Leftovers

• New Yorker ☛ Can Slowness Save Us?

  A growing body of literature champions the idea that rest is revolutionary. Is slowing down the answer to what ails us, or just the latest trend we’re being sold?

• Science

  • Bjoern Brembs ☛ The speed (or lack thereof) of science

    It was my freshman year, 1991. I was enthusiastic to finally be learning about biology, after being forced to waste a year in the German army’s compulsory service at the time.

  • Science Alert ☛ Most Powerful Fast Radio Burst Ever Detected Traced to Surprise Location

    Not what we expected.

  • France24 ☛ Archeologists uncover ‘lost valley of cities’ built 2,500 years ago in Ecuador

    Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.

  • NYPost ☛ Cluster of lost cities in Ecuadorian Amazon that lasted 1,000 years uncovered

    Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Tiny Texture on Rock Is The Earliest Known Fossil of Skin. It's 290 Million Years Old.

    21 million years older than any before!

• Education

  • Federal News Network ☛ White House recognition for a long-serving supporter of STEM education

    Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education (STEM), is a critical need for the United States, especially since math skills of American students keep dropping. The National Science Foundation has been funding research into STEM education.

  • Latvia ☛ Environment science center 'Botania' opens in Salaspils, Latvia

    The largest environmental education center in the Baltics has been opened in Salaspils. In the new center "Botania", seemingly dry science turns into an exciting journey into the plant kingdom, Latvian Television reported January 10.

• Hardware

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Jan Beta is my YouTube channel of the year

    I mention a lot of independent bloggers and videographers here, but in the paraphrased words of Highlander, there can be only one… favourite for 2023.

    It was a close race, yet picking the winner took almost no time. My favourite YouTube channel for 2023 goes to Jan Beta 📺, everyone’s favourite German retrocomputator, restorer, and computer historian.

    I’ll start by saying Jan’s enthusiasm and warm smile never cease to put one on mine. I’ll admit to having put one of his long-form repair videos (again!) just for a comforting voice while I do some of the more rote tasks of my job. The downside to this is I’m often distracted by the far more interesting things he’s doing, and have to tear myself away.

  • Zimbabwe ☛ This is why Itels and budget phones slow down quicker than flagships like the iPhone or S23

    We talked about software degradation and why your devices slow down over time. You can find out more about that here. The gist of it is software quality deteriorates over time because of stuff like code complexity. Changes such as new hardware, operating systems, or libraries, can break compatibility and cause problems. >

  • CNX Software ☛ Reolink Argus PT Ultra review – A solar powered 4K WiFi Pan-and-Tilt smart security camera

    Nearly four years ago, I reviewed the solar-powered Reolink Argus PT pan-and-tilt security camera. The device worked (and still works) mostly fine, but it was at a time when security cameras did not implement Hey Hi (AI) features like people and vehicle detection just yet relying only on PIR motion sensors so I’d get plenty of false positives.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ Better data, analysis gives SBA new optimism to recoup smaller COVID loans

    SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman told House and Senate small business committee lawmakers recently the agency would reverse course and do more to force borrowers of under $100,000 to pay back COVID loans.

  • The Straits Times ☛ WHO sees 'incredibly low' COVID, flu vaccination rates as cases surge [Ed: Maybe work towards a vaccine that both works (high efficacy), is reasonably safe, well tested, and not patented?]

    Low vaccination rates against the latest versions of COVID-19 and influenza are putting pressure on healthcare systems this winter, leading public health officials told Reuters.    In the United States, several European countries, and other parts of the world, there have been reports of rising hospitalizations linked to respiratory infections in recent weeks. Death rates have also ticked up among older adults in some regions, but far below the COVID pandemic peak.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea poised to admit first known tourists since 2020

    It imposed some of the strictest border controls in the world during the spread of Covid-19.

  • New Yorker ☛ Kate Zambreno Collects Herself

    The autofictionist has made the drama of finding and losing the self central to her work. Raising two children during the pandemic prompted a change in focus.

  • Science Alert ☛ Just One Drug Could Treat America's Top Two Killer Diseases

    A single nano-therapy?

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discover Genetic Mutation That Seems to Protect Against Parkinson's

    Cuts risk by half.

  • YLE ☛ Health ministry task force suggests Finland reduce number of central hospitals

    If implemented, the proposal would signify a significant reduction in patients' access to emergency care and specialised healthcare services in several cities around the country.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pakistan seizes poisonous solvent used in cough syrup

    Toxic propylene glycol used in cough syrups has been identified as a possible reason for over 300 children's deaths.

  • Science Alert ☛ Runner's High: Experiment Reveals How Cannabis Actually Affects Exercise

    We had this one wrong!

  • New York Times ☛ Researchers Scramble to Keep Dog Aging Project Alive

    The National Institute on Aging may let funding lapse for a yearslong study of nearly 50,000 pet dogs, which could also offer insight into human health.

  • Michigan Medicine brings Recharge Rooms to employees

    Michigan Medicine recently became the first health care system in the Midwest to bring Recharge Rooms to its employees.

  • WhichUK ☛ Are home health test kits worth it?

    Quick self-test kits and checks promise to give you answers, but they might just leave you out of pocket instead

  • Science Alert ☛ Activating One Specific Brain Cell Extended Lifespan in Mice by 70 Days

    Could this be the key to healthy aging?

  • Latvia ☛ Smoking age limit to be raised to 20 as of 2025

    From January 1, 2025, cigarettes and tobacco products, herbal products, electronic smoking devices, and refill containers will no longer be allowed to be purchased by persons under 20 years of age, according to the relevant amendments to the law approved by the Saeima on Thursday, January 11.

  • Latvia ☛ Flu epidemic begins in Latvia

    The incidence of influenza in Latvia continues to increase, reaching the epidemic threshold level. Therefore, from Friday January 12, the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) is declaring an epidemic of influenza in Latvia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam’s top leader Nguyen Phu Trong misses meetings amid health concerns

    He has not been seen in public since Dec 26.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Amazon Layoffs Will Impact Audible Division Too, Leaked Email Reveals

    Amazon is looking to downsize various divisions, with Prime Video & Twitch layoffs announced yesterday. Now a leaked email reveals the Audible division is impacted, too. No word yet if this extends to Amazon Music or not.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ £75m a year is lost to investment fraud on social control media [Ed: And social control media is a massive liability]

      Reports of scams on sites such as Instagram and Facebook (Farcebook) have soared

    • MWL ☛ 29: I Find Your Lack of DMARC Disturbing

      This book is going to get me hate mail from DMARC advocates, but otherwise I would get hate mail from users. Users win. If you don’t publish DMARC records, spam detection systems evaluating your messages will say, “I find your lack of DMARC disturbing.”

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Security Week ☛ Microsoft Lets Cloud Users Keep Personal Data Within Europe to Ease Privacy Fears [Ed: Complete nonsense and a lie; the US requires them to give access]

      Microsoft said that it is upgrading its clown computing service to let customers store all personal data within the European Union.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Pharmacies Giving Patient Records to Police without Warrants

      Add pharmacies to the list of industries that are giving private data to the police without a warrant.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Chilean government partners with Surveillance Giant Google to launch Asia-Pacific fiber optic link

      
      

      The Chilean government announced a partnership with Alphabet's Surveillance Giant Google on Wednesday to build the first undersea fiber-optic cable between South America and Asia Pacific.

    • Vice Media Group ☛ Israel Defends Itself Against Hague Genocide Allegations with Surveillance Giant Google Ads

      Searching for information on the International Court of Justice hearings yielded an Israel-sponsored ad calling the ongoing genocide hearing against it “meaningless.”

    • NYPost ☛ Canadian police warn that posting videos of alleged package thieves could be ‘violation’ of their privacy

      "You cannot post the images yourself because you have to remember, in Canada, we have a presumption of innocence," the police officer warned

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Myanmar rebel alliance agrees ceasefire with ruling military: Rebel group TNLA

    The talks involved an envoy from neighbouring China, the rebel group said.

  • RFA ☛ Kokang handover of towns to Wa rebels seen as boon to Myanmar resistance

    Observers say the move promotes unity among ethnic armies and undermines junta power.

  • The Strategist ☛ Decoding intelligence agencies’ recruitment processes

    The 2024 independent intelligence review’s terms of reference affirm that recruitment is a challenge for Australia’s national intelligence agencies.

  • RFA ☛ Laos concerned over scam ring influx amid China’s Myanmar crackdown

    Fears rise over Myanmar-based scam groups relocating to Laos during crackdown, says source.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ China’s bid for a new Middle East meets reality

    The October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel has put China’s story about it setting off a “wave of reconciliation” in the Middle East to the test.

  • The Strategist ☛ What killed US–China engagement?

    When Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping met with US President Joe Biden last November, some interpreted it as a return to engagement.

  • YLE ☛ Exceptional number of espionage cases reported to Finnish police

    Between 2006 and 2021, only one case of suspected espionage was reported to police, but there have been four more in the last two years alone.

  • New York Times ☛ Trump’s New York Fraud Trial Draws to an End With Closing Arguments

    The former president unexpectedly spoke in his own defense, directly attacking New York’s attorney general and the judge overseeing the case.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea court overturns conviction against contractor on Taiwan submarines

    A South Korean appeals court has thrown out the conviction of a local company charged with violating trade laws for its work on Taiwan's new military submarine program, a ruling reviewed by Reuters showed.

  • JURIST ☛ UN Security Council adopts resolution urging immediate halt to Yemen Houthi attacks in Red Sea

    The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2722 on Thursday, condemning attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and demanding “an immediate halt on all attacks on merchants and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.”

  • New York Times ☛ Read Biden’s Full Statement on the Strikes in Yemen

    The president directed U.S. military forces to strike a number of targets used by the Houthi militia after attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia says it provided personnel support for US, UK strikes in Yemen

    >

    Australia provided personnel support to the U.S. and UK in their strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Friday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ UK says Houthi strikes were self defence, no more missions planned immediately

    U.S. and British strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen were a limited act of self defence and London does not immediately plan any further missions, its junior defence minister said on Friday.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Experts react: What to know about US and UK strikes on the Houthis in Yemen

    Atlantic Council experts share their insights about the strikes and about what to expect next—including how Iran might respond.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The lessons Washington needs to learn from the strike on the Houthis

    The US can no longer afford to underestimate the threat posed by the Houthis, much less the threat posed by the wider network that supports Iranian malign behavior.

  • NYPost ☛ Democrats fume after Biden orders Yemen airstrikes without congressional approval: ‘Unacceptable violation of the Constitution’

    Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the US- and UK-led bombing campaign “an unacceptable violation of the Constitution.”

  • NYPost ☛ Protesters hold ‘emergency’ rally in Times Square denouncing US strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen

    Nearly 200 demonstrators marched and shouted their way through Times Square Thursday night in a last-minute "emergency rally" called to condemn the US bombing of Houthi-linked sites in Yemen.

  • RFERL ☛ U.S., U.K. Launch Strikes Against Iran-Backed Huthi Rebels In Response To Red Sea Attacks

    U.S. and British forces have carried out sea and air strikes on Huthi rebel military targets in Yemen in response to their attacks on U.S. and international vessels and commercial ships in the Red Sea, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said

  • France24 ☛ US and UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen after weeks of Red Sea attacks

    President Joe Biden said Thursday that US and British forces had launched air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in "defensive action" after attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Will US-UK strikes against the Houthis halt their Red Sea aggression?

    Our experts break down the US-UK strikes in Yemen and the prospects for a wider regional war.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Missiles Strike Houthi Targets in Yemen After Red Sea Attacks

    The American-led strikes came in response to more than two dozen Houthi drone and missile attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war began.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 2.4-magnitude earthquake strikes near North Korean nuclear test site: Yonhap

    Quake detected 41km north-west of Kilju, home to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • European Commission ☛ Commission approves €126 million Romanian State aid scheme to support ports facing increased trade flows due to Russia's war against Ukraine

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 11 Jan 2024 The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €126 million Romanian scheme to support investments in ports facing increased trade flows after Russia's war against Ukraine.

    • Latvia ☛ Rinkēvičs: Latvia will support Ukraine until victory

      Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rīga on Thursday, January 11. In a press conference after the meeting Rinkēvičs said Latvia would support Ukraine until it reaches absolute victory.

    • Latvia ☛ VIDEO: Ukrainian President visits Latvia

      President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on a visit in Rīga on Thursday, January 11, after visiting the other Baltic states the day before.

    • Latvia ☛ VIDEO: President Zelenskyy arrives at Rīga Castle

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Latvia on Thursday, January 11, another key stop on his tour of the Baltic states.

    • Latvia ☛ VIDEO: Ukrainian President arrives at Rīga Airport

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Latvia on Thursday, January 11, another key stop on his tour of the Baltic states.

    • Latvia ☛ LTV releases Latvian culture videos for Ukrainians

      Latvian Television (LTV) has created thirty video stories about the Latvian Cultural Canon to introduce Ukrainians living in Latvia to Latvia's diverse values, covering various cultural sectors.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Arsenal of Autocracy: North Korea and Iran are arming Russia in Ukraine

      Together with Iran and North Korea, Russia has succeeded in establishing an Arsenal of Autocrats that now threatens to plunge the world into a new era of war and insecurity, writes Olivia Yanchik.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ EU aspirations and Russian realities: Georgia at the geopolitical crossroads

      2024 is shaping up to be a crucial year for Georgia’s EU aspirations. This could have implications for the wider region, while also challenging Russia’s own imperial ambitions in Georgia and beyond, writes Zviad Adzinbaia.

    • France24 ☛ 'Afraid for our children': Residents of Russia's Belgorod evacuate as Ukrainian strikes intensify

      Russian authorities began to evacuate the residents of Belgorod, Russia, on January 5, after Ukrainian air strikes on the border town intensified. The evacuation of hundreds of Belgorod residents is a first in the war that began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – Russia has not previously carried out such a large evacuation on its territory. Natalia, a resident of Belgorod, told our team that she sent her children to the outskirts of the town in a bid to keep them safe.

    • JURIST ☛ Ukraine draft mobilization rules returned to government for revisions

      A Ukrainian draft law tightening the rules of mobilization, military registration and military service in Ukraine has been returned to the government for revision, head of the parliamentary faction David Arakhamia said on Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ ‘Life’, ‘symbol’, ‘inspiration’: Lithuanians moved by Zelensky’s speech in Vilnius

      Addressing the people of Lithuania in Vilnius on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged them not to lose hope of victory, even as the large-scale Russian invasion is set to enter its third year.

    • RFERL ☛ U.K. PM Sunak Arrives In Kyiv With Pledge Of Increased Military Aid

      British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will increase military funding for Ukraine in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion) and visit Kyiv on January 12, his office said.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Imposes Sanctions Over Transfer Of North Korean Ballistic Missiles To Russia

      The U.S. State Department on January 11 imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual involved in the transfer and testing of North Korea's ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Deputies Withdraw Draft Mobilization Bill, But Defense Minister Says New Version Already Prepared

      A draft bill on tightening Ukraine’s mobilization rules has been withdrawn from parliament, but a new version is ready for the government to review, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on January 11.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. 'Disappointed' By Hungary's Policy On Ukraine, Urges Ratification Of Sweden's NATO Bid

      The United States is "disappointed" by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Ukraine policy and looks forward to Budapest fulfilling its promise not to be the last to ratify Sweden's NATO accession, a senior U.S. State Department official said on January 11.

    • RFERL ☛ Cancer-Stricken Anti-War Activist Transferred To Russian Prison Infirmary

      Cancer-stricken Russian anti-war activist Igor Baryshnikov, who was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on a charge of spreading "false" information about Russia's armed forces involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine, has been transferred to a prison infirmary.

    • RFERL ☛ Subway Fast Food Chain Added To Ukraine's 'Sponsors Of War' List

      Ukraine’s National Agency of Corruption Prevention (NAZK) has added the sandwich chain Subway to its list of "international sponsors of war."

    • teleSUR ☛ U.S. Suspends Military Aid to Ukraine

      "We have issued the last package that we had withdrawn and for which we had funding," John Kirby said.

    • The Straits Times ☛ US imposes sanctions over transfer of North Korean ballistic missiles to Russia

      The U.S. State Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Russian entities and one individual involved in the transfer and testing of North Korea's ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

    • YLE ☛ Friday’s papers: Zelensky warns Finland, shrinking Russia, and who wants European meat?

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is starting to talk about Finland.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine’s other resistance – against despair

      Nearly two years into a stalemated war, Ukrainians take a cue from their president and clergy on biblical ways to sustain themselves.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine Was Poorly Tracked, Pentagon Report Says

      The report found that American officials and diplomats had failed to quickly or fully account for all of the nearly 40,000 weapons sent to the front.

    • New York Times ☛ U.K. to Pledge $3 Billion More in Military Aid to Ukraine

      The British package is part of an effort to offer reassurance to Kyiv amid concerns about a potential shortfall in Western support.

    • Latvia ☛ Under 40% of Russian citizens passed Latvian language test on first try

      Younger Russian citizens taking the official Latvian language test last year have had more success, but under 40% of all Russian citizens taking the test passed it with the first try, according to information compiled by the State Center for Education Content (VISC) January 12.

    • Off Guardian ☛ Moscow 2030: Creating a biometric paradise

      As most of you probably know, Russia’s capital city has been fighting a covert shadow war against Unipolar jaywalking, which is one of the top three threats facing BRICS and the Global South. Probably you read about it on ZeroHedge.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s growing dark fleet: Risks for the global maritime order

      Russia's dark fleet poses a significant threat to maritime security, forming the basis of Moscow's grayzone aggression against Western institutions.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ False promises: The authoritarian development models of China and Russia

      Are authoritarian regimes more successful than free countries in offering prosperity to their people? The answer is decidedly no, yet China and Russia advertise the “benefits” and “promise” of their authoritarian development model.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Sandworm probably wasn’t behind Danish critical infrastructure cyberattack, report says

      A hacking campaign thought to be attributed to the infamous Russian hacking group may have been the work of a different hacking group, Forescout researchers said in a new report.

    • JURIST ☛ Finland to extend Russia border closing until February 11

      The Interior Minister of Finland Mari Rantanen announced in a press briefing on Thursday that Finland has decided to prolong the closure of its border crossing points with Russia until February 11, beyond the initially scheduled end date of January 15.

    • LRT ☛ Air defence rotation in NATO’s east ‘appropriate response’ to Russia – Lithuanian FM

      NATO’s rotational air defence presence in the Black and Baltic Sea regions would be an appropriate response to the Russian threat, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said as he hosted his Romanian counterpart Luminița Odobescu in Vilnius.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Man Gets Prison Term For Posting Photo Of St. George's Ribbon Tied To Male Genitals

      A Russian court on January 11 sentenced a man to 18 months in prison for posting a photo online of male genitals with a St. George's ribbon tied to them in May 2023.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian justice minister warns against ‘populism’ in Russian schools debate

      Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska says that politicians should avoid populism in discussing ethnic minority education, amid proposals to scrap Russian-language education in Lithuania.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Designates Current Time As Extremist

      Belarus has declared Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, as "extremist," the country's Information Ministry said in a statement published on its website on January 11.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Supreme Court Rejects Two Navalny Lawsuits Against Justice Ministry

      Russia's Supreme Court on November 11 rejected two lawsuits filed by imprisoned opposition politician Aleksei Navalny against the Justice Ministry over two of its internal regulations guiding correctional institutions.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Bans RFE/RL Reporter, Other Moldovan Journalists, Officials Over Chisinau's 'Unfriendly Acts' Toward Moscow

      Seven Moldovan journalists, including RFE/RL reporter Denis Dermenji, and five senior officials have been banned from entering Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on January 11, a day after it summoned Moldova's ambassador and handed him a note of protest over Chisinau's "unfriendly acts."

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Adds Half Brother Of Self-Exiled Bashkir Activist To 'Terrorist' List

      Russia's financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, on January 10 added Rustam Fararitdinov, the half-brother of self-exiled Kremlin critic Ruslan Gabbasov, to its list of "terrorists."

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia requests UN Security Council meeting after U.S. and Britain strike Yemen

      Russia said it had requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss military strikes on Yemen by the United States and Britain.

    • YLE ☛ Finland to keep Russian border shut until mid-February

      Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns) said the closure was extended because the situation at the Finnish-Russian border has not changed since it was shut in December.

    • New York Times ☛ Finland Extends Closure of Border With Russia

      Late last year, Finland accused Moscow of facilitating an influx of migrants and shut its land border crossings with Russia.

    • JURIST ☛ Belarus refuses to invite OSCE observers to its upcoming election

      Belarus’s permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Andrei Dapkiunas announced on Monday that Belarus would refrain from inviting observers from the OSCE to monitor the country’s upcoming parliamentary election.

    • Latvia ☛ Saeima approves takeover of 'Moscow House' in Rīga

      The Latvian state will take over the building of the so-called Moscow House in Rīga, Marijas Street 7, as stipulated by the relevant law adopted in the parliament's final reading on January 11. The future of the building could become clearer in a couple of months.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia's Putin says he will visit disputed Kuril islands

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he will definitely one day visit the Southern Kuril Islands which are at the centre of a dispute with Japan that has lasted since World War Two.

    • teleSUR ☛ Russia Sees No Prospects for Resuming Grain Deal

      President Putin said that the conditions of the Grain Initiative with his country were not met.

    • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ Russia Blacklisted a Prominent University. Its Russian Students and Staff Now Risk Arrest.

      They say the the liberal-arts institution, which has a reputation for standing up to authoritarian governments, has done little to support them.

• Environment

  • Science Alert ☛ Major Cities on The US East Coast Are Sinking Faster, Scientists Warn

    "It affects you and I and everyone."

  • The Straits Times ☛ China names Liu Zhenmin as its new special envoy for climate change

    Former vice-foreign minister Liu Zhenmin will succeed Mr Xie Zhenhua as special envoy for climate change.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China media warns against taking China's Indian Ocean research as threats

    Chinese state media warned on Friday that a report by a prominent U.S. think tank on the military uses of Chinese scientific research across the Indian Ocean gave "ammunition" to countries bent on concocting threats from China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China pledges to set up annual greenhouse gas inventory

    China has not previously published annual updates about how much greenhouse gas it produces.

  • RFA ☛ China helps world achieve record renewable energy growth

    Southeast Asia has potential but needs an ambitious target, International Energy Agency says.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Unveil Radical Plan to Drill Into a Volcano For Near-Unlimited Energy

      "There are endless opportunities."

    • YLE ☛ Electricity consumption in Finland down 2% year-on-year

      The decrease was driven in particular by industrial use of energy, which fell by six percent compared to 2022.

    • YLE ☛ Month-long OL3 maintenance prompts fears of energy price hike

      The Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor will undergo its first annual maintenance in March, but one energy expert told Yle that the Finnish market plans well in advance for such circumstances.

    • IT Wire ☛ Global EV sales in 2024 expected to hit 17.5 million units [Ed: That is just a drop in the ocean]

      Global sales of electric vehicles have been predicted to hit 17.5 million units this year, meaning growth of 27.1% year-on-year, with the technology analyst firm Canalys adding that in 2023, sales grew by 29% and reached 13.7 million units.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • James G ☛ BioCLIP: A vision model for the Tree of Life [Ed: Polluted by Microsoft to infiltrate universities]

      Last year, I learned about BioCLIP, a vision model for the Tree of Life. Using BioCLIP, you can provide a list of categories and an image. BioCLIP will then tell you how related each category is to the image. BioCLIP is able to classify plants, animals, and fungi.

• Finance

  • Breach Media ☛ Renters have a right to ask for “cash for keys”

    CBC claims that landlords are the victims of the housing crisis, but as housing advocate Geordie Dent argues, tenants are the actual ones bearing the financial brunt

  • Reason ☛ DeSantis, Haley Highlight the Republican Party's Deeply Unserious Approach to Social Security

    A decade ago, DeSantis was supporting real efforts at reforming Social Security. Now, he's refusing to even acknowledge the problem.

  • Latvia ☛ December's annual inflation at 0.6% in Latvia

    The latest data published on January 11 by the Central Statistical Bureau show that in December 2023, compared to December 2022, the average level of consumer prices increased by 0.6%.

  • The Straits Times ☛ IMF board approves $931m loan as part of Pakistan bailout

    Ahead of the bailout, Pakistan had to undertake a slew of measures demanded by the IMF.

  • RFERL ☛ Pakistan Says IMF Executive Board Approved Release Of $700 Million From Bailout Fund

    The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 11 approved the release of $700 million of a $3 billion bailout for cash-strapped Pakistan, the Pakistani Finance Ministry said.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • YLE ☛ Jussi Halla-aho: From immigration rabble-rouser to Speaker of Parliament

    Finns Party presidential candidate Jussi Halla-aho has long been an outspoken critic of Putin's Russia — and of Finland's immigration policies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Dubai Move’ plot to topple Malaysia PM Anwar is unlikely, but perception of instability remains

    A drastic shift in support is unlikely, given that PM Anwar has the backing of 152 members of the 222-strong Parliament.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Election: Why It Matters, and What It Could Mean for U.S. and China

    The vote for a new president could reshape the complicated, risky balance between Taiwan, China and the United States.

  • RFA ☛ US, S Korea vow to cooperate on Taiwan as election nears

    Both stressed that their partnership is to promote ‘peace, security, and prosperity around the world.’

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan KMT election hopefuls say Hong Kong’s One Country, Two Systems ‘a failure,’ warn island on ‘brink of war’

    Taiwan will not accept a Hong Kong-style governance model as proposed by Beijing, the vice-presidential candidate for the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party has said, calling One Country, Two Systems “a failure” two days ahead of the self-ruled island’s pivotal election.

  • JURIST ☛ US House committee to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas over US-Mexico border management

    The US House Homeland Security Committee held its first impeachment hearing on Wednesday into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Ever wonder why its the deputies in government who do the actual work? Ask Elizabeth Capello

    In a long federal career, Elizabeth Cappello has typified people who get things done. A former Marine, she worked at the old U.S. Customs Service, later at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Now, she's the deputy chief information officer for the Homeland Security Department. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked to her about her storied career, that just had an exclamation point attached to the end of it with a Presidential Rank Award.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Insight into the weird situation of the hospitalized Defense Secretary

    Washington, and much of the nation, has been scratching its collective head over the case of Lloyd Austin. The Secretary of Defense was hospitalized with major surgery followed by complications. Yet the White House didn't know for nearly a week. For what might have been going on and what should have, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Ezra Cohen, a Hudson Institute adjunct faculty member and former Defense Department and National Security Council official.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US Secretary of State Blinken to meet senior Chinese official ahead of Taiwan elections

    Washington has warned China not to interfere in the Taiwan's elections.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China calls Taiwan presidential frontrunner a ‘severe danger’ ahead of elections

    By Dene Chen China warned Taiwan’s voters Thursday to make the correct choice in the island’s weekend elections, describing the presidential frontrunner as a “severe danger” who would threaten peace by following the “evil path” of independence.

  • France24 ☛ Special programme: Taiwan's artists step out of China's shadow (part 1)

    A small island with a complex history, Taiwan's rich culture is shaped by its many Indigenous groups, a period of Japanese rule, and of course its neighbour, China – its closest and most complicated relationship. In this first part of a special programme ahead of crucial presidential elections on January 13, we travel to Taiwan to explore how growing geopolitical tension with China is impacting Taiwanese artists.

  • France24 ☛ Taiwan political parties to rally on eve of pivotal presidential vote

    Tens of thousands of supporters of Taiwan's three political parties will rally Friday as candidates make a last push for votes in an election that China has warned could take the island closer to war.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China tells US not to intervene in Taiwan elections as Washington plans post-poll delegation to island

    China on Thursday called on the US to “refrain from intervening” in self-ruled Taiwan’s elections, slamming official visits between the island and the US after Washington said it would send a delegation there following this week’s polls.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan election 2024: Ko Wen-je says he is only candidate ‘acceptable’ to both China and US

    Taiwan presidential election hopeful Ko Wen-je, who is striving to break the self-ruled island’s two-party dominance, has described himself as the only candidate “acceptable” to both China and the US. Ko’s remarks came a day ahead of the election on Saturday, when Taiwan’s next leader and legislature will be decided.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan expects China to apply pressure on incoming government after election

    Taiwan's government believes China is likely to attempt to put pressure on its incoming president after the island goes to the polls on Saturday, including staging military manoeuvres near the island this spring, two senior government officials said.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Party, Reviled by China, Faces Test of its Staying Power

    The Democratic Progressive Party has transformed Taiwan into a bastion against Chinese power. Now it is promising a mix of change and continuity.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China is open to contacts and dialogue with Canada: China's foreign minister

    China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, in a telephone conversation with his Canadian counterpart said the current difficult situation in relations between the two countries is not what China wants to see.

  • RFA ☛ One road, different directions

  • RFA ☛ Taiwan election: Balancing economic hopes and China relations

    Keeping the status quo is seen as safest option, regardless of Saturday’s election outcome, experts say.

  • JURIST ☛ Poland right-wing party calls for protests against ruling party

    The Law and Justice, a right-wing party in Poland, called upon its supporters to participate in a Thursday protest in defense of freedom of speech, media and democracy against the Civic Coalition, which is the current ruling political alliance in Poland.

  • New York Times ☛ Here’s Why Taiwan’s Elections Have Me Worried About the Future

    I will go to the polls on Saturday worried about our future and whether we can preserve and maintain what we’ve achieved.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Digital Music News ☛ ByteDance Is Shutting Down Resso in India Amid Regulatory Scrutiny — No Plans to Replace With Fentanylware (TikTok) Music

      TikTok parent ByteDance is shutting down its Resso streaming service in India and doesn’t plan to bring Fentanylware (TikTok) Music to the nation of about 1.4 billion. Word of Resso’s India shutdown just recently entered the media spotlight in a report from Mumbai-based Moneycontrol.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Could Fentanylware (TikTok) hoaxes tip upcoming South Asian elections?

      Social media feeds in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan have been flooded with AI-generated fabrications ahead of elections this year. Experts say there aren’t enough safeguards in place to keep voters from getting misled.

    • New York Times ☛ Purina Rebuts Fentanylware (TikTok) Rumors About Pet Food Safety

      As reports of dog illnesses linked to Purina’s Pro Plan food caused a stir on Fentanylware (TikTok) in recent weeks, a Purina spokeswoman said that the rumors “are not true and that our food is safe to feed.”

    • Vice Media Group ☛ TikTok Real Estate Influencers and ‘Grifters’ Are in Deep Trouble, Short Seller Says [Ed: TikTok a source of harm]

      Financial firm Viceroy Research says amateur real estate hustlers are now struggling to pay back the loans they took out to buy apartment buildings during the housing boom.

    • New York Times ☛ ‘Cooking With Lynja’ Fentanylware (TikTok) Star Dies at 67 [Ed: Harmful platform promoted in FOMO-style marketing in Wall Street Times]

      Older than most social control media stars, she attracted a large following with her Cooking With Lynja videos, which were both wholesome and zany.

    • Security Week ☛ [Computer-generated] Misinformation is the World’s Biggest Short-Term Threat, Davos Report Says

      False and misleading information supercharged with cutting-edge Hey Hi (AI) that threatens to erode democracy and polarize society, the World Economic Forum said in a new report.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong police question relatives of wanted overseas activists

    Simon Cheng's family is hauled in and asked if they have sent him any money, a rights group says.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong footballer jailed for 2 years and 4 months over riot near PolyU during 2019 protests

    A Hong Kong court has jailed a footballer for two years and four months over a riot near a university under police siege during the 2019 protests and unrest.

  • YLE ☛ UMK finalist Jesse Markin vows not to represent Finland at Eurovision if Israel participates

    Yle, which organises the Eurovision song contest qualifier, is waiting for the EBU to state its position on the matter.

  • Reason ☛ Antisemitism Lawsuit Filed against Harvard University, Includes Allegations re Harvard Law School

    The complaint contains detailed allegations of hostile environment, breach of contract, and disparate treatment.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police take mother of wanted US-based activist Frances Hui away for questioning

    Hong Kong national security police took away the mother of wanted US-based activist Frances Hui for questioning a week after they issued an arrest warrant and offered a HK$1 million bounty for her daughter’s arrest, two international news outlets have reported.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s own security law Article 23 to be discussed in Legislative Council this year

    Hong Kong lawmakers will discuss the city’s own national security law in the legislature this year, according to an annual agenda submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo).

  • New York Times ☛ Students Sue Harvard, Calling It a ‘Bastion’ of Antisemitism

    A group of students, citing a litany of instances on campus they claimed were antisemitic, said that Harvard professors had long promulgated antisemitism in their courses, among other claims.

  • JURIST ☛ US appeals court finds Florida Governor DeSantis violated First Amendment in firing local prosecutor

    The US Appeals Court for the Eleventh Circuit found on Wednesday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis violated a local prosecutor’s First Amendment rights under the US Constitution when he suspended the prosecutor for refusing to enforce state laws surrounding access to reproductive health.

  • RFA ☛ Chinese controls 'more efficient' as country marks 30 years online

    Early hopes that widespread public internet access would make censorship harder are dashed with the advent of AI.

  • Reason ☛ Pro-Palestinian Speech Is Still Free Speech

    Republicans should remember that they have spent years railing against censorship on college campuses.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK Prime Minister says Jimmy Lai trial ‘politically motivated’; Hong Kong gov’t slams ‘interference’

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the national security trial of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai as politically motivated and intended to silence the man he called a “champion of free speech.” “Jimmy Lai’s prosecution is politically motivated.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Ars Technica ☛ eBay hit with $3M fine, admits to “terrorizing innocent people”

    eBay has agreed to pay $3 million—the maximum criminal penalty possible—after employees harassed, intimidated, and stalked a Massachusetts couple in retaliation for their critical reporting of the online marketplace in 2019.

  • CNN ☛ Apple knew AirDrop users could be identified and tracked as early as 2019, researchers say | CNN Business

    Security researchers warned Apple as early as 2019 about vulnerabilities in its AirDrop wireless sharing function that Chinese authorities claim they recently used to track down users of the feature, the researchers told CNN, in a case that experts say has sweeping implications for global privacy.

  • BIA Net ☛ 71-year-old ill prisoner put in confinement after angiography

    Grappling with several health issues, Yıldırım had received a report that solitary confinement was unsuitable for his health.

  • New York Times ☛ What Happens When There Is No Food: Experts Say Severe Malnutrition Could Set in Swiftly in Gaza

    Nutrition experts say the progression from hunger to severe malnutrition can be rapid, especially in children.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel and Hamas Are in Talks to Deliver Medicine to Hostages in Gaza

    More than 120 hostages are believed to still be held in Gaza and many suffer from health conditions that require regular medical care.

  • RFA ☛ ‘Double standards’ on rights is doing damage, report says

    Diplomacy that sacrifices human rights in the short-term is contributing to instability, Human Rights Watch says

  • Reason ☛ What Is the Connection Between Juries and Damages?

    A fascinating set of arguments from Justice Samuel Selden of the New York Supreme Court in 1851: Nature has made some laws, and these it is difficult to repeal.

  • RFERL ☛ Kyrgyz Authorities Detain For Questioning Dozens Of Alleged Associates Of Self-Exiled Journalist, Businessman

    The Kyrgyz State Committee of National Security (UKMK) said on January 11 that its officers detained for questioning dozens of individuals across the country suspected of having links with self-exiled journalist Tilekmat Kudaibergen-uulu (aka Kurenov) and businessman Imamidin Tashov.

  • RFERL ☛ Workers Of Another Oil Company In Western Kazakhstan Go On Strike

    Hundreds of workers at the Velikaya Stena (Great Wall) oil company, owned by a Chinese investor in Kazakhstan's Manghystau region, are striking for a pay increase, improved working conditions, and the cancellation of planned layoffs.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ How to be a better network service provider peer

    Guest Post: How, and which tools to use, to be a better peer.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ USPTO Guidelines: Amgen is a Nothingburger

    The USPTO has published new examination guidelines regarding the enablement requirement for utility patent monopoly applications in light of the Supreme Court’s May 2023 decision in Amgen v. Sanofi, 143 S. Ct. 1243 (2023).  As I explain below, the primary takeaway from the published examination guidelines is that the PTO will continue business as usual — i.e., Amgen did not significantly change the law.  Still, there are, some key points to consider. Notably, the guidelines: (1) provide a reminder that enablement applies to all technology areas, not just biotech; and (2) suggests that the office may increase its assertion of the enablement doctrine against functionally defined claim limitations that are potentially directed to a large number of embodiments.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Fractus LTE antenna patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On January 10, 2024, three months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 11,349,200, owned and asserted by Fractus S.A., an NPE. The ‘200 patent monopoly generally relates to a wireless device that includes an antenna system that has a level of complexity above a certain threshold. The patent monopoly has been asserted against ADT and Vivint.

  • JUVE ☛ Sonnenberg Harrison and Staudt IP merger boosts firm’s presence in Germany [Ed: Spam or marketing disguised as "news", i.e. the usual from JUVE, which even lobbies for crimes and lies for firms provided they pay for that]

    Sonnenberg Harrison merged with Staudt IP at the beginning of 2024. Hans-Peter Staudt, name partner of Staudt IP, holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and qualified as a patent monopoly attorney in 1990. He founded his own patent monopoly attorney firm in 1993.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ CAFC Slighlty Modifies Chutter Fraud Opinion Per USPTO Request

    The CAFC granted Intervenor USPTO's petition for panel rehearing, seeking a slight modification of the CAFC's opinion in Great Concepts, LLC v. Chutter, Inc. The court then entered judgment in favor of Great Concepts, reversing the TTAB's finding of fraud and holding that "a Section 14 cancellation proceeding is not available as a remedy for a fraudulent Section 15 incontestability declaration." The Board's decision may be found here, and the CAFC's original opinion here. Great Concepts, LLC v. Chutter, Inc., Appeal No. 2022-1212 (modified January 10, 2024) [precedential].

• Copyrights

  • Reason ☛ Did Harvard's Plagiarism Scandal Doom DEI?

    Aaron Sibarium discusses the downfall of former Harvard President Claudine Gay on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Legal experts say Proprietary Chaffbot Company has ‘case to answer’ in showdown with New York Times

    Why the case could put Proprietary Chaffbot Company "on the horns of a dilemma" in what it concedes.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • 🔤SpellBinding: CEFGLUN Wordo: FETAL

    • For the Broken Clown

      A local poet’s performances convinced me to stay alive back when I was in high school. She was older, born in the early sixties, and her words were the first time I heard someone openly talk about what everyone else was sweeping under the rug. Of breaking down, falling apart, letting yourself and others down, shame and awkwardness. And now thirty years later she ended up killing herself the other day.

      And if we were our bodies, if we were our futures, if we were our defenses I’d be joining her.

    • This could have been such a nice day but

      First significant snowfall of the season in progress at the moment. I'll just have to hope shoveling is like the proverbial riding of a bike, because it seems like it's been forever.

      Yesterday was rather surreal: a bit of a road hike to a discount shopping place, acquiring stuff for us and daughters, some disaster whose details we never learned of caused there to be numerous fire trucks and police cars - not to mention three helicopters in the general vicinity overhead - in the parking lot of the place we'd hope to dine at on the way home, so we had to pass on that because street parking was also rather utilized, and we weren't up for a long walk in the cold at that point.

    • Stargazing: Orion: Fairbanks, AK, USA: 2024-01-10 (publ. 2024-01-12)

      We had clear skies last night, so I went to the boat launch after prayer service. This is roughly the level of visibility I remember for the naked eye, reproduced in Stellarium: [...]

    • Heart pounding, clothes a chilled wet

      Well, the snow removal went about as well as it could given I'm old and it was the wet, heavy stuff. Fortunately I've one of those throwers that I believe is referred to as an electric snow shovel. Still plenty of exertion required, but it ratchets the effort down from impossible to "I think I can, I think I can".

    • This which remains when thought storms subside

      What you are can't be described, yet seemingly can be identified with a description that quickly becomes a prison whose bars consist that identification.

      Let it - i.e. the thought storms along those lines - go by folding attention back upon itself, cutting off the storms' energy source.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Kezboard

      It's a small SDL game where random cards are used to navigate a ship around a level map. Something like RoboRally, only not with multiple players and not with rockets and other such fun cards.

    • Liberation by way of nicely formed text table columns

      FWIW, the two column part of the above was accomplished by using 'fmt -40' on the two files containing the content, and then: [...]

    • LCD vs. Sledgehammer

      I was climbing out of the bathtub, one hand holding my 10" tablet, the other swinging around vigorously to keep my balance.

      I placed the tablet onto a 5-gallon bucket of roofing compound that I keep next to the bathtub, but to my dismay, the tablet slipped off the bucket and fell onto a sledgehammer resting next to it. Glass side down, of course.

      The terrible sound of glass on sledgehammer!

      For a few seconds I thought the screen was broken: there were weird lines going across the lit LCD. But it turned out it was just water droplets that ran across the surface.