Leftovers

• Science

  • University of Michigan ☛ UMich researchers develop first stem cell model that resembles early human nervous system

    A team of scientists at the University of Michigan, Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of Pennsylvania recently developed the first full model of the early embryonic central nervous system using stem cells.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify The World's First 'Unconventional' Superconductor Found in Nature

    It's real after all.

• Education

  • France24 ☛ Sciences Po director resigns as scandals again rock top French university

    An elite French university was dragged into the national spotlight on Wednesday as its director quit over alleged domestic violence and a pro-Palestinian demonstration sparked accusations of anti-Semitism.

• Hardware

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ Trenz Electronic Eval Board with Adaptive AMD Versal SoC and High-Speed I/Os

    Trenz Electronic presents the TE0950-03-EGBE21A, an evaluation board incorporating the AMD Versal Hey Hi (AI) Edge VE2302 System-on-Chip.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Expert Reveals What Intermittent Fasting Could Be Doing to Your Brain

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough Therapy Obliterates Deadly Brain Tumor in Days

    A glimmer of hope.

  • New York Times ☛ Denying Your Medical Care is Big Business in America

    Insurance companies have weaponized a seemingly benign process to protect their profits, and it’s putting patients at risk.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Biology department’s new findings link spinal cord injuries to reproductive system dysfunction

    A researcher at the university’s Brain Health and Research Institute has made unique discoveries about the spinal cord and its connection with the reproductive system.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian women can expect to live ten years longer than men

    Eurostat confirmed March 14 that Latvia has the largest life expectancy gap between men and women in the whole of the European Union.

  • European Commission ☛ Commission welcomes political agreement on European Health Data Space

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 15 Mar 2024 The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) - one of the central building blocks of a strong European Health Union.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 7 dead, 27 injured after suspected gas explosion at restaurant in northern China

    A large suspected gas explosion at a building in northern China has left at least seven people dead and dozens more injured, state media reported Thursday.

  • YLE ☛ Investigators identify likely cause of Lapland hostel fire

    The Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) adds that smoke alarms may not have been triggered because the blaze started outside the main building.

  • New York Times ☛ Social Security and Medicare Are on the Ballot

    Biden has a plan. Trump doesn’t but could wind up gutting those programs.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discovered a 'Fear Switch' in The Brain, And How to Turn It Off

    This could have huge benefits.

  • PHR ☛ Staggering Levels of Violence Against Health Workers in Gaza Warrant Investigation and Accountability: PHR

    Nearly 1,000 reported attacks on health care workers, facilities, and other infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since October 7 warrant immediate investigations and accountability, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Yahoo News ☛ Apple reaches $490 million settlement over CEO Cook's China sales comments

    Apple agreed to pay $490 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged Chief Executive Tim Cook defrauded shareholders by concealing falling demand for iPhones in China.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Privacy International ☛ Revised Draft of the WHO Pandemic Agreement falls short on human rights

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea police raid Korea Aerospace office over suspected fighter jet tech leak

    South Korean police raided the head office of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on Friday in connection with two Indonesian nationals accused of leaking technology related to a fighter jet project, a police official said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to host third democracy summit with digital threats on agenda

    South Korea is poised to host the third Summit for Democracy next week, taking up a U.S.-led initiative aimed at discussing ways to stop democratic backsliding and erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide.

  • The Straits Times ☛ U.S. commandos train for the unexpected in North Korea's shadow

    U.S. special operations troops in South Korea are training and preparing for unexpected threats at a time when global crises are more interconnected than ever, their commander said during an exercise this week.

  • France24 ☛ North Korea's Kim drives newly developed battle tank during launch drill

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined his troops in training to operate newly developed battle tanks as he called for bigger efforts to prepare for war, state media reported Thursday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Brazil eyes exports via China-controlled Chancay port, Peruvian minister says

    Brazil is interested in exporting soy, corn and other products through Peru's China-controlled Chancay port, Peruvian Economy Minister Jose Arista said on Thursday, according to state news agency Andina.

  • YLE ☛ Taxi drivers gather to remember crash victim in Tampere Central Square

    A middle-aged taxi driver lost his life after a Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) vehicle hit the back of his taxi while he was stopped at a red light in Tampere.

  • YLE ☛ NBI: 200 recent asylum seekers missing

    The number of missing asylum seekers has increased in recent months.

  • YLE ☛ Finland to host Nato research centres

    Nato’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (Diana) has decided to set up two test centres and an accelerator in Espoo and Oulu.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Is Building a Satellite Network Without Elon Musk

    The island democracy urgently needs an internet backup. Mr. Musk’s total control over his Starlink service, which dominates the market, left Taiwan wary.

• Finance

  • RFA ☛ China props up state-owned developer Vanke as property crisis deepens

    Beijing makes rare intervention as it allows insolvent private real estate firms to go bankrupt.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ CBDCs will need to work across borders. Here are the models exploring how to do it

    These innovative models reflect a clear realization in the both the public and private sector— as CBDCs become a part of the financial landscape, there needs to be a mechanism to interchange them across borders.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ For Gen Z, Facebook (Farcebook) Is a Marketplace

    For a generation that loves thrift-shopping, Facebook (Farcebook) isn’t a place to socialize online — it’s the best place to score some deals.

  • JURIST ☛ Florida governor activates state guard in preparation for Haiti migrants

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday over 250 officers and soldiers will be stationed at the Florida Keys and southern waters in preparation for a surge of migrants from Haiti.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ China authorities apologize for blocking journalists from reporting on explosion in Hebei Province

    The Deflagration Accident Disposal Headquarters of Hebei Province, China, issued a statement on Thursday apologizing for blocking media correspondents from reporting on an explosion that occurred in a four-story building located in Hebei Province, near Beijing, China, while pledging to actively establish a robust communication platform with the media and protect journalists’ rights.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong blasts criticism of its Article 23 security law

    Under the bill, likely to pass next week, any criticism of the authorities could be regarded as sedition.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong court upholds Tiananmen vigil organisers’ convictions over national security data request

    A Hong Kong court has upheld the convictions of three activists over their refusal to comply with a request for information issued by the city’s national security police.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Article 23: Hong Kong seeks to tighten ‘absconder’ measures, and empower leader to draft new laws

    The Hong Kong government has proposed amendments to its draft homegrown security law which could impose stricter measures against “absconders” and empower the city’s leader to draft subsidiary legislation. Officials read out the proposed revisions to the Safeguarding National Security Bill at the Legislative Council’s Bills Committee on Thursday.

  • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Extremism guidance attacks our freedom of expression

    Open Rights Group has responded to the government’s announcement that it will update the definition of extremism used by government departments and officials.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • [Repeat] Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US-funded news outlet Radio Free Asia to withdraw from Hong Kong – reports

    US funded-news outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA), which had been accused of being “anti-China” by Beijing-backed newspapers, is set to withdraw from Hong Kong, local media have reported citing sources.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian to defend Noel Clarke reporting as true and in public interest

    Alleged victims of Noel Clarke could give evidence to "vindicate" The Guardian's journalism.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • NYPost ☛ Reddit users defend person who locked parents and pregnant sister out of home: ‘I tip my hat to you’

    A Reddit user who refused to babyproof the house and instead restricted parents and a pregnant sister to the in-law suite did nothing wrong, other Reddit users declared online.

  • ACLU ☛ "We Do No Such Thing": What the 303 Creative Decision Means and Doesn't Mean for Anti-Discrimination and Public Accommodation Laws

    Can a bakery that objects to marriage equality refuse to sell a cake to a gay couple for their wedding? This question, or some variant thereof, has occupied courts even before marriages for same-sex couples were legally recognized. In June 2023, in 303 Creative v. Elenis, the Supreme Court addressed this question in a case asking whether a wedding website design business could refuse to design websites for weddings of same-sex couples. The court ruled for the business. But properly understood, the decision does not license discrimination; it merely recognizes that where a business will not provide a particular product or service to anyone, it has the right to refuse it to a gay couple. That exception should not apply to most applications of anti-discrimination laws, which require only equal treatment, and do not require businesses to provide any particular service or product. As I explain in more detail in this Yale Law Journal article and as we argue in this model brief, 303 Creative does not create a First Amendment right to discriminate.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ NTP Pool: The Internet timekeeper

    Guest Post: How does the NTP Pool map clients to NTP servers and how can it be improved?

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Flemish Proverbs by Jan Wierix (ca. 1568)

    Haunted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, these visualisations of proverbs look backward to uncertain origins.