Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a highly dangerous virus that is globally prevalent and closely linked to the development of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Plasma EBV DNA analysis is an effective strategy for early detection, prognostication and monitoring of treatment response of NPC.

Here, we present a novel molecular diagnostic technique termed EBV-MCDA-LFB, which integrates multiple cross displacement amplification (MCDA) with nanoparticle-based lateral flow (LFB) to enable simple, rapid and specific detection of EBV. In the EBV-MCDA-LFB system, a set of 10 primers was designed for rapidly amplifying the highly conserved tandem repeat BamHI-W region of the EBV genome. Subsequently, the LFB facilitate direct assay reading, eliminating the use of extra instruments and reagents.

The outcomes showed that the 65°C within 40 minutes was the optimal reaction setting for the EBV-MCDA system. The sensitivity of EBV-MCDA-LFB assay reached 7 copies per reaction when using EBV recombinant plasmid, and it showed 100% specificity without any cross-reactivity with other pathogens. The feasibility of the EBV-MCDA-LFB method for EBV detection was successfully validated by 49 clinical plasma samples. The complete detection process, consisting of rapid template extraction (15 minutes), MCDA reaction (65°C for 40 minutes), and LFB result reading (2 minutes), can be finalized within a 60-minutes duration.

EBV-MCDA-LFB assay designed here is a fast, extremely sensitive and specific technique for detecting EBV in field and at the point-of-care (PoC), which is especially beneficial for countries and regions with a high prevalence of the disease and limited economic resources.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1321394 Save to Pocket

The critical role of neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions in sepsis: new synergistic approaches employing organ-on-chip, omics, immune cell phenotyping and in silico modeling to identify new therapeutics

date: 2024-01-08, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Sepsis is a global health concern accounting for more than 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. Sepsis is now defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis can develop from bacterial (gram negative or gram positive), fungal or viral (such as COVID) infections. However, therapeutics developed in animal models and traditional in vitro sepsis models have had little success in clinical trials, as these models have failed to fully replicate the underlying pathophysiology and heterogeneity of the disease. The current understanding is that the host response to sepsis is highly diverse among patients, and this heterogeneity impacts immune function and response to infection. Phenotyping immune function and classifying sepsis patients into specific endotypes is needed to develop a personalized treatment approach. Neutrophil-endothelium interactions play a critical role in sepsis progression, and increased neutrophil influx and endothelial barrier disruption have important roles in the early course of organ damage. Understanding the mechanism of neutrophil-endothelium interactions and how immune function impacts this interaction can help us better manage the disease and lead to the discovery of new diagnostic and prognosis tools for effective treatments. In this review, we will discuss the latest research exploring how in silico modeling of a synergistic combination of new organ-on-chip models incorporating human cells/tissue, omics analysis and clinical data from sepsis patients will allow us to identify relevant signaling pathways and characterize specific immune phenotypes in patients. Emerging technologies such as machine learning can then be leveraged to identify druggable therapeutic targets and relate them to immune phenotypes and underlying infectious agents. This synergistic approach can lead to the development of new therapeutics and the identification of FDA approved drugs that can be repurposed for the treatment of sepsis.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1274842 Save to Pocket

Anti-herpes simplex virus activities and mechanisms of marine derived compounds

date: 2024-01-08, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the most widely prevalent herpes virus worldwide, and the herpetic encephalitis and genital herpes caused by HSV infection have caused serious harm to human health all over the world. Although many anti-HSV drugs such as nucleoside analogues have been ap-proved for clinical use during the past few decades, important issues, such as drug resistance, toxicity, and high cost of drugs, remain unresolved. Recently, the studies on the anti-HSV activities of marine natural products, such as marine polysaccharides, marine peptides and microbial secondary metabolites are attracting more and more attention all over the world. This review discusses the recent progress in research on the anti-HSV activities of these natural compounds obtained from marine organisms, relating to their structural features and the structure-activity relationships. In addition, the recent findings on the different anti-HSV mechanisms and molecular targets of marine compounds and their potential for therapeutic application will also be summarized in detail.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1302096 Save to Pocket

FOSDEM PGDay 2024 - Schedule Posted and Registration Open!

date: 2024-01-08, from: PostgreSQL News

FOSDEM PGDay 2024 is just around the corner, and there are still tickets left for an exciting day of Postgres before the main FOSDEM events kicks off. FOSDEM PGDay 2024 is a single-day single-track registered FOSDEM Fringe Event with global experts talking about a wide range of postgres topics. Registration is very affordable, secure your ticket today before they sell out!

The conference will be at the Marriot Hotel Grand Place in Brussels on the Friday before FOSDEM and is great way to get ready for the main FOSDEM event (where Postgres also have a devroom with even more postgres talks!)

https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/fosdem-pgday-2024-schedule-posted-and-registration-open-2782/ Save to Pocket

Wind, frost to hit Santa Clarita this week

date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal

Santa Clarita residents can expect to face strong, chilly winds and frost on the ground as they enter the second week of January.  “The main thing going forward is wind advisory-level winds gusting to around 35 or so, 35 mph out of the north-northwest through the day today,” National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said […]

The post Wind, frost to hit Santa Clarita this week appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/wind-frost-to-hit-santa-clarita-this-week/ Save to Pocket

An “AI Breakthrough” on Systematic Generalization in Language?

date: 2024-01-07, from: Melanie Mitchell, AI Guide for Human Thinking

A Fun Puzzle Here’s a fun puzzle for you. I’ll give you six words in an alien language: saa, guu, ree, fii, hoo, and muo. Figure 1 gives a diagram showing how either single words or combinations of words result in combinations of colored circles. Given the example sentences, what combination of colored circles should result from the query sentence

https://aiguide.substack.com/p/an-ai-breakthrough-on-systematic Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

Speaking of Fargo, at first I thought it was ridiculous to have Jon Hamm cast as the fascist police chief of a small North Dakota town, but he’s a really good actor (of course) and by episode 8, I’m convinced.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/07.html#a231158 Save to Pocket

US Congressional Leaders Announce Top-Line Spending Deal

date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA

Washington — Top U.S. congressional leaders on Sunday agreed on $1.6 trillion in top-line federal spending for fiscal year 2024 in a deal aimed at averting a partial government shutdown later this month, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said.

The top-line figure includes $886 billion for defense and $704 billion for non-defense spending, Johnson, a Republican, said in a letter to lawmakers on Sunday. The defense portion had already been signed into law by President Joe Biden last month through the defense spending bill.

The non-defense discretionary funding will “protect key domestic priorities like veterans benefits, healthcare and nutrition assistance” from cuts sought by some Republicans, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement.

Their statement put non-defense spending at $772.7 billion, nearly $69 billion more than stated by Johnson. A Democratic aide said the additional money was “adjustments.”

Congress was scheduled to return to Washington this week to tackle Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 deadlines for settling government spending through September, amid Republican demands to reduce fiscal 2024 discretionary spending below caps agreed to in June.

Last spring, Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached agreement – as part of a debt-limit increase deal – on $1.59 trillion in defense and non-defense discretionary spending.

Biden said on Sunday the deal moved the country one step closer to “preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities.”

“It reflects the funding levels that I negotiated with both parties,” Biden said in a statement after the deal was announced.

The Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate will still have to agree on how to allocate these funds.

In his letter, Johnson said the “final spending levels will not satisfy everyone, and they do not cut as much spending as many of us would like.”

White House budget director Shalanda Young said on Friday she was not optimistic about reaching a deal to avoid a partial government shutdown later this month.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-congressional-leaders-announce-top-line-spending-deal/7430170.html Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

This year’s Fargo is quite good. Even better than I thought when I realized that you have to watch each episode twice to get the jokes. 😄

http://scripting.com/2024/01/07.html#a220922 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

Saw Jena Griswold, the Colorado Secretary of State, on MSNBC on Thursday. She said something that I hadn’t heard before — Trump actually has been found by a court to be an insurrectionist. That’s what happened in Colorado in their Supreme Court.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/07.html#a215706 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

The problem all billionaires have is there is nothing they can buy with their money that’s worth owning.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/07.html#a215050 Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

The 150 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-sci-fi-movies-1234893930/2001-a-space-odyssey-1968-2-1234931318/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-07, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

I love this scene with Glenn Close and Robert Duvall about the relationship between journalists and billionaires.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/07.html#a214345 Save to Pocket

US Federal Judge to Decide if Georgia’s Election System Is Constitutional

date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA

Atlanta, Georgia — Election integrity activists want a federal judge to order Georgia to stop using its current election system, saying it’s vulnerable to attack and has operational issues that could cost voters their right to cast a vote and have it accurately counted.

During a trial set to start Tuesday, activists plan to argue that the Dominion Voting Systems touchscreen voting machines are so flawed they are unconstitutional. Election officials insist the system is secure and reliable and say it is up to the state to decide how it conducts elections.

Georgia has become a pivotal electoral battleground in recent years with national attention focused on its elections. The election system used statewide by nearly all in-person voters includes touchscreen voting machines that print ballots with a human-readable summary of voters’ selections and a QR code that a scanner reads to count the votes.

The activists say the state should switch to hand-marked paper ballots tallied by scanners and needs much more robust post-election audits than are currently in place. U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, who’s overseeing the long-running case, said in an October order that she cannot order the state to use hand-marked paper ballots. But activists say prohibiting the use of the touchscreen machines would effectively force the use of hand-marked paper ballots because that’s the emergency backup provided for in state law.

Wild conspiracy theories about Dominion voting machines proliferated in the wake of the 2020 election, spread by allies of former President Donald Trump who said they were used to steal the election from him. The election equipment company has fought back aggressively with litigation, notably reaching a $787 million settlement with Fox News in April.

The trial set to begin Tuesday stems from a lawsuit that long predates those claims. It was originally filed in 2017 by several individual voters and the Coalition for Good Governance, which advocates for election integrity, and targeted the outdated, paperless voting system used at the time.

Totenberg in August 2019 prohibited the state from using the antiquated machines beyond that year. The state had agreed to purchase new voting machines from Dominion a few weeks earlier and scrambled to deploy them ahead of the 2020 election cycle. Before the machines were distributed statewide, the activists amended their lawsuit to take aim at the new system.

They argue the system has serious security vulnerabilities that could be exploited without detection and that the state has done little to address those problems.

Additionally, voters cannot be sure their votes are accurately recorded because they cannot read the QR code, they say. And the voting machines’ large, upright screens make it easy to see a voter’s selections, violating the right to ballot secrecy, they say.

Lawyers for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote in a recent court filing that he “vigorously disputes” the activists’ claims and “strongly believes” their case is “legally and factually meritless.”

Experts engaged by the activists have said they’ve seen no evidence that any vulnerabilities have been exploited to change the outcome of an election, but they say the concerns need to be addressed immediately to protect future elections.

One of them, University of Michigan computer scientist J. Alex Halderman, examined a machine from Georgia and wrote a lengthy report detailing vulnerabilities that he said bad actors could use to attack the system. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, in June 2022 released an advisory based on Halderman’s findings that urged jurisdictions that use the machines to quickly mitigate the vulnerabilities.

During a hearing in May, a lawyer for the state told the judge physical security elements recommended by CISA were “largely in place.” But the secretary of state’s office has said a software update from Dominion is too cumbersome to install before the 2024 elections.

The fact that the voting system software and data was uploaded to a server and shared with an unknown number of people after unauthorized people accessed election equipment in January 2021 makes it even easier to plan an attack on the system, Halderman has said. That breach at the elections office in rural Coffee County was uncovered and exposed by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

A sprawling Fulton County racketeering indictment against Trump and 18 others included charges against four people related to Coffee County. Two of them, including Trump-allied lawyer Sidney Powell, have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors.

In several rulings during the litigation, Totenberg has made clear that she has concerns about the voting system. But she wrote in October that the activists “carry a heavy burden to establish a constitutional violation” connected to the voting system or its implementation.

David Cross, a lawyer for some of the individual voters, said the judge has only seen a sliver of their evidence so far. He said he believes she’ll find in their favor, but he doesn’t expect to see any changes before Georgia’s presidential primary in March. He said changes might be possible before the general election in November if Totenberg rules quickly.

“We’re hopeful but we recognize it’s an uphill fight for 2024, just on the timing,” he said, acknowledging the likelihood that the state would appeal any ruling in the activists’ favor.

Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, was similarly optimistic ahead of trial: “We have the facts and the science and the law on our side, and really the state has no defense.”

A representative for Raffensperger didn’t respond to multiple requests to interview someone in his office ahead of the trial.

The activists had planned to call the secretary of state to testify. They wanted to ask why he chose a voting system that uses QR codes that aren’t readable by voters. They also believe his office has failed to investigate or to implement proper safeguards after the Coffee County breach and wanted to ask him about it under oath.

The judge ordered him to appear over the objections of his lawyers. But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled he doesn’t have to testify, citing his status as a top official and saying the plaintiffs didn’t show his testimony was necessary.

“This trial bears heavily on the public interest, and voters deserve to hear from Secretary Raffensperger in the trial. It’s a travesty that they won’t,” Cross said. “And it’s unfair to our clients who need answers to questions at trial that only he can provide.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-federal-judge-to-decide-if-georgia-s-election-system-is-constitutional/7430147.html Save to Pocket

‘Wonka’ Is No. 1 at Box Office Again as 2024 Gets Off to Slower Start

date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA

LOS ANGELES — Timothee Chalamet and “Wonka” topped the box office charts for the third time in its four weekends in theaters. Warner Bros.’ family-oriented musical added $14.4 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates Sunday, bringing its total domestic grosses to $164.7 million. 

“‘Wonka’ is following in the tradition of a film like ‘The Greatest Showman,’” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. That Hugh Jackman musical opened under $9 million in December 2017 and went on to gross $435 million globally. 

“‘Wonka’ is a perfect crowd pleaser released at the perfect time and it’s going to ride that wave into January,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s an opportune time for it to be in the marketplace.” 

After finishing 2023 on a high note, 2024 is getting off to a slower start than last year, down around 16%, with the Universal/Blumhouse horror “Night Swim” as the only major new offering in theaters. The movie stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as a couple with a sinister, supernatural swimming pool. 

“Night Swim” drew in an estimated $12 million in its first weekend in 3,250 theaters in North America against a reported $15 million production budget. Including international showings in 36 markets, “Night Swim” is heading towards a $17.7 million global debut. 

“Not only did it perform really well at the box office, but it’s going to make us look at every swimming pool with a little more trepidation,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution. 

Horror movies are largely critic-proof, but with fairly negative reviews and a C CinemaScore rating, it’s unlikely to repeat the viral success of last year’s demon doll movie “M3GAN.” 

“We don’t have ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ which totally dominated the box office a year ago, or ‘M3GAN,’ which made that a bigger weekend,” said Dergarabedian. “But it’s a bit early to call it in terms of how the year is going to turn out.” 

Warner Bros. and Universal placed third and fourth on the charts as well. Warner Bros.’ DC superhero movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” earned $10.6 million in its third weekend, bumping its domestic tally just over the $100 million mark. Universal’s animated “Migration” added $10.3 million, bringing its running domestic total to $77.8 million. 

Sony’s Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney romantic comedy “Anyone But You” landed in fifth place with $9.5 million, up 9% from last weekend. The movie has grossed $43.7 million to date. 

Cineplexes are full of awards contenders, including “The Color Purple,” “The Iron Claw” and “Poor Things,” and the Golden Globes broadcast Sunday night might help spread awareness for those and other films. 

“The Golden Globes are like a three-hour infomercial for the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “There’s no downside to having a very high profile telecast that puts a spotlight on the movies.” 

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 

1. “Wonka,” $14.4 million. 

2. “Night Swim,” $12 million. 

3. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $10.6 million. 

4. “Migration,” $10.3 million. 

5. “Anyone But You,” $9.5 million. 

6. “The Boys in the Boat,” $6 million. 

7. “The Color Purple,” $4.8 million. 

8. “The Iron Claw,” $4.5 million. 

9. “Ferrari,” $2.5 million. 

10. “Poor Things,” $2 million.

https://www.voanews.com/a/wonka-is-no-1-at-box-office-again-as-2024-gets-off-to-slower-start/7430120.html Save to Pocket

Alaska Airlines Again Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 9 Jetliners as More Maintenance May Be Needed

date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA

PORTLAND, Oregon — Alaska Airlines again grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners on Sunday after federal officials indicated further maintenance might be required to assure that another inflight blowout like the one that damaged one of its planes doesn’t happen again.

The airline had returned 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft to service on Saturday following inspections that came less than 24 hours after a portion of one plane’s fuselage blew out three miles above (4.8 kilometers) above Oregon on Friday night. The depressurized plane, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, returned safely to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.

The airline said in a statement that the decision was made after receiving a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration that additional work might be needed. Other versions of the 737 are not affected.

“These aircraft have now also been pulled from service until details about possible additional maintenance work are confirmed with the FAA. We are in touch with the FAA to determine what, if any, further work is required before these aircraft are returned to service,” the airline said.

The FAA had ordered the grounding of some 737 Max 9s on Saturday until they could be inspected, a process that takes about four hours. The world’s airlines are currently operating about 171 737 Max 9s globally.

The aircraft make up about 20% of the Alaska Airlines’ fleet. As of midday, Alaska had canceled about a fifth of its Sunday flights, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines, which also grounded its Max 9s, had about a 10% cancellation rate on Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Friday’s accident and is still looking for the door from the paneled-over exit that blew out. They have a good idea of where it landed, near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference late Saturday.

“If you find that, please, please contact local law enforcement,” she said.

It was extremely lucky that the airplane had not yet reached cruising altitude, when passengers and flight attendants might be walking around the cabin, Homendy said.

“No one was seated in 26A and B where that door plug is, the aircraft was around 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes out from the airport when the door blew,” she said. The investigation is expected to take months.

There has not been a major crash involving a U.S. passenger carrier within the country since 2009 when a Colgan Air flight crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines flight arriving from South Korea crashed at San Francisco International Airport, killing three of the 307 people on board.

Flight 1282 took off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, the chunk of the fuselage blew out as the plane was at about 16,000 feet (4.8 kilometers). One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), the altitude where the air would have enough oxygen to breathe safely.

Videos posted by passengers online showed a gaping hole where the paneled-over exit had been and passengers wearing masks. They applauded when the plane landed safely about 13 minutes after the blowout. Firefighters then came down the aisle, asking passengers to remain in their seats as they treated the injured.

The aircraft involved rolled off the assembly line and received its certification two months ago, according to online FAA records. It had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service Nov. 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third of the day.

Aviation experts were stunned that a piece would fly off a new aircraft. Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aerospace safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said he has seen panels of fuselage come off planes before, but couldn’t recall one where passengers “are looking at the lights of the city.”

He said the incident is a reminder for passengers to stay buckled in.

“If there had been a passenger in that window seat who just happened to have their seat belt off, we’d be looking at a totally different news story.”

The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on U.S. domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017.

The president of the union representing flight attendants at 19 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, commended the crew for keeping passengers safe.

“Flight Attendants are trained for emergencies and we work every flight for aviation safety first and foremost,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said in a statement Saturday.

Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to a near two-year worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes. They returned to service only after Boeing made changes to an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.

Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit use of an anti-ice system on the Max in dry conditions because of concern that inlets around the engines could overheat and break away, possibly striking the plane.

Max deliveries have been interrupted at times to fix manufacturing flaws. The company told airlines in December to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.

https://www.voanews.com/a/alaska-airlines-again-grounds-all-boeing-737-max-9-jetliners-as-more-maintenance-may-be-needed-/7430123.html Save to Pocket

Hoops: Canyon holds off Castaic

date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal

Canyon Cowboys boys’ basketball got its revenge on Friday night.  The Cowboys took down the hosting Castaic Coyotes, avenging a huge blowout tournament loss earlier in the season.  Canyon won the Foothill League road battle, 75-71, behind disciplined and physical defense, as well as a monster 33-point, four-rebound, two-block and two-steal performance from junior Eric […]

The post <strong>Hoops: Canyon holds off Castaic </strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/hoops-canyon-holds-off-castaic/ Save to Pocket

SCV soccer roundup

date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal

Foothill League soccer is nearing the end of the first round of league play.  While both Hart boys’ and girls’ teams remain unbeaten, the league title is still up for grabs from just about every team.  Here are some headlines from last week’s Foothill League action.  Hart girls sweep through another week  The Indians remained […]

The post <strong>SCV soccer roundup</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/scv-soccer-roundup/ Save to Pocket

Fireworks mistaken for gunshots

date: 2024-01-07, from: The Signal

Loud sounds similar to gunshot sounds on Saturday night were determined to be fireworks, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station officials.   Deputies responded to a “shots heard” call on the 28000 block of Farrier Drive between Castaic and Valencia on Saturday night at approximately 1:14 a.m.   Once deputies arrived on the scene and investigated, […]

The post Fireworks mistaken for gunshots   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/fireworks-mistaken-for-gunshots/ Save to Pocket

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.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/think-green-doing-your-part/ Save to Pocket

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 […]

The post David Hegg | The Tyrrany of Autonomy appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/david-hegg-the-tyrrany-of-autonomy/ Save to Pocket

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&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8216;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&#8216;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 &#8212; 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 &#8212; 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 &#8212; 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) &#8212; 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&#8217; 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 &#8212; U.K. police have opened a fraud investigation into Britain&#8217;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 &#8212; In the follow-up to their 2018 bestseller &#8220;How Democracies Die,&#8221; 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 &#8212; 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 &#8212; 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&#8217;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&#0010;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&#8217;s surface, a wide array of signals appear on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory&#8217;s earthquake-detecting (seismic) data streams. Part of a seismic analyst&#8217;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 &#8212; criminal and otherwise &#8212; swirling around a potential rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But there&#8217;s more at stake &#8212; 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 […]

The post Brian Richards | But Gas Is Only $4.50? appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

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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.”

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Trump’s Vows to Deport Millions Are Undercut by His Record, History

date: 2024-01-07, from: VOA News USA

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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

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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.

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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

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Nancy Pelosi: ‘Three Years After January 6’

date: 2024-01-07, updated: 2024-01-07, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/three-years-after-january-6-capitol-insurrection-trump/677024/ 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.

GPT rendering of “social network for writers.”

I asked for a more racially diverse rendering.

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

• Release of LibreELEC 11.0.4:

• Release of Nobara 39:

• Exim 4.97.1 update:

• Gentoo has announced the availability of binary packages:

• Release of GNU inetutils 2.5:

• NetSurf browser 3.11:

• MX Linux for Raspberry Pi:

• Release of wattOS 13:

• Release of ScummVM 2.8.0:

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