1667: Heavy Tail

Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor, contributed $1,917,820 to political candidates and committees, with $1,007,147 going to Republicans and $884,979 going to Democrats.[1](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=D)[3](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib?cycle=2020&ind=D)

Northrop Grumman, another major defense contractor, contributed $1,253,089, with $573,905 going to Republicans and $660,990 going to Democrats.[1](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=D)[3](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib?cycle=2020&ind=D)

General Atomics, a defense technology company, contributed $1,229,004, with $864,690 going to Republicans and $279,617 going to Democrats.[1](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=D)[3](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib?cycle=2020&ind=D)

I heard the boots on the ground email you read about the Ford Lightning and wanted to share my experience with some EVs at work.

I work for my local transit service. Because we live in Washington State and our Governor cares more about "climate change" than its people and their welfare we had to buy 10 or so electric buses. For some reason the designers thought putting the batteries on the roof would be a good thing. I think eventually that may become a problem. In order to operate the bus, you have to take a special separate class. No one is allowed to use them until they have been unplugged by the mechanics. I found out that issue when I went on one recently. I am not a driver, so I did not take the class. They have the same controls to turn on and off as a diesel, but of course it can't be that easy. I ended up having to find a mechanic to turn the bus off again! But the biggest issue with them is that they only have enough range to last HALF A DAY. Our smallest diesel buses last a full day (18 or so hours of running) and the biggest can last TWO days. Because of that I'm told that we are buying property nearby to build a hydrogen factory and will eventually replace our entire fleet with hydrogen buses. Personally, I think hydrogen is a much better choice than electric. But the president and others in the "climate change" cult care more about the control electric cars will give them over people.

I just

ended my Creative Cloud account. When stories about this hit my feed I

doubted it until I went to their user agreement page. See Section 4.2. https://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html

This

was the reason I initially did not sign up for Instagram in the mid

2010s. They had something similar and finally relented. Obviously with

all the AI buzz Adobe is just sucking up material for their dang AI

poops.

"4.2 Licenses to Your Content. Solely

for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software,

you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable,

license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, create

derivative works based on, publicly perform, and translate the Content.

For example, we may sublicense our right to the Content to our service

providers or to other users to allow the Services and Software to

operate as intended, such as enabling you to share photos with others.

Separately, section 4.6 (Feedback) below covers any Feedback that you

provide to us."

In the mornin' John and Adam,

My

co-worker and I were discussing AI and how we believed it inhibits your

critical thinking and writing skills. She just graduated high school.

She said the teachers use an AI detecting software called Turnitin (Turn

It In) that will call AI on a paper even if the student did not use it.

The software can't tell the difference between an AI generated research

paper or a paper thoroughly researched and well written. She said they

have to dumb down their papers by not using "big professional" words or

even a thesaurus thus making their research paper subpar.

Thank you for your courage

Heavy Metta 🙏

Later, Hale wrote, “I will be of no use of love for any girl if I don’t have what they need: boy’s body / male gender.”

Next to these remarks, Hale illustrated the words, “Everything Hurts,” which she used repeatedly throughout the journal.

While the source of Hale’s purported discomfort is unclear, musculoskeletal pain is a possible side effect of a medication The Star learned was prescribed to Hale by staff at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

In addition to musculoskeletal pain, the National Institutes of Health explains side effects for that medication, the anti-anxiety drug Buspirone, include abnormal dreams, outbursts of anger, tremors, and physical weakness.

Hale was additionally prescribed Escitalopram, better known as Lexapro, and Medical News Today explains that using the depression drug with Buspirone could “increase the risk of side effects” for both medications.

Link

The company I worked for had the contract/s to test about 225,000 students & staff on a weekly basis. The contract to test half of the LAUSD for one school year was for up to $750 million dollars. Another company had the contract to test the other half. When it started we had 800 health care workers flown in, living in hotel rooms in and around Los Angeles, getting an $87 per diem. At the time we were the largest US customer for Hertz Rent A Car with nearly 500 vehicles. Eventually to help the local economy we transitioned to all local employees hired as temp W2’s. At the end we had 1200 employees on the project. The lab we contracted with was in Oakland, California, so twice a day, Monday through Friday, samples were flown from Van Nuys airport up to Oakland by a contracted company using their own aircraft.

Working with the LAUSD was as nightmarish as you could imagine; the DEI bullshit was off the charts. Both the LAUSD & the company I worked for suffered mightily from the incompetence inherent to DEI. Literal fucking idiots. Toxic paranoid narcissists. When Obiden’s vax mandate came down their true fascist nature was exposed; I had to fire people who did not want the poison vax because LAUSD did not want the “unclean” in their schools.

I know I will burn in hell for what I did then which I am ashamed to admit I did out of greed. Having never made a lot of money and in the previous ten years living outside the normal financial system and only making about $24k/year I’m ashamed to say the temptation of $250k/year was too much to withstand. I knew all about the Nuremberg Code but on every occasion I attempted to discuss this with my superiors I was rebuffed. I still have a lump on my head from banging it against the wall in frustration on an hourly basis. Any attempt to improve operations or efficiency had to be measured against the potential loss of revenue-so the more inefficient & the more people required the more money my company made. Remember that contract was for UP TO $750 million. No way in hell they would leave money on the table. Another thing I learned was that companies that are “matrix organizations” are going to be the death of US business culture.

Hey Adam,

Bruce and I went to a

xoncert for a band called Drive By Truckers. With it being Pride month,

we figured we'd here somthing about it.

Instead,

the slightly drunk lead singer basicly just called any Trump supporter

racist. He went on weird rants about racism and Trump. He was basicly

your 60 year old uncle at Thanksgiving ranting (im 34...this

metaphorswill not work for you). Some people cheered. Everyone else was

uncomfortably silent.

You

might laugh but it kind of helps me understand Hitler and Germany more,

Cina,, everything. Many Germans wanted a boggie man to hate and the

rest are shamed into silence. I know this isn't nazism but I get mass

formation.

I don't really want to be a Trunp supporter

He

won't save us. I'm not happy about the vacine. But things like this

make me excited to vote for Trump like a 'fuck you" to arrogent people. I

know that's not the right way to approach it.

I

feel like at this point I have to vote for Trump. Not because I

particularly like him but because Biden is completely out of control.

I

thought John's question in the newsletter was striking last week. Why

are so many liberals so apt to just listen and do what they're told,?

Socialism is fundamentaly collectist so maybe in that since uts easier

to not question because that keeps the peace? So mask up and shut up.

Ironicly they want to disregard the past.

But

thats a tangent. Thank you for your work. When you hear you might be a

racist because you think Biden can't be president again, I think any

serious person might stop and question themselves. But I think we are

all, honestly, a little racist. It's life.

Ironicly,,

after the convert, we hung out with a black couple at bar. So I guess

I'm not that worried. I'll take a survey of all my black friends. Just

kidding. But it would be funny.

So I'm voting for Trump. I guess. It's fine. But we have to stop this nonsense

Conclusion

Our analyses show that men who are less dissatisfied with the size of their penises are more likely to own guns than other men. These findings are important because they contribute to an evidence-based understanding of gun ownership. Gun owners make a lot of claims about guns. Many will tell you that guns improve their lives, make them happy, and help them sleep better at night, but none of these claims have been established empirically

Link

The media manipulation scheme was alleged in a section of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report tabled in the House of Commons on Monday.

According to the redacted section, China’s regime was “interfering with Canadian media content via direct engagement with Canadian media executives and journalists.”

Specific examples included six sentences that were redacted. The report notes that the redacted portion described “examples of (China) paying to publish media articles without attribution, sponsoring media travel to the (People’s Republic of China), pressuring journalists to withdraw articles and creating false accounts on social media to spread disinformation.”

Concerns about Beijing’s control over certain media outlets have a long history in Canada. In 2021, Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a briefing memo that media influence operations had “become normalized,” especially with ethnic media outlets.

“In particular, PRC media influence activities in Canada have become normalized,” the memo stated.

Link

"Further details on the hostage rescue operation - Operation 'Summer Seeds' :

- Lieutenant Colonel Arnon Zamora, may he rest in peace, led the team in breaching the building where three hostages were held (Noa was held in another building about 200 meters away). Zamora was injured during the confrontation with the terrorists and later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

- The hostages were held by Hamas guards in homes of Arab families (Hxmas paid the families to hold the hostages - indicating there are no innocent bystanders).

- The IDF entered Nuseirat in trucks and civilian vehicles with Gazan license plates.

- Many terrorists from Nuseirat fired upon the IDF, including anti-tank missile fire, resulting in a firefight where many Palestinians were killed.

- The confrontation occurred near Nuseirat's market.

- The rescue vehicle was hit, caught fire, and became stuck.

- Forces from Brigade 98: Paratroopers, Kfir, Givati Brigade, Golani Reconnaissance Battalion, and Shayetet 13 attacked Nuseirat from multiple directions under heavy bombardment from the Air Force, helicopter fire, Navy ship fire, and artillery fire, successfully bringing the hostages to a waiting helicopter landing zone.

- The terrorists fired several anti-tank missiles at the helicopters in an attempt to shoot them down - unsuccessfully (the firing was carried out by activists of the Popular Front who claim they hit the helicopter).

- Noa Argamani told her family: 'There was knocking on the door - 'It's the IDF, we've come to rescue you.'

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 16:43

Extreme weather event

Summer (June''August) 1936 average temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit. Record warmest and coldest is based on a 112-year period of records (1895''2006).[1]The 1936 North American heat wave was one of the most severe heat waves in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s and caused catastrophic human suffering and an enormous economic toll. The death toll exceeded 5,000, and huge numbers of crops were destroyed by the heat and lack of moisture. Many state and city record high temperatures set during the 1936 heat wave stood until the summer 2012 North American heat wave.[2][3] Many more endure to this day; as of 2022, 13 state record high temperatures were set in 1936. The 1936 heat wave followed one of the coldest winters on record.

June 1936 [ edit ] Summer (June''August) 1936 precipitation, in inches. Record wettest and driest is based on a 112-year period of records (from 1895 until 2006).High temperatures began briefly in the Northeast from June 1 to 3. On June 3, Allentown, Pennsylvania had a high of 95 °F (35 °C) (20 °F (11 °C) above the average) while New York City had a high of 90 °F (32 °C).[4][5] Baltimore, Maryland had a high of 96 °F (36 °C), just below the daily record high set in 1925.[6] As the month went on, heat began to build in the Rocky Mountains and over the Southeast.

Western United States [ edit ] Salt Lake City, Utah started off with below average temperatures but would see record highs of 101 °F (38 °C) on both June 20 and 22.[7] Grand Junction, Colorado saw five days above 100 °F (38 °C) with record highs set from June 18 through 20.[8] Areas east of the Rockies in Colorado varied greatly, with Pueblo seeing one day above 100 °F (38 °C) (June 18) while Lamar saw eleven consecutive days with highs above 100 °F (38 °C).[9] Cheyenne, Wyoming (with typical highs averaging 75 °F (24 °C)) saw highs averaging 90 °F (32 °C) with a record 95 °F (35 °C) high for June 18. In Ashton, Idaho, a record high for the month of June was set on June 27 at 98 °F (37 °C).[10]

Southeast and Midwest [ edit ] In the South, the heat started in the Gulf Coast states with Atlanta, Georgia seeing low to mid-90's in the early part of the month followed by Birmingham, Alabama seeing a string of mid-90 °F (32 °C) highs from June 6 through 10.[11][12] Following this, intense heat began to build in the region by mid-month. From June 16 through 19, highs were in the upper 90's to near 100 °F (38 °C) in Birmingham.[12] In a similar time frame, Huntsville, Alabama saw a string of five days above 100 °F (38 °C) with only one day not setting a new daily record high.[13] In Mississippi, Jackson and Meridian both saw highs in the upper 90's while Greenville and Tupelo saw highs in the 100's.[14][15] For some areas, June 17 was the hottest day of the month with Atlanta setting a daily record high of 102 °F (39 °C) and Evansville, Indiana hitting 100 °F (38 °C) .[11][16]

On June 19, as the heat began to spread northward, multiple areas in the Midwest saw record daily highs, including St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas.

On June 20, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri all set all-time, monthly record highs: Corning, AR hit 113 °F (45 °C), Dodson, Louisiana hit 110 °F (43 °C), Greenwood, Mississippi hit 111 °F (44 °C), and Doniphan, Missouri hit 112 °F (44 °C).[17] Dozens of other cities had daily record high temperatures, including Shreveport, Louisiana (104 °F (40 °C)), Little Rock, Arkansas (105 °F (41 °C)), and Memphis, Tennessee (103 °F (39 °C)). The heat also began to spread northward, with St. Louis and Kansas City, MO also seeing daily high records.

On June 26, Nebraska set a new monthly record high as it hit 114 °F (46 °C) in Franklin.

On June 29, it was 110 °F (43 °C) in both Saint John, Kentucky and Etowah, Tennessee and 111 °F (44 °C) in Seymore, Indiana; these temperatures set new monthly record highs for each state.[17] This day was particularly brutal, with many areas across the South and Midwest reporting record highs for the month. Springfield, Illinois hit 103 °F (39 °C) falling just short of the 104 °F (40 °C) record set in 1934. Galesburg, Illinois hit 102 °F (39 °C) and Lexington, Kentucky hit 104 °F (40 °C) which remains their hottest temperature ever recorded in June.

July 1936 [ edit ] July started off relatively mild in many areas, with many areas in the Midwest seeing highs in the upper-80's to low-90's. However, areas in the Central Great Plains saw temperature's in the 100's with Topeka, KS, Omaha, NE and other locations seeing daily record highs. On Independence Day, July 4, this all quickly changed.

Heat Dome Forms Over Midwest [ edit ] On July 4, multiple areas centered around the Central Midwest saw temperatures spike into the 100's. Peoria, Illinois reached 106 °F (41 °C), Sioux City, Iowa hit 111 °F (44 °C) (their highest temperature on record), Des Moines, Iowa hit 109 °F (43 °C) (falling one degree short of the record), Springfield, Illinois hit 105 °F (41 °C), and Kansas City, Missouri hit 108 °F (42 °C). All these areas saw their hottest Independence Day on record. That night, temperatures would only fall into the 70's.[18][19][20]

On July 5, the heat persisted in these areas while spreading to others. Areas in Eastern Iowa had highs in the low to mid 100's, with Burlington, Iowa hitting 108 °F (42 °C) for the second day in a row. In Bismarck, North Dakota, the temperature hit 106 °F (41 °C) and in Aberdeen, South Dakota, it hit 108 °F (42 °C).[21]

On July 6, Steele, North Dakota hit 121 °F (49 °C), the highest temperature ever recorded in North Dakota. This occurred 5 months after the record low of ''60 °F (''51 °C) was set in the state. Fargo and Bismarck both hit 114 °F (46 °C). In Moorhead, Minnesota, the record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was also set. The heat continued to spread, with Rockford, Illinois hitting 102 °F (39 °C), and Minneapolis, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota hitting 104 °F (40 °C) respectively.[22]

On July 7, the heat spread to the Great Lakes area. Milwaukee, Wisconsin hit 98 °F (37 °C), Madison, Wisconsin hit 102 °F (39 °C), Green Bay, Wisconsin hit 103 °F (39 °C), Duluth, Minnesota hit 100 °F (38 °C), and Kalamazoo, Michigan hit 101 °F (38 °C).[23][24][25][26] The heat also spread south, with Evansville, Indiana hitting 106 °F (41 °C), and Lexington, Kentucky hitting 101 °F (38 °C).

On July 8, heat began to creep back into the Northeastern United States, with some areas having highs in the 80's and 90's. Elsewhere the heat dome expanded more with Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne, Indiana hitting 104 °F (40 °C) respectively. South Bend, hit 106 °F (41 °C) (their second day above 100), and Louisville, Kentucky hit 103 °F (39 °C). Flint, Michigan hit 108 °F (42 °C), breaking the record.[27]

On July 9, temperature's spiked, with many all-time record highs being set in both the Great Lakes and Northeast United States. The recap of temperatures are as follows for July 9th.

Rockford, IL: 101 °F (38 °C)[22]Pittsburgh, PA: 101 °F (38 °C)Syracuse, NY: 102 °F (39 °C)Rochester, NY: 102 °F (39 °C)Detroit, MI: 102 °F (39 °C)[28]Philadelphia, PA: 103 °F (39 °C)Albany, NY: 103 °F (39 °C)[29]Baltimore, MD: 103 °F (39 °C)Scranton, PA: 103 °F (39 °C)Washington DC: 104 °F (40 °C)Johnstown, PA: 104 °F (40 °C)Columbus, OH: 105 °F (40.6 °C)Warren, OH: 105 °F (40.6 °C)Williamsport, PA: 106 °F (41.1 °C)Trenton, NJ: 106 °F (41.1 °C)Central Park, New York City: 106 °F (41.1 °C)On July 10, the heat peaked in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with some areas setting all-time record highs in parts of the South and most of the Midwest. The recap is as follows.

Atlanta, GA: 100 °F (37.8 °C)Pittsburgh PA: 101 °F (38.3 °C)Detroit, MI: 102 °F (38.9 °C)[28]Grand Rapids, MI: 102 °F (38.9 °C)[26]Central Park, New York City: 102 °F (38.9 °C)[5]Rochester, NY: 102 °F (39 °C)Youngstown, OH: 103 °F (39.4 °C)Philadelphia, PA: 104 °F (40.0 °C)Richmond, VA: 105 °F (40.6 °C)Washington DC: 105 °F (40.6 °C)Lynchburg, VA: 106 °F (41.1 °C)Rockford, IL: 106 °F (41.1 °C)[22]Bowling Green, KY: 106 °F (41.1 °C)St. Cloud, MN: 106 °F (41.1 °C)[30]Baltimore, MD: 107 °F (41.7 °C)Lexington, KY: 108 °F (42.2 °C)Xenia, OH: 108 °F (42.2 °C)Cumberland & Frederick, MD: 109 °F (42.8 °C)Runyon, NJ: 110 °F (43.3 °C)Phoenixville, PA: 111 °F (43.9 °C)Martinsburg, WV: 112 °F (44.4 °C)Aberdeen, SD: 114 °F (45.6 °C)On July 11, the heat subsided in the Northeast, though highs were still in the 90's. The heat temporarily stopped spreading but was still heavily impacting areas with Bismarck, ND recording a low of only 83°.

On July 13, the heat spread south through the Great Plains, with Wichita, Kansas reporting a high of 101 °F (38.3 °C), Fort Smith, Arkansas hitting 106 °F (41.1 °C), Tulsa, Oklahoma hitting 107 °F (41.7 °C), and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma hitting 101 °F (38.3 °C). Elsewhere, temperatures began to significantly rise with multiple areas hitting above 110 °F (43.3 °C). The recap is as follows:

Columbus, OH: 101 °F (38.3 °C)Detroit, MI: 102 °F (38.9 °C)[28]Green Bay, WI: 104 °F (40.0 °C)[24]Minneapolis, MN: 105 °F (40.6 °C)[30]Alpena, MI: 106 °F (41.1 °C)Madison, WI: 106 °F (41.1 °C)[23]Duluth, MN: 106 °F (41.1 °C)[25]St. Cloud, MN: 107 °F (41.7 °C)[30]Decatur, IL: 108 °F (42.2 °C)[18]Grand Rapids, MI: 108 °F (42.2 °C)[26]Evansville, IN: 108 °F (42.2 °C)Kalamazoo, MI: 109 °F (42.8 °C)[26]Rockford, IL: 110 °F (43.3 °C)[22]Saginaw, MI: 111 °F (43.9 °C)[28]Eau Claire, WI: 111 °F (43.9 °C)[31]Waterloo, IA: 112 °F (44.4 °C)[21]Mt. Vernon, IL: 112 °F (44.4 °C)[18]Mio, MI: 112 °F (44.4 °C)Henderson, KY: 113 °F (45.0 °C)Wisconsin Dells, WI: 114 °F (45.6 °C)July 14 was the peak day of the heat wave for most areas with countless record-breaking temperatures broken across many areas. The records are as follows.

Pittsburgh, PA: 102 °F (38.9 °C)Detroit, MI: 104 °F (40.0 °C) (105 °F (40.6 °C) on July 24, 1934)Springfield, MO: 104 °F (40.0 °C) (113 °F (45.0 °C) in 1954)Indianapolis, IN: 106 °F (41.1 °C) (tied July 22, 1901 and July 21, 1934)[32]Columbus, OH: 106 °F (41.1 °C) (tied July 21, 1934)Cincinnati, OH: 106 °F (41.1 °C) (108 °F on July 21-22, 1934)Madison, WI: 107 °F (41.7 °C)[23]Louisville, KY: 107 °F (41.7 °C)Kalamazoo, MI: 108 °F (42.2 °C)[26]Minneapolis, MN: 108 °F (42.2 °C)[30]Rochester, MN: 108 °F (42.2 °C)Xenia, OH: 108 °F (42.2 °C)St. Louis, MO: 108 °F (42.2 °C) (115 °F (46.1 °C) in 1954)Lima, OH: 109 °F (42.8 °C)Cedar Rapids, IA: 109 °F (42.8 °C)[18]Dubuque, IA: 110 °F (43.3 °C)Terre Haute, IN: 110 °F (43.3 °C)Springfield, IL: 110 °F (43.3 °C) (112 °F (44.4 °C) in 1954)[18]Decatur, IL: 110 °F (43.3 °C) (113 °F (45.0 °C) in 1954)[18]Moline, IL: 111 °F (43.9 °C)[18]Burlington, IA: 111 °F (43.9 °C)[18]Rockford, IL: 112 °F (44.4 °C)[22]Waterloo, IA: 112 °F (44.4 °C)[18]Palestine, IL: 112 °F (44.4 °C) (114 °F (45.6 °C) in 1954)[18]Mt. Vernon, IL: 114 °F (45.6 °C)[18]Collegeville, IN: 116 °F (46.7 °C)On July 15, temperatures finally began to decline over most areas while other isolated areas still saw heat still increase. Missouri hit an all-time high of 115 °F (46.1 °C) in Clinton, Missouri. Peoria, IL hit 113 °F (45.0 °C) and Quincy hit 114 °F (45.6 °C), setting all-time records for those cities.[18] In Iowa, many cities tied the records set the previous day. However, in the Great Plains temperatures continued to rise as a new heat wave began to develop.

Heat Persists over the Great Plains [ edit ] Although heat in the Midwest had begun to subside, heat had been building in the Great Plains over that period. It began on July 13 when there was a noticeable increase in temperatures but began to peak on July 14.

On July 14, the temperature climbed to 107F in Lincoln, NE after having 5 days of temperature's in the low 100's, though that night it would be the first time the temperature fell below 80F in a week. Norfolk, NE hit 105F and Omaha, NE hit 109F. Further south, Topeka, KS hit 108F, and Kansas City, MO hit 109F. In Tulsa, OK, temperatures had been climbing the past couple days and hit 110F this day. This heat would persist into the next day before temperatures would fall noticeably on the 16th over the Central Great Plains.

On July 17, temperatures once again began to rise. Nebraska set a record high of 118F in Hartington, NE. Sioux City, IA and Sioux Falls, SD also set record highs of 110F.[20] In Grand Island, NE it was 114F, falling 2 degrees short of the record in 1934, while Hastings, NE would set a record of 115F. It was also 110F in Fort Smith, AR.

On July 18, the heat would peak. Kansas and Oklahoma set record highs of 121F in Fredonia and 120F in Alva, respectively. Wichita, KS hit 112F, Salina, KS hit 116F, 110F in Topeka, KS, and 113F in Tulsa, OK (a record high for July). On July 19, Oklahoma's record would be tied in Altus.

Latter part of July [ edit ] For many areas, temperatures would be relatively lower for the last part of the month. Most areas saw highs fall below 100 °F (38 °C) on July 20 and 21 for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. However, temperatures would rise back into the 100's over the Great Plains after this, though generally wouldn't be as high as earlier in the month. The notable exception would be in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

On July 24, Grand Island, NE broke their record high with a high 117 °F (47 °C). Hastings, NE also set a new all-time high of 116 °F (47 °C). Both Kansas and Nebraska tied their all-time record highs in Alton and Minden, respectively just days after they were set.

On July 25, the temperature rose to 115 °F (46 °C) in Lincoln, NE (a record high for the city) but would only fall to 91 °F (33 °C) that night. Outside of the Desert Southwest, this is one of the highest low temperatures ever recorded in the US. Omaha, NE also set a record high of 114 °F (46 °C), though had a low of 83 °F (28 °C). On the previous day Grand Island, NE broke their record with a high 117 °F (47 °C). Des Moines, IA would set their record high of 110 °F (43 °C) this day as well.[21] Iowa set their record high of 117 °F (47 °C) in Atlantic and Logan.

August 1936 and afterwards [ edit ] August was the warmest month on record for five states. Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana also set all-time high records. Many experienced long stretches of daily maximum temperatures 100 °F (38 °C) or warmer. Drought conditions worsened in some locations. Other states were only slightly warmer than average.

The heat wave and drought largely ended in September, although many states were still drier and warmer than average. Many farmers' summer harvests were destroyed. Grounds and lawns remained parched. Seasonable temperatures returned in the autumn.

Summer 1936 remained the warmest summer on record in the USA (since official records begin in 1895), until 2021.[33] However February 1936 was the coldest February on record, and 5 of the 12 months were below average, leaving the full year 1936 at just above the average.

Effects [ edit ] As many as 5,000 heat-related deaths were reported in the United States,[3][34] and 780 direct and 400 indirect deaths in Canada.[35]Almost 5,000 people suffered from heat stroke and heat exhaustion, particularly the elderly. Unlike today, air conditioning was in the early stages of development and was therefore absent from houses and commercial buildings. Many of the deaths occurred in high-population-density areas of Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Toronto, and other urban areas. Farmers across the continent saw crop failure, causing corn and wheat prices to rise quickly. Droughts and heat waves were common in the 1930s. The 1930s (the Dust Bowl years) are remembered as the driest and warmest decade for the United States, and the summer of 1936 featured the most widespread and destructive heat wave to occur in the Americas in centuries.

See also [ edit ] Dust Bowl1936 North American cold waveReferences [ edit ] ^ "The July 1936 Heat Wave". National Weather Service . Retrieved 23 March 2019 . ^ "Brutal July heat a new U.S. record". Cable News Network. August 8, 2012 . Retrieved 2012-08-08 . The average temperature across the Lower 48 was 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration reported. That edged out the previous high mark, set in 1936, by two-tenths of a degree, NOAA said. ^ a b Cantor, George (4 August 1996). "Detroit's killer heat wave of 1936". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21 . Retrieved 2012-06-22 . This one was different, though, not only in the number it killed but in the very intensity of the heat. Records for high temperatures set during that summer still stand in 15 states, including Michigan. In Kansas and North Dakota, it reached 121 degrees, marks surpassed in this country only in the deserts of the Southwest. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate PHI". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate OKX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate LWX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate SLC". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate GJT". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate PUB". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate PIH". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate FFC". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate BMX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate HUN". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate JAN". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate MEG". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate PAH". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ a b "North America's Most Intense Heat Wave: July and August 1936". www.wunderground.com . Retrieved 2023-01-21 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate ILX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate DMX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate FSD". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate DVN". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c d e US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate LOT". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate MKV". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate GRB". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate DLH". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c d e US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate GRR". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate IWX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c d US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate DTX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate ALY". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ a b c d US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate MPX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate ARX". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate IND". www.weather.gov . Retrieved 2023-05-02 . ^ The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record, NBC News, September 9, 2021 ^ "The Heatwave of July 1936". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office . Retrieved 21 June 2012 . ^ Phillips, David. "Heat Wave". The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Historica-Dominion Institute. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013 . Retrieved 21 June 2012 . Further reading [ edit ] Kohler, J. P. (1937). "Weather of 1936 in the United States". Monthly Weather Review. 65 (1): 12''16. Bibcode:1937MWRv...65...12K. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1937)65<12:WOITUS>2.0.CO;2 . ISSN 1520-0493. External links [ edit ] US National Climate Data CenterList of Droughts and Heat WavesNOAA Climate research center July 2006 recordsLook back: Relentless, withering heat wave of 1936 killed 479 in St. Louis (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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Sun, 09 Jun 2024 13:24

Officials in Tokyo, Japan are launching a new dating app to help promote marriage and boost the collapsing national birth rate.

The fee-based app from the Tokyo Metropolitan government will ask people to prove that they are legally single, and sign a letter confirming their willingness to get married. It will also require that people submit a tax certificate slip that proves their annual income, along with roughly 15 other items of personally identifying information - including height, weight, educational background and occupation following a mandatory interview with the app's operator.

So - Match.com, only you give all of your data to the government instead of a private company.

According to the Independent, Tokyo officials allocated US$1.2 million towards the development of dating apps in 2023, and US$1.9 million for fiscal 2024 for the purpose of promoting marriage through said apps.

"If there are many individuals interested in marriage but unable to find a partner, we want to provide support," a Tokyo official told The Asahi Shimbun.

"We hope that this app, with its association with the government, will provide a sense of security and encourage those who have been hesitant to use traditional apps to take the first step in their search for a partner."

According to AFP, the app is intended to give a "gentle push" to the nearly "70 per cent of people who want to get married" but weren't "actively joining events or apps to look for a partner."

Falling Birth RatesIn February, we noted that in 2023 Japan's birth rate fell 5.1% from a year earlier to 758,631, while the number of marriages slid 5.9% to 489,281, the first time in 90 years the number fell below 500,000. The last time the number was this low the US had just dropped the atom bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki - signaling even greater declines in the population as out-of-wedlock births are rare in Japan.

The drop comes more than a decade earlier than the government's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research forecast, which estimated births would decline to below 760,000 in 2035, according to Kyodo news.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths also hit a record - only in the other direction - rising to 1,590,503, while divorces increased to 187,798, up by 4,695.

As a result, Japan's population, including foreign residents, fell by 831,872, with deaths outnumbering births by a record 831,872, double where it was just five years ago.

The fast pace of decline in the number of newborns has been attributed to late marriages and people staying single. The administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the period leading up to 2030 "the last chance" to reverse the trend; all Japan has to do is divert the millions of illegal immigrants entering the US every month through the southern border - with the expectation they will all become diligent Democratic voters - and give them a red carpet welcome.

"The declining birthrate is in a critical situation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. "The next six years or so until 2030, when the number of young people will rapidly decline, will be the last chance to reverse the trend."

Also, this is a problem:

And this:

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Sun, 09 Jun 2024 13:13

Another week has passed, and another legacy automaker says, "Hold up, wait a minute," on its plans to go fully electric by 2030 or 2040 or'...at this point, perhaps, it's when pigs fly.

Suits from Volkswagen Group are the latest to reconsider putting all or nothing at all into the EV coffers. According to Automotive News, CFO and COO Arno Antlitz said VW Group's investment dollars would still go toward internal combustion engines. *gasp*

But how many dollars are we actually talking about? A couple of bucks? Nope. One-third of '‚¬180 billion, or about $64 billion in today's currency exchange rates. For real?

To some, ICE is as dirty a word as diesel. On the VW front specifically, its EV plans appeared to be in full swing. The Volkswagen brand sold its 500,000th EV one year ahead of schedule, and VW CEO Thomas Shaefer dismissed e-fuels as "unnecessary noise."

Then again, VW is a brand that listens to public opinion. Even without legal action, buttons came back, for example. And despite the seemingly fast start on EV sales, it wasn't, er, sustainable. EVs continue to gain market share, but consumers are buying in at a slower rate.

So far this year, Ford, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz have announced pauses or made clarifications regarding their electrification strategies. Ford dealers were asked to sit tight on their EV-centric investments as the automaker reevaluated its retail strategy; GM's all-electric lineup will now play out "over decades" rather than happen in 2035; and Mercedes-Benz said EVs are the long game, but that ICE, EV, and PHEV together offer the most short-term balance. And a twin-turbo V8 could be part of that balance. *double gasp*

As VW's Antlitz frankly stated, ''The future is electric, but the past is not over.'' Oh, ICE, they never meant to give you up, let you down, and desert you.

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Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:31

Home pete@sockemwebsolutions.com 2024-06-09T01:33:10+00:00 '' Therefore, given the recent research and the revelations of the harmful approach advocated by WPATH and its followers in the United States, we, the undersigned, call upon the medical professional organizations of the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to follow the science and their European professional colleagues and immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex. Instead, these organizations should recommend comprehensive evaluations and therapies aimed at identifying and addressing underlying psychological co-morbidities and neurodiversity that often predispose to and accompany gender dysphoria. We also encourage the physicians who are members of these professional organizations to contact their leadership and urge them to adhere to the evidence-based research now available.''

Who We Are

As physicians, together with nurses, psychotherapists and behavioral health clinicians, other health professionals, scientists, researchers, and public health and policy professionals, we have serious concerns about the physical and mental health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort with their biological sex.

Doctors Protecting Children Declaration

As physicians, together with nurses, psychotherapists and behavioral health clinicians, other health professionals, scientists, researchers, and public health and policy professionals, we have serious concerns about the physical and mental health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort with their biological sex.

We affirm:

Sex is a dimorphic, innate trait defined in relation to an organism's biological role in reproduction. In humans, primary sex determination occurs at fertilization and is directed by a complement of sex determining genes on the X and Y chromosomes. This genetic signature is present in every nucleated somatic cell in the body and is not altered by drugs or surgical interventionsConsideration of these innate differences is critical to the practice of good medicine and to the development of sound public policy for children and adults alike.Gender ideology, the view that sex (male and female) is inadequate and that humans need to be further categorized based on an individual's thoughts and feelings described as ''gender identity'' or ''gender expression'', does not accommodate the reality of these innate sex differences. This leads to the inaccurate view that children can be born in the wrong body. Gender ideology seeks to affirm thoughts, feelings and beliefs, with puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries that harm healthy bodies, rather than affirm biological reality.Medical decision making should not be based upon an individual's thoughts and feelings, as in ''gender identity'' or ''gender expression'', but rather should be based upon an individual's biological sex. Medical decision making should respect biological reality and the dignity of the person by compassionately addressing the whole person.We recognize:

Most children and adolescents whose thoughts and feelings do not align with their biological sex will resolve those mental incongruencies after experiencing the normal developmental process of puberty.Desistance is the norm without affirmation as documented by Zucker in his article ''The Myth of Peristence''. (1)Zucker, KJ. The myth of persistence: Response to ''A critical commentary on follow-up studies and 'desistance' theories about transgender and gender nonconforming children'' by Temple Newhook et al. International Journal of Transgenderism. 2018: 19(2), 231''245. Published online May 29, 2018.http://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2018.1468293 [1]In the ''largest sample to date of boys clinic-referred for gender dysphoria,'' there was a desistance rate of 87.8%. (2)Singh D, Bradley SJ and Zucker KJ. A Follow-Up Study of Boys With Gender Identity Disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:632784. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.632784The pro-affirmation Endocrine Society Guidelines (2017) admit: '''...the GD/gender incongruence of a minority of prepubertal children appears to persist in adolescence.'' (3)Hembree, W., Cohen-Kettenis PT, Gooren L, et al. Endocrine treatment of gender-dysphoric/gender-incongruent persons: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017; 102:1''35.A longitudinal study from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands followed 2772 adolescents (recruited from a psychiatric clinic) from age 11 years through 22 '' 26 years. ''In early adolescence 11% of participants reported gender non- contentedness. The prevalence decreased with age and was 4% at the last follow-up (around age 26).'' Even in this psychiatric patient study group for which interventions were not addressed, but ''gender affirmation'' is most likely, gender non-contentedness (essentially gender noncongruence) decreased substantially from early adolescence to young adulthood.(4)Rawee P, Rosmalen JGM, Kalverdiijk L and Burke SM. Development of gender non-contentedness during adolescence and early adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2024; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02817-5Responsible informed consent is not possible in light of extremely limited long-term follow-up studies of interventions, and the immature, often impulsive, nature of the adolescent brain. The adolescent brain's prefrontal cortex is immature and is limited in its ability to strategize, problem solve and make emotionally laden decisions that have life-long consequences.[2]Sex-trait modification or ''Gender affirming'' clinics in the United States base their treatments upon the ''Standards of Care'' developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). However, the foundation of WPATH guidelines is demonstrably flawed and pediatric patients can be harmed when subjected to those protocols.The two Dutch studies that form the foundation for treatment guidelines as documented in the WPATH ''Standards of Care'' guidelines version 7 (SOC 7) had serious flaws.[3]These studies did show that the appearance of secondary sex characteristics in adolescents and young adults could be changed by hormonal and surgical interventions, but they failed to demonstrate meaningful long-term improvement in psychological well-being.Scientific concerns with these studies also include a lack of a control group, small sample sizes, significant numbers of patients lost to follow up, and the elimination of patients who experienced significant mental illness from entering the studies.It is concerning that the Dutch studies did not address complications and adverse outcome in the adolescent cohort that underwent transition. These complications included new onset diabetes, obesity and one death.[4]There is now sufficient research to further demonstrate the failure of the WPATH, American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society protocols.The Cass Review was released on April 10, 2024, as an ''independent review of gender identity services for children and young people''. The following points are from Cass's final report:[5]Commissioned by the National Health Service (NHS) England, and chaired by Dr. Hilary Cass, the 388-page report utilized systematic reviews, qualitative and quantitative research, as well as focus groups, roundtables and interviews with international clinicians and policy makers.As part of the evaluation, they reviewed the research on social transition, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones.Social transition''The systematic review showed no clear evidence that social transition in childhood has any positive or negative mental health outcomes, and relatively weak evidence for any effect in adolescence.However, those who had socially transitioned at an earlier age and/or prior to being seen in clinic were more likely to proceed to a medical pathway.''Puberty blockers''The systematic review undertaken by the University of York found multiple studies demonstrating that puberty blockers exert their intended effect in suppressing puberty, and also that bone density is compromised during puberty suppression. However, no changes in gender dysphoria or body satisfaction were demonstrated [emphasis added].''''There was insufficient/inconsistent evidence about the effects of puberty suppression on psychological or psychosocial wellbeing, cognitive development, cardio-metabolic risk or fertility.''''Moreover, given that the vast majority of young people started on puberty blockers proceed from puberty blockers to masculinizing/ feminizing hormones, there is no evidence that puberty blockers buy time to think, and some concern that they may change the trajectory of psychosexual and gender identity development.''Cross-sex hormones''The University of York carried out a systematic review of outcomes of masculinising/feminising hormones.'' They concluded, ''There is a lack of high-quality research assessing the outcomes of hormone interventions in adolescents with gender dysphoria/incongruence, and few studies that undertake long-term follow-up. No conclusions can be drawn about the effect on gender dysphoria, body satisfaction, psychosocial health, cognitive development, or fertility.''''Uncertainty remains about the outcomes for height/growth, cardio-metabolic and bone health.''The Cass Review further stated, ''Assessing whether a hormone pathway is indicated is challenging. A formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria is frequently cited as a prerequisite for accessing hormone treatment. However, it is not reliably predictive of whether that young person will have longstanding gender incongruence in the future, or whether medical intervention will be the best option for them.''A 2024 German systematic review on the evidence for use of puberty blockers (PB) and cross-sex hormones (CSH) in minors with gender dysphoria (GD) also found ''The available evidence on the use of PB and CSH in minors with GD is very limited and based on only a few studies with small numbers, and these studies have problematic methodology and quality. There also is a lack of adequate and meaningful long-term studies. Current evidence doesn't suggest that GD symptoms and mental health significantly improve when PB or CSH are used in minors with GD.''[6] There are serious long-term risks associated with the use of social transition, puberty blockers, masculinizing or feminizing hormones, and surgeries, not the least of which is potential sterility.Youth who are socially affirmed are more likely to progress to using puberty blockers and cross-sex (masculinizing or feminizing) hormones.''Social transition is associated with the persistence of gender dysphoria as a child progresses into adolescence.''[7]''Gender social transition of prepubertal children will increase dramatically the rate of gender dysphoria persistence when compared to follow-up studies of children with gender dysphoria who did not receive this type of psychosocial intervention and, oddly enough, might be characterized as iatrogenic.''[8]Puberty blockers permanently disrupt physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.Side effects listed in the Lupron package insert include emotional lability, worsening psychological illness, low bone density, impaired memory, and the rare side-effect of pseudotumor cerebri (brain swelling).[9]A coalition of physicians and medical organizations from around the world submitted a petition to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requesting urgent action be taken to eliminate the off-label use of GnRH (growth hormone) agonists in children.[10]Testosterone use in females and estrogen use in males are associated with dangerous health risks across the lifespan including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, blood clots, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.[xi],[12]Genital surgeries affect future fertility and reproduction.A report from Environmental Progress released on March 4, 2024, entitled ''The WPATH Files'' revealed ''widespread medical malpractice on children and vulnerable adults at global transgender healthcare authority.''[13]''The WPATH Files reveal that the organization does not meet the standards of evidence-based medicine, and members frequently discuss improvising treatments as they go along.''''Members are fully aware that children and adolescents cannot comprehend the lifelong consequences of 'gender-affirming care' and, in some cases due to poor health literacy, neither can their parents.''In addition, developmentally challenged and mentally ill individuals were being encouraged to ''transition'', and treatments were often improvised.Evidence-based medical research now demonstrates there is little to no benefit from any or all suggested ''gender affirming'' interventions for adolescents experiencing Gender Dysphoria. Social ''affirmation'', puberty blockers, masculinizing or feminizing hormones, and surgeries, individually or in combination, do not appear to improve long-term mental health of the adolescents, including suicide risk.[14]Psychotherapy for underlying mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and autism, as well as prior emotional trauma or abuse should be the first line of treatment for these vulnerable children experiencing discomfort with their biological sex.England, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have all recognized the scientific research demonstrating that the social, hormonal and surgical interventions are not only unhelpful but are harmful. So, these European countries have paused protocols and are instead focusing on evaluating and treating the underlying and preceding mental health concerns.Other medical organizations are adhering to the evidence-based medicine documented in the Cass Review Final Report.The constitution of the National Health Service in England will be updated to state, ''We are defining sex as biological sex.''[15]The European Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry issued a document titled ''ESCAP statement on the care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: an urgent need for safeguarding clinical, scientific, and ethical standards.''In this paper, they stated, ''The standards of evidence-based medicine must ensure the best and safest possible care for each individual in this highly vulnerable group of children and adolescents. As such, ESCAP calls for healthcare providers not to promote experimental and unnecessarily invasive treatments with unproven psycho-social effects and, therefore, to adhere to the ''primum-nil-nocere'' (first, do no harm) principle''.[16]Health care professionals around the world are also acknowledging the urgent need to protect children from harmful ''gender-affirming'' interventions.In a letter to the British newspaper, The Guardian, sixteen psychologists, some of whom worked at the Tavistock Center for Gender Identity Development Service, acknowledged the role clinical psychologists played in placing children on an ''irreversible medical pathway that in most cases was inappropriate.''[17]In the United States, a group of psychiatrists, physicians and other health care workers wrote an open Letter to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), calling on the APA to explain why it glaringly ignored many scientific developments in gender-related care and to consider its responsibility to promote and protect patients' safety, mental and physical health.[18]Despite all the above evidence that gender affirming treatments are not only unhelpful, but are harmful, and despite the knowledge that the adolescent brain is immature, professional medical organizations in the United States continue to promote these interventions. Further, they state that legislation to protect children from harmful interventions is dangerous since it interferes with necessary medical care for children and adolescents.The American Psychological Association states it is the largest association of psychologists worldwide. The organization released a policy statement in February 2024 stating, ''The APA opposes state bans on gender-affirming care, which are contrary to the principles of evidence-based healthcare, human rights, and social justice.''[19]The Endocrine Society responded to the Cass Review by reaffirming their stance. ''We stand firm in our support of gender-affirming care'.... NHS England's recent report, the Cass Review, does not contain any new research that would contradict the recommendations made in our Clinical Practice Guideline on gender-affirming care.''[20]The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Board of Directors in August 2023, voted to reaffirm their 2018 policy statement on gender-affirming care. They did decide to authorize a systematic review but only because they were concerned ''about restrictions to access to health care with bans on gender-affirming care in more than 20 states.''[21]Of note, Dr. Hilary Cass called out the AAP for ''holding on to a position that is now demonstrated to be out of date by multiple systematic reviews.''[22]In Conclusion

Therefore, given the recent research and the revelations of the harmful approach advocated by WPATH and its followers in the United States, we, the undersigned, call upon the medical professional organizations of the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to follow the science and their European professional colleagues and immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex. Instead, these organizations should recommend comprehensive evaluations and therapies aimed at identifying and addressing underlying psychological co-morbidities and neurodiversity that often predispose to and accompany gender dysphoria. We also encourage the physicians who are members of these professional organizations to contact their leadership and urge them to adhere to the evidence-based research now available.

In the United States of America, on June 6, 2024, this declaration was authored and signed by the American College of Pediatricians and co-signed by:

Medical and Health Policy Organizations

Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM)

American Academy of Medical Ethics

American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)

American College of Family Medicine (ACFM)

American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds)

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)

Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance (CHCLA)

Catholic Medical Association (CMA)

Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA)

Coalition of Jewish Values

Colorado Principled Physicians

Genspect

Honey Lake Clinic

International Foundation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC)

National Association of Catholic Nurses, USA

National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC)

North Carolina Physicians for Freedom (NCPFF)

South Carolina Physicians for Freedom (SCPFF)

Doctors and Health Leaders

Jane E. Anderson, MD, FCPPediatricianVice President, American College of PediatriciansClinical Professor, Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco (retired)

Michael Artigues, MD, FCPPediatricianPresident, American College of Pediatricians

Jeff Barrows, MD Obstetrician and Gynecologist Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy, Christian Medical & Dental Associations

Thomas Benton, MD, MPH, FCPPediatricianBoard Member and Healthcare Conscience Council Chair, American College of Pediatricians

Karl Benzio, MDBoard Certified PsychiatristChief Medical Officer, Honey Lake ClinicNew Jersey State Co-Director, American Association of Medical EthicsMedical Director, American Association of Christian CounselorsSexual and Gender Identity Task Force Member, Christian Medical &; Dental AssociationsPhysician Resource Council Member, Focus on the Family

Jonathan Berry, MD Cardiologist Advisory Board, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Jessica Bishop-Funk, DDSDentistAdvisory Board, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

David Bohle, MDCardiologistAdvisory Board, North Carolina Physicians For Freedom

Lisa Brandes, MDPhysician, Family MedicineBoard Member, American College of Family Medicine

Louis Brown, Jr., JDExecutive Director, Christ Medicus FoundationFounding Board Member and Vice President of Public Policy, Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance

Christina Chan, MD, MABHP, FIDSA, FA, FCP Adult and Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist and Clinical Researcher American College of Pediatricians

Mike Chupp, MDGeneral SurgeonChief Executive Officer, Christian Medical and Dental Associations

Paul Cieslak, MDPhysician, Infectious DiseaseWest Regional Director, Catholic Medical Association

Michelle Cretella, MD, FCP Pediatrician Adolescent Sexuality Council Co-Chair and Past Executive Director, American College of Pediatricians

Paul Dassow, MD, MSPHPhysician, Family MedicinePresident, American College of Family Medicine

Mario Dickerson, MTSExecutive Director, Catholic Medical Association

Joe Dougherty, MDPhysician, Family MedicineBoard Member, American College of Family Medicine

Fred Fakharzadeh, MDOrthopedic SurgeonChair, Catholic Social Teaching and Justice in Medicine Committee, Catholic Medical Association

John Falcon, M.S., MDPhysician, Emergency MedicineFounding Physician, South Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Scott Field, MD, FCPPediatrician, Pediatric Clinical ResearcherMembership Committee Chair and Past Board Member, American College of Pediatricians

Steven Foley, MDObstetrician and Gynecologist

Salwa Gendi, MD, FCPPediatric Cardiologist, Associate Professor of Pediatric CardiologyBoard Member, American College of Pediatricians

Brooke Gensler, MDPhysician, Family MedicineAt-Large Board Member, Catholic Medical Association

Stanley Goldfarb, MDNephrologist

Russell Gombosi, MD, FCPPediatricianPast Treasurer and Past Board Member, American College of Pediatricians

George Gonzalez, MD Physician, Family Medicine President, Christian Medical and Dental Associations

Diane T. Gowski, MDPhysician, Internal Medicine and Critical Care MedicineSoutheast Regional Director, Catholic Medical Association

Miriam Grossman, MDChild, Adolescent, and Adult PsychiatristAuthor, Lost in Trans Nation

Joe Guarino, MD, MPHPhysician, Occupational MedicineBoard Member, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Donna Harrison, MDObstetrician and GynecologistChair, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine

Nicole Hayes, MPAExecutive Vice President, American Academy of Medical Ethics

Laura Haygood, MD, FAADDermatologist

Laura Haynes, Ph.D.Executive Board, USA Country Representative, Chair-Science and Research Council,International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice

Jim Heid, MDPhysician, Family MedicineBoard Member, American College of Family Medicine

Roy Heyne, MDPediatrician Co-Chair, Education Committee, Catholic Medical Association

David Hilger, MDDiagnostic RadiologistVice President, Catholic Medical Association

Marie Hilliard, MS, MA, JCL, PhD, RNCo-Chair of the Ethics Committee, Catholic Medical AssociationSenior Fellow, National Catholic Bioethics Center

Jane Hughes, MDOphthalmologistPresident, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

Patrick Hunter, MD, MSC (Bioethics)Pediatrician

Janet Hurley, MDPhysician, Family MedicineVice President, American College of Family Medicine

Nicole M. Johnson, MD, DNBPASIndependent Consultant, Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Patricia Lee June, MD, FCPPediatricianScientific Policy Committee Chair and Past Board Member, American College of Pediatricians

David Kay, MDCardiologistMedical Director, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Staci Kay, NPNurse PractitionerBoard Member, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Mary Keen-Kerchoff, MD, FCPPediatricianCo-Chair, Education Committee, Catholic Medical Association

Michael K. Laidlaw, MDEndocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism

John I. Lane, MDRadiologistVice President, Federation Internationale des Associations de M(C)decins CatholiquesPast President, Catholic Medical Association

Erika L. LeBaron, DO, MSNPhysician, Family MedicinePresident-Elect, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

Diana LightfootPolicy Director, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom

Joseph Meaney, PhD, KMPresident, National Catholic Bioethics CenterFounding Board Member, Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance

Carrie Mendoza, MDPhysician, Emergency Medicine Director, Genspect USA

Rabbi Yaakov MenkinManaging Director, Coalition for Jewish Values

Tim Millea, MDOrthopedic SurgeonChair, Health Care Policy Committee, Catholic Medical Association

Travis J. Morell, MD, MPHDermatologistChair, Colorado Principled Physicians

Peter Morrow, MDPhysician, Internal MedicinePast President, Catholic Medical Association

Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D.Founder and President, The Ruth Institute

Alfonso Oliva, MD, FACSSurgeon, Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Plastic SurgeryTreasurer, Catholic Medical Association

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References

[1] Rawee P, Rosmalen JGM, Kalverdiijk L and Burke SM. Development of gender non-contentedness during adolescence and early adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2024; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02817-5

[2] Diekema DS. Adolescent brain development and medical decision-making. Pediatrics. 2020; 146(s1): e20200818F

[3] deVries ALC, McGuire JK, Steensma TD, et al. Young adult psychological outcome after puberty suppression and gender reassignment. Pediatrics. 2014; 134(4):696-704. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-2958

deVries ALC, Steensma TD, et al. Puberty suppression in adolescents with gender identity disorder: a prospective follow-up study. J Sex Med. 2011; 8(8):2276-83. DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01943.x

[4] Abbruzzese E, Levine SB, Mason JW. The myth of 'reliable research' in pediatric gender. medicine: A critical evaluation of the Dutch studies '' and research that has followed. J Sex & Marital Therapy. 2023; 48(6): 673-699.

[5] Cass H. The Cass Review. April 2024. https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CassReview_Final.pdf

[6] This article is in German (author is Zepf) and the link is https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1024/1422-4917/a000972

The National Library of Medicine has the summary in English

Zepf FD, Konig L, et al. (Beyond NICE: Updated systematic review on the current evidence of using puberty blocking pharmacological agents and cross-sex-hormones in minors with gender dysphoria.) Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2024; 52(3):167-187. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38410090/

[7] Hembree, W., Cohen-Kettenis, et al., (2017) Endocrine treatment of gender-dysphoric/gender-incongruent persons: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab,102:1''35.

[8] Zucker, K.J. Debate: Different strokes for different folks. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2020; 25(1): 36-37. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12330

[9] Lupron Depot Prescribing Information. https://www.lupron.com/pi.html

[10] Supplement to Citizen Petition from Nancy Stade et al. Posted by the Food and Drug Administration on April 15, 2024. https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2023-P-3767-0654

[11] Endocrine Society Guidelines at Hembree, W., Cohen-Kettenis, et al., (2017) Endocrine treatment of gender-dysphoric/gender-incongruent persons: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab;102:1''35.

[12] Laidlaw M, Van Meter QL, Hruz PW, Van Mol A and Malone WJ. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2019;104(3): 686''687. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-01925

[13] Hughes, M. The WPATH Files. Pseudoscientific surgical and hormonal experiments on children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults. Environmental Progress. March 4, 2024. https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/wpath-files

[14] American College of Pediatricians. Mental Health in Adolescents with Incongruence of Gender Identity and Biological Sex. Position Statement. Feb 2024. https://acpeds.org/position-statements/mental-health-in-adolescents-with-incongruence-of-gender-identity-and-biological-sex

[15] Zindulka K. Win for Reality: UK's National Health Service constitution to declare 'sex is biological'. Breitbart News. April 30, 2024. https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/04/30/win-for-reality-uks-national-health-service-constitution-to-declare-sex-is-biological/

[16] Radobuljac MD, Groselj U, et al. ESCAP statement on the care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: an urgent need for safeguarding clinical, scientific, and ethical standards. European Child & Adol Psych. 2024. doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02440-8

[17] Letters to the Editor. We are ashamed of the role psychology played in gender care. The Guardian. April 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2024/apr/21/we-are-ashamed-of-role-psychology-played-gender-care-observer-letters

[18] An open letter to the American Psychiatric Association regarding the publication of gender-affirming psychiatric care. Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. January 2024. https://www.fairforall.org/open-letters/open-letter-apa/?fbclid=IwAR17__BG0RtNqbUVcivxTRkx0AmABT5t7o-8Vg_tYKydzKBBXJ6xgsEYbQ8

[19] APA policy statement on affirming evidence-based inclusive care for transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary individuals, addressing misinformation and the role of psychological practice and science. American Psychological Association February 2024. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/transgender-nonbinary-inclusive-care.pdf

[20] Endocrine Society statement in support of gender-affirming care. May 8, 2024. https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2024/statement-in-support-of-gender-affirming-care

[21] Wyckoff AS. AAP reaffirms gender-affirming care policy, authorizes systematic review of evidence to guide update. August 4, 2023. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/25340/AAP-reaffirms-gender-affirming-care-policy?autologincheck=redirected

[22] Ghorayshi A. Hilary Cass says U.S. doctors are 'out of date' on youth gender medicine. The New York Times. May 13, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/health/hilary-cass-transgender-youth-puberty-blockers.html

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Archived Version

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:17

3 days ago

By Nicola K Smith, Technology Reporter

CybrothelDolls are being equipped with artificial intelligence

Later this month, people in Berlin will be able to book an hour with an AI sex doll as the world's first cyber brothel rolls out the service following a test phase.

Customers will be able to interact verbally with the AI dolls as well as physically.

''Many people feel more comfortable sharing private matters with a machine because it doesn't judge,'' says Philipp Fussenegger, founder and owner of Cybrothel.

''Previously, there was significant interest in a doll with a voice actress, where users could only hear the voice and interact with the doll. Now, there is an even greater demand for interacting with artificial intelligence.''

It's just one of many ways that generative AI is being used by the adult entertainment business.

Analysis by SplitMetrics revealed that AI companion apps reached 225 million downloads in the Google Play Store.

''I would expect more app developers to take note of this trend and look at ways this category can be further innovative and monetised,'' said SplitMetrics general manager Thomas Kriebernegg.

AI companions can be lucrative, says Misha Rykov, privacy researcher with Mozilla's Privacy Not Included guide.

''Given that most of the chatbots are charging fees, and the core technology has been developed elsewhere [such as Open AI], it looks like a high-margin business. Also, these apps collect personal data and often share it with third parties like advertisers - a tried and true business model.''

Jason Sheldon/Junction 10 PhotographyKerry McInerney says we need to know about the data sets that sex chatbots are being trained on

But the merger of AI and the adult entertainment business has set off alarm bells.

One problem lies in the bias inherent in generative AI, which produces new content based on the data on which it has been trained.

There is a risk that retrograde gender stereotypes about sex and pleasure get encoded into sex chatbots, says Dr Kerry McInerney, senior research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, at the University of Cambridge.

''It's crucial that we understand what kinds of data sets are used to train sex chatbots, otherwise we risk replicating ideas about sex that demean female pleasure and ignore sex that exists outside of heterosexual intercourse.''

There is also the risk of addiction says Mr Rykov, who says that AI chatbots target lonely people, notably men.

''Most of the AI chatbots we reviewed have high addictive potential and several potential harms, especially to users with mental health challenges.''

Mozilla has added content warnings to several AI chatbots ''as we found themes of abuse, violence, and underage relationships,'' says Mr Rykov.

More Technology of BusinessHe also raised the issue of privacy. Partnership chatbots are designed to collect ''an unprecedented amount of personal data''.

Mr Rykov adds that that 90% of apps reviewed by Mozilla ''may share or sell personal data'', while more than half of the apps won't let users delete personal data.

Others warn about the possible danger such AI could have on real-world relationships.

Tamara Hoyton, senior practice consultant at the counselling service Relate, points out: ''Some difficulties may come about if real encounters are profoundly disappointing because they don't match up to the strictly defined requirements that users experience in AI porn.''

Ms Hoyton adds that, in some cases, AI porn could take users into dangerous areas.

''There is nothing wrong with a bit of fantasy, and many people get aroused by thoughts that they have absolutely no intention of acting on; AI porn might be seen like this.

''If it's crossed over into an assumption of consent for example, a sense of entitlement, or that everyone will be what turns you on, based on the user's experience of the compliance of the AI object, then it's an issue.''

Getty ImagesSome argue that AI could replace human sex workers

Companies using AI within the adult entertainment industry acknowledge that there is a need for caution, but maintain that AI has an important role to play.

Philipp Hamburger, head of AI at Lovehoney, says the company is aiming ''to enhance the sexual experience of its customers, rather than replace it, which is an important line to draw".

Others believe AI will have a positive effect on the sector. Ruben Cruz is the co-founder of Barcelona-based The Clueless Agency, which created one of the first AI influencers, Aitana Lopez.

He points out that the sex industry will always exist, and AI can help mitigate ethical concerns by ensuring that the content is not created using real people.

''This shift aims to ensure that no person, male or female, has to be explicitly sexualized in the future.''

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Archived Version

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:10

Source: UnsplashChina was paying select Canadian media executives and journalists to act as conduits for its foreign election interference operations.

The media manipulation scheme was alleged in a section of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report tabled in the House of Commons on Monday.

According to the redacted section, China's regime was ''interfering with Canadian media content via direct engagement with Canadian media executives and journalists.''

Specific examples included six sentences that were redacted. The report notes that the redacted portion described ''examples of (China) paying to publish media articles without attribution, sponsoring media travel to the (People's Republic of China), pressuring journalists to withdraw articles and creating false accounts on social media to spread disinformation.''

Concerns about Beijing's control over certain media outlets have a long history in Canada. In 2021, Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a briefing memo that media influence operations had ''become normalized,'' especially with ethnic media outlets.

''In particular, PRC media influence activities in Canada have become normalized,'' the memo stated.

''Chinese-language media outlets operating in Canada and members of the Chinese-Canadian community are primary targets of PRC-directed foreign influenced activities.''

Legacy media outlets were also a target. Last year, declassified CSIS documents pointed to ''key media entities'' receiving substantial funding from China.

China often targeted ''key editors, producers and high-ranking managers'' via Vancouver's Chinese consulate, even going so far as threatening journalists to elect politicians who sympathize with Chinese interests.

''Traditional and online media outlets play an important role during election periods, offering a curated communications channel between political campaigns and the general public,'' wrote CSIS.

''(China works) to manipulate and influence key media entities, control narratives, and disseminate disinformation.''

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Archived Version

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 11:51

The former assistant city attorney of Atlanta, who was also a life advice podcaster, has been jailed for seven years after fraudulently obtaining approximately $15 million in COVID relief loans.

Shelitha Robertson, 62, used the illegally gained funds to splash out on luxuries such as a 10 carat diamond ring, a Rolls Royce and a motorbike.

The former police officer had obtained the money under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a federal stimulus program that was set up during the pandemic.

But only weeks before she was imprisoned, Robertson was still gleefully appearing on her daughter's 'Mommy & Me' podcast in which the pair would give their advice on dealing with the world - including advising listeners on how to earn money though hard work and 'integrity'.

But Robertson didn't follow her own advice and decided to make her money through deception, submitting one false loan application after another to the COVID relief scheme claiming she needed the cash to support four businesses she owned.

What she said in the loan documents was extraordinary, claiming she had a workforce of more than 400, meaning she was entitled to millions of dollars in handouts for each of the companies she claimed to run.

Shelitha Robertson, the former Assistant City Attorney of Atlanta, was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $15 million in COVID relief loans

Shelitha Robertson, 62, and her daughter Brii Renee, presented a Mommy & Me podcast in which the pair would offer 'life advice' to their 300,000 followers

Court documents show that Robertson falsely claimed she was responsible for a 427 employees.

The number of 'staff' in her 'companies' allowed her to obtain enormous PPP loans, which were designed to keep legitimate businesses afloat through the pandemic.

In an October episode of the podcast Robertson presented alongside her daughter Brii Renee, she was asked if she would choose integrity over poverty when asked how she would react to the chance to make money quickly.

'I choose integrity and whatever else it brings. I don't choose selling your soul to the devil. Because that would mean I am willing to belittle myself and degrade myself for the love of what? Of a dollar,' Robertson began, knowing full well the Department of Justice were already investigating her.

'How my kids view me and respect me, means more to me than earning a quick dollar for me to be something that I'm not,' Robertson said, just weeks before she was hauled off to jail.

Robertson used the multi-million dollar proceeds from her loans to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring worth at least $150,000, as well as luxury vehicles, including the Rolls.

Robertson will be almost 70 by the time she's released from prison, leaving behind her influencer daughter Brii Renee, who boasts over 600,000 Instagram followers, seen here

The DOJ also said she transferred funds to a co-conspirator, Chandra Norton, and other family members.

The pair had no such qualms about abusing such a scheme, even submitting false tax documents to back up their inflated income statements within each loan application.

A jury convicted Robertson of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, with the judge sentencing her to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Robertson will be almost 70 by the time she's released from prison, leaving her influencer daughter Brii, who has over 600,000 Instagram followers, without a podcast partner.

It's quite the fall from grace for Robertson who was Atlanta's Assistant City Attorney and had been a city cop too

In the 'Mommy and Me' in which the pair discuss 'navigating life's challenges', according to an Apple Podcasts preview.

In one episode of the podcast from October 2023, Robertson advises followers to 'chase their dream' because 'the money will come'.

'When you have a passion for something that you love, you can do it for free. Don't ever chase the money. The money will come. Chase your passion, Chase your dream. The money will come,' Robertson insists.

Her daughter, who was born through artificial insemination, posted a glowing tribute to her mother.

'I wouldn't be who I am today without the amazing mother, example, hustler, you are!', daughter Renee wrote just a few weeks ago.

'Thank you for every sacrifice you made and every dream you pushed me to achieve!'

In court, Robertson tried to appeal to the judge before her sentencing.

The money was intended for legitimate businesses who needed it to survive the pandemic

'I'm dead broke,' she said.

'My business is gone. My (law) license is gone. My assets are gone. The only thing I have left is my family and my faith in God.'

She said she was deeply sorry for the impact her conduct has had on her family, wife and community.

'I'm not that person that tries to take advantage of anybody or any situation,' she said. 'I've owned up to what I've done.'

Snippet from the criminal indictment of Shelitha Robertson that show the fictitious companies into which millions of dollars were paid through government funds

Court documents show how millions of dollars were distributed to Robertsons made up firms

Robertson regularly appeared on her daughter's podcast where she would advise followers to work hard and not to be motivated by money

As part of her spending, the 62-year-old splashed out on a Rolls Royce car

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg said the loss of the $14 million in funds was staggering.

'It was her level of direction and confidence in being able to commit this level of fraud without being detected that instigated it in the first place,' Grimberg said in court.

'Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds that were designated to provide emergency financial relief to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,' said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. '

'It was her level of direction and confidence in being able to commit this level of fraud without being detected that instigated it in the first place,' Grimberg said in court.

Robertson used the loan proceeds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring

Robertson has run for public office several times including that of Superior Court Judge

'Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds that were designated to provide emergency financial relief to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,' said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. '

'Today the defendant in this case was held accountable for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program and using those stolen funds to enrich herself, while small businesses were struggling during the pandemic,' added Kyle Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the FDIC.

'The FDIC Office Inspector General remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue and bring to justice those who took advantage of such pandemic relief programs and threatened the integrity of our Nation's financial institutions.'

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 03:59

Image Source: Fernando/Generated with AI.

We recently made an update to our Terms of Use with the goal of providing more clarity on a few specific areas and pushed a routine re-acceptance of those terms to Adobe Creative Cloud and Document Cloud customers. We have received a number of questions resulting from this update and want to provide some clarity.

We remain committed to transparency, protecting the rights of creators and enabling our customers to do their best work.

What is different in the Terms of UseThe focus of this update was to be clearer about the improvements to our moderation processes that we have in place. Given the explosion of Generative AI and our commitment to responsible innovation, we have added more human moderation to our content submissions review processes.

Here's a view of what was updated

To be clear, Adobe requires a limited license to access content solely for the purpose of operating or improving the services and software and to enforce our terms and comply with law, such as to protect against abusive content.

When Adobe applications and services may access content Access is needed for Adobe applications and services to perform the functions they are designed and used for (such as opening and editing files for the user or creating thumbnails or a preview for sharing). Access is needed to deliver some of our most innovative cloud-based features such as Photoshop Neural Filters, Liquid Mode or Remove Background. You can read more information, including how users can control how their content may be used: https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/machine-learning-faq.html For content processed or stored on Adobe servers, Adobe may use technologies and other processes, including escalation for manual (human) review, to screen for certain types of illegal content (such as child sexual abuse material), or other abusive content or behavior (for example, patterns of activity that indicate spam or phishing). Adobe's continued commitmentsOur commitments to our customers have not changed.

Adobe does not train Firefly Gen AI models on customer content. Firefly generative AI models are trained on a dataset of licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content where copyright has expired. Read more here: https://helpx.adobe.com/firefly/faq.html#training-data Adobe will never assume ownership of a customer's work. Adobe hosts content to enable customers to use our applications and services. Customers own their content and Adobe does not assume any ownership of customer work. We appreciate our customers who reached out to ask these questions, which has given us an opportunity to clarify our terms and our commitments. We will be clarifying the Terms of Use acceptance customers see when opening applications.

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Archived Version

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 22:24

The Skynet Drone Defense system is designed to down a drone that could be interfering with police investigations. Using 12 gauge rounds as the delivery system, the shells separate into tethered pieces after firing them. As these parts separate and extend outward, a web is created that is 5' in diameter. When the SKYNET round reaches the drone, the tethers and round pieces wrap around the drone, interfering with the propellers and forcing the drone to the ground. If the SKYNET round misses the target, it is designed to parachute safely to the ground to reduce any unwanted damage or injury.

This is your best drone defense system12 gauge rounds are 2 3/4'' chamberShells separate into tethered piecesWeb expands to 5' in diameterCords wrap around drones bringing them downMissed shots parachute safely back to groundConvenient, economical 3-pack, 5-pack and 25-packSKYNET bullet speed: 1000 FPSUp to 300ft Distance

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Archived Version

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 22:17

CNN '--

As the H5N1 bird flu virus spreads through dairy cattle, the US Food and Drug Administration is asking states to take more steps to protect the public from the risks of raw milk.

In an open letter posted to the agency's website on Thursday, it urged states to warn the public more strongly about the dangers of raw milk and to test herds that produce it for sale.

The FDA also recommended that states use their regulatory authorities to stop the sale of raw milk within the state or in areas where dairy herds have tested positive.

On Thursday, Minnesota became the 10th state to report infected herds. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 82 herds in the US have tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

The FDA doesn't allow the sale of raw milk across state lines, but several states allow the sale of raw milk for human consumption within their borders, with varying requirements. Some states allow raw milk to be sold as pet food labeled ''not for human consumption,'' understanding that what people do with the milk in their own homes is up to them.

Raw milk can carry high levels of the H5N1 bird flu virus because the virus appears to infect cows through their udders. It is not yet known whether people can get bird flu by drinking milk contaminated with the virus. However, cats living on farms with infected cows have died after consuming unpasteurized milk, and three dairy workers exposed to raw milk have been infected.

''Given the current and potential future risks that HPAI H5N1 virus poses to our nation's public health, as well as the health of our nation's food-producing animals and wildlife, it is important to work together to minimize the additional exposure of humans and other animal species,'' wrote Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, who is leading the agency's H5N1 response.

Beyond bird flu, the FDA says health risks of raw milk include illness, miscarriages, stillbirths, kidney failure and death.

In addition to stronger warnings about the dangers of consuming raw milk, the FDA is asking states to monitor dairy cattle herds for signs of illness that would indicate infection with H5N1 bird flu virus and tell farms to safely discard milk from sick cows.

Any raw milk or raw milk products from exposed cattle that are fed to calves or any other animals should be heat-treated or pasteurized, the FDA said.

The FDA is also calling on states to implement surveillance testing for the presence of H5N1 virus in dairy herds that might be engaged in producing raw milk and to report their results to state and federal regulatory agencies.

The agency said it would soon share new research and data on both bird flu virus in raw milk and raw milk products.

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Archived Version

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 21:58

Toyota's new engine can run on gasoline, synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, and hydrogen.

                                        https://www.carscoops.com/author/sam-d-smith/                                     by Sam D. Smith June 6, 2024 at 16:44

Toyota has developed a new thermally efficient internal combustion engine that can run on gasoline, synthetic fuel, biodiesel, and hydrogen.New tech has been developed thanks to the company's involvement in racing with its hydrogen-powered GR Corolla race car.Toyota says it remains committed to developing ICEs.Toyota has come under fire for being anti-EV and has even been accused of weakening nations' climate policies through industry advocacy groups. Despite teasing the world with promises of a solid-state battery and introducing its own EVs, the company remains committed to furthering existing tech, with a ''multi-pathway approach'' to reducing emissions.

Toyota's goal of carbon neutrality involves not only battery electric vehicles but plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, and internal combustion engine cars. The company also remains committed to developing hydrogen technologies.

Read: Toyota Chief Believes EVs Can Only Capture 30% Of Future Auto Market

This furthering of hydrogen tech, it says, has resulted in the creation of a new breed of thermally efficient engines that can run on a variety of fuels, including conventional gasoline, as well as carbon-neutral options such as synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, and hydrogen.

Racing Heritage

Toyota's chairman and former CEO, Akio Toyoda, pushed for the development of an H2-powered racing car. Rather than creating a fuel-cell vehicle like the pioneering Mirai, Toyota's engineers sought a way to make the concept viable in a combustion engine. They settled on the 1.6-liter three-pot engine used in the GR Corolla. The car was later entered successfully in the Super Taikyu Series.

One of the challenges the company faced was balancing thermal efficiency, with hydrogen burning faster and hotter than gasoline. However, using lessons learned from the hydrogen-powered GR Corolla racing car, Toyota's engineers have cracked how to make these engines even more efficient for the street.

Toyota's hydrogen-powered GR Corolla racer Speaking to Auto News, Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said Toyota's experience in developing the hydrogen racer fed directly into these future production engines. ''Hydrogen engine development has really contributed to our deeper understanding of engine heat efficiency. It was a trigger that brought this technology.''

A New Generation Of Engine

Toyota's engineers claim that, thanks to engineering advances, these new engines can be 10 to 20 percent physically smaller than they are today but, crucially, are more fuel efficient and can produce more power. While the concept can run on a variety of fuels, including hydrogen, the short-term goal is to incorporate these new efficient engines into a hybrid drivetrain.

See Also: Toyota Tests Tech That Sucks CO2 From The Air On GR Corolla

A 1.5-liter engine with turbo and naturally aspirated configurations has been developed, as well as a 2.0-liter turbocharged version. The new engines will have shorter strokes and less torque. But as they're designed to work in conjunction with a hybrid system, the electric motors will fill in any gaps. The trade-off, at least with our enthusiast's cap on, will be fewer revolutions per minute.

Specs are being kept under wraps for now, but the engines will likely start to appear in time for new Euro 7 emissions regulations that require stricter emissions control from gasoline engines. In the long term, the plan will be to develop an engine that runs on carbon-neutral fuels.

Whether this approach will benefit Toyota in the long term remains to be seen. However, one thing is for sure: the Japanese automaker is sticking to its guns and will continue to commit to a future that involves internal combustion engines '' whether naysayers like it or not.

Could the next generation of Toyota Prius see the new engine tech?

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 17:10

F orget climate anxiety: many people are in flat-out climate despair. About two-thirds of Americans (65%) report being worried about global warming, according to a January report from the Yale Program for Climate Communication. One in 10 say they've recently felt depressed over their concerns for the planet, and a similar percentage describe feeling on edge or like they're unable to stop worrying about global warming.

No wonder more people are seeking care from climate-aware therapists. Some go to therapy to figure out whether they should have kids in the age of rapid climate change. Others are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from natural disasters or are burned out from advocacy work.

But if the threat is existential, is there value in sorting out how you feel about it? ''The very first step is full validation,'' says Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology educator and author of books including Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A Clinician's Guide. ''Things like, 'This makes so much sense, I hear you, I understand, let's talk about this more.''' Understand that it's not irrational to be full of worry, rage, fear, guilt, or grief when the planet's on fire.

Here, climate-aware therapists share their most effective coping strategies for going from overwhelmed to empowered.

Talk about it.Climate change tends to get the religion-and-politics treatment'--people avoid talking about it, says Carol Bartels, a therapist based in Long Beach, Calif. ''But we need to talk about it,'' she adds. ''We need to know that other people are feeling the same.''

Join a climate caf(C)'--discussion spaces, both online and in-person, where people can talk freely about their fears and other feelings related to climate change. Or try the Good Grief Network, a peer-support group that follows a 10-step approach to help people process any type of grieving, including for the planet.

Use your connections.Research suggests that the lonelier and more socially isolated someone feels, the higher their levels of climate distress. Finding your people can help. Join local land-restoration efforts, get involved with community gardening, or stop by your favorite park's clean-up day. ''A lot of the messaging we get is very individualist, like, 'Stop driving so much,''' says Jenni Silverstein, a licensed clinical social worker based in Santa Rosa, Calif., an area that's been ravaged by wildfires. ''Those actions are valuable, but this is a collective situation, and collective responses are where we have power.'' We accomplish more with others than we do by ourselves, she adds.

If you're struggling to find a like-minded community, think about where you already have a foot in the door. If you work in the medical field, for example, ask your colleagues if they want to help start an initiative for reduced waste, Davenport suggests, or your department could oversee a new rooftop garden. ''You have some influence'--you're already part of a community,'' she says. ''If each of us engaged in the places where we're already active, it would make a huge difference.''

Analyze your carbon footprint.Some people cope with climate distress by distancing themselves from the problem'--they ignore it, hoping it will go away, says Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., who co-founded the Climate Psychiatry Alliance. It's more effective to ''take the energy of all those emotions and redirect them into constructive action,'' she says, and that starts with analyzing your own carbon footprint. Online calculators can help you determine the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by your actions. It can also be helpful to simply take inventory of your habits, Van Susteren points out: Could you walk or bike instead of driving to work? What about cutting CO2 emissions by taking the train instead of an airplane? ''Be honest with yourself so you can understand both the opportunities and challenges,'' she advises.

Share your views.This is no time for humility. Make sure everyone around you knows what you're doing to combat climate change, says Van Susteren. ''What motivates people is not our independence'--we follow the crowd." Someone might not make green choices in the interest of future generations, but will do it if everyone else is. So post about your advocacy work or the trees you planted on Facebook, and tell whoever you're standing next to at parties.

If you're surrounded by people who don't appear to prioritize the environment as much as you do, lead by example rather than trying to change their minds, Bartels advises. She grows fruits and vegetables and shares them with her neighbors, for example'--even the ones who don't care about climate-friendly lifestyles. If they ask about her garden, she explains how to get started. ''Getting angry with people does zero good,'' she says. ''It's important to keep the dialogue open. When we make enemies out of people who could be our allies, we're making a grave mistake.''

Make it a family affair.Some research suggests that climate change is especially affecting young people's mental health. If your kids are coming to you with concerns, listen to and validate them, Van Susteren says. Then get imaginative about how your whole family can take action together. If your kids are young, ''you're not going to talk about climate tipping points, but you can say, 'Let's plant a garden, let's clean up a park. Let's show Mother Earth that we care about her.'''

Middle-schoolers like to do things with their community, she adds, so consider banding together to raise money to install solar panels at the school. Older teens might like to start or join climate clubs; if they express interest in going to a protest, ask if they'd like you to tag along, or if you can help them get there. ''You can also have family meetings and say, 'We've taken your feelings seriously, and we've decided as a family that these are some of the things we can do,''' Van Susteren suggests. For example, '''That's why we're not going to fly off here or fly out there; we're going to get a hybrid instead and drive through the Shenandoah and camp out and look at the stars.''' Brainstorm activities or changes that will help you all feel like you're making a difference.

Get artsy.Making art can help people regulate and work through their emotions, says Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, a psychotherapist based in Berkeley, Calif., who specializes in art therapy and eco-therapy. ''You're doing patterned, repetitive movements and getting into a flow state," she says. "It's calming.'' Try it in the natural world'--by sketching in front of the ocean or on a bench in the woods, for example.

She often challenges clients to use colors, shapes, and lines to express how they're feeling at that moment. You might be surprised at what comes out on the paper; art is a way of tapping into thoughts you didn't even realize you had, Cook-Shonkoff says. As you study your finished work and try to make sense of its meaning, you might gain a deeper understanding of how you're really feeling. ''You can start to distill those emotions and be able to communicate them with other people,'' she says. ''There's a lot of dialogue that can happen.''

Savor time outside.Spending time outside in green spaces benefits well-being'--though Davenport acknowledges it can be complex. You go to your favorite lake, but it's closed because there's toxic algae growth caused by warm water. A hike in the woods in the dead of winter is lovely, but the unseasonable warmth unnerves you. ''Love and grief are two sides of the same coin,'' she says. It's worth pushing through the challenging feelings, she says, ''because doing so can renew your sense of why it's important to fight for this.''

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:52

READ MORE: The exact effect of vaping compared to cigarettes on the bodyBy Germania Rodriguez For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 11:39 EDT, 7 June 2024 | Updated: 15:01 EDT, 7 June 2024

The US Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would reverse a 2022 order that briefly blocked sale of Juul's products, including its e-cigarettes.

The latest move comes a few months after Juul sought an FDA authorization for new menthol-flavored pods meant to be used with its e-cigarettes device, which was under the agency's review.

The FDA had banned Juul's four varieties of tobacco and menthol-flavored pods and the e-cigarette device after it concluded that the company failed to provide 'sufficient evidence' they were safe. It also raised concerns over potentially hazardous liquid in the products.

The ban was stayed a month after it was issued as a result of an appeal by the company.

The FDA said rescission of orders that prevent marketing of the products is not an authorization or a denial of Juul's marketing application. The revocation only returns company's applications to a pending and under-review status.

The US Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would reverse a 2022 order that briefly blocked sale of Juul's products, including its e-cigarettes

The marketing denial orders issued by the FDA have faced multiple challenges in different US states by the e-cigarette makers.

'Some of these court decisions establish new case law and inform the FDA's approach to product review,' the FDA said.

The agency began regulating e-cigarette devices and vapes in August 2016. So far, 23 e-cigarette products have been authorized by it for sale in the United States.

The FDA said continued review of Juul's application does not alter the fact that all e-cigarette products need its authorization to be legally marketed.

There is no rule in place against owning or using a Juul device.

The FDA ban included JUULpods Virginia Tobacco five percent, Virginia Tobacco three percent, Menthol five percent, and Menthol three percent.

The vaping industry has been caught in the cross-hairs of the FDA amid allegations it has led to a spike in e-cigarette use among youngsters and is a gateway for people to start smoking.

But manufacturers claim that their products are much safer than cigarettes because they do not have the toxic smoke and can help people kick the habit.

Pictured left is his shop off Union Square, and right is a package of Juul e-cigarettes

Last year, Juul Labs Inc. agreed to pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia, marking the largest settlement the company has reached so far for its role in the youth vaping surge, the attorneys general in several states announced Wednesday.

The agreement with New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. came amid a string of legal agreements Juul reached to settle lawsuits related to the way it marketed addictive nicotine products. Critics said Juul was trying to lure children too young to smoke.

Like some other settlements reached by Juul, the agreement included restrictions on the marketing and distribution of the company's vaping products. For example, it is barred from any direct or indirect marketing that targets youth, which includes anyone under age 35. Juul would also limit the amount of purchases customers can make in retail stores and online.

Juul rocketed to the top of the vaping market with the popularity of flavors like mango, mint and cr¨me br>>l(C)e. But the startup's rise was fueled by use among teenagers, some of whom became hooked on Juul's high-nicotine pods.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:44

KANSAS CITY, Mo. '-- BJ Thompson, the defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, woke up Friday morning inside the University of Kansas' medical center in stable condition, as he was responsive almost 24 hours after he had a seizure in a special-teams meeting and went into cardiac arrest.

Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs' vice president of sports medicine and performance, explained Friday that it was kicker Harrison Butker who first noticed that Thompson was having a seizure.

Burkholder said Butker immediately left the meeting room and sprinted toward the team's training room to alert assistant trainers Julie Frymyer and David Glover. Within minutes, Burkholder and his staff '-- of Frymyer, Glover, Tiffany Morton and Evan Craft '-- and Dr. Jean-Philippe E Darche, a former center who played nine seasons in the NFL, worked together to help resuscitate Thompson, who fell to the floor once he went into cardiac arrest.

''Our (medical) team of that group of people provided CPR for him and he had one AED shock and came back,'' Burkholder said of Thompson after the Chiefs' practice Friday. ''He was only in cardiac arrest for probably less than a minute.''

GO DEEPER

Chiefs cancel OTA practice after medical emergency

Thompson was taken by ambulance to the medical center and was placed under heavy sedation.

''He was on a ventilator overnight, just so that he could breathe since he was so heavily sedated,'' Burkholder said of Thompson. ''He's alert. He's awake. He's coming through quite well. We don't have a diagnosis. In medicine, sometimes you don't have that. He's heading in the absolute right direction.''

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood. When this occurs, blood doesn't flow to the brain or other important organs.

During cardiac arrest, the heart gets out of rhythm and suddenly stops beating. The person no longer has a pulse, stops breathing and becomes unconscious. Unlike a heart attack, cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical disturbance that disrupts how the heart pumps blood throughout the body, ultimately stopping blood flow. There is not a blockage to the heart.

Following the medical emergency, the Chiefs postponed their voluntary organized team activities practice until Friday afternoon.

''Thank goodness, though, that if it had to happen, there's no better place than right here, where you have the support unit that knows what to do,'' coach Andy Reid said. ''Afterwards, we had a team meeting around 9:15 a.m. I think it was good to get (the players) out of here yesterday. We've got support people here who can help them if they need it for what they saw. It's not a real pleasant thing to see and watch. We've kept them abreast all the way through, even right through the end of practice.''

Reid also acknowledged that most of his players were in the room when Thompson had his seizure.

''I'm just glad to see that he's doing (well),'' fellow defensive end George Karlaftis said of Thompson. ''You never want that for anyone. It's hard, but we're blessed to have such great teammates and athletic trainers that helped him and we're able and ready for that situation. I'm hoping and praying for a speedy recovery for BJ.''

Burkholder explained that the NFL requires every team to practice its emergency action plan, whether the team is home or away before a game and during the workweek inside the training facility.

''We're mandated to practice multiple times a year,'' Burkholder said. ''Ironically, we practiced on Monday with a group called Walters Incorporated, who comes in and educates us and goes through scenarios like we went through yesterday.''

Thompson, a fifth-round pick in 2023, is one of the Chiefs' developmental defensive ends, a former basketball player who spent almost all of his rookie season similar to a redshirt freshman in college. He appeared in one game, the Chiefs' regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, where he recorded two tackles in 28 defensive snaps.

At age 27, Thompson is entering the 2024 season hoping to earn a role as a rotational edge rusher.

''Our thoughts and prayers are with BJ Thompson,'' the Chiefs released in a statement Friday on their X account. ''Chiefs Kingdom, help us wish him a speedy recovery!''

Our thoughts and prayers are with BJ Thompson. Chiefs Kingdom, help us wish him a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/GkXwG2zfZm

'-- Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 7, 2024

Prior to Friday's practice, the Chiefs were told that Thompson had regained consciousness.

''It's just phenomenal news that we got that he's doing better and that he's stable,'' safety Justin Reid said. He later added on Butker's heroic act: ''Harrison is that guy and he loves all of us. We're a family. This is so much deeper than just football. In a moment like that, you just have to call yourself into action.

''Harrison did that and the trainers moved so quickly to be able to rescue BJ.''

(Photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)

Nate Taylor has been a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Kansas City Chiefs since 2018. Before that, he covered the Indiana Pacers at The Indianapolis Star for two years. He has also been a sports features writer for The New York Times and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A Kansas City native, he graduated from the University of Central Missouri. Follow Nate on Twitter @ByNateTaylor

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:28

AAFCO shares their thoughts regarding the purported link between the practice of feeding dried poultry litter to cattle and the spread of HPAI to dairy cows.Following several media reports alleging that the use of dried poultry litter in dairy cattle diets has caused the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus to spread on dairy farms, Austin Therrell, executive director of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), shared the following statement:

''There are several news articles insinuating that poultry litter may be the culprit behind the spread of HPAI in U.S. dairy cattle. While it is theoretically possible, it is very unlikely the illness was spread through animal feed. It is important to share some insight into the important food safety protocols that are in place to make this accusation highly unlikely.

''The AAFCO Ingredient Definition Request Process is extremely rigorous and transparent. It includes a scientific review by the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, as well as approval from a majority of state regulators. This regulatory pathway takes into account many potential food safety hazards to ensure that ingredients that gain approval can be safely and effectively marketed for use in animal food in the U.S.

''Dried Poultry Litter or Waste has been approved as a commercial feed ingredient by AAFCO since 1982, and while it's not widely used, poultry litter can be a great alternative for cattle to promote sustainability while still gaining a nutritional benefit for the animals,'' shared Therrell.

In addition to a thorough ingredient review process, there are extensive preventive food safety measures required for all animal foods by the Food Safety Modernization Act. The AAFCO Official Publication reinforces these protocols by specifying that manufacturers of processed animal waste products are required to test and maintain records to show that products like dried poultry litter do not contain:

Drugs suspected or known to be used in the feed or as a therapeutic treatment of source animals.Pesticides used on the source animal, facility and wastes for pest control.Pathogenic organisms, at least to include Salmonella and E. coli.Heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and selenium, at least.Parasitic larva or ova.Mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin.American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) President and CEO Constance Cullman reiterated the following on May 1, 2024: ''U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed that based on what they know today, 'wild migratory birds are believed to be the original source of the virus' in dairy cattle, and their staff are further investigating cases where has spread between herds through cattle movements or into nearby poultry premises. On a call last week, USDA's chief veterinary officer and deputy administrator for veterinary services confirmed to stakeholders that nothing leaves the infected premises of an HPAI-impacted poultry farm, including poultry litter or waste to be used for crop fertilizer or feed.

The FDA has also stated that it is 'not aware of any data showing that the use of poultry litter in cattle feed is posing human or animal health risks that warrant restrictions on its use.'''

''AAFCO and its members are committed to working with the animal food industry, as well as producers across the U.S., to ensure that we continue to have the safest food supply in the world. Our vision is to be the trusted leader that safeguards animal and human health, and we will continue to do our part to make sure that hardworking American farmers do not have to worry about the safety of the products they are feeding their animals,'' concluded Therrell.

About AAFCOThe Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 115 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals. Its members are charged by their state or federal laws to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of animal feeds and feed ingredients.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:27

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***

Moshe Yatom, a prominent Israeli psychiatrist who successfully cured the most extreme forms of mental illness throughout a distinguished career, was found dead at his home in Tel Aviv yesterday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A suicide note at his side explained that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been his patient for the last nine years, had ''sucked the life right out of me.''

''I can't take it anymore,'' wrote Yatom.

''Robbery is redemption, apartheid is freedom, peace activists are terrorists, murder is self-defense, piracy is legality, Palestinians are Jordanians, annexation is liberation, there's no end to his contradictions. Freud promised rationality would reign in the instinctual passions, but he never met Bibi Netanyahu. This guy would say Gandhi invented brass knuckles.''

Psychiatrists are familiar with the human tendency to massage the truth to avoid confronting emotionally troubling material, but Yatom was apparently stunned at what he called the ''waterfall of lies'' gushing from his most illustrious patient. His personal diary details the steady disintegration of his once invincible personality under the barrage of self-serving rationalizations put forth by Netanyahu.

''I'm completely shocked,'' said neighbor Yossi Bechor, whose family regularly vacationed with Yatom's family. ''Moshe was the epitome of the fully-integrated personality and had cured dozens of schizophrenics before beginning work on Bibi. There was no outward indication that his case was any different from the others.''

But it was. Yatom grew increasingly depressed at his complete lack of progress in getting the Prime Minister to acknowledge reality, and he eventually suffered a series of strokes when attempting to grasp Netanyahu's thinking, which he characterized in one diary entry as ''a black hole of self-contradiction.''

The first of Yatom's strokes occurred when Netanyahu offered his opinion that the 911 attacks on Washington and New York ''were good.'' The second followed a session in which Netanyahu insisted that Iran and Nazi Germany were identical. And the third occurred after the Prime Minister declared Iran's nuclear energy program was a ''flying gas chamber,'' and that all Jews everywhere ''lived permanently in Auschwitz.'' Yatom's efforts to calm Netanyahu's hysteria were extremely taxing emotionally and routinely ended in failure.

''The alibi is always the same with him,'' complained another diary entry. ''The Jews are on the verge of annihilation at the hands of the racist goyim and the only way to save the day is to carry out one final massacre.''

Yatom was apparently working on converting his diary into a book about the Netanyahu case. Several chapters of an unfinished manuscript, entitled ''Psychotic On Steroids,'' were found in his study. The excerpt below offers a rare glimpse at the inner workings of a Prime Minister's mind, at the same time as it reveals the daunting challenge Yatom faced in seeking to guide it to rationality:

Monday, March 8

''Bibi came by at three for his afternoon session. At four he refused to leave and claimed my house was actually his. Then he locked me in the basement overnight while he lavishly entertained his friends upstairs. When I tried to escape, he called me a terrorist and put me in shackles. I begged for mercy, but he said he could hardly grant it to someone who didn't even exist.''

*

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Michael K. Smith is the author of ''Portraits of Empire'' and ''The Madness of King George,'' from Common Courage Press. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 15:43

Image: Patrick Pleul (AP)

Gone are the times when Tesla sold every car it could build fresh out of the factory. We're now at the point where the company has actually made too many vehicles . The automaker is obviously aware of this, slashing prices on popular models like the Model Y as inventory piles up . Buyers aren't biting though and now the automaker has so much unsold inventory that, as Sherwood News reports, they're being stored in lots that can be seen from space.

Elon Musk's xAI to build its "gigafactory of compute" in Memphis

In Q1 2024, Tesla reported that it made 433,371 vehicles. Of those, 386,810 were actually sold. This means the automaker has an extra 46,561 vehicles it didn't sell. This can be blamed on the overall EV sales slowdown, plateau, whatever you want to call it. Tesla played a part in this as well as Sherwood pointed out:

''The primary driver of this was an increase in inventory from a mismatch between builds,'' Tesla Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said of the company's -$2.5 billion in free cash flow ( spending on AI computers was also to blame). ''We expect the inventory built to reverse in the second quarter and free cash flow to return to positive again.''

So where exactly are all those thousands of Teslas? They're just sitting in lots. Using imagery from SkyFi , a satellite imagery marketplace, Sherwood was able to discover just where all those Tesla's are being stored. Images taken of Tesla's Texas Gigafactory from a random Thursday in October 2023 and a Thursday from March of 2024 show lots around the factory going from partially or nearly full to completely full in some cases.

Tesla is storing vehicles in other places around the country as well it seems. Satellite images from St. Louis' Chesterfield Mall shows a lot outside the mall being filled with nearly 500 cars. Even the mall here in my own city of Moreno Valley, California has been used to store Teslas; I recently observed a few hundred Model Ys parked outside Sears. So while Tesla is still selling hundreds of thousands of cars, it would seem that the brand isn't the hot seller it used to be. It makes you wonder how long they'll keep acting like we don't notice that they have thousands of unsold inventory piling up.

A version of this article originally appeared on Jalopnik .

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 15:40

AUSTIN (KXAN) '-- Austin Public Health announced Thursday that the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute had detected traces of H5N1, or bird flu, in the city's wastewater, according to a press release.

The agency said that the ''risk to the public remains low,'' and that no human cases have been reported locally.

''The detection of influenza viruses in wastewater does not necessarily indicate undetected human cases,'' APH said in its release. ''Influenza in wastewater can also come from other sources, such as birds or livestock or secretions/excretions into wastewater from infected cows or other animals in the area.''

So far, one Texas farmworker has contracted the virus, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. Nationally, two other human cases of bird flu have been reported. All three cases have had ''mild illness,'' according to APH.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in May that it had detected H5N1 in cattle for the first time.

APH asks anyone with flu-like symptoms to seek testing and treatment from a healthcare provider.

The agency also recommends wearing a mask and gloves when handling dead or sick birds, as well as any surfaces they may have contaminated. It also said the public should not consume raw or unpasteurized milk products.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 14:41

Donald Trump and his closest allies are preparing a radical reshaping of American government if he regains the White House. Here are some of his plans for cracking down on immigration, directing the Justice Department to prosecute his adversaries, increasing presidential power, upending America's trade policies, retreating militarily from Europe and unilaterally deploying troops to Democratic-run cities.

Crack down on illegal immigration to an extreme degreeMr. Trump is planning a massive expansion of his first-term crackdown on immigration if he returns to power in 2025. Among other things, he would:

1. Carry out mass deportationsMr. Trump's top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, said that a second Trump administration would seek a tenfold increase in the volume of deportations '-- to more than a million per year.

2. Increase the number of agents for ICE raidsHe plans to reassign federal agents and the National Guard to immigration control. He would also enable the use of federal troops to apprehend migrants.

3. Build camps to detain immigrantsThe Trump team plans to use military funds to build ''vast holding facilities'' to detain immigrants while their deportation cases progress.

4. Push for other countries to take would-be asylum seekers from the United StatesHe plans to revive ''safe third country'' agreements with Central American countries and expand them to Africa and elsewhere. The aim is to send people seeking asylum to other countries.

5. Once again ban entry into the United States by people from certain Muslim-majority nationsHe plans to suspend the nation's refugee program and once again bar visitors from mostly Muslim countries, reinstating a version of the travel ban that President Biden revoked in 2021.

6. Try to end ''birthright citizenship''His administration would declare that children born to undocumented parents were not entitled to citizenship and would cease issuing documents like Social Security cards and passports to them.

Use the Justice Department to prosecute his adversariesMr. Trump has declared that he would use the powers of the presidency to seek vengeance on his perceived foes. His allies have developed a legal rationale to erase the Justice Department's independence from the president. Mr. Trump has suggested that he would:

1. Direct a criminal investigation into Mr. Biden and his familyAs president, Mr. Trump pressed the Justice Department to investigate his foes. If re-elected, he has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor ''to go after'' Mr. Biden and his family.

2. Have foes indicted for challenging him politicallyHe has cited the precedent of his own indictments to declare that if he became president again and someone challenged him politically, he could say, ''Go down and indict them.''

3. Target journalists for prosecutionKash Patel, a Trump confidant, has threatened to target journalists for prosecution if Mr. Trump returns to power. The campaign later distanced Mr. Trump from the remarks.

Increase presidential powerMr. Trump and his associates have a broad goal to alter the balance of power by increasing the president's authority over every part of the federal government that currently operates independently of the White House. Mr. Trump has said that he will:

1. Bring independent agencies under presidential controlCongress has set up various regulatory agencies to operate independently from the White House. Mr. Trump has vowed to bring them under presidential control, setting up a potential court fight.

2. Revive the practice of ''impounding'' fundsHe has vowed to return to a system under which the president has the power to refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated for programs the president doesn't like.

3. Strip employment protections from tens of thousands of longtime civil servantsDuring Mr. Trump's presidency, he issued an executive order making it easier to fire career officials and replace them with loyalists. Mr. Biden rescinded it, but Mr. Trump has said that he would reissue it in a second term.

4. Purge officials from intelligence agencies, law enforcement, the State Department and the PentagonMr. Trump has disparaged the career work force at agencies involved in national security and foreign policy as an evil ''deep state'' he intends to destroy.

5. Appoint lawyers who would bless his agenda as lawfulPolitically appointed lawyers in the first Trump administration sometimes raised objections to White House proposals. Several of his closest advisers are now vetting lawyers seen as more likely to embrace aggressive legal theories about the scope of his power.

Aggressively expand his first-term efforts to upend America's trade policiesMr. Trump plans to sharply expand his use of tariffs in an effort to steer the country away from integration with the global economy and to increase American manufacturing jobs and wages. He has said that he will:

1. Impose a ''universal baseline tariff,'' a new tax on most imported goodsMr. Trump has said that he plans to impose a tariff on most goods manufactured abroad, floating a figure of 10 percent for the new import tax. On top of raising prices for consumers, such a policy would risk a global trade war.

2. Implement steep new trade restrictions on China to wrench apart the world's two largest economies.He has said that he will ''phase out all Chinese imports'' of electronics and other essential goods, and impose new rules to stop U.S. companies from making investments in China.

Retreat from military engagement with EuropeMr. Trump has long made clear that he sees NATO, the country's most important military alliance, not as a force multiplier with allies but as a drain on American resources by freeloaders. He has said he will:

1. Potentially undercut NATO or withdraw the United States from the allianceWhile in office, he threatened to withdraw from NATO. On his campaign website, he says he plans to fundamentally re-evaluate NATO's purpose, fueling anxiety that he could gut or end the alliance.

2. Settle the Russia-Ukraine war ''in 24 hours''He has claimed that he would end the war in Ukraine in a day. He has not said how, but he has suggested that he would have made a deal to prevent the war by letting Russia simply take Ukrainian lands.

Use military force in Mexico and on American soilMr. Trump has been more clear about his plans for using U.S. military force closer to home. He has said that he would:

1. Declare war on drug cartels in MexicoHe has released a plan to fight Mexican drug cartels with military force. It would violate international law if the United States used armed forces on Mexico's soil without its consent.

2. Use federal troops at the borderWhile it's generally illegal to use the military for domestic law enforcement, the Insurrection Act creates an exception. The Trump team would invoke it to use soldiers as immigration agents.

3. Use federal troops in Democratic-controlled citiesHe came close to unleashing the active-duty military on racial justice protests that sometimes descended into riots in 2020 and remains attracted to the idea. Next time, he has said, he will unilaterally send federal forces to bring order to Democratic-run cities.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 14:36

This article was republished from Sequencer with updates to reflect additional information.

Uh, guys? Are you in the right headspace to receive information that could possibly hurt you? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed last week that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive for a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Like the first and second cases reported in Michigan and Texas, respectively, this Michigan resident had been exposed to cows infected with the virus while working on a farm.

The two Great Lakes State residents worked on different farms; we also know that for the first time, this third case experienced respiratory symptoms like a cough and eye discomfort. The respiratory symptoms are a cause for concern, since it means the virus could spread more easily between humans and lead to more serious illness. Besides that, the CDC press release doesn’t say much else about the farmworker, only that they are taking an antiviral, “isolating at home, and their symptoms are resolving.”

Of the three human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza found in the U.S. this year, we know most about the Texas patient, since researchers quickly published a case report in the New England Journal of Medicine. That person worked on a dairy farm, and only experienced conjunctivitis (also known as pink eye) from the virus. They told officials they came into close contact with both healthy and sick cows, and reported wearing gloves but not respiratory or eye protection. Some have speculated that their infection might have been brought on by getting infected milk in their eye.

The second case in Michigan seemed similar. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a nasal swab from the person tested negative for H5N1, but an eye swab tested positive. Furthermore, the person’s only symptoms were eye-related. It’s not clear whether this Michigan resident used the same forms of protection when working with sick cattle. But pink eye is a less concerning symptom than signs of a respiratory infection: It’s easier to come into contact with tiny droplets from a cough or a sneeze than someone’s tears. This is one of the reasons why the most recent case out of Michigan has raised scientists’ concerns. Another speaks to the severity of this person’s symptoms, since despite its name, we’re not sure how dangerous highly pathogenic avian influenza could be to humans. (“Highly pathogenic” refers to its effects on birds.)

I’m getting ahead of myself, of course, because I went to public health school for infectious disease epidemiology and that sometimes draws me into thinking like a hammer looking for a nail. For H5N1—or any zoonotic infection, for that matter—to develop sustained transmission in humans, the virus would need to acquire some key genetic differences. But in the classic model of zoonotic pathogen emergence, initial “spillover events,” where a disease jumps from an animal to a human, give way to cluster outbreaks where people get each other sick.

I’m not calmed by the fact that these three spillover events occurred large distances apart, at three unrelated farms. This suggests that the characteristics allowing for spillover might be widespread. Nor do I feel great that we have growing evidence that farmworkers are shaping up to be particularly at risk.

Disease surveillance can only work properly when people aren’t afraid of engaging with the health care system. Immigration status, fear of retaliation from an employer, or anxiety over having to quarantine and risk losing an income source—these are all factors that complicate public health efforts. In that light, Michigan’s aggressive active surveillance program should be taken to mean that the virus might be spreading undetected in other states.

If it feels like we haven’t learned anything from COVID-19, it’s because outside of scientific circles, we haven’t. Even the welcomed public health developments, like a more robust wastewater surveillance system and rapid genetic sequencing of viral strains, represent monitoring improvements. In the absence of coordinated action, these promising advances will make little difference.

Even so, there are some concerning sides to H5N1 we haven’t seen yet, which is a relief, I guess. So far, H5N1 hasn’t been found circulating in pigs, which are more immunologically similar to humans than other livestock and harbor other flu strains that can already infect us. That’s an issue because influenza A viruses (the type H5N1 belongs to) can undergo a process called reassortment when two different viruses infect a single cell. The upshot of reassortment is that a virus lacking the genes to be good at infecting humans can very quickly acquire those tools to sustain transmission in humans.

There’s also good news and bad news when it comes to the milk supply. When the Food and Drug Administration tested milk from retail stores across 17 states last month, 1 in 5 milk samples contained fragments of H5N1 (the bad news). The silver lining is that those are fragments; pasteurization eliminates the virus and so milk is still safe to drink. Of course, that means now is probably one of the worst times to get into drinking raw milk.

Could we be making a mountain out of a molehill? Potentially, given that the CDC’s risk assessment for the general public remains low. But my fear is that we haven’t learned anything from COVID-19 and are doomed to ignore pandemic potential until it’s too late. I think that caution outweighs the risk of getting too worked up over a bird disease.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 14:07

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 04:24

In the days and weeks leading up to January 6, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, was moving in lockstep with the political anxieties of top Democratic leaders.

These Democrats grew anxious as over 140 House Republicans planned to contest the election results during the electoral college certification that day. Milley was then deeply engaged with a circle of confidants including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, among others'--all of whom shared a unified disdain for President Donald Trump.

At a House Oversight Committee hearing in April addressing the 3-hour and 19-minute delay in mobilizing the D.C. National Guard on January 6, Colonel Earl Matthews, one of four Department of Defense witnesses, testified about an ''irrational'' fear among a ''clique'' of senior military officers concerning the potential misuse of the National Guard by the president. He indicated that these concerns were influenced behind the scenes by Milley, who often made disparaging remarks about the president and regularly referred to his fear of a so-called potential ''Reichstag moment.''

Meanwhile, Milley has insisted he maintained a posture of strict neutrality, vocally distancing his leadership of the military from the political turmoil surrounding the 2020 presidential election. "My job is to stay clean by ensuring that the uniformed military remains out of domestic politics," Milley stated during his testimony before the January 6 Select Committee. "The United States military has no role in domestic politics, period, full stop."

Nevertheless, accounts of Milley's approach to the unfolding situation during the late days of the Trump administration, as detailed in Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker's I Alone Can Fix It and Susan Glasser and Peter Baker's August 2022 report in The New Yorker , present a picture of Milley that is much different from the disinterested persona he has disingenuously cultivated.

Some excerpts follow:

Considering resigning in the summer of 2020 during the height of the George Floyd riots, Milley ultimately decided against it. ''Fuck that shit,'' he told his staff, ''I'll just fight him.'' Despite assurances to confidants that he would never openly defy the president'--a move he considered illegal'--he was ''determined to plant flags.'' Milley envisioned a scenario involving either a declaration of martial law or a presidential invocation of the Insurrection Act with ''Trumpian Brown Shirts fomenting violence.''

Embodying a self-styled narrative of heroic defiance, Milley was prepared to face severe consequences to counter what he perceived as a grave threat. ''If they want to court-martial me or put me in prison, have at it,'' Milley told his staff, ''but I will fight from the inside.''

Milley saw himself as ''tasked'' with safeguarding ''against Trump and his people'' from potentially misusing the military, something he confided in a ''trusted confidant'' to ensure he remained true to this plan. ''I have four tasks from now until the twentieth of January,'' he affirmed, ''and I'm going to accomplish my mission.''

I Alone Can Fix It highlights how Milley, as the joint session approached and more than 140 House Republicans were pledged to contest the election results, shared his anxiety with ''senior leaders'' in Congress who sought his ''comfort'' amid fears of ''attempted coups.'' The New Yorker's August 2022 report further reveals Milley's communications with key Democrats, specifically Pelosi and Schumer.

Additionally, the New Yorker report describes Milley's continued outreach to "Democrats close to Biden," which included ''regular'' interactions with Susan Rice, former Obama national security advisor. Known for her role in helping to orchestrate the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, Rice's expertise in activities aimed at undermining the former president raises this question: What was it about her that made Milley want to seek her guidance in the days leading up to January 6?

The report also references Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense during both the Obama and Bush administrations, as another key figure in Milley's circle of confidants. Gates reportedly advised Milley to remain in the Pentagon as long as possible, citing President Trump's ''increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior.'' I Alone Can Fix It also depicts Gates as a mentor to Milley, urging him not to resign during the final months of the Trump administration. He's quoted advising Milley, ''Don't quit. Steel your back. It's not going to be easy, but you're the right guy in the right place and at the right time.''

During Trump's final months in office, the New Yorker report notes that Milley had two ''nightmare scenarios'' running through his mind: One was that Trump might spark an external crisis, such as a war with Iran, to divert attention or to create a pretext for a power grab at home, and the other was that Trump would manufacture a domestic crisis to justify ordering the military into the streets to prevent the transfer of power.

On December 26, 2020, the two ''nightmare scenarios'' then preoccupying Milley transitioned from his personal concerns to the public domain in a column by Washington Post reporter David Ignatius'--a journalist with close ties to both (you guessed it) the Obama and Bush administrations.

Ignatius's extensive connections within these administrations are detailed in a March 2012 Politico report , which highlights his significant access to senior White House and Pentagon officials, including being tapped by the Obama White House for exclusive access to the Bin Laden documents in 2012. Additionally, former Vice President Dick Cheney mentioned Ignatius in his 2011 memoir, In My Time , co-authored with his daughter, former House Republican Liz Cheney. In the memoir, Cheney recounts concerns about leaks to the press during the Bush administration and reveals that a source had spoken to Ignatius at the president's instruction.

Coincidentally, in her 2023 memoir, Oath and Honor , Liz Cheney also references Ignatius's December 26, 2020, Washington Post column that unveiled the ''nightmare scenarios'' Milley had envisioned. That evening, she notes, the column ''caught my attention'' as Ignatius, ''a longtime journalist well-sourced at the Pentagon, reported that senior government officials feared Trump was 'threatening to overstep the constitutional limits of his power.''' Cheney cites her discovery of Milley's concerns in this article as the catalyst to her mobilization of all 10 living former Secretaries of Defense to sign a letter warning the current Defense Department leadership and President Trump to stay within bounds. Additionally, she reveals that when Robert Gates, a mentor to Milley, was approached to join this effort, he responded, ''If Cheney's on, I'm on.''

I Alone Can Fix It reports that on the evening of January 2, 2021, Milley was ''tipped off'' by a ''former defense secretary'' about an impending Washington Post opinion piece authored by those same 10 living former defense secretaries Liz Cheney mobilized for the purpose on the basis of Milley's ''nightmare scenario'' fears. The book also notes that on January 7, 2021'--the day after the chaotic events of January 6'--Cheney called Milley to check in. ''How are you doing?'' he asked her. ''That fucking guy Jim Jordan. That son of a bitch,'' Cheney responded. What more might we learn about Milley's interactions with Cheney in the days leading up to January 6? Surely, this was not their first conversation about the events that would ultimately unfold that day.

In the months following January 6, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who previously had received assurances from Milley that he would not use the military for domestic purposes politically favorable to Trump, established the Select Committee on January 6 to ''investigate'' the day's events. Remarkably, Liz Cheney was appointed vice chair of the panel, a position typically reserved for a member of the majority party.

According to a November 2022 Washington Post report , Cheney exerted a ''remarkable level'' of control over much of the committee's work. Staffers, frustrated with Cheney's insistence on centering the final report on President Trump, expressed concerns that important findings unrelated to Trump would be withheld from the public.

Consistent with Cheney's objectives for the committee's investigation, General Milley offered his own criticisms of President Trump. ''You know, you're the Commander-in-Chief,'' he told the committee, ''you've got an assault going on at the Capitol of the United States of America, and there's nothing? No call? Nothing? Zero?''

During his interview with the January 6 Committee , Milley explained that in preparation for January 6, the role of the D.C. National Guard was defined in a memorandum he described as ''very strict on the use of the military.'' Milley detailed how the memorandum prohibited the use of any riot control agents, stating, ''We're not doing it '... and not only not doing it, you're not going to have it. You're not going to have the opportunity to use it.'' Additionally, he mentioned that while such measures might be authorized under different circumstances on another day, they were explicitly forbidden ''at that time, on this day.''

This directive was ultimately issued by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to Major General William Walker, commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, on January 5, 2021. Milley disclosed to the committee that he was actively involved in advising McCarthy on the memorandum, ''line by line going through this, lining it out, editing, and stuff like that, resulting in this memo.''

The January 5 memo, carefully crafted by Milley and McCarthy, authorized 340 D.C. National Guard personnel to assist law enforcement with traffic control points and metro station support, and stationed 40 personnel at Joint Base Andrews to serve as the Guard's Quick Reaction Force (QRF) in case of an emergency. However, this memo restricted General Walker from employing the QRF without explicit personal approval from Army Secretary McCarthy'--a condition previously not imposed.

In March 2021, General Walker testified before the Senate Rules and Homeland Security Committee , stating that he had the authority to employ the Guard's QRF before January 6 and described the new restrictions as ''unusual.''

He also testified to the January 6 Committee about his inability to reach Secretary McCarthy on January 6, revealing that it was the first time he found the phone number he had for McCarthy to be out of service. Additionally, General Walker noted that Colonel Earl Matthews, who had McCarthy's private number due to their social acquaintance, was also unable to reach him.

This breakdown in communication occurred just one day after McCarthy had issued the memorandum requiring General Walker to obtain explicit approval from him for employing the Guard's QRF. What could possibly account for McCarthy's unavailability during those critical hours? Did McCarthy somehow overlook the crucial role he had defined for himself with the new restrictions imposed just a day earlier?

On January 6, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller approved the deployment of the D.C. National Guard by 3:04 p.m. The protocol then required Army Secretary McCarthy to convey this authorization to General Walker to enable the deployment of the D.C. National Guard. However, McCarthy never conveyed this authorization, resulting in the more than 3 hour delay.

The January 6 Committee's final report states that after Defense Secretary Miller authorized the deployment at 3:04 p.m., Secretary McCarthy called General Walker, instructing him to ''mobilize the entire Guard.'' However, General Walker "categorically denies" receiving such a call. ''Here's the bottom line,'' he said, ''The Secretary was unavailable to me, and he never called me.''

It appears, however, that McCarthy changed his story after initially telling the committee that he had called General Walker. The committee's final report addresses this inconsistency by detailing McCarthy's actions and whereabouts on January 6 to explain the delay. It explains that starting around 3:00 p.m. on January 6'--shortly after Defense Secretary Miller approved the Guard's deployment at 3:04 p.m.'--''25 minutes of Army Secretary McCarthy's time was spent reassuring members of Congress that the Guard was indeed coming,'' even though he had not yet conveyed the order to General Walker. The report continues, stating that by 3:45 p.m., McCarthy had completed his calls'--none of which were to General Walker'--and after picking up some items from his office, he headed to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) headquarters to draft a concept of operations, a process that took an additional 20 minutes.

However, when Brigadier General Aaron Dean, another Defense Department witness who testified before the House Oversight Committee, was asked whether he ever saw the plan McCarthy claims to have prepared, he responded, ''Not only did I not see the plan, but he was also at the wrong agency.'' He elaborated that the lead federal agency for this particular event was the United States Capitol Police, and questioned why McCarthy was at MPD headquarters instead of coordinating with Capitol Police, who were responsible for the security of the Capitol.

The January 6 Committee report also touches on this oversight, noting that no plan from Army leaders ever made it to the troops. ''If they came up with a plan, they never shared it with us,'' General Walker said, ''I never saw a plan from the Department of Defense or the Department of the Army.''

The committee's report further states that by 4:35 p.m., McCarthy was ready to authorize the deployment of the Guard, but ''miscommunication'' led to yet another half-hour delay. McCarthy told the committee that he tried to issue the "go" order through his subordinate, General LaNeve'--a claim General Walker disputes, insisting the call never occurred. McCarthy rationalized not communicating directly by stating he was at the time drafting his talking points for a planned press conference with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, explaining, ''I wanted to get my thoughts collected.''

Authorization finally came at 5:09 p.m. during an ongoing video teleconference that had started at 2:30 p.m.. Defense Department witnesses present with General Walker on January 6 testified to the House Oversight Committee that General James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, mentioned during the conference that they had received authorization. Colonel Earl Matthews, who was present in the conference room next to General Walker, clarified that, "General McConville is not in the chain of command, so it wasn't his order to give." He added that General McConville was merely conveying that they were authorized to deploy. Matthews further specified that the actual authorization did not come from Secretary McCarthy but instead from Secretary Miller.

While the January 6 Committee admits that the delay in mobilizing the D.C. National Guard '' seems unnecessary and unacceptable,'' it attempts to rationalize and excuse McCarthy's actions. The report suggests his preoccupation with making phone calls to members of Congress, gathering items from his office, crafting a supposed concept of operations that never reached the troops, and preparing remarks for a televised press conference as mitigating factors, justifying his absence from the day's critical chain of command communications.

This communication breakdown, stemming from McCarthy, unfolded just one day after he, with General Milley's input, issued the memorandum requiring General Walker to receive personal authorization from McCarthy to deploy the Guard. Despite these circumstances, the January 6 Committee concluded that the military's processes that day were merely "imperfect" and found ''no evidence that the delay was intentional.''

The January 6 Committee attributes the delay to ''military processes, institutional caution, and a revised deployment approval process'''--specifically, a process meticulously designed by Milley and McCarthy. Yet, the committee pins the blame on ''Trump's eagerness'' to engage the U.S. military, alleging it compelled senior military leaders to take extreme ''precautions'' for the joint session. ''Trump's eagerness'' must also have led McCarthy to remain completely unavailable to General Walker just one day after imposing restrictions that effectively stripped Walker of the authority to deploy the Guard without McCarthy's explicit approval, thereby cementing the hours-long delay.

Never mind Milley's explicitly stated mission to ''fight'' against the president ''from the inside'' and his intent to ''plant flags'''--intentions that appear to have materialized in the January 5 memo he meticulously outlined with McCarthy, directly undermining the D.C. National Guard's ability to restore order that day.

Milley's perception of President Trump as a classic authoritarian leader, his willingness to entertain the possibility of Trump engaging in a "Reichstag moment," and his fears of supposed "Trumpian Brown Shirts fomenting violence," seems to have influenced his command decisions in the days and weeks leading up to the joint session. While Milley is entitled to his personal political prejudices, it raises the question of whether he lost sight of the fact these were, after all, just his own politically inspired opinions about the president. Did he believe his convictions were so righteous that they justified overstepping legal boundaries and authorizing actions that could be seen as undermining the president's authority?

The chaotic events of January 6, exacerbated and prolonged by the National Guard's delayed response, evidently served no benefit to Trump or his allies and instead significantly bolstered the objectives of his adversaries. It's no wonder the January 6 Committee, which appears solely focused on preventing Trump from ever taking office again, shows little interest in highlighting that Milley, who swore an oath to obey the orders of the President of the United States, embarked on a mission to defy the former Commander-in-Chief, and ultimately seems to have sabotaged President Trump on that day.

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Sat, 08 Jun 2024 04:01

Covenant School killer Audrey Hale, who was born a biological female but identified as a transgender male during her March 27, 2023 attack, described herself as the ''most unhappy boy alive'' in a journal police recovered from her vehicle.

The Tennessee Star reported on Wednesday it obtained dozens of pages from the journal Hale brought with her to the Covenant School from a source close to the investigation. In this entry, Hale described struggling with gender identity.

''A terrible feeling to know I am nothing of the gender I was born of,'' Hale wrote in the entry. She continued, ''I am the most unhappy boy alive. I wish to be dead.''

Later, Hale wrote, ''I will be of no use of love for any girl if I don't have what they need: boy's body / male gender.''

Next to these remarks, Hale illustrated the words, ''Everything Hurts,'' which she used repeatedly throughout the journal.

While the source of Hale's purported discomfort is unclear, musculoskeletal pain is a possible side effect of a medication The Star learned was prescribed to Hale by staff at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

In addition to musculoskeletal pain, the National Institutes of Health explains side effects for that medication, the anti-anxiety drug Buspirone, include abnormal dreams, outbursts of anger, tremors, and physical weakness.

Hale was additionally prescribed Escitalopram, better known as Lexapro, and Medical News Today explains that using the depression drug with Buspirone could ''increase the risk of side effects'' for both medications.

It is unclear exactly when Hale wrote these remarks, as the page in her journal is used for entries on January 19, 2023, and February 6, 2023.

Hale elsewhere wrote about transgenderism in a political rant in which she claimed the United States has failed to protect the rights of gun owners, transgender people, and non-binary people.

''So now in America, it makes one a criminal to have a gun or, be transgender, or non-binary,'' wrote Hale on February 20, 2023. She later added, ''Disabled have rights, civil races have rights, LGBTQ have rights, gun owners have rights.''

She also wrote an entry titled ''My Imaginary Penis,'' in which Hale wrote about her gender struggles and detailed sexual fantasies she expressed using stuffed animals.

''I finally found the answer '' that changing one's gender is possible,'' wrote Hale in the March 11, 2023, entry. She later described simulating intercourse between a ''stuffed boy doll'' she named Tony and another stuffed animal over the course of hours.

''God, I am such a pervert,'' wrote Hale. ''I waste too much time in my fantasies.''

Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Star, and the publication's Editor-in-Chief, Michael Patrick Leahy, have sued both the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the FBI to compel the full release of Hale's writings, including those that have been called a manifesto.

On Wednesday, The Star published an FBI memo sent to MNPD Chief John Drake that urged against the release of ''legacy tokens'' from individuals like Hale. According to an FBI definition, ''legacy tokens'' in this case likely include all the written materials by Hale, including those obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits.

'' '' ''

Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].

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Fri, 07 Jun 2024 23:24

Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)

OpenAI launched its Superalignment team almost a year ago with the ultimate goal of controlling hypothetical super-intelligent AI systems and preventing them from turning against humans. Naturally, many people were concerned '-- why did a team like this need to exist in the first place? Now, something more concerning has occurred: the team's leaders, Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike , just quit OpenAI.

The resignation of Superalignment's leadership is the latest in a series of notable departures from the company, some of which came from within Sutskever and Leike's safety-focused team. Back in November of 2023, Sutskever and OpenAI's board led a failed effort to oust CEO Sam Altman . Six months later, several OpenAI staff members have left the company that were either outspoken about AI safety or worked on key safety teams.

Sutskever ended up apologizing for the coup (my bad, dude!) and signed a letter alongside 738 OpenAI employees (out of 770 total) asking to reinstate Altman and President Greg Brockman. However, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The New York Times with 702 signatures (the most complete public copy Gizmodo could find), several staffers who have now quit either did not sign the show of support for OpenAI's leadership or were laggards to do so.

The names of Superalignment team members Jan Leike, Leopold Aschenbrenner, and William Saunders '-- who have since quit '-- do not appear alongside more than 700 other OpenAI staffers showing support for Altman and Brockman in the Times' copy. World-renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy and former OpenAI staffers Daniel Kokotajlo and Cullen O'Keefe also do not appear in this early version of the letter and have since left OpenAI. These individuals may have signed the later version of the letter to signal support, but if so, they seem to have been the last to do it.

Gizmodo has reached out to OpenAI for comment on who will be leading the Superalignment team from here on out but we did not immediately hear back.

More broadly, safety at OpenAI has always been a divisive issue. That's what caused Dario and Daniela Amodei in 2021 to start their own AI company , Anthropic, alongside nine other former OpenAI staffers. The safety concerns were also what reportedly led OpenAI's nonprofit board members to oust Altman and Brockman. These board members were replaced with some infamous Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

OpenAI still has a lot of people working on safety at the company. After all, the startup's stated mission is to safely create AGI that benefits humanity! That said, here is Gizmodo's running list of notable AI safety advocates who have left OpenAI since Altman's ousting. Click through on desktop or just keep scrolling mobile.

Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP (Getty Images), Screenshot: X (Getty Images)

The former leaders of OpenAI's Superalignment team simultaneously quit this week, one day after the company released its impressive GPT-4 Omni model. The goal of Superalignment, outlined during its July 2023 launch, was to develop methods for ''steering or controlling a potentially superintelligent AI, and preventing it from going rogue.''

At the time, OpenAI noted it was trying to build these superintelligent models but did not have a solution for controlling them. It's unclear if the departure of Leike and Sutskever was related to safety concerns, but their absence certainly leaves some room for speculation.

Photo: Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle (Getty Images)

Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI, left the company for the second time in Feb. 2024. He remarked at the time that ''nothing happened,'' though his departure comes roughly one year after he left Tesla to rejoin OpenAI. Karpathy is widely regarded as one of the most influential and respected minds in artificial intelligence. He worked under the ''godmother of AI'' Fei-Fei Li at Stanford, another outspoken AI safety advocate.

Photo: Jerod Harris (Getty Images)

Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley were the first victims of Sam Altman's return to power. When Altman came back, these two were out.

At the time, Toner said the decision to fire Altman was about ''the board's ability to effectively supervise the company.'' While somewhat ominous, Toner said she would continue her work focusing on AI policy, safety, and security. McCauley, on the other hand, said even less at the time, though she has ties to the effective altruism movement which claims to prioritize addressing the dangers of AI over short-term profits.

Screenshot: The Information

Aschenbrennar was a known ally to Sutskever and a member of the Superalignment team. He was fired in April 2024 for allegedly leaking information to journalists, according to The Information . He also has ties to the effective altruism movement.

Izmailov was another staffer fired for leaking information to journalists in April 2024. He worked on the reasoning team but also spent time on the safety side of things.

Photo: Joan Cros/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

Saunders, an OpenAI staffer on Sutskever and Leike's Superalignment team, resigned in Feb. 2024, according to Business Insider . It's unclear why exactly he resigned.

Photo: Joan Cros/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

Kokotajlo resigned from OpenAI in April 2024, after working on the company's governance team, also reported by Business Insider. On Kokotajlo's Less Wrong page , he writes that he ''quit OpenAI due to losing confidence that it would behave responsibly around the time of AGI.''

Screenshot: YouTube

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Fri, 07 Jun 2024 22:26

C arbon dioxide monitors have been around for decades. But in 2020, they became, almost overnight, a hot commodity. All of a sudden, people wanted them to help assess the safety of indoor spaces '-- to gauge the likelihood of breathing in coronavirus-laced particles that until very recently had been in someone else's lungs.

No sensor can monitor how many infectious aerosols are swirling around us in real time. But carbon dioxide, or CO2, can act as a convenient proxy. People exhale it when they breathe, and in spaces that aren't well ventilated, the gas accumulates. High CO2 concentrations can provide a warning sign that a lot of the air you're inhaling is coming out of other people's respiratory tracts.

For decades, that's how aerosol scientists and ventilation engineers have mostly thought about CO2 '-- as a sort of indicator for the health of indoor environments. But over the last three years, researchers in the U.K. working with next-generation bioaerosol technologies have discovered that CO2 is more than a useful bystander. In fact, it plays a critical role in determining how long viruses can stay alive in the air: The more CO2 there is, the more virus-friendly the air becomes.

It's a revelation that is already transforming the way scientists study airborne pathogens. But on a planet where burning fossil fuels and other industrial activities inject 37 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, it could also have huge implications for human health.

''By increasing the CO2 in the air, we're getting rid of a natural means by which viruses become inactivated,'' said Allen Haddrell, an environmental chemist at the University of Bristol Aerosol Research Center, who led the new work. ''It's fascinating, but it's also horrifying.''

H addrell has spent his career designing instruments to better understand the complex chemical reactions that take place in the violent moments after someone coughs, sneezes, or breathes respiratory particles out. The reactions within those flecks determine how far they can float and how long they can linger in the air. In 2013, Haddrell was approached by the U.K.'s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory about making a machine to study how long bacteria can live inside these particles.

For the better part of a century, scientists have done those experiments with an instrument called a nebulizer, which creates a cloud of aerosols from liquids and releases them into a rotating drum. Then they wait and take time-stamped samples of the air inside the drum to calculate a given pathogen's half-life: how long it can stay alive and aloft.

The trouble is, these nebulizers create complex plumes of particles, with different sizes and ages, so it can be difficult to know exactly what's being measured. All the tumbling can give microbes a beating, too, making it difficult to interpret data about their viability. The British government's military research arm wanted better information to help it prepare for a potential bioterrorism attack.

Making an instrument that could provide such information would turn into a six-year slog. Initially, Haddrell tried to adapt a technology known as ''optical tweezers,'' developed by a colleague of his at Bristol named Jonathan Reid. It uses lasers to trap particles in a microscope for extended periods of time, allowing researchers to measure the light scattering off of them to determine their physical and chemical properties. But bacteria '-- with all their proteins, fats, and other biomolecules '-- created patterns too complicated to fully understand.

Eventually, Haddrell, Reid, and a small team of Ph.D. students and postdocs turned to piezoelectronics. They could harness tiny charges of electricity to force fluid out under carefully controlled pressure, forming a perfect liquid bead '-- each with exactly the same chemical composition, size, and number of viral particles.

Instead of a rotating drum, Haddrell's team built an electrodynamic force field to trap each tiny particle in mid-air at the moment of its creation. Using a laser and a camera, they could watch each hovering particle move and change as they exposed it to different environmental conditions. Once they'd measured the particles' size and chemical composition, they could turn off the electrodynamic field, sending the beads plummeting into a Petri dish to be cultured.

The researchers called the contraption CELEBS, for ''controlled electrodynamic levitation and extraction of bioaerosols onto a substrate,'' and by 2019, they'd shown it could work quite well for benchmark bacteria like E. coli. The plan was to move on to other, more concerning airborne bacterial threats.

Then, a novel coronavirus emerged in China and began sickening millions of people all over the world.

O n March 23, 2020, the same day Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the widening outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, Haddrell got an email from a colleague at Bristol's veterinary school, located on a farm about a 40-minute drive south. They were standing up a Containment Level 3 laboratory there and assembling a multidisciplinary rapid response team to study the virus. Could he get his CELEBS system working there, so they could learn more about how it behaved in respiratory particles?

''It was wild,'' recalled Haddrell. ''I went from thinking I would be home for the next three to six months to driving down there the next day.''

Allen Haddrell Courtesy Hannah CravenAs the country shut down and the roads emptied of cars, Haddrell began building a high-containment version of his machine. While he did that, a postdoc named Henry Oswin took an existing CELEBS and got it calibrated to work with a mouse virus so they'd be ready to move on to SARS-CoV-2 as soon as the lab opened.

Around that time, researchers using traditional rotating drums began to report the first survivability data for the new coronavirus. One group, at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, found SARS-CoV-2 could stay viable in aerosols for up to three hours. Another, from Tulane University, found it could live in the air for over 16 hours. The divergent findings added to the confusion as officials crafted public health policies in those first months of the pandemic '-- when Americans were encouraged first not to wear medical-grade masks, then to wear homemade cloth coverings.

But when Haddrell's team finally began their own experiments with SARS-CoV-2 in the fall of that year, they found the virus lost 90% of its ability to infect people within 20 minutes '-- with most of the loss occurring within the first five minutes.

Haddrell knew that going public with this information was going to be tricky. Because it had come from a totally novel technology, it would be easy to disregard the data as an artifact of an untested method. He wanted to make sure they had an explanation for why, in their hands, the coronavirus decayed much more quickly. So his team spent another year doing experiments and arguing over hypotheses on the daily drives to and from the new lab. Finally, they settled on a possible answer.

In biology labs, viruses are kept alive inside of cell cultures, where the byproducts of eating and growing can drive up the pH to dangerously alkaline levels. To keep that from happening, most culture media contains dissolved bicarbonate, which together with the carbon dioxide gas inside an incubator creates a buffering system.

Inside a nebulizer, though, these virus-laced bicarbonate solutions become aerosolized, releasing CO2 that builds up if it's in a confined space. Haddrell's team found that a standard nebulizer spraying cell culture media could raise the concentration of CO2 in a 7-liter box from 700 parts per million to over 1,100 over the course of 10 minutes. That extra CO2 acted like a buffer keeping the particles closer to a neutral pH, where respiratory viruses are quite content.

In the CELEBS system, that didn't happen. As particles lost water through evaporation, they rapidly became more basic, which killed any SARS-CoV-2 viruses inside. Haddrell and his team proposed that pH, more than temperature and humidity, was the driving force behind viral decay in respiratory particles. And the method most widely used to study that had been incidentally altering pH without anyone realizing it.

I f they were right, it would call into question decades of data produced by virology research groups around the world. So when Haddrell's team posted their own results as a preprint in January 2022, they expected a bit of blowback. What they got was a hurricane.

''The headline is VERY convenient for people in power'' tweeted Jose-Luis Jimenez, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Colorado, referencing a Guardian article about the research. ''Now they can quote an aerosol preprint to keep doing nothing'... [Wonder if they'll forget not reviewed?]'' Other leading aerosol scientists quickly piled on.

Haddrell, who wasn't active on the social media site at the time, had unknowingly waded into a blistering online feud among researchers about the extent to which SARS-CoV-2 was airborne. If it could travel through the air and infect people via inhalation, even over short distances, then social distancing and handwashing wasn't going to be enough to curb its spread '-- masking and ventilation would also be required.

The controversy hinged on differences in how aerosol scientists and medical professionals used words like ''aerosol'' and ''airborne,'' differences the World Health Organization only recently resolved. But in 2022, many feared that at the precise time when the Delta variant was filling up hospital wards across the U.K. with Covid patients, Haddrell's data would be wrongly interpreted as casting doubt on the airborne route of transmission.

''That's not what we were saying at all,'' Haddrell said. ''When Fox News emailed us, we knew we had a problem,'' he said.

So when his group used CELEBS to systematically tease apart all the fundamental processes that could be causing SARS-CoV-2 to die in respiratory particles '-- temperature, humidity, salt content '-- and still found that pH played the biggest role, they didn't put out the results as a preprint before it was published last summer. He also took to X, formerly Twitter, to explain what this finding meant in practical, pandemic terms: ''Anything that reduces the acid content of the air will lower the aerosolized viral load #ventilation,'' he wrote.

That's because the human body is not unlike those nebulizers. We, too, carry around dissolved CO2 in the form of bicarbonate, which our blood transports from all our remote tissues into our lungs. When we exhale, and the bicarbonate inside our respiratory particles comes into contact with the outside air, it quickly breaks down and escapes as CO2 gas. If we're in an enclosed space, that CO2 sticks around, limiting how high the pH inside those particles can climb '-- just like inside the rotating drums.

But that still left the question: How much CO2 is necessary to boost the odds of viral survival? The latest paper from Haddrell's group, published in Nature Communications in April, found a disconcerting answer: not nearly as much as you might think. Increasing the CO2 concentration to just 800 parts per million, a level widely identified as being a marker of good ventilation, significantly extended the life spans of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants. At higher concentrations '-- like those you might expect to find in a crowded, poorly ventilated room '-- Haddrell's team found that 10 times as much virus remained infectious after 40 minutes when compared to clean air.

T ogether, the papers make a case for the need to improve the quality of indoor air, said Josh Santarpia, an expert in aerosol transmission of disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who was not involved in the study. ''It's not just that your exposure is higher, but the risk is also higher because there are more things that are staying alive,'' he said. ''It demonstrates the compounded nature of poor ventilation.''

Jimenez, who had been critical of Haddrell's 2022 preprint and the subsequent media coverage, described the Bristol group's latest work as ''very important'' in the push for stronger policies that regulate indoor air. In March, he and a group of international experts writing in Science presented a blueprint for national indoor air standards in public buildings, aiming to reduce both disease transmission and indoor pollutants.

In its call to action, the group proposed CO2 as one of three key metrics, suggesting ventilation rates that would keep CO2 levels at 800 parts per million or below. Lidia Morawska, an aerosol expert at Queensland University of Technology who was also an author on the Science perspective, told STAT that the Bristol work indicates that number might be too conservative.

''This is another argument for lowering the concentration of CO2 as much as we can,'' Morawska said. ''It's moving from a role of being just a proxy to being understood as an enhancer, if we can use this term, for infection.''

Other aerosol experts who have studied SARS-CoV-2 extensively, like Linsey Marr at Virginia Tech, aren't convinced that CO2 and pH are the whole story. ''There are still many details we don't understand about virus survival in respiratory particles,'' she told STAT via email. ''Their explanation might be right, but it might not.''

Haddrell agrees that more work needs to be done to understand how widely generalizable the phenomenon is. His team is now gearing up to begin more experiments with influenza A viruses.

But others are also taking up the reins. The Bristol group has now sent CELEBS machines to a handful of other labs, including Morawska's in Australia and some in the U.S. With the recent spread of H5N1 bird flu into many mammal species, including dairy cattle and farmworkers who care for them, and the continuing rise in atmospheric CO2 levels, understanding the complex interplay between viruses, human bodies, and the environments where they eat, sleep, and breathe, is only growing more urgent.

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Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:39

Consuming energy drinks may be linked to sudden cardiac arrest, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have warned that drinking these beverages, which often contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulating ingredients, can be dangerous for people with genetic heart diseases.

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For the study, the team examined 144 sudden cardiac arrest survivors. Seven patients within this group had consumed one or more energy drinks near to the time that the cardiac event occurred.

The researchers also looked at the type of cardiac problem experienced by the patients, as well as the conditions in which the event took place.

Although the study did not prove that drinking energy drinks directly causes cardiac arrest, the scientists warn people'--especially those who may be genetically at risk of heart problems'--should consume them in moderation.

A stock photo shows energy drinks in a fridge. The beverages contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulating ingredients, which can be dangerous for people with genetic heart problems. A stock photo shows energy drinks in a fridge. The beverages contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulating ingredients, which can be dangerous for people with genetic heart problems. Getty ImagesLead investigator of the study Michael J. Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, said in a statement: "Although the relative risk is small and the absolute risk of sudden death after consuming an energy drink is even smaller, patients with a known sudden death predisposing genetic heart disease should weigh the risks and benefits of consuming such drinks in the balance."

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However, Ackerman added that a number of potential factors could have contributed to the sudden cardiac arrests, as well as the energy drinks.

"While there seemed to be a temporal relationship between energy drink consumption and the seven patients' sudden cardiac arrest event, a myriad of potential 'agitators' that could have also contributed to a genetic heart disease-associated arrhythmia occurred, like sleep deprivation, dehydration, dieting or extreme fasting, concomitant use of QT-prolonging drugs, or the postpartum period," he said.

"As such, unusual consumption of energy drinks most likely combined with other variables to create a 'perfect storm' of risk factors, leading to sudden cardiac arrest in these patients."

The energy drink market has grown rapidly in the U.S., with sales increasing 73 percent between 2018 and 2023, according to Mintel. However, health experts have raised concerns over the risks of consuming beverages that contain large amounts of caffeine and other stimulating ingredients, like taurine and guarana.

A normal, 8-ounce cup of coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine. Meanwhile, caffeine levels in a single serving of energy drink can be as high as 300mg.

Energy drinks are popular among children and young people, who consequently may be at higher risk of health problems because of their smaller body sizes and lower tolerance to stimulant drugs.

"Energy drinks are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so researching the effects that these drinks have on our patients is of utmost importance," Ackerman said.

"It has been postulated that the highly stimulating and unregulated ingredients alter heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac contractility, and cardiac repolarization in a potentially pro-arrhythmic manner."

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Heart Rhythm.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about nutrition? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

Uncommon KnowledgeNewsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rescinded its marketing ban on Juul Labs on Thursday, opening the door to possible authorization of its products.

The reversal comes nearly two years after the federal health agency ordered the company's e-cigarettes and vaping products be taken off the market.

The FDA had initially blocked Juul's application to sell its vaping device and tobacco- and menthol-flavored pods in June 2022, after completing a nearly two-year review of the manufacturer's application, finding that the applications "lacked sufficient evidence regarding the toxicological profile of the products to demonstrate that the marketing of the products met the public health standard required by law."

The company has long claimed its product can be used as a tool to stop smoking cigarettes.

The FDA subsequently paused the block just weeks later in July 2022 to conduct additional scientific review.

MORE | Juul to pay $462 million to six states in e-cigarette maker's largest settlement ever

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks on a $462 million settlement with e-cigarette maker Juul.

Since then, the FDA said Thursday it has "conducted additional substantive review of the applications in a number of disciplines, including toxicology, engineering, social science, and clinical pharmacology."

The reversal is based on a "review of information provided by the applicant" as well as new case law stemming from court decisions involving marketing denial orders, or MDOs, for e-cigarette products, the FDA said.

"Rescission of the MDOs is not an authorization or a denial and does not indicate whether the applications are likely to be authorized or denied," the FDA said in a statement. "Rescission of the MDOs returns the applications to pending status, under substantive review by the FDA."

Juul Labs said in a statement Thursday that they "appreciate the FDA's decision and now look forward to re-engaging with the agency on a science- and evidence-based process to pursue a marketing authorization for JUUL products."

"We remain confident in the quality and substance of our applications and believe that a full review of the science and evidence will demonstrate that our products meet the statutory standard of being appropriate for the protection of public health," the statement continued.

In 2009, Congress gave the FDA authority to regulate the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of tobacco products.

E-cigarette manufacturers, including Juul, were required to submit their products to the FDA to review by September 2020 but were able to sell products while the FDA review was underway.

Juul pods contain nicotine strengths of 5% or 3%, according to the company.

The American Lung Association said Thursday it was "deeply troubled" by the FDA's announcement and urged the agency to deny all Juul products, citing its role in the "youth e-cigarette epidemic from 2017-2019."

"These products and its manufacturer clearly do not meet the standard for protecting the public health," Erika Sward, the association's assistant vice president of nationwide advocacy, in a statement.

After hitting the market in the mid-2010s, Juul became one of the most popular brands of e-cigarettes available, in large part due to its wide variety of flavors. Politicians and anti-tobacco advocates have accused the company of using these flavors -- along with a sleek design resembling a USB flash drive -- to market vaping to U.S. children and teenagers.

More than 2 million American middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2023 -- with nearly 9 in 10 students saying they use flavored e-cigarettes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use of e-cigarettes among high school students declined from 14.1% to 10.% from 2022 to 2023, though they remained the most commonly used tobacco product among youths, according to the CDC.

The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey found Juul was the fourth-most popular e-cigarette brand used by adolescents -- down from the most popular in the 2020 survey.

Juul says its products are designed for adult smokers, ages 21 and up. In response to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, the company said it was "pleased to see continued declines in underage use of all vapor products and JUUL products in particular."

"These data demonstrate that appropriate restrictions to access and marketing of vapor products work and can lead to meaningful reductions in underage use in a regulated marketplace," the company said. "The data further show the need to escalate enforcement against the illicit disposable products that now dominate youth use. That enforcement effort, if coupled with market authorizations for products that meet the statutory standard with science and evidence, can unlock the historic opportunity to reduce the deadly harm of combustible cigarettes while continuing to drive down underage use."

Copyright (C) 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

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At the BRINC headquarters in Seattle, a team of engineers is creating what the company believes is to be the future of law enforcement '-- their Responder DFR drone; DFR standing for "drone as first responder."

"It's meant to deploy immediately to 911 calls once a call for service is being placed and basically arrive on scene within 70 seconds," said David Benowitz, director of marketing for BRINC.

The company has recently put the Responder on the market. It's meant to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement before a uniformed officer even steps foot on scene.

"First responders just have more information before they arrive so they can more accurately evaluate how dangerous or not dangerous the situation is, then they can scale up or down their response to be appropriate," said founder and CEO of BRINC, Blake Resnick.

Resnick says that the idea is to have Responder charging stations positioned on top of fire and police stations, ready to be sent out to the next call, all the while giving police a livestreamed view so that they can decide what resources should be deployed, or if it's just a false alarm

"If an active shooter response is like the highest priority call it's very useful in those scenarios. But it's also useful clearing out things like obstruction and roadway calls, which happen all the time, or suspicious person calls, right? Drone gets there, sees there isn't actually an obstruction in this roadway. Someone moved it. Or, you know, it arrives, person isn't suspicious," said Resnick.

Resnick says one of the advantages of the Responder is its ability to deliver a lifesaving tool to a scene, like Narcan or a defibrillator.

So far there are contracts that would get the Responder to four different departments by the end of the year, and the company is in talks with about 150 cities about being outfitted. The cities that BRINC have contracted with so far this year are Schenectady, New York, Queen Creek, Arizona, Greenwood Village, Colorado, and Hawthorne, California.

"These agencies really struggling to both recruit new talent and also retain the officers they have, this is a way for them to do more with less and then really focus on the serious emergencies," Resnick said.

At a recent Homeland Security Committee hearing in D.C., the issue of privacy and drones was addressed, asking the question: Does this technology make it easier for civilians to be spied on by the government?

"I think all of us here today appreciate the benefits of drone tech, especially in emergent situations and I think we can also agree that this technology should be deployed in a manner that protects individuals' privacy, civil rights and liberties," said Rep. Lou Correa at the hearing.

Another concern from lawmakers is law enforcement departments using drones from China that may be susceptible to hacking from the Chinese government. Rep. Elise Stefanik has proposed a bill that would place tariffs on Chinese-made drones and use the revenue to establish grants for first responders and others to purchase domestic drones.

Last year, the ACLU released a paper noting that DFR usage by police is on the rise, and called for strict limits on what drones it can and cannot survey '-- for example whether DFRs open the door for drones to be used in routine patrols of cities and neighborhoods.

"Our most progressive agencies are being very purposeful about sharing that information with the public about their flights, about where they're going, why they were there," said Noreen Charlton, who leads public safety strategy and marketing for California-based drone company Skydio, which also makes an array of drones for law enforcement use.

Company News

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The company encourages agencies to be upfront with communities about how the technology is being used.

"I think when agencies are transparent about why they're using drones and when they're using them, the community sees them as an advantage," she said.

"It has unbelievable potential to save lives and make the world safer and better for everyone. But, you know, it really has to be deployed responsibly. And I think that these, these are conversations that need to be had between police chiefs and mayors and fire chiefs and city councils," said Resnick.

Resnick says BRINC is working on software to help agencies get specific data about their drones so they can be transparent about their use, hopefully making sure privacy also has a place in the future of law enforcement.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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