Non-IT News Thread
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Google owner sees record profits as lockdown boom continues
Google owner Alphabet saw its earnings soar in the first quarter as people stuck at home in the pandemic used more of its services.
Net profit jumped by 162% to a record $17.9bn in the three months to March as advertising revenue swelled by a third. It comes as the tech giant faces increased scrutiny over its power and the pandemic has people turning to the internet more than ever. The firm credited "elevated consumer activity online" for its results. "Over the last year, people have turned to Google Search and many online services to stay informed, connected and entertained," said Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai. Analysts had expected a good performance as economies around the world have continued to reopen, prompting more spending on online advertising. -
Game of Thrones actress sues Marilyn Manson alleging abuse
Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco has sued singer Marilyn Manson, alleging sexual assault and battery.
The lawsuit claims Mr Manson coerced the British actress with "drugs, force, and threats of force". The plaintiff also alleges the singer and his manager broke trafficking laws by luring her from London to the US with empty promises of work. The artist has rejected multiple allegations of abuse against him as "horrible distortions of reality". He has been dropped by his record label and booking agent since the claims surfaced. -
Jerusalem violence: Rockets fired from Gaza after major clashes
Rockets have been fired towards Jerusalem from Gaza, amid spiralling tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.
No injuries were reported, though Israel's parliament was evacuated as sirens sounded. Gaza's Hamas rulers had threatened to strike after hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police on Monday. The past few days have seen the worst violence in the city for years. More than 300 Palestinians were wounded in the confrontations with Israeli police outside the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem. -
Israel intensifies attacks in Gaza as conflict enters fifth day
Israel has intensified its assault on Gaza, as Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into Israel on the fifth day of hostilities.
Israel's military said air and ground forces were involved in attacks on Friday but had not entered Gaza. Meanwhile, clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli security forces spread across much of the occupied West Bank. At least 122 people have been killed in Gaza and eight have died in Israel since the fighting began on Monday.Jewish and Israeli-Arab mobs have also been fighting within Israel, prompting its president to warn of civil war. Defence Minister Benny Gantz ordered a "massive reinforcement" of security forces to suppress the internal unrest that has seen more than 400 people arrested. -
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This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
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@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
And that's why "doctors" have no business being involved with medicine. If you don't study or believe science, and you practice medicine, you are literally just a witch doctor.
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@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
Excellent read. Thanks for sharing.
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@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
More proof wearing masks do absolutely nothing at all for anyone unless they are new, clean, well-fitted N95 masks.
One could argue that most masks worn through this only made it worse.
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@obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
More proof wearing masks do absolutely nothing at all for anyone unless they are new, clean, well-fitted N95 masks.
One could argue that most masks worn through this only made it worse.
That is pretty much the opposite of what that article was stating.
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@obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
More proof wearing masks do absolutely nothing at all for anyone unless they are new, clean, well-fitted N95 masks.
One could argue that most masks worn through this only made it worse.
Did we read the same article?
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@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@obsolesce said in Non-IT News Thread:
@jaredbusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
This is a very interesting article. Science people...
https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/
More proof wearing masks do absolutely nothing at all for anyone unless they are new, clean, well-fitted N95 masks.
One could argue that most masks worn through this only made it worse.
That is pretty much the opposite of what that article was stating.
All of the non-n95 masks literally do nothing against aerosols, which according to that article is the biggest threat of covid. At best they stop big dropplets, which also according to the article it specifically mentions was barely a threat.
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Florida high school alters 80 'immodest' yearbook photos of students
A Florida high school is facing backlash for altering the yearbook photos of 80 female students to add clothing to their chests and shoulders.
The school district told local media the changes were made to ensure the photos met the dress code, which says girls' shirts must be "modest". But critics pointed to yearbook photos of male students left unedited despite violating the same standards. The digital alterations were made without permission, the students say. Bartram Trail High School's yearbook co-ordinator - a female teacher - made the decision to edit the photos after determining they had violated the dress code, the St Johns County school district said. A disclaimer on Bartram Trail's website warns students that their yearbook photos may be digitally edited to be consistent with the dress code. -
Belarus plane: Russia accuses EU of risking passenger safety
Russia's foreign ministry has condemned the EU's call for Europe-based airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace, calling it completely irresponsible.
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting after Russia had denied entry to two airlines that planned to avoid Belarus, said passenger safety was at risk. EU leaders had acted after Belarus forced a Ryanair plane to divert and land in the capital, Minsk. A Belarusian dissident journalist and his girlfriend were then arrested. Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, who is a Russian citizen, are both in jail. A court on Friday rejected her appeal against a two-month detention. -
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Biden expands US investment ban on Chinese firms
US President Joe Biden is set to ban Americans from investing in dozens of Chinese tech and defence firms with alleged military ties.
The new executive order will come into effect on 2 August, hitting 59 firms including communications giant Huawei. The list of firms will be updated on a rolling basis. The move expands an order previously issued by ex-President Donald Trump. Even before the official announcement, China suggested it would retaliate. Under the new order, US investors will be banned from buying or selling publicly-traded securities for other companies including the China General Nuclear Power Corporation, China Mobile Limited and Costar Group. It expands the previous list from 31 firms to include surveillance companies and is aimed at ensuring "US persons are not financing the military industrial complex of the People's Republic of China," one White House official said. -
Nicaragua opposition figure Chamorro put under house arrest
Police in Nicaragua have placed opposition presidential hopeful Cristiana Chamorro under house arrest.
Prosecutors have accused Ms Chamorro of money laundering, which she denies, and demand she be barred from running in November's election. Ms Chamorro is seen by many in the opposition as their best hope of defeating President Daniel Ortega, who is expected to run for a fifth term. Her mother defeated Mr Ortega in the 1990 presidential poll. The arrest is the latest in a series of measures which the opposition says are aimed at crushing its chances of defeating the government in the upcoming election. -
Srebrenica massacre: UN court rejects Mladic genocide appeal
Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic has lost his appeal against a 2017 conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The UN court upheld the life sentence for his role in the killing of around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. The massacre, in an enclave supposed to be under UN protection, was the worst atrocity in Europe since World War Two. It is not yet clear where Mladic will serve the rest of his sentence. The five-person appeals panel found Mladic had failed to provide evidence to invalidate the previous convictions against him, although the presiding judge dissented on almost all counts. However, the Appeals Chamber also dismissed the appeal brought by the prosecution, which had sought a second conviction against Mladic over crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats in some other areas during the war. -
California jury awards $15m over lost fertility clinic eggs and embryos
A California jury has awarded $14.9m (£10m) to five patients who lost frozen eggs or embryos in a 2018 storage tank failure at a fertility clinic.
The cryogenic tank malfunction at the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco ruined some 3,500 eggs, embryos and other genetic material. The jurors found a tank production defect was largely to blame. This is the first case to see an award for victims of a fertility clinic freezer problem, lawyers say. Three women and a couple will share the nearly $15m award after losing their frozen eggs and embryos, respectively. The tank manufacturer, Chart Industries Inc, will pay 90%, with the clinic being held liable for the remaining 10%. A Chart-made tank at the centre lost liquid nitrogen for a short period of time, which led to the destruction of some frozen material, the centre said.
