Author Topic: In The News  (Read 75984 times)

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #50 on: March 05, 2015, 07:44:37 AM »
Exclusive: Lost City Discovered in the Honduran Rain Forest

In search for legendary “City of the Monkey God,” explorers find the untouched ruins of a vanished culture.

http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150302-honduras-lost-city-monkey-god-maya-ancient-archaeology/

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #51 on: May 09, 2015, 08:48:37 AM »
Tropical Storm Ana making landfall in the Carolinas. The season officially starts June 1. Not a good sign.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

ritch

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Re: In The News
« Reply #52 on: May 09, 2015, 09:03:05 AM »
let me know when they find some good porn in that footage.
?


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #54 on: April 16, 2016, 12:07:36 PM »
Last hurricane season was pretty weak for the east coast. Perhaps not this year: La nina conditions are possible.

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/april-2016-el-ni%C3%B1ola-ni%C3%B1a-update-what-goes-%E2%80%A6


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #55 on: April 17, 2017, 07:18:39 PM »
April The Giraffe Has An Unfortunate Response When A Vet Tries To Take A Look At Her New Baby

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/april-the-giraffe-has-an-unfortunate-response-when-a-vet-tries-to-take-a-look-at-her-new-baby/

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #56 on: September 21, 2017, 06:45:41 PM »
Puerto Rico after Maria


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #57 on: October 02, 2019, 03:33:51 PM »
Police Hunt For Bandits Who Played Porn on Detroit Freeway Electronic Billboard

Police in Detroit are on the hunt for two bandits who played porn on an electronic billboard above a freeway on Saturday night.

Drivers traveling through Auburn Hills had to do a second and probably third and fourth take when they passed the sign on the Interstate 75, which in place of the usual advertisements displayed a very NSFW video instead.

Calls began flooding in around 11pm as motorists reported the steamy show; miraculously there were no crashes reported.

Officers immediately called the sign's owners Triple Communications, who managed to shut down the display— which is double sided, so on view from both directions — after about 20 minutes.

Twitter users posted the shocking footage from their cars as they drove past, with some even pulling into the hard shoulder and getting out for a better look.

"I kinda almost got in an accident," one driver told NBC 15. "I came across the billboard, and there was something unusual. I saw two girls, you know... lesbian porn."

"I could kinda see people had started to brake a lot behind me; I think they we're doing the same thing, like a double take," he added. "You don't see that every day."

On Monday, Auburn police released a video of two suspects breaking into the building beneath the sign which houses the computer equipment that operates the sign.

The pair, two white males wearing hoodies and glasses, spent just 15 minutes in the building allegedly committing the dastardly deed.

Promoting pornography and/or promoting pornography for minors by disseminating any pornographic material, images, videos, etc carries a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, police said.

"These suspects now face potential burglary charges for forcing entry into the building to gain access to the computer system, which is a felony offense," officers added, appealing for the public's help in tracking them down.

https://toofab.com/2019/10/01/police-hunt-for-porn-bandits-detroit-freeway-billboard/?fbclid=IwAR0Qn4fAD11UWGv77f1-VkxmeV17EJ273ezVtBJjndIzBkg0ZYuq27oaKDw

illuminati

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Re: In The News
« Reply #58 on: October 02, 2019, 03:36:45 PM »
Police Hunt For Bandits Who Played Porn on Detroit Freeway Electronic Billboard

Police in Detroit are on the hunt for two bandits who played porn on an electronic billboard above a freeway on Saturday night.

Drivers traveling through Auburn Hills had to do a second and probably third and fourth take when they passed the sign on the Interstate 75, which in place of the usual advertisements displayed a very NSFW video instead.

Calls began flooding in around 11pm as motorists reported the steamy show; miraculously there were no crashes reported.

Officers immediately called the sign's owners Triple Communications, who managed to shut down the display— which is double sided, so on view from both directions — after about 20 minutes.

Twitter users posted the shocking footage from their cars as they drove past, with some even pulling into the hard shoulder and getting out for a better look.

"I kinda almost got in an accident," one driver told NBC 15. "I came across the billboard, and there was something unusual. I saw two girls, you know... lesbian porn."

"I could kinda see people had started to brake a lot behind me; I think they we're doing the same thing, like a double take," he added. "You don't see that every day."

On Monday, Auburn police released a video of two suspects breaking into the building beneath the sign which houses the computer equipment that operates the sign.

The pair, two white males wearing hoodies and glasses, spent just 15 minutes in the building allegedly committing the dastardly deed.

Promoting pornography and/or promoting pornography for minors by disseminating any pornographic material, images, videos, etc carries a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, police said.

"These suspects now face potential burglary charges for forcing entry into the building to gain access to the computer system, which is a felony offense," officers added, appealing for the public's help in tracking them down.

https://toofab.com/2019/10/01/police-hunt-for-porn-bandits-detroit-freeway-billboard/?fbclid=IwAR0Qn4fAD11UWGv77f1-VkxmeV17EJ273ezVtBJjndIzBkg0ZYuq27oaKDw


Ha ha ha
That’s Funny
Yet Not Funny - as could’ve caused deaths & young kids seeing that.

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #59 on: October 03, 2019, 09:02:57 PM »
Hong Kong Police Shot a Protester at Point-Blank Range, Here's What Happened


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #60 on: October 14, 2019, 07:58:23 PM »
Russia Bombed Four Syrian Hospitals. We Have Proof.


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #61 on: October 22, 2019, 11:00:48 PM »
U.S. Troops Are Leaving Syria, Here's What It Looks Like


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #62 on: October 28, 2019, 08:13:58 PM »
Class Bias: Interviewers Will Hire And Pay More For A Job Applicant From A Higher Social Class Compared To A Lower-Status Candidate

In America, we’d like to believe that there is no such thing as class distinctions. Compared to many other countries, we pride ourselves on treating everyone equally under the law and in social and business settings. It doesn’t matter if you’re the offspring of a billionaire CEO in Manhattan or janitor in rural Mississippi, since social class shouldn’t matter. They both have the same rights, privileges and chances to succeed in America.

A new Yale University study brings to light a level of discrimination that dispels this belief. Unfortunately, we are too familiar with all sorts of discrimination in the workplace, such as ageism, sexism, racism and a host of other prejudices. The Yale study reveals that people who interview for jobs are judged based upon their social status seconds after they start to speak.

Based solely on a brief listening to an interviewee’s speech, the study shows that the interviewer can immediately spot someone’s socioeconomic level. This includes a person’s income, education and career status. Moreover, snap decisions are made about the person, which then influences hiring decisions. According to the study, interviewers pick job applicants from higher social classes compared to other candidates. 

Michael Kraus, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, claims, "Our study shows that even during the briefest interactions, a person's speech patterns shape the way people perceive them, including assessing their competence and fitness for a job." “While most hiring managers would deny that a job candidate's social class matters, in reality, the socioeconomic position of an applicant or their parents is being assessed within the first seconds they speak—a circumstance that limits economic mobility and perpetuates inequality,'' Kraus added.

As an example of this prejudice and preference for high-status people, listen to the voices used in tech products, like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. It's the same reason why, when you call a certain high-end company in New York City, you’ll hear a recording or live person with an upscale, British accent.

Growing up in pre-hipster Brooklyn, I was well aware of the negative stereotypes attached to the borough’s local accent. People with a thick Brooklyn accent were portrayed in the media as thugs, gangsters, low class, unsophisticated and lacking in intelligence. They were often the butt of jokes, especially to the Manhattan elites. As a teen, I became keenly aware of this bias and worked hard at losing the accent, so I wouldn’t be lumped into this group—being mocked and overlooked. 

We can say similar things about people in the southern part of the U.S., which people will associate with the lower working class.

A person’s speech, per the study, reflects their social status more than what they actually say. Candidates were asked to briefly describe themselves and record it. More than 200 hiring professionals listened to the audio. The hiring managers were then tasked with assessing the applicants’ professional qualities, including salary and signing bonus. The hiring managers chose candidates from the perceived higher social classes. They marked them as more likely to be competent for the job and a better fit compared to those believed to be from the lower social classes. Moreover, they assigned the applicants from higher social classes larger salaries and signing bonuses than the candidates with lower social status.

 The findings confirm that hiring managers forsake a class of candidates due to their inherent biases. While we tend to focus on certain types of prejudices and discrimination, we hardly talk about social class. Kraus concludes, "If we want to move to a more equitable society, then we must contend with these ingrained psychological processes that drive our early impressions of others. Despite what these hiring tendencies may suggest, talent is not found solely among those born to rich or well-educated families. Policies that actively recruit candidates from all levels of status in society are best positioned to match opportunities to the people best suited for them."

It's clear that as much ground as we’ve gained within the corporate world and in society, we still have a lot more work to do to ensure that people are treated fairly without any preconceived prejudices. Social-class bias unfairly holds large groups of people back and, simultaneously, pushes others forward without merit.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2019/10/28/class-bias-interviewers-will-hire-and-pay-more-for-a-job-applicant-from-a-higher-social-class-compared-to-a-lower-status-candidate/#1d356a5471c4

IroNat

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Re: In The News
« Reply #63 on: October 29, 2019, 05:12:59 AM »
Interesting posts.

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #64 on: November 02, 2019, 11:51:46 AM »
Inside Northeast Syria: What U.S. Troop Withdrawal Cost the Kurds


sync pulse

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Re: In The News
« Reply #65 on: November 02, 2019, 11:18:59 PM »
Class Bias: Interviewers Will Hire And Pay More For A Job Applicant From A Higher Social Class Compared To A Lower-Status Candidate...


Based solely on a brief listening to an interviewee’s speech, the study shows that the interviewer can immediately spot someone’s socioeconomic level. This includes a person’s income, education and career status. Moreover, snap decisions are made about the person, which then influences hiring decisions. According to the study, interviewers pick job applicants from higher social classes compared to other candidates...


We can say similar things about people in the southern part of the U.S., which people will associate with the lower working class.


Therefore "Received Pronunciation" for the British...

 "Received Pronunciation".




and "Transatlantic" for us Yanks.
Transatlantic speech:
  • Designed to be understood by the widest number of North American English speakers regardless of where in North America they are from.
  • Designed to sound "refined". (But not imitating British)
  • Hides the economic/class circumstances of your upbringing.

Some writers claim that Transatlantic speech fell out of favor after World War II...They are wrong...It changed after the War...but it is still there...Just different.

Here is an example of "Prewar Transatlantic":



Here is "Postwar Transatlantic"  (1:15 mark if you are impatient)


Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #66 on: November 04, 2019, 06:01:42 PM »
Rajasthan Man Burns to Death as Onlookers Film the Incident Instead of Helping Him


Premchand Jain from the city of Kota in Rajasthan was driving on the Kota-Udaipur highway at around 10 AM on Wednesday, October 30, when his car suddenly broke down. Passersby in the area at the time reported seeing fumes of smoke emerge from the car as the man desperately tried to escape, failing to do so due to his car’s central locking system. Eventually, the car burst into flames and the man was burnt to death right in the middle of the road in broad daylight. But what makes this death even more horrifying is that it was probably preventable by those around. Except, instead of trying to help the man escape, onlookers whipped out their phones and began filming the incident.

According to Assistant Fire Officer at the Kota Municipal Corporation, Devendra Gautam, the fire department was informed about the incident around 10.25 AM, after which two fire engines were rushed to the spot. However, by then it was too late and the man had already burnt to death by the time the flames were doused. He also said that had any of the passersby tried to shatter the windowpane of the car before it caught fire instead of simply standing by and filming the whole thing, they might have even been able to save him. The cops were late able to identify the man only on the basis of the number plate of his car.

Not only does this feel exactly like the narrative of the Black Mirror episode White Bear, in which the main character is forced to live in a park where she is tortured as onlookers film everything instead of helping her, but it’s important to note that there’s no such thing as an innocent onlooker, especially in a situation like this that actually seems avoidable and could’ve saved a man’s life. Police have now registered a case under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedures related to suspicious deaths and are investigating the matter. But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

In May 2019, a similar incident occurred in which passersby did nothing but film the horror when a 55-year-old man caught fire because of a short circuit at his workstation in Pune. In an equally appalling instance in Mumbai that same month, a bike burst into flames on the highway, but onlookers simply stood by and filmed the whole thing instead of trying to rescue the biker. In fact, a 2013 survey conducted by SAVELife foundation found that 74 percent of Indians said they were unlikely to help an accident victim, even if there were several bystanders around. This is probably because they’re afraid of being falsely implicated and say the police will assume they are involved or guilty if they do try to help. It’s also to avoid taking on the responsibility of being a witness if a court case were to happen because of how tedious and long legal proceedings can be in India. They were also worried that taking the victim to a hospital would put pressure on them to pay the medical bills, and thus prefer to look on instead of involving themselves in the incident.

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/qvga95/rajasthan-man-burns-to-death-as-onlookers-film-the-incident-instead-of-helping-him?utm_source=viceasiafb&utm_campaign=global&fbclid=IwAR0Bb1VtJWv_LRWKWjLm6auYFvyoaA6gqOIIHSYDfYr1tpzLHPDqZBTy8W4

illuminati

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Re: In The News
« Reply #67 on: November 04, 2019, 06:14:25 PM »
Rajasthan Man Burns to Death as Onlookers Film the Incident Instead of Helping Him


Premchand Jain from the city of Kota in Rajasthan was driving on the Kota-Udaipur highway at around 10 AM on Wednesday, October 30, when his car suddenly broke down. Passersby in the area at the time reported seeing fumes of smoke emerge from the car as the man desperately tried to escape, failing to do so due to his car’s central locking system. Eventually, the car burst into flames and the man was burnt to death right in the middle of the road in broad daylight. But what makes this death even more horrifying is that it was probably preventable by those around. Except, instead of trying to help the man escape, onlookers whipped out their phones and began filming the incident.

According to Assistant Fire Officer at the Kota Municipal Corporation, Devendra Gautam, the fire department was informed about the incident around 10.25 AM, after which two fire engines were rushed to the spot. However, by then it was too late and the man had already burnt to death by the time the flames were doused. He also said that had any of the passersby tried to shatter the windowpane of the car before it caught fire instead of simply standing by and filming the whole thing, they might have even been able to save him. The cops were late able to identify the man only on the basis of the number plate of his car.

Not only does this feel exactly like the narrative of the Black Mirror episode White Bear, in which the main character is forced to live in a park where she is tortured as onlookers film everything instead of helping her, but it’s important to note that there’s no such thing as an innocent onlooker, especially in a situation like this that actually seems avoidable and could’ve saved a man’s life. Police have now registered a case under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedures related to suspicious deaths and are investigating the matter. But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

In May 2019, a similar incident occurred in which passersby did nothing but film the horror when a 55-year-old man caught fire because of a short circuit at his workstation in Pune. In an equally appalling instance in Mumbai that same month, a bike burst into flames on the highway, but onlookers simply stood by and filmed the whole thing instead of trying to rescue the biker. In fact, a 2013 survey conducted by SAVELife foundation found that 74 percent of Indians said they were unlikely to help an accident victim, even if there were several bystanders around. This is probably because they’re afraid of being falsely implicated and say the police will assume they are involved or guilty if they do try to help. It’s also to avoid taking on the responsibility of being a witness if a court case were to happen because of how tedious and long legal proceedings can be in India. They were also worried that taking the victim to a hospital would put pressure on them to pay the medical bills, and thus prefer to look on instead of involving themselves in the incident.

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/qvga95/rajasthan-man-burns-to-death-as-onlookers-film-the-incident-instead-of-helping-him?utm_source=viceasiafb&utm_campaign=global&fbclid=IwAR0Bb1VtJWv_LRWKWjLm6auYFvyoaA6gqOIIHSYDfYr1tpzLHPDqZBTy8W4


 :o Damn !!
India is clearly not the place to have a accident or Expect to be Helped.

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #68 on: December 09, 2019, 02:30:45 PM »
A New Jersey bill would require schoolchildren to be taught cursive handwriting

Should children be required to learn cursive?

A New Jersey legislator says so. Assemblywoman Angela McKnight has introduced a bill that would require elementary schools to teach kids how to read and write in the graceful, flowing loops taught to previous generations as a matter of course.
You remember cursive handwriting. It's what we use to sign our names on, say, a check or other legal document. It's fallen out of favor in the digital age, even getting dropped from Common Core standards in 2010.
Since then, many schools have stopped teaching it, New Jersey Assembly Democrats say.

"In some cases, children are entering middle school without knowing how to sign their own name in cursive," McKnight (D-Hudson) said in a statement. "We are doing our children a disservice by not teaching them a vital skill they will need for the rest of their lives."

California, Texas, North Carolina and other states have moved to encourage cursive in recent years.

"Our world has indeed become increasingly dependent on technology, but how will our students ever know how to read a scripted font on a word document, or even sign the back of a check, if they never learn to read and write in cursive?" McKnight said.

Even in the days of texting, some research shows cursive still can improve cognitive development, spelling and writing speed.

"When writing cursive, the word becomes a unit, rather than a series of separate strokes, and correct spelling is more likely to be retained," says the International Dyslexia Association. "The Declaration of Independence and many other important archival documents are written in cursive. A cursive signature is more difficult to forge than a printed one."

Research also shows that we learn more when taking notes in longhand compared to taking notes on, say, a laptop.

"Knowing how to write in cursive isn't only for writing 'thank you' cards to Grandma — research suggests it can boost kids' reading and writing skills, too," says publishing company Scholastic.
The bill was introduced in the state legislature last month and is heading to the education committee for review.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/08/us/new-jersey-cursive-bill-trnd/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=bb28838633-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_12_09_03_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-bb28838633-95217593

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #69 on: January 17, 2020, 04:55:58 PM »
Sheriff: One dead, one seriously injured in avalanche at Lake Tahoe ski resort


IroNat

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Re: In The News
« Reply #70 on: January 18, 2020, 05:08:11 AM »
A New Jersey bill would require schoolchildren to be taught cursive handwriting

Should children be required to learn cursive?

A New Jersey legislator says so. Assemblywoman Angela McKnight has introduced a bill that would require elementary schools to teach kids how to read and write in the graceful, flowing loops taught to previous generations as a matter of course.
You remember cursive handwriting. It's what we use to sign our names on, say, a check or other legal document. It's fallen out of favor in the digital age, even getting dropped from Common Core standards in 2010.
Since then, many schools have stopped teaching it, New Jersey Assembly Democrats say.

"In some cases, children are entering middle school without knowing how to sign their own name in cursive," McKnight (D-Hudson) said in a statement. "We are doing our children a disservice by not teaching them a vital skill they will need for the rest of their lives."

California, Texas, North Carolina and other states have moved to encourage cursive in recent years.

"Our world has indeed become increasingly dependent on technology, but how will our students ever know how to read a scripted font on a word document, or even sign the back of a check, if they never learn to read and write in cursive?" McKnight said.

Even in the days of texting, some research shows cursive still can improve cognitive development, spelling and writing speed.

"When writing cursive, the word becomes a unit, rather than a series of separate strokes, and correct spelling is more likely to be retained," says the International Dyslexia Association. "The Declaration of Independence and many other important archival documents are written in cursive. A cursive signature is more difficult to forge than a printed one."

Research also shows that we learn more when taking notes in longhand compared to taking notes on, say, a laptop.

"Knowing how to write in cursive isn't only for writing 'thank you' cards to Grandma — research suggests it can boost kids' reading and writing skills, too," says publishing company Scholastic.
The bill was introduced in the state legislature last month and is heading to the education committee for review.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/08/us/new-jersey-cursive-bill-trnd/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=bb28838633-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_12_09_03_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-bb28838633-95217593

Teach basic skills in schools.  This includes handwriting.

Take that electronic whiteboard and trash it.

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #71 on: April 08, 2020, 09:05:43 PM »
If you think that’s dumb, we’ve got a statue to sell ya

The police in India caught someone trying to offload the “Statue of Unity” -- the world’s tallest, at almost 600 feet -- for $4B, claiming the proceeds would go toward fighting the virus.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Police in India lodged a case this week against an unknown online fraudster who tried selling the world’s largest statue for $4 billion, claiming the proceeds would be used to help the Gujarat state government fund its fight against the coronavirus.

While the plot to sell the ‘Statue of Unity”, a monument that is nearly twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty, is among the most brazen cases, police say cybercrimes have surged since the health scare gripped the country.

With scams ranging from free mobile recharges, to offers of free Netflix subscriptions, federal home ministry officials say there has been 86% percent rise in cyber crime in the past four weeks.

Police and internal security officials said scammers have created fake versions of the flagship ‘PM CARES Fund’ payments interface that look deceptively similar to the original and many Indians and Non-Residents Indians (NRIs) have fallen prey.

“We have received over 8,300 complaints from individuals across India and NRIs who have donated thousands of dollars into fake accounts,” said a senior home ministry official, adding the retrieval process is a complex task.

“We have already blocked all handles with permutations and combinations of the ‘PM Cares Fund’ that were illegitimate and we are being watchful and ensuring that the handles for donations get verified,” said Dilip Asbe, CEO of National Payments Corporation of India, an umbrella organisation for retail payments.

Police have registered cases against fake offers that Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) telecom arm Jio and streaming service Netflix Inc were offering discounted services at a time when over 1.3 billion people were forced to live indoors for 21 days to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Officials at Netflix and Jio declined to comment on the fraud conducted under their company’s name.

CERT-In, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and ReBIT, the technology arm of Reserve Bank of India recently issued warnings about online threats and scams and asked financial institutions to be aware.

“The U.S. Secret Service has also warned nations that during time of uncertainty and increased online activity, cyber criminals are actively working to exploit the current COVID-19 story with attacks aimed at taking advantage of the situation,” said Nitin Bhatnagar, a senior official at PCI Security Standards Council, a global standards body for the payment card industry.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-fraud-idUSKBN21P0KH

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #72 on: April 09, 2020, 11:08:25 AM »
South Carolina Restaurant Allegedly Resold Costco Pizza At 700% Markup


Yes, having a Costco membership can be a godsend in some regards. You can stock up on frozen foods to last you until the end of time. But if you were a restaurant, would you go as far as to buy some Costco brand frozen pizza and pass it off as your own?

Apparently that's what a restaurant in South Carolina did, reports The Post and Courier.

Coquin, a wine bar in Charleston, is selling "Roman-style" pizzas for $18 and $20 depending if they are plain or have toppings as a way for the restaurant to transition into delivery during this worldwide pandemic. However, the Post and Courier had been alerted by both patrons and employees of the restaurant that the pizza they were offering for delivery had in fact been pre-purchased from Costco's frozen food section .

According to the Post and Courier, a reporter spotted the owner of Coquin receive a delivery order and walk up to his private residence leaving with "Fresh Pizza, Oven Baked" boxes. Afterwards the reporter discovered four-pack boxes of Kirkland's Signature Cheese Pizzas with Breadcrumb Crusts (about $10 for four pizzas) in the restaurant's dumpster.

When asked directly, however, the owner denied that the pizzas sold for delivery were from Costco.

Even with fresh toppings thrown onto Costco's already existing $2.50 cheese base, this comes out to about a 700% markup. Which is arguably just as bad as hoarding toilet paper and disinfectant and selling it at a higher price during these times.

Coquin's website for pizza delivery is currently down at the time of publication.

https://www.foodbeast.com/news/costco-frozen-pizza-resell/?utm_source=partnerships&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=thrillist&fbclid=IwAR30xUmeZS6oTv-ALOQ70dNSOEemSwCpYCePYRsMhUQUichPfzCDBLUrU14

Gregzs

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Re: In The News
« Reply #73 on: April 23, 2020, 12:51:31 PM »
Jobless claims undo decade's worth of employment gains



Millions of Americans join unemployment line as coronavirus savages economy

A stunning 26.5 million Americans have sought unemployment benefits since mid-March, confirming that all the jobs gained during the longest employment boom in U.S. history have been wiped out as the novel coronavirus savages the economy.

The deepening economic slump amid nationwide lockdowns to control the spread of COVID-19, the potentially lethal respiratory illness caused by the virus, was underscored by other data on Thursday showing business activity sinking to an all-time low in April. In addition, new home sales decreased by the most in more than 6-1/2 years in March.

“At this point it would take a miracle to keep this recession from turning into the Great Depression II,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York. “The risks to the outlook are that the economy is digging itself such a big deep hole that it will become harder and harder to climb back out of it.”

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 4.427 million for the week ended April 18, the Labor Department said. That compared to 5.237 million in the prior week. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 4.2 million claims in the latest week.

Since March 21, 26.453 million people have filed claims for unemployment benefits, representing 16.2% of the labor force. That has led to dire predictions of 30 million job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and an unemployment rate at levels not seen since the Great Depression. The economy created 22 million jobs during the employment boom which started in September 2010 and abruptly ended in February this year.

The rising tide of grim economic numbers has been met with protests, which have largely been viewed as political, for states and local governments to reopen non-essential businesses. President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term in the White House in November’s general election, has also been growing anxious to restart the paralyzed economy.

A handful of Republican-led states are reopening their economies, despite warnings from health experts of a potential new surge in infections. Economists also warn that there is no guarantee that Americans will feel safe to visit shopping malls.

“Today’s report shows the labor market is almost certainly pushing into new territory, jolting the unemployment rate up above the Great Recession’s 10% peak and wiping out more jobs than we’ve gained in the recovery,” said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor, a website recruitment firm.

In a separate report on Thursday, data firm IHS Markit said its flash U.S. Composite Output Index, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, plunged to a reading of 27.4 this month, the lowest since the series began in late-2009, from 40.9 in March.

New home sales fell 15.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 627,000 units in March, the Commerce Department said in another report. The percentage decline was the largest since July 2013.

RAPID DETERIORATION
The deteriorating economic data reinforces economists’ contention that the economy entered recession in March.

The National Bureau of Economic Research, the private research institute regarded as the arbiter of U.S. recessions, does not define a recession as two consecutive quarters of decline in real GDP, as is the rule of thumb in many countries. Instead, it looks for a drop in activity, spread across the economy and lasting more than a few months.

Last week’s claims report covered the period during which the government surveyed business establishments for the nonfarm payrolls component of April’s employment report. Economists are forecasting as many as 25 million jobs were lost in April after the economy purged 701,000 positions in March, which was the largest decline in 11 years.

Though weekly jobless filings remain very high, last week’s 810,000 decrease in claims marked the third straight weekly decline in applications, raising hopes that the worst may be over. Weekly claims appeared to have peaked at a record 6.867 million in the week ended March 28.

Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher as investors focused on the weekly decline in claims. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury prices were trading mostly lower.

Florida, which together with Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia is reopening businesses this weekend, continued to see a surge in claims last week. But New York and Michigan reported fewer applications. Georgia reported a drop in claims.

The overall decrease in claims has been attributed to difficulties by states in processing large volumes of applications and a historic $2.3 trillion fiscal package, which made provisions for small businesses to access loans that could be partially forgiven if they were used for employee salaries.

An additional $484 billion in a fresh relief package for small business loans is expected soon. The handful of states easing restrictions could serve as a barometer for the overall economy when it reopens.

“We would assume jobless claims will fall back sharply here, but if consumers remain reluctant to go shopping or visit a restaurant due to lingering COVID-19 fears, then employment is not going to rebound quickly,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING in New York.

“As such it would be another signal that a V-shaped recovery for the U.S. economy is highly unlikely.”

With weekly claims stabilizing, the focus is shifting to the number of people on unemployment benefits rolls. The so-called continuing claims data is reported with a one-week lag.

Continuing claims jumped 4.064 million to a record 15.976 million in the week ending April 11. Continuing claims have not increased at the same pace as initial jobless applications.

Economists believe some people thrown out of work because of state-mandated “stay-at-home” orders found employment at supermarkets, warehouses and delivery services companies. They expect the unemployment rate will shatter the post-World War Two record of 10.8% touched in November 1982.

The jobless rate shot up 0.9 percentage point, the largest single-month change since January 1975, to 4.4% in March.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/record-u-s-jobless-claims-wipe-out-post-great-recession-employment-gains-idUSKCN2250CS

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Re: In The News
« Reply #74 on: May 21, 2020, 05:50:58 PM »
After A 17-Year Siesta, Millions Of Cicadas Are About To Emerge In Parts Of The US

Undeniably, 2020 has had a bit of an “end of the world” kind of vibe about it. First there were the fires, then the plague (read: global pandemic), and just to top it off (we're not even halfway through the year) there’ll soon be swarms of insects in their millions in parts of America. Instead of locusts however, May will see the return of millions of cicadas of the genus Magicicada that have been biding their time underground for 17 years.

Periodical cicadas are so named owing to their timely appearance above ground. "They are generational events,” entomologist Gene Kritsky, who developed an app for tracking these insects, told West Virginia's Register-Herald. “And many people use the emergence to mark the passage of time, recall key events in their lives and just remember where they were and what they were doing the last time the cicadas came out."

The brood emerging in 2020, called brood XI, hasn’t been seen since 2003. The length of time needed for cicada larvae to mature into adults underground varies across the genus, with some making an appearance after just one year while for others, like brood XI, it can be as long as 17 years. The life cycle of periodic cicadas is one of the great mysteries for biological scientists and exactly why they take so long still isn’t fully understood.

One thing we do know is that when the cicadas, which are buried in the soil during this time of maturation, are ready to emerge, breed, and lay eggs, they come out when the soil warms up, usually during May. Their numbers continue to increase, with peak emergence usually hitting by June. Once they reach the surface, the race is on to shed their underground coats and start finding a partner, as they have a brief life expectancy of around 4 to 6 weeks, and in their haste to get going these animals are not shy.

The tsunami of brood XI spells a noisy few weeks for Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia as the males sing to find themselves a female. Periodical cicadas are one of the noisiest insects on Earth, creating a vibrating sound using membranes on the side of their body to kick up a racket that can reach over 90 decibels, about the level of a lawnmower. With as many as 1.5 million cicadas expected per acre in the above-mentioned states, residents should steel themselves for an earful.

"Communities and farms with large numbers of cicadas emerging at once may have a substantial noise issue," warned entomologist Eric Day at Virginia Tech in a statement. "Hopefully, any annoyance at the disturbance is tempered by just how infrequent – and amazing – this event is."

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/after-a-17year-siesta-millions-of-cicadas-are-about-to-emerge-in-parts-of-the-us/?fbclid=IwAR0DgXzTmjpfH7qRh2ruLpw4z_jtwKQT9VS5-eW0zztP7QM3zKkGQu-ZsZk