vehicle and freight activities in these communities, with concomitant disproportionate pollution burdens,” the regulators stated. “CARB has legal and moral obligations to lessen these burdens.”

Semi-trucks wait for inspection before crossing the border at the Zaragoza International Bridge, in Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas on May 31, 2019. (PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

“Black and Latino populations experiencing significantly greater air pollution impacts than white populations,” CARB added. “Communities in and around ports move much of the nation’s freight, and so experience pollution on a national scale in their neighborhoods.”