A federal judge on Tuesday "reluctantly" granted the Justice Department's move to dismiss the final remaining prosecution stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, formally vacating cases against eight members of the Oath Keepers militia group who were charged with engaging in seditious conspiracy.
Just over a hundred years ago, the Binet IQ test was developed in France and soon after, brought to the United States, where it was given to public school kids, physicians, and immigrants at Ellis Island. From the 1930s, IQ scores seemed to be inching up -- with each new generation scoring a little higher than the last. Throughout the 20th century, average intelligence scores rose by about 3 points a decade, even when researchers used different tests and metrics.
Iran said an agreement with Oman has been reached on a proposed route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step toward a reopening of the critical waterway for energy supplies. read more
Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned for his second term as a champion of free expression, vowing in his January 2025 inaugural address to stop what he described as years of "government censorship." Since then, a wave of court rulings has concluded his administration has done the opposite. Reuters identified 75 federal-judge rulings finding Trump's government infringed on First-Amendment rights including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press.
Tesla has recalled its Cybertruck 11 times to fix issues such as exterior trim panels falling off and an accelerator pedal that can become stuck, but NASA has nonetheless decided the rust-prone vehicle is up to the job of rescuing astronauts if trouble strikes on the launchpad of a forthcoming crewed mission.
A data center opened next door. Then came the high-pitched whine.
www.politico.com
... Lindsay Shaw was happy when she found out a data center was going up 100 meters from her front door.[emphasis mine]
Unlike most of her neighbors, she preferred a supercomputing hub to a shopping mall, which might bring a crush of car traffic. She was even more pleased when she learned the data center would generate its own power -- rather than connecting to the grid and driving up her electric bills.
But then the data center turned on, along with the eight natural gas turbines powering it. Now her home is barraged by a high-pitch whine that she says has made her newly screened-in porch unusable.
"We don't want to be outside anymore," said Shaw, a cybersecurity professional living in Loudoun County, one of the densest data center hotbeds on Earth.
"A lot of people might see this as progress, like I did. But if it's impacting you then you see, Oh, that's what it means for a data center to be in your community.'" ...
@#10 ... People will die ...
People will die?
Or ...
People have died?
How Elon Musk Killed Hundreds of Thousands of People (May 2026)
www.currentaffairs.org
... RFK Jr hosted a large party at his mansion during COVID.
Attendees had to provide proof of vaccination to attend. ...
Wow, is that true?
Found this ...
Robert F Kennedy Jr admits invite to his holiday party asked for people to be vaccinated or tested for Covid (2021)
www.independent.co.uk
Then there are OpEds like this ...
Is the Era of US Military Bases in the Middle East Over?
www.thenation.com
... Since the illegal war's first days, US bases have suffered extensive damage from Iranian retaliation. The losses include 18 US military deaths, dozens killed in host nations, and billions in infrastructure costs.
This damage and the limited military utility of US installations are forcing a much-needed reconsideration of the US military presence in the Middle East. A growing consensus finds that dramatic changes are needed.
The result will almost certainly be the end of the nearly half-century-long era when scores of US bases have occupied the Middle East. The sooner US leaders accept this reality and start moving the military out of the region, the safer our nation, our troops, and our world will be. ...
@#6 ... Can't have an Orwellian "1984" culture without Big Brother watching all, listening to all, frightening all. ...
Here in CT, there seems to be many concerned citizens showing up at town meetings to voice their disapproval of the Flock surveillance of their town.
To the point that is appears to now be a state-level concern ...
State lawmakers urge Connecticut towns, cities to pause installations of Flock Safety cameras
www.wtnh.com
... As the conversation around Flock Safety cameras start to stir in Connecticut, some state lawmakers are now looking to assess its usage amid concerns of data privacy.
A handful of towns and cities across the state are either reconsidering or moving forward with adopting contracts with the surveillance company.
"We passed a law about [the cameras] being on public property in certain parameters around that. Now they're on private property, there are drones," Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said. "The issue is, they just continue to proliferate and they keep springing up like dandelions in the spring."
What are Flock cameras? How you can find them in Connecticut
Duff is joining Sen. James Maroney (D-Milford) to push for a pause on the cameras. They are urging towns and cities across the state to stop any new Flock cameras from being installed.
The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is also being asked to take a survey of how many cameras there are across the state, to assess how far the tech has spread.
Flock has previously stated it does not sell its data to third parties, and that data collected is owned and controlled by customers themselves.
"The debate of privacy and safety is an important one and at Flock we believe they can coexhist," Flock CEO Garrett Langley said.
Langley says he praises the push from Connecticut's lawmakers for safeguards, including recent legislation to limit data sharing only with neighboring states.
"We have codified that into the product," Langley said. "It's a technical limitation now, and so we applaud them for making that decision ... and large support efforts by the lawmakers to make it clear what is and what is not permissible in the state of Connecticut." ...
@#20
Do try harder.