Links 01/11/2023: Bungie Layoffs and Mindless Promotion of Illegal Kangaroo Court (Unified Patent 'Court')
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Free, Libre, and Open Source Software
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SaaS/Back End/Databases
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The Register UK ☛ MariaDB Foundation: Sanity has returned to MariaDB plc • The Register
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Leftovers
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Junichi Uekawa: Already November.
Already November. Been playing a bit with ureadahead. Build systems are hard. Resurrecting libnih to build again was a pain. Some tests rely on not being root so simply running things in Docker made it fail.
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Education
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New York Times ☛ Portland Teachers Are on Strike, Closing Schools in Oregon’s Largest District
There will be no in person school or online instruction for about 45,000 students in Portland Public Schools.
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Hardware
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia Allegedly Rushes 4090s to China Ahead of Possible Restrictions
Nvidia is reportedly rushing shipments of 4090s to China ahead of a possible export restriction by the U.S. government.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Stanford University ☛ Energy Secretary says powerful SLAC laser could prevent the next pandemic
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited SLAC in celebration of the launch of LCLS-II, a laser with potentially revolutionary applications in medicine, nuclear fusion and climate change research.
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YLE ☛ Finland dismantles bird flu infection zone as outbreak subsides
Wild birds no longer pose an infection risk to poultry and other captive birds, according to the Finnish Food Authority.
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YLE ☛ Lapland tourism industry braces for bedbug infestations
Bed bugs were very rare in Lapland 15 years ago, but they are now found a few times a month, says one Lapland pest control worker.
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Latvia ☛ Survey claims Rīga has Europe's worst public toilets
Research conducted by a UK bath and shower seller has come to the conclusion that the Latvian capital, Rīga, claims the throne of having Europe's worst public toilets.
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CS Monitor ☛ Maine gunman’s family sought help in May. What failed?
Authorities are trying to piece together the events that led to the Oct. 25 shooting at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. The gunman’s family had raised concerns about his mental health and gun access to the sheriff’s office months earlier.
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New York Times ☛ Infant Deaths Have Risen for the First Time in 20 Years
The increases were particularly stark among babies born to Native American, Alaska Native and white mothers in 2022. Rates among Black infants remained highest of all.
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New York Times ☛ Talking About Health Impacts of Climate Change Without Mentioning Fossil Fuels
A declaration on the public health impacts of climate change may lack two words: fossil fuels.
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Science Alert ☛ IVF Alternative: First Baby Born in Australia Through Cheaper, Safer Fertility Treatment
A huge step in reproductive therapy.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Report: Bungie Laid Off 8% of Staff as Revenue Missed Projections by 45% - News
First-party PlayStation studio, Bungie, was confirmed to have been hit with layoffs on Monday as many employees confirmed to have been let go via social media. This included veteran composer Michael Salvatori, who was a co-composer on the original Halo titles at Bungie.
Bloomberg is now reporting eight percent of Bungie or about 100 employees were laid off due to a drop off in the popularity of Destiny 2.
Executives at the developer at a meeting held two weeks ago told employees revenue was 45 percent below projections for the year, according to sources who attended the meeting.
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Bungie is the next major studio to be hit by layoffs
Bungie is the latest to announce layoffs — the number of employees affected hasn't been confirmed, but Bungie CEO Pete Parsons took to Twitter to announce that it was a "sad day" at the company.
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence
The White House this week issued a new executive order focusing on a variety of aspects of regulating artificial intelligence, some of which focuses on IP issues. The executive order lays out eight guiding principles for manages risks while allowing growth and benefits: [...]
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Press Gazette ☛ Sun editor Newton warns of ‘privacy law’ creep and trumpets Huw Edwards reporting
The Sun editor urged the government to promise to repeal Section 40 in the King's Speech next week.
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JURIST ☛ European data regulator bans Meta platforms from using behavioral advertising
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the EU’s data regulator, announced Wednesday it adopted an urgent binding decision banning Meta, the parent company of Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram, from processing user personal data for behavioral advertising across the European Economic Area (EEA) until further notice.
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Defence/Aggression
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Stanford University ☛ Annual Stanford safety report documents continued increase in reported crimes
The 2022 Stanford safety report reveals a resurgence in reported crimes to “pre-pandemic numbers”, with a notable increase in motor vehicle thefts, domestic violence, stalking and hate crimes, despite a decrease in burglary complaints and a slight rise in aggravated assaults.
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New York Times ☛ Lessons From an Unending Conflict
After three decades of wars and stalemates, Azerbaijan seized Nagorno-Karabakh from ethnic Armenian control seemingly overnight.
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France24 ☛ Ukraine reports most extensive Russian shelling of its settlements so far this year
Russia has shelled more than 100 settlements over the last 24 hours – more than in any single day so far this year, Ukraine said on Wednesday.
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Latvia ☛ Riga Security Forum discussion schedule released
Following the first discussion of a new season of geopolitical discussions under the 'Rīga Security Forum' banner on October 31, the organizer – the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) – has outlined the next subjects for discussion.
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Latvia ☛ Latvian government plans new cyber defense center
On Tuesday, October 31, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the proposal of the Ministry of Defense to allow the Ministry of Defense and the Central Finance and Contracts Agency to undertake long-term state budget commitments in order to implement and co-finance the cyber security project "National Coordination Center - Latvia" (NCC-LV).
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RFA ☛ N Korea has shipped 1 million shells to Russia: S Korea intel
The shells are sufficient to sustain the Russian-Ukrainian conflict for over two months, said the spy agency.
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RFERL ☛ North Korea Shipped More Than 1 Million Artillery Shells To Russia, Seoul Believes
South Korea's top spy agency believes North Korea has sent more than 1 million artillery shells to Russia since August for use in the war on Ukraine, according to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, who attended a closed-door intelligence briefing on November 1.
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JURIST ☛ Ethiopia rights commission reports civilian killings in Amhara region
The Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued a report condemning the killing of numerous civilians by drone strikes and house to house searches in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The Monday report documented several incidents of extrajudicial killings, injuries, displacement and property destruction by the government security forces and state militia.
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Defence Web ☛ Experts warn of security vacuum in wake of exiting peacekeepers
Peacekeepers are on the move across Africa. But rather than rushing in to quell violence, they are withdrawing from some of the continent’s worst conflict hotspots — the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali and Somalia.
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CS Monitor ☛ Thousands have died under Myanmar’s military rule. Can a website help?
Security Force Monitor, a product of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute, is a new website its creators hope will help bring accountability and justice to Myanmar’s civilians amid ongoing violence and war crimes.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Government Imposes New Rules For Food Exports
Ukraine will introduce mandatory registration for food export companies that is aimed at preventing abuses such as tax avoidance in the export of key agrarian goods.
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RFERL ☛ Kazakhstan Welcomes France's Macron On First Leg Of Central Asia Tour
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kazakhstan on November 1, the first leg of his trip to Central Asia.
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France24 ☛ Macron in Central Asia to boost France's profile in a region dominated by Russia, China
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday, aiming to boost France's profile in a region where Russia, China, Turkey and Europe are all jostling for influence.
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RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Cities And Villages Come Under Record Number Of Attacks
Ukraine has said that 118 cities and villages were shelled by Russia on October 31, the largest number of settlements to come under attack this year.
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Defends Pace Of Counteroffensive As Air Defenses Activated In Central Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned against expecting too much success too quickly in Ukraine's counteroffensive as air alerts sounded in Kyiv and other regions late on October 31.
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New York Times ☛ Biden Found Even Modest Israel-Palestinian Peace Steps Impossible
A president focused on China and Ukraine had little time or inclination for a distant goal that stymied several of his predecessors.
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New York Times ☛ Some Ukrainians Helped the Russians. Their Neighbors Sought Revenge.
For people in Bilozerka, the invasion began a cat-and-mouse game of collaboration and resistance.
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New York Times ☛ Frustrated Zelensky Says Ukraine’s War Effort Is Being Underestimated
As U.S. officials warned senators against halting military aid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops’ achievements were “perceived as a given.”
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New York Times ☛ House Speaker Mike Johnson Just Confirmed How Unserious He Is
The new speaker is playing a game with the world when the world needs American leadership.
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Latvia ☛ Saeima working on Russia and Belarus sports ban
On Tuesday, October 31, the Saeima Education, Culture and Science Committee supported amendments to the Sports Law in a first reading. It is planned to prohibit the organization of team sports, including at youth level, in which the national teams of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus participate, whether under their national flags or a 'neutral' flag of convenience.
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RFERL ☛ Rights Group Memorial Recognizes Jailed Navalny Lawyers As Political Prisoners
Rights group Memorial says it has recognized three of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny's lawyers as political prisoners as they are being prosecuted "in connection with their legitimate professional activities aimed at representing the interests of their client."
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RFERL ☛ Russia Investigates Editor At Online News Outlet For 'Justifying Terrorism'
Moscow's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into an editor at a news outlet that has regularly angered the authorities.
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RFERL ☛ Israeli Envoy To Russia Says Tel Aviv Passengers Hid From Weekend Airport Riot In Terminal
Israel’s ambassador to Moscow says some passengers had to hide in the terminal during a weekend riot at an airport in Makhachkala in Daghestan in southern Russia before being flown by helicopter to safety.
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RFERL ☛ Bulgaria Says Russian Journalist Is Being Expelled For 'Security Reasons'
Bulgaria has expelled Russian journalist Aleksandr Gatsak, a correspondent for the Russian-government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta, for "security reasons."
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RFERL ☛ Russia Can't Claim Immunity In $60 Billion Fight With Former Yukos Investors, London Court Rules
Russia cannot claim state immunity to avoid the enforcement of a $60 billion arbitration award over the expropriation of defunct oil group Yukos, London's High Court has ruled.
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RFERL ☛ Dutch Court Sentences Russian To 18 Months For Busting Sanctions Targeting Moscow
A Dutch court convicted a Russian businessman of exporting computer chips and other electronic products to the Russian arms and defense industry in violation of European Union sanctions and sentenced him to 18 months in jail.
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YLE ☛ National Enforcement Authority raids sanctioned Russian oligarch's island in SE Finland
Police assisted the National Enforcement Authority in an operation on an island owned by arms manufacturer Igor Kesaev, who is suspected of having ties to the Russian security service FSB.
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JURIST ☛ Japan High Court orders fresh examination of North Korea repatriation program
The Tokyo High Court ordered on Monday a fresh examination of the lawsuit concerning the “Paradise on Earth” repatriation program, which saw the migration of ethnic Koreans and Japanese to North Korea in the second half of the twentieth century. T
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YLE ☛ 12 Finns still in Gaza, including young children
The border crossing from Gaza to Egypt has been opened for foreigners, but Finns in the area must await their turn.
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Environment
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Energy/Transportation
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European Commission ☛ Joint Statement following the latest meeting of the EU-US Task Force on Energy Security
European Commission Statement Washington, DC, 01 Nov 2023 The EU-US Task Force on Energy Security met for the 11th time on October 31, 2023, convened by co-chairs Amos Hochstein [...]
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Wildlife/Nature
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Science Alert ☛ Starfish Are Basically Bodiless Heads Crawling Around The Ocean, Scientists Say
We're so creeped out right now.
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New York Times ☛ Birds in the Americas Will No Longer Be Named After People
The American Ornithological Society has committed to replacing all bird names derived from people so as not to honor figures with racist pasts.
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Finance
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong student group alleges attempted forced entry of properties amid lawsuit over ownership
The Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) has filed a police report after suspecting that a group of unknown men had tried to forcefully enter two of its properties. The alleged forced entry took place amid a lawsuit between the organisation’s former executives and a company over the ownership of the premises.
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teleSUR ☛ Eurozone Inflation Plunges While Economic Growth Stagnates
Inflation in the Eurozone is still being driven by food, alcohol and tobacco, with year-on-year rate of 7.5 percent.
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NYPost ☛ Fed holds interest rates steady, says one more hike likely this year
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday for the second consecutive meeting — but signaled another hike is possible before year’s end as inflation remains well above its target. As of the September policy meeting, central bankers have said they still felt one more rate hike would be necessary, which would advance the...
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YLE ☛ Neste to cut at least 300 jobs in Finland
The partly stated-owned energy giant said it is bracing for more competition in the renewable fuel sector.
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YLE ☛ OP admits interest rate cap sales pitch "error" as mortgage holders struggle with rising bills
Osuuspankki said there was "an error in its customer communication" as the cap did not cover annuity mortgages, which comprise about 80 percent of housing loans.
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New York Times ☛ For China’s Jobless Young People, Hostels Are the Place to Be
Chinese backpacker hostels offering bunk beds for a few dollars a night have become hubs for the anxiety and ambitions of job-seeking youth.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Press Gazette ☛ Why The Economist has put its podcasts behind a paywall
The Economist's biggest podcast, The Intelligence, will be the only one remaining outside the paywall.
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New York Times ☛ Indian Opposition Figures Get Threat Notification From Apple
The notifications suggested that many opposition figures could be under “state-sponsored” surveillance, but even Fashion Company Apple said the warning could have been a false alarm.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US policy restricting investment in China tech has ‘limited’ impact on Hong Kong, innovation chief says
A US policy designed to restrict investment in Chinese technology would have “relatively limited” impact on Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development, the city’s technology chief said on Wednesday. In a written reply to lawmakers on Wednesday, Secretary for Innovation,
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong man jailed for 2.5 months over doxxing police officer involved in 2019 Sai Wan Ho shooting
A Hong Kong man has been jailed for two months and two weeks after he was convicted of disclosing personal information and photos of a police officer who shot a protester during the 2019 anti-extradition bill unrest.
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RFERL ☛ Hungary Bans Teenagers From Visiting World Press Photo Exhibition Over Display Of LGBT Images
People younger than 18 have been barred from visiting this year's World Press Photo exhibition in Budapest, after Hungary's right-wing populist government determined that some of its photos violate a contentious law restricting LGBT content.
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CS Monitor ☛ Trump sons on trial in NY: Did they cover up company fraud?
Donald Trump’s eldest sons are scheduled to testify at New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit that could jeopardize the family’s real estate company. Donald Jr. and Eric deny any wrongdoing.
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BIA Net ☛ Polat couple investigated for "laundering of crime revenues" detained this morning
İstanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had initiated an investigation into Dilan and Engin Polat for alleged offenses related to "Preventing the Laundering of Crime Revenues" and "Violation of Laws on Tax Procedure, Betting, and Games of Chance in Football and Other Sports Competitions."
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RFA ☛ Biden taps Asia czar as Blinken’s deputy
Kurt Campbell, the president’s Indo-Pacific affairs coordinator, will need Senate confirmation.
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RFA ☛ U.K. MPs propose mandatory training to prevent Chinese spies
The move came after British authorities publicly warned about China’s espionage practices.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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France24 ☛ No, this video doesn’t show a Palestinian pretending to be injured in the Israel-Hamas war
Some pro-Israeli social control media users are claiming that Palestinians are posting videos pretending to be injured by the bombing campaign carried out by Israel since October 7. On October 26, for example, pro-Israeli accounts started sharing claims that a Palestinian video maker had pretended to be injured. Their so-called proof was two videos – one said to show the man in a hospital bed and the next one, apparently filmed the next day, showing him in perfect health. It turns out, however, that the video of the injured man is from August 2023, months before the war broke out. Moreover, it shows another man – and a real victim of the ongoing conflict.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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RFERL ☛ Belarusian Singer Who Supported Protesters Has Been Detained, Says Rights Group
The Vyasna human rights center says popular singer Larisa Hrybaleva, who is reported to be on a secret government list of 80 entertainers who are not permitted to perform in Belarus, has been detained and her house has been searched.
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Press Gazette ☛ Private Eye cartoonist quits after silence from mag colleagues over Ex-Twitter threat
Zoom Rockman said he felt "disrespected" by Eye management.
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Press Gazette ☛ High Court ruling on meaning clears way for Noel Clarke libel trial versus Guardian
High Court judge rules on what hypothetical reasonable reader would take from Noel Clarke investigation.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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Reason ☛ No Pseudonymity in Disability Discrimination / Forced Labor Claim by Terrorism Expert Against Middlebury College
From D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman's decision two weeks ago in Doe v. President & Fellows of Middlebury College: Plaintiff brought this lawsuit against numerous defendants [including American University, George Washington University, and Middlebury College -EV] alleging inter alia employment discrimination, harassment, forced labor, trafficking in labor or commercial sex acts, and bias-related crime.…
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ACLU ☛ Why We’re Taking the Fight for Trans Youth Health Care to the Supreme Court
In the span of just a few years, transgender people have had their rights and lives radically reshaped by a litany of political attacks against our freedom, our dignity, and the health care many of us need to live. As part of a coordinated national effort to erode legal protections for trans people and push us out of public life, a wave of bills targeting gender-affirming health care for transgender people have effectively banned it for nearly one-third of transgender youth in the United States. These laws uproot entire families and communities, alarm doctors and medical experts, and endanger the very young people they laws claim to protect.
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YLE ☛ Survey: Men find Finnish society fairer than women
”Women’s experiences of unfairness may come from both their personal lives and societal pressures,” a researcher from E2 Research said.
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YLE ☛ Survey: One in four say they say they would prefer not to have a doctor from a different ethnic group
The Yle survey suggests that those working in the medical profession may face discrimination based on their ethnic background.
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RFA ☛ China’s Communist Party to take helm of 'chaotic' financial sector
Risk prevention and control are the new watchwords as Beijing says the sector must bow to 'Marxist' political theory.
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Monopolies
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Patents
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JUVE ☛ Philip Morris invalidates BAT patent, but UK court denies Arrow declaration [Ed: A fake patent monopoly again]
The UK High Court has found BAT’s EP 3 367 830 invalid for obviousness over the prior art, after rival Philip Morris commenced an action to clear the way prior to the launch of its ILUMA heat-not-burn cigarette model.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Apple Patent Shows GPU Dynamic Caching Has Been in Development For Years
Key technology behind Apple's M3 processors has been developed years ago.
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YLE ☛ Nokia sues Amazon, HP over alleged video streaming patent monopoly infringements
Nokia has filed lawsuits in the US, Germany, India, the UK, and the European Unified Patent Court.
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Understanding IP Matters: Making Innovation Pay: Ex-Microsoft and I.C.B.M. IP Heads Talk About ROI
What are ways of making money from patents without suing for patent monopoly infringement? In the not-so-distant past, technology companies like Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and I.C.B.M. signed hundreds of mutually beneficial licensing agreements with a wide range of businesses without resorting to lawsuits. Today, we are more likely to read about tech companies suing one another for patent monopoly infringement than negotiating win-win deals. What happened, and how are innovators being affected?
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ AIPPI World Congress Istanbul – UPC Mock Trial [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional. This means that the patent system in Europe and beyond is now technically run by criminal elements, hiding their abuse under the guise of "law".]
On the last day of the AIPPI World Congress in Istanbul, a packed-out room of attendees was treated to a UPC mock trial. The illustrious judging panel featured three UPC judges, with Edger Brinkman as Presiding Judge joined by Peter Tochtermann and Petri Rinkinen.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ Recommended Reading: The Trademark Reporter, September-October 2023 Issue
The September-October 2023 (Vol. 113 No. 5) issue of the Trademark Reporter has hit the newsstands. [pdf here]. Willard Knox, Editor-in-Chief, summarizes the contents as follows (and below): This issue of the TMR offers readers the latest in likelihood-of-confusion survey thought leadership—from a leading scholar-practitioner looking back on (and at times critiquing) his past work to a next-generation litigator and author challenging the continued reliance upon certain outdated “Why?”-type questions in surveys.
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The Kent Stater ☛ Supreme Court to consider whether ‘Trump Too Small’ can be trademarked without ex-president’s permission
A political activist’s desire to register a suggestive phrase targeting Donald Trump’s anatomy and policies is at the center of a Supreme Court case being heard Wednesday that will test the limits of the First Amendment.
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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Another Halloween Done
When we first moved to the new house, we didn't get a lot of kids at Halloween. It was sort of to be expected: we were at the very edge of the suburb, and our street was only maybe 60% complete when we moved in. There were a few kids that first year; we ended up keeping a lot of candy, and eating it over the next few months.
And over the next couple of years, we had a consistent 25 - 30. The street was done, but the neighbourhood wasn't. The field north of us was just starting to get developed into a crescent, but it took years between when they started laying sewer and cabling and when people actually started to take possession of their homes. So it was us at the fringes, and people from elsewhere weren't taking their kids to the far end of the suburbs for candy. Why bother, when there are more houses nearby?
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Technology and Free Software
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Writing is hard
Android Apps. No, not Kotlin or whatever framework these companies are forcing devs to learn these days. Terminal Apps, via Termux[1]. Termux has this extremely neat interaction framework via the `termux-dialog` and `termux-notification` utilities.
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.