Non-IT News Thread
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BBC News - Purdue Pharma 'offers up to $12bn' to settle opioid cases
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49491307 -
Unsolicited nudes now illegal in Texas.
"“The law makes it a Class C misdemeanor to send an unwanted, unrequested indecent photo – by text, dating app, email or any other platform.”"
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So much for AirDrop in Dallas.
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I wonder how the law reads, because think about platforms like Instagram where millions of women post unsolicited nudes every day. Sounds at a high level, like the law might include those.
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Purdue Pharma 'offers up to $12bn' to settle opioid cases
Purdue Pharma, the opioid drug-maker owned by the billionaire Sackler family, is reported to be offering between $10bn and $12bn to settle thousands of lawsuits against it.
The firm is facing over 2,000 lawsuits linked to its painkiller OxyContin. Purdue told the BBC it was "actively working" towards a "global resolution" but would not comment on the amount. NBC, which first reported the news, said the settlement would involve the Sacklers giving up ownership of Purdue. The firm said in a statement: "While Purdue Pharma is prepared to defend itself vigorously in the opioid litigation, the company has made clear that it sees little good coming from years of wasteful litigation and appeals. "Purdue believes a constructive global resolution is the best path forward, and the company is actively working with the state attorneys general and other plaintiffs to achieve this outcome." -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
I wonder how the law reads, because think about platforms like Instagram where millions of women post unsolicited nudes every day. Sounds at a high level, like the law might include those.
Except those platforms don’t allow nudes. Yes they are posted, but that is against their TOS.
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@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
I wonder how the law reads, because think about platforms like Instagram where millions of women post unsolicited nudes every day. Sounds at a high level, like the law might include those.
Except those platforms don’t allow nudes. Yes they are posted, but that is against their TOS.
Granted, but it's a huge part of their business model allowed or not. But the important bits are... how is that handled under the law. Because defining the difference between a traditional DM and a multicast can be done, but isn't easy. In both cases, there is a subscription under the hood. Often under the hood, the two are the same, like in NodeBB. So unless accepting a DM request itself (e.g. a subscription) counts as solicitation, it's going to create quite the problem I bet.
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Spain 'werewolf syndrome' child cases linked to wrong drug
A number of children in Spain have had abnormal hair growth similar to "werewolf syndrome" after receiving incorrect medication, officials say.
Seventeen cases have been reported in Cantabria, València and Granada. The children developed the symptoms after receiving medicine for a stomach condition that contained a drug used to treat alopecia, health regulators said. "My son's forehead, cheeks, arms, legs and hands were covered with hair... it was very scary," one mother said. Following an investigation by the Spanish health regulator Aemps, the source of the condition was traced to a formula issued to parents to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease - a muscle condition that affects acid reflux from the stomach - in their young children. A supply of what was thought to be omeprazole was found to contain minoxidil, an ingredient that stimulates hair growth, the regulators said. A report published on the Aemps website said the medicine had been distributed by a pharmaceutical company in the Málaga region of Spain. -
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49504526
Terrible news for the UK, but awesome news for the US as the UK is now very likely on a course of being at the US' mercy on all trade discussions in the near future. I'd expect a week of terrible financial outlooks to be propped up a little by this one. The US is the only major winner in the expected EU - UK fallout.
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Amazon fires: Brazil bans land clearance blazes for 60 days
Brazil has banned setting fires to clear land for 60 days in response to a massive increase in the number of fires in the Amazon rainforest.
The decree was signed by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has faced intense criticism at home and abroad for failing to protect the rainforest. A leading Brazilian environmentalist warned on Wednesday that the "worst of the fire is yet to come". South American countries will meet next week to discuss the crisis. It remains unclear what impact the ban will have, as environmentalists say the overwhelming majority of forest clearance in the Brazilian Amazon is already illegal and enforcement is lax. The Amazon - a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming - has seen more than 80,000 fires break out so far this year - a 77% rise on the same period in 2018. Environmentalists say the increase is due in part to policies enacted by Mr Bolsonaro's administration. -
Hurricane Dorian is getting stronger and could hit the US as a Category 3
Hurricane Dorian has a lot of warm water and time ahead of it, and it's expected to use both to grow into a major cyclone with a good chance of slamming Florida's Atlantic Coast by Labor Day.
Dorian, having swept across the British and US Virgin Islands and whipped Puerto Rico with rain Wednesday, was moving northwest in the Atlantic Thursday morning with sustained winds of up to 85 mph. By Friday it should strengthen to a powerful Category 3 storm, smack the northern Bahamas on Sunday and likely crash somewhere along the Florida or Georgia coasts on Monday with sustained winds around 125 mph. Because it's four days out, the range of potential landfall spots is vast -- from the Florida Keys to southeast Georgia. "It has a lot of time in very warm water (to strengthen)," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. "Not much shear, not much dry air, and a lot of time to gain strength." -
Anti-groping stamp lets victims mark assailants
An anti-groping device aimed at tackling sexual harassment on public transport has been launched in Japan.
It allows victims to mark their assailants with an invisible ink stamp in the shape of a hand. People can then use the device's black light to identify those who have been marked. The firm involved says it wants to help tackle the crime. But one sex abuse charity is concerned that the tech could place an added burden on victims. Japanese firm Shachihata says it developed the stamp to help deter groping on trains in the country. The company first announced it was developing the stamp in May after a video showing a pair of Japanese schoolgirls chasing down a suspected groper on a station platform went viral. -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Anti-groping stamp lets victims mark assailants
An anti-groping device aimed at tackling sexual harassment on public transport has been launched in Japan.
It allows victims to mark their assailants with an invisible ink stamp in the shape of a hand. People can then use the device's black light to identify those who have been marked. The firm involved says it wants to help tackle the crime. But one sex abuse charity is concerned that the tech could place an added burden on victims. Japanese firm Shachihata says it developed the stamp to help deter groping on trains in the country. The company first announced it was developing the stamp in May after a video showing a pair of Japanese schoolgirls chasing down a suspected groper on a station platform went viral.In the US, stamping someone would be assault. Just because you are assaulted, doesn't give you the right to assault them back.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
In the US, stamping someone would be assault. Just because you are assaulted, doesn't give you the right to assault them back.
You are absolutely allowed to physically attack someone who is actively attacking you. In Texas or Florida, you can often use lethal force as long as the attack is currently underway if they don't back down.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Anti-groping stamp lets victims mark assailants
An anti-groping device aimed at tackling sexual harassment on public transport has been launched in Japan.
It allows victims to mark their assailants with an invisible ink stamp in the shape of a hand. People can then use the device's black light to identify those who have been marked. The firm involved says it wants to help tackle the crime. But one sex abuse charity is concerned that the tech could place an added burden on victims. Japanese firm Shachihata says it developed the stamp to help deter groping on trains in the country. The company first announced it was developing the stamp in May after a video showing a pair of Japanese schoolgirls chasing down a suspected groper on a station platform went viral.In the US, stamping someone would be assault. Just because you are assaulted, doesn't give you the right to assault them back.
That's a personal decision; no law could legislate that out of existence. If I fear for my safety, all bets are off -- even if I land in the jail cell next to the person {fill in the illegal action here} me.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
In the US, stamping someone would be assault. Just because you are assaulted, doesn't give you the right to assault them back.
You are absolutely allowed to physically attack someone who is actively attacking you. In Texas or Florida, you can often use lethal force as long as the attack is currently underway if they don't back down.
yes of course - but is someone gropes you - the chances that you are going to allow them to continue to grope them while you reach into your purse/pocket to pull out this pen to 'stab' them is exceedingly unlikely... instead, you're going to be getting them off you first.... now, if they continue to attempt to grope you - all bets are off.
I suppose when you find yourself in those situations, you could pre-arm yourself with said pen... and mark your assailant while removing their hand.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
In the US, stamping someone would be assault. Just because you are assaulted, doesn't give you the right to assault them back.
You are absolutely allowed to physically attack someone who is actively attacking you. In Texas or Florida, you can often use lethal force as long as the attack is currently underway if they don't back down.
yes of course - but is someone gropes you - the chances that you are going to allow them to continue to grope them while you reach into your purse/pocket to pull out this pen to 'stab' them is exceedingly unlikely... instead, you're going to be getting them off you first.... now, if they continue to attempt to grope you - all bets are off.
I suppose when you find yourself in those situations, you could pre-arm yourself with said pen... and mark your assailant while removing their hand.
Sorry, but not how it works in Japan. The pressure to not be the nail that sticks out is huge. This type of groping has been a huge problem for years. It is only recently getting serious attention.
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Here's where Dorian is now — and where it's going next
**Dorian is currently spinning in the Atlantic Ocean with winds up to 110 mph. **
So far, the storm has swept across the British and US Virgin Islands and whipped Puerto Rico with rain. It's expected to get even stronger over the next few days — with winds reaching up to about 130 mph — though it will likely slow down before it hits. If Dorian continues on its current forecast, it will smack Grand Bahama island on Sunday before it makes landfall in Florida on Monday. Remember: We're still a few days out, so the storm could land anywhere from the Florida Keys to southeast Georgia. CNN meteorologist Judson Jones predicted on Thursday that it could be between the Space Coast and West Palm Beach.
