US announces criminal cases involving flow of technology, information to Russia, China and Iran
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced a series of criminal cases Tuesday tracing the illegal flow of sensitive technology, including Apple's software code for self-driving cars and materials used for missiles, to foreign adversaries like Russia, China and Iran. Other cases disclosed Tuesday have resulted in arrests. The Justice Department also unsealed a separate criminal case accusing a Chinese national of conspiring to transmit isostatic graphite, a material that can be used in the nose of intercontinental ballistics, to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. The departments of Justice and Commerce earlier this year launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force as a way to prevent U.S. adversaries from acquiring sensitive technology. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Source:The Nation
May 17, 2023 05:05 UTC
A lonely nation: Has the notion of the 'American way' promoted isolation across history?
American lore is full of tales of a nation built on the foundations of individualism. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared it an American epidemic, saying that it takes as deadly a toll as smoking upon the population of the United States. Yet many frontier myths skip over how important community has been in the settling and growth of the nation. In the suburbs, Betty Friedan's groundbreaking “ The Feminine Mystique " helped give voice to a generation of lonely women. “We all know someone who has, or have been that someone ourselves actually, that’s struggled, that’s felt isolated, that’s felt anxious, that has felt alone,” Sudeikis said.
Source:The Nation
May 16, 2023 05:04 UTC
SEO and website design: How to build search engine-friendly sites
This article explores why – and how – SEO plays an integral part in the website design process. FundamentalsThere are a few core elements that set the stage for a well-optimized website design process. Your primary navigation, search engine directives and tools like XML sitemaps all help the search engine crawl your site and discover new pages. Ensuring your pages are lean and mean is a key consideration in modern SEO-friendly website design. There are a lot of moving parts with website design and SEO.
Source:The Nation
May 15, 2023 15:08 UTC
Drip irrigation can deliver efficient water use
Homeowners caring for gardens and landscapes should be “water-wise,” and one way they can do that is by using drip irrigation. Drip irrigation allows for precisely-controlled application of water; it allows water to drip slowly near the plant roots through a network of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. Drip irrigation may not be right for everyone, but it is a technique that can reduce labor and increase production using less water. Components of a Drip Irrigation SystemDrip line in vegetable garden | Stock PhotoA drip irrigation system consists of a backflow prevention device, a control valve to turn on and off the water, a filtration system, a pressure regulator, mainline and sub-mains, drip lines, drip emitters and air and vacuum release valves. The backflow prevention device is required to prevent water from flowing back into the domestic water system after the water has been shut off.
Source:The Nation
May 15, 2023 12:01 UTC
Zelenskyy visits UK on European tour seeking military aid
The UK is leading the way when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. It's Zelenskyy's second trip to the U.K. since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The U.K. has become one of Ukraine's major military allies, sending Kyiv short-range missiles and Challenger tanks and training 15,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil. Zelenskyy toured European capitals over the weekend to seek more aid as Ukraine prepares a long-anticipated spring offensive to retake territory seized by Russia. On the European trip, Zelenskyy said it will aim to liberate Russian-occupied areas within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, and not attack Russian territory.
Source:The Nation
May 15, 2023 09:02 UTC
China's Ukraine envoy due to start Europe trip
A Chinese envoy was preparing Monday, May 15, 2023 to visit Ukraine and Russia, but there appeared to be little chance of a breakthrough to end the 15-month-long invasion. (AP Photo, File)(Uncredited)BEIJING – A Chinese envoy was preparing Monday to visit Ukraine and Russia, but there appeared to be little chance of a breakthrough to end the 15-month-long invasion. Li Hui, a former ambassador to Moscow, also will visit Poland, France and Germany, according to the foreign ministry. Political analysts see little hope for a peace agreement because neither Ukraine nor Russia is ready to stop fighting. The trip “expresses China’s commitment to promoting peace and negotiations,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday.
Source:The Nation
May 15, 2023 07:07 UTC
Sunny and hot for Mother’s Day!
Highs TodayORLANDO, Fla. – All of Central Florida will be sunny and dry for Mother’s Day! Other than a stray downpour Monday, most of Central Florida will again be dry. Rain chances will only be at 20%. Rain chances will be on the rise for the week ahead. Afternoon storm chances rise to 40% Wednesday and 60% Thursday.
Source:The Nation
May 14, 2023 16:01 UTC
Making Lunuganga more than just a beautiful garden
Making Lunuganga more than just a beautiful garden By Yomal Senerath-Yapa View(s): View(s):As the Geoffrey Bawa Trust explores, ever more subtly, the potential of Lunuganga not just as a garden but as a fountain of creativity, an essay at self expression and an island’s identity, they are leaping into new territory- finding novel ways to make the garden’s timeless magic reflect. The Biodiversity Conservation Project in Lunuganga is handled by the Biodiversity Unit, Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya and the Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya. Prof. K.M.G.Gehan Jayasuriya, Professor in Botany, said that Lunuganga is special in that it is an island in an estuary with invasive species. Four essential themes will underlie the programme: nature and the natural, empathy through ecology, access beyond language and garden as lens. A 3-D archive project with Clara Kraft Isono and the Royal College of Art in London will explore the garden as a living collection, mapping the past and future at Lunuganga.
Source:Sunday Times
May 14, 2023 12:39 UTC
Cannes Film Festival readies a blockbuster edition, with Indy, 'Flower Moon,' Depp and more
FILE - Tallia Storm poses for photographers upon arrival at the opening ceremony at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 17, 2022. The 76th international film festival kicks off May 16. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)The Cannes Film Festival, which will kick off Tuesday, is such a colossal extravaganza that taking measure of its ups and downs is notoriously difficult. “But it’s the most important film festival,” continues McQueen. This is where you want to premiere films that challenge and films that ask questions.
Source:The Nation
May 14, 2023 11:08 UTC
State vs. the right to protest
State vs. the right to protest View(s):Events in Pakistan earlier this week coincided with the first anniversary of the events that reverberated throughout Sri Lanka bringing out an eerie resemblance; a grim reminder of how close countries can get to a state of anarchy. The Sri Lanka State was on the brink of collapse. The sometimes excessive use of state power to retain the status quo – only when the agitators confronted the armed forces, drew the ire of human rights defenders backed by Western embassies in Colombo. These are not issues limited to Pakistan or Sri Lanka, but a perennial problem multi-party democracies are grappling with, more so nowadays. Does the state law office not exercise a mind of its own in regard to these matters or do its officers just rubber stamp ‘bad bills’?
Source:Sunday Times
May 14, 2023 01:14 UTC
‘Take advantage of this opportunity and make a change’
‘Take advantage of this opportunity and make a change’ View(s):President Ranil Wickremesinghe addresses youth selected for Sectoral Oversight Committees of ParliamentA “system change” can be done in accordance with the Constitution, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed while addressing an orientation workshop for nearly 550 youth representatives of the Sectoral Oversight Committees of Parliament. Following a newspaper advertisement, youth between the ages of 18 and 35 were chosen for the Sectoral Oversight Committees related to 17 subject areas established in Parliament. “Take full advantage of this opportunity. Instead of waiting for the next Parliament to be appointed, now is the opportunity to get together and do this work, President Wickremesinghe added. The UNDP’s global collaboration with parliaments around the world focuses on strengthening core functions of Parliament, including lawmaking, oversight representation and budget scrutiny, said Azusa Kubota, the UNDP’s Resident Representative.
Source:Sunday Times
May 14, 2023 01:14 UTC
The Twisted True-Crime Life of Joran van der Sloot
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/HandoutJoran van der Sloot has been called a serial killer, a pathological liar, and a monster. His own lawyer once called him a psychopath who should never be believed. The imminent extradition of the 35-year-old Dutchman from Peru—to face decade-old charges of wire fraud and extortion—reinvigorates one of the most-covered stories of the early 2000s: the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and the investigation into van der Sloot. Read more at The Daily Beast. Send it to The Daily Beast hereSource: www.thedailybeast.com
Source:The Nation
May 13, 2023 23:59 UTC
Meet Wonder Woman's New Superheroic Daughter, Trinity
They’ll reboot, they’ll die (and have someone replace them for a bit), and they’ll get boosted to a ridiculously powerful cosmic status. The Woman Who Would Be PhotonDC Comics is now adding Wonder Woman to that parental set. With the character’s incoming run from Tom King and Daniel Sampere, the duo are set to give her a daughter by the name of Trinity. The character’s set to make her first appearance in Wonder Woman’s 800th anniversary issue in June, which will then lead into their debut issue in September. King & Sampere’s Wonder Woman #1 will then release in September.
Source:The Nation
May 13, 2023 23:06 UTC
Meme Coins Meet Table Tennis: FLOKI Lands World Championship Sponsorship
When’s the last time you saw a meme coin at a table tennis match? The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced a partnership with cryptocurrency Floki (FLOKI), for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championship Finals to be held from May 20-28 in Durban, South Africa. “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Floki, which marks a significant milestone in the history of both table tennis and the cryptocurrency industry,” Jonny Cowan, World Table Tennis Europe General Manager said in a press release. Cowan added that “Our mission at World Table Tennis is to revolutionize the sport of table tennis and lead its digital transformation, and we believe that this partnership with Floki will help us to achieve this goal.”Floki is a play-to-earn cryptocurrency that originated as a meme coin based on Elon Musk’s dog. According to an official statement from the team at Floki, this partnership will put them in front of 500 million people around the world, in a first ever union for table tennis and crypto.
Source:The Nation
May 12, 2023 20:10 UTC
Justice Dept. seeks to put Trump deposition on hold in case of FBI agent fired over text messages
All rights reserved)WASHINGTON – The Justice Department asked a judge Thursday to put on hold a scheduled deposition of Donald Trump in a lawsuit brought by an FBI agent who was fired over text messages critical of the former president. The government said in a federal court filing that a judge should order lawyers for Peter Strzok to take the deposition of FBI Director Christopher Wray before they seek to question Trump. Lawyers for Trump support the Justice Department’s position, according to a footnote in the government’s filing, while Strzok’s attorneys oppose it. “These circumstances do not rise to the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ necessary to authorize the deposition of a current or former high-ranking government official, much less a former President,” the Justice Department wrote. Strzok's lawyers have said they want to question Trump about whether he met with and pressured FBI and Justice Department officials to fire him.
Source:The Nation
May 12, 2023 04:08 UTC