Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Dead Cells Are Cleared From The Body in a Surprisingly Cannibalistic Way

    "It's so elegant in its simplicity."

  • Science Alert ☛ New Study Reveals Exercise May Be The Ultimate Hangover Cure

    It all makes sense!

  • Science Alert ☛ Chronic Coughs Could Be Genetic – Which May Transform Treatments

    A new hope for respite.

  • Science Alert ☛ Rare Sea Creature Hoards Toxic Metals as a Fascinating Survival Strategy

    This discovery has huge potential.

• Hardware

  • Too many tablets

    I’m pretty interested in tablet stuff . Not because I think it makes senseo type long chunks of text using an on-screen keyboard, but they should make for a good drawing and painting experience. I’ve already written about the largest tablet I ever had, a 24″ Cintiq Pro and the Remarkable 2.

    Today I’m going to run the gamut of the other tablets I’ve used…

    Let’s start at eleven o’clock. That’s an iPad pro, first generation. I got it to see whether painting applications would work on it, and maybe port Krita to it. In the end, I pretty much only used it to read comics on. It’s top-heavy, the pen is top-heavy and I just didn’t like the painting applications I could get for it, like Procreate. I did create a little mock-up Qt-based painting application for testing purposes. But… I really, really hated the Fashion Company Apple Pencil. Like, really.  I also dislike iPadOS quite a bit.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • France24 ☛ Alarming rise in addictions can be attributed to 'misuse' of prescriptions, 'lack of due diligence'

    Addiction to prescription medication continues to its steep rise and fatalities linked to overdoses of illicit or prescription drugs are hitting record highs. In the US alone close to 108,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdose in 2022. Dr Adam R Winstock, Psychiatrist, Addiction Medicine Specialist, Professor, and Researcher joins France 24's Genie Godula to shed much-needed light on the current state of mental health and addiction, including the opioid epidemic. Dr Winstock is also CEO and Founder of Staying Safer and the Global Drug Survey (GDS).

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Historic Furber Farm wedding venue reimagined as The Madison

    The Madisons, owners of Mad Love Photography, purchased Furber Farm for $2.2 million from Wayne and Angela Butt, who declared bankruptcy earlier this year.

  • Science Alert ☛ Caffeine in Your Blood May Affect Body Fat And Diabetes Risk, Study Reveals

    Something to think about.

  • Science Alert ☛ These 5 Science-Backed Tips Will Keep Your Dog Happy And Healthy

    Wag that tail!

  • Science Alert ☛ Kids Are Basically Wired to Over-Explore, Study Finds

    It might be more than just curiosity.

  • Science Alert ☛ Doctors Discover a New Medical Condition Unique to Breakdancers

    You might want to quit those headspins.

  • France24 ☛ Desperate to protect their children, Gazans turn out for polio booster shots

    Health workers in central Gaza say the first week of a campaign to give children a second round of polio vaccines has been a success despite desperate humanitarian conditions in the enclave, as Israel refuses to confirm a humanitarian ceasefire to allow vaccination efforts to continue in the north.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Marking a milestone or motivating themselves: Hongkongers at tattoo convention explain why they got inked

    By Ayesha Sitara People get inked for many reasons – to celebrate a milestone, for power and strength, to fight climate change or body issues, to express no regrets, to motivate themselves.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Server dealer keeps hitting at Elon Musk for $61 million bill — Wiwynn sues X for unpaid IT infrastructure products

    Taiwanese server dealer Wiwynn alleges that X failed to pay for custom IT infrastructure hardware worth about $61 million.

  • CubicleNate ☛ iPad 6 Digitizer Replacement | Blathering

    I am not what you would call a fan of Fashion Company Apple products. I believe that they are very user hostile, specifically in the area of right-to-repair arena. Consumer electronics should be built with repair and maintenance in mind so that we minimize the amount of e-waste we produce.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Israel Strikes Hezbollah Stronghold South of Beirut

    The Israeli military attacked the Dahiya, a Hezbollah-dominated area south of the Lebanese capital. In Gaza, a Palestinian emergency service said an overnight Israeli strike killed and wounded “tens” of people.

  • New York Times ☛ Leaked U.S. Intelligence Suggests Israel Is Preparing to Strike Iran

    American officials are trying to determine the source of the leak, which describes military drills and weapons placement, and how damaging it might be.

  • New York Times ☛ He Dreamed of Escaping Gaza. The World Watched Him Burned Alive.

    A video of Shaaban al-Dalou burning to death after an Israeli strike at a hospital has stoked criticism from Israel’s allies and highlighted the plight of people trapped in Gaza.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Drone targeted house of Israeli prime minister, as IDF bombards Gaza

    Hezbollah didn't claim responsibility for the drone attack, which inflicted no casualties, but said it carried out several rocket attacks on Israel. Israel carried out at least 10 airstrikes on southern Beirut suburbs that are home to Hezbollah’s offices.

  • France24 ☛ G7 defence ministers concerned over 'threats' to UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

    G7 defence ministers on Saturday expressed concern over “the risk of further escalation” in the Middle East as well as “threats” to the security of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, where Israel has been accused of targeting the UN troops. Earlier, Israeli air strikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut shortly after Israel ordered residents to evacuate from areas it says harboured facilities “belonging to Hezbollah”.   Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.

  • France24 ☛ Netanyahu says drone attack targeting his residence was an attempt to 'assassinate' him

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a drone launched from Lebanon that targeted his residence in the central town of Caesarea on Saturday was an attempt by Hezbollah to "assassinate" him. The strike came as fighting continued to rage in Gaza, where a sweeping Israeli military operation has killed more than 400 people in two weeks in the territory’s north.

  • France24 ☛ Lebanon: heavy israeli strikes hit southern Beirut after evacuation orders

    Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday, Lebanese state media said, shortly after Israel ordered residents to evacuate, marking the first attacks in three days on Hezbollah's main stronghold. The day has been intense as a drone targeted Israeli prime minister’s house. Catherine Norris Trent, senior reporter in Beirut, also talks about the thousands of civilians fleeing their homes because of the strikes, and trying to find shelters.

  • France24 ☛ Drone launched from Lebanon targets Netanyahu residence as Israel strikes Beirut

    A drone launched from Lebanon landed near Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's residence in the central town of Caesarea as Israeli air strikes targeted Hezbollah facilities in Beirut.

  • France24 ☛ Live: Israel's military says it has attacked Hezbollah's intelligence HQ in Beirut

    Israel said its air force attacked Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut on Sunday as well as an underground workshop for the production of weapons. News of the strike came as Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes targeted more than 50 towns and villages in south Lebanon overnight.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli army strikes northern, central Gaza

    Israeli strikes on northern and central Gaza killed and wounded dozens on Saturday with buildings and shelters destroyed. Meanwhile residents and medics said Israeli forces are tightening their siege on the Jabalia refugee camp, where thousands of trapped Palestinians are trapped.

  • France24 ☛ Netanyahu says drone attack targeting his residence was an attempt to 'assassinate' him

    Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said a drone launched from Lebanon that targeted his residence in the central town of Caesarea on Saturday was an attempt by Hezbollah to "assassinate" him. The strike came as fighting continued to rage in Gaza, where a sweeping Israeli military operation has killed more than 400 people in two weeks in the territory’s north.

  • France24 ☛ US investigates leak of classified documents on Israel's plans to strike Iran

    The US is investigating the recent leak of classified documents pertaining to Israel’s plans to attack Iran, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The documents, which are marked top secret, note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

  • France24 ☛ Strikes between Israel and Hezbollah intensify, displacing around a million people in Lebanon

    Fighting raged on two fronts Sunday as Israel targeted what it said was a Hezbollah "command centre" in the Lebanese capital. The strikes on Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Iran-backed group of attempting to assassinate him by targeting his residence. With the intensification of Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, the number of internally displaced persons has multiplied in recent days, as have those crossing the border into neighbouring Syria.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin urges missile troops to boost deterrence and combat capabilities

    He also urged the troops to "resolutely fulfil the tasks entrusted by the party and the people".

  • The Straits Times ☛ China consulate in Myanmar hit with explosive device: Local media

    No deaths or injuries were reported.

  • RFA ☛ China undermines its interests by boosting support for Myanmar’s faltering junta

    Ideology, analytical blinders and wishful thinking are putting China on the wrong side of history.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. ‘Fusion Cells’ Assist in Israel’s Hunt for Hamas Leaders

    American commandos and intelligence officers began helping Israel soon after the Oct. 7 attacks last year.

  • New York Times ☛ Man Arrested in Japan After Attack on Governing Party Headquarters

    An assailant tried to breach security at the office of the new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, the police in Tokyo said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ British Foreign Minister David Lammy calls for ‘more diplomacy’ with China

    China and Britain seek to reset ties frayed by Beijing’s security crackdown in Hong Kong and human rights concerns.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Britain’s Lammy calls for ‘more diplomacy’ with China, presses Beijing on Hong Kong

    British foreign minister David Lammy on Saturday called for a resumption of dialogue between London and Beijing, urging the two sides to engage in “more diplomacy” as he concluded a rare diplomatic visit to China.

  • New York Times ☛ College Officials Must Condemn Support of Hamas Violence on Their Campuses

    Would school administrators be silent if there was a Ku Klux Klan gathering on their campus celebrating white supremacist violence?

  • Off Guardian ☛ The Armchair Rioters – Part 4

    This is the final article in a four-part series. The first three parts are available here, here and here. In his 1859 essay “On Liberty” the British political philosopher Sir John Stuart Mill provided a rationale defining the crucial importance of free speech and expression.

  • New York Times ☛ Drone Hits Building Near Netanyahu’s Home in Coastal Israel

    The Israeli prime minister and his wife were not home at the time of the strike, his office said. The episode highlighted the challenge drones pose to Israel’s air defenses.

  • JURIST ☛ Canada top court rules judges cannot impose driving prohibition on criminal negligence offenders

    The Supreme Court of Canada, in a 5-4 majority, ruled on Friday that judges do not have the discretion to impose a driving prohibition order when an offender is convicted of criminal negligence causing death or bodily harm under section 220 or 221 of the Criminal Code.

  • LRT ☛ Aged 71, American-Lithuanian Fentanylware (TikTok) star brings folk and pop songs to millions

    Algie Aldona Powers, 71, became a viral sensation during the Covid pandemic when she began uploading her renditions of various pop songs on TikTok. The Lithuanian-American was even noticed by the pop star Billie Eilish and built an online following of millions of people.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Strategist ☛ After the gift of tanks, Australia needs a long-term approach to supporting Ukraine

      The 17 October announcement that Australia would give 49 surplus M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine is welcome, regardless of quibbles over the timeliness of the decision.

    • RFERL ☛ North Korean Troops In Ukraine Would Show Kremlin 'Weakness,' Says U.S. Congressman

      The possible deployment of North Korean soldiers to fight with invading Russian forces in Ukraine "demonstrates a certain weakness of Russia," says Gerry Connolly, a U.S. congressman (Democrat-Virginia) and acting president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure In Latest Attack

      Russia’s military launched another wave of missiles and drones across Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said on October 20, with an energy installation hit and multiple injuries reported in another strike.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Drones Reportedly Target Russian Military Plant, Moscow

      Ukraine is reported to have launched numerous drones at Moscow and western regions of Russia with a strike reported on an industrial zone where a key arms manufacturer is located, a day after Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted a key microelectronic plant that is key to Russia’s military.

    • RFERL ☛ G7 Defense Chiefs Back Ukraine's 'Irreversible Path' To NATO, Condemn Russia

      Defense chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies vowed to support Ukraine's "irreversible path" to eventual NATO membership and pledged continued military support in the "short and long term" as Kyiv battles against Russia's full-scale invasion.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. 'Highly Concerned' About Reports Of North Korean Troops Joining Russians In Ukraine

      Washington is “highly concerned” following reports that North Korean soldiers have been deployed alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, although it has so far been unable to verify the claims made by South Korea and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a U.S. spokesman said.

    • RFERL ☛ Senior U.S. Diplomat Vows Support For Kyiv's Anti-Corruption Fight, War Effort

      U.S. Undersecretary of State Uzra Zeya, during a visit to Kyiv, underscored "unwavering U.S. solidarity" with Ukraine against Moscow's aggression and vowed continued support for Kyiv's efforts to battle corruption at home.

    • RFERL ☛ France Pledges Support for Ukraine's 'Victory Plan'

      French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on October 19 announced his country's support for Ukraine's "victory plan" for ending the war with Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Romania Detects Another Unidentified Object Breaching Its Airspace

      Romania dispatched four of its fighter jets early on October 19 after an unidentified object breached its airspace in the southeast near the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry said.

    • New York Times ☛ A Soldier Chose a Radical Way to Publicize Troop Fatigue: He Deserted

      Serhii Hnezdilov, a Ukrainian soldier, said he wanted to draw attention to the need to discharge worn-out soldiers and replace them with fresh conscripts.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The US is electing a wartime president

      Neither US presidential candidate has yet addressed the generational challenge posed by closer collaboration among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

    • France24 ☛ Moldovans elect president, vote on EU path as claims of Russian meddling spike

      Voters in Moldova head to the polls on Sunday to cast their ballots in two decisive polls regarding the country's future: a presidential election and a referendum on joining the EU. Frontrunner and incumbent President Maia Sandu is seeking a second term in office but is likely to come up short of the majority needed to avoid a second round of voting.

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Moscow on the Hill marks 30 years of bringing a taste of Russia to Cathedral Hill

      To celebrate, the restaurant is giving a free shot of vodka with every entree from Oct. 20 to 24.

    • New York Times ☛ Tugged Between East and West, Moldova Makes a Pivotal Choice

      Moldovans are voting on whether to enshrine in their Constitution an “irreversible” commitment to abandon Russian influence and one day join the E.U.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean minister says new US-led sanctions monitoring team is unlawful

      The team was set up after Russia and China thwarted monitoring activities at the UN.

    • LRT ☛ Eighteen months in prison with no word from ailing Belarusian opposition figure

      Maryya Kalesnikava, a key figure in the Belarusian opposition and a symbol of defiant protests against the country's authoritarian regime, has been held incommunicado in prison for 18 months amid fears over her reportedly declining state of health.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ The revival of tungsten mining in a South Korean town may be a game changer

      Reopening of Sangdong mine aims to reduce reliance on China for the critical mineral, may revive dying town.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Biden expected to visit Amazon rainforest in November, sources say

      BRASILIA - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to visit the Amazon rainforest and meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before they attend the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November, sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.

  • Overpopulation

    • New York Times ☛ An Alarming Glimpse Into a Future of Historic Droughts

      Record dry conditions in South America have led to wildfires, power cuts and water rationing. The world’s largest river system, the Amazon, which sustains some 30 million people across eight countries, is drying up.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ China boosts export controls on dual use items, state media says

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a decree of the State Council to unveil regulations on export control of so-called dual use items, which will take effect on Dec. 1, 2024, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Workers in China brace themselves for fresh wave of pay cuts amid economic malaise

    Besides workers at private firms, employees of state-owned enterprises have also been facing pay cuts.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ We own our own home!

    This time yesterday, Clara, my sister, my brother-in-law, and I were sitting on the floor of our new apartment in northern Sydney. The conveyancer and bank settled on Friday, Clara and I picked up the keys, and we all walked in together. It was a massive relief, and didn’t seem quite real. We own a home now!?

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • RFA ☛ PRC at 75: In China under Pooh-tin Jinping, people run or 'lie flat'

    Xi's policies run counter to the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, sparking fears of a return to the Mao era.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te says defence of island’s sovereignty ‘will not change’

    Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te insisted Friday that the island’s determination to defend its sovereignty “will not change”, as he praised troops and coast guard personnel for their response to China’s latest military drills.

  • France24 ☛ Indonesia swears in former general Prabowo Subianto as new president

    Indonesia got a new leader on Sunday as former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in after winning the presidential election by a landslide earlier this year. The 73-year-old nationalist, who has been accused of human rights abuses, has committed to uphold his country’s non-aligned foreign policy while strengthening ties with China.

  • New York Times ☛ Four of Trump’s Most Meandering Remarks This Week

    The former president says that his style is to “weave” from one subject to the next. Others see something more worrisome in his ramblings.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Ivory Coast dissolves all student unions for alleged involvement in criminal activity

    The Ivory Coast National Security Council announced the dissolution of student unions across the country on Thursday, including the Federation Student and School Association of Côte d’Ivoire (FESCI), over their alleged involvement in criminal activities including the killing of two students.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ SPEX v. Western Digital: $316 Million Verdict for Means Plus Function Claim

    A Central District of California jury has awarded SPEX Technologies nearly $316 million in damages against Western Digital for infringement of a patent monopoly related to hardware encryption technology. The verdict, handed down on October 18, 2024, comes after an eight-year legal battle and raises interesting questions about infringement of means-plus-function claims and the calculation of reasonable royalty damages.