Science

• Stanford University ☛ The most enrolled 2023 fall quarter courses: CS continues its reign

  STEM subjects continue to dominate 2023 fall quarter enrollment rankings, with five of the top 10 most enrolled courses belonging to the computer science department.

Education

• Latvia ☛ Teachers to push for better load balancing in next year's budget

  The Latvian Education and Science Workers' Union (LIZDA) will ask for funding in the next year's budget for the next stage of balancing teachers' loads, LIZDA Chairwoman Inga Vanaga told LETA November 3.

• Science Alert ☛ Something Strange Happens to The Human Brain During Zoom Calls

  This is your brain on Zoom.

• Latvia ☛ Rēzekne suspected of arbitrarily calculating teacher wages

  In Rēzekne, teachers' salaries might not have been calculated as provided for in the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations, the Latvian Education and Science Workers' Union (LIZDA) has stated. The Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) has also added to the concerns. Rezekne Head of Education does not agree with the allegations, Latvian Television reported November 1.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• The Straits Times ☛ China brewery Tsingtao apologises amid worker’s urine scandal

  The worker was found to have urinated inside a truck transporting raw materials on Oct 19.

• The Straits Times ☛ US farm leaders, visiting China, talk up agriculture trade

  Dozens of U.S. agriculture industry representatives gathered in Beijing on Thursday to meet Chinese counterparts amid growing U.S. efforts to bolster farm trade even as political ties between their two countries remain strained.

• RFA ☛ UN: Asia bears brunt as climate change threatens health gains

  Countries need better access to resources to help predict health risks, report says.

• University of Michigan ☛ Center based at U-M receives $20M to research tobacco use

  The Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations recently received $20 million to continue its research on the impact of tobacco regulations on tobacco use patterns and their health effects.

• Science Alert ☛ Wasabi Boosts Cognitive Ability in Older People, Study Shows

  Wait... what?

• Science Alert ☛ Daily Sit-Ups Won't Target Your Belly Fat. An Expert Explains Why.

  Your body doesn't work that way.

• teleSUR ☛ Namibia:  1 Billion USD Investment to Enhance Public Health

  "Some of the projects that are already underway include the construction of the Windhoek District Hospital, the establishment of Intensive Care units, as well as dialysis care units at district hospitals across the country," Geingob said.

• Stanford University ☛ Stanford scientist wins Ig Nobel Prize for disease-detecting “smart toilet”

  Former urology instructor Seung-min Park won an Ig Nobel prize for his work on the Precision Health toilet, or “smart toilet.” Goals for the toilet include early disease detection and monitoring by analyzing excreta.

• Science Alert ☛ A Gene Inherited From Another Type of Human Could Still Affect Our Mental Health

  Thanks a lot.

• ACLU ☛ Battling for Reproductive Rights: Ohio's Religious Communities Advocate for Abortion

  Next week, Ohio voters will decide whether to pass Issue 1, a state constitutional amendment protecting decisions about pregnancy including contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and abortion. Ohioans from every walk of life — and across the political spectrum — have come together to put an end to the state’s extreme abortion ban and enshrine protections for reproductive freedom in their state constitution.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AccessNow ☛ FAQ: Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline and Fashion Company Apple threat notifications

  Access Now's knowledge about ongoing Fashion Company Apple threat notifications sent to people who may have been targeted by state-sponsored spyware attacks

Defence/Aggression

• RFA ☛ US warship sails near disputed islands in South China Sea

  The U.S. Navy carried out two Freedom of Navigation Operations in contested waters in 24 hours.

• RFA ☛ US, Canadian warships sailed near Taiwan

  They made the Taiwan transit despite repeated warnings from China.

• The Straits Times ☛ Philippines accuses China of intruding into its waters

  The DFA said the shoal is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and the country has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over it.

• RFA ☛ China ‘cooperating’ with Finland over damaged pipeline

  The suspected ship has changed its operator for unannounced reasons.

• RFA ☛ Japan urged to investigate atrocities against Uyghurs

  In Tokyo, International Uyghur Forum participants discuss legal ways to address China’s repression of the Muslim group.

• RFA ☛ Founding member of Tiananmen Mothers campaign group dies

  Zhou Shuzhuang spent decades seeking redress for her dead son and other 1989 massacre victims.

• RFA ☛ Hong Kongers self-censor out of fear, says sacked Tiananmen scholar

  Rowena He, fired after her visa was denied, says nobody knows where the political lines are drawn.

• The Straits Times ☛ Flare-up in northern Myanmar exposes junta’s vulnerability and brings scam centres into view

  'Operation 1027' is threatening to cut off the military regime’s overall access to China border trade.

• RFA ☛ Ethnic armed alliance captures 3 cities on China-Myanmar border

  Junta troops were forced to abandon their positions after nearly a week of fighting.

• The Straits Times ☛ China says official to lead a delegation in China-US nuclear talks

  The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday a leading official from its department of arms control affairs will lead a delegation in China-U.S. nuclear talks.

• The Straits Times ☛ North Korea media urges stronger nuclear force after US missile test

  The report also criticised the test-firing of a nuclear-capable Minuteman III missile in California.

• RFERL ☛ Putin Alleges Some Western Weapons For Ukraine Are Ending Up In Taliban Hands

  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 3 that some Western weapons supplied to Ukraine were finding their way to the Middle East through the illegal arms market and being "sold to the Taliban and from there they go on to wherever."

• Reason ☛ S. Ct. Will Hear NRA's Case Alleging That N.Y. Government Coerced Companies to Stop Doing Business with NRA

  The controversy is similar to part of the controversy in Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden), which also involves allegations of government coercion aimed at interfering with speech.

• teleSUR ☛ President Pooh-tin Meets German Chancellor Scholz via Video Link

  He pointed out that to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis, it is necessary to think more deeply about security issues.

• RFERL ☛ Germany's Baerbock Presses Peace Hopes In Yerevan On First Leg Of Caucasus Trip

  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to the negotiating table and seek a political solution to their decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

• Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

  • JURIST ☛ US imposes sanctions on multiple nations to curb Russian war capabilities in Ukraine

    The US Department of Treasury announced on Thursday a round of sanctions on 130 firms and people from Türkiye, China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it tries to restrict Russia’s access to essential tools and equipment that support its invasion of Ukraine.

  • New York Times ☛ In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas

    Officials and researchers say the deluge of online propaganda and disinformation is larger than anything seen before.

  • YLE ☛ Niinistö addresses demilitarised status, Russian consulate during Åland visit

    Finnish President Sauli Niinistö assured the autonomous province of Finland's unwavering support during a visit to the capital Mariehamn on Friday.

  • teleSUR ☛ Libya and Russia Discuss Bilateral Cooperation

    Russian ambassador stressed his country's willingness to assist Libya in holding elections and strengthening cooperation

  • RFERL ☛ Jailed Russian Anti-War Activist Reportedly Faces Additional Charge

    Imprisoned Siberian anti-war activist and journalist Maria Ponomarenko is reportedly facing an additional charge of attacking prison guards and may face up to five additional years in prison if convicted, the RusNews website cited Ponomarenko's friend on November 2 as saying.

  • RFERL ☛ Former Photographer For Navalny's Team Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison In Moscow

    A Moscow court on November 3 sentenced Aleksandr Strukov, the former photographer of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny’s team, to eight years in prison on charges of public calls for terrorism, inciting hatred, and violating citizens' rights to practice religion.

  • RFERL ☛ Serbia's Pro-Russian Security Chief Steps Down, Citing Western 'Blackmail And Pressure'

    The outspokenly pro-Russian director of Serbia's state security agency, Aleksandar Vulin, announced his "irrevocable" resignation from atop the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) on November 3, saying he doesn't want Western sanctions targeting him personally to adversely affect his country.

  • RFERL ☛ Moldova Bars Pro-Russian Party's Candidates From Local Elections

    Moldova's Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE) has decided to bar the Chance party's candidates from taking part in local elections this weekend for allegedly using illegal money from Russia in the campaign, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on November 3.

  • RFERL ☛ Russian Surrogate Workers Get Lengthy Prison Terms On Child-Trafficking Charges

    A Moscow court sentenced European Center of Surrogate Motherhood Director Vladislav Melnikov and three physicians from the facility to prison terms of between 16 years and 19 1/2 years on charges of child trafficking.

  • RFERL ☛ Russia Expels Bulgarian Reporter After Sofia Kicks Out Russian Correspondent

    Russia has stripped a Moscow correspondent for Bulgarian National Radio of accreditation and expelled him after Sofia kicked out a Russian journalist on national security grounds.

  • New York Times ☛ Russia Sends Biggest Drone Barrage in Weeks, Ukrainian Officials Say

    Army officials and military analysts say it is part of a campaign to wear down and probe Ukrainian air defenses ahead of winter.

Environment

• The Straits Times ☛ China set for sudden change from warm to freezing in year of extreme weather

  Earlier in 2023, northern China basked in unseasonal heat, with temperatures reaching summer levels.

• The Straits Times ☛ Winter coming a week late in Beijing as northern China basks in warm weather

  Smog has shrouded Beijing and its surrounding areas for days.

• Science Alert ☛ The Southern Hemisphere Is Slowly Drying Out, Scientists Report

  This could have planet-wide consequences.

• The Nation ☛ Supply-Side Liberals Keep Peddling the Fossil Fuel Fix

  “As long as they can get away with it, they will continue to invest in fossil fuels,” climate activist Greta Thunberg warned earlier this year. “They will continue to throw people under the bus.” Despite the vast logistical and technological challenges involved in transitioning to a truly green, climate-preserving economy, it has one undeniable sine qua non: society needs to get off of fossil fuels.

• New York Times ☛ Flooding in Tuscany Leaves Six Dead

  Storm Ciaran swept into Italy with torrential rains overnight, continuing its deadly push across Western Europe.

• Energy/Transportation

  • RFA ☛ As BYD announces record earnings, China’s EV ‘Godzilla’ goes into high gear

    A government-subsidized electric vehicle onslaught will likely change the entire auto-manufacturing landscape, according to analysts.

  • RFA ☛ Smog wreaths northern China as country burns coal to fire economy

    The shift back to coal will make Xi's pledge to slash carbon emissions much harder to achieve.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cities issue alerts as smog returns to north China

    Emissions from diesel vehicles and factories have been main sources of PM2.5 pollution in the region.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s top court acquits ex-coast guard leadership over Sewol ferry sinking

    The courts stated that rescuers did not have enough information to issue an evacuation order after the sinking.

Finance

• The Straits Times ☛ China’s latest most liveable city: No it’s not Beijing or Shanghai

  Hear why the Chinese are plumbing for Changsha, the capital capital of central Hunan, instead.

• The Straits Times ☛ For China’s jobless youth, hostels are a refuge for those seeking work

  They provide a place to crash in between interviews and networking meetings.

• The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's Yoon eyes trade, investment boost with Ireland

  South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday said he hoped for a significant increase in trade and investment with Ireland as the two countries work to strengthen cooperation in bio-technology and education.

• Reason ☛ Lyn Alden: Our Money Is Broken

  "At its core, money is a ledger," writes the investment analyst in her new book, Broken Money.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• Reason ☛ Gavin Newsom's Visit to China Demonstrated the California Governor's Lack of Statesmanship [Ed: Koch think tank/site is upset that politicians are speaking about climate change. Disclosure absent here.]

  Instead of looking like a future president, Newsom comes off as just another small man in a big office.

• CS Monitor ☛ What California’s climate diplomacy with China achieves

  California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent trip to China highlighted the use of subnational diplomacy to make progress on climate change goals.

• The Straits Times ☛ European chamber in China criticises upcoming Shanghai trade fair as 'smoke and mirrors'

  The European Union Chamber of Commerce on Friday criticised an upcoming trade fair in China as "largely smoke and mirrors" and pushed for more tangible measures to restore business confidence among the European business community.

• The Strategist ☛ Openly discussing differences can help stabilise Australia–China relations

  Appreciation of differences, more so than of common interests, is essential to maintaining most meaningful relationships over time.

• The Straits Times ☛ Australia's Albanese to highlight trade on China visit as ties warm

  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will highlight trade as an anchor for stabilising ties when he makes the first visit by an Australian leader to China in seven years, as badly strained relations move back to an even footing, business leaders said.

• The Straits Times ☛ China’s wine market ready to welcome likely return of Aussie wine as ties improve

  A 218 per cent tax on most Australian wine imposed by China early in 2021 prompted that wine trade to collapse.

• The Straits Times ☛ Australia and China: Rocky road back to trade and visits

  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Saturday become the first Australian leader to visit China in seven years, arriving after a period of badly strained relations with the aim of improving dialogue and stabilising ties.

• The Strategist ☛ Australia’s opportunity to help China be mindful of the society of states

  At their press conference last week, US President Joe Biden recounted to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a conversation he’d had with Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping.

• RFA ☛ US lawmakers urge sanctions on Hong Kong justice officials

  The bipartisan group wants the White House to sanction 49 officials from top judges to the justice secretary.

• The Straits Times ☛ With an eye toward China, Biden to meet Latin leaders on economics, migration

  U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean at the White House on Friday to discuss economic issues and migration as he seeks to bolster ties in the region to counter China and other global competitors.

• The Straits Times ☛ Arrest warrant sought for ex-fiance of South Korean Olympic fencing medalist on fraud charges

  Police have so far confirmed 15 people were swindled out of a combined total of over 1.9 billion won.

• The Straits Times ☛ North Korea confirms embassy closures are to revamp diplomatic efficiency

  North Korea's move could mean the closures of nearly 25% of its missions worldwide.

• The Nation ☛ The Number of Migrants Is Not the Problem—Our Asylum System Is

  The numbers are staggering: More than 60,000 migrants currently reside in New York City shelters, many of which are hotels that have been converted into temporary housing to address the surge, and roughly 30,000 migrant children have enrolled in the city’s public schools this year alone. During the 2023 fiscal year, there were 2.47 million Customs and Border Protection encounters in total—meaning, instances in which migrants either presented themselves at ports of entry to ask for asylum or were caught crossing the border. Last month, the agency logged nearly 270,000 encounters along the southern border. And more people are coming. In Mexican cities just south of the border, thousands are waiting for weeks or months until appointments to petition for asylum materialize on the CBP One app. Others, sick of waiting, take their chances and cross through the river or the desert.

• The Nation ☛ Is Humanitarian Aid Reaching the War Zone?

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s Policy Address: Exorbitant and introspective, it ignores the city’s fiscal reality and global perspective

  Chief Executive John Lee recently delivered his second Policy Address since assuming office in July 2022, detailing numerous initiatives to address both the opportunities and challenges confronting Hong Kong in the post-pandemic era.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Gay Games have no ‘political objectives’, says organiser amid anti-LGBTQ criticism from lawmakers

  Hong Kong’s Gay Games “have not been a political organisation, nor carried any political objectives,” an organiser has said, amid anti-LGBTQ criticism of same-sex marriage from some lawmakers.

• RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Considers Pros, Cons Of Holding Elections In 2024, Says Ukrainian Foreign Minister

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is considering the "pros and cons" of holding presidential elections next spring, his foreign minister said on November 3.

• RFERL ☛ U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Russian For Helping Elites Launder Money

  The United States on November 3 placed sanctions on a Russian national for allegedly helping Russian elites launder and transfer money using virtual currency in contravention of sanctions imposed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

• Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

  • Federal News Network ☛ Ohio is about to vote on abortion rights. Misinformation about the proposal is rampant

    A ballot measure in Ohio that would guarantee access to abortion rights is fueling misleading claims about how the proposal could influence abortion care, gender-related health care and parental consent in the state. The Associated Press spoke to medical and legal experts who explained what the proposed constitutional amendment would mean if it were to pass in November. Among other things, those experts evaluated misleading claims that the amendment is about gender-related care or parental consent, that it would lead to abortions “up to birth,” that it would enable abusers and that it would open the door to infanticide.

Censorship/Free Speech

• Reason ☛ Idaho "No Public Funds for Abortion" Act Doesn't Preclude Pro-Abortion Speech by Professors

  Idaho's Attorney General Raúl Labrador so opines, including a rousing defense of academic freedom, including in scholarship and teaching.

• Reason ☛ Nate Silver's "Free Speech Is in Trouble"

  An excellent article about a recent survey of college students, by a man who knows a thing or two about surveys.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• RFERL ☛ Noted Belarusian Journalist Gets Four Years In Prison Amid Crackdown

  A court in the town of Maladechna near Minsk sentenced noted Belarusian journalist Alyaksandr Mantsevich to four years in prison on a charge of discrediting the country amid an ongoing crackdown on independent media and democratic institutions by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

• Tedium ☛ California Nearly Killed HBO

  The surprisingly true story of how the state that has arguably benefited the most from the pay-TV industry … once voted to ban it. Blame an effective slogan.

  Today in Tedium: Nearly six decades ago, residents of the state of California passed a ballot initiative that was so tough and finalizing that it would have likely shut off most innovation in the television industry for decades. It would have forced us to watch new movies in theaters. It would have made television a far less appealing medium long-term—and it would have harmed the long-term viability of one of the state’s largest job-generators. But just a year later, the state’s supreme court stepped in and prevented the ballot initiative from taking place—effectively stopping all these things from happening. And it was the result of a political campaign led by entrenched stakeholders that nearly did the deed. Today’s Tedium discusses the “Save Free TV” campaign. — Ernie @ Tedium

Civil Rights/Policing

• New Yorker ☛ A Decade of Black Lives Matter

  The mother of Trayvon Martin and others on what Black Lives Matter has achieved in ten years, and what it hasn’t.

• RFERL ☛ Belarus Investigates Latvian Officials Over Death Of Migrants Along Border

  Belarus's Investigative Committee said on November 3 it had launched a probe against unspecified Latvian officials on charges of "crimes against human safety" over the deaths of 12 migrants along the Belarusian-Latvian border.

• LRT ☛ Over dozen Lithuanian nationals detained or imprisoned in Belarus – MFA

  Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry says it has information about more than a dozen Lithuanian citizens detained or serving sentences in Belarus, Delfi.lt reports.

Monopolies

• Silicon Angle ☛ UK antitrust regulator ends e-commerce probes into Amazon and Meta

  The U.K.’s antitrust regulator has closed its probes into the e-commerce practices of Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. after the companies made commitments to address its concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, announced the development today. Third-party merchants  The CMA probe into Amazon’s retail practices began last July.

• Vice Media Group ☛ Gig Work Wages In U.S. Are So Bad They're a Human Rights Issue, U.N. Poverty Expert Says

  A United Nations poverty expert sent letters to Amazon, DoorDash, and Walmart, demanding they address allegations of extremely low wages and misclassifying workers as contractors.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Price of Principled Dissent: Fee-Shifting as a Deterrent to Legitimate Critique of Patent Doctrine

    A few years ago, I published an article along with Homayoon Rafatijo explaining our perspective of how the Federal Circuit has improperly extended the Kessler doctrine in cases like PersonalWeb Tech.  Law school classes teach two types of preclusion: res judicata and collateral estoppel. The Kessler doctrine is an additional patent-specific preclusion doctrine that the Federal Circuit applies against patentees in certain patent monopoly situation.  The basics of the doctrine is that it applies like non-mutual collateral estoppel to bar future litigation of infringement claims. B

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Mirabegron’s food effect sufficiently fixed by new formulation – Astellas v Teva and Sandoz

    A hefty judgment was recently handed down by Mellor J concerning a patent monopoly for a modified release formulation of mirabegron. The patent monopoly was held to be valid and not infringed by Sandoz, while infringement with respect to Teva (which had admitted infringement with an earlier version of its product but sought a declaration of non-infringement...

  • JUVE ☛ Nokia relies on new team in Europe for lawsuits against Amazon Prime [Ed: Nokia relies on a corrupt, illegal 'court' system where Nokia staff became "judges"; it's also the illegal crap that JUVE ws bribed to constantly promote based on lies. This system is rotten. It's not about law but about crime.]

    Nokia announced this week that it has filed lawsuits against Amazon for the unauthorised use of Nokia’s video-related technologies in their services and devices. The Nokia patents concern technologies over video compression, content delivery, content recommendation and aspects relating to hardware. >

• Trademarks

  • Reason ☛ Chief Justice Roberts' Remarks About Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart

    Stewart argued Vidal v. Elster, the "Trump Too Small" trademark registration case Wednesday; but after his rebuttal, Chief Justice Roberts added: Thank you, Mr. Stewart.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Exclusive: Why Did Fashion Company Apple Music Really Kill Its Voice Plan? New Data Raises Interesting Questions

    Yesterday, Fashion Company Apple Music discontinued its $4.99-per-month voice-only plan. Now, amid a well-documented major-label push for heightened streaming-subscription pricing, new data is raising questions about the precise reasons behind the Voice Plan shutdown.

Politics and World Events

• 3 Day Weekend

  Friday was Culture Day, a national holiday and thus we have ourselves another 3 day weekend. I was very disappointed with the weather yesterday: 25c / 77f, like summer again. In fact on the news they talked about hot it was, and showed high temperatures all around the country, along with shots of people in t-shirts and women using umbrellas for shade and so on.

Technology and Free Software

• Programming

  • Old Floats

    Floating point support is taken for granted in these days of abundance. In the olden times one might instead have to make do with scaled integers, or a (buggy?) co-processor that did the floating point on the side. Obscure languages still implement floating point support with a separate stack, such as retroforth. In this language, floating point values need a "." prefix to tell them apart from other words, and the "f:" prefix is used for operations on the floating point stack. The leading sigils make for an easier parse: dot?—shunt it off to the "parse a floating point value" code.