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A sprawling online propaganda campaign that pushes pro-China messaging has been trying to influence American voters, researchers say. Two companies that study large-scale online influence operations published research this week showing that a pro-China campaign was active and targeting the U.S. midterm elections as recently as this month. But such efforts show that pro-China influence operations targeting the West are experimenting with new tactics and are increasingly aimed at shaping American elections. The other report, from social media analytics firm Alethea, found 165 Twitter accounts that misled users about who they were and posted pro-China messages in English. “Speculating or accusing China of using social media to interfere in the US midterm elections is completely groundless and malicious speculation.

☆ Your coworkers aren't less productive because they're 'quiet quitting.' They're just new to the job.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some say "quiet quitting" is among the key reasons why. But "quiet quitting" likely isn't why. But while quiet quitting may be a real phenomenon and newly coined phrase, the practice is not a new one. "I don't think "quiet quitting" is real or affecting productivity growth," Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the policy organization Economic Innovation Group, wrote on Twitter last week. But while remote workers may be productive once they're up and running, it's possible new remote employees are less productive.

☆ Child psychologist: The No. 1 soft skill that predicts kids’ success more than a high IQ—and how parents can teach it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Michele Borba | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kids who have perseverance don't give up in the face of setbacks. Here are nine ways parents can help kids build perseverance:1. Identity solely based on fast achievements: Instill a growth mindset so your child understands that success is not fixed. To stretch perseverance, praise your child's effort, not their grades or scores. Remind them to repeat that statement out loud several times for a few days until they can remember to use it on their own: "Things don't have to be perfect.

☆ Chinese scientists say they're working on an anti-ship missile that can fly as high as an airliner and dive as deep as a submarine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese scientists say they're working on a ultra-fast weapon that is both missile and torpedo. It will fly at supersonic speeds and use supercavitation to reach high underwater speeds, they say. But the Chinese weapon appears to be a missile that turns into a rocket-propelled torpedo once it hits the water. In the 1950s, the US Air Force and Navy examined boron-based jet fuel — "zip fuel" — for aircraft such as the proposed B-70 supersonic bomber. A visitor tours a torpedo room in a submarine that served the Chinese Navy in 1960s at a Navy museum in Qingdao in September 2012.

☆ Christina Aguilera releases powerful new version of ‘Beautiful’ music video
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Sandra Gonzalez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A lot has changed about the world in the last 20 years, but Christina Aguilera still thinks you’re beautiful, despite what social media sometimes tells us. The singer on Wednesday released an updated version of her “Beautiful” music video that specifically takes aim at the messages often delivered through social media that have negative effects on our body image and mental health. The video ends with a pointed message: “In the last 20 years, since ‘Stripped’ was first released, social media has transformed our relationship with our bodies and, in turn, our mental health. Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-harm, and disordered eating in children and teens. This needs to change.”A link is then provided to Aguilera’s website, which has a list of mental health resources.

☆ This startup wants to give plant-based foods a meaty aroma and taste. Here's the 13-slide pitch deck Nourish Ingredients used to raise $28.6 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A startup creating plant-based fat to mimic ones found in meat just landed $28.6 million. Nourish Ingredients hopes its fat will help plant-based meat taste, smell and cook like the real thing. Australia-based startup Nourish Ingredients, founded in 2019, has developed a way to make animal fats using plant-based ingredients. Nourish Ingredients' fat will give foods a meaty aroma and taste, cofounder and CEO James Petrie told Insider. After two years of growth, plant-based food sales have stagnated as public perception dwindles, according to Deloitte.

Oct 17 (Reuters) - American rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has agreed in principle to buy Parler, the social media platform popular among U.S. conservatives, parent company Parlement Technologies said on Monday. Parler, which launched in 2018, has been reinstated on Google and Apple Inc's app stores after being removed following the U.S. Capitol riots in January 2021. Parler is one of several social media platforms, including Gettr, Gab and Truth Social, that position themselves as free-speech alternatives to Twitter Inc (TWTR.N). Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLast month, Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies Inc, as part of an overhaul. The Parler deal came together quickly, CEO Farmer said, and Parlement was "presented with an opportunity."

Women using chemical hair-straightening products are at a higher risk of uterine cancer than women who reported not using them, a new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found. Researchers noted that Black women may have a higher risk because they are more likely to use those products more frequently. “Sixty percent of the participants who reported using straighteners were Black women. The bottom line is that the exposure burden appears to be higher among Black women,” Chandra Jackson, an NIEHS Earl Stadtman Investigator who co-authored the study, said. Advocates like Greene, one of the leading voices in the movement against Black hair discrimination, have highlighted that wearing natural hair isn’t easy or always safe for Black people.

☆ Tesla Autopilot’s safety questioned after latest fatal motorcycle crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Driver-assist crash data that automakers like Tesla must report to NHTSA was published Monday and revealed that Autopilot was engaged. A Utah motorcycle rider was killed in July after being struck by a Tesla driver using Autopilot. Utah Department of SafetyA Tesla driver using Autopilot struck a motorcycle lying on a road on July 7 at 4:47 a.m in Riverside, California. Motorcycle safety advocates say they’re concerned that the software fails to see motorcycles and lulls Tesla drivers into a sense of complacency and inattentiveness. Europe’s vehicle safety programs test if driver-assist systems identify motorcycles.

☆ TikTokers are smashing the stigma of getting laid off as a recession looms and more people fear for their jobs: 'Posting it on TikTok was the best thing I could have done'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"I had suspicions a layoff would happen, but the CMO seemed very positive about building a marketing team at the company, so I didn't let my thoughts wander for long," Baird told Insider. "Getting laid off so many times has made me hesitant about taking another full-time job in the near future," she told Insider. "Posting it on TikTok was the best thing I could have done, it got me real support emotionally," she told Insider. And as businesses reiterated just how much they need workers, those workers expectations' changed, too. Nhon N., a 24-year-old recruiter who documented life after her layoff, told Insider that she's still a "struggling workaholic" who puts "too much heart" into her work.

☆ Taiwan touts $900 mln in new business from Silicon Valley meetings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua speaks during an interview with Reuters in Taipei, Taiwan, September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Taiwan's economy minister has drummed up new business worth T$30 billion ($940 million) in meetings with top executives at four major tech firms in California's Silicon Valley, the ministry said on Saturday. Taiwan is a major semiconductor producer, home to the world's largest contract chip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (2330.TW), , and supplies most the world's major tech firms. "The visits are expected to bring back U.S. research and development investment and orders in Taiwan worth more than T$30 billion," it said, without elaborating. Wang said on Tuesday that if Taiwan remains safe, global supply chains of vital semiconductors would also be secure.

A cluster of spotted lanternflies on a grapevine. Spotted lanternflies aren't great fliers, but are great hitchhikers. Penn State associate research professor Julie Urban conducts research in the field to combat spotted lanternflies. Shrawder said it's been four years since spotted lanternflies started feasting on his vines. Right photo: Vines destroyed by spotted lanternflies.

☆ Babies born during the pandemic may have delayed communication skills
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Babies born into Covid-related lockdowns have taken longer to reach certain developmental milestones than babies born pre-pandemic, a study found. The results were based on a questionnaire given to parents of 309 babies in Ireland during the pandemic. In January, researchers at Columbia University found that babies born in New York City from March to December 2020 had less developed motor and social skills by six months than babies born between November 2017 and January 2020. Contrary to the other observed trends, the researchers in Ireland found that 97% of pandemic babies were able to crawl at 1 year compared to 91% of babies born earlier. Her team will continue to observe the same babies to see how their communication skills change by age 2, or perhaps even older.

☆ Seeking nominations for leading livestreaming startups in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Tanya Chen | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Livestreaming is changing the way people connect with each other and engage with live events. Insider is looking for nominations of startups that are innovating the technology, and how it's used. The global streaming market is predicted to reach $247 billion by 2027, according to Vimeo. Some companies simply offer the technology to bring events to people's smartphones and TV, while others ideate and help market livestreaming events. We're seeking nominations for any startups that are adding interesting folds to the livestreaming industry and experience.

☆ After Biden’s announcement on cannabis and racial equity, what's next?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Beau Kilmer | Beau Kilmer Is The Mccauley Chair In Drug Policy Innovation | Co-Director Of The Drug Policy Research Center At The Nonprofit | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

President Joe Biden’s announcement about cannabis policy reform last week underscored how keeping it illegal disproportionately harms people of color. Biden’s move is an important step in changing the federal approach to cannabis. Some jurisdictions are considering how cannabis tax revenues could be used to address racial disparities. For example, Evanston, Illinois., is using some of its cannabis tax revenues to support slavery reparations. Cannabis legalization isn’t just a yes-or-no choice.

☆ Colonoscopies may not be as effective as thought, study suggests. Doctors disagree.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

What did the colonoscopy study find? With longer monitoring, the results could show a larger reduction of colon cancer risk, said Brawley of Johns Hopkins. Cancer experts reached Monday said their recommendation for colorectal cancer screening remains the same: Regular colonoscopies are key to preventing colon cancer and finding it early. In the U.S., “we have exaggerated the benefits of colon cancer screening,” Brawley said. “We have good studies that show that colon cancer screening is effective.

☆ JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 'very smart' Elon Musk should 'clean up Twitter' and remove bot accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC he hopes tech billionaire Elon Musk "cleans up Twitter." He expressed concerns about the number of spam accounts on the site. Musk cited bot accounts when he backed down from his Twitter takeover deal earlier this year. "I hope Musk cleans up Twitter," Dimon told CNBC at the JPM Techstars conference in London. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2021 that Musk has spurned the bank for years and that Musk and Dimon have personally clashed.

☆ Being in a union means you could make $1.3 million more over your lifetime
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The authors found that being in a union means a $1.3 million bump to lifetime earnings. "We find that a person who spent the entirety of their career in a labor union were predicted to earn about a million dollars more over the course of their career compared to somebody who was never in a labor union," VanHeuvelen told Insider. The result was the $1.3 million premium for workers who spent their whole careers in unions, even though those workers were more likely to retire earlier. Workers who are never in a union were projected to earn around $2.1 million their whole careers, while those who were in unions for their whole careers were estimated to make $3.4 million. The number of union representation petitions filed in fiscal year 2022 increased by 53%, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

☆ UK mortgage rates are soaring: Here's what you need to know as a first-time buyer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Uncertainty around the U.K. housing and mortgage market has spread among first-time buyers. Unfortunately, a number of other factors are simultaneously making their lives harder: namely, inflation, interest rates and mortgage market disruption," he told CNBC Make It. However, what they have saved on SDLT [stamp duty] will likely be eaten up on higher mortgage rates pretty quickly," he said. So, what about mortgage rates? This could go up even further, Nicholas Mendes, a technical mortgage manager at mortgage broker and advisor John Charcol, believes.

☆ Sick of toxic social media? Meet the tech revolutionaries who are working to create a healthier online experience that puts you in charge.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Evan Malmgren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Critics on both sides of the political divide say that social-media platforms have too much power over public discourse and use this power irresponsibly. In fact, a fresh wave of decentralized social networks is forming. What even is a decentralized platform? Still, decentralized and descaled social-media platforms pose a promising, if incremental, framework to address many ills of modern mass communication. "I compare it to the growth of organic, sustainably grown food," Bill Ottman, the founder and CEO of the partially decentralized social-media platform Minds, told me.

☆ Explainer: Marijuana pardons in U.S. help thousands, leave others in prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden has called on governors to issue similar pardons regarding state marijuana offenses. Biden's pardons announced Oct. 6 affect about 6,500 people convicted of cannabis possession at the federal level. Research by the American Civil Liberties Union has shown Black Americans are nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession. Most states that have legalized marijuana have also moved to expunge the records of nonviolent offenders or issue pardons. But thousands of people continue to be arrested for marijuana offenses annually.

☆ Why Celeste Ng's new book places an Asian American mom in the eye of a social justice movement
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

For the author, it was critical to place Miu, an Asian American mother and fugitive poet, at the forefront of a protest movement in her book. It was, in a way, a nod to the awareness that Asian American women more generally have long had around violence, preceding the rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic. Research previously showed that 21% to 55% of Asian women in the U.S. report having experienced intimate physical and/or sexual violence during their lifetimes, according to the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence. “As an Asian American woman, I feel like I’ve been aware of the possibility of violence for most of my life. “In the case of PACT, it’s the idea that there’s a right way to be American,” Ng said.

☆ The bottom half of American families hold just 2% of the country's wealth — while the top 1% of families have a third
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tracks wealth distribution. The report finds that American families in the top 10% held 72% of the country's wealth in 2019. US families in the top 10% of the wealth distribution added about $60 trillion to their wealth from 1989 to 2019, while the bottom half of Americans added just under $1 trillion to their total wealth during the same time. The report, requested by Sen. Bernie Sanders, shows just how uneven wealth distribution is in the US — and how the rich have only gotten richer. "The total wealth held by families in the top 10 percent increased at a faster rate than wealth held by families in the rest of the distribution."

☆ Majority of Asian Americans in Texas want to vote but haven’t been reached out to
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Sixty-four percent of the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander electorate is “highly motivated” to vote in the midterm elections, the civil rights nonprofit group Asian Texans for Justice said in a new poll. … We need to be listened to.”Researchers surveyed 2,700 likely voters in Texas, including 660 Asian Americans, in July. The research also finds a large gender divide, with 49% of Asian American and Pacific Islander women identifying as Democrats, nearly twice the proportion of men. Asian American and Pacific Islander men are more likely to identify as Republicans, at 38%, or independents, at 35%. The report found that Asian American voters in Texas are more likely to be immigrants compared to all other races.

☆ Parents of Donor-Conceived Children Face New Calls for Candor
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Amy Dockser Marcus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Parents of children conceived from donated sperm, eggs or embryos can be reluctant to tell their kids about their genetic origins out of concern that doing so would compromise the parents’ privacy or upend family harmony. These mothers and fathers are facing pressure to change. Research now shows that donor-conceived people fare better emotionally when they learn about their origins early on. And states are starting to enact laws that require people intending to make use of donor gametes or embryos be informed about the importance of telling donor-conceived children about their origins.

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