(date: 2023-11-17 13:27:25)
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“The morning after the drawing, I got a call that my business had sold a $1 million winner and I just had a feeling it was our ticket,” the Michigan woman said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article282005728.html
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2023-11-17, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
By corporate standards, that OpenAI blog post is pretty vicious.
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111427983706049480
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
The Carters are the longest-married presidential couple, having marked their 77th wedding anniversary in July. They recently made a surprise visit to the Plains Peanut Festival in Plains, Georgia, ahead of the former president’s 99th birthday.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-enters-hospice-care/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
Loay Alnaji was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery in the Nov. 6 death of Jewish demonstrator Paul Kessler.
https://laist.com/news/authorities-explain-what-led-to-charges-in-paul-kesslers-death
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Although Altman has long been an advocate of AI, he is also one of its biggest critics. In testimony before Congress earlier this year, Altman described the technology’s current boom as a pivotal moment.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/chatgpt-parent-company-openai-fires-ceo-sam-altman/
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Let state investigators do their job. Santa Clara County inquiry lacks independence and qualified personnel.
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
NHL: San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm to miss upcoming games against Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/san-jose-sharks-forward-taking-temporary-leave-of-absence/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Apple continues to struggle to develop a modem chip for the iPhone to replace those it buys from Qualcomm, and it may not be ready by the time the current agreement between the two expires.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/apple_qualcomm_modem_independence/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners
https://www.fresnobee.com/betting/nfl/article281973703.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners
https://www.fresnobee.com/betting/article281962353.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Transiting Los Angeles
We discuss the sudden closure of the 10 freeway in downtown and what it has meant for transportation in Los Angeles.
https://transitinglosangeles.com/2023/11/17/podcast-8-freeways-closed/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
El miedo a perder el trabajo es una de las principales razones por las que el acoso no es reportado, dijo el EEOC
https://www.fresnobee.com/vida-en-el-valle/noticias/article281966918.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials reported a lockdown is still in place at Canyon High School, which resulted Friday from an investigation into a report of swatting on the Canyon Country campus. Authorities first received an alert regarding an incident around noon regarding allegations of a threatening phone call that deputies investigated for about a […]
The post Swatting incident prompts lockdown at Canyon High appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/swatting-incident-prompts-lockdown-at-canyon-high/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Gary Marcus blog
Wow, just wow: “Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities” Marcus on AI is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman-appears-to-have-been-pushed
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, couldn’t bring in its aid convoy Friday because of the communications cut-off and won’t be able to as long it continues, said spokesperson Juliette Touma.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/un-stops-deliveries-of-food-and-supplies-to-gaza/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
In an ancient culture where phalluses symbolized protection, the wind chimes were designed to protect against the “evil or jealous eye.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/world/article281998348.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Authorities said the teen left the scene and later returned to hit one of the victims a second time.
date: 2023-11-17, from: CI View (CSCI Student Paper)
By Aileen Lawrence Graphic by Aileen Lawrence Navigating internships and undergraduate work experience can be a daunting and confusing process, with a plethora of information […]
date: 2023-11-17, from: CI View (CSCI Student Paper)
By Ryanne Slagiel Photo by Colyn Messecar CSU: Step Up or Strike Out! This is the chant that was on signs, shirts and fliers as […]
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The dog is “living a wonderful life” after getting a second chance.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281986488.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Heatmap News
Fights over school curricula have become issues du jour, and
today officials in Texas are voting on what kids in that state will read
about climate change in their school textbooks. The problem,
according
to the AP, is that the textbooks in their current form are
“too negative towards fossil fuels.”
Wayne Christian, a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas in the state (you thought it was going to be trains, didn’t you?), is pushing the Texas State Board of Education to “choose books that promote the importance of fossil fuels for energy promotion.” Board member Aaron Kinsey, a Republican and an oil executive himself, seems to like that idea, saying that the photos in textbooks right now are too negative towards oil and gas.
Democrats and educational groups, meanwhile, are trying to push the board in the other direction. The National Science Teaching Association sent a letter to the board urging them not to “allow misguided objections to evolution and climate change impede the adoption of science textbooks in Texas.” Republicans have a majority on the board, however, so the outcome of the vote is fairly easy to predict.
Texas is just the latest state to be embroiled in an argument over how to present climate change to schoolchildren. Back in August, the state of Florida approved the use of videos made by The Prager University Foundation (PragerU) — a conservative group backed by fracking billionaires that pushes out right-wing “educational content” and tried and failed to sue YouTube for restricting its videos — in state classrooms. Kids in that state can now be treated to a teacher playing videos that extol the benefits of coal and plastic, for example, or state that wind and solar power are simply not powerful enough for modern energy needs.
This is all part of a large conservative playbook to push back against “woke” ideas like critical race theory and climate change. In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin created a hotline for parents who detected critical race theory in their kids’ classrooms. An Indiana bill prohibits teachers from discussing “anti-American ideologies,” but doesn’t define what those ideologies are. The so-called “don’t say gay” law in Florida bans classes about sexual orientation or gender identity through third grade. And across the country, conservative activists are wielding book bans to excise content they deem unacceptable.
In an FAQ on its website, PragerU makes clear that it “is not an accredited university, nor do we claim to be.” New Hampshire and Oklahoma have both also approved PragerU content for use in their schools, as a result of intense lobbying by the company. Next in its sights? Texas.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/texas-schools-climate-change-fossil-fuels
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
More than 11,400 Palestinians have been killed, two-thirds of them women and minors, according to Palestinian health authorities. The U.N. humanitarian affairs office estimates that about 2,700 people, including 1,500 children, are missing and believed buried in the ruins.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/palestinians-dig-through-gaza-rubble-for-relatives-bodies/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The unique home comes with “far from the city” qualities with the city just around the corner.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281947868.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
A house that sold for $2.1 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Oakland in the past week.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
After the deadly violence at the California home, the girl’s aunt and sister are suing the sheriff’s office that hired the deputy.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281992958.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
The musician was a co-founder of the Grammy-winning group, which was originally called the Jazziacs.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/kool-the-gang-drummer-george-funky-brown-dies/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The 20-year-old Tennessee student was full of “moxie,” her family said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281995803.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs has announced the new L.A. County Rent Relief Program. Put forward by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, over $46 million in direct financial assistance will be provided to qualified landlords
https://scvnews.com/l-a-county-rent-relief-program-grants-46-3m-to-landlords/
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
The U.S. federal government has opened civil rights investigations into seven schools, universities and a school district over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
The list includes three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. It also includes one K-12 system, the Maize Unified School District in Kansas.
The Education Department announced the inquiries on Thursday, calling it part of President Joe Biden administration’s effort to take “aggressive action” against discrimination. Schools found to have violated civil rights law can face penalties up to a total loss of federal money, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements.
Schools have a legal duty to act “when students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a written statement.
Five of the investigations are in response to allegations of antisemitic harassment, while two are in response to allegations of anti-Muslim harassment, the department said. The agency did not disclose which schools faced which accusations. Details about individual complaints were not released.
Penn and Wellesley were accused of antisemitism in federal complaints filed last week by the Brandeis Center, a Jewish legal advocacy group.
In a November 9 letter to the Education Department, the center says Penn professors have made antisemitic statements in the classroom and on social media. It said many Jewish students are afraid to be on campus during pro-Palestinian rallies, and that the university has done little to support them.
Penn officials said they’re cooperating with the investigation.
University President Liz Magill “has made clear antisemitism is vile and pernicious and has no place at Penn,” the school said. “The university will continue to vigilantly combat antisemitism and all forms of hate.”
A separate letter from the Brandeis Center said Wellesley has failed to address antisemitism. It cites an email that some dorm advisers sent to residents saying “there should be no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism” at Wellesley. Advisers later apologized for the message.
Wellesley, a private women’s college, said the federal investigation is in response to the Brandeis complaint. A statement from Wellesley denied any wrongdoing, saying it “responded quickly and decisively” to the dorm incident.
Officials at Lafayette said it was unclear to them why their school was being investigated.
“The College maintains a firm stance against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate speech of any kind. The College is cooperating and will continue to cooperate fully with the DOE in their investigation,” the college said in a written statement.
Maize Unified, a district of about 8,000 students outside Wichita, said it did not receive a copy of the complaint. A statement said the district “takes allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to cooperating fully with any investigation.”
The schools are being investigated for possible discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, which violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The federal law requires schools to protect students from discrimination and respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment. Anyone can file a complaint alleging such discrimination.
All of the investigations were opened Wednesday or Thursday. An updated list of investigations will be released each week, the department said.
Emotions over the Israel-Hamas war have been running high on many campuses around the U.S. At Columbia, for one, tensions have been escalating amid dueling demonstrations by pro-Israel activists and by Palestinian students and their allies.
At Cornell, a student was arrested last month after posting threatening statements against Jewish people. Some Jewish students at Cooper Union say the school failed to protect them during an October pro-Palestine demonstration that left Jewish students sheltering in a campus library.
Palestinian and Muslim students have also reported increased harassment on campuses across the country. At Columbia, students protested this week after the school suspended two pro-Palestinian groups that have come under scrutiny on U.S. campuses.
“We at the Department of Education, like the nation, see the fear students and school communities experience as hate proliferates in schools,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary of civil rights for the department.
The investigations are the Biden administration’s latest steps to press colleges into action. Last week the Education Department sent universities a letter reminding them of their legal obligations under the Civil Rights Act. Cardona has recently met with leaders of Muslim, Arab and Jewish groups to discuss discrimination on campuses.
Along with complaints filed with the Education Department, some students have filed lawsuits alleging civil rights violations. Three Jewish students at New York University sued the school this week, saying it failed to address persistent antisemitism that has worsened since the October 7 attack in Israel by Hamas militants.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Ampere Computing and French cloud operator Scaleway are pushing Arm-based servers as a more cost-efficient way of operating AI-based services, especially when it comes to inferencing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/scaleway_ampere_arm_servers/
date: 2023-11-17, from: San Jose Mercury News
Oscar hopefuls, rom-coms, tear-jerkers and horror movies will all be competing for your attention in a packed holiday film season.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/17/holiday-movies-2023-heres-whats-coming-from-naughty-to-nice/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners: You may see deals all year, but it’ll pay to check these out
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281995458.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Critics argue that the street artist may have intended for the work to deteriorate over time
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
Born barely 20 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, Alan Shepard grew up to fly combat missions in World War II, test multiple new aircraft, become the first American in space, and ultimately hit the first golf shot on the Moon. Born on Nov. 18, 1923, Shepard lifted off in the Freedom 7 spacecraft […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/celebrating-astronaut-alan-shepards-100th-birthday/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s war on Hamas. Netanyahu says once Hamas is defeated, Israel has to make sure there is no resurgence of terrorism.
https://laist.com/news/netanyahu-says-gaza-needs-a-new-civilian-government-but-wont-say-who
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Buchanan girls post a perfect 15 to win CIF Central Section title, will head to state meet as two-time defending champion.
https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/high-school/article281979373.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch of NASA, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen view the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Nov. 16. The three astronauts, along with NASA’s Victor Glover, will launch atop the rocket […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/artemis-ii-astronauts-view-sls-core-stage-at-michoud/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
Israel will allow 140,000 liters of fuel into Gaza every two days for the United Nations’ use to distribute aid and for telecommunications provider Paltel to keep phone and internet service available.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
We might not be the only primates to display helpful behavior toward members of a different social group, a new study suggests
date: 2023-11-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The whereabouts of the work—and the individuals who conducted the “brazen” heist—remain a mystery
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The accused drunk driver veered off the road, striking the light pole that landed on top of the 17-year-old girl, police said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281995623.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on six people affiliated with the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kataeb Hezbollah, which is accused of being behind a spate of recent attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
Included in the sanctions are the militia’s foreign affairs chief, a member of its governing council, its military commander and a media spokesperson. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.
A spate of drone attacks hit U.S. bases in Iraq as recently as Friday, as regional tensions have flared up following the bloody war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Two U.S. defense officials confirmed three additional attacks on U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Syria on Friday, bringing the total number of attacks on U.S. and coalition military facilities in Iraq and Syria to at least 60.
The three bases attacked as of Friday by one-way drones were Al Harir air base in Irbil, with no casualties reported but an infrastructure damage assessment ongoing; Al Asad air base in Iraq with no injuries or infrastructure damage; and Tall Baydar, Syria, with minor injuries to one service member who was able to return to duty, one of the defense officials said.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened to attack U.S. facilities there because of American support for Israel.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Kataeb Hezbollah is supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. The State Department has previously designated it as a terrorist organization.
Brian E. Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the U.S. is “fully committed to security and stability in the Middle East and are steadfast in our efforts to disrupt these destabilizing activities.”
At least 11,470 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war in Gaza began, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people are reported missing.
About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial attack, and around 240 were taken captive by militants.
date: 2023-11-17, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/apple-configurator-2-17/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
No charges will be filed, California deputies said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article282000133.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/camo-studio-2-1/
date: 2023-11-17, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/audio-hijack-4-3-1/
date: 2023-11-17, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/1password-8-10-20/
date: 2023-11-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Due to the probability of rain forecasted, and in an abundance of caution for the athletes competing, the CIF‐Southern Section office, in consultation with meet management, has determined the Mt. San Antonio College Rain Course will be used for the CIF‐Southern Section‐Ford Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov.
https://scvnews.com/nov-18-cif%e2%80%90ss-cross-country-finals-changed-to-rain-course/
date: 2023-11-17, from: TidBITS blog
In an announcement that the tech press likely cares about more than everyday users, Apple said Messages will support the RCS messaging standard alongside SMS and MMS sometime next year.
https://tidbits.com/2023/11/17/apple-to-support-rcs-in-messages-next-year/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Did your favorite make the list?
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281988873.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
NASA has fired up its Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) aboard the agency’s Psyche spacecraft and received test data from nearly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/first_light_achieved_by_nasa/
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
Since launching 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has shown an ability to detect more than just surface minerals. More than a year after first detecting methane plumes from its perch aboard the International Space Station, data from NASA’s EMIT instrument is now being used to identify point-source emissions […]
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/emit/nasa-mission-excels-at-spotting-greenhouse-gas-emission-sources/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Jeff Geerling blog
A PCIe Coral TPU FINALLY works on Raspberry Pi 5
<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://coral.ai/products/">Coral.ai TPUs</a> are AI accelerators used for tasks like machine vision and audio processing. Raspberry Pis are often integrated into small robotics and IoT products—or used to analyze live video feeds with <a href="https://frigate.video">Frigate</a>.</p>Until today, nobody I know of has been able to get a PCI Express Coral TPU working on the Raspberry Pi. The Compute Module 4, unfortunately, had some quirks in its PCIe implementation, preventing the use of the Coral over PCIe.
The Raspberry Pi 5 has a much improved PCIe bus—capable of reaching Gen 3 speeds even!—and I’ve already tested the first PCIe NVMe HATs for Pi 5.
So can the Pi 5 handle the Coral TPU natively over PCIe?
Yes. Though currently, you need to tweak a few things to get it working.
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2023/pcie-coral-tpu-finally-works-on-raspberry-pi-5
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The Peanuts classic will be available Saturday, Nov. 18 and Sunday, Nov. 19.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281987348.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
The scope of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill problem is spreading, based on complaints received by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is now hearing concerns from as far as Lake Hughes Road to the north and Stevenson Ranch to the southeast. A new violation regarding chemicals on the site indicates the problem could […]
The post Castaic council discusses landfill seepage, spread of smell appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/castaic-council-discusses-landfill-seepage-spread-of-smell/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Frank Rock welcomed visitors to his artist’s reception of his exhibition titled, “Touchstones-Transitions-Tranquility,” at The Main on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 7 to 10 p.m. The collection of acrylic paintings replicated the many beaches of Southern California, as well as Mexico and South Africa, where Rock found inspiration in reflective light and open clouds. Rock, […]
The post Photos: Frank Rock’s “Touchstones-Transitions-Tranquility” appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/photos-frank-rocks-touchstones-transitions-tranquility/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“He was probably the best human being I’ve ever known, he was the glue of the family.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281995468.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
In the Arctic, the impact of climate change is happening at an accelerated pace, with temperatures rising two to four times faster than the global average.
“It’s called the polar amplification,” explains Vladimir Romanovsky, a geophysicist at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. “Snow and ice reflect lots of energy back to space when ice and snow are melting, and the surface turns much darker. So this amount of energy will be absorbed by the surface, and it will make the surface warmer – at the same time making the atmosphere warmer as well.”
Communities in circumpolar regions of Alaska are dealing with a triple challenge of climate change: coastal erosion, thawing of permafrost on which buildings and infrastructure stand, and, for some communities, the challenge of managing encounters with apex predators — polar bears pushed onshore.
“An optimal habitat for polar bears now is basically absent, it’s disappeared,” says Todd Atwood, a wildlife biologist with the United States Geological Survey. He has been studying polar bears for the past 12 years and says melting sea ice makes it harder for bears to hunt seals.
“That tends to be the trigger for bears to either stay with the sea ice as it retreats further over those deeper waters, or, for a growing proportion of the population to make the swim to shore.”
In addition to the high risk of succumbing to sea conditions on a long swim, bears trying to adapt to life on land face an additional risk as they search for new sources of food.
“They’re coming ashore in areas where people are active, whether it’s near communities where people are engaged in subsistence activities, or whether it’s in the oil and gas industrial footprint where people are working [outdoors] on a daily basis,” Atwood says. “And that raises the likelihood of human-bear interactions and conflict.”
In the Inupiat village of Kaktovik on Alaska’s North Slope, posters warn people to be on the lookout for polar bears.
Six hundred kilometers from the nearest big city, Kaktovik hosted visitors on polar bear tours before the COVID pandemic. Those restrictions are now lifted, but it’s contractors, not tourists, occupying the main hotel as they work to complete repairs to the local school and maintain infrastructure before the harsh winter weather and darkness set in.
Lee Kyoutak picks up visitors from the landing strip where small planes carrying a few passengers and supplies land when the island’s frequently foggy weather allows it. He says not to worry about hearing shots or firecrackers. “There’s a polar bear patrol patrolling the village,” he said. “If you go out, just make sure you look around when you go out because there’s polar bears hanging around.”
Kaktovik is one of six communities in North Alaska where residents receive special training provided by the North Slope Borough and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to join Polar Bear Patrols that use non-lethal deterrents to haze bears who sneak into areas where people live or work.
In traditional indigenous communities such as Nuiqsut, Utqiagvik (Barrow), and Kaktovik where there is seasonal whale hunting, polar bears attracted to bowhead whale bones discarded outside the village keep those patrols especially busy. Some encounters between bears and humans can be lethal — for either side.
Inupiat wildlife guide Robert Thompson says he rarely walks around the village unarmed, especially at night.
“I had to shoot two bears that came after me,” he said. “I don’t want to do it, but when bears come after you, you got to defend yourself. One was four to five feet from my doorway, and another one tried to jump into the house though my bedroom window.”
Thompson came to Kaktovik more than 50 years ago. Back then, he says “ice was visible all summer. Pack ice, meaning ice that doesn’t melt. And so, recently, we had 700 miles of open water toward the North Pole. So that’s affecting the polar bears. With the ice around us melting, they are trying to swim ashore. The cubs don’t make it.”
Scientists have recorded polar bears swimming as far as 350 kilometers over several days. Even strong swimmers may not survive the challenge.
Research led by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that in the first decade of the 21st century, the number of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea dropped 40%.
“One of the things that we’re pretty confident of as a polar bear research community is that without sea ice, you’re not going to have polar bears,” Atwood said. “They represent a kind of the canary in the cryosphere in the sense that they are the animal that is probably most associated with the threat of climate change to wildlife persistence.”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the polar bear as a vulnerable species most threatened by the loss of sea ice. With an estimated 26,000 bears remaining worldwide, the group says all but a few of those bears could be lost by the end of the century without action on climate change.
https://www.voanews.com/a/melting-arctic-sea-ice-threatens-polar-bears-/7359715.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The creatures have “needle-like” scales on their abdomens, researchers said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/world/article281991868.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Liliputing
Black Friday is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving, when US retailers put a whole bunch of items on sale for deep discounts to kick of the holiday shopping season. This year that would be November 24, 2023. But these days Black Friday is really more of a state of mind… some stores have been running […]
The post Black Friday 2023 Mobile Tech Deals (Mini PCs, Laptops, Tablets, and more) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/black-friday-2023-mobile-tech-deals-mini-pcs-laptops-tablets-and-more/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Cory Doctorow’s blog
Today’s links Red-teaming the SCOTUS code of conduct: Let’s take a look at what it actually prohibits. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2003, 2013, 2018, 2022 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading Red-teaming the SCOTUS code of conduct (permalink) Last April, Propublica’s Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski dropped a bombshell: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had been showered in high-ticket “gifts” by billionaire ideologue Harlan Crow, who subsequently benefited from Thomas’s rulings in the court: https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow This was just the beginning: in the coming days and weeks, more and more of Thomas’s corruption came to light, everything from the fact that his mother’s home had been bought by Crow, to the fact that Thomas’s adoptive son went to a fancy private school on Crow’s dime: https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus The news was explosive and not merely because of the corruption it revealed in the country’s highest court. The credibility of the court itself was at its lowest ebb in living memory, thanks to the two judges who occupied stolen seats – Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett. One of those judges – Kavanaugh – is a credibly accused rapist. Thomas is also a credibly accused sexual abuser: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/10/01/30-years-after-her-testimony-anita-hill-still-wants-something-from-joe-biden-514884 Then, this illegitimate court went on to deliver a string of upsets to long-settled law, culminating in the Dobbs decision, which triggered state laws that force small children to bear their rapists’ babies: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/health/abortion-bans-rape-incest.html That was the context for the Thomas bribery scandal, which was swiftly joined by another bribery scandal, involving Samuel Alito’s improper acceptance of valuable gifts from Paul Singer, another billionaire who brought business before the court: https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court This string of scandals and outrages naturally prompted public curiosity about the Supreme Court’s ethical standards, and that triggered fresh waves of incredulous outrage when we all found out that the Supreme Court doesn’t have any: https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/why-doesnt-the-supreme-court-have-a-formal-code-of-ethics/ When Congress made tentative noises about providing minor checks and balances on the court, the justices erupted in outrage, telling Congress to go fuck itself: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/supreme-court-ethics-durbin/cf67ef8450ea024d/full.pdf Chief Justice Roberts went on whatever the opposite of a charm-offensive is called (an “offense offensive?”), a media tour whose key message to the American people was “STFU, you’re hurting our feelings”: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/roberts-defends-high-court-against-attacks-on-its-legitimacy To the shock of no one except billionaires and Supreme Court justices inhabiting the splendid isolation from societal norms that is the privilege of life tenure, America didn’t like this. The Supreme Court’s credibility plummeted. A large supermajority of Americans – 79%! – now support age limits for Supreme Court justices: https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want Support for packing the Supreme Court is at an historic high and gaining ground, now sitting neck-and-neck with opposition at 46% in favor/51% opposed. Among under-30s, there’s a healthy majority (58%) in favor of appointing more SCOTUS justices. As Roberts’ wounded bleats reveal, SCOTUS is very sensitive to its plummeting legitimacy. After all, the court doesn’t have an army, nor does it have a police force. Supreme Court rulings only matter to the extent that the American people accept them as legitimate and obey them. Transformational presidents like Lincoln and FDR have waged successful wars against the Supreme Court, sidelining its authority and turning it into an unimportant rump institution for years afterward: https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/26/mint-the-coin-etc-etc/#blitz-em Now the Supremes are working their way through the (mythological but convenient) five stages of grief. Having passed through Denial and Anger, they’ve arrived at Bargaining, with the publication of the court’s first “code” “of” “conduct”: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf It’s…not good. As Max Moran writes for The American Prospect and The Revolving Door Project, the proposed code amounts to “security theater,” a set of trivially bypassed strictures that would not have prevented any of the scandals to date and will permit far worse in the years to come: https://prospect.org/justice/2023-11-17-supreme-court-objectivity-theater/ The security framing is a very useful tool for evaluating the Supremes’ proposal. The purpose of a code of conduct isn’t merely to prevent people from accidentally misstepping – it’s to prevent malicious parties from corrupting the judicial process. To evaluate the code, we should red team it: imagine what harms a corrupt judge or a corrupting billionaire would be able to effect while staying within the bounds the code sets. Seen in that light, the code is wildly defective and absolutely not fit for purpose. Its most glaring defect is found in the nature of its edicts – they are almost all optional. The word “should” appears 53 times in the document, while “must” appears just six times: https://ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accountability/supreme-court-code-of-conduct-hilariously-fake/ Of those six “musts,” two are not pertinent to ethical questions (they pertain to the requirement for a justice to get prior approval before getting paid for teaching gigs). When the code of conduct was rolled out, the court and its apologists pointed out that it was modeled on the ethical guidelines that bind lower courts. In the wake of the Thomas revelations, these guidelines were a useful benchmark to measure Thomas’s conduct against. The fact that other federal judges would have been severely sanctioned or even fired if they had engaged in the same conduct as Thomas was a powerful argument that Thomas had overstepped the bounds of ethical conduct. But as Bloomberg Law discovered when they compared the lower courts’ codes to the Supremes’ draft, the Supremes have gone through those lower court codes and systematically cut nearly every mention of “enforce” from their own draft. They also cut the requirement to “take appropriate action” if a violation is reported. If you are a bad judge or a bad donor, all of this is good news. Nearly everything that it condemns is merely optional, which means that if a judge can be convinced to ignore a rule, they won’t have violated the code. What’s more, even widespread rulebreaking doesn’t trigger an investigation. That’s a very weak security measure indeed. But it gets worse. The Supremes’ code also omit key definitions found in the codes that bind the lower courts. The most important definition to be cut is for “political organization,” which the lower courts define expansively as both parties and “entit[ies] whose principal purpose is to advocate for or against political candidates or parties.” That definition captures “nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups” – the whole panoply of organizations whom federal judges must maintain an arm’s length distance from in order to preserve their objectivity. Federal judges may not lead, speak at or donate to these organizations. By omitting this definition, the Supremes open the door to involvement with precisely the kinds of PACs, thinktanks and other influence organizations funded by the billionaires who have benefited so handsomely from the judges’ rulings. What’s more, the Supremes carve out an explicit exemption for speaking to “nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups,” and to serving as a director, trustee or officer of “a nonprofit organization devoted to the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice and may assist such an organization in the management and investment of funds.” As Moran points out, this exemption would cover – among other institutions – the far-right Federalist Society, which satisfies all those criteria. That means a Supreme Court justice could sit on the board and raise funds for the FedSoc without raising any issues with this code – not even one of those squishy “shoulds.” Nothing in this code would stop Clarence Thomas or Thomas Alito from accepting lavish gifts, private jet rides, or luxury tour buses from billionaires with business before the court: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/justice-thomas-267000-loan-rv-forgiven-senate-democrats-104303972 As Moran writes, these definitional vacuums are a well-understood class of weaknesses in ethics codes. Congress gets a lot of mileage out of this ruse – for example, by narrowly defining “lobbying” to exclude things that most people understand that term to mean, Congress engage in improperly close relations with lobbyists while still maintaining that they hardly ever talk to a lobbyist at all: https://www.politico.eu/article/jeff-hauser-opinion-watergate-european-union-qatargate/ The same ruse goes for campaign contributions – if you want to accept a lot of campaign contributions that would fall afoul of ethics rules, just narrow the definition of “campaign contribution” until all the money you’re receiving no longer qualifies. Moran closes by calling on Congress to formulate a real, meaningful code of conduct for the Supremes, one that orders Supreme Court judges not to accept corrupting gifts and to maintain the arm’s length neutrality that the rest of the federal judiciary is required to keep. Rather than this new code of conduct constituting proof that SCOTUS can be its own oversight, its gross deficiencies should put to rest any question about whether the Supremes can be trusted to regulate themselves. (Image: Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0, modified) Hey look at this (permalink) Silicon Valley’s worldview is not just an ideology; it’s a personality disorder https://crookedtimber.org/2023/11/15/silicon-valleys-worldview-is-not-just-an-ideology-its-a-personality-disorder/ Goodbye Dormzilla, Hello Student Housing https://www.independent.com/2023/11/09/goodbye-dormzilla-hello-student-housing/ (h/t Today in Tabs) The Government Is Now the Hottest Tech Employer in Town https://www.wired.com/story/tech-jobs-government-layoffs/ This day in history (permalink) #20yrsago Send back your MP3s https://web.archive.org/web/20031015045308/https://sendthemback.org/ #10yrsago UK Home Office suffers setback: can’t destroy family by deporting American head-teacher as his British wife begins cancer treatment https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/17/home-office-drops-us-teacher-deportation-threat #10yrsago Rob Ford gives staff $5,000 taxpayer dollars each to stay on https://torontosun.com/2013/11/16/mayor-rob-fords-week-one-for-the-books #5yrsago Exec who oversaw Google’s failed babykiller projects and cozied up to Saudis quits after employee uprising https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/technology/diane-greene-google-cloud.html #5yrsago America’s big box stores sucked up corporate welfare and killed Main Street — now they’re ducking property tax https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-14/to-cut-taxes-big-box-stores-use-dark-store-theory #5yrsago Google donated $5k to GOP Senator who “joked” about attending a lynching with her Black opponent https://thegrio.com/2018/11/14/google-donates-5000-to-cindy-hyde-smith-after-lynching-comments/ #5yrsago Sole and Despotic Dominion: my story about the future of private property for Reason https://reason.com/2018/11/17/sole-and-despotic-dominion/ #5yrsago Thousands of sleep apnea sufferers rely on a lone Australian CPAP hacker to stay healthy https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwjd4w/im-possibly-alive-because-it-exists-why-sleep-apnea-patients-rely-on-a-cpap-machine-hacker #5yrsago Our homes are designed for stuff, making them unsuitable for people https://archive.curbed.com/2018/11/14/18093134/home-movie-theaters-game-rooms-mcmansion-hell-wagner #5yrsago Terror as disappearances follow Chinese student communists’ solidarity with striking workers https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/13/asia/china-student-marxist-missing-intl/index.html?no-st=1542369901 #5yrsago The Lie Behind the Lie Detector: how to beat the pseudoscientific polygraph https://antipolygraph.org/pubs.shtml #5yrsago A leaky database of SMS messages is a reminder that SMS is really, really insecure https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/15/millions-sms-text-messages-leaked-two-factor-codes/ #5yrsago For $20, you can make a DIY Stingray in minutes, using parts from Amazon https://www.vice.com/en/article/gy7qm9/how-i-made-imsi-catcher-cheap-amazon-github #5yrsago EU antitrust enforcers investigate Amazon’s predatory private-label products https://web.archive.org/web/20190827094930/https://thecapitolforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Amazon-2018.11.05.pdf #5yrsago UN poverty envoy calls UK poverty a “political choice” that inflicted “great misery” https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/16/uk-austerity-has-inflicted-great-misery-on-citizens-un-says #5yrsago Bernie Sanders introduces the Stop Walmart Act: no stock buybacks without a $15 minimum wage https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/15/business/bernie-sanders-walmart-minimum-wage/index.html #1yrago Private equity health-care monopolies are on a profitable killing spree https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/17/the-doctor-will-fleece-you-now/#pe-in-full-effect Colophon (permalink) Today’s top sources: Currently writing: A Little Brother short story about DIY insulin PLANNING Picks and Shovels, a Martin Hench noir thriller about the heroic era of the PC. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS JAN 2025 The Bezzle, a Martin Hench noir thriller novel about the prison-tech industry. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS FEB 2024 Vigilant, Little Brother short story about remote invigilation. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Spill, a Little Brother short story about pipeline protests. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Latest podcast: Moral Hazard (from Communications Breakdown) https://craphound.com/stories/2023/11/12/moral-hazard-from-communications-breakdown/ Upcoming appearances: Gibson’s Bookstore, Nov 18 (Concord, NH) https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/event/doctorow-lost-cause Lost Cause at Simsbury Public Library, Nov 20 (Simsbury, CT) https://simsbury.librarycalendar.com/event/author-visit-cory-doctorow-29257 Generation of Lost Causes, Nov 22 (Toronto) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/705457551527?aff=oddtdtcreator Who Is Watching Big Tech? Nov 27 (Toronto)` https://web.archive.org/web/20230907160103/https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT496408&R=EVT496408 The Lost Cause at The Strand (NYC), Nov 29 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cory-doctorow-the-lost-cause-tickets-734958008187 The Lost Cause at Flyleaf Books (Chapel Hill), Dec 7 https://www.flyleafbooks.com/doctorow-2023 Recent appearances: Science fiction for a dystopian present (Institute of Art and Ideas) https://iai.tv/video/science-fiction-for-a-dystopian-present-cory-doctorow?_auid=2020 Pushing back on unconstrained capitalism (Changelog) https://changelog.com/podcast/565 Plutopia https://plutopia.io/cory-doctorow-the-internet-con/ Latest books: “The Lost Cause:” a solarpunk novel of hope in the climate emergency, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), November 2023 (http://lost-cause.org). Signed, personalized copies at Dark Delicacies (https://www.darkdel.com/store/p3007/Pre-Order_Signed_Copies%3A_The_Lost_Cause_HB.html#/) “The Internet Con”: A nonfiction book about interoperability and Big Tech (Verso) September 2023 (http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org). Signed copies at Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/book/9781804291245). “Red Team Blues”: “A grabby, compulsive thriller that will leave you knowing more about how the world works than you did before.” Tor Books http://redteamblues.com. Signed copies at Dark Delicacies (US): and Forbidden Planet (UK): https://forbiddenplanet.com/385004-red-team-blues-signed-edition-hardcover/. “Chokepoint Capitalism: How to Beat Big Tech, Tame Big Content, and Get Artists Paid, with Rebecca Giblin”, on how to unrig the markets for creative labor, Beacon Press/Scribe 2022 https://chokepointcapitalism.com “Attack Surface”: The third Little Brother novel, a standalone technothriller for adults. The Washington Post called it “a political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance.” Order signed, personalized copies from Dark Delicacies https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Available_Now%3A_Attack_Surface.html “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism”: an anti-monopoly pamphlet analyzing the true harms of surveillance capitalism and proposing a solution. https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59?sk=f6cd10e54e20a07d4c6d0f3ac011af6b) (signed copies: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2024/Available_Now%3A__How_to_Destroy_Surveillance_Capitalism.html) “Little Brother/Homeland”: A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583; personalized/signed copies here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1750/July%3A_Little_Brother%26_Homeland.html “Poesy the Monster Slayer” a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627. Get a personalized, signed copy here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2682/Corey_Doctorow%3A_Poesy_the_Monster_Slayer_HB.html#/. Upcoming books: The Bezzle: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about prison-tech and other grifts, Tor Books, February 2024 Picks and Shovels: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about the heroic era of the PC, Tor Books, February 2025 Unauthorized Bread: a graphic novel adapted from my novella about refugees, toasters and DRM, FirstSecond, 2025 This work – excluding any serialized fiction – is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. That means you can use it any way you like, including commercially, provided that you attribute it to me, Cory Doctorow, and include a link to pluralistic.net. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Quotations and images are not included in this license; they are included either under a limitation or exception to copyright, or on the basis of a separate license. Please exercise caution. How to get Pluralistic: Blog (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): Pluralistic.net Newsletter (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://pluralistic.net/plura-list Mastodon (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic Medium (no ads, paywalled): https://doctorow.medium.com/ Twitter (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://twitter.com/doctorow Tumblr (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/tagged/pluralistic “When life gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla” -Joey “Accordion Guy” DeVilla
https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/17/red-team-black-robes/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners: Here’s our roundup of the television deals galore available for Black Friday
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281994443.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Heatmap News
If you were to walk down the street in the Icelandic town of Grindavik right now — which, to be clear, you shouldn’t — you would find a scene out of the apocalypse. Cracks in the road emitting ominous steam. A low rumbling beneath your feet. Deserted homes and buildings all around and nary a human in sight.
What you would be experiencing, as any Icelander could tell you, is the prelude to a volcanic eruption.
Iceland sits across two tectonic plates — the place where they meet is a tourist attraction — and many of the country’s 32 active volcano systems are simply waiting for the right moment to erupt. Since late October, researchers have been tracking increased seismic activity accompanied by a miles-long ribbon of magma flowing under the Reykjanes Peninsula just southwest of Reykjavik, the country’s capital.
The earthquakes ticked up in both frequency and intensity last Friday, prompting officials to evacuate the 4,000 residents of Grindavik, a fishing town sitting right above that magma river. The Blue Lagoon, a famous spa that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, closed as a precaution. Officials are working to fortify a power plant that supplies power and hot water to 30,000 people. People around the country are now anxiously waiting for what experts told CBS could be a “Hawaiian-style, lava-producing volcanic eruption.”
Volcanoes can be incredible forces of disruption and have sudden, surprising climate impacts. When Eyjafjallajokull, one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland, erupted in 2010, it created an ash cloud that shut down air travel across Europe — which, incidentally, led to an estimated 2.8 million metric tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions. A recent study showed that the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in the South Pacific last January sent so much aerosolized water into the stratosphere it depleted the ozone layer. Something similar happened when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and initiated a period of global cooling due to the vast amounts of sulfur dioxide it released, blocking energy from the sun.
Whatever is about to happen in Iceland, experts say, is unlikely to be nearly as intense as these previous eruptions; there’s still a chance there might not be an eruption at all, leaving Icelanders in a state of suspended dread.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/iceland-volcano-eruption-grindavik-blue-lagoon
date: 2023-11-17, from: Heatmap News
The beleaguered offshore wind industry got a small boost from the Biden
administration on Friday in the form of a proposal that would expand the
definition of what qualifies for a 30% clean energy investment tax
credit.
Offshore wind farms have many different components beyond just the turbines, and developers have been seeking clarity on where the dividing line was between the equipment that would qualify for the tax credit, and any interdependent infrastructure like transformers and transmission lines. Under the new rules, developers would be able to include the cost of subsea cables that bring the power to shore, as well as onshore substations — not just the towers and blades or the platforms they sit on.
The proposal is part of the Treasury’s ongoing role in overseeing a range of expanded tax credits for clean energy that were in the Inflation Reduction Act. It provides similar clarity for a new tax credit for standalone, utility-scale energy storage projects, which can store power from wind and solar farms and dispatch it when needed.
“Given the new and expanded incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act, clarity around the underlying rules for long-standing investment credits is critical as projects move from the announcement, to groundbreaking, and eventual ribbon-cutting stage,” said Wally Adeyomo, deputy secretary of the Treasury, during a call with reporters on Thursday.
John Podesta, senior advisor to Biden for clean energy innovation and implementation, who was also on the call, said that developers were hearing from their lenders that they were waiting to see the final tax credit guidance, particularly in regard to underwater cabling. Offshore wind projects have been plagued by rising costs due to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and rising interest rates. Many have asked the future buyers of their power to approve higher rates, and two projects in New Jersey were recently canceled altogether.
In July, a utility in Rhode Island decided not to move forward on a contract to buy power from a proposed offshore wind farm called Revolution II, a joint venture between Orsted and Eversource, putting the project in limbo. In a press release, the utility pointed to “uncertainty of federal tax credits” as one of the factors that likely contributed to the higher-than-expected proposed contract.
Adeyomo said the clarity provided by the tax credit rules will “allow these offshore wind companies to price their offerings going forward with the certainty to know what types of incentives they will receive from the government.”
“We appreciate the clarification from the Treasury Department that recognizes the integral nature of all components of an offshore wind project,” a spokesperson for Orsted told me.
Considering the broader economic headwinds these projects face, this expansion of the tax credit eligibility is unlikely to be enough to put the ailing industry on solid ground. Offshore wind developers are also still waiting for clarity on another Inflation Reduction Act program that could prove essential — the energy community bonus credit. The subsidy gives projects an additional 10% tax credit if they build in communities that have been host to fossil fuel plants or extractive activities. It will apply to the location of onshore substations, but developers want to see it also apply to port infrastructure.
Clean energy trade groups welcomed the proposal on Friday.
“Thanks to the IRA, clean energy businesses now have access to a stable tax platform like the one enjoyed by the fossil fuel sector for more than a century,” said Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy in a statement. “But to fully take advantage of these benefits, they need to understand how the provisions work. The tax guidance released today provides important clarity to developers and investors looking to further America’s energy transition.”
https://heatmap.news/sparks/offshore-wind-investment-tax-credit-biden
date: 2023-11-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Placerita Canyon Nature Center and Natural Area invites the public to “walk on the wild side” with the latest presentaton of its comunity nature series on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m
https://scvnews.com/nov-19-placerita-nature-center-presents-chaparral/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Researchers found the vibrant animal on the walls of a private property, a study said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/world/article281992308.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
A potent “off-season” Ojai Music Festival show is the highlight of a busy musical week.
The post ON the Beat | Autumnal Notes from All Over the 805 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/17/on-the-beat-autumnal-notes-from-all-over-the-805/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“I do not recall seeing levels of concern like we are seeing today,” one expert said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281992783.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Computers could determine the matchup for the Dec. 2 title game.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
In response to growing frustrations inside the LockBit organization, its leaders have overhauled the way they negotiate with ransomware victims going forward.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/lockbit_cracks_whip_on_affiliates/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He used the Missouri company’s credit card for more than $180,000 in personal purchases, authorities said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281991478.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Stepping into the realm of English football, the Premier League unfolds as an arena where the intertwining of talent and fervor orchestrates breathtaking moments of sheer brilliance. As the 2023 season gradually unfurls its chapters, we find ourselves spectators to the emergence of some truly exceptional talents who have stormed the citadels of top-flight clubs. […]
The post <strong>England’s Premier Talents of 2023: The Phenomenal 20</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/englands-premier-talents-of-2023-the-phenomenal-20/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Kohl’s in Valencia fell victim to a burglary early Friday morning, losing approximately $130,000 in merchandise, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials. According to Deputy Adolso Gonzalez, a spokesman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station, at 5:53 a.m. on Friday the SCV Sheriff’s Station received a call reporting glass broken at the Kohl’s located […]
The post <strong>Kohl’s falls victim to smash-and-grab, $130,000 in the hole</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/kohls-falls-victim-to-smash-and-grab-130000-in-the-hole/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
If we are interested in maintaining unity within our greater community, we should be passing a resolution to be in favor of a cessation of all hostilities on both sides.
The post Cease-fire Now appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/17/cease-fire-now/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The popular tourist destination is listed alongside spots in Costa Rica, Iceland and Belize.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281990663.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Walking down a bustling street in California, you’re surrounded by the buzz of creativity and the spirit of innovation. This is where ideas come to life, where startups thrive and grow. However, not all startup ecosystems in California are created equal. There’s a unique tale unfolding in both Northern and Southern California, each with its […]
The post Startup Ecosystems: Comparing Northern and Southern California appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/startup-ecosystems-comparing-northern-and-southern-california/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
In the heartland of the United States, sports are not just games; they are cultural phenomena, embodying a spirit of competition, community, and national pride. This diverse nation boasts a myriad of sports that have captured the collective imagination of millions just as casino not on GamStop have managed to do the same for gamblers […]
The post Ranking The Most Popular Sports In The United States appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/ranking-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-united-states/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He lived under the assumed name Wellman Simmonds, officials say.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281985953.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
Goddard researcher Dr. Antonia Gambacorta the 2023 IRAD Innovator of the Year for her work developing hyperspectral microwave technology to dissect Earth’s atmosphere from orbit.
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/gambacorta-irad-innovation-leader/
date: 2023-11-17, from: 404 Media Group
This week, we discuss the bin Laden TikTok controversy, how brand safety shapes the internet, and Instagram’s enforcement of its own rules (or lack thereof).
https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-tiktok-bin-laden-caryn-ai/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“This one has been very unusual since the very beginning,” police said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281991463.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Jeff Geerling blog
How to customize the dtb (device tree overlay) on the Raspberry Pi
<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Every so often, when you're debugging weird hardware issues on SBCs like the Raspberry Pi, it's useful to get way down into the guts of how the Pi represents its hardware to Linux.</p>
And the Linux kernel uses a method called
Device
Tree overlays to do it. On the Pi 5 (and other Pis), these overlays
are stored as .dtb files inside the
/boot/firmware directory, and there’s an overlay for every
major Raspberry Pi hardware model.
I’ve had to modify the dtb files in the past to
increase
the PCIe BAR space for early GPU testing on the Compute Module 4.
And recently I’ve had to
mess
with how the PCIe address space is set up for testing certain
devices on the Raspberry Pi 5.
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2023/how-customize-dtb-device-tree-overlay-on-raspberry-pi
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Yellow paint was laid down on Tuesday to set the stage for the new configuration between Victoria and Anapamu streets.
The post Bikes Lanes Back on State Street; Cars Allowed for One-Way Drop-Off at Granada appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
These are the qualifications student loan borrowers need to meet for the claim.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/personal-finance/article281971108.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Bunnies, guinea pigs and kitty need a home!
The post CJ Ward & Beth Farnsworth, Buttercup & Smores and Figuero appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/17/cj-ward-beth-farnsworth-buttercup-smores-and-figuero/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
As a patriotic American, I have one question for President Biden and his administration. Whose side are you on?
The post An Outrage appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/17/an-outrage/
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported the launch of two suborbital sounding rockets on Nov. 15, 2023, for Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP), and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), in coordination with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Multi-Service Advanced Capability […]
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Amazon is boasting a 100 percent success rate for its Protoflight mission, having demonstrated that a pair of prototype Project Kuiper satellites are capable of streaming video, conducting two-way video calls, and buying stuff on Amazon.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/amazon_project_kuiper_success/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners: Black Friday is almost here, so get ready now with our curated list of great deals
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281814423.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
One person said it looked like the “ocean in the sky.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281968668.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The Michigan winner said he chose his numbers based on his own research.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281988508.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: 404 Media Group
The best-selling country music artist of all time released a new album called Time Traveler last week. It is possible to count by hand how many people have posted on the internet about it.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Digital Antiquarian
The videogame industry has always run on hype, but the amount of it that surrounded Final Fantasy VII in 1997 was unparalleled in its time. This new game for the Sony PlayStation console was simply inescapable. The American marketing teams of Sony and Square Corporation, the game’s Japanese developer and publisher, had been given $30 […]
https://www.filfre.net/2023/11/putting-the-j-in-the-rpg-part-1-dorakue/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: Bruce Schneier blog
A ransomware gang, annoyed at not being paid, filed an SEC complaint against its victim for not disclosing its security breach within the required four days.
This is over the top, but is just another example of the extreme pressure ransomware gangs put on companies after seizing their data. Gangs are now going through the data, looking for particularly important or embarrassing pieces of data to threaten executives with exposing. I have heard stories of executives’ families being threatened, of consensual porn being identified (people regularly mix work and personal email) and exposed, and of victims’ customers and partners being directly contacted. Ransoms are in the millions, and gangs do their best to ensure that the pressure to pay is intense…
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/11/ransomware-gang-files-sec-complaint.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He forced inmates who worked in the kitchen into sex, prosecutors said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article281969573.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Liliputing
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 series processors are designed for upper mid-range smartphones, delivering a more cost-efficient alternative to the company’s flagship Snapdragon 8 series chips. But the latest Snapdragon 7 chip should bring significant performance gains over last year’s version. The new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor is expected to deliver up to a 15% boost in […]
The post Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 promises big boosts in graphics and AI performance appeared first on Liliputing.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Disparities from Covid-19 and opioid overdose deaths are major contributors to the widening gap, according to a new study
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-11-17, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
I think a basic hookup to a chatbot is going to become part of the textcasting spec pretty quickly. So far the best one I’ve seen is Guy Kawasaki’s. I want to be able to ask for a list of things I’ve written on a given topic, and to be able to ask the questions in the same straightforward way I ask ChatGPT.
http://scripting.com/2023/11/17.html#a162117
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet Friday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference in San Francisco.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the two leaders will discuss “ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship and address issues of shared concern.”
The statement said they would also discuss “how to work together as partners” to manage migration at our shared border and mobilize a hemispheric-wide response to this challenge.”
During last month’s U.S. Mexico High Level Security Dialogue, U.S. and Mexican officials focused heavily on the issue of fentanyl trafficking between the two nations and that is expected to be on the agenda for Friday’s meeting as well.
The two leaders will certainly discuss trade, as this year Mexico became the top U.S. trading partner, last year exchanging more than $860 billion in goods and services, an all-time high.
The Associated Press reports López Obrador said he would also use Friday’s meeting to take up the case for Cuba and would urge Biden to resume a dialogue with the island nation and end U.S. sanctions.
Biden met with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday and used Thursday to highlight strong economic ties between the U.S. and the other Pacific nations. The president will have one final large gathering of leaders Friday where he will formally transfer the APEC chair to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-to-meet-with-mexico-s-lopez-obrador/7359429.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
San Marcos had no answer for Hart’s Morgan Mack, who finished with 21 points.
The post San Marcos Girls’ Basketball Learns Tough Lessons in 61-50 Loss to Hart appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
@Tomosino’s Mastodon feed (date: 2023-11-17, from: Tomosino’s Mastodon feed)
How will our Solarpunk future be shaped by the tenacity and activism of the disabled community? What role does inclusivity and accessibility play in creating that future vision? What new challenges await us all?
Special thanks to Martyna Lysiakiewicz for a sensitivity read on this episode.
https://podcast.tomasino.org/@SolarpunkPrompts/episodes/the-disabled-community
#disability #solarpunk #writing #future #hope #activism
https://tilde.zone/@tomasino/111426730425704309
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
IBM has paused advertising on X after reports emerged that its ads had been served alongside antisemitic content on the platform.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/ibm_pauses_advertising_on_x/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners: There are so many choices to help you find something special for a family member or loved one who loves to travel
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281964733.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The popular dessert won’t stick around.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281984458.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, or APEC, concluded this week with a major focus on the meeting between President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping. We’ll dig into how the meeting received by Chinese news outlets and hear how Japan tried to manage its fraught relationship with China. Then, we’ll take a look at holiday shopping and tribal leader policy priorities.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/a-view-of-apec-from-overseas
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He is one of eight officers accused of sexually abusing inmates at the all-female California prison, feds say.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281960883.html
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-11-17, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Polls are not news.
http://scripting.com/2023/11/17.html#a151025
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
A little more than a year ago, a NASA flight test article came screaming back from space at more than 18,000 mph, reaching temperatures of nearly 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit before gently splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. At that moment, it became the largest blunt body — a type of reentry vehicle that creates a […]
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Channel-focused cybersecurity company SonicWall is buying Virginia-based MSSP Solutions Granted – its first acquisition in well over a decade.…
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The dog, who had lived in the shelter for months, “just can’t get a break.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281982478.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill late Thursday, a day before a potential government shutdown, pushing a fight with congressional Republicans over the federal budget into the new year, as wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel remains stalled.
The measure passed the House and Senate by wide bipartisan margins this week, ensuring the government remains open until after the holiday season, and potentially giving lawmakers more time to sort out their considerable differences over government spending levels for the current budget year. Biden signed the bill Thursday in San Francisco, where he was hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The spending package keeps government funding at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: January 19 for some federal agencies and February 2 for others, creating two dates when there will be a risk of a partial government shutdown.
The two-step approach was championed by new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and was not favored by many in the Senate, although all but one Democrat and 10 Republicans supported it because it ensured the government would not shut down for now.
Johnson has vowed that he will not support any further stopgap funding measures, known as continuing resolutions. He portrayed the temporary funding bill as setting the ground for a spending “fight” with the Senate next year.
The spending bill does not include the White House’s nearly $106 billion request for wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine. Nor does it provide humanitarian funding for Palestinians and other supplemental requests, including money for border security. Lawmakers are likely to turn their attention more fully to that request after the Thanksgiving holiday in hopes of negotiating a deal.
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
Leaders of the union representing Hollywood actors announced a tentative deal recently with film and television studios to end a strike that started in July. It includes pay raises, streaming bonuses for actors, and the industry’s first protections against the use of artificial intelligence. From Los Angeles, Genia Dulot has our story.
https://www.voanews.com/a/hollywood-actors-offered-protections-against-ai-in-labor-deal/7359209.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“His giant smile lights up every room he enters,” the Illinois animal shelter said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281983548.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Food assistance programs made up more than three-quarters of the 2018 Farm Bill spending.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article281945673.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281742248.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Despite Windows 10 users clamoring for Microsoft to change course on its avowed termination date for the operating system’s support, the IT giant has instead chosen to spread AI far and wide with Copilot – whether you wanted it or not.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/microsoft_to_bring_copilot_to/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The French government gave the museum 30 months to raise the funds to purchase the Cimabue painting
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
A man accused of being involved in the death of Jason Susuico will go to trial in January.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Sanctuary Inc. of Guam, as a nonprofit organization, will no longer be “a player out there,” according to Theresa Arriola, director of the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center and a former executive director at Sanctuary.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Roughly 500 Guam residents are still in need of Emergency Rental Assistance as a result of hardship experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and homeowners will soon be able to apply for continued aid under the Homeowners Assistance Fund.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
The number of apprentices enrolled in the Guam Registered Apprenticeship Program has grown in the last six fiscal years, from 229 registered apprentices in fiscal year 2018 to 433 in fiscal 2023, the administration announced in a press release.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Andersen Air Force Base, home to the Pacific Regional Training Center, continues to operate the Commando Warrior sustainment training through members of the 736th Security Forces Squadron Commando Warrior Flight, the Air Force announced in a press release. The sustainment…
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
A three-car collision Thursday evening in Mangilao was the result of a car encroaching into the oncoming lane, according to police.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Police are looking for a 64-year-old man to question in connection to offenses related to criminal sexual conduct.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Triple J Auto Group recently announced in a news release that its 5K and 10K Bubble Color Run is scheduled for Saturday, starting at the dealership’s main location in Upper Tumon in front of Kmart.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
A tropical disturbance in the region could possibly develop into a tropical depression by the time it passes near Guam on Saturday.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
The upcoming Beyond the Reef Volume 2 Music Festival will bring island vibes this weekend, with food trucks, food vendors and talented singers from Guam and across the Pacific.
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
It is beyond wearying trying to keep up with the shenanigans of the politicians and bureaucrats without number that plague the American landscape. I just spent several hours trying to figure out whether Washington is trying to mandate that a “Kill Switch” be implanted on all new car sales, starting in 2026. Or? Is it […]
The post John Boston | A New Federal Kill Switch for Cars & Liberals appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/john-boston-a-new-federal-kill-switch-for-cars-liberals/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
During 2023, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been experiencing a meltdown – an underground chemical reaction, and is under an abatement order from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. This is not the first time under this owner that Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been in violation of its conditional use permit and under an […]
The post Abigail DeSesa | Time to Protect the Citizens appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/abigail-desesa-time-to-protect-the-citizens/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Signal
Max Morgan (letters, Aug. 11) took umbrage with my inference that truth serum might be uncomfortable for MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump. Trump was fact-checked and made over 30,000 misstatements in his four years in office. CNN did a fact check on Joe Biden and it did find some falsehoods when Biden got off his […]
The post Thomas Oatway | Truth Serum for Thee, Not for Me appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/thomas-oatway-truth-serum-for-thee-not-for-me/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Their new restaurant is open on Van Ness Avenue in downtown Fresno.
https://www.fresnobee.com/living/food-drink/article281356043.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Opinion of The Fresno Bee: Some California congressional members propose to make it easier for low income college students to get federal food assistance.
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article281919468.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Behold: the world’s smallest Dance Dance Revolution arcade machine. Made by BigRig Creates and powered by Raspberry Pi 4.
The post World’s smallest Dance Dance Revolution arcade machine appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/worlds-smallest-dance-dance-revolution-arcade-machine/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Oklahoma police said they found a loaded pistol in the woman’s car.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281982223.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
On Thursday night, President Joe Biden signed a bill to temporarily avoid a government shutdown. But the stopgap measure basically pushed some more controversial items — including Biden’s request for more funding for Ukraine and Israel — down the road. What might some potential paths ahead be? And later, we examine how settlers abused financial guardianship in the Osage Nation.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Updated The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is looking to appeal against last month’s decision by a tribunal that decided it wasn’t legally authorized to fine Clearview AI over alleged privacy violations.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/ico_clearview_fine/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
Restored with care, Sunset Boulevard’s 120-year-old movie theater is now ready for its closeup.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
The new program launching Dec. 1 means families and other caregivers can ask a judge to offer a treatment plan, but there are staffing and other concerns.
https://laist.com/news/health/care-court-california-mental-health-mental-illness
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
The much-loved bird (at least for some) doesn’t have to be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving table. Here are some of the many places in L.A. to get the fall celebration dish of your choice.
https://laist.com/news/food/where-to-get-your-thanksgiving-feast-if-you-hate-turkey
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
Simple, healthy recipes for those (like me) who don’t know where to start
https://laist.com/news/food/want-a-healthy-thanksgiving-but-cant-cook-these-recipes-are-for-you
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
For hosts wanting to be inclusive, these places sell pies to suit a range of dietary restrictions
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
Worried about hosting your first Friendsgiving? Don’t be! Follow these tips to win over the crowd you’re hosting.
https://laist.com/news/food/hosting-a-friendsgiving-laists-guide-to-less-stress-and-more-fun
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The word “panties” tops my list. Ugh.
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article281970438.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
TV/radio listings, odds and injury reports with live updates as the Kings prepare to play the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/article281978393.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Under “exigent circumstances,” you are required to open the door to police.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281809818.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The creature uses its evolutionary ultra-black skin to hunt unsuspecting prey.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281956638.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
A good Samaritan found the disabled sailboat.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281980313.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The UK government has unveiled a proposal aimed at creating a “super-complaint” to allow concerns over free speech and online safety to be raised directly with Ofcom.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/supercomplaints_proposed/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Argentina will choose a leader on Sunday, so what economic factors will be on voters’ minds? Also, an executive of U.K.-based Stability AI quits over concerns about using copyrighted works without consent. And as shoplifting rises globally, the boss of a store chain in Wales talks about the impact thefts have on the business.
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
This image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope features the spiral galaxy NGC 941, which lies about 55 million light-years from Earth. Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) collected the data that created this image. Beautiful NGC 941 is undoubtedly the main attraction in this view; however, the hazy-looking galaxy was not the motivation for collecting the data. That […]
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-images-galaxy-with-an-explosive-past/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners: A new set of headphones can make somebody’s holiday, so snag a pair from our pre-Black Friday guide.
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281962478.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
In a week when former prime minister David Cameron unexpectedly returned to UK government, another figure from those sunny coalition years has returned to British politics.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/francis_maude_gds/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
In new interviews with the Star-Telegram, three reporters who covered Kennedy in Fort Worth and Dallas say the assassination will forever be “The Story” that changed their lives.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281869343.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Howard Jacobson blog
You know the story. Everybody knows the story. I do what it is inscribed in my nature to do, for which I am sent out friendless into the world. ‘So where am I supposed to go?’ I ask ‘Not my business,’ The Boss says. ‘Henceforth an exile and a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be. Go find a quiet bench and cool off on that for a few thousand years. And don’t look so glum. There are worse things.’
https://jacobsonh.substack.com/p/a-marked-man
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
If you’ve ever dreamed of a Windows free from Bing, Edge, and other built-in apps, Microsoft has decided to grant your wish – provided you’re a resident of the European Union.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/windows_bing_edge_eu_dma/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>In the chill of the Front Range, there was another heated battle during Wednesday’s Hawaii football practice.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Together, UH-Hilo’s men’s and women’s soccer teams collected a total of 12 nods in the Pacific West Conference awards — four going to the men and eight to the women.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/sports/vulcans-total-12-all-pacwest-selections/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>This week, two Waiakea High senior athletes signed letters of intent to join college sports teams — with golfer Noah Otani committing to UH-Hilo and soccer player Kiralyn Kuramoto signing with CSU Bakersfield.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/sports/waiakea-seniors-ink-scholarships/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Big Island Candies Hilo Bay Classic high school soccer tournament starts today and will run through Sunday.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/sports/hilo-bay-classic-starts-today/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — National Democrats this year have insisted the party is united and ready to rally around President Joe Biden heading into next year’s election. But a protest outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters signals growing tension within the coalition that has propelled Democrats to victory in recent elections.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>ARLINGTON, Texas — One of Rob Manfred’s first trips after his election as baseball commissioner nine years ago was to Oakland to consult with Athletics owner John Fisher on attempts to keep the team in the Bay Area. </p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani, who has captivated baseball with his unprecedented combination of high-level hitting and premium pitching, became the first two-time unanimous Most Valuable Player when he won the American League honor on Thursday. </p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>SAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden on Thursday made America’s case to national leaders and CEOs attending the Asia-Pacific summit that the United States is committed to high standards in trade and to partnerships that will benefit economies across the Pacific.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>It is a full-time job to call out every one of Donald Trump’s lies and efforts to divide this nation, but his “vermin” address on Saturday deserves special attention.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Regarding Israel’s
response to attacks</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/opinion/your-views/your-views-for-november-17-10/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Los Angeles is a city where the closure of a one-mile stretch of freeway triggers a state of emergency.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Internet and telephone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday for lack of fuel, the main Palestinian provider said, bringing a potentially long-term blackout of communications as Israel signaled its offensive against Hamas could next target the south, where most of the population has taken refuge.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>SHERWOOD, Ore. — Deep inside a forest in Oregon’s Willamette Valley stands a dead “Tree of Life.”</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Marcelino Bagaoisan Bacxa, 88, of Kailua-Kona died Oct. 27 at Pali Momi Medical Center. Born in the Philippines, he was a prep cook at the former Basil’s Restaurant and former Fisherman’s Landing, and member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Visitation 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Kailua-Kona. Funeral service at 10 a.m. Burial noon at Kona Memorial Park. Casual attire; no flowers. Survived by daughter, Inocencia Grace (Benymar) Sadumiano of Kailua-Kona; son, Walter (Thelma) Bacxa of Kailua-Kona; two granddaughters. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/obituaries/obituaries-for-november-17-8/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>SAN FRANCISCO — A jury on Thursday convicted the man who broke into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home last year of federal charges for seeking to hold her hostage and attacking her husband with a hammer.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>TAIPEI, Taiwan — Perhaps just shaking hands and sitting down together can be enough sometimes.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee in a scathing report Thursday said it has amassed “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos of New York that has been sent to the Justice Department, concluding flatly that he “cannot be trusted” after a monthslong investigation into his conduct.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Kamehameha Schools Hawaii filed a police report Thursday alleging a former employee stole more than $360,000 from the Keaau campus.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Dozens of surfers took to the waves Thursday morning at Honoli’i Beach Park in Hilo to take advantage of high surf.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Experts say new steps China has agreed to will eventually reduce the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S., but that alone will not stem the overdose crisis killing Americans at a record rate.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WAIMEA — The same day as four wildfires sparked on Maui, including the Lahaina fire, firefighters were also battling seven hurricane wind-driven fires on Hawaii Island.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Homeowners will be able to install solar power systems more easily under a new bill passed Wednesday by the Hawaii County Council.</p>
date: 2023-11-17, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Hilo-based Japanese Community Association of Hawaii is sponsoring its Japanese Culture Day, or Bunka No Hi, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. this Saturday at the Sangha Hall.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/17/hawaii-news/bunka-no-hi-set-for-saturday/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Where the Trojans and Bruins’ programs stand as they clash in their final Pac-12 meeting.
The post Victory Bell 2023: State of the crosstown rivals pre-Big Ten move appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/victory-bell-2023-state-of-the-crosstown-rivals-pre-big-ten-move/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans were without key players and fell to UC Irvine on Tuesday night.
The post Men’s basketball looks to shake off upset, takes on Brown appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/mens-basketball-looks-to-shake-off-upset-takes-on-brown/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
BYU shut the Trojans out 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The post Women’s soccer’s season cut short appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/womens-soccers-season-cut-short/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
USC’s offense is great, but not as great as past Trojan offenses.
The post How good is this USC football offense? appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/how-good-is-this-usc-football-offense/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan sat down with its rival paper to discuss the upcoming game.
The post Q&A: Daily Bruin sports editor talks rivalry game appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/qa-daily-bruin-sports-editor-talks-rivalry-game/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
With the semester almost over, it’s time to dig up the takes that never got their own article.
The post The opinions that didn’t make it, part 2 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/the-opinions-that-didnt-make-it-part-2/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans will take on UCLA as they look to finish the season on a high note.
The post Renowned rivalry to resume at the Coliseum appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/renowned-rivalry-to-resume-at-the-coliseum/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans have had many memorable moments in the Pac-12’s history.
The post Pac-12 goodbye: A look back on USC’s legacy appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/pac-12-goodbye-a-look-back-on-uscs-legacy/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Status-Q blog
John Naughton linked to a splendid post by my friend and erstwhile colleague Alan Blackwell, entitled “Oops! We Automated Bullshit.“ I won’t try to summarise it here, or even discuss the topics he raises, because you should cetainly go and read the article. But I did like the aside where he questions his own use Continue Reading
https://statusq.org/archives/2023/11/17/11826/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Interview As Britain’s competition regulator probes the behavior of the cloud giants, local supplier Civo wants to see an overhaul along the lines of the energy market where consumers or businesses can swap suppliers easily.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/civo_ceo_on_free_credits/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Where did Trumpism come from? Is our economy flawed because democracy isn’t working? Or is democracy in trouble because our economy is flawed?
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-problem-of-democratic-capitalism
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
U.S. President Joe Biden Thursday hailed a new economic agreement among 14 Asia Pacific countries aimed at countering China’s regional economic dominance, saying the deal leaders signed at a summit of regional economies – which is not a formal trade agreement – will address key issues such as future semiconductor shortages by improving supply chain resilience.
The goal of the new pact, said the 14 leaders in a joint statement, is to “promote workers’ rights, increase our capacity to prevent and respond to supply chain disruptions, strengthen our collaboration on the transition to clean economies, and combat corruption and improve the efficiency of tax administration.”
Biden, speaking Thursday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, acknowledged that negotiators failed to reach consensus on a key pillar of last year’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
“We still have more work to do, but we’ve made substantial progress,” he said. “In record time we’ve reached consensus on three of the pillars of the IPEF.” The IPEF has four pillars, summarized as trade, supply chains, clean energy and infrastructure, and tax and anti-corruption.
Biden also announced a program to work with startup businesses to raise capital. That effort is based on the U.S. Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which is seen as the U.S. answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In highlighting the plan, Biden also emphasized the importance of the U.S. private sector.
“You’ve heard every one of my colleagues say one time or another that this can’t be done without trillions of dollars of private sector investment to get hold of this and get hold of it quickly to give them confidence to make those investments,” Biden said. “That’s going to create a pipeline of projects in partner countries and then match private sector financing with these projects, and it’s going to give those private sector investors confidence that their investment will be made according to the highest standards. Government investment is not enough. We need to mobilize private investment.”
Critics say the new economic agreement lacks market access provisions.
“For a country like us, we have to have at least market access,” Indonesian CEO Anindya Bakrie told VOA on the sidelines of the summit.
Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, said most Southeast Asian states are “tepid” about the deal.
The bottom line, he said, is, “It’s not a trade deal, and the U.S. is not offering any market access in IPEF. And the Southeast Asian states can contrast that with actual trade deals that have been passed in Asia over the last seven years, including major, major trade deals that involve China, South Korea, Japan, and other big economies, as well as ASEAN being in the middle of that.”
However, he said, “they’re not going to say to the United States coming in with IPEF over the last couple of years, we reject this. They’re cordial and they do want a greater U.S. security presence.”
Siobhan Das, executive director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, took a rosier view.
“I actually believe it’s been successful already,” she said. “You’ve had 14 nations talking to each other for the last 18 months – how can that not be a success?”
Zack Cooper, a specialist in U.S. strategy in Asia at the American Enterprise Institute, told VOA on Thursday, as the 14 leaders smiled and posed for a photo, that “everyone agrees that the Indo Pacific economic framework is probably the best the Biden administration is going to do for now.”
“But it certainly doesn’t mean that they’re happy with IPEF or that they’re going to be satisfied with the version of IPEF they’re getting at APEC, which does not include trade,” he said. “And so it’s probably better than nothing.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-13-leaders-sign-indo-pacific-economic-framework-/7358967.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition. Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.
The post Classifieds – November 17, 2023 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/classifieds-november-17-2023/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
On Call As the week powers down, The Register brings you another instalment of On-Call, our weekly column in which readers share memories of tech support messes.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/on_call/
date: 2023-11-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1969 – Construction begins on Magic Mountain amusement park. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-nov-17/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The annual football match with the Daily Trojan and the Daily Bruin will be close.
The post Senior sports staff’s Blood Bowl predictions appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/blood-bowl-predictions/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The University’s stereotype of wealth overshadows first-generation students at USC.
The post USC’s reputation erases its diverse students appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/uscs-reputation-erases-its-diverse-students/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Food has always been my love language, and it has helped me learn to love my identity a little bit more.
The post Yes, Chef — cooking a love letter to my heritage appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/yes-chef-cooking-a-love-letter-to-my-heritage/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The film follows the Korean artist’s journey through the struggles of life and art.
The post LACMA hosts film about Nam June Paik appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/lacma-hosts-film-about-nam-june-paik/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Emerald Fennell, writer-director of “Promising Young Woman,” is back with a gutsy black comedy full of stellar cinematography and stand-out performances from Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan.
The post ‘Saltburn’ is a twisted exploration of wealth, desire appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/saltburn-is-a-twisted-exploration-of-wealth-desire/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
“After Midnight” will make Tomlinson the only woman late-night host, beginning in 2024.
The post Looking toward Taylor Tomlinson appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/looking-toward-taylor-tomlinson/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Unistart helps job seekers connect to startups founded by university students.
The post A startup for startups: USC students, alumni create Unistart appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/17/a-startup-for-startups-usc-students-alumni-create-unistart/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Teamsters Local 2010 walked out across the 22 CSU campuses on Tuesday, rallying 1,100 of their skilled trade workers to demand better wages. At noon, the Teamsters gathered California Faculty Association members, California State University Employees Union members, and students outside the University Library for a loud demonstration. The Teamsters then marched from the library…
https://sundial.csun.edu/177024/news/teamsters-union-on-strike/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The UK government will not rush to pass new laws that regulate AI, to avoid hampering innovation and potential financial growth, the minister for AI and intellectual property Jonathan Camrose said this week.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/uk_ai_regulation/
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
U.S. congressional Democratic leadership Thursday condemned the escalation of protests outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington while praising police handling of the situation.
Protesters clashed with police outside the headquarters Wednesday night, as they rallied for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committe Chair Suzan DelBene, all signed on to the Thursday statement following the event.
“We are thankful for the service and professionalism of the U.S. Capitol Police officers who worked to ensure that Members, staff and visitors were able to safely exit. We strongly support the First Amendment right to freedom of expression and encourage anyone exercising that right to do so peacefully,” the Democratic leaders said in the statement.
Democrats, including Jeffries, were in the building at the time of protests, which were originally intended to block exits so politicians would be forced to see a candlelight vigil in support of a cease-fire.
Police say the protests quickly turned violent, which led to six police officers needing treatment for minor injuries and one arrest.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-house-democratic-leaders-react-to-protest-/7358938.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Qualcomm has lifted the lid on its Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 series of mobile processors, which is intended to bring “premium performance” to smartphones at a lower price point than top-end components.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/qualcomm_snapdragon_gen3/
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
President Joe Biden on Thursday made America’s case to national leaders and CEOs attending the Asia-Pacific summit that the United States is committed to high standards in trade and to partnerships that will benefit economies across the Pacific.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he declared.
Fresh off his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden also told business leaders that the U.S. was “de-risking and diversifying” but not “decoupling” from Beijing. But he did not mince words in suggesting the U.S. and friends in the Pacific could offer businesses a better option than China. He also noted that U.S. economies had invested some $50 billion in fellow Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies in 2023, including in clean energy technologies, aviation and cybersecurity.
“This is not all kumbaya but it’s straightforward,” Biden said. “We have real differences with Beijing when it comes to maintaining a fair and level economic playing field and protecting your intellectual property.”
Biden sought to send a clear message about American leadership as business leaders grapple with the risks of doing businesses in the midst of wars in the Middle East and Europe and a still shaky post-pandemic economy. He was also spending time Thursday letting Indo-Pacific leaders know that the U.S. is committed to nurturing economic ties throughout the region.
The president also met jointly Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the summit.
The meeting comes less than three months after Biden hosted Kishida and Yoon for a historic summit at the Camp David presidential retreat. Japan and South Korea have been historically bitter rivals, but the two leaders have sought to look past decades of tension because of shared concerns about growing regional threats from North Korea and an increasingly assertive China. Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945.
Biden in his remarks to the CEOs sought to highlight his administration’s efforts to strengthen ties with the region. APEC members have invested $1.7 trillion in the U.S. economy, supporting some 2.3 million American jobs. U.S. companies, in turn, have invested about $1.4 trillion in APEC economies.
Later, during talks with APEC leaders at a working lunch, Biden spoke about efforts funded by his Inflation Reduction Act to fight climate change and improve sustainability and clean energy infrastructure in the U.S. At a dinner for the APEC delegations, he challenged his fellow leaders to “harness the power of the Pacific” for a “future of greater prosperity and dignity for all.”
The U.S. hasn’t hosted the annual leaders’ summit — started in 1993 by President Bill Clinton – since 2011. The group met virtually in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders did gather in Bangkok last year, but Biden skipped the summit because his granddaughter was getting married, and he sent Vice President Kamala Harris in his place.
The annual conference brings together heads of nations and other top economic and diplomatic leaders. Biden told those who gathered Wednesday evening at a welcome party that today’s challenges were unlike those faced by previous APEC leaders.
Biden also sought to underscore that he was seeking to responsibly manage the United States’ strained relationship with China one day after he and Xi sat down for more than four hours of talks at bucolic Filoli Estate outside of San Francisco.
“A stable relationship between the world’s two largest economies is not merely good for the two economies but for the world,” Biden said. “A stable relationship. It’s good for everyone.”
Demonstrations in and around APEC continued Thursday. Hours before leaders were to gather at the Moscone Center for the summit, protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war were detained by police after shutting down all traffic over a major commuting bridge heading into San Francisco.
After decades of trade built on the premise of keeping prices low, accessing new markets and maximizing profits, many companies are now finding a vulnerable global economy. The Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts aren’t helping matters.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed frailties in their supply chains. Climate change has intensified natural disasters that can close factories. The Israel-Hamas war and Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion have generated new financial risks, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence could change how companies operate and displace workers.
Xi too, met with American business leaders — at a $2,000-per-plate dinner Wednesday evening. It was a rare opportunity for the business leaders as they seek clarification on Beijing’s expanding security rules that could choke foreign investment.
“There is plenty of room for our cooperation, and we are fully able to help each other succeed and achieve win-win outcomes,” he told them, according to an English-language translation.
Xi did not address the APEC CEOs meeting but instead sent a lengthy “written speech” in which he wrote that “forcing uniformity will not advance cooperation in the region” and declared that China was looking for stability during a moment of “turbulence and change” in the world.
“The region cannot and should not be an arena for geopolitical rivalry, still less should it be plunged into a new cold war or camp-based confrontation,” Xi wrote.
Separately, Xi on Wednesday signaled that China would send the U.S. new giant pandas, just a week after three from the Smithsonian National Zoo were returned to China, much to the dismay of Americans. There are only four pandas left in the United States, at the Atlanta Zoo.
Biden and Xi understand that the complicated ties between the two nations have major global impacts. Their meeting Wednesday at a Northern California estate was in part an effort to show the world that while they are global economic competitors, the U.S. and China aren’t rivals seeking conflict.
Xi, though, was gloomy about the state of the post-pandemic global economy. China’s economy remains in the doldrums, with prices falling due to slack demand from consumers and businesses.
“Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption, and protectionism is rising,” Xi said. “All these are grave problems.”
White House officials said Biden has been bolstered by signs that the U.S. economy is in a stronger position than China’s and that the U.S. was building stronger alliances throughout the Pacific.
Part of that is through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, announced during a May 2022 trip to Tokyo. It came six years after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that was signed by 12 countries.
The new framework has four major pillars: supply chains, climate, anti-corruption and trade. There won’t be any official trade deals to announce — the “framework” label allows Biden to bypass Congress on any agreements reached with the 13 countries. Biden celebrated that work on three of the four pillars had been completed.
“Put simply, my colleagues and I are driving a race to the top, among nations in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden said.
While U.S. allies are still are looking to hammer out comprehensive trade agreements with Washington, Biden administration officials are underscoring that IPEF has helped the U.S. and partners take action at a far faster clip than traditional trade deals.
“Most trade negotiations take years to complete,” said Mike Pyle, Biden’s deputy national security adviser for international economics. “The issues that are at the cutting edge of the global economic conversation, issues like supply chains, clean energy, good government —- we have struck agreements around them in just 18 months, with a full set of IPEF partners.”
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
As the war in Gaza rages for a second month, violence of a different kind is erupting across the United States.
Bias attacks against American Jews, Muslims and Arabs have risen to levels not seen in years, fueled by a conflict that often triggers strong feelings on both sides of the issue.
The Anti-Defamation League, an American Jewish advocacy group, documented a staggering 832 antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism and harassment between October 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, and November 7. That amounts to an average of nearly 28 incidents a day and represents an increase of 315% over the same period last year. The incidents included more than 600 acts of harassment, 170 instances of vandalism, and 30 assaults, ADL said.
At the same time, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization, reports an “unprecedented surge in bigotry” since the war started. Between October 7 and November 4, the group received 1,283 requests for help and complaints of anti-Muslim or anti-Arab bias, an increase of 216% over an average 29-day period last year. CAIR said more than 15% of complaints fielded by its national office involved alleged hate crimes.
Behind the numbers are real people. While the majority of the reported incidents don’t rise to the level of hate crimes, at least two recent deaths have been tied to the conflict.
On October 14, Joseph M. Czuba, a 71-year-old Illinois landlord, fatally stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy, after seriously wounding his mother, Hanaan Shahin, in their home outside Chicago. Czuba was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder.
Then last week, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish protester, died following an altercation at dueling pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations in a Los Angeles suburb. Loay Alnaji, 50, a pro-Palestinian demonstrator, was arrested on Thursday in connection with Kessler’s death.
The vitriol and violence fueled by the Gaza war have spread to U.S. colleges and universities, heightening tensions between pro- and anti-Israel student groups.
A Cornell University professor was caught on camera calling the Hamas attack on Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing.” A student at the Ivy League school was later charged with making threats against Jewish students. At Drexel University in Philadelphia, a Jewish student’s dorm room door was set on fire. At the University of Texas, a group of men targeted students during a Palestine Solidarity Committee meeting. And a Muslim student at Stanford University was allegedly run down by a driver making a racist remark.
The Department of Education on Thursday announced new investigations into six U.S. colleges over alleged incidents of Islamophobia and antisemitism, part of the Biden administration’s aggressive effort to counter the surge in anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish hate incidents.
President Joe Biden, who has faced criticism from American Muslim and Arab groups for his unwavering support of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, delivered an Oval Office address last month to denounce antisemitism and Islamophobia.
“We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism,” Biden said. “We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia.”
Law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm over the Israel conflict’s knock-on effect.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned this month that the bureau is concerned that violent extremists — both domestic and homegrown — “will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against ordinary Americans.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict often inspires hate crimes, but the ripple effect has been outsized this time, magnified by the length and intensity of the war, the polarization of public opinion and media coverage, the spread of false and inflammatory information, and the use of inciteful language by people on both sides of the issue.
‘Hate spike’
Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and professor emeritus at California State University, San Bernardino, said the U.S. is experiencing a “generational hate spike that is likely to have a longer and more violent half-life than prior event-driven increases.”
“The bigoted backlash from the Israel-Hamas war is causing online invective and disinformation to skyrocket, while anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crime incidents are spiking to possible decade highs,” Levin said. “And in the case of anti-Jewish hate crimes, a possible record in the U.S.”
Nationwide data are hard to come by, but New York and Los Angeles police are reporting triple-digit increases in anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crimes in the nation’s two largest cities.
In New York, police recorded 69 anti-Jewish hate crimes in October, up from 22 last October, and eight anti-Muslim criminal acts, up from zero last year. Meanwhile, Los Angeles police reported 22 anti-Jewish hate crimes between October 6 and October 30, up from eight during the same period last year. Anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim crimes jumped to eight from one last year.
Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute in Washington, said it’s no surprise that the conflict has spawned attacks on Arabs and Muslims.
“Historically, we’ve talked about something called the ‘backlash effect,’” Berry said. “Events happening anywhere in the world end up having an impact domestically. We saw it during the [1973-1974] Arab embargo. We saw it in the aftermath of 9/11. And we’re seeing it play out now.”
Levin is one of a handful of experts who have examined the link between the Israel conflict and hate crimes in the U.S.
His analysis of FBI statistics dating to the early 1990s shows that anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crimes tend to escalate during Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
In March 1994, for example, hate crimes targeting Jews more than doubled to 147 incidents after extremist Israeli American Baruch Goldstein fatally shot 29 Palestinian worshippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
The sharpest rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes occurred in October 2000, with the onset of the Second Intifada — 204 incidents, marking an increase of 183% over October 1999.
Recent years have seen significant increases during Israel-Hamas conflicts in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2021, according to Levin’s analysis.
“Our data across three decades clearly show huge percentage spikes in anti-Jewish hate crime in the U.S. when there is war in the Holy Land,” Levin said.
Other studies corroborate Levin’s finding. A recent study by political scientist Ayal Feinberg found that during weeks of Israeli military operations between 2001 and 2014, the number of antisemitic incidents rose by 24% across the U.S., while acts of antisemitic violence and intimidation increased by 33%.
Over the years, the pattern has held up, Feinberg, director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College in Pennsylvania, said in an interview.
“I think it’s critical to note that even in the United States, which many consider to be the most philosemitic country in the world, that over the last two decades there’s been no factor that explains increases in antisemitism greater than when Israel is engaged in violent conflict with its neighbors,” Feinberg said.
The link between the Israel conflict and anti-Muslim hate crime is less clear-cut. The FBI data show double- and triple-digit monthly increases in anti-Muslim hate crimes during Israeli military operations in 2004 and 2014. But other times of tension have seen no significant increase in anti-Muslim hate crime.
Instead, terrorist attacks carried out by jihadi groups have served as a primary driver of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the U.S.
The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, triggered the biggest monthly spike in anti-Muslim hate crime — a record 330 incidents, more than 80 times higher than previously. Though the number of incidents eventually tapered off, it never returned to pre-9/11 levels.
The second-largest increase came in December 2015 after then-candidate Donald Trump called for a “total and comprehensive” ban on Muslims entering the U.S. The result was dramatic: nearly 70 attacks on Muslims for the month, up 886% from the year before.
The flood of bias complaints CAIR received in the weeks after October 7 was the most since Trump’s “Muslim ban” speech, the group said.
The question of what motivates people to attack Muslims and Jews against the backdrop of the Israeli conflict has no simple answer. But experts agree that hate crime perpetrators often hold Muslims and Jews responsible for the actions of Hamas and Israeli military forces.
“There is a lot of blame going on,” said Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland. “This conflict is more complex than these simple characterizations of all Palestinians are terrorists, or all Jews are invaders systematically conducting genocide.”
Increasingly ubiquitous posters of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas have become a flashpoint in this scapegoating.
In the days after the Hamas attack on Israel, the “kidnapped” flyers, depicting images of abducted Israelis, were pasted on trees outside a mosque in San Diego, putting the congregation on edge.
“Why would you presume anyone at the Islamic Center of San Diego has anything to do with what took place there?” Berry said.
Meanwhile, anti-Israel protesters have been criticized for tearing them down. Two dentists recently lost their jobs over their removal.
‘Good and evil’
Feinberg said age-old antisemitic stereotypes about “Jewish power” help explain why Jews are blamed for the actions of Israel.
Jews are perceived to “have this greater responsibility to speak out, to prove that they are not like these other Jews or part of this powerful entity of Jews,” Feinberg said.
In addition to anti-Palestinian rhetoric, Muslim and Arab American advocates say the mainstream media’s portrayal of the conflict as a “struggle between good and evil” has fanned the recent flame of hate directed at American Muslims and Arabs.
“This dehumanizing framing impacts Muslims in America, as individuals who hold anti-Muslim prejudice frame them as terrorists,” said Mobashra Tazamal, associate director of the Bridge Initiative, a research project on Islamophobia at Georgetown University in Washington.
Noting the importance of public discourse, Berry of the Arab American Institute recalled how former President George W. Bush’s visit to a Washington mosque following the attacks of September 11, 2001, helped reassure many Arab and Muslim Americans worried about being scapegoated for the actions of al-Qaida.
“Regrettably, what we’re seeing right now is different,” Berry said.
While the Biden administration was slow to acknowledge Palestinian suffering during the conflict, it eventually “pivoted, and that’s important,” Berry said.
“And I think when that happened, it does contribute to public safety in a very real way, meaning people start to think, ‘OK, wait. There are victims here that need to be recognized,’” Berry said.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Updated The UK division of Samsung Electronics has allegedly alerted customers of a year-long data security breach – the third such incident the South Korean giant has experienced around the world in the past two years.…
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
It started when the Tulare County deputies noticed an inmate with “jailhouse alcohol” known as “pruno.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article281978283.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
US President Joe Biden on Thursday stressed the strength of America’s economic growth in a bid to sway 19 Asia-Pacific economies to partner with the U.S. — as China’s leader did the same at this week’s gathering of Asian leaders and powerful CEOs. The business world is asking: Why not both? VOA’s Anita Powell reports from San Francisco.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-xi-compete-for-partnership-with-asia-pacific-at-summit-/7358918.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The students have been barred from campus, and the community is urged to call 911 if they’re seen at Cal Poly.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281976173.html
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Tencent placed early, and large, orders for Nvidia GPUs, believes it procured enough of the hardware to evolve its AI for another two generations, and has plans to keep improving performance – even if US chip bans put GPUs off limits for the foreseeable future.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/tencent_q3_2023/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
She was hit in Kerman on Thursday morning.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281976178.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping made clear before they met outside of San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit that they would not issue a joint statement.
But a comparison of their positions in written statements issued separately after the leaders met on Wednesday highlights continuing differences in four contentious areas.
Taiwan
China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its territory. The U.S. maintains a “robust” relationship with Taiwan and sells defense equipment to its military.
The Chinese statement specifically mentioned Biden’s promise of last November when he met Xi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, not to support Taiwan’s independence.
This position is not included in the White House statement.
The Chinese statement said that Xi reiterated the principle of the Taiwan issue during the meeting and pointed out that “the Taiwan question has always been the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. China attaches great importance to the relevant positive statements made by the U.S. during the Bali meeting.”
Xi asked Biden to not support Taiwan independence, “stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification.”
Xi said that “China will eventually be reunified.”
Biden did not directly respond to Xi’s request to stop arming Taiwan in his statement. Instead, he reiterated his opposition to any party independently changing the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
Biden emphasized that the U.S. one-China policy has not changed and has been consistent across decades and administrations.
Biden said in the statement, “The United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, that we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, and that the world has an interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The U.S. one-China policy recognizes the Chinese government as the only Chinese government but does not endorse Beijing’s view of Taiwan as a breakaway province.
Biden also called on China to restrain its military activities around the Taiwan Strait.
Ukraine and Israel
After Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the U.S. repeatedly called on China to mediate. Ukraine and Israel have publicly sought China’s support.
The U.S. statement said that the two leaders exchanged views on the two conflicts. Biden reiterated that the U.S., with global allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression. On the Israel-Hamas conflict, Biden reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to fight terrorism and emphasized the importance of all countries using their influence to prevent escalation and expansion of the conflict.
The Chinese statement did not mention Ukraine or Israel. Last year in Bali, Xi stated that China was highly concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
Trade and the economy
Xi expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. containment of China’s chip development, while Biden was concerned about China’s “unfair trade policies, non-market economic practices and punitive actions against U.S. firms.” He said that the U.S. would not set excessive restrictions on trade and investment.
According to the Chinese statement, Xi said that the U.S. continues to impose restrictions on China regarding export controls, investment reviews and unilateral sanctions. He said that China drives development through innovation and that suppressing China’s science and technology would curb China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to growth.
He called on the U.S. to face up to China’s concerns, lift unilateral sanctions, and provide a non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies.
The Chinese statement also quoted Biden as saying, “The U.S. and China are economically interdependent. The U.S. is happy to see China develop and prosper. It does not seek to suppress and contain China’s development, nor does it seek to decouple from China.”
Biden emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine U.S. national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment.
Human rights
Many dissidents living in the U.S., including those from Hong Kong, Tibet and the Uyghur community, gathered in San Francisco during Xi’s first visit to the U.S. in seven years to protest the Chinese government’s suppression of human rights.
According to the U.S. statement, Biden underscored the universality of human rights and the responsibility of all nations to respect their international human rights commitments. He raised concerns regarding PRC human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
He said that resolving the cases of some U.S. citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China remains a priority for him.
China’s statement did not mention these human rights issues.
https://www.voanews.com/a/key-issues-where-biden-and-xi-diverge-/7358879.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Photos and results from the Central Section championships that was held at Woodward Park.
https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/high-school/article281916298.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Five-dollar coffee, $6-a-gallon gas and $300-a-month groceries have become the norm for many Angelenos over the years. While the price of these necessities of life continues to grow, people’s wages only slightly increase, forcing many residents to work multiple jobs to afford living expenses. The cost of living in Los Angeles is 49.1% higher than…
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the National Police Agency today opened applications for operators of mobile robots for patrol and delivery duties alongside pedestrians.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/mobile_robots_south_korea/
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Amazon has reportedly been financing trade groups to discourage the award of large government cloud contracts to Microsoft Azure.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/anti_microsoft_amazon/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
The California State University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a tuition increase proposal on Sept. 13, 2023. Students are against the proposal because it would make higher education harder to obtain. The increase in tuition will affect nearly 460,000 students attending CSU’s 23 campuses, according to the Committee on Finance. The CSU system is currently…
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The senate approved a budget for the spring and a trial laundry stipend.
The post USG to hold special election for three vacant senate seats appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/usg-to-hold-special-election-for-three-vacant-senate-seats/
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
CSUN with a HEART is a program that aims to provide students with assistance and essential information about university resources. HEART is an acronym that represents the program’s mission in “addressing hunger/homeless and emergency needs with assistance and resources together.” CSUN with a HEART strives to eliminate barriers to students’ success by connecting students to…
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
Police are looking for 64-year-old William Robert Reyes to question in connection to criminal sexual conduct related offenses.
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Jan-David Soutar is an experienced actor with nearly 20 years of work. He is a screenwriting major at CSUN who expects to graduate in the spring. He is the current president of the Cinema Club, but his life hasn’t just been made up of a series of highs. It is common for lesser known writers…
date: 2023-11-17, from: Fresno Bee Stories
If convicted, the operator of the illegal biological labs could face up to eitht years in prison.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281949968.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: Guam Daily Post
The three car collision that occurred Thursday evening was the result of a car encroaching into the oncoming lane, according to police.
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Visiting scholars and USC students gathered to honor Artsakh Awareness Month.
The post Panel discusses aftermath in Artsakh appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/panel-discusses-aftermath-in-artsakh/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Heatmap News
Every company is, in a certain light, a kind of time machine, and every new product is a missive from the past. When a group of people get together to launch a startup, they’re making a bet that in a few months or years, people are going to want what they’re selling.
In the software industry, the past isn’t too long ago. Because it is possible to code and distribute an app somewhat quickly, a new software product might have only been conceived earlier that year or a year or two earlier.
In a mature consumer-product field — like, say, the car industry — the timeline is longer. A model year 2024 car might have first been conceived of in 2022, and it probably relies on a deeper engineering structure — a “platform” — that might date back to 2018 or earlier. Every new car contains, in essence, two-year-old technology.
But in the “hard tech” industry, the delay can be even longer. It can take more than a decade to get a new type of airplane or power plant to market. These types of technology are the biggest bet of all — because by the time the missive reaches its destination, the world may have changed.
So it was with NuScale, an Oregon-based company developing a small, modular nuclear reactor. Last week, NuScale announced that it was pulling out of a Department of Energy-backed, first-of-a-kind project in Utah.
The company had once planned to build six small, modular nuclear reactors in Utah in conjunction with the Idaho National Laboratory. But despite receiving more than $1 billion in Department of Energy subsidies, NuScale could not make the economics of its project work.
The main problem was that NuScale’s electricity was too expensive. Over the past two years, the estimated price of its project surged, rising by more than 75%. Because electricity projects have to recoup their costs from selling power, those high construction costs helped increase the estimated cost of the project’s electricity by 53%.
By the end, NuScale estimated that power from the project would cost $89 per megawatt-hour. (The average cost of residential electricity in Utah is about $20 per megawatt hour.) Of course, nuclear energy can provide benefits beyond what is captured by price — it is one of the few energy sources that can provide 24/7, zero-carbon electricity — but some costs are too high. NuScale struggled to sell its electrons to nearby towns: It simply could not compete with cheaper electricity from natural gas, solar, or other fuels.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this: NuScale’s smaller size and modular design were supposed to result in lower costs. In essence, NuScale hoped that cost savings would emerge from learning-by-doing and economies of scale — as it got better at making small, modular reactors, it would figure out how to bring down their costs.
That wasn’t a ludicrous idea. Economies of scale have brought down the cost of solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles over the past decade. And that idea — that as people do something more, they figure out how to do it more cheaply and efficiently — underpins American and Chinese climate policy.
But the Utah project was the first project of its kind, so NuScale hadn’t yet had the opportunity to take advantage of those economies of scale.
NuScale “shows how much customer matters for a first-of-a-kind deployment. NuScale went down a road that would have proven to be a really interesting model if successful, but it was a lot of legwork,” Ryan Norman, a nuclear analyst at the think tank Third Way, told me. Other advanced nuclear startups have more reliable customer relationships, he added.
Even worse for NuScale, the company found itself building the project amid the worst inflation in a generation. What might have once seemed like a “boring” part of a reactor’s design could create new and spiraling costs.
For instance, NuScale’s design required a lot of concrete, Farah Benahmed, a nuclear policy analyst at Breakthrough Energy, a set of climate investment and advocacy organizations founded by Bill Gates, told me. But concrete costs have risen dramatically, increasing by more than 9% over the past two years and helping to drive the company’s spiraling costs. Other advanced reactor designs don’t rely on concrete to the same degree as NuScale, Benahmed said. (Gates has invested in Terrapower, an advanced nuclear company that competes with NuScale.)
Other key inputs into NuScale’s reactors have also surged in price. From 2021 to 2023, the cost of carbon steel piping more than doubled, according to producer price index data. The cost of fabricated steel plates rose by more than 50%, and the cost of copper wiring rose by 30%.
More broadly, NuScale was founded in 2007 — which means, almost inevitably, that the company was responding to a very different energy moment than the one we have now. At the time, the world was undergoing the first wave of widespread public concern about climate change, driven by Hurricane Katrina, An Inconvenient Truth, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fourth assessment report. It seemed plausible that Congress might pass a bipartisan cap-and-trade law, which would benefit zero-carbon nuclear power.
Most importantly, U.S. electricity costs were rising, and experts feared they would continue to increase in the 2010s. America’s natural gas supplies seemed to be running out, and the country was preparing to import liquified natural gas in large quantities.
Then came the fracking boom. Cheap natural gas flooded the market, reshaping the domestic energy system and moderating the rise in power prices. The United States never passed a carbon price or a cap-and-trade law. And the economics of building lots of NuScale reactors to provide zero-carbon, 24/7 electricity now look seriously different.
NuScale is not the only clean energy company to run into inflation-driven problems. The offshore-wind company Orsted recently canceled two projects on the Jersey shore due to cost and supply-chain problems. Other offshore projects are also at risk.
Nuclear advocates said that despite its issues, NuScale has accomplished something that no other nuclear startup has. It is the sole nuclear startup to receive approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that must approve nuclear reactors before they can be used. “NuScale has paved the way for how to move through the NRC process. They’re a great example and paved the way for the industry,” Benahmed, the Breakthrough analyst, said.
That approval process took more than four years. It shows another way that it can take years or even decades for “hard tech” companies to get to market — to send their missive from the past to the present.
But despite that long timeline, advocates remain upbeat about the larger industry. “The investor base will do its due diligence to assess what business decisions went wrong with NuScale, but ultimately I think this development is less detrimental to the wave of support we’ve seen for advanced nuclear from that group,” Norman, the Third Way analyst, said. Because NuScale uses a small version of a light-water reactor — a conventional reactor technology that other advanced-nuclear startups have eschewed — investors probably won’t lose faith in the sector itself.
But they agreed that the make-or-break moment for nuclear is coming up. “The key decision point we need to wrestle with as we continue along the innovation path is: Who is going to lead?” Norma said. “Our allies are waiting. Our competitors are watching. Like it or not, now is the time for the U.S. and industry to prove itself. We’ve gotta have moxy.”
Editor’s note: The original version of this article misidentified one of NuScale’s investors. We regret the error.
https://heatmap.news/economy/nuscale-small-modular-reactor-nuclear-costs-inflation
date: 2023-11-17, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
France has its next prodigy — how do we keep letting this happen?
The post Rising Ballers: Warren Zaïre-Emery is ahead of schedule appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/rising-ballers-warren-zaire-emery-is-ahead-of-schedule/
date: 2023-11-17, from: OS News
In order to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Microsoft is planning a number of changes to Windows to comply with this new legislation. Ars sums them up nicely: All of the above will be exclusive to the EU/EEA, so Windows users elsewhere are out of luck.
date: 2023-11-17, from: OS News
With these changes in place, we’ve seen support for Manifest V3 increase significantly among the extension developer community. Specifically, we are encouraged by our ongoing dialogue with the developers of content blocking extensions, who initially felt Manifest V3 could impact their ability to provide users with the features they’ve come to expect. Google has made several changes to Manifest V3 specifically to ease concerns among developers of content blocking extensions, and it seems those changes have been positively received. The maximum number of active rulesets has been increased, as well as the number of dynamic rules, which are rules ad blocker developers can change and update without having to update the extension as a whole. Regardless of these changes, I would still advise everyone to get a Raspberry Pi or whatever and run Pi-Hole – this will block ads for your entire network, and all devices, regardless of browser or operating system.
https://www.osnews.com/story/137855/google-resumes-transition-to-manifest-v3/
date: 2023-11-17, from: OS News
The rumors are true: Microsoft has built its own custom AI chip that can be used to train large language models and potentially avoid a costly reliance on Nvidia. Microsoft has also built its own Arm-based CPU for cloud workloads. Both custom silicon chips are designed to power its Azure data centers and ready the company and its enterprise customers for a future full of AI. Microsoft’s Azure Maia AI chip and Arm-powered Azure Cobalt CPU are arriving in 2024, on the back of a surge in demand this year for Nvidia’s H100 GPUs that are widely used to train and operate generative image tools and large language models. There’s such high demand for these GPUs that some have even fetched more than $40,000 on eBay. Amazon and Google, the two other major cloud providers, are already using all kinds of custom, in-house silicon in their datacentres, so it’s not exactly surprising Microsoft is following in their footsteps.
date: 2023-11-17, from: OS News
The European Union making tech better for everyone. We’ll have to wait and see if supporting RCS will be enough to prevent the EU from requiring Apple open up iMessage.
https://www.osnews.com/story/137849/apple-announces-that-rcs-support-is-coming-to-iphone-next-year/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara family photographers weigh in on what makes for a smooth shoot and lasting memory.
The post Getting the Most out of Your Holiday Card Photos (and What to Do When They Don’t Go Perfectly) appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
YouTube is experimenting with software that generates music using an AI model called Lyria built by Google DeepMind.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/youtube_generative_ai/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Beloved baseball columnist channels myth-making moments into book.
The post Book Review | ‘Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments’ by Joe Posnanski appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
date: 2023-11-17, from: VOA News USA
Barely two weeks before a major United Nations conference on climate change, the United States and China have announced new agreements to work together on greenhouse gas emission reductions and the rollout of renewable sources of energy.
The deal, announced Tuesday ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping in California, commits both countries to further efforts to displace fossil fuels as the world’s leading source of energy. It also marks the resumption of a bilateral working group on climate issues that was sidelined last year.
A summary of the agreement released Tuesday by the State Department said the two countries intend “to sufficiently accelerate renewable energy deployment in their respective economies through 2030 from 2020 levels so as to accelerate the substitution for coal, oil and gas generation.”
The result, the agreement continued, will be “meaningful absolute power sector emission reduction, in this critical decade of the 2020s.”
The agreement was released as world leaders are preparing to meet in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November for a United Nations-sponsored climate conference known as COP28. The annual gathering assesses progress being made toward a global effort to keep the increase in global average surface temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Greenhouse gas focus
In an important breakthrough, the agreement indicates that China is prepared to commit to reductions in its emissions of all greenhouse gases, which trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere, accelerating the rise in average global temperatures.
In the past, Beijing’s greenhouse gas reduction pledges have applied only to carbon dioxide, leaving out several much more potent sources of global warming, including methane and nitrous oxide. The agreement does not set specific goals but commits both countries to negotiations meant to establish them.
The two countries also invited other world leaders to attend a Methane and Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Summit as part of COP28.
China has previously declined to join the Global Methane Pledge, under which nearly 150 countries and multilateral organizations have agreed to try to work to rapidly reduce emissions of the gas.
Talks restarted
The agreement on climate issues is a bright spot in a relationship that has been fractious in recent years. Previous talks between the U.S. and China were derailed in 2022 after then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi angered China by visiting Taiwan.
The agreement was steered to completion by the two countries’ climate envoys, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Xie Zhenhua, a former senior official in the Chinese government who came out of retirement to participate in the talks.
The agreement commits the U.S. and China to “recommence bilateral dialogues on energy policies and strategies, carry out exchanges on mutually agreed topics” and to take other steps to “enhance pragmatic cooperation.”
That cooperation includes a promise to develop five large-scale cooperative carbon capture, utilization and storage projects each by 2030.
Critical conversations
Climate activists say they were relieved to see the U.S. and China come back to the negotiating table, particularly in advance of COP28.
“The most important thing here is that the two largest emitters are back to talking about the details around climate diplomacy,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Climate and Energy Program. “It’s critical. The world as a whole cannot meet its climate goals if the U.S. and China don’t find a shared collective ambition.”
Cleetus applauded the agreement’s promises of progress on renewable energy production and emission cuts. However, she told VOA, she would have liked to see more progress on reducing the consumption of fossil fuels.
“Accelerating the pace of renewables is all well and good — it’s very important for both the U.S. and China to do that,” she said. “But both countries have a real fossil fuel problem. They’re continuing to expand fossil fuels, even as they accelerate renewables. And as a net result, we’re not going to see the kind of progress we need.”
National Climate Assessment
The announcement of the agreement between the U.S. and China came just a day after the federal government released the fifth National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated assessment of the “impacts, risks and responses” to climate change in the U.S.
The report painted a grim picture, saying, “The effects of human-caused climate change are already far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States.”
Among other things, the assessment demonstrated that average annual temperatures have been on the rise across all 50 states, and that all coastal states have experienced significant sea level rises.
While the country has begun taking steps, including consistently reducing greenhouse gas emissions since their peak in 2007, the report found that much more needs to be done, and that the global nature of the problem means that the U.S. cannot solve the problem on its own.
“[W]ithout deeper cuts in global net greenhouse gas emissions and accelerated adaptation efforts,” it said, “severe climate risks to the United States will continue to grow.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-and-china-renew-dialogue-on-climate-ahead-of-cop28/7358464.html
date: 2023-11-17, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Bryanna Elias, a senior at Costa Mesa High School, has signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her education and play soccer at The Master’s University
https://scvnews.com/lady-mustangs-sign-bryanna-elias/
date: 2023-11-17, from: 404 Media Group
TikTok is moderating reporting and news about extremism in the exact same way that it moderates actual extremism.
date: 2023-11-17, from: John Naughton’s online diary
Wood Henge? Thornham, Norfolk the other day. Quote of the Day ”Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.” Hotel Notice, Zurich Musical … Continue reading
https://memex.naughtons.org/friday-17-november-2023/38820/
date: 2023-11-17, from: NASA breaking news
DSOC, an experiment that could transform how spacecraft communicate, has achieved ‘first light,’ sending data via laser to and from far beyond the Moon for the first time. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment has beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data fromnearly 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) away – about 40 […]
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The FBI is applying “significant” resources to find members of the infamous Scattered Spider cyber-crime crew, which seemingly attacked a couple of high-profile casinos a few months ago and remains active, according to a senior bureau official.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/17/fbi_scattered_spider_action/
date: 2023-11-17, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Lucid Therapeutics, formerly known as Santa Barbara Ketamine Therapy, rebranded and expanded their services to prepare for a future they expect to be “much bigger than ketamine.”
The post Lucid Therapeutics Opens Its Doors to Provide Psychedelic Therapy on Milpas Street appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
date: 2023-11-17, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The LAist
The rain this week has helped dampen smoke from the hangar fire on the former Marine Corps base.
date: 2023-11-17, from: Robert’s Ramblings
A collection of quick notes for setting and Postgres for development.
https://rsdoiel.github.io/blog/2023/11/17/PostgreSQL-Quick-Notes.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
The United States on Thursday removed the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Forensic Science (IFS) from a trade sanctions list, in a bid to move forward with counternarcotics cooperation with China.
The decision comes as U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is negotiating with China to resume bilateral cooperation and establish a working group aimed at stopping the flow of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals into the U.S. that contribute to the fentanyl crisis.
“The continued listing of the IFS on the Commerce Entity List was a barrier to achieving cooperation on stopping the trafficking of precursor chemicals,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said during a briefing on Thursday.
“When we evaluated the issue and looked at all the merits of de-listing the IFS, ultimately we decided that given the steps China was willing to take to cut down on precursor trafficking, it was an appropriate step” to remove the Chinese institute from Washington’s sanction list, Miller told reporters.
“We have to make tough decisions in this administration” to secure the cooperation with China on fentanyl trafficking, Miller told VOA.
Added to list in 2020
In 2020, the U.S. Commerce Department added China’s Institute of Forensic Science on its entity list for “engaging in activities contrary to the foreign policy interests of the United States” and over alleged abuses against Uyghurs and other minority groups.
That measure effectively prohibited the institute from receiving most goods from U.S. suppliers.
Human rights advocates expressed concern that Washington’s decision to remove the Chinese institute from the trade sanction list raises questions about the U.S.’ commitment to addressing China’s human rights practices.
“I acknowledge the pressing issue of the fentanyl trade, which poses a threat to Americans and is a matter of grave concern. However, it’s crucial to emphasize that the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs is a matter of bipartisan concern, as well,” Rayhan Asat, a U.S.-based Uyghur human rights lawyer, told VOA on Thursday.
Leading cause of death
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 18 to 49.
Currently, China remains the primary source of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked through international mail and express consignment operations, serving as the main source for all fentanyl-related substances entering the United States, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
During Biden’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Woodside, California, Wednesday on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, both agreed to resume bilateral cooperation in combating global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking. This includes synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, with plans to establish a working group for ongoing communication and law enforcement coordination on counternarcotics issues.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
In celebration of the Mesa Bookstore’s anniversary, they will host a special book sale featuring readings and signings from local authors on November 19.
The post Santa Barbara’s Beloved Mesa Bookstore Celebrates appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/16/santa-barbaras-beloved-mesa-bookstore-celebrates/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Gary Marcus blog
What a difference a year makes
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/has-sam-altman-gone-full-gary-marcus
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“Bankruptcy cases are more akin to fish than fine wine: They don’t age well,” said a lawyer representing hospital creditors.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281957443.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The man initially was unresponsive without a pulse, police said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281965948.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Being an animal lover from my earliest memories, one of my favorite childhood movies was Dr. Doolittle
https://scvnews.com/marcia-mayeda-if-we-can-talk-to-animals/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
PG&E is looking to finance wildfire hardening of its electric infrastructure.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281963608.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Master’s University men’s basketball team got their fourth win in a row Wednesday night, defeating the La Sierra Golden Eagles 74-46 in The MacArthur Center
https://scvnews.com/mustangs-basketball-best-golden-eagles-74-46/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He’s played the lottery across the country, but the recent Maryland win was his biggest.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281963973.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: TidBITS blog
The Fn key has been a fixture on Apple keyboards for decades, but many Mac users lack a sense of its purpose. Adam Engst thought he was going to write a quick article listing hidden keyboard shortcuts that tap the Fn key but got dragged into documenting the history and capabilities of this unsung key.
https://tidbits.com/2023/11/16/the-hidden-secrets-of-the-fn-key/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
China’s leader Xi Jinping was all smiles as he landed in San Francisco, California, where he has since held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and is attending the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit.
Back home, though, China finds itself a nation shaken by a series of high-profile events spread out over a tumultuous year, the most recent being the sudden death of former premier Li Keqiang less than three weeks ago.
Under Xi’s leadership, and particularly over the past year, China has struggled with a range of challenges: from a slowing economy, soaring youth unemployment, and public frustration with his policies to the high-profile ousting of key government officials he appointed. Analysts say those challenges and the public reaction have triggered growing distrust and waning approval for Xi.
Sudden death
Late last month, news of the sudden death of former Premier Li Keqiang was the latest event to seize the public’s attention and concern.
“Li Keqiang’s death shook people more than previous incidents that involved the disappearance of Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Defense Minister Li Shangfu,” said Xia Ming, a political science professor at City University of New York.
“Li is viewed by ordinary Chinese as someone who was one of them, sympathetic to them, his sudden death and rushed cremation invoked a strong sense of injustice,” he said.
Despite efforts by authorities to keep reaction to Li’s passing under control, there has been an outpouring of response from the public both online and offline. Thousands lined up to place flowers outside the hospital where he died in Shanghai and in his hometown in central Anhui Province.
Some put signs up with some of Li Keqiang’s best-known remarks on the back of their cars. Authorities moved quickly to stamp out any discussion about Li Keqiang, including speculation that Xi had a hand in Li’s death. Some who spoke out in public, shouting “we all know how Li Keqiang died,” were immediately arrested.
As news of Li’s death spread online, so did messages “too bad it’s not you,” seen by many as a public condemnation of Xi.
Under Xi, Party members are expected to swear “absolute loyalty,” and anyone who’s not “absolutely loyal” is deemed absolutely disloyal, Xia said.
Xia added that a highly irregular incident in which former party leader Hu Jintao was abruptly escorted off stage during party meetings in March was also something that rang alarm bells in China.
Within months of the incident with Hu, China’s foreign minister and defense minister disappeared from public view and were both later stripped of their titles, without any explanation. Sudden changes involving other top military commanders also signaled instability at top levels of government.
Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has launched a massive anti-corruption campaign that analysts say has been used to target not only misuse of government funds but Xi’s political rivals as well.
The scale of intra-party strife and potential challenges to Xi can be seen in the staggering number of officials being “investigated and dealt with” in the so-called anti-corruption campaign since Xi took office, analysts say.
And while the government has listed the total number of those investigated at more than 4 million by 2021, “each one of these people have family members and friends, so the true number of those impacted is staggering,” Xia pointed out.
Rhetoric and reality
Orville Schell is vice president of the Asia Society and heads the society’s U.S.-China Relations Center. He notices a slight change of tone from Beijing.
“Lately there are some signs that suggest [Xi]’s a little bit worried about overreach and being a little too aggressive,” Schell told VOA in an interview Tuesday. “He’s realizing this with the economy in trouble, it’s important to pull back a little and try to act a little less hostile towards global market players that have bought goods from China and supported China’s economic prosperity.”
“We have to realize it’s largely rhetoric,” he added, that is, a reaction to the realization, as he put it, that “China is in a rather delicate position economically.”
The longtime China watcher who first went to China in the 1970s when Mao Zedong was still alive, warns that rhetoric aside, the intrinsic character and characteristics of an autocratic regime that China currently is, remain unchanged and dangerous.
While China is still shaken by the sudden death of Li Keqiang and the world appeared taken aback by what had befallen Hu Jintao, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, and others, Schell reminds that “this is nothing new.”
“We saw this under Stalin, we’ve seen it under every autocrat. This is the way it works. This is the system. Autocrats cannot tolerate competition,” he said.
“I think when you disappear cabinet secretaries, it shows that you’re insecure, and you feel that the only way to survive is greater control,” Schell told VOA. “I am surprised by the nakedness of [Xi]’s autocracy, that he can just make people vanish.”
Economic long COVID
The economic downturn China is going through also dampens Xi’s popularity. And the condition China finds itself in has everything to do with its politics, analysts say.
“China’s brutal domestic handling of the pandemic saw the country endure unpredictable lockdowns and arbitrary enforcement of different rules and standards,” noted one essay published in October by the European Council on Foreign Relations research group.
“This seems to have led many Chinese households to anticipate more hard times ahead rather than spend the savings they set aside during the pandemic, in contrast to their counterparts in the West,” the author, Alicja Bachulska, wrote. The result, she added, “is ‘economic long covid,’ on a scale unlike anything seen elsewhere.”
In addition, “With China’s ‘responsible power’ claims long gone, many foreign investors are unwilling to look twice,” Bachulska wrote.
Many analysts have said that one key reason Xi is turning on the charm in San Francisco is because he is trying to lure foreign investors back to China.
During Commerce Secretary Gina Raimando’s visit to Beijing in August, she said U.S. companies have complained to her that China is “uninvestable because it’s become too risky.”
In September, foreign exchange outflows from China rose to $75 billion, according to data from Goldman Sachs. The biggest outflow since 2016.
To make matters worse, a November 15 report put out by Sinolytics, a German thinktank focused on China, says for the first time since 1998, China saw a negative growth of foreign direct investment; that is, for the first time in 25 years, foreign investors pulled more money out of China than the amount they poured in.
Brain drain, emigration
And it is not just the economy that is souring. Since Xi came to power, the annual number of its citizens emigrating has risen dramatically. The United Nations predicts that China will lose 310,000 people through emigration this year, after losing more than 311,000 in 2022. That is more than double the 120,000 who left in 2012.
Since 2012, more than 730,000 Chinese citizens have sought asylum overseas, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to The Associated Press, Panamanian authorities say that in the first nine months of the year, 15,567 Chinese citizens crossed the Darien Gap as they tried to try reach the United States.
https://www.voanews.com/a/xi-in-us-amid-tension-and-signs-of-waning-approval-at-home/7358357.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
November 1968 proved pivotal to achieving the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. The highly successful Apollo 7 mission that returned American astronauts to space provided the confidence for NASA to decide to send the next flight, Apollo 8, on a trip to orbit the Moon in […]
https://www.nasa.gov/history/55-years-ago-eight-months-before-the-moon-landing/
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
The third and final crewed mission to the Skylab space station, Skylab 4, got underway on Nov. 16, 1973, with a thunderous launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Docking eight hours later, astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue began a planned 56-day mission that program managers extended […]
https://www.nasa.gov/history/50-years-ago-launch-of-skylab-4-the-final-mission-to-skylab/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The Maryland husband and wife used change from their grocery shopping to buy the ticket, lottery officials said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281966608.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“I had to go get my wife and get my glasses on to be sure,” the Maryland winner said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281965938.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Manu - I write blog
This is the 12th edition of People and Blogs, the series where I ask interesting people to talk about themselves and their blogs. Today we have Chris Coyier and his blog, chriscoyier.net.
As many many others I got to knew Chris thanks to his CSS-Tricks and I’m very happy to see that he’s not done blogging! Chris is also co-founder of CodePen and co-host of the ShopTalk podcast.
To follow this series subscribe to the newsletter. A new interview will land in your inbox every Friday. Not a fan of newsletters? No problem! You can read the interviews here on the blog or you can subscribe to the RSS feed.
Let's start from the basics: can you introduce yourself?
I’m Chris Coyier. Professionally, I’m the co-founder of CodePen, along with Alex Vazquez. We’re over 10 years on that project and are hard at work still today, evolving it. With my friend Dave Rupert, I co-host a podcast called ShopTalk Show which is all about web design & development. I also used to run a blog called CSS-Tricks for 15 years, which I sold a little over a year ago. So my professional life has been very focused on the web. Outside of work, I hang out with my family in Bend, Oregon. My main hobby is playing old-time music with local friends.
What's the story behind your blog?
I think I originally bought ChrisCoyier.net just out of the general obviousness that people should have a personal website (I think most people should). A lot of my early website-building experience involved WordPress, so I chucked that up on it. WordPress is pretty capable for a variety of types of websites, but I do still think the design of it encourages use as a blog. Blogging kinda clicked with me anyway, so that was always a part of it. There is something intoxicating about writing and publishing something anyone in the world can see and read.
I have no idea how many times it’s been redesigned over the years! It’s my 8th design since I’ve been properly versioning my WordPress theme, but surely a few before that. And honestly: not enough. Redesigning your personal website is one of life’s great pleasures.
What does your creative process look like when it comes to blogging?
Ideally, I’m asking myself: what is interesting about this? Is there a hook to this that makes this worthwhile? What can I say about this that might make it click for someone? Can I share how it clicked for me? Can I be helpful in some other way?
But sometimes I just don’t care. I remember one time a very popular blogger posting to say that it was his wife’s birthday, and noting that it was a good reminder that blogs are never that serious and you should be able to post whatever you want whenever you want to. That’s what makes a good blog, I think. That is to say, usually, I try to make things interesting for everyone, but it’s good enough if it’s interesting just to me.
My writing process has always been rather hot’n’fast. I might make a few passes during writing to rejigger things, but usually, I get done with things same-day and just hit the publish button. Back in the CSS-Tricks days, I had a great editor in Geoff Graham, so I probably seemed a little more polished than usual, but even then, it’s not like either of us were super professional editors and spent weeks on things. I think that might take the fun out of writing for me.
Tools-wise, I think the most important thing for me is saving links and then being able to look over them and think about them and see if any thoughts have formulated about them since saving/reading them.
Do you have an ideal creative environment? Also do you believe the physical space influences your creativity?
Nah, not really. What I do think is helpful is scenery changes. I’ve got a great desk and I can do the majority of my work there, but sometimes I like to take a laptop over to a coffee shop just to switch it up a bit and usually combine that with changing gears with what I’m working on.
But I’ve blogged just fine in my parent’s unfinished basement, in a tiny room with a tilted floor and unreliable internet in a house of questionably employed late twenty somethings, from a pool bar at a resort in Costa Rica, in lonely second story flat with a creaky floor, from the sunroom of a house in Florida that was a little too big for just one dude and a puppy, from a coffeeshop I’d never find again in Kraków, from a ferry on the inside passages of Southeast Alaska, and from a glass-walled office with my hand-picked inspirational art surrounding me. You just need a laptop, an idea, and a little desire to press publish.
A question for the techie readers: can you run us through your tech stack?
GoDaddy gets a lot of flack for an ex-CEO and a story involving killing an elephant and a purportedly objectifying advertising campaign. I think those things are more complicated than they seem on the surface, and never convinced me the company as a whole was evil. I find GoDaddy to be a pretty good domain registrant product, actually. I think the UI is fairly sensible, the pricing acceptable, and, well, it just works well. I used MediaTemple hosting for a long time, and I even thought they did pretty well running that post-acquisition for quite a while. Most importantly to me, though, as a loyal guy, GoDaddy once went to bat for me when, through a complex social engineering attack, I had a website stolen from me. It was no small effort for them to get it back, they did, and protected the heck out of it for all the years after. Anyway: my domains are there.
As I mentioned, I like WordPress, and I’m using Flywheel hosting for that at the moment. I find the hosting and the support pretty good. But my favorite feature is that they make this product Local for great local development.
Given your experience, if you were to start a blog today, would you do anything differently?
I think the most important thing anyone can do when setting up a blogging tech stack is to make sure it’s very easy to write and publish. For a lot of techy folks, that’s Markdown and committing a file, and that’s great. I’m a big fan of the static-site-generator approach to site building, as there is just tons of advantages there to being low cost, secure, easy to move around, lots of control, etc.
But me, I’m still a big fan of WordPress. I just have so much muscle memory for how it works. Now that the Block Editor is a thing in WordPress, I’m an even bigger fan. It allows you to do just enough customization inside of a blog post that makes it feel right. Too much customization would make redesigns obnoxious. Too little feels stifling and would lead to too much one-off fighting against it. The Block Editor allows you to, for example, set up some side-by-side columns, or drop in a photo gallery, or adjust some one-off colors just for one part.
Everybody’s gotta do what works for them, though. Building your own
stack of tech and learning it deeply is part of the journey. You’ll
never love every single aspect of it, so be ready to evolve.
I
would say: be liberal in how you syndicate. Your blog on the web can be
home base, but meet any reader where they are. Push that content to
anywhere that will take it.
Financial question since the web is obsessed with money: how much does it cost to run your blog? Is it just a cost or does it generate some revenue? And what's your position on people monetising personal blogs?
I don’t monetize my personal blog at the moment aside from putting a big obvious “Go PRO on CodePen” link in various spots. I don’t, like, pay myself directly for that placement or even track its effectiveness, but it’s an ad, and as a co-owner of CodePen, I profit from that.
I don’t mind what people choose to monetize, go nuts. I’ve always thought it can be done tastefully and be the best monetization option for tons of sites. The fact that it craps up a ton of websites is unfortunate, so, don’t do that. I do think people, generally, will have a hard time making meaningful money from a personal website. The scale is generally just a little too small to make it work, and the fact that it’s just some-persons-name.com might just be a bit too niche and weird for a many direct advertisers to bother. I’m sure there are counter-examples, like people that do self-help stuff and monetize with memberships or downloads or something. CSS-Tricks did OK with advertising revenue, but it was a real grind getting enough content produced on a daily basis to keep traffic up to the point of supporting just an editor and a few writers.
If you need a zero-dollar option, WordPress.com has a free plan that’s easy to grow out of (I swear WordPress doesn’t pay me, uhm, anymore). But also picking a static site generator and using Netlify’s free plan is totally an option. If you have any budget at all, buy a domain and keep it up over the years. I’m very sure you’ll never regret that.
Time for some recommendations: any blog you think is worth checking out? And also, who do you think I should be interviewing next?
I have a bit of a dump of blogs I follow here in case anyone wants a head start getting into RSS. But here’s a few hand-picked ones (that are mostly pretty web-tech-y because that’s what I like!)
Final question: is there anything you want to share with us?
Keep an eye on CodePen. Little biased, but it’s already this incredible hive of creative web designers and developers, and we’re hard at work making it even more useful for everyone.
This was the 12th edition of People and Blogs. Hope you enjoyed this interview with Chris. Make sure to follow his blog (RSS) and get in touch with him if you have any questions.
You can support this series on Ko-Fi and top supporters will be listed here as well as on the official site of the newsletter.
If you like this series and want to help it grow, you can:
https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/sdex5YNIyGbFsbCj
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The College of the Canyons Cougars picked the right time to have their best team performance of the year as the Cougars battled back to capture the 3C2A Women’s Golf State Championships on Tuesday at Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles
https://scvnews.com/lady-cougs-capture-3c2a-golf-championship/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The sighting was “like finding a needle in a haystack,” one researcher said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281965043.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The hunter feared for his safety, officials said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281964938.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
She left the room “for several minutes” while the water was still running, police said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281963363.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“I called out of work for the rest of the day and took home a cat,” the new owner from Idaho said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281917738.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
College of the Canyons student-athletes Kira Hooper (women’s volleyball) and Malik Brooks (football) have been named the COC Athletic Department’s Women’s & Men’s Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running Nov. 6-
https://scvnews.com/coc-names-kira-hooper-malik-brooks-athletes-of-the-week/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
HP Inc has been accused of improperly using funds set aside for retired workers.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/hp_pension_fund/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
The United States on Thursday targeted 10 individuals in a new round of sanctions aimed at containing Russian influence in the Western Balkans, the U.S. Treasury said.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on 20 entities, including 11 based in Russia, in line with executive orders related to the Western Balkans and Russia, according to a Treasury website.
The Western Balkans-related sanctions are the latest imposed by the United States on politicians, other individuals and organizations designed to contain Russian efforts to prevent the region’s integration into international institutions, the Treasury said.
The sanctions freeze all property and other assets those targeted have in the United States or are controlled by U.S. citizens and generally prohibit Americans from doing business with them.
Those hit with sanctions are individuals from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
They include Savo Cvijetinovic, a senior official of the political party led by Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russia leader of Republika Srpska, or R.S., the Serb-dominated half of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik already is under U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption and promoting the secession of the Serb Republic.
Cvijetinovic is the R.S. representative of a firm owned by a former Russian Air Force deputy chief that “facilitated the illegal transfer” of Ukrainian-made helicopter engines to Russia, the statement said.
Cvijetinovic told Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA that he suspected the U.S. sanctions were politically motivated, and that the company he represented has legal business with Ukraine and Russia. He said it had supplied spare engine parts, rather than engines.
Also targeted was Petar Djokic, Dodik’s minister of industry, energy and mining, who signed an agreement with a Croatian counterpart to build a pipeline from Croatia to a Russia-owned refinery in the Serb Republic.
Djokic’s Socialist Party said in a statement that the sanctions were “the biggest strike” against the accords that ended the 1992-95 Bosnia war “and the future cooperation and dialogue” in the country.
Dodik’s Moscow representative, Dusko Perovic, was sanctioned for lobbying for meetings between Dodik and Russian President Vladimir Putin, serving as a go-between for the Serb Republic government and an unidentified Russian billionaire and working for two of the billionaire’s firms, Treasury said.
Perovic told SRNA he was not involved in any business in Russia and said that his main duty was to lobby for the R.S. and Dodik, and “if this is a sin for Americans … I have no objections.”
In 2022, Dodik said the United States was accusing him of corruption despite the absence of any criminal proceeding against him.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-issues-sanctions-to-limit-russian-influence-in-balkans/7358367.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The holiday season is the spirit of giving
https://scvnews.com/take-part-in-local-nonprofits-adopt-a-family-program/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“I’ll be pretty much debt-free except,” she said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281964593.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“Just saw her in the water… It’s my mom,” her son said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281959568.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
The shots that rang out over Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, 60 years ago — on Nov. 22, 1963 — lasted just under six seconds. And while the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy profoundly changed America, those six seconds tainted the city where it occurred, marking the start of a long struggle to come to terms with Dallas’ role in one of the most infamous moments in American history.
“That really cast a shadow on it,” retired Dallas Deputy Sheriff Gene Boone explained to VOA while walking through Dealey Plaza in 2013. Boone, who died in 2017, was one of the first law enforcement officers to react to the shooting.
He later entered the Texas School Book Depository and found the rifle investigators say Lee Harvey Oswald used in the assassination. Boone believed Dallas lost more than just a president that day. “We were almost afraid to go outside the community and let anybody know we were from Dallas.”
Dallas’ identity
“The event was a source of great shame,” said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Engel said community leaders long struggled to balance the reality of the Kennedy assassination with the way it negatively impacted the city.
“The Kennedy assassination confirmed the identity of Dallas in American minds,” he said. In 1963, he said, Dallas was home to right-wing groups such as the John Birch Society and was already known as the city where former U.S. presidential candidate and United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson was attacked after giving a speech — just one month ahead of Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon Johnson’s visit.
“Dallas was a place that was known at the time as a hateful, dark city on the scene of national politics,” said Engel.
“So, when Kennedy was killed here in Dallas, there was this kind of collective ‘Oh, Dallas, that’s where things like this happen.’ Dallas was a toxic environment where extremism could thrive,” acknowledged historian Stephen Fagin. “It was an unfair characterization, but it lingered as a dark cloud over this community for decades.”
Perspective on the tragedy
Fagin is the curator of the Sixth Floor Museum, which now occupies the sixth floor of the reddish orange brick building known as the Texas School Book Depository.
“We are a historical institution that explores the life, death, and legacy of President Kennedy and the broader history and culture of the 1960s,” said Fagin.
The museum, situated at the edge of Dealey Plaza, opened in 1989 and quickly became a top tourist destination, said SMU’s Engel.
“Dealey Plaza is the second-most visited tourist attraction in the state of Texas, right after the Alamo,” said Engel.
The museum records attendance of more than 300,000 guests annually from 133 countries, a number that has declined since the 2020 coronavirus pandemic but is gradually increasing.
The museum’s curator acknowledged that the scene of a president’s death seems an unlikely destination for tourism, something Dallas city leaders struggled with as they attempted to convert the Texas School Book Depository into something else.
“There are sites in this country that are stained by violence and tragedy,” said Fagin. “Dealey Plaza is one of those, much like Pearl Harbor or the footprint of the World Trade Center, and sites like this allow us to do justice to a tragic event by remembering it properly.”
But, said Fagin, remembering it properly does not mean the Sixth Floor Museum draws definitive conclusions about exactly what happened in Dallas in November of 1963.
“The assassination, like so many other things, it’s a very divisive topic,” he said. “People typically arrive here knowing whether they believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or whether there was a conspiracy.”
Engel said the lingering mystique about the Kennedy assassination contributes to present-day tourism in Dallas.
“The Kennedy conspiracy theorists still hold a grip on the nation’s psyche in some ways,” he said. “That you can go to Dealey Plaza and tell yourself that ‘I’ve heard the story, maybe I can piece it together a little bit myself now differently because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.’”
“You may be intrigued by the nuances of the assassination, the lingering questions surrounding bullet trajectories and medical evidence,” said Fagin. “But at the end of the day, something died here and Dealey Plaza sort of stands for that unfulfilled hope and promise that John F. Kennedy represented.”
Exorcising demons
The Sixth Floor Museum is not just a series of exhibits, it is also an archive. Some of the film footage of the assassination is preserved and licensed by the museum, as are recordings of oral histories of eyewitnesses and key figures in the events. Collectively, they fill the museum with more than just physical artifacts that help put a watershed moment of the 20th century into perspective historically, and locally.
“Certainly, I think Dallas has tried to come to terms with this dark moment in its past, and internalize the assassination in many ways,” Fagin told VOA during an interview on the Sixth Floor, “and this museum has played a key role in helping this community exorcise the last remaining demons from 1963.”
Dallas Sheriff Gene Boone lived long enough to see the city where he was born and raised emerge from the dark cloud of the assassination he personally witnessed. He credited the Sixth Floor Museum for aiding that transformation. “If you come here and see it and hear the story, you can really, fully come to realize that it could happen anywhere, at any time,” Boone told VOA in 2013.
Now, Boone’s story and memories of those fateful days in Dallas 60 years ago lives on among the oral histories recorded for posterity in the permanent collections of the Sixth Floor Museum.
https://www.voanews.com/a/texas-jfk-assassination-perch-is-both-museum-and-memorial-/7358247.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The Biden administration is splurging $3.5 billion to recharge the American battery industry and increase its manufacturing output, with the Department of Energy handing out the cash.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/doe_battery_technology/
date: 2023-11-16, from: mrusme blog
An overview of privacy-focused, decentralized, open source
alternatives to popular non-free spyware instant messengers
like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and
Apple iMessage.
https://xn--gckvb8fzb.com/an-overview-of-privacy-focused-decentralized-instant-messengers/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
Barnes & Noble has announced that it’s pulling the plug on some key features for the NOOK Simple Touch, NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, and NOOK GlowLight eReaders. By the middle of next year you’ll no longer be able to buy eBooks on those devices, register a device with a bn.com account, or sign in […]
The post Lilbits: HandBrake 1.7 released, Copilot for Windows 10 is coming, and older NOOK devices will lose features in 2024 appeared first on Liliputing.
date: 2023-11-16, from: James Fallows, Substack
Gulp. A bracing talk with Thomas P.M. Barnett, author of ‘America’s New Map,’ on how the US will look, once it gets past its current traumas.
https://fallows.substack.com/p/whats-the-hope-for-the-world-the
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
One of the men was found on the riverbank, Oregon officials said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281961818.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Heatmap News
Los Angeles officials on Thursday announced a plan to make the clean
energy transition cheaper for low-income residents, The New York
Times
reports.
“Working families in our city need to be assured that our city’s clean
energy future won’t leave them trapped in the past,” Mayor Karen Bass
said. “Many working families — some working two to three jobs to make
ends meet — won’t buy or lease EVs if they don’t have access to
convenient, timesaving, cost-saving places to charge them.”
The move comes in response to a study, also released Thursday by a coalition of city, state, and national groups, showing that most of the money for Los Angeles’ green incentives has so far flowed to its wealthier residents. From 1999 to 2022, for instance, just 38% of the $340 million invested in residential solar panels went to disadvantaged communities. And of the $5 million in electric vehicle rebates given from 2013 to 2021, just 23% went to underserved communities. The new plan will offer qualified buyers $4,000 toward the purchase of used EVs, up from $2,500, and install fast chargers in areas that have so far received little attention from private industry. The arrival of cheaper EVs next year should also help.
Los Angeles isn’t alone in tackling the issue of an equitable energy transition. Michigan recently proposed a suite of ambitious climate laws, one of which would establish a Just Transition Office to help workers hurt by decarbonization. New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019, requires that 35% to 40% of “benefits from investments in clean energy and energy efficiency programs” go to disadvantaged communities. Even earlier, Minneapolis designated an area in its economically troubled north as The Northside Green Zone, which involves “a plan of action to improve environmental and population health, and social, economic and environmental justice.”
Such efforts will be crucial in the coming years, as financially strapped homeowners grapple with the high up-front costs of the clean-energy conversion, experts told the Times. “In order to reach a 100% clean energy transition you really need to bring everyone along,” said Kate Anderson, of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one of the authors of the study. “It’s going to depend on everyone making changes in their households. The affordability piece is a huge challenge.”
https://heatmap.news/sparks/los-angeles-used-ev-rebates
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“I’ve said this before,” Fox Sports Charissa Thompson said on a recent podcast. “I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281959043.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Rackspace’s costs from last year’s ransomware infection continue to mount. The cloud hosting biz has told America’s financial watchdog, the SEC, its total expenses to date regarding that cyberattack have now reached about $11 million, though insurance has helped cover half of that.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/rackspace_ransomware_expenses/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
In addition to warming temperatures, new research finds contaminants might contribute to the endangered reptiles’ skewed sex ratios
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
A salad packed with fresh, seasonal flavors should be welcomed at any Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, two easy Brussels sprouts recipes for an added veggie side.
https://www.fresnobee.com/living/food-drink/recipes/article281958918.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
Punkt is a Swiss company that makes products featuring minimalist design and features, including an alarm clock, USB charger, and a simple line of cellphones including the Punkt MP01 and MP02. But earlier this year we learned the company was working on its first smartphone with a touchscreen display, and possibly a BlackBerry clone with […]
The post Punkt MC02 smartphone with Apostrophy OS is up for pre-order for $749 appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/punkt-mc02-smartphone-with-apostrophy-os-is-up-for-pre-order-for-749/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Heatmap News
The past couple years have seen escalating tensions between China and the United States. On the one hand, the brutally repressive nature of the Chinese government has become undeniable, with the crushing of protests in Hong Kong and the ongoing cultural genocide against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang. On the other, the Biden administration has tightened Trump-era technology controls intended to prevent China from developing cutting-edge expertise in semiconductors, as well as other trade restrictions. Chinese and Taiwanese fighter jets are routinely getting into squabbles over Taiwan’s airspace.
It sure looks like another cold war is developing. However, we saw an unexpected diplomatic bright spot during U.S.-China talks this week, when both countries agreed to take steps to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030, and to cut emissions from power production over the same period. As Lisa Friedman writes at The New York Times, “That appears to be the first time China has agreed to specific emissions targets in any part of its economy.” That is good, and might even help defuse a full blown second cold war.
Now, the agreement did not say anything about cutting coal use, which has previously been a core U.S request. However, this isn’t as meaningful as it might seem. China does use an ungodly quantity of coal — the main reason why it now emits more than 60 percent more carbon pollution than the U.S. and the EU put together — and that is no doubt why cutting coal is not mentioned.
Get one great story in your inbox every day:
But Chinese coal will be phased out regardless of any diplomatic agreement, likely sooner rather than later, for two reasons. First, power from natural gas and renewables is now considerably cheaper than that of coal, and increasingly so in the latter case as technology continues to improve. Brute market forces are the primary reason why American coal use peaked in 2007 and has since fallen by 60 percent. Coal power is simply a poor business proposition in 2023 — continuing to use it is leaving money on the table.
Second, the filth spewed forth by burning coal imposes a terrific health burden on the Chinese population. Seemingly every few months a new study is published showing air pollution is even worse than we thought. The air quality in Beijing was an international disgrace for decades; it has since been greatly improved, in part by halting the use of coal for residential heating and cooking. But according to the World Health Organization, air pollution still kills some two million Chinese annually, along with untold cases of asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and so on.
All that sickness is extremely expensive — costing America about $2,500 per person annually, according to one study. That’s easily enough that ending the use of fossil fuels would pay for itself over the long term even if you ignore climate change altogether.
In short, the ever-declining price of renewables, and the advancing awareness of just how costly air pollution is, have made the task of climate diplomacy far easier. No great sacrifice is required; countries must simply agree to do what is already in their best interest.
Still, the push of diplomatic agreements have their place. Actually building out a fully zero-carbon economy pencils out on paper, but will require a lot of complicated, expensive, and annoying electricity transmission and storage upgrades to deal with the intermittency of renewable power. Formal commitments can help break through the inertia.
So what is actually happening on the ground? In America, we did finally pass a serious climate bill, four decades after the undeniable proof of climate change was brought to the attention of Congress, in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act. Solar and wind investment are indeed skyrocketing, along with the domestic manufacturing industry intended to buttress that investment politically. It isn’t enough yet, but it’s a good start.
On the Chinese side, it must be admitted that China’s renewable investment wildly outstrips what America is doing, even with the IRA. China has put up 25.6 gigawatts of offshore wind, as compared to America’s pitiful 30 megawatts, or about one-thousandth as much. This year alone China will put up more solar than the entirety of America’s extant installed solar capacity. Nobody on earth does big and fast better than China.
That said, China’s planning of renewables appears to be quite haphazard, particularly on solar. As David Fickling writes at Bloomberg, the amount of solar power actually produced relative to capacity is not far from the U.K. and France — temperate countries with a lot of cloud cover. This is because thus far the bulk of China’s solar has been placed in the temperate south and east, rather than in the dry north and west. So while the volume is about right, the execution isn’t there yet.
Incidentally, this might be a worthy topic for future climate talks — America can share best practices about getting the largest number of megawatts for your solar dollar, while China can share tips about how to build big projects without taking 15 years and going over budget by 500 percent.
So I return to the incipient U.S.-China cold war. To anyone with any sense, it is plainly obvious that neither party can actually defeat the other without also devastating itself. Both countries have nuclear weapons and enormous militaries, backed by equally enormous economies. Yet those economies are also profoundly intertwined — particularly when it comes to climate, as China is by far the largest producer of solar panels. Trying to stand up a domestic renewable industry as the Biden administration is doing is one thing, but total cessation of trade would wreck both China and America, and greatly hinder the global climate transition to boot.
Some kind of 1970s-style detente is obviously called for — a rough agreement where both countries can continue to develop internally and flex some diplomatic muscle abroad, but without blowing up the status quo or getting in a shooting war.
In the social media age, where blasting out the most inflammatory and unhinged message is greatly rewarded, propaganda has arguably never been more powerful or insidious. Vladimir Putin, for instance, was reportedly convinced of a conspiracy theory (originally invented by a segment of the Lyndon LaRouche cult) that the “color revolutions” of the mid-2000s, the Arab Spring, and the Euromaidan in Ukraine, were all secretly cooked up by George Soros and the CIA, which is one reason why he was so hostile to Ukraine joining the EU.
Heading off this kind of misunderstanding with China, which is an order of magnitude more formidable than Russia at least, is critical. And one good way to do that is just to keep diplomatic contact going. Top level officials meeting face to face, where relationships can develop and understanding grow, tends to defuse the grotesque distortions of propaganda lies. It’s no guarantee, of course, but it has worked in the past. The longer serious conflict can be put off, the greater the chance of settling into a live-and-let-live pattern, and the better chance the world has to carry out the energy transition.
Read more about China:
China Could Massively Juice Its Clean Energy Industry. The World Isn’t Ready.
https://heatmap.news/politics/xi-biden-climate-agreement-cold-war
date: 2023-11-16, from: Michael Tsai
Lance Ulanoff (Hacker News, MacRumors): Apple will finally add RCS messaging standard support to the iPhone through a software release early next year, the company told TechRadar.[…]“Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe the RCS Universal Profile will offer […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/11/16/apple-to-add-rcs-messaging-in-ios-17-update/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Michael Tsai
Sancarn (via Hacker News): From these data, we can clearly see that the majority of people who use VBA do so mainly because they have no other choice. Many organisations run their entire business processes with Excel, and when a little bit of automation is required VBA is usually #1 on the list. […] Looks […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/11/16/why-do-people-still-use-vba/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Michael Tsai
Adobe: Blur any image to make it seem like it’s been taken with a wide aperture lens. Lens Blur easily alters the background or foreground of your images by making a depth map using Adobe Sensei.[…]Edit, display, and save images in High Dynamic Range (HDR) to experience increased depth with brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/11/16/lightroom-classic-13-0-1/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Michael Tsai
Jeff Johnson: This famous keynote slide was, to put it euphemistically, a bit of product marketing. Non-euphemistically, it was a big lie. Snow Leopard had quite a few new features, including significant changes “under the hood”, so to speak. In fairness, though, 10.6 was a smaller update than 10.5, 10.4, 10.3, or 10.2, and its […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/11/16/the-myth-and-reality-of-mac-os-x-snow-leopard/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Michael Tsai
Jon Brodkin (Hacker News, 9to5Mac, ): Apple illegally discriminated against US citizens and other US residents in its hiring and recruitment practices for certain types of positions that went to foreign workers, the US Department of Justice said yesterday. Apple agreed to pay up to $25 million in back pay and civil penalties to settle […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/11/16/apple-ina-hiring-discrimination-settlement/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Titled “Weird Medieval Guys,” a new book examines illustrations of armless frogs, human-sized snails and more
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
Black Friday has come a little early for Amazon’s Fire tablet and Fire TV devices. The brand new Amazon Fire HD 10 that launched just a month ago has a list price of $140, but you can already pick one up for $80 (or 43% off). And the even more powerful Fire Max 11 normally […]
The post Daily Deals (11-16-2023) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-11-16-2023/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Tilde.news
https://codeberg.org/oneirophage/practice-guide-for-computer
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
The assassination of US President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd sixty years ago, put the Texas School Book Depository building on the map of history. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, despite several efforts to tear down the structure over the decades, the old warehouse is now both a museum about the tragedy, and a memorial to President Kennedy. Camera: Adam Greenbaum
https://www.voanews.com/a/texas-jfk-assassination-perch-is-now-both-museum-and-memorial/7358169.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The deputy was on-duty at the time of the crash, the CHP said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281954468.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
With Israel under increasing pressure due to a steadily rising death toll in Gaza and images of Palestinian suffering flooding social media, the United States turned to a familiar page in its foreign policy playbook: it declassified and released some intelligence.
Both the White House and Pentagon on Tuesday announced the U.S. had information backing Israeli claims that Hamas — long designated by Washington as a terrorist organization — was using Gaza’s Shifa Hospital to direct operations against Israel.
“We have information that confirms that Hamas is using that particular hospital for a command-and-control node,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden on Air Force One.
“They have weapons stored there and are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against the facility,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told Pentagon reporters, adding the Shifa Hospital was just one of several used by Hamas and its ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, “to conceal and support their military operations and hold hostages.”
The tactic of releasing such information — known in the White House as a strategic downgrade — has increasingly become a go-to tool for the Biden administration when it needs to shape global public opinion.
It’s most famous and first applications came during the run-up to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, when the White House quickly declassified and shared evidence of Russia’s military build-up with allies and with the public, galvanizing support for Kyiv.
The White House also turned to strategic downgrades to push back against China’s claims about its errant spy balloon which traversed much of the continental U.S. earlier this year and, more quietly, to defuse a potential crisis Mali sparked by mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner Group.
And now, Israel.
“We felt it was important for the world to know exactly how Hamas has chosen to embed themselves in the civilian population and use civilians, including those at hospitals, as human shields,” a senior U.S. official told VOA, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the decision-making process.
The selection of Shifa Hospital, in particular “as a location to base military operations from,” the official said, was “in violation of the laws of war.”
The announcements from the White House and the Pentagon were met with almost immediate skepticism on social media platforms, with accounts accusing the U.S. of lying to cover for Israel or of basing its assessments entirely on Israel’s own claims.
Hamas, too, rejected the accusations from Washington.
“We strongly condemn and reject the claims,” Hamas said in a statement on its Telegram channel late Tuesday. “These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit further brutal massacres.”
Hours later, Israeli forces launched what Israel described as “a precise and targeted operation” aimed at Hamas fighters in Shifa.
The U.S. official told VOA the timing of the Israeli action, following the statements from the White House and Pentagon, was coincidental.
“The downgrade had nothing to do with any operational timing or any decision making by the Israeli Defense Forces [sic],” the official said. “We do not want to see airstrikes or firefights at hospitals, and we believe that patients and civilians must be protected.”
Other U.S. officials, likewise, pushed back against accusations that Washington’s intelligence assessment was based on Israeli intelligence, saying it was based on information collected by multiple U.S. agencies.
The Wall Street Journal Wednesday reported that the U.S. assessment Hamas was using Shifa as a base for operations came partly from intercepted communications of fighters inside the hospital compound.
Former intelligence officials and analysts who spoke to VOA said they expected the U.S. assessment was likely based on both intercepted communications, known as signals intelligence or SIGINT, and human sources.
“The obvious way that you would know something like that would be because you knew that a credible Hamas source had confirmed it, and that could be because you had human intelligence to that effect, or it could be that you had some kind of intercept to that effect,” a former Western counterterrorism official told VOA, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence gathering.
And the U.S. has been in position to intercept Hamas communications. The Pentagon, earlier this month, confirmed it started flying unarmed drones over Gaza on October 7 to help with hostage recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attacks.
Larry Pfeiffer, a former CIA chief of staff and former senior director of the White House Situation Room, told VOA the U.S. also has the ability to use satellite reconnaissance and cyber capabilities to help pinpoint how Hamas is directing its operations.
“The NSC [National Security Council] and the Pentagon spoke with some certitude,” he said. “[That] suggests to me some pretty rock-solid evidence derived from U.S. collection or independently verifiable Israeli collection.”
Israel, late Wednesday, began releasing images and other evidence from its operation in Shifa that it said proves Israeli and U.S. assessments that Hamas had been using the hospital as a command center — showing so-called Hamas “grab and go” bags, with assault rifles, ammunition, grenades and uniforms, as well as other weaponry and equipment.
Like the U.S. announcement, the Israeli claims were met with skepticism by some social media accounts, some accusing Israel of planting the evidence.
But some of the former intelligence officials who spoke with VOA said the Israeli evidence should not be dismissed.
“The IDF video showing weapons recovered at Shifa is certainly significant, as this does demonstrate Hamas utilization of the hospital, which is technically a war crime,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA operations officer who worked extensively in the Middle East.
“That said, given the U.S. and Israeli claims that the hospital contained a major command and control node for Hamas, it’s probably going to take additional evidence, such as video of the actual tunnels under the hospital, to buttress the intelligence claims and assuage some of the international concerns,” he added.
Still, Polymeropoulos and other former officials believe the U.S. decision to declassify the intelligence on Hamas’ use of hospitals will pay off, even if it takes time.
“This is clearly designed to give the Israelis some breathing room,” Polymeropoulos said.
“The audience is both global, because of the international outrage, but also domestic,” he said, noting the Biden administration has faced increasing criticism in the U.S. for its unwavering support of the Israeli campaign.
The former Western counterterrorism official also said the U.S. decision to back up the Israeli claims with independent U.S. intelligence may also serve to buy Israel more time with Arab and Muslim governments, whose patience may be wearing thin.
“This is perhaps just about the moment in the conflict where people are starting to wobble,” the official said. “Declassifying that information clearly helps to tell the story of why the Israelis are having to respond in the way that they have.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-turns-to-go-to-tool-as-israel-faces-mounting-criticism/7358035.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Ignite Microsoft is teasing a Windows App that provides a home screen for users of its cloud and remote PC services.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/windows_app_ignite/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The soldiers have been given honorable discharges, and their families may now be eligible for benefits
date: 2023-11-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Scientists have discovered a pathway between the heart and brain in mice that appears to be involved during loss of consciousness
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Exercise benefits me in many ways and makes me feel better about myself. I’ve been working out consistently for two years now and I’ve noticed a big difference. For one, working out reduces stress and calms the brain down. According to Harvard Health, “Exercise reduces stress hormones and stimulates production of endorphins, which together help…
https://sundial.csun.edu/177012/opinions/how-exercise-helps-me/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Every third Thursday in November is referred to as the Great American Smokeout. It’s a day to encourage individuals to quit smoking and embrace a non-smoker lifestyle. By the time you read this, it has now been over 275 days since I stopped smoking. So, roughly over nine months with no nicotine in sight, but…
https://sundial.csun.edu/177007/opinions/the-irony-of-smoking/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
For years, Google and rival phone makers have been pushing Apple to adopt a next-gen text messaging standard called RCS (Rich Communication Services). And for years, Apple has indicated that it has no intention of doing that. But now it looks like Apple is changing course: in a brief statement published by Bloomberg and 9to5Mac, […]
The post Apple will bring RCS messaging to iPhones in 2024 appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/apple-will-bring-rcs-messaging-to-iphones-in-2023/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: Bruce Schneier blog
The Federal Trade Commission is running a competition “to foster breakthrough ideas on preventing, monitoring, and evaluating malicious voice cloning.”
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/11/ftcs-voice-cloning-challenge.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is tightening the rules protecting cellular network users and has kicked off an effort to understand the impact of AI on robocalls and robotexts.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/us_fcc_ai/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“They’re not going to be open anytime soon,” a fire department spokesperson told The Bee.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281948313.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Photos show what’s left of the silver treasure.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/world/article281946238.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Literate Machine
Video Version | Audio Version | Get this in Your Inbox When Star Trek’s Federation is brought up as an example of how “actual” socialism might work, as I did in Star Trek into Socialism, frequently one is met with the objection that it only works in Star Trek because they’ve solved the problem ofdate: 2023-11-16, from: 404 Media Group
“CarynAI being down has really caused an uproar within my community,” Caryn Marjorie said.
https://www.404media.co/users-cant-speak-to-viral-ai-girlfriend-carynai-because-ceo-is-in-jail/
date: 2023-11-16, from: TidBITS blog
Rogue Amoeba has posted a graphical timeline showing how the company’s app icons have evolved over the years.
https://tidbits.com/2023/11/16/the-evolution-of-rogue-amoeba-app-icons/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
The JX2 is a 161 x 82 x 22mm (6.3″ x 3.2″ x 0.8″) desktop computer with an Intel Celeron N5105 quad-core processor based on Jasper Lake Architecture, 8GB of RAM, room inside the case for up to two SSDs, and support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and Gigabit Ethernet connections. But the weirdest thing […]
The post JX2 is a cheap mini PC with Celeron N5105 and a 5.7 inch touchscreen display appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/jx2-is-a-cheap-mini-pc-with-celeron-n5105-and-a-5-7-inch-touchscreen-display/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The US government’s unrelenting efforts to prevent China from accessing advanced chips or chipmaking equipment has scored another victim after Alibaba said the scheduled IPO of its cloud division is off due to the impact of CPU export curbs.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/alibaba_cancels_cloud_spinoff_blames/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The four-night sailing is organized by Swifties, though the singer-songwriter herself won’t be on board
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/taylor-swift-themed-cruise-180983275/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
Several Chinese mini PC makers have recently begun selling a tiny computer that measures 2.8″ x 2.8″ x 1.8″, but which packs a lot of functionality into a compact design. With a 6-watt Intel N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor, the little computer should be fast enough to work as a tiny server, networking device, or […]
The post This mini PC is a 2.8 inch Intel N100 mini PC with 2.5 GbE Ethernet and two HDMI ports appeared first on Liliputing.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The allegations are described by officials as “heinous.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281944203.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Ignite As far as Microsoft is concerned, AI is to be inescapable for its customers – even those who want to keep their software development and deployment confined to the PCs in front of them and their users. Welcome to the Windows AI Studio.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/microsoft_takes_aim_at_local/
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
A pilot program allows indigent defendants wanted on low-level warrants to schedule court dates without first having to surrender to jail custody.
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Criminal proceedings against Kenneth David McIsaac are set to resume on Nov. 29.
date: 2023-11-16, from: National Archives, Text Message blog
Today’s post was written by Katherine Terry, archives technician at the National Archives at St. Louis Keep your helmet, keep your life, son Just a flesh wound, here’s your rifle Crawling up the beaches now “Sir, I think he’s bleeding out” And some things you just can’t speak about – “epiphany” In the vast landscape … Continue reading We Will Be Remembered: Taylor Swift’s Grandfathers and Their Unsung Military Service
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected three university-led teams for the first round of a new technical challenge pursuing innovative aviation maintenance practices. These university teams will receive funding from NASA for a two-year research term exploring aviation maintenance challenges related to NASA’s strategic vision for aeronautics. The awardees will research new maintenance techniques and procedures, as well […]
https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-selects-awardees-for-new-aviation-maintenance-challenge/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The LAist
The suspect was booked on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
Let’s look at the mean temperature of the Sun, and the planets in our solar system.
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/temperatures-across-our-solar-system/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
The Banana Pi BPI-M7 is an upcoming single-board computer with a Rockchip RK3588 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of eMMC storage plus support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. But while it’s rare to find a small, affordable board like this with support for that much memory, it’s the expansion […]
The post Banana Pi BPI-M7 board has a RK3588 chip, 2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, and PCIe NVMe SSD support appeared first on Liliputing.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Resort-style property in the East Bay city of Pleasanton was originally listed for $9 million.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281900808.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
The NSSC Small Business Office is responsible for providing outreach and liaison support to industry (both large and small businesses) and other members of the private sector. These activities are accomplished through a combination of individual counseling sessions, dissemination of information on upcoming NSSC procurement opportunities, and participation in local small business outreach events. The […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nssc/nssc-small-business-program/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Tilde.news
https://www.tindie.com/products/polpo/picogus-sound-card-emulator-for-isa-retro-pcs/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
A neighbor used a hose to put out the fire until emergency response arrived, the fire department said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281941923.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’s been 50 years since the final Skylab crew launched and docked with America’s first space station for an eventful 84 days in space.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/50_years_skylab_4/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Hundreds of passengers and employees took cover, a report says..
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281940923.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Mozilla Developer Network blog
Mozilla has just launched the AI Guide, a collaborative hub for developers to join forces, inspire each other, and lead the way in groundbreaking generative AI advancements. The AI Guide’s initial focus begins with language models and the aim is to become a collaborative community-driven resource covering other types of models.
The post Mozilla AI Guide Launch with Summarization Code Example appeared first on Mozilla Hacks - the Web developer blog.
https://hacks.mozilla.org/2023/11/mozilla-ai-guide-launch-with-summarization-code-example/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Jeff Geerling blog
The Mighty ’MOX: 50kW AM Tower site tour
<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Nearing it's centennial, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KMOX">KMOX-AM</a> (1120 kHz) is a 50,000-watt clear-channel AM radio station with studios located in downtown St. Louis, MO, USA.</p>But their broadcast tower is located about 10 miles northeast, in Pontoon Beach, IL. My Dad was the director of engineering overseeing the tower and studios for about 20 years, and though he’s no longer there, he and I got permission from Audacy and the St. Louis engineers (thanks!) to tour the site, and learn a bit about how they broadcast their AM signal—which reaches all the way into Canada and Mexico at night!
In this blog post, I’ll write a bit about KMOX’s tower system (AM towers are a lot different than FM, like the FM Supertower we toured last year), the transmitter, and the some of the history found at that tower site.
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2023/mighty-mox-50kw-am-tower-site-tour
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The 25-year-old man was “not welcome” at the home due to past incidents, officials said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281939168.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
San Jose officials have paved the path to convert a choice apartment complex in the city’s downtown into an all-affordable housing property.
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
A protest on the Bay Bridge forced westbound lane closures on the Bay Bridge on Thursday morning.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
A grandmother mailed her grandson a birthday card with a check, but it was stolen, authorities said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281936668.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Police don’t know the motive for the killing of Michael Rangel last month.
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
45% of U.S. teens agree that their parents know more than they do about GAI.
date: 2023-11-16, from: David Rosenthal’s blog
Yesterday,
at the DigiPres conference, Vicky Reich and I were awarded a
“Sustainability Excellence Award”
by the National Digital Stewardship
Alliance. This is a tribute to the sustained hard work of the entire
LOCKSS team over more than a
quarter-century.We are honored by and grateful for this award, and happy that the
program we left for our new career as full-time grandparents is
flourishing in good hands.
https://blog.dshr.org/2023/11/ndsa-sustainability-excellence-award.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
They were sold at Bergdorf-Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom’s and other stores, including the manufacturer’s store.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/recalls/article281936263.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Tyler Burrow was found with the missing woman’s dog and pickup truck.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/16/tyler-burrow-bailey-blunt-missing-oregon-woods/
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
The incident happened Tuesday night after the suspect was asked to leave the hospital.
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Something likely to be absent from Microsoft’s Ignite event is talk of a fix rolled out to deal with malfunctioning Windows Server 2022 Virtual Machines following a problematic update from the company.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/microsoft_windows_server_patch/
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Ethics panel says it found ‘substantial evidence’ of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/16/read-house-ethics-committee-report-on-gop-rep-george-santos/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The defect led to the death of a 23-year-old mother, who was shot after dropping the Georgia company’s pistol, the lawsuit says.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281913473.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The 25-year-old died at the scene.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281935333.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Since 1990, permits grow 27%-a-year in building booms and shrink 25% ain construction busts.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/11/16/how-do-california-homebuilding-booms-differ-from-busts/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
“My palms were sweating, my heart was racing. It was a big adrenaline rush.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281935883.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
2023 was the year that the the United States Postal Service was supposed to break even, per Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s austerity plan. But this week, USPS announced a $6.5 billion net loss for the last fiscal year. We take a closer look. Plus, checking in on U.S.-China tariffs and examining the specialized supply chain needed to move avocados.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Liliputing
Samsung’s Galaxy Book 3 series line of laptops launched in February, but next-gen models could already be just around the corner. According to leaked specs published by Windows Report, five Galaxy Book 4 models are on the way, all with Intel Meteor Lake processors. Some models are also expected to feature discrete graphics, with certain […]
The post Samsung Galaxy Book 4 leaked: Models with Intel Arc and Nvidia 4070 GPUs on the way appeared first on Liliputing.
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that China will send new pandas to the United States, calling them “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”
“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” Xi said Wednesday during a dinner speech with business leaders.
The gesture came at the end of a day in which Xi and President Joe Biden held their first face to face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions. Xi did not share additional details on when or where pandas might be provided but appeared to suggest the next pair of pandas are most likely to come to California, probably San Diego.
The bears have long been the symbol of the U.S.-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs.
The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo.
“I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said in his speech. He added that he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to welcoming pandas back.”
Xi is in California to attend a summit of Indo-Pacific leaders and for his meeting with Biden. He made no mention of the pandas during his public remarks earlier in the day as he met with Biden.
When bilateral relations began to sour in the past few years, members of the Chinese public started to demand the return of giant pandas. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media.
But relations showed signs of stabilization as Xi traveled to San Francisco to meet with Biden. The two men met for about four hours Wednesday at the picturesque Filoli Historic House & Garden, where they agreed to cooperate on anti-narcotics, resume high-level military communications and expand people-to-people exchanges.
The National Zoo’s exchange agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association had been set to expire in early December and negotiations to renew or extend the deal did not produce results.
The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.
date: 2023-11-16, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has measured the size of the nearest Earth-sized exoplanet that passes across the face of a neighboring star. This alignment, called a transit, opens the door to follow-on studies to see what kind of atmosphere, if any, the rocky world might have. The diminutive planet, LTT 1445Ac, was first discovered by […]
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The rock-dwelling animal had “pockets” on its neck, researchers said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/world/article281906998.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The countdown is already underway and there are less than 200 days until Mexicans abroad can vote in their country’s elections on June 2, 2024.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281910548.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: 404 Media Group
Adult content creators are seeing an influx of “sensitive content” labels on Twitter, which could be tied to the site’s newly implemented sensitivity settings for advertisers.
https://www.404media.co/twitter-x-sensitive-content-label-advertisers/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Updated Affiliates of the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service operation are turning to malvertising campaigns to establish an initial foothold in their victims’ systems.…
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-11-16, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Here’s
a demo app that scrolls
through pictures recently posted by one of the
art feeds on
Bluesky. Artshow is not itself a feed reader, it calls FeedLand,
via
an API, to get the recent posts from feeds in the list. It’s all
very simple, small pieces loosely joined. An illustration that there’s
more to feed “reading” than we might think (podcasting is a another form
of feed reading that doesn’t look like a feed reader).
http://scripting.com/2023/11/16.html#a144450
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-11-16, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
We need something like Black Lives Matter for Jews. Our lives do matter. But our right to continue to live is always up for debate.
http://scripting.com/2023/11/16.html#a144441
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
As casualties mount from fighting between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. relatives of those affected by the violence are grieving the loss of friends and loved ones. In New York, Aron Ranen talks with people who have family ties to the conflict.
https://www.voanews.com/a/terror-of-israel-hamas-war-resonates-with-us-families/7357642.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
He disappeared after leaving a Dollar General store, records show.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281932643.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
From Our Partners
https://www.fresnobee.com/shopping/article281537863.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
Warner Skoch has built a fully functioning Raspberry Pi-powered Game Boy for giants, because he is a genius.
The post Game Boy for giants appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/game-boy-for-giants/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Following the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco on Wednesday, analysts say Beijing is hoping to de-escalate tension with the U.S. by easing its stance and projecting a less confrontational tone.
“In the official readout, Xi states China has no plan to surpass or supplant America and he also notes that China doesn’t export its ideology, showing a markedly narrower scope of geopolitical ambition,” Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist at the Australian National University (ANU), told VOA in a written response.
He said the messages are in stark contrast to Xi’s previous proclamation that “the East is rising and the West is falling.”
In the official readout released on Thursday, Xi highlighted the importance for Beijing and Washington to avoid confrontation, saying that “turning their back on each other” is not an option for the two superpowers.
“Major-country competition can’t solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world,” he said. “The world is big enough to accommodate both countries and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other.”
Apart from emphasizing the need to avoid conflict, Xi said China has no plan to “surpass or unseat the United States” and that it doesn’t export its ideology.
He laid out five principles for Beijing and Washington to manage bilateral relations, calling on both sides to develop a “right perception,” jointly manage disagreements, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, shoulder responsibilities as major countries, and promote people-to-people ties.
“It is important that they appreciate each other’s principles and red lines and have more communications, more dialogues, more consultations and calmly handle their differences as well as accidents,” Xi said.
Some experts say the points highlighted in the readout and other efforts from Beijing before the meeting all suggest the Chinese government’s desire to frame the meeting between Biden and Xi as a success. “I think the overall response [from Beijing] was firm but positive,” Amanda Hsiao, senior China analyst at International Crisis Group, told VOA by phone.
In her view, the Chinese government wants to project the image that it remains in control of the bilateral relationship but it’s also opening up to the U.S. “[Beijing wants to show] that it is extending a gesture out to the U.S. to improve relations but it’s doing so from a position of strength,” she said.
While some analysts view Beijing’s messages from the readout as largely conciliatory and positive, others say it still reflects China’s reservation about Washington’s possible attempt to influence its governance system.
“The mention of not changing each other’s systems suggests China’s suspicion that the United States is out to alter its communist party-dominated system,” Ian Chong, a political scientist at National Singapore University, told VOA in a written response.
Xi emphasizes ‘common interests’
Apart from emphasizing the importance of preventing competition from escalating into conflict, Xi also highlighted the need for China and the U.S. to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, including economy, trade, agriculture, climate change, and artificial intelligence.
“The common interests between China and the United States have increased, not decreased,” he said, according to the readout.
Despite his emphasis on broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation, Xi also urged the U.S. to end export controls and the practice of investment screening, referring to a government executive order that restricts U.S. investments into Chinese companies or Chinese-owned companies engaged in three advanced technology areas.
“Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development,” Xi said, adding that China’s development and growth “won’t be stopped by external forces.”
Sung from ANU said these messages show that Washington’s controls risking may be generating enough pressure on China to force Beijing to “pivot back to a more conciliatory posture.”
“China’s economic woes seem to be catching up with its foreign policy rhetoric,” he told VOA.
As part of the effort to encourage foreign investment in China, Xi told a group of U.S. business leaders that China would be a “friend and partner” of the U.S. while reiterating that Beijing “never bet on the United States to lose.”
“The world needs China and the U.S. to work together for a better future,” he told an audience of business leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “China is ready to be a partner and friend of the U.S.”
Given the economic slowdown that China has experienced since the start of 2023, Chong in Singapore said Xi would like to encourage foreign investment and technological exchanges, as it “could help foster growth” in the Chinese economy.
Attempt to reduce tension over Taiwan
Despite the ongoing tension between China and the U.S. over Taiwan, Xi still briefly addressed the topic during his meeting with Biden. According to the readout, he urged the U.S. to “take real actions” to honor its commitment of “not supporting Taiwan independence, stop arming Taiwan and support China’s reunification.”
“China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable,” he said.
Compared to previous statements on Taiwan, Hsiao from the International Crisis Group said Xi’s remarks on Wednesday were relatively brief. “In the past, you would see a long elaboration of China’s position on Taiwan, but this tone is different,” she told VOA.
In her view, the latest statement from Beijing is more specific about what China is asking of the U.S. when it comes to Taiwan. “I think what we have seen from this readout, as well as from the U.S. side, indicate that the two sides are seeking to de-escalate around Taiwan, particularly because there are elections coming up, which could create unknowns in the relationship and could potentially see tensions flare up,” Hsiao said.
While the messages from China seem more positive and conciliatory, Hsiao said the essence of U.S.-China relations hasn’t changed.
“It remains a competitive relationship and even if China continues to say that it believes it’s not a competitive relationship, it will continue to see Washington as a key rival in reality,” she told VOA.
She thinks the biggest achievement of the Biden-Xi meeting is to create some protection against some key events that will take place in the next year, including presidential elections in Taiwan and the U.S.
“It’s important that this meeting occurred so we have that buffer going into the year where things might get commensurate,” Hsiao said.
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: Deno blog
Building on top of an all Deno stack unlocks a simple, modern developer experience for Deco.cx’s developer platform while maintaining high PageSpeed scores.
https://deno.com/blog/deco-cx-subhosting-serve-their-clients-storefronts-fast
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
STEM education and more taught on board.
The post Tall Ship Commissioned for Educational Adventures appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/16/tall-ship-commissioned-for-educational-adventures/
date: 2023-11-16, from: 404 Media Group
An AI-generated image of Taylor Swift in a Nazi uniform pushing an Jewish person into an oven has been shared by an account with more than 150,000 followers. Time for an experiment.
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2023-11-16, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
On my Godot/Editor iPad prototype:
I am running into too many rough edges, the need for bandaids is too large, and I think people would hate using it in practice.
Rather than bridging with a universe of hacks the Godot UI with iOS, I am thinking: rewrite the shell entirely in SwiftUI and call into the editor core
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111420630632270576
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Databricks has decided to launch a complete overhaul of its platform during the climax of Ignite, the global tech shindig run by Microsoft, the software giant with which the data analytics and ML vendor shares a significant partnership.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/databricks_sinks_lakehouse_in_bid/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Distilled Earth blog
In recent years multiple technologies have made significant progress in solving one of clean energy’s biggest problems
https://www.distilled.earth/p/the-long-duration-storage-technologies
date: 2023-11-16, from: 404 Media Group
Members of the wider digital underground, known as The Com, often funnel stolen Bitcoin into a variety of online casinos including Stake, material obtained by 404 Media shows.
https://www.404media.co/hackers-use-online-casinos-stake-the-com/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
The Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center was awarded the Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs, or SPF-Rx, grant, the agency announced in a press release. GBHWC will get $2.5 million in funding, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health…
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
Additional funding, along with workforce development and training, appear to be some of the key factors to bolstering cybersecurity capacity on Guam, according to discussions Tuesday at a legislative roundtable hearing on cybersecurity within the government of Guam.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A woman pleaded not guilty to charges related to the death of her 1-year-old child earlier this month.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
Leilani Lujan has become the first woman of CHamoru descent to serve as the federal public defender.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A man was accused of robbing a woman of six dollars in cash.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A 67-year-old woman who died Wednesday is believed to have been shot by a man in Toto. The suspect was later found dead at the Harvest Christian Academy soccer field.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A man was charged in connection to throwing a knife at a woman more than two years ago.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A man was charged in connection to crashing a car into a utility pole, which resulted in his passenger being injured.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
The Port Authority of Guam board of directors has been left one member shy of being able to make quorum, as eight lawmakers decided against passing the nomination for Judith Guthertz to continue serving as a director.
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2023-11-16, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
My 10yo son yesterday:
“We created a chat group for the whole grade, we have like 30 people there. It’s crazy”
Me: what did you do about the kids with androids? Are they there?
Him: no. We just didn’t add them.
This wasn’t a blue vs green bubble split, just a FaceTime-abled split. They jump on massive conference calls to play games.
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111420578202885170
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-11-16, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
BTW, Bluesky has excellent RSS 2.0 support. Here’s my feed on Bluesky. You can hook that up to any feed reader, obviously. But think about it, this is something new.
http://scripting.com/2023/11/16.html#a135746
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The husband shot his pregnant wife as he was driving, police said.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281932828.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
FresnoHop connects the Brewery District, the Tower District and Campus Point until midnight on Thursdays and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article281400563.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Japan Airlines is looking into the feasibility of using hydrogen-electric engines to power aircraft in future, and is working with three engineering outfits to study issues such as safety and maintainability.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/japan_looking_at_hydrogen_fuelcell/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Veterans often develop a unique slate of skills when serving in the armed forces, but private-sector employers sometimes fail to recognize those abilities. At a time when many companies are still struggling to hire up, how can we more successfully match veterans’ talents with civilian opportunities? Also: tackling discrimination in internet access and recapping the Biden-Xi talks.
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The LAist
Tuberculosis kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease besides COVID-19
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Sierra High said there’s extra motivation for its eight-man championship game against Fresno Christian.
https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article281929253.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Three California doctors debunk these eight common flu vaccine myths and misconceptions.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281611028.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Markup blog
“I don’t think the Vietnamese people in the U.S. get enough credible news. And I don’t know how to help them get credible news, except that I do the best I can with my videos.”
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Elevated mortgage rates and sale prices are making the problem worse.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article281858628.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The fire remains out of control, officials say.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281930823.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
Former Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp says China’s out to cripple our pharmaceutical industry, and also floods U.S. with fake pills.
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article281906673.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Royal Mail’s parent International Distributions Services has revealed for the first time the infrastructure costs associated with its January ransomware attack.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/royal_mail_recovery_from_ransomware/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The park is “home to the tallest living sand dune system” on the East Coast.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article281901363.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Russia is the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, and despite all the sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine last year, diamonds are one of the few major exports still untouched. But that’s about to change. Plus, Taiwan is at the heart of the world’s semiconductor trade, but as tensions with China persist, is it viable to have so much production in one place?
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/clamping-down-on-russias-diamond-trade
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: Bruce Schneier blog
Interesting article about a surprisingly common vulnerability: programmers leaving authentication credentials and other secrets in publicly accessible software code:
Researchers from security firm GitGuardian this week reported finding almost 4,000 unique secrets stashed inside a total of 450,000 projects submitted to PyPI, the official code repository for the Python programming language. Nearly 3,000 projects contained at least one unique secret. Many secrets were leaked more than once, bringing the total number of exposed secrets to almost 57,000…
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
Hello friends of the Santa Clarita Valley, and greetings from Texas. Yes, you read that correctly, I have relocated to Texas. Not for the reasons that are always tossed around on the internet, and not for the desire for a more stable political environment. I’ve moved because our daughter and her family had moved there […]
The post Jennifer Danny | When a House Becomes a Shell appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/jennifer-danny-when-a-house-becomes-a-shell/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
I read Karen Fencil’s very thoughtful letter (Nov. 9) regarding “Mikes” Johnson and Garcia, where she discusses the theocratic, right-wing narrative of the new speaker of the House and the Republicans (including our own Rep. Garcia) who put him there. Here is another point to chew on. Democrats are rejoicing yet another “win” for abortion […]
The post Lynn Wright | Another Point to Chew On appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/lynn-wright-another-point-to-chew-on/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
NASA researchers have developed tools to simulate how rocket engines disrupt the lunar surface in light of plans for newer and larger landers as part of missions to return to the Moon.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/nasa_lander_plume_simulations/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The Florida case shows the danger of overreach in abuse investigations. | Opinion
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article281901513.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Canonical hosted an amusingly failure-filled demo of its new easy-to-install, Ubuntu-powered tool for building small-to-medium scale, on-premises high-availability clusters, Microcloud, at an event in London yesterday.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/canonical_microcloud/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
SC23 Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman has criticized Nvidia for its efforts to limbo dance under US semiconductor export limits to China, calling the behavior “un-American” and likening graphics processor titan to an AI arms dealer.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/cerebras_ceo_blasts_nvidia/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
US President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday outside of San Francisco, where leaders of Asia-Pacific economies are gathering. Biden – who said he still sees the Chinese leader as a “dictator” – said the two agreed to re-establish military communications, work together to assess the threats posed by artificial intelligence, and take meaningful steps to combat the scourge of fentanyl. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Woodside, California.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>By Hawaii Tribune-Herald</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/sports/photo-hilo-kickboxers-win-on-oahu/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Ending the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays, Congress gave final approval Wednesday night to a temporary government funding package that pushes a confrontation over the federal budget into the new year.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Police and protesters clashed outside Democratic National Committee headquarters on Wednesday night during a demonstration for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, the latest reflection of boiling tensions over the bloody conflict.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LOS ANGELES — The fire erupted after midnight where 16 people were living under the Los Angeles freeway, including a pregnant woman who was only weeks from giving birth.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison must be making fellow Sun Belt Conference programs wonder “who invited these guys?” </p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HONOLULU – The Vulcans shot nearly 60 percent in a charged-up second half but the UH-Hilo Men’s Basketball team were ultimately taken down by UH Manoa, 82-66, Tuesday evening in an exhibition contest at the SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>KEALAKEKUA — After several weeks off, Konawaena football is finally ready to roll this weekend.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>ARLINGTON, Texas — Major League Baseball team owners are set to vote today on the proposed relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas at the end of their league-wide meeting. </p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>KAILUA-KONA — After a four-year hiatus, Kona’s longest running and popular Karate competition returned for its 16th edition on Saturday at the Kekuaokalani Gymnasium.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/sports/ikl-championship-returns/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LAHAINA — There were just five penalties, combined, and a total of six incomplete passes. Guys played hard, staying in bounds, fighting for extra yards. There were no long injury timeouts — real or fake.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A former Hawaii Police Department assistant chief was in Circuit Court on Wednesday for a hearing about a motion to modify bail conditions. </p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The state Land Use Commission will hear a motion today asking the panel to reconsider its denial of a request by developers for more time to try to redistrict some land in the Kaloko Heights project in Kailua-Kona.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A woman’s threats on an American Airlines flight headed to Hawaii over wearing a face mask caused the captain to turn the plane around, according to federal prosecutors. Now, she owes the airline thousands of dollars.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens on Sunday unveiled a revitalized bird habitat and its “outgoing” new tenant.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping emerged Wednesday from their first face-to-face meeting in a year vowing to stabilize their fraught relationship and showcasing modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl and re-establish military communications. But there were still deep differences on economic competition and global security threats.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Work to restore a portion of Highway 137 will begin early next year after a lower Puna road restoration project finally cleared one of its last major hurdles.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Police have located 38-year-old Terriphena Yazzie of Mountain View. She was reported missing on Nov. 12.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/hawaii-news/police-missing-woman-daughters-found/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Police are renewing their request for information about a July 2021 unsolved murder of an elderly Pahoa man in lower Puna.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/hawaii-news/police-seek-info-on-unsolved-murder/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Police are again requesting information about the disappearance of 34-year-old Kelly Gravitt of Pahoa.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m on Friday, the state Department of Transportation will conduct an emergency response training exercise at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>During the week of Nov. 6-12, Hawaii Island police arrested 12 motorists for DUI. Two of the drivers were involved in a traffic collision. One was younger than 21.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/hawaii-news/police-arrest-12-for-dui-9/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LAS VEGAS — A 17-year-old high school student in Las Vegas was beaten to death in an alleyway around the corner from campus by 10 of his classmates between the ages of 13 and 17, a prearranged fight that authorities said broke out over a pair of headphones and a vape pen.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A former Hawaii psychiatric hospital patient indicted Wednesday on a murder charge in the stabbing death of a nurse at the facility had pleaded guilty to a 2020 assault of a state mental health worker, court records show.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK — Donald Trump is seeking a mistrial in New York state’s $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the former president, alleging the judge and his law clerk have tainted the proceedings with rampant political bias.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>DETROIT — The United Auto Workers announced Monday that it reached a tentative deal with General Motors, capping a whirlwind few days in which GM, Ford and Stellantis agreed to generous terms that would end the union’s six weeks of targeted strikes, pending approval of the rank and file.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Batman and the Joker, a man decked out in a full-body lion costume, and another whose head and arms have been replaced by chainsaws. This isn’t Carnival or Comic-Con, but rather the outlandish campaign rally for Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Federal Aviation Administration gave SpaceX the OK to go on its second attempt to launch its Starship and Super Heavy, and Elon Musk’s company is aiming for a Friday morning liftoff of the massive test rocket.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>As the Israel-Hamas war has unleashed a growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and roiled global politics, one superpower has claimed neutrality: China has called on both sides to exercise restraint and for the international community to expedite a two-state solution — distant goals in this fraught moment.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>MIAMI (AP) — Hazardous, forced work conditions sometimes akin to slavery have been detected on nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels around the world, but identifying those responsible for abuses at sea is hampered by a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight, a new report concluded.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Israeli troops on Wednesday stormed into Gaza’s largest hospital, searching for traces of Hamas inside and beneath the facility, where newborns and hundreds of other patients have suffered for days without electricity and other basic necessities as fighting raged outside.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Nearly nine out of 10 parents believe their child is performing at grade level despite standardized tests showing far fewer students are on track, according to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup and the nonprofit Learning Heroes.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Evan Olins, 84, of Kailua-Kona died Aug. 6 in Kona Community Hospital. He and wife, Gwen, moved their family from California to Kona in 1979 where they opened Flamingo’s and later Hula Heaven. He contributed to many books on Hawaiiana and they wrote “Lei in a Bottle.” Survived by wife, Gwen Olins; sons, Jon Timothy McCoy and Ethan (Anielka) Olins of Kona; daughter, Laura (Harry) Basil of Las Vegas; hanai daughter, Dana (Wesley) Mattos of Kona; three grandsons, three granddaughters and a great-granddaughter. Arrangements by Ballard Family Mortuary.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/obituaries/obituaries-for-november-16-11/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Ukraine’s closest European allies are increasingly concerned about the U.S.’s ability to sustain support for Kyiv amid a thorny political spending debate ahead of next year’s presidential elections. Senior officials from Baltic nations expressed disquiet in interviews about tensions over funding in the U.S. Congress that threaten to leave Ukraine without sufficient aid to beat back Russia’s invasion, as a slower-than-expected counteroffensive grinds to a stalemate. “I am concerned about the internal political debate in the U.S. about this,” Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said of support for Ukraine. “It seems that some of the debaters are forgetting the importance to American security of maintaining their leading role in the world and in NATO,” he said in Brussels this week.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>“Mermaids’ Lament,” a film directed by GB Hajim and set against the backdrop of Hawaii Island, is ready to make its Big Island premier at 7 p.m. Friday at the Palace Theater in Hilo and at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at the Aloha Theatre in Kona.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Kamehameha Schools Hawaii is ready to take the stage the next three nights for its fall musical, the ultimate feel-good show, “Mamma Mia!”</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The public is invited to attend “Revitalizing Hawaii with Food Forestry,” a free class, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, at Panaewa Farmers Market Educational Hub located at 363 Railroad Ave. in Panaewa (across from Home Depot).</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Kahilu Theater presents the Waimea Community Chorus’ “Sing in the Season” concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Target recently announced that it was closing nine store locations because of “organized retail crime.” The term, which is often used interchangeably with “organized retail theft,” is being used more and more to describe viral videos of what’s often seen as “brazen” theft taking place in retail stores like Walgreens, CVS and Target. But what does it mean exactly? And does it actually describe a real trend or is it a myth propagated by corporations and the media?</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/11/16/opinion/debunking-the-myth-of-a-shoplifting-crisis/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Given Donald Trump’s stubborn standing atop polls of Republican voters, there may be no more meaningless exercise in futility right now than even talking about the rest of the GOP presidential field, let alone tentatively backing one candidate in that field.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p><strong>UPDATE 10:55 a.m.</strong></p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Police said this morning Bayfront Highway in Hilo closed due to high surf and debris on roadway. Use alternate routes.</p>
date: 2023-11-16, from: Raspberry Pi (.org)
In our series of community stories, we celebrate some of the amazing young people and educators who are using their passion for technology to create positive change in the world around them. In our latest story, we’re sharing the inspiring journey of St Joseph’s Secondary School in Rush, Ireland. Over the past few years, the…
The post Celebrating the community: St Joseph’s Secondary School appeared first on Raspberry Pi Foundation.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/celebrating-the-community-st-josephs/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
Get ready for the city’s ultimate kick-off to the holiday season — Light Up Main Street! Every year, families and friends come together for this Santa Clarita tradition as Main Street in Old Town Newhall transforms into a winter wonderland. This is one of my favorite nights of the year and I encourage you to join […]
The post Marsha McLean | Illuminate the Night at Light Up Main Street appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/marsha-mclean-illuminate-the-night-at-light-up-main-street/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
News release Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley has announced the expansion of its “Dream It, Be It” conference into local junior high schools, with the inaugural event having been held at Placerita Junior High School on Nov. 3. The “Dream It, Be It” conference, previously hosted for high school-age girls at Canyon High […]
The post Soroptimists expand Dream It, Be It program appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/soroptimists-expand-dream-it-be-it-program/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-17, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Scientists have revealed how data from a NASA telescope was secured thanks to creative thinking and a batch of Raspberry Pi computers.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/scientists_use_raspberry_pi_tech/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Robert Reich on Substack
My answer, and a proposal for what Biden must do
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/why-are-people-so-down-on-the-economy
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
Guam Fire Department units responded to a major crash along Route 10 near Uncle Cho’s Mart in Mangilao at around 5:43 p.m. Thursday.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog
A few days ago, I was wondering about people writing the software for their personal site – a blog or a wiki or a digital garden or a Zettelkasten – running software the authors wrote themselves or got from a friend. As it turns out, a few people sent me their links and so I’ve started a collection called The text and the code go hand in hand.
The following is a copy of the intro to the collection.
Sometimes I hear of “opinionated” software. That is, software which has a strong vision of how to do a thing. If you like it, use it. If you don’t, then don’t. But what happens if the software turns out to be something the author of a site wrote for themselves? It’s more than opinionated. It’s personal.
This website presents a number of sites and the tools they use to create and update them.
If you’re wondering why the list is small, the explanation is that personal tools are not tidied up and yet we live in a world of software that is written for being shared. In the corporate context, team members, reviewers and successors need to understand the code. In the private world, public code is polished in order to reflect well on programmers and their abilities.
But night software is not like that. It’s not written for the day job. It’s not written to see the light of day at all. It’s not written to be looked at and scrutinized by anybody. It’s intimate and personal, it’s messy and buggy. To take a look is to transgress.
And yet, this software offers the unique chance of being the kernel of convivial software: a tool that we can not only learn how to use but that we can disassemble and reassemble. We can imagine little computer clubs discussing our tools, showing how we added this feature or that feature. It is possible because the tools are small.
So if you’re thinking “that stuff is all a huge tangled mess” and “the code generating my website is not for the public…” – then rest assured. This is exactly what I’m trying to show. I remember my first system being a collection of GNU M4 macros and a Makefile and I’d publish it in a heartbeat, if I still had it. That’s how I wrote my GeoCities pages.
I’d love to show the world the unpolished, “just good enough with a number of bugs I know of” solutions. Let me know if you have one.
https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2023-11-16-personal-software
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
A controversial section of federal law that gives U.S. intelligence agencies the ability to conduct warrantless surveillance of the communications of non-U.S. persons abroad will expire at the end of the year, creating pressure on Congress to renew it, even as privacy activists demand that it be reformed.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows electronic surveillance of non-U.S. persons overseas and outside the United States for purposes of national security. It also contains a provision allowing for surveillance of foreign intelligence targets within the U.S., subject to the approval of a special Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court.
Because the surveillance of foreign nationals can often pick up the communications of American citizens who are not its direct target, many civil liberties organizations believe FISA operations violate legal protections on individual privacy. Adding to that concern is the fact that the information collected as part of FISA surveillance can be queried by domestic law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, without a warrant. Critics say this practice amounts to “backdoor searches.”
Investigations in recent years have found numerous instances in which law enforcement agencies have abused the FISA process to obtain access to information about U.S. nationals. That includes operations that gathered information about former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign team and others that targeted the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Rights groups object
Jeramie D. Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s (EPIC) Project on Surveillance Oversight, told VOA that his group believes the law should only be renewed if major safeguards are added.
“EPIC and our coalition partners have been very clear that Section 702 should not be reauthorized without significant reforms, including a warrant requirement for searches of U.S. persons’ information,” he wrote in an email exchange.
Kia Hamadanchy, a senior policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, said that his organization has been challenging Section 702 since the day FISA was signed into law, and that its opposition continues.
“We have serious, serious concerns with how the problem is being operated,” he told VOA. “Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen a whole host of abuses. … So, our current position is that Section 702 should not be reauthorized absent fundamental reform.”
Law enforcement cites need
In an appearance before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered prepared testimony in which he outlined a broad range of security threats facing the country, and said that allowing Section 702 to expire, or restricting its use, would make the country less safe.
“Loss of this vital provision, or its reauthorization in a narrowed form, would raise profound risks,” Wray said. “For the FBI in particular, either outcome could mean substantially impairing, or in some cases entirely eliminating, our ability to find and disrupt many of the most serious security threats.”
At the same hearing, Christine Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), described Section 702 as essential to protecting the country against terrorist attacks.
“One of the most important questions for NCTC to determine is whether international terrorists could gain access to and pose a threat to the Homeland,” Abizaid said in her prepared testimony. “Section 702 is essential for our ability to do that, and without it, the United States and the world will be less safe.”
Different tracks in Congress
There appear to be at least two competing Section 702 reauthorization proposals making their way through Congress.
Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate announced the introduction of the Government Surveillance Reform Act, which would reauthorize Section 702 with significant restrictions.
Among other things, the bill would require domestic law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before searching FISA data for information about American citizens. It has been endorsed by a large number of civil liberties organizations.
“Americans know that it is possible to confront our country’s adversaries ferociously without throwing our constitutional rights in the trash can,” said Senator Ron Wyden, one of the co-sponsors, when the bill was introduced. “But for too long, surveillance laws have not kept up with changing times.”
Narrower reform
On Tuesday, the news organization Politico obtained a set of talking points outlining the shape of a competing Section 702 reauthorization proposal being considered by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The restrictions it would place on law enforcement use of Section 702 are fewer. For example, domestic law enforcement agencies would only need to obtain a warrant to search FISA data for “evidence of a crime.”
Rights groups criticized the intelligence committee’s version of reform for not going far enough.
“Limiting a warrant requirement to ‘evidence of a crime’ searches does little to address the well-documented abuses of the 702 authority,” said Scott of EPIC. “Furthermore, any serious proposal for reform needs to go beyond 702 to close similar loopholes that allow the government to obtain Americans’ information without a warrant. To not do so is to not take Americans’ privacy and civil liberties seriously.”
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition. Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.
The post Classifieds – November 16, 2023 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/classifieds-november-16-2023/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Airbus has developed a completely mechanical solution to help make space junk easier to capture – using magnets, the Earth’s magnetic field and a bit of friction.…
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
News release Two Lego robotics teams from the Castaic Union School District, the Live Oak Spot Bots and Live Oak Leopard Bots, showcased their ingenuity and skills at the Valencia Qualifying competition, according to a news release from the district. The Nov. 5 event marked the inaugural competition of the season for both teams, […]
The post Castaic district celebrates success of robotics teams appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/castaic-district-celebrates-success-of-robotics-teams/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
News release The Salvation Army Santa Clarita Valley Corps invites the community to attend the annual Red Kettle Campaign ribbon-cutting ceremony at Light Up Main Street on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. You can join Capt. Rafael Viana, board members and elected officials as they kick off the holiday season. “The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign […]
The post Salvation Army to kick off Red Kettle Campaign at Light Up Main Street appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1941 – Rose (stagecoach) Station at bottom of Grapevine dedicated as California Historical Landmark. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-nov-16/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Welcome aboard this dream come true in the Santa Barbara Harbor.
The post Living the Dream on the ‘Summer Solstice’ appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/16/living-the-dream-on-the-summer-solstice/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Giffin & Crane recommends maintaining defensible space around your home and outbuildings to aid firefighters.
The post Keep Your Home Safe from Wildfires with Tips from Giffin & Crane appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
La falta de diversidad del profesorado afecta la experiencia universitaria.
The post Hacen falta más profesores latinos en la Universidad appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/hacen-falta-mas-profesores-latinos-en-la-universidad/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Para muchas familias inmigrantes, la educación es el patrimonio generacional.
The post Mi patrimonio generacional no es como el tuyo appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/mi-patrimonio-generacional-no-es-como-el-tuyo/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Aunque nunca conocí a mi abuelo, siempre se comunica a través de la música.
The post La música trasciende hacia el más allá appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/la-musica-trasciende-hacia-el-mas-alla/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Narcisa Hirsch alcanza através del tiempo y sus ideas todavía nos conmueven.
The post Narcisa Hirsch: In Relation Un viaje ético, político y filosófico appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/narcisa-hirsch-in-relation-un-viaje-etico-politico-y-filosofico/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Gardenia Rosales, Marvin García y Johanna Toruño celebran su herencia.
The post Salvadoreños empoderan sus comunidades appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/salvadorenos-empoderan-sus-comunidades/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
La organización reflexiona sobre sus logros e historia y mira hacia el porvenir.
The post El Latine Student Assembly celebra 40 años appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/el-latine-student-assembly-celebra-40-anos/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Native American faculty, students and others spoke on education and support.
The post USC celebrates Native American Heritage Month appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/usc-celebrates-native-american-heritage-month/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Professor Brent Blair hopes to foster community healing amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The post New School of Dramatic Arts course will explore Israeli and Palestinian narratives appeared first on Daily Trojan.
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Isolation and patriotism shined through in the film, shown by Visions & Voices.
The post ‘Bridge of Spies’ screening demonstrates resilience appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/bridge-of-spies-screening-demonstrates-resilience/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Ramones saved me from the loss of my childhood anger.
The post All my favorite music sucks appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/all-my-favorite-music-sucks/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Instagram college accounts are unreliable, misleading and promote superficial relationships.
The post The unfortunate process of finding roommates on Instagram appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/the-unfortunate-process-of-finding-roommates-on-instagram/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Students in healthcare must go into the field motivated to serve their community.
The post Pre-med students can’t exploit patients appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/pre-med-students-cant-exploit-patients/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans aim to preserve their perfect home record against the Golden Bears.
The post No. 24 women’s volleyball takes on Cal after heartbreaking loss appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/no-24-womens-volleyball-takes-on-cal-after-heartbreaking-loss/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans were unable to overcome injuries to key players in upset at home.
The post Hobbled Collier, USC shocked by Irvine appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/11/16/hobbled-collier-usc-shocked-by-irvine/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
I did not intend to have any difficulties with my supervisor. “Good morning, doll.” I hate him. He’s a creep and I can hear him speaking to her, my cubicle neighbor. I hate that I can hear everything that wrongfully exists in the world, and hate that I can envision the congo-line of ants making…
https://sundial.csun.edu/176815/print-editions/print-stories/csun-poetry-lunch-break/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Online ad auctions represent a threat to national security in the US and Europe, a civil rights group claims, because the data that enables personalized advertising could be used to compromise civilian and military leaders.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/online_ad_auction_data_risks/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Advances in childhood cancer are a success story in modern medicine. But in the past decade, those strides have stalled for Black and Hispanic youth, opening a gap in death rates, according to a new report published Thursday.
Childhood cancers are rare and treatments have improved drastically in recent decades, saving lives.
Death rates were about the same for Black, Hispanic and white children in 2001, and all went lower during the next decade. But over the next 10 years, only the rate for white children dipped a little lower.
“You can have the most sophisticated scientific advances, but if we can’t deliver them into every community in the same way, then we have not met our goal as a nation,” said Dr. Sharon Castellino, a pediatric cancer specialist at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, who had no role in the new report.
She said the complexity of new cancers treatments such as gene therapy, which can cure some children with leukemia, can burden families and be an impediment to getting care.
“You need at least one parent to quit their job and be there 24/7, and then figure out the situation for the rest of their children,” Castellino said. “It’s not that families don’t want to do that. It’s difficult.”
More social workers are needed to help families file paperwork to get job-protected leave and make sure the child’s health insurance is current and doesn’t lapse.
The overall cancer death rate for children and teenagers in the U.S. declined 24% over the two decades, from 2.75 to 2.10 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
The 2021 rate per 10,000 was 2.38 for Black youth, 2.36 for Hispanics and 1.99 for whites.
Nearly incurable 50 years ago, childhood cancer now is survivable for most patients, especially those with leukemia. The leading cause of cancer deaths in kids is now brain cancer, replacing leukemia.
Each year in the U.S. about 15,000 children and teens are diagnosed with cancer. More than 85% live for at least five years.
The improved survival stems from research collaboration among more than 200 hospitals, said Dr. Paula Aristizabal of the University of California, San Diego. At Rady Children’s Hospital, she is trying to include more Hispanic children, who are underrepresented in research.
“Equity means that we provide support that is tailored to each family,” Aristizabal said.
The National Cancer Institute is working to gather data from every childhood cancer patient with the goal of linking each child to state-of-the-art care. The effort could improve equity, said Dr. Emily Tonorezos, who leads the institute’s work on cancer survivorship.
The CDC’s report is “upsetting and discouraging,” she said. “It gives us a roadmap for where we need to go next.”
date: 2023-11-16, from: Fresno Bee Stories
The Sacramento Kings won their fourth in a row to open a six-game road trip on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/article281926108.html
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Would you please hurry up and build your network?…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/cisco_q1_2024/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
Hart board hears presentation on parental notification policies The Hart High School auditorium was seemingly split in half on Wednesday: on one side, those who want to see a parental notification policy be implemented in the William S. Hart Union High School District, and another side that opposed the implementation of such a policy. The […]
The post <strong>Split in half</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/split-in-half/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
U.S. President Joe Biden said he made “positive steps” during an intense hourslong meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday.
The two agreed to re-establish lapsed military communications, work together to assess the threats posed by artificial intelligence, and work to combat the scourge of fentanyl.
However, Biden’s off-the-cuff comment that he still sees the powerful Chinese leader as a “dictator,” revealed that the two leaders remain, in some ways, far apart.
“Well, look, he is,” Biden said, in response to a shouted question from the clamoring throng of journalists at the secluded meeting site outside of San Francisco, where 21 Asia-Pacific economies are holding a summit this week.
“He is a dictator in a sense that he is a guy that runs a country, a communist country, that’s based on a totally different form of government than ours.”
The White House chose a sprawling, bucolic estate more than an hour’s drive from San Francisco for this heavily symbolic visit covering a range of key issues that included Taiwan – the self-governing island that China claims – the possible resumption of military communications, touchy trade disagreements, the origination of fentanyl ingredients in China, and human rights issues.
The scenic grounds cover the San Andreas fault, where the Pacific and North American tectonic plates touch.
Biden said he was “candid” on these tough issues that divide the two countries – as seen in the mixed reception that residents of this diverse city gave to the Chinese leader, with both anti-communist protesters and pro-Xi greeters lining the streets. On Wednesday, groups in at least two locations descended into fisticuffs, as documented in videos posted on social media.
Xi, in his brief remarks before the leaders began their meeting, said the two nations are inextricably linked.
“For two large countries like China, the United States turning their back on each other is not an option,” he said. “It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other. And conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.
I’m still of the view that major country competition is not to the prevailing trend of current times and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large.
Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other.”
So did the presidents of the world’s two most powerful nations manage to paper over the cracks in their relationship?
Biden spoke to the press afterwards. Xi, as is his habit, did not.
The two did not release a joint statement.
“I welcome the positive steps we’ve taken today,” Biden said. ”And it’s important for the world to see that we’re implementing the approach in the best traditions of American diplomacy. We’re talking to our competitors, just talking and being blunt with one another so there’s no misunderstanding.”
Biden stopped far short of praising Xi, saying, “We have disagreements. He has a different view than I have on a lot of things. But he’s been straight. I don’t mean that good, bad or indifferent – just been straight.”
In the administration’s post-meeting readout, the White House said Biden repeated Washington’s long-held stance on Taiwan.
“President Biden emphasized that our one China policy has not changed and has been consistent across decades and administrations,” the readout said. “He reiterated that the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, that we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, and that the world has an interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He called for restraint in the PRC’s use of military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.”
Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, told VOA he was struck by the leaders’ words on Taiwan.
“China often claims the U.S. is seeking to alter the status quo in the Strait,” he said. “The opposite is true. Xi’s stark comments expose, yet again, his desire to speed up reunification timetables, either through military force or coercion.”
Many watching this meeting said they weren’t expecting major results, but are glad the two leaders are talking.
“This engagement, for example, between President Biden and Xi Jinping, to me it is critical because it should give a clear message that we are here to be able to work together and trust each other to resolve serious problems: Climate, issues in Ukraine or Gaza,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. ”There are too many contentious issues in the world and you must try and engage.”
Analysts say the success of the ongoing summit of Asia-Pacific economies – happening simultaneously in San Francisco – depends on the world’s two largest economies getting along.
“I think it’s an important meeting between President Biden and President Xi, with the primary goal of stabilizing the relationship heading into 2024,” said Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
“Both for bilateral purposes but also very importantly for the broader APEC region. The countries there, the economies there, want the U.S. and China to have some kind of modus vivendi, some kind of stable relationship, particularly in anticipation of Taiwan’s election in January, the U.S. election in November.”
Biden, when asked what he told Xi about Taiwan’s elections, said: “I made clear I didn’t expect any interference.”
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Singleton told VOA that he interpreted Xi’s words on “peaceful coexistence” differently, saying it “harkens back to Cold War-era language by Nikita Khrushchev, who promoted the notion of ‘peaceful coexistence’ between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Like today, previous policies aimed at stability counter-intuitively extended the Soviet system’s survival, treating the Soviet Union as an immutable juggernaut, rather than one whose demise was inevitable.”
Biden said the leaders will continue to talk. And on Thursday, they will give the other 19 Asia-Pacific economies a visual reminder of where they each stand, when the leaders pose for the so-called “family photo” — a ritual that is a hallmark of these major summits.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Olive Grove Charter Schools provide another choice to tri-county families.
The post The Tuition-Free, Public Charter Option appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/the-tuition-free-public-charter-option/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA – November 13, 2023 Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is currently developing and improving the Rental Car Parking
The post SBA Temporary Rental Car Parking Lot appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/sba-temporary-rental-car-parking-lot/
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
Rick Herrington said that his goal was to keep coaching until he wasn’t excited about going to practice every day. That time, he said, has come. After 46 years of coaching, 38 of them at Hart High and the last four as head coach, the 1978 Hart alumnus is officially retired as of Wednesday, he […]
The post <strong>Rick Herrington retires after 38 years with Hart football</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/rick-herrington-retires-after-38-years-with-hart-football/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara Education Foundation offers more than $200,000 for much-needed supplies.
The post Teacher Grants Up for Grabs appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/teacher-grants-up-for-grabs/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
A 67-year-old woman who died Wednesday is believed to have been shot by a man in Toto. The suspect was later found dead at the Harvest Christian Academy soccer field.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SBCC’s School of Extended Learning helps this high-school rebel find her path.
The post Can’t Keep Gandhy Down appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/cant-keep-gandhy-down/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Jake Gidney’s passion for coding and problem-solving began with video games.
The post The Remarkable Journey of a Laguna Blanca Senior appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/the-remarkable-journey-of-a-laguna-blanca-senior/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the application of AI technology to speed along the maturity and accelerate adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in a speech in Singapore on Wednesday.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/imf_head_ai_cbdc_call/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Thousands of Santa Barbara high school grads have now participated in SBCC’s free tuition program.
The post Seven Years of Kept Promises appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/seven-years-of-kept-promises/
date: 2023-11-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Crane Country Day School empowers students with self-care habits.
The post Mental Health and Middle-Schoolers appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2023/11/15/mental-health-and-middle-schoolers/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Ending the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays, Congress gave final approval Wednesday night to a temporary government funding package that pushes a confrontation over the federal budget into the new year.
The Senate met into the night to pass the bill with an overwhelming 87-11 tally and send it to President Joe Biden for his signature one day after it passed the House on an overwhelming bipartisan vote. It provides a funding patch into next year, when the House and Senate will be forced to confront — and somehow overcome — their considerable differences over what funding levels should be.
In the meantime, the bill removes the threat of a government shutdown days before funding would have expired.
“This Friday night there will be no government shutdown,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech ahead of the final vote.
The spending package keeps government funding at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others, creating two deadlines where there will be a risk of a partial government shutdown.
“Everybody is really kind of ready to vote and fight another day,” Republican Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said earlier Wednesday.
The spending package would keep government funding at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others, creating two deadlines where there will be a risk of a partial government shutdown.
The spending bill does not include the White House’s nearly $106 billion request for wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine, as well as humanitarian funding for Palestinians and other supplemental requests. Lawmakers are likely to turn their attention more fully to that request after the Thanksgiving holiday in hopes of negotiating a deal.
Schumer called the stopgap funding plan “far from perfect,” but said he would support it because it averts a shutdown and “will do so without any of the cruel cuts or poison pills” that hardline conservatives wanted.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who crafted the plan, has vowed that he will not support any further stopgap funding measures, known as continuing resolutions. He portrayed the temporary funding bill as setting the ground for a spending “fight” with the Senate next year.
The new speaker, who told reporters this week that he counted himself among the “arch-conservatives” of the House, is pushing for deeper spending cuts. He wanted to avoid lawmakers being forced to consider a massive government funding package before the December holidays — a tactic that incenses conservatives in particular.
But Johnson is also facing pushback from other hardline conservatives who wanted to leverage the prospect of a government shutdown to extract steep cuts and policy demands.
Many of those conservatives were among a group of 19 Republicans who defied Johnson Wednesday to prevent floor consideration of an appropriations bill to fund several government agencies.
GOP leaders called off the week’s work after the vote, sending lawmakers home early for Thanksgiving. It capped a period of intense bickering among lawmakers.
“This place is a pressure cooker,” Johnson said Tuesday, noting that the House had been in Washington for 10 weeks straight.
The House GOP’s inability to present a united front on funding legislation could undercut the Louisiana congressman’s ability to negotiate spending bills with the Senate.
Republicans are demanding that Congress work out government funding through 12 separate bills, as the budgetary process requires, but House leadership has so far been forced to pull two of those bills from the floor, seen another rejected on a procedural vote and struggled to win support for others.
When it returns in two weeks, Congress is expected to focus on the Biden administration’s requests for Ukraine and Israel funding. Republican senators have demanded that Congress pass immigration and border legislation alongside additional Ukraine aid, but a bipartisan Senate group working on a possible compromise has struggled to find consensus.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a floor speech pledged that Republicans would continue to push for policy changes on the U.S. border with Mexico, saying it is “impossible to ignore the crisis at our southern border that’s erupted on Washington Democrats’ watch.”
One idea floating among Republicans is directly tying Ukraine funding levels with decreases in the number of illegal border crossings. It showed how even longtime supporters of Ukraine’s defense against Russia are willing to hold up the funding to force Congress to tackle an issue that has flummoxed generations of lawmakers: U.S. border policy.
Most Senate Republicans support the Ukraine funding, said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., but he added, “It is secondary to securing our own border.”
But the U.S. is already trimming some of the wartime aid packages it is sending Ukraine as funds run low, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said from San Francisco, where he accompanied President Joe Biden for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.
He said the pot of money available for Ukraine is “withering away, and with it will be a deleterious effect on Ukraine’s ability to continue to defend itself.”
Schumer said the Senate would try to move forward on both the funding and border legislation in the coming weeks, but warned it would require a compromise.
“Both sides will have to give,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-congress-approves-deal-pushing-shutdown-threat-to-january-/7357339.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
An exciting season of girls’ volleyball officially wrapped up on Tuesday as the last team standing fell in the regional opener. There were no CIF champions this year in the Santa Clarita Valley for the first time in three years, but the streak of at least one local team making it to the CIF quarterfinals […]
The post 2023 girls’ volleyball all-league appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/2023-girls-volleyball-all-league/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
A 17-year-old high school student in Las Vegas was beaten to death in an alleyway around the corner from campus by 10 of his classmates between the ages of 13 and 17, a prearranged fight that authorities said broke out over a pair of headphones and a vape pen.
But police homicide Lt. Jason Johansson said that detectives think the victim wasn’t originally supposed to be involved in the brawl, which the students agreed would take place after classes were done for the day at Rancho High School in eastern Las Vegas.
Jonathan Lewis Jr. walked to the alleyway with his friend, whose headphones and vape pen had been stolen, Johansson said.
The deadly beating on Nov. 1 was captured on cellphone video and widely shared on social media. Johansson described the footage as “very void of humanity.”
In the video, he said, the victim is seen taking off his shirt to prepare for the fight, and then the 10 students “immediately swarm him, pull him to the ground and begin kicking, punching and stomping on him.”
Eight of the students were arrested Tuesday by Las Vegas police and the FBI on suspicion of murder. They were not immediately identified because they are under 18.
Las Vegas police said they haven’t yet been able to identify the two remaining students, who will also face murder charges. The police department released images of the teenagers, asking for help from the public to identify them.
On Wednesday afternoon, as classes ended for the day and students were leaving campus, a small memorial with flowers and eight candles sat against a fence in the alleyway where Lewis was killed.
Rancho High School principal Darlin Delgado said in a letter this week to parents that support and resources were available for students and staff members as the beating “has and will continue to impact our school community.”
Scott Coffee, a deputy public defender with 28 years of experience in Las Vegas, said it is unusual to have so many co-defendants of such young ages charged with murder in a single case. Coffee said he had not seen court documents and does not represent any of the defendants.
“When kids are involved in this kind of activity, they take the risk by being involved,” Coffee said. “But the flip side is this: Does it look like anybody intended to kill anyone?”
A family court judge on Wednesday ordered four of the students who are 16 or older to be transferred to the adult court system, the Review-Journal reported. Hearings will be held at later dates to determine if the students under 16 will be charged as adults.
Police and prosecutors will have to measure the level of culpability for each of the 10 defendants as the case moves through the court system, Coffee noted.
“Was there somebody in charge of this group? Was somebody younger just going along with the older folks?” he said, adding that although the students face similar charges at the time of their arrests, “it doesn’t mean the resolutions are necessarily going to be similar.”
After the brawl, a person in the area found the teenager badly beaten and unconscious in the alleyway and carried him back to campus, where school staff called 911, police said.
Lewis was hospitalized with severe head trauma and other injuries until his death a week later. The coroner’s office in Las Vegas ruled the beating a homicide.
The victim’s father, Jonathan Lewis Sr., didn’t respond Wednesday to requests for an interview. But on a fundraising page he created to help with funeral and medical expenses, he wrote that his son was attacked while standing up for his friend.
“Our son is a kind, loving, gentle young man who has the heart of a champion and the brightest loving energy that attracts people to him with love,” the page reads.
https://www.voanews.com/a/classmates-beat-las-vegas-teen-17-to-death-police-say-/7357329.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Police in the nation’s capital responded Wednesday night to a protest outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington. Members of Congress were evacuated from the building as the protest erupted.
Video posted on social media showed protesters shoving police officers and trying to grab hold of metal barricades as the officers moved in to make arrests. The videos also show officers shoving protesters. Many of the protesters were wearing black shirts that read “Cease Fire Now.”
Protesters included members of If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace, who have organized other demonstrations in Washington.
If Not Now posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “police are being extremely violent.”
“We are linking arms, threatening no one, and begging our politicians to support an end to the killing and the suffering in Gaza. Begging, peacefully, for a cease-fire,” the group posted.
The clashes Wednesday evening are the latest example of roiling tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.
President Joe Biden has been under increasing pressure from the Democratic Party’s left flank over his support for Israel’s military operation, including interruptions from protesters at his speeches. He has resisted calls for a cease-fire, instead saying there should be pauses in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the potential extraction of hostages.
Last week, a large number of House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, over her criticism of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
Tlaib, who has family in the West Bank, came under heavy criticism after she failed to immediately condemn Hamas after the attack. She since has called out the terrorist group while also calling for a cease-fire.
The Metropolitan Police Department said its officers also responded to the disturbance. Officials sent an alert to congressional staffers telling them no one would be permitted to enter or exit any House office buildings.
Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, said he was evacuated from the building by police after protesters began “pepper-spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building.”
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Swedish digital rights organization Qurium has discovered around 250 cloned websites and suggested they exist to drive people to China-linked gambling sites.…
date: 2023-11-16, from: The Signal
Santa Clarita residents came by Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s Donate-A-Bear Drive, where new stuffed animals were dropped off to give to pediatric patients in the Emergency Department as a form of comfort. In addition to donating, those who participated could spend time with Henry the bear, while enjoying hot cocoa in the rainy weather. Community […]
The post Photos: Henry Mayo hosts Donate-A-Bear Drive appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2023/11/photos/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Among the guests at a $2,000-a-plate dinner for Xi Jinping Wednesday night was Luca Berrone, attending as a guest of the Chinese government.
The Des Moines businessman worked with the volunteer-driven Iowa Sister States program to establish a relationship with Hebei Province in 1983. It was a connection made with corn and solidified with soybeans by an organization that “is dedicated to connecting Iowans with to the world community.”
The group’s mission, it says “is to develop and implement programs that promote the cultural, economic and other interests of Iowa and its friends around the world.”
One of those friends rose decades later to become the leader of a 1.4 billion-person-strong global superpower while retaining a fondness for the Iowans he met almost 40 years ago despite the mutual suspicion that marks China’s relationship with the U.S.
In the spring of 1985, as the coordinator of the nonprofit Iowa Sister States, Berrone hosted Xi, then party committee secretary of Zhengding County, Hebei Province, and his delegation. Berrone arranged their itinerary and escorted Xi for two weeks as they explored the farmland around Muscatine, a city of about 24,000 people in southeast Iowa.
The not-yet-famous Xi bunked in a bedroom in the home of a local family, freed up because their son was away at college. That solution to a logistical problem, Berrone told The Des Moines Register, is key to Xi’s bond with Iowa.
“The only hotel available in Muscatine was all booked up. So I reached out to Sarah Lande, who was on the (Iowa Sister States) committee, and I asked if it was possible to organize home stays for the Chinese delegation, and she was able to contact a few families that were interested,” Berrone told the Register. “And it turned out those home stays were a turning point in building those long-term friendships.”
The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, noted that the delegation “visited elderly people in the local community, attended a birthday party, had six interviews with local media outlets and attended five welcome banquets held by the U.S. side.”
Berrone told VOA Mandarin on Monday afternoon that the five gentlemen of Hebei Province were congenial and personable.
“President Xi was very curious and intelligent,” he told VOA Mandarin. “I made sure they learned as much as possible about agricultural methods, technology and processing.”
In addition, there was a hog roast, a boat trip on the Mississippi River and rides on advanced farming equipment.
“We had a really good time in two weeks,” Berrone told Fortune. “We were like the road movie — five or six guys on a road trip.”
While the term “old friend” is often used by China to pay tribute to foreigners seen as beneficial to the interests of the Party, such as Henry Kissinger, it also can also carry a nostalgic feeling shared by longtime companions who respect and enjoy each others’ company.
Xi returned to Iowa in 2012, the year before he started his first five-year term as president and met with Berrone along with other old friends. Lande recalled Xi saying, “You were the first people I met in America, and to me, you are America,” according to Fortune.
In October 2013, Iowa companies and organizations signed 20 cooperative trade agreements with Hubei Province counterparts with a combined value touted at more than $1 billion.
In March 2019, when Xi visited Italy, then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte invited Berrone to welcome Xi, an event Berrone told VOA Mandarin was a highlight of his life.
https://www.voanews.com/a/xi-invites-old-friends-from-iowa-to-california-dinner-/7357275.html
@Mike Hukka’s Mastodon feed (date: 2023-11-16, from: Mike Hukka’s Mastodon feed)
People talk about "finding your superpower". I have concluded that my superpower is the ability to go down rabbit holes.
https://scholar.social/@mhucka/111417896763256772
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
It was a meeting a year in the making.
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down together on Wednesday just outside of San Francisco, where Asian leaders gathered for an annual summit. It was almost exactly one year since their last encounter in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of another global gathering.
In addition to a formal bilateral meeting, Biden and Xi shared a lunch with top advisers and strolled the verdant grounds of the luxury estate where their meeting took place.
There’s no word on whether Chinese pandas will return to Washington’s zoo. But Biden said the meeting included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.” Here’s a look at how the day panned out.
New agreements
Biden left the meeting with commitments on key issues.
Xi agreed to help curb the production of the illicit fentanyl that is a deadly component of drugs sold in the United States. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said the shift will be a setback for Latin American drug dealers.
“It’s going to save lives, and I appreciated President Xi’s commitment on this issue,” Biden said at a press conference after his meeting.
In addition, Biden and Xi reached an agreement to resume military-to-military communications. That means Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will speak with his Chinese counterpart once someone is named to the job, the official said. Similar engagements will take place up and down the military chain of command.
The official said Biden was “very clear” to Xi that such communications between U.S. and China should be institutionalized and that they are “not done as a gift or as a favor to either side.”
Biden said the U.S. and China would talk more about artificial intelligence as well.
“We’re going to get our experts together and discuss risk and safety issues,” he said.
The agreements helped fulfill the White House’s goal for the meeting — prove to voters that Biden’s dedication to personal diplomacy is paying off.
On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that Biden wanted “practical ways” to show that meeting with Xi can help “defend American interests and also deliver progress on the priorities of the American people.”
Zoe Liu, a fellow for China studies at the Council for Foreign Relations, described the meeting between Biden and Xi as a positive step, albeit an incremental one.
“These agreements will not change the structural challenges in the bilateral relations, but it paves the way for more detailed working-level discussions, which is more important,” she said.
Economic challenges
Xi arrived in San Francisco at a time of economic challenges back in China, where an aging population and growing debt have hampered its recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Beijing’s description of the meeting, Xi pressed Biden to lift sanctions and change policies on export controls for sensitive equipment.
“Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development,” the readout said. “China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces.”
There’s no indication that Biden will agree to take such steps. But even the meeting itself could calm jittery nerves back in China, where there have been signs foreign investment is tapering off.
Zhang Lei, a Chinese businessman whose company, Cheche Group, is listed on NASDAQ, said high-level meetings such as the one between Biden and Xi can help assure companies that have been hesitant to invest in China.
“Confrontations don’t work,” he said. “You don’t make money with confrontations.”
It’s personal
Biden and Xi go back years, and Biden often repeats the story of their meetings when they were both vice presidents.
But on Wednesday, it was Xi’s turn to reference their previous encounters during brief public remarks, although he eschewed the embellishments that Biden usually adds to the tale.
“It was 12 years ago,” Xi said. “I still remember our interactions very vividly, and it always gives me a lot of thoughts.”
Biden also emphasized the length of their relationship and the value of their interactions.
“We haven’t always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone, but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful,” Biden said. He added, “It’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.”
Bilateral meetings aren’t always conducive to a personal touch, and Biden and Xi were flanked by advisers on opposite sides of a long table. However, a senior administration official said they spoke about their wives, and Biden wished Xi’s wife a happy birthday.
The official, who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation, said Xi was embarrassed, and he admitted that he had forgotten his wife’s upcoming birthday because he’s been working so hard.
https://www.voanews.com/a/takeaways-from-biden-s-long-awaited-meeting-with-xi/7357272.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
The Highway Patrol Division of the Guam Police Department will be conducting DWI sobriety checkpoints starting at 6 p.m. on Friday.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Guam Daily Post
The Highway Patrol Division of the Guam Police Department will be conducting DWI sobriety checkpoints starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Every year the Los Angeles Business Journal creates their list of fastest-growing private companies based in L.A. County. The prestigious award is given each year to companies that have demonstrated outstanding growth in revenue, market share, and overall success in Los Angeles County. This year the SCV is home to five companies on the list,…
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The VP of audio at Stability AI has decided his position at the content-generating startup is untenable, given his belief in protecting artists’ copyrights and his now-former employer’s stance that training machine-learning models on copyrighted material is legally OK.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/stability_ai_vp_quits/
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Honor the hero in your life this holiday season and help support Child & Family Center with their Hearts for Heroes program.
https://scvnews.com/celebrate-heroes-with-child-family-centers-hearts-for-heroes/
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Department of Public Social Services holiday Adopt-A-Family Program has launched, and donations of toys and books are needed to support thousands of low-income families receiving DPSS benefits in Los Angeles County
https://scvnews.com/social-services-launches-holiday-adopt-a-family-program/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Lawyers representing a group of Colorado voters delivered closing arguments on Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the state’s ballot next year over his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
The voters are seeking to use the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which bars officials who have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office, to argue that Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024. The provision was ratified in 1868 following the U.S. Civil War.
Sean Grimsley, a lawyer representing the voters, said the riot at the Capitol was Trump’s “final desperate attempt to hold onto power in violation of the Constitution.”
During his closing argument, Grimsley argued that Trump intended for his supporters to resort to violence and added, “Through his actions and his actions alone, Donald Trump has disqualified himself from ever holding office again.”
The case represents a test of legal efforts to use the 14th Amendment to block Trump’s candidacy. It is the first such case to go to trial.
Scott Gessler, a lawyer for Trump, faulted plaintiffs in the case for relying on the findings of the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the Capitol riot, which he said was biased against Trump.
“The petitioners are asking this court to do something that has never been done in the history of the United States,” Gessler said. “The evidence doesn’t come close to allowing the court to do it this time.”
The House panel’s former top investigator, who testified during the trial, defended the probe as impartial and open-minded.
The voters, represented in the case by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and a group of Colorado-based lawyers, sued Colorado’s secretary of state, the state’s top elections official, in a bid to block Trump’s inclusion on the ballot.
Trump is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Biden in the 2024 U.S. election.
Lawyers in the case on Wednesday made their final pitch to Colorado District Court Judge Sarah Wallace, who will decide the case, following a weeklong trial that featured testimony from U.S. lawmakers, legal experts and Republican political activists.
Thousands of people stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump. The lawyers for the voters have sought to convince the judge that Trump’s actions in spreading false claims of voter fraud, summoning his supporters to Washington on the day of the riot and initially refusing pleas to quell the violence amounted to an insurrection.
Trump’s lawyers have denied that he incited his supporters to violence and have argued that disqualifying him from the ballot would set a dangerous precedent.
Colorado is regarded as a safely Democratic state by nonpartisan election forecasters.
Regardless of whether Trump is on the ballot, Biden would be expected to win there. But CREW and other activists are seeking to bring a series of legal challenges to Trump’s eligibility based on the 14th Amendment language.
Courts in Michigan and Minnesota have ruled that Trump can remain on the ballot for the Republican primaries in those states but declined to immediately decide on his eligibility for the November 2024 general election.
The cases raise several unsettled legal questions. Many experts view the effort as a legal longshot. The U.S. Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees, may ultimately weigh in.
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The LAist
Caltrans says the company that leased the space illegally sublet it to other companies.
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
Taiwan will take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco this week, a rare opportunity for the self-governing island democracy of 23 million people and its high-tech economy to break the diplomatic embargo on it imposed by authoritarian China.
Taiwan’s chief delegate will be a civilian rather than a government figure or head of state, under an unwritten rule that satisfies China’s contention that members of the organization participate as economic entities rather than state players.
For the seventh time, Taiwan will be represented by Morris Chang, the 92-year-old founder of the world-leading Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Chang is known as the godfather of the industry that has put Taiwan in the top ranks of high-tech manufacturing and personal electronic devices.
Taiwan has participated in APEC since 1991 under the name Chinese Taipei. It began taking part just two years after the group’s inception and the same year that China and the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong joined.
Taiwan has relied on retired ministers — and in Chang’s case, industry leaders — who are well connected with the government but do not carry the burden of formal office, which could spark a protest from China. But that doesn’t mean Taiwan’s government won’t be represented. Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-yun will attend a meeting presided over by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who recently visited Beijing, and two other ministers will attend meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Taiwan a major topic
A Japanese colony until the end of World War II, Taiwan split from mainland China amid a civil war in 1949. China continues to claim the island as its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, a threat it plays out on a near-daily basis by sending ships and warplanes around the island.
These acts of political intimidation have the potential to wear down the operational resiliency of the island’s military equipment and personnel. Taiwan has just a fraction of the air, sea and missile power of China’s People’s Liberation Army, not to mention its ground forces, and relies heavily on young men doing their mandatory national service to fill its ranks.
However, Taiwan in recent years has invested heavily in upgraded arms purchases from the U.S., along with boosting its own defense industry, most notably building submarines that could undermine the Chinese naval threat. That has come partly in response to Chinese displays of force such as sailing aircraft carriers through the economically crucial Taiwan Strait and sending aircraft and drones to circle the island.
While the U.S. has no military treaty with Taiwan, it is obligated under federal law to ensure the island can defend itself and to treat all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.” That, along with Washington’s string of alliances from Japan to South Korea and the Philippines, and its refusal to recognize China’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, make the Taiwan Strait a potential powder keg should Chinese leader Xi Jinping seek to make good on his determination to unite what he views as China’s historical territory and cement his political legacy.
China primarily wants an end to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, including latest model F-16 fighter jets, and an assurance it will not give an electoral boost to the ruling pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that among the points that President Joe Biden will make clear to President Xi is that the U.S., in accordance with its law, will continue to provide “self-defense capabilities for Taiwan.”
Politics at play
Even with China’s lackluster economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, including high youth unemployment and massive debts born by an overextended housing sector, Xi is pushing ahead with his vision for China to reclaim its historical place as the center of cultural, political and economic life in the Asia-Pacific.
Taiwan, with its multiparty system focused mostly on local issues and with a broad consensus favoring political separation from China, presents a unique challenge to those who call the shots inside the cloistered Qing Dynasty-era leadership compound of Zhongnanhai in Beijing. Almost entirely male and shielded from the media, they brought Hong Kong to heel after pro-democracy protests broke out in the former British colony in 2019.
China has sought to influence Taiwanese politics through military threats, but also by using a “carrot and stick” approach toward economic opportunities on the mainland and by enticing politicians, chiefly from the main Nationalist Party, also known as the Kuomintang, or KMT, to meet with high-level officials in Beijing.
Taiwanese media outlets have also been persuaded to run stories critical of the status quo of de facto independence, mainly through their ownership structures, which involve substantial investments on the mainland.
Ultimately, it comes down to the voters in Taiwan. January’s elections for the presidency and legislature will be the best determinant of whether the populace wishes to stay the course or seek a greater degree of accommodation with Beijing.
Current Vice President William Lai appears to be in a strong position to win at least a plurality of the vote in his bid for the presidency, while his opposition appears splintered and unable to form the sort of alliances that could put the U.S.-trained medical professional under substantial pressure, despite the vast sums being spent on advertising by rivals such as electronics magnate Terry Gou.
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The Clorox Company’s chief security officer has left her job in the wake of a corporate network breach that cost the manufacturer hundreds of millions of dollars.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/11/16/clorox_ciso_washes_out/
date: 2023-11-16, from: VOA News USA
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday granted Elon Musk’s SpaceX a license to launch the company’s second test flight of its next-generation Starship and heavy-lift rocket from Texas, the agency said.
SpaceX said it was targeting Friday for a launch, saying a two-hour launch window opens at 7 a.m. Central Time (1300 GMT) and that local residents “may hear a loud noise” during the rocket’s ascent toward space.
“The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements,” the agency, which oversees commercial launch sites, said in a statement.
SpaceX’s first attempt to send Starship to space was in April, when the rocket exploded mid-air four minutes after a liftoff that pulverized the company’s launchpad and flung sand and concrete chunks for miles.
Though Musk, SpaceX’s CEO and founder, hailed the Starship launch attempt as exceeding his expectations, it fell far short of its overall test objectives to reach space, complete nearly a full revolution around Earth, and reenter the atmosphere for a splashdown off a Hawaiian coast.
First the moon, eventually Mars
Starship, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty at 120 meters and designed to be fully reusable, represents SpaceX’s next-generation workhorse rocket system capable of ferrying some 150 tons of satellites into space. Plans also call for the rocket system to be used to carry crews of humans to the moon, and eventually Mars.
The rocket is crucial for SpaceX’s increasingly dominant launch business. NASA, under a roughly $4 billion development contract with SpaceX, plans to use Starship around 2026 to land the first crew of humans on the moon’s surface since 1972.
Hundreds of fixes before launch
The upcoming Starship flight will have the same test objectives as the first attempt. SpaceX made hundreds of fixes to the rocket’s design based on the April failure. The FAA required SpaceX to make dozens of fixes before allowing another Starship flight.
SpaceX determined that an onboard fire prevented Starship — the rocket system’s upper stage — from separating from its Super Heavy first stage booster as planned. The rocket’s explosion was the result of an automated destruction command, which triggered some 40 seconds late.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-approves-spacex-for-2nd-launch-of-starship-super-heavy/7357019.html
date: 2023-11-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
It’s time to clean out closets for charity and support the Flair Cleaners 21st Annual Holiday Clothing and Shoe Drive from Nov. 24 through Dec. 31,
https://scvnews.com/nov-24-flair-cleaners-begins-21st-annual-holiday-clothing-drive/
date: 2023-11-16, updated: 2023-11-16, from: The LAist
Detours push cars into neighborhoods already plagued by some of the worst air pollution.
date: 2023-11-16, from: Bluesky web news
One year ago, the first post on Bluesky was created. Now, we’re working toward federation and a truly open network.
https://blueskyweb.xyz/blog/11-15-2023-toward-federation
date: 2023-11-16, from: Low-tech magazine
During the Second World War, many motorized vehicles in continental Europe were converted to drive on firewood. 1 That happened as a consequence of the rationing of fossil fuels. Wood gas vehicles were a not-so-elegant alternative to their petrol cousins, but their range was comparable to today’s electric vehicles. In Germany alone, around 500,000 wood gas cars, buses, and trucks operated by the end of WWII. An even more cumbersome alternative was the gas bag vehicle. 2
Nowadays, there’s much less firewood available than in the 1940s, especially in industrialized regions. So, what would be the solution to the disruption of gasoline or electricity in the Third World War? Dutch artist Gijs Schalkx found another fuel supply, which is abundant: plastic waste. The production of plastics only started in the 1950s, after the Second World War. Since then, plastic has become an increasingly popular material, growing to a global annual production of 460 million metric tons in 2019 – twice as much as in 2000 and eight times as much as in 1976. 34
Plastics are made from fossil fuels, and the process can be turned around. Gijs Schalkx converted an abandoned Volvo 240 to run on diesel that he makes from the plastic waste he collects. The “de-refinery” converts plastic waste back into fuel and is installed on the luggage carrier of the car, making the vehicle independent of the fossil fuel infrastructure. The plastic waste is heated in a boiler to about 700 degrees Celsius, after which it evaporates. The gas is then cooled down, and turns into a diesel-like liquid one hour later. Gijs collects it in plastic bottles – themselves the raw material for the diesel they contain. The fuel looks like Coca-Cola – one of the largest producers of plastic waste.
Making fuel can happen while the car drives, but Gijs has kept the two activities separate for safety reasons. At a speed of 80 km/u, his Volvo 240 drives a distance of 7 kilometres per kilogram of plastic (which corresponds to 14 kg of plastic per 100 km driven). That includes the fuel used to heat up the plastic waste on the roof (1 kg of plastic gives 0.5 liter of diesel). Plastic waste is a rather voluminous material, and it takes several garbage bags full of plastic waste to make one liter of fuel. Schalkx plans to use a small shredder to reduce the volume of the plastic waste he collects, but for now he relies on a supply of discarded plastic granulate from a neighbour, consisting of PET and HDPE.
How far could we drive if we would convert all plastic waste into fuel? The Netherlands produced roughly 1,650 kiloton of plastic waste in 2017 (1,650,000,000 kg), enough to drive 11.55 billion km (11,550,000,000 km). 5 That corresponds to about 1/10th of kilometers driven by all passenger cars in the Netherlands in 2021 (114.3 billion km). 6 On a smaller scale, the average passenger vehicle in the Netherlands drives 12,000 km per year, requiring each driver and their passengers to collect 1,714 kg of plastic. On the other hand, even the current amount of plastic waste per capita in the Netherlands (97 kg) would be enough to drive 679 km – perhaps sufficient for those who use their automobile wisely. The amount of plastic waste grows faster than the number of cars so that we could drive increasingly longer distances in the future. 7
Being able to drive a vehicle on plastic waste has benefits in terms of resilience. For example, it could allow medics to operate ambulances without a regular fuel supply in a war zone. However, how does a vehicle driven on plastic waste performs in times of peace? After all, plastic waste is a huge problem, and Gijs Schalkx’s car gets rid of it. With less than 10% of plastic waste recycled worldwide, would it make sense to encourage people to convert their vehicles to run on diesel oil made of plastic waste? Sure, it would be a more affordable alternative to electric cars, but what about the carbon emissions?
On the one hand, the embodied carbon emissions of the Volvo 240 are almost zero: Gijs found most components – including the car itself – in the dump, others on the second-hand market. 8 In contrast, manufacturing new vehicles – especially electric ones – adds a significant carbon footprint before they drive their first kilometer. They also need an extensive infrastructure to produce and distribute fuel and electricity, adding more carbon emissions. In contrast, the Volvo has its fuel infrastructure on the roof, built from scrap.
On the other hand, the CO2-emissions from the fuel production and the fuel combustion are not praiseworthy. First, there is the burning of plastic on the roof of the car. Making 1 liter of diesel requires the burning of 1 kg of plastic, which results in 2-2.7 kg carbon emissions. 9 Second, there is the combustion of the diesel fuel while driving, which emits 2.7 kg of carbon dioxide per liter. 10 Together, that becomes 4.7 to 5.4 kg CO2 per liter. Consequently, with a 14:1 fuel economy, the Volvo emits 65.8 to 75.6 kg of greenhouse gases per 100 km.
In contrast, the emissions of the average fossil fuel powered car in Europe amount to 25.8 kg/100 km, including crude oil production, fuel refining and vehicle manufacturing. 11 The emissions of a small electric car like the Nissan Leaf amount to 10.9 kg/100km in Europe, including the emissions of the fuel that is burned to produce the electricity. 11 The Volvo thus emits 2.5 times more CO2 than the average fossil fuel powered car in Europe, and 7 times more than a small electric car. The difference will be somewhat smaller, because the data for the other cars do not include the emissions for building the oil and power infrastructure. However, this is unlikely to tip the balance.
There are several reasons for the high carbon emissions. First, fuel production by burning plastic on the roof is four times more carbon intensive than producing fuel from crude oil in a refinery. 12 Second, the Volvo dates from 1980, when cars had lower fuel economy. Gijs Schalkx: “Hypothetically, you could convert a newer car to drive on plastic waste and have much lower carbon emissions. Likewise, the de-refinery is one of the first of its kind and could be made more efficient by real engineers. Oil refineries have been developped for more than 100 years. However, newer cars have proprietary electronic motor controls that prevent using alternative fuels.”
Carbon emissions are not the only worry. Because of the chemicals added to plastic, burning it to make fuel creates a lot of nasty air pollution. Nobody in their right mind will propose a switch to cars fuelled by plastic waste. However, it is instructive to examine the motives behind this unanimous conclusion. Much of the plastic waste that the Volvo 240 burns burns anyways. Not in cars but incinerators. That is the case for 44% of plastic waste in Europe. 13 That plastic waste burns to produce electricity, which can then charge electric cars. How is that more sustainable than burning plastic on the roof of your car?
The carbon emissions are the same. So is the air pollution, although it’s easier to put a flue gas scrubber on thousands of incinerators than on millions of cars. The main difference is that burning plastic waste in incinerators to power electric cars allows many of us to externalize the side effects of car driving. An incinerator can be (and always is) located in a poor neighbourhood, where it causes high incidences of cancer and other health problems in spite of air pollution control. Meanwhile, it produces electricity that charges electric cars which drive around low emission zones in well-to-do neighbourhoods.
In contrast, Schalkx’s Volvo internalizes all the side effects of driving automobiles. The car is not a pleasure to drive, at least not regularly. It is dirty. Its interior stinks of plastic, which cannot be healthy – Gijs keeps the car windows open no matter the weather. Furthermore, he needs to spend a lot of time collecting plastic and making fuel, and all these disadvantages make him think twice before he gets behind the wheel. It’s unlikely that Schalkx will drive 12,000 km per year, and so, ultimately, he will produce less pollution than the drivers of more sustainable-looking cars that face none of these problems.
Somehow, the Dutch authorities, who are not known for their permissivity, officially approved the car after inspection. Schalkx drives tax-free and – thanks to his car being an oldtimer – can enter low-emission zones, where he parks alongside the latest electric SUV. Justice is not yet out of this world.
Woodgas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank, Kris De Decker, Low-tech Magazine, 2010. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2010/01/wood-gas-vehicles-firewood-in-the-fuel-tank/ ↩︎
Gas Bag Vehicles, Kris De Decker, Low-tech Magazine, 2011. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/11/gas-bag-vehicles/ ↩︎
https://www.statista.com/statistics/282732/global-production-of-plastics-since-1950/ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm ↩︎
https://ce.nl/publicaties/plasticgebruik-en-verwerking-van-plastic-afval-in-nederland/ ↩︎
https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/visualisaties/verkeer-en-vervoer/verkeer/verkeersprestaties-personenautos#:~:text=Van%20de%20114%2C3%20miljard,overige%20kilometers%20werden%20zakelijk%20gereden. ↩︎
The plastics industry now consumes 14% of all oil production, compared to only 4% in 2012. By 2050, the share of the plastics industry is forecasted to be 20% of oil production. Sources: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-plastics-pipeline-a-surge-of-new-production-is-on-the-way & https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/big-oils-plastic-boom-threatens-uns-historic-pollution-pact-2022-03-04/ & https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/How-Much-Crude-Oil-Does-Plastic-Production-Really-Consume.html See also 3 ↩︎
New parts in the car are fuel hoses, coolant hoses, paint, tyres, brake lines and brake pads. Most of these were required to pass vehicle inspection. ↩︎
Rubio-Domingo, Gabriela, et al. “Making Plastics Emissions Transparent.” COMET. Last modified February 2022. https://ccsi. columbia. edu/sites/default/files/content/COMET-making-plastics-emissions-transparent. Pdf (2022). https://ccsi.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COMET-making-plastics-emissions-transparent.pdf. ↩︎
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2307/1/012025/pdf ↩︎
https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-electric-vehicles-help-to-tackle-climate-change/ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC85326 ↩︎
https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm#:~:text=Another%2019%25%20is%20incinerated%2C%2050,environments%2C%20especially%20in%20poorer%20countries. ↩︎
https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/11/plastic-waste-in-the-fuel-tank/