Friday, December 29, 2023

From Jenna Orkin Global defence orders surge as geopolitical tensions mount Argentina's Milei Lays Off 5000 Governmetn Employees Fani Willis All But Calls Jim Jordan a Moron Study: Utah is no longer a majority-Mormon state "This trend has produced troubling impacts for patients and health care workers across the country. We have seen private equity firms aggressively loot safety-net hospitals, strip out valuable real estate, cut critical but less profitable services, and exploit government funding programs designed to support and stabilize health care access. The consequences have been borne by health care workers and the communities they serve. Private equity’s hospital profiteering has resulted in dangerous conditions, closures, and reduced access to services, declining quality, and fraud. Despite the growing threat they pose to critical health care services, private equity firms are largely able to operate in the shadows. And aside from a few recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Washington—under Democratic and Republican administrations—has largely been asleep at the wheel, or has willingly looked the other way. More monster waves will collide with the California coast after injuring onlookers and causing serious flooding The L.A.P.D. says it has the largest local airborne law-enforcement unit in the world. A recent audit found little evidence that its choppers deter crime. The Year We Stopped Being Able to Pretend About Trump The story of 2023 wasn’t the search for another Republican leader—but the Party’s embrace of the one it already has. 6 Ingenious Projects for Endless Hot Water Without Electricity A classroom without walls: New Zealand’s nature schools emphasise mud over maths

Thursday, December 21, 2023

From Jenna Orkin New coronavirus variant JN.1 is spreading fast. Here’s what to know. Exploitive, illegal photos of children found in the data that trains some AI Failure at the Fence: How Hamas breached Israel’s security barrier on Oct. 7 Deep in the Sonoran Desert, high on a mountain’s wind-swept peak, there lives a tree known as Bigelow 224. With its stout orange trunk and long, graceful needles, the tree looks like any other ponderosa pine growing on Mount Bigelow. But a sliver of its wood, taken amid Earth’s warmest year on record, shows that this tree has a story to tell — and a warning to offer. Since Rhysida surfaced, in May, its victims have included the Chilean Army, a medical-research lab in Australia, and Prospect Medical Holdings, a health-care company with hospitals in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and California. There are reports that its code contains fragments of Russian, and it appears not to have struck inside Russia or its close allies. When I checked the Rhysida Web site last week, there were data for sale from Grupo JosĆ© Alves, a Brazilian conglomerate; Insomniac Games, the maker of the Spider-Man 2 video game; HSE, a Slovenian energy company; and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. Danny Danon, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, believes there’s no path forward for a Palestinian state. Life with Long Covid - NYT There were two shoot-and-move ranges, both backstopped by man-made berms. One featured a faƧade where assaulters could practice storming a building; another allowed trainees to fire at a junked car, to see which ammunition best penetrated automotive steel. An area was designated for “explosive training,” and Banyai told people that he planned to add a sniper course, a helipad, and a “maritime” element, in case anyone needed experience blitzing a ship. An epidemic of sexual abuse in schools 'So much gratitude': Americans freed by Venezuela in US prisoner swap land in Texas

Friday, December 15, 2023

From Jenna Orkin SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence in lung alveolar macrophages is controlled by IFN-Ī³ and NK cells (“Cal-Maine Foods” or “Company”) today reported that one of the Company’s facilities in Kansas tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (“HPAI”), affecting approximately 684,000 laying hens, or approximately 1.6% of the Company’s total flock. Missile fired from Houthi-controlled territory misses container ship in Bab al-Mandeb West Antarctica Glacier's Retreat Unstoppable: Study Says Tipping Point Crossed Beavers Released into Tribal Waters in Conservation Effort War will take months, White House official says; IDF recovers bodies of 3 hostages Missing British boy found in France six years after disappearance We’re Crossing a Global Tipping Point on Fossil Fuels and There’s No Going Back Doctors with Big Malpractice Settlements Work for Insurance Companies The U.N. Human-Rights Chief and the Fugitive Princess of Dubai
From Jenna Orkin Lawsuit alleges forced prison labor scheme involving private employers Now researchers have shown that willful ignorance is common, with 40 percent of people in a recent study choosing “not to know” the consequences of their actions in order to free themselves of the guilt of doing what they want. The good news is that the scientists also found that about 40 percent of people are altruistic–they seek to learn the consequences of their actions to benefit others. • These baby frogs disguise themselves as poop to gross out potential predators, until they’re old enough to glide through jungle canopies. U.S. terrorist watchlist grows to 2 million people — nearly doubling in 6 years The Year of Ozempic Climate pollution from global shipping is growing. Can the industry clean up in time? Leviathan Gas Field, Mediterranean Sea, Israel Red Alert: Scientists Have Discovered a Dolphin With Thumbs Putin confronted with AI doppelgƤnger during rambling 4-hour press conference EU Integration Stopped and Is Now Headed in Reverse

Monday, December 11, 2023

From Jenna Orkin Goldfish Menacing the Great Lakes Supreme Court Ruling Lands a Blow against Mining Interests in Panama How flawed research helped legitimize home-schooling ‘We’re drowning’: Island nations slam draft deal as climate talks heat up China’s cyber army is invading critical U.S. services Scientists Built a Functional Computer With Human Brain Tissue Man charged with threatening to kill Vivek Ramaswamy at campaign event All the Carcinogens We Cannot See We routinely test for chemicals that cause mutations. What about the dark matter of carcinogens—substances that don’t create cancer cells but rouse them from their slumber? Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away A draconian legal doctrine called felony murder has put thousands of Americans—disproportionately young and Black—in prison. California children sue EPA over ‘intentional’ role in climate crisis
From Jenna Orkin The NRA has a surprising defender in its free speech case before the Supreme Court: the ACLU US said to tell Israel it will handle Houthi attacks, but is eschewing strikes for now Alex Jones' Twitter Account Restored Less appetite — and opportunity — to serve as fake Trump electors in 2024 Nanofiber Membrane Filters 99.9% of Salt from Seawater within Minutes The five key features of a permaculture property (and how to design them) We now have more info on what Sam Altman did that was so bad he got fired from OpenAI CyberCrime Support Network According to data from the FTC, people in their twenties reported losing money to fraud at a higher rate than people in their seventies. Farmers Are Turning to an Ancient Practice to Improve Agriculture

Friday, December 08, 2023

Fromm Jenna Orkin US military grounds entire fleet of Osprey aircraft following a deadly crash off the coast of Japan Polish Central Bank Buys Gold According to Secret EU Plan The United Nations said 1.87 million people — more than 80% of Gaza’s population — have been driven from their homes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, triggered by the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas assault on southern Israel. The U.N. also says that all telecom services have been shut down due to cuts in the main fiber routes. What offends me is that since 2015, universities have been so quick to punish "microaggressions," including statements intended to be kind, if even one person from a favored group took offense. The presidents are now saying: "Jews are not a favored group, so offending or threatening Jews is not so bad. For Jews, it all depends on context." We might call this double standard "institutional anti-semitism." HARVARD SCIENTIST SUGGESTS THAT OUR UNIVERSE WAS CREATED IN A LABORATORY Google’s enshittification memos Truly, Big Tech can’t stop telling on itself. Inside the Illegal Cactus Trade As the craze for succulents continues, sometimes the smuggler and the conservationist are the same person. DDecember 7th, 2023 Today the Leadership of the House and the Senate announced agreement on a final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will be put before both Houses of Congress and if passed sent to President Biden to be signed into law will include the $676 million amendment, sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), along with Senator Charles Schumer(D-NY), which will: Ensure that all 9/11 responders to the Pentagon and Shanksville who were active-duty DOD military, soldiers and sailors as well as civilians, along with other Federal employees, will be able to join the program. Currently, some responders to the Pentagon and Shanksville sites are prevented from joining. Bill Gates thought the internet would make all of us more responsible, but he realized it just helped 'a critical mass of crazy people' find each other Tucker Carlson: ‘God would have to yell at me very loud’ to be Trump running mate