1645: Poonami

On 56 year old Brian Malinowski. A 16 year executive director at the

Bill and Hillary Clinton national airport. A gun battle ensued where

Brian was shot in the head. Imagine people coming in your upscale home

at 4 am . They say he fired at them and I can see why. Why not take him

at work? A gun free zone? ATF has not released any information. I did

find out that Brian was to meet next week with certain senators and

congressman next week. I don’t know why though. His family are crying

foul and say something fishy is going on. I am not sure of his

connection with the Clinton’s but supposedly he has. He was a democrat.

We think he had some info of some sort that he was going to whistle

blow.

TM Adam,

I am a career banking professional, I’m not an insider but I’m an advisor to the insiders.

I’ve heard you connect bankers and mass migration and I think you are onto something.

The goal is to get wage inflation in check, so we can go back to irresponsible monetary policy.

Central banks DO NOT control inflation because it’s bad for society! They control inflation because it’s terrible for banks.

You can’t lend money at an interest rate that is lower than inflation, you will go bankrupt.

But interest rates also can’t go up! Everyone is so indebted from 20 years of near zero interest rates, raising them more will drive a wave of defaults and banking collapses. (SVB)

What kind of inflation is bad for banks?

Asset inflation is GOOD for banks because it increases their investments and also strengthens the value of collateral held against loans.

So how to keep the party going?

MASS IMMIGRATION! Assets go up, wages go down.

It’s highly possible it’s a global banking conspiracy because this wave of immigration is coinciding in highly indebted western democracies around the world.

How?

They do it through lobbyists by complaining about “worker shortages causing inflation”. By threatening the government with stress test reports. And directly via their own insiders like Janet Yellen.

Adam,

In that Fremont clip they failed to mention that the "chicken plant" was actually a Costco processing plant that was granted huge tax breaks (thanks Gov Ricketts) to open there. A lot of people in Fremont didnt want that plant becasue when you look around at other smaller towns in Nebraska when a meat processing plant opens they get huge influx of illegal and some legal immigrants. In SchuylerNebraska they have a Cargil plant and it has completly changed the demographics of the town, its 75% hispanic now and the wages for have been driven down. My dad worked at a processing plant in the early 80s and was getting 10$ an hour, today that would be 31$ an hour.

Sorry to vent I'll stop,

Aron

The six-part minibus funds the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Homeland Security. The DOD will receive $886 billion, a 3 percent increase compared to last year. While DOD accounts for two-thirds of the package’s price tag, the biggest difficulty in spending negotiations since October, whether its base appropriations or supplemental funding, has been DHS, given the chaos on the southern border.

Link

They are launching their own insurance company!

Link

ITM John and Adam!

Regarding yesterday’s episode and the ask Adam segment. My red flag hunch in the story is the connection of the missing person to Luke Bryan’s bar.

Why? American Idol’s new season is in its 4th week. Luke Bryan is a judge. Incredibly likable celebrity. Also, IMO, seems conservative.

Is it possible someone in the M5M machine hates Luke?

(Idol is a Disney show. We watch it. And we like it.)

Also strange?

This week’s audition round featured a first ever trans contestant. (That I know of) Even my wife was fooled by this dude singing as a woman.

And they made his being trans a big deal. Of course he, I mean she, got a golden ticket. In my opinion Luke Bryan looked slightly uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Luke’s bar is mentioned more than once in this article. Could there be a connection? As I said, American Idol is a Disney property aired on ABC. No way this story wasn’t put on high alert within the M5M because of Like Bryan.

The story written here makes it clear via a spokes person for Luke’s bar that they served him one drink and asked him to leave.

Best,

Rick

From United Council:

“Members of Council 150,

We, your elected ALPA Representatives, feel it is our unfortunate responsibility to draw attention to several very concerning items. These issues have, thus far, been inadequately addressed. They pertain to the very core nature of our chosen profession. Simply put, our Safety Culture is under attack and enough is enough. We can not, in good conscience, continue to wait for our Flight Operationsk Management team to choose safety over anything else. While their words make for great PR, their actions have not matched those words and have directly led to the unfortunate circumstance in which we presently find ourselves. The “United Next” growth plan has seen a staggering 30% growth in just a few short years. However, that growth has come with strings attached. It has come hand in hand with an orchestrated erosion of our Safety Culture and our profession’s input intok it. The FAA has similarly witnessed this and recently stepped in to take substantial action against United Airlines. **We have lost the ability to approve new Line Check Pilots, issue type ratings, and have regulator-imposed restrictions on our ability to operate and grow our airline. We will also see an increased FAA presence in our daily operation.** We are concerned of the damage already done, and this will be long lasting without an immediate and dramatic course reversal.

**Who could’ve seen this coming?**

**Well, for starters, nearly every pilot. We are the ones who have “skin in the game” on every flight. We are the ones with a pulse on the operation. Our concerns have been continuously brushed aside in favor of activities such as Net Promoter Score modules in CQDL, Pilot Professional Development classes with an emphasis on Company feel-good slides, and APU policing. We’ve had these discussions on our flight decks nearly every trip, along with topics like “forced” Captain upgrades, and the continually decreasing flight experience levels of Captains, including instructors and Line Check Pilots.**

Unfathomably, in the midst of our latest issues, a VP of a PR related department chastised one of our Captains via United’s “Bravo” recognition app for providing a safe and successful flight. Why? Because our Captain chose to use his time focusing on his crew, preflight duties and preparing for a safe flight, rather than coming out to the aisles to give his departure announcement. This is, in a nutshell, the root of the issues we face.

While Flight Ops Management has allegedly spoken to the individual to assure that doesn’t happen again, it is indicative of a much larger issue. This individual appeared to be less concerned about the safe operation of a flight, than whether the Captain was contributing to that flight’s NPS score, and likely this individual’s bonus.

When we were made aware of this occurrence, the indignation expressed amongst ourselves was loud and clear. Change is needed. It must come with safety as the primary, if not ONLY focus. Exampled by recent actions, Management seems inclined to continue down their path of removing pilot influence from Flight Operations. No longer do we have the SVP of Flight Ops position. Long serving Chief Pilots are leaving their offices and being replaced with Base Directors or whatever theym call them now. Make no mistake, this is a prelude to further removing pilots from managing pilots. Human Resources and Labor Relations have never been as far reaching into pilot disciplinary events as they are today, sometimes bordering on harassment of our pilots.

Where does this leave us? Well, for starters, it leaves us as pilots under more scrutiny than ever before. We all need to reinvest in our Safety Culture and do so with vigor. Encourage each other on the flight decks to STOP when rushed, do your best to limit distractions. WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Boots on the ground

Anonymous Airline Pilot with a strong background in recruitment.

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 16:58

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Dec. 7, 2023: A branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Ethiopia's largest bank is struggling to recoup millions of dollars after a glitch over the weekend allowed customers to withdraw unlimited funds, according to local media reports.

More than $40 million was reportedly withdrawn from the state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia or transferred to other banks, as customers discovered they could withdraw more than their total balance. Transactions were halted several hours later.

The bank's President Abie Sano told a press conference on Monday that a large portion of the cash was withdrawn by students, with the BBC reporting that long lines formed at campus ATMs.

Several universities have urged students to return cash that isn't theirs, and Sano reportedly told Monday's press conference that anybody who returns the money will not be criminally prosecuted.

In a post on X, the CBE confirmed the service interruption but denied that it was the result of a cyber attack. It added that its ATM services were now "fully operational," according to a Google translation.

Ethiopia's central bank, which oversees its financial sector, said in a statement that the interruption was a result of system security checks and "not an incident that endangers the bank, its customers and the entire financial system," according to a Google translation.

CNBC has contacted the CBE for comment.

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 16:44

During her visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Vice President Harris is announcing two solutions to keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis.

Keeping students safe from gun violence in their school communities is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. According to the Washington Post, there have been 394 school shootings that exposed more than 360,000 students to gun violence since the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to preventing gun violence. President Biden and Vice President Harris worked to enact the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. Following this, the President created the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is being overseen by Vice President Harris. The unprecedented Office is accelerating the implementation of BSCA, identifying new executive actions, partnering with state and local officials, and coordinating the first ever federal interagency response to mass shootings and concentrations of community violence. The President has also taken more executive actions on preventing gun violence than any other President.

The Biden-Administration has invested more resources in school safety and taken significant steps to keeps firearms out of school. The strategy has focused on (1) stopping people in crisis and juveniles from accessing firearms, (2) implementing evidence-based school-based preventative solutions, and (3) addressing the mental health needs of students, particularly those impacted by gun violence.

During her visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the Vice President is announcing two solutions to keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis:

First, Vice President Harris is announcing the launch of the first-ever National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center, which will support the effective implementation of state red flag laws.

The Resource Center will assist states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, and behavioral health and other social service providers in optimizing the usage of red flag laws '' laws that allows a family member or law enforcement to seek a court order to temporarily take away access to guns if they feel a gun owner may harm themselves or others.The Resource Center will provide training and technical assistance, which will include developing and disseminating educational opportunities and workshops for a wide variety of stakeholders, providing implementation support, supporting peer-to-peer engagements with model learning sites, performing site assessments, and developing presentations and webinars that will advance states and localities' knowledge in key areas related to ERPOs.The Resource Center is funded by a Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance grant made possible by BSCA, and is run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.Second, the Vice President is calling on states to pass red flag laws and to use BSCA funding to help implement laws already enacted.

The Biden-Harris Administration made $750 million in federal funding to implement state crisis intervention programs, which includes red flag programs, mental health courts, drug courts, and veteran treatment courts. In February 2023, DOJ awarded over $238 million (covering FY22 and FY23) to 51 states, territories, and the District of Columbia that applied to use the funds to implement state crisis intervention programs. DOJ anticipates making up to an additional $141 million in awards in FY24.When it comes to red flag programs, this funding can be used to train (1) judiciary and court staff on red flag proceedings, (2) what family members can do when they see warning signs, and (3) first responders on recognizing signs of crisis. The funding can also be used to raise public awareness about red flag laws, distribute written and multimedia materials (including in multiple languages), and publish best practices.Of the 21 states and territories with red flag laws, only 6 are accessing the BSCA funding to implement their red flag laws. The remaining 15 states with red flag laws are strongly encouraged to use BSCA's funding to implement their red flags laws.The 29 states without red flag laws should enact those laws and ensure effective implementation, supported by this BSCA funding.Extreme Risk Protection Order or ''Red Flag'' Laws Can Prevent Shootings

The Department of Homeland Security's National Threat Assessment Center conducted a systematic review of targeted school violence incidents and found that there were often warning signs. The review, which is corroborated by other analysis, found that these incidents were often preceded by observed warning signs, including instances where the individual told other about their plan ahead of time.

ERPO or ''red flag'' laws generally create a civil process for law enforcement (and often times family members) to seek a judicial order that a person is a danger to themselves or others and should temporarily lose the ability to purchase and possess firearms. The laws have due process protections that ensure people's rights are respected, but also enable a concrete way to intervene.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School occurred after there were clear warning signs, but there were no tools to remove the shooter's firearm. The survivors of the shooting advocated for passage of a red flag law in Florida, and the tragedy helped to inspire the passage of red flag laws in other states across the country. Currently, 21 states and the District of Columbia have red flag laws on the books. These laws have been shown to prevent mass shootings and suicides, but the tools made available under these laws are only effective if people are aware of them and can properly invoke them.

Additional Biden-Harris Administration Actions to Keep Schools Safe:

Addressing Access to Firearms by People in Crisis or Under 21

The National Threat Assessment Center found that 76 percent of incidents of targeted school shootings are committed with guns from the home. There are approximately 4.6 million children living in homes with unsecured firearms, so the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized raising awareness about how safe gun storage can keep schools and young people safe. For example, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona sent a letter and template to school principals across the country explaining the importance of safe storage and encouraging them to communicate with parents, families, caregivers, and the broader community about how safe storage can protect students in school and in their communities.

The DOJ released a comprehensive guide to safe storage of firearms in order to provide subject matter expertise on different types of storage devices and best practices for safely storing firearms. This is the most comprehensive guide on safe storage ever released by the federal government. In addition, DOJ's Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program made grant funds available for law enforcement to acquire gun locks and storage devices that can be distributed to individuals and businesses.

The Biden-Harris Administration has quickly implemented BSCA to enhance background check for individuals under 21 who seek to purchase a firearm at a licensed gun dealer. Federal law has long-prohibited firearms dealers from selling handguns to persons under 21 . The BSCA requires enhanced background checks before any sale or transfer of a firearm to a person under the age of 21. Since implementing BSCA's enhanced background checks in October 2022, DOJ has conducted enhanced background checks on more than 230,000 transactions. Those checks have kept more than 2,300 firearms out of the hands of dangerous and prohibited persons, and over a quarter of those denials '-- 667 as of this month '-- were based solely on information received through the additional BSCA-enabled outreach. Just a few of the transactions denied under the new background check illustrate how important this new tool is working:

A sheriff's office responded to the NICS Section with an incident report indicating that the U21 firearm purchaser had been arrested for attempted murder and other offenses. The NICS Section obtained court documentation showing that the U21 purchaser was released on bond with court-ordered firearm restrictions pending the resolution of those charges. The transaction was denied based on a state prohibitor for active court-ordered firearm restrictions.During BSCA-mandated outreach, a juvenile court provided documentation establishing that a U21 firearm purchaser was found to be mentally ill and involuntarily committed for mental-health treatment. The transaction was denied based on the federal firearm prohibitor relating to mental-health adjudications.During BSCA-mandated outreach, a county court provided the NICS Section with documentation that the U21 firearm purchaser had sustained juvenile adjudications for sexual battery, possession of a knife at school, and intimidation. The transaction was denied based on a state prohibitor for disqualifying juvenile adjudications.Lastly, untraceable ghost guns that could be ordered online and easily completed at home were starting to show up in school shootings. The Biden-Harris Administration cracked down on ghost guns by making clear that businesses manufacturing the most accessible ghost guns, including ''buy-build-shoot'' kits, must comply with federal firearm laws requiring background checks, a federal license, and inclusion of serial numbers.

Largest Dedicated Effort on Evidence-Based School-Based Solutions

The Biden-Harris Administration provided $1 billion to schools through the Stronger Connections Grant program, which helps provide students with safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments that are critical for their success and overall well-being. Stronger Connections funding is allocated to underserved school districts (including those that have a high rate of community or school violence) on a competitive basis and may be used for a variety of strategies, including school-based mental health services, safety and violence prevention and intervention programs, and physical security measures.

Over the past 3 years, the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded nearly $500 million for schools to invest in evidence-based solutions through the STOP School Violence Program, with funding supplemented by BSCA. The program is designed to improve K-12 school security by providing schools, students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence and ensure a positive school climate. This includes developing and operating anonymous reporting systems and training school personnel on preventing school violence. The DOJ anticipates approximately $160 million in additional funding opportunities for the STOP program this year.

The Biden Harris Administration has established the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse pursuant to the Luke and Alex School Safety Act that was part of BSCA. The Clearinghouse, located at SchoolSafety.gov, provides evidence-based practices and recommendations to improve school safety for use by states, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, state and local law enforcement agencies, health professionals, and the general public.

Historic Investment in Student Mental Health

The Biden-Harris Administration awarded $122 billion in American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to help schools reopen and recover, and experts indicate more than $2 billion has been directed to hire more school psychologists, counselors, and other mental health professionals in K-12 schools. With the help of these funds, the number of school social workers, school counselors, school nurses, and school psychologists have all increased over pre-pandemic levels.

The Biden-Harris Administration will invest more than $1 billion to help underserved school districts hire and train school-based mental health professionals over the next five years. To date, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has awarded $571 million across 264 grantees in 48 states and the District of Columbia to boost the training, hiring, and diversity of mental health professionals in schools. The funding was made available through BSCA, and grantees estimate that these funds will collectively support the training and hiring of more than 14,000 new mental health professionals to serve America's school children. ED anticipates making approximately $38 million of new funding available for new applicants his year.

The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to take action to ensure that our schools and our communities are safe from gun violence.

At the same time President Biden and Vice President Harris call on Congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law, an assault weapons ban, and a secure storage law; to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which gives gun dealers and manufactures special immunity from certain liability for their products; and to increase appropriations to support youth mental health and violence prevention strategies.

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 13:51

Britain is on the cusp of the worst sickness crisis on record following a post-lockdown surge in worklessness that is driving a ''rapid rise'' in benefit claims.

Analysis by the Resolution Foundation showed the share of working-age people who are economically inactive owing to long-term sickness had climbed ''consistently'' over the past four-and-a-half years from two million in the summer of 2019 to 2.7 million today.

This is the second-longest sustained rise in sickness-related inactivity on record and just one month shy of the record set in the 1990s.

The think tank described the sharp rise in the number of people who are neither in work nor looking for a job as the ''legacy of the pandemic''.

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said Britons were getting older and sicker, which did not bode well for reversing the trend.

She added: ''We can't be sure of what the future will hold. But we definitely don't see any indication that this is starting to turn a corner and go down.

''So all that it would take is another couple of months of increases and things will be looking even worse than in the 1990s.''

The UK is still the only G7 economy where employment is yet to recover to pre-lockdown rates, and a total of 9.25 million people of working age are now classed as economically inactive.

The Resolution Foundation noted that 90pc of the increase in overall economic inactivity had been driven by younger adults aged between 16 and 24 and older adults aged between 50 and 64 since the start of the pandemic.

It said the rise in ill-health had a ''knock-on impact'' on welfare claims.

''There has also been a rapid rise in the number of working-age adults claiming sickness and disability-related benefits,'' the Foundation said, adding that people in their early 20s are now more likely than those in their 30s or early 40s to be claiming benefits related to a health condition or disability.

Official projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published this week show spending on health and disability benefits is expected to rise by more than a third over the next five years from £65.7bn in 2023-24 to £90.9bn in 2028-29.

The Foundation said the most ''striking'' increase in benefit claims related to personal independence payments (PIP), which is now the main non-means-tested benefit for those with health conditions or disabilities. The benefit can be claimed by people both in and out of work, though OBR analysis suggests just 16pc of those who claim PIP are in work.

New PIP claims have increased 68pc between early 2020 and early 2024, according to the Foundation. Adults aged between 55 and 64 are the most likely group to be claiming PIP, with the most common conditions including osteoarthritis and anxiety.

However, the Foundation highlighted that the number of new PIP claims in England and Wales is up 138pc for 16-17-year-olds, and up 77pc for 18-24-year-olds.

Ms Murphy said: ''What's striking is that on one end, we've got more young people out of work, particularly due to poor mental health. And we've also got a big number of older people aged 60 and over who again are struggling with poor health.

''I think that U shaped trend by age is what is worrying because for young people, we're concerned that this will have a knock-on impact on their future career trajectory and earnings. And at the other end, if we have lots of people in later life who are not able to work they are therefore at risk of having low incomes.

''There is also the risk that we are then writing off people in their 50s and 60s.''

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 13:50

Women are accidentally getting pregnant while taking weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro despite being on birth control.

A Facebook group called 'I got pregnant on Ozempic' has over 450 members, while people on Reddit threads and TikTokers share notes on how they unexpectedly fell pregnant while taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic.

Doctors told USA Today they think this could be down to two things. Firstly, the fact that the weight loss corrects hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders, which increases fertility.

Secondly, that the weight loss drugs may be reducing the efficacy of birth control pills, therefore increasing the chances of pregnancy.

One TikToker revealed how she fell pregnant while taking Ozempic. She said she stopped taking it as soon as she realized

Weight loss corrects hormonal imbalances caused by obesity and metabolic disorders, which increases fertility

'I got pregnant on Ozempic & was on the pill! Baby boy is due in June,' one person commented on a TikTok video.

'My surprise Ozempic baby is almost 4 months old and thankfully very healthy!' someone else said.

Deb Oliviara, 32, began her course of Ozempic the day after Thanksgiving to shift extra weight that had been making her feel down.

She was taking a birth control pill, though not consistently, but was not worried because had a history of fertility issues.

Two months after she started taking Ozempic, and the same week she reached her goal weight, Ms Oliviara found out she was pregnant.

'We were open to the idea, but definitely not trying,' she told USA Today.

'It was very much a surprise and the only pregnancy, aside from my first, that didn't come after a loss.'

It is Ms Oliviara's sixth pregnancy with only two living children, after she loss one baby in the first trimester, another in the second and had a stillbirth.

She is currently ten weeks pregnant and both mother and baby are healthy.

Reproductive and obesity medicine experts said they are seeing the trend in their offices, but warned that women should not use weight loss drugs to try and get pregnant.

Women should stop taking the weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy, Ozempic's drugmaker Novo Nordisk recommends

Research done on rats, rabbits and monkeys have showed that the weight loss medications can result in miscarriage and birth defects if taken while pregnant. No studies have been done on humans.

Women should stop taking the weight loss drugs at least two months before a planned pregnancy, Ozempic's drugmaker Novo Nordisk recommends.

Dr Allison Rodgers, an OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, told USA Today: 'It's true that, from a scientific perspective, these medications may make it easier for people to get pregnant.

'But people need to be careful because there could be dangerous consequences if taken while pregnant given the drugs can linger in your system.'

Dr Utsavi Shah, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology specializing in obesity medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told USA Today there is nothing in particular about the medications that is making people more fertile, other than the way they interact with birth control pills.

She told USA Today: 'It's their effect on weight loss that's helping regulate their menstrual cycles, thereby increasing their chances of getting pregnant.'

Fat cells release estrogen, meaning the more fat a person gains, the more estrogen they'll have.

Additional estrogen can halt regular menstruation and ovulation, which then makes it more difficult to become pregnant.

Studies carried out in test tubes have found that tirzepatide, Mounjaro and Zepbound's active ingredient, lessens the effectiveness of oral contraception such as birth control pills, according to the drugs' labels.

Mounjaro and Zepbound make the stomach take longer to clear out, which can impact how oral medications are absorbed in the body.

Semaglutide (the ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy) does not have as big of an effect on stomach emptying, so it does not contain any warnings about oral contraceptives.

Dr Shah said there was no need to panic.

'If you're using effective birth control and on these weight loss medications, the risk of unintended pregnancy is quite low,' she told USA Today.

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 11:51

Enlarge / Signage outside the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was supposed to have its first Arizona chip factory operational by late 2024 but now has confirmed significant delays. Primarily due to a shortage of technical workers with critical expertise in the US, TSMC projects to finish construction instead by 2025.

This is an "ominous delay," Bloomberg reported, and it comes right when investment in AI is booming. TSMC is a leading supplier of AI chips, and the Biden administration is scrambling to quickly expand the US domestic chip industry. But the delay wasn't necessarily unexpected, ASML Holding NV CEO Peter Wennink told Bloomberg. Wennink's company is one of the world's leading producers of chipmaking equipment, and he said that getting access to skilled workers is a common cause of setbacks when building semiconductor fabrication plants, also known as fabs.

''People don't seem to realize that when we start building those fabs across the globe now and are everywhere, that skill has been refined over the last couple of decades in only a few places on the planet'--predominantly in Taiwan and in Korea and a bit in China,'' said Wennink. ''Getting access to the requisite skills and skilled workers to keep the construction plan on time is a challenge.''

At the end of last month, TSMC confirmed it would be sending more Taiwanese workers to the US to ensure a "fast ramp up" of its $40 billion fab in Arizona, Reuters reported. A second Arizona fab is planned to be operational by 2026'-- the most advanced chip factory currently in production, Reuters reported'--and, at least so far, it has not been confirmed whether the first fab's delay will result in any further delays on completing the second fab.

Ars could not immediately reach TSMC for comment. [Update: A TSMC spokesperson told Ars that it typically takes between 2.5 and three years to "build an advanced process fab of similar scale." Construction on the Arizona fab began in 2021 with what TSMC Chairman Mark Liu described as "an aggressive schedule," and TSMC "already finished building the shell of the building" but is now "in a phase of handling and installing the most advanced and dedicated equipment," the spokesperson said. Completing that phase has been delayed, because Liu said, "there is an insufficient amount of skilled workers with the specialized expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor grade facility."]

Advertisement Undercutting the union?However, Bloomberg noted that TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said on a conference call that in addition to a worker shortage, TSMC is experiencing other setbacks in the US. Perhaps most indicative that further delays could be coming, TSMC has cited US building costs being more expensive than costs in Taiwan as another setback.

Currently, TSMC's solution seems to be finding ways to cut costs and send in more workers from Taiwan. The company has not disclosed exactly how many workers it has already sent or how many more may be coming. Reuters reported that TSMC confirmed in June that "the additional number who will be going has yet to be determined" and that Taiwanese workers "will only be in the state for a limited time."

"Given we are now in a critical phase handling all of the most advanced and dedicated equipment in a sophisticated facility, we require skilled expertise," TSMC told Reuters. The company also said that bringing in these workers "will not impact the 12,000 workers currently on-site every day or US-based hiring."

A report yesterday from the progressive public policy-focused magazine, The American Prospect, indicates that there is already tension between US and Taiwanese workers, though. Union electricians working at the Arizona construction site felt "double-crossed," The American Prospect reported, when TSMC sent in possibly more than 500 workers. Union representatives said that union electricians suspected that TSMC was attempting to replace them with overseas workers by eliminating union electricians' incentive pay earlier this month'--which caused 50 American workers to quit.

A week later, TSMC reinstated the incentive pay but ruffled feathers by offering the union contractor "25 non-union employees recruited from Taiwan to help solve their new labor shortage," representatives told The American Prospect. They said that the union contractor refused to hire the non-union workers "since union contractors only use workers dispatched from the union hall" and predicted that TSMC would continue to struggle to recruit American workers unless the company raised wages.

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 11:48

The Justice Department launched the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center (the Center) which will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

''The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,'' said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. ''The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department's work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.''

ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order.

In 2023, the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded $238 million to states, territories, and the District of Columbia under the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), which was created by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and is designed to help jurisdictions implement crisis intervention strategies, including ERPO programs. In addition, OJP awarded $4 million to support training and technical assistance under Byrne SCIP, including $2 million that was awarded to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions to establish the ERPO Resource Center. In collaboration with OJP's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Center will support states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, and behavioral health and other social service providers in their efforts to implement ERPO programs to fit local needs, share resources and promising practices with the field, and help ensure that funding received through Byrne SCIP is effectively utilized.

''Supporting our law enforcement and community partners in curbing the scourge of gun violence is more critical than ever,'' said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. ''In addition to other resources leveraged across the Justice Department, this Center will provide communities with new tools and technical assistance to help them implement effective crisis intervention strategies and reduce gun violence.''

''OJP's investment in ERPO programs demonstrates the Department's commitment to addressing the gun violence crisis in the United States,'' said OJP Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon. ''This crisis cannot be solved at one level of government. We must use all of our resources and collaborate at the federal, state, and local levels to find innovative, evidence-based, and holistic solutions to help keep American communities safe.''

Through the Center and its newly launched website, states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, and behavioral health and other social service providers will have direct access to critical information that will enhance their ability to reduce firearm homicides and suicides. The website will be maintained and updated to include newly developed resources for the field created through the Center, in partnership with BJA. The website also provides a platform for the Center to highlight emerging and promising practices in successful ERPO implementation and connect states and localities to innovative strategies to reduce gun violence and save lives.

As of this month, 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted ERPO laws. Successful and effective ERPO implementation requires a comprehensive and holistic approach that incorporates a wide range of stakeholders. The Center is designed to provide resources consistent with that need.

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Question for written answer E-011933-15to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)Rule 130 Matteo Salvini (ENF)

On 7 July, the New York Times reported the presence of a Chechen volunteer force made up of ISIS sympathisers in territories disputed by Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops.

It appears that they have openly sided with Ukraine in a bid to weaken Russia and compel it to concentrate its forces on that country, drawing resources away from other fronts on which it is pitted against various Islamic terrorist groups.

To date, the Ukrainian authorities have made no attempt to deny the reports and have neither disowned these fundamentalist ISIS combatants nor sought to remove them from territory Ukraine has been claiming is its own.

Given the serious danger posed by ISIS and Islamic terrorism in general, as confirmed recently by the tragic attacks in France and Tunisia, does the Vice-President/High Representative not consider it appropriate to rethink her stance regarding the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and engage in closer dialogue with Russia with a view to containing this fundamentalist threat?

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The killer was allegedly in a sexual relationship with the victim when the murder occurred

An 18-year-old transgender woman in the US state of Pennsylvania, who fatally shot a young girl and then confessed to the crime on Instagram, has been sentenced to up to 40 years behind bars, local prosecutors announced on Thursday.

Ash Cooper, known as Joshua Cooper at the time of the 2022 murder in Bensalem Township, began transitioning after the arrest. Cooper, who was then 16, told the police that he and the victim '' 12-year-old Morgan Connors '' were in a sexual relationship.

''Ash Cooper, who previously went by Joshua Cooper, pled guilty Thursday to third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence,'' Buck's County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

''Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley sentenced Cooper to 15 to 40 years in state prison and a consecutive sentence of seven years of probation,'' the DA office added.

The perpetrator was also ordered to undergo a psychological and psychiatric evaluation.

According to the investigation, the murder took place at a trailer park on November 25, 2022. The two friends were reportedly watching Netflix when Connors got up to use the bathroom. Cooper then shot her using his father's gun and contacted an acquaintance, also a teen, via Instagram video chat '' showing the victim's body covered in blood and asking for help to dispose of it.

The witness then told her mother, who in turn called the police to report the possible homicide.

When the first responders arrived, they saw Cooper ''running out of the back of the trailer.'' Cooper was apprehended shortly afterwards and taken into custody. Morgan was found lying on the bathroom floor with ''an apparent gunshot wound.'' She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The authorities noted that ''substantial steps'' were taken to clean up the crime scene.

Cooper reportedly maintained that the murder was an accident, saying he was scared of going to jail for the rest of his life.

The victim's grandfather wrote in a statement heard by the court that losing his granddaughter caused ''intense pain and heartbreak'' and that ''The human heart is not built for such heartbreak.''

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Give an hour for our one shared home Last year, over 410,000 hours were given to our planet by supporters in over 190 countries and territories. This year, join us in making the #BiggestHourForEarth even bigger by spending 60 minutes doing good for the planet while doing something you love!

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

East Slavic ethnic group

Belarusians c. 9 million Belarus 7.99 million[1][2] United States (Belarusian ancestry) 600,000[3][4]''768,000[5] Russia521,443 (2010) [6] Ukraine275,763 (2001) [7] Poland105,404 (2020) [8] Latvia55,929''60,445 (2023) [9][10] Kazakhstan66,476 (2010) [11] Germany61,000[12] Lithuania60,000[13] Czech Republic31,000[14] Moldova20,000[14] Canada15,565[15] Brazil12,100[14] Estonia11,828 (2017) [16] Slovakia10,054[14] Italy8,529[14] France7,500[14] United Kingdom7,000[14] Argentina7,000[14] Spain5,828[17] Sweden2,833[18] Turkmenistan2,000 Belgium2,000[14] Australia1,560 (2006) [19] Greece1,168[20] Portugal1,002 (2009) [21] Bulgaria1,000 Netherlands973 ( 2016 )[22] Austriabelow 500[14]Orthodox Christianity (majority), Roman Catholicism, Belarusian Greek Catholicism, Irreligion (minority)Poles, other East Slavs(Poleshuks, Podlashuks, Russians, Ukrainians)Belarusians (Belarusian: беÐ>>аÑусы , romanized: bielarusy ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Belarus. More than 9 million people proclaim Belarusian ethnicity worldwide.[23] Nearly 7.99 million Belarusians reside in Belarus,[1][2] with the United States[3][4][5] and Russia[6] being home to more than half a million Belarusians each.

Name [ edit ] During the Soviet era, Belarusians were referred to as Byelorussians or Belorussians (from Byelorussia, derived from Russian "БеÐ>>оÑуссия"). Before, they were typically known as White Russians or White Ruthenians (from White Russia or White Ruthenia, based on "БеÐ>>ая Русь"). Upon Belarusian independence in 1991, they became known as Belarusians (from Belarus, derived from "БеÐ>>аÑусь"), sometimes spelled as Belarusans,[24] Belarussians[25] or Belorusians.[25] In Russian, the country is still often referred to as "БеÐ>>оÑуссия", particularly in Russia.

The term White Rus' (БеÐ>>ая Русь , Bielaja Ruś ), also known as White Ruthenia or White Russia (as the term Rus' is often conflated with its Latin forms Russia and Ruthenia), was first used in the Middle Ages to refer to the area of Polotsk.[25][26] The name Rus' itself is derived from the Rus' people which gave the name to the territories of Kievan Rus'.[27] The chronicles of Jan of Czarnk"w mention the imprisonment of Lithuanian grand duke Jogaila and his mother at "Albae Russiae, Poloczk dicto " in 1381.[28] During the 17th century, the Russian tsars used the term to describe the lands added from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[29] However, during the Russian Civil War, the term White Russian became associated with the White movement.[25]

Geographic distribution [ edit ] Belarusians are an East Slavic ethnic group, who constitute the majority of Belarus' population.[25] Belarusian minority populations live in countries neighboring Belarus: Ukraine, Poland (especially in the Podlaskie Voivodeship), the Russian Federation and Lithuania.[25] At the beginning of the 20th century, Belarusians constituted a minority in the regions around the city of Smolensk in Russia.

Significant numbers of Belarusians emigrated to the United States, Brazil and Canada in the early 20th century. During Soviet times (1917''1991), many Belarusians were deported or migrated to various regions of the USSR, including Siberia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.[30]

Since the 1991 breakup of the USSR, several hundred thousand Belarusians have emigrated to the Baltic states, the United States, Canada, Russia, and EU countries.[31]

Languages [ edit ] The two official languages in Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. Russian language was added to the constitution after 1995 Belarusian referendum, together with reinstalment of redesigned flag, coat of arms and anthem of BSSR instead of national ones. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly stated that the referendum violated international standards. Members of the opposition claimed that the organisation of the referendum involved several serious violations of legislation, including the constitution.[32]

Genetics [ edit ] Belarusians, like most Europeans, largely descend from three distinct lineages:[33] Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, descended from a Cro-Magnon population that arrived in Europe about 45,000 years ago;[34] Neolithic farmers who migrated from Asia Minor during the Neolithic Revolution 9,000 years ago;[35] and Yamnaya steppe pastoralists who expanded into Europe from the Pontic''Caspian steppe in the context of Indo-European migrations 5,000 years ago.[33]

History [ edit ] Slavic tribes in the 7th-9th centuryThe Neolithic and the Bronze Age [ edit ] In the Neolithic most of present-day Belarus was inhabited by Finno-Ugrians. Indo-European population appeared in the Bronze Age.[36][37]

Early Middle Ages [ edit ] In the Iron Age, the south of present-day Belarus was inhabited by tribes belonging to the Milograd culture (7th''3rd century BC) and later Zarubintsy culture. Some considered them to be Balts. Since the beginning of common era, these lands were penetrated by the Slavs, a process that intensified during the migration period (4th century). A peculiar symbiosis of Baltic and Slavic cultures took place in the area, but it was not a fully peaceful process, as evidenced by numerous fires in Balts' settlements in the 7th-8th centuries. According to Russian archaeologist Valentin Sedov [ru] , it was intensive contacts with the Balts that contributed to the distinctiveness of the Belarusian tribes from the other Eastern Slavs.

The Baltic population gradually became Slavic, undergoing assimilation, a process that for eastern and central Belarus ended around the 12th century. Belarusian lands in the 8th-9th centuries were inhabited by 3 tribal unions: the Krivichs, Dregoviches and Radimichs. Of these, the Krivichs played the most important role; Polotsk, founded by them, was the most important cultural and political center during this period. The principalities formed at that time on the territory of Belarus were part of Kievan Rus'. The process of the beginning of the East Slavic linguistic community and the separation of Belarusian dialects slowly took place.

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania [ edit ] As a result of Lithuanian expansion, the lands of Belarus became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This fact accelerated the Slavicization of the Baltic population. Between the 13th and 16th centuries, a distinct Ruthenian language was formed. It is called "Old Belarusian language" by Belausian researchers and "Old Ukrainian" by the Ukrainian ones. The rulers and the elite of the Grand Duchy adopted elements of Ruthenian culture, primarily Ruthenian language, which became the main language of writing. Belarusians began to emerge as a nationality during the 13th and 14th centuries in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania mostly on the lands of the upper basins of Neman River, Dnieper River, and the Western Dvina River.[42] The Belarusian people trace their distinct culture to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, earlier Kievan Rus' and the Principality of Polotsk.[43]

Litvin was a term used to describe all residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, primarily those belonging to the noble state, without distinction of ethnicity or religion. At the same time, the term Ruthenian (Rusyn) was in use, referring primarily to all persons professing Orthodoxy; later since the end of the 16th century it took on a broader meaning, and also referred to all the persons of Eastern Slavic origin, regardless of their religion. At the same time, there was a geographical division within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania between Lithuania proper and Rus'. However, it did not correspond to an ethnic or confessional division, as Lithuania proper included a large part of central and western Belarus with cities such as Polotsk, Vitebsk, Orsha, Minsk, Barysaw and Slutsk, while the remaining lands inhabited by Slavs were called Rus. From the 17th century onward, the name White Ruthenia (Belarusian: БеÐ>>ая Русь , romanized: Biełaja Ruś ) spread, which initially referred to the territory of today's Eastern Belarus (Polotsk, Vitebsk). The term "Belarusians", "Belarusian faith" and "Belarusian speech" also appeared at that time.[45]

From the 1630s, Old Belarusian (Ruthenian) started to be replaced by the Polish language, as a result of the Polish high culture acquiring increasing prestige in the Polish''Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1697, Ruthenian was removed as one of the Grand Duchy's official languages.[46] By the 17th century, Muscovites began encouraging the use of the word Belarusian and viewed the Belarusians as Russians and their language as a Russian dialect.[45] This was done to legitimize Russian attempts of conquering the eastern lands of the Polish''Lithuanian Commonwealth under the pretense of unifying all Russian lands.[45] During three partitions of the Polish''Lithuanian Commonwealth (1772, 1793 and 1795) most of the territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were annexed by the Russian Empire.

In the Russian Empire [ edit ] Map of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian EmpireFollowing the destruction of Poland''Lithuania with the Third Partition in 1795, Empress Catherine of Russia created the Belarusian Governorate from the Polotsk [ru] and Mogilev Governorates.[26] However, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia banned the use of the word Belarus in 1839, replacing it with the designation Northwestern Krai.[47] Due to the ban, various different names were used for naming the inhabitants of those territories.[45] It was part of the Pale of Settlement, which was the region where Jews were allowed permanent residency.

Ethnic territory of Belarusians Modern state boundaries

The major discrepancy between Karsky and Dovnar-Zapolsky is due to Karsky's identification of transitional Ukrainian-Belarusian dialects20th century [ edit ] During World War I and the fall of Russian Empire, a short-lived Belarusian Democratic Republic was declared in March 1918. Thereafter, modern Belarus' territory was split between the Second Polish Republic and Soviet Russia during the Peace of Riga in 1921. The latter created the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, which was reunited with Western Belarus during World War 2 and lasted until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which was ended by the Belovezh Accords in 1991. The modern Republic of Belarus exists since then.

Cuisine [ edit ] Belarusian cuisine shares the same roots as the cuisines of other Eastern and Northern European countries.[citation needed ]

See also [ edit ] Belarus portal List of Belarusians (ethnic group)Demographics of BelarusDregovichsKrivichsLitvinRadimichsHistory of BelarusBelarusian AmericansReferences [ edit ] ^ a b "Changes in the populations of the majority ethnic groups". belstat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016 . Retrieved 2016-07-28 . ^ a b "Demographic situation in 2015". Belarus Statistical Office. 27 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016 . Retrieved 27 January 2016 . ^ a b Garnett, Sherman W. (1999). Belarus at the Crossroads. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. ISBN 978-0-87-003172-4. ^ a b Kipel, Vituat. "Belarusan americans". World Culture Encyclopedia . Retrieved July 28, 2016 . [permanent dead link ] ^ a b "Country: United States: Belarusians". Joshua Project. 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017 . Retrieved 23 May 2016 . ^ a b "All-Russian population census 2010 population by nationality, sex and subjects of the Russian Federation". Demoscope Weekly (in Russian). Archived from the original on December 28, 2014 . Retrieved July 28, 2016 . ^ "Ð'сеукÑаїнський ÐеÑеÐис насеÐ>>ення 2001 - РезуÐ>>ьтати - Основні Ðідсумки - Ð'аціонаÐ>>ьний скÐ>>ад насеÐ>>ення". 2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016 . Retrieved 2 August 2017 . ^ "Populacja cudzoziemc"w w Polsce w czasie COVID-19". Archived from the original on 2022-01-20 . Retrieved 2022-01-20 . ^ "Population by ethnicity at the beginning of year '' Time period and Ethnicity | National Statistical System of Latvia". data.stat.gov.lv. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11 . Retrieved 2023-06-10 . ^ "Latvijas iedzÄvotāju sadalÄjums pÄ'c nacionālā sastāva un valstiskās piederÄbas, 01.01.2023. - PMLP". Archived from the original on 2023-06-10 . Retrieved 2023-06-10 . ^ ПеÑеÐись насеÐ>>ения РесÐубÐ>>ики Казахстан 2009 Ð"ода. КÑаткие итоÐ"и. (Census for the Republic of Kazakhstan 2009. Short Summary) (PDF) (in Russian). Republic of Kazakhstan Statistical Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2010 . Retrieved 10 December 2010 . ^ "Bev¶lkerung in Privathaushalten nach Migrationshintergrund im weiteren Sinn nach ausgew¤hlten Geburtsstaaten". Statistisches Bundesamt. Archived from the original on 2022-05-31 . Retrieved 2022-03-14 . ^ "GyventojÅ" skaičius metÅ" pradžioje. Požymiai: Tautybė - RodikliÅ" duomenÅ" bazėje". Archived from the original on 2012-09-06 . Retrieved 2011-12-03 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Как живеÑь, беÐ>>оÑусская диасÐоÑа?". Belarus Time (in Belarusian). March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. ^ "Ethnic Origin (264), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey". 12.statcan.gc.ca. 8 May 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-12-24 . Retrieved 2017-08-02 . ^ "Rahvaarv rahvuse j¤rgi, 1. jaanuar, aasta - Eesti Statistika". Stat.ee. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018 . Retrieved 2 August 2017 . ^ "Poblaci"n extranjera por Nacionalidad, provincias, Sexo y A±o". Archived from the original on 2021-03-02 . Retrieved 2021-04-12 . ^ "Utrikes f¶dda efter f¶delseland och invandrings¥r" [Foreign-born by country of birth and year of immigration] (XLS) . Statistics Sweden (in Swedish). 31 December 2015 . Retrieved 23 October 2016 . [permanent dead link ] ^ "20680-Ancestry (full classification list) by Sex - Australia". 2006 Census. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel download) on March 10, 2008 . Retrieved 2008-06-02 . ^ "Usually resident population by citizenship and age on 1 January - Both sexes" (PDF) . 5 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. ^ "POPULA‡ƒO ESTRANGEIRA RESIDENTE EM TERRIT'RIO NACIONAL - 2009" (PDF) . Statistics Portugal (in Portuguese). January 1, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-08-26 . Retrieved July 28, 2016 . ^ "CBS StatLine - Population; sex, age and nationality, 1 January". Statline.cbs.nl. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017 . Retrieved 2 August 2017 . ^ "The Belarusian Diaspora Awakens | German Marshall Fund of the United States". www.gmfus.org. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11 . Retrieved 2023-08-11 . ^ " "Як нас заве сьвет '-- "БеÐ>>аÑаÑэн" ці Belarus(i)an?" ". www.svaboda.org. Archived from the original on 2016-07-28 . Retrieved 2016-07-28 . ^ a b c d e f Cole, Jeffrey E. (2011-05-25). Ethnic Groups of Europe: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-59884-303-3. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16 . Retrieved 2023-03-21 . ^ a b Kovalenya, A. A. (2022-05-15). Belarus: pages of history. Litres. pp. 20''21. ISBN 978-5-04-162594-8. Archived from the original on 2023-05-19 . Retrieved 2023-03-21 . ^ Duczko, Wladyslaw (2004). Viking Rus. Brill Publishers. pp. 10''11. ISBN 978-90-04-13874-2. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023 . Retrieved 29 June 2021 . ^ Vauchez, Dobson & Lapidge 2001, p. 163 ^ Plokhy 2001, p. 327 ^ "Belarus: Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union - EuroDocs". eudocs.lib.byu.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15 . Retrieved 2023-08-11 . ^ Heleniak, Timothy (2002-10-01). "Migration Dilemmas Haunt Post-Soviet Russia". migrationpolicy.org. Archived from the original on 2023-07-08 . Retrieved 2023-08-11 . ^ "'º БеÐ>>аÑуская ÐаÐ>>ідаÑнасьць >> ÐяÑÐ"ей Ð'авумчык: ПаÑуÑэньні ў часе ÑэÑэÑэндуму - 1995". Bielarus.net. Archived from the original on 2020-10-16 . Retrieved 2017-01-10 . ^ a b Haak, Wolfgang; Lazaridis, Iosif; Patterson, Nick; Rohland, Nadin; Mallick, Swapan; Llamas, Bastien; Brandt, Guido; Nordenfelt, Susanne; Harney, Eadaoin; Stewardson, Kristin; Fu, Qiaomei (11 June 2015). "Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe". Nature. 522 (7555): 207''211. arXiv:1502.02783 . Bibcode:2015Natur.522..207H. doi:10.1038/nature14317. ISSN 0028-0836. PMC 5048219 . PMID 25731166. ^ Curry, Andrew (August 2019). "The first Europeans weren't who you might think". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2023-03-06 . Retrieved 2023-03-05 . ^ Gibbons, Ann (21 February 2017). "Thousands of horsemen may have swept into Bronze Age Europe, transforming the local population". Science. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 . Retrieved 5 March 2023 . ^ ÐстоÑия БеÐ>>аÑуси. РдÑевнейÑих вÑемен до 2012 Ð". / Ðод Ñед. Е. К. Ð'овика. '-- 3-е изд. '-- Ð'инск: Ð'ыÑэйÑая ÑкоÐ>>а, 2012. '-- Ð. 12, 13, 20. '-- 542 с. ^ Ð'істоÑыя БеÐ>>аÑусі: У 2 ч. Частка 1. Ðа стаÑажытных часоў да канца XVIII ст. / І. П. КÑэнь і інÑ. '-- Ð'інск: РІÐ'Ш БÐ--У, 2000. '-- Ð. 303'--304. '-- 656 с. ^ БеÐ>>аÑусы : у 10 т. / РэдкаÐ>>.: Ð'. К. БандаÑчык [і інÑ.]. '-- Ð'інск : БеÐ>>аÑус. навука, 1994''2007. '-- Ð. 4 : Ð'ытокі і этнічнае Ñазвіццё... Ð. 36, 49. ^ "Belarus - Culture, Traditions, Arts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15 . Retrieved 2023-08-11 . ^ a b c d Fishman, Joshua; Garcia, Ofelia (2011-04-21). Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: The Success-Failure Continuum in Language and Ethnic Identity Efforts (Volume 2). Oxford University Press. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-19-983799-1. ^ Kamusella, Tomasz (2009). The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe. pp. 153, 156, 180. ^ Everett-Heath, John (2018-09-13). The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-256243-2. Archived from the original on 2023-08-11 . Retrieved 2023-03-21 . Bibliography [ edit ] Pankowicz, Andrzej (2004). "Sp"r o genezÄ narodu białoruskiego. Perspektywa historyczna" [The dispute over the genesis of the Belarusian nation. A historical perspective]. Krakowskie Studia MiÄdzynarodowe (in Polish). 4: 89''106. Plokhy, Serhii (2001). The Cossacks and Religion in Early Modern Ukraine. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924739-0. Savchenko, Andrew (2009). Belarus - A Perpetual Borderland. Leiden-Boston: Brill. Shved, Viachaslau; Grzybowski, Jerzy (2020). Historia Białorusi. Od czas"w najdawniejszych do roku 1991 [History of Belarus. From the earliest times to 1991] (in Polish). Warsaw: WUW. Vauchez, Andr(C); Dobson, Richard Barrie; Lapidge, Michael (2001). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge. ISBN 1-57958-282-6. External links [ edit ] Quotations related to Belarusians at WikiquoteEthnographic Map (New York, 1953)CIA World Fact Book 2005

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Audio File:National anthem of Belarus

Head Of State And Government: President: Alexander Lukashenko, assisted by Prime Minister: Roman GolovchenkoPopulation: (2024 est.) 9,119,000Form Of Government: republic with two legislative houses (Council of the Republic [641]; House of Representatives [110])Official Languages: Belarusian; Russian Belarus, landlocked country of eastern Europe. Until it became independent in 1991, Belarus, formerly known as Belorussia or White Russia, was the smallest of the three Slavic republics included in the Soviet Union (the larger two being Russia and Ukraine).

While Belarusians share a distinct ethnic identity and language, they never previously enjoyed unity and political sovereignty, except during a brief period in 1918. Belarusian history is thus less an isolable national narrative than a study of regional forces, their interplay, and their effects on the Belarusian people. The territory that is now Belarus underwent partition and changed hands repeatedly; as a result, much of the history of Belarus is inseparable from that of its neighbours. Since independence Belarus has retained close ties to its most dominant neighbour, Russia. In 1999 the two countries signed the Union State Foundation Treaty, which aimed to create a politically integrated confederation with a common currency; the precise nature of the partnership, however, remained unclear well into the 21st century. The legacy of Belarus's Soviet past also continued to manifest itself, both in the persistent prominence of communist political parties and in the country's authoritarian style of government. About one-fifth of the population of Belarus resides in the centrally located capital, Minsk, a sprawling modern city that was almost entirely rebuilt after its near destruction in World War II.

LandBelarus is a landlocked country bordered by Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest, by Russia to the north and east, by Ukraine to the south, and by Poland to the west. In area, it is roughly one-third the size of its southern neighbour, Ukraine.

ReliefThe topography of Belarus was largely shaped by glaciation during the Pleistocene Epoch (i.e., about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). Much of the country consists of flat lowlands separated by low level-topped hills and uplands. The highest point, Dzyarzhynskaya Hill, is only 1,135 feet (346 metres) above sea level, and more than half the surface area of Belarus lies below 660 feet (200 metres). The higher areas are formed by ridges of glacial morainic material dating from the Valday glaciation, the last advance of Pleistocene ice in eastern Europe. The largest of the ridges, the Belarusian Ridge, extends northeastward from the Polish border on the southwest to north of Minsk, where it widens into the Minsk Upland before turning eastward to link up with the Smolensk-Moscow Upland. Running transverse to the main Belarusian Ridge, the Ashmyany Upland, consisting of terminal moraines from the same glacial period, lies between Minsk and Vilnius, in neighbouring Lithuania. The surfaces of its ridges tend to be flat or gently rolling and covered by light sandy podzolic soils; they are largely cleared of their original forest cover.

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Separated by the morainic ridges lie wide lowlands, which are mostly poorly drained and marshy and contain many small lakes. To the north of the main line of morainic hills are two broad plains: the north of the republic comprises the Polatsk Lowland, and the northwestern corner, near Hrodna, is the Neman (Belarusian: Nyoman) Lowland. South of the Belarusian Ridge the wide and very flat Central Byarezina Plain gently slopes southward to merge imperceptibly with the even more extensive Pripet Marshes (Belarusian: Palyessye, ''Woodlands''). A waterlogged area in the basin of the Pripet (Belarusian: Prypyats') River, a main tributary of the Dnieper (Belarusian: Dnyapro), the Pripet Marshes extend southward into Ukraine and occupy a structural trough. The trough is filled with outwash sands and gravels deposited by the meltwaters of the last Pleistocene glaciation. The minimal variation in relief makes the Pripet Marshes among the largest wetlands in Europe.

DrainageBelarus has more than 20,000 streams, with a total length of about 56,300 miles (90,600 km), and more than 10,000 lakes. The greater part of the republic lies in the basin of the Dnieper'--which flows across Belarus from north to south on its way to the Black Sea'--and the basins of its major tributaries, the Byarezina and Pripet on the right bank and the Sozh on the left. In the north the Polatsk Lowland is drained by the Western Dvina (Dzvina) River to the Baltic Sea, to which also flows the Neman (Nyoman) in the west. The extreme southwestern corner of Belarus is drained by the Mukhavyets, a tributary of the Bug (Buh) River, which forms part of the border with Poland and flows to the Baltic Sea. The Mukhavyets and Pripet are linked by a ship canal, thereby connecting the Baltic and Black seas. The rivers are generally frozen from December to late March, after which occur about two months of maximum flow. Among the largest lakes are Narach, Osveyskoye, and Drysvyaty.

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Learn More SoilsAbout three-fifths of Belarus is covered by podzolic soils. On the uplands these soils are mainly clay loams developed on loess subsoils, which can be productive with the use of fertilizers. The plains and lowlands have mostly sandy podzols of low fertility interspersed with swampy clays, which have a high humus content and can be very fertile when drained.

ClimateBelarus has a cool continental climate moderated by maritime influences from the Atlantic Ocean. Average January temperatures range from the mid-20s F (about ''4 °C) in the southwest to the upper teens F (about ''8 °C) in the northeast, but thaw days are frequent; correspondingly, the frost-free period decreases from more than 170 days in the southwest to 130 in the northeast. Maximum temperatures in July are generally in the mid-60s F (about 18 °C). Rainfall is moderate, though higher than over most of the vast Russian Plain of eastern Europe, and ranges from about 21 inches (530 mm) on the lowlands to some 28 inches (700 mm) on the higher morainic ridges. Maximum rainfall occurs from June to August.

Plant and animal life Belarus Canoes in the Pripyatskiy Zapovednik Nature Preserve in Belarus.

The natural vegetation of the country is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. In the north, conifers, notably pine and spruce, tend to predominate; southward the proportion of deciduous trees, such as oak and hornbeam, increases. Birch is common everywhere, especially as the first growth on burned or disturbed areas. Over the centuries, the clearing of forest land for agricultural use has removed the greater part of the primeval forest, especially the deciduous trees, which prefer richer soils. In particular, the forest of the uplands had largely been removed by the late 16th century.

The Belovezhskaya (Belarusian: Byelavyezhskaya) Forest, on the western border with Poland (into which it extends), is one of the largest surviving areas of primeval mixed forest in Europe, encompassing more than 460 square miles (1,200 square km). The Belarusian portion of the forest was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. Preserved for centuries as the private hunting forest of first the Polish kings and later the Russian tsars, it was made a nature reserve (and later a national park) on both sides of the frontier. The rich forest vegetation that once covered much of Europe survives here, dominated by trees that have grown to exceptional heights. The forest is the major home of the European bison, or wisent, which had become extinct in the wild following World War I but was reintroduced through captive breeding. Elk, deer, and boars also are found there and in other forests of Belarus, together with small game, hares, squirrels, foxes, badgers, martens, and, along the rivers, beavers. Birds include grouse, partridge, woodcocks, snipes, and ducks, and many of the rivers are well stocked with fish.

Environmental concernsThe accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in April 1986 resulted in a number of immediate and long-term consequences for the environment of Belarus, where most of the fallout occurred. In the early 21st century about one-fifth of Belarus's land was still radioactively contaminated. In addition to the land damage, the medical and psychological costs of the accident included an increase in birth defects and cancer (particularly of the thyroid) and a declining birth rate, at least partly in response to fears of those defects.

Environmental activists also have expressed concerns about poor air quality and pollution in Minsk and other major cities.

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Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:56

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) president Lynn Martin ring the opening bell during the bell-ringing ceremony as Reddit begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on March 21, 2024.

Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images

Reddit shares jumped 48% in their debut on Thursday in the first initial public offering for a major social media company since Pinterest hit the market in 2019.

The 19-year-old website that hosts millions of online forums priced its IPO on Wednesday at $34 a share, the top of the expected range. Reddit and selling shareholders raised about $750 million from the offering, with the company collecting about $519 million.

The stock opened at $47 and reached a high of $57.80, marking a 70% increase at its peak for the day. It closed at $50.44, giving the company a market cap of about $9.5 billion.

Trading under the ticker symbol "RDDT," Reddit is testing investor appetite for new tech stocks after an extended dry spell for IPOs. Since the peak of the technology boom in late 2021, hardly any venture-backed tech companies have gone public and those that have '-- like Instacart and Klaviyo last year '-- have underwhelmed. On Wednesday, data center hardware company Astera Labs made its public market debut on Nasdaq and saw its shares soar 72%, underscoring investor excitement over businesses tied to the surge in artificial intelligence.

At its IPO price, Reddit was valued at about $6.5 billion, a haircut from the company's private market valuation of $10 billion in 2021, which was a boom year for the tech industry. The mood changed in 2022, as rising interest rates and soaring inflation pushed investors out of high-risk assets. Startups responded by conducting layoffs, trimming their valuations and shifting their focus to profit over growth.

Reddit's annual sales for 2023 rose 20% to $804 million from $666.7 million a year earlier, the company detailed in its prospectus. The company recorded a net loss of $90.8 million last year, narrower than its loss of $158.6 million in 2022.

Based on its revenue over the past four quarters, Reddit's market cap at IPO gave it a price-to-sales ratio of about 8. Alphabet trades for 6.1 times revenue, Meta has a multiple of 9.7, Pinterest's sits at 7.5 and Snap trades for 3.9 times sales, according to FactSet.

In addition to those companies, Reddit also counts X, Discord, Wikipedia and Amazon's Twitch streaming service as competitors in its prospectus.

Reddit is betting that data licensing could become a major source of revenue, and said in its filing that it's entered "certain data licensing arrangements with an aggregate contract value of $203.0 million and terms ranging from two to three years." This year, Reddit said it plans to recognize roughly $66.4 million in revenue as part of its data licensing deals.

Google has also entered into an expanded partnership with Reddit, allowing the search giant to obtain more access to Reddit data to train AI models and improve its products.

Reddit revealed on March 15 that the Federal Trade Commission is conducting a nonpublic inquiry "focused on our sale, licensing, or sharing of user-generated content with third parties to train AI models." Reddit said it was "not surprised that the FTC has expressed interest" in the company's data licensing practices related to AI, and that it doesn't believe that it has "engaged in any unfair or deceptive trade practice."

Reddit was founded in 2005 by technology entrepreneurs Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, the company's CEO. Existing stakeholders, including Huffman, sold a combined 6.7 million shares in the IPO.As part of the IPO, Reddit gave some of its top moderators and users, known as Redditors, a chance to buy stock through a directed-share program. Companies like Airbnb , Doximity and Rivian have used similar programs to reward their power users and customers.

"I hope they believe in Reddit and support Reddit," Huffman told CNBC in an interview on Thursday. "But the goal is just to get them in the deal. Just like any professional investor."

Redditors have expressed skepticism about the IPO, both because of the company's financials and its often troubled relationship with moderators. Huffman said he recognizes that reality and acknowledged the controversial subreddit Wallstreetbets, which helped spawn the surge in meme stocks like GameStop .

"That's the beautiful thing about Reddit, is that they tell it like it is," Huffman said. "But you have to remember they're doing that on Reddit. It's a platform they love, it's their home on the internet."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is one of Reddit's major shareholders along with Tencent and Advance Magazine Publishers, the parent company of publishing giant Cond(C) Nast. Altman's stake in the company was worth over $400 million before the stock began trading. Altman led a $50 million funding round into Reddit in 2014 and was a member of its board from 2015 through 2022.

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Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:44

US President Joe Biden speaks during an event to announce that his Administration has approved $1.2 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 153,000 borrowers at the Julian Dixon Library in Culver City, California, on February 21, 2024.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

The Biden administration announced Thursday it would forgive $5.8 billion in student debt for 77,700 borrowers through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

It also said President Joe Biden would email another 380,000 public service workers starting next week, notifying them that they're on track to have their debt canceled within two years.

The U.S. Department of Education has routinely announced waves of loan forgiveness, as the Biden administration seeks to use its existing authority to leave people with less debt after the Supreme Court struck down its sweeping $400 billion loan forgiveness plan last June. The Biden administration has so far cleared the education debts of nearly 4 million people, totaling $143.6 billion in relief.

"For too long, our nation's teachers, nurses, social workers, firefighters, and other public servants faced logistical troubles and trap doors when they tried to access the debt relief they were entitled to under the law," U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement about the latest round of forgiveness.

More from Personal Finance:Millionaires may have hit their 2024 Social Security payroll tax limit78% of near-retirees failed or barely passed a basic Social Security quizMany Americans believe pensions are key to achieving the American Dream

The PSLF program, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007, allows certain not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after 10 years of on-time payments. In 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that one-quarter of American workers may be eligible.

However, the program had long been plagued by problems, making people who actually received the relief a rarity. Borrowers complained about confusing rules and misinformation from their servicers.

The Biden administration has worked to fix those issues.

Before Biden's fixes to PSLF, just around 7,000 borrowers had received debt relief through the over 15-year-old program, according to the administration. Since 2021, it said, 871,000 borrowers have now had their debt canceled under the program.

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Sat, 23 Mar 2024 12:56

Tesla has revised how late-night driving can affect your Safety Score.

Tesla's Safety Score gives drivers feedback on how they drive and uses a variety of factors to determine the probability of an accident in the future.

Although the feature has been available for some time, Tesla continues to refine and improve it, just like it does with other offerings, aiming to constantly improve its operational accuracy.

Tesla's Safety Score system will be key to in-house insurance's affordability

In a new update, which is referred to as Version 2.1, Tesla has refined how late-night driving can affect your score.

Previously, Tesla considered any driving between 10 PM and 4 AM when calculating a Safety Score. They have shifted this back by an hour, and it will now consider the amount of driving that takes place between 11 PM and 4 AM.

Tesla writes about it on its Safety Score page on its website:

''Updated Late-Night Driving to be risk weighted based on driving from 11 PM '' 4 AM (previously 10 PM to 4 AM). The impact of late-night driving on your Safety Score will depend on the proportion of time spent driving in each hour from 11 PM '' 4 AM.''

''Due to the variable risk level associated with driving during each late-night hour, each hour is weighed differently, and driving at each hour will affect your Safety Score differently. For example, driving at 11 PM will not affect your Safety Score as heavily as driving at 2 AM.''

How Tesla Determines Your Safety ScoreTesla uses eight different factors to determine a Safety Score:

Forward Collision Warnings per 1,000 Non-Autopilot Miles When an object is detected in front of the vehicle, both audible and visual alerts prompt the driver of a potential front-end collision. The number of these warnings per 1,000 non-Autopilot miles is formulated and can affect the Safety Score.

Hard BrakingAny braking that is in excess of 0.3g is defined as hard braking. ''This is the same as a decrease in the vehicle's speed larger than 6.7 MPH in one second,'' Tesla writes.

Aggressive TurningLike Hard Braking, aggressive turning monitors g-forces in excess of 0.4g.

Unsafe FollowingThe vehicle will measure its own speed, along with the speed of the vehicle in front, and the distance between the two vehicles.

''Based on these measurements, your vehicle calculates the number of seconds you would have to react and stop if the vehicle in front of you came to a sudden stop.''

Excessive SpeedingThis is defined as the proportion of time spent driving faster than 85 mph.

Late Night DrivingThe number of seconds you spend driving at night from 11 PM to 4 AM is divided by the number of seconds you spend driving during the day and night.

Each hour is weighted differently, as previously discussed. 11 PM will not affect Safety Score as heavily as driving at 2 AM.

Forced Autopilot DisengagementIf a driver has received three audio and visual warnings, Autopilot will disengage for the remainder of a trip. These warnings will occur when the vehicle determines the driver has not applied sufficient steering wheel resistance or is inattentive.

Unbuckled DrivingPretty simple: Wear your seatbelt. However, Tesla says that this is defined as time spent driving above 10 MPH without a seatbelt.

I'd love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla revises late-night driving and its affect on Safety Score

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 22:01

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:19

The backstory is so transparently corrupt it requires an explanation, so we'll go down the full rabbit hole and explain how China knew '' to a demonstrable certainty '' their multi-billion dollar investment in Mexican EV plants would be useful.

Always remember, there are trillions at stake. First, who was installed in the Biden White House in charge of all personnel and staffing? Catherine Russell. {SEE HERE} Who is Catherine Russell? She's the wife of Tom Donilon, a long-time aid and advisor to Joe Biden who served in the Obama White House.

After serving as Obama's National Security Advisor (prior to Susan Rice), Tom Donilon then went on to become ''Chairman of the BlackRock Investment Institute {SEE HERE}.'' His job was literally to ''leverage the firm's expertise and generate proprietary research to provide insights on the global economy, markets, geopolitics and long-term asset allocation.''

In essence, the Donilon family represented the interests of Blackrock in the White House.

Second, Tom Donilon's brother, Mike Donilon is a Senior Advisor to Joe Biden {link} providing guidance on what policies should be implemented within the administration. Mike Donilon guides the focus of spending, budgets, regulation and white house policy from his position of Senior Advisor to the President.

In June of 2022, Blackrock's Tom Donilon was then appointed to be co-chair of U.S. Department of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board {SEE HERE}, in charge of U.S-China policy. Can you see where this is going?

Blackrock, a massive multinational investment firm with assets in the tens-of-trillions, was essentially guiding/constructing the policymaking of the White House, through Tom Donilon, Mike Donilon and Catherine Russell (Tom's wife). Blackrock then took out massive investment stakes in China, including in the Chinese auto-making industry, with specific focus on EVs. Tom Donilon, now shifting to the State Dept and guiding US-China policy, was the Blackrock government embed, ensuring policy that would keep their investments lucrative.

Pictured above BlackRock Investment Institute Chairman Tom Donilon (former National Security Advisor to President Obama), celebrating an international collaboration with China's Chairman Xi JinpingNext up, in late 2023 the Chinese auto firms carrying the Blackrock investment money, then made big announcements. ''BUSINESS INSIDER '' Three major Chinese EV companies are planning to build new factories in Mexico, sparking concern among US officials, according to a new report. MG, BYD, and Chery are all looking at sites to build new factories in the country, according to unnamed sources cited by The Financial Times, and this investment is causing angst in Washington.''

The total investment in Mexican auto plants, specifically to build Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the USA market, exceeds $5 billion. A very big investment considering that EV sales in the U.S. were not going so well.

So, think about it, what did Blackrock know about the USA EV market: (a) that defied current market conditions; and (b) that would support such a move by the Chinese auto manufacturers they financially supported?

Today, we get the answer:

(Politico) '' The Biden administration is unleashing a flurry of regulatory actions that aims to shift the nation toward electric vehicles '-- with the biggest rule coming Wednesday to set strict limits on climate pollution from passenger cars.

The regulation being announced by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, as POLITICO's E&E News reported last week, would slash greenhouse gases from cars and light trucks in half, while pushing to have electric vehicles make up about two-thirds of new passenger vehicle sales by 2032. (read more)

As noted in a second Politico article:

The final version of the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Cars rule is the strictest federal climate regulation ever issued for passenger cars and trucks '-- even though it offers manufacturers a slightly slower phase-in of pollution limits than the EPA had first proposed last spring.

The agency estimated a year ago that the rule could lead to two-thirds of new cars and passenger trucks being electric in 2032. Wednesday's version says automakers could build a mix of vehicles to comply with the rule, including fully battery-powered vehicles, plug-in hybrids that run on electricity and gasoline, and more efficient conventional engines.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan's official rolled out the rule on Wednesday at a Washington event attended by carmakers, environmentalists and other groups.

President Joe Biden said the rule fulfills his promise to cut the nation's carbon pollution in half by the end of the decade while promoting American workers. ''Together, we've made historic progress. Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs,'' Biden said in a statement. (read more)

Biden is a blithering idiot, a pretense, a false target. Biden reads what people tell him to read; he's not the origin of the feces he spouts. Silver Spoon, ''lunch bucket'' Biden has no clue, and his Blackrock handlers keep him that way. Biden can tell the U.S. auto manufacturers anything; he has [¹]no clue what the actual policy being constructed is all about. The Biden family will be paid handsomely, either by the Blackrock group or by the Chinese -as is the background record.

So, let's encapsulate things so far. (1) The interests of Blackrock determined the White House key staff and policy makers. (2) The Donilon clan represented those Blackrock interests and worked inside both the White House and State Dept to create and maintain policy favorable to Blackrock's Chinese EV position. (3) China/Blackrock invest massively in Mexican EV production. (4) White House/EPA generate policy to support the Blackrock investment.

That's how the three Chinese auto firms could be so sure of their decision in 2023 to invest in the Mexican Blackrock EV plan. The one that President Donald Trump rightly says will create a ''bloodbath'' in the U.S auto industry.

It is not the politicians; they are functionaries.

What I am saying directly is that Blackrock is the origin of the policy, and Blackrock is the beneficiary of the policy.

This is what I mean when I keep saying, ''there are trillions at stake,'' and ''it's not the politicians we should be looking at.''

In 2008, it was the SEIU who were the foot soldiers for Barack Obama. In 2009, SEIU President Andy Stern was the #1 visitor to the White House. The SEIU needed to get rid of the healthcare liability inside their pension plan because the union was about to go broke. That's the origin of Obamacare. In 2024 Biden is manipulating the UAW leadership into the same position, looking for election help.

But wait, it gets worse'...

Blackrock is in control of policy. Now look at where Blackrock investment has been pre-deployed, and that's where you see Biden policy coming into play. Blackrock and JPMorgan set up the Ukraine reconstruction bank {SEE HERE}. That's the core of the Ukraine issue. It's not ideological, it's financial. Follow the money.

But wait, it gets even worse'....

Have you followed my research on the Russian sanctions? 2022 '' NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) '' BlackRock Inc's (BLK.N) chief executive, Larry Fink, said on Thursday that the Russia-Ukraine war could end up accelerating digital currencies as a tool to settle international transactions, as the conflict upends the globalization drive of the last three decades.

In a letter to the shareholders of the world's largest asset manager, Fink said the war will push countries to reassess currency dependencies, and that BlackRock was studying digital currencies and stablecoins due to increased client interest.

''A global digital payment system, thoughtfully designed, can enhance the settlement of international transactions while reducing the risk of money laundering and corruption'', he said.

['...] In the letter on Thursday, the chairman and CEO of the $10 trillion asset manager said the Russia-Ukraine crisis had put an end to the globalization forces at work over the past 30 years.

['...] ''While companies' and consumers' balance sheets are strong today, giving them more of a cushion to weather these difficulties, a large-scale reorientation of supply chains will inherently be inflationary,'' said Fink.

He said central banks were dealing with a dilemma they had not faced in decades, having to choose between living with high inflation or slowing economic activity to contain price pressures. (read more)

Now do you see the source, origin and beneficiary of the global cleaving?

The U.S. government didn't construct the Russian sanctions, Blackrock did!

Blackrock lays the foundation for the Dollar-Based U.S. Digital Currency (USCBDC) with the construction of Russian sanction policy. How is that US-CBDC process facilitated in real terms? With the five big US banks controlling the flow of the digital funding mechanism.

RELATIONSHIPS '' Larry Fink (Blackrock) and Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan) created the Ukraine Reconstruction Bank. Now, there are only two real threats to the creation of a US-CBDC as it currently appears. Threat #1 is Donald Trump. Threat #2 is the way people would work around the dollar based CBDC, unregulated crypto currency.

Who opposes crypto currency?

''I've always been deeply opposed to crypto, bitcoin, etc.,'' Dimon said in response to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. ''The only true use case for it is criminals, drug traffickers '... money laundering, tax avoidance because it is somewhat anonymous, not fully, and because you can move money instantaneously. ''If I was the government, I would close it down.'' (read more)

Can you see it now?

I'll have much more on this issue soon, but its critical people start to understand what is going on.

We will win this battle and eventually this war, or I'll die fighting it.

They are trying to move fast, because people are catching on now.

We are on the right side of every issue; we cherish liberty and individual freedom. Our opposition is built upon a foundation of fraud and lies. The politicians are corrupt, and their arguments collapse when put in the sunlight; but they are not the root of the problem. [²] They are vessels. That's why the multinationals like Blackrock need the rules and referees (politicians) slanted in their favor. That's why they need censorship, deplatforming, and beyond everything else'.... they must control information.

'...The key battle right now is an information war.Support Our Fight Here

[¹] [²] Now do you see why they built him a stage..

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:42

Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.

CNN '--

You've started taking an antidepressant, and it's helping you to finally feel like life is worth living or that you can stop avoiding your friends' texts. All seems right in the world '-- until the moment you realize your sex life has taken a hit.

More than one in 10 people in the United States take antidepressants, and at least 8.6 million people in England take them. And since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people on antidepressants has surged. (Data on the number of people taking antidepressants worldwide is lacking.)

''Some people actually find, when they're treated for depression, that their sexual function improved,'' said Dr. Jonathan Alpert, the Dorothy and Marty Silverman Chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. ''We believe that's because interest in sexual activity and enjoyment and pleasure are often affected by depression itself, just like other activities that give us joy and pleasure are affected by depression.''

Yet for anywhere from 40% to 60% of people on these medications, that isn't the case, Alpert said, and the sexual side effects they experience run the gamut. Some people lose their libido or ability to become aroused, while others have problems with genital sensitivity, genital lubrication, reaching orgasm or having satisfying orgasms, or ejaculation.

Others experience more than one symptom, said Dr. Lauren Streicher, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Streicher is also the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause.

The difficult trade-off of feeling less depressed or anxious, yet not being able to fully enjoy a dimension of life that's also part of mental health, can be distressing, experts said.

''The ripple effect is very, very significant,'' Streicher said, sometimes causing low self-esteem, more depression or anxiety, anger or frustration.

Couples can feel guilt, shame or concern in terms of wondering whether the sexual dysfunction reflects the relationship or sexual performance, as opposed to being a side effect of the medication, Alpert said.

Here's what you should know about why these side effects happen, and what treatments are available.

The science behind antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction boils down to a few things: your neurotransmitters, blood flow and muscular system, all of which are controlled by the brain '-- ''the most important sex organ,'' Streicher said.

The class of antidepressants most commonly associated with sexual dysfunction is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, which treat depression by ultimately increasing levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

Serotonin is one of the key neurotransmitters involved in libido and arousal, Streicher said, which are the first two components of sexual response. While libido refers to your baseline desire to be sexual, arousal is the state of getting physically or mentally turned on by sexual stimuli.

Even though a higher level of serotonin can make someone feel better mentally, it can kill libido and mental arousal. The reason why may be similar to whatever causes the emotional blunting some people experience when SSRIs lead to not only feeling less depression-related pain but also less emotion in general, Alpert said. This paradox is something scientists are still trying to understand.

Now, what's necessary for physical arousal and orgasm is increased blood flow to the genitalia, which makes nerve endings in these organs more sensitive, Streicher said. At some point, these factors send signals to the brain that result in the muscle contractions accompanied by orgasm, she added.

These functions can be inhibited by a higher level of serotonin not only in the brain but also in other areas of the body directly involved with sex, experts said. That inhibition in other areas of the body may be due to SSRIs potentially restricting blood flow by binding to alpha-1 adrenergic receptors, which are found in blood vessels in the skin, brain and more. The receptors control constriction and dilation in the smooth muscle fibers in the walls of these blood vessels.

''The range of physiological activities that serotonin '... participates in is very wide,'' Alpert said. ''It's in the brain, the spinal cord, the genitalia. It's in nerves around blood vessels. So, we think that the effects of (serotonin-based) antidepressants are really at multiple levels.''

Since not everyone taking these medications experiences sexual dysfunction even with higher levels of serotonin in the body, there may be underlying factors '-- such as genetics '-- making some people more prone to being negatively affected, Streicher said.

There are some treatments that might help, but ''this is not a do-it-yourself project,'' Streicher said. You must work with your prescribing doctor to troubleshoot the issue since the physician would prescribe medication based on needs and medical history, and because working with a professional can help you avoid any harm of tweaking your medication plan yourself.

If you've just started taking an antidepressant within the last few weeks, a doctor might suggest you wait to see if dysfunction resolves as your body adjusts. But this alleviation only happens for about 1 in 5 people, Alpert said.

''For some people, as early as two to three months, it's going to get better,'' Streicher said. ''If six months into this, you're still having problems '-- at that point it's really unlikely that the effects are just going to go away on their own.''

That's when a doctor may make a few tweaks in the medication plan. Sometimes lowering the SSRI dose a little helps people still do well mentally without having sexual dysfunction, Alpert said.

''Then there's the whole concept of the 'drug holiday,' meaning that you go off the drug for a couple of days a week in order to boost your sexual function during that time,'' Streicher said. Some people also schedule their consumption of medications far in advance of when they might have sex.

But both methods must be done carefully with a doctor to avoid withdrawals or the return of mental health symptoms, Alpert said.

A common solution is switching to bupropion, which is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, or NDRI. Bupropion is more conducive to sexual function because instead of increasing serotonin such as SSRIs do, it ups the amount of dopamine in the brain, which supports sexual desire and response, experts said. Other times, to better manage or alleviate dysfunction, doctors may add another medication to what someone is currently taking.

Sometimes this remedy is in the form of non-psychiatric medications, which can help by operating on the same mechanisms underlying the sexual side effects of antidepressants.

Medications for general sexual dysfunction, such as sildenafil or phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, are sometimes prescribed to promote dilation of blood vessels '-- allowing better blood flow '-- and muscle relaxation in genital areas, counteracting the blood vessel constriction caused by high levels of serotonin, experts said. The reasoning is similar to the prescription of blood pressure medications for sexual dysfunction.

Also, researchers are currently testing a topical sildenafil in clinical trials to improve arousal and orgasm in people with clitorises, Streicher said.

Modifying a medication plan can be a trial-and-error situation with no guarantee in what will work for you or how soon, which can add to the frustration, Streicher said.

If your psychiatrist thinks so, eliminating medication entirely and managing your mental health in other ways could be another option.

Sex toys, or sex ''tools,'' as Streicher calls them, can also help in the context of being needed to help make the trappings of sex '-- such as arousal and orgasm '-- possible rather than to make sex simply more pleasurable.

''Any time that things are muted when neurologic endings aren't as sensitive, then obviously increasing the amount of stimulation is going to help,'' she added. It explains why vibrators can be helpful for people with clitorises, as research on orgasmic dysfunction and genital sensation deficiency among this group has found that clitoral sensitivity to vibration degrades more slowly than clitoral sensitivity to light touch, Streicher said.

The conditions that require antidepressants can be debilitating and life-threatening, so don't let the potential for sexual side effects prevent you from exploring mental health treatments, Alpert said. ''So many things can be done.''

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Highlights ' Nicotine injection activates or inhibits distinct VTA dopaminergic subpopulations

' NAc-projecting neurons are excited by nicotine, and their activation is reinforcing

' Amygdala-projecting neurons are inhibited by nicotine, and their silencing is anxiogenic

' Nicotine-mediated anxiety is prevented by activating VTA-amygdala DA neurons

SummaryNicotine stimulates dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to establish and maintain reinforcement. Nicotine also induces anxiety through an as yet unknown circuitry. We found that nicotine injection drives opposite functional responses of two distinct populations of VTA DA neurons with anatomically segregated projections: it activates neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), whereas it inhibits neurons that project to the amygdala nuclei (Amg). We further show that nicotine mediates anxiety-like behavior by acting on β2-subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the VTA. Finally, using optogenetics, we bidirectionally manipulate the VTA-NAc and VTA-Amg pathways to dissociate their contributions to anxiety-like behavior. We show that inhibition of VTA-Amg DA neurons mediates anxiety-like behavior, while their activation prevents the anxiogenic effects of nicotine. These distinct subpopulations of VTA DA neurons with opposite responses to nicotine may differentially drive the anxiogenic and the reinforcing effects of nicotine.

Keywords nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

dopamine circuits

addiction

juxtacellular recordings

optogenetics

amygdala

nucleus accumbens

ventral tegmental area

nicotine

(C) 2021 Elsevier Inc.

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Doctors score win, forcing FDA to remove statements about ivermectin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to remove social media posts and webpages that urged people to stop taking ivermectin to treat COVID-19, according to a settlement dated March 21.

The FDA has already removed a page that said: ''Should I take ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19? No.''

Within 21 days, the FDA will remove another page titled, ''why you should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19,'' according to

the settlement announcement, which was filed with federal court in southern Texas.

''The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals,'' the page

currently states. It also says that data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19, despite how some studies it cites

show ivermectin is effective against the illness.

The FDA in the settlement is also agreeing to delete multiple social media posts that came out strongly against ivermectin, including one that stated: ''You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.''

In exchange, doctors who sued the agency are dismissing their claims, the filing states.

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''FDA loses its war on ivermectin and agrees to remove all social media posts and consumer directives regarding ivermectin and COVID, including its most popular tweet in FDA history,'' Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, one of the doctors, said in a statement. ''This landmark case sets an important precedent in limiting FDA overreach into the doctor-patient relationship.''

''We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the settlement as it is a victory for every doctor and patient in the United States,'' added Dr. Paul Marik, chief scientific officer of the FLCCC Alliance and another plaintiff. ''The FDA interfered in the practice of medicine with their irresponsible language and posts about ivermectin. We will never know how many lives were affected because patients were denied access to a lifesaving treatment because their doctor was 'just following the FDA.'''

An FDA spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the agency ''has chosen to resolve this lawsuit rather than continuing to litigate over statements that are between two and nearly four years old.''

''FDA has not admitted any violation of law or any wrongdoing, disagrees with the plaintiffs' allegation that the agency exceeded its authority in issuing the statements challenged in the lawsuit, and stands by its authority to communicate with the public regarding the products it regulates,'' the spokesperson said. ''FDA has not changed its position that currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. The agency has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19.''

Ivermectin was approved by the FDA in 1996 to treat several conditions, including onchocerciasis, a tropical disease caused by a parasitic worm.

In the United States, it's common for doctors to prescribe medicine off-label, or for a different purpose than the one for which the medicine is approved.

After some doctors began prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19, the FDA ramped up its campaign, including the Aug. 21, 2021, post on Twitter, now known as X.

Dr. Bowden and two other doctors sued the FDA, arguing the agency's actions went beyond its authority, as conferred on it by Congress.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown

dismissed the case in 2022, ruling that the FDA did not act outside the authority. But an appeals court in 2023

ruled in favor of the doctors, finding that the agency ''has identified no authority allowing it to recommend consumers 'stop' taking medicine.''

Between the time of the ruling and the settlement, the FDA

refused to change any of its statements on ivermectin, and

asked for a fresh dismissal of the suit.

The CaseDrs. Robert Apter, Bowden, and Marik

brought the case in 2022. They said they suffered repercussions after prescribing ivermectin to patients with COVID-19, and that the FDA was to blame.

Dr. Apter, for instance, said that pharmacists refused to fill the prescriptions, citing the FDA.

''This refusal delays his patients in obtaining their prescribed treatment'--when early intervention is paramount'--while they look for a pharmacy to fill their prescription, if they can find one at all,'' the suit states.

He also said that insurance companies were refusing to pay for ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

The suit said the FDA illegally interfered with the relationships between the doctors and patients. The doctors said with regard to ivermectin, the FDA overstepped the authority conferred on it in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Government lawyers argued that the FDA was acting within the confines of the law, and succeeded in getting the dismissal.

Judge Brown, appointed under President Donald Trump, said the FDA's powers were only limited with regard to medical devices.

''As there is no statute limiting the FDA's actions here, it cannot have acted outside of any statutory limitations,'' he wrote in his ruling. ''Further, it cannot be said that the FDA had no colorable basis of authority. The FDA is charged by Congress with protecting public health and ensuring that regulated medical products are safe and effective, among other things.''

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit disagreed, finding that the law did not authorize the FDA to give medical advice.

''FDA can inform, but it has identified no authority allowing it to recommend consumers 'stop' taking medicine,'' U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett, appointed under President Trump, wrote for the court. The appeals court remanded the case back to the district court.

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NASA is now accepting applications for new astronauts.

NASA is now accepting applications for new astronauts who could end up where no humans have gone before.

There's a long list of requirements.

Among them, you must have a master's degree in a STEM field, which is science, technology, engineering, or math, from an accredited institution.

In addition, applicants must have a minimum of three years of related professional experience, and the ability to complete NASA's long-duration flight physical.

Selected astronauts will join NASA's Artemis program which is preparing to land the first woman and the next man on the moon.

They will explore and conduct experiments at the lunar south pole where humans have never been.

There are also plans to travel to Mars.

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It's been 50 years since "Nasty Nellie" headed to the prairie.

The surviving cast of "Little House on the Prairie" is celebrating its milestone anniversary at a festival being held this weekend at Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California. It's where the show was filmed during its nine-season run from 1974 to 1982.

"If you would have told us 50 years ago that this show would remain timeless, we would have thought you were crazy," Alison Arngrim, who played mean girl Nellie Oleson, told Fox News Digital.

'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE' SAVED 'NASTY NELLIE' ALISON ARNGRIM FROM PAINFUL CHILDHOOD: 'I DID FIND MY WAY'

Alison Arngrim starred as mean girl Nellie Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie." (Getty Images)

"We had no concept that this show would still be airing on television 50 years later," she shared. "We didn't even know if there would still be TV in 50 years! We were stunned that this show became a hit."

The Michael Landon-led series chronicled the adventures of the Ingalls family in the 19th-century Midwest. Despite its wholesome storytelling, life was different on set, the former child star insisted.

"It was the '70s," she chuckled. "People drank, people smoked. [Landon] did all of these things. It was kind of strange you're'... on set and people are standing around with cigarettes and glasses of gin. It seemed odd, but that was TV in the '70s. It was like 'Mad Men.' [Landon] was so not Pa. But then, if you think about it, what a brilliant performance. Here was this man who came to work in his unbuttoned shirt, in his gold chains, in his Ferrari with his Marlboros, and then he turned into Pa Ingalls in a matter of minutes."

Michael Landon smiles on the set of "Little House on the Prairie," circa 1977. (Ron Galella Collection)

Landon, who played patriarch Charles Ingalls, died at age 54 from pancreatic cancer in 1991. The actress described her late co-star as a straight shooter who smoked furiously and battled insecurities when cameras stopped rolling.

"Michael in many ways was a Hollywood person," the 62-year-old explained. "Yes, he owned a Ferrari. He had fast cars. But'... the show was therapy for people. And I believe it was therapy for Michael in a lot of ways'... [What surprised me] was that'... insecurity, because he was so powerful. He was the executive director. He was the producer. He was the writer and star of the show. He was everything. He was loved by millions, absolutely gorgeous, very much in charge'... He'd be cracking jokes. He had a wonderfully twisted, warped sense of humor. He was hilarious."

"But you could see that there were moments when he was trying so hard, 'Will this be good enough?'" Arngrim continued. "He wanted it to be good enough to be perfect. And you could see that there were times when he'd get that look like, 'Oh, my God, maybe this isn't going to be perfect.' And I think that was maybe the thing that drove him, maybe scared him. That it wouldn't be perfect."

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Michael Landon, left, loved his Ferrari and cigarettes, said Alison Arngrim. (Getty Images)

Decades later, Arngrim still views the beloved patriarch as "complicated and fascinating."

"That was the most fun you could have on a set without getting arrested," she said. "[He was all about] the jokes, the foolishness, always wanting to make the kids laugh'... and then being very supportive and respectful at the same time. And then being an absolute task master'... all at the same time, all day long. I don't think I've met anybody [else] quite like him."

According to the star, the pilot episode for "Little House" came out in March 1974. It wouldn't be until September of that year that the series had its premiere.

The "Little House on the Prairie" cast, from left: Melissa Gilbert; Michael Landon; Karen Grassle, who holds an unidentified baby; Melissa Sue Anderson; and Lindsay or Sidney Greenbush. (Fotos International)

Arngrim said that unlike everyone else on set, Landon "always knew" that "Little House" would stand the test of time.

"He told [co-star] Melissa Gilbert'... 'Long after we are all gone, they'll still be watching this,'" she said. "And everyone he said it to shook their heads and smiled, nodded and went, 'He's crazy.' No one believed him. Everyone said, 'Oh, isn't that sweet? He clearly lost his mind.' No one thought this thing would be going 50 years later'... We are dumbfounded. We are thrilled. We're so grateful."

Landon isn't the only missing star whose presence will be felt this weekend.

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Michael Landon died in 1991 at the age of 54. (Silver Screen Collection)

Arngrim was close friends with Steve Tracy, who played her on-screen husband, Percival Dalton. The actor died in 1986 at age 34.

"He was a wonderful person, so funny and incredible," she shared. "He was older than me and treated me with respect. He didn't go, 'This dumb 17-year-old.' He recognized that I had improv skills. So the comedic stuff that we did as Nellie and Percival, we were able to do that. We had a wonderful relationship and became great friends."

"He got diagnosed with AIDS'... there weren't drugs for this," she reflected. "There was no cocktail. They didn't know what the heck they were doing yet. People didn't live for years with AIDS. People lived for months back then. So when he went public in 1986 and told everybody he had AIDS, it was devastating to all of us'... Back then, if you lived nine months, it was a miracle."

Alison Arngrim became close friends with Steve Tracy, who played her on-screen husband. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)

According to the actress, Tracy lived for a couple of years after his diagnosis. During that time, he underwent a grueling experimental treatment. Arngrim thought it would save his life.

"It was very unpleasant, the shots," she said. "It was painful. It was like chemotherapy. It was awful. I said, 'Is this painful?' He said, 'Oh, yeah.' I said, 'Well, is it going to work?' And he said, 'No. It's too late. It's too late for me. It's progressed too far.' I said, 'What?' He said, 'I'm just hoping that if I do this, they can save someone after I'm gone.'"

"That's the kind of person Steve Tracy was," said Arngrim, fighting back tears. "He was absolutely my friend. That's why I started volunteering for the AIDS Project in Los Angeles and worked with multiple AIDS organizations all through the '80s, '90s. I wanted to help people, just like him."

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Steve Tracy passed away in 1986. He was 34. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)

The remaining cast has maintained a close bond over the years. During the coronavirus pandemic, Arngrim hosted live readings of the "Little House" books for fans.

She's just as busy as ever. The star boasted she has bookings through November of this year, when she'll reconnect with fans both across the country and internationally.

"The 'Little House' books came at the height of the Great Depression, and the series premiered when we were having a terrible recession and people couldn't afford things," Arngrim said. "And when times got hard in 2020, people turned to 'Little House' for comfort. People started making their own bread and all of a sudden, everyone was an Ingalls."

Alison Arngrim has gone on to do a one-woman show about her life in showbiz. (Giacinta Pace/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)

"There's a deep connection people have to the show, and it's truly amazing," she noted. "It really has stood the test of time, just as Michael Landon predicted. When times get hard, there's always 'Little House on the Prairie.'"

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Annie Ohana's classroom is decorated with colourful and thought-provoking posters and flags. They're part of Ohana's curriculum at L.A. Matheson Secondary in Surrey, B.C., and meant to ignite dialogue amongst her students.

''We've had students tell us that those flags really mean something to them,'' she said. ''It represents them.''

While the flags and posters are embraced at the school, they're also the reason Ohana was targeted online by Chanel Pfahl, a former high school teacher who '' according to her bio on X, formerly known as Twitter '' exposes ''wokism'' in Canadian schools.

Pfahl posted a photo on the platform criticizing Ohana's classroom, saying the educator is ''influencing kids to adopt her personal political beliefs'' and that she needs to be fired immediately.

''She seems to be making a lot of assumptions that were simply based on misinformation, lies, and in fact, puts myself and other teachers and students and my community in danger,'' Ohana said.

'Suffer in silence'When asked for comment, Pfahl said in a direct message on X, ''Any reasonable person who looks through (Ohana's) thousands of posts on X will see that she is indoctrinating kids with radical woke ideology.''

Ohana said the curriculum and class outline she provides as the Indigenous Department head undergo an approval process by the Surrey School District, and that she and her colleagues are not indoctrinating any students.

''What we're doing is building really strong, empowered citizens that can speak up for themselves,'' she said.

This isn't the first time Ohana has experienced this kind of harassment, but it is the first time she's spoken publicly about it and asked for help online.

''I think really the call out is to make sure that other teachers know it's OK to ask for help,'' she said. ''You don't have to suffer in silence.''

Harassing educatorsElizabeth Simons, the deputy director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said there's a trend of harassing transgender or gender non-conforming educators in Canada, as well as harassing school board members who declare allyship and intent to uphold inclusive policies around gender and sex education.

''Pfahl is one person in a large network of people and social media accounts who hyperfocus on gender-diverse educators and school staff, boards, and affirming policies,'' Simons said.

Stephanie Wilson, an anti-hate researcher, said attacks on educators, school boards and provincial politicians have risen.

''What we're seeing is an increase in attacks on teachers themselves through harassment campaigns, emails, social media attacks and it's potentially very dangerous,'' Wilson said.

'Absolutely having an impact'In a statement to CTV News, Rachna Singh, the minister of education and child care, said she's thought a lot about the teachers and support staff who have been faced with some very difficult situations over the past year as they stand up for their students in the face of rising hate, homophobia, and transphobia.

''I have spoken to numerous teachers who are facing mounting levels of hate, not unlike what I have also personally experienced. Intimidation and aggression have no place in our schools, and I feel strongly that our schools must be places where every student can thrive and feel safe and welcomed,'' she added.

Ohana said while the hate she's received from Pfahl's post has intensified, she has also received support from other parents and organizations.

''There's concern from the RCMP, lawyers, all kinds of people that are watching this,'' she said.

As a Sephardic Jew and queer person, Ohana said these attacks are growing more virulent and vitriolic, causing some teachers to leave the profession.

''I'm thinking about the teachers who can't be in front of you right now, that are so scared, that are going on long-term stress leaves," she said. "This is absolutely having an impact way beyond.''

Ohana said despite the harassment, she will continue to educate in the ways she always has, including using this experience as a teachable moment in her classroom.

''It's about intersectional empowerment for all, and I feel sad that people don't see that,'' she said.

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Medicare will provide coverage for Wegovy for patients with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other serious cardiovascular problems, an agency spokesperson said Thursday.

The decision, experts say, could grant millions of patients access to the popular yet expensive weight loss medication.

Medicare, which currently provides health insurance to more than 65 million people in the U.S., has long been barred from paying for weight loss drugs.

Earlier this month, however, the Food and Drug Administration expanded the approval for Wegovy, saying that it can be prescribed to people who are overweight or have obesity to reduce their risk of heart disease.

The change prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to consider coverage because reducing heart disease risk is a medically accepted use under federal law, the spokesperson said.

Medicare will still not cover Wegovy if it is only being used for weight management, the spokesperson said.

Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for people with low incomes, will also be required to cover Wegovy to reduce heart disease risk.

Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said Medicare providing coverage for Wegovy is ''transformational.''

But doing so could undermine Medicare's ''financial stability,'' Gostin said. The drug carries a list price of around $1,200 a month, and many patients will likely want a prescription.

A survey from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging in December found about 3 in 4 older adults believe Medicare should cover weight loss medications.

A blog post from the Congressional Budget Office last October said that if Medicare did cover weight loss medications such as Wegovy, the net cost to the program ''would be significant over the next 10 years.''

''There could be a slippery slope where Medicare ends up paying for the drug to be used for weight loss purposes,'' Gostin said. ''That would bankrupt Medicare and cause a taxpayer revolt.''

Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the Medicare policy program at KFF, a nonpartisan group that studies health policy issues, said that while Medicare won't cover the drug solely for weight loss, many people with heart disease are overweight or have obesity.

''We could see Medicare patients with both conditions get coverage of this drug for its heart health benefits,'' Cubanski said. ''That's potentially a big deal given the large demand for this drug even in the absence of many insurers covering it.''

The drug will be covered under Medicare Part D, which covers the cost of medications people take at home, the spokesperson said.

It's not clear how private insurance companies that offer supplemental Part D coverage will respond, Cubanski said, noting that plans do have the ability to add new drugs to the list of drugs they cover in the middle of the year, ''but given the cost of this drug, plans might not want to be the first movers.''

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical reporter for NBC News. He covers the Food and Drug Administration, with a special focus on Covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. He previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with CNBC.

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NASA says an asteroid larger than the Empire State Building is heading toward Earth. But don't worry, it's not expected to arrive until the year 2182 and there's only a .05% chance it will hit our planet.

It's important to understand this hazard in general, as well as what we might be able to do when an asteroid ultimately is going to collide with the Earth -- because it's happened many times before throughout geologic history.

The good news is, scientists have been working on one of the solutions. It involves sending something into space to deter the asteroid.

RELATED: Asteroid that passes nearby could hit Earth in the future, NASA says

In October of 2022, NASA successfully used its mission called "Dart" to alter the trajectory of an asteroid with a spacecraft.

The asteroid, named "Bennu" has come close to Earth a few times since it was first discovered in 1999.

RELATED: NASA reveals sample from asteroid Bennu contains water, lots of carbon: the building blocks of life

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PBS again went to bat for the ''LGBTQ-Plus'' warriors on the PBS News Weekend Sunday, lamenting a slight dip in America's gushing over the alphabet folks in ''U.S. support for LGBTQ+ rights is declining after decades of support. Here's why.''

In the show introduction, anchor John Yang fretted over ''declining support for LGBTQ-plus rights, reversing years of increasing support,'' then cut to pollster Melissa Deckmant to blame (who else?) Republicans: "And I think what`s happening is that you see many Republican leaders and red states really trying to amp up the volume, so to speak, on LGBTQ rights, and really trying to claw back some of those rights across the country."

Already the scene had been set -- you know which side to take and who to boo and hiss at, courtesy of your tax dollars.

Yang had the new alphabet down pat in this story, which overhyped a downward wiggle in polling data (based on new research from a left-wing polling firm, the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, of which Deckman was the CEO).

Reporter William Brangham boasted about the question they used to measure ''gender identity'': ''What sex were you assigned at birth on your original birth certificate?''

Adding: "The survey showed for the first time support fell for key policies regarding LGBTQ rights, backing for same sex marriage dropped two percentage points, support for non-discrimination protections dropped four points and opposition to people refusing services based on religious grounds dropped five points."

Brangham talked to Deckman about the results, ''the first time you`ve seen it a downward tick in those numbers. What how do you explain that?''

Acceptance of LGBTQ was not enough -- unanimous approval was required by the gender-obsessed left and Republicans were the problem:

DECKMAN: We saw much deeper declines, for example, among Republicans in terms of their support for these issues, whereas Democrats tended to stay relatively stable. And I think what's happening is that you see many Republican leaders in red states, really trying to amp up the volume, so to speak, on LGBTQ rights, and really trying to claw back some of those rights across the country. And I think that`s had a spillover effect nationally in terms of the attitudes of Republicans, especially on issues with respect to LGBTQ rights.

Brangham's suggested explanation for the decline '' of persecuted LGBTQ people merely beginning to ''assert their rights'' -- was a pretty benign description of the media-supported revolution that's taken place the last several years, including ''Bake the cake, bigot!'' extremists on the gay-marriage front, and successfully pressuring social media outlets and real-life institutions to deplatform users and fire employees for the crime of ''misgendering'' biological men. (And threatening Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling with arrest under new ''hate crimes'' law in Scotland.)

"I mean, is it perhaps also possible that as people start to identify more publicly and assert their rights and take a more prominent place in society, that we could be seeing the traces of a backlash here?," Branham wondered.

Deckman blamed Christians: "As you might imagine, Americans who have a tendency to support Christian nationalism are far less likely to support the rights of LGBTQ Americans, in part because of the theological opposition to the idea of really homosexuality and being queer to begin with'..."

And since it was a presidential election year, a call to activism was proclaimed:

BRANHAM: For people who are LGBTQ or work to help solidify their rights, what does this survey data tell you about what work lies ahead for them?

DECKMAN: '....There's now a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. And there's indication that the rights of same-sex marriage are going to be on the line you're going to have legal challenges from conservative groups are going to be fighting to rollback those rights. And I think that this is just a good reminder that those rights shouldn't be taken for granted that it's going to take political organizing, and that elections have consequences.

And so the word went out over the tax-funded airwaves: Vote Biden!

This segment was brought to you in part by BNSF Railway.

A transcript is available, click ''Expand.''

PBS News Weekend

3/17/24

7:12:50 p.m. (ET)

JOHN YANG: For the last few decades, the story of LGBTQ plus rights in America has been one of increasing public support. But now a new survey finds that for the first time in years, there`s a slight decline in that support. William Brangham takes a closer look.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Throughout 2023, the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, interviewed over 22,000 adults for what it calls its American Values Atlas. Last week, the Organization released its findings on views about LGBTQ rights in the US. The survey showed for the first time support fell for key policies regarding LGBTQ rights, backing for same sex marriage dropped two percentage points, support for non-discrimination protections dropped four points and opposition to people refusing services based on religious grounds dropped five points.

To help us understand this data, we are joined by CEO of PRRI Melissa Deckman. You`ve been doing this survey for years. And this being the first time you`ve seen it a downward tick in those numbers. What how do you explain that?

MELISSA DECKMAN, CEO, Public Religion Research Institute: Yeah, we were somewhat surprised to see after several years of increasing support among Americans for LGBTQ rights, that we saw a decline. But I think if you look under the hood, so to speak, and look at the data more closely, it`s really largely driven by party polarization.

And so we saw much deeper declines, for example, among Republicans in terms of their support for these issues, whereas Democrats tended to stay relatively stable. And I think what`s happening is that you see many Republican leaders in red states, really trying to amp up the volume, so to speak on LGBTQ rights, and really trying to claw back some of those rights across the country.

And I think that`s had a spillover effect nationally in terms of the attitudes of Republicans, especially on issues with respect to LGBT rights.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In your survey, you`re talking to people who both affiliate with a particular religion and also non-religious people as well, correct?

MELISSA DECKMAN: That`s right. So our surveys are done among Americans nationally. One great thing about the ABA is we also have enough data to look at opinions in all 50 states. But essentially, we get a snapshot of all Americans, including people of faith and people who are unaffiliated.

I think it`s also important to bear in mind that despite these declines that we`ve seen, the vast majority of people of faith continue to support the rights of LGBTQ Americans, especially with respect to same sex marriage and non-discrimination laws.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So for someone who might look at this and think, Oh, what a 2 percent decline or a 5 percent decline is not that substantial. What Why does this really stand out to you?

MELISSA DECKMAN: I think it stands out. Because with respect to LGBT rights, we`re generally there has been a growing increase in support among Americans. And part of that is a reflection of the fact that more Americans, especially younger Americans, are identifying as LGBTQ.

So younger Americans, more Americans have friends who are LGBTQ, they themselves are LGBTQ, they have colleagues. So there has been this assumption that as we become more, I think, accepting of LGBT Americans in our daily lives, that it would just naturally lend itself to people being more supportive of protecting the rights of LGBTQ Americans.

But I think this data shows you that that`s not necessarily an assumption that is true. And so it`s something important to monitor and keep aware of.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, is it perhaps also possible that as people start to identify more publicly and assert their rights and take a more prominent place in society, that we could be seeing the traces of a backlash year?

MELISSA DECKMAN: I think that`s exactly what you`re seeing. One of the things that we analyze in the report is we look at the relationship between Christian nationalist views and support for LGBTQ rights. As you might imagine, Americans who have a tendency to support Christian nationalism are far less likely to support the rights of LGBTQ Americans, in part because of the theological opposition to the idea of really homosexuality and being queer to begin with.

And so I think that there`s that important relationship there that we have to really keep in mind.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You`re talking about are there other below the top lines here other data points that really that were of interest to you?

MELISSA DECKMAN: We were really surprised in our findings that younger Americans have trended downward with respect to support for LGBTQ rights. If you look at our data, we find that roughly one in five Americans aged 18 to 29 identify as LGBTQ. But yet what`s happened over the past couple of years is that there`s been a slight decline among younger Americans.

I think the assumption was that because younger Americans are more likely to identify as queer that we`d always have younger Americans being more supportive. Again, though, you have to look under the hood. It`s really party polarization that is driving down support among younger Americans for same sex marriage, for example.

So one number really stands out to us. If you look at young Americans attitudes about same sex marriage, and 2020 among Republicans, two thirds supported same sex marriage rights. But in last year`s data among young Republicans aged 18 to 29, it`s less than half, that`s a really big cratering of support.

I think there was often an assumption among many political analysts that younger Republicans would moderate the party with respect to things like LGBTQ rights, or even abortion rights or climate change, et cetera. But what we`re finding in this data is that younger Republicans are very conservative socially.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So interesting. For people who are LGBTQ or work to help solidify their rights, what does this survey data tell you about what work lies ahead for them?

MELISSA DECKMAN: Well, I think there`s the survey data, it really points, as we like to say, the canary in the coal mine idea that you can assume that such rights are going to be held in perpetuity or will increase. And you can also assume just because the vast majority of Americans support these rights, that those rights are going to be legally protected, especially in wake of the Dobbs decision.