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They came from across the country to walk the halls of Congress and show lawmakers the human cost of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. They call themselves “downwinders” — a global community of people who lived near nuclear testing sites. In America, more than 100 nuclear devices were exploded in aboveground tests in New Mexico and Nevada between 1945 and 1962. The 1990 legislation has provided billions of dollars to people exposed to harmful radiation during U.S. nuclear tests or while mining uranium. A bill currently stalled in Congress would extend the law and expand compensation to nearly all Americans whose documented health struggles are linked to the nuclear weapons program.

Persons: they’ve, Robert Oppenheimer’s Organizations: Capitol, U.S, White House Locations: America, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Utah , Nevada, Arizona

☆ 10 Years, 100 Stories: The Work That Defines the Upshot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( The Upshot Staff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

Ten years ago this week, The New York Times introduced the Upshot, a section devoted to explaining “politics, policy and everyday life.” That’s a wide scope, by design. As a result, more than 5,000 articles later, the Upshot has been many things to many readers. To mark our 10th birthday, we’ve collected 100 stories that embody the Upshot. WordleBot Eden Weingart/The New York Times When Wordle first became popular, several people on the internet claimed, plausibly, that they had come up with the “best” opening word. Force of Ship Impact Was on the Scale of a Rocket Launch Erin Schaff/The New York Times We think of the Upshot as a place where back-of-the-envelope calculations can be both helpful and welcome.

Persons: ”, Nate Cohn’s, we’ve, Kevin Quealy, John Branch, John, Patrick Thomas, tut, Trump, pollsters, Obamacare, Leif Parsons, We’re, Jason Henry, Tony Luong, Jordan, ‘, Ruth Fremson, Laurel, ’ Rodrigo Corral, Alex Welsh, Paul Romer, Tim Enthoven, Barack Obama, epidemiologists, It’s, you’re, WordleBot Eden, Wordle, Lila Barth, McCabe, Tom Brady, ChatGPT, —, Erin Schaff Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Yankees, Red, State Newspaper, ESPN, The Athletic, The Times, You’re, Voters, Trump, Mr, Times, Siena College, Walmart, The New York Times, Jordan Siemens, Health, New, Nike, Democratic, Twitter, America, Iowa, Iowa Democratic, Cancer, Hit, Biden, Insurance, Roe America, Disorders, Republican, Republican Party of, U.S, Budget, NASA, National, Traffic, Administration, Yorkers, Force Locations: It’s, Red Sox, State, America, Dakota, Ireland, Chipotle, Japan, U.S, United States, Siena, New Pennsylvania, District, Iowa, Covid, York City, New York, Pennsylvania, Roe, Tonga, Arizona, York, Holland

☆ Strange fungus turns cicadas into zombies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But some of these insects won’t succeed in their goal of procreating — instead, they’ll be controlled like zombies into spreading a strange fungus that hijacks cicadas’ bodies and behavior. At some point, the insects are exposed to spores of the fungus Massospora cicadina. Courtesy Angie Macias/WVUDespite having a chalky gumdrop of spores instead of genitals, the infected cicadas still attempt to mate, with gusto. Both male and female cicadas infected with Massospora flick their wings to draw in amorous, soon-to-be-infected males. But attempting to mate is just one part of how infected cicadas spread the fungus.

Persons: procreating —, John Cooley, It’s, ”, Matt Kasson, Angie Macias, ” Cooley, ” Kasson, Kasson, Cooley, “ We’re, “, Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Connecticut, West Virginia University, WVU, Midwest Locations: Hartford, Illinois, Chicago

☆ Cicadas 2024: What to expect from the Brood XIII and Brood XIX emergence of cicadas
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The 13-year group, known as Brood XIX, or the Great Southern Brood, is the largest periodical cicada brood, stretching across the southeastern United States. The Northern Illinois Brood, or Brood XIII, emerges every 17 years. Periodical cicadas are smaller and mostly black, with bright red eyes and orange-tinged wings and legs. Billions of cicadas are expected this spring as two different broods — Broods XIX and XIII — emerge simultaneously. However, predictions of a cicadapocalypse — in which Brood XIII and Brood XIX show up at the same place at the same time — are probably an exaggeration.

Persons: hasn’t, Thomas Jefferson, —, “, ”, Jonathan Larson, don’t, XIII —, Jason Bergman, ” Larson, We’re, Chris Simon, XIII haven't, Chip Somodevilla, Larson, Cheney Orr, ” Simon, Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, Southern, Northern Illinois, University of Kentucky, Midwest, University of Connecticut, Reuters Locations: United States, Indianapolis, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky , Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina , Georgia, Alabama , Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Columbia , Maryland, America, Chicago

☆ We live in our vacation home all year long. It's peaceful and good for our mental health; we have no regrets.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Jason Fell purchased a vacation home in 2020 and turned it into his primary residence soon after. Courtesy of Jason FellWe basically converted a lake vacation home into a full-time home. We're saving on property taxes and were able to renovateWhen we bought the Poconos house as a vacation house, we paid cash, so there's no mortgage. Having that separation from the real world versus vacation world — I guess some people can see value in that. AdvertisementIt's not like we moved into our vacation home and that's it — we still go on vacation.

Persons: Jason Fell, Fell, —, We've, we're, I'm, they're, Jordan Pandy Organizations: Service, Port Authority, Business Locations: NYC, , New Jersey, Pocono, Pennsylvania's Pocono, Bergen County, New York, New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, NJ, Midland Park, jpandy@businessinsider.com

☆ Brood XIII and Brood XIX: What to expect from 2024’s rare double brood emergence of cicadas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

☆ When Israel needs to fight Hamas in its tunnels, it turns to an elite band of commandos called the Yahalom unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Clearing out the Hamas tunnels is one assignment for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid its ongoing ground invasion of Gaza, now a little more than a week old. To effectively carry out this task, the military has a elite band of commandos who are trained for underground warfare and other subterranean operations known as the Yahalom unit. The unit was created in 1995 and doubled in size after the 2014 Gaza War — known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge — to deal with the growing threat posed by Hamas' tunnels. On Friday, for example, the IDF said Yahalom soldiers working in tandem with other units destroyed Hamas tunnels during "special operations" inside the strip. "Hamas views warfare underground just as it would aboveground, utilizing defense, offense, and retreat," he remarked.

Persons: —, Nir Elias, Krav Maga, Israel, they're, Yaron Beit, Yahalom, John Spencer, Spencer Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Combat Engineering Corps, REUTERS, Yahalom Foundation, Military, Telegram, West, Institute, US Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Beit Hanoun

Biden administration officials insisted that the United States had not told Israel what to do and still supported the ground invasion. General Glynn, the official said, would not be on the ground in Israel if an incursion into Gaza begins. But on Sunday, a diplomat from the Israeli Embassy denied that the U.S. government was advising the Israelis to delay the ground invasion. In conversations with Israeli officials since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, American officials said they have not yet seen an achievable plan of action. Like U.S. officials, Mr. Reed said he also still supports the ground invasion to destroy Hamas.

Persons: Biden, Yoav Gallant, Lloyd J, Austin III, James Glynn, General Glynn, Axios, Gallant, Austin, “, Mr, ” Mr, Patrick S, Ryder, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, we’ve, Michael Knights, Knights, Jack Reed, Reed, ”, Michael Crowley Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Biden, Pentagon, Israel, Embassy, Islamic, United States Central Command, ABC, American Marines, Associated Press, Islamic State, State, The Washington Institute, Hamas, Rhode Island Democrat, Armed Services Committee Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Washington, U.S, Mosul, Iraqi, Tel Aviv, Kurdish, Mosul —, British, Falluja, Iraq, Raqqa, Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, “, State

☆ A night inside a strip club near Ukraine’s front lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Anna Conkling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

By mid-afternoon, nine women have gathered around the dance pole at Flash Dancers, the only women-owned exotic dance club in Kharkiv. Valerii Kseniya, Flash Dancers' co-owner, in an undated photograph from her career as a professional dancer (left), and in July 2023. Iva Sidash for InsiderWhen Dana first joined Flash Dancers, Valeriya said, she was shy, silent, and not open to speaking with the team. Iva Sidash for InsiderOver the past year, several soldiers who were regulars at Flash Dancers have been killed in the fighting. Iva Sidash for InsiderThe evening at Flash Dancers could serve as a microcosm of Ukraine's tentative but determined return to normality.

Persons: Valeriya Zavadskaya, Christina Aguilera's, bam, Iva Sidash, Valeriya, Cher, proprietorship, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Valeriya's, Valeriia Kseniya, Kseniya, Valerii Kseniya, —, Valeriya's lapdogs, Sara, Lady —, grimly, Dana, hasn't, they're, Gyrating, doesn't, they've, Yurii Tryfan, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Tryfan, Lyuda, Maksyum, Pavlo, trundle, We've, Anna Conkling, Elle Organizations: showtime, Boys, Komsomol, league, Communist Party, Hustler, National University of Kharkiv, Valeriya, Flash Dancers, Monetary Fund Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Russian, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, bam, Soviet, South Korea, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Asia, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean, Moulin Rouge, Drohobych, Polish, USSR, Bakhmut, Kupyansk, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Berlin

☆ Naomi Klein Explores Her Own and Your Doppelgänger - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Naomi Klein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I sometimes wondered what I had done to deserve my doppelgänger woes. Doppelgängers, which combine the German words for doppel (double) with gänger (goer), are often regarded as warnings, or omens. In an attempt to better understand the warnings carried by my doppelgänger experience, I spent many evenings immersing myself in the rich repertory of doppelgänger films. Until the underground doppelgängers get tired of the arrangement and wreak havoc. Postulating that doppelgängers were tools to express sublimated desires and terrors, it was written in 1914, just as the First World War began.

Persons: Jordan Peele’s, “, ”, Otto Rank, Sigmund Freud, Postulating, Harry Tucker Jr Locations: Austrian

For years, low interest rates fuelled a global boom, igniting interest in German property, seen as safe and stable as the country. The health of Germany's property sector - Europe's biggest property investment market outside of Britain - is critical, making up roughly a fifth of output and providing one in 10 jobs. Late last year, Hoeglmaier put his penthouse on the market, and Euroboden closed its Frankfurt office. In 2020, as the property market heated up, the Bundesbank warned the country's banks, for whom property accounted for about 70% of all domestic loans, of the risks. The 380-square meter (4,090 square foot) penthouse, which occupies the fifth through seventh floors and includes a rooftop terrace, originally listed for just under 13 million euros.

Persons: Leonhard Simon, Stefan Hoeglmaier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Tillmann Peeters, Hoeglmaier, Oscar Loya –, –, Euroboden, Daniel Bauer ,, Oliver Schartl, Loya, Christoph Niering, Matthias Inverardi, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, FalkenSteg, European Central Bank, Reuters, Facebook, Garden, Graphics, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Europe's, Britain, Berlin, Frankfurt, Ukraine, Sweden, Europe, homebuilders, China, Evergrande

The suits allege that downed power lines operated by the company contributed to the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The wildfire risk posed by aboveground power lines is well documented. Lives lost, billions in damagesThe Maui fires have killed at least 115 people with hundreds still missing. But Mitchell said insulating aboveground power lines with a protective covering is also an effective solution that is cheaper and can be rolled out more quickly. There is also technology coming to market that can de-energize power lines automatically when there's a problem, he said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Fitch, Berkshire Hathaway's, Paul Starita, They're, Singleton Schreiber, Alexandra von Meier, von Meier, Marshall, Michael Dougherty, Bob Frenzel, Xcel, Berkshire Hathaway, PacifiCorp, aboveground, Scott Aaronson, Aaronson, Joseph Mitchell, Mitchell Organizations: Reuters Electric, Hawaiian Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaii Electric, . Pacific Gas & Electric, PG, Xcel Energy, U.S . Forest Service, University of California, Moody's, Fitch, Electric, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Xcel, Marshall Fire, Marshall, Boulder, Labor, Fire, American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE, The Edison Electric Institute, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Maui County, Hurricane, California, Berkshire, Berkshire Hathaway's PacifiCorp, Oregon, Colorado, Berkeley, Minnesota, Boulder County, Paradise, Golden

☆ In Wheelchair Football, Camaraderie Comes With Metal-on-Metal Contact
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Matt Higgins | Jalen Wright | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Then, last October, one of Broad’s physical therapists urged him to attend a local wheelchair football game. He had spent long months of grueling rehabilitation regaining use of his left arm so that he could push a wheelchair. He wondered, What would touch football on wheels look like anyway? In an arena crowded with rowdy spectators, Broad watched the Buffalo Bills Wheelchair Football Team bombard its way to a 13-6 win over visiting Cleveland. He was especially enthralled by the contact — the clash of metal echoing through the arena as players collided, sending two chairs and the ball airborne from the impact.

Persons: Dawson Broad, hadn’t, Broad, ’ ” Organizations: Buffalo, Buffalo Bills Wheelchair Football Team, Cleveland Locations: Buffalo

Hawaiian Electric has known for years that extreme weather was becoming a bigger danger, but the company did little to strengthen its equipment and failed to adopt emergency plans used elsewhere, like being prepared to cut off power to prevent fires. Before the wildfire on Maui erupted on Aug. 8, killing more than 100 people, many parts of Hawaiian Electric’s operations were showing signs of stress — and state lawmakers, consumer groups and county officials were saying that the company needed to make big changes. In 2019, Hawaiian Electric itself started citing the risk of fires. The company said that year that it was studying how utilities in California were dealing with similar threats. Two years later, in a report about Hurricane Lane in 2018, the Maui County government warned of the potential that “aboveground power lines that fail, short or are low-hanging can cause fire ignition (sparks) that could start a wildfire, particularly in windy or stormy conditions.”

Organizations: Electric, Hurricane Locations: Maui, California

Those winds also battered power lines on the island, and dramatic videos show lines swaying and being toppled in the gusts. Now, some locals are casting blame on Hawaiian Electric, the state’s biggest utility, for not shutting off power to high-risk areas – and claiming that its power lines could have sparked the deadly fire. State officials were well aware of the danger posed by downed power lines during hurricanes. A 2021 state report noted that “downed power lines” and “residential and wildland fires” were hazards related to hurricanes. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said Thursday that power lines that were “still energized” had fallen on the roads.

Persons: Shane Treu, Treu, ” Treu, kindling, Lisa Treu, –, ”, “, Hurricane Dora, “ inexcusably, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly, Kelly, Richard Bissen, Yuri Iwamura, hydrants –, Cole Millington, Millington, Bradford Ventura, Adam Weintraub, ” Weintraub, Jill Tokuda, Keahi Ho, John Stufflebean, Josh Green, Anne Lopez, ” Green, “ It’s, Dora, Abby Frazier, Dora inched, Josh Stanbro Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters, Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric Company, Public Utilities Commission, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Maui, Volunteers, Getty, Facebook, Bradford, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Democrat, New York Times, Maui County Department of Water Supply, Times, Government, Hawaii Gov, Clark University Locations: Mauna, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, County, California, Paradise, West Maui, Maalaea, AFP, “, Maui County, United States, Massachusetts

☆ ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Review: Superfly’s Revenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Maya Phillips | More About Maya Phillips | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a refreshing sense of nostalgia in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” — and it doesn’t just have to do with the fact that the eternally youthful ninja turtles have been around since the 1980s, in the form of the original comic book series, as well as TV adaptations, films, toys and video games. After all, what’s more adolescent than that? Now, as teenagers, the turtles — pugnacious Raphael (Brady Noon), doofy Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), nerdy Donatello (Micah Abbey) and their ever-earnest leader, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) — dream of having a normal life with humans. But the aboveground masses face their own threat: Another mutated creature, Superfly (Ice Cube), aims to overtake the human world, Magneto-style. The turtles team up with a student journalist named April (Ayo Edebiri) to try to save the day and hopefully be accepted into human society.

Persons: Jackie Chan, who’s, pugnacious Raphael, Brady, doofy Michelangelo, Shamon Brown, Donatello, Micah Abbey, Leonardo, Nicolas Cantu, —, Ayo Locations: New York

☆ Americans are building fewer pools in their backyards
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The pool company Leslie's has been particularly hard-hit, with its stock tumbling 41% over the past month. Pool-products retailer Leslie's, for example, has seen its stock plunge more than 41% over the last month. "The discretionary business has proven to be extremely sensitive to macroeconomic pressure including items such as hot tubs and aboveground pools," Egeck told analysts. And while its stock hasn't taken the same hit as Leslie's, leadership struck a similarly cautious tone on its earnings call. "Additionally, we have seen some indication that more discretionary purchases like heaters and high-end cleaners have been deferred."

Persons: There's, Mike Egeck, Egeck, Peter Arvan Organizations: Service, Pool Corp, Federal Reserve Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ The ‘Doughnut Dollies’ of World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Nell Freudenberger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Urrea has a weakness for melodramatic imagery: a volume of Shakespeare with a bullet lodged in its pages, a G.I. But we need to be absolutely enmeshed in a character’s consciousness to witness something on the order of Buchenwald through her eyes. During the Battle of the Bulge, in January 1945, Irene and Dorothy take a bottle of Champagne to gunners operating a howitzer cannon. Like many veterans of war, Irene and Dorothy keep their memories to themselves after they return to civilian life. Even as Urrea tells the Clubmobilers’ story, he recognizes that some parts of their experience remain impossible to share with those who weren’t there.

☆ Opinion | Should We Be Worried About Nuclear Waste?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “We’re Thinking About Nuclear Waste All Wrong,” by Madison Hilly (Opinion guest essay, May 1):Ms. Hilly states that spent nuclear fuel is safe and should be “a chief selling point” for nuclear energy. In fact, it is an extremely hazardous material that requires considerable effort to manage safely and protect people and the environment from its hazards. Long-term aboveground storage for hundreds of years, as recommended by Ms. Hilly, allows too many opportunities for system failure and dangerous radioactivity release. On the other hand, I agree that nuclear energy should remain part of our energy mix. Disposal in a mined underground repository, for example at Yucca Mountain, can safely isolate nuclear waste for very long periods, tens or hundreds of thousands of years, without the need for further intervention.

☆ Analysis: North Korea’s other missiles: Salvaged debris shines light on aging air defences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"A notable gap in North Korea’s ability to modernize its inventories is combat aircraft," 38 North, a U.S.-based research organisation, said in a report last month. North Korea is not known to have imported any new warplanes since the early 2000s, the 38 North report said. The S-200 missile, whose NATO designation is SA-5, recovered offshore by South Korea last week is an aged design first delivered to North Korea in the 1980s. Both Russia and China, which has a defence treaty with Pyongyang, have denied breaking international sanctions that restrict military cooperation with North Korea. The system uses two trucks based on chassis made by the Russian company KAMAZ, which constructed a plant in North Korea in 2007, according to CSIS.

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