Harnessing the ocean's power to combat the climate crisis
Source: phys.orgEarth Day is an opportunity to celebrate the awe-inspiring wonders on this planet—a place full of biodiversity hotspots, from lush rainforests to scenic mountain ranges, home to rich, endemic species. These pristine, ecologically unique landscapes are increasingly threatened by human-caused stressors such as greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to the harmful impacts of climate change on people and the planet.
Source:The Nation
April 25, 2023 14:16 UTC
Sri Lanka electronic procurement platform online at promise.lk
Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardana said ITN chairman Sudarshana Gunawardena is out of the country at present. Ishara Dewendra, a senior ITN news anchor, resigned last week after allegedly facing sexual harassment at the workplace. “The ITN chairman is a lawyer. “At present, I have not received a complaint, however, I have been informed that the Attorney General’s department and the Principal of the Sri Lanka Law College will have an advisory role in this matter.”In Sri Lanka, sexual harassment remains a crime under the Penal Code and is punishable by rigorous imprisonment for up to five years. However, media rights groups say women media workers are frequently subjected to sexual harassment for various reasons, including promotions.
Source:The Nation
April 25, 2023 13:55 UTC
The playbook of forecasting US Treasury bond returns
Source: phys.orgInterest rate variance risk premium (IRVRP), the difference between implied (forward-looking) and realized (backward-looking) variances of interest rates, measures compensation for risk for exposure to volatility in the interest-rate markets.
Source:The Nation
April 24, 2023 21:52 UTC
Leakers Reveal Kremlin Secretly Panicking Over Putin’s Arrest Warrant
Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/KremlinThe Kremlin is panicking behind the scenes about the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes, according to current and former Russian officials who spoke with The Moscow Times. Just after the ICC announced the arrest warrant, issued over Putin’s alleged involvement in illegally deporting children from Ukraine and kidnapping them, the Kremlin organized a special meeting to discuss Russia’s response, according to the report. Concerns have bubbled up about political stability, Putin’s image on the world stage, and his inability to travel to other countries that might seek to enforce it, sources who spoke to the outlet alleged. The meeting reportedly included officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB) in order to discuss internal stability. Read more at The Daily Beast.
Source:The Nation
April 24, 2023 21:06 UTC
Decline of middle class bodes ill for nation
However, the proposed ATA may be an abusive weapon as far its enforcement orders are concerned, such as the Miscellaneous Orders contained in Part X. For example, most of the protestors’ dissent to the proposed law gyrates on these abusive enforcement orders. The entire commission of the act is in the high seas, and the said terror group is unknown to Sri Lanka, yet ends up in Sri Lanka. Whether Sri Lanka wishes to retract from UK’s/USA’s positions need to be objectively decided by the policy makers with wider consultation. Also, what if that foreign citizen later visits Sri Lanka, or he is intercepted by a Sri Lankan naval operation in the high seas and brought to the shores of Sri Lanka; does Sri Lanka have the jurisdiction to prosecute this person – although such foreign citizen now does not have any habitual residence in Sri Lanka?
Source:The Nation
April 24, 2023 02:55 UTC
Wahoo! ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is No. 1 for third week
Jack Black arrives at the premiere of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Regal LA Live in Los Angeles. (Photo by Allison Dinner/Invision/AP)NEW YORK – “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” continued to rack up coins at the box office, leading ticket sales for the third straight weekend, as the animation hit neared $1 billion after just 18 days in theaters. But that was no match for Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which grossed $58.2 million in its third weekend. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is setting a torrid pace for an animated movie. "Super Mario Bros," $58.2 million.
Source:The Nation
April 23, 2023 18:17 UTC
Slotkin's Senate run may complicate Dems bid to retake House
LANSING, Mich. – When U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin announced plans to run for a critical Senate seat in Michigan, many Democrats were pleased. While that may be good news for the effort to protect Democrats' fragile Senate majority, it's complicating the party's bid to retake the House in 2024. Losing either seat could put the majority out of reach for Democrats and expand the Republicans’ cushion in the House. It encompasses Republican-dominated counties such as Clinton and Shiawassee and Democratic strongholds like Ingham, which is home to the state Capitol and Michigan State University. Byrum, who represented part of Ingham County in the state House from 2007 to 2012, has grown a following on social media by countering election misinformation as a local clerk.
Source:The Nation
April 23, 2023 14:02 UTC
Unprepared for long war, US Army under gun to make more ammo
The 155 mm shell is one of the most often-requested and supplied items, which also include air defense systems, long-range missiles and tanks. Already, the U.S. military has given Ukraine more than 1.5 million rounds of 155 mm ammunition, according to Army figures. The obstacles the U.S. faces in ramping up production can be seen at the Scranton plant. The Army has new contracts with plants in Texas and Canada to make 155 mm shells, said Douglas Bush, an assistant Army secretary and its chief weapons buyer. The Scranton plant is ill-suited for that task: an accident with an explosive could be devastating.
Source:The Nation
April 23, 2023 09:51 UTC
Dushan Hemantha: How did his unique exploits go un-noticed?
Dushan Hemantha where were you and what were you doing all these years. Munasinghe Arachchige Dushan Ishara Hemantha comes from a rare breed and his exploits in the sports arena sound like out-of-this-world having also won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the Asian Games, a feat that may have also gone un-noticed. “I am currently a national Coloursman in athletics so I would like to hopefully represent the national cricket team and achieve the feat of a double International,” Hemantha told the Sunday Observer in a forthright interview. He passed through the gates of St. Peter’s College after captaining its cricket team with success in 2013 while playing as a middle order batsman and right arm leg spinner. It is definitely the highest point of my cricket career so farQ. What’s your best school sporting achievement?
Source:Sunday Observer
April 22, 2023 21:43 UTC
How to Copy Michael Saylor and Create Your Own Bitcoin Lightning Email Address
To counter this, The Lightning Address standard is spreading across the industry, replacing the long, ugly invoice with what looks like a familiar email address. It’s important to note that since the Lightning industry is still blooming, the Lightning Address can't be used everywhere. The Lightning Address website features a list of Lightning wallets and services that support sending or receiving payments with a Lightning Address. At the bottom of the account creation page, you’ll create a new Lightning Address with them. If you followed the steps correctly, you can now have folks send sats right to your email address just like Michael Saylor.
Source:The Nation
April 22, 2023 17:01 UTC
A/L Tamil Medium Paper Marking commences
The Examination Department said that the preliminary marking of the Advanced Level (A/L) Tamil medium answer scripts commenced yesterday (21). Accordingly, the process of confirming the control answer script marking procedure regarding several subjects is currently underway. Amith Jayasundara mentioned that the paper marking activities have been started in relation to the subjects of Hinduism, Christianity, Hindu Civilization, Bharatha Dancing, Oriental Music, Carnatic Music, Western Music, Art, Drama and Theater and Hindi. “The work will be done at the answer script marking centers in the cities of Jaffna, Colombo, Batticaloa, Gampaha, Kalutara and Kurunegala,” the Commissioner General of Examinations said. He further stated that sufficient applications have been received to commence the work of marking the answer scripts in relation to other subjects including Sinhala and English medium and they are currently discussing with the relevant parties about the implementation of the work.
Source:Sunday Observer
April 22, 2023 05:30 UTC
The Top Ten Most Valuable Signed Objects
A letter signed by him sold for $10,745, which isn’t even a fraction of the lowest-priced object on this list. Here are the top ten most valuable signed objects ever sold. Thirty years later, a copy signed by Lennon sold for $850,000. Ninety-eight years later, the contract that Babe Ruth signed sold for over 20 times what the Yankees paid for the Bambino. It’s one of forty-eight original signed copies.
Source:The Nation
April 21, 2023 14:01 UTC
Proton Expands Its Private Tech Ecosystem With a Password Manager
On Thursday, Proton announced one of the biggest new additions to its growing suite of privacy-focused apps: Proton Pass, an end-to-end encrypted password manager. The company says that the password application, now in a limited beta for select customers, will hopefully “be a milestone for password managers” and has been designed with strong encryption by SimpleLogin, a security company Proton acquired last year. Now in beta, Pass is only available right now to Lifetime and Visionary Proton users, and even then on an invite-only basis. “A password manager has been one of the most common requests from the Proton community ever since we first launched Proton Mail,” Yen wrote. Some of those include:Andy Yen on the past and future of Proton and privacyfor non-ProtonMail users to sign up for Proton Drive.
Source:The Nation
April 20, 2023 23:44 UTC