New Jersey’s ban on plastic bags has been not only inconvenient for the public but bad for the environment. Back in 2020‚ New Jersey passed a law banning single-use plastic and paper bags in all stores and food service businesses. That law went into effect in May‚ 2022. Since the ban took effect‚ though‚ it looks like the state’s consumption of plastic for bags spiked to three times as much‚ according to a report from Freedonia Custom Research that was commissioned by the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance. The total number of plastic bags did go down‚ falling by 60%  to 894 million bags‚ but the problem was the alternatives ended up having a much larger carbon footprint. Most of New Jersey’s stores switched to reusable shopping bags‚ the kind often sold in supermarkets. These bags are made with non-woven polypropylene‚ which uses more than 15 times more plastic‚ and they are often not recycled. As a result‚ these bags caused greenhouse gas emissions to rise 500% compared to the old bags in 2015‚ according to the report. On top of this‚ people tend not to reuse the new reusable bags as much as intended — on average they are only used about two or three times before being thrown away. One factor contributing to this is the rise of grocery pickup and delivery services‚ which usually require new alternative bags for every grocery haul. Overall‚ the ban failed to accomplish its goal. “The outcome of the ban‚ revealed by market research‚ interviews‚ and comprehensive studies‚ unveils a complicated landscape as bag purchasing behavior continues to evolve‚” the report says. Back in November‚ 2020 when he signed the bag ban bill‚ Governor Phil Murphy (D) touted the plastic bag ban as a “solution” to climate change. “Plastic bags are one of the most problematic forms of waste‚ contributing to millions of discarded bags that find their way into our landfills‚ rivers‚ and oceans annually‚” Murphy‚ a Democrat‚ said during a signing ceremony for the bill. “With the historic signing of this bill today‚ we are directly addressing the issue of plastic pollution‚ offering solutions that will combat climate change and protect our environment for generations to come‚” Murphy said. New Jersey’s ban also prohibited Styrofoam products like cups‚ plates‚ takeout cartons‚ and other food containers. At least 11 other states have bans on plastic grocery bags as well — California‚ Colorado‚ Connecticut‚ Delaware‚ Hawaii‚ Maine‚ New York‚ Oregon‚ Rhode Island‚ Vermont‚ and Washington.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shouted back at anti-Israel protesters outside her home‚ telling them at one point to “go back to China” and claiming that was where their “headquarters” were located. Shouting back at protesters who were apparently calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group Hamas in Gaza‚ Pelosi said a few times that they should all “go back to China.” According to several reports‚ Pelosi’s comment may have been a nod to Code Pink‚ the anti-war protest group that has been linked to China through founder Jodie Evans and her husband‚ Shanghai-based tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham. "GO BACK TO CHINA!" 🇨🇳🤯Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Gaza Ceasefire protesters from Code Pink outside her home in San Francisco Should have said "CHY-NAH" in Trump voice 😂pic.twitter.com/gTu5a2ceNM — Brendan (@BrendanMcInnis) January 29‚ 2024 As protesters cornered Pelosi‚ video showed her attempting to get into a parked vehicle and drive away. The protesters continued to press the former House Speaker for an answer‚ saying that other members of the Democratic Party were calling for a ceasefire as well. Pelosi then responded directly‚ telling them‚ “Go back to China‚ that’s where your headquarters is.” But Pelosi’s comments come just a day after she appeared on “State of the Union‚” telling CNN anchor Dana Bash that the pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza were tied to Russia and spreading Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “message.” “For [the pro-Palestinian protesters] to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin’s message‚ Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake‚ this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It’s about Putin’s message‚” Pelosi said. “I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some‚ I think‚ are connected to Russia. And I say that having looked at this for a long time now‚ as you know‚” she added‚ and concluded by suggesting that the FBI should investigate the situation further.

Actor William Shatner scolded members of parliament in the European Union over reports that they planned to address the “gendered language” in the iconic introduction to his science fiction fan-favorite television series: “Star Trek.” GB News reported on the initiative‚ which was apparently inspired by a 61-page document — titled “Toolkit on Gender-sensitive Communication” — which was published by the European Institute for Gender Equality. In addition to advising against the use of phrases like “no-man’s land” — suggesting “unclaimed territory” as an alternative — the document addressed the problematic goals of the Galactic Federation‚ namely “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” According to the group’s findings‚ statements such as that one created an environment where “women may be subject to invisibility or omission.” Shatner‚ who delivered the line as part of the introduction of each “Star Trek” episode‚ was not convinced. “Presentism at work yet again‚” Shatner began by registering his complaint about the attempt to apply today’s values to a show that was created in a very different time and culture. “Why start at Trek?” the actor asked in his X post‚ suggesting that there were certainly more important historically significant documents that should be addressed first. “Isn’t it better to start at the beginning and redo foundation material such as the Magna Carta‚ religious writings‚ works of Shakespeare before worrying about a silly TV show opening that reflects social commentary of the time?” he asked. “If people are offended by 6 seconds of dialogue recorded in 1966 without a modicum of understanding of the social issues at the time there’s bigger issues that they need to deal with first — like educating themselves.” 😳👇🏻Presentism at work yet again. Why start at Trek? 🤨Isn’t it better to start at the beginning and redo foundation material such as the Magna Carta‚ religious writings‚ works of Shakespeare before worrying about a silly TV show opening that reflects social commentary of the… pic.twitter.com/P0okn5rYca — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) January 29‚ 2024 One person responded to Shatner by asking is the EU planned to ban the words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong next. “Neil Armstrong must be spinning in his grave … ‘One small step for man‚ one giant leap for mankind.’ Will he be canceled for leaving out an ‘a’? Is the word ‘mankind’ misogynous? We live in foolish times.” Neil Armstrong must be spinning in his grave…“One small step for man‚ one giant leap for mankind”.Will he be canceled for leaving out an “a”? Is the word “mankind” misogynous? We live in foolish times. — Ry Brooks (@RyBrooks) January 29‚ 2024

Meanwhile in England

Joe Biden allegedly met with officials from Chinese firm CEFC

'Important U.S. foreign policy tools'

DEI commitments mean the airline industry is necessarily recruiting from a less-qualified candidate pool to begin with.

'Great Minds Kink Alike'

'Start putting criminals behind bars'

'Stephen was like 'who is that?'