Mock Turtle world

[Mock Turtle]

Mostly daily info input that takes my attention, and thoughts (which I record in a journal) - and edited for language and/or other considerations - whilst often excluding anything else that I don't tend to record:

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – a pocket full of poison

An urgent and persuasive warning about the toll of ‘phone-based childhoods’

www.theguardian.com

At the start of the 2010s, rates of teenage mental illness took a sharp upward turn, and they have been rising ever since. Among US college students, diagnoses of depression and anxiety more than doubled between 2010 and 2018. More worrying still, in the decade to 2020 the number of emergency room visits for self-harm rose by 188% among teenage girls in the US and 48% among boys. The suicide rate for younger adolescents also increased, by 167% among girls and 91% among boys. A similar trend has been observed in the UK and many other western countries. The American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt believes this mental health crisis has been driven by the mass adoption of smartphones, along with the advent of social media and addictive online gaming. He calls it “the Great Rewiring of Childhood”. Children are spending ever less time socialising in person and ever more time glued to their screens, with girls most likely to be sucked into the self-esteem crushing vortex of social media, and boys more likely to become hooked on gaming and porn. Childhood is no longer “play-based”, it’s “phone-based”. Haidt believes that parents have become overprotective in the offline world, delaying the age at which children are deemed safe to play unsupervised or run errands alone, but do too little to protect children from online dangers. We have allowed the young too much freedom to roam the internet, where they are at risk of being bullied and harassed or encountering harmful content, from graphic violence to sites that glorify suicide and self-harm. Haidt is a professor at New York University and frequently collaborates with the American psychologist Jean Twenge, who was one of the first to attribute rising rates of mental illness among gen Z (those born in the mid to late 1990s) to smartphones. Sceptics of this research sometimes argue that young people simply have more things to feel anxious and depressed about, between climate change, rising inequality, global conflict and political perma-crisis. But Haidt makes his case persuasively.

Earlier generations have also grown up in the shadow of war and global instability, he points out, and collective crises don’t typically produce individual psychological ones, perhaps because they often engender a sense of greater social solidarity and purpose. Instead, the evidence linking mental illness to smartphones and social media use is mounting. The British millennium cohort study, which followed 19,000 children born in 2000-02, found that, among girls especially, rates of depression rose in tandem with hours spent on social media. Girls who spent more than five hours a day on social media were three times more likely to become depressed than those who didn’t use it at all. This study alone isn’t enough to prove that social media causes depression (it’s possible that depressed people spend more time online) – but there’s more. Facebook was initially offered only to students at a small number of universities, so one study compared the mental health of students at institutions with Facebook with those who didn’t yet have social media – and found that Facebook increased poor mental health on campus. Five other studies have demonstrated a link between the arrival of high-speed internet and rising rates of mental illness. So why might “phone-based” childhoods have this effect? Smartphones pull us away from our immediate surroundings and the people closest to us, rendering us, as the sociologist Sherry Turkle puts it, “forever elsewhere”. Teens are not only the most compulsive smartphone users – one 2022 Pew Media report found that 46% of them are online “almost constantly” – but they are also the most vulnerable, partly because adolescence is a period of rapid social and emotional development. Smartphones are “experience blockers”, Haidt writes: consider how many enriching activities were displaced when young people began spending hours a day online, chasing likes, following vapid influencers, substituting the richness of real-life friendship with shallow online communication. Social media encourages constant social comparison, and it can be unforgiving and cruel. These observations might sound old-fashioned, but they are also true. What middle-aged adult doesn’t feel relief to have grown up before smartphones? Adolescence was hard enough without the threat of online humiliation, the possibility of quantifying, through engagement and follower numbers, exactly how much of a loser you are.

One avenue Haidt doesn’t explore, which feels like an omission, is that his critics might be partly right about teenagers feeling anxious and depressed in response to global events – or at least to coverage of them. Could the internet’s 24-hour news cycle, its emotional fever-pitch and the sharing of graphic frontline footage, be contributing to a permanent sense of threat? It has certainly distorted our perspective on current affairs, amplifying people’s sense of personal danger. As the Oxford climate scientist Hannah Ritchie observed in her recent book, Not the End of the World, death rates from natural disasters have fallen tenfold in the past century, but almost everyone thinks they have risen. It’s also clear that today’s defining crises, such as the pandemic and climate change, won’t necessarily deepen social solidarity in an era of filter bubbles and “alternative facts”. Haidt’s theory that overprotective parents are contributing to the mental health crisis is much less substantiated than his research on phones. He argues that children are “antifragile”: like saplings that need to be buffeted by winds in order to grow properly, they need to experience setbacks to develop resilience. Mollycoddled kids become defensive and insecure, Haidt writes, starting to view ideas as dangerous and demanding safety from beliefs they find challenging. This is an argument he advanced in his 2018 book, The Coddling of the American Mind, co-written with Greg Lukianoff. In the years since, it has become painfully apparent that the groups most likely to treat ideas as dangerous are the ultra-conservatives who organise book bans – and most of these rightwing activists are old enough to have enjoyed free-range childhoods themselves. I actually agree with Haidt that children ought to be given greater freedom to play unsupervised, but he overstates his case.

The Anxious Generation is nonetheless an urgent and essential read, and it ought to become a foundational text for the growing movement to keep smartphones out of schools, and young children off social media. As well as calling for school phone bans, Haidt argues that governments should legally assert that tech companies have a duty of care to young people, the age of internet adulthood should be raised to 16, and companies forced to institute proper age verification – all eminently sensible and long overdue interventions. I felt a gnawing anxiety as I read the book, thinking not only of my three young children, who I’d like to keep away from the badlands of social media for as long as possible, but also of the uncounted hours I have spent on my phone, mindlessly scrolling. “There’s a God-shaped hole in every human heart,” Haidt writes, paraphrasing the French philosopher Blaise Pascal. “If it doesn’t get filled with something noble and elevated, modern society will quickly pump it full of garbage.” Maybe we ought to start thinking more about all the things we didn’t look at, all the people we didn’t speak to, all the thoughts we didn’t allow ourselves to finish, because we were glued to our stupid smartphones.

Who wouldn't feel sad for the generations dealing with this.

I became a landlord at 8 years old

Ruby McLellan is no ordinary eight-year-old.

metro.co.uk

Guess who will be voting Tory all her life

King Charles' distant cousin on the run after saying n-word in McDonalds

Rowan Nash Lascelles is 68th in line to the throne.

metro.co.uk

Sounds like a right royal ******* - or cheeky chappie to some (the idiots)

Putin's Satan II missile could wipe UK into 'radioactive desert', expert warns

Vladimir Putin could contemplate knocking Britain out of World War 3 with a giant radioactive tsunami triggered by a "country killer" nuclear weapon, a military expert has said

www.mirror.co.uk

AI decodes whole-cortex functional images to predict behavioral states

An AI image recognition algorithm can predict whether a mouse is moving or not based on brain functional imaging data. Kobe University researchers have developed a method to identify which input data is relevant, shining light into the AI black box with the potential to contribute to...

medicalxpress.com

Privacy in the AI era: How do we protect our personal information?

The AI boom, including the advent of large language models (LLMs) and their associated chatbots, poses new challenges for privacy. Is our personal information part of a model's training data? Are our prompts being shared with law enforcement? Will chatbots connect diverse threads from our online...

techxplore.com

UN General Assembly calls for guidelines on AI's risks, rewards

The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for the development of a set of international guidelines to address the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.

techxplore.com

New technique helps AI tell when humans are lying

Researchers have developed a new training tool to help artificial intelligence (AI) programs better account for the fact that humans don't always tell the truth when providing personal information. The new tool was developed for use in contexts when humans have an economic incentive to lie, such...

www.sciencedaily.com

Summary: Researchers have developed a new training tool to help artificial intelligence (AI) programs better account for the fact that humans don't always tell the truth when providing personal information. The new tool was developed for use in contexts when humans have an economic incentive to lie, such as applying for a mortgage or trying to lower their insurance premiums.

Study Links Computer Habits to Erectile Dysfunction Risk

Every additional 72 minutes sitting at the desk was linked to a three-fold increase in chance of erectile dysfunction.

www.sciencealert.com

How Families with LGBTQ Kids Protect Themselves from Discriminatory Laws

Hostility toward LGBTQ kids, enshrined in hundreds of new bills, has put families with such children under unprecedented threat, raising risks of suicide and physical attacks

www.scientificamerican.com

Toddler mauled by family's registered XL bully after trying to climb on dog

The dog sunk its teeth into the toddler's face.

metro.co.uk

One would think the owners would know not to let a child of this age in any position to be attacked - but they often don't - given they are often dumb enough to have such a dog like this in the first place and with a young child in the house. Oh, great protection/dissection value!

Inside the world's hottest city where fish boil in sea and birds fall from sky

Kuwait City, the world's hottest city, has been branded 'unliveable' as temperatures continue to soar - with the coast so hot it can boil sea creatures to death

www.mirror.co.uk

Channel 4 News star among Brit celeb victims of sinister deepfake AI scandal

Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman is among the hundreds of British celebrities who have become victim to the shocking deepfake pornography scandal

www.mirror.co.uk

Almost as if celebrity status has a comeback at last - and might even see many not so inclined to be media stars

Ethics - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Most Racist Countries 2024

Most Racist Countries 2024

www.datapandas.org

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/un-adopts-first-global-artificial-intelligence-resolution-2024-03-21/

The Real Problem With AI: Us

Personal Perspective: Experts warn AI may lead to our extinction. This is why.

www.psychologytoday.com

Artificial intelligence (AI) News, Research and Analysis - The Conversation

Browse Artificial intelligence (AI) news, research and analysis from The Conversation

theconversation.com

Why is my phone's battery draining so fast?

Wondering what's killing your smartphone's battery life? Let's fix that! These are the four reasons why your battery is draining so fast.

www.androidauthority.com

Get the most life from your Android device's battery - Android Help

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 13 and up. Learn how to check your Android version. You can take several actions to extend your device’s battery

support.google.com

How to Set Low Battery Notification Ringtone On Android

Let's admit, nothing is more annoying when your phone hits the 15% mark and you are nowhere near a charger. We don't usually have many options left apart

techviral.net

Don't mind comments unless such needs a thread for this.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Jordan North: How safe is vaping for my health?

To get off cigarettes, presenter Jordan North began using vapes, but then worried how harmful they might be.

www.bbc.co.uk

Now I wonder - have I just swapped one bad habit for another?

Undoubtedly yes, and it boggles the mind that so many seem to think that vaping is or could be safe

Kind hearts, ladykillers and whisky galore: Ealing comedies – ranked!

Classic heist caper The Lavender Hill Mob is getting a cinema rerelease. But which of these 40s and 50s film fancies are slyly subversive, and which have dated less well?

www.theguardian.com

America's biggest companies can't stop bragging to investors about how they're charging you more

"What we are very good at is pricing," Colgate Palmolive's CEO said last week as several companies touted their ability to pass costs to consumers.

www.businessinsider.com

Out of control media left Kate with little choice over opening up about health

The Princess of Wales’s video was intended to calm the fevered speculation about her but may just spark yet more incessant coverage

www.theguardian.com

As is probably said in this piece - just leave her alone - given the media are treating her much like Diana but by a different form of hounding

Islamic State’s deadly Moscow attack highlights its fixation with Russia

The ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities

www.theguardian.com

At least 115 killed and scores wounded in Moscow concert hall attack

Islamic State claims responsibility after gunmen in combat gear opened fire and reportedly set off explosives at Crocus City Hall

www.theguardian.com

Great start for another term with Putin as master magician - the population must be delighted

The lethal new drug that could bring an 'epidemic of death' to UK

‘Criminalizing people continues their cycle of harm, but it also discourages people from engaging in services.’

metro.co.uk

Surgeons pull 30cm long live eel from man's stomach

They have a theory on how it got there.

metro.co.uk

Putin could be plotting for war with Nato 'sooner than expected'

A think tank has warned Russia could be on the path to a larger-scale war sooner than we thought.

metro.co.uk

The £1,400,000,000 floating city that never got off the ground

Plans for a city of the future went terribly wrong.

metro.co.uk

Mortified celebs 'ashamed and sorry' for cruel Kate jokes - but some stay silent

A number of high profile celebrities have issued grovelling apologies for fuelling Kate Middleton conspiracy theories with quips about the Princess of Wales' mystery absence - ahead of the announcement about her cancer diagnosis

www.mirror.co.uk

So they should be ashamed - nasty bunch of morons and no doubt feeling the right idiots they are - given they seem to have forgotten she is just a woman, mother, and with three young children to look after, regardless of her being a princess - and we all make mistakes so her photoshop fail was rather not that huge

Owen Jones took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say he was 'ashamed' of his actions. The activist and journalist wrote: “As someone who speculated on this without considering it could be a serious health condition, I’m very ashamed to be honest, and all the very best to her.”

Well, dip****, some of us might have suspected such

Russian billionaire calls for nuclear strike on Ukraine after concert attack

Konstantin Malofeev threatened harsh retaliation against Ukraine hinting at the use of nuclear force after he believed the nation was behind the terror attacks – before ISIS claimed it was them

www.mirror.co.uk

Are all Russian oligarchs as stupid as this ****? Given it was unlikely to have been Ukraine behind this attack, and that Islamist terrorists seem to have form in this area, but just another excuse to up the temp towards Ukraine

Parents outraged after school builds 'metal cages' to stop children using toilet

Pupils at Foxford Community School in Coventry are now unable to use the toilets during lessons and only while being supervised, it has been claimed

www.mirror.co.uk

Need a new phone plan, you could face higher bills at Vodafone and Three

Those on the look for a new mobile plan may want to think hard about the plan they opt for as Vodafone and Three prices could get more expensive - we've rounded up best deals to help

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[ChristineM]

I am putting a link to this thred on the Interesting thread

 

[Mock Turtle]

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/why-cats-play-with-prey

Your dog understands that some words 'stand for' objects, new study shows

It's no surprise that your dog can learn to sit when you say "sit" and come when called. But a study appearing March 22 in the journal Current Biology has made the unexpected discovery that dogs generally also know that certain words "stand for" certain objects. When dogs hear those words, brain...

phys.org

In their studies, they had 18 dog owners say words for toys their dogs knew and then present the objects to them. Sometimes they presented the matching toy, while other times they would present an object that didn't match. For example, an owner would say, "Zara, look, the ball," and present the object while the dog's brain activity was captured on EEG. The brain recording results showed a different pattern in the brain when the dogs were shown a matching object versus a mismatched one. That's similar to what researchers have seen in humans and is widely accepted as evidence that they understand the words. The researchers also found a greater difference in those patterns for words that dogs knew better, offering further support for their understanding of object words. Interestingly, while the researchers thought this ability might depend on having a large vocabulary of object words, their findings showed that it doesn't. "Because typical dogs learn instruction words rather than object names, and there are only a handful of dogs with a large vocabulary of object words, we expected that dogs' capacity for referential understanding of object words will be linked to the number of object words they know; but it wasn't," says Lilla Magyari, also of Eötvös Loránd University and University of Stavanger and the other co-first author. "It doesn't matter how many object words a dog understands — known words activate mental representations anyway, suggesting that this ability is generally present in dogs and not just in some exceptional individuals who know the names of many objects," Boros added. The discovery that dogs as a species may generally have a capacity to understand words in a referential way, just as humans do, might reshape the way scientists think about the uniqueness of how humans use and understand language, the researchers say. That has important implications for theories and models of language evolution. For dog owners, it's also an important realization.

Researchers explain the dissimilar smells of babies and teenagers

A team of aroma chemists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, working with psychologist colleagues from the Technical University of Dresden, has uncovered the reasons for the dissimilar smells between babies and teenagers. The study is published in the journal Communications...

phys.org

Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that babies have a pleasant smell, often described as sweet. Teenagers, on the other hand, especially males, have often been described as smelling less pleasant. In this new effort, the research team sought to find out what causes the difference.

Yeah, might explain the attraction to young babies - but I couldn't eat a whole one

AI's excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions

Water is needed for development, production and consumption, yet we are overusing and polluting an unsubstitutable resource and system.

techxplore.com

Data centers provide the physical infrastructure for training and running AI, and their energy consumption could double by 2026. Technology firms using water to run and cool these data centers potentially require water withdrawals of 4.2 to 6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. By comparison, Google's data centers used over 21 billion liters of potable water in 2022, an increase of 20 percent on its 2021 usage. Training an AI at the computing level of a human brain for one year can cost 126,000 liters of water. Each year the computing power needed to train AI increases tenfold, requiring more resources. Water use of big tech companies' data centers is grossly underestimated—for example, the water consumption at Microsoft's Dutch data center was four times their initial plans. Demand for water for cooling will only increase because of rising average temperatures due to climate change.

Top computer scientists say the future of artificial intelligence is similar to that of Star Trek

Leading computer scientists from around the world have shared their vision for the future of artificial intelligence—and it resembles the capabilities of Star Trek character "The Borg."

techxplore.com

Researchers propose a new way to identify when babies become conscious

Academics are proposing a new and improved way to help researchers discover when consciousness emerges in human infancy.

www.sciencedaily.com

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Mostly daily info input that takes my attention, and thoughts - and mostly edited for language and/or other considerations - whilst often excluding anything else that I don't tend to record:

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – a pocket full of poison

An urgent and persuasive warning about the toll of ‘phone-based childhoods’

www.theguardian.com

Who wouldn't feel sad for the generations dealing with this.

I became a landlord at 8 years old

Ruby McLellan is no ordinary eight-year-old.

metro.co.uk

Guess who will be voting Tory all her life

King Charles' distant cousin on the run after saying n-word in McDonalds

Rowan Nash Lascelles is 68th in line to the throne.

metro.co.uk

Sounds like a right royal ******* - or cheeky chappie to some (the idiots)

Putin's Satan II missile could wipe UK into 'radioactive desert', expert warns

Vladimir Putin could contemplate knocking Britain out of World War 3 with a giant radioactive tsunami triggered by a "country killer" nuclear weapon, a military expert has said

www.mirror.co.uk

AI decodes whole-cortex functional images to predict behavioral states

An AI image recognition algorithm can predict whether a mouse is moving or not based on brain functional imaging data. Kobe University researchers have developed a method to identify which input data is relevant, shining light into the AI black box with the potential to contribute to...

medicalxpress.com

Privacy in the AI era: How do we protect our personal information?

The AI boom, including the advent of large language models (LLMs) and their associated chatbots, poses new challenges for privacy. Is our personal information part of a model's training data? Are our prompts being shared with law enforcement? Will chatbots connect diverse threads from our online...

techxplore.com

UN General Assembly calls for guidelines on AI's risks, rewards

The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for the development of a set of international guidelines to address the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.

techxplore.com

New technique helps AI tell when humans are lying

Researchers have developed a new training tool to help artificial intelligence (AI) programs better account for the fact that humans don't always tell the truth when providing personal information. The new tool was developed for use in contexts when humans have an economic incentive to lie, such...

www.sciencedaily.com

Study Links Computer Habits to Erectile Dysfunction Risk

Every additional 72 minutes sitting at the desk was linked to a three-fold increase in chance of erectile dysfunction.

www.sciencealert.com

How Families with LGBTQ Kids Protect Themselves from Discriminatory Laws

Hostility toward LGBTQ kids, enshrined in hundreds of new bills, has put families with such children under unprecedented threat, raising risks of suicide and physical attacks

www.scientificamerican.com

Toddler mauled by family's registered XL bully after trying to climb on dog

The dog sunk its teeth into the toddler's face.

metro.co.uk

One would think the owners would know not to let a child of this age in any position to be attacked - but they often don't - given they are often dumb enough to have such a dog like this in the first place and with a young child in the house. Oh, great protection/dissection value!

Inside the world's hottest city where fish boil in sea and birds fall from sky

Kuwait City, the world's hottest city, has been branded 'unliveable' as temperatures continue to soar - with the coast so hot it can boil sea creatures to death

www.mirror.co.uk

Channel 4 News star among Brit celeb victims of sinister deepfake AI scandal

Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman is among the hundreds of British celebrities who have become victim to the shocking deepfake pornography scandal

www.mirror.co.uk

Almost as if celebrity status has a comeback at last - and might even see many not so inclined to be media stars

Ethics - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Most Racist Countries 2024

Most Racist Countries 2024

www.datapandas.org

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/un-adopts-first-global-artificial-intelligence-resolution-2024-03-21/

The Real Problem With AI: Us

Personal Perspective: Experts warn AI may lead to our extinction. This is why.

www.psychologytoday.com

Artificial intelligence (AI) News, Research and Analysis - The Conversation

Browse Artificial intelligence (AI) news, research and analysis from The Conversation

theconversation.com

Why is my phone's battery draining so fast?

Wondering what's killing your smartphone's battery life? Let's fix that! These are the four reasons why your battery is draining so fast.

www.androidauthority.com

Get the most life from your Android device's battery - Android Help

Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 13 and up. Learn how to check your Android version. You can take several actions to extend your device’s battery

support.google.com

How to Set Low Battery Notification Ringtone On Android

Let's admit, nothing is more annoying when your phone hits the 15% mark and you are nowhere near a charger. We don't usually have many options left apart

techviral.net

Don't mind comments unless such needs a thread for this.

This is a really insightful article and I think the point about too much parental supervision in children's offline lives and not enough in their online lives is a hugely important point.

 

[Mock Turtle]

This is a really insightful article and I think the point about too much parental supervision in children's offline lives and not enough in their online lives is a hugely important point.

I thought it worth saving the whole article whereas I often just save the most relevant bits. Many parents probably don't want to get involved. It seems like a whole slew of new things have hit the younger generations and with so many downsides to some. One has to wonder if it was wise to have a camera on every phone (not helping body image issues together with the likes of deepfakes and AI being available), and just the sheer amount of time spent on such devices seems to have negative effects. If there were cliques before this technology then social media probably has made this much more likely, even when we tend to treat people more considerately now if they don't tend to conform to our expectations.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Moscow concert hall attack: death toll raised to 137 as White House says Ukraine had ‘no involvement whatsoever’– as it happened

Russians lay flowers and light candles outside Crocus concert hall on day of mourning

www.theguardian.com

‘Justification of dictatorship’: outcry as Milei rewrites Argentina’s history

Protesters to commemorate victims of 1976-1983 as human rights groups raise alarm over far-right president’s denialism

www.theguardian.com

Human rights groups in Argentina have raised the alarm over President Javier Milei’s attempts to rewrite history on the eve of the annual day of remembrance for the thousands of victims of the country’s brutal 1976-1983 dictatorship. Thousands of protesters will take to the streets on Sunday to mark the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice in Argentina, a holiday commemorating the 30,000 victims of the dictatorship, called “desaparecidos”. The date usually sees Argentina’s largest demonstrations of the year, with millions of citizens flooding the country’s streets to declare: “Nunca más” (never again). In the dark, a group of young women wearing green face masks stand and kneel in front of a domed government building, holding neon (or lighted) images of coat hangers, candles circled with barbed wire, and the word "Adios." However, this 24 March will be different as it will be the first under Milei, a far-right libertarian who has consistently denied Argentinians’ long-standing consensus over the dictatorship’s crimes. “There were no 30,000,” Milei said provocatively during a presidential debate ahead of his election triumph last November. “For us, during the 70s, there was a war where excesses were committed.” Numerous Argentinian media outlets have reported that the government plans to release a video with its “official version” of what happened during the dictatorship before the 24 March mobilizations. The video will allegedly include an interview with Luis Labraña, a former member of the Montoneros Peronist organization, who has claimed he “made up” the 30,000 number. Some journalists have also claimed that the government plans to pardon incarcerated regime officials, although both Milei and his vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, have denied this. Lucía García Itzigsohn, the daughter of two desaparecidos, said: “We are very worried. Beyond our political positioning and the fact that history crosses us personally, this implies breaking the democratic pact.” “President Javier Milei and the highest authorities of the country repeat forms of denialism and relativism of state terrorism,” the Center of Legal and Social Studies (CELS), a human rights organization founded in 1979, said in a statement.

Probably time for Argentina to attack the Falklands again (as a boost for the country), given that the UK will be more attentive to Ukraine and other such matters.

Generation Anxiety: smartphones have created a gen Z mental health crisis – but there are ways to fix it

Those born after 1995 were the first people in history to go through puberty with a portal to an alternative universe in their pockets – and the toll this has taken on their wellbeing has been devastating

www.theguardian.com

According to a survey conducted by the US non-profit group Common Sense Media, by 2016, 79% of teens owned a smartphone, as did 28% of children between the ages of eight and 12. As teenagers got smartphones, they began spending more time in the virtual world. A Common Sense report, in 2015, found that teens with a social media account reported spending about two hours a day on social media and around seven hours a day of leisure time online. Another 2015 report, by the Washington thinktank Pew Research, reveals that one out of every four teens said that they were online “almost constantly”. By 2022, that number had nearly doubled, to 46%. These “almost constantly” numbers are startling, and may be the key to explaining the sudden collapse of adolescent mental health. These extraordinarily high rates suggest that even when members of gen Z are not on their devices and appear to be doing something in the real world, such as sitting in class, eating a meal, or talking to you, a substantial portion of their attention is monitoring or worrying (being anxious) about events in the social metaverse. As the MIT professor Sherry Turkle wrote in 2015 about life with smartphones: “We are forever elsewhere.”

People don’t get depressed when they face threats collectively; they get depressed when they feel isolated, lonely, or useless.

Makes more sense to me.

A mother I spoke with in Boston told me about the efforts she and her husband had made to keep their 14- year-old daughter, Emily, away from Instagram. They could see the damaging effect it was having on her. To curb her access, they tried various ways to monitor and limit the app on her phone. However, life became a permanent struggle in which Emily eventually found ways around the restrictions. In one episode, she got into her mother’s phone, disabled the monitoring software, and threatened to kill herself if her parents reinstalled it. Her mother told me: “It feels like the only way to remove social media and the smartphone from her life is to move to a deserted island. She attended summer camp for six weeks each summer where no phones were permitted – no electronics at all. When we picked her up from camp she was her normal self. But as soon as she started using her phone again it was back to the same agitation and glumness.”

Which is just so sad - and so is this -->

A 13-year-old girl on Reddit explained how seeing other girls on social media made her feel, using similar words to Olivia Rodrigo: i cant stop comparing myself. it came to a point where i wanna kill myself cause u dont want to look like this and no matter what i try im still ugly/feel ugly. i constantly cry about this. it probably started when i was 10, im now 13. back when i was 10 i found a girl on tiktok and basically became obsessed with her. she was literally perfect and i remember being unimaginably envious of her. throughout my pre-teen years, i became “obsessed” with other pretty girls.

How do we escape from these traps? Collective action problems require collective responses: parents can support one another by sticking together. There are four main types of collective response, and each can help us to bring about major change:

1. No smartphones before year 10
Parents should delay children’s entry into round-the-clock internet access by giving only basic phones with limited apps and no internet browser before the age of 14.

2. No social media before 16
Let children get through the most vulnerable period of brain development before connecting them to an avalanche of social comparison and algorithmically chosen influencers.

3. Phone-free schools
Schools must insist that students store their phones, smartwatches, and any other devices in phone lockers during the school day, as per the new non-statutory guidance issued by the UK government. That is the only way to free up their attention for one another and for their teachers.

4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence
That’s the way children naturally develop social skills, overcome anxiety, and become self-governing young adults.

These four reforms are not hard to implement – if many of us do them at the same time. They cost almost nothing. They will work even if we never get help from our legislators or from the tech giants, which continue to resist pressure to protect young users’ safety and wellbeing. If most of the parents and schools in a community were to enact all four, I believe they would see substantial improvements in adolescent mental health within two years.

Surely something has to be done - given that the amount of damage being done to our youth seems rather obvious.

Russian troops hack off Moscow terror attack suspect's ear and feed it to him

The alleged terrorist was captured and mutilated while attempting to flee Russia.

metro.co.uk

British conspiracy theorist behind bizarre Kate claims unmasked

Peter Condron is accused of using his platform on TikTok to cash in on speculation about the Princess’s health and whereabouts.

metro.co.uk

The man behind an anonymous TikTok account that spread conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton’s ‘disappearance’ has been identified. Paul Condron is accused of using the platform to spread false stories about the Princess’s health and whereabouts while she was recovering from abdominal surgery and a subsequent cancer diagnosis, which is currently being treated with a course of chemotherapy. Approached by MailOnline outside his girlfriend’s two-bedroom home in South West London, Condron refused to say how much money he had made peddling unsubstantiated and outlandish rumours on TikTok, which allows users to earn profits by selling subscriber services and flogging merchandise. He reportedly said he was ‘not fussed’ about the material he had been promoting online before retreating indoors and refusing to answer further questions.

'Impossible' The 1% Club question broke show record as every player was stumped

The 1% show is known for its tricky final question, but show host Lee Mack reckons this was the hardest of all time as it saw a whopping 30 contestants fail and lose the show

www.mirror.co.uk

Well I got the answer, presumably because I am often such a pedant - but hardly that tough. And most of these are just click-bait - which I usually avoid.

Hospice nurse shares the one thing 'almost everybody' sees just before they die

People say they 'feel comforted' after hospice nurse Julie McFadden revealed that around one month before an individual passes, they begin seeing memories from their life as an individual 'comes to them'

www.mirror.co.uk

While none of us like to think about it, sometimes we may wonder what it feels like before we die - will our life flash before our eyes? You may have wondered from time to time if there is any truth to the white lights or seeing the face of a person you love, in your final moments. While we will never truly know until that time comes, an individual has offered some insight. Hospice nurse Julie McFadden says there is one thing that "almost everybody" sees just before they die. Julie, who says she does not fear death, says there are things that we can all do to educate ourselves about it. The author of Nothing to Fear spoke on the Skeptic Metaphysician podcast and shared the truth about what our dead relatives may have seen in their final moments. Julie, from Los Angeles, said: "One of the main things that happens to almost everybody - it's usually about a month before they die. They start seeing people who've already died." She continued: "It is always people who bring them comfort, so I say family members, but only family members if you have a good relationship with them. It's people who have already died and they come to them - it's sometimes dreams but usually physically - and they will say 'I'm coming to get you soon, you don't have to worry about anything'." The hospice worker said that it could also be an individual's pet. She added: "Most people who experience this are completely lucid, they're alert and oriented, they are not actively dying and hallucinating. It's a very distinct thing that happens." Reacting to a clip of the podcast segment, shared on TikTok, one individual said: "My mom saw and heard her sister and aunt. They brought both of us comfort. She didn't feel alone or scared." "This is so comforting" added another. One other wrote: "My pets. I can't wait to see them." "Thanks for sharing your knowledge , it’s very helpful," another viewer said. One individual, sharing her heartbreak, commented: "I lost my brother in 2021 and my dad last week. I've been following you and I wanna say thank you, for helping me understand transitioning." Maybe it is not so scary after all!

Hospice nurse from the USA, so probably religious, and as to knowing what they were experiencing - any brain scans as to such, so as eliminate hallucinations or other such? Still all just one perspective and hardly convincing evidence.

Fans blast 'mean girl' Blake Lively after grovelling apology to Kate Middleton

Blake Lively labelled ‘pathetic’ by fans, after taking down her 'mean' Instagram post and apologising to Kate Middleton following her shock cancer diagnosis

www.mirror.co.uk

One of the downsides of being quick to opinion and expressing such when information might be lacking.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Zelensky hits back after Russia links Ukraine to Moscow attack

As news of the Moscow concert hall attack broke on Friday, Ukrainians knew what was coming: Kyiv would be blamed. The next thing they expected was more drones and more missiles. The accusations began almost immediately. They were just hints at first, until President Vladimir Putin openly claimed that the men who attacked Moscow had tried to flee to Ukraine, helped by contacts there. Then shortly before dawn on Sunday came the sound of explosions in Kyiv. When Mr Putin made his comments on Saturday in an address to the Russian nation, Islamic State group (IS) extremists had already announced they had carried out the killings. The US had confirmed that it passed on intelligence of a threat earlier this month. Now IS have released a hideously graphic video of their massacre, filmed on bodycams and including shouts of "God is Greatest" from the attackers.

Videos now circulating on social media show the detention of the suspected attackers and part of their interrogation. One shows a Russian agent trying to force a man to eat a piece of his own ear which has been severed. He spits it out. In another video his head is bandaged and face covered in blood. Any confessions that emerge after such torture could not be treated as reliable. The video clips were presumably released to showcase a tough response, but that follows an attack which the same security services failed to stop or see coming.

Shows what a scumbag Putin is, as to using anything to bolster his version of the war he initiated in Ukraine.

Olivia Colman says she would be paid more if she was a man

Oscar-winning actor says gender pay disparity rooted in outdated idea that male actors draw audiences

www.theguardian.com

Olivia Colman has criticised gender pay disparity in the film industry and said she would be paid more if she was a man, arguing that it is rooted in an outdated idea that male actors draw in the audience. Speaking about her latest movie, Wicked Little Letters, the Oscar-winning actor said that gender limits her earning potential. “Research suggests that [women have] always been big box office draws,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour programme. “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity but male actors get paid more because they used to say they draw in the audiences and actually, that hasn’t been true for decades. But they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much. “I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a **** of a lot more than I am,” Colman added. “I know of one pay disparity which is a 12,000% difference. Do the maths.” She did not confirm the production to which this disparity relates. It is not the first time Colman has pointed out a gender disparity when promoting Wicked Little Letters. Speaking to the Radio Times last month, Colman pointed out that there’s still a gendered double standard when it comes to obscenities. “If a woman swears, people act shocked. **** off! Women are human – funny, filthy, loving, caring – just like men.”

Very likely correct, and where this disparity just shouldn't exist. She is a great actress and much loved by the British public I would think.

Putin will be ruthless after the Moscow attack, but Russians don’t trust him to keep them safe | Andrei Soldatov

His brutal, repressive regime is good at belated investigation and torture, but lacks the capability to stop attacks happening, says Russian author Andrei Soldatov

www.theguardian.com

At four, I was kidnapped and sex-trafficked for years. Now I fight for the powerless – and win every case

After he was snatched, Antonio Salazar-Hobson didn’t see his family for 24 years. His desire to return to his mother, and his discovery of a higher purpose, helped him navigate a path through hell

www.theguardian.com

Particularly bad for anyone in his position (being abducted) but equally bad for those children who are basically forced to work in the sex industry, and perhaps by their carers because of simply being poor.

Russian terror suspect 'electrocuted by his genitals' during interrogation

Warning: Contains content some readers may find distressing.

metro.co.uk

The image that Russia now gives off makes this hardly unexpected - so low has Russia become as a nation.

Evil concert shooters cry 'kill them and have no mercy' in sick bodycam footage

The vile footage shared by ISIS shows the killers firing upon a crowd of civilians.

www.mirror.co.uk

AI-powered Autofix debugs & fixes your code in minutes

Sentry knows a lot about the inner workings of an application’s codebase. So we got to thinking, how can we use this rich dataset to make…

blog.sentry.io

Great, but when the whole of the code will likely be written by AI quite soon not much joy in this bit of news.

Rapid biodegradation of microplastics generated from bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane - Scientific Reports

The accumulation of microplastics in various ecosystems has now been well documented and recent evidence suggests detrimental effects on various biological processes due to this pollution. Accumulation of microplastics in the natural environment is ultimately due to the chemical nature of widely...

www.nature.com

Great, but why is it that humans just can't or won't look to the future as to where problems might arise?

Dogs’ brain activity shows they recognize the names of objects

Their reaction to the person naming an object might have masked signs of recognition.

arstechnica.com

It’s a few years late, but a prototype supersonic airplane has taken flight

"This milestone will be invaluable to Boom’s revival of supersonic travel."

arstechnica.com

AI Does Math as Well as Math Olympians

Until now computers have failed to solve mathematical problems. But the AI program AlphaGeometry has succeeded in finding proofs for dozens of theorems from the International Mathematical Olympiad

www.scientificamerican.com

How Much Energy Would It Take to Blow the Earth to Smithereens?

A mathematical formula shows what would be needed to reduce the planet to cosmic dust

www.scientificamerican.com

Brain Waves Move in Opposite Directions For Memorizing And Recalling

Our squishy gray matter conducts its activities through an orchestra of waves.

www.sciencealert.com

Evolutionary Origins of Hair Identified in The Most Unlikely of Animals

Strange as it might seem for a hairless creature, frogs have provided us with some critical clues on the origins of our luscious locks – a defining mammalian feature whose insulative powers helped us spread across the Earth.

www.sciencealert.com

This New AI Predicts Your Life. Then It Predicts Your Death.

Researchers in Denmark are harnessing artificial intelligence and data from millions of people to help anticipate the stages of an individual's life all the way to the end, hoping to raise awareness of the technology's power, and its perils.

www.sciencealert.com

 

[Mock Turtle]

Putin says radical Islamists carried out Moscow attack but maintains suggestion of Ukraine role

Russian president says he is interested in ‘who ordered’ terror attack as US and France say Islamic State branch was responsible

www.theguardian.com

Vladimir Putin has said that the terrorist attack on the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow was conducted by radical Islamists but reasserted his earlier claims that Ukraine could have been involved in the shooting that left 139 people dead. “We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists,” Putin said during a meeting with government officials late on Monday. “We are interested in who ordered it,” he said, adding that the shooting fit in to a wider campaign of intimidation by Ukraine. “This atrocity may be just one part in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime.” Putin didn’t mention the affiliate of the Islamic State group that claimed responsibility for the attack, despite growing evidence that the Afghan branch of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), masterminded the attack.

What an idiot! His accusations now downgraded to 'could have been', just as any other such could be aimed at someone committing a crime in one country and fleeing to another.

Rebecca Hendin on Putin and the Moscow terror suspects – cartoon

There is growing evidence that a branch of Islamic State was responsible for the concert hall attack, but the Russian leader prefers to link it to Ukraine

www.theguardian.com

Why is the right at war with cyclists? We’re not ‘wokerati’ – we’re just trying to get around | Zoe Williams

Riding a bike is not a political act, yet cyclists have become the bete noire for the anti-woke, anti-green, anti-liberal crowd, writes Zoe Williams

www.theguardian.com

A historic revolt, a forgotten hero, an empty plinth: is there a right way to remember slavery?

The long read: As the author of a book about a pivotal uprising in 18th-century Jamaica, Vincent Brown was enlisted in a campaign to make its leader a national hero. But when he arrived in Jamaica, he started to wonder what he had got himself into

www.theguardian.com

‘It got vile very quickly’: how Alex Jones turned a tragedy into a battleground

Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed spent four years following the circus created by the rightwing TV host after he claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting never happened

www.theguardian.com

Seven vital minutes that saved the lives of so many in Baltimore bridge collapse

'They saved lives last night.'

metro.co.uk

Perhaps a power failure on the ship or bad judgement as to winds or even terrorist action?

Putin's mouthpiece blames UK for terror attack despite Isis saying they did it

Footage shows Putin's security forces torturing the terror suspects.

metro.co.uk

Girl, 8, drowns in hotel pool after being sucked into pipe and found hours later

The young girl was swimming in the pool at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Houston, Texas, when she was sucked into a pipe and drowned before being recovered 13 hours later

www.mirror.co.uk

How on earth are kids still being killed in this manner, given this is hardly the first such incident and these suction pipes should have been made safe decades back - so as for even a child to escape any suction.

Putin is a threat - but he's not the biggest risk of nuclear war, expert warns

Vladimir Putin may threaten nuclear war with the West in the most tense stand-off with Russia since the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it is not the country posing the biggest danger, claims an expert

www.mirror.co.uk

Owning Guns Puts People in Your Home at Greater Risk of Being Killed, New Study Shows

A new study shows that people living in homes with guns face substantially higher risks of being fatally assaulted.

time.com

Why Own a Gun? Protection Is Now Top Reason

Overview The vast majority of gun owners say that having a gun makes them feel safer. And far more today than in 1999 cite protection – rather than

www.pewresearch.org

Will a Gun Keep Your Family Safe? Here’s What the Evidence Says

Research shows that having a firearm in the house won’t necessarily help in a dangerous moment — and it will heighten other risks.

www.thetrace.org

MSN

(Taliban leader says women will be stoned to death in public)

The Taliban’s Supreme Leader has vowed to start stoning women to death in public as he declared the fight against Western democracy will continue. “You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death,” said Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in a voice message, aired on state television over the weekend, addressing Western officials. “But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery. We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public,” he declared in his harshest comments since taking over Kabul in August 2021. “These are all against your democracy but we will continue doing it. We both say we defend human rights – we do it as God’s representative and you as the devil’s.” Afghanistan’s state TV, now under Taliban control, broadcasts voice messages purporting to be from Akhundzada, who has never been seen in public aside from a few old portraits. He is believed to be based in southern Kandahar, the stronghold of the Taliban.

Thankfully the larger part of the world don't agree with such suffocating doctrines, and possibly in the future this twat will meet with an appropriate ending.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Russian FSB says US, UK and Ukraine behind Moscow attack

The director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people on Friday - despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State.

www.euronews.com

The director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people on Friday - despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State. Russian officials persisted in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week's deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. Without offering any evidence, Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, followed similar allegations by President Vladimir Putin, linked the attack to Ukraine even as he acknowledged that the suspects arrested were “radical Islamists.” The IS affiliate claimed it carried out the attack, and US intelligence said it had information confirming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France also has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack. But despite the signs pointing to IS, Putin insisted on alleged Ukrainian involvement — something that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected, accusing the Kremlin leader of trying to drum up fervor as his forces fight in Ukraine.

Bortnikov alleged that Western spy agencies also could have been involved in the deadliest terror attack on Russian soil in two decades, even as he acknowledged receiving a US tip about the attack. “We believe that radical Islamists prepared the action, while Western special services have assisted it and Ukrainian special services had a direct part in it,” Bortnikov said without giving details. He repeated Putin's claim that the four gunmen were trying to escape to Ukraine when they were arrested, casting it as a proof of alleged involvement by Kyiv. But that assertion was undercut slightly by Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said on Tuesday the suspects were headed for Ukraine because they feared tight controls on the Belarus border. Russia is still reeling from the attack Friday in which gunmen killed 139 people in the Crocus City Hall, a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow. Health officials said about 90 people remain hospitalised, with 22 of them, including two children, in grave condition.

No doubt just propaganda for Russian consumption, but even so this still attests to the lying nature that is Putin and his mob.

Baltimore bridge was ‘up to code’ – but rules predate age of supersized ships

The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching investigators, but governor said Francis Scott Key Bridge was sound

www.theguardian.com

The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching a team to investigate the disastrous collapse, which has left six people still unaccounted for. Wes Moore, Maryland’s governor, has said the bridge was “fully up to code”, while some experts have pointed out that the span, completed in 1977, was conceived before an age of supersized container ships. Andrew Barr, an expert in civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield, said that “the video doesn’t show any obvious structural deficiencies with the bridge, but it will not have been designed to survive a head-on collision with such a large vessel”. Barr added that the Francis Scott Key Bridge did not appear to have additional protective infrastructure to buffer it from ship strikes, which have become more risky as the size and design of cargo vessels has changed over the years. In the last decade alone, the average capacity of container ships has increased by about 50%.

Boat Race organisers warn rowers not to enter water after E coli discovery

Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the race on Saturday, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds

www.theguardian.com

How to escape a car sinking in water

Follow these tips to escape unscathed from a sinking vehicle.

metro.co.uk

Stay Calm and Act Quickly: Above all else, the most important thing to do in any such situation is to stay calm and act quickly, before any sense of panic sets in. If a car hits a body of water, it may not sink right away - some cars may float on top of the water for a while and gradually become submerged. When this happens, take a few deep breaths to steady yourself and assess the situation. Determine whether the car is sinking rapidly or if there’s time to react. Maintaining composure will allow for clearer thinking and better decision-making, which are crucial for survival.

Undo Your Seatbelt and Prepare for Escape: Once you’ve assessed the situation and calmed your nerves, the next step is to free yourself from the seatbelt. Quickly locate the seatbelt release mechanism and unbuckle it - or cut through it if necessary. As you do so, mentally prepare yourself for escape. Visualize the steps you’ll need to take to exit the vehicle swiftly. This mental preparation can help streamline the escape process and minimize potential delays.

Open the Windows or Sunroof: If the car is still afloat and the windows are not already submerged, try to roll down the windows or open the sunroof. This will provide an additional exit point and allow water to enter the vehicle slowly, equalizing pressure, which may make it easier to open the doors later on. If the windows are electric and won’t open due to water damage or electrical failure, move on to the next step. If you cannot open the windows or sunroof, you’ll need to break a window to escape. Use a window-breaking tool such as a spring-loaded center punch, emergency hammer, or heavy object to shatter the glass. Aim for the corners or edges of the window, as they are weaker points. Be prepared for a rush of water when the window breaks, and cover your face to protect against glass shards.

Swim to the Surface: Once you’ve broken a window, exit the vehicle through the opening as quickly as possible. Be mindful of broken glass and any obstacles that may hinder your escape. Move with purpose and urgency, as time is of the essence. After escaping the vehicle, swim towards the surface using a gentle, upward motion. Avoid kicking forcefully, as this may consume more oxygen. Keep your movements steady and controlled to conserve energy. Upon reaching the surface, call for help or swim to the nearest shore if it’s within reach. Signal for assistance if there are people nearby. If you’re alone, conserve energy by floating on your back while waiting for rescue. Once on dry land, seek medical attention as soon as possible to address any injuries or complications from the ordeal.

British man joins Putin's ranks to fight for Russia against Ukraine

'I trust them and I will die for them. They have proven themselves and helped me a lot.'

metro.co.uk

Could Baltimore bridge disaster happen in the UK?

An expert has weighed in on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as six victims remain missing.

metro.co.uk

 

[Mock Turtle]

Literary Theory for Robots by Dennis Yi Tenen review – the deep roots of AI

A secret history of machine intelligence, from 14th-century horoscopes to 1930s ‘plot genies’ for coming up with storylines

www.theguardian.com

From a graceful turn to a dangerous toy: the World Nature Photography awards 2024 – in pictures

Here are the winners, drawn from a pool of entries from around the world – including a baby elephant in Kenya and an owl-like plant in Thailand

www.theguardian.com

Thailand is about to legalise same-sex marriage. Here's why it's making history

Same-sex activity is still illegal in 65 countries and punishable by death in 12, but one-by-one countries are changing.

metro.co.uk

Thailand may soon become the first country in South East Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. In a near-unanimous decision, 400 members of the House of Representatives backed a bill recognising same-sex marriages – sometimes called gay marriage – on Wednesday. Only 15 lawmakers present for the vote did not endorse it. They were drowned out by applause and the waving of Pride flags when the result was announced. ‘This is the beginning of equality’, Danuphorn Punnakanta, an MP and chair of the lower house’s marriage equality committee, said as he presented the draft bill. ‘This law wants to return these rights to this group of people, not grant them the rights.’ In order to become law, the bill must now be approved by the Senate and endorsed by the Thai king Vajiralongkorn. It would then become law 60 days later.

Thailand has a reputation as a relative bastion of LGBT+ rights in a region that has been slow to embrace them. It already has laws banning discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation, making it one of Asia’s most LGBT+ friendly countries. Taiwan and Nepal are currently the only Asian countries to legalise same-sex marriage, doing so in 2019 and 2023. More than 96% of people in Thailand supported same-sex marriage in a government survey late last year.

And which perhaps stems from the country being mostly Buddhist rather than Muslim or Catholic, like so many other countries in the region.

Other countries are moving in the opposite direction on LGBT+ rights. Uganda introduced the death penalty for homosexuality in 2023. Same-sex activity is still illegal in 65 countries. It is punishable by death in 12 of these.

Perhaps we need to boycott these rather backward (and usually religiously dominated) countries, given they might be more influenced by commercial considerations than much else. So, countries to avoid:

People told not to enter Thames over 'alarmingly high levels' of E. coli

The latest nail in the coffin of the sewage scandal in the UK.

metro.co.uk

Laurence Fox can't run for London Mayor because he didn't fill form properly

The former actor achieved 1.9% of the vote at the previous mayoral election and lost his deposit.

metro.co.uk

Thus enhancing his successful career so far as being a monumental twat!

Update on woman facing jail over tomato puree review

A Nigerian woman is facing seven years in prison for writing a critical online review of a tomato puree.

metro.co.uk

Ms Okoli’s case has raised questions of freedom of speech in Nigeria and been condemned by Amnesty International. They said: ‘No one should be arrested simply for exercising their freedom of expression. The arrest of Chioma Egodi shows that, despite the authorities paying lip-service to police reforms, impunity for unlawful arrests remains rampant.’

Such incidents often make one recognise the sane country one is living in - whereas many seem just not such.

KFC shut down immediately when inspectors were so horrified by what they found

Health inspectors found a large rat hole, droppings and gnawed bags of flour.

metro.co.uk

Vladimir Putin's inner circle 'saying the same thing' about Moscow attack

Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine for the terrorist attack in Moscow that killed more than 140 people, but few in his inner circle believe the claims, it has been reported

www.mirror.co.uk

Members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle don't support the Russian President's claims that Ukraine was to blame, say reports. Few of Russia 's influential politics and business people think Kyiv had anything to do with the horror attack - the worst one on Russia in 20 years, and which was killed more than 140 people. Officials were shocked at how Russia's top security service didn't stop the attack at Crocus City concert hall - especially since the US had given them a warning, Bloomberg reports. Putin was there for discussions when it was decided there wasn't any link between the attack (which ISIS said they carried out), and Ukraine, claims one source. But Putin seems keen to still put the blame on Ukraine so he can get Russians to support the war over in east Europe, reports the Express. On Monday, three days after it happened, Putin admitted radical Islamists did the attack - but said Kyiv might still have had something to do with it.

He has got so used to spewing lies he presumably thinks the Russian population will gobble this one down too, rather than using their heads to see that he is just lying again, so how long will it be before they all realise he has been lying for as long as he came into office? Despicable idiot!

Mum's 'world falls apart' after accidentally shooting daughter, 13, dead

DeAnn Radley was looking for her lost set of keys in her Edgehill Avenue apartment in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday evening when she accidentally shot her daughter

www.mirror.co.uk

Michael Jackson's kids share 'uncomfortable' and 'dour' rare joint appearance

Paris, Prince and Blanket made a rare appearance together on the red carpet at the press night of MJ: The Musical on London’s West End on Wednesday, amid a legal battle with their grandmother Katherine

www.mirror.co.uk

A bit difficult perhaps to accept that despite all the music he produced, and which had made him a global superstar, possibly a large part of the world sees their father as a paedophile and one not brought to justice. And much like Jimmy Savile, even if the latter had far fewer people who did actually like this particular nasty one, but many of us can still enjoy Jackson's music regardless of what he might have done to any children.

 

[Mock Turtle]

The company building a rotating detonation engine is pushing the tech forward

"I'm convinced that this is going to be the engine that unlocks the hypersonic economy."

arstechnica.com

Pornhub could block Florida if child safety law takes effect

Florida plans to start requiring ID for porn January 1.

arstechnica.com

How Animal Brains Tell Friends from Strangers

A small section of the mouse brain’s hippocampus uses specific neural codes to denote social familiarity and identity

www.scientificamerican.com

An Engineering Expert Explains Why The Baltimore Bridge Collapsed

When the container ship MV Dali, 300 metres long and massing around 100,000 tonnes, lost power and slammed into one of the support piers of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the bridge collapsed in moments.

www.sciencealert.com

In Australia, the Australian Standard for Bridge Design (published in 2017) requires designers to think about the biggest vessel likely to come along in the next 100 years, and what would happen if it were heading for any bridge pier at full speed. Designers need to consider the result of both head-on collisions and side-on, glancing blows. As a result, many newer bridges protect their piers with entire human-made islands. Of course, these improvements came too late to influence the design of the Francis Scott Key Bridge itself.

Scientists Discover Heightened Toxicity Risk For Children With Autism, ADHD

The number of people being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has risen sharply in recent decades, and research continues to delve into the factors involved in these conditions.

www.sciencealert.com

The number of people being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has risen sharply in recent decades, and research continues to delve into the factors involved in these conditions. A study revealed there's a difference in how children with autism or ADHD clear the common plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA), compared to neurotypical children. BPA is used in a lot of plastics and plastic production processes, and can also be found inside food and drink cans. However, previous research has also linked it to health issues involving hormone disruption, including breast cancer and infertility. Researchers from Rowan University and Rutgers University in the US looked at three groups of children: 66 with autism, 46 with ADHD, and 37 neurotypical kids. In particular, they analyzed the process of glucuronidation, a chemical process the body uses to clear out toxins within the blood through urine. They found that kids with ASD and ADHD couldn't clear out BPA and another similar compound called Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) with as much efficiency as other kids, potentially leading to longer exposure to their toxic effects.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Taliban edict to resume stoning women to death met with horror

Afghan regime’s return to public stoning and flogging is because there is ‘no one to hold them accountable’ for abuses, say activists

www.theguardian.com

The Taliban’s announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international community’s silence, human rights groups have said. Safia Arefi, a lawyer and head of the Afghan human rights organisation Women’s Window of Hope, said the announcement had condemned Afghan women to return to the darkest days of Taliban rule in the 1990s. “With this announcement by the Taliban leader, a new chapter of private punishments has begun and Afghan women are experiencing the depths of loneliness,” Arefi said. “Now, no one is standing beside them to save them from Taliban punishments. The international community has chosen to remain silent in the face of these violations of women’s rights.” The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced at the weekend that the group would begin enforcing its interpretation of sharia law in Afghanistan, including reintroducing the public flogging and stoning of women for adultery. In an audio broadcast on the Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan last Saturday, Akhundzada said: “We will flog the women … we will stone them to death in public [for adultery].

What about Muslims around the world - why aren't they up in arms as to this despicable regime representing their religion in such a vile manner?

“You may call it a violation of women’s rights when we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery because they conflict with your democratic principles,” he said, adding: “[But] I represent Allah, and you represent Satan.” He justified the move as a continuation of the Taliban’s struggle against western influences. “The Taliban’s work did not end with the takeover of Kabul, it has only just begun,” he said. The news was met by horror but not surprise by Afghan women’s right groups, who say the dismantling of any remaining rights and protection for the country’s 14 million women and girls is now almost complete. Sahar Fetrat, an Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Two years ago, they didn’t have the courage they have today to vow stoning women to death in public; now they do. They tested their draconian policies one by one, and have reached this point because there is no one to hold them accountable for the abuses. Through the bodies of Afghan women, the Taliban demand and command moral and societal orders. We should all be warned that if not stopped, more and more will come.”

Hardly, he represents the misguided and dimwitted more likely. And I think many of us know whose are the 'satanic' beliefs and which aren't, given that this interpretation of Islam might just appear as it did when it first formed, and as being much like any other religion - with such often being simply barbaric. Or perhaps just down to the outmoded concept of patriarchy, and as to such still being common and not so easily discarded. We seem to have moved on from those days - some of us at least. The Taliban probably don't even realise their despotic regime harms Islam more than anything else, given that there are many more thinking people in the world now, and growing, so they will see the barbarity of the Taliban, and others, for what it is. But which will be overthrown eventually.

Russian police detain journalist who filmed last video of Alexei Navalny alive

Rights groups say Antonina Favorskaya is accused of links to Alexei Navalny’s ‘extremist organisation’ and is one of six journalists held this month

www.theguardian.com

Pop music really ain’t what it used to be – officially

But it is getting angrier.

metro.co.uk

What would I know, given I turn such off immediately when I recognise the mush that is much of music these days, with little to interest one's ears.

Real-life Dune sandworm with sharp teeth washes up in UK terrifying beachgoers

The blood-sucking “vampire fish” with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth was found washed up on the beach near Exmouth Marina in Devon, prompting Brits to say they're "never swimming again"

www.mirror.co.uk

The 1.6 million-year-old discovery that changes what we know about human evolution

New research suggests language is eight times older than previously thought

www.independent.co.uk

New research has pinpointed the likely time in prehistory when humans first began to speak. Analysis by British archaeologist Steven Mithen suggests that early humans first developed rudimentary language around 1.6 million years ago – somewhere in eastern or southern Africa. “Humanity’s development of the ability to speak was without doubt the key which made much of subsequent human physical and cultural evolution possible. That’s why dating the emergence of the earliest forms of language is so important,” Dr Mithen, professor of early prehistory at the University of Reading, told The Independent. Until recently, most human evolution experts thought humans only started speaking around 200,000 years ago. Professor Mithen’s new research, published this month, suggests that rudimentary human language is at least eight times older. His analysis is based on a detailed study of all the available archaeological, paleo-anatomical, genetic, neurological and linguistic evidence. When combined, all the evidence suggests that the birth of language occurred as part of a suite of human evolution and other developments between two and 1.5 million years ago. Significantly, human brain size increased particularly rapidly from 2 million BC, especially after 1.5 million BC. Associated with that brain size increase was a reorganisation of the internal structure of the brain – including the first appearance of the area of the frontal lobe, specifically associated with language production and language comprehension. Known to scientists as Broca’s area, it seems to have evolved out of earlier structures responsible for early humanity’s ability to communicate with hand and arm gestures.

Not one for the YEC believers obviously.

 

[Mock Turtle]

AI bots hallucinate software packages and devs download them

Simply look out for libraries imagined by ML and make them real, with actual malicious code. No wait, don't do that

www.theregister.com

Birds create barcode-like memories to locate stored food, scientists find

Mechanism unpicked that allows black-capped chickadees to stash and relocate huge quantities of food

www.theguardian.com

While adults might be spending the weekend trying to remember where they have hidden a hoard of Easter eggs, the black-capped chickadee has no trouble recalling where its treats are stashed. Now researchers have discovered why: the diminutive birds create a barcode-like memory each time they stash food. Black-capped chickadees are known for tucking food away during the warmer months – with some estimates suggesting a single bird can hide up to 500,000 food items a year. But more remarkable still is their reliability in finding the morsels again. Now researchers say they have unpicked the mechanism behind the feat. Writing in the journal Cell scientists in the US report how they gave chickadees sporadic access to sunflower seeds within an arena featuring more than 120 locations where food could be stashed. The behaviour of the birds and the activity at each cache site – be it the storage of food, retrieval of food or checks on a stash – were recorded on video. The team used an implanted probe in the brain of each bird to record the activity of neurons in its hippocampus – a brain structure crucial for memory formation. The results show that each time a bird stashed seeds, even if it was in the same location, a different combination of neurons fired in its hippocampus, resulting in a barcode-like pattern of activity. The same “barcode” was observed when the morsel was retrieved as for when it was cached.

The barcodes were distinct from place cells – neurons in the hippocampus known to be involved in the formation of memories involving specific locations. “The two overlapped randomly so that neurons could be neither, either, or both,” said Dr Selmaan Chettih of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute, first author of the study. Indeed while place cell activity occurred every time the bird visited a cache site, the barcodes only occurred when the bird was actually storing, or retrieving, a seed. Overall, the team suggest a different mechanism is at play when the birds are making memories of specific events, as opposed to when it is making a mental map of an area. “These results suggest that the barcode represents a specific episodic experience, unique in place and time in the chickadee’s life,” the researchers report. Chettih added while not yet proven, it was possible the findings also applied to humans and other mammalian brains. “The message is that, when you form a memory of a specific event, your brain may generate a random label which it uses to store information associated with that event, in a way that is analogous to the way a store records information associated with each product to be retrieved when the label is scanned,” he said. “Perhaps another message is that the brains and mental abilities of these tiny, common birds can be quite remarkable.”

Sally Phillips ‘so upset’ after son with Down’s syndrome rejected by trampoline park

Actor says onus should not be on parents to prove their children can take part in normal activities

www.theguardian.com

Pensioner who survived 35 crucifixions says it's time to hang up the nails

'Because my body is getting weaker, I can't tell — if there will be a next one or if this is really the final time.'

metro.co.uk

A man has who had been nailed to a cross 35 times to mark Good Friday has said he is too old to keep being crucified. Ruben Enaje, a 63-year-old carpenter and sign painter, has registered for the real-life crucifixion’s in a village north of Manila, in the Philippines, for the last 35 years. In the 1980s, he survived nearly unscathed a fall from a three-story building, prompting him to undergo the crucifixion as thanksgiving for what he considered a miracle. He then became a village celebrity for his role as ‘Christ’, but he has considered ending his annual religious penitence due to his age. ‘Because my body is getting weaker, I can’t tell — if there will be a next one or if this is really the final time,’ Ruben said. The volunteers carry a wooden cross for more than half a mile while wearing a thorny crown of twigs under the hot summer sun. Village actors dressed as Roman centurions hammered 4-inch (10-centimeter) stainless steel nails through their palms and feet, then set them aloft on wooden crosses for about 10 minutes. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for their sins, pray for the sick or for a better life, and give thanks for miracles. The gruesome spectacle reflects the Philippines’ unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions.

Perhaps a bit of fund-raising for charities might be a better option - as mentioned in the article?

'Security Engineering' Author Ross Anderson, Cambridge Professor, Dies at Age 67 - Slashdot

The Record reports: Ross Anderson, a professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge who is widely recognized for his contributions to computing, passed away at home on Thursday according to friends and colleagues who have been in touch with his family and the University...

it.slashdot.org

https://www.axios.com/2024/03/29/ai-recreate-person-voice-recording-openai

Humans Have a 'Sixth Sense', And It's Actually Vital to Our Health

Most people are familiar with the five senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste), but not everyone knows that we have an additional sense called interoception.

www.sciencealert.com

Most people are familiar with the five senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste), but not everyone knows that we have an additional sense called interoception. This is the sense of our body's internal state. It helps us feel and interpret internal signals that regulate vital functions in our body, like hunger, thirst, body temperature, and heart rate. Although we don't take much notice of it, it's an extremely important sense as it ensures that every system in the body is working optimally. It does this by alerting us to when our body may be out of balance – such as making us reach for a drink when we feel thirsty or telling us to take our jumper off when we're feeling too hot. Interoception is also important for our mental health. This is because it contributes to many psychological processes - including decision making, social ability, and emotional wellbeing. Disrupted interoception is even reported in many mental health conditions – including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. It may also explain why many mental health conditions share similar symptoms – such as disturbed sleep or fatigue. Despite how important interoception is to all aspects of our health, little is known about whether men and women differ in how accurately they sense their body's internal signals.

Birth Rates Are Plummeting in Most Nations, And The World Isn't Prepared

Human birth rates will continue to drop drastically over the coming century, and within just 25 years, over two-thirds of countries' populations will be in decline.

www.sciencealert.com

Human birth rates will continue to drop drastically over the coming century, and within just 25 years, over two-thirds of countries' populations will be in decline. That's the finding of a new study published in The Lancet. The extensive team of international scientists behind the paper warns that governments must prepare for the massive changes we will face in the coming decades, as a result of these changes to global population patterns. "These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganizing societies," says Natalia Bhattacharjee, a population statistician with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in the US. Back in 2018, previous studies found fertility rates were falling in half the world's populations, and the plummet continues. By 2050, the new study forecasts, people living in 155 out of the 204 countries and territories included in the study will be having fewer babies than it would take to maintain a stable population. The forecasts show that by 2100, that will increase to 198 countries and territories with birth rates lower than their death rates. In Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, rates will fall below one child per female. By that time, the only countries expected to have birth rates that exceed the level needed for population maintenance (at least two births per female) are Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad and Tajikistan.

And if all that's the case, the authors write, then without strategic migration policies, the human population in places with low birth rates will inevitably shrink. But is that so bad? In many countries, reduced birth rates are the result of better conditions for women and families in general. "In many ways, tumbling fertility rates are a success story, reflecting not only better, easily available contraception but also many women choosing to delay or have fewer children, as well as more opportunities for education and employment," says senior author and biostatistician Stein Emil Vollset, also a member of the Future Health Scenarios forecasting team. In the 1950s, there were just under five children born to each female, compared to just over two children to each female in 2021. But the authors point out that the impact of such a drastic shift in the human population will also depend on how it is managed, and where people are located. At the moment, they say, we as a global community are not prepared for what's coming. The study finds that the majority of children – three in four – will be born into low- and lower-middle income countries, over the coming decades. In 2050, Chad and Niger are predicted to have the highest fertility rates worldwide, and by 2100, Samoa and Tonga are predicted to have the highest fertility rates. By 2100, one in every two children born will come from Africa, which already contributed one third of the world's babies in 2021.

 

[Mock Turtle]

So, we find aliens. What happens next?

We're hoping it's soon.

metro.co.uk

Looking at the small bright area, there is a person standing there - as to the size of this cavern. And plenty more images at the link below.

Photography Showcase 3 per week limit

Hey all don't know if anyone would be interested in a thread of this nature, but I find myself without a decent trip report or reason to share photos quite often so thought a thread for us who like to show off may be just the thing......with a weekly limit for TOR ;)

ukcaving.com

Will this brutally honest look at dementia finally get us talking or will we turn away? | Sonia Sodha

The latest advert by the Alzheimer’s Society is shocking, but it tells the harsh reality about the disease that is the leading cause of death in Britain

www.theguardian.com

Having looked after my mother whilst she developed this, I think I would want to go earlier if I did have such.

Ex-Trump adviser says former president ‘hasn’t got the brains’ for dictatorship

Despite disparagement from John Bolton, critics maintain Trump is clear threat to democracy, given admiration for dictators

www.theguardian.com

A former national security adviser in the Donald Trump White House has said that the ex-president “hasn’t got the brains” to helm a dictatorship, despite his admiration for such rulers. In an interview with the conservative French outlet Le Figaro, John Bolton, 75, was asked whether Trump had tendencies that mirror dictators like the ones he has previously praised. Bolton not only disparaged Trump’s intellectual capacity, he also disparaged the former president’s professional background, exclaiming: “He’s a property developer, for God’s sake!” Older white man, poofy hair, dark suit, red tie, standing outside under an umbrella someone else is holding, with police officers in vaunted caps standing in formation behind him. Now a vocal critic of Trump, Bolton served as the former president’s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019. Bolton had previously served as US ambassador to the UN during George W Bush’s presidency, developing a reputation as a foreign policy hawk.

As if most of us with some intelligence didn't know this already (it takes one to know one) - despite his claims as to being a 'very stable genius'.

Copernicus online portal offers terrifying view of climate emergency

Looking at the mass of information, there is only one conclusion: we are running out of time

www.theguardian.com

Scientists link elusive human group to 150,000-year-old Chinese ‘dragon man’

Researchers have found fresh evidence that may connect the mysterious Denisovans to the early human species Homo longi

www.theguardian.com

They remain one of the most elusive groups of humans to have walked on earth. Evidence from the DNA traces left by Denisovans shows they lived on the Tibetan plateau, probably travelled to the Philippines and Laos in south Asia and might have made their way to northern China more than 100,000 years ago. They also interbred with modern humans. What Denisovans looked like or how they lived has remained a mystery, however. Only a jaw fragment, a few bits of bone and one or two teeth provide any evidence of their physical characteristics. Their DNA, which was first found in samples from the Denisova cave in Siberia in 2010, provides most of our information about their existence. But recently scientists have pinpointed a strong candidate for the species to which the Denisovans might have belonged. This is Homo longi – or “Dragon man” – from Harbin in north-east China. This key fossil is made up of an almost complete skull with a braincase as big as a modern human’s and a flat face with delicate cheekbones. Dating suggests it is at least 150,000 years old. “We now believe that the Denisovans were members of the Homo longi species,” said Prof Xijun Ni of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, last week. “The latter is characterised by a broad nose, thick brow ridges over its eyes and large tooth sockets.” The possible Denisovan-Homo longi link is one of several recent developments by researchers working on these humans with whom Homo sapiens shared the planet for hundreds of thousands of years. It is even thought they could have played a key role in our own evolution.

Student nurse, 19, dies on trip of a lifetime after going for midnight swim

Mille Ann Gentry was halfway through her volunteering placement when she went for a midnight swim with friends that ended in tragedy.

metro.co.uk

A student nurse died after hitting her head during a midnight swim with friends, an inquest heard. Milie Ann Gentry, was roughly two weeks into her month-long trip volunteering at a hospital in south west Ghana when she died on March 17 last year. She had been staying with her friend Erin Byrnes at the beach resort of Busua, and they had decided to go for a dip in the sea with friend Lewis Mallinson after drinking at a pool bar. Byrnes said in a subsequent statement that the tide ‘pulled us all in’, and that she had tried to keep Gentry afloat after she hit her head but could already see the young nurse had drowned. Byrnes was rescued from the waves by a team of 30 villagers around half an hour after they went swimming, but it took others more than four hours to recover Gentry’s body. A post-mortem determined Gentry drowned after sustaining a head injury. In a tribute to her friend, Byrnes said: ‘Millie had the kindest soul and was such an amazing girl, we had so many memories together which I’ll forever cherish and I feel so lucky to have been her friend.’

Massive breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment could ‘transform lives’

A jab designed to remove toxic proteins from the brain before they develop into dementia is undergoing early patient trials.

metro.co.uk

Researchers are conducting early patient trials of a vaccine that could protect future generations from Alzheimers. If effective, the jab, designed to prevent the formation of toxic proteins in the brain responsible for the damage that causes the most common form of dementia, could be made widely available within the next five years. The team behind the research have described their work as potentially representing a ‘massive breakthrough’ in efforts to combat the devastating disease. Roughly 540,000 people in the UK are currently known to suffer from Alzheimers, with that figure expected to rise just short of a million by 2040. The most common signs are a gradual decline in memory and cognitive as well as motor function, leading eventually to death. A former police officer who was diagnosed with the disease last year and who has been participating in the recent trials says his life has been ‘transformed’ after receiving three doses of the vaccine, the Daily Express reports.

If effective this will make an enormous difference to the lives of so many, but no doubt caution is advised.

Newspapers in 1924 predicted what life would be like in 2024 – we're impressed

Hollywood needs to get a move on.

metro.co.uk

Way back in 1924, a popular trend in newspapers was to predict what life would be like in 100 years’ time – i.e. today. And surprisingly, some are not too far from the truth. The sometimes accurate, sometimes outlandish clippings were shared on X by Paul Fairie, a researcher at the University of Calgary. One that’s very recognisable is the city of the future. ‘Automobiles travelling on speedways through the centre of town’, ‘ever-moving sidewalks’ and ‘motorcars increasing and multiplying indefinitely’ all definitely came true. Less so is the idea that those multiplying cars would bring about the extinction of the horse.

Well it is basically true as to horses being used for transport.

And pity those listening to the radio in 1924, when it was pretty dull apparently, because in another prediction, it was said ‘Americans will laugh at radios’. For 2024, it’s not just radio that bringing the LOLs, but also podcasts, which continue to soar in popularity.

But this is probably more like the early predictions as to computer usage and where this too was dismally wrong. I predicted streaming in the early 1960s, and long before computers were likely to be so commonplace, simply because it would probably be quite possible to do this.

A prediction that sadly hasn’t hit the mark – ‘movies will bring about world peace’ as people will establish a brotherhood but Hollywood has not yet accomplished a universal language or eliminated conflict from the civilised world.

Well, the internet might be useful as to such but religions, as per usual, are the things that are still separating us - and not so amenable to change. (See next article)

Some of the stranger predictions involve beds flinging children out of bed in the morning, people hopping from planet to planet as easily as we soar through the sky now (we wish), flying clothes and men’s legs withering away from underuse, Wall-E style.

So, expecting miracles?

Jailed anti-trans teacher faces disciplinary hearing after ‘abusing’ courtroom

Enoch Burke launched into an outburst during his High Court appearance last week.

metro.co.uk

An evangelical Christian teacher who was jailed for refusing court orders faces a disciplinary hearing after ‘verbally abusing a Judge’. Enoch Burke launched into an outburst during his High Court appearance last week. He was jailed in 2022 for breaching a High Court injunction ordering him to stay away from Wilson Hospital School in County Westmeath. The teacher was suspended after he refused to refer to a pupil as their preferred pronoun. He was placed on gardening leave pending a disciplinary process over his stance on trans issues but was imprisoned for refusing to abide by the court’s instruction. Mr Justice Mark Sanfey was going to let Burke out of prison during the Easter period so he could reflect on the case – on the condition he not go to the school. But Burke refused and began a long winded rant verbally attacking the court.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Turkish local elections: Opposition stuns Erdogan with historic victory

President Erdogan fails to regain Turkey's big cities that he lost five years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk

A piece of good news from one of the more troubling countries of Europe.

Who’s bad? From Michael Jackson to David Bowie, why are some stars uncancellable?

A Michael Jackson jukebox musical has just opened – with no mention of sexual allegations – and a biopic is coming. What makes some celebrities immune to cancel culture? We examine who gets ostracised and who doesn’t

www.theguardian.com

Was a Michael Jackson jukebox musical really such a good idea? When MJ the Musical opened in London last week, it was praised for its gravity-defying dancing and raft of floor-filling megahits. But one glaring oversight was unfailingly remarked upon. “In MJ,” ran the New York Times headline, “no one’s looking at The Man in the Mirror.” The show, it added, told the story of Jackson, “except for the big story”. As Anya Ryan put it in the Guardian’s two-star review: “It is hard to ignore the repeated allegations of child sexual abuse. Yet Lynn Nottage’s script does just that.” Almost five years after Leaving Neverland, in which two men accused Jackson of sexually abusing them when they were children, it seems not everyone has got the message that the star is “cancelled”. In fact, to all intents and purposes, Jackson is not cancelled at all. That’s certainly what the money suggests, with Sony recently buying half of his back catalogue for a figure believed to be around £500m. Then there’s a forthcoming biopic starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the lead role. According to Billboard, the Jackson estate earns around £60m a year from his music, royalties, theatrical shows and merchandise. So how has this happened? How come some artists seem impervious to the supposed huge shifts in public opinion in the wake of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter? David Bowie is a striking example. Claims after his death by Lori Mattix and Dana Gillespie that he had had sex with them when they were under the age of consent (15 and 14, respectively) have largely been ignored, dismissed or at least treated completely differently to other male stars similarly accused. Is it because the women in question bore no ill will towards Bowie, with Mattix saying their encounter was “so beautiful … Who wouldn’t want to lose their virginity to David Bowie?” If, as we are led to believe, cancel culture is so pervasive, why does Bowie remain a hero? Are there some artists whose reputations will survive anything simply because they’re so adored? Or is there more to it than that?

Well, I suppose it could just be the number of fans who will simply not listen to such accusations or just ignore them - like Jackson or Bowie - but where such might not be possible for others - like John Peel or Jimmy Page for example, and certainly not for Savile.

Men are becoming less fertile – and we may finally know why

It's a global crisis.

metro.co.uk

Shocking Extent of Cyberbullying Among Kids Revealed in Major Report

Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said on Wednesday.

www.sciencealert.com

Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said on Wednesday. "This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens," WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement. Fifteen percent of boys and 16 percent of girls reported being cyberbullied at least once in recent months, according to the study, entitled "Health Behaviour in School-aged Children". The UN agency noted that the pandemic has changed the way adolescents behave towards each other. "Virtual forms of peer violence have become particularly relevant since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when young people's worlds became increasingly virtual during times of lockdown," the report said. Other bullying has remained largely stable with just a slight increase. Eleven percent of boys and girls reported being bullied at school at least two or three times a month in the past couple of months, compared to 10 percent four years ago.

Lots of People Die Every Year During or After Sex. An Expert Explains Why.

Sex has many beneficial physical and psychological effects, including reducing high blood pressure, improving the immune system and aiding better sleep.

www.sciencealert.com

Could AI play a role in locating damage to the brain after stroke?

Artificial intelligence (AI) may serve as a future tool for neurologists to help locate where in the brain a stroke occurred. In a new study, AI processed text from health histories and neurologic examinations to locate lesions in the brain. The study looked specifically at the large language...

www.sciencedaily.com

Summary: Artificial intelligence (AI) may serve as a future tool for neurologists to help locate where in the brain a stroke occurred. In a new study, AI processed text from health histories and neurologic examinations to locate lesions in the brain. The study looked specifically at the large language model called generative pre-trained transformer 4 (GPT-4).

Artificial intelligence boosts super-resolution microscopy

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) might be best known from text or image-creating applications like ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion. But its usefulness beyond that is being shown in more and more different scientific fields.

www.sciencedaily.com

Summary: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) might be best known from text or image-creating applications like ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion. But its usefulness beyond that is being shown in more and more different scientific fields.

Study suggests high blood pressure could begin in childhood

Children and teenagers living with overweight or obesity are more likely to have high blood pressure as adults (aged 50–64 years), suggesting the processes behind the condition could begin as early as childhood, suggests new research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity...

medicalxpress.com

How Your Brain Uses 3 Pathways to Knowledge

The scientific method is terrific, but remember intuition and experts.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[Mock Turtle]

Instagram fans ruining special places, says Gwynedd caver

Volunteers say they had to clean graffiti and haul rubbish out of a 19th Century mine.

www.bbc.co.uk

Instagram photo seekers are "killing" special places, says a caver, after volunteers hauled piles of rubbish out of a 19th Century mine. Anthony Taylor said a YouTube video of old cars dumped in the Gwynedd quarry had more than six million views, bringing an influx of visitors. Hundreds of photos of the "car grave" have since appeared on Instagram. But those taking the pictures also left behind rubbish and graffiti. "They are beautiful places, and a lot of people don't want them to be ruined," said Mr Taylor, 42, from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. "Instagram seems to be the killer of a lot of things," he said. "People turn up, take a picture and then leave [a mess]." Gaewern slate mine is on private land near Corris Uchaf. Mining began in 1820, and continued after a merger with nearby Braichgoch slate mine until the 1970s, employing 200 at its peak. After it closed, old cars and televisions were dumped into one of the mine's two main chambers above a lake, creating the unusual scene of a rusting scrap metal heap that gets illuminated by shafts of sunlight at certain times of day. "It's a bizarre environment, probably the one of the oddest places in the world," he remembered from his first visit in 2022. "How often do you see hundreds of cars underground with lights coming onto them from the sun?"

Fortunately most cavers are quite intelligent (Many or even most are from university clubs), hence why there are virtually no signs of graffiti ever being seen in any caves (in the UK at least), and the sacrilege seen in the video (even if a mine and not a cave) almost always will only occur as to open areas easily accessible. But there is a general code as to caving - not to damage anything within the cave, especially as to any of the natural formations, and not to leave anything behind. The most one is likely to see is an unfortunate dead sheep at the bottom of some open shaft, as we did once in Ireland.

JK Rowling in ‘arrest me’ challenge over Scottish hate crime law

The Harry Potter author described several transgender women as men in a series of social media posts.

www.bbc.co.uk

From Hero to Zero? - given that virtually all of the younger cast of the Harry Potter films came out and criticized her for her previous comments - so perhaps it is a generational thing - as to some being able to move on when others, like Rowling, just can't.

ChaptGPT is now available to use without an account

ChatGPT has long been touted as one of the most advanced AI LLMs available, and now, it’s free to use...

9to5google.com

If you really want kids to spend less time online, make space for them in the real world | Gaby Hinsliff

Tech firms can do more, but it’s the government’s job to ensure children have safe places to play – and it’s not doing it, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

www.theguardian.com

Reviewing Haidt’s book in the scientific journal Nature, the psychologist Candice Odgers argues that while the decline in teenage mental health did roughly overlap with the arrival of smartphones, evidence for a causal link between the two remains weak and contradictory. Meanwhile, the British psychologist Pete Etchells, whose own new book Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time argues that the panic is overdone, is fond of pointing out that longitudinal data shows eating potatoes has roughly the same effect on teenage wellbeing as screen time does, yet we tend to recognise that as the statistical quirk it almost certainly is. So far, the picture is arguably still muddled enough to allow cherrypicking of evidence by both sides – but that’s little help to anxious parents.

I'm sure that many would cite smartphones, the internet, social media, and easy access to porn as possibly being the prime causes of youth woes - given that our youth are part of the experiment and not having much to be guided by as to the experiences of past generations.

The new science of death: ‘There’s something happening in the brain that makes no sense’

The long read: New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought

www.theguardian.com

Too long to quote any of this but well worth reading, and it appears that brain activity often still appears despite no 'apparent' signs of life.

Girl, 12, told to 'dress teasingly' as she's forced to marry 63-year-old priest

The girl must undergo a second ceremony to prepare her for childbearing.

metro.co.uk

A 12-year-old girl was told to dressing teasingly and boost her sex appeal for her new husband as she married a priest aged 63. The influential traditional priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the teen in a ‘customary’ ceremony on Saturday. He is one of the most powerful people in their community, taking a wife as part of his role as a high priest, according to local media. She is among the 5% of girls married before their 15th birthday in Ghana, according to Girls Not Brides, an NGO. It is illegal to marry people under the age of 18 in Ghana, but that hasn’t stopped child marriage in the West African country. Despite the prevalence declining, there are more than two million child brides in Ghana, with roughly 19% of girls married before they’re 18. Community leaders are keen to dismiss criticism of the marriage as anything potentially criminal or sinister.

The village where hundreds were duped into selling their kidneys

In the poorest regions of one of the poorest countries in the world, brokers representing wealthy foreigners have suckered people into life-changing deals.

metro.co.uk

Adventurers attempting to scale Mount Everest can set eyes on three record-setting landmarks after they set off from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. The first is the mountain’s peak, visible on a clear day from a plane as it makes its way towards the Himalayas. The third is Lukla, known as the world’s most dangerous airport, where climbers land before heading to Everest Base Camp. Such is the majesty of the Himalayas that they almost certainly miss the third: a tiny village around halfway between Kathmandu and Lukla. Hokse, though, is known not to travellers but to health experts working to expose the grim practice of international organ trafficking. Researchers believe roughly every other adult in the village of a few hundred inhabitants has sold one of their kidneys for money. Agents are known to target poor people in rural places around the world, and Nepal has no shortage of either. In Nepal, brokers representing wealthy foreign clients often befriend potential victims and trick them into parting with a kidney with promises of big payouts, lies about the health risks, and even false claims their kidney will regrow. A 2015 study found that more than 300 Hokse villagers had sold their kidneys for as little as £160. Most victims were trafficked to India, which shares a huge porous border with Nepal, and where many of the nearest clients are based. Even the largest payouts of around £3,000 are a pittance considering the suffering people can experience if they can endure. Humans are able to live normally with one kidney, but their lives are in much greater danger if they experience problems with the remaining organ.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Can science explain déjà vu? - BBC Bitesize

Déjà vu and it may be one of the most mysterious of all our memory quirks, but what exactly is it?

www.bbc.co.uk

Research shows that the frequency of déjà vu may vary with age. Dr O’Connor told us: “We know people start reporting déjà vu at around the age of five.” From five, the it will increase until your early to mid-20s, where the experience peaks, before eventually decreasing during middle age.

This alone would suggest perhaps that it was an entirely natural phenomenon.

Beware This Malicious Text Message—Your Phone Is Under Attack

This is how to stay safe...

www.forbes.com

Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder and more musicians demand protection against AI

Letter signed by more than 200 artists makes broad ask that tech firms pledge to not develop AI tools to replace human creatives

www.theguardian.com

A group of more than 200 high-profile musicians have signed an open letter calling for protections against the predatory use of artificial intelligence that mimics human artists’ likenesses, voices and sound. The signatories span musical genres and eras, ranging from A-list stars such as Billie Eilish, J Balvin and Nicki Minaj to Rock and Roll Hall of Famers like Stevie Wonder and REM. The estates of Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley are also signatories. The letter, which was issued by the Artist Rights Alliance advocacy group, makes the broad demand that technology companies pledge not to develop AI tools that undermine or replace human songwriters and artists. “This assault on human creativity must be stopped. We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem,” the letter states. The letter does not call for an outright ban on the use of AI in music or production, saying that responsible use of the technology could have benefits for the industry. Music producers have used artificial intelligence tools in a variety of ways in recent years, in one case employing AI to isolate John Lennon’s vocals from an old demo track and use them to create a “new” Beatles song which was released last year.

And this is besides all the fake porn they have to endure - but which might be curtailed eventually.

Teenage girl who escaped her kidnapper dad's truck is shot dead by police

A newly released video shows California teen Savannah Graziano, 15, exiting her dad's truck and trying to surrender before being shot dead.

metro.co.uk

Why does this seem to continually happen in the USA?

Vaping increases risk of heart failure by almost 20%

A new study shows a dangerous link.

metro.co.uk

Lily Allen recalls 'embarrassing' music celeb used when having sex 'very young'

Singer Lily Allen has revealed she slept with a TV star at a 'very young age' as she is forever put off an 'embarrassing' album he chose to play during their time together

www.mirror.co.uk

Inside human composting - newest way to be buried that's cheaper than funerals

A new method of burial consisting of composting the human body has gained popularity in recent years due to its eco-benefits and relative cheapness, with calls to make it legal in the UK.

www.mirror.co.uk

Not yet legal here then and still far too expensive.

Aphantasia Is a Spectrum. Here's What It's Like to Have a Completely 'Blind Mind'.

Look at these pictures.

www.sciencealert.com

Ever Wanted a Brain Transplant? Here Are The Challenges We Face.

The neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced in 2015 that he could soon be capable of performing the world's first human head transplant procedure.

www.sciencealert.com

Wild Birds Seen Using Their Wings to Politely Gesture in a Surprising First

Birds are famous for communicating vocally, but many have other options, too.

www.sciencealert.com

Birds are famous for communicating vocally, but many have other options, too. Some communicate by dancing, for example, or by showing off their feathers. And according to a new study, at least one bird species does something more often associated with humans and great apes: symbolic gesturing. A songbird called the Japanese tit (Parus minor) uses fluttering wing movements to signal "after you," the study's authors report, similar to the way humans extend one open hand to let another person go first. Among Japanese tits, the gesture seems to occur only between mating pairs, when the male or female gestures for the other to enter their nest box first. The observation challenges conventional wisdom about symbolic gestural communication, which was thought to be prominent only among our species and great apes, the researchers say.

 

[ChristineM]

Wild Birds Seen Using Their Wings to Politely Gesture in a Surprising First


Or angrily;-)

 

[Mock Turtle]

New Law Allowing Religion into Science Classrooms Is Dangerous for Everyone

It is imperative that we protect science education from “intelligent design” and other alternative “theories”

www.scientificamerican.com

I grew up a creationist in the rural southeastern U.S. I am now a scientist, educator, wife, mother and person of faith. Regardless of whether you practice religion, you should fight to prohibit the teaching of nonscientific alternative ideas in science classrooms and use your vote and your voice to prevent the inclusion of religious beliefs in public education. A recently signed law in West Virginia illustrates why.

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It's been 19 years since a federal court in neighboring Pennsylvania took up the issue of whether “intelligent design,” like its predecessor “creation science,” can be constitutionally taught in public schools. Presiding over the case Kitzmiller v. Dover, Judge John E. Jones III, appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, found that it cannot be. There was no appeal of his meticulous decision, and no court has ruled otherwise. The policy makers in West Virginia would have done well to consult the decision in Kitzmiller. They would have learned about the legal perils awaiting any teacher or district unwise enough to invoke the protection of the newly enacted law in defense of teaching “intelligent design”; in Pennsylvania, the Dover Area School Board ended up paying more than $1 million of the plaintiffs’ legal fees. They might also have realized that their motivations rested on some common misconceptions. The first misconception is that learning about evolution threatens students’ faith. Evolutionary biology, like any area of modern science, is simply a body of knowledge about the natural world and a set of methods and procedures for attaining, refining and testing that knowledge.

Nothing in evolutionary biology denies the existence of God or places constraints on divine activity. Evolutionary biologists include people of many faiths and of none, and evolutionary biology is routinely taught in institutions of higher education, whether public or private, secular or sectarian, as the well-established area of modern science that it is. A second misconception is that exposing students to “intelligent design” promotes religious freedom. (The proponents of “intelligent design” often claim their views have no religious motivation, but frame it otherwise when it suits their purposes.) On the contrary, because “intelligent design” reflects a narrow sectarian rejection of evolution, teaching it in school actually harms religious freedom. The division of church and state is crucial for the religious freedom of everyone in the U.S. Yet some people hope for the undoing of this separation of religion and political power, mainly because they expect that those in power will share their particular religious beliefs. They should stop and think very carefully about the possible consequences of temporarily having their way.

Plastic Pollution Is Drowning Earth. A Global Treaty Could Help

A marine scientist discusses the problem of plastic pollution and her hopes for an international treaty to tackle it

www.scientificamerican.com

Our world is increasingly plastic. Back in the 1950s, humanity produced just 5 million metric tons of plastic per year; today it’s 400 million metric tons. Since plastic can take hundreds or thousands of years to biodegrade, pretty much all of it is still around, except for the roughly 20 percent that’s been burned. By some estimates, there are now eight gigatons of accumulated plastic on Earth — twice as much as the weight of all animal life. Much of this plastic is still in use, in products like cars and homes, but a lot is junk; 40 percent of plastic production goes toward packaging that’s typically tossed after being used once. Some of our plastic waste is recycled, responsibly incinerated or properly landfilled, but tens of millions of tons are mismanaged annually — burned in open pits or left to pollute the environment. Plastic pollution has been found at the poles and the bottom of the ocean, in our clouds and soils, in human blood and mothers’ milk. If things keep going as they are, it is predicted that annual rates of plastic flowing into the sea will triple from 2016 to 2040.

The impacts are manifold. Debris can choke and tangle wildlife; even zooplankton can fill up on microplastics instead of food, altering how much oxygen is in the ocean. And some of the chemicals used in plastics — including additives that make plastics flexible or fire-resistant — can leach out into water, soil or our bodies. Some of these are carcinogenic or endocrine disruptors, capable of interfering with development or reproduction. The net impacts of our lifelong exposure to this chemical soup are hard to tease out, but one recent study concluded that it cost the United States $249 billion in extra health care in 2018. Delegates are working now on the world’s first plastic pollution treaty, which is due to be completed by the end of this year. That treaty might cap plastic production, phase out problem chemicals and regulate how waste is managed — but how ambitious this treaty will be is yet to be seen.

Unraveling Havana Syndrome: New evidence links the GRU's assassination Unit 29155 to mysterious attacks on U.S. officials and their families

A yearlong investigation by The Insider, in collaboration with 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel, has uncovered evidence suggesting that unexplained anomalous health incidents, also known as Havana Syndrome, may have their origin in the use of directed energy weapons wielded by members of Russian GRU...

theins.ru

Hardly a surprise, given their tendency to (or try to) assassinate those who they seemingly have grudges against, and wherever they see fit. It's the Russian way of life, and death - and this stuff rather reminds one of the film, The Ipcress File.

Ramadan: Asian Network's Nadia Ali opens up about wearing a hijab

Nadia Ali says she was nervous to present her first show wearing a hijab, but now feels "complete".

www.bbc.co.uk

Great, but hardly a big deal when one has the freedom to do this, and it would be nice for those in some countries to have the option not to do this, so what could be done as to making this possible?

Discovery has potential to solve the billion-dollar global cost of poorly managed wound healing

Scientists have uncovered a key step in the wound healing process that becomes disabled in diseases like diabetes and aging, contributing to a global healthcare cost of managing poorly healing wounds exceeding $250 billion a year. Importantly, the research reveals a molecule involved in the...

www.sciencedaily.com

Summary: Scientists have uncovered a key step in the wound healing process that becomes disabled in diseases like diabetes and aging, contributing to a global healthcare cost of managing poorly healing wounds exceeding $250 billion a year. Importantly, the research reveals a molecule involved in the healing of tissues that - when injected into animal models - leads to a drastic acceleration of wound closure, up to 2.5 times faster, and 1.6 times more muscle regeneration.