Think Sonoma County, and the picturesque valley and vineyards come to mind. But the locale is also home to rich and incredible biodiversity. And Soundscapes to Landscapes, the name of a biodiversity-monitoring initiative in the county, aims to document just that. advertisement advertisement Over the past five years, from mid-spring to late summer here in California wine country, the initiative collected a massive amount of sound data by placing acoustic recorders in 1,300 locations around the county. The project, run by Sonoma State University, conservation NGO Point Blue Conservation Science, and several other partners, armed citizen volunteers with recorders, and collaborated with private landowners to amass audio, which was then processed and classified with the help of artificial intelligence technology. “The idea is either to detect individual species, or to find information that tells you something new about the types of sounds there,” Leonardo … [Read more...] about Bioacoustics is helping conservationists monitor wildlife, but the tech needs improvement
Liberals favor government intervention to help create
Is COVID more dangerous than driving? How scientists are parsing COVID risks
Faithfuls wearing protective masks at a church in Amman, Jordan. (File image: Reuters) Like it or not, the choose-your-own-adventure period of the pandemic is upon us. Mask mandates have fallen. Some free testing sites have closed. Whatever parts of the United States were still trying to collectively quell the pandemic have largely turned their focus away from communitywide advice. Now, even as case numbers begin to climb again and more infections go unreported, the onus has fallen on individual Americans to decide how much risk they and their neighbors face from the coronavirus — and what, if anything, to do about it. For many people, the threats posed by COVID have eased dramatically over the two years of the pandemic. Vaccines slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying. Powerful new antiviral pills can help keep vulnerable people from deteriorating. But not all Americans can count on the same protection. Millions of people with weakened immune systems do not … [Read more...] about Is COVID more dangerous than driving? How scientists are parsing COVID risks
Eight hospitals to set up committees to decide on applications for aid to treat rare diseases
Representative image The Union health ministry has asked eight designated hospitals that treat rare diseases to set up an expert committee each, which will decide on providing the cash aid of Rs 50 lakh within a month of receiving an application for financial assistance from a patient. The eight Centres of Excellence (CoEs) will also be given one-time financial support up to Rs 5 crore for procurement of equipment for strengthening patients care services for screening, diagnosis and prevention (prenatal diagnosis) for rare diseases based on a gap analysis, according to the new guidelines issued by the health ministry. Also, more CoEs will be added for regional outreach if they are found to be suitable in terms of infrastructure and human resources based on recommendations of the Technical Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the guidelines said. The ministry on August 11 issued the guidelines and procedures for granting financial assistance to patients suffering … [Read more...] about Eight hospitals to set up committees to decide on applications for aid to treat rare diseases
An End To HIV In Botswana, Why Can’t We Accomplish The Same In The US?
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Botswana has surpassed the UN's 95-95-95 goals on HIV. Researchers say that the country is on track to end the public health threat of AIDS by 2030. A truly remarkable feat, considering that Botswana is ranked among the top four countries in the world most affected by HIV and AIDS. Botswana has exceeded the UNAIDS targets, with 95 percent of HIV-positive people being aware of their status, 98 percent of those diagnosed on medication, and 98 percent of those under treatment showing signs that the virus is being suppressed in their blood and therefore cannot transmit the virus (U=U). Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute virologist, Madisa Mine presented the 5th Impact Survey at The 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada. The survey has not yet been published. The survey was a nationally representative sample of 14 763 adults with ages ranging from 15–64 years who filled in questionnaires at home and were … [Read more...] about An End To HIV In Botswana, Why Can’t We Accomplish The Same In The US?
FTC looks into Tesla’s claims on autopilot technology
Tesla's Model3 on display at the Seoul Motor Show in March 2019. [YONHAP] Tesla, which had surging sales in Korea, is under investigation by the antitrust agency for false advertising. According to industry sources, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has been looking into whether the U.S.-based electric vehicle (EV) company has exaggerated its autopilot technology. Tesla has advertised that its autopilot system not only controls the direction of the vehicle, but also controls the speed at which it travels. However, according to auto industry experts, Tesla’s autopilot system is closer to driver-assistance technology than the kind of full autonomous driving that does not require the help of a driver. The review by Korea's antitrust agency comes on the heels of a German court ruling on the same issue last week. A Munich court ruled in favor of the non-profit organization The Center for Protection Against Unfair Competition, which sued Tesla for misleading consumers about its … [Read more...] about FTC looks into Tesla’s claims on autopilot technology
‘House Of The Dragon’: Everything You Need To Know About The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff On HBO
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The wait is almost over. The House Of The Dragon premiere is slated to air on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday, August 21st at 9pm ET. The final, controversial episode of Game Of Thrones aired on May 19th, 2019 on HBO in a world that looks very different from the world we live in now. A year later, many of the world’s economies would grind to a halt as restaurants and schools and businesses shutdown in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. Work on shows like House Of The Dragon, the prequel spinoff to Game Of Thrones, would grind to a halt or, at the very least, slow to a crawl. So what is House of the Dragon and why should fans—including disenchanted fans upset with how Game Of Thrones ended—be excited about this new show? Read on for everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and why I, for one, think everyone should be genuinely hyped for what’s to come. (I have seen the … [Read more...] about ‘House Of The Dragon’: Everything You Need To Know About The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff On HBO
Quiet quitting: Why doing less at work could be good for you, and your employer
In many offices (not to mention on Zoom, Teams, and Slack), employees and managers alike are whispering about the Great Resignation. The UK saw a sharp rise in people quitting their jobs in 2021, and one fifth of UK workers still say they plan to resign in the next year in search of greater job satisfaction and better pay. advertisement advertisement If you’re unhappy at work, but leaving your job isn’t an option or there are no appealing alternatives, you may want to try “ quiet quitting. ” This trend of simply doing the bare minimum expected at work has taken off on TikTok and clearly resonated with young people. It has also frustrated managers, with some reportedly concerned about their employees slacking off. But quiet quitting is not about avoiding work, it is about not avoiding a meaningful life outside of work. The past 20 years have seen many people join a global culture of overwork , with unpaid labour becoming an expected part … [Read more...] about Quiet quitting: Why doing less at work could be good for you, and your employer
Republican Governor Sues Biden Admin For Refusing To Clean Up Native Americans’ Contaminated Lands
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska is suing the Biden administration to address the federal government’s transfer of contaminated lands to Alaska Natives. “When it comes down to helping these folks, it’s a poor record at best and dismal at its worse,” Dunleavy told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Some sites are within two miles of a village and we know they’re contaminating our drinking water and food sources,” Hallie Bisset, executive director of the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association, told the DCNF. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska filed a complaint in Alaska’s United States District Court to compel the Department of the Interior (DOI) to take responsibility for hundreds of contaminated areas that the federal government transferred to Alaska Natives. Dunleavy and the state of Alaska filed the lawsuit in mid-July as a last resort after the DOI allegedly ignored calls to identify and clean up 650 former federal military installations, oil … [Read more...] about Republican Governor Sues Biden Admin For Refusing To Clean Up Native Americans’ Contaminated Lands
Germany slashes VAT on gas to ease burden from soaring costs
- A + A (Aug 18): Germany will temporarily cut sales tax on natural gas to 7% from 19% to ease the burden on households and companies suffering due to surging energy costs and hit by a new levy taking effect in October. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the move — which could cost about 14 billion euros (US$14.2 billion) in lost revenue — in a brief statement to reporters Thursday in Berlin and said the government expects suppliers to pass the VAT reduction fully on to consumers. The lower rate will apply from Oct 1 and expire at the end of March 2024. “With this step, we are reducing the burden for gas customers overall much more than the burden created by the gas levy,” Scholz said. “This reduced VAT rate will apply as long as the gas levy is collected.” The government is imposing the levy on gas consumers to help fund compensation for importers forced to pay higher prices due to Russia squeezing gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline. If any of Germany’s … [Read more...] about Germany slashes VAT on gas to ease burden from soaring costs
Can You Have a Pension and a 401(k)?
You can have a pension and still contribute to a 401(k)—and an IRA—to take charge of your retirement. If you have a defined benefit pension plan at work, you have nothing to worry about, right? Maybe not. While pensions used to be a staple ingredient in the recipe of retirement planning, fewer companies today offer them. What's more, the benefits aren't as reliable as they used to be . Now is a good time to start thinking about where your pension fits into your overall plan for retirement. It’s dangerous to rely on any pension—even a generous one—to cover all your retirement needs. Key Takeaways A pension provides a fixed monthly benefit upon retirement for the rest of your life. 401(k)s and IRAs provide income in retirement, too. But the amount depends on how much you contribute and how well your investments perform. A good retirement strategy is to contribute to a variety of retirement investments, including 401(k)s and IRAs—even if you already have a pension. … [Read more...] about Can You Have a Pension and a 401(k)?