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☆ Fact Check-Online conspiracies link Pixar’s use of the number A113 with adrenochrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet, some online link Pixar to the QAnon conspiracy theory by saying the number represents the chemical adrenochrome. A tweet that has garnered at least 980 retweets reads: “Has anyone heard of this A-113 equals Adrenochrome? A113 AT PIXARInsider reported in February that references to the number A113 are in at least 23 Pixar movies, including its first studio film Toy Story (here). GOOGLEThe link between adrenochrome and A113 may stem from screenshots accompanying these claims on social media that show that searching the terms “a113 chemical” or “A-113 chemical” on Google brings up the Wikipedia page for adrenochrome. There is no chemical link between “A113” and the substance adrenochrome.

Persons: Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, John Lasseter, Lasseter, Pete Docter, adrenochrome, ”, Kabrena Rodda, Read Organizations: Pixar, California Institute of the Arts, PIXAR, CalArts, Reuters, Wired, McGill University’s Office, Science and Society, American Chemical Society International, Committee, Google Locations: mater, adrenochrome

☆ Some climate-tech startups want you to believe AI tools can save the planet — but it's not that simple
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AMP Robotics is just one of more than 44,500 climate tech startups that have emerged since 2010. Last year investors poured $70.1 billion into climate tech, an 89% rise compared with 2021, according to HolonIQ Global Impact Intelligence. While AI tools like Horowitz's waste-sorting robots have been around for years, the advent of generative-AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT has reignited conversations around deploying AI to address societal issues. PersefoniBut researchers warn AI may do more harm than goodResearchers, activists, and climate tech execs agree that AI can't single-handedly cool the planet. AMP RoboticsEven AI climate tech executives see limits to their impactEven climate tech executives believe there are limitations to AI.

Persons: Matanya Horowitz, Horowitz, ChatGPT, Carling Spelhaug, Sasha Luccioni, Luccioni, David Rolnick, Banks, James Newsome, Newsome, Rolnick, Bill McKibben, McKibben, Helena Norberg, Hodge, Norberg, OpenAI's ChatGPT Organizations: AMP Robotics, Caltech, Global, Intelligence, Carling, UN, McGill University, Research, Tech, Greenpeace, AMP Locations: Colorado, Africa, South America

☆ WestJet pay debate sets scene for Air Canada's pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MONTREAL, May 18 (Reuters) - A faceoff this week between WestJet Airlines and its pilots over pay could set the stage for aviators' demands in future bargaining with Air Canada (AC.TO). It would be the first major pilots' strike in Canada since 1998, according to a spokesperson for Canada's Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan, who is at the talks. ALPA president Jason Ambrosi recently told Reuters that a key priority is to narrow the pay gap between Air Canada pilots and their U.S. counterparts, echoing the union's demand for a "North American" contract at WestJet. Gradek added there is a group of Air Canada pilots "who have been chomping at the bit" to get a significant bump in wages. Air Canada pilots, who have received a 2% wage increase per year since 2014, have complained Delta’s latest hourly pay rates are up to 45% higher.

☆ Genome data sheds light on how Homo sapiens arose in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Our species arose in Africa more than 300,000 years ago, with the oldest-known Homo sapiens fossils discovered at a site in Morocco called Jebel Irhoud, located between Marrakech and the Atlantic coast. A new study tapping into genome data from modern-day African populations is offering insight into how this may have unfolded. The research indicated that multiple ancestral groups from across Africa contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens in a patchwork manner, migrating from one region to another and mixing with one another over hundreds of thousands of years. The findings did not support a longstanding hypothesis that a single region in Africa gave rise to Homo sapiens or a scenario involving mixture with an unidentified closely related species in the human evolutionary lineage within Africa. "By building models of how these transmissions occurred, we can test detailed models that relate past populations to present-day populations."

☆ Utah bicycling groups and Democrats call on Mitt Romney to rethink his comments calling bike lanes 'the height of stupidity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Romney faced widespread criticism after telling Insider that bike lanes are "the height of stupidity." "I love Mitt," Schatz told Insider recently in the Capitol. "We're not forcing anybody from an automobile onto a bike, but the truth is, the market is starting to demand that, but the bike lanes haven't caught up. And then in a matter of months, people are putting in their real estate advertisements that it's next to a bike lane. "As much as I ride my bike, unless it's a protected bike lane I don't trust it," he said.

☆ Six innovations that can help feed the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN asked three experts to outline the innovations that can help increase food production without harming the planet. Insect proteinSingapore-based Insectta uses black soldier fly larvae to convert organic food waste into fertilizer and animal feed. The maggots are fed food waste, such as the byproducts of soybean factories and breweries. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty ImagesMadramootoo says that a wholescapes approach can also be applied to food production in urban and peri-urban areas – the spaces immediately surrounding a city. “In congested peri-urban areas, we can use vertical farms in warehouses or abandoned buildings, for example, to produce food.

☆ My Prenup Saved Me When My Husband Left. It Can Save You, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Caitlin Kelly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The only local job available was tapping maple trees, and I couldn’t even get an interview. An American, he had committed to a four-year residency in New Hampshire, and I decided to leave Canada and follow him there. My job search took six months, and he got an instant $14,000 raise with his new residency. I knew nothing of New York marriage laws, and by that point was wholly reliant on my fiancé’s income and felt extremely vulnerable. So I consulted a lawyer — at $350 per hour in 1992 — and asked what I might win in case of a divorce.

☆ Fact Check-‘Adrenochrome’ keg is an art project, not a Heineken barrel transported by Shell
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A keg with “adrenochrome” embossed on its rim was created as part of an art project exhibited in London in 2018; images of the keg have recently been misrepresented online alongside false claims that it is among Heineken barrels filled with adrenochrome and transported worldwide by Shell. The keg image and claims circulated following Feb. 22 reports that Bill Gates bought a 3.76% stake in Heineken Holding NV (here). Reuters could not source the exact photograph in the posts, but it matches others depicting an art project exhibited at the University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2018. Reuters found no credible media reports to support the claim that Heineken barrels were used to transport the substance or that Shell conveyed them. This photograph shows an object created as part of an art project exhibited in London in 2018, not a Heineken barrel transported by Shell.

☆ 34-year-old's startup, worth $1.5 billion and backed by Google, wants to make tutoring free for kids everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As college prep season starts, some high schoolers — or their parents — are probably thinking about hiring private tutors to help boost their SAT scores. It makes a difference: Research shows that private tutoring can help improve SAT scores by roughly 37 points, which can make a difference on college applications. The 34-year-old is the CEO and founder of Paper, a Montreal-based virtual learning platform he launched in 2014 to try making private tutoring more financially accessible. He quickly learned that wealthier students often performed better in school, even before they hired private tutors. Over the last five years, the startup has made some of its biggest strides in "large, urban districts," Cutler says.

☆ Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for "Promises, Promises" and a three-time Oscar winner. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn't look like a dentist. Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He's everybody's composer ... Burt Bacharach!"

Researchers saw similar declines in cognitive performance when people replaced vigorous exercise with six minutes of light physical activity or seven minutes of sleeping. But the opposite was also seen to be true: Exercising instead of sitting boosted cognitive performance. Replacing sitting or lying down with nine minutes of vigorous exercise was linked to a more than 1% boost in cognition scores, the study found. "Physical activity is linked to a whole host of benefits, and so you really want to promote as much regular physical activity as possible," said Biswas, who wasn't involved with the research. Mitchell, the study author, noted that light activity is still preferable to sitting.

☆ Amid an uncertain economy, American workers are guardedly optimistic about the job market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Madison Hoff | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Despite economic uncertainty, US workers are confident about the job market, LinkedIn data suggests. The findings point to American workers' resilience, nearly three years since the pandemic began. A recent LinkedIn survey of more than 2,000 US employees conducted in December offers fresh insight into how workers feel about the job market in 2023. Roughly two-thirds of American workers are considering changing jobs this year, mainly to boost their salary and improve their work-life balance, according to the results. At a time when many organizations remain desperate to hire and keep employees, American workers have seen their leverage in the job market grow.

☆ Alphabet CEO's memo announcing layoffs does exactly what it should: address the remaining workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

HR experts say it's critical for leaders to address remaining staffers' anxieties after layoffs. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai's memo Friday announcing layoffs at Google is a good example of that. Pichai's reassurances might mitigate some of the unrest that can follow layoffsPichai's address to remaining employees could help ameliorate survivor syndrome. Employees remaining at a company that just conducted layoffs are likely worried about the organization's stability. Employers should also be clear with remaining employees about the reasons for the layoffs.

☆ Layoffs might cause workers who are left behind to quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As layoffs creep upward, the findings have implications for firms that have let go of employees. Visier published a study about turnover contagion following resignations, and later detailed its finding related to layoffs in a recent LinkedIn post. After all, managers might not be fully aware of their team member's social ties, particularly if employees work remotely or have a hybrid setup. Bosses might be on team Zoom calls, but they don't see, for instance, that their team members regularly text each other on and off the clock. But they need to think about their team member's salary, growth, and market value.

☆ An 120 million-year-old dinosaur fossil with the bones of its final snack still inside of it reveals its enjoyed eating our ancestors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paleontologist Hans Larsson found a small mammal foot in the rib of a dinosaur fossil. The reptile was carnivorous and bird-like, according to McGill University. It's one of only 21 dinosaur fossils ever found with its food inside of it. Only 20 other fossils have been found with the fossilized bones of their meals inside, according to McGill, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, the Economic Times reported. Scientists have speculated that the species likely died out because it had four wings, and the two additional wings created drag when it moved.

One technologist went as far as saying that with ChatGPT, "College as we know it will cease to exist." Artificial intelligence company OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding cheating concerns. In reality, AI tools like ChatGPT could actually be used to enhance education, according to Paul Fyfe, an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University. Computer-assisted writing tools, such as Grammarly or Google Doc’s Smart Compose, already exist — and have long been utilized by many students. For now, he suggested an older technology to combat fears of students using ChatGPT to cheat.

☆ NASA Mars Ingenuity helicopter broke its own record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —More than a year and a half after its first flight on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter has set a new record. “Ingenuity’s success has led to NASA’s decision to take two Ingenuity class helicopters on the Mars Sample Retrieval Lander scheduled for later in this decade,” wrote Bob Balaram, Ingenuity chief engineer emeritus, in a NASA blog update. A more capable Mars Science Helicopter with the ability to carry almost 5 kg of science payloads is also in early conceptual and design stages.”Mars sample collectionMeanwhile, the Perseverance rover continues to collect intriguing samples from Mars. The cache will be collected by future missions during the Mars Sample Return campaign and returned to Earth in the 2030s. The Perseverance rover recently used a specialized drill bit to collect its first samples of broken rock and dust.

☆ Binance founder Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao wants to 'rebuild' crypto post FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao is once again in the global spotlight, this time as the self-appointed white knight of crypto as the industry is embroiled in crisis. “Let’s rebuild.”Humble beginningsZhao launched Binance in July 2017 in China, gradually building it into the world’s largest crypto exchange. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao attending the Viva Technology conference in Paris on June 16, 2022. In May, TerraUSD lost its dollar peg, which led to the collapse of its sister token and eventually created a huge global liquidity crisis in the crypto industry. The Binance chief said his firm had been asked to help as FTX grappled with liquidity issues.

☆ Anti-Xi protest spreads in China and worldwide as Chinese leader begins third term
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Obtained by CNNCNN spoke with two Chinese citizens who scribbled protest slogans in bathroom stalls and half a dozen overseas Chinese students who put up anti-Xi posters on their campuses. Chen had tried to share the Sitong Bridge protest on WeChat, China’s super app, but it kept getting censored. But as the widespread anti-Xi posters have shown, the rising nationalistic sentiment is by no means representative of all Chinese students overseas. In the day following the protest in Beijing, Jolie saw on Instagram an outpouring of photos showing protest posters from all over the world. But the extensive censorship around the Sitong Bridge protest also betrays its paranoia.

The incessant drumming of a woodpecker on a hollow tree can be an annoying distraction for anyone who has to listen to it. “When you study songbirds, hummingbirds and parrots, you find areas that control vocal learning express parvalbumin more than other parts of the brain,” Fuxjager said. Future studies will look for other similarities, such as if the patterns of woodpecker drumming are learned at an early age, like the singing of songbirds, he said. Fuxjager noted that there are more than 200 species of woodpecker around the world and that they inhabit every continent, except Australia. Scientists study the singing of songbirds — and possibly now the drumming of woodpeckers — because it has parallels to human speech.

☆ Boon or threat? Mexico City wrestles with influx of remote U.S. workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY — In a trendy part of Mexico City, in a park surrounded by hipster coffeeshops and restaurants, stands a figure dressed in white with hands in prayer like a Catholic statuette: the so-called patron saint against gentrification. Nearly two million foreigners touched down at the Mexico City International Airport in the first half of 2022, inching toward the record 2.5 million arrivals in the first half of 2019. The gap between American and Mexican salaries means even affluent Mexico City residents can get priced out, in a city that is already home to wide wealth disparities. According to Mexico’s statistics agency, the top 10% of Mexico City households earned more than 13 times as much as the bottom 10% of households in 2020. Coronado, an architect and interior designer who lives between Los Angeles and Mexico City, said he understands locals are resentful.

☆ Kamala Harris, prima femeie din istoria Statelor Unite care devine vicepreședinte
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-07 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +9 min

După câteva luni, Kamala Harris a renunțat la visul ei prezidențial, însă a primit ulteror șansa de a ajunge la Casa Albă făcând echipă cu fostul vicepreședinte Joe Biden. - comma, în engleză înseamnă virgulă)”, scria Kamala Harris în autobiografia ei din 2018, The Truth We Hold („Adevărul pe care îl deținem ”- n.r.). Crescute de mama lor, care nu s-a mai recăsătorit, surorile Kamala și Maya și mama lor, Shymala, erau cunoscute ca „Shymala și fetele”. Kamala Harris a făcut carieră în justiție înainte de a deveni politicianKamala Harris s-a născut în Oakland, în California. Cuplul nu are copii împreună, dar Kamala Harris este mamă vitregă pentru cei doi copii pe care avocatul îi are dintr-o căsătorie precedentă.

Persons: Joe Biden, Harris, Doug Emhoff, ❤️, , fi, r, Cr, ay, Fra, num, fo, ana, ist pol Organizations: Albă, ak, țământ din Locations: Americii, Statelor Unite, America, n la, Kam, se de, SUA

☆ Justin Trudeau Fast Facts
▼ + stars: | 2015-11-03 | by ( Cnn Editorial Research | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Here’s a look at the life of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While campaigning for prime minister, Trudeau endorsed the legalization of marijuana. TimelineApril 1972 - During a state visit with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, US President Richard Nixon makes a prediction: “Tonight, we’ll dispense with the formalities,” Nixon says. “I’d like to toast the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau.”1998 - Trudeau’s brother, Michel Trudeau, is killed in an avalanche while skiing. The video shows Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte laughing.

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