News gathered 2024-05-16
(date: 2024-05-16 10:32:04)
Hernán López scores in second straight game for Earthquakes, but San Jose win streak snapped in Portland
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
The Quakes (3-9-1) had won three in a row to move out of last place in the 14-team Western Conference, but fell back to the bottom of the standings with the loss.
Make your Pi4 and Pinebook Pro Quake
date: 2024-05-16, from: RiscOS Story
If you’re a fan of video games in general, and first person shooters in particular, another title in that genre has been given a little attention by R-Comp – this time it’s Quake. The update builds on the 2018 release of the game, which brought boosted performance to the game when run on more modern CPUs, adding support for floating point abilities of the processors, and profiles to take advantage of the higher resolution screens, and so on. The new version builds on that, with updated profiles for higher resolutions…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/quake-update-pi4-pinebook-pro/
StreetFix poll on linguistic nomenclature
date: 2024-05-16, from: RiscOS Story
Kevin Wells is adding multi-language support to his StreetFix application, which can be used to report and check up on local issues, such as potholes, broken bollards, street lights not working, and so on. To that end, he’s running a poll on whether the choice for the language name should be in English, or specified in the language in question – for example, should Swedish be identified as that, making it obvious for English speakers, or should it be Svenska, to make it clearer to Swedish speakers? The poll was…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/streetfix-poll-language-names/
ChargePoint debuts the fiercely powerful Megawatt Charging System for electric trucks
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
ChargePoint’s (NYSE: CHPT) new Megawatt Charging System for commercial electric trucks is capable of dispensing enough energy to power around 1,000 homes.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/16/chargepoint-megawatt-charging-system/
No, A Tesla Cybertruck Can’t Outrun A Porsche 911 While Towing
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
Tesla showed the Cybertruck beating a Porsche 911 in a drag race while towing a 911 itself. MotorTrend recreated the viral video.
https://insideevs.com/news/719959/tesla-cybertruck-porsche-911-towing/
All Oakland Ballers games will air on Bay Area radio
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Play-by-play voice Tyler Peterson will travel to the Ballers’ road games.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/16/oakland-ballers-announce-radio-broadcast-partnership/
Columbia University faculty pass vote of no confidence in President Shafik after pro-Palestinian protests
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Ballots were open for a week on a highly critical resolution alleging Shafik made unilateral decisions that put students and staff in harm’s way.
SCV Residents Celebrate Holy Cross Trauma Center 40th Anniversary
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
For 40 years, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center’s trauma center in Mission Hills has been serving a wide swath of northern Los Angeles County, including the Santa Clarita Valley, treating victims of gun violence, freak accidents, hiking, biking and horseback mishaps and the 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink collision.
https://scvnews.com/scv-residents-celebrate-holy-cross-trauma-center-40th-anniversary/
Secondary cockpit barriers likely coming to all commercial planes: ‘Prevent 9/11 from ever happening again’
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Secondary cockpit barriers likely coming to all commercial planes: ‘Prevent 9/11 from ever happening again’
Tesla must face false advertising claims it misled buyers about Autopilot
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Tesla has been accused of overstating that cars would have ‘hardware needed for full self-driving capability.’
It’s Time for Dodger Baseball!
date: 2024-05-16, from: City of Santa Clarita
By Councilmember Jason Gibbs “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.” – Yogi Berra April has always been one of my favorite months because year after year, it’s the sign that baseball is officially back. As a longtime Dodger fan, I have fond memories of piling into […]
The post It’s Time for Dodger Baseball! appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.
https://santaclarita.gov/blog/2024/05/16/its-time-for-dodger-baseball/
Wiley shuts 19 scholarly journals amid AI paper mill plague
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Fake science challenges academic publishing
US publishing house Wiley this week discontinued 19 scientific journals overseen by its Hindawi subsidiary, the center of a long-running scholarly publishing scandal.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/wiley_journals_ai/
Santa Clara County DA, public defender forewarn trouble from proposed budget cuts
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
The South Bay’s top prosecutor and chief public defender object to staffing cuts meant to help close the county’s $251 million deficit.
June 3: Friends of Santa Clarita Library Silent Book Auction
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library are having a silent Book Auction beginning at 9a.m. on Monday, June 3, and ending at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 10.
https://scvnews.com/june-3-friends-of-santa-clarita-library-silent-book-auction/
Watch Tesla Model Y Performance Drag Race A Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
It’s the battle of the sporty battery-powered crossovers.
https://insideevs.com/news/719910/tesla-model-s-performance-vs-hyundai-ioniq-5-n-drag-race-video/
CalArts Graduates Class of 2024
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The sunny spring day of Friday, May 10 saw a burst of sculptural flora sprouting on the stage of Graduation Courtyard at California Institute of the Arts. Designed around a botanical theme, the 2024 CalArts graduation heralded a celebration of growth and new beginnings for this year’s graduating class, many of whom began their CalArts journey during the pandemic.
https://scvnews.com/calarts-graduates-class-of-2024/
Daily Deals (5-16-2024)
date: 2024-05-16, from: Liliputing
The Epic Games Store is giving away Dragon Age: Inquisition for free this week. And if you’re looking for something to play it on, Lenovo is selling a 3.85 pound gaming laptop with a 14 inch, 2.8K OLED display, a Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and NVIDIA RTX 4060 graphics for $1015. Meanwhile, if mobile gaming […]
The post Daily Deals (5-16-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-5-16-2024/
Biden’s upcoming graduation speech roils Morehouse College, a center of Black politics and culture
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
President Joe Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war when he speaks at Morehouse College’s commencement.
The Commission on Presidential Debates faces an uncertain future after Biden and Trump bypassed it
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s whirlwind agreement to meet for two presidential debates has upended the way the forums have been organized for nearly four decades.
June 9: Acton Community Presbyterian Church Celebrates 100 Years
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
A commemorative ceremony will be held Sunday, June 9, at 1 p.m. to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Acton Community Presbyterian Church and the rededication of this historic church following fire damage last fall. All are welcome.
https://scvnews.com/june-9-acton-community-presbyterian-church-celebrates-100-years/
Scriptnotes, Episode 638: Lawyer Scenes, Transcript
date: 2024-05-16, from: John August blog
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: Oh. Oh. My name is Craig Mazin. John: And you’re listening to Episode 638 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. Today on the show, you can’t […] The post Scriptnotes, Episode 638: Lawyer Scenes, Transcript first appeared on John August.
https://johnaugust.com/2024/scriptnotes-episode-638-lawyer-scenes-transcript
Now armed with AI, America’s adversaries will try to influence election, security officials warn
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
Top U.S. security officials say America’s foreign adversaries will again seek to influence the upcoming U.S. elections.
I visited Ride1Up’s e-bike factory to find the secret behind good quality, low-cost e-bikes
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
I’ve been riding Ride1Up e-bikes since just about their first model. Over the many years since I first threw a leg over that bike, I’ve watched the company roll out an ever-increasing lineup of diverse e-bikes that all shared one common trend: great bang for your buck.
So when I was recently touring Asia to visit micromobility factories for a peek behind the curtain, I knew Ride1Up’s factory would be high on my list. They invited me out to join the company’s founder, Kevin Dugger, on a tour of the factory so I could see just how Ride1Up goes about ensuring they can keep the quality high and the prices low.
Amazon’s latest ‘flex’ VMs promise savings for your burstiest apps
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Sustained workloads need not apply
Updated Amazon Web Services added another set of cost-optimized instances to its EC2 lineup on Tuesday, aimed at customers whose workloads aren’t pegging the CPU 100 percent of the time.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/aws_flex_instances/
Harrison Butker’s controversial speech: NFL distances itself from kicker’s divisive statements
date: 2024-05-16, from: San Jose Mercury News
He told the graduating women: “I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Pier for Gaza aid in place, US military says
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
PENTAGON — The U.S. military says a temporary pier is now anchored to the shore of Gaza, the final step in completing a sea route to distribute aid to 2 million Gazans affected by the Israel-Hamas war.
“This morning, just a few hours ago, the pier was successfully affixed to the beach in Gaza. In the coming days, we will commence the delivery of aid,” U.S. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters Thursday.
Cooper said about 500 tons of humanitarian assistance have been loaded onto ships, with thousands of tons more ready to be added to the distribution queue once that aid is distributed.
“We are focused on flooding the zone with humanitarian assistance … to complement the provision of aid through land routes, which we know is the most efficient and effective pathway to move the necessary volume of assistance,” he said.
The new maritime corridor has several parts, with aid first undergoing inspection and security checks in Cyprus. Loads are then being taken to a U.S.-built floating platform off the Gaza coast and transferred onto trucks, with smaller boats taking the trucks to the newly anchored pier that juts out several hundred meters from the Gaza coastline.
Distribution
Each boat can transfer between five and 15 trucks to shore. Once fully operational, the pier will be able to provide about 150 truckloads of aid to Gaza per day, according to U.S. officials.
The United Nations will receive shipments and coordinate distribution on the ground for the Gazans. The arrangement is part of an effort to boost what humanitarian organizations say is a vastly insufficient amount of aid for Palestinian civilians.
“The American corridor is absolutely essential to helping meet this gap in need to address the shelter, the food, the health, malnutrition and clean water sanitation needs,” said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
Some aid groups have said the maritime corridor is not the best solution, arguing that increasing the flow of aid through land crossings would be far more effective.
“We need to just continue to work on getting more aid in through all routes,” Korde said. “We’re at a point in time when this is all hands on deck. We can’t spare any effort.”
Aid has been slow to get into Gaza due to long backups of vehicles at Israeli inspection points. The United States and other nations have air dropped food into Gaza 38 times in recent months, but each air drop via military accounts for only about one to three truckloads of food, a U.S. official told VOA.
Aid organizations have said several hundred truckloads of food are needed in Gaza each day.
The pier’s completion was delayed for several days due to rough seas.
Security
Security for the approximately 1,000 U.S. forces building the pier and aid organizations distributing the supplies has been the paramount concern for the Pentagon since the plan’s conception, according to Cooper.
“This is a 100% humanitarian mission, and any attack on those working on it is an attack on aid for the people of Gaza,” said Cooper.
Security forces have conducted rehearsals in preparation for the commencement of operations and will continue to assess and reassess security, Cooper said.
Israel Defense Forces have dedicated a brigade of troops, along with ships and air assets, to help ensure force protection. IDF engineers prepared the beach for the temporary pier and secured it to the beach.
Israel attacked Hamas in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw hundreds more taken hostage.
In the nearly seven months since the attack, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gazan health officials.
https://www.voanews.com/a/pier-for-gaza-aid-in-place-us-military-says/7614875.html
Carbon Copy Cloner 7.0
date: 2024-05-16, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/carbon-copy-cloner-7-0/
1Password 8.10.32
date: 2024-05-16, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/1password-8-10-32/
BBEdit 15.1
date: 2024-05-16, from: TidBITS blog
https://tidbits.com/watchlist/bbedit-15-1/
ACEMAGIC M2A mini PC features Intel Core Alder Lake-H processor, NVIDIA RTX 30 series graphics and a sci-fi inspired design.
date: 2024-05-16, from: Liliputing
The ACEMAGIC M2A Starship is a compact desktop computer with the power of a high-performance gaming laptop from a few years ago. It supports up to a 45-watt Intel Core i9-12900H 14-core, 20-thread processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080M graphics featuring 16GB of GDDR6 memory. It’s also a weird looking little computer that looks more like a gaming […]
The post ACEMAGIC M2A mini PC features Intel Core Alder Lake-H processor, NVIDIA RTX 30 series graphics and a sci-fi inspired design. appeared first on Liliputing.
Microsoft App Assure helps Opera build Arm-optimized browser
date: 2024-05-16, from: Windows Developer Blog
The Microsoft App Assure team helps app developers around the world to ensure their users have top-notch experience on all Microsoft platforms. Today, I want to highlight one of our many successful engagements: the new Opera Browser for Arm-based Win
The post Microsoft App Assure helps Opera build Arm-optimized browser appeared first on Windows Developer Blog.
NASA Recognizes 5 Early Career Planetary Scientists
date: 2024-05-16, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected five early-career scientists for its 2023 Planetary Science Early Career Award (ECA) based on their demonstrated leadership, involvement in the planetary science community, and potential for future impact. The ECA program supports exceptional early-career scientists who play a meaningful role in the planetary science community to pursue professional development in areas relevant […]
https://science.nasa.gov/directorates/smd/nasa-recognizes-5-early-career-planetary-scientists/
EU probes Meta over its provisions for protecting children
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Has social media biz done enough to comply with Digital Services Act? Maybe not
The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether Meta, the provider of Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to the protection of minors.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/eu_investigates_meta_over_its/
Ford asks suppliers to cut EV costs in an all-win-or-lose push for profitability
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
Ford is putting “everything on the table” to keep up with Tesla and fast-rising Chinese EV makers like BYD. In a new memo, Ford asked suppliers to cut EV costs after its Model e unit continued to bleed billions in Q1.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/16/ford-asks-suppliers-cut-ev-costs-all-win-or-lose-push/
Tesla spotted testing prototype with new camera setup
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla has been spotted testing a Model 3 prototype with what appears to be a new camera setup. Is Tesla preparing a new vision rig for its next vehicles?
https://electrek.co/2024/05/16/tesla-spotted-testing-prototype-new-camera-setup/
How Republicans Engineered a Fake Meat Controversy
date: 2024-05-16, from: Heatmap News
At a triumphant bill-signing earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sounded less like the leader of the nation’s third largest state and more like the host of a QAnon podcast. “Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” he said. DeSantis was there to trumpet a new state law that outlaws the sale of lab-grown meat, also known as cultivated meat.
One might reasonably ask why DeSantis and his Republican allies care about lab-grown meat at all. The technology — in which cells from animals are fed with nutrients and grown until they eventually produce something resembling a cut of actual meat — is still in the experimental stage, and it could be decades before companies are able to produce it on an industrial scale, if ever. So why bother outlawing it?
But DeSantis is not alone. Legislators in Alabama, apparently satisfied that they have solved all the state’s other problems, rushed to pass a similar law, which Gov. Kay Ivey signed on May 7. Similar measures have also been introduced in Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. And it isn’t just Republicans; a few Democrats looking to fortify their carnivorous bona fides have also attacked cultivated meat. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman applauded DeSantis’ action, saying he “would never serve that slop to my kids,” and Montana Democrat Sen. Jon Tester — who lost three fingers in a meat grinder as a boy — introduced a bill to ban cultivated meat from school lunches.
So far, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has not weighed in on lab-grown meat. But given his taste for outré conspiracy theories and niche culture war issues, no one would be surprised if he began railing against it in his rallies and on Truth Social.
This is fundamentally a fake issue: Not only is there no place you can buy lab-grown meat in Florida or Alabama, there’s no place you can buy it anywhere in the country. Last year the Department of Agriculture gave approval for lab-grown chicken to be sold, and not long after it was featured as a special menu item at the upscale restaurants Bar Crenn in San Francisco and José Andrés’ China Chilcano in Washington (reviews were mixed but mostly positive). But those experiments have ended, and it could be a while before it’s available again even in a restaurant. The technological challenges in recreating both the taste and texture of meat have proven greater than many anticipated; the problem may not be insurmountable, but it hasn’t been surmounted yet, at least not at scale.
But it’s just the kind of issue Republicans (and Democrats in swing states) love, one that casts them as the defenders of the honest, traditional, and manly, while mainstream Democrats are supposedly the advocates of weird and vaguely effeminate ideas. Why would you let some egghead scientist make you a steak? Real men want to know that their meat was killed in the most unpleasant circumstances possible.
Then there’s the climate angle: While Republicans may not exactly be pro-climate change in their rhetoric (policy choices are another matter), they are eagerly anti-anti-climate change, in the same way they’re anti-anti-racism. Just as they wage the culture war by opposing efforts to undo racism, they can do the same by opposing efforts to address climate change, shifting the conversation from the real problem onto the supposedly oppressive efforts to solve it.
And solving climate change is one of the rationales for cultivated meat that has helped attract venture capital to the startups trying to make it a reality. Global demand for meat has risen steadily for decades, and will continue to grow as incomes increase (generally speaking, the wealthier a country is, the more meat its citizens consume). In 2022, humans slaughtered 300 million cows, 1.5 billion pigs, and an incredible 75 billion chickens. Advocates of lab-grown meat sell it as a way to mitigate both that almost unfathomable carnage, with all its attendant animal suffering, and the enormous climate effects of meat production.
And unlike plant-based meat substitutes, lab-grown meat would satisfy the human desire to consume genuine animal flesh. There’s almost certainly a limit on how many people will want to eat Impossible Burgers and “Chick-n” tenders, no matter how good they taste. But since cultivated meat is still meat, advocates say any carnivore should be happy to bite into a lab-grown steak — which is why it’s so important for certain politicians to convince them that doing so would make them some kind of hippie.
I’d submit that politicians like DeSantis don’t actually care whether anyone sells or eats a cultivated pork loin. The point is to convince people that they are under siege from the powerful forces of wokeness, who want to steal your gustatory freedom after they confiscate your guns and force your children to change genders.
The invocation of bug-eating is a key tell. When DeSantis tells people that “the global elite” wants to force you to eat bugs, he’s referencing a conspiracy theory that the average person may not have heard of but is widespread on the right. Bill Gates and other leftist puppetmasters, the theory goes, have a plan to enslave us all and force us to eat bugs for our protein.
One of the benefits of associating bug-eating with a different food you want to discredit is that it produces feelings of disgust, which social psychologists have long known are more powerful for conservatives than for liberals. As Tucker Carlson once said, “Eating insects is repulsive and un-American. And of course, therefore, in the eyes of the left, it must be awesome.”
Here’s the counterpoint, thought: One might also think that this is an issue of basic liberty. Cultivated meat might or might not become widely consumed as an alternate food source, but if it does, as long as it’s safe you should be able to eat it if you want to (and the same ought to go for bugs). We can say with a fair bit of confidence that there will still be old-fashioned lamb chops and roast chickens available for all of our lifetimes.
But as an opportunity to create another front in the culture war and remind voters that politics is all about identity, it’s too good for Republicans in Florida and Alabama, and maybe other states to come, to pass up. If there’s a woke hippie conspiracy afoot to rob you of your testosterone and make you slave to the global elite, they want voters to know they’ll be on it. Even if it’s imaginary.
https://heatmap.news/politics/republicans-lab-grown-meat
The Tesla Cybertruck Beat The Rivian R1T In U.S. Registrations
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
The Ford F-150 Lightning was still the top pick in March, though.
https://insideevs.com/news/719919/tesla-cybertruck-beat-rivian-r1t-registration-march/
May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-16, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-15-2024-dbe
Microsoft PC Manager app bizarrely suggests Bing as a Windows fix-all
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Bug or feature?
Users looking for Windows repair tips via the Microsoft PC Manager app may be recommended to switch Edge’s default search engine back to Bing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/microsoft_pc_manager_bing/
There’s a good chance your bank is funding fossil fuels
date: 2024-05-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Since the Paris Climate Agreement, banks together have funneled trillion into fossil fuel companies, according to the 15th Banking on Climate Chaos report. Last year, JPMorgan Chase was the No. 1 fossil fuel financier in the world. Some of the other top investors? Citibank, Wells Fargo and Bank of America. We’ll discuss. Then, the Federal Trade Commission is trying to crack down on fabricated reviews. Problem is, fake reviews are a global industry.
Marketplace is currently tracking behind target for this budget year — that means listeners like you can make a critical difference by investing in our journalism today.
Kia EV9-Like Electric Pickup Truck Spotted Testing In The U.S.
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
Kia’s all-electric Honda Ridgeline rival could land stateside in 2026. And no, it’s not the Tasman.
https://insideevs.com/news/719860/kia-ev9-pickup-prototype-spotted-us/
De-Googled Android operating system /e/OS V2 brings Android Auto support, UI and privacy enhancements
date: 2024-05-16, from: Liliputing
The /e/OS Foundation has been offering a de-Googled version of Android since 2018, with an emphasis on privacy and security. Now developers have introduced the biggest update in years. Among other things, /e/OS 2.0 brings support for Android Auto, an updated launcher app with support for live wallpapers and app notifications on icons, and other […]
The post De-Googled Android operating system /e/OS V2 brings Android Auto support, UI and privacy enhancements appeared first on Liliputing.
Republican voters urged to chip away at Democrats’ mail-in voting advantage
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
U.S. voters have several ways to cast their ballots in a presidential election, including by mail. Many Democrats have embraced mail-in voting, and now Republicans are being urged by party leaders, including former President Donald Trump, to use all voting options in the 2024 general election. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details. Salome Ramirez and Yeny Garcia of VOA’s Spanish Service contributed.
Stifling Beijing in cyberspace is now British intelligence’s number-one mission
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Annual conference of cyber intel unit shows UK’s alarm over China blaring louder than ever
Regular attendees of CYBERUK, the annual conference hosted by British intelligence unit the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will know that in addition to the expected conference panels, there is usually an interwoven theme to proceedings.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/the_uks_alarm_over_china/
How Makers of Nonconsensual AI Porn Make a Living on Patreon
date: 2024-05-16, from: 404 Media Group
Accounts that present as benign on Patreon are advertising thousands of nonconsensual AI porn images on Telegram.
https://www.404media.co/how-makers-of-nonconsensual-ai-porn-make-a-living-on-patreon/
See Great Wall’s Crazy 8-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine In All Its Glory
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The massive touring bike is set for launch in China very soon.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719833/great-wall-souo-8cylinder-tourer-launching-soon/
Charles III Unveiled His First Official Portrait as King. Is It Too Red?
date: 2024-05-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Artist Jonathan Yeo’s nontraditional approach to royal portraiture has drawn mixed reactions
Honda Details $65 Billion Plan To Become An EV Powerhouse
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
“EVs are the most effective solution,” Honda says in a major strategy shift. Can the Japanese automaker deliver?
https://insideevs.com/news/719899/honda-cm-ev-plans/
Is A Royal Enfield Classic 650 Twin In Our Future?
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Trademarks aren’t guarantees, but they certainly indicate interest from the manufacturers that file them.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719813/royal-enfield-classic-650-twin/
Open Source Initiative tries to define Open Source AI
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Meanwhile, the creator of Open Source Definition argues the real problem is unauthorized copying
The Open Source Initiative – the non-profit overseeing the Open Source Definition, which lays out the requirements for software licenses – is taking its effort to define Open Source AI to the wisdom of the crowds.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/open_source_initiative_ai/
Students Across US to Hear from NASA Astronaut Aboard Space Station
date: 2024-05-16, from: NASA breaking news
Students of a volunteer service organization will have the opportunity next week to hear from NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will stream live at 11:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP […]
Google Releases A.I. That Can Predict How the Human Body’s Molecules Behave, Boosting Drug Discovery Research
date: 2024-05-16, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Called AlphaFold 3, the latest update of the software models the interactions of proteins with DNA, RNA and other molecules for the first time
Computer Scientists Invent an Efficient New Way to Count
date: 2024-05-16, from: Quanta Magazine
By making use of randomness, a team has created a simple algorithm for estimating large numbers of distinct objects in a stream of data.The post Computer Scientists Invent an Efficient New Way to Count first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/computer-scientists-invent-an-efficient-new-way-to-count-20240516/
VinFast (VFS) secures nearly 30K pre-orders for new $10,000 VF 3 in under three days
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
In under 66 hours after launching its new low-cost electric SUV, VinFast’s VF 3 racked up nearly 30,000 pre-orders. Starting under $10,000 (235 million VND), the VinFast VF 3 is already creating a buzz. Following the special price promo, the VF 3 will cost around $20,000.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/16/vinfast-vfs-secures-nearly-30k-pre-orders-new-10000-vf-3/
Why Biden’s Chinese EV Tariffs May Succeed Where Trump’s Failed, For Now
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
The only way it may fail is if U.S. consumers and automakers turn away from the electric car revolution.
https://insideevs.com/news/719821/biden-vs-trump-chinese-car-tariffs/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
If you subscribe to my feed you should also subscribe to Ben Werdmuller. I'm interested in every one of his posts, so I guess you would be too.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
I now have a "gravatar" that's consistent with the favicon for all my sites.
https://gravatar.com/scripting
Nvidia chief Huang given 60% pay increase amid AI hysteria
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
After a smashing fiscal ’24, we’re surprised he didn’t get more
Nvidia’s chief Jenson Huang received a 60 percent pay bump in the corporation’s fiscal 2024 on the back of a massive rally in the share price based on demand for AI, and triple digit growth percentages for revenue and operating profit.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/nvidia_chief_huang_gets_60/
AYN Odin 2 Mini handheld game console with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 coming soon for $329 and up
date: 2024-05-16, from: Liliputing
The AYN Odin 2 Mini is an upcoming handheld game console from the makers of the AYN Odin and Loki line of devices. The name suggests that this Android-powered game console is a smaller version of the Odin 2 that launched last summer, and it does have many of the same specs, while sporting a […]
The post AYN Odin 2 Mini handheld game console with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 coming soon for $329 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/ayn-odin-2-mini-handheld-game-console-coming-soon/
Aptera to close crowdfunding and begin Solar EV production with the help of a private financial group
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
Solar EV startup Aptera Motors announced it is leaving its “crowdfunding nest” of sorts, putting a bookend on three years of its Regulation A offering to pursue private funding. The startup shared a deadline for public investors while it engages in discussions with private financial group US Capital to help (finally) get its solar EVs into scaled production.
Nio’s Onvo L60 Has Its Sights Set On The Tesla Model Y
date: 2024-05-16, from: Inside EVs News
Onvo is a brand new Nio sub-brand, and the L60 electric coupe-like crossover is its first model.
https://insideevs.com/news/719895/nio-onvo-l60-revealed/
Accounts Payable
date: 2024-05-16, from: NASA breaking news
Vendor Payment NASA is committed to expedient and accurate payment of invoices. Any questions or inquiries should be addressed to the Contracting Officer designated on your award or to the NSSC Customer Contact Center. NSSC Customer Contact Center telephone: 1-877-677-2123 (1-877-NSSC123) Fax: 1-866-779-6772 (1-866-779-NSSC) Vouchers and invoices are to be submitted in the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nssc/accounts-payable/
Aleph Alpha enlists Cerebras waferscale supers to train AI for German military
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Also demonstrates success accelerating molecular dynamics
Even as world leaders raise alarm bells about the impact of AI in war, waferscale startup Cerebras is joining forces with Aleph Alpha to develop sovereign models for the German armed forces.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/cerebras_german_military_llms/
White House blocks release of Biden’s special counsel interview audio
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
Washington — President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur that’s at the center a Republican effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, the Justice Department told lawmakers on Thursday.
It comes as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee are each expected to hold a hearing to recommend that the full House refer Garland to the Justice Department for the contempt charges over the department’s refusal to hand over the audio.
Garland advised Biden in a letter on Thursday that the audio falls within the scope of executive privilege. Garland told the Democratic president that the “committee’s needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.”
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte urged lawmakers not to proceed with the contempt effort to avoid “unnecessary and unwarranted conflict.”
“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the president’s claim of executive privilege cannot be held in contempt of Congress,” Uriarte wrote.
White House Counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a separate, scathing letter to Congress on Thursday that lawmakers’ effort to obtain the recording was absent any legitimate purpose and lays bare their likely goal — “to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes.”
The White House memo is a tacit admission that there are moments from the interview it fears portray Biden in a negative light in an election year — and that could be exacerbated by the release, or selective release, of the audio.
The transcript of the Hur interview showed Biden struggling to recall some dates and occasionally confusing some details — something longtime aides says he’s done for years in both public and private — but otherwise showing deep recall in other areas. Biden and his aides are particularly sensitive to questions about his age. At 81, he’s the oldest ever president, and he’s seeking another four year term.
Hur found some evidence that Biden had willfully retained classified information and disclosed it to a ghostwriter but concluded that it was insufficient for criminal charges.
Man Reunited With His Late Father’s Harley-Davidson After 12 Years
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
This story has all the ups and downs of a movie and will serve as a pick-me-up for any motorcyclist with a heart.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719799/man-reunited-with-fathers-harley/
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-05-16, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Friends, I signed this letter, I encourage others to read and sign:
https://techforfreedomandjustice.github.io/tech-open-letter/
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/112450893869324621
Cyber Official Speaks Out, Reveals Mobile Network Attacks in U.S.
date: 2024-05-16, from: 404 Media Group
A CISA official breaks with the government narrative and tells the FCC that SS7 and similar networks and protocols have been used to track people in the U.S. in recent years.
https://www.404media.co/cyber-official-speaks-out-reveals-mobile-network-attacks-in-u-s/
SBCC Foundation Hosts Spring Forward Gala
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Funds raised enable low-income students to pursue studies.
The post SBCC Foundation Hosts Spring Forward Gala appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/16/sbcc-foundation-hosts-spring-forward-gala/
A Former NPR Host’s New Podcast Series About Layoffs, More Detail on KQED, and a Freelance Isn’t Free Panel We All Need to Watch
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Squeeze
PLUS: An Update on The Squeeze
https://thisisthesqueeze.substack.com/p/a-former-npr-hosts-new-podcast-series
Microsoft’s carbon emissions up nearly 30% thanks to AI
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Company will require certain suppliers to run on 100% carbon-free electricity … by 2030
Microsoft has increased carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 30 percent since 2020, making its goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2030 even more difficult, and it looks like AI is to blame.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/microsoft_co2_emissions/
This Custom Yamaha Scrambler Is Perfection
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Masterfully crafted from the ground up to both look and perform the part.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719703/purpose-built-moto-yamaha-xt500-scrambler-vmx/
Florida’s New Climate Change Law Is About Much More Than Words
date: 2024-05-16, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Areas surrounding Milan, Italy, are flooded after intense rainfall • Chile is preparing for its most severe cold snap in 70 years • East Texas could see “nightmare” flash flooding today and tomorrow.
THE TOP FIVE
- Biden expands solar tariffs to include bifacial modules
The Biden administration is expanding existing solar panel tariffs to include the popular two-sided (or bifacial) modules used in many utility-scale solar installations. The solar manufacturing industry and elected representatives in states that have seen large solar manufacturing investments have been pushing to end the tariffs exclusion. With this move, the Biden administration is decisively intervening in the solar industry’s raging feud on the side of the adolescent-but-quickly-maturing domestic solar manufacturing industry, wrote Heatmap’s Matthew Zeitlin. Bifacial modules are estimated to account for over 90% of U.S. module imports. That amounted to some $4.3 billion of incoming orders in the first six months of last year. Developers who have contracts to buy bifacial panels that will be shipped within 90 days will still be able to import them without duties, and the tariffs also allow a quota of solar cells, which are later assembled into modules, to be imported without charges.
- Florida erases climate change from state law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday signed legislation that will result in most references to climate change being removed from state law. While the scrubbing of climate change is leading most headlines, the law does a few other important things, too:
- It nixes requirements for state government to prioritize climate change when writing energy policy.
- It removes language that gave state officials the authority to set goals for renewable energy.
- It bans offshore wind turbines in state waters.
- It repeals state grant programs that encourage energy conservation and renewable energy.
- It deletes requirements for state agencies to use environmentally-friendly products and fuel-efficient vehicles.
- It prevents municipalities from dictating which fuels can be used in appliances like gas stoves.
- It waters down regulation of gas pipelines and boosts expansion of gas.
Florida is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, from deadly heat waves to stronger and more frequent storms and sea level rise. And most Floridians support state action to tackle the issue. The law will come into effect on July 1.
- The North American grid is ready for a ‘normal’ summer
The North American electric grid has “adequate anticipated resources for normal summer peak load and conditions,” the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said yesterday. The nonprofit reliability organizaton’s chief executive officer Jim Robb said there are “fewer areas at risk than last year, but significant concerns remain at the system’s ability to perform under extreme conditions.” The report lays out summer reliability risks by region, including nuclear plant outages in Ontario, Canada, less-than-expected wind power generation in the middle of the U.S., and a heat wave affecting western states and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Texas’s main grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), warned that the state could face an electricity emergency this weekend, with power demand expected to creep up toward max supply levels starting Friday night and stretching into Saturday night.
- IEA lowers annual oil demand growth forecast
The International Energy Agency has lowered its forecast for oil demand growth for 2024. In its May report, the agency projects oil demand will grow by 1.1 million barrels per day (BPD), down 140,000 BPD from April’s report. “Poor industrial activity and another mild winter have sapped gasoil consumption this year,” the agency said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) released its own monthly report on Tuesday, projecting that oil demand will rise by 2.25 million BPD in 2024. “The gap between the IEA and OPEC is now even wider than it was earlier this year,” Reuters said.
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- Study: Climate change exacerbates brain diseases
A new study found that extreme heat from climate change is making certain conditions involving the brain and the nervous system worse, including Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and even migraines and strokes. “Many of the components of the brain are, in fact, working close to the top of their temperature ranges, meaning that small increases in temperature or humidity may mean they stop working so well together,” the authors, from University College London, explained. “When those environmental conditions move rapidly into unaccustomed ranges, as is happening with extreme temperatures and humidity related to climate change, our brain struggles to regulate our temperature and begins to malfunction.” The authors note that 20% of the excess deaths that resulted from the 2003 European heat wave were among people with neurological conditions.
THE KICKER
Massachusetts is launching a $10 million Climate Careers Fund that will provide no-interest loans to help people pay for training in climate-related jobs from heating and cooling to electric vehicle mechanics.
https://heatmap.news/climate/florida-desantis-climate-change-law
Samsung takes bite out of Apple over its mega marketing misstep
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘We would never crush creativity,’ says South Korea megacorp
If Apple thought it could forget about last week’s marketing disaster — which saw the tech giant roundly slated for appearing to crush human creativity in the name of computing progress — it was wrong.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/samsung_takes_a_bite_out/
Indoor ATV Ice Racing on a Hockey Rink Looks Insane
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
It’s flat track mixed with hockey.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719801/indoor-atv-ice-racing-hockey-rink/
Royal Enfield Needs to Bring The Continental GT Cup To the States
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The grassroots level racing series hopes to showcase the amateur talent of India’s racers.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719690/2024-royal-enfield-continental-gt-cup-announcement/
BepiColombo power struggle could leave probe short of Mercury’s orbit
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
ESA/JAXA mission running on reduced thrust as engineers work to resolve the issue
Updated Thruster problems with BepiColombo, the joint ESA and JAXA mission to Mercury, could cause headaches for managers plotting the spacecraft’s trajectory and insertion into Mercury’s orbit.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/bepicolombo_thruster_problems/
When inflation goes down, stocks go up
date: 2024-05-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Stock traders on Wall Street were feeling bullish on Wednesday. All three major stock indexes in the U.S. rose to record highs on the back of yesterday’s inflation report. The consumer price index report, which showed inflation cooling, made traders optimistic about the prospect of an interest rate cut. Then, we’ll delve into the staggering costs of inequities in mental health care and hear how Americans are feeling about tariffs on Chinese goods.
Marketplace is currently tracking behind target for this budget year — that means listeners like you can make a critical difference by investing in our journalism today.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/when-inflation-goes-down-stocks-go-up
Put Rescuezilla 2.5 on a bootable key – before you need it
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Sort of a FOSS Norton Ghost, now updated to Ubuntu 24.04 base
A fresh release of Rescuezilla, a free Ubuntu-based rescue disk for imaging the drives of a sickly computer, is available.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/rescuezilla_2_5/
NASA’s New Super-Alloy Could Transform Everything
date: 2024-05-16, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
The high-heat alloy is said to last 2,500 times longer than other nickel-base alloys.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719689/nasa-grx810-super-alloy/
Tax helpline callers left on hold for nearly eight centuries
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
HMRC forgot to tell Brits about its digital support channels
Appalling service levels at Britain’s tax collector meant customers phoning in with inquiries were collectively left on hold for 798 years in fiscal 2023.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/hmrc_telephone_support/
Putin and Xi’s display of unity
date: 2024-05-16, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: China’s leader Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin. With both countries facing trading restrictions, more business is being done between the two. We’ll discuss. Also on the program: Can you really trust online consumer reviews? Regulators want to bring in new rules to tackle fakes.
Marketplace is currently tracking behind target for this budget year — that means listeners like you can make a critical difference by investing in our journalism today.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/putin-and-xis-display-of-unity
Forget feet and inches, latest UK units of measurement are thinking bigger
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Testing wind turbine blades the size of three rusty angel wingspans
Reg Standards Bureau The UK has announced new units of measurement as part of pronouncements on wind turbines by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/uk_measurement_silliness/
NCSC CTO: Broken market must be fixed to usher in new tech
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It may take ten years but vendors must be held accountable for the vulnerabilities they introduce
CYBERUK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) CTO Ollie Whitehouse kicked off day two of Britain’s cyber watchdog’s annual shindig, CYBERUK, with a tirade about the tech market, pulling it apart to demonstrate why he believes it’s at fault for many of the security problems the industry is facing today. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/ncsc_cto_broken_market_must/
Rebranding Climate Change
date: 2024-05-16, from: Status-Q blog
As I look out of the window at yet another rainy day, it occurs to me that we missed an opportunity to get climate change taken seriously. Here in Britain, ‘global warming’ often sounds rather nice. An opportunity to improve domestic vineyards, perhaps, and make wines here like the Romans used to do. Or to Continue Reading
https://statusq.org/archives/2024/05/16/12067/
Introducing classroom management to the Code Editor
date: 2024-05-16, from: Raspberry Pi (.org)
I’m excited to announce that we’re developing a new set of Code Editor features to help school teachers run text-based coding lessons with their students. New Code Editor features for teaching Last year we released our free Code Editor and made it available as an open source project. Right now we’re developing a new set…
The post Introducing classroom management to the Code Editor appeared first on Raspberry Pi Foundation.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/code-editor-classroom-management/
Biden Takes a Side in the Solar Industry’s Family Feud
date: 2024-05-16, from: Heatmap News
The Biden administration continued its campaign to support domestic green energy manufacturing via trade policy on Thursday, this time by expanding existing solar panel tariffs to include the popular two-sided modules used in many utility-scale solar installations.
With this move, the Biden administration is decisively intervening in the solar industry’s raging feud on the side of the adolescent-but-quickly-maturing (thanks, in part, to generous government support) domestic solar manufacturing industry. On the other side is the more established solar development, installation, and financing industry, which tends to support the widespread availability of cheaper solar components, even if they come from China or Chinese-owned companies in Southeast Asia.
These particular solar modules, known as bifacial modules, are estimated to account for over 90% of U.S. module imports. That amounted to some $4.3 billion of incoming orders in the first six months of last year, according to a report by the International Trade Commission, an almost three-fold increase from the first six months of the year prior.
Tariffs on solar modules were first imposed by the Trump administration in 2018 and later extended in 2022, with the levy rate falling to around 14% from the initial 30%.
Domestic and global solar supply chains are under threat from “unfair and non-market practices,” as well as “Chinese solar panel overcapacity,” National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said on a call with reporters — hence the expanded tariffs.
The solar manufacturing industry and elected representatives in states that have seen large solar manufacturing investments have been pushing to end the exclusion. Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, for instance, wrote a letter to President Biden in March calling for the bifacial exemption to be removed, arguing that “the elimination of the exemption for bifacial panels would strengthen the United States’ and Georgia’s economy, protect U.S. national security, and serve the nation’s long-term economic and energy security interests.”
The Korean solar company Qcells is planning to invest more than $2 billion in solar manufacturing in Georgia. The American solar manufacturer First Solar has long campaigned for bifacial modules to be included in the tariffs.
White House climate advisor John Podesta cited the International Trade
Commission report during the briefing with reporters to demonstrate that
an increase in bifacial imports had occurred while
imports
of other types of modules had fallen. “The findings … made clear
that the bifacial exemption was likely being abused, and that that
tariff exemption was no longer appropriate,” Podesta said.
The
White House is not completely deaf to the preferences of the other side
of the solar industry, however.
Developers who have contracts
to buy bifacial panels that will be shipped within 90 days will still be
able to import them without duties, Podesta said, “to avoid undue
disruptions to the industry.”
The tariffs also allow a quota of solar cells, which are later assembled into modules, to be imported without charges. Zaidi said that “raising … the tariff rate quota to facilitate the availability of solar cells for manufacturers here in the United States will be necessary to make sure we’re sprinting into the acceleration that’s necessary to grow the U.S. manufacturing capacity.”
The solar lobby had been asking for at least an increase in the tariff rate quota. While they weren’t able to win the war over tariffs, they’re still getting something.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/solar-module-tariff-china
HR expert says biz leaders scared RTO mandates lead to staff attrition
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
So why not drop the policy? Productivity bias or productivity paranoia perhaps
Evidence is mounting that tech companies’ policies demanding staff return to the office are only serving to drive out the talent that became accustomed to remote work.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/hr_say_biz_leaders_scared_rto/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Jing Jing was famous in the early blogosphere as house of spicy noodles.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/jing-jing-gourmet-palo-alto-closure-19459757.php
TSMC says no damage to its Arizona facilities after incident
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
TAIPAI, TAIWAN — Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC said Thursday there was no damage to its facilities after an incident at its Arizona factory construction site where
a waste disposal truck driver was transported to a hospital.
Firefighters responded to a reported explosion Wednesday afternoon at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plant in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reported, citing the local fire department.
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker whose clients include Apple and Nvidia, said in a statement none of its employees or onsite construction workers had reported any related injuries.
“This is an active investigation with no additional details that can be shared at this time,” it added.
TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares pared earlier gains after the news and were last up around 0.8% on Thursday morning. TSMC last month agreed to expand its planned investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona plant by 2030.
The company will produce the world’s most advanced 2 nanometer technology at its second Arizona facility expected to begin production in 2028.
https://www.voanews.com/a/tsmc-says-no-damage-to-its-arizona-facilities-after-incident/7614362.html
The loathsomeness of Trump world
date: 2024-05-16, from: Robert Reich on Substack
The backstory of the trial
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-loathsomeness-of-trump-world
This vintage radio streams music with Raspberry Pi Zero W
date: 2024-05-16, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
A 1938 Emerson clock radio was the inspiration for this 3D printed Raspberry Pi-powered music streaming device.
The post This vintage radio streams music with Raspberry Pi Zero W appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/this-vintage-radio-streams-music-with-raspberry-pi-zero-w/
Jason Gibbs | It’s Time for Dodger Baseball!
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Signal
“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.” – Yogi Berra April has always been one of my favorite months because year after […]
The post Jason Gibbs | It’s Time for Dodger Baseball! appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/jason-gibbs-its-time-for-dodger-baseball/
Women’s tennis ends season with loss in Big West quarterfinals
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
CSUN women’s tennis had high hopes for the tournament as the second-place team in the Big West. But after they pushed most of their matches to three sets, they couldn’t…
Today in SCV History (May 16)
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1938 – Brand-new Lockheed transport plane crashes in Agua Dulce; all 9 perish including 2 infants. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-may-16/
Take a stroll through the US president’s backyard
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
General public gets to visit White House grounds in spring and fall
Santa Barbara’s Grand Arlington Hotel
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Arlington Hotel was built in 1876, rebuilt in 1809, and perished in 1925.
The post Santa Barbara’s Grand Arlington Hotel appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/santa-barbaras-grand-arlington-hotel/
Trinity Gardens Tour
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Three acres nestled in the Santa Barbara foothills.
The post Trinity Gardens Tour appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/trinity-gardens-tour/
Farm Tour Gold at Wanderment Farms
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Farm Tour Gold at Wanderment Farms The Redfern’s Organic, Regenerative Showcase Sits in the Cliffs Above Carpinteria By Matt Kettmann
The post Farm Tour Gold at Wanderment Farms appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/farm-tour-gold-at-wanderment-farms/
Santa Barbara’s Annual Ode to Julia Child
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Here’s a rundown of Taste of Santa Barbara’s weekend of delicious to-dos.
The post Santa Barbara’s Annual Ode to Julia Child appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/santa-barbaras-annual-ode-to-julia-child/
The TOSB Soirée
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The “signature event” brings together some of the best chefs in the region.
The post The TOSB Soirée appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/the-tosb-soiree/
Big G’s Barbecue Fuses American, Mexican, and Guatemalan Cuisines
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Gabriel and Misha De Loera’s homegrown Santa Barbara catering company.
The post Big G’s Barbecue Fuses American, Mexican, and Guatemalan Cuisines appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Momma’s Soul Food Fusion Invents Soulshi Rolls
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara’s Chef Guidance Moon is combining Southern comforts with
Japanese
techniques.
The post Momma’s Soul Food Fusion Invents Soulshi Rolls appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/mommas-soul-food-fusion-invents-soulshi-rolls/
Chasing Wine Dreams and Embracing Curiosity with Trippers & Askers
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The poetic spirit behind Hayden Felice and Andrew Fitzgerald’s Santa Barbara County wine brand.
The post Chasing Wine Dreams and Embracing Curiosity with Trippers & Askers appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Winemaker Dusty Nabor’s Powerful Pursuit of Every Passion
date: 2024-05-16, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Why this steel pipe professional is crafting Santa Barbara County wines in a Camarillo warehouse.
The post Winemaker Dusty Nabor’s Powerful Pursuit of Every Passion appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/winemaker-dusty-nabors-powerful-pursuit-of-every-passion/
In a milestone, the US exceeds 5 million solar installations
date: 2024-05-16, from: Electrek Feed
The US has now officially surpassed 5 million solar installations, a significant landmark in its shift toward clean energy, according to data released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/us-exceeds-5-million-solar-installations/
May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-16, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
All three of the nation’s major stock indexes hit record highs today after the latest data showed inflation cooling. Standard and Poor’s 500, more commonly known as the S&P 500, measures the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Today it was up 61 points, or 1.2%. The Nasdaq Composite is weighted toward companies in the information technology sector. Today it was up 231 points, or 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, often just called the Dow, measures 30 prominent companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Today it was up 350 points, or 0.9%. The Dow ended the day at 39,908, approaching 40,000.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-15-2024
Spreading their wings: CSUN holds its annual DREAM UndocuGraduation
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Hosted by the DREAM — Dreamers, Resources, Empowerment, Advocacy and Mentorship — Center, the annual UndocuGraduation celebrates the accomplishments of undocumented and mixed-status students. The DREAM Center provides various opportunities…
Apple on track for quarter of all iPhones to be made in India by 2028
date: 2024-05-16, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
IT minister boasts of tech titan building network of local vendors
Apple is expected to have a quarter of all iPhones made in India by 2028, according to the country’s IT minister.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/apple_iphones_india/
US working to get trapped American doctors out of Gaza, White House says
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
US, Niger delegation meet to discuss US forces withdrawal
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
Pentagon — After nearly a two-week delay, U.S. and Nigerien officials are holding high-level follow-on meetings to coordinate the withdrawal of American troops from the country.
Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Lieutenant General Dagvin Anderson, joint staff director for joint force development, are meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Niamey with members of Niger’s new government, known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, or CNSP, two U.S. officials told VOA.
The CNSP posted on the social platform X Wednesday that Maier and Anderson met Wednesday with Lieutenant General Salifou Mody, one of the military coup members who was named minister of national defense.
The CNSP noted that the meeting comes two months after Niger denounced its military basing agreements with the United States and aims to “ensure that this withdrawal takes place in the best possible conditions, guaranteeing order, security and compliance with set deadlines.”
There are about 900 U.S. military personnel in Niger, including active duty, civilians and contractors, according to the U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the conclusion of the talks. Most of the U.S. military personnel have stayed in the country past their deployment’s planned end dates, as details for their withdrawal are ironed out.
“We’re still in a bit of a holding pattern,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said last week.
Counterterrorism in ‘disarray’
The U.S. has had two military bases — Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 in Agadez —to monitor terror groups in the region. Officials say most U.S. forces are based in the latter, which cost the U.S. $110 million to build, and began drone operations in 2019.
Niger’s natural resources have increased its importance to global powers, and Niger’s location had provided the U.S. with the ability to conduct counterterror operations throughout much of West Africa.
“We’re in a different position now, and we’re going to continue to consult with the Nigeriens in terms of the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces. We’re going to continue to stay engaged with the partners in the region when it comes to terrorism and countering the terrorist threat,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.
Countries in the region, including Niger, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, have seen an expansive rise in jihadist movements.
According to the Global Terrorism Index, an annual report covering terrorist incidents worldwide, more than half of the deaths caused by terrorism last year were in the Sahel.
Niger’s neighbor, Burkina Faso, suffered the worst, with 1,907 fatalities from terrorism in 2023.
“These are some of the most dangerous areas in the world,” Bill Roggio, editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, told VOA. “These countries are in dire threat of being overrun by jihadist groups.”
Now, Niger’s coup has put the West’s ability to monitor terrorists like the Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Sahel in “complete disarray,” according to Roggio.
The United States’ intelligence-gathering capacity was limited before, “but we’re approaching the point where intelligence-gathering is practically at zero,” he said.
A U.S. defense official told VOA that “basically every flight,” even intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone flights, must be approved by the junta.
“The beginning of April is when things started getting slower,” the official told VOA. The junta began delaying and canceling the types of U.S. military flights that had been quickly approved before then.
Carla Martinez Machain, a political science professor at the University of Buffalo, believes the Pentagon will try to negotiate with Chad for a more significant American troop presence, as the U.S. struggles to find allies in what she called the “coup belt” — a reference to the recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
However, most U.S. forces have temporarily left from Chad for Germany in recent weeks, a move the Pentagon called a “temporary step” as part of an ongoing review of its security cooperation with Chad, which would resume after the country’s May 6 presidential election.
Only a small group of service members remain in Chad as part of a multinational task force, officials tell VOA.
“Niger was somewhat of a rarity in the sense that it had one of the few democratically elected governments in the region, and also a democratically elected government that was friendly to the U.S. and willing to host a U.S. military presence,” Martinez Machain told VOA. “And so, finding a replacement for that for a military base is going to be somewhat difficult.”
Unless the U.S. can find another base to use in West Africa, counterterror drones will likely have to spend most of their fuel supply flying thousands of kilometers from U.S. bases in Italy or Djibouti, severely limiting their time over the targets and their ability to gather intelligence.
“The beauty of having drones based in Niger was that they were in the thick of the fight. They were in the middle of where jihadist groups are operating. So, once you launch the drones, they’re in the midst of it, and all of the flight time being used can be used to gather information,” Roggio said.
Resupply concerns
Amid the negotiations and flight cancellations, U.S. troops in Niger began raising concerns about their supply chain. Service members in Niamey told the office of Representative Matt Gaetz that blood for the blood bank, hygiene supplies, malaria pills and other medications were running low.
A U.S. defense official acknowledged to VOA that “they were concerned about medication levels.” The official also said that troops in Niamey had gone through April without a resupply flight but had received food and water supplies through ground-based transportation.
A flight with medical supplies finally went from Agadez to Niamey last week, the defense official told VOA.
Coup forced withdrawal
Tensions between the U.S. and Niger began in 2023 when Niger’s military junta removed the democratically elected president from power.
After months of delay, the Biden administration formally declared in October that the military takeover in Niger was a coup, a determination that prevented Niger from receiving a significant amount of U.S. military and foreign assistance.
In March, after tense meetings between U.S. representatives and the CNSP, the junta called the U.S. military presence “illegal” and announced it was ending an agreement that allowed American forces to be based in the country.
During that meeting, the U.S. and Niger fundamentally disagreed about Niger’s desire to supply Iran with uranium and work more closely with Russian military forces.
“They [Niger] saw this as kind of an imperialistic move, and this was seen negatively and was part of the reason why the U.S. was told to leave the country,” Martinez Machain said.
Russia has made significant military inroads across the African continent, Martinez Machain added, because human rights violators are able to obtain military training, assistance and defense systems “without the conditions that the U.S. would attach them.”
“Especially for nondemocratic countries, this can seem very appealing,” she said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-niger-delegation-meet-to-discuss-us-forces-withdrawal/7614227.html
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-16, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Why Biden Wanted to Debate Trump Early.
https://politicalwire.com/2024/05/15/why-biden-wanted-to-debate-trump-early/
Fewer US overdose deaths reported last year, but experts still cautious
date: 2024-05-16, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — The number of fatal overdoses in the U.S. fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday.
Agency officials noted that the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, and that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago.
Experts reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small and said it should be thought of as part of a leveling off rather than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up in the years that followed.
“Any decline is encouraging,” said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends. “But I think it’s certainly premature to celebrate or to draw any large-scale conclusions about where we may be headed long term with this crisis.”
It’s also too soon to know what spurred the decline, Marshall and other experts said. Explanations could include shifts in the drug supply, expansion of overdose prevention and addiction treatment, and the grim possibility that the epidemic has killed so many that now there are basically fewer people to kill.
CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry called the dip “heartening news” and praised efforts to reduce the tally, but she noted that “there are still families and friends losing their loved ones to drug overdoses at staggering numbers.”
About 107,500 people died of overdoses in the U.S. last year, including American citizens and noncitizens who were in the country at the time they died, the CDC estimated. That’s down 3% from 2022, when there were an estimated 111,000 such deaths, the agency said.
The drug overdose epidemic, which has killed more than 1 million people since 1999, has had many ripple effects. For example, a study published last week in JAMA Psychiatry estimated that more than 321,000 U.S. children lost a parent to a fatal drug overdose from 2011 to 2021.
“These children need support” and are at a higher risk of mental health and drug use disorders themselves, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which helped lead the study. “It’s not just a loss of a person. It’s also the implications that loss has for the family left behind.”
Prescription painkillers once drove the nation’s overdose epidemic, but they were supplanted years ago by heroin and more recently by illegal fentanyl. The dangerously powerful opioid was developed to treat intense pain from ailments such as cancer but has increasingly been mixed with other drugs in the illicit drug supply.
For years, fentanyl was frequently injected, but increasingly it’s being smoked or mixed into counterfeit pills.
A study published last week found that law enforcement seizures of pills containing fentanyl are rising dramatically, jumping from 44 million in 2022 to more than 115 million last year.
It’s possible that the seizures indicate that the overall supply of fentanyl-laced pills is growing fast, not necessarily that police are whittling down the illicit drug supply, said one of the paper’s authors, Dr. Daniel Ciccarone of the University of California, San Francisco.
He noted that the decline in overdoses was not uniform. All but two of the states in the eastern half of the U.S. saw declines, but most Western states saw increases. Alaska, Washington and Oregon each saw 27% increases.
The reason? Many Eastern states have been dealing with fentanyl for about a decade, while it’s reached Western states more recently, Ciccarone said.
Nevertheless, some researchers say there are reasons to be optimistic. It’s possible that smoking fentanyl is not as lethal as injecting it, but scientists are still exploring that question.
Meanwhile, more money is becoming available to treat addiction and prevent overdoses, through government funding and legal settlements with drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies, Ciccarone noted.
“My hope is 2023 is the beginning of a turning point,” he said.
Ocean Water Warning For May 15
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters
https://scvnews.com/ocean-water-warning-for-may-15/
Bowman celebrates poets and artists
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Signal
One by one, students mustered the courage and came up to the podium at Bowman High School to read aloud a poem from “The Redemption of You” — a collection of […]
The post Bowman celebrates poets and artists appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/bowman-celebrates-poets-and-artists/
May 29: Celebrate API Heritage Month With Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce
date: 2024-05-16, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce is Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage at Board & Brush later this month.
https://scvnews.com/may-29-celebrate-api-heritage-month-with-santa-clarita-chamber-of-commerce/
Restored historic truck makes appearance at Placerita Canyon open house
date: 2024-05-16, from: The Signal
Rusted, but good as new, Frank Walker’s restored 1935 Ford V-8 made its debut during the Placerita Canyon Nature Center open house on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. […]
The post Restored historic truck makes appearance at Placerita Canyon open house appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
Qualcomm details Linux on Snapdragon X Elite, and it’s looking surprisingly good
date: 2024-05-16, from: OS News
With Qualcomm and Microsoft about to flood the market with devices using the new Snapdragon X Elite, those of us who don’t want to use Windows felt a bit uneasy – what’s Linux support going to look like for this new generation of ARM devices? Well, it seems Qualcomm’s been busy, and they’ve published a blog post detailing their work on Linux support for the X Elite. It’s been our priority not only to support Linux on our premium-tier SoCs, but to support it pronto. In fact, within one or two days of publicly announcing each generation of Snapdragon 8, we’ve posted the initial patchset for Linux kernel support. Snapdragon X Elite was no exception: we announced on October 23 of last year and posted the patchset the next day. That was the result of a lot of pre-announcement work to get everything up and running on Linux and Debian. ↫ Qualcomm’s developer blog In the blog post, the company details exactly which X Elite features have already been merged into mainline with Linux 6.8 and 6.9, as well as which features will be merged into mainline in Linux 6.10 and 6.11, and to be quite frank – it’s looking really solid, especially considering this is Qualcomm we’re talking about. Over the coming six months, they’re going to focus on getting end-to-end hardware video decoding working, including in Firefox and Chrome, as well as various CPU and GPU optimisations, adding the required firmware to the linux-firmware package, and providing access to easy installers. All in all, it’s looking like the X Elite will be exceptionally well supported by Linux before the year’s over. The blog post also details the boot path for Linux on the X Elite, and that, too, is looking good. It’s using a standard UEFI boot process, and supports GRUB and systemd-boot out of the box. Linux boots up using devicetrees, though, and apparently, there’s a known problem with using those that Qualcomm and the community are working on. We’re working closely with upstream communities on an open problem with the UEFI-based BIOS while booting with devicetrees. The problem is that, when you have more than one devicetree blob (DTB) packed into the firmware package flashed on the device, there is no standard way of selecting a devicetree to pass on to the kernel. OEMs commonly put multiple DTBs into the firmware package so it will support devices with slightly different SKUs, so we’re keen to solve this problem. ↫ Qualcomm’s developer blog I am pleasantly surprised by the openness and straightforwardness Qualcomm is showing the Linux community here, and I really hope this is a sign of how the company will keep supporting its laptop and possibly desktop-oriented SoCs from here on out. It seems like next year we will finally be getting competitive ARM laptops that can run Linux in a fully supported fashion.
Android 15 beta 2 released
date: 2024-05-15, from: OS News
Google released Android 15 beta 2 today, and with it, they unveiled some more of the new features coming to Android later this year when the final release lands. Android 15 comes with something called a private space, an area with an extra layer of authentication where you can keep applications and data hidden away, such as banking applications or health data. It’s effectively a separate user profile, and shows up as a separate area in the application drawer when unlocked. When locked, it disappears entirely from sight, share sheets, and so on. Another awesome new feature is Theft Detection Lock, which uses Google “AI” to detect when a phone is snatched out of your hands by someone running, biking, or driving away, and instantly locks it. Theft like this is quite common in certain areas, and this seems like an excellent use of “AI” (i.e., accelerometer data) to discourage thieves from trying this. There’s also a bunch of smaller stuff, like custom vibration patterns per notification, giving applications partial access to only your most recent photos and videos, system-wide preferences for which gender you’d like to be addressed as in gendered languages (French gets this feature first), and a whole lot more. Developers also get a lot to play with here, from safer intents to something like ANGLE: Vulkan is Android’s preferred interface to the GPU. Therefore, Android 15 includes ANGLE as an optional layer for running OpenGL ES on top of Vulkan. Moving to ANGLE will standardize the Android OpenGL implementation for improved compatibility, and, in some cases, improved performance. You can test out your OpenGL ES app stability and performance with ANGLE by enabling the developer option in Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Experimental: Enable ANGLE on Android 15. ↫ Android developer blog You can install Android 15 beta 2 on a number f Pixel devices and devices from other OEMs starting today. I installed it on my Pixel 8 Pro, and after a few hours I haven’t really noticed anything breaking, but that’s really not enough time to make any meaningful observations. Google also detailed Wear OS 5. Later this year, battery life optimizations are coming to watches with Wear OS 5. For example, running an outdoor marathon will consume up to 20% less power when compared to watches with Wear OS 4. And your fitness apps will be able to help improve your performance with the option to support more data types like ground contact time, stride length and vertical oscillation. ↫ Android developer blog Wear OS 5 will also improve the Watch Face Format with more complications, which is very welcome, because the selection of complications is currently rather meager. Wear OS 5 will also ship later this year.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139707/android-15-beta-2-released/
Cohen to answer more questions at Trump’s hush money trial
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/cohen-to-testify-again-at-trump-s-criminal-trial/7613823.html
Fentanyl becoming deadlier, federal drug agency warns
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
By Jack Phillips Contributing Writer The Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that fentanyl coming into the United States is becoming more deadly. In a report released last week, the DEA said […]
The post Fentanyl becoming deadlier, federal drug agency warns appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/fentanyl-becoming-deadlier-federal-drug-agency-warns/
How Vietnamese lawmakers struck back when L.A. County declared Jane Fonda Day
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
By Ryan Sabalow CalMatters Writer As Saigon was falling, Janet Nguyen’s uncle – an officer in the South Vietnamese Army – was taken before his village and executed. After the […]
The post How Vietnamese lawmakers struck back when L.A. County declared Jane Fonda Day appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
Assessor Anticipates 2024 Property Values to Increase Almost Five Percent
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The County Assessor reported to the Board of Supervisors that taxable property values are anticipated to increase about 4.75% over
https://scvnews.com/assessor-prang-anticipates-2024-property-values-to-increase-almost-five-percent/
Beijing vows retaliation against Biden’s hikes of tariffs on Chinese imports
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
US border arrests fall in April, as Mexico steps up enforcement
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
Add PCI Express to your PowerPC Mac
date: 2024-05-15, from: Tilde.news
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92hyuICbLpE
Sheriff’s Log: May 9 to May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: Catalina Islander
The following is the Avalon’s Sheriff’s Stations significant incidents report for the period May 9 to May 15, 2024. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Many people who are arrested do not get prosecuted in the first place and many who are prosecuted do not get convicted. May […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/sheriffs-log-may-9-to-may-15-2024/
May 20: Second Application Round for L.A. County Rent Relief Program Opens Monday
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Following a successful initial launch, the Los Angeles County Rent Relief Program is set to open for a second round of applications
https://scvnews.com/may-20-second-application-round-for-l-a-county-rent-relief-program-opens-monday/
Armed with AI, adversaries will try to tilt US election, security officials warn
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — America’s foreign adversaries will again seek to influence the upcoming U.S. elections, top security officials warned members of the Senate on Wednesday, harnessing the latest innovations in artificial intelligence to spread online disinformation, mislead voters and undermine trust in democracy.
But the U.S. has greatly improved its ability to safeguard election security and identify and combat foreign disinformation campaigns since 2016, when Russia sought to influence the election, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The latest warning from security officials came as advances in AI make it easier and cheaper than ever to create lifelike images, video and audio that can fool even the most discerning voter. Other tools of disinformation include state media, online influencers, and networks of fake accounts that can quickly amplify false and misleading content.
Russia, China and Iran remain the main actors looking to interfere with the 2024 election, security officials said, but because of advances in technology, other nations or even domestic groups could try to mount their own sophisticated disinformation campaigns.
Russia remains “the most active foreign threat to our elections,” Haines said, using its state media and online influencers to try to erode trust in democratic institutions and U.S. support for Ukraine.
In recent months, Russia has seized on America’s debate over immigration, spreading posts that exaggerate the impact of migration in an apparent effort to stoke outrage among American voters.
China did not directly try to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, mostly because of concerns about blowback, Haines said.
China’s ties to TikTok were one of the things cited by members of Congress who recently voted to force TikTok’s Beijing-based owner to sell the platform.
“Needless to say, we will continue to monitor their activity,” Haines said of China.
Iran, meanwhile, has used social media platforms to issue threats and try to confuse voters, Haines said. She cited a 2020 episode in which U.S. officials accused Tehran of distributing false content and being behind a flurry of emails sent to Democratic voters in multiple battleground states that appeared to be aimed at intimidating them into voting for President Donald Trump.
Wednesday’s hearing on foreign threats to the election also covered the risk that an adversary could hack into state or local election systems, either to change the vote or to create the perception that the outcome can’t be trusted.
Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the federal government has worked closely with state and local election officials to ensure the 2024 election is the most secure ever.
“Election infrastructure has never been more secure,” Easterly said.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Copilot can now help you navigate your Windows 11 settings.
https://mspoweruser.com/copilot-can-now-help-you-navigate-your-windows-11-settings/
As It Launches An Affordable EV, General Motors Wants ‘A Level Playing Field’ With China
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
GM President Mark Reuss weighs in on Biden’s tariffs on China, the Equinox EV, hybrids and more.
https://insideevs.com/news/719750/gm-electric-china-tariffs/
FBI takes down BreachForums ransomware website and Telegram channel
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No more illicit gains, for a while at least
The FBI, in combination with police around the world, have taken control of the website and Telegram channel of ransomware brokerage site BreachForums.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/fbi_breachforums_ransomware/
Crook brags about US Army and $75B defense biz pwnage
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
More government data allegedly stolen by prolific criminals
An extortionist claims to have stolen files from the US Army Aviation and Missile Command in August 2023, and now claims they are selling access to a $75 billion aerospace and defense company.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/us_army_contractor_data_loss/
WalletHub: Santa Clarita Ranked First in Cities with Biggest Debt Decrease
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
With Americans’ debt around $17.7 trillion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the Cities Paying Off the Most Household Debt, based on recently released data from the Federal Reserve.
https://scvnews.com/wallethub-santa-clarita-ranked-first-in-cities-with-biggest-debt-decrease/
LAUSD Budget Outlook Improves, But Financial Challenges Remain
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The LAist
California’s deficit has increased, but K-12 schools are largely spared cuts in the governor’s May revision.
https://laist.com/news/education/lausd-budget-may-revise-2024-school-funding
Tesla nearing shareholder vote to grant Musk $46B
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Fundamentals are for losers: It’s a good time to head the worst performing stock in the S&P
Owners of Tesla stock will vote on June 13 to determine whether the company’s CEO Elon Musk deserves a $46 billion payday.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/tesla_shareholder_vote_on_giving/
Hart baseball punches ticket to CIF title game
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
Michael Hogen remembers going to Cooperstown when he was younger for a baseball tournament, making it all the way to the championship game before coming up short. Hogen will have […]
The post Hart baseball punches ticket to CIF title game appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/hart-baseball-punches-ticket-to-cif-title-game/
CSUN students learn Korean with Valley U
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
Learning a second language can be hard, especially one that uses a different alphabet from ours. An organization known as Valley U Korean offers free Korean classes close to CSUN….
https://sundial.csun.edu/181940/news/csun-students-learn-korean-with-valley-u/
In April, Tesla prices were higher month-over-month but lower year-over-year
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Tesla posted larger-than-average ATP (average transaction price) increases month-over-month in April, but its prices were lower year-over-year, reports Kelley Blue Book.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/april-2024-tesla-prices/
Raspberry Pi officially announces intent to IPO
date: 2024-05-15, from: OS News
As expected earlier this year, Raspberry Pi is going public on the stock exchange in London. Back then, CEO Eben Upton said he did not expect the IPO to change how Raspberry Pi did things, but history tells us that initial public offerings tend to, well, change how companies do things. In their official announcement that they intend to hold an IPO, there’s an incredibly interesting and telling contradiction, as noted by @yassie_j on MastoAkkoma: Raspberry Pi, in their listing press release, says: The Enthusiast and Education market is the “heart” of the Raspberry Pi movement. But also says: Industrial and Embedded market accounts over 72 per cent So the heart seems to be going neglected, it seems, because there’s no way you’re going to not cash in on industrial applications. Especially when you’ve just done a big IPO. ↫ @yassie_j on Akkoma This exactly illustrates the fears we all have about what an IPO is going to mean for Raspberry Pi. It’s already become increasingly more difficult for enthusiasts to get their hands on the latest Raspberry Pi models, but once the IPO’s done and there’s shareholders breathing down their neck, that will most likely only get worse. If the industrial and embedded market is where you’re making most of your money, where do you think Raspberry Pi devices are going to end up? Luckily the market’s a lot bigger and more varied now than it was back when Raspberry Pi was new, so we have a wide variety of options to choose from. Still, I’m definitely worried about what Raspberry Pi, as a company, will look like five, ten years from now.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139700/raspberry-pi-officially-announces-intent-to-ipo/
BYD launches new Shark PHEV as its first pickup to rival Toyota’s Hilux, Ford Ranger
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
A new electrified pickup is hitting the global market. China’s BYD introduced its new Shark plug-in hybrid (PHEV) pickup in Mexico this week. The new BYD Shark is poised to compete against top-selling trucks globally, like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/byd-unveils-shark-phev-pickup-rival-toyota-hilux-ford-ranger/
Expedition 70 Astronauts to Share Mission in NASA Welcome Home Event
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
May 15, 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY: J24-010 Expedition 70 Astronauts to Share Mission in NASA Welcome Home Event Four astronauts will participate in a welcome home ceremony at Space Center Houston after recently returning from a mission aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) […]
A.I. Detects 40 Allegedly Counterfeit Paintings for Sale on eBay
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Art Recognition’s algorithm is trained to identify specific artists’ patterns of style and composition
Kennedy regarded as potential spoiler in US presidential election
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
white house — There are few things the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden agree on. One is the presidential candidacy of activist-lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both the Biden and Trump camps see Kennedy as a potential spoiler in this November’s election.
About half of registered voters have told pollsters that if given the chance, they would replace both Biden and Trump on this year’s ballot.
“If you picture what this country is going to look like in November if either President Trump or President Biden won, the division is going to continue,” Kennedy said at a California campaign event to introduce his running mate, 38-year-old attorney and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan. “The anger, the vitriol, the chaos, the polarization is going to worsen. The only way to end that is through my successful candidacy.”
Neither Kennedy nor Shanahan has ever held elective office.
Kennedy’s father was Robert F. Kennedy, a former U.S. attorney general and a senator, and a major contender in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primary until he was assassinated. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy, slain while in office in 1963.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not going to be the next president,” predicts Georgetown University Associate Professor Hans Noel, echoing the consensus of his fellow political scientists.
What worries the Biden and Trump campaigns is the possibility of Kennedy on the ballot in the half-dozen or so swing states where his mere thousands of votes could “change the outcome of that state. Then of course, that tips the direction of that state — if that state is large enough — and the ultimate election is fairly close, which is what we expect. Then, it could change the outcome of the race,” Noel tells VOA.
During a recent appearance on MSNBC, Kennedy declared “I’m going to be on the ballot in every state. I’ll be on the ballot in every state by July.”
Kennedy’s team declined VOA’s request to make the candidate or a surrogate available to respond to questions, saying “the campaign has decided to only grant interviews to U.S press with targeted U.S. audiences at this time.”
The Kennedy clan “is not happy at all that he’s running, and they’ve made a number of efforts to make that very clear,” notes Noel.
Biden, during a recent campaign appearance in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, was surrounded by Kennedy family members, including the independent candidate’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, who said “We want to make crystal clear our feeling that the best way forward for America is to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to four more years.”
Candidate Kennedy’s beliefs about vaccines, the origins of COVID-19, and the assassinations of his father and uncle have attracted some supporters, including those who said they previously voted for Trump or Biden.
In recent weeks, Kennedy attracted the most media attention not for his positions on any political issue but for a revelation from a 2012 deposition for a divorce. In it, he said cognitive issues that had harmed his earning potential could have been “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
In a social media post after the brain worm wriggled into the headlines across the country, Kennedy quipped, “I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate.”
Political pundits are split on whether Kennedy poses more of a threat to Trump or Biden.
“Kennedy is much more popular among Republicans than he is among Democrats right now. But that’s probably mostly because he’s a Democrat or former Democrat who says bad things about other Democrats,” said Noel. “And, so, Republicans like to hear that, and they think that sounds interesting. But they’re not going to vote for that over Donald Trump.”
The Republican National Committee, attempting to dissuade conservatives who oppose abortion from considering Kennedy as an alternative to Trump, stated, “There is exactly zero daylight between the abortion extremism of RFK Jr. and Crooked Joe Biden.”
The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint against Kennedy in February with the Federal Election Commission alleging a political action committee was illegally coordinating with the independent candidate’s campaign to get him on additional state ballots.
Biden’s party also portrays Kennedy as a “spoiler for Donald Trump,” according to Matt Corridoni, a DNC spokesperson.
“RFK Jr.’s campaign isn’t building a plan or a strategy to get 270 electoral votes. They’re building one to help Trump return to the Oval Office,” he says.
The New York Times calls Kennedy the “X factor” in this year’s presidential election, noting that the latest public opinion survey, organized by the newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College, shows him polling stronger than any third-party candidate in decades. The poll has Kennedy being supported by about 10% of registered voters in the battleground states, drawing equally from both Biden and Trump.
US senators’ AI roadmap aims for $32B in R&D spending
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘Reads like it was written by Sam Altman and Big Tech lobbyists,’ say critics
A quartet of US senators have released an AI legislation roadmap that calls for billions of dollars in research funding, but largely kicks the can down the road on determining federal AI legislation.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/us_ai_roadmap_proposal/
The Average Price Of An EV In April Was $55,252, 8.5% Less Than Last Year
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
EV prices remained nearly unchanged compared to March, while new vehicle prices jumped 2.2%.
https://insideevs.com/news/719763/average-ev-price-april-2024-down/
UC Workers Authorize Strike Over Crackdown On Campus Protests
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The LAist
Among other demands, student workers and researchers want amnesty for students arrested over the past month.
https://laist.com/news/education/uaw-4811-uc-strike-vote-campus-protests-unfair-labor-practice
Lilbits: Android 15 Beta 2, Accessibility for Android and iOS, and more emulators in the App Store
date: 2024-05-15, from: Liliputing
On the second day of Google IO 2024, Google released a new beta of Android 15 and announced a bunch of new features coming to Android for mobile devices and TVs. But today’s news isn’t all about Google: Apple also unveiled upcoming accessibility features for iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS. And after a slightly rocky start, […]
The post Lilbits: Android 15 Beta 2, Accessibility for Android and iOS, and more emulators in the App Store appeared first on Liliputing.
These Artworks Explore the Cultural Significance of Hair
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
A new exhibition at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Australia examines what hair says about identity, gender, social status and more
Curation, search, and the future of the web
date: 2024-05-15, from: Manu - I write blog
<p>Google I/O 2024 is underway and a bunch of articles came out about what Google's changes to its core product (search) mean for the web as a whole. Sean Hollister at The Verge <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/14/24074314/google-now-offers-web-search">has a piece on the new “web” search option</a> (a piece that starts with <em>“This is not a joke”</em>) while Casey Newton wrote a nice articled titled <a href="https://www.platformer.news/google-io-ai-search-sundar-pichai/">“Google’s broken link to the web”</a>.</p>Unsurprisingly Google has revealed that AI is going to be integrated pretty much everywhere, and the goal is to let the AI do the googling for you. Which sounds great, in theory. After all, as the fine people at The Browser Company have eloquently explained to the world, the web is in such a terrible state that the only way out of this madness is to let an AI deal with all the garbage and spammy content that’s out there. I already expressed my doubts about this plan and I don’t think what Google is doing is any better.
Google, as a company, is in an odd position. They are, fundamentally, an advertising company. Almost 70% of their revenues are generated by ads. Ads on the SERP, ads on their various products and ads served by their ad network on 3rd party websites. When they say that they’re going to do the googling for you they don’t just mean the search part. In theory, AI will also go find the information you’re looking for on 3rd party sites so they’ll do the googling but also the actual browsing. Did you spot the issue? How are people going to consume ads on 3rd party sites if you no longer need to visit 3rd party sites? And if AI is going to take over the entire top part of the SERP with its generated answer, why should companies pay Google to appear at the top of the search results if those search results are not going to be seen by the majority of people?
It’s a bizarre situation. The answer to missing ad revenues is obviously going to be more ads. I’m sure Google will figure out a way to inject ads into their AI-generated bullshit.
Some people are obviously freaking out about the recent news. That’s because a huge number of sites out there rely on Google to bring traffic to their websites, sites that are then monetised via ads in most cases. If traffic goes down, ad revenues go down. And that’s a bad thing, right? Right? Well, maybe? I guess it depends. The current state of the web is unsustainable. And maybe AI and AI-generated garbage is what we need to push the current situation over the edge and force some changes.
I think curation, actual human curation, is going to play an important role in the future. In a web filled with generated nonsense, content curated by knowledgeable human beings is going to be incredibly valuable.
I find this current phase of the web incredibly interesting. I have no idea how things will evolve but I’m glad I can be part of it, even just as an external observer.
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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
ChatGPT in “4o” mode is not running the new features yet.
https://simonwillison.net/2024/May/15/chatgpt-in-4o-mode/
Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it’s V2G
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
An Oakland, California, school district is the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
The Marshall Star for May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Visits Marshall Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his wife Christine Grady, and son Luke Grady talk with Nick Benjamin, right, a payload operations director for the International Space Station, at the Payload Operations Integration Center during the vice chairman’s tour of NASA’s Marshall Space […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/marshall/the-marshall-star-for-may-15-2024/
Neuralink keeps losing the thread on brain implant wiring
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Musk venture allegedly decided imperfect design was usable
Elon Musk’s neurotech startup’s revelation that the tiny wires on its chip implants came loose from its first human patient’s brain might not have been a first.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/neuralink_loose_wires/
CSUN Gave Its Newest Graduates the Tools to Achieve Their Dreams
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Members of the graduating class of 2024 found a home at California State University, Northridge. It was a place that empowered them and gave them the tools to break cultural and generational barriers, and to fulfill dreams first imagined decades earlier
https://scvnews.com/csun-gave-its-newest-graduates-the-tools-to-achieve-their-dreams/
Acton church to celebrate 100th anniversary
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
News release A commemorative ceremony will be held Sunday, June 9, at 1 p.m., to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Acton Community Presbyterian Church and the rededication of this […]
The post Acton church to celebrate 100th anniversary appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/acton-church-to-celebrate-100th-anniversary/
US commanders in Poland see Russian threat as ‘near-term’
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
As Russia ramps up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, officials with the U.S. command in Eastern Europe say it’s urgent for NATO to be ready for a possible confrontation. VOA’s Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze talked to the U.S. and Polish commanders during a U.S. Army transfer of authority ceremony in Boleslawiec, Poland. VOA footage and video editing by Daniil Batushchak.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-commanders-in-poland-see-russian-threat-as-near-term/7613615.html
NetBSD bans use of Copilot-generated code
date: 2024-05-15, from: OS News
The NetBSD project seems to agree with me that code generated by “AI” like Copilot is tainted, and cannot be used safely. The project’s added a new guideline banning the use of code generated by such tools from being added to NetBSD unless explicitly permitted by “core“, NetBSD’s equivalent, roughly, of “technical management”. Code generated by a large language model or similar technology, such as such as GitHub/Microsoft’s Copilot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, or Facebook/Meta’s Code Llama, is presumed to be tainted code, and must not be committed without prior written approval by core. ↫ NetBSD Commit Guidelines GitHub Copilot is copyright infringement and open source license violation at an industrial scale, and as I keep reiterating – the fact Microsoft is not training Copilot on its own closed-source code tells you all you need to know about what Microsoft thinks about the legality of Copilot.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139698/netbsd-bans-use-of-copilot-generated-code/
CALM Celebrates Two Decades of Dedication by COO
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara, CA. May 2024 – CALM is celebrating a significant milestone work anniversary of Chief Operating Officer Adolfo Garcia,
The post CALM Celebrates Two Decades of Dedication by COO appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/calm-celebrates-two-decades-of-dedication-by-coo/
La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara recibe una subvención de la Library Innovation Lab
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA – 15 de mayo de 2024 La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara (SBPL) se complace en anunciar
The post La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara recibe una subvención de la Library Innovation Lab appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
The U.S. Oil Industry Is Full of Hypocrites
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heatmap News
The Federal Trade Commission earlier this month threw sand in the gears of one of several big oil company deals currently in the works, the $60 billion acquisition of shale oil company Pioneer by Exxon. While the FTC didn’t block the sale, it said that Pioneer’s chief executive, Scott Sheffield, could not join Exxon’s board, as proposed in the merger agreement, because of his role in seeking to coordinate oil production and push up prices.
It was yet another Rorschach test of the mid-transition — oil folk saw regulator overreach or pettiness under a Democratic administration, while climate campaigners saw shameless profiteering by the oil industry. What it really reveals is more complex: The illusion of laissez-faire oil markets; the disingenuousness (if not hypocrisy) of the U.S. oil industry; and the need for U.S. policymakers to take a much more interventionist stance in oil markets.
First, the FTC complaint. Sheffield, fêted in the oil world as one of the key instigators of the U.S. shale oil boom, has called on peers in the sector to refrain from drilling when prices were low. The commission also quoted public remarks by Sheffield referring to U.S. oil companies “staying in line,” being disciplined in their production, and being punished by shareholders if they sought to grow production.
He went further than that, though, according to the FTC. In a heavily redacted section of the complaint, the Commission describes Sheffield meeting with OPEC officials and communicating with them by WhatsApp. “If Texas leads the way, maybe we can get OPEC to cut production. Maybe Saudi and Russia will follow. That was our plan,” he said in one text message cited by the Commission. He added: “I was using the tactics of OPEC+ to get a bigger OPEC+ done.” Pioneer issued a statement saying that circumventing competition rules was “neither the intent nor the effect” of Sheffield’s comments and pointing to Pioneer’s role in increasing U.S. production.
Coordinating on prices, however, is the norm in the history of oil markets — even in the U.S. It shouldn’t be so shocking that the purportedly free market-loving oil industry would engage in this kind of behavior.
A lot of Sheffield’s activity mentioned by the FTC took place from around 2020 to 2023, when oil demand was still uncertain thanks to Covid. Even before then, the U.S. shale industry, which had boomed through the late 2010s, was under pressure from institutional investors, frustrated as all the new supply undermined their profits. Exxon, whose antecedent Rockefeller famously took control of transport to manage the oil market, is so big and cash-rich that it can largely ride out market fluctuations; the smaller and newer shale oil producers, reliant on increasingly impatient investors, could not.
No wonder Sheffield was vocal about restricting supply: He had a large company and a high profile among a sea of smaller players that were fracking madly even as prices fell.
Oil prices are notoriously volatile, which serves neither producers nor consumers. If prices are too low, the industry logic goes, no-one invests. Too high, and there’s a risk that demand for the stuff falls — especially if it prompts a recession. To keep prices in a sweet spot, a good chunk of the market has to be prepared to refrain from pumping. Turning the taps on and off is a role that Saudi Arabia and fellow OPEC petrostates have taken for decades. The nature of shale oil means it is a “swing producer” that can switch up and down its output with relative ease compared to other producers.
The market dynamics changed quickly when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Since then, U.S. oil producers have been pumping more than ever, to the point where the country is now the world’s biggest producer. None of this has stopped the industry from continuing to loathe the Biden administration, of course. (Sheffield himself said in 2021 that the administration was trying “to slow down U.S. drilling in any way they can.”)
The U.S. government is the one actor with enough power to influence global oil demand that has largely sat on its hands. The oil industry often engages in a kind of collective delayed gratification to keep oil prices in a sweet spot: high enough to maximize profits, but not so high that households and businesses start cutting back on their fuel use. Far less effort has gone into a kind of reverse strategy. There have been few attempts to reduce supply without disruptive price volatility — the kind of government inaction that pits voters against lawmakers and hurts households that really feel the pinch from higher gasoline prices.
Having intervened extensively in the preceding decades, during the 1980s, the U.S. government backed away from the complex price controls of the Nixon presidency and the demand-curtailing measures of Carter’s. With OPEC’s strategy being fairly straightforward, a couple of decades of relative stability followed, along with the assumption that the market would self-correct whenever prices went too high for consumers or too low for producers. Bassam Fattouh of Oxford Institute for Energy Studies argued that it was the perception of a self-correcting supply-demand dynamic that “stabilized long term expectations about oil prices” in that period.
The “mid-transition” idea, developed by academics Emily Grubert and Sara Hastings-Simon in a 2022 paper, asserts that the process of decarbonization involves a drawn-out, messy, liminal phase, during which changes to energy costs and supply will shape a society’s perception of clean energy so much that negative experiences like price spikes or supply interruptions will undermine political support for the transition.
In 2023, the Biden administration broke the U.S. government’s longstanding precedent and began intervening in oil prices with an eye beyond manipulating the immediate consumer price. It announced a target price for buying several hundred million barrels of oil to restock the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which had been depleted after the invasion of Ukraine sent prices spiking. By pledging to buy crude whenever the price was between $67 and $72 a barrel, it would do what Employ America, a think tank, had proposed: Set a floor under prices that would help U.S. producers, as well as a ceiling that would avoid pain at the pump.
“Mid-transition” is a relatively new concept, but it harks back to a more established phrase in climate policy: “smooth transition,” which describes a pathway to decarbonization that is steady but not disruptive. Stimulating or restraining oil production in a way that stabilizes oil investment and prices — if done effectively and with the right intentions — is a necessary condition for such smoothness. Sheffield and other producers, including OPEC+ members, have for decades sought to manage oil supply to ensure that price spikes don’t disrupt oil’s future. For all that the U.S. oil industry castigates the Biden administration, they are actually pursuing the same goal, just with a different view of the end game.
https://heatmap.news/economy/scott-sheffield-pioneer-ftc-opec
Santa Barbara Public Library Receives Library Innovation Lab Grant Award
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
SANTA BARBARA, CA – May 15, 2024 The Santa Barbara Public Library is pleased to announce that they were selected
The post Santa Barbara Public Library Receives Library Innovation Lab Grant Award appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Bubba
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Sweet pup needs a home!
The post Bubba appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/bubba/
Aghast iOS users report long-deleted photos back from the dead after update
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Apple might be hanging on to nuked iPhone snaps for a while
Some iPhone users are reportedly seeing photos they had previously deleted resurface on their devices ever since updating to the latest version of iOS.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/ios_deleted_photos/
SCV Water Wins Four Awards For Communication
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
SCV Water received four prestigious awards from the California Association of Public Information Officials at an awards luncheon on Tuesday, May 14,
https://scvnews.com/scv-water-wins-four-awards-for-communication/
🩳 Can my script be as short as Somewhere?
date: 2024-05-15, from: Interesting, a blog on writing
How many pages does a feature really need to be taken seriously as a feature?
https://inneresting.substack.com/p/can-my-script-be-as-short-as-somewhere
Collier Returns, Goes Big and Wide
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Precocious British musical force Jacob Collier, in solo mode here last fall, returns in full-bodied, full-band mode at the Arlington.
The post Collier Returns, Goes Big and Wide appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/collier-returns-goes-big-and-wide/
Seinfeld slammed for once dating 17-year-old girl after Duke walkout
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
People who strongly disagree with Seinfeld’s support for Israel have taken to social media to remind him of his once ‘problematic’ relationship with a teenage girl.
What to watch: ‘Bridgerton’ is back, saucier than ever
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
And ‘Babes’ is one of the funniest films of the year so far.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/15/what-to-watch-bridgerton-is-back-saucier-than-ever/
NASA Invites Media to View NOAA’s Newest Environmental Satellite
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
NASA will host a media availability to view NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) spacecraft Thursday June 6, at the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida. NASA is targeting a two-hour launch window opening at 5:16 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25, for the launch of GOES-U […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-view-noaas-newest-environmental-satellite/
Shutting Down Facebook Workplace
date: 2024-05-15, from: Michael Tsai
Ingrid Lunden: Facebook once had big ambitions to be a major player in enterprise communication and productivity, but today the social network’s parent company Meta will be closing a very significant chapter in that story. TechCrunch has learned that Meta is shuttering Workplace, a version of Facebook that had been built to enable communication among […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/05/15/shutting-down-facebook-workplace/
iOS 17.5 “Fixes” client_id But Breaks App Marketplaces
date: 2024-05-15, from: Michael Tsai
Mysk: iPhone users in the EU: DO NOT delete your alternative marketplace appsiOS 17.5 breaks alternative marketplace app re-installation. MarketplaceKit now generates a different client_id every time it is called. Now there’s no way for alternative marketplace developers to identify users who have already purchased the marketplace app.Apple addressed a security issue we reported about […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/05/15/ios-17-5-fixes-client_id-but-breaks-app-marketplaces/
Google Cloud Accidentally Deletes Customer’s Account
date: 2024-05-15, from: Michael Tsai
Richard Speed (via Hacker News): Google’s Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has weighed in on the UniSuper fiasco and confirmed that UniSuper’s Private Cloud subscription was accidentally deleted.In a joint statement with UniSuper CEO Peter Chun, Kurian admitted that an “inadvertent misconfiguration” during the provisioning of UniSuper’s Private Cloud services resulted in the deletion of the […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/05/15/google-cloud-accidentally-deletes-customers-account/
VMware Fusion Pro 13 Free for Personal Use
date: 2024-05-15, from: Michael Tsai
Michael Potuck: Following the acquisition, Broadcom’s VMware has announced today that Fusion Pro 13 and Workstation Pro 17 have been made free for personal use. […] For commercial use, Broadcom has simplified the VMware options to a single product, which can be purchased through any “Broadcom Advantage” partner. Michael Roy: This means that everyday users […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/05/15/vmware-fusion-pro-13-free-for-personal-use/
Biochar Is Dominating the Carbon Removal Market — But No One Seems to Care
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heatmap News
Low-tech carbon removal is all the rage these days. Whether it’s spreading crushed rocks on fields or injecting sludgy biomass underground, relatively simplistic solutions have seen a boom in funding. But there’s one cheap, nature-based method that hasn’t been able to drum up as much attention from big name climate investors: biochar.
This flaky, charcoal-like substance has been produced and used as a fertilizer for millennia, and its potential to lock up the carbon contained in organic matter is well-documented. It’s made by heating up biomass such as wood or plants in a low-oxygen environment via a process called pyrolysis, thereby sequestering up to 40% to 50% of the carbon contained within that organic matter for hundreds or (debatably — but we’ll get to that) even thousands of years. Ideally, the process utilizes waste biomass such as plant material and forest residue left over from harvesting crops or timber, which otherwise might just be burned.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says biochar could store about 2.6 billion metric tons of CO2 per year. And by some metrics, this ancient method of carbon removal is already leagues ahead of the rest. Last year, biochar accounted for 94% of all carbon dioxide removal credits that were actually fulfilled, according to CDR.fyi, which tracks the CO2 removal market. That means that while corporate buyers are purchasing carbon credits that use an array of different removal methods, biochar has thus far dominated the market when it comes to actually making good on these purchases.
Some of the largest corporate buyers of CO2 removal credits have biochar in their portfolios. Microsoft, by far the most prominent player in this space, has bought over 200,000 tons of biochar credits — part of its quest to become carbon negative by 2050 — although that’s still a mere fraction of the over 6.6 million tons of CO2 removal the company has bought overall. JPMorgan Chase, which aims to match every ton of its operational emissions with carbon dioxide removal credits by 2030, has bought nearly 19,000 tons of biochar credits, representing about 26% of its CO2 removal portfolio.
But despite its technical maturity, biochar has yet to generate the same level of excitement or venture capital investment as more complex methods of carbon removal such as direct air capture, which garnered $142 million in investment last year. By comparison, biochar companies raised a cumulative total of $74 million in 2023. While that’s no small change, it doesn’t compare to the amount of capital VCs and other climate tech funders have poured even into other similarly elemental carbon removal technologies.
For example, Frontier, a collaborative fund for tech companies to catalyze emerging solutions in this space, recently announced a $58 million deal with Vaulted Deep, a startup that injects wet biomass from food waste to poop deep underground. And at the end of last year, Frontier inked a $57 million deal with Lithos Carbon, a company pursuing enhanced rock weathering. This involves spreading crushed up rocks onto fields, which react with the CO2 in the air to form bicarbonate; that’s eventually carried out to sea, where the carbon remains permanently sequestered on the ocean floor. In other words, it’s just an acceleration of the natural weathering process, which normally takes hundreds of thousands of years. VCs backing Lithos include mainstream names like Union Square Ventures, Greylock Ventures, and Bain Capital Ventures, while big-time climate tech VC Lowercarbon Capital led Vaulted Deep’s seed round.
The questions around biochar’s durability — that is, how long it can actually lock away carbon — are potentially unanswerable, and that’s at least partially driving investor reticence.
“Biochar falls in this very interesting middle ground - you create it, and then it is constantly degrading,” Freya Chay, program lead at CarbonPlan, a nonprofit that analyzes different carbon removal pathways, told me. She said that we just don’t have the scientific know-how “to predict, really clearly, how much is going to still be in your soil at 100 years or at 1,000 years.”
Frontier, for its part, only considers carbon removal “permanent” if it can sequester carbon for at least 1,000 years. Some studies indicate that a large proportion of biochar can achieve this, but it’s hard to definitively prove, and we’re far from a scientific consensus. Thus far the fund has steered clear of investing in biochar, noting that detailed protocols must be developed to measure its durability under a variety of soil and weather conditions.
Measurement, reporting and verification is often the downfall for nature-based solutions (see: the hoopla around bogus forest carbon credits). And while it is simple to measure how much of the carbon in biomass ends up sequestered in biochar, “it’s where you draw the project boundaries in terms of where the MRV falls apart,” Annie Nichols, director of operations and project management at Pacific Biochar told me. For example, one might want to ensure that trees aren’t being cut down or crops aren’t being grown just for the purpose of creating biochar, and this often falls outside the scope of traditional measurement protocols. Pacific Biochar, for its part, sources its waste biomass from forests in high fire risk areas of California, where the excessive accumulation of woody debris poses a danger.
Pacific Biochar ranks as the world’s third largest supplier of carbon removal, with over 28,000 tons of credits delivered. Biochar “got a lot of attention before there was actually much utility,” its CEO, Josiah Hunt told me, referring to the period in the late 2000s when Al Gore was heavily hyping its benefits. In his 2009 book “Our Choice,” Gore called biochar “one of the most exciting new strategies for restoring carbon to depleted soils, and sequestering significant amounts of CO2 for 1,000 years and more.” But at that time, Hunt said, “There weren’t really carbon markets ready to work with it yet.”
Prior to 2020, Pacific Biochar’s revenue relied solely on biochar fertilizer sales to farmers. It was only when the carbon credits market picked up that the company was able to scale. Today, Pacific Biochar sells most of its credits directly, as opposed to on an independent exchange, though it works with the carbon credits platform Carbonfuture to deliver credits to customers and perform the necessary verification to ensure the company’s carbon removal data is accurate.
Pacific Biochar’s credits sell for $180 per metric ton, cheaper than nearly all other removal methods and far below the weighted average of $488 for CO2 removal. That’s because producing biochar via pyrolysis requires much less energy than something like direct air capture. It’s also a more mature process than most emergent nature-based solutions such as enhanced rock weathering, meaning that comparably less money needs to be spent demonstrating that the process works as intended.
A number of biochar companies told me they think biochar has been overlooked in favor of more novel technological solutions. “There’s this fixation on trying to find the high tech solution, the SaaS app that’s going to solve climate change,” Thor Kallestad, CEO and cofounder of Myno Carbon, told me. By comparison, biochar can seem like a relic of an earlier era that never quite reached its potential.
Myno, founded by oil and gas veterans, is self-funding the buildout of a large-scale biochar and electricity co-generation facility in Port Angeles, Washington, which will source its fuel from the copious timber waste in Washington State. It’s still in the initial design phase, but the ultimate goal is to produce about 70,000 tons of biochar per year alongside 20 megawatts of power. That amounts to about 100,000 carbon dioxide removal credits, which Kallestad hopes to sell for less than $100 per metric ton. Ideally, he said, the plant will serve as a proof of concept that will help drive future investments.
While there haven’t yet been any major scandals in the biochar-sourcing world, the BBC ran an exposé in 2022 on a biomass-fueled power station in the UK that was logging old-growth forests to create wood pellets that were then burned for power. The company, Drax, had previously claimed that it was only sourcing sawdust and waste wood. While Drax maintains that its biomass is “sustainable and legally harvested,” further reporting indicates that as of last year, the company was still sourcing from old-growth forests. The worry is that something similar could happen with biochar production as demand ramps up.
Chay says the cost-benefit analysis for making biochar gets even thornier when taking into account the “counterfactual of how we otherwise could have used biomass.” After all, biomass can also be burned for energy, and if the emissions are captured and stored, that’s a carbon removal strategy too. And with many looking towards biomass-based fuels as a way to decarbonize industries such as aviation and shipping, demand for waste biomass appears set to increase alongside uncertainty regarding its best use case. “Zooming forward to 2050, I’m not sure there is anything such as waste biomass,” Chay told me.
But in the short-term at least, there’s enough to go around. A recent Department of Energy report noted that “available but unused” biomass such as logging and agricultural residue could contribute around 350 tons to the nation’s supply every year. That’s about as much biomass as the United States uses for bioenergy today
“Certainly biochar has a place,” Chay said. She’s not convinced that it will ever make sense to conceptualize biochar production as “permanent carbon removal” though. “Maybe we just let it be this kind of interstitial durability. We figure out how to value that while also optimizing for agricultural co-benefits.”
Investors may remain wary of a solution that occupies this hard-to-define space between short and long-term CO2 removal, but Hunt’s not too worried. “I don’t think that’s horribly detrimental,” he told me. He sees biochar’s strong performance in the carbon credits marketplace as enough to sustain the industry for now. “I do think the buying community is what drives our growth. And even if we’re not the unicorns, even if we’re just the work mules, that’s fine with me. I don’t mind being the mule of climate change action.”
https://heatmap.news/technology/biochar-carbon-removal-microsoft
Cantando: Asian American Songs
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)
During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, multiple musical artists might come to mind. The following artists come from different Asian ethnic backgrounds and incorporate unique elements of their…
https://sundial.csun.edu/181632/print-editions/print-stories/cantando-asian-american-songs/
Hulking San Jose Sharks prospect sets new OHL playoff record
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen is rewriting the Ontario Hockey League’s playoff record book for import players
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/15/hulking-san-jose-sharks-prospect-sets-new-ohl-record/
Senate AI roadmap’s piecemeal legislation is ideal, says former FTC tech chief
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Smaller bills mean more fine-grained control over vastly different AI products
interview The AI legislation roadmap published this week by a bipartisan group of US senators hasn’t pleased everyone, but the Federal Trade Commission’s former chief technologist believes it takes the perfect approach. …
China Is Burning All Its Bridges with Israel
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: RAND blog
Over the last three decades, China and Israel developed close economic, technological, security, and diplomatic ties. Beijing’s surprising response to Hamas’ attacks and to Israel’s reprisal campaign have completely changed the picture.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/05/china-is-burning-all-its-bridges-with-israel.html
This dual-screen laptop has two touchscreen displays and support for height adjustments, but lacks a physical keyboard
date: 2024-05-15, from: Liliputing
The SZBOX DS16 is a notebook with 12th-gen Intel Core processor, up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, a 16 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel touchscreen display and… a second 16 inch display positioned where you’d normally find a keyboard. It’s the latest in a line of dual-screen laptops we’ve seen over the past […]
The post This dual-screen laptop has two touchscreen displays and support for height adjustments, but lacks a physical keyboard appeared first on Liliputing.
Disneyland to pump beignet smells into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Disneyland visitors will smell the sweet scent of the fried dough treats in the ride queue when the attraction opens later this year.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
More than half of US Black women aged 15-49 live under abortion bans.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/black-women-abortion-bans?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews
BYD just hit a new weekly EV sales record for 2024 in China ahead of key model launches
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
China’s leading electric car maker, BYD, just hit a new YTD EV sales record last week in its home country. BYD expects the momentum to continue with new EVs rolling out in key segments globally.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/byd-just-hit-new-weekly-ev-sales-record-2024-china/
Big 12 football outlook: Our Over/Under breakdown of the 2024 win totals for each team
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Utah and Kansas State have the highest win totals published by FanDuel but are not the best bets.
Suspect in deadly Florida laborer crash has lengthy record
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Marion County court records show Bryan Maclean Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/15/suspect-in-deadly-fla-laborer-crash-has-lengthy-record/
Last Year, the Northern Hemisphere Had Its Hottest Summer in 2,000 Years
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Researchers used tree ring data to compare temperatures from as far back as 1 C.E. to 2023 temperatures
Maintenance on High-Speed Wind Tunnel
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
During April and May 2024, maintenance is being conducted within the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) complex at NASA Ames Research Center. One key part of this maintenance is the inspection of stators in the 3-stage compressor. Stators are fixed blades that control the flow of air, which can reach a speed of Mach 1.4 […]
https://www.nasa.gov/general/maintenance-on-high-speed-wind-tunnel/
Summer TV 2024 : ‘The Bear’ and ‘Couples Therapy,’ but few chances taken
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Maybe it’s just me, maybe it’s the times we’re living in, or maybe it’s a post-Hollywood strike malaise, but the ’24 summer TV lineup is looking unimpressive.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/15/2024-summer-tv-preview/
Clean Air Act complaint paints smoggy picture at Tesla Fremont factory
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The cars might be zero emission, but accusers claim the paint shops aren’t
Tesla is facing a lawsuit brought under the US Clean Air Act by the Environmental Democracy Project (EDP) claiming pollution from its Fremont facility.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/clean_air_act_tesla/
Alice Munro
date: 2024-05-15, from: Margaret Atwood’s substack
I’ll soon be back to the French Revvie with New Atrocities and Scandals for You, but first…
https://margaretatwood.substack.com/p/alice-munro
These diets may reduce cancer, heart disease and early death, according to a 20-year review
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet significantly reduces the overall risk of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to a new “umbrella” analysis of more than 20 years of research.
Stormy Daniels wore bulletproof vest to Trump trial, lawyer says
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The former adult film star was ‘paralyzed’ with fear ahead of the proceedings, attorney Clark Brewster said.
NASA Honors Three Chroniclers for Helping Tell America’s Space Story
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Through decades of hard work, three storytellers brought out of this world news down to Earth, providing a lens through which young and old could watch space exploration unfold. This week, NASA recognized the contributions of these Chroniclers during a May 15, 2024, ceremony at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Kennedy Space […]
Massive manhunt under way in France for prison-break gang
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said “unprecedented” efforts were being deployed. Hundreds of officers were mobilized in the search for Amra and the assailants who rammed a car head-on into the prison van transporting him and opened fire on Tuesday.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05/15/massive-manhunt-under-way-in-france-for-prison-break-gang/
Braving Comedy & Behind-The-Scenes
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
A new byline will often catch attention, but it’s rare that a new name on our long staff list gets
The post Braving Comedy & Behind-The-Scenes appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/braving-comedy-behind-the-scenes/
5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar Satellites
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Called PREFIRE, this CubeSat duo will boost our understanding of how much heat Earth’s polar regions radiate out to space and how that influences our climate. Twin shoebox-size climate satellites will soon be studying two of the most remote regions on Earth: the Arctic and Antarctic. The NASA mission will measure the amount of heat […]
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/prefire/5-things-to-know-about-nasas-tiny-twin-polar-satellites/
Jury chosen for US Senator Menendez’s corruption trial
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — A jury was chosen on Wednesday to determine whether U.S. Senator Robert Menendez broke the law in what federal prosecutors have called a yearslong bribery scheme to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, as well as himself.
Opening statements in the trial of New Jersey’s senior senator are expected to begin later in the day before U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan. The trial could last into early July.
Twelve jurors and six alternates were chosen, including an investment banker, a commercial litigator, a retired economist, a doctor and multiple therapists. Jury selection took about 2½, and more than 130 prospective jurors were excused.
Menendez, 70, faces 16 criminal charges including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction.
He is being tried alongside New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, 57, is scheduled to be tried on July 8, with the delay resulting from what her lawyers called a serious medical condition.
All the defendants have pleaded not guilty. The bribery trial is the senator’s second. His first ended in 2017 in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked.
Prosecutors are expected to detail what they consider a complex and sordid array of corruption that lasted from 2018 to 2023.
The Menendezes are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Hana, Daibes and insurance broker Jose Uribe, in exchange for the senator’s providing political favors and aid to Egypt and Qatar.
Prosecutors have said the senator promised to help Egypt obtain arms sales and other aid, helped Hana obtain a lucrative monopoly on certifying that meat exports to Egypt conformed to Islamic law, and tried to help Daibes secure millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund.
Menendez, a Democrat, also was accused of trying to interfere in a federal criminal case against Daibes in New Jersey and in state criminal cases involving two of Uribe’s associates.
Prosecutors have said FBI agents found more than $480,000 of cash in the Menendezes’ home, much stashed in clothing, closets and a safe.
Bribes also included more than $100,000 in gold bars and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible, according to prosecutors.
Uribe pleaded guilty in March to bribery and fraud, and he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
While Nadine Menendez is not yet on trial, her husband’s lawyers have suggested his defense might include an effort to blame her for withholding information and making him believe his activities were lawful.
Robert Menendez became a senator in 2006. Before being indicted, he would have been favored in his Democratic-leaning state to win a fourth full Senate term in November.
But any reelection bid now would be a long shot, reflecting recent polls of voters that show overwhelming disapproval of Menendez’s job performance.
Menendez has suggested that he would try if acquitted to run as an independent. Only 9% of voters polled in March by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill said they would prefer him to another Democrat or a Republican.
The senator has resisted calls to resign made from across the political spectrum but gave up leadership of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his indictment last September.
Stein admonished jurors to ignore media coverage of the trial. “If something comes up,” the judge said, “switch off.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/jury-chosen-for-us-senator-menendez-s-corruption-trial/7613492.html
NASA’s X-59 Passes Milestone Toward Safe First Flight
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has taken the next step toward verifying the airworthiness for its quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft with the completion of a milestone review that will allow it to progress toward flight. A Flight Readiness Review board composed of independent experts from across NASA has completed a study of the X-59 project team’s approach to safety […]
https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/x-59-closer-to-safe-first-flight/
Artemis Accords Reach 40 Signatories as NASA Welcomes Lithuania
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
A milestone was reached on Wednesday as Lithuania became the 40th nation to join NASA and the international coalition in pursuit of safer space exploration by signing the Artemis Accords. The ceremony took place at the Radisson Blu Lietuva hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania, and signifies a continued push toward transparency and peace as more nations […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/artemis-accords-reach-40-signatories-as-nasa-welcomes-lithuania/
Lightning Dazzles Onlookers Watching the Eruption of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Volcanic lightning is so common that it’s even earned its own nickname: dirty thunderstorms
Save $1,700 on Jackery’s Explorer 2000 Pro bundle, Pit Boss table top wood grill, Greenworks mower, and more
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Today’s Green Deals are meant to maximize your summer adventures amongst nature, headlined by the Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro with two 200W Solar Panels that is back at its $1,899 low for your campsite power needs. For your campsite’s meal needs, there is the Pit Boss Table Top Wood Pellet Grill at $240, while none of your adventuring can begin before you finish up your chores around the house – namely shaping up your lawn with the Greenworks 40V 20-inch Cordless Electric Push Mower for $320. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals that are still alive and well.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Hyundai Motor Global EV Wholesale Sales Decreased Again In April 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
It was the sixth consecutive month with a year-over-year decline.
https://insideevs.com/news/719711/hyundai-global-ev-wholesale-sales-april2024/
Boeing might be criminally prosecuted for 737 MAX crashes after all, says DoJ
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Aviation firm has violated 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, claims DoJ, so criminal charges could come back
Boeing avoided prosecution for a pair of 737 Max crashes thanks to a 2021 agreement with the Department of Justice, but the DoJ says the jetmaker has since violated the order and can be prosecuted. …
NASA’s Juno Provides High-Definition Views of Europa’s Icy Shell
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Imagery from the solar-powered spacecraft shows some intriguing features on the ice-encased Jovian moon. Images from the JunoCam visible-light camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft supports the theory that the icy crust at the north and south poles of Jupiter’s moon Europa is not where it used to be. Another high-resolution picture of the icy moon, […]
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/juno/nasas-juno-provides-high-definition-views-of-europas-icy-shell/
Geography Teacher in England Finds Stone With 1,600-Year-Old Inscriptions in His Garden
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The rock is covered in ogham, an alphabet made up of parallel lines used for writing in the Irish language
Hundreds of Starving Brown Pelicans Are Turning Up on California Beaches, Puzzling Wildlife Rescuers and Scientists
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
By all available accounts, there isn’t a lack of ocean forage
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
We’re in a pivotal moment in American history. We cannot retreat.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/15/bernie-sanders-election-biden
Photos: BSA Troop 2222 cornhole and pasta fundraiser
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
Boy Scout Troop 2222 held a cornhole tournament and pasta dinner fundraiser in the Old West Masonic Lodge on Saturday to raise money for the Scouts to attend summer camp […]
The post Photos: BSA Troop 2222 cornhole and pasta fundraiser appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/photos-bsa-troop-2222-cornhole-and-pasta-fundraiser/
A timeline of territorial shifts in Ukraine war
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
Russian troops have launched a ground offensive along the northeastern border with Ukraine, opening a new front in the two-year war while pushing deeper in the country’s east.
Raspberry Pi is planning an IPO
date: 2024-05-15, from: Liliputing
The company behind the Raspberry Pi line of single-board computers, accessories, and related products like the RP2040 microcontroller is planning to go public. Raspberry Pi Ltd has issued an “expected intention to float” notice indicating plans to launch an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. While the move could help the company generate revenue that […]
The post Raspberry Pi is planning an IPO appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/raspberry-pi-is-planning-an-ipo/
COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
date: 2024-05-15, from: Port Hueneme
The Port of Hueneme and City of Port Hueneme Announce Community Benefit Fund Scholarship Program: Download Application Port of Hueneme Contact: Adam Vega Community Outreach & Legislative Specialist Avega@Portofh.org City of Port Hueneme Contact: Brian Popovich City of Port Hueneme bpopovich@cityofporthueneme.org [Port Hueneme, CA] – The Port of Hueneme and City of Port Hueneme are Read More
https://www.portofhueneme.org/cbf-scholarship-2024/
US imposes sanctions on Nicaragua over repression, migrant smuggling
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government and levied sanctions on three Nicaraguan entities in retaliation for “repressive actions” and a failure to stem migrant smuggling through the Central American country.
Senior administration officials told reporters that the officials subject to visa restrictions included police and paramilitary officials, prosecutors, judges and public higher education officials.
At the same time, the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and the Treasury issued a joint alert to notify airlines and travel agents about the ways smuggling and human trafficking networks are exploiting legitimate transportation services to facilitate illegal migration to the United States through Nicaragua.
“Actions by the Nicaraguan government are of grave concern. President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have put in place permissive-by-design migration policies,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Increasingly migrants have been flying into Nicaragua and then heading north overland to the U.S.-Mexico border as some smugglers have promoted the route through social networks.
Many migrants in recent years have started their journeys in Brazil or other South American countries, but flying into Nicaragua avoids the often perilous journey through the jungle region known as the Darien Gap on the Colombia-Panama border.
The administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has struggled with record numbers of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and, as he runs for reelection in November, voters have increasingly said that immigration is a top concern.
Senior Biden administration officials told reporters on a Wednesday conference call that sanctions would be levied against a Russian training center operating in Managua since October 2017 that enabled anti-democratic behavior and repression.
A press release from the Treasury Department said Nicaragua was one of Russia’s “main partners” in Central America and the training center provided specialized courts to the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP), which the statement called “a repressive state apparatus, carrying out extrajudicial killings, using live ammunition against peaceful protests, and even participating in death squads.”
In addition, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two gold companies it said were “government affiliated.”
Gold is Nicaragua’s top commodity export, the Treasury announcement said, and “this action aims to degrade the ability of the Ortega-Murillo regime to manipulate the sector and profit.” Reuters was not immediately able to reach the companies for comment.
Migrant apprehensions on the border halved from December to March, according to U.S. government data, in part because of increased enforcement by Mexican authorities, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said.
Biden, Trump agree to debates in June and September
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-trump-agree-to-debates-in-june-and-september/7613386.html
Qualcomm warms bed for Linux on Arm PCs
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
One eye on Windows, the other winking at penguins
Qualcomm may be leading the push for Windows on Arm systems, but the corporation also has an eye on Linux support with a roadmap for updates to enable the OS to boot on its Arm-based PC hardware.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/qualcomm_linux_support/
US slaps sanctions on Sudan paramilitary commanders over Darfur offensive
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary force, vowing pressure to stop the unit from an offensive on the Darfur city of el-Fasher.
The Treasury Department said it was freezing any U.S. assets and criminalizing transactions with Ali Yagoub Gibril, Central Darfur commander of the Rapid Support Forces, and an RSF major general involved in operational planning, Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed.
“The RSF military operation to encircle and besiege el-Fasher, North Darfur, has endangered the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“We stand ready to take additional measures against those individuals and institutions that actively escalate the war — including any offensive actions on el-Fasher,” he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also voiced alarm over reports of heavy fighting in densely populated areas as the RSF seeks control of el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under its control.
Tens of thousands of people have died, and millions have been displaced since war broke out in April 2023 between Sudan’s army and the RSF after their head generals refused a plan to integrate.
The United States has led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting but has seen limited success and leverage, with RSF commanders unlikely to hold major assets in the West affected by sanctions.
The RSF and Sudan’s armed forces are seen as both wanting to secure a battleground victory, and each side has received support from outside players.
The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, is again traveling around the Middle East and Africa this week in hopes of making progress.
The United States has accused both sides of war crimes and charged that the RSF has carried out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against the indigenous African-origin people of Darfur.
The RSF’s predecessor, the Janjaweed militia, carried out a scorched-earth campaign in the arid western region that the United States at the time described as genocide.
Baidu talks about using Tesla Robotaxi in China
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Baidu says that it is considering using Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi in China as the two major companies appear to be getting closer.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/baidu-talks-about-using-tesla-robotaxi-in-china/
Hyundai Kona Electric With Small Battery Gets 3.5 Miles/kWh EPA Energy Consumption
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
The result is good, but only slightly better than in the case of the regular version.
https://insideevs.com/news/719548/hyundai-kona-electric-small-battery-epa-consumption/
Rivian introduces YouTube App and Google Cast video streaming to the R1 infotainment system
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
American automaker Rivian is upping the entertainment factor for current and future owners of its flagship R1 line of EVs. Today, Rivian shared it is integrating YouTube into its infotainment system, available for streaming on your vehicle’s center display. Additionally, the automaker is adding Google Cast capabilities, giving drivers and passengers the ability to mirror their favorite content in the EV from a smartphone or tablet.
The Rivian R1S And R1T Are Getting A YouTube App And Google Cast (Updated)
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
After years of waiting for an in-car video streaming solution, Rivian is turning its flagship EVs into rolling Chromecasts.
https://insideevs.com/news/719590/rivian-r1s-r1t-youtube-app-google-cast-netflix-streaming/
Genesis to build first full-size luxury electric SUV next year to rival Cadillac, Range Rover
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
A new Genesis electric SUV is set for production late next year, and it’s poised to take on the Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover. Genesis expects its first full-size electric SUV to have a big impact on the brand as it looks to outpace luxury rivals.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/genesis-launching-first-full-size-electric-suv-range-rover-rival/
Euro vision of RISC OS welcomes all!
date: 2024-05-15, from: RiscOS Open
Now that the Eurovision contest is over for this year, the next big euro vision to eXperience is the one organised by the Big Ben Club at their annual day.
http://www.riscosopen.org/news/articles/2024/05/15/euro-vision-of-risc-os-welcomes-all
Blinken’s Kyiv song choice raises eyebrows as Ukraine fights fierce Russian attacks
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, an amateur musician, may have thought he had the perfect upbeat song to perform with a Kyiv bar band.
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-us-blinken-753fc09b374d14e3829346f786add4b8
GNOME OS is switching from OSTree to systemd-sysupdate
date: 2024-05-15, from: OS News
I’m pretty sure most of you are familiar with KDE Neon, the distribution KDE maintains to provide easy access to the latest KDE technologies. However, did you know GNOME has something similar, called GNOME OS? It’s been around for a while, but has a far lower profile than KDE Neon does, and it seems they want to change that and put more of a spotlight on GNOME OS. GNOME OS is an immutable distribution using OSTree, the same technology used by the various popular immutable versions from the Fedora family. It seems GNOME OS is working to leave OSTree behind, and move to systemd-sysupdate instead, which has been available since systemd 251, released in May 2022. The developers claim this will bring the following benefits: To complete the move from OSTree to systemd-sysupdate, a few things need to be completed. First, the boot process and root filesystem had to be migrated, which was done last year. Second, sysupdate needs to integrated into GNOME, as for now, you can only use it via the command line. This work is ongoing, and requires a new D-Bus service and polkit integration to allow GNOME Software to manage the update process. Of course, there’s more work that needs to be done to complete this migration, but these are the main tasks. All of this work is part of the project’s goal to make GNOME OS nightlies viable for daily-driving for quality assurance purposes, and I’m sure all this work will also make GNOME OS more attractive to people outside of the developer community. It’s basically GNOME/systemd taken to the extreme, and while that will surely make quite a few people groan, I personally find it great that this will make GNOME OS a more capable choice for everyone. That’s what open source is all about, in the end.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139696/gnome-os-is-switching-from-ostree-to-systemd-sysupdate/
Discovery Alert: An Earth-sized World and Its Ultra-cool Star
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Our galaxy is a jewel box of red stars. More than 70% of the stars in the Milky Way are M dwarfs, also known as red dwarfs. These stars are cool and dim compared with our Sun, but they often blast orbiting exoplanets with high-energy radiation, especially early in their lives. And those ‘‘lives’’ last […]
VMware Pro apps are now free for personal use (virtualization for Windows, Mac, and Linux)
date: 2024-05-15, from: Liliputing
Cloud computing and virtualization software company VMware has announced that its flagship desktop software is now free for personal use. Individual users can now download and use VMWare Fusion Pro for Mac or VMWare Workstation Pro for PC for free. VMWare still requires commercial customers to pay for a license, but the company has vastly […]
The post VMware Pro apps are now free for personal use (virtualization for Windows, Mac, and Linux) appeared first on Liliputing.
Biden cranks up the heat on China with wall of tech tariffs
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’s not just EVs – semiconductors, batteries, and solar cells all hiked
The Biden administration’s Chinese tariff hikes were formally announced on Tuesday including, among other items, a doubling on semiconductors and solar cells and a more than tripling on batteries.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/us_china_tariff_hikes/
Sable Offshore Plans October Start Time for Refugio Pipeline
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara County permit planners are examining the transfer to ownership from ExxonMobil.
The post Sable Offshore Plans October Start Time for Refugio Pipeline appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/15/sable-offshore-plans-october-start-time-for-refugio-pipeline/
Article Spotlight: Scientists Unlock Mysteries of Orangutan Communication
date: 2024-05-15, from: PeerJ blog
Kia is offering up to $12,000 off 2024 EV6 and EV9 models with new discounts
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
If you’ve been eyeing a new Kia electric vehicle, now may be the perfect time to start shopping. Kia is offering up to $12,000 off 2024 EV6 and EV9 models with some of its biggest discounts yet.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/kia-offering-12000-off-ev6-ev9-models-new-discounts/
May 14, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-14-2024-9bc
AI Generated Hentai Is Viral All Over Facebook
date: 2024-05-15, from: 404 Media Group
While reporting this story, a 404 Media article about AI-generated porn was deleted by Facebook.
https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-hentai-is-viral-all-over-facebook/
Fashion for success
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
The post Fashion for success appeared first on .
Inspiration across creative mediums
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Inspiration can come from almost anywhere, including the lavish appeal of cosmopolitan lifestyles and the hammer in the toolbox. One can see “inspo” manifest into
The post Inspiration across creative mediums appeared first on .
With Asmi 24.04, Ubuntu’s never looked so snappy (without the Snaps)
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Distro formerly known as Zinc cuts the fat, rather than just replacing it
The latest version of Teejeetech’s take on Ubuntu offers what many users wish Canonical did – natively packaged Firefox and the choice of whether to use Snap, Flatpak, or neither.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/asmi_2404_ubuntu_without_snap/
US will send an unofficial delegation as Taiwan’s president is sworn in
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The White House will send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan this weekend for the inauguration of the island’s democratically elected president, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, in a move that is certain to upset China but unlikely to draw excessive responses from Beijing as the two countries try to stabilize relations.
A senior White House official said the move is in line with longstanding U.S. practice to send the delegation — which includes two former senior officials and a scholar — to the inauguration ceremony Monday. Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party will take office, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen of the same party.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and vows to seize the island by force if necessary to achieve unification, sees Lai as a supporter of Taiwan’s independence and has long opposed any official contact between Washington and Taipei.
“In what ways the U.S. deals with the new Taiwan authorities on May 20 and afterwards will affect (the) cross-Strait situation and also the China-U.S. relations in the future,” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Tuesday before the announcement, referring to the Taiwan Strait.
“So we urge the U.S. side to act on President Biden’s commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence,” he said.
The U.S. delegation will be in Taipei “to represent the American people,” the White House official told reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the trip before it was announced. The official called Taiwan “a model for democracy not only in the region but also globally.”
Despite an absence of formal relations with Taiwan, the U.S. is the island’s strongest ally and is obligated under a 1979 law to help Taiwan protect itself from invasion.
It’s unclear how Beijing would respond to an unofficial U.S. delegation at the Taiwanese inauguration, but “Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion,” the U.S. official said, adding that the administration is not predicting how China would respond.
Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington not to meddle with Taiwan’s affairs, which it says are a core interest for China because it is a matter of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beijing sees Washington’s support for Taiwan as provocative.
The U.S. insists any differences be resolved peacefully and opposes any unilateral changes by either side to the status quo. “We do not support Taiwan independence,” the administration official said. “We support cross-Strait dialogue.”
Taiwan has topped the agenda in U.S.-China relations, which have soured over issues ranging from trade, cybersecurity and human rights to spying. The Biden administration, in its competition with China, has engaged in “intense diplomacy” aimed at preventing tensions from spiraling out of control.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have recently visited China in the administration’s latest effort to keep communications open and minimize misunderstanding.
Shortly after Lai was elected in January, President Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation to Taipei to meet Lai, drawing protests from Beijing. Members of Congress also have traveled to Taiwan to meet the president-elect. Plans are underway for a congressional delegation to visit Taiwan shortly after the inauguration.
Beijing reiterated its claim over Taiwan immediately after Lai was elected and said “the basic fact that Taiwan is part of China will not change.” Days later, Nauru, a tiny Pacific nation, severed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which now is recognized by 12 governments, including the Vatican.
Since then, Beijing has criticized a U.S. destroyer’s passage through the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said the USS Halsey “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on May 8 through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.”
Navy Senior Capt. Li Xi, speaking for China’s Eastern Theater Command, accused the U.S. of having “publicly hyped” the passage of the ship and said the command “organized naval and air forces to monitor” the ship’s transit.
Meanwhile, in a push to avoid Taiwan’s global recognition, Beijing said this week that it would not agree to Taiwan’s participation in this year’s World Health Assembly, an annual meeting by the World Health Organization that could boost Taiwan’s visibility on the world stage.
“China’s Taiwan region, unless given approval by the central government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the World Health Assembly,” said Wang Wenbin, speaking for the Chinese foreign ministry.
Wang also said Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, which came into power in 2016, has been “hellbent on the separatist stance” of Taiwan’s independence and that Beijing has “sufficient reason and a solid legal basis” to bar Taiwan from the global organization.
Here’s the bipartisan delegation that the White House is sending to Taiwan this weekend:
— Laura Rosenberger, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, a nonprofit, private corporation established under a 1979 law to manage America’s unofficial relations with Taiwan.
— Brian Deese, a former director of the National Economic Council in the Biden administration.
— Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state under President George W. Bush.
— Richard Bush, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who previously served as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
GM adds the ability to power your house from one of its new EVs.
The Next Full Moon is the Flower, Corn, or Corn Planting Moon
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
The Next Full Moon is the Flower, Corn, or Corn Planting Moon; the Milk Moon; the Hare’s Moon; and Vesak, Buddha Jayanti, or Buddha Purnima. The next full Moon will be on Thursday morning, May 23, 2024, at 9:53 AM EDT. This will be Friday morning from the Lord Howe Island time zone (just east […]
Au revoir to Woodland Hills, bonjour to Paris
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Equipped with hard-earned French language skills, two Pierce College students will be landing in Paris for their first time this July. Casynee Caukin and Alexander
The post Au revoir to Woodland Hills, bonjour to Paris appeared first on .
DWeb Fellows: Where Are They Now? (Part 1)
date: 2024-05-15, from: Internet Archive Blog
Since the program kicked off in 2019, the DWeb Fellowship has welcomed 62 fellows from more than 20 countries across five continents, spanning North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
Recently, I had the opportunity to reconnect with some of the DWeb Fellows from previous cohorts. We caught up on how we’ve been since our last encounter, delved into our current projects, and reminisced about our shared experiences at DWeb Camp.
https://blog.archive.org/2024/05/15/dweb-fellows-where-are-they-now-part-1/
Revolutionary New Google Feature Hidden Under ‘More’ Tab Shows Links to Web Pages
date: 2024-05-15, from: 404 Media Group
If you’re looking for search results from the search engine, you’ll need to navigate to a new filter and bypass all the AI-generated junk.
https://www.404media.co/google-search-web-filter-ai-overview/
Midpen delays decision on possible closure of Bear Creek Stables
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Horse boarders speak out in favor of maintaining facility.
Lucid CEO Says Chinese Automakers Are Way Behind Tesla On EV Tech
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
Peter Rawlinson said that even though Chinese EVs should not be underestimated, they aren’t as advanced as Tesla.
https://insideevs.com/news/719744/lucid-ceo-chinese-ev-tech/
Students take the spotlight
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
As the lights dimmed, the first performer—a singer—took the stage. The Applied Music Program (AMP) at Pierce College held their first recital of the semester
The post Students take the spotlight appeared first on .
Family of Angelo Quinto, a man who died at hands of Antioch police officers, agrees to $7.5 million settlement with city
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Quinto passed out while being restrained by police and died three days later.
Pac-12 hires executive to turn what remains of Pac-12 Networks into a profit source for next era
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Michael Molinari, a longtime producer for the Pac-12 Networks, has been tasked with find new business and preparing Pac-12 Enterprises for the next era.
Robert Fico, Slovakia’s populist prime minister, returned to power on a pro-Russian platform
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year. Having previously served twice as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, the 59-year-old’s third term made him the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia’s history.
https://apnews.com/article/robert-fico-slovakia-shot-prime-minister-751051f2a36391919790c62d664a5e6d
Earth’s Magnetic Field Nearly Collapsed 600 Million Years Ago. Then, Weird and Complex Life Evolved
date: 2024-05-15, from: Smithsonian Magazine
A new study suggests more solar radiation reached Earth while the magnetic field weakened, leading to a rise in oxygen that drove an explosion of multicellular organisms during the Ediacaran Period
Intel’s Thunderbolt Share lets you connect two PCs with a Thunderbolt cable for PC-to-PC features
date: 2024-05-15, from: Liliputing
Thunderbolt ports enable high-speed connections between devices. But up until now, that’s mean you could use a Thunderbolt cable to connect storage, graphics cards, or docking stations to a PC. Soon you’ll also be able to use Thunderbolt to connect one PC to another, thanks to Intel’s new Thunderbolt Share platform. This lets you quickly sync […]
The post Intel’s Thunderbolt Share lets you connect two PCs with a Thunderbolt cable for PC-to-PC features appeared first on Liliputing.
Getting the lei of the land
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Ribbons took the form of leis as they encircled students at the Multicultural Center on May 7. More than 40 students attended the lei-making event
The post Getting the lei of the land appeared first on .
Dublin debauchery derails Portal to NYC in six days flat
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-16, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Webcam art installation quickly descends into public Chatroulette
Doomed internet cesspits Omegle and Chatroulette should have been warning enough of what happens when a webcam is placed between random strangers, yet the Portal art project linking New York City to Dublin didn’t last a week before being shut down.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/dublin_new_york_portal/
Tesla Is Going All-Out To Convince Shareholders To Approve Musk’s $56 Billion Pay
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
Plus, Tesla insiders reveal more on the Supercharging team layoff and Cruise will pay at least $8 million to a pedestrian it injured.
https://insideevs.com/news/719761/tesla-strategic-advisor-musk-pay/
Streetbeat: What mode of transportation do you use to get to campus, and why?
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
“I take the bus because the school was nice enough to offer a free TAP card, so now my transportation is easier and
The post Streetbeat: What mode of transportation do you use to get to campus, and why? appeared first on .
Avoid the headaches, ride public
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Have you ever told yourself you would put gas in the morning when driving home only to regret it because you are now running late?
The post Avoid the headaches, ride public appeared first on .
Hayward: Man was killed Jan. 31 in shooting that was previously undisclosed to the public
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Shortly after the shooting, two women pulled up in a car and told police that one of them had killed the man in self-defense.
Prices went up in April, but inflation still cooled
date: 2024-05-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The consumer price index is up 3.4% in a year, and — setting aside volatile food and fuels costs — the CPI increase over 12 months was the lowest in three years. For people fervently hoping interest rates will go down sooner rather than later, this is good news. But can there be too much slowing? We dig in. Plus, we’ll hear how the economy of Necoclí, Colombia, has shifted to serve migrants stopping there.
The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.
This Stretched and Lifted Custom Mudding ATV Is Absolutely Bonkers
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Tons of fab work to the frame, suspension upgrades, and a turbocharger make this thing one of a kind.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719532/custom-mudder-big-wheel-atv/
Mullen secures $150 million financing deal, production Bollinger is a go
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Commercial EV manufacturer Mullen has scored a $150 million capital infusion that will allow it to expand its domestic and international sales efforts – and put Bollinger’s beefy electric trucks into series production.
News Briefs – May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Finals Prep Coffee & Jazz: On Monday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., students can check into Room 5112 in the Multicultural Center
The post News Briefs – May 15, 2024 appeared first on .
Many master’s degrees aren’t worth the investment, research shows
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
Mercedes-Benz Cancels Next-Gen Platform For EQS, EQE EVs: Report
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
Poor sales of the current generation of top-spec EVs prompted the German automaker to cut back on investments.
https://insideevs.com/news/719738/mercedes-benz-cancels-next-large-ev-platform-eqs-eqe-report/
Bay Area consumer prices hop higher as pace of inflation worsens
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
The inflation rate in the Bay Area as measured by consumer prices rose at a faster pace in April compared with the last several months.
Meet Pi-CARD: Serving up a digital assistant on Raspberry Pi
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
LLMs running on a dedicated card: The final frontier as hacker makes it so
Consider your wish for an AI digital assistant that runs locally and offline officially granted. Not by a major industry player, naturally – your personal data is too enticing – but by a guy on GitHub who built one to run on a Raspberry Pi. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/picard_offline_digital_assistant/
Academic Senate discusses student and faculty input on budget
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
Associated Student Organization (ASO), athletic programs and learning outcomes were among the topics discussed during the May 6 Academic Senate meeting in Building 600. But
The post Academic Senate discusses student and faculty input on budget appeared first on .
Voters narrowly support upping parcel tax for Los Gatos, Saratoga high schools
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Early returns show measure barely has necessary two-thirds vote.
Good Night, Moon
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
The waning gibbous moon stands out against the dark backdrop of space in this April 26, 2024, image from the International Space Station. Waning gibbous is one of eight moon phases, occurring after the full moon. The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we can […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/good-night-moon-2/
NIO undercuts Tesla Model Y with new $30,000 L60 EV, kicking off cheaper Onvo brand
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Chinese EV maker NIO launched the first EV under its new mass-market Onvo brand Wednesday. The new Onvo L60 electric SUV will rival Tesla’s best-selling Model Y at a cheaper starting price. Starting at just $30,500 (219,900 yuan), can NIO’s new electric SUV compete with the Model Y?
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/nio-undercuts-tesla-model-y-new-30000-onvo-brand-ev/
Old Hollywood glamour sizzles at National Portrait Gallery exhibit
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
He captured the most famous faces in 1930s and early ’40s cinema — Garbo, Crawford, Bogart and Gable. Now the work of George Hurrell, one of Hollywood’s greatest portrait photographers, is on display at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. For VOA News, Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. Videographer: Hakim Shammo; Video editor: Cristina Caicedo Smit
Streetbeat: What makes for a good commencement speech for graduating community college students?
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)
“I think someone graduating should demonstrate how they have changed and how they work, and how they’ve grown as a worker but also
The post Streetbeat: What makes for a good commencement speech for graduating community college students? appeared first on .
After announcing more job cuts, Tesla board rallies retail investors to vote for Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Directors have hired an adviser and launched a website to secure the CEO’s compensation.
Veeam adds support for VMware alternative Proxmox to its backup software
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Another push for backup buyers uneasy about Broadcom buy
Data protection outfit Veeam has confirmed it is to add support for the open source virtualization platform Proxmox, bringing more backing behind the VMware alternative.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/veeam_adds_support_for_vmware/
Elon Musk claims Tesla’s next Full Self-Driving update drives ‘5 to 10x more miles per intervention’
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Elon Musk claims that Tesla’s next “Supervised Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software update will result in a “5 to 10x improvement in miles per intervention.”
It would be a game changer if true.
Hubble Views the Dawn of a Sun-like Star
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Looking like a glittering cosmic geode, a trio of dazzling stars blaze from the hollowed-out cavity of a reflection nebula in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The triple-star system is made up of the variable star HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3. HP Tau is known as a T […]
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-views-the-dawn-of-a-sun-like-star/
Space Physics and Space Weather Scientist Dr. Yihua (Eva) Zheng
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
“I grew up in China. In China, everybody talks about what they want to be [when they grow up]. Many want to grow up to be a scientist or engineer. So I aspired to be a scientist from an early age. “… For the girls or women in science — or in any profession or […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/space-physics-and-space-weather-scientist-dr-yihua-eva-zheng/
A Kennedy for president viewed as potential spoiler
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
There is little that the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden agree on. One is the presidential candidacy of an activist lawyer with a famous political pedigree: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman at the White House reports both the Biden and Trump camps see Kennedy as a potential spoiler in this November’s election. VOA footage and video editing by Adam Greenbaum.
https://www.voanews.com/a/a-kennedy-for-president-viewed-as-a-potential-spoiler/7613061.html
Suspect in East Bay shooting deaths charged with two counts of murder
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Authorities found the bodies May 4 during a welfare check.
Driver in 2021 fatal Contra Costa DUI crash sentenced to one year
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
Katriece Irving pleaded no contest to a drunk driving charge, and vehicular manslaughter charges were dismissed.
Northern lights may be visible across Northern California this weekend. Why are they so active right now?
date: 2024-05-15, from: San Jose Mercury News
A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun have the potential to create dazzling auroras that may be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California but also disrupt communications on Earth tonight and over the weekend
Podcast: Why the Solar Storm Broke Tractors and GPS
date: 2024-05-15, from: 404 Media Group
A special on John Deere this week, followed by another two stories on Amazon.
https://www.404media.co/podcast-why-the-solar-storm-broke-tractors-and-gps/
Can A Motorcyclist Without Any Experience Run The World’s Largest Enduro?
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Are a couple of months of training enough to conquer this challenge?
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719662/gotland-enduro-race-firsttime-rider/
Tesla FSD Trial Convinced Just 2% Of Users To Pay For It, Credit Card Data Shows (UPDATE)
date: 2024-05-15, from: Inside EVs News
The company’s marketing campaign might have been a dud.
https://insideevs.com/news/719709/tesla-fsd-trial-low-conversion-rate/
OpenAI co-founder to depart ChatGPT
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Sutskever leaves behind mysterious message on next venture
Co-founder and Chief Scientist at OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, has announced he is leaving the company and posted a mysterious message about what might be next.…
BFGoodrich’s New T/A KO3 Off-Road Tire Will Let You Go Anywhere
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Baja, here we come.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719659/bfgoodrich-bfg-ko3/
Thanks To Wall Street, There Goes The Neighborhood
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Lever News
Lawmakers are targeting investors’ tightening grip on the single-family housing market, but a powerful new lobbying army is fighting back.
https://www.levernews.com/thanks-to-wall-street-there-goes-the-neighborhood/
Japan may need 50% more electricity for hungry, hungry AI and chip fabs
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
While Tokyo pours billions into revitalizing chipmaking sector, it might want to check out the grid
Japan reckons it may need to generate 50 percent more electricity by 2050 because of growing local demand from chipmaking and datacenters running AI. The move follows a warning by DigitalBridge that it may run out of power within two years.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/japan_electricity/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
A friend from Calif is visiting NYC in July. I used ChatGPT for ideas about where to stay and where to visit for food and entertainment. This is far in advance of what we had before AI.
https://chatgpt.com/share/c0ba5f6d-fa63-4ff3-99d6-22b6a6e397e8?oai-dm=1
This New e-Bike Has An Astonishing 90 Miles of Range
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Quietkat’s revolutions don’t stop with the Apex’s range, though.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719649/quietkat-apex-hd-ebike-bicycle-debut-price-range/
Brexit border system outage puts perishable goods transport in peril
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Saturday’s power failures toppled border-check system offline
A power outage affecting one of the IT systems used to process imports to the UK has caused delays to perishable goods crossing the border, which businesses have described as a “disaster.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/brexit_border_system_outage_put/
An Affordable Diarrhea Treatment Could Save Thousands of Children’s Lives
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: RAND blog
Diarrhea kills by dehydration. The discovery that salts plus glucose and water can keep patients alive has been hailed as one of the greatest medical advances of the past century. Yet health care providers from south Asia to sub-Saharan Africa don’t prescribe them enough.
Google now offers ‘web’ search — and an “AI” opt-out button
date: 2024-05-15, from: OS News
This is not a joke: Google will now let you perform a “web” search. It’s rolling out “web” searches now, and in my early tests on desktop, it’s looking like it could be an incredibly popular change to Google’s search engine. The optional setting filters out almost all the other blocks of content that Google crams into a search results page, leaving you with links and text — and Google confirms to The Verge that it will block the company’s new AI Overviews as well. ↫ Sean Hollister at The Verge I hate what the web has become.
https://www.osnews.com/story/139691/google-now-offers-web-search-and-an-ai-opt-out-button/
Honda’s Working On A Bunch Of Advanced Motorcycle Safety Aids
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
It’s combining the power of radar and stereo cameras for the ultimate adaptive cruise control system.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719552/honda-camera-based-adaptive-cruise-control/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Fox News and the MAGA media are lining up their shot at American democracy.
We Want These New Vespa Scooters And Clothing Collections, Dang It!
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Italian drip from head to handgrips.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719654/vespa-new-primavera-sprint-china/
Russia’s Putin expresses gratitude to China’s Xi for Ukraine peace plan
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
“China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,” Xi said, speaking alongside Putin.
https://apnews.com/article/china-russia-putin-beijing-xi-3212ef85d8318cf853f956173f3a682a
Grant Pays DACA Renewal Costs For Community College Students, Though Many Don’t Know
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The LAist
It currently costs $555 to renew the permit online and $605 to renew it by mail.
https://laist.com/news/education/free-daca-renewal-california-community-colleges
Why an important inflation measures leaves out borrowing costs
date: 2024-05-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The consumer price index comes out later this morning. It’s designed to measure inflation but ignores one of the biggest categories of price increases hitting consumers: the cost of borrowing money. We’ll unpack why that’s the case. Also, a bipartisan group of Senators wants the federal government to spend $30 billion to address artificial intelligence development. Then, school districts face tough choices as pandemic funding ends
The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.
Why an important inflation measure leaves out borrowing costs
date: 2024-05-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
The consumer price index comes out later this morning. It’s designed to measure inflation but ignores one of the biggest categories of price increases hitting consumers: the cost of borrowing money. We’ll unpack why that’s the case. Also, a bipartisan group of Senators wants the federal government to spend $30 billion to address artificial intelligence development. Then, school districts face tough choices as pandemic funding ends
The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.
Google thinks AI can Google better than you can
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Multimodal models promise machines can do more – if you let them
In the future, “Google will do the Googling for you” – or so suggests Liz Reid, VP of search.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/google_ai_developer/
Bohdan Troschynsky pushed new project branch bohdan at Felix Oliver Friedrich / Oberon A2
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: Oberon A2 at CAS
Bohdan Troschynsky (42c7892f) at 15 May 13:38
Added small library and example how to use, for extending Reflectio…
https://gitlab.inf.ethz.ch/felixf/oberon/-/commits/bohdan
onX’s ‘Adventure Forever Grants’ Aim to Keep Public Lands Public
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
Public land is under threat by state and federal governments. onX is doing its best to keep it in our hands.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719645/onx-adventure-forever-land-grants-submissions/
Blinken pledges US support for Ukraine in Kyiv visit
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-pledges-us-support-for-ukraine-in-kyiv-visit-/7612888.html
Last Summer Was the Hottest in 2,000 Years
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Wildfires continue to burn out of control in western Canada • An early season heat wave will bring record high temperatures to parts of Florida • One in eight Europeans now live in an area at risk of flooding.
THE TOP FIVE
- Study: Last summer was the hottest in 2,000 years
We already know that last summer was the hottest “on record” – but those records only really go back to the 1850s or so. A new study published in the journal Nature looks further into the past and concludes that last summer was the warmest in some 2,000 years in the Northern Hemisphere. To reach this conclusion, researchers examined thousands of tree rings, which offer clues about a year’s temperature and moisture levels. The tree ring data suggests last summer was about 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average temperature of the years 1 AD to 1890 AD. The study warns that summer 2024 could be even warmer than 2023.
A separate study out yesterday concluded that Southeast Asia’s intense April heat wave was fueled by man-caused climate change. In the Philippines, for example, a 15-day heat wave pushed the heat index to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, disrupting daily life and forcing many schools to close. This extreme weather would have been “impossible” without climate change, the study found.
- House Democrats launch probe into Trump’s meeting with Big Oil execs
House Democrats have launched an investigation into a recent Mar-a-Lago dinner where former President Donald Trump reportedly asked Big Oil bosses to put $1 billion toward his 2024 presidential campaign and promised to roll back some environmental rules should he win back the White House. The House oversight committee sent letters to oil executives from Cheniere Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Chevron, Continental Resources, EQT Corporation, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, Venture Global and the American Petroleum Institute. They want the companies to list who attended the meeting, provide copies of any documents distributed, describe any policies that were discussed, and disclose any contributions made to Trump’s campaign during or after the dinner, according to The Washington Post. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, gave the executives a deadline of May 27 to turn over information, but the committee’s investigative powers are limited by the GOP’s control of the House. “If the oil companies decline to turn over the information, Democrats will not be able to subpoena the firms, stymying their investigation,” explained the Post.
- Trump chides Biden on new Chinese EV tariffs
President Biden confirmed yesterday that he is imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, as well as tariff increases on other clean energy technologies including lithium batteries, solar cells, and critical minerals. Former President Trump, speaking from outside the New York courtroom where his hush money trial is taking place, said: “Where have they been for three-and-a-half years? They should have done it a long time ago.”
There is no equivalence between Biden’ tariffs and the 10% across the board tariff on all imported goods from all countries that Trump has proposed, wrote Heatmap’s Robinson Meyer. “Biden’s new tariffs focus on certain strategic sectors that American officials believe the country must cultivate to stay at the technological frontier, coupled with pre-existing subsidies meant to spur domestic production of those goods. Some of the tariffs only kick in beginning in 2026 — far enough in the future, policymakers hope, for the market to prepare. Trump’s tariffs, meanwhile, would intentionally and chaotically hike prices.”
Get Heatmap AM directly in your inbox every morning:
- DOE offers Plug Power $1.66 billion conditional loan for green
hydrogen plants
The Department of Energy yesterday offered Plug Power a conditional commitment of $1.66 billion in loan guarantees to build up to six clean hydrogen plants that use the company’s electrolyzer technology. The hydrogen would “power fuel cell-electric vehicles used in the material handling, transportation, and industrial sectors, resulting in an estimated 84% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional hydrogen production,” the DOE announcement said. Most hydrogen production uses fossil fuels to run an electrolyzer that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. But clean hydrogen relies on electrolyzers powered by renewable sources – or natural gas with carbon capture. The Biden administration sees clean hydrogen as a key part of its push to decarbonize heavy industry. The deal isn’t done yet – Plug will have to prove its projects will benefit local communities and “satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions” before the loan goes ahead. But the news sent Plug’s stock soaring nonetheless.
- California officials pause solar geoengineering study over safety
concerns
In case you missed it earlier this week (I did!), officials in California have ordered researchers to stop using an aerosol sprayer to test a potential solar geoengineering process for cooling the planet, The New York Times reported. The Cloud Aerosol Research Instrument, or CARI, sits on the flight deck of the Hornet, a decommissioned aircraft carrier in Alameda, California. It sprays sea salt aerosol particles into the air, a process that could one day be used to brighten clouds and reflect the sun’s rays. This experiment, which began in early April, marked the first time such a device had been tested outdoors in the U.S. But the city of Alameda told the scientists to stop their research until the health and environmental impacts of the experiment can be evaluated. “The city is evaluating the chemical compounds in the spray to determine if they are a hazard either inhaled in aerosol form by humans and animals, or landing on the ground or in the bay,” city officials said.
THE KICKER
Police in the U.K. could soon carry “Ghostbusters-style devices” that use electromagnetic rays to stop e-bike engines if a rider is suspected of being involved in a crime.
https://heatmap.news/climate/summer-2023-hottest-2000-years
How migration changed the economy of a Colombian town
date: 2024-05-15, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Roughly 500,000 migrants traveled through dense jungles on the Colombia-Panama border last year, according to the United Nations. We’ll hear how businesses in a beach town have shifted their focus to cater to the new arrivals. Plus, China vowed to retaliate against President Biden’s significant tariffs on some Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Russia’s President Putin spoke of his country’s close ties to China ahead of a visit to Beijing.
The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.
Amazon-Owned Zoox Self-Driving Vehicles Involved in Two Motorcycle Crashes
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ride Apart, Electric Motorcycle News
If you find yourself riding behind a Zoox self-driving vehicle, keep your distance. At least until the NHTSA investigation is resolved.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/719665/zoox-self-driving-motorcycle-crashes/
Penske signs on to demo and sell a customized version of REE’s P7-C electric truck
date: 2024-05-15, from: Electrek Feed
Commercial EV technology developer REE Automotive has added some clout to its growing order book as global transportation provider Penske has signed on to help demonstrate the former’s PC-7 electric truck to its customers and help facilitate sales.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/15/penske-to-demo-sell-customized-version-ree-p7-c-electric-truck/
PeerJ Award Winners at the 7th International Zooplankton Production Symposium
date: 2024-05-15, from: PeerJ blog
We are living in the Anthropocene. Our oceans are warmer, more acidic, have widespread plastic and other pollution, and are subjected to increasing exploitation including overfishing. Zooplankton play a pivotal role in our oceans, as grazers of primary production, as drivers of carbon and nutrient cycles, and as prey for higher trophic level consumers including […]
Raspberry Pi prepares to boot up a London listing
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
The little computer that could gets ready for an IPO
Raspberry Pi Ltd is considering an Initial Public Offering and today published figures showing just how important commercial customers have become to the company.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/raspberry_pi_perpares_to_boot/
Miniature poodle Sage fetches top prize at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — A sprightly miniature poodle named Sage was crowned “Best in Show” on Tuesday at the 148th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, winning the grand prize in the most prestigious competition among pure-bred canines in the United States.
Sage, the finalist representing 21 breeds classified as non-sporting dogs, triumphed over more than 2,500 top-ranked dogs competing in the two-day contest, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City.
Sage, a 4-year-old black-colored female groomed in the fine, fluffy topiary style traditional for poodles, competed head to head against the winners in six other groups — terriers, hounds, herding dogs, working dogs, sporting dogs and toy dogs.
She was the first female to win the top prize at Westminster since 2020, according to commentators on the Fox Sports channel, which broadcast the event live.
And she became the fourth miniature poodle to claim the top prize in the 148-year history of the contest, with the trophy previously going to her breed in 1943, 1959 and 2002, according to kennel club records.
The larger “standard” poodle breed has been declared Best in Show five times, most recently in 2020, and the smaller “toy” poodle breed has won twice.
The poodle originated as a hunting dog in Germany and is now recognized as the national dog of France.
Sage’s handler, Kaz Hosaka, cried tears of joy and carried his prized poodle in his arms around floor of the auditorium to cheers of the crowd as he celebrated what he said was his 45th year participating at the Westminster dog show and the last of his career.
The Westminster dog show bills itself as the second-oldest U.S. sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse race. This year’s competition drew a field of contenders representing 200 breeds from all 50 U.S. states and 12 other countries.
Mercedes, a female 4-year-old German shepherd, was named runner-up for the overall contest, after first winning the top prize in the herding dog group.
Along with Sage and Mercedes, the two other finalists chosen on Monday were Comet the Shih Tzu, representing the toy group, and Louis, the Afghan hound leading the hound group.
Rounding out the finalists were three group winners chosen on Tuesday - Micah the black cocker spaniel, representing sporting dogs; Monty, the giant schnauzer, leading the working dogs; and Frankie, a colored bull terrier from the terrier group.
IMF boss warns of AI ‘tsunami’ coming for world’s jobs
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘A series of large ocean waves caused by a sudden and powerful disturbance,’ according to ChatGPT
International Monetary Fund managing director Dr Kristalina Georgieva has warned of a “tsunami” hitting the global labor market as businesses adopt AI technologies.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/imf_boss_ai_tsunami/
Binoculars: A Great First Telescope
date: 2024-05-15, from: NASA breaking news
Do you want to peer deeper into the night sky? Are you feeling the urge to buy a telescope? There are so many options for budding astronomers that choosing one can be overwhelming. A first telescope should be easy to use and provide good quality views while being affordable. As it turns out, those requirements […]
Jim de Bree | A Vote Based on Flawed Reasoning
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
Stephen Maseda (letters, March 30) recently took exception to my comments about Rep. Mike Garcia’s vote against certifying the Arizona Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021. When Mr. Maseda […]
The post Jim de Bree | A Vote Based on Flawed Reasoning appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/jim-de-bree-a-vote-based-on-flawed-reasoning/
Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ here at last with a $12 price tag
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Speedy storage for your Pi 5
The Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ has finally put in an appearance, allowing Pi 5 owners to connect M.2 M-key peripherals to their computers and take advantage of NVMe drives.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/raspberry_pi_m2_hat/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Jalen Brunson drops 44 as Knicks blow out Pacers in Game 5.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40149244/jalen-brunson-drops-44-knicks-blow-pacers-game-5
It Was a Big Week for the Power Grid
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heatmap News
Transmission has been one of the biggest obstacles of decarbonizing the power grid in America. In the past week, however, the country has taken two big steps toward finally removing it.
Last week, the Department of Energy published a list of 10 high-priority areas for grid development, called National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, designed to help accelerate some of the most annoying aspects of the siting process. Then on Monday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed a new rule directing grid planners to take a longer view on what America’s future electricity needs will look like.
On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with two special guests — Maria Robinson, who leads the Energy Department’s Grid Deployment Office, and Heatmap reporter Matthew Zeitlin — about what these measures mean for the Biden administration’s climate policy and how soon we might see new power lines get built. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.
Subscribe to “Shift Key” and find this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also add the show’s RSS feed to your podcast app to follow us directly.
Here is an excerpt from our conversation:
Robinson Meyer: Wow. Okay. So basically, any — so can I just back up for a second? I think, first of all, I just want to go: Wow. So all of, the whole power we’re talking about today is very important. There’s nothing else like it in the federal government. But also, you’re going to have to do a whole NEPA process on it?
Maria Robinson: Yes, so we’re going to have to do a whole NEPA process for each one of these areas that we’re designating for NIETCs. And then the other part of this is that if they access some funding, they’re going to have to do another NEPA process. And if they access backstop siting at a FERC, you may have to do another NEPA process. And I know Congress is investigating a couple of remedies to that.
Jesse Jenkins: So that’s pretty important. Because the goal here is to try to accelerate the development of transmission, which is critical to tap into the best wind and solar resources across the country that can help lower electricity costs and help decarbonize the grid to meet the growing need for electricity. That’s coming from data centers, as listeners have heard here on Shift Key, from electrification of vehicles, hydrogen production, etc. So we’ve got a big pressure to increase the electricity supply in the country. And, you know, the cheapest resources are renewables, but we’ve got to be able to plug them into the grid.
So if this process is going to … designating these NIETCs and then ultimately getting transmission lines built out within them, with access to federal support for financing and backstop siting authority, is going to play out over a multi-year NEPA process — or several of them — how quickly could we realistically expect to start seeing transmission lines built within some of these corridors?
Maria Robinson: What’s great about the cohort — and this is just our very first cohort of those named national transmission corridors. We anticipate that we’ll open up applications again, maybe as soon as this fall, for another round, as well, depending on how many we move forward with to do full NEPA on. It really depends on our ability to get all of that NEPA done.
But some of these are really ready for prime time. Some of them are just looking for some additional financing. And are looking at construction dates as soon as, say, 2028, 2029, which in the grand scheme of things for transmission is relatively soon.
This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…
Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.
FischTank PR uses its decade-plus experience working in the climate tech space to introduce clients to top-tier journalists at the right time, for the right story. We don’t tire-spin — we take action and understand we are hired to get results. To learn more, visit fischtankpr.com.
Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.
https://heatmap.news/podcast/shift-key-episode-16-ferc-nietc-grid-transmission
Mortgage Brokers Sent People’s Estimated Credit, Address, and Veteran Status to Facebook
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Markup blog
More than 200 national and regional lenders share sensitive user data with Facebook. Experts say it might be illegal
Chaos and tension at OpenAI
date: 2024-05-15, from: Gary Marcus blog
Safety seems to be taking a back seat
https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/chaos-and-tension-at-openai
Global EV sales continue to increase, but Plug-in Hybrid momentum is growing
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
PHEVs make a lot of sense for traditional automakers faced with battery-powered losses
Global passenger electric vehicle (EV) sales have continued to grow. However, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales have significantly increased year-on-year, leaving their battery-only counterparts trailing.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/global_ev_sales_continue_to/
Off-grid, offline digital libraries on Raspberry Pi 3
date: 2024-05-15, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
ASU engineering students designed a new charging controller for SolarSPELL’s solar-powered offline libraries.
The post Off-grid, offline digital libraries on Raspberry Pi 3 appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/off-grid-offline-digital-libraries-on-raspberry-pi-3/
Office Hours: A convicted criminal for president?
date: 2024-05-15, from: Robert Reich on Substack
Friends, In a few weeks, Donald Trump may be a convicted criminal. It’s hardly a sure thing, of course. All he needs for a mistrial is one holdout juror. But the evidence so far seems overwhelming and damning. So we have to face a daunting reality. For the first time in history, a convicted criminal may be the nominee of one of our major parties and on November’s presidential ballot.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-272
Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from some parts of the country’s northeast and were battling Russian troops in other areas.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-blinken-crimea-30c152149f68bbe03c485ce91df6e7ae
The Savvy Senior | How to Find a Good Doctor
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good resources to help me locate some quality doctors in my area? I’m looking for an orthopedic doctor for my 77-year-old mother […]
The post The Savvy Senior | How to Find a Good Doctor appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/the-savvy-senior-how-to-find-a-good-doctor/
When AI helps you code, who owns the finished product?
date: 2024-05-15, updated: 2024-05-15, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’s not settled law. And it’s going to mean trouble
Opinion I’ve been writing software for almost half a century, and my recent experiences with AI suggest that developers may soon find ourselves in a very sticky situation.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/05/15/ai_coding_complications/
Classifieds – May 15, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition. Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.
The post Classifieds – May 15, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/classifieds-may-15-2024/
Today in SCV History (May 15)
date: 2024-05-15, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1969 – Board of Trustees selects “College of the Canyons” name. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-may-15/
No, the kids are not alright
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
It shouldn’t be Generation Z’s responsibility to save the world.
The post No, the kids are not alright appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/no-the-kids-are-not-alright/
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is sweet, epic
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Apes battle as audiences grapple with history, supremacy and legacy in 20th Century Studios’ newest sci-fi offering.
The post ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is sweet, epic appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-is-sweet-epic/
The Met Gala and menswear
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
It feels like men’s fashion always takes second place in the fashion world.
The post The Met Gala and menswear appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/the-met-gala-and-menswear/
‘Every Day is Halloween’: Cruel World brings the new wave sound to the Rose Bowl
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Fans flocked to Brookside at the Rose Bowl for Blondie, Duran Duran and Ministry.
The post ‘Every Day is Halloween’: Cruel World brings the new wave sound to the Rose Bowl appeared first on Daily Trojan.
USC spring sports breakdown
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans experienced ups and downs to finish their final Pac-12 seasons.
The post USC spring sports breakdown appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/usc-spring-sports-breakdown/
We need radical feminism to address the issue of AI porn
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Computer-generated porn reflects a need for a shift in feminist thought.
The post We need radical feminism to address the issue of AI porn appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/we-need-radical-feminism-to-address-the-issue-of-ai-porn/
Meet Rancho Cucamonga’s emperor of the net
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Collin Delia’s hockey journey could have only started in California.
The post Meet Rancho Cucamonga’s emperor of the net appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/05/15/meet-rancho-cucamongas-emperor-of-the-net/
Gauchos Increase Home Winning Streak to 22 Games with 4-3 Victory over Saint Mary’s
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Gauchos are undefeated at home this season.
The post Gauchos Increase Home Winning Streak to 22 Games with 4-3 Victory over Saint Mary’s appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
May 14, 2024
date: 2024-05-15, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
Today the White House announced tariffs on certain products imported from China, including steel and aluminum products, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries and battery components, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, syringes and needles, and certain personal protective equipment (or PPE). According to the White House, these higher tariffs are designed “to protect American workers and businesses from China’s unfair trade practices.” Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods, and altogether the tariff hikes cover about $18 billion in imported goods.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-14-2024
Can solar and wind ever match the rollout rates of nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980s?
date: 2024-05-15, from: Hannah Richie at Substack
France and Sweden’s nuclear rates will be hard to beat, but solar power is getting there.
https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/solar-wind-nuclear-rates
ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders and Russian attack over Putin warrant
date: 2024-05-15, from: Associated Press, World News
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Budget Season Underway in City of Santa Barbara
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The City Council tackles the projected $7.1 million general fund deficit, department by department.
The post Budget Season Underway in City of Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/14/budget-season-underway-in-city-of-santa-barbara/
COC officials provide update on campus safety
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
College of the Canyons officials presented an update on the campus safety department at last week’s Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees meeting. The presentation was made by […]
The post COC officials provide update on campus safety appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/coc-officials-provide-update-on-campus-safety/
Administration sending $1 billion more in weapons to Israel, sources say
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday.
It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The White House has come under criticism from both sides of the political spectrum in the U.S. over its military support for Israel’s now seven-month war against Hamas in Gaza. Some of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats have pushed him to limit transfers of offensive weapons to Israel to pressure the U.S. ally to do more to protect Palestinian civilians. Many Republicans condemn any lessening of military backing to Israel.
The package being sent includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the congressional aides said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public.
There was no immediate indication when the arms would be sent. It’s not clear if this shipment is part of the long-delayed foreign aid package that Congress passed and Biden signed last month, a tranche from existing arms sale or a new sale.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the plans to move the package.
House Republicans were planning this week to advance a bill to mandate the delivery of offensive weaponry for Israel. Following Biden’s move to put a pause on bomb shipments last week, Republicans have been swift in their condemnation, arguing it represents the abandonment of the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.
The White House said Tuesday that Biden would veto the bill if it were to pass Congress. The bill also has practically no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But House Democrats are somewhat divided on the issue, and roughly two dozen have signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were “deeply concerned about the message” sent by pausing the bomb shipment.
In addition to the written veto threat, the White House has been in touch with various lawmakers and congressional aides about the legislation, according to an administration official.
“We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the President’s ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week, adding that the administration plans to spend “every last cent” appropriated by Congress in the national security supplemental package that was signed into law by Biden last month.
Republicans advance Senate candidates in West Virginia, Maryland
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Republican voters advanced strong Senate contenders in Maryland and West Virginia on Tuesday, giving the party a big boost in its push to claim control of Congress’ upper chamber.
Former Governor Larry Hogan claimed the Republican nomination in what will be a marquee race in Maryland against Angela Alsobrooks, a top local official who could become the fourth Black woman in U.S. history to serve in the Senate.
Meanwhile, another popular Republican, Governor Jim Justice, won the Senate nomination in deep-red West Virginia, becoming the overwhelming favorite in the race that represents the Republicans’ best pickup opportunity in the nation.
In both states, which share a border but feature antithetical politics, the Republican nominees represent a serious challenge for Democrats in the general election as they cling to a 51-49 Senate majority and defend seats in other states that former President Donald Trump won four years ago.
At the same time, Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden sought to project strength in low-stakes presidential primaries. And further down the ballot, two people who were on opposite sides of the Jan. 6 insurrection lost their U.S. House bids — a former Capitol Police officer running in Maryland and a former West Virginia state lawmaker who participated in the riot.
In all, three states hosted statewide primary elections Tuesday — Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia — as Republicans and Democrats picked their nominees for a slate of November elections that will decide the presidency and control of Congress.
Maryland
In Maryland, Hogan gives Republicans a legitimate chance at picking up a Senate seat in the deep-blue state for the first time in more than four decades.
Hogan overcame his years-long criticism of Trump, a position that put him at odds with many Republican primary voters but will undoubtedly help him in the general election this fall. Maryland voters gave Biden a 33-point victory over Trump four years ago.
On the other side in the Senate contest, Democratic voters nominated Alsobrooks, the top official in Prince George’s County outside of Washington. The 53-year-old African American county executive had been endorsed by many of the state’s top officials, including Governor Wes Moore, Senator Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer.
Alsobrooks prevailed after a contentious and expensive primary against U.S. Representative David Trone, a liquor store magnate who had invested more than $61 million into his unsuccessful bid.
Race was an issue in the Democratic primary and may be in the general election in the months ahead. Alsobrooks is trying to become the first Black senator from a state in which roughly one in three residents identifies as African American.
On the social media site X, Hogan congratulated Alsobrooks and said, “Voters have a clear and stark choice: more of the dysfunctional partisan status quo or real independent and bipartisan leadership.”
Alsobrooks, also posting on X, promised to “defeat Larry Hogan, keep Maryland blue, and keep our Senate under Democratic control.”
West Virginia
Justice won his primary against U.S. Representative Alex Mooney in the race to replace Senator Joe Manchin. With Manchin gone, the seat is almost guaranteed to turn red come November.
Justice, a former billionaire with a folksy personality, is wildly popular in the state. He also earned Trump’s endorsement. A former Democrat, Justice switched to the Republican Party in 2017, announcing the change at a Trump rally.
Mooney had tried to win over conservatives by labeling Justice as someone who would support Democratic policies. Justice did support Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, saying West Virginia couldn’t afford to turn away the money offered in the bill.
West Virginia is also deciding its candidates for governor. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican nominee in the 2018 Senate race against Manchin, is running for the Republican nomination. He’s up against former state Representative Moore Capito, whose mother is Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
Presidential primary
Biden and Trump have already amassed enough delegates to claim the presidential nominations at their respective national conventions this summer. Yet voters on both sides hope to register a significant protest vote Tuesday that will demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the Biden-Trump rematch.
Both Biden and Trump won their primaries in West Virginia and Maryland.
Still, Maryland progressives especially unhappy with the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas had encouraged voters to select “uncommitted to any presidential candidate” instead of Biden. There was no uncommitted option in West Virginia or Nebraska.
Everett Bellamy, a Democrat who voted early in Annapolis, said he voted “uncommitted” instead of Biden as a protest against the killing of women and children and noncombatants in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican critics cannot choose “uncommitted,” but they can choose his former Republican rival Nikki Haley, who will appear on the ballot in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia despite formally suspending her campaign more than two months ago.
Derek Faux, an independent voter from Charleston, West Virginia, said he supported Haley, and in other Republican races, he said he voted for the candidates he believed were least like Trump.
Capitol attack
Tuesday’s elections also included two candidates who were intimately involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In Maryland, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn was among nearly two dozen Democrats running in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. The 40-year-old Democrat lost to State Senator Sarah Elfreth.
In West Virginia, a former member of the House of Delegates, Derrick Evans, lost his bid to oust incumbent Republican Representative Carol Miller in the 1st Congressional District.
The 39-year-old Evans served a three-month jail sentence after livestreaming himself participating in the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Other key races
In Nebraska, Republican Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts both face nominal opposition in their primaries, one of the rare occasions when both senators in a state are on the ballot at the same time. And in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican U.S. Representative Don Bacon faces a challenge from his right flank.
In North Carolina, voters finalized their pick of the Trump-endorsed Brad Knott in what had become a one-person Republican primary in the state’s 13th Congressional District.
https://www.voanews.com/a/gop-advances-senate-candidates-in-west-virginia-maryland/7611657.html
Blinken reassures Ukrainians help is on the way
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has taken an unannounced trip to Ukraine to deliver what he called a strong message of reassurance, as Ukrainian forces face fierce attacks by Russia’s military in the east and await new weapons shipments from allies. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-reassures-ukrainians-help-is-on-the-way/7611645.html
Justice Department says Boeing could be prosecuted in 737 Max crashes
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, the Justice Department told a federal judge on Tuesday.
It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said.
New 737 Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia, killing 346 people. Boeing reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department in January 2021 to avoid prosecution on a single charge of fraud — misleading federal regulators who approved the plane. Boeing blamed the deception on two relatively low-level employees.
In a letter filed Tuesday in federal court in Texas, Glenn Leon, head of the Justice Department criminal division’s fraud section, said Boeing violated terms of the settlement by failing to make promised changes to detect and prevent violations of federal anti-fraud laws.
The determination means that Boeing could be prosecuted “for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” including the charge of fraud that the company hoped to avoid with the settlement, the Justice Department said.
However, it is not clear whether the government will prosecute Boeing.
“The Government is determining how it will proceed in this matter,” the Justice Department said in the court filing. Boeing will have until June 13 to respond to the government’s allegation, and department said it will consider the company’s explanation “in determining whether to pursue prosecution.”
Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, disputed the Justice Department’s finding.
“We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. “As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.”
Boeing has come under renewed scrutiny since that Alaska Airlines flight in January, when a door plug blew out of a 737 Max, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the jetliner. The company is under multiple investigations into the blowout and its manufacturing quality. The FBI has told passengers from the flight that they might be victims of a crime.
Prosecutors said they will meet on May 31 with families of passengers who died in the two Max crashes. Family members were angry and disappointed after a similar meeting last month.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer who represents families of passengers in the second crash, said the Justice Department’s determination that Boeing breached the settlement terms is “a positive first step, and for the families, a long time coming.”
“But we need to see further action from DOJ to hold Boeing accountable, and plan to use our meeting on May 31 to explain in more details what we believe would be a satisfactory remedy to Boeing’s ongoing criminal conduct,” Cassell said.
Investigations into the crashes pointed to a flight-control system that Boeing added to the Max without telling pilots or airlines. Boeing downplayed the significance of the system, then didn’t overhaul it until after the second crash.
After secret negotiations, the government agreed not to prosecute Boeing on a charge of defrauding the United States by deceiving regulators about the flight system. The settlement included a $243.6 million fine, a $500 million fund for victim compensation, and nearly $1.8 billion to airlines whose Max jets were grounded for nearly two years.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-05-15, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars.
Developers make new plans for Main Street
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
A pair of projects were proposed for the 24300 block of Main Street in Newhall last month, according to records obtained from Santa Clarita City Hall. The development group behind […]
The post Developers make new plans for Main Street appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/developers-make-new-plans-for-main-street/
Biden campaign launches new ad criticizing Trump’s family separation policy
date: 2024-05-15, from: VOA News USA
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has launched a digital ad aimed at Latino voters, seeking to remind them of former president Donald Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.
Preparing Young Children to Learn Phonics Early in School
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Science of Reading is back, and software that provides individual training in phonics can improve reading proficiency dramatically.
The post Preparing Young Children to Learn Phonics Early in School appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/05/14/preparing-young-children-to-learn-phonics-early-in-school/
Garcia introduces bill to prevent health care fraud
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
News release Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, introduced H.R. 8089, the Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act. This bipartisan legislation would enhance and improve the Medicaid validation process of all […]
The post Garcia introduces bill to prevent health care fraud appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/garcia-introduces-bill-to-prevent-health-care-fraud/
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Weigh Bed-Tax Hike Against Cannabis Tax Reform
date: 2024-05-15, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The board will decide next month which tax proposal to put on the November ballot.
The post Santa Barbara County Supervisors Weigh Bed-Tax Hike Against Cannabis Tax Reform appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
Celebrity cake chefs teach COC’s first-ever advanced cake class
date: 2024-05-15, from: The Signal
Imagine a room of multiple cakes that resemble the lopsided “Sleeping Beauty” cake scene— except, the cakes are edible and located in College of the Canyons Institute for Culinary Education. […]
The post Celebrity cake chefs teach COC’s first-ever advanced cake class appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/05/celebrity-cake-chefs-teach-cocs-first-ever-advanced-cake-class/
NLnet Grant Update and Conferences
date: 2024-05-15, from: Modos Blog
NLnet Grant Update and Conferences
https://www.modos.tech/blog/nlnet-grant-update-and-conferences
Rebuilding my homelab: Suffering as a service
date: 2024-05-15, from: Ze Iaso’s blog