News gathered 2024-01-07
(date: 2024-01-07 11:41:47)
When “everything” becomes too much: the npm package chaos of 2024
date: 2024-01-07, from: OS News
Happy 2024, folks! Just when we thought we’d seen it all, an npm user named PatrickJS, aka gdi2290, threw us a curveball. He (along with a group of contributors) kicked off the year with a bang, launching a troll campaign that uploaded an npm package aptly named everything. This package, true to its name, depends on every other public npm package, creating millions of transitive dependencies. The everything package and its 3,000+ sub-packages have caused a Denial of Service (DOS) for anyone who installs it. We’re talking about storage space running out and system resource exhaustion. But that’s not all. The creator took their prank to the next level by setting up http://everything.npm.lol, showcasing the chaos they unleashed. They even included a meme from Skyrim, adding some humor (or mockery, depending on your perspective) to the situation. ↫ Feross Aboukhadijeh I know this is a bad thing, you shouldn’t do this, it harms a lot of people, etc., etc., but let’s be honest here – this is a hilarious prank that showcased a weakness in a rather playful way. Sure, there were real consequences, but it doesn’t seem like any of them caused any permanent damage, data loss, or compromised systems. What’s worse, it seems this isn’t even the first time stuff like this happened, so I find it baffling people can still do this. What are they doing over there?
https://www.osnews.com/story/138219/when-everything-becomes-too-much-the-npm-package-chaos-of-2024/ Save to Pocket
Pac-12 rewind: Sweeps by ASU and Oregon, plus UCLA’s collapse, highlight weekend of mayhem
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
ASU stumbled through the non-conference portion of the schedule but has found its form in the early weeks of league play.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/pac-12-rewind-sweeps-by-asu-and-oregon-plus-uclas-collapse-highlight-weekend-of-mayhem/ Save to Pocket
Chris Paul expected to miss 4-6 weeks; was Friday his last game with Warriors?
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
Golden State Warriors’ Chris Paul is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after hand surgery
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/chris-paul-expected-out-4-6-weeks-was-friday-his-last-game-with-warriors/ Save to Pocket
Salinas police chief to head East Bay Regional Park District police
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
The chief of the Salinas Police Department has been appointed assistant general manager of public safety and police chief at the East Bay Regional Park District.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/salinas-police-chief-to-head-east-bay-regional-park-district-police/ Save to Pocket
Culver City sexual assault suspect arrested in Santa Clarita
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
A 35-year-old man wanted for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Culver City was arrested in Santa Clarita by the Culver City Police Department with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, according to Culver City police. Culver City authorities were first notified of the crime on Dec. 2 at […]
The post Culver City sexual assault suspect arrested in Santa Clarita appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/culver-city-sexual-assault-suspect-arrested-in-santa-clarita/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
New York State Thruway – traffic cameras.
https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/text/twytextcameras.cgi?region=ALML Save to Pocket
Bay Area and beyond: Frost advisory and freeze warning Monday morning
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
After an uncommonly warm December, freezing temperatures have come to the Bay Area in the new year.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/bay-area-and-beyond-frost-advisory-and-freeze-warning-monday-morning/ Save to Pocket
Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and Tar Pits
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
Located a little more than an hour from Santa Clarita is the coastal town of Carpinteria with beautiful beaches and breathtaking mountain views. It covers 2.6 square miles with an ocean area of 4.7 square miles. That coastline is known for surfing, swimming and hiking. And, it is a favorite camping spot with four campgrounds. […]
The post Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and Tar Pits appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/carpinteria-bluffs-nature-preserve-and-tar-pits/ Save to Pocket
The most popular exercise classes in the US
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
By Gilbert March New research has discovered the top 10 most popular exercise classes in the US, with dance taking the top spot. The research, pulled together by fitness experts SET FOR SET, gathered Google search volume for keywords such as ‘classes near me’ and ‘class near me’ combined with the name of each exercise. […]
The post <strong>The most popular exercise classes in the US</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/the-most-popular-exercise-classes-in-the-us/ Save to Pocket
BART plans to make ‘minor’ schedule changes Jan. 15
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
BART plans to make “minor changes” in its schedules on Jan. 15, the public transit system says.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/bart-plans-to-make-minor-schedule-changes-jan-15/ Save to Pocket
Think Green … Doing Your Part
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
It’s the new year and time to get serious about changing habits and self-improvement. One thing to consider in the new year is how your household can reduce sending any garbage to the landfill. It’s the year to “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Rethink.” Residents of the Santa Clarita Valley are fortunate to have convenient curb-side recycling […]
The post Think Green … Doing Your Part appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
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49ers-Rams pregame: How many will start 17th of 17 games?
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey are sitting out but eight other 49ers are in line to start their 17th game this season today.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/49ers-rams-pregame-how-many-will-start-17th-of-17-games/ Save to Pocket
S.F.: Man shot and killed near Chase Center on Saturday night
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
A man was shot and killed Saturday night near Chase Center in San Francisco.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/s-f-man-shot-and-killed-near-chase-center-on-saturday-night/ Save to Pocket
Six ways to stay fit and healthy in the New Year
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
By Anna Ryan There’s no need to sacrifice a fun time at during the year for your health; experts at SET FOR SET have highlighted six ways to stay fit and healthy in the new year. Plan exercise in advance The new year is undoubtedly chaotic, whether you’re shopping or catching up with friends […]
The post <strong>Six</strong><strong> </strong><strong>ways</strong><strong> </strong><strong>to</strong><strong> </strong><strong>stay</strong><strong> </strong><strong>fit</strong><strong> and healthy in the New Year</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/six-ways-to-stay-fit-and-healthy-in-the-new-year/ Save to Pocket
Hollywood Festivities Return as ‘Barbie’ Vies for Golden Globes
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Margot Robbie, Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio will mingle with other top stars on Sunday at the Golden Globe awards, Hollywood’s first big celebration since twin strikes shut down most of show business last year.
The red carpet, champagne-fueled awards ceremony will honor the best of film and television selected by a new group of 300 entertainment journalists from around the world, part of reforms made after a diversity and ethics scandal among voters.
“Barbie,” the summer blockbuster starring Robbie as the iconic doll, leads all nominees with nine nominations. Historical drama “Oppenheimer,” about the making of the atomic bomb, follows with eight nods.
The Globes kick off Hollywood’s annual awards season, which culminates with the Oscars on March 10, and will bring top stars together after six months of strikes by actors and writers in 2023. The ceremony will give celebrities the chance to shine a spotlight on their films and TV shows after months when promotion was prohibited.
“I’m a little biased, but this is the best awards show and we’re going to have fun,” said comedian Jo Koy, who will host his first major awards show starting at 8 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Monday).
The ceremony will be broadcast live on U.S. TV network CBS and streamed simultaneously for subscribers to Paramount+ with Showtime.
Acting nominees include Robbie and “Barbie” co-star Ryan Gosling, plus “Oppenheimer” stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, who starred in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” also are up for trophies.
Winfrey is among the night’s presenters. Pop superstar Taylor Swift also may join the A-list crowd as a nominee for “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” her concert film that is in the running in a new category for cinematic and box office achievement.
In the television field, “Succession” is expected to win accolades for its final season about the high-stakes battle for control of a global media empire. It leads all nominees with nine nods, followed by restaurant dramedy “The Bear” with five.
There are 27 first-time nominees for this year’s Globes.
Known as a boozy celebration more relaxed than the Oscars, the Globes nearly became extinct. A 2021 Los Angeles Times report revealed ethical lapses and a lack of diversity among the roughly 80 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that previously voted on the Globes. The 2022 ceremony was scrapped while the organization made reforms.
Last year, the Globes were sold to new owners and the association was disbanded. Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions now operate the awards, with a voting body of 300 journalist members from 75 countries with 60% racial and ethnic diversity.
The changes appear to have persuaded Hollywood’s top talent to embrace the show and its new members.
“They’re trying to announce that they’re new and improved,” said Joyce Eng, senior editor at awards website Gold Derby. “I feel like people are more receptive to them.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/hollywood-festivities-return-as-barbie-vies-for-golden-globes-/7430045.html Save to Pocket
Public Citizen files questionable complaint against Toyota
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
Public Citizen is a consumer rights advocacy group that works to insure corporate accountability. On December 13th, the non-profit filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accusing Toyota of deceptive marketing practices. The complaint alleges that the automaker is misleading consumers by marketing its hybrids and plug-in hybrids as “EVs” and using words like “electrified” to describe its extensive lineup of green vehicles.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/public-citizen-files-questionable-complaint-against-toyota/ Save to Pocket
Little Mazda CX-30 SUV drives big
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
There’s plenty to like about small, simple and efficient cars with personalities and driving traits ideal for city dwellers. The 2024 Mazda CX-30 qualifies. It’s a compact sport utility vehicle with a big presence.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/little-mazda-cx-30-suv-drives-big/ Save to Pocket
City of Santa Clarita Hosts the Spectacular “The Big I Do” Event
date: 2024-01-07, from: City of Santa Clarita
City of Santa Clarita Hosts the Spectacular ‘The Big I Do’ Event By City Manager Ken Striplin This Valentine’s Day, the City of Santa Clarita is proud to announce the much-anticipated return of the “The Big I Do” wedding experience. This remarkable event extends a warm invitation to couples seeking a stress-free alternative to a […]
The post City of Santa Clarita Hosts the Spectacular “The Big I Do” Event appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.
https://santaclarita.gov/blog/2024/01/07/city-of-santa-clarita-hosts-the-spectacular-the-big-i-do-event/ Save to Pocket
Discover advanced RiscOSM techniques with WROCC – 10th January
date: 2024-01-07, from: RiscOS Story
The first Wakefield RISC OS Computer Club (WROCC) meeting of 2024 will take place on Wednesday, 10th January – a week later than the regular date, which would have been the 3rd – and the guest speakers will be Matthew and Hilary Philips from Sine Nomine. The subject of their talk will be RiscOSM, their mapping application that takes data converted from Open Street Map and makes it usable on RISC OS. However, rather than a simple demonstration of that package and what it can do, they will instead be…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/advanced-riscosm-techniques-with-wrocc/ Save to Pocket
ScummVM 2.8.0 released
date: 2024-01-07, from: RiscOS Story
The penultimate day of 2023 saw another release of ScummVM, which includes a RISC OS version thanks to the efforts of Cameron Cawley. The software is now at version 2.8.0, and the latest version brings with it a number of new engines, enhancements to old ones – and of course, a whole raft of newly supported games. ScummVM is a ‘virtual machine’ that was originally developed to run games built around the Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion, the underlying system designed by LucasArts for the game Maniac Mansion, and…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/scummvm-2-8-0-released/ Save to Pocket
The 2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i Luxury Performance SUV
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
What is an X7? The X7 is a full size luxury 3 row SUV built in the Spartanburg, SC USA assembly plant and sold in North America by BMW. The X7 is the largest vehicle BMW makes and is the brand’s flag ship model. The range of features and upscale options put the X7 in the upper level luxury class and is BMW’s most powerful and sporty SUV.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/the-2023-bmw-x7-xdrive40i-luxury-performance-suv/ Save to Pocket
OF BOOKS AND BABIES
date: 2024-01-07, from: Howard Jacobson blog
The above might well be a sculpture of Zeus cradling his son Dionysus. Or it might be me cradling my new novel. Grandiose? You bet I’m grandiose. But it’s the grandiosity of fear - a parent’s dread that the new arrival (only four weeks away now) won’t fulfil its expectations, won’t live up to its billing, won’t be a prodigy, won’t change the world.
https://jacobsonh.substack.com/p/of-books-and-babies Save to Pocket
Man shot and killed in East Oakland Sunday morning
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
The shooting was reported near the intersection of 89th Avenue and Plymouth Street.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/man-shot-and-killed-in-east-oakland-sunday-morning/ Save to Pocket
Acer Swift Go (2024) laptop lineup with Intel Meteor Lake launches in March for $750 and up
date: 2024-01-07, from: Liliputing
The new Acer Swift Go 14 (SFG14-73) and Acer Swift Go 16 (SFG16-72) are thin and light laptops with support for up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Meteor Lake processor with Intel Arc integrated graphics. As the names suggest, the biggest difference between the two laptops are the screen sizes: Acer’s new Swift Go laptops […]
The post Acer Swift Go (2024) laptop lineup with Intel Meteor Lake launches in March for $750 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/acer-swift-go-2024-laptop-lineup-with-intel-meteor-lake-launches-in-march-for-750-and-up/ Save to Pocket
Acer Aspire Go 14 inch laptops coming in March for $250 and up
date: 2024-01-07, from: Liliputing
Acer was one of the first PC makers to launch budget laptops powered by AMD’s Mendocino chips, and also among the first to launch Intel Alder Lake-N laptops. Now Acer is bringing those laptops together under a single name. The new Acer Aspire GO 14 is a budget laptop that comes with a choice of Intel […]
The post Acer Aspire Go 14 inch laptops coming in March for $250 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/acer-aspire-go-14-inch-laptops-coming-in-march-for-250-and-up/ Save to Pocket
Acer Swift X 14 laptop with Intel Meteor Lake and NVIDIA graphics coming in February for $1400 and up
date: 2024-01-07, from: Liliputing
The new Acer Swift X 14 (SFX14-72G) is a laptop with a 14.5 inch, 2.8K OLED display with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate and support for up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H Meteor Lake processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics. Acer says the laptop will be available worldwide in February, with prices starting […]
The post Acer Swift X 14 laptop with Intel Meteor Lake and NVIDIA graphics coming in February for $1400 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/acer-swift-x-14-laptop-with-intel-meteor-lake-and-nvidia-graphics-coming-in-february-for-1400-and-up/ Save to Pocket
Week 1/366 Photo Project
date: 2024-01-07, from: Om Malik blog
Week One of my 366 Photo Project is in the bag. Of the seven photos that I shared with my community — on Glass and here on the website — two were captured this week, while the rest were older images that I edited (or re-edited) this week. This practice of working on images and …
https://om.co/2024/01/07/week-1-366-photo-project/ Save to Pocket
Samsung’s latest display tech includes a 360-degree foldable flip phone screen and a
date: 2024-01-07, from: Liliputing
Samsung Display is showing off several new screens at CES 2024 this week, including a larger version of the company’s rollable display for tablets with expanding screens and a new In&Out Flip screen for flip phones that can flip all the way around. The company is also unveiling a tiny new display for headsets and bigger […]
The post Samsung’s latest display tech includes a 360-degree foldable flip phone screen and a appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/samsungs-latest-display-tech-includes-a-360-degree-foldable-flip-phone-screen-and-a/ Save to Pocket
Two killed, one wounded in Oakland shootings
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
No motives have been released yet in three Oakland shootings Saturday that left two people dead and a third wounded.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/two-killed-one-wounded-in-oakland-shootings/ Save to Pocket
Signing off
date: 2024-01-07, from: Richard Poydner blog
After reporting on the open access movement for 20+ years I have reached the conclusion that the movement has failed.
As a result, I shall no longer be writing about open access or updating this blog.
I explain my reasons for reaching the conclusion I have in this Q&A on The Scholarly Kitchen website.
I would like to thank those who wished me well when I announced my decision and I wish all those who continue to advocate for open access the very best.
My challenge to the latter is: please prove me wrong!
https://poynder.blogspot.com/2024/01/after-reporting-on-open-access-movement.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The Moon Is About to Become a Graveyard.
https://gizmodo.com/moon-burial-human-remains-celestis-elysium-astrobotic-1851142728 Save to Pocket
Sunday Forecast: High Wind, High Surf, And A Chance Of Rain
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: The LAist
Wind gusts up to 60 mph in the valleys and along the costs; up to 80 mph in the mountains and foothills.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/sunday-forecast-high-wind-high-surf-and-a-chance-of-rain Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-07, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
The duolingo tournament this week is brutal. Don’t people have hobbies?
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111715420545703671 Save to Pocket
San Jose Assemblymember touts committee appointments
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
Alex Lee also chair of Human Services.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/san-jose-assemblymember-touts-committee-appointments/ Save to Pocket
Campbell school district program is a winner
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
Every Child a Reader receives state’s Golden Bell Award.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/campbell-school-district-program-is-a-winner/ Save to Pocket
A page for every blog
date: 2024-01-07, from: ooh.directory blog
A couple of months ago regular visitors might have noticed a little change to the site – every blog now has its own page. Now that this is working smoothly, and seasonal holidays are out of the way, here's the blog post about that change.
https://ooh.directory/blog/2024/blog-pages/ Save to Pocket
Cupertino starts sorting organic materials for collection
date: 2024-01-07, from: San Jose Mercury News
State law requires that yard trimmings, food scraps be separated.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/07/cupertino-starts-sorting-organic-materials-for-collection/ Save to Pocket
Road to Removal: A blueprint for yanking billions of tons of CO2 out of our atmosphere
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’ll also cost billions, but perhaps a price worth paying?
Let’s say that you and your political leaders are committed to reducing the effects of the “greenhouse gasses” such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) that are indisputably toasting our Earth.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/07/road_to_removal_climate/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
The problem all billionaires have is there is nothing they can buy with their money that's worth owning.
https://newrepublic.com/article/177733/billionaire-solano-california-tech-secession Save to Pocket
Lamorena is disqualified from Public Health corruption case
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
Superior Court of Guam Presiding Judge Alberto Lamorena III has been disqualified as the sitting judge in the Department of Public Health and Social Services corruption case.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/lamorena-is-disqualified-from-public-health-corruption-case/article_5fd28810-aa9f-11ee-9bab-cf7e106c4c7f.html Save to Pocket
Pellet gun found on GDOE school bus
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
George Washington High School students were searched Wednesday morning after administrators were informed that a student may have been carrying a gun on a school bus headed for the school.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/pellet-gun-found-on-gdoe-school-bus/article_370c4880-aaa4-11ee-9d1e-4f361b05e5bd.html Save to Pocket
Hearings set for bill to reserve Public Health HQ, GPA oversight
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
Bill 222-37, which would reserve the former headquarters of the Department of Public Health and Social Services for immediate use by the department, is scheduled for a public hearing Monday afternoon.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/hearings-set-for-bill-to-reserve-public-health-hq-gpa-oversight/article_aba375ac-ad0a-11ee-be7d-e3209ce545fe.html Save to Pocket
Search goes on for suspects in Tumon robbery, fatal shooting
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
The Guam Police Department continues to search for two male individuals suspected to be involved in the robbery of a Korean tourist couple and the fatal shooting of the male tourist in Tumon.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/search-goes-on-for-suspects-in-tumon-robbery-fatal-shooting/article_40720f56-ad0e-11ee-8905-7ffd130358a6.html Save to Pocket
6 Chinese nationals rescued by Coast Guard
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
Six Chinese boaters were rescued after their vessel was experiencing difficulties off the shores of Guam.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/6-chinese-nationals-rescued-by-coast-guard/article_818a85e4-ad0a-11ee-84b0-77db9cdb6a35.html Save to Pocket
Homicide suspect released from jail
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
A man charged in connection to the death of Jason Susuico a year ago has been released from prison.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/homicide-suspect-released-from-jail/article_22e73bbc-ad06-11ee-9a00-9b8b5e2b0a00.html Save to Pocket
University to host nutrient-dense, low-sodium cooking workshops
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
Island residents can participate in cooking workshops where they can learn to cook healthy meals using local products at the University of Guam, the university announced in a press release.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/university-to-host-nutrient-dense-low-sodium-cooking-workshops/article_8b8178a6-ab6f-11ee-981f-cbb355879965.html Save to Pocket
Legislature recognizes students, teachers from GCC cosmetology
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
It’s been said that there’s nothing better than a good haircut to boost confidence and self-esteem. That is what inspired the students and instructors of the Guam Community College Cosmetology Department to start the Taking Hair and Combing Together for…
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/legislature-recognizes-students-teachers-from-gcc-cosmetology/article_cd1ac9c4-ad05-11ee-bde2-efd7c1d53559.html Save to Pocket
NASA, United Arab Emirates Announce Artemis Lunar Gateway Airlock
date: 2024-01-07, from: NASA breaking news
NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Sunday plans for the space centre to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station that will orbit the Moon. The lunar space station will support NASA’s missions for long-term exploration of the Moon under Artemis for the […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-united-arab-emirates-announce-artemis-lunar-gateway-airlock/ Save to Pocket
Darius Rucker
date: 2024-01-07, from: Dan Rather’s Steady
Rock ‘n’ roller turned country music superstar Darius Rucker is having a good couple of months.
https://steady.substack.com/p/darius-rucker Save to Pocket
LEVER WEEKLY: “How Are They Able To Get Away With This?”
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Lever News
From faulty health insurer provider lists to a troubling regulatory win for the crypto industry, here’s a roundup of our reporting from the past week.
https://www.levernews.com/lever-weekly-how-are-they-able-to-get-away-with-this/ Save to Pocket
With The Ban On Cruising And Lowriding Lifted, A Visit To One Of The Spots In Downey Where It All Started
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: The LAist
Harvey’s Broiler in Downey was an epicenter of cruising culture in L.A. The site is now home to Bob’s Big Boy, a beloved landmark that continues to pay homage to the West Coast tradition.
https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/with-the-ban-on-cruising-and-lowriding-lifted-a-visit-to-one-of-the-spots-in-downey-where-it-all-started Save to Pocket
Don’t Look So Blue, Neptune: Now Astronomers Know This Planet’s True Color
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: The LAist
Neptune has long been depicted as a deeper, darker blue than its fellow ice giant Uranus, but a new study shows that both are a similar shade of light greenish blue.
https://laist.com/news/dont-look-so-blue-neptune-now-astronomers-know-this-planets-true-color Save to Pocket
Pooliard and Squayce
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: Uninformative blog
https://www.uninformativ.de/blog/postings/2024-01-07/0/POSTING-en.html Save to Pocket
Sunday caption contest: Where?
date: 2024-01-07, from: Robert Reich on Substack
And winner from two weeks ago
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-caption-contest-pile Save to Pocket
David Hegg | The Tyrrany of Autonomy
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
By David Hegg Sometimes great things, essential movements and seemingly necessary events end up being the cause of unintended consequences. Laws meant to curb illegal behavior can have loopholes that create opportunities for new kinds of criminal endeavors even as the introduction of miracle drugs can, years later, be seen as having caused unintended health […]
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Dog bite reports on the rise: Number of cases have spiked dramatically since 2020
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Reports of dogs biting people on the Big Island have increased dramatically in the past five years, according to the Hawaii Police Department.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/hawaii-news/dog-bite-reports-on-the-rise-number-of-cases-have-spiked-dramatically-since-2020/ Save to Pocket
Planning commission to address four properties in Kona, Waikoloa
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Leeward Planning Commission will address four applications, including two developments less than a block apart, at the Jan. 18 meeting in Kona. The commission last met in August, with the last four meetings being canceled.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/hawaii-news/planning-commission-to-address-four-properties-in-kona-waikoloa/ Save to Pocket
AG releases draft bill for pot legalization; lists best practices to minimize risks
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Attorney General Anne Lopez said Friday that if the state Legislature passes a bill in the upcoming session that would legalize the adult use of cannabis in Hawaii, it will do so without her office’s support.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/hawaii-news/ag-releases-draft-bill-for-pot-legalization-lists-best-practices-to-minimize-risks/ Save to Pocket
UH plans to expand IFA facilities, offer more STEM opportunities
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The University of Hawaii plans to expand its engineering curriculum to the Big Island in a big way.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/hawaii-news/uh-plans-to-expand-ifa-facilities-offer-more-stem-opportunities/ Save to Pocket
Sure, it might be cold and dark, but traveling to wintry places can be magical
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Planning a trip this winter? Yes, it’s tempting to look for sunny spots where you can lie on a beach or play golf. But some of my favorite winter vacations have been to northerly destinations at their coldest, darkest times of year.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/features/sure-it-might-be-cold-and-dark-but-traveling-to-wintry-places-can-be-magical/ Save to Pocket
BIIF soccer: Honoka‘a routes MKL, KSH and Waiakea undefeated
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p><strong>KSH BOYS 5 - KEA‘AU 0</strong></p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/hawaii-news/biif-soccer-honokaa-routes-mkl-ksh-and-waiakea-undefeated/ Save to Pocket
BIIF hoops: Waiakea dominates Kea‘au, KSH still undefeated
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p><strong>HONOKA‘A 91 - KEALAKEHE 72</strong></p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/sports/biif-hoops-waiakea-dominates-keaau-ksh-still-undefeated/ Save to Pocket
Steelers top Lamar-less Ravens 17-10, will make the playoffs if Buffalo or Jacksonville loses
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>BALTIMORE — Cameron Heyward figures the Pittsburgh Steelers can make some noise in the playoffs.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/sports/steelers-top-lamar-less-ravens-17-10-will-make-the-playoffs-if-buffalo-or-jacksonville-loses/ Save to Pocket
Harbaugh’s future at Michigan is subplot to CFP title game as Washington tries to lock up DeBoer
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HOUSTON — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had barely settled into his seat on a riser at College Football Playoff media day when he received the question that is seemingly always hanging over him at this time of year.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/sports/harbaughs-future-at-michigan-is-subplot-to-cfp-title-game-as-washington-tries-to-lock-up-deboer/ Save to Pocket
Texans wrap up playoff spot with 23-19 victory over Colts
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud made all the right calls in the biggest game of his NFL career to help the Houston Texans secure a playoff spot.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/sports/texans-wrap-up-playoff-spot-with-23-19-victory-over-colts/ Save to Pocket
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown power Celtics to 118-101 win over Pacers
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 38 points, making a season-high eight 3-pointers, and Jaylen Brown added 31 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 118-101 on Saturday night, snapping the Pacers’ six-game winning streak.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/sports/jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown-power-celtics-to-118-101-win-over-pacers/ Save to Pocket
Police probe UK Post Office for accusing over 700 employees of theft. The culprit was an IT glitch
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LONDON — U.K. police have opened a fraud investigation into Britain’s Post Office over a miscarriage of justice that saw hundreds of postmasters wrongfully accused of stealing money when a faulty computer system was to blame.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/nation-world-news/police-probe-uk-post-office-for-accusing-over-700-employees-of-theft-the-culprit-was-an-it-glitch/ Save to Pocket
Obituaries for January 7
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Larry Faustino Castillas, 81, of Pahoa died Dec. 18 at Life Care Center of Hilo. Born in Hilo, he was a delivery and warehouse worker for Hilo Rice Mill and timer for Hawaii Canoe Racing Association. Celebration of life at a later date. Condolences to: Shirley Castillas, 15-154 S. Punikahakai Lp., Pahoa, HI 96773. Survived by wife, Shirley Castillas; son, Jayson (Marla Makuakane) Castillas Sr. of Pahoa; daughter, Marcie (Patrick Crivello) Castillas of Keaau; goddaughter, Ron Mata of Hilo; brother, Ronald (Sheena Sunio) Castillas of Hilo; six grandchildrenand nine great-grandchildren; cousins. Arrangements by Ballard Family Mortuary.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/obituaries/obituaries-for-january-7-9/ Save to Pocket
Federal officials order grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after plane suffers a blowout
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/nation-world-news/federal-officials-order-grounding-of-some-boeing-737-max-9-jetliners-after-plane-suffers-a-blowout/ Save to Pocket
On Jan. 6 many Republicans blamed Trump for the Capitol riot. Now they endorse his presidential bid
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — In the follow-up to their 2018 bestseller “How Democracies Die,” authors Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky write about three rules that political parties must follow: accept the results of fair elections, reject the use of violence to gain power and break ties to extremists.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/nation-world-news/on-jan-6-many-republicans-blamed-trump-for-the-capitol-riot-now-they-endorse-his-presidential-bid/ Save to Pocket
A woman in her 90s is rescued alive 5 days after Japan’s deadly earthquake
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WAJIMA, Japan — A woman in her 90s was pulled alive from a collapsed house in western Japan late Saturday, 124 hours after a major quake slammed the region, killing at least 126 people, toppling buildings and setting off landslides.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/nation-world-news/a-woman-in-her-90s-is-rescued-alive-5-days-after-japans-deadly-earthquake/ Save to Pocket
South Korea says the North has again fired artillery shells near their sea border
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea conducted a new round of artillery drills near the disputed sea boundary with South Korea on Saturday, officials in Seoul said, a day after the North’s similar exercises prompted South Korea to respond with its own firing drills in the same area.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/nation-world-news/south-korea-says-the-north-has-again-fired-artillery-shells-near-their-sea-border/ Save to Pocket
Cartoon for January 7
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Big Island as seen by Hawaii Tribune-Herald cartoonist Gary Hoff.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/opinion/cartoon-for-january-7-7/ Save to Pocket
Your Views for January 7
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Time for the county
to repair bridge</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/opinion/your-views-for-january-7-6/ Save to Pocket
Volcano Watch: Separating signals — what matters to seismologists?
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Whether they originate above or below the Earth’s surface, a wide array of signals appear on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s earthquake-detecting (seismic) data streams. Part of a seismic analyst’s duty is identifying normal versus irregular seismic activity.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/community/volcano-watch-separating-signals-what-matters-to-seismologists/ Save to Pocket
Democrats scrambling to overcome tough Senate map
date: 2024-01-07, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>As we enter a presidential election year, pundits are focused on the incessant drama — criminal and otherwise — swirling around a potential rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But there’s more at stake — in particular, the U.S. Senate. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/07/opinion/democrats-scrambling-to-overcome-tough-senate-map/ Save to Pocket
Brian Richards | But Gas Is Only $4.50?
date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal
In addition to inflation, the border, and wars and turmoil throughout the world, the United States is dealing with a crisis of despair. The most recent data show we have a record amount of homeless: www.npr.org/homelessness-affordable-housing-crisis-rent-assistance. The most recent data show we have a record amount of suicides: www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html. The most recent data show we […]
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China Sanctions 5 US Defense Companies
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
BEIJING — China announced sanctions Sunday on five American defense-related companies in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and U.S sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals.
The sanctions will freeze any property the companies have in China and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from doing business with them, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online.
It was unclear what impact, if any, the sanctions would have on the companies, BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Alliant Techsystems Operations, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions. Such sanctions are often mostly symbolic as American defense contractors generally don’t sell to China.
The Foreign Ministry said the U.S. moves harmed China’s sovereignty and security interests, undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and violated the rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.
“The Chinese government remains unwavering in our resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and citizens,” the ministry statement said.
The announcement was made less than a week ahead of a presidential election in Taiwan that is being contested in large part over how the government should manage its relationship with China, which claims the self-governing island as its territory and says it must come under its rule.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not specify which arms deal or which U.S. sanctions China was responding to, though spokesperson Wang Wenbin had warned three weeks ago that China would take countermeasures following the U.S. government’s approval of a $300 million military package for Taiwan in December.
The deal includes equipment, training and equipment repair to maintain Taiwan’s command, control and military communications capabilities.
The U.S. said the sale would support the modernization of Taiwan’s armed forces and the maintenance of a credible defense. “The proposed sale will improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing operational readiness,” a news release from the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
Taiwan is a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations that analysts worry could explode into military conflict between the two powers. China says that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are interference in its domestic affairs.
The Chinese military regularly sends fighter planes and ships into and over the waters around Taiwan, in part to deter the island’s government from declaring formal independence. An invasion doesn’t appear imminent, but the constant military activity serves as a reminder that the threat is ever-present.
The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, but it is bound by its own laws to ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself. America and its allies sail warships through the Taiwan Strait, a 160-kilometer-wide waterway that separates the island from China.
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California Legalizes Most Lowrider Cruising
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
Customized cars that ride low and slow have been part of Mexican American culture since the 1940s. But in California, cruising in these modified vehicles was mostly illegal — until the new year. Genia Dulot has our story from Los Angeles.
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Asian Restaurant in US Battles Racist Stereotype of Dog-Eating
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
FRESNO, Calif. — David Rasavong’s cultural pride is evident all throughout his restaurant.
It’s on the wall of family portraits and where a stunning mural depicts his family’s journey from Laos to California. It’s on the menu filled with Lao and Thai dishes like the crispy coconut rice salad of Nam Khao and the stir-fried rice noodles of Pad See Ew.
And it’s in the fact that Love & Thai in Fresno, California, restaurant is open at all. A baseless accusation grounded in a racist stereotype about Asian food using dog meat brought a six-month barrage of harassment so heated that Rasavong, 41, closed down its previous location over fears for his family’s safety.
His earlier restaurant had itself only been open for seven months when a so-called animal welfare crusader in May implied on social media that a pitbull tied up at an unconnected home next door was going to be served on the menu.
A day after the initial commentary, vitriolic statements, voicemails and calls rained down. Rasavong’s body still tenses up when recounting, in particular, a call from an elderly woman.
“She was so disgusted by me and yelling and screaming, and the only thing I can remember hearing her say at the end was ‘Go back to the country you came from you dog-eating mother-effer,’” Rasavong recently told The Associated Press.
Within days, he closed that restaurant because it no longer felt safe between the harassment and people loitering in the parking lot outside of business hours.
The false accusation tapped into a longstanding slur against Asian cuisines and cultures that has persisted in the U.S. for over 150 years, dating back to the xenophobia that grew in the U.S. after Chinese immigrants started arriving in more visible numbers in the 1800s and other Asian communities followed. It’s also one that Asian American communities are fighting against.
It may be astonishing to some that a claim rooted in a racist stereotype took down a family’s restaurant three years after “Stop Asian Hate” became a rallying cry. But for many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it’s something they’ve heard before as an insult or under the guise of a “joke,” along with other negative reactions to the actual foods of their cultures. In December, a comedian received some backlash for dressing like a UPS delivery driver and walking into an Asian restaurant with caged puppies for a social media video.
There is hope though that more people will learn to tell truth from trope. Since the pandemic first fueled anti-Asian hostilities, AAPI communities themselves have tried to take control of the narrative that Asian food is “dirty,” “weird” yet “exotic.” Furthermore, the appetite to learn about food from the Asian diaspora has only grown across traditional and new media.
Still, there were moments where Rasavong felt like nobody, even media, was on his side. He said a few reporters approached him assuming the claims were true.
But he soon received tons of community support, and the closure ended up being a new beginning.
A shopping center property manager offered him the chance to take over a suite vacated by another restaurant. Nkundwe P. van Wort-Kasyanju, a graphic designer in the Netherlands, and Los Angeles-based interior designer Danny Gonzales proffered their services for free. Hana Luna Her, a local artist, painted the mural. By the Nov. 3 grand opening of the new space, Love & Thai definitely felt the love. The place was bustling all day, Rasavong said, and the city presented a proclamation.
Rasavong is holding onto the belief that he went through this whole saga for a reason.
“There’s a journey that we’re supposed to go on,” said Rasavong, who declined to say if he’ll pursue legal action. “Don’t get me wrong. People need to realize this business is not easy … But you know, we believe in what we’re doing and so far so good.”
In actuality, consuming dog meat is something that has happened in various parts of the world for centuries, where they weren’t seen as domesticated family pets, said Robert Ku, author of Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA. Greeks and Romans referenced it. The French also ate dog meat during World War II.
But when Chinese immigrants came to the U.S., it was linked to them as part of “the myths that the Chinese were these bizarre people who had bizarre diets,” Ku said. “It was one of the attractions of actually going to Chinese restaurants back in the day because it came with ‘danger.’”
As other Asian immigrant groups came, the stereotype spread to include them.
“This is a real just blurring of the Asian identity where it doesn’t matter if you’re Thai or Korean or Vietnamese or Cambodian. You’re all the same,” Ku said.
Along with the false allegation of eating dog meat, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders over the generations have often faced disgust and worse from others when they’ve brought their cultures’ foods from home to public spaces like school or work.
They’re taking steps to fight back, like in 2021, when San Francisco-Bay Area-based writers Diann Leo-Omine. Anthony Shu and Shirley Huey self-published Lunchbox Moments, a compilation of over two dozen personal essays and illustrations that raised $6,000 for charity.
The project became “a powerful thing for all of us,” Leo-Omine said.
“We tried to show it’s not always about being in relation to being American or being white or assimilated,” she said. “You can have moments of joy, too…I hope that it opened people’s minds a little bit more — or made them want to try new foods.”
It’s actually been a big year in publishing and food media for Asian cuisine. Publishers Weekly dedicated a feature in August entirely to Chinese and Taiwanese food after observing nine new cookbooks on the subjects were coming out this year. Several of the authors grew up outside of Asia. The titles range from Vegan Chinese Food, to Kung Food and A Very Chinese Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. Also, children’s book author Grace Lin released Chinese Menu, which relays folklore behind favorite Chinese American dishes. They all share personal anecdotes and readers often seem drawn to “personality-driven” cookbooks, said Carolyn Juris, features editor.
“It’s not just about the recipes. It’s about the stories behind them and I think people respond to that,” Juris said.
Like any other culture, Asian cultures encompass many different regional cuisines and nuances. With the growing Asian diaspora, it’s not strange that so many cookbooks can be mined and “publishers are savvy enough to know that there is a market for these books,” Juris added.
Back at Love & Thai, Rasavong is busy filling online orders for a waiting third-party delivery driver. He is optimistic about keeping up business now that the initial hoopla around his restaurant renaissance has calmed down. Rasavong also hopes his situation will remind others to think before they speak.
“People say these jokes and they think it’s just fun and just light-hearted,” he said. “There are certain things that you shouldn’t say that really do cross a line.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/asian-restaurant-in-us-battles-racist-stereotype-of-dog-eating-/7427589.html Save to Pocket
Trump’s Vows to Deport Millions Are Undercut by His Record, History
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-s-vows-to-deport-millions-are-undercut-by-his-record-history/7427550.html Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (Jan. 7)
date: 2024-01-07, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1943 – Actor William S. Hart announces intent to bequeath Newhall estate to the public. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-jan-7/ Save to Pocket
January 6, 2024
date: 2024-01-07, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
Today, three years to the day after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the counting of the electoral ballots that would make Democrat Joe Biden president, officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested three fugitives wanted in connection with that attack.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-6-2024 Save to Pocket
Illegal Border Crossings Into US Drop After Mexico Boosts Enforcement
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Daniel Bermudez’s family had fled Venezuela and was headed to the U.S. to seek asylum when the freight train they were riding through Mexico was stopped by immigration officials.
His wife tried to explain that her family had permission to go to the U.S. Instead, they flew her to Mexico’s southern border as part of a surge of enforcement actions that U.S. officials say have contributed to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings.
In addition to forcing migrants from trains, Mexico also resumed flying and busing them to the southern part of the country and started flying some home to Venezuela.
Even if temporary, the decrease in illegal crossings is welcome news for the White House. President Joe Biden’s administration is locked in talks with Senate negotiators over restricting asylum and $110 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel hangs in the balance.
Bermudez said his wife became separated from her family when she talked to authorities as he gathered his stepchild and their belongings. He wanted to run, but his wife said they shouldn’t because they had followed procedure by making an appointment with U.S. immigration authorities.
“I told her, ‘Don’t trust them. Let’s go into the brush,’” Bermudez said, adding that other migrants had fled. He recalled her telling him, “Why are they sending us back if we have an appointment?”
Last week, Bermudez, his stepchild and two other relatives were waiting for her at a shelter in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras as she took a bus back in hopes of still making the date.
Mexico’s immigration agency sent at least 22 flights from its border region with the U.S. to southern cities during the last 10 days of December, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. Most were from Piedras Negras, which is across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.
Mexico also ran two removal flights to Venezuela with 329 migrants. The stretch was punctuated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Mexico City on December 28 to confront unprecedented crossings to the United States.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said a financial shortfall that had led the immigration agency to suspend deportations and other operations was resolved. He did not offer details.
Arrests for illegal crossings into the U.S. from Mexico fell to about 2,500 on Monday, down from more than 10,000 on several days in December, according to U.S. authorities. In the Border Patrol’s busiest area, arrests totaled 13,800 during the seven-day period ending Friday, down 29% from 19,400 two weeks earlier, according to Tucson, Arizona, sector chief John Modlin.
The drop led U.S. Customs and Border Protection to reopen the port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona, on Thursday after a monthlong closure on the most direct route from Phoenix to its nearest beaches. The U.S. also restored operations at Eagle Pass and three other locations.
Merchants in Eagle Pass, a city of about 30,000 people, saw sales take “a major hit” while a bridge was closed to vehicle traffic so border agents could be reassigned to help process migrants, Maverick County Judge Ramsey English Cantu said.
“We survive pretty much from everything that comes from the Mexican side,” he said.
Last month, CBP resumed freight crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, after a five-day shutdown that U.S. officials said was a response to as many as 1,000 migrants riding atop a single train through Mexico before trying to walk across the border.
In Piedras Negras on Thursday, Casa del Migrante housed about 200 migrants, down from as high as 1,500 recently.
Among them was Manuel Rodriguez, 40, who said his family will miss their appointment to seek asylum that was made through the U.S. government’s CBP One app. He said the appointment was registered with his in-laws, who were deported to Venezuela after authorities boarded the bus they were riding.
“It was all under her name and she lost everything,” Rodriguez said.
Proposals being discussed by the White House and Senate negotiators include a new expulsion authority that would deny rights to seek asylum if illegal border crossings reach a certain threshold. Any such authority would almost certainly depend on Mexico’s willingness to take back non-Mexicans who enter the U.S illegally, something it does now on a limited scale.
Mexico’s support was critical to defunct Trump-era policies that forced 70,000 asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court and to deny rights to seek asylum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., cautioned against overstating Mexico’s role in the recent drop in traffic. Panama reported that less than 25,000 migrants walked through the Darién jungle in December, about half of October’s level and a sign that fewer people are leaving South America for the U.S. Migration usually drops in December amid holidays and cold weather.
“The U.S. is able to lean on Mexico for a short-term enforcement effect on migration at the border, but the long-term effects are not always clear,” Selee said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/illegal-border-crossings-into-us-drop-after-mexico-boosts-enforcement-/7429741.html Save to Pocket
US Coal Miners Unearth Mammoth Tusk Buried for Thousands of Years
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
BISMARCK, ND — The first person to spot it was a shovel operator working the overnight shift, eyeing a glint of white as he scooped up a giant mound of dirt and dropped it into a dump truck.
Later, after the truck driver dumped the load, a dozer driver was ready to flatten the dirt but stopped for a closer look when he, too, spotted that bit of white.
Only then did the miners realize they had unearthed something special: a 2-meter-long mammoth tusk that had been buried for thousands of years.
“We were very fortunate, lucky to find what we found,” said David Straley, an executive of North American Coal, which owns the mine.
The miners unearthed the tusk from an old streambed, about 12.1 meters deep, at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, North Dakota. The 18,210-hectare surface mine produces up to 14.5 million metric tons of lignite coal per year.
After spotting the tusk, the crews stopped digging in the area and called in experts, who estimated it to be 10,000 to 100,000 years old.
Jeff Person, a paleontologist with the North Dakota Geologic Survey, was among those to respond. He expressed surprise that the mammoth tusk hadn’t suffered more damage, considering the massive equipment used at the site.
“It’s miraculous that it came out pretty much unscathed,” Person said.
A subsequent dig at the discovery site found more bones. Person described it as a “trickle of finds,” totaling more than 20 bones, including a shoulder blade, ribs, a tooth and parts of hips, but it’s likely to be the most complete mammoth found in North Dakota, where it’s much more common to dig up an isolated mammoth bone, tooth or piece of a tusk.
“It’s not a lot of bones compared to how many are in the skeleton, but it’s enough that we know that this is all associated, and it’s a lot more than we’ve ever found of one animal together, so that’s really given us some significance,” Person said.
Mammoths once roamed across parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Specimens have been found throughout the United States and Canada, said Paul Ullmann, a University of North Dakota vertebrate paleontologist.
The mine’s discovery is fairly rare in North Dakota and the region, as many remains of animals alive during the last Ice Age were destroyed by glaciations and movements of ice sheets, Ullmann said.
Other areas have yielded more mammoth remains, such as bonebeds of skeletons in Texas and South Dakota. People even have found frozen carcasses in the permafrost of Canada and Siberia, he said.
Mammoths went extinct about 10,000 years ago in what is now North Dakota, according to the Geologic Survey. They were larger than elephants today and were covered in thick wool. Cave paintings dating back 13,000 years depict mammoths.
Ullmann calls mammoths “media superstars almost as much as dinosaurs,” citing the Ice Age film franchise.
This ivory tusk, weighing more than 22.6 kilograms, is considered fragile. It has been wrapped in plastic as paleontologists try to control how fast it dehydrates. Too quickly, and the bone could break apart and be destroyed, Person said.
Other bones also have been wrapped in plastic and placed in drawers. The bones will remain in plastic for at least several months until the scientists can figure how to get the water out safely. The paleontologists will identify the mammoth species later, Person said.
The mining company plans to donate the bones to the state for educational purposes.
“Our goal is to give it to the kids,” Straley said.
North Dakota has a landscape primed for bones and fossils, including dinosaurs. Perhaps the best-known fossil from the state is that of Dakota, a mummified duckbilled dinosaur with fossilized skin, Ullmann said.
The state’s rich fossil record is largely due to the landscape’s “low-elevation, lush, ecologically productive environments in the past,” Ullmann said.
North Dakota’s location adjacent to the Rocky Mountains puts it in the path of eroding sediments and rivers, which have buried animal remains for 80 million years or more, he said.
“It’s been a perfect scenario that we have really productive environments with a lot of life, but we also had the perfect scenario, geologically, to bury the remains,” Ullmann said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-coal-miners-unearth-mammoth-tusk-buried-for-thousands-of-years-/7429735.html Save to Pocket
President Biden in Valley Forge: ‘Democracy Is Still a Sacred Cause, and There’s No Country in the World Better Positioned to Lead the World Than America’
date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: Daring Fireball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL-ergKmXNE Save to Pocket
Trump Downplays Jan. 6 Capitol Siege, Calls Jailed Rioters ‘Hostages’
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
NEWTON, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump, campaigning in Iowa on Saturday, marked the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by casting the migrant surge on the southern border as the “real” insurrection.
Just over a week before the Republican nomination process begins with Iowa’s kickoff caucuses, Trump did not explicitly acknowledge the date. But he continued to claim that countries have been emptying jails and mental institutions to fuel a record number of migrant crossings, even though there is no evidence that is the case.
“When you talk about insurrection, what they’re doing, that’s the real deal. That’s the real deal. Not patriotically and peacefully — peacefully and patriotically,” Trump said, quoting from his speech on January 6, before a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol as part of a desperate bid to keep him in power after his 2020 election loss.
Trump’s remarks in Newton in central Iowa came a day after Biden delivered a speech near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where he cast Trump as a grave threat to democracy and called January 6 a day when “we nearly lost America — lost it all.”
With a likely rematch of the 2020 election looming, both President Joe Biden and Trump have frequently invoked January 6 on the campaign trail. Trump, who is under federal indictment for his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden, has consistently downplayed or spread conspiracy theories about a riot in which his supporters — spurred by his lies about election fraud — tried to disrupt the certification of Biden’s win.
Trump also continued to bemoan the treatment of those who have been jailed for participating in the riot, again labeling them “hostages.” More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes connected to the violence, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy.
“They ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered enough,” he said in Clinton, in the state’s far east. “Release the J6 hostages, Joe. Release ’em, Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe,” he said.
Trump was holding the commit-to-caucus events just over a week before voting will begin on January 15. He arrived at his last event nearly three-and-a-half hours late due to what he said was a mechanical issue with a rented plane.
After Trump spoke in Newton, he signed hats and other items people in the crowd passed to him, including a copy of a Playboy magazine that featured him on the cover.
One man in the crowd, Dick Green, was standing about 15 feet away, weeping after the former president autographed his white “Trump Country” hat and shook his hand.
“It’ll never get sold. It will be in my family,” Green said of the hat.
A caucus captain and a pastor in Brighton, Iowa, Green said he had prayed for four years to meet Trump.
“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “It’s just the beginning of his next presidency.”
Trump spent much of the day assailing Biden, casting him as incompetent and the real threat to democracy. But he also attacked fellow Republicans, including the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whose “no” vote derailed GOP efforts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.
“John McCain, for some reason, couldn’t get his arm up that day,” said Trump of McCain, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967 and spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war. The injuries he suffered left him unable to lift his arms over his head for the rest of his life. His daughter, Meghan McCain, responded on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, calling Trump an expletive and her father an “American hero.”
Earlier Saturday, Trump courted young conservative activists in Des Moines, speaking to members of Run GenZ, an organization that encourages young conservatives to run for office.
Trump’s campaign is hoping to turn out thousands of supporters who have never caucused before as part of a show of force aimed at denying his rivals momentum and demonstrating his organizing prowess heading into the general election.
His chief rivals, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, were also campaigning in the state as they battle for second place in hopes of emerging as the most viable alternative to Trump, who is leading by wide margins in early state and national polls.
Trump has used the trip to step up his attacks against Haley, who has been gaining ground. He again cast her Saturday as insufficiently conservative and a “globalist” beholden to Wall Street donors, and accused her of being disloyal for running against him.
“Nikki will sell you out just like she sold me out,” he charged.
On Friday, Trump had highlighted several recent Haley statements that drew criticism, including her comment that voters in New Hampshire correct Iowa’s mistakes (“You don’t have to be corrected,” he said.) and her failure to mention slavery when asked what had caused the Civil War.
“I don’t know if it’s going to have an impact, but you know like … slavery’s sort of the obvious answer as opposed to her three paragraphs of bulls—,” he told a crowd Friday.
In Newton, he said that he was fascinated by the “horrible” war, which he suggested he could have prevented.
“It’s so fascinating,” he said. “It’s just different. I just find it… I’m so attracted to seeing it… So many mistakes were made. See that was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you.”
Haley’s campaign has pointed to his escalating attention, including a new attack ad, as evidence Trump is worried about her momentum.
“God bless President Trump, he’s been on a temper tantrum every day about me … and everything he’s saying is not true,” Haley told a crowd Saturday in North Liberty, Iowa.
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-downplays-jan-6-capitol-siege-calls-jailed-rioters-hostages-/7429727.html Save to Pocket
A social network for writers
date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
I asked ChatGPT to draw a picture of a social network for writers.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/06/040838.html?title=aSocialNetworkForWriters Save to Pocket
Search for Tumon shooting suspects continues
date: 2024-01-07, from: Guam Daily Post
The Guam Police Department continues to search for two males suspected to be involved in the robbery and fatal shooting of a Korean tourist in Tumon on Thursday.
https://www.postguam.com/news/search-for-tumon-shooting-suspects-continues/article_1bd4ddce-ad11-11ee-ab8d-837a528150fd.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
In 1996, I imagined I had become CEO of Apple. I outlined my plan in this piece. I think it would've worked.
http://scripting.com/davenet/1996/01/08/gottabearetha.html Save to Pocket
US Grounds Some Boeing Jetliners After Blowout Leaves Hole in Plane
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/some-boeing-737-max-9-jetliners-grounded-after-blowout-leaves-hole-in-plane/7429705.html Save to Pocket
US Defense Secretary Takes Responsibility for Secrecy About His Hospitalization
date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Saturday he took “full responsibility” for secrecy surrounding an ongoing, weeklong hospitalization for a still unspecified medical condition.
Austin, who is 70, was admitted on New Year’s Day to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the Pentagon has said were “complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” a fact the Defense Department kept under wraps for five days.
Austin sits just below President Joe Biden at the top of the chain of command of the U.S. military and his duties require him being available at a moment’s notice to respond to any manner of national security crisis.
It remains unclear the extent to which his duties were delegated to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, or whether Austin was involved in any key decisions during his absence.
The Pentagon has yet to detail why Austin is being treated, whether he lost consciousness over the past week, or offer details on when he might be released.
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” Austin said in a written statement. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
A spokesperson said on Saturday that Austin resumed his full duties on Friday evening but remained in the hospital.
The Pentagon Press Association, in a letter to Pentagon officials on Friday evening, criticized the Defense Department’s secrecy, saying Austin was a public figure who had no claim to medical privacy in such a situation.
It also noted that even U.S. presidents disclose when they must delegate duties due to medical procedures.
“At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader,” wrote the association, whose board of directors includes Reuters correspondent Phil Stewart.
Military Reporters and Editors (MRE), a non-profit organization for journalists covering the U.S. military, said the decision to release the information on a Friday evening, when online readership is typically lower, “is keeping in the worst traditions of obfuscation and opacity.”
“This is a violation of the intent and spirit of the Pentagon’s own Principles of Information, and it fails to meet the standards of public disclosure for senior government officials unable to exercise their duties,” MRE wrote in a statement.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-defense-secretary-takes-responsibility-for-secrecy-about-his-hospitalization/7429699.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Donald Trump didn’t sign loyalty oath for Illinois ballot pledging not to ‘advocate the overthrow of the government.’
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/1/6/24027720/donald-trump-loyalty-oath-illinois-ballot-advocate-overthrow-government-pledge-mccarthy-red-scare Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Three Years Since the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/36-months-jan-6-attack-capitol-0 Save to Pocket
Full Circle Weekly News 347
date: 2024-01-07, from: Full Circle Magazine
Credits
- Host: @bardictriad, @zaivala
- Bumper: Canonical
- Theme Music: From The Dust - Stardust
- https://soundcloud.com/ftdmusic
- CC BY 4.0
https://fullcirclemagazine.org/podcasts/podcast-347/ Save to Pocket
Jumping into freezing waters
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
“5..4..3..2..1!” Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth yelled the countdown as waterworks suddenly activated from the water playground, splashing people. Children as young as 4 years old and adults ran the dash to submerge themselves into chilly 45-degree water. The city of Santa Clarita hosted its 12th annual Polar Plunge on Saturday morning at the Santa […]
The post Jumping into freezing waters appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/jumping-into-freezing-waters/ Save to Pocket
Will Trump ever be held accountable for his attempted coup? Saturday coffee klatch
date: 2024-01-06, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Heather Lofthouse and I consider the significance of today
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/will-trump-ever-be-held-accountable Save to Pocket
World Elections 2024
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/world-elections-2024-explainer/7429429.html Save to Pocket
A Term on my Class Blog
date: 2024-01-06, from: John’s World Wide Wall Display
I’ve now been running blogs with & for my classes since 2005. I still find them a really useful tool for teaching and learning. The focus and content has changed continually over the years. Back in the noughties I was keen on having my class blog kept up by pupils (archive.org link). I find this […]
https://johnjohnston.info/blog/a-term-on-my-class-blog/ Save to Pocket
Silicon Valley runs on Futurity
date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Karpf’s blog
lessons from the 2023 tech recovery
https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/silicon-valley-runs-on-futurity Save to Pocket
How Big Is YouTube?
date: 2024-01-06, from: TidBITS blog
Researchers have come up with a way to estimate how many videos there are on YouTube and various metrics surrounding them. It’s a fascinating look into a site that has become an integral part of many people’s lives.
https://tidbits.com/2024/01/06/how-big-is-youtube/ Save to Pocket
That Bit in ‘Arrested Development’ Where Michael Cera Reenacts A Michelangelo Painting? It’s Real And There Are Auditions
date: 2024-01-06, updated: 2024-01-06, from: The LAist
The annual “Pageant of the Masters” festival in Laguna Beach takes place this summer. This weekend, they’re asking folks to audition.
https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/that-bit-in-arrested-development-where-michael-cera-reenacts-a-michelangelo-painting-its-real-and-ora-auditioning Save to Pocket
ON Culture | Best Books of the Year, ¡Viva el Arte! & the Infiltration of AI
date: 2024-01-06, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on January 5, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your
The post ON Culture | Best Books of the Year, ¡Viva el Arte! & the Infiltration of AI appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/06/on-culture-best-books-of-the-year-viva-el-arte-the-infiltration-of-ai/ Save to Pocket
Simple Ways to Turbocharge Employee Productivity
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
Productivity is something every business wants to optimize. The more productive your employees are, the more they can accomplish in a shorter space of time. This means you can accomplish more significant business results, without investing in additional labor. The trouble is preserving and improving productivity isn’t always as simple as it seems. There are […]
The post Simple Ways to Turbocharge Employee Productivity appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/simple-ways-to-turbocharge-employee-productivity/ Save to Pocket
Balanced Attack Boosts San Marcos to 74-55 Victory Against Rival Dos Pueblos
date: 2024-01-06, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Dos Pueblos guard Justin Stock scored a game-high 30 points in defeat.
The post Balanced Attack Boosts San Marcos to 74-55 Victory Against Rival Dos Pueblos appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/06/balanced-attack-boosts-san-marcos-to-74-55-victory-against-rival-dos-pueblos/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
On a night of blowouts across the NBA, the New York Knicks had the most impressive such result.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/knicks-dominant-win-over-sixers-offers-more-proof-that-the-og-anunoby-trade-raised-their-ceiling/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Services like Substack can make it easy to move to another platform, but of course they don't. I warned everyone about it, got some rude responses from writers who thought they knew better. If we work together we can have better than what we have and not have to compromise. As writers.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/06/publish-nazi-newsletters-on-your-platform-substack-and-you-will-rightly-be-damned Save to Pocket
New Year, New Plan
date: 2024-01-06, from: Theodore Paine Foundation
Happy New Year from Theodore Payne Foundation! 2023 was a big year for us, and we are very excited for what 2024 has in store. The beginning of the New Year is always a good time for reflection and path setting (and those resolutions, which I hope we all stick too!) With that in mind, […]
https://theodorepayne.org/new-year-new-plan/ Save to Pocket
Supervisors to look at updating outdoor dining code
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote at Tuesday’s meeting on updating the ordinance for outdoor dining in unincorporated areas of the county, adding more avenues to do so while removing additional permit fees. The new permanent ordinance would expand on where outdoor dining can take place, adding public alleys and […]
The post <strong>Supervisors to look at updating outdoor dining code</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/supervisors-to-look-at-updating-outdoor-dining-code/ Save to Pocket
snestang: Super Nintendo Entertainment System for Tang Primer 25K FPGA
date: 2024-01-06, from: Tilde.news
https://github.com/nand2mario/snestang Save to Pocket
Many Ideas, But Little Agreement, Over What A Postwar Gaza Could Look Like
date: 2024-01-06, updated: 2024-01-06, from: The LAist
After two right-wing Israeli ministers called for “voluntary migration” of Palestinians out of Gaza, Israel’s moderate defense minister presented a postwar plan in which Palestinians remain in charge.
https://laist.com/news/many-ideas-but-little-agreement-over-what-a-postwar-gaza-could-look-like Save to Pocket
The potential GenAI copyright infringement plot thickens
date: 2024-01-06, from: Gary Marcus blog
Reid Southen and I continued our experiments, and wrote a long paper about what we found, and why they may pose serious problems both for users and developers that are difficult to fix. You can find it here: https://spectrum.ieee.org/midjourney-copyright
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/the-potential-genai-copyright-infringement Save to Pocket
Asus will unveil the first ROG NUC compact gaming desktop at CES 2024
date: 2024-01-06, from: Liliputing
Shortly after Intel announced it was shutting down its NUC computer business last summer, Asus revealed that it had acquired a non-exclusive license to continue selling and supporting existing NUC products, as well as developing new ones. Now it looks like the company has revealed it’s planning to launch the first ROG NUC, which is […]
The post Asus will unveil the first ROG NUC compact gaming desktop at CES 2024 appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/asus-will-unveil-the-first-rog-nuc-compact-gaming-desktop-at-ces-2024/ Save to Pocket
Alaska Airlines Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 for Checks After Blowout
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/alaska-airlines-grounds-boeing-737-max-9-for-checks-after-blowout/7429247.html Save to Pocket
Random WordPress idea
date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
Caveat: This very likely already exists.
Random idea for my friends at Automattic. How about a theme for a WordPress site that’s good for technical subjects.
It should have good default styles for code. Handle screen shot images gracefully. Basically a way of using WordPress for documenting the kinds of things we write up on GitHub because their editor is designed to work well for technical stuff.
Just thinking out loud. A good test case would be the RSS 2.0 spec, which doesn’t look too great after years of no-updates (more than 20 years) and browser slippage?
It started life as a Manila site, transitioned to WordPress, and now I believe it’s a static site. At one time it looked good in WordPress. It could totally use the kind of treatment Doc’s blog got, but obviously it’s serving a different purpose.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/06/154649.html?title=randomWordpressIdea Save to Pocket
Blinken Visits Middle East as Risk of Broader Conflict Grows
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
washington — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan on Sunday, where he met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Blinken also visited a World Food Program warehouse where trucks are loaded with aid for Gaza.
Jordan is the latest stop on Blinken’s tour of the region, which has been rocked by the Israel-Hamas fighting. Jordan and other Arab countries have demanded an immediate cease-fire since the conflict erupted in October, but Israel has resisted the call.
Turkey is prepared to use its influence with critical countries in the Middle East to deescalate and prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading, Blinken told reporters late Saturday, after he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Blinken held meetings earlier in the day with Erdogan in Istanbul, and then in Crete with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He embarked on a Middle East diplomacy tour this week seeking to calm the situation in Gaza and soothe regional frictions.
In a separate meeting with Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for “an immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid. Fidan also advocated for the immediate start of negotiations for a two-state solution, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
The United States has urged a lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. This involves achieving Palestinian political rights — notably the establishment of a Palestinian state with security assurances for Israel.
In Crete, Blinken thanked Mitsotakis for the country’s continued support for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed appreciation for Greece’s commitment to the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
This is particularly crucial, as Yemeni Houthis have been attacking vessels in the sea in solidarity with Hamas.
On Saturday, Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
“One of the areas of real concern is the border between Israel and Lebanon, and we want to do everything possible to make sure that we don’t see escalation there,” Blinken said Saturday.
He told reporters that Israel is “clearly not interested” in an escalation and emphasized, “It’s not in Lebanon’s interest to see any escalation.”
Blinken’s fourth trip to the Middle East comes amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of the humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and increasing international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians.
Additionally, he will make the rounds in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt for meetings with foreign counterparts and other officials.
This comes at a time when the risk of a broader regional conflict is surging, despite collective efforts of Western and regional powers to confine the Israel-Hamas war to the Gaza Strip.
Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel said about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 captives taken in the terror attack.
Gaza health officials say more than 22,000 Palestinians, a large percentage of them women and children, have been confirmed killed in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The United States has stated its opposition to forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza. The U.S. is also working on a postwar road map for the Palestinian territories.
“Gaza cannot, once again, serve as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Israel,” State Department spokesperson Miller told VOA earlier this week.
“What we ultimately want to see is Gaza and the West Bank reunited under Palestinian leadership,” and “certainly there’s no role for Hamas in that.”
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined the country’s plans for the next stage of its operations in Gaza. The new approach involves a more targeted strategy in northern Gaza and a continued pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south.
Gallant said in a statement that after the war, Gaza would no longer be under Hamas control. While Israel would retain operational freedom, there would not be any Israeli civilians present in the Gaza Strip.
Regional stability
The State Department said the United States remains “incredibly concerned” about the risk of the conflict spreading into other fronts, after the killing Tuesday of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.
The Israeli army said it was on high alert for attacks by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This follows a drone strike in Beirut that killed al-Arouri, who was closely associated with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
In a televised speech, Nasrallah said there would be a “response and punishment,” but he did not clearly declare that his forces would escalate attacks against Israel.
The U.S. has sent a “very direct message to Hezbollah” and other entities in the region that “now is not the time to think of escalating further,” according to the State Department.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, has also voiced deep concern over the potential for escalation, while urging all parties to exercise restraint.
Earlier this week, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the strike that killed al-Arouri, calling it a crime deliberately aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, whose militant allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have also been carrying out longer-range attacks against Israel.
Humanitarian aid
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, has warned that Gaza is becoming a public health disaster and that the recent mass displacement across southern Gaza is fueling disease outbreaks.
About 400,000 cases of infectious diseases have been reported since October 7, with about 180,000 people suffering from upper respiratory infections. More than 136,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported, half among children younger than 5, according to OCHA.
Hostage release
Meanwhile, intense diplomatic efforts to retrieve the remaining hostages held in Gaza by Hamas militants continue. There are believed to be 129 people held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza.
Last week, Egypt proposed a plan to end the military conflict involving a cease-fire, a phased hostage release, and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Details of the plan were reportedly worked out with Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. But the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated Tuesday that the hostages will be released only on Hamas’ terms.
Some material for this report was provided by Reuters and The Associated Press.
https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-visits-middle-east-as-risk-of-broader-conflict-grows/7429169.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Rich Brown reports a problem with the tabs on the Scripting News home page on an Android tablet running Brave. It sounds like the problems were introduced when I did a rewrite of the tab code, and it’s probably due to some code catching the click before it gets to the tab code. Once found, it’s easy to fix. If you’re running Brave or using an Android tablet, could you give it a try per Rich’s description, see if you can reproduce. Also curious if there are error messages in the JavaScript console. Thanks!
http://scripting.com/2024/01/06.html#a141856 Save to Pocket
Double sessions costing $40K in bus driver overtime per pay period
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
Double sessions at certain Guam public schools are costing the Department of Public Works about $40,000 in overtime for bus drivers per pay period, according to DPW Director Vince Arriola, who said he’s hoping to get that money reimbursed.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/double-sessions-costing-40k-in-bus-driver-overtime-per-pay-period/article_b9516198-ab9b-11ee-a92a-c31b3c7de6f4.html Save to Pocket
No public hearing on bill to ban flavored tobacco products
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
A bill with the aim of prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products was withdrawn after the public hearing for the bill did not go forward.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/no-public-hearing-on-bill-to-ban-flavored-tobacco-products/article_01a99350-ab80-11ee-816e-b3f64959840a.html Save to Pocket
Man pleads insanity to attempted murder
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
On Thursday in the Superior Court of Guam, Adrian Fejeran appeared in court to answer to attempted murder charges stemming from a shooting in Humåtak on Oct. 10, 2023.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/man-pleads-insanity-to-attempted-murder/article_23fd5dda-aba6-11ee-a88e-f7f349242b7d.html Save to Pocket
Guam recognized for their efforts in NASBE water testing project
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
Guam, alongside the Indiana and DC state boards of education, received grants from the National Association of State Boards of Education Healthy School Facilities Network and was commended by NASBE for their achievements.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/guam-recognized-for-their-efforts-in-nasbe-water-testing-project/article_5c9d557a-ab86-11ee-afe2-47576f7a062b.html Save to Pocket
Assistant AG who filed grievances now terminated
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
Donna Lawrence, who had been working as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the Attorney General and who had filed grievance appeals against the OAG at the Civil Service Commission, has been terminated from the office.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/assistant-ag-who-filed-grievances-now-terminated/article_6e445c2c-abab-11ee-a027-63ba3add999e.html Save to Pocket
Man arrested in connection to several thefts
date: 2024-01-06, from: Guam Daily Post
A man was arrested on suspicion of being involved in several thefts, burglaries, child abuse and aggravated assault.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/man-arrested-in-connection-to-several-thefts/article_2c95b746-ab8b-11ee-ba03-47b3b8bef601.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Google has spent a lot of effort to convince you that HTTP is not good. Let me have the floor for a moment to tell you why HTTP is the best thing ever.
https://this.how/googleAndHttp/#1519490474000 Save to Pocket
Ransomware payment ban: Wrong idea at the wrong time
date: 2024-01-06, updated: 2024-01-06, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Won’t stop the chaos, may lead to attacks with more dire consequences
Opinion A general ban on ransomware payments, as was floated by some this week, sounds like a good idea. Eliminate extortion as a source of criminal income, and the attacks are undoubtedly going to drop. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/06/ransomware_payment_ban_wrong_idea/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Only Congress Can Exempt Trump From Disqualification.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/opinion/trump-supreme-court-colorado-ballot.html Save to Pocket
YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: New Year, New Wages
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Lever News
Plus, a Texas Court throws out a billionaire-backed free speech case, bank tellers organize their industry, and EVs get more accessible.
https://www.levernews.com/you-love-to-see-it-new-year-new-wages/ Save to Pocket
What Happens When you Roleplay with ChatGPT
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Markup blog
A conversation with Mingqian Zheng, Jiaxin Pei, and David Jurgens
https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/01/06/what-happens-when-you-roleplay-with-chatgpt Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
RIP Microsoft WordPad.
https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-wordpad-gone-windows-11-1851144100 Save to Pocket
Signs and Portents
date: 2024-01-06, from: One Useful Thing
Some hints about what the next year of AI looks like
https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/signs-and-portents Save to Pocket
Tips for Fastmail (and perhaps other email) users
date: 2024-01-06, from: Status-Q blog
Do you use one of those ‘free’ email services, which make money by reading your emails so they can sell things to you, and sell you to others? Or do you get it from your ISP, which makes it hard for you to change supplier and possibly quite complicated when you move house? Or do Continue Reading
https://statusq.org/archives/2024/01/06/11911/ Save to Pocket
Suzette Martinez Valladares | It’s a Pivotal Year for California
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
Happy New Year, and as 2024 unfolds, it’s crucial for every Californian and American to engage actively in shaping our political landscape. This year, California stands at a pivotal juncture, as highlighted by a recent California Public Policy Institute survey: 58% of Californians believe our state is on the wrong path, and 55% disapprove of […]
The post Suzette Martinez Valladares | It’s a Pivotal Year for California appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/suzette-martinez-valladares-its-a-pivotal-year-for-california/ Save to Pocket
Diane Zimmerman | She’s a Trump Girl, Gary
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
A rebuttal to Gary Horton column, “Full Speed To Port,” Jan. 3: Mr. Horton’s blatant untruths about President Donald Trump seem to be the main focus of a great number of his opinions. By the way, interesting “facts.” Just today, Jan. 3, I was at a very busy and very popular store purchasing some organic […]
The post Diane Zimmerman | She’s a Trump Girl, Gary appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/diane-zimmerman-shes-a-trump-girl-gary/ Save to Pocket
Arthur Saginian | A Shiny Thing Called Evil
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
It’s been ages since Pastor David Hegg has gotten my attention. His columns usually follow a general pattern that is well-worn, formulaic and predictable, but while reading his (Oct. 22) column on the situation in Israel, I saw the magic word: “Evil.” It’s like a shiny thing to someone with ADHD. Why Pastor Hegg felt […]
The post Arthur Saginian | A Shiny Thing Called Evil appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/arthur-saginian-a-shiny-thing-called-evil/ Save to Pocket
The Time Ranger | Andy Allensworth: The Snowman Murderer of 1974
date: 2024-01-06, from: The Signal
Let me warn you saddlepals right up front. Take a sweater. Take two or three. This morning’s trail ride through Santa Clarita Valley history has some serious wintry weather ahead on this, the first Sunday in 2024 A.D. We’ve a most interesting trek ahead, filled with record snowfall, serial killers, fresh corpses and ancient computer geeks. […]
The post The Time Ranger | Andy Allensworth: The Snowman Murderer of 1974 appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/the-time-ranger-andy-allensworth-the-snowman-murderer-of-1974/ Save to Pocket
Swarms of laser-flown bots visiting a planet light years away – and more NASA-funded projects revealed
date: 2024-01-06, updated: 2024-01-06, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
An electric airplane on Mars, micrograv hibernation, and plenty others
NASA is funding 13 ambitious projects that could potentially lead to space missions one day, ranging from scanning for signs of life on Mars to exploring a nearby exoplanet with thousands of swarming spacecraft.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/06/nasa_futuristic_technologies/ Save to Pocket
A moment with a great book
date: 2024-01-06, from: Manu - I write blog
The other day I finished reading Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod and for the first time in my life, a book made me feel the need to hug the author. Craig, thank you for creating this book.
https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/Eimz88BnmqIpyoI1 Save to Pocket
Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa enters transfer portal, but it’s unclear if he’ll have eligibility left
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has entered the transfer portal, a sign that he may pursue an additional year of eligibility at the college level. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/marylands-taulia-tagovailoa-enters-transfer-portal-but-its-unclear-if-hell-have-eligibility-left/ Save to Pocket
Dominican judge orders conditional release of Rays shortstop Wander Franco while probe continues
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — A judge on Friday ordered the conditional release of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco while he is investigated for allegations he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/dominican-judge-orders-conditional-release-of-rays-shortstop-wander-franco-while-probe-continues/ Save to Pocket
Hundreds of convictions, but a major mystery is still unsolved 3 years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — Members of far-right extremist groups. Former police officers. An Olympic gold medalist swimmer. And active duty U.S. Marines.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/hundreds-of-convictions-but-a-major-mystery-is-still-unsolved-3-years-after-the-jan-6-capitol-riot/ Save to Pocket
NRA chief, one of the most powerful figures in US gun policy, says he’s resigning days before trial
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association said Friday he is resigning, just days before the start of a civil trial over allegations he diverted millions of dollars from the powerful gun rights organization to pay for personal travel, private security and other lavish perks.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/nra-chief-one-of-the-most-powerful-figures-in-us-gun-policy-says-hes-resigning-days-before-trial/ Save to Pocket
New Epstein records cache offers names of VIP pals, victim’s efforts to get him arrested
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>MIAMI — She doesn’t remember exactly how she got to Jeffrey Epstein’s room or what she was told to lure her there.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/new-epstein-records-cache-offers-names-of-vip-pals-victims-efforts-to-get-him-arrested/ Save to Pocket
CJ Stroud overcame tough childhood, now Texans QB hopes to inspire others in situations like his
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HOUSTON — C.J. Stroud’s rookie campaign has been so remarkable that he’s turned around the Houston Texans and restored hope among fans in a city that had all but given up on this franchise after three dreadful and often embarrassing seasons. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/cj-stroud-overcame-tough-childhood-now-texans-qb-hopes-to-inspire-others-in-situations-like-his/ Save to Pocket
Hope abounds for the NFL’s final four as Browns, Lions, Texans and Jaguars eye elusive Super Bowl
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — They are bonded by football futility for now, but surely not forever. Right? </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/hope-abounds-for-the-nfls-final-four-as-browns-lions-texans-and-jaguars-eye-elusive-super-bowl/ Save to Pocket
Maui Musings: Tommy Fleetwood the epitome of grace in losing
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>KAPALUA — Not to be forgotten is the putt heard ‘round the Great White North. Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle on the fourth playoff hole to win the RBC Canadian Open, the first Canadian to win his national open in 68 years. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/maui-musings-tommy-fleetwood-the-epitome-of-grace-in-losing/ Save to Pocket
US employers add a surprisingly strong 216,000 jobs in a sign of continued economic strength
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs last month, the latest sign that the American labor market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/us-employers-add-a-surprisingly-strong-216000-jobs-in-a-sign-of-continued-economic-strength/ Save to Pocket
Vulcan basketball teams suffer losses to Azusa Pacific
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>AZUSA, Calif. — UH-Hilo’s men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their southern California road trip, suffering a pair of losses Thursday night to host Azusa Pacific.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/sports/vulcan-basketball-teams-suffer-losses-to-azusa-pacific/ Save to Pocket
NY attorney general says Trump and associates owe $370 million in illegal gains, evidence of intentional fraud ‘inescapable’
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK — The evidence that Donald Trump, his adult sons, and top associates at his company intended to defraud banks and lenders in business deals by lying about his worth is “inescapable,” the New York attorney general’s office charged Friday in closing briefs in the case threatening the former president’s real estate empire.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/ny-attorney-general-says-trump-and-associates-owe-370-million-in-illegal-gains-evidence-of-intentional-fraud-inescapable/ Save to Pocket
Biden warns against Trump reelection after Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a day ‘we nearly lost America’
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — President Joe Biden warned Friday that Donald Trump’s efforts to retake the White House in 2024 pose a grave threat to the country, the day before the third anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by then-President Trump’s supporters aiming to keep him in power.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/biden-warns-against-trump-reelection-after-jan-6-capitol-riot-a-day-we-nearly-lost-america/ Save to Pocket
Hawaii’s new corrections department aims to give inmates a fresh start
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The newly re-designated state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says that with 95% of incarcerated people who come into the state’s prison system eventually being released, moving away from punitive justice has become a “vital” part of its mission.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/hawaii-news/hawaiis-new-corrections-department-aims-to-give-inmates-a-fresh-start/ Save to Pocket
‘No one is safe if they had any hand in’ Oct. 7
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>For eight years, the U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on the whereabouts of Saleh Arouri, a Hamas terrorist whose hands were dripping red.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/opinion/no-one-is-safe-if-they-had-any-hand-in-oct-7/ Save to Pocket
What Biden needs to tell us
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Sometimes social revolutions emerge from ordinary ideas. In the 17th and 18th centuries, thinkers like William Petty, David Hume and Adam Smith popularized a concept called “division of labor.” It’s a simple notion. If I specialize in doing what I’m good at, and you specialize in what you’re good at, and we exchange what we’ve each made, then we’ll both be more productive and better off than if we tried to be self-sufficient.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/opinion/what-biden-needs-to-tell-us/ Save to Pocket
North Korea fires artillery shells near South Korean island
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>North Korea fired some 200 artillery shells near a South Korean border island off the west coast of the peninsula, turning up pressure on Seoul after leader Kim Jong Un said it was impossible to unify with his neighbor.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/north-korea-fires-artillery-shells-near-south-korean-island/ Save to Pocket
Tropical Gardening: Defoliation by avocado lace bug continues to cause damage
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>This year’s avocado defoliation due to the avocado lace bug continues to raise havoc with fruit production. Exposed fruit are quickly sunburned and that affects the quality.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/features/tropical-gardening-defoliation-by-avocado-lace-bug-continues-to-cause-damage/ Save to Pocket
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/not-real-news-a-look-at-what-didnt-happen-this-week-121/ Save to Pocket
Object found off Hawaii proves to be ancient shark tooth, study says
date: 2024-01-06, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A large broken tooth found 10,000 feet deep is being hailed as a historic discovery.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/06/nation-world-news/object-found-off-hawaii-proves-to-be-ancient-shark-tooth-study-says/ Save to Pocket
Five horrifying truths about what occurred three years ago today
date: 2024-01-06, from: Robert Reich on Substack
The 2024 election will be the last opportunity for America to hold Trump accountable for his attempted coup
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/five-horrifying-truths-about-what Save to Pocket
In-browser code playgrounds
date: 2024-01-06, from: Anton Zhiyanov blog
Embed and run interactive code snippets entirely in your browser, no server required.
https://antonz.org/in-browser-code-playgrounds/ Save to Pocket
40% of Employers Avoid Hiring Gen Z Workers, Survey Says
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/forty-percent-of-employers-avoid-hiring-gen-z-workers-survey-says-/7425325.html Save to Pocket
LA Homeless Shelter Provides More Than Just Place to Sleep
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
To serve Los Angeles’ growing homeless population, local authorities have opened a unique shelter that houses 95 people. The space provides bed and food as well as help in finding work and treating addictions. Angelina Bagdasaryan visits the Northeast New Beginnings shelter, in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian.
https://www.voanews.com/a/la-homeless-shelter-provides-more-than-just-place-to-sleep/7428240.html Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (Jan. 6)
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1800 – Teuteu, 34, wife of village captain, baptized (as Tomasa) at S.F. Mission; born at Tochonanga (Newhall area) in 1766, before Europeans arrived. [record
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-jan-6/ Save to Pocket
Pentagon Keeps Austin’s Hospitalization Under Wraps for Days
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday for an unspecified medical matter, the Pentagon said late Friday, without detailing why he was being treated or why it kept his hospital stay secret all week.
Austin, who is 70, sits just below President Joe Biden at the top of the chain of command of the U.S. military, and his duties require him being available at a moment’s notice to respond to any manner of national security crises.
The Pentagon did not say whether Austin ever lost consciousness before or after he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1, or the extent to which his duties were assumed by his deputy, Kathleen Hicks.
Those duties include being ready and available to respond to an incoming nuclear attack.
The Pentagon said Austin suffered “complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” but declined to say what that procedure was or what complications he suffered.
“He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, the top Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement Friday.
Just a day earlier, Ryder held a televised news briefing that conveyed the sense of business as usual at the Pentagon, offering Austin’s condolences to ally Japan following its New Year’s Day earthquake, for example.
But the past week has been anything but normal for the Pentagon, with U.S. troops in the Middle East wrestling with the regional fallout from the unfolding Israel-Hamas war and carrying out a U.S. retaliatory strike in Baghdad on Thursday.
The Pentagon Press Association, in a letter to Pentagon officials, criticized the Defense Department’s secrecy, saying that Austin was a public figure who had no claim to medical privacy in such a situation.
“At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader,” it wrote.
Reuters correspondent Phil Stewart is a member of the association’s board of directors.
The Pentagon Press Association letter noted that even U.S. presidents disclose when they must delegate duties due to medical procedures.
The way the Defense Department handled Austin’s hospitalization stands in contrast to how the State Department dealt with then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s prostate surgery on Dec. 15, 2003.
The State Department spokesperson at that time issued a statement in the morning making public that Powell, a retired four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and would remain there for several days before returning home.
It also said Powell would be on a reduced schedule while he recovered from the operation. The State Department’s spokesperson at the time, Richard Boucher, then offered details on Powell’s surgery in his daily briefing.
Boucher, contacted by Reuters on Friday, said the key question regarding public disclosure was whether Austin was under anesthesia or was incapacitated.
“Was there any moment in the process where he could not function as secretary of defense?” he asked. "If you are up and walking around and have your information and you have your aides in the next room and you can make split-second decisions . . . then there is probably not a public necessity to disclose.
“The only necessity is if you are going to be conked out,” he added.
The Pentagon has not yet answered that question.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pentagon-keeps-austin-s-hospitalization-under-wraps-for-days-/7429040.html Save to Pocket
January 5, 2024
date: 2024-01-06, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
President Joe Biden launched his reelection campaign today with a speech at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. He spoke after a visit to nearby Valley Forge, where General George Washington quartered his troops from December 1777 to June 1778 during the Revolutionary War in which the former colonies sought to establish their independence from Great Britain.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-5-2024 Save to Pocket
Bankruptcy Trustee for ‘Santa Barbara News-Press’ Attempts to Claw Back Buildings
date: 2024-01-06, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Wendy McCaw has been sued for an allegedly fraudulent transfer of ownership of the flagship building on De la Guerra Plaza and its printing plant in Goleta to herself.
The post Bankruptcy Trustee for ‘Santa Barbara News-Press’ Attempts to Claw Back Buildings appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/05/bankruptcy-trustee-for-santa-barbara-news-press-attempts-to-claw-back-buildings/ Save to Pocket
Biden Targets Trump in Speech Defending Democracy as ‘Sacred Cause’
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
Focusing heavily on the threat he says former US President Donald Trump poses to American democracy, President Joe Biden kicked off his reelection campaign by pledging to make the defense of the country’s democratic system the central theme of his 2024 campaign and potential second term. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-targets-trump-in-speech-defending-democracy-as-sacred-cause-/7429020.html Save to Pocket
The Art Of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach (1993)
date: 2024-01-06, from: Tilde.news
https://archive.org/details/satoArtOfComputerDesigning Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-06, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Part 2 of Godot on iPad design and technical challenges post is out.
In this one, I describe the rationale behind redoing the left/right panels:
https://blog.la-terminal.net/igodot-2/
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111706976673687176 Save to Pocket
VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Dec. 26, 2023 – Jan. 5, 2024
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-immigration-weekly-recap-dec-26-2023-jan-5-2024-/7429005.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-06, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Saw the Colorado Secretary of State on MSNBC just now and she said something that I hadn’t heard before — Trump actually has been found by a court to have been an insurrectionist. That’s what happened in Colorado in their Supreme Court. Due process.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/05.html#a030949 Save to Pocket
One Couple Will Win a Princess Cruises Honeymoon at The Big I Do
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Are you engaged or looking to pop the question? The time is now as the city of Santa Clarita’s The Big I Do returns on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. This unique wedding experience sees multiple couples getting married at the same time, followed by a lavish wedding reception
https://scvnews.com/one-couple-will-win-a-princess-cruises-honeymoon-at-the-big-i-do/ Save to Pocket
Jan. 10: Latino Business Alliance Café con Leche
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Start the year on a great note at the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Latino Business Alliance’s Café con Leche. Enjoy coffee and the traditional king’s cake and meet with other Hispanic business owners and entrepreneurs.
https://scvnews.com/jan-10-latino-business-alliance-cafe-con-leche/ Save to Pocket
NY Seeks $370M in Penalties in Trump’s Civil Fraud Trial
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — New York state lawyers increased their request for penalties to over $370 million Friday in Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial. He retorted: “They should pay me.”
The exchange came as lawyers for both sides filed papers highlighting their takeaways from the trial in court filings ahead of closing arguments, set for next Thursday. Trump is expected to attend, although plans could change.
It will be the final chance for state and defense lawyers to make their cases. The civil lawsuit, which accuses the leading Republican presidential hopeful of deceiving banks and insurers by vastly inflating his net worth, is consequential for him even while he fights four criminal cases in various courts.
The New York civil case could end up barring him from doing business in the state where he built his real estate empire. On top of that, state Attorney General Letitia James is seeking the $370 million penalty, plus interest — up from a pretrial figure of $250 million, nudged to over $300 million during the proceedings.
The state says the new sum reflects windfalls from wrongdoing, chiefly $199 million in profits from property sales and $169 million in savings on interest rates, as calculated by an investment banking expert hired by James’ office.
Trump bristled at the proposed penalty in an all-caps post on his Truth Social platform, insisting anew that “there was no victim, no default, no damages.”
He complained that the attorney general was seeking $370 million and instead “should pay me,” asserting that businesses are fleeing New York.
According to the state Labor Department, the number of private sector jobs in New York increased 1% in the year that ended this past November, compared with 1.6% nationally.
James’ office argued in a filing Friday that Trump, his company and executives clearly intended to defraud people.
“The myriad deceptive schemes they employed to inflate asset values and conceal facts were so outrageous that they belie innocent explanation,” state lawyer Kevin Wallace wrote.
The state alleges Trump and his company ginned up exorbitant values for golf courses, hotels and more, including Trump’s former home in his namesake tower in New York and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The numbers were listed on personal financial statements that netted him attractive rates on loans and insurance, leaving him money to invest in other projects and even his 2016 presidential campaign, James’ office says.
The defendants, including Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric, deny any wrongdoing. The former president has painted the case as a political maneuver by James, Judge Arthur Engoron and other Democrats, saying they’re abusing the legal system to try to cut off his chances of winning back the White House this year.
He asserts that his financial statements came in billions of dollars low, and that any overestimations — such as valuing his Trump Tower penthouse at nearly three times its actual size — were mere mistakes and made no difference in the overall picture of his fortune.
He also says the documents are essentially legally bulletproof because they said the numbers weren’t audited, among other caveats. Recipients understood them as simply starting points for their own analyses, the defense says.
None of Trump’s lenders testified that they wouldn’t have made the loans or would have charged more interest if his financial statements had shown different numbers, and 10-plus weeks of testimony produced “no factual evidence from any witness that the gains were ill-gotten,” attorneys Michael Madaio and Christopher Kise wrote in a filing Friday. Nor, they said, was there proof that insurers were ripped off.
Separately, defense lawyers argued that claims against Executive Vice Presidents Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. should be dismissed because they never had “anything more than a peripheral knowledge or involvement in the creation, preparation, or use of” their father’s financial statements.
The sons relied on the work of other Trump Organization executives and an outside accounting firm that prepared those documents, attorneys Clifford Robert and Michael Farina said, echoing the scions’ own testimony.
Their father also took the stand, disputing the allegations, decrying the case as political and criticizing the judge and the attorney general. James’ office argued in its filing Friday that Trump was “not a credible witness.”
“He was evasive, gave irrelevant speeches and was incapable of answering questions in a direct and credible manner,” Wallace wrote.
The verdict is up to the judge because James brought the case under a state law that doesn’t allow for a jury. Engoron has said he hopes to decide by the end of this month.
He will weigh claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. But he ruled before trial on the lawsuit’s top claim, finding that Trump and other defendants engaged in fraud for years. With that ruling, the judge ordered that a receiver take control of some of the ex-president’s properties, but an appeals court has frozen that order for now.
During the trial, Engoron fined Trump a total of $15,000 after finding that he violated a gag order that barred all trial participants from commenting publicly on the judge’s staff. The order was imposed after Trump maligned the judge’s principal law clerk.
Trump’s lawyers are appealing the gag order.
https://www.voanews.com/a/ny-seeks-370m-in-penalties-in-trump-s-civil-fraud-trial-/7428992.html Save to Pocket
US Defense Secretary Austin Hospitalized for Complications After Minor Procedure
date: 2024-01-06, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday, due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Friday. It was the department’s first acknowledgement that Austin had been admitted — five days earlier — to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Ryder said Friday that it’s not clear when Austin will be released from the hospital but that the secretary is “recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.”
The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization is counter to normal practice with other senior U.S. and Cabinet officials, including the president. The Pentagon Press Association, which represents media members who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest to Ryder and Chris Meagher, who is the assistant defense secretary for public affairs.
“The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage,” the PPA said in its letter. “At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader.”
Ryder said that this has been an “evolving situation,” and due to privacy and medical issues the department did not make Austin’s absence public. He declined to provide any other details about Austin’s medical procedure or health.
In a statement, Ryder said that at all times, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks “was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required.”
Austin, 70, spent 41 years in the military, retiring as a four-star Army general in 2016.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-defense-secretary-austin-hospitalized-for-complications-after-minor-procedure-/7428984.html Save to Pocket
LASD Awarded $26,400 Grant to Improve Crime Laboratory Analysis
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Scientific Services Bureau is committed to improving its analysis time for evidentiary samples submitted for alcohol testing to meet court deadlines as well as analysis timeframes imposed on the laboratory by the California Department of Motor Vehicles
https://scvnews.com/lasd-awarded-26400-grant-to-improve-crime-laboratory-analysis/ Save to Pocket
Jun 9: Saugus Union Considers Library Honor for Dominic Blackwell
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, Jan. 9, beginning with a closed session at 6 p.m. followed by the open public session at 6:30 p.m
https://scvnews.com/jun-9-saugus-union-considers-honoring-dominic-blackwell/ Save to Pocket
Jan. 9: Newhall Board Meets on Advertising Campaign, Developer Fees
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Newhall School District will meet in closed session at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9 followed by the public open session at 7 p.m. at the Newhall School District office, 25375 Orchard Village Road, Valencia, CA 91355.
https://scvnews.com/jan-9-newhall-board-meets-on-advertising-campaign-developer-fees/ Save to Pocket
Download the Huge New Cache of Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Documents Here
date: 2024-01-06, from: 404 Media Group
The court released a gigantic new dump of Epstein documents Friday night, which you can download here.
https://www.404media.co/download-the-huge-new-cache-of-unsealed-jeffrey-epstein-documents-here/ Save to Pocket
Feb. 3: Cultural Community Showcase
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Raising the Curtain Foundation, in partnership with the city of Santa Clarita Public Library, will present the second annual Cultural Community Showcase in Old Town Newhall on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m
https://scvnews.com/feb-3-cultural-community-showcase/ Save to Pocket
Feb 8: Grand Opening Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
date: 2024-01-06, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce grand opening ceremony for Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream in Stevenson Ranch will be held Thursday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is a franchise with stores throughout Southern California
https://scvnews.com/feb-8-grand-opening-handels-homemade-ice-cream/ Save to Pocket