It’s been nearly a year since New York passed the Build Public Renewables Act via its annual budget‚ a rare attempt from the Empire State’s Democratic supermajority to make good on state climate goals first enshrined into law in 2019. The measure—pushed for by a coalition of climate justice and community groups called Public Power NY‚ helmed by the Democratic Socialists of America and several legislators they helped elect—mandates that the New York Power Authority‚ a state-...

A meeting to advance Speaker Mike Johnson’s latest border security bill abruptly ended on Wednesday night without a vote on whether the measure will hit the House floor. &;quot;Sorry‚ not sorry‚ for opposing a cr---y rule that is a show vote / cover vote for funding Ukraine instead of border security‚&;quot; Rep. Chip Roy‚ R-Texas‚ wrote on X after the meeting imploded. He’s one of three Republican foreign aid hawks on the House Rules Committee‚ which is the final barrier before a piece of...

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University were arrested Thursday afternoon and an on-campus tent encampment was removed after the school's president gave the New York Police Department the green light to clear the protesters. Columbia President Nemat &;quot;Minouche&;quot; Shafik announced in a letter to the Columbia community Thursday that she has authorized the New York Police Department to clear demonstrators from campus‚ writing‚ &;quot;This morning‚ I had to make a decision that I hoped...

House Democrats hinted Thursday that they were committed to passing a foreign aid supplemental package even if it meant helping Republican leaders get past usually party-line procedural hurdles — and potentially helping a GOP speaker keep his gavel. Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ is moving to set up Saturday votes on three bills that would send aid to Ukraine‚ Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The measures would then be combined with a fourth bill comprising a hodgepodge of...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is officially wealthier than Elon Musk as Tesla’s rapidly dropping stock tanks Musk’s net worth. Zuckerberg’s net worth has grown by more than $47 billion in 2024 to hit $175 billion as of Wednesday‚ according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index. Musk‚ on the other hand‚ has watched his value drop by more than $55 billion to a marginally less $174 billion. The gap between the two men will likely widen on Thursday‚ as Tesla stock hits a new 52-week low and...

I’ve never liked NPR. Throughout its long and venerable half-century run‚ the public radio network has served as a seamless delivery system for lifestyle smugness. When my mother would reflexively flip it on during long car rides in my adolescence‚ I’d greet its confident dispatches from the East Coast citadels of cultural consensus in the same manner I did all parent-approved meditations on civic life: as an elite monopoly’s hostile declaration of war on my attention span. Everything about its...

Going to the dentist is not always fun. Even when there aren't any cavities to fill or root canals to be had‚ something about laying back on the table under a bright light while someone scrapes just below your gum line can be a bit much. Then there's the inevitable reprimand for not flossing enough for those who either have a hard time remembering or were never properly taught.Unfortunately‚ not every hygienist is kind about this conversation‚ which can leave people feeling scolded and dreading their next appointment. In fact‚ it sometimes seems to be expected that the person laying in the dental chair has been given a class on proper dental hygiene. Oftentimes‚ that's not the case. People learn their hygiene habits by the people who raised them‚ so unless you were raised by a dentist or someone in that field‚ you've likely picked up some not so great habits. Dental student Madina Malik has made it a personal mission to properly teach good dental hygiene in a kind and nonjudgemental way on social media. In one of her more recent videos‚ someone asked her to show proper flossing techniques. People's minds were blown after seeing exactly how far up they're actually supposed to be flossing their teeth and learning the proper technique. It would seem common knowledge but it's not and Malik has no issue helping those who may have picked up a bad habit or two.In the video posted to her TikTok page‚ Smiles Pending‚ Malik not only demonstrates on her own teeth‚ she explains why flossing is so important in really simple terms. &;quot;I completely understand that a lot of times during dental appointments a dentist or hygienist may not have the time to fully explain exactly how the proper technique looks‚&;quot; she admits. Malik explains that the thicker floss tends to get more things from between your teeth before moving on to reveal that at all times you'll have a &;quot;dirty&;quot; finger and a &;quot;clean&;quot; finger. That's new information for some people‚ but she explains in another video that spooling the floss around the &;quot;dirty&;quot; finger keeps you from adding bacteria to the next tooth you floss. Essentially‚ each tooth needs a new section of floss to rid the teeth of bacteria and gunk that collects between your teeth. She then talks about the importance of flossing the back teeth due to its hard to reach positioning. Waterpiks and floss sticks do not do the same job as regular floss‚ because it's not just about removing debris but the cavity and gingivitis causing bacteria‚ says Malik in a follow up video.As for why it's important to floss outside of avoiding the scolding in the dental chair at your six month check up&;#63; Well‚ according to the dental student‚ people should &;quot;floss the teeth that you want to keep.&;quot; Now that's a statement that may need to be on a t-shirt worn by dental hygienists across the globe. @smilespending Replying to @ashley always open go more oral hygiene questions&;#33;&;#33; #oralhealth #oralhealtheducation #flossingtechnique #flossing #oralhygiene #oralhygienetips #oralhygieneroutine #oralhealthtips ♬ original sound - Madina | D3 in nyc People not only asked follow up questions that led to more educational videos‚ but they thanked her from breaking it down in an easy to understand way.&;quot;Omg‚ thank you for this video. I thought something was wrong with my gums that I could go that deep. I thought that was bad‚&;quot; one person writes. &;quot;I've been doing this wrong my whole life. The way I've done it...it's like I've never flossed at this point‚&;quot; another says.&;quot;This was super helpful. I've never flossed my teeth cuz I honestly didn't know the proper procedure. Thank you‚&;quot; someone reveals.&;quot;You're right‚ I have been flossing wrong my whole life. I had no idea you had to go that high into your gums&;#33; Thanks for sharing‚&;quot; another shares. This series is not only helpful for people who regularly go to the dentist‚ it's also helpful for those who can't afford dental care. Malik's videos are chock full of information including where to get affordable dental care if you're without proper dental insurance. Judging by the comments‚ people are thankful for her service.

A fascinating biological phenomenon occurs between two islands in Indonesia. An invisible line divides the entire Malay Archipelago‚ and on the western side‚ the animal life is characteristic of Asia‚ featuring rhinos‚ elephants‚ tigers and woodpeckers. Contrasting this‚ the eastern side of the islands presents a completely different ecological cast‚ boasting marsupials‚ Komodo dragons‚ cockatoos and honeyeaters‚ often associated with Australia. The stark differences in biodiversity on the islands captured the keen eye of British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace during his 19th-century travels through the East Indies. Even before the discovery of plate tectonics‚ Wallace postulated that the western islands must have once been interconnected and linked to the Asian mainland.So‚ in 1859‚ he first sketched a line of demarcation between the zones which came to be known as the Wallace line.The Invisible Barrier Keeping Two Worlds ApartAccording to a video by PBS Eons‚ Wallace was onto something all those years ago. Researchers would later come to believe that the land masses on other sides of the line were once separate continents brought together by tectonic shifts.“Today‚ we know them as the paleo continents of Sunda in the west and Sahul in the east‚ both of which existed during the ice ages when more water was locked up in ice and sea levels were lower. Wallace didn't know it‚ but while they’re pretty close now‚ the two partly-sunken continents used to be much‚ much further apart‚” the video says. “So even though the species of each side are neighbors now‚ they’d been evolving separately for eons‚ their two worlds only colliding fairly recently in evolutionary terms.”