George Lucas Proposes Affordable Housing

Filmmaker George Lucas has pulled the plug on building a new film studio and floated another option for the Northern California site–affordable housing. After years of trying to develop a new facility in Marin County, Lucas recently dropped his application to build on a property known as Grady Ranch, citing a long battle with neighbors.

“The level of bitterness and anger express by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors,” said a letter announcing his plans.

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Department Of Commerce Slaps Large Tariffs On Chinese Solar Modules

In a long-awaited decision, the U.S. Commerce Department has issued a preliminary decision to apply tariffs to Chinese-made solar modules being imported into the U.S. The tariffs range from 31 percent to 250 percent.

The preliminary tariffs were issued after a lengthy investigation by the Commerce Department into whether Chinese companies are “dumping” solar panels into the U.S. market below cost. These tariffs follow a March decision to issue small countervailing duties on Chinese module producers that are getting illegal domestic subsidies, according to Commerce.

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A TED talk on Income Equality by Nick Hanauer

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