𝕿𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 Bulletin for Monday, February 13, 2023 ┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅ Generated Tue 14 Feb 02:41:44 GMT 2023 Created by Dr. Roy Schestowitz (𝚛𝚘𝚢 (at) 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚣 (dot) 𝚌𝚘𝚖) Full hyperlinks for navigation omitted but are fully available in the originals The corresponding HTML versions are at 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈 Latest in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕 and older bulletins can be found at 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕-𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 Full IPFS index in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔 and as plain text in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔/𝒕𝒙𝒕 Gemini index for the day: gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/ ╒═══════════════════ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐒 ════════════════════════════════════╕ Previous bulletins in IPFS (past 21 days, in chronological order): QmRheVwyBoWpNZy7SeG2521qpyibe47XJkYUj8i1DqEaBf QmTbEVdKr9BDpRERsQf4pzrxBWAxqYjWiz4D7tHPWP23Xr QmTzU5jib61mC1u41k5rv8ogSts3JaWyjewoajVPD5g57m QmVtrAasZaunyUmUK2Ux1CtNtbdMWCLBTYQzmeLrKKykBg QmYV3WS2gpVGuPpGL214RmMcjMk45cBmmXgM7VBxCDEv4H QmamtVaJ1jkVqwTRHeheoiVfr7r3ijZpHVWct6WE9FvhVN QmbFDooXZn997QjZY3cCKWM82PnZJjTTiaSSMufBXjiNXP QmXU8EhJFQRtv8o2V6scWUz5kebeKRmyZa6mEimNyZLPtm Qmb399zeJfbfeD2xUcMf2JDeQPEXQZXKB4r2KNpE2YN16j QmVaSG1ALmtpgw3bqUgN2o37FRRRvK92JA5SKGzkigi5Qg QmXe8bt58f7QFPCzPjfHLJEDufxCy9LYEr1x5WRuwvvwxd QmXCyRSEqZvXQpdJJgNTZ2SmscGBN8faNeNbNZcV8zoX6D QmbqEc6DR3dJD1Zez6UEB9NiyCWswQvsYE1yFxnM6ghvgG QmaVY3HqyuHpVGyMxeT4Bud2vNW78oYnx8dJCM6ZZK5ziE QmSUai4xNvwMKU2TbSerbPiWGAVberWqCyRsFtpfBmSJUA QmdqfApkUHoNL7LgRhijLyQ917yqySCE8TFPFh8Efixmuk QmYUwzBTiff9y3NpVBbZgEPJYspVVxmzVVYkzar4igJRiY QmWU4whiYNSNx6oxSqvGVEkr1unaGuqfGtoiphqZLBAxVJ QmQUWdJviNhacCKbEie2yYrdrQaNYjUhGH7B8majeYU6Vb Qmckkfq1rqb7mTK7w6RbFZJjskRKcnUk8PdtMmcLwUhXgV QmVY5cAKghhEttE24TaNrAQgciJau5j7EoeaEmfjYdbLMD ╒═══════════════════ 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⦿ How Much Longer Can the EPO Deny That It Has a Patent Quality and Patent Legitimacy Crisis? | Techrights ⦿ IRC Proceedings: Sunday, February 12, 2023 | Techrights ⦿ Microsoft Shuts Down GitHub (All Offices) | Techrights ⦿ Tens of Millions of GNU/Linux Users in Two Countries | Techrights ⦿ Management of the European Patent Office Has Laid Off All the Staff That Fed the Employees (Despite Drowning in Money Generated by Granting Fake European Patents) | Techrights ⦿ Management of the European Patent Office is Lying About Office Space | Techrights ䷼ Bulletin articles (as HTML) to comment on (requires login): http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/epo-patent-quality-concerns-again/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/irc-log-120223/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/shutting-down-github/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/statcounter-stuff-in-china-might-be-interesting/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/suepo-munich-chairman-report-2021-2022/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/the-central-staff-committee-on-hot-desking-ploy/#comments ䷞ Followed by Daily Links (assorted news picks curated and categorised): http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/kicad-7-released/#comments http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/postgresql-jdbc-42-5-3/#comments ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 63 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/epo-patent-quality-concerns-again/#comments Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/epo-patent-quality-concerns-again/ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ How_Much_Longer_Can_the_EPO_Deny_That_It_Has_a_Patent_Quality_and_Patent Legitimacy_Crisis?⠀✐ Posted in Europe, Patents at 4:38 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Video_download_link | md5sum 550c4201b173a1a6a233b1d0b1d1b5e4 EPO Quality is Low, Say Patent Maximalists Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 http://techrights.org/videos/epo-quality-exposed-further.webm Summary: The EPO has a legal and technical crisis, but it is talking about natural disasters like earthquakes in order to change the subject and act like a political party, not a patent office (it also does greenwashing this month) QUALITY of EPO-granted patents is a longstanding theme here. Staff has warned about this for years and Kluwer now reports_on_the_issue (focus on the comments), probably more than 5 years late. SUEPO, the staff union, has been cautioning about this for nearly a decade already! “The corrupt management does everything it can to hide the grim reality — to the point of even exploiting the devastating earthquakes.”The video above talks about the issue and then shows the latest propaganda from the EPO’s official site. The corrupt management does everything it can to hide the grim reality — to the point of even exploiting the devastating earthquakes. If Benoît Battistelli habitually exploited crises including earthquakes for self-serving propaganda in the EPO’s Web site, why can’t António_Campinos too? █ 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇“An_Earthquake_Would_be_Needed_for_the_Administrative Council…_Not_to_Support_My_Major_Proposals.”_-Benoît_Battistelli⦈_ 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇“An_Earthquake_Would_be_Needed_for_the_Administrative Council…_Not_to_Support_My_Major_Proposals.”_-Benoît_Battistelli⦈_ 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇EPO Falcon⦈ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠩⣽⣿⢻⣯⣟⣛⢻⠛⠟⢛⣛⣛⠿⠿⣿⡿⢿⣿⡿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣄⣘⣿⣾⣳⣿⣿⢸⣮⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣹⢻⣿⣿⣿⣻⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⡏⣿⣿⣯⣿⣿⣧⣽⣿⢸⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣻⣥⣡⢻⣿⣿⣿⠀⣷⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣹⣿⡿⣾⣿⣿⠿⢿⣛⡈⠋⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⢻⣿⣿⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢁⣠⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢙⣿⣿⣷⡿⠿⠛⠁⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⡛⠿⢿⣿⣎⢿⣿⡀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⣟⣿⣟⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣸⠿⠟⢹⣿⣿⣿⣞⠻⠿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⢝⣿⡇⠀⠀⠉⠻⣎⢿⡇⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⢀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠈⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠉⠙⠛⢿⣿⣿⣇⠀⠻⣿⣟⠋⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⡄⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣻⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⠟⠋⠀⠀⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⣍⢁⣴⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⡶⠀⠀⠘⠁⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠚⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡚⣤⣾⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣺⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⢉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠁⢀⣀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠀⡀⢀⠀⠀⠀⡀⢚⢛⣛⠀⠀⢀⠀⠀⢀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⡀⠀⢀⣛⣿⢇⠀⡀⠀⡀⠀⢀⢀⠉⠉⡉⡉⡉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⠘⢰⠽⣸⡷⣼⠀⣟⣉⢰⠽⣸⡯⡟⢹⠉⡷⢺⢸⣉⡷⣇⣸⢠⠿⡄⡗⣅⢸⣙⠀⢸⡜⣷⢹⣉⡹⢇⣸⢹⣀⣸⣉⡷⠀⣟⣻⢸⣙⡁⢸⢣⡇⣏⣁⣿⣉⢸⣉⢿⣟⡃⣏⣹⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⡀⣀⡀⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⣀⠀⡀⣀⣀⠀⢀⡀⢀⣈⠂⡀⢀⣀⢀⡀⡀⡀⣀⡀⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⣀⢀⣀⣀⣀⠀⡀⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⢀⣀⡘⡀⢀⢀⠀⡀⣀⡀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠒⠺⣀⡽⡗⢺⡁⠀⡇⢸⠒⡇⣗⣂⠀⡼⢵⢸⣀⠇⡿⣾⣿⢸⠱⡇⡇⣗⡦⢸⡇⣗⢺⣠⠯⣆⣿⢸⡏⢧⠃⣗⣂⠀⢇⣨⠸⣀⡗⢇⣸⢸⢣⡗⣇⡨⣿⣇⣀⢀⢀⢀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⢠⡀⡄⣀⢄⠠⣤⡄⢠⣤⢄⡠⡀⠀⡠⣄⢀⠀⣀⣤⡀⡤⣀⣀⢄⣀⡤⣀⢤⣤⠀⣄⢀⡄⡀⡠⠀⣄⢠⡄⢨⡛⠻⡟⣛⢆⢠⣤⡀⠀⡤⣀⣠⢄⢀⡤⡀⣤⣄⢀⣤⡀⡠⣄⢀⡄⢠⠀⢀⡤⡀⠀⣤⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠸⠙⠇⠧⠴⠃⠇⠀⠀⠇⠸⠤⠞⠀⠭⠷⠸⠤⠻⠒⠃⣗⣋⡧⠤⠻⠗⠏⠸⠄⣀⡟⠞⠇⠹⠁⠀⠟⠎⠧⠗⠧⠤⠇⠧⠼⠻⠓⠇⠀⠗⠋⠿⠺⠸⠤⠞⠗⠊⠹⠤⠇⠭⠷⠜⠺⠸⠤⠬⠭⠆⠄⠈⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⡿⣛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣤⣤⣠⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣿⠀⢠⠈⣿⠀⣤⡇⠈⡇⢸⠃⢠⠈⣿⠀⣧⡄⢠⣼⣿⠀⢀⠈⣿⠀⠀⣧⡄⠀⣤⡄⠀⣤⠀⢸⠁⢄⣈⣧⠀⢠⡇⠀⣤⡇⢸⣿⠀⣿⡇⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣉⣹⠀⢠⠀⢿⠀⣤⡇⢀⠀⢸⠀⢸⠀⣿⠀⣿⡇⢸⣿⣿⠀⢀⠀⡇⠀⠄⢸⡇⠀⣿⡇⠀⣿⠀⢸⠦⡄⠙⣿⠀⢸⡇⠀⣬⡇⢸⣿⠀⣿⡇⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⢿⣀⣈⣠⣾⣀⣉⣇⣸⣆⣸⣦⣈⣠⣿⣀⣿⣇⣸⣿⣿⣀⣀⣠⣇⣠⣆⣸⣇⣀⣿⣇⣀⣿⣀⣸⣄⣁⣠⣿⣀⣸⣇⣀⣉⣇⣈⣹⣀⣈⣇⣸⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠀⠈⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠀⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ 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⣿⢩⣭⠉⣭⣭⡏⣭⡍⣥⡄⣤⢠⡄⣤⢠⡄⣤⢤⣠⣤⣤⢠⣤⣄⢠⣤⡄⣤⣤⣤⣭⣭⢩⣭⣤⣤⠀⢠⡬⣝⢫⣭⣝⢩⡅⣤⢠⡄⣤⢠⡤⣄⢠⡄⣤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⢠⡄⣤⢤⡄⣤⣤⠄⢠⣤⡤⣠⢭⡝⣿⣿ ⡏⣿⢻⡆⣿⢸⡇⣿⣿⢿⡇⣿⢸⣿⣿⢸⡇⡻⣮⡅⢸⡇⢸⡷⣏⣸⣿⡇⢸⡇⢸⣿⢻⣿⡇⣿⠶⠀⢸⡇⣛⢸⡇⣿⢸⡇⣿⢸⣷⣿⢸⡇⣛⢸⡇⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⡇⣿⢸⡇⢸⡇⠀⠀⣿⠀⣿⢸⡇⣿⣿ ⣧⣿⣹⣇⣿⣾⣃⣿⡻⠸⠇⠿⠸⠏⠿⠸⠇⠻⠾⠃⠸⠇⠸⠇⠿⠿⠹⠷⠸⠇⠸⢿⡸⠿⣇⠿⠶⠀⠘⠷⢟⣜⡷⣟⣜⠷⠟⠸⠟⠿⠘⠷⠟⠸⠇⠿⠶⠖⠖⠖⠀⠿⠹⠇⠻⠾⠃⠸⠇⠀⠀⠿⠀⠻⢾⣣⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣟⣭⣭⢫⡍⣭⢡⣤⣤⢠⣤⡄⣠⢤⡄⣤⣤⡄⣤⣤⡄⢠⣤⢠⣤⢠⣄⡤⠀⣬⡍⣭⡍⣤⣤⠀⣤⢈⡭⣽⢫⣭⣭⠀⢠⣤⣄⣤⣤⡄⣠⣤⡄⣤⣤⡄⣤⢤⡀⣤⣤⡀⣤⣤⢠⡄⢀⡤⣤⠀⢠⢠⢸⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡟⠿⣯⢸⡇⣿⢸⡷⠿⢸⡷⠇⣿⢸⡇⣿⢾⡇⢸⡇⠀⢸⣿⣾⣿⠘⣿⠃⠀⣿⣿⣿⡇⣿⣿⡀⣿⢸⡇⣿⢸⡷⣿⠀⢸⡷⠿⣿⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠇⣿⢸⡇⠻⣮⣁⣿⣿⢸⡇⢘⠷⣯⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣟⡷⢿⣘⡷⡟⠸⠇⠀⠸⠇⠀⠻⠾⠃⠿⠸⠇⠸⠇⠀⠸⠏⠏⠿⠀⠿⠀⠀⠿⣹⠹⣷⠿⠹⠷⠿⠘⠷⢟⣸⣇⡿⠀⠸⠇⠀⠿⠿⠇⠹⠿⠋⠿⠇⠀⠻⠾⠃⠻⠾⠻⠏⠿⠾⠷⠞⠷⠟⠰⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⣀⢀⣀⢀⣀⠀⣀⣀⡀⠐⣛⢂⣀⣘⣛⢻⡟⣀⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⡛⢟⣛⣃⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀⣀⡀⢀⣀⣀⠀⣀⣀⣀⢀⣀⣀⠀⣀⠀⢀⣀⠀⢀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢀⡀⠀⠀⣿⡏⣿⡇⢸⣿⠉⢸⣿⣼⣿⢸⣿⢹⣿⠀⣿⠈⢹⣿⢩⣼⡇⣿⡏⣿⠆⣸⡿⣿⢨⢹⣿⠉⠉⣿⡏⠁⣿⡇⣿⣏⠛⠃⠉⣿⠉⢸⣿⠉⠀⣿⠀⢸⣿⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠋⠙⠛⠁⣿⡏⣿⡆⢸⣿⠛⢸⡟⣿⣿⢸⣿⢸⣿⠀⣿⠀⢸⣿⢸⣿⡇⣿⡟⣷⡄⣿⣇⣿⡸⢸⣿⠀⠀⣿⡇⠀⣿⡇⣈⡛⣿⡄⠀⣿⠀⢸⣿⠛⠀⣿⠀⢸⣿⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠿⠷⠿⠇⠸⠿⠶⠸⠇⠸⠿⠈⠿⠾⠟⠀⠿⠀⠸⠿⣸⣿⣇⠿⠷⠿⠃⠿⠏⠿⠇⠸⠿⠀⠀⠿⠇⠀⠿⠇⠻⠷⠿⠃⠀⠿⠀⠸⠿⠶⠀⠿⠷⠸⠿⠶⠸⠿⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 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⠘⠟⢦⣼⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣄⡀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣄⣀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⡷⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⡀⠉⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠛⢉⡉⠁⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢠⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⣷⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⡀ ⠁⠉⠓⠀⠀⠐⠚⠎⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠨⠉⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣳⣿⢙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⣒⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡼⠫⣿⡿⢿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠻⡿ ⠉⠀⠀⠀⠰⠶⠆⠀⠰⠶⢶⣶⠦⠄⠀⢄⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣺⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣷⡀⠀⠀⠩⣿⠀⠀⠉⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠱⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⣤⣤⣴⠂⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣷⢖⠤⣸⣶⣴⣦⣄⣀⣸⠗⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⢀⠙⠛⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠀⢘⠉⠉⠀⠀⢰⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⡿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⣿⠃⠀⠈⠉⠀⠀⠉⠋⠰⠆⠀⠠⢿⡋⠹⣷⣭⣧⣶⣤⣄⠀⠦⠀ ⣿⣾⣿⡆⢀⡀⣼⠀⣀⣁⠀⠀⠀⢘⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣻⣟⣛⣟⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⣀⡀⠀⣼⣿⡏⡀⣀⣴⣶⣦⣾⡆⠀⠀⠀⠐⠀⠘⠿⠷⠿⠟⠛⡿⠿⢿⡿⣿⣶ ⠿⠿⡿⠛⠻⡿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣶⣄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣳⣿⣛⣛⢿⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⢠⣾⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣷⣿⣿⣿⣌⣻⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣠⣌⢉ ⡆⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠉⠉⠀⢼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⠛⠛⢉⣭⣽⣿⡟⣻⡿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⠛⣧⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠛⠉⠁⠀⣸⣿ ⣁⠉⠀⠀⠀⠂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣼⡏⠀⢀⡂⣻⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⢟⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⡄⠀⠐⠔⠀⠀⣠⣄⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⠖⠀⠠⡀⠀⢰⣿⢿⣿⣿⢶⠿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠇⠀⢸⢀⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣭⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠷⣾⣿⣿⡿⣽⣋⡿⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠔⣤⣤⠀⣤⣄⡈⢹⡷⠤⠦ ⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⣠⣮⠈⢰⣿⣿⣿⡗⠀⠀⡌⠀⣵⣾⣷⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠉⠁⠀⠒⢋⠁⢠⢽⣿⠟⢀⣀⠂⢀⣠⣶⣤⣸⣷⣼⣿⣶⣿⣿⠟⠉⣿⣠⣤ ⣀⣤⣶⣶⣶⣶⡦⠀⣀⠀⣙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⡇⠇⠀⡇⢰⣿⠿⣿⢿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠉⣹⣿⣿⣿⠋⠀⠀⣀⠠⣤⣶⣿⡿⠢⠤⠾⠁⠈⡟⠑⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠿⢹⡿ ⠿⢿⣟⠻⢿⠇⢀⣀⣬⣰⣿⣿⡿⢿⣿⣿⢻⡇⡄⢰⠇⢌⣤⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⡟⠟⣿⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠘⠉⠁⠀⢐⣲⡏⠁⢰⣸⣿⣿⣷⠆⣀⣤⡄⠘⠋⠀⠓⠈⠉⠉⠉⣟⠛⠟⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣶⣦⣬⣿⣁⣻⣟⠛⠉⠛⠄⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⠘⠡⡀⠈⢀⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢼⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⣿⠿⠟⠃⠀⠀⢀⣀⣠⣿⣿⣷⠄⣾⣿⣯⣭⣥⣴⣾⣿⠃⠠⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⡄⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⡟⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⡶⣦⡄⣿⣿⠀⣶⡇⡄⢸⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣏⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠛⡿⡶⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⢉⣈⣿⣏⡉⡉⠻⡿⢿⣁⣠⣦⣼⣿⣛⣶⣤⣤⣤⣴⡀⠀⣷⠂⠈⠁⠀⠀ ⣿⡋⠁⠀⣀⣀⣹⣿⣿⠟⢿⣿⡿⠿⣿⠀⢰⣿⠇⠀⠲⠶⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⣿⣮⣯⣌⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡀⠈⢦⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⣽⣿⠿⣦⣀⠀⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠛⠛⠻⠉⡻⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠ ⣿⣿⣷⣶⠟⠙⠉⢙⣯⣡⡤⠙⠳⠄⢻⠀⣿⣿⠀⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⡙⠻⠿⠛⠉⢿⣿⡻⠛⣿⠟⠛⣿⣽⢿⠆⠀⢀⣴⣗⠰⠾⣛⣿⠋⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⠙⠟⠀⠨⠉⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠚⠛⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠾ ⠈⠉⢾⣿⣶⣶⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⢠⣿⣿⠀⣰⣿⣿⣹⢿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠛⠋⠻⢷⠀⠀⠄⠀⢿⣷⣌⢁⣴⣾⣦⢀⣀⠀⢀⣈⢹⡟⢻⠛⡉⠙⠛⠛⠻⣽⣶⣦⣤⣤⡶⣵⣴⣆⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢈ ⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣅⣿⣿⡷⠆⡀⠀⠀⠀⠸⢸⣿⡏⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣆⢹⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣆⠙⢿⣿⣿⣀⣰⠿⠲⠆⠀⠳⠀⠸⠿⠞⢃⣠⣶⠛⠋⣵⡏⠈⠈⠛⡍⢻⡿⢷⣶⣶⡆⠀⠀⣀⡀⠀⢤⣤ ⣿⣾⣾⣟⣛⣿⢿⣥⡀⠀⠉⠲⠶⠛⣤⢸⣿⠃⠈⣿⣿⣛⣿⣿⣿⡏⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⠙⢀⣧⡈⠃⠉⣬⠘⠿⠦⣷⣶⠾⠷⡄⠀⣾⡿⠇⣾⣿⣿⠇⠀⠚⠛⠋⠀⠀⠀⠸⠿⠿⠇⠀⠈⠀⠀⠒⠿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣴⣶⢰⣦⡖⢠⣶⢂⣶⡆⣶⣲⡟⣶⢚⣶⣶⢲⣶⡆⣶⣴⢦⣶⡆⣶⣴⢲⡖⠂⣶⣲⣆⡶⣴⣲⣧⡖⣶⣴⠆⣶⣶⡆⢰⣶⡆⣶⠒⢀⣶⣴⢰⡖⣰⡖⣰⢶⡆⣶⢒⣶⣶⠀⢀⣴⠀⢀⠀⢀ ⢿⠿⢷⣾⣿⣿⡿⣰⣿⣏⡿⣿⠃⣼⣏⣼⢿⣷⣟⣿⣸⡟⣸⣿⡏⣿⣼⢿⣯⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣇⣿⡉⠀⣿⢿⣿⢳⣟⡿⣼⣻⣧⣿⣸⣏⡿⠀⣿⣽⢷⣟⡁⣸⢿⣏⣿⣉⣿⣉⣿⣾⣻⣏⣹⣷⣿⣶⣿⣿⣶⣮⣶⣾ ⡖⠀⠀⣰⣶⡍⣃⣲⣖⣀⢂⣀⡘⣶⣖⣐⣂⢀⣰⣦⡙⢛⣁⡀⣀⣈⢉⣀⣁⡀⣀⣀⢀⡀⣀⣀⣀⢀⣀⣀⣿⣷⢿⣾⢾⣷⣆⣐⣒⢶⣂⣀⡀⢀⣀⡀⣀⣀⢀⣀⣀⣀⢀⡀⣀⣤⣶⣶⣶⣶⣿⣿⣷⣿⣿⣿⡿⡿ ⠑⢀⣾⣿⣭⣧⣿⢭⡟⣿⣼⣿⣇⡉⣿⢉⣿⣾⣹⣯⠑⣼⣿⢰⣏⡿⣾⣿⣿⢻⣏⣿⣾⢹⡇⢿⣟⢸⡟⣹⣿⣟⣿⣿⢨⡿⢹⡏⣿⣿⣽⣯⠉⣿⢹⢷⣟⣿⣾⣿⣏⣿⣾⣹⣿⡟⣿⣸⡇⡿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣷ ⠀⠘⠏⠹⠿⠼⢇⡸⠿⠣⠿⠿⠁⡸⢏⡼⠷⢯⠿⡖⠼⠏⠿⠾⠿⠳⠿⠿⠟⠿⠹⠿⠏⠿⠸⠿⠋⠾⠃⠿⣾⣿⣿⢿⣾⣇⣿⣹⣿⣧⡿⣾⣿⡿⣟⣸⣿⣃⣿⣟⣼⣿⣏⡿⢾⣻⠧⠿⢶⣷⡶⡽⣟⣛⣿⢋⡙⠉ ⠀⢰⣆⡖⣴⣶⠴⣶⢖⠰⣶⢶⡶⣶⠈⣴⣶⢼⣶⡷⣶⢶⢴⣶⣆⡶⣶⢰⣶⡦⣶⡶⠀⣶⣦⣶⢲⣰⠆⣰⣾⣿⣏⣶⡞⣹⣯⡿⣿⣿⢿⣿⢿⣿⡯⣿⣾⢹⣶⡯⣿⣿⣹⣷⡏⣶⣾⢹⣷⢏⣷⢨⣶⡦⢡⢶⠆⠠ ⠂⡿⣿⢻⣯⡿⢸⡏⠒⢸⡏⣼⣿⣏⢠⣝⡷⣾⣿⢷⡟⠋⣿⠛⣹⣷⡟⣿⣿⢃⣿⠀⢸⣿⣿⡏⣸⠇⢀⡿⣿⣿⣼⣿⣇⣿⣾⣻⣧⣿⣿⠙⣿⠛⢹⣿⡟⣿⣽⢷⡟⢋⣿⣼⢧⣿⣷⣿⣿⣸⣇⣬⣻⣆⣱⠲⠀⠠ ⢮⣅⣭⣌⣉⠀⠯⠥⠒⠉⢁⡾⣭⣾⣿⣭⣧⣭⡉⢮⡁⠈⠉⢿⣬⠉⠈⠁⣽⣿⠁⠀⠉⠈⠈⠁⠉⠀⠈⠁⠁⢩⣿⣿⣿⣷⣯⣽⣾⣯⡟⢎⣩⡶⢯⣯⣥⣭⣧⠮⠁⢠⠩⣡⣾⣿⡿⢡⠉⠭⠥⣭⠙⠍⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⡷⠋⣳⠓⣴⠁⢄⣽⣿⣯⣿⣿⢿⢨⠙⠳⠤⡥⠉⠀⠀⠁⠀⢀⠴⠾⢝⣀⣀⣀⠠⢐⣒⣀⣀⠀⢀⣀⣈⢿⣿⣯⣽⣭⣭⣭⣬⣤⣬⢩⣵⣶⣍⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⢰⣶⠉⢺⣿⢀⢻⣿⠰⠅⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣠⣿⣶⢦⣿⣭⣇⣽⢶⣶⢶⣦⢰⣶⡾⠇⣿⣇⣿⡇⣼⣿⣿⣷⢸⣿⢘⢻⣿⠛⠀⢸⣿⡟⣿⡆⣾⣿⣿⣨⣽⣿⣯⣯⢹⣿⢩⣿⣿⢸⣿⣬⡉⠀⣿⣿⠀⣿⣿⣬⢸⣿⠈⢸⣿⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣼ ⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣫⣭⣝⣽⢸⣿⣼⣟⢸⣿⣷⡆⣿⣿⣿⡇⣿⣿⢻⣿⢸⣿⢸⢸⣿⠀⠀⢸⣿⡟⣿⡆⣿⣇⣿⡏⢻⣿⡏⠿⢸⣿⠐⢻⣿⢠⣬⢻⣿⠀⢻⣿⠀⣿⣿⣀⢸⣿⣤⢸⣿⣤⢸⣿⠠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠣ ⢝⣤⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⢾⣶⢸⣿⣸⣿⠆⣿⣧⡄⣿⡟⣿⣇⢻⣿⣼⡿⢸⣿⣾⢸⣿⡀⠀⠀⣿⣷⡿⠇⠿⠏⠿⠿⢀⠿⠇⠏⡸⠿⢀⠘⠛⢈⣛⠛⣛⠀⢘⣛⣤⠙⡛⠋⠈⡍⣉⠬⠉⠭⠈⠉⠀⠀⣄⣤⣞⠂⠁ ⣾⣷⣿⣿⣿⣻⣿⣿⣿⢹⣿⣮⣭⡉⣭⣶⣭⣭⣅⢩⣵⣍⢯⣄⢈⣵⣂⣶⣶⣾⣷⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠂⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠟⢀⢴⣤⠃⠚⣷⣒⣂⡴⡟⠋⣛⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣀⣠⣆⢹⡗⢄⠀⠀⠀⢨⣇⡤⠀⠉⣄⣨⡟ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 236 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/irc-log-120223/#comments Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/irc-log-120223/ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ IRC_Proceedings:_Sunday,_February_12,_2023⠀✐ Posted in IRC_Logs at 2:00 am by Needs Sunlight Also available via the Gemini protocol at: * gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techrights-120223.gmi * gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-120223.gmi * gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-social-120223.gmi * gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techbytes-120223.gmi Over HTTP: 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_ #techrights_log_as_HTML5 #boycottnovell_log_as_HTML5 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_ #boycottnovell-social_log_as_HTML5 #techbytes_log_as_HTML5 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇text_logs⦈_ #techrights_log_as_text #boycottnovell_log_as_text 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 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Closing Shop Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 http://techrights.org/videos/github-closures.webm Summary: GitHub isn’t free-as-in-freedom (it’s proprietary) and it was never ‘for free’; many people are failing to see — at their own peril — that GitHub has no business model and thus it will never be ‘for free’ (Microsoft is realising the losses are becoming too much of a yoke already) THE company GitHub was never profitable. It just gave Git hosting ‘for free’ with a Web interface to manage and navigate repositories. GitHub itself is proprietary and for many years it managed to attract many users, offering ‘for free’ all sorts of things, including computational resources. But how did GitHub plan to make money, even just to cover salaries? Blender, taking note of GitHub just riding shareholders’ money, avoided the GitHub trap and explained why. Microsoft, desperate to take control over Free software somehow, decided to take this thing which operated at a loss. It was never going to work because efforts to make it profitable would result in an exodus greater than what happened in the wake of ICE scandals. In the GitHub series (Part_28_in_particular) we’ve taken note of serious trouble. The latest is office closures. This is permanent. What comes next? Our guess is that Microsoft will try to increase fees; it already does this with Teams and no doubt Azure will continue to raise the prices, which still isn’t going to be enough (hence layoffs in Azure for 3 years already). People who still use GitHub because they think it’s cheap or “for free” need to learn a lesson from Gitlab.com. Hosting is never free. There’s this_new_post_in Gemini that says: “In honor of World Give Up GitHub day, here’s a quick guide to how to serve up your own git repos.” It’s not as hard as it may seem. People need not even be programmers to do this. Relying on Microsoft or outsourcing to Microsoft is a foolish move. █ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 428 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/statcounter-stuff-in-china-might-be-interesting/#comments Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/statcounter-stuff-in-china-might-be-interesting/ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ Tens_of_Millions_of_GNU/Linux_Users_in_Two_Countries⠀✐ Posted in Asia, GNU/Linux at 4:26 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Video_download_link | md5sum 9078d035b9766fb443cb6ebeb9e93ea3 GNU/Linux Growing in Asia Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 http://techrights.org/videos/gnu-linux-china-india.webm Summary: In the world’s most populous countries GNU/Linux_is_making_big strides; it’s fair to say that this is a growth area that thwarts the near- monopoly of Windows on desktops/laptops THE GNU/Linux operating system is turning 40 later this year, assuming we started counting or started the clock in 1983. Back then a 30-year-old Richard Stallman (yes, he’s turning 70 on March 16th) started the vision of a freedom- respectingoperating system. He had already made his emacs and various other programs. The media is gaslighting GNU and the FSF, but in a lot of ways they got their way. Free software continues to grow. “The world is changing. Microsoft isn’t keeping up.”The video above speaks about my early years with GNU/Linux (as a young scientist) and explains that it has found growing exposure in two countries that have about 3 billion people in them. When it comes to GNU/Linux adoption, China was always behind India, but it is catching_up while Microsoft lays off many workers and Windows loses market share. As per this_page, this month Android is up to 45% of all market share, whereas Windows is down to 27% this month. The funny thing is that Microsoft Edge market share — just_like_Bing's_market_share — fell_by_about_5% this month, in spite of all_the_media_SPAM_from_Microsoft, sprinkling “HEY HI” (AI) pixie dust over everything, including Edge and Azure (now they say the same about Teams and Office). This helps distract from Edge staff being laid off and Bing staff being laid off. Azure too has many layoffs (for several years already). “HEY HI” (AI) is the new clown computing, i.e. misleading_hype. The world is changing. Microsoft isn’t keeping up. Buying GitHub was buying debt and perpetual losses (in an effort to control the competition and attack copyleft-based licences). Now, amid a_class_action_lawsuit, all_the_offices_are being_disbanded. █ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 493 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/suepo-munich-chairman-report-2021-2022/#comments Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/suepo-munich-chairman-report-2021-2022/ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ Management_of_the_European_Patent_Office_Has_Laid_Off_All_the_Staff_That_Fed the_Employees_(Despite_Drowning_in_Money_Generated_by_Granting_Fake_European Patents)⠀✐ Posted in Europe, Patents at 11:06 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz It’s all about greed and exploitation by managers who give themselves massive bonuses 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇EPO_Leonardi_Team⦈_ Summary: An internal publication explains many of the violations that have occurred at the EPO in the past couple of years, including and especially the attacks on staff THE UNION of the EPO‘s staff, SUEPO, was targeted by Benoît_Battistelli and António_Campinos told the vindicated victim of this unlawful witch-hunt — right to his face — that he would rather see him leave (or something to that effect). “They are in effect an element of vendor (corporate) capture of Europe’s largest patent agency, which is also trying to override pertinent nations’ patent court systems.”The EPO is run by truly corrupt officials. They cannot tolerate criticism and they don’t follow the law. They are in effect an element of vendor (corporate) capture of Europe’s largest patent agency, which is also trying to override pertinent nations’ patent court systems. The following report was circulated last week and it was authored by one victim of the unlawful witch-hunt. SUEPO members have seen this already and the public should too. This is where the EPO stands INTERNATIONALE GEWERKSCHAFT IM EUROPÄISCHEN PATENTAMT STAFF UNION OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE UNION SYNDICALE DE L’OFFICE EUROPEEN DES BREVETS Ortssektion München Local section Munich Section locale de Munich 10 February 2023 su23005mp – 0.2.1 § SUEPO Munich Chairman’s report⠀➾ § 2021 – 2022⠀➾ The SUEPO Munich elections for the period 2021-2022 took place in March 2021. The election results were announced on 17 March 2021, and the committee constituted on 29 March 2021. Presently the committee is composed of four members. The number of SUEPO Munich branch members remained stable between 1.700 – 1.800. The membership income is however decreasing slowly since more staff are going on pension than are hired by the EPO. Work_with_EPO_management. The most prominent fact to be mentioned here is the consistent reluctance of Mr Campinos to talk to the unions over the last two years. Mr Campinos successfully avoided all invitations coming from SUEPO and when the unions called for industrial actions, Mr Campinos sent a delegation of members of the administration without any mandate to propose anything. However, the work with management at all other lower levels is relaxing. ===================================================================== Operational Year 2021 Caterers kicked out Throughout 2021, the Covid-19 epidemy raged on. EPO staff adapted to the ‘Emergency Guidelines’ allowing them to work 100% from home or from abroad. These had major implications for the EPO, for the staff and for the contractors. The caterers of our canteens were decimated during the pandemic years, to the extent that all our canteens in Munich were closed down. From April to September 2021, the staff committee Munich supported by SUEPO Munich, organized a GOFundMe campaign and collected over Euro 100.000 support for the 40 canteen staff laid off. ‘Team Leonardi’ was the caterer in Munich who served EPO staff the longest with great food. Some employees had been with us for 20-30 years. Now most of them are either unemployed or retired. All of them however were very thankful for the donations. Education allowance In May 2021, the Office tabled in the General Consultative Committee (GCC) the Education and Childcare allowance reform. Officially, the reform was aimed at introducing equal treatment between expatriates and nationals. However, it significantly reduced benefits to EPO sites relying on International Schools while reducing the overall budget by -10% compared to the previous years at a time the EPO made a profit of over 348,9 million euros. The administration remained oblivious to all the letters sent to them with all the rational arguments presented therein, which were repeated in the GCC. Instead of simplifying the work of the HR Department, we explained that it would rather increase their workload. Two years later in 2023, we are proven right. Any request sent to the HR needs months to be answered due to the high amount of work regarding the education allowance requests. The lack of proper definition of indirect costs is now the preferred tool of HR to reduce reimbursements and pretend they are covered by a “lump-sum”. It is worth nothing that this reform was again drafted and implemented by Ms. Elodie Bergot. Yet another successful project….against the staff. ===================================================================== An army of litigators The savings made by the EPO on the back of staff and the education of their children amount to what the EPO invested in an army of litigators. In the same month the education allowance reform was introduced, May 2021, the EPO presented a financial request to the Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) for a tremendous increase in their litigation budget for external law firms working on the EPO’s behalf in front of the Tribunal. The budget increased from a few hundred thousand Euros in the past years to 5.8 million Euro. It just shows the kind of social dialogue Mr Campinos has in mind. New Normal In May 2021 the EPO embarked on yet another ‘successful’ pilot project described in an orientation paper, the ‘New Normal’. The paper was essentially empty and void of any specifics. It was not even tabled in the GCC. Mr. Campinos considered its purpose was only to give the “opportunity to give further input” to “stakeholders” which will be assessed for inclusion in the final draft of the document. In our opinion, proper good faith consultation would have allowed a reasonable amount of time for statutory bodies to discuss_the_issue, to have its main questions_answered and to provide reasoned advice. The proposed exercise merely consisting in sending “further input” to an email alias address, lacked essential features of a genuine consultation. Even external_stakeholders have realized that such a call for input is more of a communication exercise than a consultation. The same is still happening on the topic of quality for which the EPO showed reluctance to come to the round table. Young Professionals In June 2021 the EPO provided another blow to its staff and future staff. Management tabled Circular 405 which goes again in the exact opposite direction than what is needed. Instead of providing young staff with a safe and secure environment the Circular puts all new staff on a 13 years’ probation. According to the EPO, young staff prefers precarity. The new colleagues, named ‘Young Professionals’, are recruited directly from the university. In order to propose the lowest salaries ever, the EPO had to cobble together a new way of putting them off- scale below the lowest grade and step at the EPO. They are recruited for one year. They can obtain a two year extension. After these three successful years, the ‘Young Professional’ can apply for a five year contract. Again, passing these 5 years the not so ‘Young Professional‘ anymore can be extended for five more years. Overall, it constitutes 13 years on probation. After passing these 13 years of probation the middle aged ‘Young Professional’ could become a permanent staff provided that the EPO sees a need for her or him. ===================================================================== We are appalled by this new reform and treatment of our new colleagues. Once again, we tried to make positive suggestions but to no avail. In a competitive environment where the industry offers permanent contracts after one year and even 6 months, the EPO is actually deteriorating even further its employment package. We expect this reform to have a profound negative effect on the office capability in finding job applicants to perform its tasks in the future. Year 2022 Technologia Survey Beginning of 2022, SUEPO organized the Fifth Edition of the ‘Technologia Staff survey’. The Technologia Survey is organized by SUEPO every three years without interruption since the last 15 years. When the EPO runs its own staff survey, it formulates non-question so as to get non-answers. And when answers tend to be negative for management, the results are swept under the carpet. Call for actions Simultaneously, SUEPO called for actions. The action was necessary in view of many unresolved issues such as: • violation both individual and collective of the rights of staff to freedom of association since 2013; • inefficient and biased EPO internal justice system • unsolved major reforms such as the salary adjustment procedure and its disastrous loss of staff’s purchasing power ignoring the massive efforts made by EPO staff during the pandemic time. • the introduction of an alleged “coverage gap” predicted for 2038 which was covered already in the first two years since mentioning it. An overwhelming number of staff (90%) voted for the action plan. The ‘Work to rule’ action appeared to be successful. This action continued throughout 2022 until end of September. The action had a great impact on the production of grants. This effect was also echoed by the delegates in the Administrative Council where they indicated that in some national office they had to lay staff off because of lack of income. However, none of them came to the conclusion that maybe the lack of dialogue with the staff could be a problem and that maybe a different approach from the management would improve things. ===================================================================== Strike SUEPO called for 1 full day of strike on the 22 March 2022. According to the unsigned Intranet_Communiqué from management, 1.514 employees participated in the strike. It was the highest result of an industrial action since 2016 and an even better participation than in the strike of 15 December 2020. It was a clear signal to Mr Campinos that there is room for improvement in terms of social dialogue. In addition, strike registration was made difficult by the management and therefore still remains an unreliable tool. When putting the figures into perspective, even based on these unreliable and incomplete data, we count that at least 40% of non-managerial available staff went on strike. SUEPO invited Mr Campinos to urgent meetings and proposed multiple dates (1 April, 5 April or 6 April) with the aim to explore ways out of the social unrest with the aim of delivering positive outcomes to our legitimate claims. Needless to say that Mr. Campinos did not turn up but sent his management instead to the negotiation table. They came empty handed however, with no proposals or mandate to solve any of the raised problems. Our successful actions were also followed closely by the media. Political_and_legal SUEPO Central is the structure regrouping all SUEPO committees from all four places of employment (or sites). Together we are able to tackle all the issues which have become of a more general nature concerning all staff. Munich being the biggest site participates financially and legally to this structure to a very large extent. Actions launched by SUEPO Central are normally backed by all SUEPO committees. ===================================================================== Year 2021 Following a series of well attended General Meetings in all sites, the SUEPO committees were entrusted by their members to prepare litigation procedures against the New Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP). Via SUEPO Central, templates to challenge the procedure were provided for the deadline of 16 March 2021 which was the deadline for filing the management review (RfR). Over 1.200 staff members filed this review. Campinos protecting Battistelli’s legacy In February 2021, Mr. Campinos rejected the Appeals against the New Career System and Invalidity Lump sum. As in the past and in the same line with his predecessor Mr. Campinos followed the majority opinion in favor of the EPO for the New Career system but at the same time refused to follow the unanimous opinion for the Invalidity lump sum when this was in favor of the staff. The days when Mr Campinos preferred to reduce litigation through settlement discussions seem now to be over. By selectively following ApC opinions to confirm two major negative reforms against EPO staff, Mr Campinos reveals one facet of his mandate: to protect and pursue the political legacy of his predecessor. In May 2021, SUEPO provided appeal templates to challenge these decisions in front of the ILO. Cash injections for upper management In April 2021, SUEPO provided another request for review template this time against the unfair cash injections in the Salary Savings Plan (SSP) of lower grades. Managers in higher grade fill their pockets with 16x more injection in their private salary savings plans than the staff in the lower grades. It was questioned why the higher managerial staff should receive 16x more financial injection (bonus) in their private salary savings plans when their salaries can only be up to 3x more than staff in the lower salary scales. ===================================================================== Strike judgments Since 2013, EPO staff were subject to illegal strike regulations put in place by Mr. Battistelli and zealously implemented by Ms. Elodie Bergot. Such a regime infringing the fundamental right to strike continued to prevail under the first mandate of Mr. Campinos. On 15 December 2020, 1.448 employees representing 22,6% of all staff participated in a strike against the new salary adjustment procedure. On the January 2021 salary slip, the EPO deducted 1/20th of a monthly’s salary for a whole day of strike (instead of 1/30th) or 1/ 40th for half a day of strike (instead of 1/60th). The excessive strike deductions put in place since 2013 were already the subject of complaints pending in front of the Tribunal. SUEPO provided yet again a Management review template to challenge this excessive deductions. In its 132nd session on 7 July 2021, the Tribunal delivered a total of 43 judgments, of which 25 concern the EPO. The encouraging news from this session was that very important cases were finally ruled in favour of the complainants (i.e. the staff): • Judgments 4433 and 4435 on strike deductions; • Judgments 4430, 4432 and 4434 on Circular 347. A more detailed overview of all judgments of the 132nd session can be found here. The Tribunal ruled that the EPO infringed upon staff’s fundamental rights and imposed excessive strike deductions of punitive character. EPO management, Mr. Battistelli and Ms. Elodie Bergot, were sanctioned for abusing their power. Furthermore, the Tribunal considered that the EPO interfered in the legitimate call for strike on 2 and 3 July 2013. At the time, Ms. Elodie Bergot had sent letters to those declaring themselves on strike informing them that their absence was treated as unauthorised absence and that future unauthorised absences would lead to disciplinary action. The Tribunal considered it was an attempt to stifle, by threat, the exercise of the lawful right to strike and that Ms. Elodie Bergot acted without authority when sending the letter. After 8 years of breach of a fundamental rights at the EPO (including 3 years under the mandate of Mr. Campinos), it was now up to Mr. Campinos to take the consequences and to repair the damage done to the Organisation. Mr. Campinos reimbursed the excessive strike deductions with interests. The bigger damage however was to the reputation of the office now proven to be a repetitive_offender_of fundamental_rights. Ms. Elodie Bergot suffered no consequence and was even promoted to Chief Policy Officer was left in charge of the sensible Welfare and ===================================================================== Remuneration department (where she did the most damage) and her contract was then extended for a further 5 years until 2028. No moral damages have been awarded to those who neither filed a complaint in front of the Tribunal nor an application to intervene although their rights have also been infringed. In a meeting with the Central Staff Committee (CSC) on 15 September 2021, Mr Campinos even strongly excluded any form of apology from the Organisation to the staff. A biased Appeals Committee? The Tribunal declared the strike regulations (Circular 347) illegal and set these aside. Back in 2015, the Dutch Court of Appeal had also found that these violated fundamental rights. However, the EPO Appeals Committee (ApC) had issued a majority opinion in favour of the strike regulations. This wrong opinion was even supported by the Appeal’s committee Chair at that time, Sir Paul Mahoney despite his former experience as a Judge at the European Court of Human Rights. This blunder came as clear evidence of bias and dysfunction of the EPO internal justice system. In view of the fundamental importance of legal certainty and social peace, and in order to restore staff’s confidence in the opinions of the internal Appeal’s committee (ApC) as soon as possible, as well as to be settle disputes internally instead of at the ILOAT, the CSC urged the delegations in the Administrative Council (AC) to take steps to ensure that: • staff representation is allowed to appoint members to the selection board for the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the ApC, • the General Consultative Committee (GCC) is consulted prior to appointment of the Chair and Vice-Chairs, • no Chair or vice-Chair may be appointed who does not find consensus in the GCC. ===================================================================== Litigation: past and new reforms In July 2021, SUEPO prepared and published the internal appeals templates for challenging the new Salary adjustment procedure. In September 2021, SUEPO provided requests for review (RfR) templates to contest the Education and Childcare allowance that disproportionately affected some colleagues more than others. In November 2021, SUEPO organised a survey on teleworking in order to reassess the telework preferences one year after the introduction of the new normal way of working. In December 2021, SUEPO prepared templates to challenge the new career system (CA/D10/14) in front of the Tribunal. Year 2022 “Social Democracy” and EPO institutional harassment In February 2022, the Tribunal ruled in its 133rd Session on 51 cases among which 12 EPO cases. For the second_time after the judgments on the unlawful strike regulations, the Tribunal ruled in Judgment 4482 that an EPO reform, “Social Democracy“, breached_the_fundamental_right_to_freedom_of association. Judgments 4488, 4489, and 4490 sanctioned the EPO’s institutional harassment of a former Principal Director by Mr. Battistelli and Ms. Elodie Bergot and awarded above 250.000 € of damages in total. Judgment 4491 ordered the reinstatement of a single mother with babies (at the material time) unlawfully charged with fraud by the Investigative Unit which made an unfair and distorted analysis of the facts. Between all these successful legal actions SUEPO continued also in 2022 to provide staff with standard management reviews or complaint templates against the different negative reforms such as the salary adjustment procedure. ===================================================================== Ban on mass-emails declared unlawful On 6 July 2022, the Tribunal ruled yet again against the EPO in another blockbuster Judgement 4551 that the EPO Communiqué of 31 May 2013 restraining the use of email to no more than 50 recipients without prior authorisation breached the fundamental right to freedom of association. The Tribunal considered that the true reason was to exercise_prior_censorship on the content of communications. It also confirmed that the mass emails of the staff representation and unions at the material time did not exceed the limits to freedom of opinion and speech, and hence did not justify a mechanism of a prior authorisation. After 9 years of breach of freedom of communication (including 4 years during the mandate of Mr. Campinos), the Tribunal has declared the ban of mass emails was unlawful. Six months later, at the time of writing this report (February 2023) Mr. Campinos has still_not_lifted the technical restrictions imposed on staff and their representation. It is yet another judgment confirming his lack of willingness to restore fundamental rights at the EPO on his own initiative. In August, in September and then in November 2022, SUEPO and the staff representation demanded that the judgment be finally executed. The response was a lame excuse. The EPO now pretends that staff representation is an entity not in the interest of the service and which makes ‘marketing’ for itself or others on EPO lines. On top of that, management wants to force the use of an external provider acting as a black box for sending emails. Access to EPO mailing-lists for addressing all staff remained forbidden as well as the limitation to 50 recipients. Final_words Presently, the EPO managed to yet again anger staff by starting a new ‘successful’(!) project named ‘Bringing teams together’. This project is so badly managed that even hard line managers are distancing themselves from it. Allowing only a selected few to have an individual office and moving the rest of staff out of their rooms in ‘workplaces-for-the-day’ (hot desking) is demotivating and it is disconnecting staff from the EPO. The aim of the higher management is apparently to overcome the ‘ghost’ feeling in the buildings and to “bring the teams” together. Following the first plans we saw the teams will neither be together nor is the EPO any better. The EPO has now, next to the ‘ghost’ feeling also the ‘hospital-sterile’ feeling too as no personal items are allowed in the office anymore. During the last two years, the EPO staff underwent several badly designed and wrongly implemented reforms. It would take a lot of time to comb through them to find a single positive aspect for the staff. Over the same period, Mr. Campinos neither met ===================================================================== with SUEPO Central nor with SUEPO Munich. The last meeting was on 18 November 2020. To be noted that during that meeting Mr. Campinos forecasted that: “In any case, if SUEPO wants back access to mass- emails, it would be only in the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding. SUEPO will lose in Geneva anyway.” Now that Mr. Campinos lost the case in Geneva, he launched into an exercise of bad faith in order not implement it. In 2023 the office embarks on a follow up financial study to the biased financial study made by Mercer in 2019. Mr. Campinos already announced in the Administrative Council that the office is again looking at a deficit of two billion Euro. This number was mentioned even before starting the financial study. It shows already where the ride will end. The main reason mentioned for this was the salary adjustment. Internally however, we see an imbalance in the workforce. Namely, in the number of staff working on the line and those who don’t. It has become very obvious that new Director posts are generated regularly in the DG’s outside the line. Also the ratio of staff to a director in DG1 in comparison to those in the other DG’s is highly imbalanced. This increase in the ‘Wasserkopf’ is unsustainable to use a managerial term. Less ‘Chefs’ and more ‘Indians’ would be appreciated in order to alleviate the pressure put on the examiners to produce the 10% more products to cover the apparent deficit. The mathematically challenged salary adjustment was a shock to everyone. The lack of a salary adjustment for many years was a shock to staff. This was followed by a large adjustment which was a shock to the management and the AC. Hence, the salary adjustment method designed by Ms. Bergot is demonstratively a complete_failure. A new method needs to be presented to the AC at the end of the six years period, in 2026. The preparations need to already start next year. This time around, maybe Mr. Campinos considers a tried and proven salary method like the one from the European Commission, instead of re-inventing the wheel. That method was agreed on by the ministers of all member states, hence also by those member states in our Administrative Council. It provided moderate adjustments over the years without any shock effects and is not legally challenged by the over 30.000 staff to whom it applies. Also it is ready to be implemented, therefore the cost in developing a sound salary adjustment method is minimal. In view of the financial study to be performed, we can only warn of any new negative reforms in the near future and other cuts in staff’s welfare and employment package (eg: pension reform). If the management want to reach the envisioned drastically increased targets then unrest, especially in the examiners area is probably not the best way to achieve it. Presently, after the pandemic years and the new normal project staff need a period of consolidation with no new detrimental reforms. EPO staff do not need even more disruption. What they do need is to be moved back into their comfort zone. The EPO experimented enough on the back of the staff over the last 10-15 years with the mantra of ‘moving the staff out of their comfort zone’. The result is high sickness levels, lower production, lower quality, demotivation and disconnection. ===================================================================== And finally for the next SUPO mandate, the pensioners and their rights should come more into focus. The EPO has more and more pensioners but treats them stepmotherly. Pensioners are treated almost like every other external public member even if they worked for the EPO and contributed to the success of this office for 20, 30 or even 40 years. The support they receive from the office when they have difficulties with their pension or health care needs to be improved, a lot. It is time for management to revise their policies. Ion Brumme Chairman SUEPO Munich (2021-2022) There’s so much more wrong with the EPO than just the granting of European software_patents illegally (see these_leaks). We’re not dealing with law here; we deal with a law-breaking agency that’s being protected by the Dutch and German governments. Their secret pact involves passive corruption, so they try to hush up everyone and everything. One day it’ll all come out. █ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⠩⠽⡛⠏⠉⡽⡋⢹⡻⡟⢻⢹⢙⣏⢹⢛⣿⢻⢛⢻⢹⢛⣿⢹⡿⠛⠿⡛⠟⡟⣿⡻⡟⠻⢛⢹⢹⣭⢩⢟⢻⣟⢿⢛⢟⢿⡏⠭⡏⠍⡛⡉⣿⡏⢻⠋⠙⡭⠟⠟⠿⣛⡏⡻⠟⡻⠻⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣯⣭⣶⣭⣦⣤⣧⣥⣤⣤⣧⣿⣼⣬⣤⣼⣬⣿⣼⣼⣼⣼⣬⣿⣬⣵⣭⣥⣥⣦⣧⣧⣤⣧⣷⣬⣼⣼⣿⣼⣮⣽⣤⣼⣼⣼⣼⣧⣭⣧⣿⣥⣶⣼⣧⣷⣦⣤⣥⣤⣧⣤⣭⣧⣧⣦⣭⣼⣧⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣤⣤⣴⣶⣶⣶⣦⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⢠⣶⣿⣿⢷⡎⠀⠈⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣴⣶⣶⣶⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠘⠂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡃⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠟⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠿⢿⣿⡿⠧⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠄⣼⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣛⣛⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⡟⠁⠀⣹⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠀⠀⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠊⢚⣻⣿⣿⣿⣟⢃⠈⠙⢿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡿⠟⡛⠃⠘⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠴⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠿⠟⠛⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠹⣦⣈⡁⠂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⠶⢿⡇⡀⠀⠀⠔⠀⠀⢠⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⠀⣾⣇⢀⣀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣤⣶⣿⣆⠿⠟⠛⡛⣀⣀⣄⣠⣶⡷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣶⣶⣤⣀⠀⠀⠈⣼⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠓⠶⣿⣿⣶⣤⣤⠘⠋⠘⠛⠓⠙⠻⠿⠟⠀⠀⠂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣳⣤⠄⠀⠀⢘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣾⣿⡿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⣠⣴⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣧⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠏⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⡀⠀⠈⠁⠀⠀⣀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠁⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠊⠉⢿⡿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⠟⢀⣼⣷⣦⣤⣤⣤⣿⣿⡀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⣀⠀⢸⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⣴⣤⣤⣼⣧⣤⣤⣤⡄⠀⠀⠀⠋⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣼⣿⣿⡇⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⢟⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⣿⠟⠻⢿⡿⠿⠛⠿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣷⡾⢉⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣿⡀⠙⢀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠫⠻⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣻⡟⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⡳⡀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠱⠑⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⠃⠀⠀⣀⣤⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠙⠻⠏⠸⠇⠀⢙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⣿⣿⣿⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣤⣀⣠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣅⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣝⣒⠓⣶⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢋⡀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣍⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡶⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣾⣷⣾⣿⣿⣾⣷⣷⣷⣾⣷⣶⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣾⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣷⣾⣿⣾⣿⣾⣿⣶⣶⣷⣶⣾⣾⣿⣿⣾⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣶⣦⣼⣿⣷⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⣽⣭⣽⣽⣽⣽⣯⣭⣯⣮⣭⣤⣭⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 1185 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕ (ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/13/the-central-staff-committee-on-hot-desking-ploy/#comments Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/13/the-central-staff-committee-on-hot-desking-ploy/ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ Management_of_the_European_Patent_Office_is_Lying_About_Office_Space⠀✐ Posted in Europe, Patents at 10:41 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Video_download_link | md5sum 11765bbb40cd5784da21a97480b580b4 EPO Does Not Lack Desks and Seats Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 http://techrights.org/videos/big-lie-about-office-space.webm Summary: European Patent Office (EPO) officials, predominantly friends of Benoît_Battistelli and António_Campinos (chosen owing to nepotism, not qualifications) are innovating ways to suppress speech (communication with colleagues), oppress the staff, crush unions, and generally make people miserable THIS site has already published about 4 videos and half a dozen posts about this topic, but there are some new developments and they help expose the insincerity of EPO management. Some of the existing issues are discussed in the video above. The Central Staff Committee, or CSC for short, tells colleagues: “In its Communiqué of 2 February 2023, the administration announced new accommodation plans for Munich and The Hague together. In a letter sent to the Central Staff Committee (CSC), Ms Simon (VP 4) reaffirmed that “staff members who work at least three days per week at the office or have special needs determined on a case-by-case basis will be allocated a fixed workplace”. We strongly advise staff to make sure their line manager follows this guiding principle.” The accompanying publication is reproduced below as HTML, plain text, and GemText. The general public needs to be aware of this. Zentraler Personalausschuss Central Staff Committee Le Comité Central du Personnel Munich,10/02/2023 sc23015cp § Bringing Teams Together:⠀➾ § “Three days per week” for a fixed workplace⠀➾ In its Communiqué of 2 February 2023, the administration announced new accommodation plans for Munich and The Hague together. In a letter sent to the Central Staff Committee (CSC), Ms Simon (VP4) reaffirmed that “staff members who work at least three days per week at the office or have special needs determined on a case-by-case basis will be allocated a fixed workplace”. We strongly advise staff to make sure their line manager follows this guiding principle. This paper gives more details. Dear Colleagues, A major cause of concern In January 2023, EPO staff gathered in General Assemblies in all places of employment (including 850 attendees in Munich and 631 in The Hague). The “Bringing Teams Together” project triggered many questions from the floor and confirmed to be a hot topic for staff. The staff representation met on 18 January 2023 with the administration in a working group on this topic. We voiced major concerns of staff about the organisation chaos and unrest caused by the project among teams and made concrete proposals (see our report here). Quotas vs staff wishes Line managers were asked to proceed on the basis of quotas (70% of workplaces per directorate, among which 50% can be allocated fixed) thereby triggering divisive discussions among staff. The implementation is chaotic and arbitrary with a broad range of diverging implementations on top of “managerial arbitrariness”. A purely quota-based distribution of workplaces and allocated fixed workplaces cannot match the wishes of staff. Three days per week as a guiding principle In a letter of 3 February 2023 (see annex), Ms Simon (VP 4) reaffirmed that “as a guiding principle it makes complete sense that staff members who work at least three days per week at the office or have special needs determined on a case-by-case basis will be allocated a fixed workplace, while staff choosing to come less often will use workplaces for the day.” Ms Simon had already stated this principle in the December Administrative Council meeting. However, the new accommodation plans for Munich and The_Hague still feature an amount of workplaces which we know is incompatible with this principle. Indeed, in several directorates, the amount of workplaces is not sufficient to have an allocated fixed workplace for everyone who fulfil the above guiding principle. What can you do? If you come to work at least three days per week at the Office or have special needs, we strongly invite you to write to your line managers and to put your local staff committee in Cc. [skipped template] Conclusion The “Bringing Teams Together” project contains many flaws. In our view: −allocated fixed workplaces must have a key and storage space and personalisation should be allowed; − the project lacks a proper impact study and is likely to increase disengagement of staff. The administration still refuses to properly address these points. For the time being, make sure your line management implements the project in line with the guiding principle stated by Ms Simon (VP4) and keep us informed. The Central Staff Committee Annex: Letter of Ms Simon (VP4) to the CSC dated 3 February 2023 ===================================================================== European Patent Office | 80298 MUNICH | GERMANY Mr Alain Dumont Chairman of the Central Staff Committee Sent by email only to: centralSTCOM@epo.org European Patent Office 80298 Munich Germany DG4 Corporate Services Nellie Simon Vice-President Tel +49 (0)89 2399 – 4000 nsimon@epo.org Date: 03.02.2023 Your communications on “Bringing our Teams Together” Dear Mr Chair, Reference is made to your open letter dated 18 November 2022 and the CSC various publications, in which you raise concerns regarding “Bringing our Teams Together”. We would like to take the opportunity of this letter to clarify the points you address. With regard to the Office’s intranet communication of 17 November 2022, please note that the aim was to inform and update staff about the next steps towards bringing our teams together, notably following the feedback obtained from staff in DG 1. The next steps will be implemented on the basis of the guiding principles already communicated to staff and their representatives, i.e. to bring teams together and life back into our buildings and to provide allocated workplaces to staff mostly coming to the office or having specific and individual needs. Keeping in mind these guiding principles, the next steps also need to be implemented in light of the following two main considerations: First, and in addition to the feedback gathered from staff and managers, it is recalled that since the full entry into force of the New Ways of Working (NWoW) on 1 September 2022, building occupancy rates show that our buildings have remained empty to a large extent. This observation is particularly relevant as autumn is the time of the year when staff members’ presence in the buildings would traditionally be at its peak. You state that the low occupancy rates are due to the fact that the buildings and facilities offered are insufficiently attractive to staff. However, ambitious renovations of the Office’s buildings, including new sports facilities, have recently been completed to provide staff with a modern workplace. As regards the canteens, the aim is to provide the best service possible, in view of the reduced number of staff present at the sites. We will continue to monitor closely how the needs of our staff evolve as we settle into the NWoW and suggestions and ideas as to how to improve this service are always welcome. Second, the Office’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the energy crisis which we are currently facing compels us to use our premises in a sustainable way. When the facts show that our buildings are being used only partially, it is not socially responsible to leave large areas empty. In this context, and as further explained in our dedicated meetings of 21 November 2022 and 18 January 2023, this means that as a guiding principle it makes complete sense that staff members who work at least three days per week at the office or have special needs determined on a case-by-case basis will be allocated a fixed workplace, while staff choosing to come less often will use workplaces for the day. Additionally, the consolidation of staff in certain areas might also lead to emptying other parts of some sites, notably the Shell building and some of the buildings in the PschorrHöfe. Please be assured that the implementation steps will be closely monitored and modified as necessary. It is worth emphasising that the preparation of the accommodation plans by the relevant units, which is currently ongoing, is taking place in close co-operation with the departments affected. Finally, many of the points you address have already been discussed in statutory bodies or at technical meetings. For instance, at the last meeting with the staff representatives of the different sites which took place on 18 January 2023 concrete progress on operational preparation was shared and the staff representatives were able to ask any questions or raise any concerns they had. Such ad hoc technical meetings will continue to be held to allow continuous exchanges on this specific subject. Additionally, this specific subject will be put on the agenda of the relevant Local Staff Committee meetings. We hope that this clarifies the aforementioned points and look forward to continuing discussions with you. Yours sincerely, Nellie Simon Vice-President DG 4 Corporate Services Yes, “Corporate Services”. The EPO… Corporate Services. Do not overlook the irony of all this. █ ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 1470 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 ═════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ Links_13/02/2023:_KiCad_7_Released,_Earthquake_Death_Toll_Exceeds_35,000⠀✐ Posted in News_Roundup at 9:10 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈ § Contents⠀➾ * GNU/Linux o Server o Audiocasts/Shows o Kernel_Space o Applications o Instructionals/Technical o Games o Desktop_Environments/WMs # GNOME_Desktop/GTK * Distributions_and_Operating_Systems o BSD o Arch_Family o Fedora_Family_/_IBM o Canonical/Ubuntu_Family o Devices/Embedded o Open_Hardware/Modding o Mobile_Systems/Mobile_Applications * Free,_Libre,_and_Open_Source_Software o Programming/Development # WebAssembly * Leftovers o Education o Hardware o Health/Nutrition/Agriculture o Linux_Foundation o Security # Integrity/Availability/Authenticity # Privacy/Surveillance o Defence/Aggression o Transparency/Investigative_Reporting o Environment # Energy/Transportation # Wildlife/Nature o Finance o AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics o Censorship/Free_Speech o Freedom_of_Information_/_Freedom_of_the_Press o Civil_Rights/Policing o Internet_Policy/Net_Neutrality o Monopolies # Trademarks # Copyrights * Gemini*_and_Gopher o Personal o Technical # Programming * § GNU/Linux⠀➾ o ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ 9to5Linux_Weekly_Roundup:_February_12th,_2023⠀⇛ This week has been pretty interesting with some great software releases, starting with the highly-anticipated Transmission 4.0 and continuing with NetworkManager 1.42 and KDE Frameworks 5.103. On the distro side of things, SparkyLinux 6.6, Endless OS 5.0, and EndeavourOS Cassini Neo are all out for you to play with on your personal computer. On top of that, I take a quick look at the upcoming official Fedora Linux 38 Budgie and Sway spins. Linux gamers got a new Steam Client stable release and the chance to buy the next-gen AMD-powered gaming laptop from System76. Below, you can read the hottest news of the week and access all distro and software downloads available in 9to5Linux’s Linux weekly roundup for February 12th, 2023. o § Server⠀➾ # ⚓ IT Jungle ☛ AIX:_The_Last_Standing_Commercial_Unix⠀⇛ Nearly six decades ago, a bunch of researchers at AT&T Bell Labs, MIT, and General Electric started work on a new multi-user operating system for General Electric mainframes called Multiplexed Information and Computing Service, or MULTICS. After four years of work, the project was mothballed, but was reborning when Ken Thompson, a researcher at Bell Labs, created a single-user operating system based on the ideas behind MULTICS to run on a PDP-7 that Ma Bell had laying around. o § Audiocasts/Shows⠀➾ # ⚓ CubicleNate ☛ Linux_Saloon_|_Application_Appetizer Potluck⠀⇛ This week the panel of presenters brought an app they use to share. Instead of choosing a specific application to try out or explore the panel decided that we would all bring something interesting that we use to share with others and explain why it was interesting. o § Kernel Space⠀➾ # ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Linus_Torvalds_releases_probably unnecessary_release_candidate_eight_for_Linux_6.2⠀⇛ Work on version 6.2 of the Linux kernel will stretch into an eighth release candidate, despite emperor penguin Linus Torvalds now saying it isn’t really necessary. In late January, Torvalds rated release candidate five as “fairly sizable” due to “pent up testing and fixes from people being off.” He therefore flagged his intention to extend this kernel development cycle beyond his preferred seven release candidates. o § Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ Distro Watch ☛ Review:_Playing_(music)_with_the_PinePhone⠀⇛ Having spent an evening hunting for software, experimenting, reading documentation, troubleshooting, reading log files, and trying various client applications I came to a few conclusions, most of which won’t surprise anyone. One of the more obvious is that “Top 10″ lists of applications are usually useless. They typically don’t provide a list of features or drawbacks, they never provide dependency information, most of them don’t mention a license, whether the software is still maintained, or (in some cases) even include a link to the software’s website. Most of them feel like copy and pasted blurbs from a Wikipedia list. Docker can be a useful piece of technology if a person is using the latest version, has lots of free space on their root partition, isn’t using a long-term support distribution, and has up to date documentation with which to work. When any one of these stops being true, Docker suddenly becomes a lot less useful. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there isn’t any clearly presented information to tell the user which version of Docker a container requires or how much space it will use once installed. # ⚓ Trend Oceans ☛ Lapce:_Lightning-fast_And_Powerful_Code Editor⠀⇛ Looking for a new editor to replace your old one? Look no further than Lapce – a lightning-fast and powerful code editor. # ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ Design_is_a_New_2D_CAD_App_for_Linux_in Development⠀⇛ Most of the popular CAD (Computer Aided Design) software options are either proprietary or do not offer native support for Linux. It does not mean that we do not have any FOSS alternatives to them. We already have valuable alternatives like FreeCAD and other CAD programs for Linux. And, if we have more native CAD software options on Linux, it should make things better for designers and makers. Design is an upcoming 2D CAD software tailored for GNOME that sounds interesting. # ⚓ Linux Links ☛ Best_Free_and_Open_Source_Alternatives_to Apple_Contacts⠀⇛ Apple Contacts is a computerized address book included with the Apple operating systems iOS, iPadOS and macOS. It includes cloud synchronization capabilities. Contacts is proprietary software and not available for Linux. We recommend the best free and open source alternatives. o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾ # ⚓ [Old] Scott O’Hara ☛ The_details_and_summary_elements, again⠀⇛ HTML classifies both elements as “interactive elements”. The
element serves as the containing element for the widget, though it is not expected to be directly interacted with by users. Nor is
generally expected to be exposed to assistive technologies. The open attribute of the
element is used to modify the expanded or collapsed state of the widget. When present it represents the widget being in the expanded state, and when absent the collapsed state. While the attribute is used on the
element, the state is programmatically communicated by its required element. # ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ How_to_tar_a_Folder_in_Linux?⠀⇛ Linux offers a built-in “tar” command tool to compress and extract the “tar” files and folders having formats “.gz”, “.bz2”, “.xz”, “.tbz” and many more. # ⚓ LinuxTechi ☛ How_to_Hide_Nginx_Version_in_Linux_(Simple Guide)⠀⇛ # ⚓ UNIX Cop ☛ How_to_use_TCPdump_with_examples⠀⇛ Hello, friends. Getting network statistics is a basic task that allows you to monitor what is going on with your network. So, today, you will learn how to use the tcpdump command on Linux. We will also use examples to facilitate the tutorial. # ⚓ FOSSLinux ☛ The_Beginner’s_Guide_to_Using_Iptables_for_Port Forwarding⠀⇛ Port forwarding is a network address translation (NAT) mechanism that enables proxy firewalls to forward communication queries from one IP address and port to another. Port forwarding is typically configured on Linux systems using iptables, a program for defining IP packet filter rules. # ⚓ Linux Shell Tips ☛ How_to_Empty_Buffer_and_Cache_Memory_in Linux⠀⇛ Linux provides an efficient memory management mechanism that ensures optimal utilization of memory by various programs and processes. H # ⚓ LinuxTechi ☛ How_to_Hide_Nginx_Version_in_Linux_(Simple Guide)⠀⇛ Attackers are constantly on the prowl, conducting reconnaissance on web servers to retrieve crucial details such as the Nginx version. With this information at hand, they can then leverage known vulnerabilities associated with the version of the Nginx web server and initiate an attack. o § Games⠀➾ # ⚓ GamingOnLinux ☛ Dead_Cells:_Return_to_Castlevania_releasing March_6th_with_new_trailer⠀⇛ Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is shaping up to be the most exciting content expansion to Dead Cells yet and we don’t have long to wait now as it’s releasing March 6th. Are you as excited as I am? I might have to give the Netflix Anime a second run-through… # ⚓ GamingOnLinux ☛ Neon-smashing_one-button_arcade_game_Ding Dong_XL_gets_improved_for_Steam_Deck⠀⇛ Released back in 2018, the one-button arcade game Ding Dong XL from Adamvision Studios that has an Overwhelmingly Positive Steam user rating gets upgraded ready for Steam Deck. o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾ # § GNOME Desktop/GTK⠀➾ # ⚓ DebugPoint ☛ GNOME_44_Release:_Overview_of_Its Features_and_Enhancements⠀⇛ The GNOME desktop environment is a popular open-source desktop option for Linux users. It provides a user-friendly interface with various features to help you customize your workspace and get more done. With this release, GNOME offers a few key improvements to its performance and adds some new features to enhance your experience. Explore the improved GNOME 44 desktop environment and discover new features, customizations, and performance upgrades. # ⚓ Unicorn Media ☛ A_Beginners’_Guide_for_Learning_Your Way_Around_the_GNOME_Desktop_Environment⠀⇛ Linux. Ah, Linux. The operating system I’ve called “home” since 1997. Over the years, I’ve tried just about every distribution possible and every conceivable desktop environment. My life with Linux desktops began with Fvwm95 and then traversed a course of AfterStep, Enlightenment, Blackbox, KDE, Unity, Pantheon, and everything in between. Eventually, I landed on Gnome and never looked back. I’ve tried to return to other desktops but always found them either too little or too much. Gnome fits right there in the middle, like the ideal desktop for Goldilocks. * § Distributions and Operating Systems⠀➾ o § BSD⠀➾ # ⚓ DiscoBSD_–_2.11BSD-based_UNIX-like_Operating_System_for STM32_and_PIC32_Microcontrollers⠀⇛ DiscoBSD is a 2.11BSD-based UNIX-like operating system for microcontrollers, with a focus on high portability to memory constrained devices without a memory management unit. This microcontroller- focused operating system is the continuation of RetroBSD, a 2.11BSD-based OS targeting only the MIPS-based PIC32MX7. DiscoBSD is multi-platform, as it also supports Arm Cortex-M4 STM32F4 devices. Source code to the system is freely available under a BSD-like license. o § Arch Family⠀➾ # ⚓ Bryan Lunduke ☛ The_least_happy_computer_users:_Those running_Arch_Linux_&_Firefox⠀⇛ Used by the happiest computer users: macOS, Slackware Linux, & Brave. o § Fedora Family / IBM⠀➾ # ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ Fedora’s_New_Anaconda_Web_UI_Installer_is Looking_Good⠀⇛ The new Web UI installer for Fedora has been in the works for over a year, though it is still not at par with the existing Anaconda installer. It is getting better day by day. It aims to replace the existing installer, which uses an old GTK3-based interface known for being inefficient and insecure in quite a few use cases. We recently got a better look at its development, thanks to the progress updates shared by Martin Kolman (working for Red Hat, part of the team working on the Anaconda installer) at FOSDEM 23. # ⚓ NeuroFedora ☛ The_NeuroFedora_Blog:_Next_Open_NeuroFedora meeting:_13_February_1300_UTC⠀⇛ o § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾ # ⚓ Ish Sookun ☛ Ubuntu_Ports_mirror_for_Mauritius officialised⠀⇛ Then, this week, I was able to set up and synchronise the whole Ubuntu Ports repository, after David, the Director of cloud.mu, provisionned additional storage on the Ubuntu mirror server for an upgrade. I submitted the Ubuntu Ports mirror for review and that was completed the same day. # ⚓ Ubuntu ☛ Top_CIO_Challenges_in_2023⠀⇛ Three simple tips for CIOs to build an efficient IT strategy for 2023 to counter recession, inflation and layoffs and increase their team’s innovation. o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾ # ⚓ CNX Software ☛ Compute_Blade_–_A_Rack-mountable_PoE-powered Raspberry_Pi_CM4_carrier_board_with_an_NVMe_SSD_ (Crowdfunding)⠀⇛ The Compute Blade runs Raspberry Pi OS, provided you are using a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, and the documentation is shared on Google Doc which is a bit unusual as I’m more used to GitHub wiki, standard wikis (e.g. mediawiki), Readthedocs website, or other solution that can more easily be found by browsing the web. Three models of the Compute Blade are available: Basic, TPM, and Dev with different options. # ⚓ Linux Gizmos ☛ The_QEC-M-01_is_an_Open-Source_embedded device_supporting_EtherCAT⠀⇛ The QEC-M-01 by ICOP is an EtherCAT system solution powered by the Vortex86EX2 dual-core processor for legacy OSes and RTOS. This embedded device features 3x RJ45 ports, DDR3 support, multiple storage options and it can be programmed using 86Duino. The datasheet for the Vortex86EX2 specifies that it features a Master core for Operating Systems and a Slave core for real time I/O. o § Open Hardware/Modding⠀➾ # ⚓ Version_7.0.0_Released_|_KiCad_EDA⠀⇛ The KiCad project is proud to announce the release of version 7.0.0. KiCad 7 is a significant upgrade from KiCad 6, and comes with a number of exciting new features as well as improvements to existing features. The KiCad project hopes you enjoy version 7! Head to the KiCad download page to get your copy of the new version (note that some packages may still be in the process of being released at the time this announcement is published). Many thanks to all of the hard working folks who contributed to KiCad during the version 7 development cycle. In accordance with the KiCad stable release policy, KiCad 6.x will no longer be maintained, and we will release bug fix versions of KiCad 7.x over the next year as we develop KiCad 8. # ⚓ Hackaday ☛ This_CRT-Style_Pi_Portable_Gets_All_The_Details Right⠀⇛ A quick glance at the “Pi Terminal” built by [Salim Benbouziyane], and you might think he pulled an old CRT monitor out of a video editing bay and gutted it. Which, of course, is the point. But what you’re actually looking at is a completely new construction, featuring a fully 3D printed enclosure, a clever PCB control panel, and some very slick internal engineering. # ⚓ CNX Software ☛ VVenC_&_VVdeC_H.266_open_source_video encoder_and_decoder_work_on_x86_and_Arm⠀⇛ VVenC and VVdeC are open-source software H.266/VCC video encoder and decoder respectively that are optimized to use SIMD instructions on x86 (SSE42/ SIMDe and AVX2) and Arm, and the decoder runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android. o § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ Sportskeeda ☛ Pixel_6A_vs_Galaxy_A53:_Which_is_the_best Android_mid-range_phone_in_2023?⠀⇛ # ⚓ Gizmo China ☛ Android_Smartphone_Sales_Decline:_Production Cutbacks_on_the_Horizon⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ Android_Auto_might_bring_back_the_light theme⠀⇛ # ⚓ Google_Play_Store_‘Something_went_wrong’_error_troubles users⠀⇛ # ⚓ Express ☛ New_Android_phone_gets_superfast_upgrade Samsung’s_Galaxy_can’t_match_|_Express.co.uk⠀⇛ # ⚓ TheHinduBusinessLine ☛ Google_appeal_in_Android_case:_Epic anti-trust_battle_begins_in_NCLAT_from_Wednesday_–_The_Hindu BusinessLine⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ The_Sony_Xperia_5_II_gets_some_Android_13 love_thanks_to_LineageOS_20⠀⇛ # ⚓ SlashGear ☛ 5_Apple_AirDrop_Alternatives_For_Android Users⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ Weekend_poll:_Are_you_going_to_try_the Android_14_previews_this_year?⠀⇛ * § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾ o ⚓ Didier Stevens ☛ Update:_pdf-parser.py_Version_0.7.8⠀⇛ A small feature update for pdf-parser.py Statistics include unreferenced objects now: [...] o § Programming/Development⠀➾ # ⚓ Tedium ☛ AI,_Minus_the_Hype⠀⇛ AI is a fascinating topic that seems to dominate the cultural conversation lately. Whether it’s AI being used to write anything imaginable or one of the many AI image generators making waves everywhere, there’s no denying the fact that AI is here to stay—and people are utilizing it in some very strange ways. AI inspires conversations on everything from copyright issues to regulation and potential job losses. But there’s also a distinct novelty to AI, and if you’ve been reading Tedium for a while, you probably already know where we’re going with this. In today’s Tedium, we’re looking at generative AI though our grainy, red-and-gray tinted glasses. # ⚓ Futurism ☛ David_Guetta_Faked_Eminem’s_Vocals_Using_AI_for New_Song⠀⇛ “Eminem bro, there’s something that I made as a joke and it works so good — I could not believe it!” says Guetta. “Basically you can write lyrics in the style of any artist you like, so I typed: ‘write a verse in the style of Eminem about future rave,’ and I went to another AI website that can recreate the voice. I put the text in that and I played the record and people went nuts.” # ⚓ Rlang ☛ Some_different_graph_types_in_R⠀⇛ Of course there are many more chart types that are beyond the scope of this blog post. One reference is Top 50 ggplot2 Visualizations – The Master List (With Full R Code). A very cool chart type is the radar chart which you can see at How to Create Radar Charts in R (With Examples). # ⚓ Daniel Miessler ☛ Custom_Models_Are_AI’s_Killer_App⠀⇛ The whole game will be how fast they can be trained, on the most data, at the lowest cost. # ⚓ Hackaday ☛ GhostSCAD:_Marrying_OpenSCAD_And_Golang⠀⇛ It’s been at least a couple of months since we’ve seen a different 3D modeling language project, so here’s [Lukasz Janyst] with GhostSCAD: a take on creating OpenSCAD models, using the Go language as the front end, bringing all the delights this modern modular language has to offer (and a few of its own idiosyncrasies.) As [Lukasz] says in the blog, from a programmer’s viewpoint, openSCAD has a number of failings that make it not necessarily hard, just kinda annoying to work with, due to the way the geometry tree works. The OpenSCAD way of working ends up with the programmer requiring knowledge of the internal workings of sub-modules, in order to work at the top level (assembly) which is not an ideal situation from a code reuse perspective. # ⚓ OpenSource.com ☛ A_10-step_guide_for_a_successful hackathon⠀⇛ Hackathons are easy. How much thought do you need to put into them anyway? Just set a date, and people will show up. Well, that is not quite true! While you may get lucky with that approach, the reality is that hackathons are a keystone experience in the tech industry, and attendees have specific expectations. Not only that, but your organization also has certain needs and should set goals for a hackathon. So, how do you ensure that a hackathon works for your organization and attendees? A successful hackathon depends on several decisions that tend to be recursive. Decisions about what you want to achieve will impact what resources you allot and how you want to communicate. Those decisions affect whether you go virtual or in person, and that decision will once again impact the resources you need and how you communicate. Alignment when planning hackathons is not just about getting people to agree. You will have a whole suite of decisions that must internally align. For example, a technically difficult hackathon might not be able to attract a large audience (ask me how I know!) and will require a specialized recruitment strategy that requires different resources. I’ve done many hackathons over the years, including just a few months back, when my organization hosted a hackathon that led to new features that we will incorporate into the next version of our open source product, Traefik Proxy 3.0. So, trust me when I say planning a hackathon that will enrich attendees and create valuable outcomes for your project is about more than hope, pizza, and chaos. This downloadable guide serves as a model for you to outline best practices so that you can hold a successful hackathon with a sizable target audience that delivers results… # ⚓ OpenSource.com ☛ Learn_Expect_by_writing_and_automating_a simple_game⠀⇛ While trying to automate my workflow, I hit upon a configuration utility that defied meaningful automation. It was a Java process that didn’t support a silent installer, or support stdin, and had an inconsistent set of prompts. Ansible’s expect module was inadequate for this task. But I found that the expect command was just the tool for the job. My journey to learn Expect meant learning a bit of Tcl. Now that I have the background to create simple programs, I can better learn to program in Expect. I thought it would be fun to write an article that demonstrates the cool functionality of this venerable utility. This article goes beyond the typical simple game format. I plan to use parts of Expect to create the game itself. Then I demonstrate the real power of Expect with a separate script to automate playing the game. This programming exercise shows several classic programming examples of variables, input, output, conditional evaluation, and loops. # § WebAssembly⠀➾ # ⚓ The New Stack ☛ Java’s_History_Could_Point_the_Way for_WebAssembly⠀⇛ It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 20 years since the great dotcom crash happened in 2001, which continues to serve as a harbinger of potential doom whenever cyclic tech is on a downward path. I remember quite distinctly hanging out with either unemployed or underemployed folks in the IT field shortly after the great crash in 2001. We were doing just that: hanging out with time on our hands. During that time, one day in a park in New York City, Brookdale Park in Montclair, NJ, one of my friends was sitting on a park bench pounding away on his laptop, and he said there was this really cool thing for website creation called Java. It’s been around for a long time, actually, but described how amazing it was that you could program in Java code and deploy, where you want on websites, he said. And of course, have played a key role in transforming the user experience on websites compared to the days of the 1990s when HTML code provided the main elements of website design. Sure, why not, I’ll check it out, I said. And the rest is history as Java secured its place in history, not only for web development, but across IT infrastructure. # ⚓ The New Stack ☛ Performance_Measured:_How_Good_Is Your_WebAssembly?⠀⇛ WebAssembly adoption is exploding. Almost every week at least one startup, SaaS vendor or established software platform provider is either beginning to offer Wasm tools or has already introduced Wasm options in its portfolio, it seems. But how can all of the different offerings compare performance-wise? The good news is that given Wasm’s runtime simplicity, the actual performance at least for runtime can be compared directly among the different WebAssembly offerings. This direct comparison is certainly much easier to do when benchmarking distributed applications that run on or with Kubernetes, containers and microservices. # ⚓ The New Stack ☛ WebAssembly_vs._JavaScript:_Security, Speed,_Flexibility⠀⇛ Towards the beginning of what is popularly known as the World Wide Web, there was JavaScript. JavaScript has been around since 1995 when Brendan Eich created the language to support Netscape, the now sadly defunct yet aesthetically pleasing web browser that was revolutionary for its time. Since then, the ECMAScript standard has served to underpin web development, representing the vast majority of applications that run in the web browser. More recently, WebAssembly (Wasm) — which actually has been around for a while — has emerged. After the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) named it as a web standard in 2019, it has thus become the fourth web standard with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. But while web browser applications have represented Wasm’s central and historical use case, again, the point is that it is designed to run anywhere on a properly configured CPU — this is where Wasm and JavaScript both bifurcate and become more integrated for some use cases. # ⚓ The New Stack ☛ WebAssembly:_When_You_Hate_Rust_but Love_Python⠀⇛ One of the main attributes of WebAssembly is how it can accommodate a number of different languages that are deployed — in theory at least — wherever there is a CPU device that can run instruction sets. The languages Wasm can run include, in addition to JavaScript, Rust, Go, .NET, C++, Java, PHP — and Python (a lot more about Python below). As an early web browser application, Wasm has been, and continues to be, heavily entwined with JavaScript. More recently, Rust has entered the fray, and its integration with JavaScript and even when running alone without JavaScript for WebAssembly applications is showing a lot of promise. * § Leftovers⠀➾ o ⚓ Hackaday ☛ ArtNet_Not_Going_Through?_Your_Switch_Might_Be Protecting_You⠀⇛ Cool technology often comes at a cost, and it’s not always that this cost is justified. For instance, [Rainfay] tells us about how the the ArtNet protocol’s odd design choices are causing incompatibility with certain Ethernet switches. ArtNet is a protocol for lighting control over DMX-512 – simply put, it allows you to blink a whole ton of LEDs, even literally. Unlike DMX- 512 which can use different physical mediums, ArtNet uses Ethernet, taking form of the usual kind of network packets – and it does seem to do a great job about that, if it weren’t for this one thing. o ⚓ France24 ☛ ‘It’s_too_much’:_Waiting_for_the_dead_in_Turkey’s quake-stricken_Nurdagi⠀⇛ Search and rescue teams are still at work amid an apocalyptic landscape in Nurdagi, a southeastern Turkish town near the epicentre of the January 6 earthquakes. But at this point they are looking for the remains of the dead, not survivors. o ⚓ France24 ☛ Live:_UN_says_quake_rescue_phase_‘coming_to_a_close’ as_deaths_surpass_35,000⠀⇛ The Turkey and Syria earthquake’s rescue phase is “coming to a close”, with urgency now switching to providing shelter, food, schooling and psychosocial care, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said during a visit to Aleppo in northern Syria on Monday. The combined death toll has surpassed 35,000. o ⚓ France24 ☛ ‘Miracle’_baby_pulled_alive_from_rubble_in_Turkey’s Antakya_days_after_quake⠀⇛ Amid the anguish in quake-stricken Turkey, FRANCE 24 brings you the remarkable story of a baby girl called Aliye Dagli, pulled alive from the rubble of her home in Antakya almost six days after the devastating February 6 earthquakes – when experts say the chances of finding survivors is lower than 10 percent. Our reporters Julie Dungelhoeff and Nadia Massih have her story. o ⚓ Axios ☛ Turkey_investigates_building_contractors_as_earthquake deaths_top_33,000⠀⇛ Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into contractors allegedly linked to deadly building collapses that occurred after amassive_earthquake_and aftershocksstruck last Monday. o ⚓ The Kent Stater ☛ Death_toll_climbs_to_33,000_people_in_Turkey- Syria_earthquake⠀⇛ More than 33,000 people have died across Turkey and Syria since a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, as hopes of rescuing more survivors dwindle amid freezing conditions. The latest figures show that 33,181 have died across both countries. o ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Pakistan’s_Helping_Hand_for_Earthquake_Hit Turkey⠀⇛ It is truly heartbreaking and disturbing to see the images of utter destruction coming from Turkey and Syria. The powerful 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on February 6th, 2023, together with the subsequent aftershocks, have unleashed unsettling pictures over the landscape in the two countries. o ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Pakistan’s_Efforts_to_Uplift_South_Asia⠀⇛ Pakistan has made significant efforts to uplift the regional connectivity and contribute to its development. These efforts are of great significance in fostering regional unity and cooperation, promoting economic growth, and improving the standard of living for the people of South Asia. Pakistan’s active participation in regional organizations such as the South Asian Association for […] o ⚓ NPR ☛ This_race_is_a_nonstop_sail_around_the_world._Cassette tapes_are_allowed,_but_no_GPS⠀⇛ “I really like the aspect of sailing by celestial navigation, sailing old school,” she says, adding that she’s always wanted to know “what it would have been like back then when you didn’t have all the modern technology at your fingertips.” Satellite phones are allowed, but only for communication with race officials and the occasional media interview. Each boat has collision-avoidance alarms and a GPS tracker, but entrants can’t view their position data. There’s a separate GPS for navigation, but it’s sealed and only for emergencies. Its use can lead to disqualification. Entrants are permitted to use radios to communicate with each other and with passing ships. They’re allowed to briefly anchor, but not get off the boat nor have anyone aboard. And no one is allowed to give them supplies or assistance. o ⚓ New York Times ☛ Why_Are_You_Seeing_So_Many_Bad_Digital_Ads Now?⠀⇛ But lately, on several platforms, the opposite seems to be happening for a variety of reasons, including a slowdown in the overall digital ad market. As numerous deep-pocketed marketers have pulled back, and the softer market has led several digital platforms to lower their ad pricing, opportunities have opened up for less exacting advertisers. o ⚓ Franz Dill ☛ Malvertizing_Search⠀⇛ Over the past month, Google has been outgunned by malvertisers with new tricks. o ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ Son_Down⠀⇛ o ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ Earthquake_Leaves_Millions_Homeless_and_Without Water_and_Electricity_in_Turkish,_Syrian_Harsh_Winter,_Many_Facing Death⠀⇛ By Juan Cole / Informed Consent Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad reports that on top of the now nearly 30,000 known deaths in Turkey and Syria, millions people are estimated to have been made homeless. Not only are they without shelter, they now lack water and electricity, and often even food and the World Health Organization […] o ⚓ TruthOut ☛ There_Was_No_Mention_of_853_Migrant_Deaths_in_2022_in Biden’s_State_of_the_Union⠀⇛ o ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Man_with_40_mobile_phones_strapped_to_his body_arrested_at_Hong_Kong_border⠀⇛ Hong Kong Customs arrested a man over suspected smuggling after 40 mobile phones were found strapped to his body at Shenzhen Bay Control point last Thursday. The 39-year-old was heading into the mainland. The 40 phones had an estimated value of HK$35,000. o ⚓ JURIST ☛ Syrian_people_“failed”_as_UN_warns_that_level_of humanitarian_aid_is_currently_insufficient_in_aftermath_of earthquakes⠀⇛ The Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN Martin Griffiths Sunday declared that there has been a failure in the delivery of international aid to the people of northwest Syria. Griffith urgently calls for international support in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit Türkiye, Syria, and the surrounding region. o § Education⠀➾ # ⚓ [Old] teleSUR ☛ World’s_Largest_Floating_Book_Fair_Visits Egypt⠀⇛ With a crew of nearly 350 volunteers of more than 60 nationalities, Logos Hope ship is currently docked at Port Said, in northeastern Egypt, holding the world’s largest floating book fair as part of its humanitarian mission to spread knowledge and foster cultural exchange. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Credentialism_and_the_Fate_of_Academia⠀⇛ Public education in the United States has always had very specific objectives: (1) It aims to produce qualified workers for a multilayered labor market. Two hundred years ago, at the college level, this meant doctors, lawyers and Protestant pastors. For the last one hundred years or so, higher education has served a broader middle class, white collar market. The shortage of “voc-tech” options is a function of modern cultural bias—such career paths have long been seen as lower class and traditionally came through an apprenticeship. These were careers that got one’s hands dirty. Even today such work does not lead to high starting salaries. Educational institutions did not create these dichotomies. They just conformed to them. (2) Public education aims to produce aware and loyal citizens. This used to be done at the lower educational levels in civics courses, but many of these have fallen victim to financial exigencies. U.S. history and courses on “government” offered at middle and high school stages were supposed to pick up where civics left off. However, this was never a systematic effort. When it comes to higher education, enrollment in courses in U.S. history and relevant political science offerings suffer due to the “consumer” approach to education. Students often see such courses as requiring “too much work” and, of course, what does one do with a “history major”? Business courses are all the rage—again for economic and class based reasons. Please note that the production of aware and loyal citizens is not the same as graduating critical thinkers. In fact there might be a contradiction between the two. Today, public education at all levels is confronted with a curriculum crisis. Irate parents want to censor local and national history, the range of acceptable literature, and even set limits on what they believe is a tolerable approach to biology. At the college level, a “market” orientation has led state education administrators to favor the above- mentioned “consumer choice” approach. Under this system you get the following weirdness: philosophy should compete with English literature and/or history, etc. for “consumer” student enrollment—after all, all these subjects supply “the same humanities credits”. Education has finally turned its back on the ideal of a liberal arts education. o § Hardware⠀➾ # ⚓ Hackaday ☛ RCA’s_Clear_Plastic_TV_Wowed_Crowds_In_1939⠀⇛ In the United States in 1939, television sets still had a long way to go before they pretty much sold themselves. Efforts to do just that are what led to RCA’s Lucite Phantom Telereceiver, which aimed to show people a new way to receive broadcast media. # ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Challenging_A_Broken_DualShock_4_Controller_To_A Duel⠀⇛ A broken PlayStation controller would normally be a bummer, and if the issue is losing calibration that’s stored in a non-documented format, you might as well bin it. For [Al] of [Al’s blog], however, it’s a challenge, turning into a four-part story – so far. The first installment was published January 1st this year, and seeing the pure enthusiasm [Al] has reverse-engineering the DualShock 4 controller, you might guess that this is a New Year’s gift from someone who knows [Al] very well. The list of problems with the joystick is numerous, to begin with – it’s easier to list all the things that work properly, and it isn’t many of them. Perhaps, the firmware problem is is the most interesting one to start with. o § Health/Nutrition/Agriculture⠀➾ # ⚓ Futurism ☛ Google_Issues_Warning_About_AI-Generated_Content About_Health_and_Finance⠀⇛ Specifically, Google is warning outlets that there’ll be extra scrutiny from its search team on AI-generated content regarding “health, civic, or financial information.” So, basically, areas where you really want to get things right. “These issues exist in both human-generated and AI- generated content,” reads the new Google FAQ, speaking specifically to “AI content that potentially propagates misinformation or contradicts consensus on important topics.” # ⚓ Science Alert ☛ World’s_Wealthiest_May_Actually_Be_Less Intelligent_Than_Those_Who_Don’t_Earn_As_Much⠀⇛ A team of researchers from Linköping University in Sweden, the European University Institute in Italy, and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands say that better cognitive ability plays more of a role further down the pay scale. “We find that the relationship between ability and wage is strong overall, yet above €60,000 (US$64,407) per year ability plateaus at a modest level of +1 standard deviation,” write the researchers in their published paper. # ⚓ COVID-19_is_now_a_leading_killer_of_children⠀⇛ As someone who has been following the antivaccine movement for over twenty years (and blogging about it for over 18 years), before the pandemic I never thought I would see my “provaccine” colleagues claim that children don’t need to be vaccinated against an infectious disease that kills at least as many children as measles did in the days before there was a vaccine. Indeed, that is basically the entire message behind the “Urgency of Normal” movement promoting a message during the Delta wave claiming that masks and COVID-19 mitigations in schools were not necessary because so few children die of the diseases, a state public health authority actively discouraging parents from vaccinating their children against COVID-19, and academics even recycling hoary old antivax tropes in a bioethics journal to argue against the need to vaccinate children against COVID-19. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, as I’ve been reminding my colleagues who are shocked at how many doctors are antivaccine that such antivax docs have always been among us, but the intensity and degree of the pushback among colleagues against vaccinating children against COVID-19 and their utter obliviousness that the arguments they were making were nothing more than old antivax arguments indistinguishable from the arguments antivaxxers used to make about measles vaccines surprised even me. What particularly surprised and disappointed me is the degree to which seemingly eminent academic physicians, while showing concern about reports of myocarditis after vaccination, seemingly shrug their shoulders about the disease, thinking it seemingly “natural and healthy” for children to die of a vaccine-preventable disease. They even argue, as antivaxxers did prepandemic for measles and chickenpox “parties,” that we should let children catch Omicron rather than impose anything resembling pandemic restrictions like masking or vaccine mandates in a school ever again. # ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Damar_Hamlin_and_the_Super_Bowl’s_Big_Hit⠀⇛ The echoes still linger from that national sigh of relief last month when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, slammed into cardiac arrest during a game on January 2nd, was declared out of danger. It was a justified sigh. A vibrant young life had been spared. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ How_Trump’s_Legacy_Could_Make_a_Bird_Flu Pandemic_More_Deadly_Than_Covid⠀⇛ Trump’s no longer president, but he and his racism could still be responsible for millions more American deaths from a new pandemic disease. How and why? I’ll explain in just a moment, but first let’s look at the disease itself. One reason egg prices are so high right now is because a new strain of bird flu — H1N5 — has popped up among egg-laying chickens. The disease has a shocking mortality rate, leading to the death (both from disease and from euthanizing flocks to stop its spread) of almost 60 million domesticated birds in the US alone, so far. # ⚓ JURIST ☛ Madrid_health_workers_protest_amid_staffing_issues and_decreased_funding⠀⇛ Health workers Sunday protested in Madrid, Spain over staffing issues and what protesters claim to be the favoritism of private health services. According to the protesters, the public health system has broken down due to the conservative regional authorities favoring private health services and disbanding public health services—leaving many hospitals poorly staffed. # ⚓ JURIST ☛ US_states_file_amicus_brief_in_abortion_medication lawsuit⠀⇛ A coalition of 22 states Friday filed an amicus brief opposing a proposed preliminary injunction that would withdraw or suspend the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion medications Mifepristone and Mifeprex. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Hong_Kong_reports_outbreak_of_African swine_fever⠀⇛ The outbreak has been contained to just one farm near Hong Kong’s border with the mainland. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ China_Covid-19_deaths_in_hospitals_drop 72%_in_a_week_as_wave_eases⠀⇛ Official figures show a continued, rapid decline in deaths. o § Linux Foundation⠀➾ # ⚓ The New Stack ☛ Linux_Foundation_Study_Assesses_‘Outsized’ U.S._Influence_on_Open_Source [Ed: Linux Foundation is like 90% US, so its agenda is accordingly biased and corporate, not internationalist]⠀⇛ While the open source has always been about sharing the code for one and all, this ideal has been increasingly at odds with a range of factors, including software fragmentation, politicization, weaponization, and a creeping techno-nationalism, which all can negatively impact open source’s vital collaborative framework. Addressing these issues is a new report from the Linux Foundation, “Enabling Global Collaboration: How Open Source Leaders are Confronting the Challenges of Fragmentation,” authored by Anthony D. Williams, founder and president of the research firm the DEEP Centre. The report was sponsored by Futurewei, Huawei’s U.S.-based research and development arm, and is a product of the Linux Foundation Research, founded in 2021. o § Security⠀➾ # § Integrity/Availability/Authenticity⠀➾ # ⚓ Mandiant ☛ I_Solemnly_Swear_My_Driver_Is_Up_to_No Good:_Hunting_for_Attestation_Signed_Malware [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛ Mandiant has continually observed threat actors use compromised, stolen, and illicitly purchased code-signing certificates to sign malware, lending legitimacy and subverting security controls such as application allow- listing policies. Attestation signed drivers take the trust granted to them by the CA and transfers it to a file whose Authenticode signature originates from Microsoft itself. We assess with high confidence that threat actors have subverted this process using illicitly obtained EV code signing certificates to submit driver packages via the attestation signing process, and in effect have their malware signed by Microsoft directly. # § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾ # ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Deciphering_Queen_Of_Scots,_Mary_Stuart’s Lost_Letters⠀⇛ Communications by important people over the past thousands of years have been regularly encrypted, making the breaking of this encryption both an essential and also a fascinating historical field. One recent example of an important historical discovery by codebreakers are letters dating back to 1578 through 1584 by Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots in the 16th century. While deemed lost for centuries, researchers came across them in a stash of encrypted letters that were kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France’s (BnF). After decrypting these 57 letters, they realized what they had come across. # ⚓ Indian Express ☛ How_Union_budget_2023_may_foster greater_violations_of_privacy⠀⇛ o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾ # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Ukraine_Says_Italy’s_Berlusconi ‘Spreading_Russian_Propaganda’⠀⇛ Ukraine accused former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday of spreading Russian propaganda… # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ FOCUS:_Five_surprising_facts_about_anti- Russia_sanctions⠀⇛ After the invasion of Ukraine, the West imposed sanctions on its longtime trading partner, Russia. But they appear to be hitting the Russian economy much less than expected, writes German magazine FOCUS. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in the foreseeable future Russia will grow even faster than Germany. # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ AU_Ethiopia/Tigray_peace_committee_meets_for first_time⠀⇛ Just over a month after hostilities ceased in Ethiopia’s Tigray province, an African Union (AU) joint committee overseeing agreement for lasting peace in  the east African country met for the first time. # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Ramaphosa’s_VIP_jet_grounded_following_Cape Town_mishap⠀⇛ President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) will be out of action for some time following a hangar incident in Cape Town that damaged its tail. # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Body_of_SA_airman_killed_in_DR_Congo_arrives home⠀⇛ The mortal remains of South African Air Force (SAAF) Sergeant Vusimusi Mabena, killed by a sniper in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were repatriated on Sunday 12 February to Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof in Centurion. # ⚓ France24 ☛ Live:_Ukraine_says_situation_‘difficult’_amid fierce_fighting_near_Bakhmut⠀⇛ Ukraine said Monday the situation was “difficult” in a village just north of Bakhmut, a day after the Russian paramilitary group Wagner claimed control of another settlement near the eastern Ukrainian city that has been the stage for the longest battle of the invasion. # ⚓ France24 ☛ China_accuses_US_of_sending_balloons_into_its airspace_‘more_than_10_times’⠀⇛ China accused the United States on Monday of flying balloons over its territory, hitting back against Washington’s claims that Beijing has been sending alleged surveillance aircraft. # ⚓ France24 ☛ US_military_shoots_down_fourth_flying_object after_Great_Lakes_airspace_closure⠀⇛ A US fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days and the latest military strike in an extraordinary chain of events over US airspace that Pentagon officials believe has no peacetime precedent. # ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Philippine_coast_guard_accuses Chinese_ship_of_using_‘laser_light’_near_disputed_islands⠀⇛ The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday accused a Chinese coastguard vessel of shining a “military- grade laser light” at one of its boats in the disputed South China Sea, temporarily blinding crew members. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Philippines_accuses_China_of_aiming ‘military-grade’_laser_at_coast_guard_vessel_in_South_China Sea⠀⇛ The Philippine Coast Guard said the Feb 6 incident caused temporary blindness to crew members. # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ NATO’s_Stoltenberg:_‘We_Plan_to Increase_Targets_for_Ammunition_Stockpiles’⠀⇛ NATO plans to increase its targets for ammunition stockpiles, which are being depleted by the war in Ukraine… # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Russia_Likely_to_Spy_More_on Norway’s_Energy_Industry,_Say_Norway_Security_Police⠀⇛ Russia will seek to gather more intelligence about Norway’s oil and gas infrastructure… # ⚓ France24 ☛ Ukraine_says_over_1,200_health_facilities damaged_since_start_of_war⠀⇛ According to Ukrainian Health Minister VIktor Liashko, 1,218 Ukrainian health facilities have been damaged, including 540 damaged hospitals, 173 of which were totally destroyed. The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said Sunday that his troops had taken an eastern Ukrainian village a few kilometres from the key city of Bakhmut which Moscow has been trying to capture for months. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Japan_police_file_new_charges_against ex-prime_minister_Abe’s_murder_suspect⠀⇛ The new charges of making a gun and damaging a building are expected to end investigations. # ⚓ RAIR Foundation ☛ Threat_Alert:_ISIS_Calls_for_Muslims_to Attack_Christians_Around_the_World,_Especially_in_Europe⠀⇛ See the following threat assessment report by The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israeli Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center: [...] # ⚓ VOA News ☛ Australia_to_Grant_Permanent_Visas_to_Thousands of_Refugees⠀⇛ The policy has been condemned by rights groups. Opposition lawmakers say the new visa changes will encourage more asylum-seekers to try to reach Australia by sea and would “enliven opportunities for people smugglers.” # ⚓ Meduza ☛ ‘I_realized_this_isn’t_my_war’:_New_footage appears_to_show_the_sledgehammer_murder_of_another_former Wagner_Group_mercenary_—_Meduza⠀⇛ A new video posted by the Wagner mercenary group’s semi-official Telegram channel appears to show the murder by sledgehammer of Dmitry Yakushchenko, an ex-convict who joined Wagner Group from prison before apparently surrendering to Ukraine on the battlefield. The gruesome clip comes just three months after a similar video surfaced that showed the murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin, another former Wagner fighter. Here’s what we know about the Yakushchenko video so far. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Syria_Held_Hostage_by_the_U.S.A._and_Its Allies⠀⇛ Perhaps the most agonizing experience for a family, for any bystander, even for humanitarian professionals, is a double tragedy—a death or calamity where they are refused access, where they are forced to helplessly witness suffering, unable to offer succor. This is surely what faces millions of able-bodied Syrians today. It affects Syrians within the stricken nation along with their faraway relatives and friends. Anyone seeing suffering is involuntarily driven forward– to assist. Yet Syrians globally, those most affected by the agonizing images and stories emerging from the earthquake sites, feel both immobilized and shy behind their tears and frustrations. It’s not any threat of personal danger in a war zone that inhibits them from joining the rescue. It’s the international embargo against Syria. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Police_Accountability_is_a_“Non-Starter” Without_Discarding_the_Qualified_Immunity_Doctrine⠀⇛ Some reps in Congress assert that dismantling qualified immunity (“QI”)—a police officer’s so- called good faith defense to a civil rights lawsuit—is a “non-starter” in negotiations to pass the George Floyd Civil Rights Act. In reality, meaningful police accountability is a non-starter without discarding QI. # ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ US_Media_‘Spy_Balloon’_Obsession_a_Gift_to China_Hawks⠀⇛ For over a week, U.S. corporate media have been captivated by a so-called “Chinese spy balloon,” raising the specter of espionage. # ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ Pentagon_Wants_To_Return_Special_Ops Propagandists_To_Ukraine⠀⇛ An article by The Washington Post titled “Pentagon looks to restart top-secret programs in Ukraine” contains some interesting information about what US special ops forces were doing in Ukraine in the lead-up to the Russian invasion last year, and what they are slated to be doing there in the future.  […] # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Remembering_Vladimir_Putin’s_speech_of_10 February_2007_at_the_Munich_Security_Conference⠀⇛ Sixteen years ago, on 10 February 2007, Russian President Putin delivered a landmark speech at the Munich Security Conference, a clear statement of post- Cold War Russian foreign policy, focusing on the need for multilateralism and international solidarity.  The mainstream media did not give much visibility to Putin’s security analysis in 2007, and still fails to do so.  Yet, it is worth our while to revisit that speech. In 2007 I did recognize the implications of Putin’s speech and even distributed the text to my students at the  Geneva School of Diplomacy.  Sometimes I distribute the Putin speech together with President John F. Kennedy’s brilliant commencement address at American University[1] on 10 June 1963, an appeal to rationality that is as relevant today as it was then.  If everyone would read it and implement what is in there, we would not be in the dangerous and tragic situation we are in today. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ The_Balloon,_the_Rabbit_and_the_Dragon:_the Chinese_New_Year_in_San_Francisco⠀⇛ To write her most recent novel, Demon Copperhead (2022; 549 pages; $32.50; Harper Collins) her tenth in the past 35 years, Barbara Kingsolver turned for inspiration to Charles Dickens whom she calls her “genius friend.” In the acknowledgements, she writes, “I’m grateful to Charles Dickens for writing David Copperfield, his impassioned critique of institutional poverty and its damaging effects on children in his society.” She adds, “Those problems are still with us.” Isn’t that obvious? Why hit us over the head with it? In the body of the novel, Kingsolver’s protagonist and narrator— a poor white kid, a drug addict, an orphan and a born again artist— explains that while Dickens was a “seriously old guy, dead and a foreigner, but Jesus Christ did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat’s ass. You’d think he was from around here.” For Copperhead, whose hair is the color of copper wire, “around here” means Appalachia, where Kingsolver lives on a farm with her husband. The time is now, though there are very few references to contemporary events. The Iraq war is one of them. # ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Anti-war_Voices_Decry_Army,_NFL_for ‘Hijacking_the_Pat_Tillman_Story’_During_Super_Bowl_LVII⠀⇛ Advocates of peace, truth, and basic human decency on Sunday excoriated the National Football League’s “whitewashing” of former Arizona Cardinal and Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan by so- called “friendly fire” and the military’s subsequent cover-up—critical details omitted from a glowingly patriotic Super Bowl salute. # ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ Chris_Hedges:_There_Are_No_Permanent_Allies, Only_Permanent_Power⠀⇛ If we do not build left-right coalitions on issues such as militarism, health care, a living wage and union organizing, we will be impotent in the face of corporate power and the war machine. # ⚓ Meduza ☛ Prigozhin_claims_Wagner_Group_has_captured_Krasna Hora_to_the_north_of_Bakhmut_—_Meduza⠀⇛ Wagner Group founder and Kremlin-backed tycoon Evgeny Prigozhin says that Wagner fighters have occupied the village of Krasna Hora, located 7 kilometers (about 4 miles) north of Bakhmut. # ⚓ The Strategist ☛ From_the_bookshelf:_‘Abyss:_the_Cuban missile_crisis_1962’⠀⇛ Over the course of the past week we saw a faction within the American polity exhibit collective panic about a Chinese balloon that floated across the US. Whatever the nature of the balloon, the fears … # ⚓ The Strategist ☛ Policy,_Guns_and_Money:_Ukraine_war_and Indonesia’s_ASEAN_chairmanship⠀⇛ As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi speaks to historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk. # ⚓ The Strategist ☛ China–Philippine_relations_sail_on_calmer seas—for_now⠀⇛ On 4 January, Chinese President Xi Jinping clasped hands with his Philippine counterpart under very different circumstances from the last time he welcomed a Philippine leader to Beijing. # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Burkina_Faso_inches_closer_to_Wagner mercenaries⠀⇛ As it seeks to expand its presence in the Sahel region, Russia appears to be following the same playbook in Burkina Faso that it used to embed itself into Mali’s security apparatus. Despite recent denials, Burkina Faso has courted Russian support, possibly including Wagner Group mercenaries. # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Outgoing_MONUSCO_force_commander_believes_DRC is_better_today_than_in_1999⠀⇛ Summing up his tenure as MONUSCO force commander, Lieutenant General Marcos da Costa maintains much was done under his watch, with more work needed to guarantee peace in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). # ⚓ Defence Web ☛ C-in-C’s_attendance_at_Armed_Forces_Day parade_confirmed⠀⇛ Torrential rain and localised flooding in KwaZulu- Natal is putting the ingenuity of the national defence force’s logistic specialists to the test as they battle the elements and the clock preparing for Armed Forces Day (AFD) and associated events. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan_says_it_reserves_right_to_shoot down_Chinese_balloons⠀⇛ Any move by Taiwan to down such a balloon would likely prompt an angry response from China. o § Transparency/Investigative Reporting⠀➾ # ⚓ The Age AU ☛ Tax_agents_facing_tougher_penalties_for breaching_secret_talks⠀⇛ Treasurer Jim Chalmers will toughen laws around tax agents who are involved in confidential talks about overhauling the tax system. o § Environment⠀➾ # ⚓ India Times ☛ AI_integration_in_Google,_Microsoft_search results_won’t_be_good_for_the_environment⠀⇛ For both companies, maintaining computer systems to help with search engines is already a resource- intense operation. AI chatbot integration will make the operation even heavier and will lead to more energy consumption. According to a report by Wired, the power that is needed to train a single AI can produce a huge amount of carbon emissions. Meanwhile, internet usage produces nearly 4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. The report also mentions that experts have warned that the computing prowess required to combine AI with a load of search engine queries will be increased for companies like Google and Microsoft by up to 5 times. With more computers, greenhouse gas emissions will also increase. # § Energy/Transportation⠀➾ # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Kyiv_moral_satisfaction:_the choice_of_the_Westinghouse_to_reject_“Soviet_nuclear technology”⠀⇛ The ongoing war in Ukraine is not exactly a conducive environment to building new nuclear power plants. But… just past week, the Ukrainian energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, announced that his country had ordered two new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors for the Khmelnytskyi site in the western part of Ukraine, ‘Counterpunch’ writes with surprise. # ⚓ H2 View ☛ European_Commission_proposes_regulation_for renewable_hydrogen_definition⠀⇛ The European Commission has today (February 13) proposed rules for the definition of renewable hydrogen in the EU with two Delegated Acts under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Filipinos_‘prized_targets’_to work_for_Chinese_crypto_scam_networks,_says_Philippine official⠀⇛ They are valued for their English proficiency and computer skills, he said. # ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ 8_Filipinos_rescued_from_Myanmar syndicate_running_cryptocurrency_scams⠀⇛ Syndicates have been trafficking workers from across South-easts Asia and ensnaring them in slave labour camps. # § Wildlife/Nature⠀➾ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Activists_halt_logging_again_at_Lapland_site⠀⇛ The activists are demanding that Metsähallitus stop logging in the area until conservation proposals have been processed by the Ministry of the Environment. o § Finance⠀➾ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Eva_report:_Finland_needs_to_make_€13bn_in_cuts⠀⇛ The economic think tank offers four economic policy options aimed at helping Finland’s political leaders balance the state’s books. # ⚓ Thomas_Vander_Stichele:_How_to_Support_Through_Layoffs⠀⇛ The number one question I’ve gotten in the past week has been “how can I support people affected by the layoff?” First, some general advice: # For everyone, remember to “comfort in, dump out” – vent your frustrations to people less affected, support those who are more affected than you. # To support Xooglers, don’t ask “how can I help?” as that places more burden on them. Offer specific ways you can help them – “Can I write you a Linkedin recommendation? Can I connect you with this person I know at this company who’s hiring?”. People are affected disproportionally, and if you want to prioritize your help, consider starting with the people on a visa who are now on a tight deadline to find a new sponsor or face leaving the country. # To support your colleagues still here, remember we’re not all having the same experience. In particular, people outside of the US will be in limbo for weeks or months to come. People can be anywhere on a spectrum of “long time Googler, first mass layoff” to “I’ve had to go through worse”. Don’t assume, lead with curiosity, and listen. # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ About_a_‘US_default’_and_“the_fate_of dollar”⠀⇛ Prepare for a US debt default and a recession that will drag down corporate earnings, according to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. In an interview with CNN, the head of the second-largest US bank said he hoped the government wouldn’t slip into default on its debt. # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Will_the_States_Finally_Tax_the_Rich?⠀⇛ # ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Nearly_1_Million_March_Against_‘Unjust_and Brutal’_Plan_to_Raise_French_Pension_Age⠀⇛ Nearly a million people took to the streets of cities across France on Saturday during the fourth round of nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the country’s pension eligibility age from 62 to 64. # ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ We_Already_Know_Who’s_Winning_Super_Bowl_LVII —_the_Billionaire_Class⠀⇛ The players are preparing to face off, but billionaire NFL owners are all on the same team. # ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Big_Tech_Aims_to_Punish_Workers_and_Drive_Down Wages_With_Wave_of_Layoffs⠀⇛ # ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Hyundai’s_Suppliers_Employ_Child_Labor, Democrats_Call_on_Biden_to_Crack_Down⠀⇛ # ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Corrupt_and_Fraudulent:_Laying_Bare_the Adani_Group⠀⇛ There is nothing Gautam Adani will not do for money.  In this sense, he is admirably dedicated to greed, so much so he has become its foremost caricature worthy of permanent enthronement.  Mark this man’s name in the scriptures of eternity: There was nothing he did not do for the filthy lucre. For the unfamiliar reader, the $218 billion Adani imperium, one specialising in transport, infrastructure, and mining, is vast, with far reaching feelers, prongs and tentacles that have made their mark in a number of countries.  Along the way, Adani’s companies have made quite a name for themselves.  Employment laws have been breached and treated with disdain.  Broader human rights abuses have featured.  Governments and regulators have been lied to.  No environment is ecologically safe from the company’s activities, despite their assertions to the contrary. # ⚓ TruthOut ☛ How_the_Wealthy_Are_Saving_Billions_in_Taxes_by Skirting_a_Century-Old_Law⠀⇛ # ⚓ Silicon Angle ☛ Meta_reportedly_planning_more_layoffs_as part_of_efficiency_drive⠀⇛ Meta Platforms Inc. is reportedly planning more layoffs in March as part of an efficiency drive after having laid off around 11,000 employees in November. The Financial Times, referencing employees familiar with the situation, Saturday reported that Meta has delayed finalizing multiple teams’ budgets ahead of the planned cuts. ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Prioritise_post-Covid_recovery_over_enacting_Hong Kong’s_own_security_law,_pro-Beijing_heavyweight_says⠀⇛ A pro-Beijing heavyweight has said it would not be suitable to begin legislative work to enact Hong Kong’s own security law this year, citing the city’s need for post-pandemic recovery and the run-up to Taiwan presidential elections. ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Thai_police_warn_lovers_about_‘sextortion’_scams_ahead_of Valentine’s_Day⠀⇛ > Thai police said romance scams reported last month mainly targeted women in their 40s. § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾ * ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ As_Taliban_sits_on_a_powder_keg,_Biden_has_other priorities⠀⇛ “Together, we did what America always does at our best. We led.”, said US President Joe Biden as he summed up American foreign policy in his 2023 State of the Union Address. However, what remained conspicuously absent from one the most important events in Washington’s political calendar was any reference to the Taliban. * ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Israel_‘Legalizes’_9_Apartheid_Settler_Colonies_in Occupied_Palestine⠀⇛ Israel’s far-right Security Cabinet on Sunday approved the immediate “legalization” of nine Jewish-only settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over what critics called the empty objection of benefactor the United States and in violation of international law—under which all Israeli settler colonies are illegal. * ⚓ TruthOut ☛ New_Israeli_Regime_Moves_Toward_“Cleansing”_All_Palestinians From_Palestine⠀⇛ * ⚓ TruthOut ☛ GOP-run_Southern_Legislatures_Are_Using_Rule_Changes_to Undermine_Democracy⠀⇛ * ⚓ Meduza ☛ A_Khabarovsk_rally_in_support_of_former_governor_Sergey Furgal,_sentenced_to_22_years_in_prison,_attracted_70_people_—_Meduza⠀⇛ A protest took place in Khabarovsk in support of the former governor, Sergey Furgal, who was recently sentenced to 22 years in prison for allegedly ordering business-related contract killings in 2004 and 2005. * ⚓ Meduza ☛ A_military_officer_asked_the_courts_to_strip_him_of_his_rank, but_the_courts_rejected_the_case_—_Meduza⠀⇛ A regional court in Vladimir dismissed a case brought by military officer Farhad Dzhabbarov, who was asking to be removed from the military register and stripped of his rank because he disagrees with the actions of the Russian authorities. * ⚓ Off Guardian ☛ This_Week_in_the_New_Normal_#56⠀⇛ Our successor to This Week in the Guardian, This Week in the New Normal is our weekly chart of the progress of autocracy, authoritarianism and economic restructuring around the world. 1.Mink farms for the chop? For some reason the MSM have turned their collective fire on Mink farming this week. Apparently mink farms are dangerous … * ⚓ Reason ☛ “The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Jews_at_Law_Schools”⠀⇛ An interesting essay by New York Law School professor Rebecca Roiphe. A taste:Many, if not most, students have bought into academic lessons peddled in the 1980s and ’90s as an outgrowth of what’s often called critical legal theory. Among them: Law is not a neutral institution designed to ensure the peaceful resolution of disputes in… * ⚓ Defence Web ☛ SONA_–_Commander-in-Chief_misses_a_trick⠀⇛ President Cyril Ramaphosa presented his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 9 February, when he concentrated on four elements that Concern South African most: 1) load shedding, 2) unemployment, 3) poverty and the rising cost of living, and 4) crime and corruption. * ⚓ France24 ☛ Cyprus_ex-foreign_minister_Christodoulides_elected_youngest president⠀⇛ Cyprus voters on Sunday elected the former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides as the next president of the small EU member state, with his rival conceding defeat and congratulating him. * ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong_Kong_47:_Ex-lawmaker_Au_Nok-hin_testifies against_fellow_democrats_during_national_security_trial⠀⇛ Former legislator Au Nok-hin, one of the 47 pro-democracy figures charged in a landmark national security case, has begun his testimony as the first prosecution witness at the trial of his 16 co-defendants. * ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong_Kong_outlet_Stand_News_published_op-eds_on the_basis_of_‘public_interest’_not_advocacy,_court_hears⠀⇛ Shuttered independent Hong Kong media outlet Stand News published op-eds about the pro-democracy camp’s 2020 unofficial primary election based on “public interest” and the importance of the issue, a court has heard, as the sedition trial against the platform’s former top editors continued. The prosecution’s questioning of the former chief editor of Stand News Chung […] * ⚓ JURIST ☛ Albania_anti-government_protestors_call_for_resignation_of prime_minister⠀⇛ Opposition supporters in Albania Saturday took part in anti government protests in opposition of Prime Minister Edi Rama. During the demonstrations, protestors were seen congregating by the main government building and throwing smoke bombs as they called for Rama to resign as prime minister. * § Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda⠀➾ o ⚓ India Times ☛ Google_to_expand_misinformation_“prebunking”_in Europe⠀⇛ After seeing promising results in Eastern Europe, Google will initiate a new campaign in Germany that aims to make people more resilient to the corrosive effects of online misinformation. The tech giant plans to release a series of short videos highlighting the techniques common to many misleading claims. The videos will appear as advertisements on platforms like Facebook, YouTube or TikTok in Germany. A similar campaign in India is also in the works. It’s an approach called pre-bunking, which involves teaching people how to spot false claims before they encounter them. The strategy is gaining support among researchers and tech companies. § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾ * ⚓ RAIR Foundation ☛ Thousands_of_Radicalized_Muslims_Demonstrated_in Germany_Against_the_Qur’an_Burning_in_Sweden⠀⇛ The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned against joining the demonstration. The radical Islamic network Muslim Interaktiv (MI), which has the same ideology as the terrorist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), was behind the protest. “Anyone who takes part in this demonstration stands side by side with enemies of the constitution who want to enforce a form of society incompatible with our free democratic basic order,” it said in advance. * ⚓ Times Higher Education ☛ Iran_forces_regime_critics_out_of_academia⠀⇛ Reports of scholars being retired early or dismissed indicate that the Iranian government has ordered a cleansing of academia in the wake of protests that have gripped the country since September. Demonstrations were triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was accused of wearing her hijab “improperly”. “We can expect more expulsions of students and faculty and a more conservative academic curriculum in the coming months,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, author of Iranian Intellectuals and the West and vice-provost of Missouri University of Science and Technology. * ⚓ France24 ☛ France_slams_Marvel’s_‘Black_Panther’_over_depiction_of_its army_in_Africa⠀⇛ Paris’ defence minister on Sunday condemned the latest instalment of Marvel’s Black Panther franchise, which depicts French troops caught trying to steal resources belonging to the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda. § Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press⠀➾ * ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Protesters,_rights_groups_condemn_closure_of Cambodian_news_outlet⠀⇛ > “It’s only Voice of Democracy that speaks about the truth,” a protester said. § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾ * ⚓ HRW ☛ Philippines:_Next_Steps_for_ICC_Probe_of_Duterte-Era_Killings⠀⇛ * ⚓ HRW ☛ Libya/US:_Rights_Concerns_in_Lockerbie_Suspect’s_Extradition⠀⇛ * ⚓ RAIR Foundation ☛ Islamic_Italy:_Police_Bust_Migrant_Father_who_Beat, Starved,_and_Imprisoned_Daughter_for_Refusing_‘Arranged’_Marriage_ (Video)⠀⇛ A Bangladesh migrant has been arrested in Italy for kidnapping, imprisoning, beating, and starving his 20-year-old daughter. The 52-year-old father was “punishing” his daughter for having a relationship with a young man he disapproved of. The father wanted the daughter to have an Islamic arranged marriage with a boy he had chosen in Bangladesh. * ⚓ Meduza ☛ Founder_of_Russian_anti-domestic_violence_group_to_be_deported from_Georgia_—_Meduza⠀⇛ Anna Rivina, the founder of the Russian anti-domestic violence advocacy group Nasiliu.net (“No to Violence”), has been denied entry to Georgia, where she’s been living since leaving Russia, the independent news outlet Holod reported on Sunday night. * ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ What_You_Should_Know_About_the_Abortion_Case_that_Could Ban_Mifepristone⠀⇛ Access to abortion has been decimated in the United States since June when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and took away our right to control our own bodies. Laws banning abortion are now in effect in more than a dozen states, denying more than 20 million people of reproductive age access to essential health care. And as hideous as this is, we know that is only the latest step in their plan to ban abortion and other essential health care nationwide. * ⚓ Scheerpost ☛ To_Change_the_World,_Our_Unions_Must_Change⠀⇛ By David Story / Labor Notes Unionism has seen a resurgence in popularity the past few years. The problem is, it’s very difficult to get our members organizing in their communities when they hate the way our leadership (I use that word loosely) is operating. Our unions shouldn’t be, and I’d argue weren’t meant to […] * ⚓ France24 ☛ Israelis_march_against_judicial_reforms_as_president_warns of_‘legal_collapse’⠀⇛ Thousands of Israelis protested outside parliament Monday against the government’s controversial judicial reform plan, which aims to give lawmakers substantially more control over the supreme court. § Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾ * ⚓ Informa PLC ☛ Ericsson_networks_boss_shares_open_RAN_hopes_and_fears⠀⇛ “It’s a big, complex question,” said Fredrik Jejdling when asked about his organization’s current stance on open radio access network (RAN) technology. Jejdling manages Ericsson’s networks business, which generates about 70% of company revenues. A noisy infant today, open RAN is often depicted as one of the biggest future threats to this business. Even Ericsson believes it will account for about a fifth of RAN market sales by the end of this decade. § Monopolies⠀➾ * ⚓ Geeks For Geeks ☛ Difference_between_Perfect_Competition_and Monopolistic_Competition⠀⇛ The number and types of firms operating in an industry and the nature and degree of competition in the market for the goods and services… * § Trademarks⠀➾ o ⚓ YLE ☛ Rebrand_your_balls,_court_orders_company⠀⇛ A lower court had previously forced the Finnish food company Pouttu to change the names of its plant-based balls and burgers. The burgers were given a reprieve by the Supreme Administrative Court. * § Copyrights⠀➾ o ⚓ RFERL ☛ Russian_Streaming_Companies_To_Lose_Access_To_Disney Library⠀⇛ Russian online streaming services will lose access to Disney’s library of films when their current contact with the U.S. entertainment firms expires in March, Vedomosti reported. [...] o ⚓ Torrent Freak ☛ Anti-Piracy_Outfits_Target_TorrentFreak_in PikaShow_Crackdown⠀⇛ Copyright holders are doing all they can to dissuade people from using the popular pirate streaming app PikaShow. In addition to criminal referrals, this also includes efforts to remove PikaShow references from Google’s search results. This isn’t without collateral damage, as TorrentFreak’s news reports are mistakenly flagged too. o ⚓ Torrent Freak ☛ Aussie_Piracy_“Disturbingly_High”_Despite_97% Using_Legal_Sources⠀⇛ The Australian government has released the 2022 edition of its Consumer Survey on Online Copyright Infringement. At 159 pages it’s a big read, but in the spirit of showman P.T. Barnum, it has something for everyone. Almost 90% of the most dedicated Aussie consumers obtain content strictly legally, but it can also be argued that 40% of the population are pirates. § Gemini* and Gopher⠀➾ * § Personal⠀➾ o ⚓ Some_Hardware_Repairs⠀⇛ In which I discuss recent repairs and upgrades I’ve done for several of my devices. Written on a MacBook Pro while listening to the Bugsnax Original Soundtrack by Seth Parker. ⁂ For the past several years I’ve been using a 45 W MacBook Air charger for my Macbook Pro, because the real 85 W MacBook Pro charger I had got burnt out from a power surge or something at a previous school; new ones cost $80 so I never got it. But using the much lower power charger meant that my comptuer would often still die even when plugged in, and it ruined the battery life because it was acting like an online UPS where the battery was being constantly charged and drained. o ⚓ Update_your_mirrors!⠀⇛ Mirrors are what powers all distros: they’re a (de)centralized solution for downloading pre-compiled binaries and scripts for your operating system. o ⚓ February⠀⇛ Another month, another… something. Still wrestling with the issue at work, still killing my mental health, to the point of driving me to want to quit. I feel like I’m close to a solution now. But being essentially the one person in my field, I also have to shoulder all of the projects related to that. I’m in over my head. I’ve told my boss that I need another person working with me, and the guy at the help desk that handles some of it is nice, but that’s not a real solution. * § Technical⠀➾ o ⚓ A_grade-A_ditz_tries_video_games⠀⇛ So I had played like three seconds of Popeye on a home computer (guessing the C64) at a distant relative’s house and had two Game & Watches (Life Boat and a non-Nintendo space shooter, both of which I loved), but the first real video game I really played was Duck Tales. Loved it, amazing game, kind of sad to start with one of the best games of all time since it was all downhill from there, but point of the story is that I play a couple of levels, get to Transylvania, start talking to Webby, and… I have no idea how to move forward. I was stuck on the same screen for an hour. Because I didn’t know to press A to continue the dialogue. I must’ve accidentally hit A without realizing it because I was stuck again the next time, a li’l bit shorter since that time I did figure it out. o § Programming⠀➾ # ⚓ How_to_host_git_repos⠀⇛ In honor of World Give Up GitHub day, here’s a quick guide to how to serve up your own git repos. In an empty directory readable from WWW (that has the URL you want your repo to have, for cloning) that you also can write to over SSH, run git init --bare mv hooks/post-update.sample hooks/post-update Make sure the directory has the permissions you want for web (world readable, not writable). =============================================================================== * Gemini_(Primer) links can be opened using Gemini_software. It’s like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter. ䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 4034 ╒═══════════════════ 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒 ═════════════════════════════════════════════╕ ⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.13.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧ Gemini_version_available_♊︎ ✐ Links_13/02/2023:_Skrooge_2.29.0_and_PostgreSQL_JDBC_42.5.3⠀✐ Posted in News_Roundup at 9:36 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈ § Contents⠀➾ * GNU/Linux o Applications o Instructionals/Technical o Desktop_Environments/WMs # K_Desktop_Environment/KDE_SC/Qt * Distributions_and_Operating_Systems o Fedora_Family_/_IBM o Canonical/Ubuntu_Family o Open_Hardware/Modding o Mobile_Systems/Mobile_Applications * Free,_Libre,_and_Open_Source_Software o Events o Web_Browsers/Web_Servers # Mozilla o SaaS/Back_End/Databases o Programming/Development # Perl_/_Raku # Python * Leftovers o Science o Hardware o Health/Nutrition/Agriculture o Proprietary o Security # Privacy/Surveillance o Defence/Aggression o Environment # Energy/Transportation # Wildlife/Nature o Finance o AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics o Censorship/Free_Speech o Freedom_of_Information_/_Freedom_of_the_Press o Civil_Rights/Policing o Internet_Policy/Net_Neutrality o Digital_Restrictions_(DRM) o Monopolies # Patents # Software_Patents # Trademarks * Gemini*_and_Gopher o Personal o Technical * § GNU/Linux⠀➾ o § Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ Linux Links ☛ 8_Best_Free_and_Open_Source_Dictionary Tools⠀⇛ The Linux operating system offers an impressive range of versatile dictionary tools, which can look up words and phrases for different languages in multiple dictionary file formats, as well as using online sites such as Wikipedia and Wikitionary. To provide an insight into the open source software that is available, we have compiled a list of 8 of our favorite dictionary tools. Hopefully, there will be something of interest here for anyone who needs a feature-rich dictionary. We give our highest recommendation to GoldenDict and OpenDict. # ⚓ Make Tech Easier ☛ 5_of_the_Best_notify-send_Alternatives for_Linux⠀⇛ Notification servers, such as notify-send, are a vital part of every desktop Linux distribution. They allow you to receive every status notification from every program currently running in your machine. o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾ # ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ Changing_Directories_in_Linux_Terminal⠀⇛ Learn how to change directories in the Linux command line using absolute and relative paths in this part of the Terminal Basics series. # ⚓ Fedora Magazine ☛ Fedora_Magazine:_Podman_Checkpoint⠀⇛ Podman is a tool which runs, manages and deploys containers under theOCIstandard. Running containers with rootless access and creating pods (a Pod is a group of containers ) are additional features of Podman. This article describes and explains how to use checkpointing in Podman to save the state of a running container for later use. # ⚓ Pacman_package_Manager_–_Troubleshoot⠀⇛ Pacman is a popular package manager used by Arch Linux and its derivatives. It is known for its simplicity, speed, and efficiency. However, like all software, Pacman is not without its share of problems. # ⚓ Pacman_package_Manager_–_Repositories_and_Mirrors Configuration⠀⇛ Pacman is a popular package manager for Arch Linux and its derivatives. It is responsible for downloading and installing packages on the system. # ⚓ Pacman_package_Manager_–_General_Configuration_Options⠀⇛ Pacman, the package manager for Arch Linux, is an essential tool for managing software packages in the operating system. The package manager allows users to install, update, and remove software packages with ease. # ⚓ Net2 ☛ How_to_fix_Wifi_issues_on_Ubuntu_22.04_–_A_complete guide⠀⇛ Struggling with Wi-Fi issues on your Ubuntu 22.04 machine? You’ve come to the right spot. These problems can be a real pain, especially if you need a reliable connection for work or play. # ⚓ UNIX Cop ☛ How_to_use_TCPdump_with_examples⠀⇛ Hello, friends. Getting network statistics is a basic task that allows you to monitor what is going on with your network. So, today, you will learn how to use the tcpdump command on Linux. We will also use examples to facilitate the tutorial. # ⚓ LinuxTuto ☛ How_To_Secure_Nginx_with_Let’s_Encrypt_on Ubuntu_22.04⠀⇛ Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open- certificate authority (CA) that provides Digital SSL/TLS certificates to enable secure encrypted connections for websites. # ⚓ Pacman_package_Manager_–_Cleaning_the_package_cache⠀⇛ In today’s world, computer systems are a part of everyday life. They are used for work, entertainment, communication, and many other purposes. As a result, the use of software has become increasingly widespread and diverse. # ⚓ Pacman_package_Manager_–_Querying_package_database⠀⇛ Pacman is a package manager for Arch Linux and its derivatives. It is a command line tool that allows users to easily install, remove, and update packages on their system. o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾ # § K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt⠀➾ # ⚓ Skrooge_2.29.0_released⠀⇛ The Skrooge Team announces the release 2.29.0 version of its popular Personal Finances Manager based on KDE Frameworks. ChangelogCorrection bug 459775: User must be able to unlink the current account connected with a credit card accountCorrection bug 459378: Merging imported operation with an existing one fails when both have the same propertyCorrection bug 456895: Skrooge seems to work better under Wayland, so remove broken Wayland overrideCorrection bug 455427: Allow to add operations to a scheduled operationCorrection bug 409705: Add category adds as subcategory of selected, which doesn’t match the Name lineCorrection bug 463245: Exchange rates converter no longer worksCorrection bug 465335: Skrooge v2.28.0 AppImage Icons Don’t showCorrection: When a document is open, settings stored in the document (underligned) must be reloadCorrection: Remove deprecated api for loading pluginsFeature: Change of XML export and addition of XML import (this will facilitate some other XML import like ISO 20022)Feature: Import ISO 20022Feature: Align the category of all single operations with the category of their payee (quality check + view + auto correction) * § Distributions and Operating Systems⠀➾ o § Fedora Family / IBM⠀➾ # ⚓ APNIC ☛ Automation_tools:_Paramiko,_Netmiko,_NAPALM, Ansible,_Nornir_or_…?⠀⇛ # ⚓ Red Hat Official ☛ Planning_our_migration_to_Ansible Automation_Platform_2⠀⇛ Learn how Red Hat IT designed its strategy to migrate from Ansible Tower to Ansible Automation Platform 2. # ⚓ Enterprisers Project ☛ IT_careers:_6_security certifications_that_will_get_you_hired_in_2023⠀⇛ # ⚓ Enterprisers Project ☛ CIO_role:_Finding_balance_and building_resiliency_in_2023⠀⇛ # ⚓ Jonathan Dowland ☛ Jonathan_Dowland:_A_visit_to_Prusa Labs⠀⇛ In September I was in Czechia for a Red Hat event. I ended up travelling via Prague, and had an unexpected extra day due to an airline strike causing my flight home to be cancelled. I took the opportunity to visit Prusa’s offices/factory/Lab, and it was amazing! The Prusa team were all busy getting ready for the Prague Maker Faire that was happening the day afterwards.1 On arriving at the street which houses Prusa’s Lab and Office buildings, the first thing that hit me was the smell. I find the melted-plastic smell of FDM printing (with PLA, at least) quite pleasant, and this was a super-condensed version of that, pumping out of their ground-floor windows. I started at the reception area on the ground floor. Outside reception there’s a lovely sculpture representing the history of the development of the MK3S+. o § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾ # ⚓ OMG Ubuntu ☛ Expandable_Folder_View_Returns_to_Nautilus_in Ubuntu_23.04⠀⇛ If you read our sister site omg! linux you’ll already know of one particular change that makes Nautilus 44 an especially exciting update: the return of Expandable Folders in List View option. Accessible from the file manager’s Preferences panel, this opt-in behaviour makes it faster to flit through folders to find a specific file when using list view (this feature doesn’t work in icon view). When enabled you’re able to expand and collapse folders tree view style to maintain a top- level overview of directory structure while navigating. o § Open Hardware/Modding⠀➾ # ⚓ Arduino ☛ Using_sensor_fusion_and_tinyML_to_detect_fires⠀⇛ The damage and destruction caused by structure fires to both people and the property itself is immense, which is why accurate and reliable fire detection systems are a must-have. o § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾ # ⚓ The Sun ☛ Warning_to_never_hand_your_Android_phone_to someone_without_doing_‘swipe-tap’_trick_first_|_The_US_Sun⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ OnePlus’s_four-year_Android_update commitment_isn’t_just_for_flagships⠀⇛ # ⚓ 9to5Google ☛ Google_reiterates_that_Assistant_light_mode_is not_coming_back⠀⇛ # ⚓ SlashGear ☛ This_Underrated_Android_13_Feature_Makes_Copy And_Pasting_Even_More_Useful⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Central ☛ Android_14_with_Bard_would_be_the_perfect way_to_challenge_ChatGPT_|_Android_Central⠀⇛ # ⚓ India Times ☛ OnePlus_11R_to_receive_Android_updates,_five years_of_security_updates_–_Times_of_India⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ Google_Docs:_How_to_add_headers_and footers_to_your_documents⠀⇛ # ⚓ 9to5Google ☛ Google_Chrome_moving_to_Android’s_sharing_menu [Gallery]⠀⇛ # ⚓ XDA ☛ Android_14_adds_new_features_to_make_third-party_app stores_work_even_better⠀⇛ # ⚓ SlashGear ☛ How_To_Choose_The_Best_Android_Phone_For_Your Budget_(2023)⠀⇛ # ⚓ XDA ☛ Official_Vita3K_for_Android_releases_as_the_first mobile_PlayStation_Vita_emulator⠀⇛ # ⚓ The Sun ☛ Millions_of_Android_online_shoppers_warned_spies can_see_your_name,_credit_card,_address_and_phone_number_| The_US_Sun⠀⇛ # ⚓ Future Publishing Limited ☛ Love_Coke?_Then_you’ll_love this_limited_edition_Android_phone_|_T3⠀⇛ # ⚓ Hot Hardware ☛ Samsung_Galaxy_S23_Ultra_Review:_A_Dominant Android_Phone_|_HotHardware⠀⇛ # ⚓ India Times ☛ Google_Drive_gets_PDF_annotation_on_Android, here’s_how_to_use_it_–_Times_of_India⠀⇛ # ⚓ Giz China ☛ How_to_find_hidden_apps_on_your_Android smartphone⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android Police ☛ Best_golf_games_on_Android_2023⠀⇛ # ⚓ TheHinduBusinessLine ☛ Android_case:_The_story_so_far_in CCI’s_epic_anti-trust_battle_against_Google_–_The_Hindu BusinessLine⠀⇛ # ⚓ 9to5Google ☛ Android_Auto_‘exploring’_revival_of_weather support⠀⇛ # ⚓ Android_14_update_tracker:_Here’s_everything_we_know_so_far [Cont._updated]_–_PiunikaWeb⠀⇛ # ⚓ WCCF Tech ☛ Xiaomi_13_Lite_5G_Becomes_the_First_Android Phone_with_a_Dynamic_Island⠀⇛ * § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾ o ⚓ OSI Blog ☛ What’s_next_for_OSI’s_website [Ed: OSI became a front group for Microsoft proprietary software; it has little real purpose left]⠀⇛ OSI’s website moved to a managed platform, laying the foundations for future improvements. o § Events⠀➾ # ⚓ APNIC ☛ Kyoto_confirmed_as_APNIC_56_location⠀⇛ APNIC is pleased to announce that Kyoto, Japan, will be the location of APNIC 56 in September 2023. # ⚓ KDE Official ☛ Akademy_2023_Call_for_Proposals_is_Now Open!⠀⇛ Akademy2023 will be a hybrid event held inThessaloniki, Greece, and online from Saturday the 15th to Friday the 21st of July.The_Call_for Participationis open!Send_usyour talk ideas and abstracts. § Why talk at #Akademy2023? Akademy attracts artists, designers, developers, translators, users, writers, companies, public institutions and many other KDE friends and contributors. We celebrate the achievements and help determine the direction for the next year. We all meet together to discuss and plan the future of the Community and the technology we build. You will meet people that are receptive to your ideas and can help you with their skills and experience. These sessions offer the opportunity for gaining support, and making your plans for your project become a reality. § How to get started Do not worry about details or a slides right now. Just think of an idea and submit some basic details about your talk. You can edit your abstract after the initial submission. All topics relevant to the KDE Community are welcome. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your proposal: o § Web Browsers/Web Servers⠀➾ # § Mozilla⠀➾ # ⚓ Mozilla ☛ The_Mozilla_Blog:_The_immersive_school_bus: Hubs-built_journeys_into_the_body_for_medical education⠀⇛ Kristen Ramirez and Greg Dorsainville of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine write about how instructors useMozilla_Hubs, a VR platform that’s accessible and private by design, to teach students about the human body. Kristen Ramirezis a research Instructor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is a human evolutionary biologist by training and anatomist by trade, publishing on the evolution of human joints and advances in anatomy medical education. Over the last two years she has introduced the use of immersive XR and VR teaching tools to the anatomy curriculum. Greg Dorsainvilleexplores how new media and immersive computing can unlock the potential of both educators and learners at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Institute for Innovations in Medical Education. His focus is on how XR can expand the opportunity for experiential active learning experiences. o § SaaS/Back End/Databases⠀➾ # ⚓ PostgreSQL ☛ PostgreSQL_JDBC_42.5.3_Released⠀⇛ The PostgreSQL JDBC Project is pleased to announce the release of version 42.5.3 which includes the changes for 42.5.2 as well as fixing the regressions. This release fixes 2 regressions which were introduced in 42.5.2 We recommend not using 42.5.2 Notable changes for 42.5.2: # Define binary transfer for custom types dynamically/automatically. # Added gssResponseTimeout to make sure we don’t wait forever on a GSS RESPONSE # Make sure socket is closed if an exception is thrown in createSocket # Fix hanging ssl connections # Fix binary conversion of (very) long numeric values (longer than 4 * 2^15 digits) # ⚓ PostgreSQL ☛ pgAdmin_4_v6.20_Released⠀⇛ The pgAdmin Development Team is pleased to announce pgAdmin 4 version 6.20. This release of pgAdmin 4 includes 18 bug fixes and new features. For more details please see therelease_notes. pgAdmin is the leading Open Source graphical management tool for PostgreSQL. For more information, please seethe_website. § Note⠀➾ Whilst pgAdmin 4 does not formally support downgrading, it typically does work if you uninstall and then reinstall the application. This release of pgAdmin includes a major change to the configuration database structure which is NOT backward compatible, and therefore a straightforward downgrade will not work. If you are using the default SQLite database for your configuration (as will be the case for the vast majority of users), the old version of the configuration database will be backed up to “pgadmin4.db.prev.bak” in your storage directory. If you wish to downgrade to pgAdmin v6.19 or earlier, after running v6.20, you must restore this file to “pgadmin4.db” in the same directory, BEFORE starting the older version of pgAdmin again. o § Programming/Development⠀➾ # ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ Privacy_Scare!_Google’s_Go_Programming_Language Wants_to_Enable_Telemetry_by_Default⠀⇛ Google and privacy concerns, a match made in heaven? Well, I do not intend to make any false claims here. But Google does not have the best reputation regarding privacy protections. It may not be bad for everyone, but they’re not good at it either. In 2019, Google’s Go (open-source programming language) latest release introduced a change where GOPROXY defaults to a mirror operated by Google and is subject to Google’s privacy policy. # ⚓ Medevel ☛ 20_Free_Open_Source_JavaScript_Animation Frameworks_and_Libraries⠀⇛ JS Animation libraries help developers create catchy animations for their websites, web apps, or even games. In this post we offer you the best multipurpose and specific JavaScript animation libraries and frameworks. # ⚓ SICP ☛ On_association⠀⇛ My research touches on the professionalisation (or otherwise) of software engineering, and particularly the association (or not) of software engineers with a professional body, or with each other (or not) through a professional body. So what’s that about? # § Perl / Raku⠀➾ # ⚓ Rakulang ☛ 2023.07_Core_Class⠀⇛ Vadim Belman has published the video of their second Rakudo Core Development class, giving an introduction on many aspects of Rakudo and NQP internals. Clocking in at more than 2.5 hours, it should help anybody wanting to contribute to the Rakudo core significantly! # § Python⠀➾ # ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas_Apply()_Function_to_Every_Row⠀⇛ Tutorial on how to utilize the apply() function to every row in Pandas to implement any function to every row in DataFrame in Pandas using practical examples. # ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas_Argmax()⠀⇛ Guide on how to locate the index location of the maximum value in a DataFrame or Series using the Index.argmax(), Series.argmax, and DataFrame[‘column’].argmax. # ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas_Add_Column_with_Default_Values⠀⇛ Practical tutorial on adding a column with the default value in Pandas using three methods – assign(), [], and insert() – to add a column with a constant value. # ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ Pandas_Add_Days_to_Date⠀⇛ Practical guide on how to add the days to the dates in Pandas by utilizing three methods – pandas.DateOffset(), pandas.timeDelta(), and pandas.to_timeDelta(). * § Leftovers⠀➾ o ⚓ CNN ☛ ‘Oh_Aunty,_how_I_love_you’:_Hear_man’s_response_when elderly_aunt_is_found_after_152_hours_under_rubble⠀⇛ 85-year-old Ismihan was trapped under a building for days after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey. Video captured the moment her nephew helped to rescue her. o ⚓ CNN ☛ ‘I_couldn’t_save_my_daughter’:_Behind_the_defining_image_of the_Turkey_earthquake⠀⇛ It’s been a week since a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria, claiming the lives of more than 36,000 people. Many tens of thousands more have been injured. Millions may be left homeless. o ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ Survivors_still_being_found_five_days_after_Turkey quake⠀⇛ The death toll has now topped 25,000, but rescuers saved at least nine people, including a family of five, from the rubble on Saturday. o ⚓ Proteo_dies_during_rescue_efforts:_Gracias_Proteo⠀⇛ Dogs in the rescue teams from Türkiye and from twelve other countries played an important role in the rescue efforts following the February 6 earthquakes and saved many people’s lives. o ⚓ France24 ☛ Live:_UN_says_rescue_phase_‘coming_to_a_close’_as quake_deaths_surpass_35,000⠀⇛ The rescue phase following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on February 6 is “coming to a close”, with urgency now switching to providing shelter, food, schooling and psychosocial care, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said during a visit to Aleppo in northern Syria on Monday. The combined death toll has surpassed 35,000. (GMT+1). o ⚓ France24 ☛ Faster_and_cheaper:_Turkey’s_construction_sector blamed_for_scale_of_earthquake_devastation⠀⇛ Developers in Turkey’s construction sector are in the hot seat and dozens have been arrested following the earthquakes that collapsed of thousands of multi-storey buildings and individual houses on February 6, killing tens of thousands. FRANCE 24′s Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Asad report from Osmaniye, Turkey. o ⚓ France24 ☛ ‘It’s_too_much’:_Waiting_for_the_dead_in_Turkey’s quake-stricken_Nurdagi⠀⇛ Search and rescue teams are still at work amid an apocalyptic landscape in Nurdagi, a southeastern Turkish town near the epicentre of the January 6 earthquakes. But at this point they are looking for the remains of the dead, not survivors. o ⚓ JURIST ☛ Syrian_people_‘failed’_as_UN_warns_that_level_of humanitarian_aid_is_currently_insufficient_in_aftermath_of earthquakes⠀⇛ The Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN Martin Griffiths Sunday declared that there has been a failure in the delivery of international aid to the people of northwest Syria. Griffith urgently calls for international support in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit Türkiye, Syria, and the surrounding region. o ⚓ Press Gazette ☛ ‘It’s_hard_not_to_feel_as_if_you’re_diving_into people’s_grief’:_5_News_chief_correspondent_reports_from_Turkey earthquake_aftermath⠀⇛ Tessa Chapman gives an insight into reporting from Turkey in the wake of the disaster. o ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Over_130_Turkish_constructors_detained,_while the_last_of_the_survivors_pulled_out_from_rubbles⠀⇛ Rescuers pulled outmore survivors, including a pregnant woman and two children, six days after a pair of earthquakes collapsed thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6. However, the death toll from the quakes continued to rise, with officials reporting 33,179 fatalities on Sunday. As the slow rescue efforts frustrated people, blame for the disaster fell on faulty construction methods, which resulted in many buildings being unable to withstand the quakes. o ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ What_is_the_Richter_scale_and_which_areas_are most_vulnerable_to_quakes?⠀⇛ While the death tolland destruction of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria dominate the news, many wonder how strong the quake was and what the scale used to measure earthquakes means. The Richter scale is a tool used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. Developed in the 1930s by seismologistCharles Richter, the scale ranges from 0 to 10. o § Science⠀➾ # ⚓ uni Michigan ☛ Lecturer_brings_personal_touch_to_cherry farm⠀⇛ Attia Qureshi, a lecturer at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, helps operate a cherry and apple orchard at Wunsch Farms in northern Michigan. # ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ How_should_we_talk_about_artificial intelligence?⠀⇛ It’s easier for the general public to grasp what is going on when complicated computerized processes are explained in terms of human cognition. # ⚓ MIT Technology Review ☛ Restoring_an_ancient_lake_from_the rubble_of_an_unfinished_airport_in_Mexico_City⠀⇛ When the Mexica people left their ancestral land of Aztlán in search of a new home, they were following orders from the sun god Huitzilopochtli. In 1325, the god’s prophecy brought them to a salty swamp at the lowest dip of the Valley of Mexico. # ⚓ MIT Technology Review ☛ This_biohacking_company_is_using_a crypto_city_to_test_controversial_gene_therapies⠀⇛ The advertisement—posted on Mirror, a Web3 publishing platform, in March last year—outlined an eye-catching if perhaps confusing proposal: “Access NFTs for a follistatin plasmid phase I clinical trial in Prospera ZEDE, Honduras.” The ad had been posted by a biotech startup called Minicircle, which was recruiting participants for a clinical trial of gene therapy. B o § Hardware⠀➾ # ⚓ CNX Software ☛ M5Stamp_S3_WiFi_and_BLE_IoT_module_offers_up to_23_GPIOs_through_2.54mm_and_1.27mm_pitch_holes⠀⇛ M5Stamp S3, aka M5Stamp ESP32S2 or Stamp S3, is a tiny ESP32-S3 WiFi & Bluetooth LE (BLE) IoT module with a USB Type-C port, over 20 I/Os available through 2.54mm and 1.27mm pitch headers and castellated holes, and a heat-resistant cover. Many of the “new” ESP32-S3 hardware platforms launches these days are often updates from an ESP32 design, and the M5Stack’s M5Stamp S3 is no exception building on the original M5Stamp Pico, and its ESP32-C3 variants, namely M5Stamp C3 and C3U. M5Stamp S3 specifications: WiSoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN8 dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz, RISC-V ULP co-processor, 512KB SRAM, 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh, 8MB flash as found in the M5Stack ATOMS3 (Lite). o § Health/Nutrition/Agriculture⠀➾ # ⚓ CNN ☛ Banning_TikTok_in_the_US_‘should_be_looked_at,’_says Schumer⠀⇛ A proposal to ban TikTok in the United States “should be looked at,” according to US Senator Chuck Schumer. # ⚓ CNN ☛ Gov._Whitmer_explains_why_she_still_uses_TikTok despite_risks⠀⇛ Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) tells CNN’s Jake Tapper why she still uses TikTok despite some states banning usage on government devices. # ⚓ LRT ☛ Cadmium_contamination_found_in_seafood_exported_from Lithuania_to_Ukraine⠀⇛ Cadmium levels in excess of EU regulations have been found in seafood exported to Ukraine by the Lithuanian company Vičiūnai Group, according to the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT). # ⚓ The Scientist ☛ Giant_Viruses_Grew_Out_of_Small_Ones: Study⠀⇛ A study employing CRISPR/Cas9 to explore the evolutionary beginnings of some giant viruses finds evidence their large genomes arose from gene duplications. # ⚓ The Age AU ☛ Boost_for_Qld_research_in_fight_against disease_that_breaks_hearts⠀⇛ It’s hoped work by Queensland researchers can help prevent a devastating infection that causes heartbreaking complications, even when it isn’t fatal. # ⚓ The Age AU ☛ Kate_increased_her_life_expectancy_by_five years_by_doing_one_thing⠀⇛ People in the far west used to live longer than those in Sydney. Now, amid a dire shortage of doctors and specialists, they’re dying much earlier. # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Paxlovid_Remains_Potent_Against Omicron_COVID_Cases⠀⇛ # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Texas_Lawsuit_Threatens_Access to_Abortion_Pill_Nationally⠀⇛ o § Proprietary⠀➾ # ⚓ Ruben Schade ☛ Ascribing_blame_in_complicated_systems⠀⇛ Petter’s latest Mentour Pilot episode on thecrash of_Sriwijaya_flight_182was an eye-opening and tragic example of confirmation bias, emphasis added: He has, for whatever reason, not been looking down at his instruments for the last twenty seconds or so [which would have shown asymmetric thrust in a faulty system]. The aircraft is inside cloud at this point, meaning that he likely has no outside horizon to guide him. His mental model would have been that the aircraft was in a right bank, turning towards the heading that he had selected. He now suddenly hears a BANK ANGLE warning. And when he looks down, the first thing he likely sees is the control wheel displaced to the far right, confirming his mental model. So what would you do, if you hear a bank angle warning, and see the control wheel to the right? Yes, the initial reaction the captain did was to disconnect the autopilot, and move the control wheel to the left. [...] o § Security⠀➾ # ⚓ Scoop News Group ☛ ‘Pig_butchering’_scams_on_the_rise, luring_victims_with_promises_of_relationships_and_riches⠀⇛ These types of scams that seek to dupe unsuspecting targets can leave victims financially and emotionally devastated. # ⚓ The Philadelphia Inquirer ☛ Kimmel_Center,_Philadelphia Orchestra_websites_hit_by_cyber_attack⠀⇛ A cyber attack Friday crippled ticket sales and ticketing functions at the city’s largest arts presenter. Websites for the Kimmel Center and Philadelphia Orchestra were down, and patrons were left with scant information about the exact nature of the disruption. # ⚓ Bleeping Computer ☛ Pepsi_Bottling_Ventures_suffers_data breach_after_malware_attack⠀⇛ Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC suffered a data breach caused by a network intrusion that resulted in the installation of information-stealing malware and the extraction of data from its IT systems. Pepsi Bottling Ventures is the largest bottler of Pepsi-Cola beverages in the United States, responsible for manufacturing, selling, and distributing popular consumer brands. It operates 18 bottling facilities across North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. # ⚓ Data Breaches ☛ B&G_Foods_attacked_by_Daixin_Team;_files leaked⠀⇛ A spokesperson for Daixin informs DataBreaches that B&G was locked on February 4. On inquiry, Daixin’s spokesperson wasn’t sure whether they had encrypted all backups and stated that the firm could have recovered. When asked how they had contacted B&G and whether B&G ever responded, Daixin told DataBreaches that they had left notes on the local network and sent several communications, but B&G did not appear in the chat to respond or try to negotiate. # ⚓ YLE ☛ Finnish_minister’s_WhatsApp_hacking,_Marin_meme sending_remain_a_mystery⠀⇛ “I know I didn’t send [the meme] myself because I was busy at the time,” minister Lintilä told a regional paper over the weekend. # § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾ # ⚓ Indian Express ☛ How_Union_budget_2023_may_foster greater_violations_of_privacy⠀⇛ o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾ # ⚓ CNN ☛ A_trio_of_new_intrusions_leaves_America’s_leaders grasping_for_explanations⠀⇛ # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Germany_Says_Finland,_Sweden NATO_Bids_Must_Be_Ratified_Without_Delay⠀⇛ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Finland,_Sweden_to_receive_Kleist_Award_for_decision to_join_Nato⠀⇛ Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin are scheduled to accept the award on Saturday. # ⚓ France24 ☛ Live:_Stoltenberg_calls_for_‘ramped_up’ ammunition_production_as_Ukraine_drains_NATO_stockpiles⠀⇛ NATO must “ramp up production” of ammunition to meet Ukraine’s rate of usage which is currently draining stockpiles, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. Fighting continues near the city of Bakhmut, with Ukraine describing conditions there as “difficult”. # ⚓ RFERL ☛ NATO_Chief_Says_Military_Buildup_Shows_Russian Offensive_Has_Already_Begun⠀⇛ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that a major new Russian offensive in Ukraine has already begun. # ⚓ RFERL ☛ United_States_Tells_Citizens_To_Leave_Russia Immediately⠀⇛ The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. # ⚓ ‘Tak_Danmark’:_Ukraine_makes_video_to_thank_Denmark_for howitzers⠀⇛ Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has made a rousing video thanking Denmark for sending it artillery weapons, backed by the song written to mark Denmark’s liberation from Nazi Germany. # ⚓ Danish_Cold_War_bunker_museum_‘sold_out_until_summer’⠀⇛ A Cold War-era bunker in the northern Danish forest is experiencing high demand after opening to the public as a museum. # ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ UFO_Mania:_US_Shoots_Down_Objects_Over Lake_Huron_and_Alaska,_Uruguay_Investigating_‘Flashing Lights,’_China_Prepares_to_Shoot_Down_UFO⠀⇛ The U.S. military “has decommissioned another ‘object’ over Lake Huron.” Lawmakers say “the American people deserve far more answers than we have.” # ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Niinistö_on_Nato_membership:_“If_not before_Vilnius,_why_after_it?”⠀⇛ PRESIDENT Sauli Niinistöbelieves Finland and Sweden will attend the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July as fully fledged members. Niinistö on Saturday highlighted the importance of the summit for the accession process of the two countries by estimating that if the memberships have not been ratified by next summer, it would cast the entire accession process further into question. # ⚓ New Yorker ☛ Extraterrestrials_Admit_Responsibility_for Unidentified_Objects_but_Claim_They_Were_Only_Monitoring Weather⠀⇛ The revelation appeared in an official statement released to the American media by an organization calling itself the Intergalactic Command Force. # ⚓ CNN ☛ Chinese_ship_aimed_laser_at_Philippine_vessel, temporarily_blinding_crew,_Philippines_says⠀⇛ The Philippine Coast Guard has accused a China Coast Guard ship of pointing a “military grade” laser at some of its crew, temporarily blinding them, aboard a vessel in contested waters of the South China last week. # ⚓ CNN ☛ Dramatic_video_appears_to_show_heavy_losses_among Russian_armored_formations⠀⇛ The eastern front has seen some of the heaviest fightings in Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian sources say that the Russian mechanized brigade trying to push through the town of Vuhledar saw significant losses recently. CNN’s David McKenzie has more. # ⚓ CNN ☛ China_accuses_US_of_‘illegally’_flying_balloons across_its_airspace⠀⇛ China has accused the United States of “illegally” flying high-altitude balloons into its airspace more than 10 times since January 2022, as bilateral tensions flare in the fallout from a Chinese balloon that was shot down by American fighter jets after traveling across continental US. # ⚓ CNN ☛ National_security_mystery_is_threatening_a_political storm_after_US_fighter_jets_scrambled_three_days_in_a_row_to shoot_down_unidentified_aerial_objects⠀⇛ A deepening national security mystery is threatening a political storm after US fighter jets scrambled three days in a row to shoot down a trio of unidentified aerial objects high over the North American continent. # ⚓ New York Times ☛ China’s_Top_Airship_Scientist_Promoted Program_to_Watch_the_World_from_Above⠀⇛ Corporate records and media reports reveal an airship scientist at the center of China’s high- altitude balloon program. Companies he has founded were among those targeted by Washington. # ⚓ New York Times ☛ After_Shooting_Down_Flying_Objects,_U.S. and_Canada_Have_More_Theories_Than_Answers⠀⇛ The U.S. and Canada are investigating three unidentified flying objects shot down over North America in the past three days. Militaries have adjusted radars to try to spot more incursions. # ⚓ New York Times ☛ ‘Our_Losses_Were_Gigantic’:_Life_in_a Sacrificial_Russian_Assault_Wave⠀⇛ Poorly trained Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine describe being used as cannon fodder by commanders throwing waves of bodies into an assault. # ⚓ Axios ☛ China_claims_U.S._frequently_sent_high-altitude balloons_into_its_airspace⠀⇛ China’s Foreign Ministry claimed Monday that the U.S. has sent high-altitude balloons into its airspace more than 10 times since the start of 2022. Why it matters:It’s the first time China has made such an allegation since the U.S.shot_downa suspectedsurveillanceballoonsent by the Chinese government off the coast of South Carolina. =================================================== # Three more aerial objects have been shot down since then, over Alaska, # ⚓ JURIST ☛ China_alleges_US_flew_high-altitude_balloons_into country_over_10_times⠀⇛ China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin Monday stated China has spotted at least ten unauthorized US high-altitude balloons over Chinese airspace in the past year. # ⚓ Mint Press News ☛ 10_Ways_The_US_Is_Out_Of_Line_With_The Entire_World⠀⇛ The US, one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations, stands alone as the only country to reject human rights such as the right to food and the rights of the disabled and children. Learn more about this alarming reality with Lee Camp. # ⚓ Mint Press News ☛ A_Month’s_Notice:_Why_Burkina_Faso Ordered_French_Troops_out_of_the_Country⠀⇛ Burkina Faso has officially cut ties with France and, like many African nations, has aligned with Russia as global power dynamics shift away from the Western sphere. # ⚓ RFA ☛ Military_burns_more_than_55,000_houses_in_2_years, Data_for_Myanmar_says⠀⇛ Sagaing region was hardest hit with almost 80% of the national total. # ⚓ RFA ☛ Beijing_denies_3_‘objects’_downed_by_US_came_from China⠀⇛ It is also preparing to bring down an object flying near one of its naval bases. # ⚓ RFA ☛ Philippine_Coast_Guard_says_Chinese_vessel_blinded crew_with_laser⠀⇛ It also claims the China Coast Guard sailed dangerously close to one of its ships. # ⚓ RFERL ☛ German_Foreign_Minister_Backs_Finland,_Sweden_NATO Bids⠀⇛ German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledged further support for Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership bids on February 13 as she started on a two-day trip to visit the Nordic neighbors. # ⚓ RFERL ☛ Russian-Led_CSTO_Plans_Three_Military_Exercises_In Belarus_In_2023⠀⇛ The member states of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will hold three military maneuvers in Belarus in 2023, the group’s secretary-general told reporters on February 13 after talks in Minsk. # ⚓ RFERL ☛ Argentina_Says_‘Mafia’_Groups_Spurring_Russian Birth_Tourism⠀⇛ Argentinian officials have blamed organized “mafias” for promoting birth tourism to the South American country by Russian mothers-to-be amid a boom in numbers traveling there since the invasion of Ukraine looking to get their children citizenship. # ⚓ teleSUR ☛ US_Sanctions_on_Syria_Proof_of_Indifference_to Human_Rights⠀⇛ The temporary relaxation of the U.S. blockade demonstrates that Washington knows the sanctions imposed on the Syrian people were unjust. o § Environment⠀➾ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Finland_sees_April_temperatures_in_mid-February⠀⇛ Temperatures on Monday were between 8 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than normal for this time of year. # § Energy/Transportation⠀➾ # ⚓ Copenhagen Post ☛ CPH_Airport_among_top_airports_for curbing_carbon_emissions⠀⇛ Nordic travel hub is now among just 33 global airports with the highest Airport Carbon Accreditation rating # ⚓ Copenhagen Post ☛ Denmark_and_California_extend_green co-operation⠀⇛ Now running until 2024, the collaboration encompasses Power-to-X technology and optimising offshore wind energy # ⚓ H2 View ☛ First_Hydrogen_reveals_hydrogen-powered FCEVs⠀⇛ First Hydrogen has unveiled new images outlining the vision for its next generation fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). # ⚓ Renewable Energy World ☛ 1_GWh_battery_energy_storage project_advances_in_Ontario⠀⇛ The project is one of Canada’s largest battery energy storage projects and would use equipment from Tesla. # § Wildlife/Nature⠀➾ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Court_jails_man_for_using_halal_slaughter method⠀⇛ The prosecutor told the court that the defendant had used the method on up to 2,500 sheep between 2003 and 2020, in breach of Finnish animal welfare law. o § Finance⠀➾ # ⚓ YLE ☛ Foreigners’_Finnish_skills_considered_a_bigger obstacle_than_they_really_are,_city_official_says⠀⇛ Joensuu’s employment services chief says she thinks that employers still have unnecessary prejudices against hiring immigrants. # ⚓ CNN ☛ Alibaba_sells_remaining_stake_in_top_Indian_online payment_provider_Paytm⠀⇛ Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has sold its remaining stake in Paytm, India’s top digital payment app, as it gradually divests from its Indian investments amid friction between Beijing and New Delhi. # ⚓ Axios ☛ Blue-chip_companies_brace_for_new_assaults_by activist_investors⠀⇛ Data: Lazard; Chart: Axios Visuals. Data is global for companies with a market cap of $500m or above. May include campaigns without a publicly confirmed thesis. # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Former_Brazilian_President_Roussef_to head_BRICS_New_Development_Bank⠀⇛ The head of the New Development Bank (NDB), founded by the BRICS countries, will be the former President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff (photo). Relevant information was provided by the publication ‘O Estado de S. Paulo’. # ⚓ uni Stanford ☛ Stanford_raises_undergraduate_tuition_by 7%⠀⇛ Stanford’s Board of Trustees has announced a 7% undergraduate tuition increase, as well as full financial assistance for families earning less than $100,000 annually with “typical assets,” for the 2023-24 academic year. # ⚓ Engadget ☛ Blink_security_cameras_and_video_doorbells_are up_to_43_percent_off⠀⇛ You might not have to pay much to bolster your smart home’s security. # ⚓ teleSUR ☛ 2.5_Million_French_Protest_Against_Pension Reform⠀⇛ Though certain regions of France have entered winter school holidays, the number of demonstrators rose in many cities. # ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Strikes_in_grocery_shops,_logistics centres_called_off_after_agreement_in_commerce_sector⠀⇛ > THE BOARDSof Service Union United (PAM) and the Finnish Commerce Federation on Sunday approved a new two-year collective bargaining agreement for employees in the commerce sector, signalling the end of all strikes, overtime bans and other industrial actions in the sector. PAM on Sunday said the agreement guarantees full- time employees a monthly pay rise of 165 euros over the two years and a non-recurring bonus of 400 euros payable in March. o § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾ # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Massive_corruption_within_the_walls_of the_European_Parliament⠀⇛ Transparency experts have urged MEPs to push for tougher internal reforms in the wake of the Qatargate scandal, noting that Qatar is not the only state to practice ‘chequebook diplomacy’(!). # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Meta’s_Chief_Business_Officer Marne_Levine_to_Depart⠀⇛ # ⚓ Press Gazette ☛ Revealed:_Insider_discloses_UK_newsroom salaries_to_staff⠀⇛ The lowest editorial salaries at Insider UK start at £35,000. # ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ A_Monitor_newsroom_debate:_Is_democracy_a ‘value’?⠀⇛ We are having something of a debate within the Monitor newsroom: Is democracy a value?The literal answer to this question is easy. # ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ Promising_to_unify,_ex-minister Christodoulides_wins_Cyprus_presidency⠀⇛ Mr. Christodoulides, a former foreign minister, campaigned as a unifying force, eschewing ideological and party divisions. His message resonated with a wide swath of voters. # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Sino_–_Iran_relations_in_the_light_of the_25-year_cooperation_document⠀⇛ Authors: Mahdi Torabi and Alireza Soltani Foreign policy is the intersection of internal and external variables of countries. China has the capacity to become an influential power due to a number of factors. # ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Challenges_and_prospects_for_Burma_act⠀⇛ From the first imposed sanctions against Myanmar in 1997, the United States takes a historical stride by passing the Burma act 2021 as a law before 2022 ended. President Biden signed the act into a law on 23rd December which has been passed by both, the house and senate. # ⚓ Atlantic Council ☛ Matthew_Kroenig_to_lead_Atlantic Council’s_Scowcroft_Center_for_Strategy_and_Security⠀⇛ Former Defense Department and intelligence official will lead an important mission of developing strategies to address the most important security challenges. # ⚓ Craig Murray ☛ Patience,_Please⠀⇛ This morning, lawyers are acting on my request to prepare a counsel’s opinion on the legality of publishing those of Stewart MacDonald’s emails which are in the public interest to be revealed. This may take a day or two. Emails of dubious provenance are published all the time. Emails about Partygate brought down Boris Johnson. […] o § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾ # ⚓ LRT ☛ Lithuania_wants_EU_to_address_Facebook’s_treatment_of pro-Ukraine_posts⠀⇛ After meeting with Facebook representatives, Lithuania’s government chancellor says that she plans to raise the platform’s content moderation issue with the European Commission. # ⚓ LRT ☛ Nordics,_Baltics_fail_to_agree_on_joint_boycott_of OSCE_session⠀⇛ Nordic, Baltic, and Polish parliamentarians have failed to reach an agreement to jointly boycott the winter session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna if Russians are allowed to participate. Lithuania, however, sticks to its decision not to attend the gathering. # ⚓ LRT ☛ Belarusian_oligarch_uses_Lithuanian_firm_to_dodge sanctions_in_Germany_–_media⠀⇛ Alexander Shakutin, a businessman close to Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, keeps running a profitable business in Germany even though he manages it through a Lithuanian company subject to sanctions, according to the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) and Lithuania’s Siena investigative journalism centre. # ⚓ Reason ☛ “Professor_Sues_University_of_Texas_for_First Amendment_Violations”⠀⇛ This is just a complaint at this stage (Lowery v. Mills (W.D. Tex.)), so these are only the plaintiff’s allegations, but he’s being represented by the people at the Institute for Free Speech, whose work I’ve generally found quite reliable. (I e-mailed UT on Thursday to ask if they had a statement, and have so… # ⚓ In_Turkey,_the_state_resorts_to_censorship_majeure⠀⇛ # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Russian_System_to_Scan_Internet for_Undesired_Content_and_Dissent⠀⇛ o § Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press⠀➾ # ⚓ RFERL ☛ Afghan_Journalists_Partially_Win_Case_Against_U.K. Government_Over_Relocation⠀⇛ Eight Afghan journalists who worked for the BBC and other British media organizations partially won a legal challenge on February 13 against the British government’s refusal to relocate them from Afghanistan. o § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾ # ⚓ Copenhagen Post ☛ UN_to_Denmark:_Stop_being_racist_to Greenlanders!⠀⇛ UN representative concerned over structural discrimination obstacles – news that doesn’t surprise Greenlandic MP # ⚓ CNN ☛ Premier_League_club_Brentford_‘disgusted’_by_‘barrage of_abusive_racist_messages’_received_by_star_player⠀⇛ English Premier League side Brentford is “disgusted and saddened” by “abusive racist messages” received by star player Ivan Toney following Saturday’s match against London rival Arsenal, according to a statement released by the club. # ⚓ Reason ☛ A_White_Employee_Is_Suing_the_City_of_Seattle_for Alleged_Racial_Discrimination⠀⇛ “If I disagreed or offered another opinion, I was told I had cognitive dissonance,” Josh Diemert says. # ⚓ JURIST ☛ Australia_government_to_grant_20,000_refugees permanent_visas;_ends_temporary_visa_programs⠀⇛ Australia Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles announced Monday that the Australian government will give more than 20,000 refugees living in the country a pathway to permanent visas. The move would grant a more secure future to refugees with temporary visas who have been ‘in limbo’ for over a decade. # ⚓ JURIST ☛ India_dispatch:_Supreme_Court_refuses_to_interfere in_appointment_of_High_Court_judge_alleged_to_have_engaged_in hate_speech_against_religious_minorities⠀⇛ Indian law students are reporting for JURIST on law-related developments in and affecting India. This dispatch is from Samar Veer, a third-year law student at National Law University, Delhi. # ⚓ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Thousands_march_in_Israel_as Netanyahu_allies_push_overhaul⠀⇛ Tens of thousands of Israelis — hoisting flags, blowing on horns and chanting “democracy” and “no to dictatorship”— protested outside the parliament building Monday. # ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Amazon_Workers_at_UK_Warehouse Set_Further_Strike_Dates⠀⇛ # ⚓ teleSUR ☛ Portuguese_Clergy_Might_Have_Sexually_Abused_Over 4,000_Minors⠀⇛ The Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Catholic Church presented a 500-page report detailing these cases. # ⚓ How_many_American_citizens_are_ordered_to_leave_European countries?⠀⇛ Hundreds of Americans citizens have been forced to leave EU and Schengen area countries in recent years for numerous reasons, mostly related to residency rules. Here’s a look at the numbers. # ⚓ The Local SE ☛ Swedish_border_police_prepare_to_deport bedbound_British_grandmother⠀⇛ Kathleen Poole, who arrived in Sweden 18 years ago, suffers from Alzheimer’s and receives around-the- clock treatment in a care home. She has now been ordered to leave Sweden as she lost her right to residence following Brexit. # ⚓ The Local SE ☛ ‘One_of_the_cruellest_countries’:_Briton deported_after_21_years_in_Sweden⠀⇛ British citizen Gregory was deported from Sweden to the UK last year because he was not eligible for post-Brexit residency. He tells The Local about the “cruel” process behind his departure and how his mental health suffered dramatically. # ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Alleged_SIM_Swapper_Ransomed_Instagram Influencer_for_Dates,_Striptease_Video⠀⇛ Amir Hossein Golshan allegedly broke into influencers’ Instagram accounts not just for financial gain, but to sextort the victims too. # ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ ‘You_Feel_So_Violated’:_Streamer QTCinderella_Is_Speaking_Out_Against_Deepfake_Porn Harassment⠀⇛ After Atrioc was caught buying non-consensual, pornographic deepfakes of fellow Twitch streamers, the abuse against women targeted has been endless. o § Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾ # ⚓ MIT Technology Review ☛ The_Supreme_Court_may_overhaul_how you_live_online⠀⇛ This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review’s weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. Recommendation algorithms sort most of what we see online and determine how posts, news articles, and accounts you follow are prioritized on digital platforms. o § Digital Restrictions (DRM)⠀➾ # ⚓ Digital Music News ☛ My_Song_Was_Added_To_a_Botted_Playlist on_Spotify:_Here’s_What_Happened⠀⇛ If you’re an indie artist like me, you probably check your Spotify for Artists dashboard an unhealthy amount each day. (It’s a problem, I’m working on it). One feature they have shows you how many people are listening to your music on Spotify in real time. o § Monopolies⠀➾ # ⚓ KOL404_|_Webinar:_How_Humanity’s_Progress_Has_Been_Held Back:_The_Case_Against_IP_(Intellectual_Property)_(Freedom Hub_Working_Group)⠀⇛ # § Patents⠀➾ # ⚓ Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ A_new_European_patent_landscape_ (3):_languages_and_costs_of_the_Unitary_Patent [Ed: More vapourware from Team UPC. UPC does not exist, it has not been ratified and it would be illegal and unconstitutional to start such a thing. This is lobbying disguised as information.]⠀⇛ In June 2023 the European patent landscape will see one of the most dramatic changes in decades with the introduction of the Unitary Patent (UP) and the opening of Unified Patent Court (UPC). # ⚓ JUVE ☛ Opel_and_supplier_CATL_succeed_in_e-battery dispute_with_MU_Ionic [Ed: Another frivolous patent lawsuit while the EPO grants loads of fake patents]⠀⇛ CATL and German car manufacturer Opel do not infringe MU Ionic’s EP 19 39 971 in Germany. At the end of January, Düsseldorf Regional Court rejected a claim of patent infringement brought by the patent holder (case ID: 4c O 53/21), which is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Chemicals and Ube Industries…. # ⚓ First_training_for_all_UPC_appointed_judges [Ed: The UPC does not exist and it is not legal, not even constitutional. This is the crime syndicate which controls the EPO faking "progress" for lobbying purposes. The EPO also did training of UPC judges around 2015. Where did that end up?]⠀⇛ Five days of intense sessions in Budapest. # § Software Patents⠀➾ # ⚓ Unified Patents ☛ Ideahub_final_decision_affirmed_by Federal_Circuit⠀⇛ On February 10, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit summarily affirmed the PTAB’s ruling that all challenged claims ofU.S._Patent_9,641,849are unpatentable. Owned byIdeahub_Inc., the IPR was filed as part of Unified’s ongoing efforts in itsSEP_Video_Codec_Zone. The ’849 patent relates to a video compression technique known as intra prediction andAccess Advanceclaims that certain claims of the ’849 patent were essential to the HEVC standard. # § Trademarks⠀➾ # ⚓ TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog_Test:_Is_“SOUL_FOOD_MARKET” Merely_Descriptive_of_Grocery_Store_Services?⠀⇛ In this year’s ninth appeal from of a mere descriptiveness refusal (with no reversals yet), the Board reviewed a Section 2(e)(1) refusal ofSOUL FOOD MARKETfor “online retail grocery store services; retail grocery stores.” Applicant New Africa Ventures argued that “SOUL FOOD has no direct meaning in relation to its actual identified services, as the services make no reference to ‘soul food’.” It also contended that soul food is an “ethnic cuisine” – where “‘[c]uisine’ is defined as a style of cooking” – and “cuisine involves cooking and restaurant services.” ‘ [T]here is no indication that there will be any cooking under Applicant’s recitation of [grocery store] services,” and so the proposed mark does not disclose any information with particularity. How do you think this came out?In_re_New_Africa Ventures,_Inc., Serial No. 90330813 (February 8, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Robert H. Coggins). * § Gemini* and Gopher⠀➾ o § Personal⠀➾ # ⚓ 🔤SpellBinding:_AEGLUPO_Wordo:_MEDIA⠀⇛ # ⚓ A_wet_Monday⠀⇛ I spent a lot of time yesterday in DOSbox playing a bunch of games I used to when I was a kid. o § Technical⠀➾ # ⚓ 25_Minute_Outage⠀⇛ A 25-minute outage occurred for my gemini capsule from 05:55:18 UTC to 06:18:46 UTC. I was building a new docker image and after pulling it down to my server and redeploying the image, the molly-brown server refused to start and the container kept rebooting. Complaints about read only filesystem abounded. This is expected because I do run the container with a read only file system. It was worked flawlessly until now. When telegram alerts started coming in I knew that the capsule really was in in trouble. Investigating the issue I checked for recent commits to the molly-brown repo and found two commits that modify the default access-log and error-log locations. Instead of writing the logs to stdout and stderr as was done in the past it now expected a file location. Removing the configured “-” option allowed the container to start. See the footnotes below for the two commits that gave clues at the same time broke my build. # ⚓ Package_Management_–_Dependencies⠀⇛ While packages can be self-contained, usually they have dependencies with other packages or even frameworks to avoid duplicating code. Without dependencies, packages would be forced to contain common logic that other packages share, and that code may become stale or not updated as frequently introducing potential bugs. # ⚓ More_Epsom_Salt_Crystal_Images_(2023-02-13)⠀⇛ These were taken using my ANNLOV coin microscope. The crystal had grown to 1.13 inches length, and 0.302 inches wide between the two most widely separated faces. There is something wrong with the JPEG output from the microscope (invalid marker error) so I re-encoded all these images with GIMP. At some angles there were interesting lighting interactions between the microscope LEDs and my yellow-ish table lamp. # ⚓ Fighting_back_against_EuTube_👊⠀⇛ The situation about EuTube is out of control in my house! Kids love watching it, but in this story they are the victims, because the amount of crap tossed by EuTube is totally overwhelming… 😵 Endless amount of unfiltered, unverified, untruth videos are unleashed on the wild with the sole scope to create revenue for one of the most antipathetic IT corp: Boogle! =============================================================================== * Gemini_(Primer) links can be opened using Gemini_software. It’s like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter. ╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ¶ Lines in total: 6091 ➮ Generation completed at 02:42, i.e. 51 seconds to (re)generate ⟲