The Micro Blog

Wikipedia: Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)

Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) is an oil painting by American artist Winslow Homer. It depicts a catboat called the Gloucester chopping through that city’s harbor under “a fair wind” (Homer’s original title). Inside the boat are a man, three boys, and their catch.

TorStar: Critics slam for-profit plasma donation clinics

Canadian Blood Services’ partnership with a private company that pays for plasma puts the ethics and safety of our blood system at risk, critics say.

So disappointing.

Ars Technica: Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought

Many of the questions concerned the politically messy end of the mission, in which the Trump White House claimed it had rescued the astronauts after they were stranded by the Biden administration. This was not true, but it is also not a question that active astronauts are going to answer. They have too much respect for the agency and the White House that appoints its leadership. They are trained not to speak out of school. As Wilmore said repeatedly on Monday, “I can’t speak to any of that. Nor would I.”

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Essentially, Wilmore could not fully control Starliner any longer. But simply abandoning the docking attempt was not a palatable solution. Just as the thrusters were needed to control the vehicle during the docking process, they were also necessary to position Starliner for its deorbit burn and reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. So Wilmore had to contemplate whether it was riskier to approach the space station or try to fly back to Earth. Williams was worrying about the same thing.

Read this and try to imagine what it must’ve been like!

Oxford: Grandparents Contribute to Children’s Well-being [PDF]

Research at the University of Oxford has shown how grandparents play a vital role in children’s well-being and the results have been informing UK family policy.

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A study conducted by the found that children who share close relationships with their grandparents exhibit fewer emotional and behavioral challenges and tend to interact more easily with their peers. Led by Professor Ann Buchanan, the study surveyed over 1,500 children and highlighted the critical role grandparents play in a child’s development. The findings suggest that grandmothers often take on nurturing responsibilities, while grandfathers frequently act as mentors, creating a balance that benefits children in meaningful ways.

Last Updated: 01.Apr.2025 20:42 EDT

Monday’s articles

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Guardian: China launches surprise military drills around Taiwan

Taiwan says it has detected nearly 20 vessels off its coast as Beijing orders large scale sea and air exercises and calls leaders in Taipei ‘parasites’.

The Times of London: Zelensky: Putin will die soon and the Ukraine war will end

President Putin is nearing the end of his life and the invasion of Ukraine will come to an end upon his demise, President Zelensky has said, warning that Moscow is readying its forces for an imminent offensive.

“He will die soon — that’s a fact — and it will all be over,” the Ukrainian leader, 47, told Eurovision News. “I’m younger than Putin, so put your bets on me. My prospects are better.”

Zelensky did not say why he believed that Putin, 72, was approaching death. There have been rumours for years that Putin is suffering from Parkinson’s disease or cancer. None has been confirmed, however.

Merely propaganda, or largely true?

applenews+ link

CTV: Conservatives drop second election candidate in one day

Stefan Marquis — who was running for the Conservatives in the Montreal riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie, held by Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault since 2019 — wrote in a post on social media that he is no longer a candidate for the party.

I doubt that the Conservatives had any chance in this riding anyway, but I wonder what those Twitter posts were to actually offend the Conservatives brass! …

Recent social media posts by Marquis promote popular right-wing conspiracy theories, including that Bill Gates is trying to manipulate public health for profit through vaccines, and that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “provoked” by the expansion of NATO.

He also criticized Canada’s equalization payment system, calling Quebec “a disgrace,” and adding “Plateau snobs, ecocrats and other shameless socialists should be put on galleys for impoverishing us into the pit.”

Maquis’ social media posts also include shared posts taking aim at Liberal Leader Mark Carney, including an “exposé” calling the former central banker the “grim reaper for the economic destruction of Canada,” and linking him to convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell.

And he’s a candidate in Quebec!

TorStar: Carney kills the ‘carbon tax’ and gas prices fall. Now what?

As of Tuesday, for the first time since 2008, there was no consumer “carbon tax” anywhere in Canada.

Mark Carney hopes you realized that. 

“You may notice that you’ll soon be paying up to 18 cents less per litre than you did yesterday to fill up your tank,” the Liberal leader Tuesday, as the long-standing carbon price dropped to zero across the country. 

“That’s immediate relief,” he said. 

What a disaster this whole file was! The PMO didn’t have one day’s lookahead on the effect of doing a carve-out for home heating oil. And their communication to voters while it was in place was absolutely terrible. It’s sadly funny to hear people saying how much money they’re going to save with lower gasoline prices without realizing they were getting a direct transfer from the government as a carbon tax refund all this time.

“Political cowardice is spreading faster than COVID,” said Green co-leader Elizabeth May told the Star on Tuesday, adding her party supports carbon pricing as a “necessary but insufficient” part of serious climate action.

“I want to see real climate action coming out of some other party in this country,” she said. “So far, if you care about climate, you’ve got one option. You’ve got to vote Green.”

Governments have to deal with more than one serious issue simultaneously: which party besides the Greens is going to actually make an effort to reduce Canada’s embarrassingly high level of carbon emissions?

CBC: Conservatives drop B.C. candidate in New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville

The Conservatives have dropped Lourence Singh, the party’s candidate for the New Westminster–Burnaby–Maillardville riding in the upcoming federal election.

Singh is the third candidate the Tories dropped on Tuesday, following the ouster of Mark McKenzie in southwestern Ontario and Stefan Marquis in Montreal.

CBC: Susan Crawford prevails over Brad Schimel in closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court election

Wisconsin voters elected Susan Crawford to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected, maintaining the court’s 4-3 liberal majority in a setback for U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who had backed her conservative rival.

The election was widely seen as an early referendum on Trump’s presidency. The campaign easily became the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history with more than $90 million US spent by the candidates, the state parties and outside groups, according to a tally from New York University’s Brennan Center.

CBC: Liberal candidate Paul Chiang withdraws from race after suggesting people claim China’s bounty on Conservative

Embattled Toronto-area Liberal candidate Paul Chiang is dropping out of the race just hours after the RCMP told CBC News it’s looking into whether he broke the law by suggesting people turn a Conservative candidate running in a nearby riding into the Chinese consulate to collect a bounty.

Last Updated: 01.Apr.2025 23:59 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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PopMech: After 200 Years, Scientists Identified the Skeleton of a Legendary Outlaw. The Truth Was There All Along.

• Researchers proved that a misidentified skeleton from the 19th century actually belongs to infamous outlaw Johannes Bückler, also known as Schinderhannes.
• Genealogical research found a living descendant of Schinderhannes, and researchers used his mitogenome to confirm the identity of the skeletal remains.

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Radiological analysis also proved to be significant, aligning closely with historical records of events. Researchers found evidence of the thickening of the ulna (arm) and the tibia (lower leg) in the remains of Ind1_SJ. Historical sources claim that Jonas once broke Schinderhannes arm during a heated argument, and sources also confirm that Schinderhannes injured (possibly even fractured)his leg when jumping out of a tower to escape arrest. The body, as they say, keeps the score.

MacRumors: Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3.

NYT: Steak Fries: Deservedly Reviled or Underappreciated Edible Spoons?

“I would love to be part of bringing back steak fries.”

That’s going to be a chore. The U.S. market for French fries is expected to reach $10 billion next year, and on the list of favorite variants – there are at least 30 – steak fries rank at or near the bottom, way behind the ubiquitous straight cuts, crinkle cuts and waffle cuts. Among wholesale distributors, they command a mere 2 percent of the total fry market by pound, according to Circana, a market research company.

Interesting Engineering: Birth control: US scientists develop world’s 1st male contraceptive pill

YCT-529, a hormone-free pill developed by US researchers, has shown 99% effectiveness in trials and is now in human testing.

MacRumors: iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS, or the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past.

The ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS, and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like ‌iOS 19‌ will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected to support ‌iOS 19‌, with a full compatibility list below.

All the way down to the iPhone 11 family.

CNN: Artificial sweetener found in diet drinks linked to brain changes that increase appetite, study finds

A growing body of evidence has increasingly linked diet sodas and other no- or low-calorie foods with weight gain - so much so that the World Health Organization issued an advisory in May 2023 saying not to use sugar substitutes for weight loss.

“Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners does not help people control their weight long-term,” Dr. Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s department of nutrition and food safety, said at the time.

Now, a new study may shed light on why consuming too much of the artificial sweetener sucralose could be counterproductive. Instead of the brain sending a signal to eat less, sucralose triggers an increase in appetite when consumed in a drink.

Last Updated: 31.Mar.2025 23:42 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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Guardian: Musk’s Doge gains access to federal payroll system despite staff warnings

With this access, the Doge employees now have visibility into sensitive employee information, like social security numbers, and are able to more easily hire and fire federal workers, according to the Times, citing the two people with knowledge who spoke with the newspaper on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution.

Meanwhile, Tyler Hassan, the recently named interior department’s acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget and a former Doge employee, reportedly placed two of the IT officials who had resisted the Doge employees on administrative leave and under investigation for their “workplace behavior”, according to the two sources.

Wikipedia: 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election will be held on April 1, 2025, to elect a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The incumbent justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is retiring after 30 years on the court. Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are nonpartisan, but the outcome of this election will decide the ideological majority of the court for at least the next year. The election pits Brad Schimel, a circuit court judge in Waukesha County, against Susan Crawford, a circuit court judge in Dane County. The race will be held concurrently with the superintendent election in the state.

By early March, the election had already become the single most expensive judicial race in United States history. Total spending is projected to reach $100 million by election day.

NYT: Jason Furman: Trump’s Tariffs Make Absolutely No Sense

My local bookstore has been taking advantage of me for years. I have run a trade deficit, giving it money with nothing but books in return. At the same time I have been taking advantage of my employer, running a trade surplus with it as it gives me a salary with nothing but educational services in exchange.

Thinking that way about the kinds of exchanges we all engage in is obviously absurd. But that’s precisely the reasoning behind the “reciprocal tariffs” President Trump is expected to announce this week. The details have not yet come into view, but if he does follow through, it’s clear the plan would add to what are already the nation’s highest tariffs since the 1940s. Their effect will be lower economic growth, higher inflation, higher unemployment, the destruction of wealth and a tax increase on American families. It will deal a blow to the rules underlying the global trading system and further empower China.

WashPo: Trump administration targets billions in funding to Harvard

An antisemitism task force will review $8.7 billion in multiyear grants and $255 million in contracts with the university and its affiliates.

Last Updated: 31.Mar.2025 20:12 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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Guardian: First orbital rocket launched from mainland Europe crashes after takeoff

A test rocket intended to kickstart satellite launches from Europe fell to the ground and exploded less than a minute after takeoff from Norway on Sunday, in what the German startup Isar Aerospace had described as an initial test.

The Spectrum started smoking from its sides and crashed back to Earth in a powerful explosion just after its launch from from the Andøya spaceport in the Arctic. Images were broadcast live on YouTube.

The uncrewed rocket was billed as the first attempt at an orbital flight to originate from Europe, where several countries, including Sweden and Britain, have said they want a share of the growing market for commercial space missions.

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In addition to Isar Aerospace, Europe is home to Germany’s HyImpulse and Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), the French groups Latitude and MaiaSpace, and Spain’s PLD Space.

Several destinations around Europe have been marked for spaceport projects, including the British Shetland Islands, the Portuguese Azores, and Esrange in Sweden. Coastal areas near stretches of open water are considered ideal spots for launch sites, as rockets do not have to fly over heavily populated land areas.

Stuff: Love and Hate: How Jacinda Ardern polarised a nation

Her life now is a far cry from what it was eight years ago when, at age 37, she was given the ultimate hospital pass: the leadership of a party that had been infighting for years, was polling poorly and had an election to contest in just 7 weeks.

In this five-part series, senior journalist Lloyd Burr looks back at this fascinating, turbulent, and tumultuous time in New Zealand politics and investigates the dramatic rise of Ardern, her fall and how the country fell out of love with her. This is part one.

I’m thinking of this more as “biography” than “politics”.

MovieWeb: The Best British Detective Series on BritBox, Ranked

Here are the best detective series you can stream on BritBox right now.

• Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004-2013)…
• The Last Detective (2003-2007)…
• Ashes to Ashes (2008-2010)…
• The Fall (2013-2016) …
• Rosemary & Thyme (2003-2007) …
• Death in Paradise (2011-present) …
• Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (2018-Present) …
• New Tricks (2003-2015) …
• The Responder (2022-Present) …
• Vera (2011-2025) …
• Blue Lights (2023-present) …
• Luther (2010-2019) …
• Ludwig (2024-present) …
• River (2015) …
• Scott & Bailey (2011-2016) …
• Sherlock (2010-2017) …
• Prime Suspect (1991-2006) …
• Line of Duty (2012-2021) …
• Life on Mars (2006-2007) …
• Killing Eve (2018-2022) …

Last Updated: 30.Mar.2025 18:02 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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Stuff: Trump says taking Greenland by military force ‘not off the table’

The Danish foreign minister on Saturday (Sunday NZT) scolded the Trump administration for its “tone” in criticiaing Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the US.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, make the remarks in a video posted to social media after US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the strategic island.

Later on Saturday (Sunday NZT), though, US President Donald Trump maintained an aggressive tone, telling NBC News that “I never take military force off the table” in regards to acquiring Greenland.

Stuff: Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president

US President Donald Trump says “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the United States after his second term ends in early 2029.

“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News.

Last Updated: 30.Mar.2025 18:53 EDT

Saturday’s political articles

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Interesting Engineering: New plastic stays solid on land but vanishes in seawater within hours

To tackle the growing pollution crisis, scientists at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new type of plastic that remains stable during everyday use but rapidly dissolves in saltwater, breaking down into harmless compounds.

The new plastic is based on supramolecular polymers, which are materials made from small molecules linked by reversible bonds, unlike traditional plastics that rely on strong covalent chains. Due to the nature of their bonds, supramolecular polymers can self-heal when broken and pressed back together and are also easy to recycle using specific solvents, making them simple to reuse and repurpose.

Interesting Engineering: Porsche’s battery recycling initiative aims to transform EV production

Later, the automobile manufacturer plans to develop a recycling network for high-voltage batteries in collaboration with external partners.

“With the help of innovative recycling processes, we strive to increase our independence from volatile and geopolitically unstable raw material markets,” said Barbara Frenkel, Executive Board Member for Procurement at Porsche.

“Circular Economy is a core pillar of our sustainability strategy, and with this pilot project, we want to underscore our ambitions.”

ScienceAlert: Huge Trees Hiding in Plain Sight May Be a Species Totally New to Science

A species of old-growth tree that is totally new to science has been hiding out in a narrow slice of mountain rainforest in Tanzania. Scientists have named the canopy-piercing tree Tessmannia princeps, and they suspect it could live for as long as 3,000 years.

In 2019, botanist Andrea Bianchi and two local plant experts, Aloyce and Ruben Mwakisoma, were surveying the tropical rainforests in the Udzungwa mountains in south-central Tanzania when they suddenly encountered a 40-meter- (130-foot-) tall ‘unarmed’ stranger.

Last Updated: 29.Mar.2025 15:10 EDT

Friday’s articles

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CBC: David Eby walks back key portion of proposed B.C. tariff response legislation following backlash

Premier David Eby has walked back a key portion of the NDP’s tariff response bill following a backlash over concerns that the proposed legislation would give the government the power to bypass the legislature.

“I didn’t get the balance right in terms of the ability to move quickly and necessary safeguards," Eby said during a news conference in Vancouver on Friday. “The level of anxiety and concerns I was hearing from key stakeholders … it was pretty clear we needed to have another look at this.”

A much smarter politician than most.

PBS: Analysis: Trump order targets agency that provides crucial funding for libraries and museums

On March 14, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order that called for the dismantling of seven federal agencies “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” They ranged from the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, to the Minority Business Development Agency.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services was also on the list. Congress created the IMLS in 1996 through the Museum and Library Services Act. The law merged the Institute of Museum Services, which was established in 1976, with the Library Programs Office of the Department of Education.

CleanTechnica: UK Reconsidering Tesla Subsidies After Trump Tariffs

After imposing a 25% tariff on automobiles exported from the UK to the US, it’s quite natural for British people in the auto industry and politicians to say, “Hey, we’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidise your cars, and now you want to slap a tax on ours? Let’s reconsider how our EV policies work….”

“Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government is reviewing its electric vehicle transition rules, amid calls for reciprocal tariffs on Tesla imports,” _The Independent_adds. “The Liberal Democrats have advocated for tariffs on Tesla, citing owner Elon Musk’s support for the US president.”

Guardian: Israel admits firing at ambulances in Gaza after Palestinians say rescuers missing in Rafah

Israel’s military admitted on Saturday it had fired on ambulances in the Gaza Strip after identifying them as “suspicious vehicles”, with Hamas condemning it as a “war crime” that killed at least one person.

The incident took place last Sunday in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood in the southern city of Rafah, close to the Egyptian border.

Israeli troops launched an offensive there on 20 March, two days after the army resumed aerial bombardments of Gaza after an almost two-month-long truce. Attacks on medical staff, hospitals and ambulances are potential war crimes.

CBC: Tesla protests held in Canada as part of ‘global day of action’ against Elon Musk

“I’m actually an EV owner, so I support electric vehicles, but when Elon Musk’s wealth is used as a way to exert power over entire countries, I think we have an obligation to come out here and protest the existence of this company,” demonstrator Jason Hanson said at the Saskatoon event.

Even in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

CBC: Conservatives fear ‘dysfunctional’ campaign and ‘civil war’ in the party: sources

As Conservative infighting over how the campaign is handling U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats spills into the open, sources within the party are describing a “dysfunctional” campaign with too much centralized power and belittling and aggressive treatment of staff.

More than half a dozen Conservatives, who spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be named for fear of retribution, describe a campaign that is “highly disorganized” and “a mess.” The sources include individuals both inside and outside the campaign.

Several of the sources allege that too many decisions have to go through Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s chief strategist, Jenni Byrne.

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One source described how the campaign didn’t have some “basic stuff” in place before the writ was issued.

Poilievre and Byrne are not inclined to listen to outside advice, sources said, relying instead on “a tight inner circle,” which is composed, in part, of people who also work at Byrne’s lobby firm outside the campaign period.

Poilievre: Not a team player. And potentially just what we don’t need, another deaf PMO.

Last Updated: 29.Mar.2025 20:23 EDT

Friday’s political articles

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Globe: Carney says Canada cannot rely on U.S. any longer, must achieve ‘economic autonomy’

Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to retaliate against Donald Trump’s new tariffs on foreign-made autos but warned that Canada must start fundamentally reshaping its economy to reduce dependence on the United States and create “strategic economic autonomy in this country.”

He said he’s confident that he can ensure the survival of Canada’s auto sector, naming this and a number of other industries that he said Ottawa, the provinces and businesses must protect and build up, including critical metals and minerals, artificial intelligence, as well as green and petroleum energy sectors.

“It is clear that the United States is no longer a reliable partner. It is possible that, with comprehensive negotiations, we will be able to restore some trust, but there will be no turning back,” Mr. Carney told reporters in Ottawa.

Gift link

AP: Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water

Utah has become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, over opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warn the move will lead to medical problems and disproportionately affect low-income communities.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation Thursday that bars cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water systems.

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Utah lawmakers who pushed for a ban said putting fluoride in water was too expensive. Cox, who grew up and raised his own children in a community without fluoridated water, compared it recently to being “medicated” by the government.

Last Updated: 28.Mar.2025 15:28 EDT

Thursday’s political articles

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AP: Should DNA evidence be admissible in the trial of the Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect?

Lawyers for Rex Heuermann want DNA tests conducted on hairs recovered from most of the seven victims in the case to be excluded from the trial, saying such analysis has never been accepted in a New York court of law.

But a genetics expert testifying in a pre-trial hearing in Riverhead court Friday said the DNA techniques used to analyze the hairs are widely accepted in the scientific community.

Dr. Kelley Harris, a University of Washington professor of genome sciences, described the type of testing used, known as nuclear DNA or “whole genome sequencing,” as an “elegant and powerful method” for testing whether hair fragments pulled from a crime scene match those taken from suspects.

Discover: Salt Is Necessary for the Body, but Over-Consuming Sodium Is Now Linked to Obesity

While lower salt consumption has long been recommended for people with cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have presented new research showing a strong link between higher sodium intake and the risk of obesity. This research is set to be presented at the European Congress of Obesity in May 2025.

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A study led by Annika Santalahti and her team explored the growing body of evidence linking salt intake with obesity. They analyzed data from the National FinHealth 2017 Study, estimating sodium intake through food frequency questionnaires and urine samples.

Statistical analysis revealed that the median salt intake was above recommended levels, with men consuming over 12 grams and women over 9 grams daily. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 5 grams per day, while the American Heart Association suggests only 2.3 grams, about 1 teaspoon.

Additionally, the researchers found that participants with higher sodium intake or high urine sodium levels were more likely to suffer from general or abdominal obesity, with the latter increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

BBC: Rembrandt to Picasso: Five ways to spot a fake masterpiece

The recent discovery of an art forger’s workshop reminds us of the long history of fraudulent artworks – here are the simple rules to work them out.

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In a remarkable twist, Van Meegeren eventually chose to expose himself as a fraudster shortly after the end of World War Two, after being charged by Dutch authorities with the crime of selling a Vermeer — therefore a national treasure — to the Nazi official Hermann Göring. To prove his innocence, if innocence it might be called, and demonstrate that he had merely sold a worthless fake of his own forging, not a real Old Master, Van Meegeren performed the extraordinary feat of whisking up a fresh masterpiece from thin air before the experts' astonished eyes. Voilà, Vermeer.

Last Updated: 28.Mar.2025 23:52 EDT

Thursday’s articles

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One Mile at a Time: Airline Demand Between Canada & United States Collapses, Down 70%+

Aviation analytics company OAG has published some data on the decline in flight bookings between the countries, and it’s worse than most people probably imagined. Specifically, the company compared summer season bookings in March 2024 vs. March 2025. In other words, at this point in both years, how many people have booked transborder flights in April through September?

Well, I hope you’re sitting down. For that six month period, the number of tickets booked is down anywhere from 71.4% to 75.7%. Just as an example, April is less than a week away, and here’s how bookings between the two countries are looking:

• In March 2024, 1,218,570 tickets had been booked for April 2024
• In March 2025, 295,982 tickets have been booked for April 2025
• That represents a 75.7% reduction in tickets booked

UPI: Federal authorities snatch nearly 200 pit bulls in Oklahoma from ex-NFL player in biggest dog-fighting seizure

A former NFL player in Oklahoma was accused of allegedly running a large-scale dog fighting and trafficking business with nearly 200 dogs seized in a sting.

LeShon Eugene Johnson, 54, of Broken Arrow, has been charged with multiple violations related to the federal Animal Welfare Act, according to an unsealed grand jury indictment Tuesday by a U.S. district court in Oklahoma’s eastern district.

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He pleaded guilty in 2004 to similar charges as operator of “Krazyside Kennels.”

“This strategic prosecution of an alleged repeat offender led to the seizure of 190 dogs destined for a cruel end. It disrupts a major source of dogs used in other dog fighting ventures,” added DOJ’s Gustafson.

NYT: Global Sea Ice Hits a New Low

That was announced by researchers at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center on Thursday, who said the amount of sea ice on the planet had reached the lowest level ever recorded in March.

The record comes days after the World Meteorological Organization reported that the past 10 years have been the 10 hottest on record, with 2024 the hottest year. The global rise in temperatures is tied to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Last Updated: 27.Mar.2025 23:59 EDT

Wednesday’s articles

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NYT: H.H.S. Scraps Studies of Vaccines and Treatments for Future Pandemics

Federal officials cited the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in halting the research. But much of the work was focused on preventing outbreaks of other pathogens.

This is insanely stupid. You pick: the adverb, or the adjective, or both?

Globe: Trump threatens Canada and EU with larger tariffs if they work together against U.S.

In a late-night social media post, President Donald Trump threatened Canada and the European Union if they worked together to “do economic harm” to the United States, hours after the Trump administration announced 25-per-cent tariffs on foreign auto imports.

“If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!” he wrote on Truth Social in the early hours on Thursday.

Let’s just accelerate this “tariff doom bus” faster into that economic wall!

UPI: DOGE cuts reduce weather balloon launches, diminishing ability to forecast extreme conditions

The launches have been curtailed at 11 National Weather Service locations around the United States, and meteorologists and scientists warn the cutbacks could make tornado and hurricane seasons more dangerous.

“There’s no question it will lead to errors. It’s just a matter of how bad will it be,” Houston meteorologist Matt Lanza said. “We know these things help with forecasts, so why are we cutting them?”

Penny wise, pound foolish?

Last Updated: 27.Mar.2025 13:40 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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CBC: Trump going ahead with tariffs on autos starting next week

U.S. President Donald Trump is dealing another tariff blow to Canada, signing an executive order on Wednesday that will hit all non-U.S. made autos with hefty import levies.

Trump said the United States will be applying a 25 per cent tariff on those imports, but it’s not clear when they would apply.

The president said the auto tariffs will kick in on April 2 but suggested they could start at a base rate of 2.5 per cent.

And the Auto Pact/NAFTA? Deals the US signs aren’t worth the paper they written on; they are completely untrustworthy as long as Trump is at the helm.

NYT: Trump Administration Abruptly Cuts Billions From State Health Services

States have been told that they can no longer use grants that were funding infectious disease management and addiction services.

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The Department of Health and Human Services has abruptly canceled more than $12 billion in federal grants to states that were being used for tracking infectious diseases, mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues.

The cuts are likely to further hamstring state health departments, which are already underfunded and struggling with competing demands from chronic diseases, resurgent infections like syphilis and emerging threats like bird flu.

The Republicans are choosing to take the more expensive approach? Not very efficient…

CBC: Canada election: Trump breaks into campaign by promising to go ahead with crushing auto tariffs

The Latest

• U.S. President Donald Trump is going ahead with a punishing 25 per cent tariff on imported vehicles, ratcheting up the trade war.
• [Prime Minister ] Mark Carney said he’d be going back to Ottawa to respond.
• Carney, who prioritized conversations with allies over meeting Trump, said it would now be appropriate to speak to the president “soon.”
• The Conservative and NDP leaders both called for immediate action to support autoworkers.
• Industry leaders scrambled for details on the U.S. policy.

Last Updated: 26.Mar.2025 23:01 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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CBC: Alex Ovechkin inches closer to goals record, but Winnipeg Jets have last laugh in overtime

Washington star Alex Ovechkin had tied the game 2-2 with a one-timer that went through Connor Hellebuyck’s pads with four minutes remaining in the third period.

Ovechkin now has 889 career goals, six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894.

UPI: Health officials in D.C. on alert after person exposes Amtrak rail passengers to measles

The infected person took an Amtrak train from New York to the District of Columbia and visited an urgent care facility while contagious, officials said.

“[D.C.] Health was notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited multiple locations in [D.C.] while contagious,” health officials said in a statement. ‘[D.C.] Health is informing people who were at these locations that they may have been exposed."

Verge: Rivian spins out secret e-bike lab into a new company called Also

Despite the revenue opportunity presented by the new category, car makers have yet to find any notable success with their e-bikes despite brands like Porsche, Mercedes, Jeep, GM, Hummer, and others all giving it a go. The e-bike industry is going through some growing pains, too, with VanMoof filing for bankruptcy and Rad Power Bikes cycling through a series of executives.

Verge: The Nissan Leaf lives on as a compact SUV with a Tesla charge port

The Nissan Leaf is back, and it’s not a frumpy looking hatchback anymore.

The Japanese automaker is dusting off its pioneering EV and giving it new technology and a new form factor. The Leaf will return as a crossover SUV with a Tesla plug (!!), casting off its outdated appearance that previously led to rumors of its inevitable demise.

Nissan is also rebooting some other familiar nameplates, including the Sentra and Rogue. But the newly refreshed, third-generation Leaf is coming first, arriving in North America in 2026.

Slashdot: Science: Scientists Record First Sounds Ever Known To Be Made By Sharks

sciencehabit quotes a report from Science.org:

Whales sing, orcas squeal, and sea turtles croak. But sharks are more the strong, silent type. Now, researchers report the first evidence that sharks make sounds, too, described today in Royal Society Open Science. The animals may be making the sounds — a series of clicking noises — by snapping their flat rows of teeth, which are blunt for crushing prey. The sharks can hear mostly low-frequency noise, and the clicks they emit are higher pitched, which suggests they are not for communicating with other rigs. It’s possible they are a defensive tactic. Marine mammals that eat rigs, such as leopard seals, can hear in the frequency range of the rig clicks, but the researchers question whether a few clicks would deter an attack. The sounds might be part of their response to being startled, the team says.

Lost Bits: The Basement

We are proud to present The Basement, a visual zine that combines history, art, and technology in a beautiful creation by Ethan Blanton and Jarek Zola. You can download a version of The Basement for digital viewing, licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. You may also want to view High-resolution scans of the individual photos in The Basement.

The Basement is, as the full title says, “an avid look at yesterday’s electronics.” It is a passion project of art and technology in the form of a zine. Produced using cameras from the middle of the 20th century, with mid-century through 1980s technology as its subject, scanned on modern high-resolution equipment, and then typeset with software from the 1970s and laid out with current desktop publishing tools, it captures three quarters of a century of industrial design and technology in a friendly format.

Last Updated: 26.Mar.2025 23:16 EDT

Tuesday’s articles

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CNN: Greenland’s leader says US officials’ visit is ‘highly aggressive.’ Trump says it’s ‘friendliness, not provocation’

Greenland’s prime minister said a planned visit to the island by US officials, including second lady Usha Vance, is “highly aggressive,” plunging relations to a new low after President Donald Trump vowed to annex the autonomous Danish territory.

But despite the backlash, Trump has insisted the visit is about “friendliness, not provocation” – and claims the US team was “invited.”

Last Updated: 25.Mar.2025 12:05 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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ScienceAlert: ‘Wild Swimming’ Does Something Amazing to Your Mind, Study Reveals

But might certain swimming activities be particularly beneficial for mental wellbeing? With an international team of environmental psychologists, I have carried out the biggest survey of open-water swimmers to date, looking at data from across the globe.

Our recent study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, outlines the mental wellbeing benefits of wild swimming, and suggests that satisfying psychological needs might underlie this.

As part of the EU-funded BlueHealth project, we surveyed around 20,000 adults in 19 countries across Europe, the US, Hong Kong, Australia and Canada about their interactions with blue spaces (outdoor aquatic environments) and their health and wellbeing.

Last Updated: 25.Mar.2025 12:12 EDT

Monday’s articles

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AP: Quirky livestream that lets viewers help fish is a hit with millions

The central Dutch city of Utrecht has installed a “fish doorbell” on a river lock that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds.

The idea is simple: An underwater camera at Utrecht’s Weerdsluis lock sends live footage to a website. When somebody watching the site sees a fish, they can click a button that sends a screenshot to organizers. When they see enough fish, they alert a water worker who opens the lock to let the fish swim through.

Now in its fifth year, the site has attracted millions of viewers from around the world with its quirky mix of slow TV and ecological activism.

Wikipedia: The Phoebus cartel

The Phoebus cartel was an international cartel that controlled the manufacture and sale of incandescent light bulbs in much of Europe and North America between 1925 and 1939. The cartel took over market territories and lowered the useful life of such bulbs, which is commonly cited as an example of planned obsolescence.

RNZ News: Working past the age of 90

Data from Stats NZ shows there are almost 200,000 New Zealanders aged 65 or older reporting they are still in the workforce.

Almost 90,000 are aged over 70.

Over-65s made up 10.3 percent of machinery operators and drivers, 8 percent of labourers, 7 percent of professionals and 9.1 percent of managers.

Over 70, the numbers roughly halved. They were 4 percent of managers, and 3 percent of professionals, clerical and admin workers, sales workers, and 3.7 percent of labourers.

This could be the start of really useful information for setting public policy, if we can tease out why people are working. For some it’s the love of the job, but for others it’s a necessity.

MacRumors: Apple Announces Next Step Towards Achieving 2030 Environmental Goal

Apple today announced it has committed up to 720 million yuan (nearly $100 million) towards accelerating the development of clean energy sources in China, as part of the company’s goal of transitioning its supply chain to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The investment will go towards the second phase of the China Clean Energy Fund, which aims to add approximately 550,000 megawatt-hours of wind and solar capacity to China’s grid each year, according to Apple. The first phase added more than a gigawatt of new wind and solar projects across the country, the company said.

Apple’s overall goal is to become completely carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. More details about this plan are available on Apple’s environment page.

MacRumors: watchOS 11.4 Will Make Sure You Don’t Miss Alarms

The update includes an option to allow the Wake Up alarm you set up for Sleep mode to break through when Silent Mode is activated on your watch, which means you’ll be less likely to sleep through your alarm going off.

Right now, if you have Silent Mode turned on, your Apple Watch alarm will use haptic feedback vibrations to tap you on the wrist to wake you, but it won’t make noise. Some people are able to easily sleep through the gentle tapping of the alarm, but a loud noise is harder to ignore.

Kottke: Free Warner Bros Movies on YouTube

For some reason, Warner Bros. has uploaded 41 of its movies to YouTube that are free to watch. Among them, Waiting for Guffman, The Accidental Tourist, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Richard Linklater’s SubUrbia, The 11th Hour (Leonardo DiCaprio’s climate change movie), The Science of Sleep, The Avengers (the 1998 non-Marvel spy flick with Ralph Fiennes & Uma Thurman), and Mr. Nice Guy (w/ Jackie Chan – this has the highest number of views on the list by an order of magnitude).

Last Updated: 24.Mar.2025 19:06 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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CBC: ‘Offensive and false’: Alberta premier’s office denies Smith urged U.S. to interfere in federal election

The office of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is vehemently denying accusations that she asked the U.S. to interfere in Canadian federal politics, as comments Smith made during an interview with an American news outlet earlier this month made waves this weekend.

Smith, along with other Canadian political leaders, has been lobbying U.S. counterparts against placing the stiff tariffs President Donald Trump wants on Canadian goods. Part of her effort has included speaking with American news media.

During a March 8 interview with Breitbart, a right-wing U.S. media company, Smith said the Conservative Party of Canada was far ahead of the governing Liberal Party in polls before the trade war. But the threat of “unjust and unfair tariffs” had boosted Liberal support.

CBC: Alberta premier says she’d form second Fair Deal Panel if Ottawa doesn’t meet policy demands

A day after threatening a national unity crisis, Premier Danielle Smith says she would strike a panel to poll Albertans on what to do if her list of demands is ignored.

Smith, facing repeated questions from reporters in Calgary about how far she’d be willing to go in a renewed fight with Ottawa, said Friday she’d strike a second Fair Deal Panel to “listen to what it is that Albertans want to do in consequence.”

Smith’s latest demands, posted on social media Thursday after a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Edmonton, include ending a number of policies put in place under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

She says those policies, such as Ottawa’s proposed emissions cap, have done nothing but harm Alberta’s oil and gas sector.

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Besides ditching the emissions cap, Smith said she wants guarantees that pipelines can be built in every direction and that Ottawa’s single-use plastics prohibition will be abolished, “so we can start using straws again.”

She’s also calling for net-zero electricity and vehicle targets to be shelved and for Canada’s greenwashing law to be repealed.

Montreal Gazette: Carney declines French TVA debate, official debates April 16 and 17

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has declined to participate in a French-language debate with the other federal party leaders on TVA, causing the broadcaster to cancel the program.

TVA traditionally hosts a “Face-à-Face” French-language leaders’ debate during federal election campaigns, reaching an average of 1.3 million viewers, according to Quebecor Media, the parent company of TVA.

But not this time.

“The main political parties had until today to confirm their participation,” the QMI media team said Monday afternoon. “Sadly, although the Bloc Québécois, the Conservative Party of Canada, and the NDP accepted the broadcaster’s invitation, TVA regrets to announce that it has been force to cancel this Face-à-Face event due to the Liberal Party of Canada’s refusal to participate.”

Groupe TVA had requested $75,000 from each of the main parties to help cover the costs of producing the program. Groupe TVA cut some 500 jobs and would have had to hire freelancers and redesign a studio to produce the program, the media team said. TVA does take advertising revenue from the broadcast.

Mistake.

Last Updated: 24.Mar.2025 22:30 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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BBC: Five things to look for in Canada’s election

Canada’s general election campaign is underway, a 36-day sprint taking place in unprecedented circumstances.

Voters will consider which party should govern the country just as the US - its neighbour and largest economic partner - launches a trade war and President Donald Trump muses about making Canada the 51st US state.

Domestic issues like housing and immigration will still be important, of course, but for the first time in decades, Canadians will also be grappling with fundamental questions about the country’s future when they head to the ballot box on 28 April.

PM Carney called the election to be held in late April.

Last Updated: 23.Mar.2025 00:10 EDT

Saturday’s political articles

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WashPo: A precise way to measure pain still eludes doctors and sufferers

Scientists hope to identify biomarkers among the proteins, hormones and metabolites that have been linked to pain. One researcher has been developing a way to measure the pain sensations transmitted by nerve fibers in the body.

Doctors said the ability to measure pain using these markers would improve the accuracy of diagnoses and help determine how effective medications are in easing their patients’ suffering.

CleanTechnica: Debunking The Myth: Green Hydrogen Is Essential To Displace Current Industrial Hydrogen Use, Not As An Energy Source

Shifting from fossil hydrogen is akin to turning off a leaky tap—a necessary first step toward stemming the tide of industrial emissions. Despite being promoted extensively as a universal replacement fuel for heavy industry, hydrogen’s role in decarbonization is frequently misunderstood or exaggerated. The perception that hydrogen can broadly replace fossil fuels across industrial sectors suffers from a classic case of overgeneralization. While hydrogen indeed holds promise in specific niches, particularly in steelmaking through hydrogen direct reduction and certain chemical production processes, it is not the all-encompassing solution that many proponents suggest (Gielen, Saygin, & Wagner, 2022).

Last Updated: 23.Mar.2025 20:45 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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NYT: George Foreman, Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate, Dies at 76

He claimed a world title in his 20s and again in his 40s, and then made millions selling grills.

NYT: Hugues Oyarzabal, Surfing Star Who Rode With a Camera, Dies at 39

Hugues Oyarzabal, one of Europe’s most accomplished surfers and among the first to record spectacular feats from inside the curl of a wave using digital cameras, died on Feb. 21 at his home in Biarritz, France. He was 39.

His parents, Charles and Lucette Oyarzabal, said he had taken his own life. Friends told The New York Times that Oyarzabal had lived with bipolar disorder from childhood.

Last Updated: 22.Mar.2025 14:11 EDT

Friday’s articles

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Daily Mail: Joe Rogan breaks with Trump after calling out ‘ridiculous’ stance

Rogan, who voted for Trump and welcomed him on his show, said: ‘Why are we upset at Canada? This is stupid, this over tariffs We got to become friends with Canada again, this is so ridiculous.

‘I can’t believe there is anti American, anti Canadian sentiment going on. ‘It’s the dumbest fxxxxxx feud.

‘I just want America and Canada to get along, I think it’s ridiculous. And I don’t think they should be our 51st state.’

Politico: Trump demands Maine governor apologize — or the state will face consequences

President Donald Trump is demanding a “full throated apology” from Maine Gov. Janet Mills in his spat with the state over transgender athletes, implying his administration will continue to target the state unless he gets one.

The Democratic governor got into an argument with the president during a governors’ meeting at the White House in February, telling the president “we’ll see you in court” when he threatened to pull federal funding from the state if it failed to comply with his order to ban trans athletes from playing in women’s and girls sports.

His administration subsequently opened overlapping investigations into Maine, including probes launched by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Agriculture.

Is this news: the big baby bully is crying again?

Last Updated: 22.Mar.2025 17:50 EDT

Friday’s political articles

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Six Colors: [**Who’s the laggard? Comparing TV streamer boxes**

Basically, as is so often the case with Apple these days, the Apple TV experience is dated but sneaks by thanks to Apple’s excellent hardware. The software has really seen better days. I like my Apple TV a lot, but Google’s device feels more modern and capable.

Laggard or no, there’s no hardware update that will solve Apple TV’s biggest issues. For that, a major tvOS update is required.

Netflix Codes: find hidden categories on Netflix (full list)

For example:

• 9292 Scandinavian movies

Warning: heavily ad-infested site.

Wales Online: This is Wales' best place to live in 2025

The Wales regional winner and pronounced the best place to live in Wales in 2025 is Gower Peninsula, Swansea. Six other locations in Wales are included in the comprehensive guide, which named Saffron Walden in Essex as the best place to live in the UK overall.

Tom’s Guide: This quirky British detective drama just arrived on BritBox – and it’s got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes

If you’re craving a cleverly written mystery with a generous dose of quirky humor, BritBox’s newest original should cement itself on your watchlist.

Premiering this week (March 20), Ludwig, starring British comedian David Mitchell (Peep Show), has quickly captured the attention of audiences, already becoming one of the most talked-about streaming debuts of the month.

Created by Mark Brotherhood (Safe House), this series follows reclusive crossword-setter John “Ludwig” Taylor (Mitchell), whose quiet life is upended when his twin brother disappears. Forced to step into his brother’s shoes, Ludwig must try and get to the bottom of the mystery among others, armed only with his puzzle-solving abilities.

You had me at “quirky”.

Discover: New Hydrothermal Feature Emerges at Yellowstone National Park

After an exciting summer, with the park seeing a hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin and Norris Geyser Basin, one of the park’s scientists also spotted the new hydrothermal feature. According to a news release from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the new feature “popped up right in front of our eyes — literally!”

The new feature could be seen from the road, and although it seems to have gone nearly dormant over the winter, researchers at the park think it may come back this summer.

Discover: Frequent, Long-Term Blood Donation Could Reduce Risk for Blood Cancers

Scientists compared blood from frequent, long-term donors to that of more seldom ones and saw some key genetic differences in cell types.

Guardian: Astronomers discover 128 new moons orbiting Saturn

11.Mar.2025

Until recently, the “moon king” title was held by Jupiter, but Saturn now has a total of 274 moons, almost twice as many as all the other planets combined. The team behind the discoveries had previously identified 62 Saturnian moons using the Canada France Hawaii telescope and, having seen faint hints that there were more out there, made further observations in 2023.

Guardian: Comedian Katherine Ryan reveals second skin cancer diagnosis

“I was in that room for seven minutes, and the doctor was like: ‘I do melanoma on the NHS, it’s all I do, I know all about skin cancer, I’m the man, this is not melanoma, goodbye.’

“He was really nice to me, and he gave me the news that I wanted, I think it’s really easy to take a diagnosis of ‘you’re healthy’ and just walk away. But the mole kept changing, and I know a lot about melanoma. I just felt like this mole wasn’t right.”

A reminder that you don’t have to accept the initial diagnosis if it is troubling.

Last Updated: 21.Mar.2025 22:53 EDT

Thursday’s articles

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CBC: Halifax musicians say U.S. traffic stop led to drug search, questions about allegiance

Halifax-based folk musicians Cassie and Maggie MacDonald were recently pulled over in Ohio by police officers who accused them of having drugs in their car and asked whether they preferred Canada or the U.S.

Last Updated: 21.Mar.2025 00:53 EDT

Thursday’s political articles

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Globe: Alberta signed deal to import medication from Turkey despite recommendations against it

Briefing notes prepared by Alberta Health officials in November, 2022, for then-health minister Jason Copping and Ms. Smith outlined three options to import five million bottles of pediatric ibuprofen and acetaminophen from Atabay Pharmaceuticals amid a North American shortage for children’s pain relievers. The documents detailed the downsides of each path.

The government chose the riskiest option: to sign a deal to import medicine before receiving regulatory clearance from Health Canada, despite warnings that the province could be left on the hook for a product that would no longer be needed or would not be approved.

It explained at the time that Alberta signed a contract for five million bottles – roughly eight times the province’s annual demand, according to figures presented in the briefing documents – because it was the minimum purchase order set by the supplier.

Globe: Lockheed Martin offers to create jobs in Canada if Ottawa commits to full order for F-35 fighter jets

Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defence giant that builds the F-35 fighter jet, has offered to create more jobs in Canada if Ottawa buys all of the jets it said it would when the contract was announced in 2023.

Canada agreed to buy 88 warplanes but has a legal funding commitment for only 16 aircraft, the first of which is due to arrive in 2026. It does not have to purchase the remaining 72 from Lockheed Martin.

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The source said Ottawa now has some leverage over Lockheed Martin since it is not obliged to buy all 88 aircraft. The second option is the Saab JS 39 Gripen fighter jet build by Saab of Sweden. The Gripen was the runner-up in the competition to replace Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18s, whose winner, the F-35, was announced in early 2023.

Canada should cancel the remaining order as “not fit for purpose”.

Palmer Report: Yep, Donald Trump and Elon Musk really are going after your Social Security

Michael Steele, former chair of the RNC and current host on MSNBC, discussed what’s happening with SSA on his show. He asked the audience, “Folks, take a moment. Do you really trust Elon Musk to get you your checks on time? Well, the most recent commissioner of the social security administration definitely does not.” I’m not worried about timing as much as I am concerned about getting them at all, but Steele got to that. O’Malley believes: “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.” We have already seen it. Remember Ned Johnson? He’s not the only senior who has experienced this, but it gets worse. The more confusion Musk can create, the easier it will be for money to go “missing.”

via John Philpin

Last Updated: 20.Mar.2025 17:37 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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