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☆ Freight railroad service is terrible, even without the threat of a strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But that doesn’t mean freight railroads are providing good service to their customers. Many of the problems tangling up the supply chain, driving up prices and slowing the economy can be traced to the steady decline in freight rail service in recent years. Some experts who represent rail customers who have complained about service in the past say service has gotten better since earlier this year. “The national freight rail network is broken, and the need for long-term rail reform is clear. Union Pacific (UNP), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRKA) Burlington Northern Santa Fe all reported record earnings in 2021.

☆ How Big Tech Shakeup, Layoffs Leave Social-Media Creators Scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Brooke Erin Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Meanwhile, laborers who rely on social-media platforms for visibility, reputation burnishing, and income have been left reeling — from journalists and academics to freelancers and adult performers. Last month, a plus-size creator told me how self-censorship becomes a risk-reduction strategy for marginalized creators. As the journalist Paul Gallant argued, queer content creators face a continuous struggle to avoid "the wrath that comes from violating ever-changing and poorly explained terms of service." Even coverage of the influence on social-media creators has been more tuned in to those with the biggest followings. But the real pain from this tug-of-war for the future of social media will be felt by those who have long faced the greatest hurdles: marginalized creators.

Few causes have united the country like this summer’s multistate effort to kill spotted lanternflies, the colorful invasive insects that have wreaked havoc in at least 14 states. Now, as adult lanternflies begin to perish during the winter, experts say those efforts might have curbed the species’ spread to some degree. Anne Johnson, a doctoral student studying the spotted lanternfly in Hoover’s lab at Penn State, believes the viral trends can make a difference. Spotted lanternflies are native to China, where they don’t often become a pest. “We’ll always have to deal with spotted lanternfly,” Johnson said.

☆ Consumer Reports: Best (and Biggest) Portable Speakers for Tailgating
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Allen St. John | Consumer Reports | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

And what’s a party without great sound? SEE ALL Consumer Reports product reviewsTailgate speakers tend to be bulky and heavy, so they might not be ideal for a leisurely stroll about town. These standout speakers have been tested in Consumer Reports dedicated sound lab. But the XG300 is actually one of the better-sounding portable speakers we’ve tested, with bass that’s got a decent amount of sock and a clear, even midrange. By contrast, the bigger and more expensive XG500 fell short of its smaller sibling with bass that’s kind of boomy while that all-important midrange is muffled.

☆ Fact Check-Images and videos of clouds passing behind the sun are optical illusions, not proof of ‘local sun’ orbiting ‘flat earth’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Social media users are sharing images and videos which seemingly show clouds passing behind the sun. The users claim this proves humanity lives on a “flat earth” with a “local sun” floating and orbiting above. One Facebook user uploaded a video to a group named ‘Flat Earth Research’ (here), alongside the caption: “We are told the sun is 93 million miles away. Reuters has debunked other ‘Flat Earth’ theory claims here, here and here. Images and videos of clouds appearing to pass behind the sun are optical illusions.

☆ Vince Dooley, longtime Georgia football coach, dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

ATLANTA — Vince Dooley, the football coach who carried himself like a professor and guided Georgia for a quarter-century of success that included the 1980 national championship, died Friday. “Our family is heartbroken by the death of Coach Dooley. He was one of a kind with an unmatched love for UGA!” current Georgia coach Kirby Smart wrote on Twitter. The field at Sanford Stadium was dedicated in his honor during the 2019 football season. At Georgia, Dooley coached a plethora of standout players — from Bill Stanfill to Scott Woerner to Rodney Hampton.

Oz, Fetterman disagree on student debt cancelation Both candidates were asked how they would address the cost of higher education, but neither provided a concrete plan. Instead, Fetterman and Oz made clear their differing views on President Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student debt. Share this -Link copiedFetterman calls Oz a liar and talks up stroke recovery Fetterman was asked about his qualifications for office to open the debate. Share this -Link copiedMeanwhile in N.Y.: Hochul, Zeldin clash in feisty governor's debate As the Pennsylvania Senate candidates get ready for debate, the New York gubernatorial debate is already well underway. Share this -Link copiedPa. Senate independent candidate drops out, endorses Fetterman Everett Stern, an independent write-in candidate in the Pennsylvania Senate race, announced Tuesday that he’s dropping out and endorsing Democrat John Fetterman.

☆ Penn State Cancels Event With Proud Boys Founder, Citing Threat of Violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters took to Penn State’s campus in recent days as both students and university officials denounced the event’s speakers. Pennsylvania State University canceled a comedy event with the founder of the Proud Boys, Gavin McInnes , citing the threat of escalating violence ahead of the Monday night show. Protesters took to the campus in recent days as both students and university officials denounced the speakers: Mr. McInnes, who founded the extremist group the Proud Boys, and Alex Stein , a far-right commentator.

Since 2013, this is how many people have been killed and injured in school shootings, according to a school shooting tracker that NBC News is making public. The tracker focuses on the segment of school shootings where an active shooter, with intent to harm, injures or kills at least one student or faculty member during school or at a school event. Read the full NBC News criteria for school shootings, including the FBI’s definition of an active shooter, below. The NBC News school shooting tracker includes shootings that meet these criteria:One or more active shooters. Shooting events are recorded and evaluated as new information becomes available, and are added to our published dataset of school shootings when it’s determined an incident meets the NBC News standard for school shootings.

☆ Students demand Penn State cancel on-campus comedy show featuring Proud Boys founder: 'They're on the wrong side'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Isabella Zavarise | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Students at Penn State want the administration to cancel an event with the founder of the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys have been labeled a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. He told Insider he's grateful Penn State is following through with upholding the First Amendment and said he wants the protestors there. When asked by Insider whether Penn State would provide comment on students' demands the event be canceled, the university reiterated the First Amendment. "Penn State is really fighting a losing battle on this one.

☆ MacArthur fellow P. Gabrielle Foreman wants to make sure 'unremembered' Black history gets taught
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

That history, Foreman argues, has been largely erased from academic discussions and mainstream conversations. P. Gabrielle Foreman and Jim Casey, back row, and Denise Burgher, second from right, with their colleagues at Pennsylvania State University. “The Colored Conventions movement helps us to understand a history full of possibilities,” he said. Now, it has a massive interactive online archive and was the inspiration behind “The Colored Conventions Movement: Black Organizing in the Nineteenth Century,” which was published last year. Amid widespread efforts to suppress teaching about race and racism in the U.S., Burgher said a greater and more accurate understanding of Black history is more important now than ever before.

☆ Latino meteorologist helps create better weather terms in Spanish.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Albinson Linares | Noticias Telemundo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

For meteorologist Joseph Trujillo, the right translation is more than a language issue, especially when it comes to weather-related warnings. A NOAA assessment revealed a lack of weather-related resources in the Spanish language that could have helped communities take action to save lives. But those linguistic differences can bring great challenges when translating emergency information, such as weather alerts, for all Hispanic people. They designed a new list of categories that better reflect the risk of climate emergencies in simpler terms: minimum, low, moderate, high and extreme. That first experience led him to pursue meteorology and his investigative work, which he presented to the National Weather Service.

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.

Instead, data and child welfare experts suggest the changes may have done the opposite. State child welfare officials say more vigilance in documenting severe cases of abuse likely contributed to the increase. Child welfare experts say these findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of the primary tool that states rely on to protect children: mandatory child abuse reporting. These policies, the bedrock of America’s child welfare system, were first implemented more than half a century ago in response to growing national awareness of child maltreatment. “We are continuing to tell mandated reporters, ‘Report, report, report,’ and nobody can handle it,” Berger said in an interview.

Elon Musk could be facing up to $100 million in personal legal fees after renewing his offer to buy Twitter. Both Twitter and Musk employed over 50 lawyers in the months leading up to the trial. A lot of the cost, of course, is going straight to the lawyers and major firms Musk and Twitter employed. He added that hourly billing is unlikely to be how Musk and Twitter were solely charged in this case. Are you legal professional involved in Musk vs. Twitter or someone with insight to share?

But that doesn’t mean that the freight railroads are providing good service to their customers. Many of the problems tangling up the supply chain, driving up prices and slowing the economy can be traced to the steady decline in freight rail service in recent years. “Railroads understand that service is not at the level customers expect or deserve. “”I’m told by a lot of our members that this has been the worst rail service year in their careers. For rail customers there is basically no alternative for the products they ship.

☆ How an Xprize-winning group developed an AI assistant to help African farmers increase their crops and adapt to the climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-10 | by ( Sarah Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Penn State's PlantVillage uses technology solutions and field teams to increase farmers' crop yield. As warming temperatures spawn more crop pests, groups, including PlantVillage, are increasingly using artificial intelligence to protect agriculture. Each year, plant diseases cost the global economy more than $220 billion, while invasive insects cost at least $70 billion. The climate crisis increases crop diseases and pests — like the desert locust, which could spread because of warming temperatures. Farmers are encouraged to plant trees with biochar, a soil additive that can store carbon dioxide for centuries.

☆ JetBlue won the battle for Spirit. Now it has to win over Biden's Justice Department
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-28 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

JetBlue Airways finally won over Spirit Airlines with a $3.8 billion takeover deal . JetBlue Airlines and Spirit Airlines are seen on the departure board in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 16, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. President Joe Biden's Justice Department has vowed to challenge out any deals that could harm competition. The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment but the agency's antitrust chief, Jonathan Kanter, has promised a hard stance against anti-competition. Without that, "there would be a public perception that [the Justice Department] just caved," he said.

☆ The SEC is considering requiring US companies to disclose their climate impact. Here's what that means for corporations and investors.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-09 | by ( Daniel E. Walters | William M. Manson | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering adding climate impact as a mandated disclosure. Some large investors require disclosure. The United Kingdom plans to require climate disclosure starting in April 2022, and the European Union has reporting rules in place. A study of one type of climate disclosure — emissions labels on consumer products — found mixed evidence as to whether consumers altered their behavior in response. A prior oil and gas extraction disclosure rule was invalidated by a court in 2013 as arbitrary and capricious.

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