Links 24/12/2023: Hopes Regarding Climate and China's 'Soft' Power
Contents
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Leftovers
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Tedium ☛ Fake Festive Vs. Real Thing
The tale of the modern Christmas tree is a concept that constantly passes through a tale of sustainability, whether the tree is real or fake.
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Hackaday ☛ Digital Bike Horn Will Play Custom Sounds, Please Be Tasteful
When you’re out riding your bike, a horn can be a useful warning device to other road users and pedestrians alike. It can also be a source of fun and amusement, or annoyance, depending on the sounds it makes and how you use it. For the ultimate flexibility, you might like this digital bicycle horn that offers customizable sounds, as developed by [gokux].
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YLE ☛ Several flights delayed at Helsinki Airport
Heavy snowfall has impacted flights during the holiday weekend.
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The Straits Times ☛ Highway service zone construction suspended after fossil discovery in China
These fossils date back to around 500 million years ago.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Organising email by source into six folders
2023 was the year I changed up how I organise email, so I thought it might be fun to do a bit of a nerdy discussion on how it went.
For some context, I’ve been carrying the same Netscape, then Mozilla, then Thunderbird profile since I was in primary school in the late 1990s. It went from a Pacific Internet Singapore address, to a Hotmail, to a Gmail, then my current domain. I’m sure many of you have email far older than this, but it’s still oddly fun going back to what I sent as a kid.
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ Infrared Following Robot Built As Proof-of-Concept For Autonomous Luggage
Once upon a time, the poor humans of the past had to lug around suitcases and trunks with their own arms. Then, some genius figured out that you could just put wheels on and make everyone’s life a million times easier. Now, what if you didn’t even have push, because your luggage could just follow you instead? Well, students [Yuqiang Ge] and [Yiyang Zhao] have figured out a proof of concept for how that could work.
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Hackaday ☛ Mega-CNC Router Carves Styrofoam Into A Full-Size Flying Delorean
When you own an enormous CNC router, you’ve got to find projects that justify it. So why not shoot for the sky — literally — and build the 1980s-est possible thing: a full-scale flying Delorean.
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Hackaday ☛ DIY Pneumatic Actuator Does Great In Action
Pneumatic actuators can be powerful and fast, making them very useful for all kinds of mechanical jobs. [Michael Rechtin] decided that while he could buy them off-the-shelf, he preferred to see if he could make his own via 3D printing. Despite the challenges, he succeeded!
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Science Alert ☛ People With Suicidal Thoughts Show a Chemical Pattern in Their Blood
This could be a radical new way to help.
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Science Alert ☛ Your Pupils Could Reveal a Hidden Signal About Your Brain Function
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teleSUR ☛ Cuban Parliament Approved New Public Health Law
Among the new norms are those dedicated to informed consent, the donation and transplantation of organs, tissues and cells in living donors and the right to a dignified death.
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Science Alert ☛ Experts Reveal Why Drinking Alcohol at Night Wakes You Up at 3am
A vicious cycle.
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Science Alert ☛ Dentist Visit Might Have Triggered Rare Brain Bleed in Patient
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Science Alert ☛ There's Something Unique About Your Tongue That Could Affect How You Enjoy Food
Like a fingerprint inside your mouth.
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The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Generation X hardest hit as drug deaths rise yet again in England and Wales
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Gizmodo ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Donkey Meat From Amazon Is Off the Dinner Table in California
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Engadget ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Amazon will stop selling donkey skin gelatin, but only in California
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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A year of highs and lows for the gaming industry
The year 2023 has been marked by a concerning trend – widespread layoffs and studio closures. The gaming boom experienced during the pandemic led to hiring sprees and acquisitions that have proven unsustainable, resulting in thousands of job losses. This paradox defines 2023 as a year of success for players and a tragic one for workers.
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WCCF Tech ☛ Apple CEO Tim Cook Is Now Worth $2 Billion, Despite Taking A 40 Percent Pay Cut This Year
It has hardly been an easy journey for Apple CEO Tim Cook ever since he succeeded Steve Jobs as the head of the now trillion-dollar company, but for all his efforts, the Chief Executive has been rewarded financially for it. According to the latest data, Cook is currently worth $2 billion and has a few million Apple shares to his name, which are equivalent to millions in monetary value.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Generative AI: Create, Don’t Scrape [Ed: Plagiarism machines systematically perfumed using buzzwords and acronyms like "GenAI"]
Long-time reader Simon sent me a link to this great new site: Create, Don’t Scrape:
Creators (Artists, Musicians, Actors, Writers, Models) have been scraped and exploited by tech companies without consent, credit or compensation. Below are resources to learn more about the Laion Database, Data Laundering, Lawsuits, and Generative AI. Stay strong.
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Defence/Aggression
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RFA ☛ Publicly executed for killing a woman while trying to steal beans
Residents sympathized with the 23-year-old man because they could relate to the hunger he experienced.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Olympics a 'huge challenge' for France's security agencies
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] France Prepared to Change Plans on 2024 Olympics Opening Based on Security
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Somalia’s 2023: A Year to Remember: From Arms Embargo Lift to Security and Economic Milestones
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NL Times ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Law changes affecting safety and security in the Netherlands in 2024
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NL Times ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Netherlands boosts North Sea security with new ships and surveillance tech
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Effort to restart Iran nuclear deal ‘at a standstill’ Security Council hears
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Defence Web ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Joining foreign armed forces could lead to prosecution, SA government warns
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] BP to pause Red Sea shipping transits over security concerns
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Yemen: Maersk halts Red Sea shipping after another attack [Ed: Climate change to worsen as a result, as longer routes means lots more energy wasted]
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria to Ink Deal on Floating Black Sea Mines in January
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BIA Net ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Alleged ISIS financial head captured in southern Turkey
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] A Saudi-Led Coalition Has Laid Waste to Southern Yemen With US Support
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Widow of Murdered Saudi Journalist Khashoggi Granted Political Asylum in US -Wash Post
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CBC ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] 'Overwhelming relief' for youth activists cleared to sue Ottawa over climate change
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Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Τhe Climate Summit in the United Arab Emirates did the Bidding of the Petroleum Billionaires
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Ukraine joins NATO’s Arctic projects against Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Russia Completes Buyouts of 92 Foreign-Owned Planes
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskiy Notes Signs of 'Slowdown' in Russian Military Plans, Industry
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] White House: 'Very Concerned' About Reports Paul Whelan in Russia Feels Under Physical Threat
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Nepal: Concerns grow over young people joining Russian army
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HRW ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Russia Forces Ukrainians in Occupied Areas into Military
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International Business Times ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] What You May Have Missed: A Roundup Of Recent Russia-Ukraine War Events
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Russia: Putin's rival Navalny is missing — what do we know?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Russia Arrests Head of Space Equipment Maker on Suspicion of Major Fraud
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Abramovich: EU court upholds Russian billionaire sanctions
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Spiegel ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Espionage from the East: "Russia Is a Storm, China Is Climate Change"
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] A Kansas City-Area Man Has Pleaded Not Guilty to Criminal Charges Over Aviation Exports to Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] US Technology Sales to Russia Lead to a Kansas Businessman's Conspiracy Plea
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] North Korea and Russia Clash With US, South Korea and Allies Over Pyongyang's Latest Missile Launch
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Protests by Soldiers’ Wives in Russia Show How an Antiwar Movement Can Grow There
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] The Straussian Character of Post-Soviet Russian Statecraft
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CBC ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] NATO's expansion explained: Sweden's wait, Canada's role and Russia's response
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International Business Times ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Putin Left Furious After UK Implement Further Sanctions On Russian Goods
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CBC ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Ukraine not on cusp of losing war with Russia, Zelenskyy says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Moldovan PM Says Anti-Aircraft System Needed to Counter Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Russia Launches Air Assault on Kyiv for Fifth Time in December -Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Zelenskiy Hopes for Speedier Prisoner Exchanges With Russia
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] A Dangerous Gamble: The Russia-American Nuclear Game in the Ukraine Crisis
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] EU adopts 12th package of sanctions against Russia for its continued illegal war against Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Ukraine updates: EU eyes Russian diamonds in new sanctions
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NL Times ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Dutch company reportedly sending dozens of shipments to Russia, violating EU sanctions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Russian oligarch Usmanov: A tricky case for German justice
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Russian Diplomats: New EU Sanctions Show Measures Against Moscow Have Failed
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Russia's Ruling Party Backs Putin's Reelection Bid While a Pro-Peace Candidate Clears First Hurdle
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Russia and Ukraine Launch Numerous Drone Attacks Targeting a Russian Air Base and Black Sea Coast
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Russia Is Not Interested in Extending Black Sea Grain Deal - RIA
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Russia Loads New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Into Silo South of Moscow
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Ukraine-Based Russian Paramilitaries Claim Cross-Border Attack
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Ukrainian Drone Video Provides a Grim Look at Casualties as Russian Troops Advance Toward Avdiivka
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Russia to Test Launch Seven Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in 2024 -Ifax
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Ukrainian sports minister: Calling Russian athletes 'neutral means supporting murder'
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] LGBTQ+ in Russia: Living under threat of extremism law
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Russia's influence on Serbian election campaign
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The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Binder with top-secret Russia intelligence missing since Trump left office
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Austria Backs EU Russia Sanctions After Ukraine Removes Raiffeisen From Blacklist
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Moldovan President Hails Adoption of Defence Strategy Citing Russia as Threat
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Putin Supporters Formally Nominate Him as Independent Candidate in Russian Presidential Election
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Russia and Ukraine Exchange Drone Attacks After European Union Funding Stalled
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Vox ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] What happens in Ukraine if US aid disappears?
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CBC ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Finland closes border with Russia again after migrant entries spike
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Navalny's fate uncertain as Russia remains silent on location
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Binder With Top-Secret Russia Intelligence Missing Since End of Trump Term -Source
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Explosions Resound in Kyiv, Air Defence Units Engage Russian Drones
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Russian Forces Destroy 26 Ukrainian Drones Over Crimea, Defence Ministry Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] The West Supports Ukraine Against Russia's Aggression. So Why Is Funding Its Defense in Question?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Ukraine to Produce One Million Drones Next Year, Zelenskiy Says
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] America’s Ukraine problem: When your friends threaten you, they aren’t your friends
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Ukraine updates: UK says Ukraine suffered severe cyberattack
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HRW ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Refugees in the US Shouldn’t Pay the Price for Aid to Ukraine
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NL Times ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Netherlands to supply Ukraine with 18 F-16 fighter jets
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Bloomberg: What if Putin wins? US allies fear defeat in Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Ukraine updates: New Polish FM discusses border protests
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Ukrainian Investigators Say They Uncover Fraud in Arms Procurement
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Scheerpost ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Patrick Lawrence: What? Ukraine Is Not Winning the War?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Ukraine updates: Ukraine to call on men living abroad to fight
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Ukraine Western Creditors Sign Debt Suspension Agreement Through March 2027 -Finance Ministry
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] The Troubled Future of Ukraine as Zelenskyy Navigates Through Critical Phases
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CBC ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Why Ukraine’s counteroffensive has stalled
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Ukraine updates: Military proposes extra mobilization
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] FT: ‘Ukraine fatigue’ is a problem of western leaders’ own making
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy confident of US, European support
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2023-12-19 [Older] Denmark and Sweden to give more armoured vehicles to Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] White House Plans One More Ukraine Aid Package, Then up to Congress
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Bloomberg: Zelenskiy feels the chill from Ukraine’s allies
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Ex-US, NATO Officials Call on Congress to Pass New Ukraine Aid
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Ukraine updates: Kyiv praises Scholz for EU summit move
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Ukraine Probes Info Gathering Device in Office Linked to Top General
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] EU’s Pivotal Steps Toward Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia: A Personal Perspective on the Region’s Historic Shift
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] WP: In Ukraine, the risk isn’t stalemate. It’s defeat
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy to mobilize foreign support
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-16 [Older] Third Ukrainian Truck Driver Dies in Poland Border Blockades-TV
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] EU pushed decision on Ukraine accession
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Ukraine’s accession could cost EU €190 billion
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Republicans hold up Ukraine aid and ask painful questions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] EU summit: Hungary blocks €50 billion Ukraine aid deal
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Senate Delays Recess to Iron Out Agreement on Border Security, Ukraine Aid
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Ukraine Mobile Operator Kyivstar Says Services Being Restored
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Vox ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Biden weighs a “shocking” revival of Trump’s immigration agenda
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Senate Border Security Talks Grind on as Trump Invokes Nazi-Era 'Blood' Rhetoric Against Immigrants
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Environment
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Truthdig ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Why Nobody Trusts the World Bank to Manage Climate Reparations
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Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] The U.S. Constitution May Hold the Key to Solving the Climate Crisis
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Analysis-US-China Climate Relations Brace for US Election, Envoy Change
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The Local SE ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Swedish minister faces no-confidence vote over 'irresponsible' climate plan
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Oregon Appeals Court Finds the Rules for the State's Climate Program Are Invalid
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Energy/Transportation
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Hungary Powers Through with Paks Nuclear Plant Expansion Defying EU Stance on Russian Energy Links
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Indigenous Protesters in Brazil Interrupt Hearing on Amazon Grain Railway
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TruthOut ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Oil Threatens Decades of Indigenous-Led Conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] Takeaways From Lawsuits Accusing Meat Giant JBS, Others of Contributing to Amazon Deforestation
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Wildlife/Nature
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New York Times ☛ The Year the Leaf-Cutter Ants Took Manhattan
In January, the American Museum of Natural History’s new insectarium gained 500,000 tenants. It has taken them some time to find their footing.
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Science Alert ☛ Shocking Wake-Up Call: First Marine Fish Declared Extinct Due to Humans
It's happening just as scientists predicted.
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The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Cats like to play fetch, as long as it's on their terms – new research
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The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Can seabirds hear their way across the ocean? Our research suggests so
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Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Protect Habitat to Fight the Climate Crises and Recover Endangered Species
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Finance
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The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: No good grades, no good jobs - China’s youth chasing dreams amid uncertainty
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New York Times ☛ Under Argentina’s New President, Fuel Is Up 60%, and Diaper Prices Have Doubled
Javier Milei warned that things would get worse before they got better. Now Argentines are living it.
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TruthOut ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Social Security Clawbacks Are Driving Some Recipients Into Homelessness
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New York Times ☛ When Social Security Becomes a Debt Collector
Every year, the agency tries to claw back billions in overpaid benefits — including from children who are unaware their parents collected money on their behalf.
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RFA ☛ Breaking the laws of the land: Vietnam’s real estate scandals
Hanoi should use its security, prosecutorial and regulatory assets to prevent market manipulation and fraud.
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Bridge Michigan ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Opinion | Food insecurity on Michigan campuses, a crisis we need to address
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-17 [Older] Feeding the Future: Rethinking Food Security in a Climate-Altered Landscape
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BIA Net ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Turkey's Central Bank governor reveals living with mother due to exorbitant rental prices in İstanbul
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Turkey seeks to crack down on organized crime
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The Local SE ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Sweden's financial watchdog urges banks close fewer accounts
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The Local SE ☛ 2023-12-19 [Older] OPINION: Three things Swedish banks could do to stop denying foreigners accounts
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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The Straits Times ☛ Soft-served power? China’s F&B brands expand in South-east Asia
Analysts say these brands’ popularity could strengthen China’s cultural influence and improve its public image.
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ Garrett Ziegler’s Landscaping Problem
Garrett Ziegler focuses most of his response to Hunter Biden's hacking lawsuit arguing that using a password to access the encrypted iPhone backup included on the hard drive he got from a Rudy Giuliani associate is not hacking. He doesn't address whether he hacked any of Hunter's cloud content.
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] To Crush Left-Wing Organizing, Canada Embraced Ukrainian Nazi Collaborators
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JURIST ☛ West Virginia federal judge dismisses lawsuit blocking Trump’s name on ballot
US District Judge Irene Berger dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday aimed at preventing former President Donald Trump from appearing on West Virginia’s primary ballot next year. The case, brought forth by John Anthony Castro who identifies as a presidential candidate, was deemed lacking in standing.
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-15 [Older] Judge Says TikTok Must Turn Meeting Records Over in US States Probe
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Gizmodo ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Users Flock to Threads as X Suffers Largest Outage Since Musk Takeover
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China may ‘revise and improve’ planned gaming curbs after stock sell-off wipes billions of dollars from tech giants’ value
Chinese authorities may revise newly drafted online gaming rules, state media reported Saturday, a day after the announcement of the planned curbs triggered a sell-off in major tech stocks.
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Landmark National Security Trial Opens in Hong Kong for Prominent Activist Publisher Jimmy Lai
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-18 [Older] Security Tight Ahead of Landmark Trial for Leading Hong Kong Democrat
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US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] Now You See It, Now You Don't: Banksy Stop Sign Taken From London Street Soon After It Appears
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Civil Rights/Policing
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Yum Cha: 20 years on, Regina Ip says the time has come for Hong Kong’s own security law
The woman who tried in vain to introduce Hong Kong’s own security law two decades ago has said the city should pass the revived legislation as soon as possible, adding that people will then “be able to express themselves more freely.”
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France24 ☛ Argentinian protest organisers will have to cover security costs, government says
The organizers of the first protest against Argentine President Javier Milei's government will have to cough up tens of thousands of dollars to cover the cost of security forces deployed to the demonstration, the government's spokesman said Friday.
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ANF News ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Political prisoners in Turkey on day 25 of hunger strike
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Computers Are Bad ☛ 2023-12-23 ITT Technical Institute
Programming note/shameless plug: I am finally on Mastodon.
The history of the telephone industry is a bit of an odd one. For the greatest part of the 20th century, telephony in the United States was largely a monopoly of AT&T and its many affiliates. This wasn't always the case, though. AT&T held patents on their telephone implementation, but Bell's invention was not the only way to construct a practical telephone. During the late 19th century, telephone companies proliferated, most using variations on the design they felt would fall outside of Ma Bell's patent monopoly portfolio. AT&T was aggressive in challenging these operations but not always successful. During this period, it was not at all unusual for a city to have multiple competing telephone companies that were not interconnected.
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Patents
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Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] The National Debt, Tax Farming and Patent Monopolies
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IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Breaking news: UK Supreme Court confirms that an inventor under UK Patents Act 1977 must be a natural person [Ed: Kangaroo Courts like EPO's BoA or the totally illegal UPC could decide based on who bribes who]
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Engadget ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] UK Supreme Court rules AI can't be a patent inventor, 'must be a natural person' [Ed: A court high enough that it is expensive to bribe (unlike SCOTUS)]
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2023-12-19 [Older] H. Lundbeck A/S v. Lupin Ltd. (Fed. Cir. 2023)*
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Kangaroo Courts
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IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-21 [Older] Crystallising the interpretation of G 2/21 (T 1989/19) [Ed: The EPO's fake, submissive, useless 'court' at it again, likely affirming what the dictator asked for (while flagrantly violating the EPC)]
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IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-22 [Older] The IPKat EPO Boards of Appeal Year in Review 2023 [Ed: The Boards of Appeal have not had any independence for a decade already. The EU turns a blind eye to this overt corruption while the economy sags.]
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IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-20 [Older] Unambiguous disclosure without patent profanity (T 2171/21) [Ed: Kangaroo Court decision (EPO has given no leeway for judges there; they're the master's voice)]
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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🔤SpellBinding: CTILNOF Wordo: HAMES
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It's Christmas Eve and I am tired
Yesterday I set up a Mastodon server for myself and some friends. I told myself that I would not abandon the set-up halfway through and I would do a full config, filling out every setting before I shared the link. And I did, and I'm proud of myself for not getting distracted, but I am mentally exhausted.
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I'm digging a hole where less brain gets in
Said "emptiness" seems in the region of the "behind the within" mentioned in previous posts.
And, oh, how it sucks that referring to it - i.e. verbally reaching for it - somehow puts it that much more out of reach.
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Technology and Free Software
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Getting Back Into Doom/Quake Mapping
But since then, I haven't done any mapping. It's been about a year or maybe a bit more. But a few weeks ago I started working on a small 3-map set for Heretic, and it honestly feels good to be back. I had taken a long break from mapping mostly due to creative burnout, but also to distance myself from the Doom community a bit. The amount of stress I had dealing with them was just too toxic for my mental health and I had to take a long step back. But I've slowly been feeling the creativity trickle back in, and it honestly feels good.
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Turning setup.py into .debs with FPM
Used to be that whenever I saw a Python code repository of an app I wanted to hack on and install I’d get a pit of fear in my stomach.😰 It’s so difficult to install with all the pips and venvs and what not.
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Accelerating Piper text-to-speech on the RK3588 NPU
Ho ho ho. Happy Hollidays! With Rockchip releasing rknn-toolkit2 1.6.0, the feature set becomes more and more complete. In this release, it's enough to be used to accelerate the Piper text to speech system. I want to document what I've done to make it work, what's my vision for it and what's more to be done.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.