Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Anorexia Patients Reveal a Distinct Pattern in Their Brain Activity

    Is this where it comes from?

  • Science Alert ☛ Huge Study Shows Where Gout Comes From – It's Not What We Thought

    "The myth that gout is caused by lifestyle or diet needs to be busted."

  • Science Alert ☛ Identifying Chemicals in Our Environment Could Help Medicines Work Better

    It's a personal thing.

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Ultrahigh Energy’ Neutrino Found With a Telescope Under the Sea

    It’s the most energetic particle of its kind ever discovered, and scientists have no idea where it came from.

  • New York Times ☛ A Deep-Sea Fish of Nightmares Strays Into Shallow Waters

    A scary-looking creature with “devil” in its name was spotted close to the surface off Tenerife, a Spanish island.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ RTX 5090 cable melting issues haven't been replicated — testers assess various power supplies and cable types

    Falcon Northwest has been unable to recreate YouTuber Der8auer's findings about the melting 16-pin power connectors on the RTX 5090 FE.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Measles Outbreak Hits Town in Texas

    As of Tuesday, 22 children and two adults had been infected, all of whom were unvaccinated, local officials said.

  • New York Times ☛ Australian Health Workers Suspended After Threatening Israeli Patients

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia denounced the comments, caught on video amid a spate of antisemitic incidents, as “sickening and shameful.”

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge orders health agencies to restore webpages removed following Convicted Felon order

    A US federal judge for the District of Columbia ordered the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to reinstate webpages and data removed following President Convicted Felon’s executive order on gender ideology while litigation moves forward.

  • Latvia ☛ 20 influenza deaths recorded in Latvia so far this season

    The flu epidemic which officially began in Latvia in December last year has claimed 20 lives so far according to Mmonitoring data from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC).

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Fairview Health Services opposed UMN, Essentia merger

    The University of Minnesota and Duluth-based Essentia Health in late January announced the partnership to develop a new nonprofit health care organization that would include a $1 billion investment in the next five years.

  • New York Times ☛ Trump’s W.H.O. Exit Throws Smallpox Defenses Into Upheaval

    Health experts see his retreat from international cooperation as disrupting the safe-keepers of one of the world’s deadliest pathogens.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Family members are not medical translators

    About 40% of healthcare providers ask patients and family members to help with translation. After all, these individuals already speak the language, so why not save time and money by having them step in?

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Thomas Krause Says Convicted Felon Had to Close USAID because of Convicted Felon’s Poor COVID Management

    In a court filing, DOGE lead at Treasury, Thomas Krause, attempted to justify his existence by citing a bunch of GAO reports. One of them substantiated how many improper payments were made in programs The Insurrectionist set up in response to COVID.

• Proprietary

  • The convenient lie: When companies badge layoffs as poor performance

    In boardrooms from San Francisco to Bengaluru, a troubling practice is gaining ground. Companies, faced with the need to trim their workforce, are increasingly reaching for a convenient euphemism: ‘underperformance’. Rather than acknowledging business challenges or strategic pivots, they’re choosing to badge redundancies as performance failures, leaving employees not just jobless but branded as inadequate.

  • Game Rant ☛ Overwatch 2 Has Bad News for Fans of the Old Archives PvE Missions

    The old Overwatch Archives missions will probably never be brought back in Overwatch 2, as they broke during the creation of the PvE content in the sequel. In order to resurrect these popular PvE missions, Overwatch 2 would need to rebuild them from the ground up – a task Blizzard is not sure would be worth the development time, despite what fans might think.

  • Embracer says gutting its business has created 'strong foundation for future value creation'

    Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors says the business is showing "reassuring" signs following a brutal restructuring effort that saw the company conduct mass layoffs, shutter multiple studios, and cancel a huge number of projects before splitting into three separate entities.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian families plead to Thai government to rescue scam victims

      The group claimed Malaysians had been lured by crime syndicates offering fake jobs.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Why is the EFF Suing to Stop DOGE?

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit against DOGE to stop an audit of government spending.

  • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube’s Head of Music Lyor Cohen Pens Open Letter to Kanye West — Though It’s Probably a Lost Cause

    YouTube’s Head of Global Music Lyor Cohen has penned an open letter to Kanye West. The letter asks the rapper to be “more sensitive to the pain your words inflict on Jewish communities and those who stand against hate.” Cohen worked closely with West when he was the CEO of Def Jam Recordings.

  • North Korea demolishes facility for family reunions: Seoul

    The demolition comes after North Korea classified the South as a primary enemy and ruled out re-unification.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea is dismantling facility near border for separated families: Seoul

    Seoul said the demolition is an anti-humanitarian act that tramples on the wishes of families.

  • Words for fighting, not reuniting

    North Korea left South Korean territory blank on a revised map of the divided peninsula

  • North Korean TV coverage of European football leaves out South Korean players

    Tottenham Hotspur and Son Heung-min do not exist in KCTV coverage of EPL and Champions League.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s ousted President Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing

    If the impeachment bid is upheld, an election must be held within 60 days to choose a new president.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Dictator and Putin Discussed the War in Ukraine

      Also, scientists suggest that Ozempic can curb drinking. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

    • New York Times ☛ Dictator Says Call With Putin Is Beginning of Ukraine Peace Negotiations

      Among the topics the leaders discussed in their first confirmed conversation of President Convicted Felon’s second term was ending the war in Ukraine, he said.

    • Meduza ☛ Putin holds first phone call with Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump and Putin speak by phone and agree to ‘start negotiations immediately’ on ending war in Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump speaks with Zelensky immediately after call with Putin — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump and Putin will likely meet in Saudi Arabia, U.S. president says — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Charity concert for Ukraine to take place February 24

      To commemorate the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people, a charity concert "From the Heart to Ukraine" (No sirds Ukrainai) will be held on February 24 at 19:00 in the Ziedoņa Hall of the National Library of Latvia.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia sends mobile drone repair station to Ukraine

      Drones in Ukraine are often damaged in combat and need repairs. The Latvian diaspora in the United States has donated funds to help the Ukrainian army repair drones faster, Latvian Television reported on February 11.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe must prepare to defend itself in an increasingly multipolar world

      With the United States looking to pivot away from Europe to Asia and a revisionist Russia openly embracing an expansionist agenda, European leaders must prepare to defend themselves in an increasingly multipolar world, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

    • Latvia ☛ Mayoral vetting rules raise issues of accountability and security in Latvia

      After the local elections scheduled for this summer, only politicians who receive clearance from the security services to work with state secrets will be allowed to sit in the mayor's and deputy mayor's chairs on Latvia's municipal councils.

    • France24 ☛ Sci-Fi novelist Dmitry Glukhovsky on Russia's anti-West rhetoric

      One of Russia’s leading critics has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how Moscow uses its criticism of the west to justify the poor living conditions of its people and the need for constant repression. Dmitry Glukhovsky, who has been sentenced in absentia to 8 and a half years in jail after accusing President Vladimir Putin of invading Ukraine, spoke of his hope of how Putin’s power could unravel. His latest book is called in French “Journal sous Dictature : Comment j’ai vu la Russie Basculer”, or “A dairy under dictatorship: How I’ve seen Russia change”. He spoke to us in Perspective.

    • RFERL ☛ Dictator Says His Call With Putin Brings Parties Closer To Peace Talks

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist has stepped up his push to broker a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine by speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour and agreeing to begin negotiations.

    • RFERL ☛ Dictator Says He And Putin Agreed To 'Start Negotiations Immediately' On Ending War In Ukraine

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist says he had a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

    • France24 ☛ Dictator says he and Putin have agreed to start 'negotiations' to end Ukraine war

      The Insurrectionist discussed the war in Ukraine on Wednesday in phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the new US president's first big step towards diplomacy over a war he has promised to end.

    • New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: Convicted Felon and Putin Discuss an End to Ukraine War

      Plus, Thailand braces for the “White Lotus” effect.

    • France24 ☛ Putin and Convicted Felon agree to “visit each other’s nations”

      The White House has confirmed what had been speculated for several hours: there has been a phone call between US President The Insurrectionist and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They have agreed to visit each other's nations. The US President will also contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the war in Ukraine.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ What to make of the unfolding Convicted Felon strategy on Ukraine

      Trump's call with Putin and his secretary of defense's comments with NATO counterparts stirred controversy. But the unfolding strategy could be the basis for a decent outcome for Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ "Ukraine NATO membership is not a ‘realistic’ outcome", says US Defense Secretary

      US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first trip to NATO in Brussels on Wednesday, as allies await to learn how much military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine's government. He stated that “the United States doesn’t believe NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome for a negotiated settlement. Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops, deployed as part of a non-NATO mission.

      Can Ukraine still secure the guarantees it needs to enter talks on ending the war? How will the Kremlin react? FRANCE24 International Affairs Editor Douglas Herbert explains.

    • France24 ☛ Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv kills one, injures three

      Five districts of Kyiv were struck by Russian drones and missiles on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring three. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this attack proves that Russia is not preparing for peace or the end of the war.

    • France24 ☛ US Defense Secretary Hegseth makes first visit to NATO over US plans for Ukraine

      US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the first trip to NATO in Brussels, as the allies wait to learn how much military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine's government. FRANCE24 Journalist Dave Keating from Brussels.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Releases 3 Detainees As Convicted Felon Aims To Set Stage For Talks To End War In Ukraine

      Three detainees, including a journalist with RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, have been released by Belarus as U.S. President The Insurrectionist looks to lay the basis for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Hegseth Says Return To Ukraine's Pre-2014 Borders 'Unrealistic'

      U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it's "unrealistic" to expect Ukraine's borders to return to their pre-war positions.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. To Release Russian Cybercriminal As Part Of Prisoner Exchange: Reports

      The White House expects another American citizen to be released just hours after President The Insurrectionist welcomed back Marc Fogel, a teacher freed by Moscow after spending three and a half years in a prison.

    • New York Times ☛ The Fiercest Fighting of the Ukraine War May Be in Russia

      The Times interviewed Russian soldiers who said they face a brutal fight to dislodge determined Ukrainian forces from a sliver of Russian land. Trapped civilians fear catastrophe.

    • New York Times ☛ Hegseth Says Return to Ukraine’s Prewar Borders Is ‘Unrealistic’

      In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told allies, including NATO officials, that a durable peace could only come “with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.”

    • New York Times ☛ North Korea Is Caring for Russia’s Wounded Soldiers, Envoy Says

      Russia’s ambassador to North Korea said that its Asian ally is also hosting Russian children orphaned by its war against Ukraine, as the two nations deepen ties.

    • New York Times ☛ Treasury Secretary Makes Trip to Kyiv

      The visit by Scott Bessent was the first by a Convicted Felon official since the president’s return to office and came amid uncertainty about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ How Ukraine Pitched Convicted Felon on a Deal for Critical Minerals

      President Convicted Felon says he wants to make a deal for minerals from Ukraine in exchange for aid. That followed a long effort by Ukrainian officials to appeal to Mr. Convicted Felon’s transactional nature.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Are you from Western Ukraine?’ Patriarch Kirill ridicules priest for criticizing the Russian Orthodox Church’s ‘patriotic’ turn — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Sign on the dotted line: New investigation by Verstka Media finds systematic coercion of Russian draftees to enlist as contract soldiers, possibly in preparation for the end of combat in Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Bloomberg analysts outline three possible scenarios for how the war in Ukraine could end — Meduza

    • Security Week ☛ Russian Seashell Blizzard Hackers Have Access to Critical Infrastructure: Microsoft [Ed: Abusive Monopolist Microsoft is not security expert but the world's biggest culprit, which adds back doors to everything]

      A subgroup of the Russia-linked Seashell Blizzard is tasked with broad initial access operations to sustain long-term persistence.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Russian state threat group shifts focus to US, UK targets [Ed: Again, Microsoft is the problem, not he expert, so this is truly ridiculous spin-doctoring]

      A subgroup of Seashell Blizzard exploited public vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft researchers said.

    • France24 ☛ Study finds Russian defence spending exceeds all of Europe combined

      A new IISS study shows Russian defence spending exceeds all of Europe’s combined… adding weight to worries that Russia would be capable of attacking other parts of the continent. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wrapped up a two-day visit to France, French President Emmanuel Macron working on developing ties with one of the world’s most important developing economies. US inflation spiked more than expected in January. Plus, Duolingo announces the death of its green owl mascot.

    • LRT ☛ Stop undersea sabotage – opinion

      Members of the European Parliament from Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland argue for tougher measures against Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Baltic Sea.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian MP Valuev Barred From Entering Azerbaijan Over ‘Offensive’ Remarks

      Azerbaijan has banned Russian State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Valuev from entering the country after he accused Baku of using Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia for criminal activities.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Kazakhstan lawmakers propose Russian-style 'foreign agent' law

      ASTANA - Kazakhstani lawmakers on Wednesday proposed that the country adopt a law restricting \"foreign agents\", an apparent move to emulate Russia in adopting a measure used to clamp down on government critics.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China aids Russian drone production with smuggled Western parts, says Estonia

      China is helping Russia's military drone production by becoming a hub for the smuggling of critical Western components for Moscow's armed forces, Estonia's foreign intelligence said in its annual national security report published on Wednesday.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Is Releasing Russian Cybercriminal to Moscow, Officials Say

      The release is part of a swap with the Kremlin that freed an American schoolteacher being held in a Russian prison.

    • New York Times ☛ Belarus Frees an American and 2 Others as It Tries to Thaw Relations

      Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic president and Russia’s closest ally, has taken steps to soften his country’s isolation from the West.

    • RFERL ☛ RFE/RL Journalist Kuznechyk Released After More Than 3 Years In Belarus Prison

      Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist with RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, has been released from a Belarusian prison after being held for more than three years on charges he, his employer, U.S. officials and human rights organizations called politically motivated.

    • Meduza ☛ Belarus releases jailed RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian IT firm iSpring has worked with IBM and the U.S. Department of Defense. Now its pro-war founder has been arrested — and Z-bloggers are rallying behind him. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. to release Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik in exchange for schoolteacher Marc Fogel — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Nothing good will come of this’ Three years into the full-scale war, Russia’s exiled opposition is in crisis — leaving anti-war Russians feeling disillusioned and unrepresented — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Call it ‘sharp power’: Political scientist Vera Grantseva explains the transformation of Russia’s global influence — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s military spending soars, surpassing all of Europe’s defense budgets combined — The Financial Times — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky warns Russia is preparing to send 100,000 troops to Belarus, possibly for an offensive against a NATO country — The Economist — Meduza

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ The Cat’s Meat Man: Feeding Felines in Victorian London

    As cats evolved from feral ratters into beloved Victorian companions, a nascent pet-food economy arose on the carts of so-called “cat’s meat men”. Kathryn Hughes explores the life and times of these itinerant offal vendors, their intersection with a victim of Jack the Ripper, and a feast held in the meat men’s honor, chaired by none other than Louis Wain.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Paws for Thought: Tiny Cryptic #2

    Second instalment in our new series of extremely small and free-form cryptic crossword puzzles, themed on our latest essay.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Consumer Council receives ticketing complaints over K-pop group NJZ’s debut performance

    Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has received complaints involving ticketing errors for the much-anticipated performance of K-pop girl group NJZ, formerly known as NewJeans, which left fans with the wrong dates on their passes.