Leftovers

• Hardware

  • Chipmaker Nvidia teams up with Vietnam for Hey Hi (AI) amid US-China row

    The agreement came after the US announced a chip export control package against Nvidia’s key market, China.

  • New York Times ☛ Google Makes New Quantum Computing Breakthrough

    Google unveiled an experimental machine capable of tasks that a traditional supercomputer could not master in 10 septillion years. (That’s older than the universe.)

  • Hackaday ☛ Keebin’ With Kristina: The One With The Funny Keyboard

    What’s the most important keyboard macro you know? Honestly, it’s probably Ctrl-S. But do you use that one often enough? Chances are, you do not. What you need is a giant, dedicated Save keyboard that looks like a floppy disk.

  • Hackaday ☛ Smartphone Runs Home Server

    It’s one of the great tragedies of our technological era. Smartphones that feature an incredible amount of computational power compared to computers the past, are largely locked down by carriers or manufacturers, dooming them to performing trivial tasks far below their true capabilities.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • University of Michigan ☛ A look into accessibility for UMich faculty and staff

    Two years ago, Ann Heffernan, assistant professor of political science, taught a lecture in one of the larger halls in Mason Hall. A podium with a desk awaited her at the front.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social control media sites

    Warning labels for social control media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year.

  • RTE ☛ RTÉ Investigates reveals sale of unapproved US weight loss trial medication exposed in Ireland to be broadcast tonight

    RTÉ Investigates reveals sale of unapproved US weight loss trial medication exposed in Ireland – Secret footage reveals extent of booming black market in prescription weight loss medication   – Medical experts warn of serious health risks to the public  – Weight loss pens from Turkey, counterfeit Semaglutide pens and unlabelled glass vials openly advertised on social control media [...]

  • New York Times ☛ Nobel Laureates Urge Senate to Turn Down Kennedy’s Nomination

    Elevating Mr. Kennedy to secretary of H.H.S. “would put the public’s health in jeopardy,” more than 75 laureates wrote.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Winter can be a time of culinary abundance. Experts share tips on eating nutritiously

    Dieticians and food experts say winter is a great time to experiment with your food, try out underappreciated seasonal produce and cook a healthy meal for loved ones.

  • Pro Publica ☛ How to Reduce Formaldehyde Exposure in Your Home

    ProPublica spent months investigating how a single underregulated toxic chemical — formaldehyde — creates an inescapable cancer risk for everyone in America. It’s in the air outside, at levels that fail to meet the public health goals set by the Environmental Protection Agency. And it’s in our homes, coming from our couches, our clothes and our babies’ cribs — sometimes at levels that can trigger breathing problems, allergic reactions and asthma.

    We modeled pollution data and deployed our own air monitors to measure formaldehyde levels around us. We interviewed more than 50 experts and read thousands of pages of scientific studies and EPA records. During it all, we kept in mind the single question we knew readers would most want answered: How can I reduce my exposure?

  • Science Alert ☛ High Testosterone Doesn't Increase Libido, But May Have a Strange Effect

    Surprising!

  • Science Alert ☛ 'World's Oldest Bird' to Become a Mom Yet Again, Laying Egg at 74

    A new chapter begins.

  • Science Alert ☛ Giant Study Links Drinking Coffee With Almost 2 Extra Years of Life

    Let's look at the evidence.

  • Latvia ☛ Millions of Covid vaccines get tossed or given away in Latvia [Ed: Says a lot. This is how many people feel about these.]

    So far, 9.7 million doses of vaccine against Covid-19 have been delivered to Latvia altogether, of which a third have been used. The rest has been disposed of or donated to other countries, reports Latvian Television's "De Facto" on December 8.

  • Did Japan classify mRNA vaccines ‘deadliest drug’ in history?

    Verdict: False

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Trust Issues in AI

    For a technology that seems startling in its modernity, Hey Hi (AI) sure has a long history. Surveillance Giant Google Translate, Proprietary Chaffbot Company chatbots, and Meta Hey Hi (AI) image generators are built on decades of advancements in linguistics, signal processing, statistics, and other fields going back to the early days of computing—and, often, on seed funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • Bluevine cuts 100 jobs in second round of layoffs in six months

    Veteran fintech company Bluevine is laying off 100 employees, 30 of them in Israel. This marks the second wave of layoffs in six months and totals approximately 18% of the company's workforce. Dozens of employees were let go in the previous round of layoffs in June.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ The Brave New World of A.I.-Powered Self-Harm Alerts

      New technology alerts schools when students type words related to suicide. But do the timely interventions balance out the false alarms?

• Defence/Aggression

  • NYPost ☛ Luigi Mangione, UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect, hails from wealthy family and his cousin is a Maryland state lawmaker

    UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione comes from a wealthy well-known local family in Towson, Md. — and has a cousin who is a state lawmaker.

  • NYPost ☛ Luigi Mangione, suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer, delivered valedictorian speech about ‘challenging the world’

    The man suspected of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood on a New York City sidewalk was valedictorian at his leafy Maryland prep school — and delivered a graduation speech talking about “challenging the world.”

  • New York Times ☛ Who Is Luigi Mangione, Arrested In Connection With the UnitedHealthcare C.E.O.’s Killing?

    He grew up in Maryland, graduated from a private high school in Baltimore and went on to the University of Pennsylvania.

  • NYPost ☛ Trolls bash tipster who helped catch Luigi Mangione, alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

    Star-struck netizens from across the internet are reacting to the arrest of Luigi Mangione -- accused of gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- praise, with declarations of love, and death threats for the fast food worker who turned him in.

  • New York Times ☛ Suspect in United Healthcare CEO Killing Showed Interest in Pop Psychology on Social Control Media

    Figures like Andrew Huberman, Tim Urban and the Unabomber feature in posts shared by accounts that appear to belong to the man arrested on Monday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Explosive walking groups’ march on in China despite Zhuhai car attack

    Dozens of groups across the country share clips of themselves brisk walking in unison.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Marching on — The appeal of China’s ‘explosive walking groups’

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan raises alert as China deploys 90 ships in likely drills

    China has fenced off parts of its airspace from Dec 9 to 11 ahead of likely war games.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan military on high alert as China warships sail near island

    By Akio Wang with Joy Chiang Taiwan’s military was on high alert Monday after detecting Chinese warships near the island, Taipei said, as Beijing vowed to “firmly defend” its sovereignty in response to the drills.

  • University of Michigan ☛ America should start to say ‘I’m sorry’

    For more than 150 years, Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in government-run boarding schools. In a racist effort to eradicate their tribal identities, these children were separated from their families, abused, neglected and murdered.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea Bars President From Traveling Abroad

    President Yoon Suk Yeol cannot leave the country as an investigation unfolds into whether he led an insurrection last week when he briefly imposed martial law.

  • CS Monitor ☛ They thwarted martial law. But South Koreans say the fight for democracy is not over.

    South Korea’s relatively young democracy proved its resilience last week when lawmakers shut down the president’s attempt to impose martial law. But he remains in power.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition accuses ruling party of ‘second coup’

    President Yoon and a slew of top officials are now being investigated for insurrection.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korea’s Democratic Party to file complaint against PM Han Duck-soo for insurrection

    According to reports, the opposition is considering a motion to impeach the Prime Minister.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s anti-corruption chief orders travel ban on President Yoon

    The S. Korean authorities are also considering the possibility of arresting Mr Yoon without a warrant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From budgets to diplomacy, South Korea reels from martial law fallout as Trump looms

    From trade and diplomacy to markets and budgets, South Korea struggled to contain the fallout from the president's brief but shocking martial law attempt last week, just as the country navigates an uncertain future with its ally the United States.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s political crisis poses graver threat to its foreign policy ambitions than the economy

    All diplomatic engagements have been halted while the US called the martial law debacle a “bad misjudgment”. 

  • Meduza ☛ Russian z-bloggers process their shock and outrage over Assad’s overthrow in Syria — Meduza

  • Meduza ☛ Israel strikes military targets across Syria, including in Latakia, where Russian bases are located — Meduza

  • Meduza ☛ With Assad in Moscow and armed rebels taking control of Latakia governorate, what will become of Russia’s military bases in Syria? — Meduza

  • Meduza ☛ Syrian rebels take full control of Latakia governorate, home to Russian military bases — Meduza

  • New York Times ☛ Syria Live Updates: Rebels Assert Control in Damascus, Their Plans Still Unclear

    The fighters who forced Bashar al-Assad into exile began the complex task of governing the Syrian capital. On the road to Damascus, New York Times reporters saw evidence of lawlessness and relics of the deposed regime.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Scrambles to Navigate Perils of a New Syria

    The Biden administration is relying on Turkey to convey messages to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which toppled Bashar al-Assad but is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

  • New Yorker ☛ How Bashar al-Assad’s Regime Crumbled

    Iran’s weakness, a faltering economy, and new political fissures led to the stunning end of a dynasty.

  • CS Monitor ☛ What next for leaderless Syria, once the Mideast’s hub?

    The civil war in Syria flared into sudden action last week, toppling Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship in a matter of days. What comes next?

  • New York Times ☛ Revolutions Swept the Middle East in 2011. Will Syria’s End Differently?

    Bashar al-Assad’s downfall evokes memories of uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, each of which brought civil war or authoritarian rule. Syrians hope for better.

  • New York Times ☛ How Syria’s Rebels Took Damascus, Captured on Video

    Bashar Al-Assad’s grip over Syria was visible everywhere in the capital. It was all dismantled in less than 24 hours.

  • Meduza ☛ Syrian opposition flag raised over Syrian Embassy in Moscow — Russian state media — Meduza

  • New York Times ☛ A Quick Arab Pivot: From Welcoming al-Assad to Managing the Chaos

    Only weeks ago, Arab nations had been working hard to bring Bashar al-Assad back into the fold, assuming he was there to last. They were badly mistaken.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Claims Credit for al-Assad’s Ouster, but Sees Risk in His Absence

    For Israel’s leaders, Bashar al-Assad’s downfall was made possible by their recent assaults on Hezbollah, Iran and Syria, all of which weakened the Iran-backed axis.

  • New York Times ☛ Road to Damascus Littered With Relics of Fallen Assad Government

    Reporters for The New York Times entered Syria on Monday, finding remnants of former President Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive rule.

  • New York Times ☛ Who Is the Leader of Syria’s Rebel Offensive?

    Abu Mohammad al-Jolani spearheaded a lightning assault that led to the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Why journalists are cautious about calling current conflicts ‘genocide’

    Heidi Kingstone says it is not for journalists to decide whether conflict in Gaza is genocide.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Talks Gain Steam, Officials Say

    While a deal was not yet in hand, a crack in the stalemate comes after Israel and Hezbollah reached a truce and President-elect Donald J. Trump ratcheted up the pressure for an agreement.

  • JURIST ☛ UN to hold emergency meeting at Russia’s request as Syria president ousted

    The UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting in New York on Monday afternoon to discuss the situation in Syria, as announced by Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, in a Telegram post.

  • France24 ☛ Iran and Russia, the two big losers following Assad's ouster from Syria

    The ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after rebel forces swept into Damascus this weekend, shattered both Iran's network of influence and Russia's leverage in the Middle East, making them the two main losers of the recent days events. Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs commentator, Douglas Herbert.

  • France24 ☛ Syria : what was the role of foreign fighters in the latest battles ?

    Damascus stirred back to life on Monday at the start of a hopeful but uncertain era after rebels seized the capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. There are a number of foreign fighters in Syria. What are they doing at this point in time? Answer and exclusive images with FRANCE 24 terrorism specialist, Wassim Nasr.

  • France24 ☛ With Assad gone, new era starts in Syria as the world watches

    Damascus stirred back to life at the start of a hopeful but uncertain era after rebels seized the capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. Story by Noémie Roche and Antonia Kerrigan.

  • Meduza ☛ Russia lost at least 543 soldiers and mercenaries in Syria since 2015 — BBC — Meduza

  • France24 ☛ Transitional Syrian government must represent 'all groups in civil society', beyond armed factions

    Syrians now face a hopeful if uncertain future, after rebels seized the capital Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on a new era in Syria, FRANCE 24's Carys Garland and Douglas Herbert welcome Emma Beals, Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Middle East Institute.

  • RFERL ☛ With Assad In Russia, Syria's Former Rebels Seek Stability Out Of Chaos

    With ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad somewhere in Russia, the new de facto rulers in Damascus have begun efforts to stabilize the situation as a wary global community awaited developments with caution.

  • CS Monitor ☛ For Syrians, Assad is in the past: ‘The thing we all have now is hope’

    After decades of repression, the pace of political change in Syria over the weekend was stunning. But resetting the country’s institutions and reassuring the public will be painstakingly slow.

  • BIA Net ☛ In photos: Syrians across Turkey celebrate fall of Baath regime

    Syrian refugees across Turkey gathered in city squares to celebrate the end of the Baath rule in Syria. Waving both Free Syrian Army and Turkish flags, crowds marked the historic moment with jubilant demonstrations.

  • France24 ☛ Will HTS oversee a 'transformation in Syria's political system'?

    Syrians now face a hopeful if uncertain future, after rebels seized the capital Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on a new era in Syria, as the world watches, FRANCE 24's Annette Young and Douglas Herbert welcome Kawa Hassan, Author, Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the EastWest Institute’s Brussels office, and Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Program.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • JURIST ☛ Romania Constitutional Court annuls presidential elections amid Russian interference claims

      The Romanian Constitutional Court decided on Friday to halt the country’s ongoing presidential elections. The decision came after the president in-duty, Klaus Iohannis declassified four internal intelligence documents, indicating that Russia unduly supported one of the candidates via aggressive hybrid attacks.

    • RFERL ☛ Bodyguard Of Moscow-Friendly Romanian Candidate Detained For 24 Hours

      A Romanian former mercenary and bodyguard of far-right pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been ordered to remain in custody for 24 hours after he and a group of armed associates were detained by police while heading toward Bucharest on December 8.

    • LRT ☛ Member of Lithuania’s conservative party suspected of spying for Russia

      Lithuania’s law enforcement authorities suspect a member of the opposition conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) of spying for Russia.

    • Myanmar junta prepares to send migrant workers to Russia in 2025

      Labor advocates fear workers could encounter rights violations in the unstable country.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Issues New Pardons, But Hundreds Of Political Prisoners Remain

      Belarus's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, announced the pardon of 29 political prisoners, even as crackdowns on dissent intensify ahead of the January presidential election and while many hundreds of similar detainees remain behind bars.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian human rights commissioner says bodies of Ukrainian POWs killed in January attack on transport plane have been repatriated — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Clearing the way Russian forces are closing in on a Ukrainian village long blocking their path toward Dnipro — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. says it will arm new troops if Ukraine lowers draft age; Zelensky calls for equipping existing units — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Pro-Kremlin snitch asks Russian authorities to designate Santa Claus as ‘foreign agent,’ citing threat to Father Frost — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Russia says will discuss status of its Syria bases with new authorities

      The Kremlin said it would discuss the status of Russia's two military bases in Syria with the country's new rulers following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition rebels. Story by Emerald Maxwell.

    • RFERL ☛ Ex-Warden Of Donetsk Prison Reportedly Killed In Car Bombing

      A car bomb in Ukraine's Russia-occupied eastern region of Donetsk has reportedly killed the head of a prison where dozens of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces were killed in 2022.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Floats Option Of Foreign Troops In Ukraine Until NATO Membership

      President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would consider the temporary deployment of foreign military forces on Ukrainian soil until full NATO membership as a way of securing his country as part of peace settlement with Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Leaders Set To Praise Moldova, Condemn Georgia

      European Union leaders are set to praise accession candidate Moldova's "successful" presidential election and vow to continuing working with country, while they plan to express "serious concerns" about recent developments in Georgia amid a violent government crackdown on dissent.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘For obvious reasons, the prisons are now mostly empty’: Plans for ‘super prison’ in Russia’s Far East shelved — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Dispatch from Belgrade Nearly three years after fleeing wartime Russia, Serbia’s Russian émigrés tentatively put down roots — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ From ‘terrorists’ and ‘militants’ to ‘opposition’ and ‘new authorities’ How Russian propaganda’s rhetoric evolved as the Assad regime fell — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia asks Turkey for help in withdrawing troops from Syria — CNN Turk — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president says he wished Trump a fair solution on Ukraine

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who met with US President-elect Donald Trump over dinner in Paris on Saturday, says he wished him a fair solution on Ukraine.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania, Latvia bloc EU sanctions on Russia with exceptions – media

      European Union negotiators failed last week to finalise new restrictions on companies and oil tankers contributing to Russia’s war against Ukraine, three EU diplomats briefed on the talks told Politico.

    • Latvia ☛ Charity warehouse for Ukraine robbed near Bauska, Latvia

      A warehouse with items donated to Ukraine in Bauska municipality has been burgled. Initial estimates put the value of the stolen items at around €3000. It has not yet been possible to identify everything that has been lost. The police are investigating the case, Latvian Television reported on December 8.

    • Latvia ☛ Suspected migrant smugglers detained in Latvia

      The State Border Guard detained two Ukrainian citizens in Augšdaugava municipality - organizers of two crimes discovered in autumn, illegal transportation of migrants in fake police and border guard vehicles, the Border Guard said on December 9.

    • Meduza ☛ Putin personally decided to grant asylum to Assad, says Kremlin spokesperson — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Nuclear weapons must never be used, Nagasaki survivor tells Putin before Nobel ceremony

      Mr Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons if necessary to counter what they see as an aggressive and hostile West.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian military doctor accused of surgically implanting shrapnel for fraudulent war injury payment claims — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ China’s Critical Minerals Embargo Is Even Tougher Than Expected

      Beijing ordered companies around the world not to allow critical minerals mined in China to reach the U.S., while deepening its efforts to replace imports with domestic products.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Xiaomi to launch new SUV in mid-2025 amid rising demands

      The YU7 is a pure electric SUV boasting a top speed of 253kmh.

    • Hackaday ☛ Electric Bike Uses No Electronics, Weird Motor

      E-bikes combine a bicycle with a big lithium battery, a speed controller, and a motor. What you get from that combination is simple, efficient transportation. [Tom Stanton] wanted to build an e-bike himself, but he did it without any of the fancy electronic components. But the real gem? The weird janky motor he built to run it.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • France24 ☛ Real or fake Christmas tree: What is the greenest option?

      Let’s talk about a topic that is increasingly being debated at the dinner table here in France with Christmas around the corner! What is the greenest option between an artificial tree and a natural fir tree? On the one hand, the artificial tree is reusable every year. On the other hand, natural fir is biodegradable and can capture carbon, at least for the time it's still in the ground.

    • Hong Kong pins hopes for tourism reset on China's pandas

      The city has fallen down a list of top international tourism destinations, despite various initiatives.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s leaders vow more ‘relaxed’ monetary policy in 2025, in hope of boosting economy

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping and other top leaders said Monday they would adopt a more “relaxed” approach to monetary policy as they hashed out plans to boost the economy next year.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • BIA Net ☛ Journalism that will make us say 'it was worth it'

    Imprisonment, isolation, unemployment, threats, bans, censorship... This is a summary of what I’ve gone through. Yet, I remain hopeful, both for journalism and for my country. Despite everything, the generation I belong to does not give up on writing, reporting, and speaking out.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Journalist denies George Osborne stalking charges

    Court told any communications sent by Lydia Suffield were in her professional capacity as a journalist.

  • Press Gazette ☛ RELX-owned B2B title Estates Gazette to close after 166 years

    Commercial real estate B2B title says it was damaged "irreparably" by industry headwinds.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reach appoints leader for ‘data-led decision making’ in newsrooms

    Ellen Stewart is currently director of content strategy and growth at Conde Nast.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian staff letters contradict Scott Trust claims it consulted over Observer sale

    Staff say they were not consulted over Observer sale contradicting Scott Trust chair Ole Jacob Sunde.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• The Straits Times ☛ China launches anti-monopoly probe into Nvidia

  The probe will likely be seen as a retaliatory move against Washington’s recent chip curbs.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ China levels anti-trust charges against Nvidia – country accuses chipmaker of violating anti-monopoly regulations, examining the $7 billion Mellanox acquisition

  China has launched an anti-trust inquiry against Nvidia accusing the Hey Hi (AI) giant of monopolistic behavior.

• The Next Platform ☛ In GPU We Antitrust

  With all of this chatter about China looking into possible violations of antitrust law by Nvidia, and regulators in both the United States and the European Union also having done the same, let’s play the “What if?”

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ IPVal entity Artax navigation patent monopoly challenged

    On December 9, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 8,169,343, owned by Artax LLC, an NPE and entity of IP Valuation Partners, LLC. The ’343 patent monopoly relates to advancements in navigational technology focusing on integrating both spatial and non-spatial information for mobile computing devices [...]

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Dismisses FIRST YEAR DOWN Opposition: Failure-to-Function and Fraud Claims Fail

    The Board tossed out this opposition to registration of the mark FIRST YEAR DOWN for infant and children's wear, finding that Opposer TaShae Watson's evidence fell short of proving her failure-to-function and fraud claims. Watson asserted that "First Year Down" is merely a commonplace phrase or message used by many sellers to celebrate first birthdays, and not a source indicator, and she charged that Applicant' Uzzo's specimens of use were fake.