The birthday: Happy 85th birthday to Alan Kay, one of the most interesting people in Computer Science I’ve had the pleasure to hear speak.

The Book: Art in the Blood [Kobo Canada] by Bonnie MacBird. I tried the preview, liked it, and bought it. I’m finding it quite enjoyable. (I read Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes novels when I was young, and then had the pleasure of reading them to our s when he was young.)

The Connection: Alan Kay and Bonnie MacBird are spouses.

This will be my last daily compendium of the odd assortment of headlines to catch my interest. I hope they’ve been some help or amusement to others. Thank you to everyone who sent me feedback.

Technologizer (Harry McCracken): The raccoons who made computer magazine ads great

If you remember the computer magazines of this era at all, you recall how thick they were—hundreds and hundreds of pages an issue in the case of the most successful ones. The majority of those pages were ads, not editorial content. And a sizable chunk of those ads were catalog-y in the extreme. Pages and pages were devoted to lists of products and prices in teensy type, with 1-800 numbers you could call to place an order.

About a gazillion mail-order houses did business this way. The April 1991 PC World, for instance, includes advertisements for outfits such as Advanced Computer Products, Arlington Computer Products, Bulldog Computer Products, Computer Bazaar, Fast Micro, Kenosha Computer Center, NSI Computer Products, Paradise Computer Products, Telemart, and United Computer Express. Only the names and slightly varying levels of ad-design proficiency served to distinguish most of them.

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Behind the scenes, PC Connection really was a small-town success story. The company was founded by Patricia Gallup and David Hall, who’d met by chance in 1975 when both were hiking the Appalachian Trail. Gallup ended up working at Hall’s family business, a mail-order purveyor of professional audio components in Marlow. When the IBM PC came along in 1981, the company bought one to computerize its business.

Alexandra’s Kitchen: The Best, Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe

Cold, refrigerated dough is the secret to making delicious focaccia! Allowing the dough to rest 18 to 48 hours in the fridge will yield extra-pillowy and airy focaccia, though if you are pressed for time, you can make this start-to-finish in 3 hours. This 4-ingredient recipe requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time. Video guidance below!

via Cheri Baker

Last Updated: 25.Apr.2025 19:52 EDT

Thursday’s articles

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This will be my last daily compendium of the odd assortment of political headlines to catch my interest. I hope they’ve been some help or amusement to others. Thank you to everyone who sent me feedback.

Guardian: Supported housing in England on brink of financial crisis, charities warn

More than 150 organisations, including Age UK and Refuge, have warned the supported housing sector is on the precipice of a financial crisis that could plunge tens of thousands of vulnerable people into homelessness.

In a letter to the government being delivered on Friday, public bodies, charities and housing associations called for urgent action to save the sector, which provides homes for 500,000 people across England with complex needs.

They said funding cuts and rising costs had pushed providers to breaking point, and that organisations providing nearly one in five (18%) of all supported homes are on the verge of closing down services – which would lead to the loss of 70,000 homes.

Globe: Poilievre’s Nova Scotia campaign stop highlights growing rift between federal Conservatives, provincial PCs

About two thousand supporters flocked to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in a Progressive Conservative heartland this week – the Central Nova riding of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, and former federal cabinet ministers Elmer MacKay and his son, Peter MacKay, in northeastern Nova Scotia.

As the rally unfolded in Trenton, a small community nearly a two-hour drive from Halifax, one person wasn’t there: Nova Scotia’s PC Premier, Tim Houston.

“Premier Houston sends his best. He would be here tonight but he’s a busy man,” Peter MacKay told a cheering crowd, though Mr. Houston was in the province with no publicly scheduled appearances.

Last Updated: 25.Apr.2025 02:56 EDT

Thursday’s political articles

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TorStar: Conservatives pour resources into Pierre Poilievre’s riding

The federal Conservatives are funnelling resources into Pierre Poilievre’s local campaign, shoring up volunteer support in the leader’s Ottawa-area riding over concerns that winning his seat is not guaranteed, the Star has learned.

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Carleton, which borders the Nepean riding where Carney is running, has also become the target of the Longest Ballot initiative, a protest movement aimed at drawing attention to electoral reform, which has led to a total of 91 candidates appearing on the riding’s ballot.

Globe: Pierre Poilievre pledges to scrap electric vehicle sales mandates if elected

Canada has mandated that 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold must be electric by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2035.

Electric vehicles made up just shy of 12 per cent of the Canadian sales in 2023, but government rebate programs meant to encourage people to buy EVs came to an end in January.

UPI: NHL legend Dominik Hasek says he received death threats from ex-Russian president

Hasek has been a prominent voice against Russian players playing in the NHL due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has also been a vocal critic of Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has used his celebrity in the hockey world to promote the Russian leader and previously disseminated disinformation about Ukraine.

Hasek has frequently criticized the NHL’s decision to allow Russian players to compete for the Cup, calling it “a huge amount of advertising to Russia for its war and crimes.”

“And that costs a lot of lives,” he said on X. “The NHL has to pay Ukraine for this.”

ABC: Hegseth used Signal app connected to ‘dirty line’ on personal computer in Pentagon office: Sources

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the Signal app on a personal computer in his office that was connected to the internet on an unsecured commercial line, what’s known as a “dirty line,” two sources confirmed to ABC News Thursday.

A “dirty line” is the nickname given to a commercial internet line that is used to connect to websites that would not be available on the Pentagon’s unclassified (NIPR) or classified (SIPR) lines.

This dirty line was installed at Hegseth’s request so he could use the Signal app on the personal computer, the sources said.

Globe: Andrew Coyne: There are some interesting ideas in the party platforms. It’s a pity no one will read them

The platform is to be distinguished from the fiscal plan that accompanies it. The platform is where the parties list all the mad, unaffordable or unworkable promises they have made to targeted voter groups, most of which will never be implemented. The fiscal plan is where they attach made-up costs and fantasy revenues to each of these, then congratulate themselves because the long column of little numbers adds up to the big number at the bottom.

Last Updated: 24.Apr.2025 23:11 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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ScienceAlert: 84% of Earth’s Coral Reefs in Crisis as Worst Bleaching Event on Record Hits

An unprecedented coral bleaching episode has spread to 84 percent of the world’s reefs in an unfolding human-caused crisis that could kill off swathes of the essential ecosystems, scientists warned Wednesday.

Since it began in early 2023, the global coral bleaching event has mushroomed into the biggest and most intense on record, with reefs across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans affected.

Coral turns ghostly white under heat stress and the world’s oceans have warmed over the last two years to historic highs, driven by humanity’s release of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Reefs can rebound from the trauma but scientists told AFP the window for recovery was getting shorter as ocean temperatures remained higher for longer.

Manton Reece: AI web search

If you haven’t been following the latest AI models closely, you may have missed what is happening with integrating web search results into answers.

Inside Climate News: A Grim Signal: Atmospheric CO2 Soared in 2024

Scientists are worried because they can’t fully explain the big jump, but they think it might mean that carbon absorption by forests, fields and wetlands is slowing down—a major problem for the world.

HowToGeek: Netflix’s New Dialogue-Only Subtitles Won’t Clutter Your Screen

Streaming services, TV networks, and movie studios generally use SDH/CC as the be-all-end-all subtitle format. Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH/CC) contain dialogue along with ancillary information like speaker names, noises, and descriptions of music. But viewers who aren’t hard of hearing may prefer simplified captions, especially if they’re using a large font size or solid-color background that takes up a lot of space on their screen (yeah, Netflix lets you customize subtitle size and color).

According to Netflix’s internal data, half of all American viewing hours are with subtitles enabled. A decent number of these subtitle-loving viewers are deaf, hard of hearing, or have mild hearing loss (which is far more impactful than the name would suggest), but most of them just have trouble hearing dialogue because modern TV speakers are terrible and studios are obsessed with theatrical audio (quiet dialogue with stupidly loud sound effects). So, a dialogue-only subtitle option makes a lot of sense.

InsideEVs: Slate’s Affordable EV Truck Has No Screens, Uses Your Phone For Updates

It sports an index-card-sized display that shows basic info like your speed, and that’s about it. There’s no infotainment system or speakers, which also means no radio. The truck even lacks an internet connection, something that’s common in modern cars for things like remote access, map updates and media streaming. This all tracks with Slate’s goal of making a “back-to-basics” vehicle that costs less than $20,000 after federal EV incentives. That meant cutting nearly all the fat, save for stuff that doesn’t help the truck go or make it safer.

Last Updated: 24.Apr.2025 23:41 EDT

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Having troubles with Drafts not syncing between devices so poor headline coverage persists.

CBC: Bryan Adams announces 19 shows across Canada

Adams has already completed a New Zealand and Australia leg of this tour, with dates scheduled for the U.K. and Ireland next month and further European dates throughout the summer.

Homegrown band the Sheepdogs will join Adams on most of his Canadian dates, except in Calgary and Kelowna, B.C., where Amanda Marshall will appear. 

Windsor and Peterborough but not Kingston?!

Last Updated: 23.Apr.2025 22:24 EDT

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Wikinews: Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah sworn in as Namibia’s first female president

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, former vice president of Namibia, was sworn in as Namibia’s first female president on Friday. She won the presidential election in November 2024 as the candidate of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO).

SWAPO secured 53% of the parliamentary vote in the election, winning 51 out of 91 seats. The opposition party, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), secured 20 seats.

Nandi-Ndaitwah became the second woman to hold a presidential position in Africa. Dignitaries from across the continent were present at her inauguration, among them seven sitting African presidents and nine former heads of state.

CBC: Conservatives update platform to include omitted ‘anti-woke’ promise

The Conservative Party has republished the English-language version of its platform after what it says was a “publishing oversight” resulted in the omission of a previous commitment to crack down on “woke ideology” in the public service and federal funding for university research.

Earlier in the campaign, the Conservatives had promised as part of their Quebec platform to “put an end to the imposition of woke ideology in the federal civil service and in the allocation of federal funds for university research.” 

When the party released its full national platform on Tuesday, that commitment was repeated in the French-language version, but it was missing from the English version.

Last Updated: 23.Apr.2025 23:46 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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NYT: Trump Administration Continues to Defy Judge’s Orders in Abrego Garcia Case, Lawyers Say

In refusing to reveal much of anything about the administration’s efforts, department lawyers insisted the information constituted state secrets that needed to be protected.

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The White House’s repeated resistance to court orders – not only in Mr. Abrego Garcia’s case, but in other legal proceedings as well – has edged the administration ever closer to an open showdown with the judicial branch in a way that could threaten the constitutional balance of power.

Three courts — including the Supreme Court and the federal appeals court that sits over Judge Xinis — have directly told the Trump administration to “facilitate” the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia. They have instructed the administration to devise a way of handling his case as it should have been handled if the government had not erroneously flown him to El Salvador on March 15 in violation of an earlier court order.

Last Updated: 22.Apr.2025 22:14 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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CBC: Will offshore wind ever come to the Great Lakes

Wind turbines in the Great Lakes have the potential to produce huge amounts of clean energy in one of the most populated regions in North America.

But offshore wind has been banned by a moratorium in Ontario since 2011 and faces headwinds in the U.S.

Still, the Ontario Clean Air Alliance thinks it’s time to reconsider, arguing offshore wind could end the province’s reliance on natural gas imports from the U.S. for its gas-powered generators at a time when the U.S. threatens Canada with punishing tariffs and talk of annexation.

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Beyond reducing reliance on U.S. natural gas, Gibbons said the cost of wind turbines has come down due to technology improvements since 2011, and they would certainly be more affordable than the new nuclear power plants that the province is building, including four that would be imported from the U.S. and fuelled on enriched uranium imported from the U.S.

He said wind power in the Great Lakes could provide Ontario with more than 100 per cent of its total electricity needs. (Peak electricity demand in Ontario is close to 24 GW, according to the province’s Independent Electricity Sysetm Operator.)

Unfortunately nothing’s going to happen as long as there is a dogmatic PC government in Ontario.

MacRumors: M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect.

As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory changes that make it easier to sideload apps on iOS and iPadOS devices. Under the DMA, users can now download third-party app stores like “AltStore Classic,” which enables the installation of UTM with JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation support.

BBC: Mystery of Welsh medieval cemetery deepens

A medieval cemetery unearthed near Cardiff Airport is continuing to confound archaeologists, as the mysteries surrounding it are multiplying.

The discovery of the site, dating to the 6th or 7th Century, was announced last year, with dozens of skeletons found lying in unusual positions with unexpected artefacts.

Now researchers have learned nearly all of those buried in the cemetery are women, and while their bones show signs of wear and tear - indicating they carried out heavy manual work - there are also surprising signs of wealth and luxury.

Last Updated: 22.Apr.2025 23:58 EDT

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Guardian: Pope Francis obituary

The break with tradition that Francis, who has died aged 88 after suffering from double pneumonia, represented even managed to trump the shock value of the resignation of Benedict, who was the first pope for 600 years to take that option rather than die in office. Immediately, Bergoglio signalled unambiguously that he intended to be a different kind of pope, one for the 21st century. He boldly chose to be known as Francis, becoming the first pontiff to take on the name of the radical saint from Assisi who had turned his back on privilege and status in this world, and lived with and for the poor. No more pomp and ceremony, the new pope seemed to be saying, but sleeves rolled up and joining the fight for social and economic justice.

NYT: Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to four people with knowledge of the chat.

Some of those people said that the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen – essentially the same attack plansthat he shared on a separate Signal chat the same day that mistakenly included the editor of The Atlantic.

Last Updated: 21.Apr.2025 12:48 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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Guardian: London Gatwick is UK’s worst airport for flight delays, figures show

CAA data shows flights departed more than 23 minutes late last year, with Birmingham and Manchester second and third-worst.

Remember: avoid Gatwick.

NYT: Wirecutter: The Trick to Less Laundry? Doing It the Right Way.

Once you start doing your laundry correctly, you’ll probably have to do less of it — your machines will run better and your clothes are likelier to get stain-free on the first try. Below, our experts, who have spent many, many hours testing detergents, hampers, washing machines, dryers, and more, will walk you through a few of their best tips and tricks at every stage of the process — some of which might surprise even the most seasoned laundry-doers.

Electrek: Elon Musk breaks his own Tesla (TSLA) earnings rule in desperate move

This is happening amid a significant crisis at Tesla. The company experienced its first year of declining sales in 2024, and the decline accelerated in 2025 amid boycotts and protests over Musk’s involvement in politics.

Tesla’s sales are declining, gross margins are shrinking, the Cybertruck is proving to be a commercial flop, and Tesla owners are selling their vehicles in mass to distance themselves from the increasingly more controversial CEO.

Last Updated: 21.Apr.2025 18:19 EDT

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Guardian: Terry Garcia: I served on the Deepwater Horizon inquiry commission. Trump has us headed for a new disaster

Last month, I joined nearly 500 former and current employees of National Geographic, where I was executive vice-president and chief science and exploration officer for 17 years, urging the institution to take a public stance against the Trump administration’s reckless attacks on science. Our letter pointed out that the programs being dismantled are “imperative for the success of our country’s economy and are the foundation of our progress and wellbeing. They make us safer, stronger and more prosperous.” We warned that gutting them is a recipe for disaster.

In the face of this danger, none of us can remain silent.

I say this from the unique perspective of having been closely involved in the two most significant environmental disasters in US history: the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills_. _Fifteen years ago this Sunday, an enormous explosion tore through the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and unleashed an environmental catastrophe that devastated the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion triggered the release of more than 3m barrels of oil that polluted 1,300 miles of coastline from Louisiana to Florida. Eleven lives were lost, ecosystems were ravaged and the economic toll soared into the billions.

CBC: Poilievre dodges questions about repealing national handgun ban

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dodged questions Sunday about whether he would repeal the federal government’s handgun ban, a measure brought in to tamp down on the diversion of legal firearms into the hands of bad actors.

Poilievre hasn’t said much during this campaign about what he would do with the Liberal firearms legislation he voted against while in Parliament, but he has blasted the last government’s “assault-style” firearm buyback program as a “gun grab” that he would scrap.

Reason enough not to vote Conservative.

Last Updated: 20.Apr.2025 16:29 EDT

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ScienceAlert: Brains That Age Faster May Drive Schizophrenia, Research Finds

What causes schizophrenia? This severe mental illness, which affects over 20 million people worldwide and is characterised by recurrent hallucinations and delusions, often begins to emerge in the period from adolescence to early adulthood. It’s a complex disorder that affects almost every area of life.

Current theories about why schizophrenia develops suggest it may be linked to changes in brain development during this critical period of emerging adulthood.

Schizophrenia is also thought to be similar to conditions such as dyslexia, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD), which are neurodevelopmental but usually manifest in childhood.

However, our research suggests that accelerated brain ageing could be another potential driver in the development of schizophrenia – and this can be measured using a simple blood test.

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Noticeable symptoms of normal, healthy brain ageing might include a bit more forgetfulness, slower reaction time, and difficulty juggling multiple tasks. Such changes are very different from the patterns seen in illnesses like schizophrenia where, our study shows, the decline is faster and more severe, indicating an older brain age than would be expected from the patient’s chronological age.

UPI: Three more states confirm measles cases

Louisiana and Virginia confirmed their first cases of the illness on Saturday after Missouri added their names to the list of states with confirmed cases a day prior. Each state confirmed one case and all had recent history of international travel.

Last Updated: 20.Apr.2025 23:58 EDT

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Guardian: Jordana Timerman: Trump has found in El Salvador a model for the repressive state he wants to build – and he’s just getting started

The Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) maximum security prison in El Salvador is the crown jewel of President Nayib Bukele’s efforts to quash not only criminal gangs, but also criticism and political opposition to his government. The “mega-prison” is also one of the more visible destinations in the emerging map of American deportations — a sprawling archipelago that includes conservative US districts, the Guantánamo military base and Central American waypoints connected by a tangle of military and charter flights.

That the two states have connected their penal architecture is no coincidence. Donald Trump’s aggressive policies towards foreigners build on Bukele’s infamous iron fist crackdown against criminal gangs: it’s a political toolkit that leverages anti-establishment anger to justify an authoritarian slide. In deploying strongman tactics to address social concerns, both leaders also cultivate a chilling culture of fear.

Bukele’s visit this week to Washington DC — where Trump urged him to build more prisons in order to receive US citizens convicted of crimes — showcased the results of the alliance: the internationalisation of the Bukele method.

Vox: The Supreme Court signals it’s lost patience with Trump’s illegal deportations

The Court’s late night order in A.A.R.P. appears to be crafted to ensure that this notice and opportunity for a hearing mandated by J.G.G. actually takes place. It is just one paragraph, and states that “the Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.” It also invites the Justice Department to respond to the ACLU’s application “as soon as possible.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the A.A.R.P. order. Though neither has explained why yet, the order says that a statement from Alito will come soon.

Guardian: Protesters fill the streets in cities across the US to denounce Trump agenda

Organizers call for 11 million people to march and rally in this weekend’s effort to ‘protect democracy’

Last Updated: 19.Apr.2025 23:56 EDT

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Guardian: ‘Immediate red flags’: questions raised over ‘expert’ much quoted in UK press

Some of the reporters who have quoted her said they received comments through companies that connect journalists with experts. Some cited one such service, ResponseSource. The company has now launched an investigation and suspended the PR agency that handled Santini, and is planning a peer review system that allows journalists to rate an expert they have featured.

Santini also briefly featured on Qwoted, another platform connecting experts to journalists. Shelby Bridges, its director of user success, said the profile was removed after it found “immediate red flags pertaining to credentials and where the account was being accessed from”. She added: “Due to our inability to fully validate her credentials, we disabled the account shortly after it was created.”

I have wondered about the range of sources that the CBC sometimes uses for “expert quotes”. Do they use such services?

CBC: Records for Poulin, Desbiens as Canada downs Finland 8-1 in world hockey semifinal

Poulin’s first-period goal in Saturday’s 8-1 semifinal win over Finland for her 87th career point in the tournament passed Hayley Wickenheiser for the most by a Canadian. The 34-year-old Poulin from Beauceville, Que., later added an assist for her 88th.

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The 31-year-old Desbiens of Clermont, Que., stopped 19 of 20 shots to become the winningest goalie of all time in the tournament with her 22nd career victory in world championships, which surpassed Florence Schelling of Switzerland.

Desbiens was injured shortly before the world championship, but played her third game Saturday and will start against the U.S. on Sunday.

Last Updated: 19.Apr.2025 23:55 EDT

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Mediaite: Conservative NYT Columnist David Brooks Calls for ‘National Civic Uprising’ to Defeat Trumpism

In a blistering piece published on Thursday, Brooks wrote that modern civilization is buttressed by several pillars, including “Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities.”

He went on to say that Trump threatens all of these because the president is only interested in the acquisition of power “for its own sake” and is engaged in “a multifront assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men.”

CNN: US citizen says he and his wife detained without explanation after returning from Canada

An American citizen says he and his wife were detained for hours by US border agents when they returned to the United States after a short trip to Canada.

Bachir Atallah told CNN he and his wife, Jessica, were driving back into the US Sunday evening after visiting family in Canada for the weekend when U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents stopped them for a secondary inspection at the Highgate Springs checkpoint in Vermont.

Atallah, who is originally from Lebanon, said he was told to park his Range Rover and hand over his keys. When he asked the officer why, the officer placed his hand on his gun and told him to exit his vehicle, Atallah said. He said he was then handcuffed and led into a cell, where his belongings were confiscated. He said his wife was put into a cell across from his.

Last Updated: 18.Apr.2025 21:15 EDT

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MacRumors: Apple TV+ Available at Significantly Lower Price Until Next Week

In the U.S., new and qualified returning customers can subscribe to Apple TV+ for just $2.99 per month, for three months. Afterwards, regular pricing of $9.99 per month applies. The offer is available in the Apple TV app, and at tv.apple.com, through April 24. Unfortunately, existing subscribers are not eligible to receive the discount.

The promotion is running in other countries, too. In Canada, for example, the special price is set at $3.99 per month. In the U.K., it is set at £2.99.

Wales Online: ‘We’re dreading it’ Toilet-free trains being introduced in Wales despite concerns

“The drivers and conductors are gobsmacked and dreading the day these trains are put into service.”

Last Updated: 18.Apr.2025 23:34 EDT

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pv magazine: Texas Senate passes anti-solar, wind bill

The Texas Senate voted 22-9 to pass Senate Bill 819. The bill places restrictions on solar and wind power projects, requiring new permits, assessing fees, adding new regulatory requirements and placing new taxes on the projects.

The legislation “adds onerous requirements to new solar projects that would not apply to other energy sources except wind,” said the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).

Texas has the nation’s largest utility-scale solar market – a $50 billion industry that has enough solar installed to power nearly 5 million homes. The bill is expected to slow development, raise Texans’ utility bills, harm rural economies, worsen grid reliability and encroach on private property rights.

It’s really hard to understand Texas politicians’ goals here other than to support large donors from the oil industry.

NBC: What happens if a president and the federal government fail to follow a judge’s orders?

The Trump administration has been accused of ignoring or flat-out defying recent federal court orders, with two judges now weighing contempt findings against officials.

Washington-based District Judge James Boasberg ratcheted up the pressure Wednesday when he announced there is probable cause to find the government in contempt. Officials had shown “willful disregard” for his order that planes carrying Venezuelan alleged gang members be returned to the United States before they could be deported to El Salvador, Boasberg wrote.

Separately, the federal judge presiding over the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man the government wrongly deported to El Salvador, chastised the administration Tuesday for its inaction amid signs she would also consider whether to hold officials in contempt.

The Conversation: Canada’s federal election doesn’t seem like it’s about climate change, but it actually is

A defining feature of the ongoing federal election campaign has been the apparent marginalization of the environment and climate change as top-of-mind issues due to threats by the United States against Canadian sovereignty, security and trade.

But how Canada responds to U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions will also have profound implications for its future greenhouse gas emissions and its economy.

The current federal election is very different from those held in 2015, 2019 and 2021. In those elections, the environment and climate were central issues. Each time, more than 60 per cent of Canadian voters chose parties (Liberal, NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green) that advocated for strong climate action, including some form of carbon pricing.

Last Updated: 17.Apr.2025 22:45 EDT

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Guardian: Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals, US research finds

Toothpaste can be widely contaminated with lead and other dangerous heavy metals, new research shows.

Most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children or those marketed as green. The testing, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium in many brands.

About 90% of toothpastes contained lead, 65% contained arsenic, just under half contained mercury, and one-third had cadmium. Many brands contain a number of the toxins.

Last Updated: 17.Apr.2025 23:22 EDT

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CBC: Green Party dropped from leaders' debates for not running enough candidates

Leaders' Debates Commission says party’s decision to remove candidates for strategic reasons led to the move.

Another consequence of the archaic first-past-the-post electoral system.

UPI: Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s ‘personal vendetta’ against law firm

U.S District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Loren AliKhan during an hour-long hearing on Tuesday called President Donald Trump’s recent executive order targeting the [Susman Godfrey] law firm a “personal vendetta” and accused Trump of “abusing the powers of his office,” the Washington Post reported.

She temporarily blocked most of the sanctions against the law firm pending the outcome of the federal lawsuit, including the ban on the law firm’s attorneys entering federal buildings and requiring federal agencies to cancel contracts they might have with Susman Godfrey.

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The law firm represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News and secured a nearly $778 million settlement over [false] claims that the electronic voting systems were compromised during the 2020 election.

Last Updated: 16.Apr.2025 13:53 EDT

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NYT: Astronomers Detect a Signature of Life on a Distant Planet

Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

Last Updated: 16.Apr.2025 02:02 EDT

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PBS: Trump reiterates desire to expand deportation plans to include U.S. citizens

President Donald Trump has said openly that he’d favor El Salvador taking custody of American citizens who’ve committed violent crimes, a view he repeated Monday.

“We have bad ones too, and I’m all for it because we can do things with the president for less money and have great security,” Trump said during the meeting with Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador. “And we have a huge prison population.” It is unclear how lawful U.S. citizens could be deported elsewhere in the world.

Before the press entered the Oval Office, Trump said in a video posted on social media by Bukele that he wanted to send “homegrowns” to be incarcerated in El Salvador, and added that “you’ve got to build five more places,” suggesting Bukele doesn’t have enough prison capacity for all the U.S. citizens Trump would like to send there.

CBC: Canadian university teachers warned against travelling to the United States

Advice includes researchers ‘at odds with the position of the current U.S. administration’.

Isn’t this just insane?!

CBC: Honda denies reports that it intends to move auto production out of Canada

Honda Canada says it is not planning to move production out of Canada to the U.S., contrary to reports from a Japanese news outlet. 

Nekkei newspaper reported Tuesday that Honda is working on plans to switch some car production from Mexico and Canada to the U.S., after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent auto tariff last month. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and a spokesperson for federal Minister of Industry Anita Anand said early Tuesday those reports were not accurate.

Then in a statement Tuesday afternoon, a Honda Canada spokesperson said the company “can confirm that our Canadian manufacturing facility in Alliston, Ont., will operate at full capacity for the foreseeable future and no changes are being considered at this time.”

Last Updated: 15.Apr.2025 15:54 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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MacRumors: OpenAI Launches New Coding-Focused GPT-4.1 Models

OpenAI today announced the launch of three new GPT models that are available through the OpenAI API. Called GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano, the models are not available for ChatGPT at the current time.

GPT-4.1 includes major improvements in coding, instruction following, and long context, according to OpenAI. The models outperform GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini in all tasks, especially coding tasks. The new models support up to one million tokens of context, and can use that for better long-context comprehension.

pv magazine: Australian state backs 20 GWh pumped hydro project

The Queensland government in Australia is set to invest AUD 50 million ($31.8 million) into a pumped hydro project with an energy storage capacity of up to 20 GWh as it works to develop a new five-year energy roadmap that is to be delivered by the end of 2025.

We hear a lot about solar and wind generation with batteries but less about pumped hydro storage.

How to Geek: You Can Buy an Exoskeleton Today For Less Than You Think

• Robotic exoskeletons help make you stronger or reduce strain for under $1,000.
• Slim, wearable exoskeletons enhance physical abilities like hiking.
• Medical exoskeletons like the ReWalk assist with rehabilitation but can be costly.

Business Insider: You Should Still Learn to Code, Says GitHub CEO

“I strongly believe that every kid, every child, should learn coding,” Thomas Dohmke said in a recent podcast interview with EO. “We should actually teach them coding in school, in the same way that we teach them physics and geography and literacy and math and what-not.”

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Dohmke isn’t the only tech leader to have identified the potential for leaner workforces – Garry Tan, the CEO and president of the famed Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator, previously said he believed AI-assisted coding, or “vibe coding,” now allows 10 or so engineers to build what would’ve once required the efforts of “50 or 100.”

CBC: Police warn of gold scam targeting the elderly

In three local cases, the scam started as a pop-up on an Apple device, telling the user they have a virus and providing a number to call, according to Ottawa police Const. Shaun Wahbeh.

After the victim called the number and provided banking information, they received a second call from a scammer pretending to be their bank.

The second caller claimed the victim’s money was compromised and told them they have 48 hours to get it out or lose it, Wahbeh explained.

The victims were told not to talk to friends, family, or other bank employees about the situation. Scammers directed victims to buy gold and told them the bank would pick it up and take it to a warehouse for safekeeping.

Forget Apple gift cards! Gold!

Globe: Live coverage of Sweden’s moose migration draws millions of viewers

Before Swedish slow TV hit The Great Moose Migration began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn’t miss a moment of the 20-day, 24-hour event.

“Sleep? Forget it. I don’t sleep,” she said.

Malmgren, 62, isn’t alone. The show, called Den stora älgvandringen in Swedish, and sometimes translated as The Great Elk Trek in English, began in 2019 with nearly a million people watching. In 2024, the production hit nine million viewers on SVT Play, the streaming platform for national broadcaster SVT.

CleanTechnica: GM & Mary Barra Place A $35 Billion Bet On EVs

When I saw the recent article on the early GM electric car prototypes, it reminded me of how the company over the years has been way out in front of its peers from an engineering perspective, but failed to turn that first mover advantage into success in the showroom. When the Detroit Big Three finally decided to address the challenge of the Japanese imports, Ford and Chrysler came up with parts bin specials like the Falcon and Valiant that were as exciting as week-old Wonder bread. GM countered with the Corvair, which although saddled with a flawed rear suspension, featured a lot of creative new thinking. It was the first mass production car in America to offer a turbocharged engine — a decade or more ahead of its peers.

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Now GM is bringing compelling electric cars to market like the Cadillac Lyriq, the Chevy Equinox EV, and the Chevy Blazer EV. The next generation Chevy Bolt is nearing production, while the electric Hummer, Silverado, and Suburban will be on sale soon. All those cars are going to need batteries, and for that GM has partnered with LG Energy Solution to build a new battery manufacturing facility near Nashville, Tennessee. When completed, that factory and another one in Ohio will be able to produce enough cells to make a new EV battery pack every minute. Already they are producing more battery cells than Tesla, according to Bloomberg Hyperdrive. Josh Tavel, the head of project engineering and manufacturing at GM, told Bloomberg recently, “If the market wants more EVs, we can make them.”

Mary Barra has been making a lot of good moves in a challenging sector.

Last Updated: 15.Apr.2025 21:58 EDT

Monday’s articles

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David Johnson: On Hedge Laying

James Rebanks, author of Pastoral Song : A Farmer’s Journey (do read it!), shared this photograph on BlueSky of a hedge being laid. I am guessing that it is on his farm in the Lake District in England?

Filed under “TIL”. So pleasant.

Last Updated: 15.Apr.2025 01:50 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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Stuff: Donald Trump says CBS and 60 Minutes should ‘pay a big price’ for going after him

US president Donald Trump bitterly attacked 60 Minutes shortly after the CBS newsmagazine broadcast stories on Ukraine and Greenland on Sunday, saying the network was out of control and should “pay a big price” for going after him.

“Almost every week, 60 Minutes … mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” the president said on his Truth Social platform. He called on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to impose maximum fines and punishment “for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”

The network had no immediate comment.

NYT: Harvard Will Not Comply With a List of Trump Administration Demands

Harvard University said on Monday that it had rejected policy changes requested by the Trump administration that would have placed “unprecedented” demands on the institution, setting up a showdown between the administration and the nation’s wealthiest university.

A letter to Harvard from the Trump administration on Friday demanded that the university reduce the power of students and faculty members over the university’s affairs; report foreign students who commit conduct violations immediately to federal authorities; and bring in an outside party to ensure that each academic department is “viewpoint diverse,” among other steps.

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” said Alan Garber, Harvard’s president, in a statement to the university on Monday.

Finally!

Cornell Daily Sun: Cornell Sues DOE for ‘Unlawful’ Cuts to Indirect Costs for Research Grants

The University joined litigation against the U.S. Department of Energy and DOE Secretary Chris Wright, according to a Monday email from President Michael Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala. The plaintiffs of the case are alleging that proposed immediate cuts to indirect costs for University research grants are unlawful by violating federal regulations.

This is the second time this semester that the University has had to take “the unprecedented step of seeking emergency judicial intervention after a federal agency abruptly breached the negotiated rate for indirect costs,” the administrators wrote.

The lawsuit was officially filed by the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and eight other land grant institutions against the DOE and its secretary, Chris Wright, on Monday. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

When research is conducted through a grant, indirect costs “are necessary for the research to occur but harder to attribute to individual projects,” according to the lawsuit.

Good for them! Amazing that it is necessary.

NYT: Trump Moves to Put New Tariffs on Computer Chips and Drugs

The Trump administration took steps on Monday that appear likely to result in new tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceutical products, adding to the levies President Trump has put on imports globally.

Federal notices put online Monday afternoon said the administration had initiated national security investigations into imports of chips and pharmaceuticals. Mr. Trump has suggested that those investigations could result in tariffs.

Last Updated: 14.Apr.2025 18:41 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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Hjertnes: Aiko

I love this app. It is just a super simple app to dump an audio file on to get a transcript from it.

Been using it for at least a year at this point. Really great when you want to go back and reference something in a podcast instead of having to skip-search for it etc. …

PopMech: A Man Spent 6 Years Searching the Same Farm — and Finally Discovered a 1,900-Year-Old Roman Treasure

It’s unclear why a metal detectorist had his sights set on a specific farm near the English town of Dudley, but after six years of diligent searching its fields, his determination was rewarded with a one-of-a-kind find.

Ron Walters, 76, unearthed a rare Roman coin that dates back to 69 A.D., but it wasn’t pure happenchance. He spent six years scanning the same fields in Wall Heath near Dudley every spring and fall until he uncovered the 1,900-year-old coin, considered the first of its kind found in the United Kingdom.

Tom’s Guide: DuckDuckGo’s new AI Search offers a crucial advantage over Google

While Google’s AI-enhanced search leverages user data to deliver personalized experiences, DuckDuckGo’s AI Search distinguishes itself by steadfastly prioritizing user privacy without sacrificing powerful functionality.

NewsNation: Campbell’s soups, Molly’s Kitchen products may be contaminated with wood

According to a statement from The Campbell’s Company, the Campbell’s products involved were not sold in cans or bowls offered on retail shelves. They are food service varieties sold in restaurants and other institutions.

“The soups are not sold in cans, they are distributed either frozen or fresh (refrigerated) via foodservice channels,” according to the statement.

I wonder how much of the food we eat in restaurants these days is actually prepared from original ingredients there?

IndieWire: North of North: How Community & Netflix Created Canadian Production

With the globalization of content on streamers, local and specific stories tend to resonate widely. In Canada, that’s true of Netflix-hosted second-window runs of series like “Schitt’s Creek” and “Kim’s Convenience,” so it was only a matter of time before the streamer invested in a unique Canadian story of its own.

Enter “North of North,” a brand-new Inuk comedy from Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril that filmed in Iqaluit, Nunavut (the largest and northernmost territory of Canada), last year. The project is a co-commission from Netflix and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), in association with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

Last Updated: 13.Apr.2025 20:16 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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Stuff: On the road, Bernie Sanders rallies crowds for his ‘working class movement’

Bernie Sanders launched the next round of his “fighting oligarchy” tour Saturday in Los Angeles, where he and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew thousands of people to a park across from City Hall as they advanced their effort to build a “working class movement.”

“We are living in a moment of extraordinary danger, and how we respond to this moment will not only impact our lives but it will affect the lives of our kids and future generations,” Sanders said to a crowd that organisers said totalled 36,000 people.

“We are living in a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country.”

BBC: Teen killed parents as part of Trump assassination plot, says FBI

A high school student from Wisconsin killed his parents as part of a larger plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump, the FBI has said.

Nikita Casap, 17, has been charged with the killing of his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and his stepfather Donald Mayer, 51, who were found dead at their home on 28 February.

A newly unsealed search warrant also alleges that the suspect’s phone contained material relating to a neo-Nazi group called the Order of Nine Angles and praise for Adolf Hitler.

Caught in Kansas. Took a wrong turn on the way to the East Coast?

Stuff: ‘Not going to stand for this’: The Australian IKEA exec emboldened by Donald Trump

“Please stay true to it,” the furniture maker’s chief sustainability officer, Karen Pflug, said during a recent visit to Australia.

“In the end, it will be short-term thinking of the political pendulum swinging left, right, and we need to think long term. What’s better [than] to really build a more sustainable, fairer, safer future for everybody?”

Pflug is referring to the reverberations of several executive orders made by US president Donald Trump, who in his first weeks of office pulled the US from the Paris Agreement on climate, declared an energy emergency to advance his “drill, baby, drill” agenda to accelerate domestic oil and gas production, repealed predecessor Joe Biden’s efforts to encourage electric vehicles, rolled back environmental regulations and froze green energy funding.

Last Updated: 13.Apr.2025 21:11 EDT

Saturday’s political articles

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Reuters: Apple airlifts 600 tons of iPhones from India ‘to beat’ Trump tariffs, sources say

Tech giant Apple chartered cargo flights to ferry 600 tons of iPhones, or as many as 1.5 million, to the United States from India, after it stepped up production there in an effort to beat President Donald Trump’s tariffs, sources told Reuters.

The details of the push provide an insight into the U.S. smartphone company’s private strategy to navigate around the Trump tariffs and build up inventory of its popular iPhones in the United States, one of its biggest markets.

Analysts have warned that U.S. prices of iPhones could surge, given Apple’s high reliance on imports from China, the main manufacturing hub of the devices, which is subject to Trump’s highest tariff rate of 125%.

UN–L: Nebraska Today: Novel spider research featured in New York Times

A recent study by University of Nebraska–Lincoln biologists Brandi Pessman and Eileen Hebets was featured in The New York Times' Trilobites column on March 22. (The article requires a subscription.)

The researchers published one of the first studies demonstrating that one type of animal, when faced with human-generated noise, can alter how it receives sound-based information. In a recent Current Biology publication, the researchers demonstrated that the webs of funnel-weaving spiders transmit vibrations differently in response to increased local environmental noise. This flexibility in web transmission properties suggests that the spiders may intentionally spin their webs differently to manage surrounding noise and receive crucial sensory information.

In a particularly novel finding, the study also shows that individual webs transmit vibrations differently depending on whether the web’s architect was collected from an urban or rural environment. This suggests that a spider’s past exposure to environmental noise — and possibly its genetic makeup — shapes its web-building flexibility.

“These spiders have come up with an incredible solution — they are able to use their webs as both a hearing aid and hearing plug,” Hebets, George Holmes Professor of biological sciences, told the Times.

ScienceAlert: This Simple Trick Could Help You Hear Better in a Noisy Room

Have you ever had trouble taking in information in a noisy environment? A new study suggests that tapping your fingers in a steady rhythm could help you ‘tune in’ through the noise.

Last Updated: 12.Apr.2025 23:42 EDT

Someday’s articles

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UPI: Luigi Mangione’s attorneys want court to block DOJ from seeking death penalty

The attorneys said they didn’t get a chance to argue their case before Bondi’s decision

“The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” the defense said. “We appreciate, and will address, the province and discretion of the Executive Branch of government, and how, in the usual course, courts defer to the Executive’s established procedures. But the Attorney General’s actions and public statements in this case have not followed the usual course.

ABC News: State Department reveals status of man erroneously deported to El Salvador

A day after a federal court sought details on the status of a Maryland man who was deported in error to El Salvador, the State Department told a judge that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is “alive and secure” but still not on American soil.

Last Updated: 12.Apr.2025 23:36 EDT

Friday’s political articles

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Inside Climate News: As Trump Promotes ‘Clean Beautiful Coal,’ a  Lit Cigarette Above a West Virginia Coal Mine Leaves a Woman Fighting for Her Life

West Virginia regulators require methane remediation from a coal company following a blast that severely burned a woman in her home.

I’m surprised he didn’t mention “beautiful clean tobacco” while he was at it.

Last Updated: 11.Apr.2025 13:59 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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Daily Beast: Kash Patel Quietly Removed as Acting ATF Director After Ghosting Gig

Patel also found time on Friday to pop over to D.C.’s Capital One Arena to watch Alex Ovechkin tie Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals in NHL history. He was photographed in the owner’s box chatting with Gretzky.

Priorities!

Globe: Andrew Coyne: If you’re going to threaten to secede, you might at least have the numbers to back it up

But now suppose someone were to warn he would refuse to accept the result of an election, not because he had any doubt about the integrity of the process, but purely and simply because he disagreed with the electorate’s verdict. And suppose this warning were accompanied by a threat: that if voters were to make such a choice, he and others of like mind would seek to break up the country.

That, in a nutshell, is what the former leader of the Reform Party of Canada, Preston Manning, has just done. It had the form of an opinion piece in The Globe and Mail. It had the substance of a ransom note. If the country were to return the Liberals to power under Mark Carney, Mr. Manning wrote, it would lead directly to the secession of Western Canada.

Preston Manning used to be pretty levelheaded, but I think he must be losing it.

Guardian: British Steel races against time as crisis talks end without deal

Jingye has already rejected a government offer of £500m in support to help convert its two blast furnaces, which make “virgin steel” from raw materials in an energy-intensive process, into greener electric arc furnaces that use scrap metal.

The Chinese company is thought to have demanded closer to £1bn in funding to go ahead with the plan.

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Another complication is that the UK government is entering into the discussions without having completed a review of the country’s steel strategy, a significant part of which will be a verdict on whether the UK needs to make virgin steel.

The government has refused to rule out nationalising the company, which was privatised under Margaret Thatcher in 1988, with Keir Starmer saying on Tuesday that “all options remain on the table”. The trade union Unite on Wednesday called for nationalisation, given that British Steel’s output is crucial to large infrastructure projects and provides 98% of Network Rail’s train tracks.

Over £370,000 per worker? Surely there are more effective ways to spend that money.

Last Updated: 09.Apr.2025 17:52 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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MacRumors: Vision Pro 2 May Now Be in Production Ahead of Launch Later This Year

The second-generation Apple Vision Pro may now be in mass production ahead of its rumored launch later this year, Chinese website IT Home today claims.

Reporting on information from an unknown source, the website says that key components of the new Vision Pro, including panels, housings, and circuitry, have moved into mass production ahead of the product’s purported release later in 2025. Some Apple suppliers are said to be “rushing” to fulfill orders.

ScienceDaily: Researchers discover natural compound may slow ALS and dementia

“We found this compound had a strong impact in terms of maintaining motor and muscle function and reducing muscle atrophy.”

The study discovered that kaempferol, a natural antioxidant found in certain fruits and vegetables, such as kale, berries and endives, may support nerve cell health and holds promise as a potential treatment for ALS.

In lab-grown nerve cells from ALS patients, the compound helped the cells produce more energy and eased stress in the protein-processing center of the cell called the endoplasmic reticulum.

Additionally, the compound improved overall cell function and slowed nerve cell damage.

NewsNation: AI lawyer: Man explains why he used artificial intelligence after judge gets angry

A cancer survivor’s attempt to use an AI-generated avatar during a New York appeals court hearing was quickly shut down by a judge last month, highlighting tensions as new technology enters courtrooms.

Jerome Dewald, who experienced throat cancer 25 years ago, told NewsNation he sought to use the AI avatar because his “throat tends to give out” during extended speaking, making articulation difficult. The avatar would have delivered his prepared arguments without the physical limitations he faces.

“I got advanced approval for the video,” Dewald said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “Banfield” about the March 26 hearing. “I intended to use a replica of myself, but I had some technical difficulties getting it completed.”

Guardian: Pet dogs have ‘extensive and multifarious’ impact on environment, new research finds

An Australian review of existing studies has argued that “the environmental impact of owned dogs is far greater, more insidious, and more concerning than is generally recognised”.

While the environmental impact of cats is well known, the comparative effect of pet dogs has been poorly acknowledged, the researchers said.

The review, published in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology, highlighted the impacts of the world’s “commonest large carnivore” in killing and disturbing native wildlife, particularly shore birds.

In Australia, attacks by unrestrained dogs on little penguins in Tasmania may contribute to colony collapse, modelling suggests, while a study of animals taken to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital found that mortality was highest after dog attacks, which was the second most common reason for admission after car strikes.

In the US, studies have found that deer, foxes and bobcats were less active in or avoid wilderness areas where dogs were allowed, while other research shows that insecticides from flea and tick medications kill aquatic invertebrates when they wash off into waterways. Dog faeces can also leave scent traces and affect soil chemistry and plant growth.

UPI: Additives in diet drinks, processed foods may raise type 2 diabetes risk, study says

Two of the mixtures did increase risk significantly, results show:

One mixture involved additives used in diet drinks, including acidifiers and acidity regulators (citric acid, sodium citrates, phosphoric acid, malic acid), coloring agents (sulphite ammonia caramel, anthocyanins, paprika extract), sweeteners (acesulfame-K, aspartame, sucralose), emulsifiers (gum arabic, pectin, guar gum) and a coating agent (carnauba wax).

The other mixture, used in processed foods, contained several emulsifiers (modified starches, pectin, guar gum, carrageenans, polyphosphates, xanthan gum), a preservative (potassium sorbate) and a coloring agent (curcumin).

UPI: ULA’s launch of Amazon’s satellites scrubbed because of bad weather in Florida

ULA is prepping its first of dozens of anticipated launch missions on behalf of its biggest commercial customer, Amazon, on its Atlas 551 rocket that will transport 27 “Project Kuiper” satellites into low Earth orbit.

The project’s ultimate goal is to provide end-to-end connectivity that will deliver Internet service to virtually any location on Earth.

Rats! Delayed because of bad weather!

Last Updated: 09.Apr.2025 23:55 EDT

Tuesday’s articles

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Slate: The Supreme Court’s new 5–4 bailout for Trump couldn’t be more ominous

The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a major victory on Monday night, lifting a restraining order that had prevented the mass deportation of migrants to an El Salvador prison under an 18th century wartime law. By a 5–4 vote on the shadow docket, the justices crushed the migrants' sweeping class action in D.C. and forced them to proceed with narrower suits through more hostile courts in Texas. The majority’s unsigned, thinly reasoned decision will make it significantly easier for the administration to illegally ship off innocent people to a Salvadoran prison, where all their constitutional rights–and quite possibly their lives–will be snuffed out. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a staggering dissent, “we, as a nation and a court of law, should be better than this.” But in the view of five justices, it seems that we, as a nation, are not.

Monday’s order lends undeserved legitimacy to a program that has been brazenly illegal from the start. In mid-March, Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify summarily deporting Venezuelan migrants to the notorious CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador. The act applies only to a “foreign nation” that conducts an “invasion or predatory incursion” into the United States during a “declared war.” Trump claimed that Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, constitutes a “foreign nation” that is “invading” U.S. territory, which is obviously untrue. Nonetheless, he immediately directed immigration officials to round up migrants, often on the basis of nonexistent evidence, and fly them to CECOT. On March 15, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found this plot to be unlawful and ordered the government to turn around two planes carrying migrants to El Salvador. The Trump administration refused, defying Boasberg’s order, and contempt proceedings are ongoing.

NYT: Wall Street Bursts With Anger as Trump Tariffs Cause Stock Market to Swing Wildly

The day after the president announced his most sweeping round of tariffs last week, chief executives from major banks, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, had a private meeting with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick organized by a lobbying group in Washington. But Mr. Lutnick was not persuaded to reverse course, three people briefed on the sit-down said.

Over the weekend, megadonors to Mr. Trump’s re-election effort tried a different tack, pleading their case in calls to Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, people familiar with the calls said. Those efforts also came up empty.

CBC: How safe is B.C.’s safe federal Green Party seat?

Some polls show May currently running third behind the Conservatives' Ounsted and the Liberals' Beckham, but May’s campaign says polls like 338canada are misleading because they look at the past election results, what is trending nationally and then provide an aggregated projection.

“I don’t put a lot of confidence in polls,” May told CBC News recently while campaigning in Saanich.

“When I was elected here in 2011, there wasn’t a single poll that thought I had a chance, so I relied more on what I heard on the street when I’m going door to door.”

NYT: Trump Administration Freezes $1 Billion for Cornell and $790 Million for Northwestern, Officials Say

The funding pause amid civil rights investigations into both universities sharply escalates the Trump administration’s campaign against elite colleges.

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The moves are the latest and largest in a rapidly escalating campaign against elite American universities that has resulted in billions in federal funds being suspended or put under review in just over a month. Other schools that have had funds threatened include Brown, Columbia, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton.

The attacks continue.

Last Updated: 08.Apr.2025 23:55 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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CBC: Years of smart shopping wiped out as PC Optimum blocks access to $43K in points

Zhang insists he did nothing wrong and questions why Loblaw won’t back up its claims.

Sojka’s advice? Don’t hoard your points — spend them as often as you can because you never know when your account could be frozen without warning or answers.

My advice: avoid the PC Optimum loyalty program.

TorStar: Rogers, Fido customers using older networks charged extra

Starting in May, Rogers and Fido customers who exclusively use a 2G or 3G network will face a $3 monthly fee.

TorStar: Videos reveal ‘suspicious activity’ before Sherman murders

A grainy security video seized by police in the early days of the Barry and Honey Sherman investigation shows “suspicious activity” in the driveway beside the Sherman home just before the billionaire couple was murdered.

Two SUVs pull into the driveway, four individuals get out, they move around the neighbour’s property for at least an hour. At one point, one of the mysterious figures can be seen running from one part of the property to another. At times, due to the coverage area of the video cameras, they move out of the frame, then reappear.

Toronto police have refused to comment on the significance of the video, portions of which the Star recently viewed.

MovieWeb: Adolescence Fans Need To Add These 10 British Crime Series To Their Watchlist

A true masterpiece, the story has left audiences craving more compelling shows in the same vein. So, where to begin? Here are 10 selections for fans looking for other gripping British crime miniseries to devour. Like Adolescence, some deal with profound themes, others explore a disturbed psyche, and the rest make for a heart-pounding watch.

• River (2015)
• Thirteen (2016)
• The Secret (2016)
• Bodyguard (2018)
• Collateral (2018)
• Safe (2018)
• Deadwater Fell (2020)
• Des (2020)
• Stay Close (2020)
• You Don’t Know Me (2021)

MovieWeb: Line of Duty Is Returning Because Fans Hated Its Season 6 Finale

It could be argued that showing up and sticking the landing are the two most important things, and everything in between is less memorable. Line of Duty, one of the most acclaimed and popular detective series of all time (and the most popular in modern UK history), certainly showed up, hooking a sizable audience from the start. That audience grew over six seasons, but was left befuddled by what many consider to be the show’s limp, anticlimactic finale in 2021. Any mention of Line of Duty has included that disappointing caveat ever since. Now, that’s all set to change.

MacRumors: Trump Believes Apple Could Manufacture iPhones in the U.S.

When Apple manufactured the Mac Pro in Texas during Trump’s first term, it was largely a failure. Apple struggled to find local suppliers, importing components to Texas caused delays and unexpected expenses, and Apple had a hard time finding workers with the required skill.

Last Updated: 08.Apr.2025 20:57 EDT

Monday’s articles

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Globe: Election interference watchdog detects Beijing effort to influence Chinese Canadians on Carney

A federal election-interference watchdog has uncovered an information operation from Beijing trying to shape public opinion among Chinese Canadians about Liberal Leader Mark Carney.

Some of the messaging it found was fairly laudatory toward Mr. Carney, with one headline saying “the United States is facing a tough prime minister from Canada.” This post said the Liberal Leader has been praised for his “quick and effective response” to the 2008 financial crisis, was called a “rock star economist” by British media and had been described as “the only adult in the room” during the Brexit crisis.

The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force announced Monday this effort is taking place on the Chinese-language social media platform WeChat and through Youli-Youmian, WeChat’s most popular news account. The task force says intelligence reporting links the Youli-Youmian account to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

CNN: Supreme Court pauses midnight deadline to return man mistakenly deported to El Salvador

The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily paused a court-imposed midnight deadline to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, agreeing to a request from President Donald Trump to give both sides more time to make their arguments.

Last Updated: 07.Apr.2025 23:35 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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Raspberry Pi: Stay on schedule with Raspberry Pi Pico W and an e-ink dashboard

Working with a Raspberry Pi Pico W presented a learning curve for Jaeheon. “I’d never seriously worked with embedded programming before,” he says. It took numerous attempts to create the UI he wanted, having tried libraries provided by Pimoroni and developing his own UI library. “Ultimately, I ended up settling on Light and Versatile Graphics Library (LVGL), and it took about a week to figure out how to port LVGL to Pico and Pimoroni’s Inky Frame.”

In the process, he figured out how to lay out overlapping events — “that was a fun algorithm design challenge,” he says. He also needed to create a server to retrieve the latest information, since the Pico wasn’t powerful enough to fetch it on its own. But, because the microcontroller connects periodically (“no more than every 30 minutes or so”) and displays information on an e-ink screen, the project is power-efficient. It’s also rather flexible.

See also Tom’s Hardware: This Raspberry Pi Pico W-powered Inky Frame display will help keep you organized from 5.Jan.2025.

If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, head over to the Inky Dashboard project page where you can find build instructions as well as a full features list. Be sure to follow Shim for any future updates to this handy Pico organizer.

BlogTO: Neurotoxic worms growing up to 3ft long are in Ontario and you should kill them on sight

And these critters can harm animals several hundred times their size, including unwitting pets.

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“If seen, it’s critical to catch them without contacting bare skin and kill them with salt, vinegar, or neem oil, then dispose of them in a sealed container,” said Morton.

Experts also suggest avoiding any method that involves cutting the worms, as these segmented creatures can regenerate into two separate worms if split in two.

BlogTO: The Best Board Game Cafes in Toronto

The best board game cafes in Toronto pair charming menus with a dizzying number of tabletop games. Places to hang midday, unwind at night or head to on weekends, these spots can always be relied on to kick boredom to the curb.

Here are the best board game cafes in Toronto.

The Cooldown: Stanford study makes surprising discovery about electric vehicle batteries — here’s what it means for EV owners

In their new study, published this December in the journal Nature Energy, researchers found that the common way EV batteries have been tested — by quickly repeating a cycle of steady battery drain, followed by immediate recharging — may underestimate these batteries' lifespans.

For this study, the researchers tested a number of batteries under real-world driving conditions, such as heavy traffic, freeway driving, and long stretches of being parked. They found that the more a test mimicked real-world situations, the longer a battery lasted. In fact, these tests showed some batteries “could last about a third longer than researchers have generally forecast,” according to the Stanford Report.

Last Updated: 07.Apr.2025 22:40 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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UPI: U.S. Naval Academy library lists 381 ‘DEI’ books removed

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered the Naval Academy to review its titles listings and remove books that promote DEI, U.S. officials told the Navy Times.

Academy officials identified nearly 900 books for review and afterward compiled a llst of 381 books that it removed.

Among the titles removed are, “How to be an antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi, “Uncomfortable conversations with a black man” by Emmanuel Acho and “Why didn’t we riot?: a Black man in Trumpland” by Issac J. Bailey.

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Other books and materials were removed by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Among those removed were books and materials discussing women who served during the Civil War, website discussions of Kristin Griest, who was the first woman to complete the Army’s Ranger School, and lessons discussing the Tuskegee Airmen’s and Women’s Airforce Service Pilots' services duringWorld War II.

Some of the removed items and online content have been returned.

UPI: Reports: DOJ suspends lawyer who argued case of mistakenly deported man

Erez Reuveni, who has worked for the Justice Department for nearly 15 years, spoke Friday before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis regarding the issue of Kilmar Abrego García. The Salvadoran immigrant, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was sent by the Trump administration to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador last month.

“We have nothing to say on the merits. We concede he should not have been removed to El Salvador,” Reuveni told the court at the Friday hearing, according to court documents obtained by UPI.

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Reuveni, the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, has been placed on indefinite paid leave over his failure to “zealously advocate” for the government of the United States, anonymous sources told ABC News, the Washington Post, and Politico. United Press International could not independently confirm the suspension.

“At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Saturday to ABC News. “Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”

Reuveni’s supervisor, August Flentje, has also been placed on administrative leave for “failure to supervise a subordinate,” the reports said.

NYT: Kennedy Attends Funeral in Texas of Girl Who Died of Measles

The child died of “measles pulmonary failure,” according to records obtained by The New York Times. The hospital, part of UMC Health System, confirmed the death later on Sunday, adding that the girl was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions.

Last Updated: 06.Apr.2025 19:30 EDT

Saturday’s political articles

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Guardian: Biologist whose innovation saved the life of British teenager wins $3m Breakthrough prize

Other winners on the night were Dennis Gaitsgory, a mathematician in Bonn, for his work on the Langlands program, an ambitious effort to unify disparate concepts in maths, and more than 13,000 researchers at Cern for testing the modern theory of particle physics.

Liu was chosen for inventing two exceptionally precise gene editing tools, namely base editing and prime editing. Base editing was first used in a patient at Great Ormond Street in London, where it saved the life of a British teenager with leukaemia.

PBS: Alex Ovechkin scores his 895th NHL career goal, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record

Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal on Sunday in the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders, beating fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin on a power play with 12:34 left in the second period. He took a perfect pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and fired an absolute laser past Sorokin with defenseman Jakob Chychrun screening.

Ovechkin had never scored on Sorokin before, making his countryman the 183rd different goaltender he has beaten. He dived onto the ice to celebrate as so many Capitals fans in attendance chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” from the stands.

xda-developers.com: I’ve tried a lot of different backup software, and I keep coming back to this free, open-source tool

Eventually, after testing various tools, I landed on Duplicati. And since then, there’s no looking back. It’s free, open-source, feature-rich, and does everything I need — quietly and reliably. Here’s a breakdown of what it is, what I like about it, and how you can get started with it.

Duplicati is a free open-source backup tool for regular users as well as businesses. If you require a robust, flexible, and secure solution for your backup without spending on expensive tools, like mine, your search will also end on Duplicati. It’s an all-around tool that allows you to store your encrypted backups pretty much anywhere, such as on your local disk, an external hard drive, a NAS, a remote server, or any cloud service.

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I love how flexible it is. I have one job backing up family photos to Google Drive, another syncing work documents to a local NAS, and a third encrypted and pushed to my external hard disk for off-site redundancy — all within the same interface.

Last Updated: 06.Apr.2025 22:45 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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Fast Company: The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood’s smile is inspiring to fans—and a dangerous TikTok trend

Attracted to the distinctive smile of this Season 3 cast favorite, social media users are taking nail files to their own teeth.

Guardian: Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record with 894th goal

• Russian star scores two goals in win over Blackhawks
• 39-year-old has chance to beat record on Sunday

Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record by scoring the 893rd and 894th goals of his career, the second the game winner, as the Washington Capitals rallied to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Friday night.

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In 20 NHL seasons, Gretzky needed 1,487 games to tally 894 goals. Ovechkin matched him in the 1,486th game of his career.

Look at the chart in this article: Ovechkin is still climbing steadily, unlike Gretzky who flattened out.

NYT: A Clearer Picture of Covid’s Lasting Effects on the Body

Five years on, scientists are starting to understand how the virus can lead to long-term, sometimes invisible changes.

CBC: Advances in solar technology could push us closer to cheap, clean energy

14.Mar.2025

Perovskite is thin, transparent, and cheap - and now, ten times more durable.

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Another new study, published in the science journal Nature on March 11, applied perovskite solar coatings to model greenhouses in a laboratory. The films reduced the intensity of incoming sunlight, somewhat.

But the plants grew successfully and even experienced less heat stress. Additionally, the solar cells produced enough electricity for artificial lighting, irrigation and air conditioning.

The same principle could be applied to windows in tall urban buildings. The thin films could be tinted to reduce bright sunlight in offices while supplying power to the building itself.

Last Updated: 05.Apr.2025 16:59 EDT

Friday’s articles

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NYT: Opinion: Trump and Musk Have Created a New Kind of Opposition in Federal Workers

Federal workers are also protesting inside the U.S. Capitol, testifying at community impact hearings and speaking up at town halls. On Saturday, groups such as Indivisible and MoveOn, which helped lead the resistance to Mr. Trump during his first term, are staging their first big national demonstration in Washington, and federal workers and their unions have a significant role. Satellite rallies are happening in more than 1,000 locations around the country.

Last Updated: 05.Apr.2025 17:58 EDT

Friday’s political articles

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NYT: Mass Grave From Roman Empire Found Under Vienna Soccer Field

The grave was discovered in October by a construction company doing renovations for the field in Vienna’s Simmering district, a team of archaeologists and historians at the Vienna Museum said in announcing its findings. The extraordinary discovery was tied to what they called a “catastrophic” military event, possibly one where Roman troops were badly defeated and fled the site quickly.

Radiocarbon dating traced the bones to approximately A.D. 80 to 234 — a period in which more than a dozen Roman emperors ruled, including Domitian and Trajan, who clashed with ancient Germanic people in the region. An analysis of other items found in the grave, including an iron dagger, lance points, scale armor and a cheek piece of a helmet, helped confirm the time period.

Stuff: The crayfish sea sausage innovation filling fishing bins

A group of New Plymouth commercial fishermen have worked with Massey University to develop a “dolphin-friendly” bait made from crayfish waste for their long-lines.

Squeezed into a sausage-like shape, the bait is so far proving a game changer in catching rig sharks, a popular fish for fish and chips both in New Zealand and Australia.

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One of the world’s rarest marine mammals, it is estimated there are just 54 left along the North Island’s west coast.

Long called Māui’s dolphins, DOC has more recently been using the local Ngaati Te Ata dialect in the spelling of Maaui.

Last Updated: 04.Apr.2025 13:44 EDT

Thursday’s articles

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Stuff: A shock resignation, and the enduring hate towards Jacinda Ardern

• Part 1: Love and Hate: How Jacinda Ardern polarised a nation
• Part 2: The terror and tragedies that defined Jacinda Ardern’s first term as PM
• Part 3: Popularity and pain: How the tide turned against Jacinda Ardern
• Part 4: Mandates, lockdowns
• Part 5: A shock resignation, and the enduring hate towards Jacinda Ardern

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Despite the rise and fall in popularity, Ardern’s tenure was packed with a remarkable series of crises to deal with. But there were also policies pushed through that are often forgotten including:

• Seven free-trade deals/upgrades
• Banning conversion therapy
• Matariki public holiday
• School lunches programme
• Medical cannabis
• Air Force fleet upgrades
• Doubling sick leave
• Extending paid parental leave
• Banning plastic bags, straws, and microbeads
• Re-entering Pike River
• 2,250 new classrooms
• Pay equity settlements
• Healthy home standards.

Stuff: Inside US President Donald Trump’s whirlwind decision to blow up global trade

While precisely who proposed that option remains unclear, it bears some striking similarities to a methodology published during Trump’s first administration by Peter Navarro, now the president’s hard-charging economic adviser. After its debut in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, the crude math drew mockery from economists as Trump’s new global trade war prompted a sharp drop in markets.

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He’s at the peak of just not giving a f..k any more," said a White House official with knowledge of Trump’s thinking. “Bad news stories? Doesn’t give a f..k. He’s going to do what he’s going to do. He’s going to do what he promised to do on the campaign trail.”

NYT: Obama Calls for Universities to Stand Up to Trump Administration Threats

As the Trump administration threatens universities, the former president suggested schools shouldn’t be intimidated. But he also offered a critique of campus culture, saying it had too often shut out opposing voices.

Last Updated: 04.Apr.2025 16:19 EDT

Thursday’s political articles

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Wired: Nintendo Switch 2 Is Coming June 5 for $450

Nintendo has revealed that the long-awaited Switch 2 console, its successor to the phenomenally successful Nintendo Switch, will launch on June 5, 2025, with its key launch game being Mario Kart World, a new open-world entry in the beloved kart racing series.

The Switch 2 will go on sale for $450 in the US, or $500 with a download code for Mario Kart World included. In the UK it will be priced at £395 for the base console or £429 for the bundle, while Canadians can expect to pay $630 or $700 CAD, and Australians will be paying $699 or $769 AUD.

iPhone in Canada: Air Canada Bets on Starlink Rival for In-Flight Wi-Fi Upgrade

France-based Eutelsat has launched its new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service for aviation, with Air Canada becoming the first commercial airline to adopt its tech.

The service, powered by UK-based OneWeb’s satellite network, is positioned as a direct competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink, which is already in use by WestJet.

Eutelsat gained access to OneWeb’s LEO constellation through a merger in September 2023. The company says over 100 aircraft are already flying with the service, including both commercial and private jets.

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Air Canada is using a multi-orbit setup combining LEO and traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites via Intelsat. Other major carriers are beginning installations, and in business aviation, the service is being added to aircraft through a partnership with Gogo. Textron plans to install the system on its Cessna and Airbus corporate jets.

iPhone in Canada: Freedom Mobile Launches New 100GB, 125GB and 150GB Plans

Videotron’s Freedom Mobile has launched new 5G+ plans for a limited time. These plans are Canada-wide only and do not offer roaming in the US or Mexico.

Check out the new plans below:

• $40/100GB
• $50/125GB
• $60/150GB

MacWorld: Has your Apple Account been hacked? Here’s how to know–and fix it

Your Apple Account (previously known as your Apple ID) is a vital part of the Apple ecosystem. It does so many things, but because you have to log into it on so many devices, there’s always a risk of your account being compromised, even if you are careful.

How can you tell if your Apple Account has been hacked? And if so, what can you do to get back control? Here are a few things you should know in case your Apple Account has been compromised.

Last Updated: 03.Apr.2025 19:49 EDT

Wednesday’s articles

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Wired: Trump’s Tariffs Could Reshape the US Tech Industry

Sweeping tariffs unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday will have ripple effects across the tech industry, according to experts who study global trade. The measures, which include a minimum 10 percent tariff on all countries and steep new import duties on key US trading allies like Europe, China, Vietnam, India and South Korea, sent stocks nosediving in after-hours trading.

Meta and Nvidia stock prices each fell by around 5 percent, CNBC reported, while Apple and Amazon fell around 6 percent. The iPhone maker earns roughly half its revenue by selling phones that are manufactured in China and India, while some of its other products are manufactured in Vietnam. Amazon’s online shopping marketplace is similarly heavily dependenton goods sold by third-party merchants in China.

These market dips may be just the beginning. Many economists warn that the White House has set in motion one of the largest shifts in global trade in decades, and among the results could be higher prices for US consumers and more inflation. Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs raised the probability of a US recession in the next 12 months to 35 percent, up from 20 percent.

Guardian: Trump’s tariffs – five key takeaways

Donald Trump has upended decades of US foreign policy by bringing in a vast array of tariffs that threaten to disrupt international trade. Here are some initial key points.

WashPo: Price hikes from Trump’s tariffs could start with clothing, cars and coffee

Americans will bear the brunt of President Donald Trump’s newest tariffs, with price increases kicking in almost immediately on cars, clothing, electronics and other everyday goods.

“These tariffs are going to raise prices for American people in a way that directly affects their everyday lives,” said Kimberly Clausing, a professor at UCLA Law and a former Treasury Department economist. “For consumers, this will be the biggest tax increase they’ve faced in 50 years, in the form of price increases.”

Economists say universal tariffs will lead to higher costs for virtually everything Americans buy.

“Good thing we didn’t elect Kamala Harris – think of the tax increases!”

USA Today: Trump fires top boss at NSA, nation’s elite spy agency

Warner also said it was “astonishing” that Trump would fire the “nonpartisan, experienced leader” of the NSA while failing to hold any member of his national security team accountable for the leaking classified information about war plans in Yemen on Signal, a commercial messaging app, last month.

Last Updated: 03.Apr.2025 23:59 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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Guardian: Tesla quarterly sales slump 13% amid backlash against Elon Musk

Tesla reported a 13% drop in vehicle sales in the first three months of the year, making it the electric vehicle maker’s worst quarter since 2022. It’s another sign that Elon Musk’s once high-flying electric car company is struggling to attract buyers.

The drop is likely due to a combination of factors, including its ageing lineup, competition from rivals and a backlash from Musk’s embrace of rightwing politics. It also is a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.

Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 vehicles globally in the January-March quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet expected much higher deliveries of 408,000. The figure was down from sales of 387,000 in the same period a year ago. The decline came despite deep discounts, zero financing and other incentives.

Yet TBD/Undecided with Matt Ferrell (YouTube): 261: Sulfur So Good: Talking AI & Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Matt and Sean talk about how AI is impacting us today. As well as a recent change in lithium-sulfur battery research, and how that might change the energy storage market. Stinky sulfur may finally be leaving its mark. Watch the Undecided with Matt Ferrell episode, How This Overlooked Battery Might Change Everything.

So there were a number of things about AI that were said in the first part of this episode that I disagree with but it prompted some discussion here, and isn’t that part of what a good podcast does?

Last Updated: 02.Apr.2025 22:44 EDT

Tuesday’s articles

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Guardian: In a new book, top Biden aide describes ‘out of it’ president before Trump debate

As described by Klain to the reporter Chris Whipple, at one point Biden had an idea.

“If he looked perplexed when Trump talked, voters would understand that Trump was an idiot. Klain replied: ‘Sir, when you look perplexed, people just think you’re perplexed. And this is our problem in this race.”

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Like Parnes and Allen, Whipple reports both sides of a campaign Trump won despite a criminal conviction, civil penalties including one related to an allegation of rape, and indictments over election subversion and retention of classified information.

But Whipple focuses another harsh spotlight on Biden, an octogenarian president long beset by questions about his fitness for office.

Last week, Whipple told Politico: “I have fresh reporting on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis of Biden’s final days, and obviously his decline is a major part of the story.

“I happen to think that to call it a ‘cover-up’ is simplistic. I think it was stranger and way more troubling than that. Biden’s inner circle, his closest advisers, many of them were in a fog of delusion and denial. They believed what they wanted to believe.”

Guardian: Ezra Klein: On Trump, Vance and free speech: ‘It feels like we are in one of the darkest imaginable timelines’

The influential US commentator has written a book about how politics can change people’s lives for the better. But first, there are more pressing challenges to address …

Last Updated: 02.Apr.2025 23:58 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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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.

CBC: Actor Val Kilmer, star of Batman Forever, dead at 65, New York Times reports

Val Kilmer, the California-born, Juilliard-trained actor who starred in films including Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone and Batman Forever and earned a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy, has died, the New York Times reported. He was 65.

The cause of death was pneumonia, the paper said, citing his daughter Mercedes Kilmer.

Last Updated: 02.Apr.2025 02:55 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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Dave Rupert: Enshittification as a matter of taste

“Enshittification” is a termed coined by Cory Doctorow in 2023 to describe a pattern of decreasing quality observed in online services and products. Since Doctorow’s post, there’s been no shortage of think pieces on enshittification and its role in our society and to a large extent I agree with them all. I think it’s an inevitable problem that shows the splitting seams of Capitalism. If you will allow, I’d like to add a tangential thought – one slight embellishment – to this topic.

To me, enshittification means that a person who lacks taste was put in a position of power.

Fast Company: Tesla Cybertruck recalled 2025: trim detaching from vehicle

The recall could prove to be a setback for Tesla, whose stock has lost about half its value this year as the company grapples with rising competition, an aging lineup, and backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s controversial role overseeing cuts to federal spending in the Trump White House.

The recall is meant to address a stainless-steel exterior trim panel that can detach from the vehicle, making it a road hazard that boosts the risk of a crash, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) notice. Tesla’s service will replace the assembly for free.

Tom’s Guide: I use ChatGPT every day — 7 prompts I can’t live without

What’s been most surprising is how practical ChatGPT has become for ordinary situations. It’s now my go-to assistant for life’s regular challenges.

Here are seven prompts you can use regularly to make life a little bit easier.

1. Diagnose home repair issues …
2. Generate recipes based on what you have to hand …
3. Create an itinerary for a trip …
4. Get targeted health advice for common ailments …
5. Craft clear and concise emails …
6. Translate laundry care symbols …
7. Organize your grocery list …

You can even combine them: generate a recipe and produce an organized shopping list.

Tom’s Guide: Forget ChatGPT Canvas — I just tried Gemini Canvas and I’m floored by the difference

Gemini Canvas doesn’t do the work for you, it guides you. If you’re looking for an AI tool to write your next novel for you, this isn’t it. If you have great ideas and need some guidance on how to shape your story and make it the best it can be, this is the tool for you.

It’s not just for novel writers. I can see Gemini Canvas being very useful for creatives working on essays, blogs, or any place where one may need a little extra feedback.

Wikipedia: Cryptonomicon

Cryptonomicon is a 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson, set in two different time periods. One group of characters are World War II–era Allied codebreakers and tactical-deception operatives affiliated with the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park (UK), and disillusioned Axis military and intelligence figures. The second narrative is set in the late 1990s, with characters that are (in part) descendants of those of the earlier time period, who employ cryptologic, telecom, and computer technology to build an underground data haven in the fictional Sultanate of Kinakuta. Their goal is to facilitate anonymous Internet banking using electronic money and (later) digital gold currency, with a long-term objective to distribute Holocaust Education and Avoidance Pod (HEAP) media for instructing genocide-target populations on defensive warfare.

Cryptonomicon is closer to the genres of historical fiction and contemporary techno-thriller than to the science fiction of Stephenson’s two previous novels, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age. It features fictionalized characterizations of such historical figures as Alan Turing, Albert Einstein, Douglas MacArthur, Winston Churchill, Isoroku Yamamoto, Karl Dönitz, Hermann Göring, and Ronald Reagan, as well as some highly technical and detailed descriptions of modern cryptography and information security, with discussions of prime numbers, modular arithmetic, and Van Eck phreaking.

from a rabbit hole created by Spencer Greenhalgh

PBS Newshour: What to know about Greenpeace after it was found liable in the Dakota Access protest case

A North Dakota jury on Wednesday found Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

The jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims and awarded Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access more than $650 million in damages.

The lawsuit accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts.

NYT: Americans Are Unhappier Than Ever. Solo Dining May Be a Sign.

The United States slipped to its lowest ranking ever in the World Happiness Report, in part because more Americans are eating alone. Once again, the Finns came out on top.

CBC: Canada drops to 18th in 2025 World Happiness Report rank, among the ‘largest losers’

Canada has slipped to 18th place in the global World Happiness Report, down three spots from last year and placing it among the “largest losers” in happiness rankings over the last two decades, according to the annual report released Thursday.

At its peak, in the 2015 report, Canada had placed fifth. Now, in 18th, Canada has dropped to its lowest-ever position since the polling began in 2005. The United States has also dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24th, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The U.K. fell to 23rd.

I wonder how much polarized views contribute to that, epitomized by the current political situation?

ScienceAlert: New Type of Fossilization Revealed by Griffon Vulture Found in Volcanic Ash

A surprising discovery in the feathers of a fossil vulture from central Italy has revealed that volcanic deposits can preserve delicate tissue structures in unprecedented detail, offering new insights into the fossilisation process.

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

Wednesday’s articles

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NYT: Threats Rise Against Judges Overseeing Trump Policy Cases, Fueling Safety Concerns

Federal judges are worried that online threats against those who oversee high-profile cases challenging Trump administration policies may lead to real-world violence.

Last Updated: 19.Mar.2025 23:05 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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NYT: Most Treatments for Lower Back Pain Don’t Really Work, Study Finds

Acetaminophen. Acupuncture. Massage. Muscle relaxants. Cannabinoids. Opioids. The list of available treatments for low back pain goes on and on. But there’s not good evidence that these treatments actually reduce the pain, according to a new study that summarized the results of hundreds of randomized trials.

Low back pain affects an estimated one in four American adults and is the leading contributor to disability globally. In most diagnosed cases, the pain is considered “nonspecific,” meaning it doesn’t have a clear cause. That’s also partly what makes it so hard to treat.

In the study, published on Tuesday in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, researchers reviewed 301 randomized trials that compared 56 noninvasive treatments for low back pain, like medications and exercise, with placebos. They used a statistical method to combine the results of those studies and draw conclusions, a process known as a meta-analysis.

The researchers found that only one treatment – the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and aspirin – was effective at reducing short-term, or acute, low back pain. Five other treatments had good enough evidence to be considered effective at reducing chronic low back pain. These were exercise; spinal manipulation, like you might receive from a chiropractor; taping the lower back; antidepressants; and the application of a cream that creates a warming sensation. Even so, the benefit was small.

Raspberry Pi: Track air quality anywhere with Raspberry Pi

Arnov Sharma has created a handheld air quality meter which can use a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 connected to a gas sensor to display the current levels of a host of hazards. “My Air Quality Meter was created with the intention of measuring the degree of air pollution in my city,” he explains. “Since we’d just had an air quality issue in New Delhi, where I live, I thought it would be a good idea to try to develop a project to measure the pollution level.”

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With his project, Arnov has sought to detect carbon dioxide, smoke, benzene, alcohol, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia in the air. In doing so, his resulting device is able to display the levels of gases produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, and coal, as well as some of those pumped out by vehicles and emitted from hazardous waste sites. The detection of ammonia is indicative of the amount of livestock waste, decaying organic matter, and fertiliser production. It helps to build a general understanding of the air quality in any given location, Arnov says.

Uses the PCBWay MQ135 sensor.

Last Updated: 19.Mar.2025 16:47 EDT

Tuesday’s articles

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NYT: Michelle Goldberg: The Tell-All Book That Facebook Doesn’t Want You to Read

Hopefully, Meta’s ham-handed attempt at censorship will lead more people to read Wynn-Williams’s book, a darkly hilarious, shocking tale that starts as farce and ends as tragedy. It combines withering portraits of Facebook’s insular, callous leadership with harrowing details of what Wynn-Williams calls the company’s “lethal carelessness” on the global stage. The writer and producer Armando Iannucci should option it; the narrative is often as absurd as his great show “Veep,” even if its characters are considerably more ruthless. It’s not surprising that Zuckerberg and his underlings don’t want you to read it.

TechCrunch: Coreshell has a plan to slash the price of American-made batteries

Silicon anodes have been eyed for years as a replacement for graphite. They hold about 10 times more electrons than graphite anodes, meaning each cell needs less materials. But silicon is notoriously brittle in batteries.

Startups like Sila and Group14 have found ways to make silicon anode materials that don’t crumble, and they’re working on mass-producing them now. But the type of silicon they require is expensive to produce, which so far has limited their appeal to luxury automakers like Mercedes and Porsche.

Coreshell says it can use much cheaper metallurgical-grade silicon, which Ferroglobe said it can supply entirely from its U.S. operations. By coating small beads of silicon with its proprietary material, Coreshell has found a way to stabilize it so it doesn’t degrade over the thousand-plus charge-discharge cycles a typical EV is expected to endure.

CBC: Astronauts splashdown on Earth after spending an unexpected 9 months in space

Capsule comes down off Florida coast, bringing Barry (Butch) Wilmore and Suni Williams home.

Last Updated: 18.Mar.2025 23:10 EDT

Monday’s articles

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WashPo: Texas charges Houston-area midwife under abortion law

A Houston-area midwife was arrested for providing illegal abortions, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Monday, marking the first criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban and one of the few times a provider anywhere in the country has been charged since the fall of _Roe v. Wade_in 2022.

Maria Margarita Rojas, 49, is accused of performing abortions and practicing medicine without a license, both of which are felonies.

Also charged was Jose Ley, 29, whom officials said Rojas employed. Court records allege Ley, a Cuban citizen, does not have a Texas medical license.

Rojas owned and operated four health clinics in the Houston suburbs of Waller, Cypress and Spring, Paxton’s office said in a statement. Clínicas Latinoamericanas employed unlicensed people who presented themselves as medical professionals, officials said.

This could turn out to be a case of “bad facts make bad law."

Stuff: US Supreme Court chief justice rejects Donald Trump’s call for impeaching judge

Boasberg, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, convened a hearing on Monday to discuss what he called “possible defiance” of his order after two deportation flights continued to El Salvador despite his verbal order that they be turned around to the US.

Trump administration lawyers defended their actions, saying Boasberg’s written order wasn’t explicit, while a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union said “I think we’re getting very close” to a constitutional crisis.

CBC: Conservatives won’t allow reporters to travel with Poilievre during upcoming election

No recent precedent for a major party barring journalists from accompanying campaign.

This seems to betray a certain lack of self-confidence in Poilievre. And it certainly doesn’t bode well for transparency should the Conservatives form the government.

Last Updated: 18.Mar.2025 23:13 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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NYT: Trump’s Justice Dept. Speech Shows a Renewed Quest for Vengeance

The sole offense of those President Trump singled out in remarks at the Justice Department appeared to have been trying to hold him accountable for his actions.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/1…

NYT: Brown University Professor and Doctor Is Deported to Lebanon Despite a Judge’s Order

A kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University’s medical school has been deported from the United States, even though she had a valid visa and a court order temporarily blocking her expulsion, according to her lawyer and court papers.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, is a Lebanese citizen who had traveled to her home country last month to visit relatives. She was detained on Thursday when she returned from that trip to the United States, according to a court complaint filed by her cousin Yara Chehab.

Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ordered the government on Friday evening to provide the court with 48 hours' notice before deporting Dr. Alawieh. But she was put on a flight to Paris, presumably on her way to Lebanon.

CBS: Trump claims Biden’s pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are “void, vacant” because they were allegedly signed with an autopen

President Trump claimed late Sunday that preemptive pardons former President Joe Biden granted to members of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol are “void” and “vacant” because they were allegedly signed with an autopen.

However, the Justice Department two decades ago said the president can use an autopen to sign legislation, and the Constitution imposes few limits on the president’s pardon power.

Another attempt at distraction from the real issues facing the White House.

CBC: Poilievre says he would repeal federal carbon pricing for industrial emissions

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says a government led by him would repeal both the federal consumer carbon tax and standards for pricing greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial emitters.

“There will be no taxes on Canadian consumers, no taxes on Canadian industries,” Poilievre said on Monday at a news conference in L’Orignal, Ont.

I think this is a big mistake by Conservative strategists.

Guardian: Conservative party to ditch commitment to net zero in UK by 2050

Kemi Badenoch is dropping her party’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050, as she launches the Conservatives' widest policy review in a generation.

The Tory leader will give a speech on Tuesday in which she will argue that hitting Britain’s legally binding climate target is “impossible”, abandoning one of the most significant policies enacted by her recent predecessor Theresa May.

NYT: Warned Off Meeting Voters, Republicans Who Do Confront Anger and Unease

As Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk continue their push to shrink the federal government at breathtaking speed, defying norms and legal limits, town halls in Republican districts have erupted with an outpouring of anxiety, complaints and outright anger. The backlash has grown so bitter that party leaders have instructed Republican lawmakers to avoid in-person gatherings with voters where possible, wary of providing a venue for an embarrassing spectacle that could circulate widely online or become part of a campaign ad.

NYT: Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm

More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

I have included political articles from Sunday today.

Last Updated: 17.Mar.2025 23:58 EDT

Saturday’s political articles

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ScienceAlert: Ebola May Be Cured With a Pill, Monkey Experiment Suggests

Monkeys infected with Ebola can be cured with a pill, according to a new study out Friday that could pave the way for more practical, affordable treatments in humans.

Easier storage, better/earlier uptake, lower delivery costs — would all be benefits in reducing the human impact of a nasty disease.

ScienceAlert: Looking at Images of Nature Does Something Powerful in The Brain

“Our study is the first to provide evidence from brain scans that this isn’t just a placebo effect,” Steininger said in a statement.

The nature scenes provoked decreased activity in a part of the brain involved in perceiving pain, called nociception. However other areas linked to regulating pain were not significantly affected.

How to Geek: Volkswagen’s New Long-Range Battery Plan Takes Aim Squarely at Tesla

At their recent annual media conference, Volkswagen Group officials unveiled a new battery configuration–not a new battery, but a new way of arranging them. Why does this matter?

The arrangement of batteries in vehicles directly affects their range. By exploring this approach, one already pioneered by China’s BYD, Volkswagen Group, which includes Audi and Porsche, could create cars with impressive range at a significantly lower cost.

USA Today: Starliner astronauts to return with Crew-9 sooner than expected

Weather conditions off the Florida coast, where astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will land with the two members of a mission known as Crew-9, prompted NASA and SpaceX to move up the mission’s return date. Wilmore and Williams are now expected to board a SpaceX Dragon capsule with the Crew-9 team to undock early Tuesday morning from the International Space Station.

The four spacefarers — also including NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov — would then make a water landing Tuesday evening near Florida.

Guardian: ‘It’s a history lesson’: fossil fish up to 16m years old found perfectly preserved in central NSW

Fossils retain microscopic structural features including stomach contents and provide first detailed evidence in Australia for fish called Osmeriformes.

Last Updated: 17.Mar.2025 23:49 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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Wikipedia: Gretna Green

Gretna Green is most famous for its “runaway marriages”.

Gretna’s “runaway marriages” began in 1754 when Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act came into force in England. Under the Act, if a parent of a person under the age of 21 objected to the minor’s marriage, the parent could legally veto the union. The Act tightened the requirements for marrying in England and Wales but did not apply in Scotland, where it was possible for boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12 with or without parental consent (see Marriage in Scotland). It was, however, only in the 1770s, with the construction of a toll road passing through the hitherto obscure village of Graitney, that Gretna Green became the first easily reachable village over the Scottish border.

Digital Trends: I’ve finally ditched my Kindle for this superior Amazon-free e-reader

Amazon, for all its positives, has grown fat and lazy on its vast profits. The Kindle is no longer the young, athletic device it once was, and that’s starting to show. I’ve suffered too long under the yoke of Amazon, and this particular e-reader, the Kobo Clara Colour, has set me free. And if you’re still using a Kindle, you should look elsewhere too.

Mashable: Your Amazon Echo Will Start Reporting to Amazon on March 28

Owners of the Amazon Echo have long had the option for the device to process requests locally, thereby keeping their information off of Amazon’s servers. That functionality is going away starting on March 28.

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“We are reaching out to let you know that the Alexa feature ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ that you enabled on your supported Echo device(s) will no longer be available beginning March 28, 2025,” the email reads. “As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature.”

Ars Technica: Apple now lets you move purchases between your 25 years of accounts

12.Feb.2025

Last night, Apple posted a new support document about migrating purchases between accounts, something that Apple users with long online histories have been waiting on for years, if not decades. If you have movies, music, or apps orphaned on various iTools/.Mac/MobileMe/iTunes accounts that preceded what you’re using now, you can start the fairly involved process of moving them over.

“You can choose to migrate apps, music, and other content you’ve purchased from Apple on a secondary Apple Account to a primary Apple Account,” the document reads, suggesting that people might have older accounts tied primarily to just certain movies, music, or other purchases that they can now bring forward to their primary, device-linked account. The process takes place on an iPhone or iPad inside the Settings app, in the “Media & Purchases” section in your named account section.

NYT: What Is Lorazepam? The Drug From ‘The White Lotus’ Carries Real Risks

Prescription drugs like lorazepam — used to treat anxiety, panic attacks and sleep disorders — play a role in popular TV shows like “The White Lotus” and “The Pitt.”

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The geriatric population that Dr. Neel treats is especially vulnerable because benzodiazepines are metabolized differently as we age, he added, lingering in the body for a longer period of time. As a result, older people who take them may be more prone to falls or car accidents. The drugs can also cause delirium in patients who have dementia.

How to Geek: Here’s Why I Built My Own NAS With Unraid and an eBay Server Instead of Buying a Synology

• Instead of spending thousands on a pre-built NAS, eBay offers great deals on enterprise-grade servers if you’re willing to do a little work.
• Enterprise-grade server hardware offers numerous benefits, like additional processing power, higher RAM capacities, and more expandability over desktop NAS systems.
• For an operating system, Unraid is user-friendly, simplifies setting up shares, utilizes parity drives, and supports virtual machines.

I needed a lot of storage for home media, photos, videos, documents, and more. Instead of buying an extremely expensive Synology server, I went an entirely different route and built my own storage server for a fraction of the cost.

YouTube: Just Have a Think (Dave Borlace): The insanity of the Carbon Capture deception.

Carbon Capture and Storage has been heralded by some as the ‘silver bullet’ to enable a smooth transition to renewable energy while preventing existing greenhouse gas emissions reaching the atmosphere, or even, in the case of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), actually sucking CO2 back out of the air. But recent studies have shown these to be a completely false economy and yet another ruse by the fossil fuel industry. So, who should we believe?

Last Updated: 16.Mar.2025 22:22 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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NYT: How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada After ICE Came Looking for Her

The first knock at the door came eight days ago, on a Friday morning.

Three federal immigration agents showed up at a Columbia University apartment searching for Ranjani Srinivasan, who had recently learned her student visa had been revoked. Ms. Srinivasan, an international student from India, did not open the door.

She was not home when the agents showed up again the next night, just hours before a former Columbia student living in campus housing, Mahmoud Khalil, was detained, roiling the university. Ms. Srinivasan packed a few belongings, left her cat behind with a friend and jumped on a flight to Canada at LaGuardia Airport.

NewsNation: Oklahoma City man says Social Security benefits terminated without warning or explanation

An Oklahoma City retiree says his Social Security benefits were suspended without warning — and with no explanation given when he reached out. He worries it may have to do with the place he was born, and ongoing Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cutbacks.  

The man, James McCaffrey, who was born to an active-duty U.S. soldier at an overseas Army base, says because of recent comments from DOGE leader Elon Musk, he’s worried his benefits were cut because of his foreign birthplace.

Last Updated: 15.Mar.2025 14:45 EDT

Friday’s political articles

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Gear Patrol: Apple Is Upgrading Your AirPods With a Sneaky Cool New Feature

When the new feature rolls out, instead of talking into your iPhone, you’ll be able to speak naturally while wearing AirPods.

When you say something in English, the translation (in Spanish, French or another supported language) will play out loud over your iPhone’s speaker so the other person can hear it. Then, when they respond, you’ll hear the return translation in English through your AirPods.

Unusual Whales @unusualwhales.bsky.social 14.Mar.2025

The S&P 500 is 11% off its 52-week (and all-time) high, but nearly half of S&P 500 stocks are 20% or more off their 52-week highs, per Liz Thomas of SOFI.

MacRumors: iOS 19 to Improve Texting With Android Users in Five Ways

Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations:

• End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices, as has always been the case with iMessage
• In-line replies
• Edit messages
• Unsend messages
• Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, ensuring they always work

Independent: Undiscovered cause of Parkinson’s found for first time by scientists in huge breakthrough

Experts have known for several decades that the PINK1 protein is directly linked to Parkinson’s disease — the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world.

Until now, no one has seen what human PINK1 looks like, how PINK1 attaches to the surface of damaged mitochondria inside of cells, or how it is activated.

But scientists have now discovered how the mutation switches on and can start using this knowledge to find a way to switch it off and slow the progression of the condition down.

Last Updated: 15.Mar.2025 23:59 EDT

Friday’s articles

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NYT: Trump Demands Major Changes in Columbia Discipline and Admissions Rules

The Trump administration on Thursday demanded that Columbia University make dramatic changes in student discipline and admissions before it would discuss lifting the cancellation of $400 million in government grants and contracts.

It said the ultimatum was necessary because of what it described as Columbia’s failure to protect Jewish students from harassment.

The government called for the university to formalize its definition of antisemitism, to ban the wearing of masks “intended to conceal identity or intimidate” and to place the school’s Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership.

“We expect your immediate compliance,” officials from the General Services Administration, Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services said in a letter.

Last Updated: 14.Mar.2025 02:15 EDT

Thursday’s political articles

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ScienceAlert: En Route to Asteroid Collision, HERA Snaps Rare Images of Martian Moon

Europe’s HERA mission is aiming to find out how much of an impact a NASA spacecraft made when it deliberately smashed into an asteroid in 2022 in the first-ever test of our planetary defences.

But HERA will not reach the asteroid – which is 11 million kilometres (seven million miles) from Earth in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – until late 2026.

pv magazine: Unlimited energy storage in Europe

With its northerly latitude, winter solar availability in Europe is poor. In winter, a decarbonized Europe will rely mostly on solar energy generated in the south and wind energy in the north. Large-scale long-duration energy storage is needed to ride through days or even weeks of poor solar and wind availability.

Fortunately, Europe has unlimited, low-cost, off-the-shelf, low-environmental-impact, long-duration, off-river pumped hydro energy storage (PHES), that requires tiny amounts of land and water and does not require new dams on rivers.

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Premium PHES sites are characterized bylarge head (>500m), low-volume dam walls, short pressure tunnels, large-scale (>40 GWh) and long duration (>100 hours).

Europe has over 6000 premium PHES sites with a combined storage of about 1100 terawatt hours, which is about 40 times more storage than required for a fully electrified and decarbonized Europe. There are also many lower-quality sites (classes A-E).

Also includes costing which is highly competitive with alternatives.

Last Updated: 14.Mar.2025 15:10 EDT

Thursday’s articles

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ScienceAlert: Latest Alzheimer’s Drugs Can Add Years of Independence to Patient Lives

While researchers continue to work on a full cure for Alzheimer’s disease, they’re finding treatments that can help manage symptoms and delay their onset, including the recently approved next-gen therapies lecanemab and donanemab.

Both treatments have been approved by US regulators in the last couple of years, and they work by clearing out some of the amyloid protein plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s. However, there’s some debateover how effective they are.

Manton Reece: My Book

Chet Collins reviews my book Indie Microblogging. Most people who have checked it out have just skimmed through it a little, which is fine! Love to see a detailed look, though. I still plan to publish a final final draft with a few updates.

The Bridge podcast: Your Turn, Thu 13.Mar.2025, 26:51

Regarding the upcoming federal election, it’s concerning that parts of the electorate are not only victim to simplistic partisan nonsense but also voter fatigue.

Trump’s threats to Canada and the world order requires all of us to be actively and thoughtfully engaged in the upcoming federal election. Canada’s recent surge of patriotism not withstanding I fear voter disengagement and disinformation may play a significant and most unfortunate role. I pray that I am wrong.

Rachel Evans, Porto Escondido, Mexico

My choice for letter of the week.

CleanTechnica: Startup Heroes Rescue EV Charging Network In US

Among the EV charging startups to cross the CleanTechnica radar is the California firm ElectricFish. The company launched in 2019 with a focus on accelerating EV adoption and fleet electrification in grid-constrained locations where new electrical infrastructure is impractical, if not cost-prohibitive.

ElectricFish’s chief contribution is “350Squared,” a modular, plug-and-play charging station that can deploy existing 200-amp electrical infrastructure to pull double duty as a community microgrid and energy storage facility, providing backup power in case of emergency.

ElectricFish opened its new factory in California in June, and it has been on the move since then. In the latest news, earlier today the company announced the official launch of the new 350Squared power bank. Featuring 400 kilowatt-hours of storage and ultra-fast EV charging, the system requires no trenching or other heavy-duty work normally required to install a new EV charging station.

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ElectricFish asserts that the battery-integrated 350Squared power bank eliminates up to 90% of the cost of grid upgrades needed for conventional EV fast charging stations, while delivering a charge 133% faster than typical fast chargers.

CBC: Trudeau proposes way forward on 24 Sussex problem during final days in power

In a letter to Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Trudeau asks the minister to develop a proposal with options for a new official residence for the prime minister by January 2026.

The prime minister asks Duclos to set up an advisory committee that would weigh in on the location, cost, functionality and security requirements of the new residence.

Finally! (It’s been empty since 2015!)

Last Updated: 13.Mar.2025 15:47 EDT

Wednesday’s articles

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Robert Reich: Why Teddy Roosevelt’s face will remain on Mount Rushmore and Trump’s image will never be there or anywhere else

Here are three of my favorite TR quotes, which I find particularly appropriate today. If you are so moved, you might share them. You might include them in a letter to your local paper. If you have the means, you might even place them in an ad in your local paper or perhaps even on a billboard on a highway near you.

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“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

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“To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

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“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Robert Reich: Ten reasons for modest optimism

If you are experiencing rage and despair about what is happening in America and the world right now because of the Trump-Vance-Musk regime, you are hardly alone. A groundswell of opposition is growing — not as loud and boisterous as the resistance to Tump 1.0, but just as, if not more, committed to ending the scourge.

Here’s a partial summary — 10 reasons for modest optimism. …

CBC: Carney to move key carbon tax defender to new cabinet role: source

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be given a new portfolio in Mark Carney’s cabinet, a source with knowledge of the decision told Radio-Canada.

The Montreal MP and former Greenpeace activist, who has held the portfolio since 2021, will instead be responsible for various files, said the source, who was not authorized to speak on the record.  

However, he will no longer be the face of the fight against climate change.

podcast: The Herle Burly: 20.Feb.2025, Unleashed: Andrew Coyne on Canada, the US, and the World

In fact, when you consider what’s happening in the world, on almost a minute-by-minute basis – the shifting power dynamics, the destruction of alliances and trading relationships, the obliteration of norms – highly curious and massively anxiety-provoking are descriptors that go together pretty well.

We have the perfect guest to talk about it all. If you’ve been reading the great columnist, Andrew Coyne, either in The Globe and Mail or on Twitter, you know he’s been frank in his calling out of Trump and his alliance with Putin, as well as his observations about what’s at stake for Europe, Ukraine and Canada. We’re going to dive into all of that today. He’s always unfiltered, but for the next hour, consider this Andrew unleashed.

Last Updated: 13.Mar.2025 23:10 EDT

Wednesday’s political articles

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How to Geek: 5 Weird iPhone Camera Apps You Need to Try

• Nomo Cam
• HUJI Cam
• Visionist
• Glitché
• 1998 Cam

Last Updated: 12.Mar.2025 23:12 EDT

Tuesday’s articles

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New Yorker Radio Hour podcast: Friday March 7: What Trump Has Got Wrong — and Right — About the War in Ukraine

Since emerging on the national political scene a decade ago, Donald Trump has openly admired the dictatorial style of Vladimir Putin. Trump’s lean toward Russia was investigated, it was psychoanalyzed — yet many were still shocked when recently Trump and Vice-President J. D. Vance berated President Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, in the Oval Office, and seemed to be taking Putin’s side in the conflict. When Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, one of David Remnick’s first calls was to Stephen Kotkin, a historian of Russia and a fellow at the Hoover Institution. He speaks with Kotkin again, as Trump is pressuring Ukraine to accept a “deal.” Kotkin doesn’t endorse Trump’s position, but notes that it reflects real changes in America’s place in the world and the limits of American power. “You can say that Trump is wrong in his analysis of the world, you can say that Trump’s methods are abominable,” Kotkin says. “But you can’t say that American power is sufficient to meet its current commitments on the trajectory that we’re on.”

Last Updated: 12.Mar.2025 23:50 EDT

Tuesday’s political articles

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ScienceAlert: Having Surgery at The End of The Week Could Make a Concerning Difference

A thorough study of 429,691 surgeries in Canada has revealed a worrying statistic: you’re around 5 percent more likely to die, experience complications, or need to go back to the hospital if you have your operation just before the weekend, rather than just after.

How to Geek: 6 Reasons Why Physical Books Replaced My eReader

With real books, you can feel the weight of a hefty tome or a light novella, you can revel in the artwork every time you pick it up, you can flick through the pages and feel the rough paper on your fingers, you can crack the spine and breathe in that “new book” smell. Your most cherished books will wear their dog-eared pages and weather-beaten covers like badges of honor.

I’m probably 90:10 or 95:5 digital:physical now. (We have tons of physical books still though.)

Alexandra: What Could Have Been

Some of the scariest things happen without our knowledge, as happened to me one time that, until a few days later, I didn’t know how lucky I had been.

BlogTO: Toronto bakery shuts down after 32 years due to unprecedented rent increase

A family-owned bakery that has served as a stalwart of downtown Toronto for more than three decades has abruptly shut its doors because of the exorbitant cost of living and operating in the city, and issues with its tenancy — mainly, an unprecedented rent increase.

Little Italy locals have been heading to Golden Wheat for fresh-baked breads, Portuguese tarts, custom cakes and all sorts of other gourmet treats since the early ’90s.

But, while the shop managed to remain a cherished and reliable go-to for made-with-love baked goods as the bustling strip around it evolved over the course of 32 long years, this weekend was its last in business — and regulars had little warning to prepare for the loss.

BlogTO: Here’s who is eligible for Loblaw’s proposed $500 million price-fixing settlement

Law firms Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP and Orr Taylor LLP announced on Tuesday that a $500-million settlement agreement with George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited was executed on Jan. 31, 2025, to settle nationwide class-action lawsuits against them related to industry-wide price fixing for certain packaged bread products.

The settlement is still subject to court approval in Ontario and Quebec. Approval hearings will occur on May 5 in Toronto and June 16 in Montreal.

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According to the law firms, if you bought packaged bread anywhere in Canada (excluding Quebec) between Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2021, you’re automatically included in the Ontario settlement.

MacRumors: Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.3.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 Include Important Security Fixes

The iOS 18.3.2, iPadOS 18.3.2, macOS Sequoia15.3.2, and visionOS 2.3.2 updates that Apple released today include an important security fix for a WebKit vulnerability that may have been actively exploited.

In Apple’s security notes for each update, Apple says that maliciously crafted web content could break out of the Web Content sandbox. Most of the issue was addressed with iOS 17.2, but Apple has added an additional supplementary fix in today’s updates.

Last Updated: 11.Mar.2025 23:57 EDT

Monday’s articles

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AP: Trump loves the Gilded Age and its tariffs. It was a great time for the rich but not for the many

Experts on the era say Trump is idealizing a time rife with government and business corruption, social turmoil and inequality. They argue he’s also dramatically overestimating the role tariffs played in stimulating an economy that grew mostly due to factors other than the U.S. raising taxes on imported goods.

And Gilded Age policies, they maintain, have virtually nothing to do with how trade works in a globalized, modern economy.

“The most astonishing thing for historians is that nobody in the Gilded Age economy — except for the very rich — wanted to live in the Gilded Age economy,” said Richard White, a history professor emeritus at Stanford University.

TorStar: Snowbirds confused over conflicting guidance on Trump policy

Canadian snowbirds and others travelling to the U.S. for long-term stays are facing conflicting information around whether they need to register under new rules bought in by the Trump administration.

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“It’s in our country’s (the U.S.’s) interest to have rich, retired Canadians go there and spend money in Florida,” he added. “And I don’t know why we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Last Updated: 11.Mar.2025 13:22 EDT

Monday’s political articles

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NYT: Why Older People May Not Need to Watch Blood Sugar So Closely

The elder Ms. Larson, 85, has had Type 2 diabetes for decades. Now her endocrinologist and her primary care doctor worry that hypoglycemia may cause falls, broken bones, heart arrhythmias and cognitive damage.

Both have advised her to let her hemoglobin A1c, a measure of average blood glucose over several months, rise past 7 percent. “They say, ‘Don’t worry too much about the highs — we want to prevent the lows,’” the younger Ms. Larson said.

NYT: New Insights Into Older Hearts

One intervention known to benefit patients with heart disease is cardiac rehabilitation: a program of regular, supervised exercise that significantly reduces heart attacks, hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths.

But cardiac rehab remains perennially underused. Only about one-quarter of eligible patients participate, Dr. Dodson said, and among older adults, who could benefit even more, the proportion is lower still.

How to Geek: iOS and macOS May Get a Massive UI Redesign in Late 2025

Rumors suggest that Apple will announce a major iOS, iPadOS, and macOS software design overhaul at WWDC 2025. If true, this will be the biggest iOS UI revamp since 2013, and it will replace a lot of the iPhone-like design elements that invaded macOS in 2020.

Apple hasn’t commented on the rumors, which were first published by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. Gurman is a well-known Apple analyst and fairly reliable leaker who sources information from Apple employees, partners, distributors. So, while we can’t verify the rumors, they are within the realm of possibility.

The “key goal” of this overhaul, per Gurman, is to make Apple’s varying operating systems “look similar and more consistent.” Longtime Apple customers may be confused by this statement. After all, Apple has spent more than a decade chipping away at macOS' old-school “Aqua” design language in order to make the desktop operating system more iOS-like. The Big Sur update in 2020 was widely praised (and criticized) for its use of iOS stylings, and unless Apple is prepared to give us a touchscreen MacBook, it seems that macOS is about as similar to iOS as it can be.

Last Updated: 10.Mar.2025 23:56 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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Globe: ‘We’re not mincing words’: How the anti-Trump MeidasTouch Podcast became a hit in Canada

Last month, the left-leaning and unabashedly anti-Trump MeidasTouch Podcast pulled off a rare feat: It bounced Joe Rogan from the top of the charts. The triumph marked one of the few times in the past four years that The Joe Rogan Experience was not the most listened to podcast in the U.S. and Canada. (The top ranking accounts for all downloads and views across podcasts platforms and YouTube, according to analytics platform Podscribe.)

The political podcast is the work of the three Meiselas brothers: Ben, a civil-rights lawyer who represented NFL player Colin Kaepernick; Brett, a former editor on The Ellen DeGeneres Show; and Jordy, who worked in advertising. After the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021, it became clear to them that the media needed to interact and reach Americans in a different way than cable news.

CBC: Ontario slaps 25% levy on U.S.-bound electricity in latest trade war volley

The new levy took effect Monday and will add about $10 per megawatt-hour to the cost of power heading south, the province says. It will generate an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per day, money that will be used to support workers and businesses hit by U.S. tariffs.

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Ontario provides electricity to roughly 1.5 million customers in the northern border states of New York, Michigan and Minnesota. Ford said the surcharge will cost the average household or business in these states an additional $100 per month on their power bills.

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He also reiterated his previous threat to stop flows of electricity from Ontario to the U.S. altogether if the trade war lingers on.

NYT: Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories

In a sweeping interview [with Fox], Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments.

He issued a muffled call for vaccinations in the affected community, but said the choice was a personal one. He suggested that measles vaccine injuries were more common than known, contrary to extensive research.

He asserted that natural immunity to measles, gained through infection, somehow also protected against cancer and heart disease, a claim not supported by research.

He cheered on questionable treatments like cod liver oil, and said that local doctors had achieved “almost miraculous and instantaneous” recoveries with steroids or antibiotics.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for every thousand people infected with measles in the United States, the virus kills one to three. One study estimated that without vaccination today there would be 400,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 deaths annually.

Death isn’t the only possible consequence. Measles can also cause permanent blindness, deafness and intellectual disability. Before the vaccine became available, about a thousand people every year had encephalitis because of the virus.

Last Updated: 10.Mar.2025 23:58 EDT

Sunday’s political articles

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MacRumors: New iOS 19 and visionOS 3 Tidbits Revealed

he was told that visionOS 3 will be a “feature-packed” update, but he did not outline any specific new features that are coming.

visionOS 2.4, currently in beta, is also a big update. It expands Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro, introduces a new Spatial Gallery appwith spatial content, and more. The update will be released to the general public in April.

There have been rumors about the Vision Pro being updated with an M5 chip as soon as late 2025, but 2026 is looking more likely. Gurman believes that the Vision Pro … is unlikely to be updated this year.

How to Geek: I Was Sick of Spam Calls So I Made This iPhone Shortcut to Help

• Googling spam calls takes too long to complete before the caller hangs up.
• A shortcut can help, but you can’t trigger shortcuts when your iPhone rings.
• I resorted to using the back tap gesture to trigger my shortcut to check the incoming number usng ChatGPT.

Looper: The 10 Best Documentary Movies Ever Made, According To Rotten Tomatoes

The review aggregate site offers an easy way to discover outstanding documentaries, not to mention the reviews and examinations that really break down why these features are so special. Happily, the ten best-reviewed documentaries on the site cover a fascinatingly wide range of topics, including sports stories, sagas about musicians who aren’t quite superstars, historical atrocities specific to America, and so much more. Want to disprove your friends who are convinced documentaries are tedious fodder only good for classroom teaching? Just show them this list of the ten best documentaries per Rotten Tomatoes.

Last Updated: 09.Mar.2025 22:20 EST

Saturday’s articles

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BBC: Mark Carney: Canada’s next PM vows to win trade war with Trump

The former governor of the Canadian central bank and Bank of England beat three rivals in the Liberal Party’s leadership contest in a landslide.

In much of his victory speech, Carney, 59, attacked Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canada and said he wants to make the country the 51st US state. “Americans should make no mistake,” he said. “In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.”

Carney is expected to be sworn in as PM in the coming days and will lead the Liberals in the next general election, which is expected to be called in the coming weeks.

Readwise: Europe Is Getting Ready for the End of NATO

This is a column I never dreamed I’d be writing, as a former supreme allied commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But sadly, given all the skeptical and increasingly divisive rhetoric about the venerable alliance emanating from Washington and Europe in the early days of the second Donald Trump administration, it is time to think about what the world would look like geopolitically if the US pulled out.

Are we indeed in the last days of NATO? What would replace it, if anything? Or, if it survived, what would NATO look like without the US?

via John Philpin

Last Updated: 09.Mar.2025 23:08 EST

Saturday’s political articles

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Newsweek: Trump Administration Axes Two Food Safety Committees

According to the consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports, the USDA eliminated the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.

Per Consumer Reports, the two committees offered scientific guidance to the USDA and other federal agencies on food safety-related public health issues.

Somehow, this kind of story seems bigger than politics.

CBC: China announces retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm, food products

China will apply a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes and pea imports, and a 25 per cent duty on Canadian aquatic products and pork, the ministry said in a statement.

Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs and 25 per cent levy on its aluminum and steel products “seriously violate World Trade Organization rules, constitute a typical act of protectionism and are discriminatory measures that severely harm China’s legitimate rights and interests,” the ministry said.

CBC: Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker

Another polar icebreaker will be built simultaneously at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to use the two ships in emergency situations in Canada’s Arctic to conduct year-round missions to support northern communities and scientific research, and to ensure the country’s Arctic sovereignty. 

“This will give Canada access to the Arctic and the High Arctic at all times and in all circumstances for the first time in the country’s history,” said Duclos.

“This is particularly relevant in the present context, where Canadian sovereignty is threatened by growing global tensions.”

The construction of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 “direct and indirect jobs” per year between 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 million to Canada’s GDP annually, according to Duclos.

Last Updated: 08.Mar.2025 17:33 EST

Friday’s political articles

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PBS: Daylight saving time causes lower productivity and higher health care costs, studies say

Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems.

While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of research shows that every year, the shift to daylight saving time needlessly exacerbates these risks, disrupting millions of Americans' sleep and increasing the likelihood of accidents, health issues and fatal errors.

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I’m a neurologist who specializes in sleep health. I’ve seen firsthand the negative impacts of poor sleep; it has enormous personal and economic consequences.

Yet despite overwhelming research supporting better sleep policies – such as delaying school start times to align with adolescent biology and the adoption of permanent standard time – these issues remain largely overlooked in public policy discussions.

Laptop mag: I switched from a Kindle ereader to Kobo for a week — here’s why I’m never going back

Last month, Amazon announced it was removing a feature that allowed users to download their Kindle books to their PC, whether to backup those books or use a tool like Calibre to read them on a non-Kindle device. With this feature gone, the only way to read Kindle books is now on a Wi-Fi-connected Kindle or the Kindle app.

This announcement sparked frustration for a lot of readers, prompting many (myself included) to take a closer look at the Kindle’s closest rival, Kobo. If you’re also considering making the switch, you might be skeptical about whether or not it’s really worth it or whether Kobo ereaders can truly compare to a Kindle.

I switched to a Kobo ereader for a week to find out. My experience left me absolutely certain which ereader I’ll be using from now on.

Laptop mag: I switched from a Kindle ereader to Kobo for a week — here’s why I’m never going back

Last month, Amazon announced it was removing a feature that allowed users to download their Kindle books to their PC, whether to backup those books or use a tool like Calibre to read them on a non-Kindle device. With this feature gone, the only way to read Kindle books is now on a Wi-Fi-connected Kindle or the Kindle app.

This announcement sparked frustration for a lot of readers, prompting many (myself included) to take a closer look at the Kindle’s closest rival, Kobo. If you’re also considering making the switch, you might be skeptical about whether or not it’s really worth it or whether Kobo ereaders can truly compare to a Kindle.

I switched to a Kobo ereader for a week to find out. My experience left me absolutely certain which ereader I’ll be using from now on.

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Like Amazon, Rakuten offers a range of Kobo ereaders, from the basic Clara BW to the feature-packed Libra Colour. I prefer small, light ereaders and didn’t really need a color display, so I went with the basic Kobo Clara BW (black and white). It’s effectively the Kobo equivalent of the Kindle Paperwhite.

ZME Science: Researchers tore down a Tesla and BYD battery to see which one’s better

Tesla champions high-energy, cylindrical cells like its 4680 battery, designed for maximum power and range. Meanwhile, BYD takes a different path with its Blade battery, a prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell that prioritizes safety, longevity, and affordability. Both represent cutting-edge innovation — but how do they differ, exactly?

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Ultimately, the Tesla battery seems better suited for high-performance and luxury vehicles. Meanwhile, mass-market and commercial vehicles that value durability and reliability could make better use of the BYD’s approach.

ZME Science: Real Vs Artificial Christmas Tree: What the science says

Every year, the Christmas tree debate returns: Is it better to cut down a natural tree for a short-lived holiday display, or use an artificial one made from non-recyclable plastic? The answer is not as clear as you’d think and depends heavily on how the trees are grown, manufactured, or disposed of. Let’s dig into the facts and explore more sustainable alternatives.

ZME Science: No Sun? No Problem! Scientists Grow Plants Using Electricity Instead

The system is designed as a vertical farming model: solar panels on the roof provide energy for electrolysis, which takes place on the upper floors. Below, in stacked growing chambers, crops absorb acetate and grow in a carefully controlled environment. So far, researchers have successfully grown mushrooms, yeast, and algae using this method. They’ve already started experiments with tomatoes, lettuce, and other small crops. Eventually, they hope to modify staple crops like wheat and sweet potatoes to process acetate more efficiently.

“We have demonstrated at least a four-fold improvement in solar-to-food energy efficiency compared to photosynthesis,” the researchers write. If the United States were to fully adopt electro-ag, the authors estimate that agricultural land use could shrink by 88%, freeing vast areas for rewilding and carbon sequestration.

Last Updated: 08.Mar.2025 23:04 EST

Friday’s articles

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NewsNation: Donald Trump’s pause on Ukraine aid prompts GOP concerns

Republican lawmakers are starting to urge President Trump to reverse his decisions to pause U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, warning that a prolonged stoppage of U.S. help for the war effort would have a seriously detrimental effect.

They acknowledge Trump has the right to temporarily halt weapons shipments to Ukraine to assess the war, pressure NATO allies to step up their contributions and to create a window to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

But they warn that stopping the flow of weapons and munitions to Ukraine for too long could have a devastating effect on Ukraine’s warfighting ability, which would undercut its leverage in talks with Russia.

And GOP lawmakers say that sharing intelligence should resume immediately, wondering what the United States has to gain from depriving Ukraine from critical battlefield intelligence.

Last Updated: 07.Mar.2025 13:17 EST

Thursday’s political articles

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WashPo: Intuitive Machines reaches moon despite imperfect landing

Private space company Intuitive Machines said it landed its second robotic spacecraft on the moon Thursday but — as with the first attempt — probably not in the intended, upright position.

After several hours of trying to determine the status of its Athena spacecraft, CEO Steve Altemus said that despite the apparent imperfect landing, the vehicle was generating power and communicating with controllers on Earth.

UPI: Butter a deadly delight compared to plant oils, study says

People who eat loads of butter have a higher risk of premature death, while those who use mostly plant-based oils like canola or olive oil have a lower-than-average risk, researchers found.

What’s more, swapping butter out for plant-based oils like canola or olive oil causes a person’s risk of premature death to drop dramatically, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Substituting 10 grams of butter a day — less than a tablespoon — with plant-based oils could lower by 17% a person’s risk of death from any reason and from cancer specifically, results show.

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It’s also likely, according to an accompanying editorial, that a person who’s a butter fiend makes many other diet decisions that undermine their health.

“Butter is often associated with unhealthier dietary patterns, while plant-based oils are more commonly linked to healthier patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and plant-based diets,” an editorial co-written by Dr. Young-Moon Mark Park, an assistant professor of epidemiology with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said.

CleanTechnica: Hydrogen Buses Keep Failing - De Lijn Is Just The Latest To Cut Losses

For over two decades, hydrogen bus trials around the world have followed the same predictable arc: big promises, high costs, operational headaches, and inevitable abandonment. From Vancouver and Chicago in the early 2000s to Vienna, Mallorca, and Wiesbaden just last year, transit agencies have repeatedly launched pilot programs only to watch them collapse under the weight of economic reality. Maintenance costs soar, refueling stations break down, and the hydrogen supply chain remains an expensive mess. Time and again, agencies have either quietly retired their hydrogen fleets or outright canceled planned procurements, yet some still fail to absorb the obvious lesson—hydrogen for public transit is an overhyped dead end.

The sheer scale of failures should be enough to deter any rational transit planner. Iceland mothballed its fleet when EU funding dried up. Perth abandoned its trial. Whistler’s fleet froze in the cold and cost taxpayers a fortune. São Paulo, Oslo, San Remo, Hamburg, Pau, Montpellier, and Tarragona all tried and rejected hydrogen for the same reasons. Even Liverpool, unable to secure a viable hydrogen supply, saw its brand-new fleet sit idle. Meanwhile, California keeps propping up hydrogen transit with billions in subsidies, driven more by lobbying than logic. The bottom line is clear: where hydrogen trials have been objectively assessed, agencies overwhelmingly shift to battery-electric buses — cheaper, simpler, and already dominating the market.

InsideEVs: VW Design Boss Confirms Buttons Coming Back: ‘It’s A Car, Not A Phone’

VW cut most of the physical controls out of its early EVs and learned a long, painful lesson.

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“From the ID.2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most important functions–the volume, the heating on each side of the car, the fans and the hazard light–below the screen,” Mindt told Autocar. He added, “They will be in every car that we make from now on. We will never, ever make this mistake anymore. On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing anymore. There’s feedback, it’s real, and people love this. Honestly, it’s a car. It’s not a phone.”

Last Updated: 07.Mar.2025 15:44 EST

Thursday’s articles

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CleanTechnica: Cranky Stepdad vs Hydrogen For Energy: How To Respond To Enthusiasts

Hydrogen for energy has been the subject of extravagant claims for decades, and they keep being repeated. When you run into a hydrogen for energy enthusiast and they start saying things that make it seem as if hydrogen for energy is a slam dunk, have a look through this. Some claims are less false than others, but all hydrogen for energy claims are misleading.

This article extensively examines the claims for hydrogen as a fuel.

BBC: Gene found to link obesity risk in labradors and humans

The findings could help in the future development of new drugs to tackle obesity. But the scientists say they reveal how much harder people - and owners of dogs - with this genetic predisposition have to work to offset its effects.

Another member of the research team, Alyce McClellan, from Cambridge University added that the results emphasised “the importance of fundamental brain pathways in controlling appetite and body weight”.

NYT: Some Schools Rethink “College For All”

The idea that every student should aim for a four-year college motivated a bipartisan movement for decades. Now even enthusiastic promoters of the idea are reconsidering it.

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And young Americans with a bachelor’s degree earned a median salary of $60,000 last year, compared with $40,000 for those with just a high school diploma.

BBC: Adnan Syed of Serial podcast will not serve additional jail time

Adnan Syed, whose criminal conviction was made famous in the hit true-crime podcast Serial, will not have to serve any additional jail time after being resentenced in the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

A Baltimore judge ruled that Syed “is not a danger to the public”, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News, and that “the interests of justice will be served better by a reduced sentence”.

Syed was convicted in the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and sentenced to life in prison.

His case spawned the Serial podcast, which questioned key evidence in the case and helped lead to his resentencing.

NYT: An American Carpenter Finds Success in Japan

Following the advice of Zen masters, Jon Stollenmeyer endured months of rejection before finally getting his foot in the sliding door.

Last Updated: 06.Mar.2025 23:50 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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CNBC: Trump signs executive order for U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
• White House Crypto and AI Czar David Sacks said the reserve will be funded exclusively with bitcoin seized in criminal and civil forfeiture cases, ensuring that taxpayers bear no financial burden.
• The order also establishes a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile, managed by the Treasury Department, to hold other confiscated cryptocurrencies.

CNBC: Trump’s Greenland message: U.S. will control it ‘one way or the other’

• President Donald Trump said in his joint address to Congress that the U.S. would assume control of Greenland “one way or the other.”
• “We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump said.
• Danish officials have firmly rejected previous overtures from Trump about buying the self-governing territory.

Last Updated: 06.Mar.2025 23:51 EST

Wednesday’s political articles

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iPhone in Canada: Cheaper Ad-Free YouTube Premium Lite Plan Debuts in U.S.

YouTube has officially launched its more affordable subscription tier, Premium Lite, in the U.S., offering users an ad-free viewing experience on most videos for $7.99 per month.

The move aims to provide a budget-friendly alternative to the standard YouTube Premium plan, which is priced at $13.99 per month.

Premium Lite is designed for users who primarily consume non-music content on YouTube. Subscribers to this plan can enjoy ad-free viewing on a wide range of videos, including those related to gaming, comedy, cooking, and learning.

Doesn’t include downloading or music content.

iPhone in Canada: Digg Rises from the Dead: Reddit Co-Founder Joins Comeback

Tech pioneers Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian have acquired Digg, the once-popular social news platform, with plans to bring it back.

Rose, who founded Digg in 2004, and Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit, are aiming to revive the site as a place for genuine online communities in an era of social media clutter and misinformation. Seeing Rose team up with Ohanian was not something we had on our Bingo card in 2025. Digg owned the internet back in the early 2000s, but a design change in 2010 drove its user base to Reddit instead.

Wow! I haven’t thought of Digg in ages! It used to be regular viewing for me to watch the Kevin Rose – Other Guy couch discussion.

Neal.fun: Internet Artifacts

I accidentally stumbled down a rabbit hole. Went from manton.org ⇢ Sven Dahlstrand ⇢ Neil.fun ⇢ Internet artifacts

MacRumors: Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 and ‘Sky Blue’ Color Option

Apple today announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models, now featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, and a new “Sky Blue” color option.

Wikipedia: Richard S. Sutton

Sutton is considered one of the founders of modern computational reinforcement learning, having several significant contributions to the field, including temporal difference learning and policy gradient methods.

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2025, he received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery together with Andrew Barto.

NYT: Aging Women’s Brain Mysteries Are Tested in Trio of Studies

Women’s brains are superior to men’s in at least in one respect – they age more slowly. And now, a group of researchers reports that they have found a gene in mice that rejuvenates female brains.

Humans have the same gene. The discovery suggests a possible way to help both women and men avoid cognitive declines in advanced age.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. The journal also published two other studies on women’s brains, one on the effect of hormone therapy on the brain and another on how age at the onset of menopause shapes the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

NYT: Why Aging Experts Are Obsessed With ‘Health Span’

Trying to stay healthy into old age is a better goal than attempting to live as long as possible.

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There are currently two main ways experts think we may be able to extend our health spans. The first is by adopting everyday healthy behaviors we already know we should be engaging in: exercising regularly, eating nutritious food, getting good sleep and investing in our social bonds. The second is using more experimental approaches that target cellular processes involved with aging through drugs, genetic manipulations or extreme diets.

NYT: Don’t Let Daylight Saving Time Ruin Your Sleep

In fact, this can create a monthslong mismatch between our internal clocks and our school and work schedules, leaving many people chronically short on sleep, said Dr. James Rowley, a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This is why the organization supports the elimination of daylight saving time altogether, he added.

This is the single thing that I agree with Donald Trump on: it’s time to get rid of DST.

Last Updated: 05.Mar.2025 23:50 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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Stuff (AP): Donald Trump’s speech was full of wild claims. Here are seven that aren’t true

1. He overstated the numbers on his immigration crackdown …
2. He inflated the number of people who entered the US illegally under President Joe Biden …
3. Economists differ with Trump on tariffs …
4. There’s no evidence Social Security money is being paid to many people over age 100 …
5. Trump did not inherit an ‘economic catastrophe’ …
6. Trump’s reference to an ‘EV mandate’ is inaccurate …
7. A closer look at US Army recruitment numbers …

Love the mention in item 4 that the SSA is still using COBOL!

BBC: US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine

Ukraine has heavily relied on the US for military assistance for the three years since Russia’s invasion, and the decision to pause aid may have a significant effect on the war.

Halting intelligence support, too, would likely have serious consequences on the battlefield.

The information is believed to help Ukraine both strategically understand Moscow’s next moves and also tactically, for example providing information on Russian troop positions for weapons guidance and targeting.

BBC: Trump faces pushback in Washington over Ukraine aid freeze

The aid pause was decried by Democrats and split Republicans - some of whom broke with the president to criticise the aid cuts.

“I do not think we should be pausing our efforts,” Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said. “It’s the Ukrainians who are shedding blood.”

Last Updated: 05.Mar.2025 23:58 EST

Tuesday’s political articles

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NYT: China Retaliates After Trump Announces Steep Tariffs: Live Updates

• China’s response: Moments after President Trump’s tariffs kicked in, China’s Ministry of Finance said that it was imposing tariffs of as much as 15 percent on a wide range of food imports from the United States.
• Tariff basics: Trade wars were a feature of Mr. Trump’s first term in the White House. But his latest tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China may broaden the scale of disruptions since the three countries account for more than a third of the products brought into the United States, supporting tens of millions of American jobs. Read more ›
• Sticker shock: The tariffs are likely to result in higher prices for a wide variety of products, including cars, cellphones, computers, tequila, avocados and gasoline. Read more ›

Last Updated: 04.Mar.2025 00:40 EST

Monday’s political articles

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NPR: Blood donor James Harrison, who saved 2 million babies, has died

Harrison donated blood and plasma a whopping 1,173 times, according to Lifeblood, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018. All but 10 were from his right arm, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

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Harrison’s plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D, which was discovered in the mid-1960s. It is used in medications to prevent haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) — also known as rhesus disease — a potentially fatal disease that occurs when a pregnant person’s blood is incompatible with that of their unborn baby, prompting their immune system to attack it.

TechCrunch: Moonwatt secures $8.3M to dial up solar’s staying power with sodium-ion storage

Moonwatt, a clean tech startup founded in September last year in the Netherlands, is working on a battery-based energy storage system that’s co-located with, and optimized for, solar power plants to help them manage this variability. The team designed dedicated battery enclosure hardware, inverter power electronics to connect to the grid and the software needed to integrate and manage the storage system.

Ontario should be investing in these, or Canadian made alternatives if available, to store excess power overnight. Right now we pay the US to take it, and in the current climate, that should end.

(Another political crossover article.)

Ars Technica: Threat posed by new VMware hyperjacking vulnerabilities is hard to overstate

VMware warned Tuesday that it has evidence suggesting the vulnerabilities are already under active exploitation in the wild. The company didn’t elaborate. Beaumont said the vulnerabilities affect “every supported (and unsupported)” version in VMware’s ESXi, Workstation, Fusion, Cloud Foundation, and Telco Cloud Platform product lines.

ScienceAlert: 3 Out of 5 Adults Will Be Classified Overweight by 2050, Study Finds

A comprehensive new report estimates that the proportion of the global population who are overweight or obese has doubled since 1990.

Forward projections to 2050 estimate a further increase, to around 60 percent of those over 25 and more than 30 percent of children and young adults.

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“The drivers of the obesity epidemic are complex. A country’s increasing obesity rates often overlap with their increasing economic development,” the authors write in The Conversation.

“Economic development encourages high growth and consumption. As local farming and food supply systems become overtaken by ‘big food’ companies, populations transition to high-calorie diets.

“Meanwhile, our environments become more ‘obesogenic,’ or obesity-promoting, and it becomes very difficult to maintain healthy lifestyles because we are surrounded by very convenient, affordable, and addictive high-calorie foods.”

Last Updated: 04.Mar.2025 23:38 EST

Monday’s articles

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Guardian: Remains of carved canoe may be most significant discovery of its kind, NZ archaeologist says

More than 450 artefacts from a waka found in pieces in the Chatham Islands expected to reveal new insights about Polynesian voyaging.

Last Updated: 03.Mar.2025 23:27 EST

Sunday’s articles

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WashPo: Trump administration to pause deliveries of military assistance to Ukraine, officials say

Following a high-level meeting at the White House, the Trump administration has decided to pause all future deliveries of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy deliberations. In the wake of President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous Oval Office meeting on Friday, the U.S. president is halting the provision of weapons and military aid critical to Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

Guardian: Trump orders swathes of US forests to be cut down for timber

Donald Trump has ordered that swathes of America’s forests be felled for timber, evading rules to protect endangered species while doing so and raising the prospect of chainsaws razing some of the most ecologically important trees in the US.

The president, in an executive order, has demanded an expansion in tree cutting across 280m acres (113m hectares) of national forests and other public lands, claiming that “heavy-handed federal policies” have made America reliant on foreign imports of timber.

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This move is similar to recent instructions by Trump to use a rarely-used committee to push through fossil fuel projects even if they imperil at-risk species. Experts have said this overriding of the Endangered Species Act is probably illegal.

The order also stipulates logging projects can be sped up if they are for purported wildfire risk reduction, via “thinning” of vegetation that could ignite. Some scientists have said that aggressively felling forests, particularly established, fire-resistant trees, actually increases the risk of fast-moving fires.

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Trump’s shift towards a more industry-friendly stance has been underlined by his choice of a lumber executive lead the Forest Service, which has just fired 2,000 workers amid a purge led by Elon Musk, who has also been recently seen wielding a chainsaw.

Tom Schultz, previously a vice-president of Idaho Forest Group, which sells wood, will be the next Forest Service chief, overseeing the management of 154 national forests and 193m acres of land, an area roughly the size of Texas.

Last Updated: 03.Mar.2025 20:38 EST

Sunday’s political articles

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IMDb: Tinā

Mareta Percival. Struggling after the death of her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes, Mareta reluctantly takes on a role as a substitute teacher at an elite private school and is surprised to find children in desperate need of guidance, inspiration, and love.

Recommended by Miraz

Guardian: Flow wins best animated feature Oscar

The dialogue-free film, which debuted at the Cannes film festival, triumphed in a category that included the higher-profile blockbusters Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. It is the first Latvian film to ever be nominated for an Oscar.

The story follows the journey of a cat who must find safety after its home is devastated by a flood.

The director Gints Zilbalodis started production back in 2019 using the free and open-source software Blender. It is his second full-length feature after 2019’s Away.

ScienceAlert: Physicists Create Lab-Grown Diamond Even Harder Than Natural

Diamond is well-known for being the hardest natural material on Earth, though synthetic forms have been developed that are even tougher – a feat that researchers have managed again, through a new approach to diamond formation.

The team put graphite (another super-hard material) under an intense amount of pressure, before heating it to 1,800 K (that’s 1,527 °C or 2,780 °F). The resulting diamond has a hexagonal lattice crystal structure, rather than the normal cubic structure.

Hexagonal diamond (or lonsdaleite) was first brought to the attention of scientists more than 50 years ago, after it was discovered in a meteorite impact site. The new research is the first solid evidence that this internal structure boosts hardness.

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The research has been published in Nature Materials.

Last Updated: 02.Mar.2025 23:58 EST

Saturday’s articles

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Axios: RFK: MMR vaccine “crucial” in measles prevention after Texas outbreak

Kennedy wrote an op-ed for Fox News' website on Sunday with the headline “Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us” and the subheading “MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.”

• Kennedy wrote that before the introduction of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 1960s, “virtually every child in the United States contracted measles.”
• He noted that from 1953 to 1962, “on average there were 530,217 confirmed cases and 440 deaths,” with a fatality rate of 1 in 1,205 cases.
• “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons,” Kennedy wrote.

Yes, but: Kennedy emphasized that the decision to vaccinate is “a personal one.”

Last Updated: 02.Mar.2025 23:59 EST

Saturday’s political articles

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The fallout continues from Trump and Vance’s berating of Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, but there really isn’t much to add about an elementary school bullying tantrum by the president of the US. There has been a tremendous outpouring of disbelief and anger from everyone from middle Americans to world leaders.

Last Updated: 01.Mar.2025 23:16 EST

Friday’s political articles

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BBC: Cuts to US national parks and forests spark outrage as summer nears

The Trump administration’s steep cuts to staff at national parks, forests and wildlife habitats have triggered a growing backlash, as public access and conservation efforts in these remote wild landscapes fade away.

The impacts have already been felt by visitors - who are seeing longer park entrance lines, reduced hours at visitor centres, trails closed and dirty public facilities - and workers who not only are worried about their futures as their jobs vanish, but also the state of these outdoor marvels eroding.

Some articles cross the lines between information (observations on the state of national parks) and politics (the actions of Elon Musk with Trump’s endorsement).

CBC: Quirks and Quarks: The recipe for finding life on other planets, and more

Great episode!

Hackster.io: The Return of Pebble: You Can’t Keep a Good Watch Down!

Eight years after the demise of both the watch and the company behind it, the Pebble smartwatch is coming back from the dead.

Hackster.io: Cricut Launches New Explore 4 and Maker 4 Cutting Machines

Cricut just announced the launch of two new machines: the Explore 4 and Maker 4 — both faster and more affordable than their predecessors.

Hackster.io: The Raspberry Pi RP2040 Gets a Surprise Speed Boost, Unlocks an Official 200MHz Mode

Spec sheet change brings a faster clockspeed than the 150MHz RP2350 — though both can, in many cases, run even faster out-of-spec.

Fast Company: Curious about DeepSeek but worried about privacy? These apps let you use an LLM without the internet

The desktop apps LM Studio and GPT4All allow users to run various LLM models directly on their computers.

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To get started, simply download LM Studioor GPT4All on your Mac, Windows PC, or Linux machine. Once the app is installed, you’ll download the LLM of your choice into it from an in-app menu. I chose to run DeepSeek’s R1 model, but the apps support myriad open-source LLMs.

Macworld: MacBook Air M4 release date, price, specs & design

M4 MacBook Air: Release date

March release; we predict it will go on sale after March 13, 2025.

Last Updated: 01.Mar.2025 23:08 EST

Friday’s articles

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Manton Reece: Alexa+

Alexa+ will be a paid upgrade. Tim Cook is now wondering how he can charge for Siri too.

Sadly, this is probably true.

MacRumors: Skype Is Finally Shutting Down on May 5

Microsoft today announced that it will officially retire Skype on May 5, 2025, concluding its 14-year tenure as the owner of the once-dominant internet calling and messaging service (via Bloomberg).

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion in what was then its largest-ever acquisition. At its peak, Skype had more than 300 million monthly active users and was synonymous with internet-based voice and video calling. The service steadily declined in relevance in recent years, with its active user base shrinking to approximately 36 million by 2023 as competitors such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Microsoft’s own Teams platform gained traction.

Last Updated: 28.Feb.2025 11:59 EST

Thursday’s articles

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CBC: Doug Ford sails to another majority, CBC News projects

• Ford projected to cement political legacy with a rare third-straight majority.
• NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner will win re-election, CBC News projects.
• Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie is projected to lose her seat, though her party will win back official status.

Ford spent millions on an early election saying he needed a mandate, although he didn’t fulfil any of the mandates he asked for in the last election: healthcare and hallway medicine, education, housing.

Oh yeah, he also shut the Ontario Science Centre planning to sell the land off to buddies, got caught shifting green space land to developer friends, and is proposing a huge, multi-decade project to put a tunnel under the 401, a project that will never be completed but will suck up a ton of money in the meantime. Good call, Ontario.

CBC: Hundreds of weather forecasters fired in U.S. federal cuts

Hundreds of weather forecasters and other U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status were fired on Thursday, lawmakers and weather experts said.

Federal workers who were not let go said the afternoon layoffs included meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country.

Cuts at NOAA appeared to be happening in two rounds, one of 500 and one of 800, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist who said he got the information from someone with first-hand knowledge. That’s about 10 per cent of NOAA’s workforce.

Sherrilyn (Substack): Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything?

09.Feb.2025

Yes. And You Can Too.

NYT: Thomas L Friedman: This Never Happened With an American President Before

What happened in the Oval Office on Friday — the obviously planned ambush of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance — was something that had never happened in the nearly 250-year history of this country: In a major war in Europe, our president clearly sided with the aggressor, the dictator and the invader against the democrat, the freedom fighter and the invaded.

PBS: What Trump and Zelenskyy said during their heated argument in the Oval Office

Here is a transcript of the key moments of the exchange.

PBS: Brooks and Capehart on the implications of Trump’s altercation with Zelenskyy

Jonathan Capehart:

I thought the low point for America on the world stage was the Trump-Putin press conference in Helsinki in 2017, when the president of the United States sided with the president of Russia against his own national intelligence apparatus.

What we saw in the Oval Office was a travesty, horrendous, despicable. I — there aren’t any words to describe what we watched, where we saw a vice president who’s never been to Ukraine lecture a wartime president who was clearly summoned to the White House to humiliate him on the world stage either on behalf of or for the benefit of Vladimir Putin in Russia.

And, look, I give President Zelenskyy major points for standing up for himself, for standing up for his nation and standing up for his people. He is in there fighting for America’s backing, which, I’m sorry, it should not even be in doubt, given the stakes that are involved and who he is trying to protect his people from.

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David Brooks:

I was nauseated, just nauseated. All my life, I have had a certain idea of about America, that we’re a flawed country, but we’re fundamentally a force for good in the world, that we defeated Soviet Union, we defeated fascism, we did the Marshall Plan, we did PEPFAR to help people live in Africa. And we make mistakes, Iraq, Vietnam, but they’re usually mistakes out of stupidity, naivete and arrogance.

They’re not because we’re ill-intentioned. What I have seen over the last six weeks is the United States behaving vilely, vilely to our friends in Canada and Mexico, vilely to our friends in Europe. And today was the bottom of the barrel, vilely to a man who is defending Western values, at great personal risk to him and his countrymen.

NYT: European Leaders Rally Around Zelensky After Explosive Meeting With Trump

Leaders lined up behind Ukraine and praised its embattled president, the statements coming one after the other: from France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Norway, Finland, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Ireland. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand leaders added their voices to the Europeans’.

Among current democracies, the US now stands alone.

Last Updated: 28.Feb.2025 23:58 EST

Thursday’s political articles

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NYT: James Carville: It’s Time for a Daring Political Maneuver, Democrats

For Round 2 in office, instead of prioritizing the problems he campaigned on — public safety, immigration and the border and, most of all, the economy — President Trump is hellbent on dismantling the federal government. To accomplish this, he has put his faith in the most incompetent cabinet in modern history: a health and human services secretary who is already targeting federal vaccination efforts and dumped a bear carcass in Central Park as a fun prank at age 60, a director of national intelligence who was devoted to an allegedly abusive yoga-centered cult, a WWE tycoon turned head of Department of Education and a former cable news talking head as defense secretary. Which will result in one clear thing: disorder. There will probably be more enormous tax cuts for the wealthy and Medicaid cuts hitting a lot of other people, but there is nothing the American public despises more than disorder and a broken economy.

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It won’t take long. Public support for this administration will fall through the floorboard. It’s already happening. Just over a month in, the president’s approval has already sunk underwater in two new polls. The people did not vote for the Department of Education to be obliterated; they voted for lower prices for eggs and milk. Democrats, let the Republicans' own undertow drag them away.

James Carville is an interesting guy with a lot of experience.

Last Updated: 27.Feb.2025 18:36 EST

Wednesday’s political articles

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NYT: Five Weeknight Dinners My Kids Will Gladly Eat

Here’s a mostly complete list of what my children, ages 5 and 7, eat for dinner:

Plain pasta (spaghetti and farfalle only), rice and beans (any kind but lima), chicken (roasted thighs, nuggets), salmon, avocado rolls, hot dogs, pizza, slices of steak. They do eat some green vegetables, but they don’t do tacos, meatballs, dumplings, baked saucy dishes or, really, sauce of any kind. Soup, as an entire category, is a no.

Popular mechanics: Mosquitoes are a plague on Humanity. Their Secret Weapon Could Also Save Lives.

Vibration in Ae. aegypti male antennae turned out to be most prominent when female wingbeats were played, even with the sounds of male wingbeats in the way. Ur. lowii male antennae didn’t respond much, since they chase females by following their pheromones. Similarly, Ur. lowii female antennae vibrated most when frog calls were played (they especially crave barking tree frogs). For Ae. aegypti females, the volume on these calls had to be ramped up for them to have any reaction at all, since they primarily use their sense of smell to find unknowing animals for their next meal.

CBC Radio: For the 1st time in Canada, surgeons put teeth in patients' eyes to restore sight

When Brent Chapman’s doctor first pitched him on the idea of having one of his own teeth surgically embedded in his eye to restore his sight, he says he felt “a little apprehensive.”

But then he spoke to a woman in Australia who had undergone the same procedure to tremendous success. 

“She had been completely blind for 20 years, and is now snow skiing,” Chapman, 33, of North Vancouver, said. “I know it sounds a little crazy and science fiction-y.”

Last Updated: 27.Feb.2025 22:22 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Kevin Drum (Jabberwocking): RFK Jr. makes his public debut as HHS secretary. Better watch out.

I’ve been wondering when we’d start hearing from RFK Jr. now that he’s been confirmed, and it turns out today’s the day.

First off, he’s put a 90-day hold on a new oral COVID vaccine: …

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He’s also paused final testing of a new avian flu vaccine: …

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A successful CDC campaign called “Wild to Mild” has been canceled. It had helped persuade people to get a flu shot, but RFK Jr. wanted to spend the money instead on spots highlighting “informed consent” — i.e., that you don’t have to get a flu shot. Very helpful.

via @JsonBecker on micro.blog

Last Updated: 26.Feb.2025 23:59 EST

Tuesday’s political articles

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Atlantic: Want to Change Your Personality? Have a Baby.

I knew that becoming a parent would change me—but I had no idea how.

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Recently, though, I’d begun to reconsider. I was in the midst of an admittedly strange-sounding project: I was spending a year trying to change my personality. According to a scientific personality test I’d taken, I scored sky-high on neuroticism, a trait associated with anxiety and depression, and low on agreeableness and extroversion. I lived in a constant, clenched state of dread, and it was poisoning my life. My therapist had stopped laughing at my jokes.

But I had read some scientific research suggesting that you can change your personality by behaving like the kind of person you wish you were. Several studies show that people who want to be, say, less isolated or less anxious can make a habit of socializing, meditating, or journaling. Eventually these habits will come naturally, knitting together to form new traits.

I haven’t read this entire article yet, but I love Olga Kazan’s work and I didn’t want to lose it.

CNN: Jeff Bezos announces ‘significant shift’ coming to the Washington Post. A key editor is leaving because of it

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday announced a “significant shift” to the publisher’s opinion page that led David Shipley, the paper’s editorial page editor, to leave the paper. The changes upended precedent and rattled a media company that has already been shaken by years of turmoil and leadership turnover.

As part of the overhaul, the Post will publish daily opinion stories on two editorial “pillars”: personal liberties and free markets, Bezos teased in an X post on Wednesday morning after announcing the change in a company-wide email. The Post’s opinion section will cover other subjects, too, Bezos wrote, but “viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”

“I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America,” Bezos wrote. “I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.”

Saying you’re against “free markets and personal liberties” is like saying you’re against motherhood and apple pie, but the problems come from the extremes: controlled markets or completely unfettered markets, or a complete lack of personal freedom or unfettered personal freedoms. These are limited rights in law for a reason.

This may belong over on the political side, but it also discusses some general issues rather than polemic, so…

CNN: The best toasters of 2025, tried and tested

The Best Toasters We Tested

Best toaster: Cuisinart 4-Slice Compact Toaster

Best toaster for countertop aesthetics: Dualit NewGen 2-Slice Toaster

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With plenty of options vying for your coveted counter space and your breakfast needing some heat, we tested 12 leading models to find the best toasters for perfectly browned toast and bagels with crisp edges (I have no side in the great debate on if bagels should even be toasted to begin with). Two units emerged as especially worthy of your money.

A surprisingly more extensive article than I had expected from CNN, somewhat similar to Consumer Reports!

BBC: Kent: Criminal gangs ruining environment, says watchdog

Organised criminal groups are targeting the waste industry and “wreaking havoc” on the environment, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

Government figures suggest illegal waste tipping costs the country £1bn a year.

In the South East, a number of sites have sprung up in recent years where large scale tipping has taken place. Industry experts say this is not just fly-tipping, but “organised crime” where “networks of people” are illegally collecting and dumping waste.

If it’s happening there, it’s probably happening worldwide.

Electrek: MAN CEO: “impossible” for hydrogen to compete with BEVs

“It’s one thing to have the technology and another thing for the technology to be viable,” Vlaskamp told the Spanish-language magazine Expansión (translated from Spanish). “Green hydrogen is not available for transportation and there is no point in switching from diesel to hydrogen if the energy source is not sustainable.”

Keep in mind that there are two ways to look at the concept of sustainability as it pertains to commercial trucking. The first is sustainability of the business (can we keep operating the way we have been), and the second is environmental sustainability. Vlaskamp makes an effort to point that hydrogen, at least for now, isn’t sustainable in either sense of the word.

Last Updated: 26.Feb.2025 18:28 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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Telegraph: Economists are starting to worry about a serious Trump recession

Tariffs on America’s neighbours and assault on federal government will hit US economy.

Subscription required

Last Updated: 25.Feb.2025 16:06 EST

Monday’s political articles

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Telegraph: The nut you should eat for breakfast to boost your brain

Eating a handful of walnuts at breakfast boosts brain performance, scientists have discovered.

Experts found when people added just 50g of walnuts to muesli and yoghurt they recorded faster reaction times throughout the day and better memory performance.

Subscription required.

TorStar: Ontario mortgage delinquencies are 50% higher than in 2019

Mortgage delinquencies in Ontario have skyrocketed 50 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, and more than 11,000 mortgages in the province missed at least one payment in the fourth quarter of 2024, nearly three times the number seen in 2022, Equifax Canada said in its quarterly credit report.

Last Updated: 25.Feb.2025 16:15 EST

Monday’s articles

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NYT: Dana H. Allin, Jonathan Stevenson: America and Russia Are on the Same Side Now

During the Cold War, large and influential Communist parties in Western Europe maintained ties with Moscow, ranging from sympathetic to subservient. The United States kept its distance and in many cases supported their opponents financially and politically.

Now Europe is confronted with a loose alliance of Russian-leaning parties, this time on the other end of the spectrum: the far right. And the U.S. government has taken the opposite approach: a warm embrace.

By doing so, the United States is condoning Russia’s subversion of the postwar Europe that America helped create and secure. The parties Russia favors are hostile to the European Union, opposed to higher military spending and receptive to Russia’s arguments about the recklessness of NATO expansion and the need to assert right-wing Christian values.

What a topsy-turvy, bizarro world we are in now.

Last Updated: 24.Feb.2025 23:37 EST

Sunday’s political articles

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Guardian: Editorial: The Guardian view on Haiti’s deepening crisis: abandoning people when they most need support

A year ago, it seemed that Haiti had hit rock bottom. Violence had exploded and conditions had deteriorated following President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in 2021. Then, last February, gangs banded together to free thousands of prisoners, besiege airports and police stations, and demand that Haiti’s unpopular replacement leader departed.

Ariel Henry was ousted, but the nation has only spiralled further into crisis. Violence intensified again towards the end of last year. Armed criminals control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Already desperate circumstances have become much more so: more than a million people — around one in 10 of the population — have now been displaced, triple the level a year ago. Half are experiencing acute food insecurity.

ScienceAlert: Wolves in Scotland Could Help Reduce Carbon in The Sky. Here’s How.

Wolves (Canis lupus) were totally eradicated by human hunting in Scotland, with tradition claiming the last wolf was killed about 250 years ago (although it’s difficult to be sure of the exact year, amid local myth and legend).

Around that time, the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 fundamentally changed much of the nation’s land use. Woodland was cleared, and large shooting estates were established.

Eradicating this apex predator unraveled entire woodland ecosystems because the wolf’s prey, red deer (Cervus elaphus), could multiply unabated.

CBC: Citing Elon Musk, city councillor wants Ottawa to suspend its X accounts

Several city accounts already exist on Bluesky, though they have not yet begun posting. Ottawa Public Health is actively using its Bluesky accounts, as is the Ottawa Police Service.

As of now, however, all are also operating X accounts in tandem.

The CBC should do the same.

Wikipedia: Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions: Ripple Rock

Main article: Ripple Rock § Explosion

On 5 April 1958, an underwater mountain at RippleRock, British Columbia, Canada was levelled by the explosion of 1,375 tonnes of Nitramex 2H, an ammonium nitrate-based explosive. This was one of the largest non-nuclear planned explosions on record, and the subject of the first Canadian Broadcasting Corporation live broadcast coast-to-coast.

Last Updated: 24.Feb.2025 18:18 EST

Sunday’s articles

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ScienceAlert: Strange Metal From Beyond Our World Found in an Ancient Treasure Stash

Amidst a cache of glittering golden treasures from the Iberian Bronze Age, a pair of corroded objects might be the most precious of all.

A dull bracelet and a rusted hollow hemisphere decorated with gold are forged, researchers have found, not out of metal from beneath the ground, but with iron from meteorites that fell from the sky.

The discovery, led by now-retired head of conservation at the National Archeological Museum Spain, Salvador Rovira-Llorens, was revealed in a paper published last year, and suggests that metalworking technology and techniques were far more advanced than we thought in Iberia more than 3,000 years ago.

BBC: US measles outbreak sickens nearly 100 in Texas, New Mexico

“It is troubling, because this was completely preventable,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University, told CBS News, the BBC’s American news partner.

“It’s the most contagious infectious disease known to humans,” she added.

Symptoms of the highly infectious illness include fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation and a signature rash.

A measles infection can have particularly devastating complications for pregnant women and young children, including pneumonia, neurological impairment, hearing loss and death, and survivors are at risk of developing a degenerative brain and nervous system disease known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Stuff: Plane that flipped over in Canada highlights some of the dangers of holding kids on your lap

A 6-month-old boy traveling on a parent’s lap was killed in 2012 when a plane landed hard and overran the end of a runway in Nunavut, Canada. Last year, three infants on laps could have been sucked out of an Alaska Airlines plane after a door plug flew off midflight, but none were sitting close enough to the opening for that to happen.

Should baby seats be required?

Last Updated: 23.Feb.2025 03:58 EST

Saturday’s articles

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The Verge: The GSA is shutting down its EV chargers, calling them ‘not mission critical’

The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages buildings owned by the federal government, is planning to shut down all of its electric vehicle chargers nationwide, describing them as “not mission critical.” The agency, which manages contracts for the government’s vehicle fleets, is also looking to offload newly purchased EVs.

The GSA currently operates several hundred EV chargers across the country, with approximately 8,000 plugs that are available for government-owned EVs as well as federal employees’ personally owned vehicles.

Insanely dogmatic. This makes no economic sense.

Last Updated: 23.Feb.2025 22:22 EST

Saturday’s political articles

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We are the builders

Real stories from federal employees.

CBC: Canada makes $1.72-billion cows-and-plows settlement with 14 Sask. First Nations

The federal government is compensating more than a dozen Saskatchewan First Nations for agricultural benefits promised in treaties signed long ago, but never provided. 

It has also reached a separate agreement with Cumberland House Cree Nation on a land claim. 

Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Gary Anandasangaree said at a news conference Friday that the 14 First Nations involved in the agricultural settlement will get a combined $1.72 billion.

National Post: Adam Zivo: Trump is trying to scam Ukraine — allies, beware

The terms of a recently leaked draft peace deal amounted to an annexation of Ukraine’s natural resources. The U.S. can’t be trusted.

The National Post is Canada’s equivalent of Fox News!

Last Updated: 22.Feb.2025 15:29 EST

Friday’s political articles

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CleanTechnica*: BYD Unveils Plug-In Hybrid With 1,305 Miles Of Total Range

People, here’s a story that could alter the landscape for non-traditional automobiles — a plug-in hybrid from BYD that has a claimed total range of 1,305 miles. According to Autoblog, the latest versions of the BYD Qin L and Seal 06 sedans feature the Chinese automaker’s latest plug-in hybrid technology. With a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas, the technology can provide a driving range of 2,100 kilometers (1,305 miles), according to BYD chair Wang Chuanfu. The company’s PHEV technology, now in its fifth generation, achieves a record low fuel consumption of 2.9 liters per 100 km (62.1 miles), even after the batteries have been depleted. Google says that translates to 0.776 gallons. Divide that into 62 miles and you get a fairly astonishing figure of 80 miles per gallon. Wow!

Autoblog also ran the numbers and came up with 80 mpg, so that seems to confirm my calculations. If so, this is a very impressive achievement by BYD. We do not know what standard is used to compute MPG (or liters per 100 km) in China. Perhaps the testing is done at a steady 35 mph on a road that slopes slightly downhill. The point is that these two new BYD models can go a really long way without stopping if both the battery and the gas tank are full. There are no specs available that reveal the size of the battery or the gas tank. Nevertheless, 1,200 miles is about 500 more miles of range than a hybrid 2023 Lexus ES is capable of. Last year the Lexus topped the Kelley Blue Book list of hybrids with the longest range.

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Okay, are you sitting down? If you happen to live in China, the base price for the BYD Qin L and Seal 06 is 99,800 yuan ($13,775). Holy EV disruption, Batman! If these cars ever came to the US, BYD would never be able to keep up with demand. Of course, they are not coming to the US, because there is now a 100 percent tariff on Chinese made cars, but even at double the price, American buyers would be breaking down the doors to get one.

But wait, there’s more. BYD says owners of cars with the new plug-in hybrid technology can save up to 9,682 yuan ($1,336) a year in fuel costs compared to driving a traditional gasoline powered car. By lightning-like calculation, that means the Qin L or Seal 06 could have a net cost of zero — as in nada — if you buy it and keep it for 10 years. That’s unbelievable.

Last Updated: 22.Feb.2025 23:57 EST

Friday’s articles

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NYT: Amazon Gains Creative Control Over the James Bond Franchise

The British family that has steered the James Bond franchise for more than 60 years, zealously protecting the superspy from the indignities of Hollywood strip mining, has agreed to relinquish control to Amazon.

The deal, which was announced Thursday morning, comes after a behind-the-scenes standoff between Barbara Broccoli, who inherited control of Bond from her father, and Amazon, which gained a significant ownership stake in the franchise in 2021 as part of its $8.5 billion purchase of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ms. Broccoli and her brother, Michael G. Wilson, another Bond producer, had chafed at some of the ways in which Amazon hoped to capitalize on the property, The Wall Street Journal reported in December.

In a statement released by Amazon, the siblings and the tech giant said they had agreed to form a new joint venture to house Bond; the parties will remain co-owners. But Amazon MGM Studios “will gain creative control” after the transaction closes later this year. Ms. Broccoli and Mr. Wilson previously had ironclad creative control, deciding when to make a new Bond film, who should play the title role and whether remakes and television spinoffs got made.

They also had final say over every line of dialogue, every casting decision, every stunt sequence, every marketing tie-in, and every TV ad, poster and billboard.

Globe: Canada defeats U.S. 3-2 in 4 Nations final overtime thriller

Connor McDavid scored the overtime winner to propel Canada to a 3-2 victory over the United States in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston on Thursday.

McDavid, who was named the game’s most valuable player, lifted a wrist shot past the glove hand of USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck at 8:18 of the extra period to give Canada the win in a rematch of Saturday’s fight-filled affair when the two sides last met, during the tournament’s round robin.

CoinDesk: Bybit Loses $1.5B in Hack but Can Cover Loss, CEO Confirms

• Blockchain data shows that around $1.4 billion has been withdrawn so far, and $200 million of that has been liquidated on decentralized exchanges.
• Bybit CEO Ben Zhou has confirmed that the exchange’s Ethereum cold wallet was hacked.
• Ether is down by 4% following the transfers.

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$1.46 billion would equate to the largest cryptocurrency hack of all time in dollar terms, with $470 million being lost in the Mt Gox Hack, $530 million in the 2018 hack of CoinCheck, and $650 million in the Ronin Bridge exploit.

CNET: Apple Pulls iCloud Encryption Feature Following UK Government Demands

Apple is withdrawing its Advanced Data Protection tool from the UK, leaving iCloud users without the highest level of encryption the company currently offers. The move comes just weeks after reports emerged that the British government was pressuring Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted services for law enforcement and spying purposes.

ADP is an opt-in security tool, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud services to those who want it. The UK’s Home Office had refused to confirm or deny whether it made a request to Apple to turn it off, but the company has made it clear that’s not a decision that it wanted to take. 

Terrible decision by the UK Home Office. Apple did the right thing. Unfortunately.

Wired: The Ozempic Shortage Is Over

The semaglutide shortage has officially ended in the US—which means the GLP-1 drug industry is about to undergo massive changes.

9to5Mac: Apple to add proximity pairing setup to the Mac with macOS 15.4

iPhone and iPad users are already very familiar with something called “proximity pairing.” First introduced with iOS 11, this feature lets users transfer backup and other data from one device to a new one just by placing them close together. Now it seems that Apple is finally working on adding proximity pairing setup to the Mac.

This is good news.

Last Updated: 21.Feb.2025 20:11 EST

Thursday’s articles

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Guardian: Commercial flights diverted as Chinese warships undertake apparent live-fire drill in sea between Australia and New Zealand

Chinese warships have undertaken an apparent live-fire drill in the seas between Australia and New Zealand, diverting commercial flights in the skies above.

The Chinese navy notified the Australian defence department shortly before the drill on Friday.

Three People’s Liberation Army-Navy vessels – the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – are now about 340 nautical miles off Eden, on the New South Wales south coast, in international waters. The drill was conducted in international waters and in accordance with international law.

I wonder what they are practising for?

CBC: Hunter Schafer says passport lists sex as ‘M’ after Trump executive order

American actress Hunter Schafer said she was “shocked” to find the gender marker on her passport listed as male, a forced change that comes after the Trump administration declared it would only recognize two genders.

Schafer, one of the most visible transgender actresses in Hollywood, said she picked up her new passport on Thursday to find the gender marker written as “M”, despite her having listed female on her application.

Last Updated: 21.Feb.2025 21:53 EST

Thursday’s political articles

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UPI: Trump directs DOT Secretary to review $4 billion commitment to California high-speed rail

The Department of Transportation said in a statement that the entire San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed rail project was initially supposed to cost $33 billion and be finished in 2020.

But the DOT claimed just the Merced to Bakersfield segment would cost more than the original total and the latest total project cost estimate is $106 billion.

After Justin Trudeau’s announcement this week, I imagine that this will show up in Poilievre’s stump speeches this summer.

Last Updated: 20.Feb.2025 15:19 EST

Wednesday’s political articles

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Wikipedia: iPhone 16e

Announced as an affordable model on February 19, 2025, it was released with a starting price of US$599, which is $170 more than its predecessor, third generation of iPhone SE.

It is the first entry-level iPhone model to feature the edge-to-edge display, Face ID and USB-C port instead of Lightning port.

Starship

The minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell!

Uses Rust.

via Rick Cogley

ScienceAlert: Study Reveals How This Artificial Sweetener May Cause Heart Damage

Researchers from Sweden, China, and the US gave mice doses of aspartame for 12 weeks, up to the equivalent level per day that a human would consume in about three cans of diet soda.

A number of the mice had been engineered to be missing a gene critical in metabolism, giving insulin unmitigated access to key receptors throughout their bodies.

Compared with mice who hadn’t been fed the sweetener, the aspartame group had higher levels of insulin, greater blood vessel inflammation, and more fatty plaques in their arteries – all of which make a heart attack or stroke more likely.

“It is important to note that these findings have not yet been seen in humans,” explains cardiovascular physiologist James Leiper from the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved in the study.

Last Updated: 20.Feb.2025 15:25 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Charlie Angus: Speak Now or Forever Lose Your Peace

But we can resist the Trump/Putin plan. My hope is that in the coming months, nations like Europe, Australia, Japan, Latin America, and Canada can work together to oppose the Trump gang.

Trump is being reckless on so many fronts, and he will trip and fall. And this will be the opportunity in the United States to begin pushing back.

Last Updated: 19.Feb.2025 19:31 EST

Tuesday’s political articles

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Everything Electric (YouTube): The World’s First Fully Electric Farm!

In this week’s episode Robert and the team went to speak to the team at Forest Lodge Orchard in Otago, who have transformed their cherry farm into a 100% fully electric operation.

In the lower part of New Zealand’s South Island

Electrek: GAF Energy’s nailable solar shingle is now 23% more powerful

GAF Energy has launched an upgraded version of its Timberline Solar nailable shingle, the ES 2, which delivers 23% more power per shingle.

GAF Energy says key improvements to the Timberline Solar nailable shingle, which was first launched in 2022, include:

• 57 watts of power per shingle, a 23% increase in energy generation
• More area than a traditional asphalt shingle, enabling superior installation speed
• Enhanced StrikeZone for improved installation efficiency
• Compatibility with the complete GAF Timberline shingle collection
• Refined aesthetics with smaller transition boxes and simplified wiring

Last Updated: 19.Feb.2025 22:16 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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Daring Fireball: Golfo del Gringo Loco

But let’s first stipulate up front that there are multiple far more important and urgent issues facing the United States and the world, just four short weeks into the Trump 2.0 administration. Off the top of my head: Ukraine, Gaza, tariffs, DOGE, the rule of law. Whether you approve or disapprove of Trump’s actions on any or all of those issues, there should be no question that all of them are important and consequential. The name we see on maps for a body of water, not as much. But it’s the smallness, the relative unimportance, the spiteful pettiness of the renaming in the first place – down to the fact that until Trump’s executive action, there was no controversy, zero, none, nada, anywhere in the world, amongst any group of people, regarding the name of the Gulf of Mexico – that makes it interesting to examine in detail how Google and Apple have chosen to deal with it. It’s only because this particular issue is so spectacularly piddling that we can consider it in full.

Interesting, but longish, article about Trump’s ridiculous attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico (which had the name long before the thirteen colonies were called “The United States of America”).

Last Updated: 18.Feb.2025 23:39 EST

Monday’s political articles

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9to5Mac: Ted Lasso season 4 is coming: Here’s everything we know so far

Apple TV+ is currently airing Severance season 2, one of its biggest mainstream hits ever. Meanwhile, the one TV+ show that outdid it in cultural influence—Ted Lasso—is currently preparing a new season. Here’s everything we know about Ted Lasso season 4.

A lot of nervous Ted Lasso fans out there…

9to5Mac: Here are 10 Apple Watch features I use everyday & you could too

Before we get started, I did want to mention that all the features I talked about will be available on all current Apple Watch models and all models that run WatchOS 11. If you are looking to upgrade Amazon always has discounted Apple Watches for sale.

1. Unlocking Mac with Apple Watch…
2. Apple Watch as Camera remote…
3. Ping my iPhone…
4. AppleTV Remote app…
5. Good morning & alarm features…
6. Tesla key…
7. Screenshot Apple Watch…
8. Unlocking iPhone with Apple Watch…
9. Palm mute…
10. Sleep and fitness tracking…

Last Updated: 18.Feb.2025 23:56 EST

Monday’s articles

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ScienceAlert: CDC Report Suggests Bird Flu Is Spreading Undetected to Humans

Amidst surging respiratory illnesses and previously controlled diseases like tuberculosismaking alarming comebacks, a new CDC report provides further evidence bird flu is spreading undetected to humans.

The latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, whose publication was delayed, details three cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in US veterinarians who work with cattle, with two of the cases lacking a clear source of exposure.

None of the vets experienced any flu-like symptoms, and human-to-human spread is still undetected, but researchers are concerned this ability may only be a few genetic mutations away.

Possibly transmitted through milk; not communicating properly with WHO.

Guardian: The Notebook by Roland Allen review – notes on living

Roland Allen loves notebooks. Why wouldn’t he? He is, after all, a writer. In his new study, delightfully subtitled A History of Thinking on Paper, he declares: “If your business is words, a notebook can be at once your medium – and your mirror.” Paul Valéry was at least as devoted to his notebooks as the symbolist poetry for which he is best known. He awoke early each morning for half a century to write in them, amassing 261 books in total. “Having dedicated those hours to the life of the mind, I earn the right to be stupid for the rest of the day.”

Found after a post by NumericCitizen tweaked my interest.

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper on Amazon.ca

Brent Simmons: Codeberg — Git hosting & services

Just today I learned about Codeberg, “a non-profit, community-led effort that provides Git hosting and other services for free and open source projects.”

I have open source projects, and plan to have more, and getting away from big-corporation-owned services is an extremely attractive idea. I also like, for obvious reasons these days, the “Hosted in Europe, we welcome the world” part.

Last Updated: 17.Feb.2025 22:49 EST

Sunday’s articles

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Guardian: Trump policies make US ‘scary place to invest’ and risk stagflation, says Stiglitz

Uncertainty created by tariffs and contempt for rule of law will deter investment, says top economist.

via John Philpin

AP News: Trump fires FAA air traffic control staff, just weeks after DC crash

The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

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The employees were fired “without cause nor based on performance or conduct,” Spero said, and the emails were “from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address” — not a government email address. A copy of the termination email that was provided to the AP shows the sending address “ASK_AHR_EXEC_Orders@usfaa.mail.outlook.com”.

“But the emails…”

via Kottke

Last Updated: 17.Feb.2025 23:09 EST

Sunday’s political articles

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NYT: Eleanor Maguire, Memory Expert Who Studied London Cabbies, Dies at 54

Dr. Maguire kept digging. Using M.R.I. machines, she measured different regions in the brains of 16 drivers, comparing their dimensions with those in the brains of people who weren’t taxi drivers.

“The posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger relative to those of control subjects,” she wrote in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And the size, she found, correlated with the length of a cabby’s career: The longer the cabby had driven, the bigger the hippocampus.

Dr. Maguire’s study, published in March 2000, generated headlines around the world and turned London taxi drivers into unlikely scientific stars.

“I never noticed part of my brain growing,” David Cohen, a member of the London Cab Drivers Club, told the BBC. “It makes you wonder what happened to the rest of it.”

NYT: The Best Way to Cook Rice and Grains

Of course, there are a few exceptions: If you want your grains to stick together (as with sushi rice), to cook the grains in fat first (as with pilaf) or to have a soupy consistency (as with congee and risotto), you might want to use the absorption method, in which grains soak up a measured amount of water in a covered pot. But in all other cases, the boiling method is less finicky and more forgiving.

So how do I boil grains?

Add grains to a saucepan or pot of lightly salted boiling water, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender and chewy. They should be the texture of al dente pasta — not soft or mushy — and may also be split at the ends. Use the cook times that follow as a guide for some common grains, and start tasting five minutes before because grains vary greatly based on producer. …

TechCrunch: Can sim drivers make the shift to F1? Max Verstappen thinks so

Motorsports have long been a pay-to-play arena, with young drivers spending thousands of dollars just to get started in karting. Four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen knows this all too well, but he also sees a way to change it through sim racing, a virtual form of car racing that closely replicates real-world racing.

It’s maybe less crazy than it sounds. The sport has evolved into a serious proving ground for talent, with detailed setups and tire management — minus the crushing financial barrier. In fact, Verstappen, a passionate sim racer himself, believes the best virtual drivers deserve a shot in real cars.

TechCrunch: Broadcom, TSMC reportedly exploring deals that would split up Intel

Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are separately exploring deals to take over parts of Intel, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Broadcom is reportedly considering an acquisition of Intel’s chip-design and marketing business, and would want a partner for the company’s manufacturing business, while TSMC is reportedly looking at controlling some or all of Intel’s chip plants, potentially as part of an investor consortium.

Last Updated: 16.Feb.2025 21:56 EST

Saturday’s articles

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BBC: Trump makes first Supreme Court appeal in test of his power to fire officials

Mr Dellinger, who was nominated by Joe Biden, the former president, argues that his removal broke a law that protects leaders of independent agencies from being fired by the president, “except in cases of neglect of duty, malfeasance or inefficiency”.

Hampton Dellinger, head of the US Office of Special Counsel, sued the Trump administration after he was fired by email this month.

Trump has also sacked more than a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies along with the jobs of thousands of employees across the US government.

BBC: US goverment seeks to rehire recently fired nuclear workers

The US government is trying to rehire nuclear safety employees it had fired on Thursday, after concerns grew that their dismissal could jeopardise national security, US media reported.

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The Trump administration has since tried to reverse their terminations, according to media outlets, but has reportedly struggled to reach the people that were fired after they were locked out of their federal email accounts. A memo sent to NNSA employees on Friday and obtained by NBC News read: “The termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel.”

Last Updated: 16.Feb.2025 23:42 EST

Saturday’s political articles

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Ars Technica: AI used to design a multi-step enzyme that can digest some plastics

The reaction the research team worked on (involving some of the same people who designed snake venom inhibitors) is the breakdown of what’s called an ester bond. Ester bonds are formed by linking two chains of carbon atoms by an oxygen atom, with one of the flanking carbons being linked to a second oxygen. These can be broken apart by adding a water molecule, which leaves one carbon chain linked to an alcohol (COH) group and the other an organic acid (COOH).

David Johnson (@CrossingTheThreshold): re Amazon discontinuing Kindle backups

Following Amazon’s announcement that it will no longer be possible to download and backup Kindle books from February 26th, I have now been through my list of Kindle books, downloaded those not yet downloaded and saved them in Calibre.

I have also brought my Kobo Libra H2O out of retirement. I’ll be returning to the Kobo store. I bough the Libra a few years back wanting to move away from Amazon. However, I returned to Amazon as I preferred the reading experience on Kindle. …

Bleacher Report: USA vs. Canada Starts with 3 Fights at 4 Nations Face-Off, Leaves NHL Fans Energized

There were three fights in the first nine seconds of Saturday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off game between the United States and Canada.

Trump sets the tone: Continuing the descent into elementary school behavior.

Last Updated: 15.Feb.2025 22:50 EST

Friday’s articles

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NYT: Judges Generally Let Prosecutors Drop Charges. Maybe Not for Adams.

Federal judges have almost no ability under the law to refuse a government request to drop criminal charges. The corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams of New York may be the exception.

On Thursday, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle R. Sassoon, resigned rather than obey an order to seek dismissal of the charges against the mayor. The directive was issued by Emil Bove III, the acting No. 2 official in President Trump’s Justice Department and his former criminal lawyer.

Mr. Bove wrote that the demand had nothing to do with the strength of the evidence against the mayor or legal theories in the case. Rather, he said the charges would interfere with Mr. Adams’s ability “to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies” of the Biden administration.

An egregious case of political tampering by Mr. Bove.

Last Updated: 15.Feb.2025 00:54 EST

Friday’s political articles

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CNN: Trump-Putin call: US relations with Europe will never be the same

Two geopolitical thunderclaps on Wednesday will transform transatlantic relations.

• Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin brought the Russian leader in from the cold as they hatched plans to end the war in Ukraine and agreed to swap presidential visits.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, went to Brussels and told European allies to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent.”

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Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt is worried by the cozy call between Trump and Putin. “The disturbing thing is of course that we have the two big guys, the two big egos … believing that they can maneuver all of the issues on their own,” he told Richard Quest on CNN International. Bildt evoked the most damning historical analogy possible — the appeasement of Adolf Hitler by Britain that allowed the Nazis to annex the Sudetenland. “For European ears, this sounds like Munich. It sounds like two big leaders wanting to have peace in our time, (over) a faraway country of which they know little. They are preparing to make a deal over the heads of that particular country. A lot of Europeans know how that particular movie ended.”

Last Updated: 14.Feb.2025 12:36 EST

Wed/Thursday’s political articles

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AP: A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chile — and it’s all captured on camera

A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. It happened in Bahía El Águila last Saturday near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan.

I generally avoid these “last item on the news” items but this one is pretty amazing!

Globe: Beast Games, which broke records with its $10-million prize, was an anti-human reality competition for our fascist-adjacent times

First and foremost, Beast Games, Prime Video’s reality competition shepherded by popular YouTuber MrBeast that concluded Thursday with a record US$10-million prize, was a demonstration of how money alone can’t buy truly entertaining television.

In its final minutes, Jeffrey Randall Allen — better known, if really known at all, as Player 831 in the super-sized game show that started with 1,000 contestants — picked the right briefcase out of 10 on the first try to take all that money home to wherever he lives. (Who knows!)

Ten episodes of recycled games of skill and random games of chance had all led up to this: a very expensive and extremely short round of Deal or No Deal.

CBC: Toronto orders creator of tiny mobile homes for unhoused people to stop

The City of Toronto has sent a cease and desist letter to a man who’s built several tiny mobile homes giving temporary shelter to those experiencing homelessness, ordering him to remove them from city property. 

Ryan Donais started building the small modular homes last summer, later registering his own non-profit organization, Tiny Tiny Homes, to help create more. 

Not wanting his initiative to get shut down by the city, Donais says he designed the homes with several safety features, such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher. They can be attached to the back of a bicycle and transported to other locations.

Last Updated: 14.Feb.2025 18:21 EST

Thursday’s articles

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NYT: David Edward Byrd, Whose Posters Captured Rock’s Energy, Dies at 83

David Edward Byrd, who captured the swirl and energy of the 1960s and early ’70s by conjuring pinwheels of color with indelible posters for concerts by Jimi Hendrix, the Who and the Rolling Stones as well as for hit stage musicals like “Follies” and “Godspell,” died on Feb. 3 in Albuquerque. He was 83.

His husband and only immediate survivor, Jolino Beserra, said the cause of death, in a hospital, was pneumonia brought on by lung damage from Covid.

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Mr. Byrd was impressed by – and to a degree, aligned with – the work of the so-called Big Five psychedelic poster artists of San Francisco: Alton Kelley, Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse and Wes Wilson, who were known for using kaleidoscopic patterns, explosions of color and fonts that seemed to bend and ooze like Salvador Dalí clocks.

NYT: How Healthy Are Chickpeas?

Chickpeas aren’t peas; they’re beans. And more broadly, they’re pulses – a category of legumes celebrated for their copious health benefits.

Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about chickpeas, along with some delicious ways to prepare them from New York Times Cooking.

TLDR: very.

Jin san Kim (YouTube): Crow (2022)

Fingerstyle guitar prodigy.

CBC: Want to ‘watch Canadian’ in the trade war? Here’s why that’s so hard

While other countries crafted homegrown film industries, Canada ‘gave that up willingly,’ says film historian.

This crosses the line between political and business. However, Trump’s world trade war is going to cross into many areas including marketing, research, defence manufacturing, etc.

Last Updated: 13.Feb.2025 15:15 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Dave Winer: Scripting News

If only political reporters had the same knowledge of their subject as sports reporters do. #

CBC: Can Canada just build its own cars? Experts say no — here’s why, and what we could do instead

On Monday, Trump told a Fox News reporter that he would levy a tariff of up to 100 per cent on Canadian-made automobiles, “if [the U.S. doesn’t] make a deal with Canada.”

That same day, he announced a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and aluminum to take effect March 12.

But the auto industry has become so integrated over the past 60 years as a result of successive free trade agreements that car components travel across the Canada-U.S. border multiple times before a final vehicle rolls off the assembly line, said Dimitry Anastakis, a professor in the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

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Frise said Americans will also find themselves struggling as a result of the tariffs and tariff threats.

About 90 per cent of the aluminum used in the auto industry comes from Quebec, he said.

“They can’t realistically replace it,” Frise said.

“The key ingredient is really enormous amounts of electrical energy. And it has to be electrical, and the U.S. doesn’t have the generating capacity to do it.  …They’d have to build, I don’t know, half a dozen nuclear power plants.”

CBC: Trump complains about Canada — but new data shows spike in U.S. drugs and guns coming north

President Donald Trump claims he’s targeting Canada with punishing tariffs on all our goods because he’s concerned about the country’s supposedly lax approach to fentanyl and migrants.

But new data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) shows Canada has a reason to worry about what’s pouring in from the U.S.

There’s been an influx of illegal American drugs and guns, which experts and law enforcement say are fuelling crime, death and addiction on this side of the border, too.

Globe: Carney says he may call early election if he becomes prime minister

Former central banker Mark Carney opened the door to an early election call if he is elected by Liberal members to replace Justin Trudeau as party leader and prime minister in a March 9 leadership vote.

Mr. Carney, the perceived front-runner for the Liberal leadership, has been crisscrossing the country to introduce himself to rank-and-file party members and announcing some policy initiatives.

At a news conference in Vancouver Thursday, Mr. Carney said the country is preoccupied with U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of hefty tariffs against all Canadian goods, including aluminum and steel. Canada must respond to the economic challenges posed by Mr. Trump’s America-first agenda, he said.

I don’t think a quick election call after a change of leader has ever worked for a party, but “There’s a first time for everything.”

Globe: Trump outlines plan for customized reciprocal tariffs on foreign imports, ramping up global trade war

U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to unleash a major escalation of his trade war by hitting economic partners with reciprocal tariffs.

On Thursday afternoon, Washington time, he ordered his economic and trade advisers to consider imposing the new tariffs on trading partners on a country-by-country basis. Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to lead the Commerce Department, told reporters the studies should be complete by the start of April and that Mr. Trump could act immediately afterward.

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If Mr. Trump goes forward with the 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the total direct cost of the import taxes on Chinese, Mexican and Canadian goods would be the equivalent to a US$1,200 yearly tax hike for the typical American household, a report published early this month by the Peterson Institute of Washington said.

The first rule is: when you’re in a deep hole, stop digging!

Globe: Many Canadians willing to ditch U.S. travel and alcohol but not streaming services: poll

A Leger survey that polled 1,590 Canadians between Feb. 7 and Feb. 10, 2025 suggests an overwhelming majority of Canadians – 81 per cent – have significantly increased how many Canadian-made products they buy, or will do so soon.

But only 28 per cent of Canadians told the pollster they have or will be cancelling their subscriptions to U.S. streaming services, compared with 34 per cent who say they will not be cancelling them.

Making them a great target for retaliatory tariffs.

About one in three people polled also said they are unwilling to stop making online purchases from U.S.-based companies.

Last Updated: 13.Feb.2025 16:26 EST

Tuesday’s political articles

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Jason Snell (Macworld): Apple Intelligence’s biggest problem isn’t the Intelligence–it’s Apple

The famous saying is that when you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. It’s clear that when Apple began its crash program to add Apple Intelligence to its operating systems, the goal was not to solve user problems but to insert AI features anywhere it could. This is the antithesis of Apple’s usual philosophy of solving problems rather than adopting the latest technology, and it has burned the company in some high-profile ways.

via Manton

Niléane: “If you ever send me a screensh…"

If you ever send me a screenshot or a photo where your computer screen is visible…

I greatly enjoyed this short conversation!

MacRumors: Testing the New ASUS ProArt 5K Display

There aren’t too many 5K displays on the market that can compete with Apple’s Studio Display, but ASUS recently came out with the ASUS ProArt Display 5K, which is a solid competitor. The ProArt Display 5K features a 27-inch 5K screen with 218 pixels per inch, aka retina quality.

ASUS sells the ProArt Display 5K for $799, so it’s actually half the price of the Studio Display, and much, much cheaper than the Pro Display XDR. The ProArt Display is more generic looking than Apple’s monitors, so you’re not getting Apple style, but if you’re used to looking at a 5K Retina display and you need a second monitor, you can get that same general screen quality at a cheaper price.

pv magazine: Study shows sensitivity of heterojunction solar cells to soldering flux

An international research team has assessed the impact of soldering flux on heterojunction solar cells and has found that the composition of this component is key to prevent major cracks and significant peeling.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Chinese-Canadian PV module maker Canadian Solar have investigated the effect of soldering flux on both TOPCon and heterojunction (HJT) solar cells and have ascertained that the choice of this component is key to avoiding potential module failures.

ScienceAlert: Anorexia Patients Reveal a Distinct Pattern in Their Brain Activity

Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental health condition, characterized by restricted eating, fear of weight gain, and insidious body-image disturbances. Patients face increased risk of severe anxiety, depression, and malnutrition.

According to a new study, anorexia may arise at least partly due to changes in neurotransmitter function within a patient’s brain.

SMH: Sydney fake sex abuse scam sparks seven arrests

Detectives have arrested seven people over an alleged billion-dollar scam in which a crime syndicate coached former young offenders, inmates and school students to file false sex abuse claims with the NSW government.

A third of the population of one NSW prison has submitted claims, and multiple law firms are now under investigation for their roles in thousands of “strikingly similar” complaints.

CBC: Fatal parking lot crash involving modified truck leads to RCMP warning

Police say the modifications made to the truck, including a raised suspension, oversized tires and tinted windows contributed to the fatal crash.

They say the modifications made driving in the crowded parking lot unsafe, and weren’t part of the original truck design.

It seems like such trucks may be fairly common.

CBC: B.C. judge allows eagle sculpture insurance case despite ‘inexcusable’ delays

“The thieves cut the strap of the backpack in which the eagles were concealed, and ran away,” his company’s lawsuit says. 

Shore says he gave chase and caught up to the thief’s getaway vehicle, grabbing hold of them through a window, but the lawsuit says the assailant rolled up the window and trapped Shore by the arm and took off. 

He was dragged for about 180 metres before being pushed from the truck and run over after falling to the road, he says. 

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But even with the delays, Justice Lisa Warren found it was in the “interests of justice to allow the claim to proceed.”

The judge found some of the delays were due to Shore doing some of his own legal work as a “lay litigant,” and evidence he gave about his health and financial situation “is vague and limited to his own bald assertions without any objective corroboration.”

Last Updated: 12.Feb.2025 23:42 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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CNBC: Trump signs order pausing enforcement of foreign bribery ban

President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pause enforcing a nearly half-century-old law that prohibits American companies and foreign firms from bribing officials of foreign governments to obtain or retain business.

CBC: Trump signs order to buy plastic straws, eliminate paper straws

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order aimed at encouraging the U.S. government and consumers to buy plastic drinking straws, pushing back efforts by his predecessor to phase out single-use plastics and tackle waste.

“We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump told reporters at the White House as he signed the order, saying that paper straws “don’t work.”

“I don’t think plastic is going to affect a shark very much, as they’re munching their way through the ocean,” Trump said.

🤡

The Associated Press: AP statement on Oval Office access

The Associated Press issued this statement on Tuesday from Executive Editor Julie Pace:

As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.

Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.

It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.

Last Updated: 11.Feb.2025 23:57 EST

Monday’s political articles

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Daring Fireball: Fox’s New Scorebug Graphic Design, and Our Innate Resistance to Change

A scorebug is industry jargon for the sub-genre of chyron (itself jargon) that shows ever-present information about a televised sporting event while you’re watching. These graphics display the teams, the score, the time remaining, and other metadata pertaining to the current situation. The current ball/strike count in baseball. The down and yards-to-go in football. The shot clock in basketball. That sort of thing.

Fox was the broadcast network for Super Bowl 59 yesterday, in which the Philadelphia Eagles utterly embarrassed the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 (but which felt like a score of 114-0). The NFL rotates the Super Bowl annually between the networks that broadcast games. Fox has a tradition of unveiling updated on-screen graphics packages when it has the Super Bowl. This year, they didn’t just tweak the design, they completely re-thought it and redesigned it.

CBC: Former Olympian decries ‘fire hose’ of gambling ads during Super Bowl [video]

University of Toronto professor Bruce Kidd, a former track and field athlete and chair of a campaign to ban gambling advertisements, told CBC’s On The Coast Monday that the advertisements poison the idea of sport and are addicting a growing number of people into very serious forms of psychological harm.

Daring Fireball: Nike’s ‘So Win’ Won the Super Bowl

Well, the Philadelphia Eagles, of course, won the actual Super Bowl, winning in a romp so one-sided that they would have embarrassed the Chiefs less if they had pantsed Patrick Mahomes at the 50-yard line. But the second contest is for best commercial. And my vote goes to Nike.

The problem with modern Super Bowl commercials is they’re bland. Offensively bland. It really makes no sense to me. The commercial time is famously expensive — Fox was supposedly selling 30-second spots for last night’s game for $8 million — but the sponsors who buy that time tend to squander it with absolute mindless pap.

Gruber liked some of them though.

Tom’s Guide: Synthesia just launched the most realistic Selfie Avatars I’ve ever seen — here’s how to try it

To try Selfie Avatars, visit the official landing page at Synthesia.io. From there you’ll be asked to set up an account and upload several selfies. I recommend uploading at least ten images of yourself using a variety of angles and include full body shots. The better the lighting and clarity of your selfies, the better the outcome of your Selfie Avatars.

While the innovation is exciting, the company has been upfront about technical limitations. Some users may notice that avatars don’t always perfectly capture their likeness, and minor discrepancies in facial expressions or proportions may occur.

Tom’s Guide: Asus Zenbook A14 hands-on: MacBook Air’s WORST nightmare [video]

The Asus Zenbook A14 is likely going to be my favorite laptop of 2025 — packing Snapdragon power and 32 hours of battery life into a shell that is smaller, slimmer and lighter than the MacBook Air.

Totally over-the-top headline, but an interesting machine which I hope will host Linux well.

Last Updated: 11.Feb.2025 17:28 EST

Monday’s articles

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MacRumors: Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post.

The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide — an unprecedented demand not before seen in any other democratic country.

Electrek: FREYR kills plans to build a $2.6 billion battery factory in Georgia

FREYR told officials in the Atlanta suburb of Newnan on Thursday that it wouldn’t build the “Giga America” battery factory in Georgia that was expected to employ more than 700 people. The company, incentivized by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and robust renewables growth, moved its headquarters from Norway to Georgia and announced the battery factory in 2023.

The Newnan Times-Herald, which broke the story, said FREYR cited climbing interest rates, falling battery prices, and change in leadership at the company — or, as stated in a letter to the county authority, a “realignment of near-term strategic goals.”

So what might this say about Canada’s billions of dollars of investments in battery plants in Ontario?

Last Updated: 10.Feb.2025 19:44 EST

Sunday’s articles

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NYT: Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway.

“This work is too important to die,” Dr. Levin wrote in a separate email to the reports’ authors, this one from his personal account. “The country needs what we are producing.”

Now key experts who worked on the report, called the National Nature Assessment, are figuring out how to finish and publish it outside the government, according to interviews with nine of the leading authors.

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That left the project more vulnerable. It became one of a slew of Biden-era environmental orders that Mr. Trump revoked on his first day in office. Mr. Trump has also frozen climate spending, begun withdrawing the United States from the main global pact to tackle climate change and launched an assault on wind energy while seeking to expand fossil fuels.

What kind of idiot is against the environment?!

NYT: Trump Muses About a Third Term, Over and Over Again

The president’s suggestion that he would seek to stay in office beyond the constitutional limit comes as he has pushed to expand executive authority.

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Since then, he has floated the idea frequently. In public, he couches the notion of staying in office beyond two terms as a humorous aside. In private, Mr. Trump has told advisers that it is just one of his myriad diversions to grab attention and aggravate Democrats, according to people familiar with his comments. And he has made clear that he is happy to be past a grueling campaign in which he faced two assassination attempts and followed an aggressive schedule in the final weeks.

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Three days after Mr. Trump was sworn in for the second time, Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee, a relative newcomer in the House, proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would allow the president to serve a third term. His proposal: that presidents who serve two nonconsecutive terms, like Mr. Trump, would be able to run again.

TorStar: Two Trudeau cabinet ministers won’t seek re-election

International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Justice Minister Arif Virani told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday that they will not be running in the next federal election campaign.

Two more ministers from the GTA jumping ship!

TorStar: Poilievre promises a military base in Iqaluit, would cut foreign aid to pay for it

Poilievre made the announcement in a video on social media, ahead of a press conference scheduled in Iqaluit this morning.

A Conservative government would build a permanent military base in Nunavut and pay for it by “dramatically cutting” Canada’s foreign aid budget, party leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday in Iqaluit.

Following Trump’s lead on foreign aid isn’t going to play well here. There’s no housing for support staff in Iqaluit either, and it’s not well positioned to surveil the Northwest Passage. Not much thought seems to have gone into this one.

New Republic: Trump’s Supreme Court Immunity Ruling Just Came Back to Bite Him

A federal judge ruled Monday that Trump’s FBI must disclose records from its Mar-a-Lago case file, complying with a FOIA request by Business Insider’s Jason Leopold. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell decided that the Supreme Court’s decision–combined with his return to the White House and its executive privileges–has insulated Trump enough from further criminal prosecution to allow the release of documents.

Last Updated: 10.Feb.2025 19:55 EST

Sunday’s political articles

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CBC: Gardiner lifts Canada over U.S. to clinch third straight Rivalry Series title

The Canadian women’s hockey team defeats the United States 3-1 in the deciding game of the Rivalry Series. Jennifer Gardiner’s goal in the third period was the game-winning goal to clinch the series 3-2.

One of the great hockey rivalries!

NYT: Trump Orders Treasury to Halt Minting New Pennies to Cut Waste

President Trump said on Sunday night that he had ordered the Treasury secretary to stop producing new pennies, a move that he said would help reduce unnecessary government spending.

Last Updated: 09.Feb.2025 02:13 EST

Saturday’s articles

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TPM (Talking Points Memo): More on Trump’s Effort to End Basic Medical Research in the United States

Last night I noted news which has spread like wildfire through the American scientific and medical research communities. The NIH released a seemingly down-in-the-weeds new directive which has the effect of drastically reducing the federal funds that go to institutions doing basic medical research. Put as briefly as possible, NIH medical research grants are divided into funds for this specific study (“direct”) and funds that go to the institution which houses the lab conducting the study and the infrastructure that makes it possible (“indirect”). That latter category is a major funding source for research universities and academic medical centers. Last night’s directive reduces that stream of funding somewhere between 50% and 75%. The precise breakdown ranges from institution to institution. But that’s a good measure of the level of funding cuts we’re talking about.

via Dave Winer

Last Updated: 09.Feb.2025 01:05 EST

Saturday’s political articles

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InsideEVs: Tesla Sales Are Tanking Across The World

In recent days, full-year and January sales results from various markets around the world indicate a bleak picture for the Elon Musk-led electric vehicle company. Even as it added the Cybertruck to its lineup in large volumes last year—which should have unlocked more buyers in America’s expansive pickup truck field—Tesla is seeing serious declines in places where it once had a near-lock on electric sales. Let’s take a look at some of the areas taking the hardest hits.

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The story gets worse in other parts of the world. In Germany, where Tesla was the longtime EV sales leader even as new entries from Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and various Chinese brands started showing up, sales declined a whole 60% in January–just 1,277 registrations in Europe’s biggest car market, according to Fortune. Tesla’s sales were also down 63% in France in January, another large car market, from a year earlier. They also dropped 8% in the UK year-over-year in January even as all-electric vehicle sales rose to 21% of the British new car market, a seven-point increase from 2024. “No Tesla cracked the UK’s top 10 best-seller list last month, something that has regularly happened in the past,” Ars Technica reported this week.

Last Updated: 08.Feb.2025 23:23 EST

Friday’s articles

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CBS: Trump fires archivist of the United States, official who oversees government records

President Trump has fired Archivist of the United States Colleen J. Shogan, the government official responsible for preserving and providing access to government records. 

Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, announced Shogan’s dismissal Friday night. Shogan has held the job since 2023. 

“At the direction of @realDonaldTrump the Archivist of the United States has been dismissed tonight,” Gor wrote on X. “We thank Colleen Shogan for her service.”

The move isn’t unexpected. Mr. Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier this month that “we will have a new archivist.”

Last Updated: 08.Feb.2025 15:33 EST

Friday’s political articles

Follow along as new links are added to today’s political list

NYT: How to Boil an Egg? Scientists Claim to Have Cracked the Recipe.

The scientists’ new method calls for alternating between boiling and lukewarm water: The egg gets two minutes in 212-degree water, followed by two minutes at 86 degrees, with the cycle repeated eight times.

Stephen Hacket (512 Pixels): The Field Notes Thing

At the end of every year, I publish a photo on Instagram cataloging the Field Notes notebooks I used over the previous 12 months. Here is the most recent picture: …

via Manton

Vanity Fair: The Proust Questionnaire

The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire. …

Amazon: The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life (Anu Partanen)

A Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society for themselves and their children.

Sounds like a good book for these times…

ScienceAlert: Children of Divorce Face Greater Risk of Future Stroke, Study Reveals

Children of divorced parents are substantially more likely to have a stroke later in life, according to a new study of more than 13,000 older adults in the US.

The findings suggest that emotional turmoil during a person’s formative years may have lifelong health effects that we could be missing.

NYT: Tony Roberts, a Nonchalant Pal in Woody Allen’s Films, Dies at 85

Tony Roberts, the affable actor who was best known as the hero’s best friend in Woody Allen movies like “Annie Hall,” and who distinguished himself on the New York stage with two Tony Award nominations and what one critic called his “careful nonchalance,” died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 85.

His daughter and only immediate survivor, Nicole Burley, said the cause was complications of lung cancer.

Last Updated: 07.Feb.2025 23:24 EST

Thursday’s articles

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NYT: Dozens of Clinical Trials Have Been Frozen in Response to Trump’s USAID Order

Ms. Zondi’s trial is one of dozens that have been abruptly frozen, leaving people around the world with experimental drugs and medical products in their bodies, cut off from the researchers who were monitoring them, and generating waves of suspicion and fear.

The State Department, which now oversees U.S.A.I.D., replied to a request for comment by directing a reporter to USAID.gov, which no longer contains any information except that all permanent employees have been placed on administrative leave. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the agency is wasteful and advances a liberal agenda that is counter to President Trump’s foreign policy.

In interviews, scientists — who are forbidden by the terms of the stop-work order to speak with the news media — described agonizing choices: violate the stop-work orders and continue to care for trial volunteers, or leave them alone to face potential side effects and harm.

Ottawa Citizen: Will tariffs overshadow health care as an Ontario election issue?

“Health care is in the shadow of the tariffs at the moment,” Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, said outside Queensway Carleton Hospital. “But, for all the families that are waiting for long-term care, for all the people waiting for surgeries and all the people who love them, for people who are experiencing all the waits, or for many people who have no access at all to primary care, this remains a burning issue and it certainly is for all the people who work in institutions like this.”

A day before the election call, the hospital in Ottawa’s west end had issued a wait-time alert due to the high number of patients being admitted and waiting in the emergency department. At the time, hospital occupancy was over 100 per cent, 21 additional patients were admitted without beds, and more than 100 people were waiting to be seen in emergency.

Queensway Carleton is far from alone. … And, despite a 2018 promise from the Progressive Conservative government to end hallway health care, it is becoming more common. Those are among the signs of a health system under chronic and growing strain.

Globe: Andrew Coyne: Reduce our dependence on the U.S.? Sure, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds

But what everyone seems to have concluded is that our world has changed, irrevocably. The country we thought was our friend and ally has turned, inexplicably, into our enemy. Our great national advantage, the foundation of our economic, defence and foreign policy for decades – proximity to the world’s biggest superpower and largest consumer market – has turned into our biggest liability. Never have we been more vulnerable, or alone.

The sense of shock has been palpable: shock, followed by fear, followed by resolve. In the short term, there is a debate over what mix of emollience and retaliation can stave off disaster, buy us time. But in the longer term, everyone now recognizes that things must change.

Last Updated: 07.Feb.2025 23:29 EST

There were no interesting political articles for me Thursday, just more of the same.

Wednesday’s political articles

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Wikipedia: Jack Kilby

Kilby was also the co-inventor of the handheld calculator and the thermal printer, for which he had the patents. He also had patents for seven other inventions.

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U.S. Patent 3,138,743 for “Miniaturized Electronic Circuits”, the first integrated circuit, was filed on February 6, 1959. It was notable for having different components (transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.) on one single substrate.: 22  Along with Robert Noyce (who independently made a similar circuit a few months later), Kilby is generally credited as co-inventor of the integrated circuit.

BNN: Bell CEO slams CRTC, announces slowdown of fibre network

The chief executive of BCE Inc. blasted the national telecom regular as he announced the company would further scale back the build of its fibre internet network.

The parent company of Bell Canada no longer plans to meet its previous target of reaching 8.3 million homes through its fibre footprint by the end of 2025, CEO Mirko Bibic said on Thursday, adding the company would make further capital spending cuts this year.

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“To put it bluntly, we’re not in the business of building fibre for Telus’s benefit, and that’s what the CRTC policy that’s in place right now forces us to do,” Bibic told analysts on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Looking for an outside excuse to cut back expenditures, it sounds like to me.

MacRumors: iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website’s analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks.

NYT: A Judge Tried to Get Out of Jury Duty. What He Said Cost Him His Job.

When Richard Snyder was running to be a town justice in tiny Petersburgh, N.Y., in 2013, he told a local news site that he would be fair and honest on the bench. Because he was not a lawyer, he also said he was “looking forward to learning about the law.”

He just learned something about it the hard way.

Mr. Snyder, a Republican, was unopposed in that 2013 race and won it with 329 votes. But in December he resigned after a disciplinary panel found that he had tried to get out of grand jury duty by introducing himself as a town justice and saying he could not be impartial based on his opinion of those who appeared in his court.

“I know they are guilty,” Mr. Snyder said in arguing to be excused, according to a court transcript. Otherwise, he explained, “they would not be in front of me.” (The judge dismissed him and notified the disciplinary panel.)

No politics for me today.

Last Updated: 06.Feb.2025 23:59 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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Globe: Nearly one-third of seized fentanyl attributed to the U.S.-Canada border had no connection with Canada

The data the White House has cited to say Canada is responsible for a “massive” increase in fentanyl flowing across the northern border include a large drug bust that, according to the U.S. border agency, has no known connection to Canada.

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Although the seizure of 14.8 pounds of fentanyl is listed in U.S. Customs and Border Protection data as associated with the “northern border,” and therefore included in last year’s 43-pound total, a spokesperson for the agency said the seizure has no known nexus to Canada. It was included in the total because of its proximity to the border and the involvement of northern border patrol staff in the investigation, which was conducted by a task force from multiple U.S. law-enforcement agencies.

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Investigators amassed evidence that a car used by the alleged drug traffickers, which had California licence plates, travelled from Phoenix to Spokane in the weeks prior to the seizure, court records show. There is no mention of Canada in the criminal indictment against the three men, or the affidavit sworn by the border agent.

“The evidence developed in this case is consistent with membership in a cartel-based drug trafficking network,” prosecutors state in one of the court filings. Osvaldo Guadalupe Soto-Orduno, Jose Roman Lizarraga Gerardo and Jose Efrain Gonzalez Rodriguez were charged in connection with the investigation. The allegations have not been tested in court.

Last Updated: 05.Feb.2025 19:37 EST

Tuesday’s political articles

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MacRumors: An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here’s What You Should Know

The current ‌Apple TV‌ 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it’s time for an update. Apple doesn’t design chips specifically for the ‌Apple TV‌, and it instead uses chips from the ‌iPhone‌.

If Apple wants to bring Apple Intelligence features to the ‌Apple TV‌, the next-generation model will have the A17 Pro or better along with at least 8GB RAM.

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The A17 Pro would also allow for higher-quality console-style games because it supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The ‌iPhone‌ and iPad can support console games like Resident Evil 4 and Death Stranding, and those games are also likely to be playable on the next ‌Apple TV‌.

MacRumors: Apple Releases New Version of iOS 18.3 for iPhone 11

Apple first released iOS 18.3 last Monday, and it is likely that this new version has a fix for a bug that was impacting ‌iPhone‌ 11 models.

The main features in iOS 18.3 were Apple Intelligence related and included Visual Intelligence and changes to Notification summaries. As the ‌iPhone‌ 11 line does not support ‌Apple Intelligence‌, there are few features in iOS 18.3 for the devices.

Good thing I waited!

Last Updated: 05.Feb.2025 22:10 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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NYT: Why Banks May Be Hoping You’re Not Paying Attention

The median American household has a combined balance of $10,000 in its checking and savings accounts, according to a census estimate. For the last few years, anyone keeping this amount in a high-yield savings account has earned close to 4 percent annual interest, or about $400 a year.

But the average savings account interest rate is closer to 0.4 percent. And the nation’s three largest banks — Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo — offer 0.01 percent on their standard savings accounts. That works out to $1 in interest a year for a $10,000 deposit.

Banks make up for those dismal rates with perks like numerous branches and A.T.M.s, but they also know many of their customers won’t hunt for better deals out of inertia.

BBC: Hardest Geezer: Russ Cook to run the full length of New Zealand

A man who ran the entire length of Africa has announced his next challenge – running the full length of New Zealand.

Russ Cook, nicknamed Hardest Geezer, completed his previous endurance challenge in April last year after 352 days.

The 27-year-old, from Worthing, West Sussex, is to run the 1,864 mile (3,000km) Te Araroa Trail in March, which will see him take on 60 ultramarathons while navigating mountains, forests, coastlines and cities.

Wikipedia says he’s 27 too. Since when does that make someone a “geezer”?

TechCrunch: Apple launches Invites, a new app for creating custom invitations

Apple on Tuesday launched a new app called “Invites” that allows users to create custom invitations for any occasion. With Invites, users can create and share invitations on their iPhone, RSVP, contribute to Shared Albums, and curate event soundtracks.

To create an invitation, you need an iCloud+ subscription. However, anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.

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In this case, Invites is pretty similar to Partiful, a popular invitation app that was crowned Google Play’s Best App of 2024. Beyond Partiful, Invites will compete with startups like Posh, and other popular services like evite, Paperless Post, and Sendo Invitations.

GB News: Jack the Ripper’s identity ‘confirmed’ claims researcher…

Russell Edwards says he has obtained a “100 per cent DNA match” linking the killer to Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber who emigrated to London.

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The breakthrough came from DNA extracted from a bloodstained shawl found on victim Catherine Eddowes' body in 1888.

Edwards purchased the historic shawl at auction in 2007.

Working with genealogists, Edwards tracked down a living relative of Kosminski who agreed to provide DNA for comparison testing.

The analysis revealed DNA matches for both the victim and Kosminski on the shawl.

I don’t know GBNews at all, so caveat emptor.

MacStories: The Many Purposes of Timeline Apps for the Open Web

I think both Tapestry and the new Reeder are exquisitely designed apps, for different reasons. I know that Tapestry’s colorful and opinionated design doesn’t work for everyone; personally, I dig the different colors for each connected service, am a big fan the ‘Mini’ layout, and appreciate the multiple font options available. Most of all, however, I love that Tapestry can be extended with custom connectors built with standard web technologies — JavaScript and JSON — so that anyone who produces anything on the web can be connected to Tapestry. (The fact that MacStories' own JSON feed is a default recommended source in Tapestry is just icing on the cake.) And did you know that The Iconfactory also created a developer tool to make your own Tapestry connectors?

I like the new Reeder for different reasons. The app’s animations are classic Silvio Rizzi work — fluid and smooth like nothing else on iOS and iPadOS. In my experience, the app has maintained impeccable timeline sync, and just this week, it was updated with powerful new filtering capabilities, enabling the creation of saved searches for any source within the app (more on this below).

Last Updated: 04.Feb.2025 22:11 EST

Monday’s articles

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FAIR: As Constitutional Crises Mount, US Press Sleepwalks Into Autocracy

Instead of appropriately pushing the increasing lawlessness and opacity to the forefront of their reporting, the New York Times and Washington Post largely buried these stories, downplaying their earth-shattering break from democratic norms.

via the Tapestry app.

Heather Cox Richardson: February 3, 2025

I’m going to start tonight by stating the obvious: the Republicans control both chambers of Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. They also control the White House and the Supreme Court. If they wanted to get rid of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), for example, they could introduce a bill, debate it, pass it, and send it on to President Trump for his signature. And there would be very little the Democrats could do to stop that change.

But they are not doing that.

Instead, they are permitting unelected billionaire Elon Musk, whose investment of $290 million in Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 election apparently has bought him freedom to run the government, to override Congress and enact whatever his own policies are by rooting around in government agencies and cancelling those programs that he, personally, dislikes.

The replacement of our constitutional system of government with the whims of an unelected private citizen is a coup. The U.S. president has no authority to cut programs created and funded by Congress, and a private citizen tapped by a president has even less standing to try anything so radical.

Guardian: Trump says US will ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip and ‘level’ it

Trump once again says Gaza is a “demolition site” that is “very dangerous and very precarious”.

He says the Palestinians in Gaza should be moved to a “beautiful area with homes and safety …. so that they can live out their lives in peace and harmony”.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump says.

We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings.

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What?!

CBC: PCs, Liberals both vow to ‘upload’ responsibility of Ottawa’s LRT

The Ontario government would transfer responsibility for Ottawa’s light rail system to provincial agency Metrolinx, according to campaign promises made by Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie on Tuesday.

Last Updated: 04.Feb.2025 23:55 EST

Monday’s political articles

Follow along as new links are added to today’s political list

UPI: Marco Rubio warns Panama president that current status of canal ‘unacceptable’

A recent report from the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations think tank states there is no evidence the Chinese government controls the canal, but a Hong Kong-based conglomerate does control two ports in the region and Beijing has been involved in infrastructure projects in the country, raising concerns about the communist nation’s influence on the important trade route.

CBC: Doug Ford promised to ‘Get It Done’ last election. How did he do?

With Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives seeking re-election on a slogan of “Protect Ontario,” it’s worth examining whether they made good on their last campaign slogan: “Get It Done.”

The Ontario PC campaign promises in 2022 focused largely on building, in particular housing, hospitals, highways, transit and long-term care homes.

A promise-tracking project run by a group of Canadian universities assesses that Ford’s government kept or was “in progress” of keeping the bulk of the party’s 2022 promises when he called a snap election with more than 15 months left in his mandate.

Really?! What counts as “in progress”? The examples cited in the article certainly don’t support this conclusion.

LBJ Library: The LBJ the Nation Seldom Saw

He talked about the difference between Republicans and Democrats: “We’re for something, and they are against everything. Mr. Rayburn was asked one time, ‘What do you think — after 50 years — is the primary difference between the Republican and Democratic parties? Is it the tariff?’

“ ‘No.’

“ ‘Well, what is the difference?’

“Mr. Rayburn replied, ‘I’ll tell you the easiest and best explanation—one that I have observed, and I came here during Woodrow Wilson’s administration. They hate all of our Presidents.’

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He talked about the difference between constructive action and obstructive action: “Any jackass can kick a barn down. But it takes a carpenter to build one.”

via Daring Fireball

Last Updated: 03.Feb.2025 23:36 EST

Sunday’s political articles

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Ness Labs: Interstitial journaling: combining notes, to-do & time tracking

Interstitial journaling is a productivity technique created by Tony Stubblebine. To my knowledge, it’s the simplest way to combine note-taking, tasks, and time tracking in one unique workflow. You don’t need any special software, but Roam Research makes it even easier to do thanks to the flexibility of daily notes. Interstitial journaling has had an amazing impact on my productivity and creativity, and I think many people would enjoy it.

The basic idea of interstitial journaling is to write a few lines every time you take a break, and to track the exact time you are taking these notes. For instance: …

via Annie Mueller

ScienceAlert: The Arctic’s ‘Last Ice Area’ May Vanish Even Faster Than Predicted

The ‘Last Ice Area’ is expected to be the final place in the Arctic where ice persists all year round even as our planet warms up – but a new study suggests the region, and the ecosystem that relies on it, are going to disappear sooner than previously estimated.

Researchers led by a team from McGill University in Canada took a closer look at the Last Ice Area (LIA) using the Community Earth System Model, which goes into more detail than simulations used in the past.

In particular, the new model is more comprehensive in accounting for sea currents and ice flow, which in turn accelerates how quickly the last ice area becomes seasonally ice-free after the central Arctic Ocean does.

Umpire Pat Hoberg fired for sharing betting accounts with friend who bet on baseball

Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball on Monday for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.

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“Although the baseball bets were profitable, the data did not support a finding that baseball bets from Individual A’s accounts were connected to game-fixing or other efforts to manipulate any part of any baseball game or event,” MLB said in its findings. “The baseball betting activity did not focus on any particular club, pitcher or umpire, and there was no apparent correlation between bet success and bet size. The eight bets on games Hoberg worked similarly did not reveal any obvious pattern.”

Wild’s Ryan Hartman suspended 10 Games

Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild has been suspended 10 games for slamming an opponent’s head to the ice with his right arm on a faceoff.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ban Monday night after holding a Zoom hearing with him hours earlier. Holding the hearing by Zoom instead of a phone call allowed the league to suspend for six or more games.

This is the longest suspension for on-ice conduct since Washington’s Tom Wilson got 20 games in 2018 for an illegal check to the head. That was reduced to 14 games on appeal by a neutral arbitrator, though Wilson had already served 16.

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This is Hartman’s fifth suspension and fourth since 2023.

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Hartman is forfeiting $487,805 in salary as part of his 11th instance of supplemental discipline in 663 regular-season and playoff games since debuting in 2105 [sic].

NYT: Top Doctors Raise Grave Doubts Over Conviction of ‘Killer Nurse’ Lucy Letby

After assessing the cases of 17 babies cited at her original trial, a panel of world-renowned specialists said that they had found no evidence that Ms. Letby had murdered anyone.

Last Updated: 04.Feb.2025 10:14 EST

Sunday’s articles