The golden records carried by the Voyager missions have become famous as an effort for humanity to explain ourselves to any aliens who might find them. As well as being our introduction to the universe‚ they were also a sort of love letter to Earth‚ a reminder to humanity of what is precious about ourselves and our home. So it’s appropriate that tucked away among the more familiar sounds is a testament to the records’ two leading creators’ relationship.Space is so big that the chances the Voyager missions will ever be found by aliens is tiny‚ no matter how long they last. Already the spacecrafts’ power supplies are running low. By the time they drift into the vicinity of any other star system‚ there will be radio blips to detect them by‚ so the question of whether aliens would be able to work out how to operate a phonograph is largely moot.Everyone involved in the project knew this. The message was mostly for humanity‚ to encourage us to see each ourselves as part of a common species‚ rather than members of sometimes warring nations‚ and to remind us what we love about Earth. But in the end‚ room was found for something much more personal: the brainwaves of one creator thinking about another.Officially known as the Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Message Project‚ the Golden Records were an Initiative of Carl Sagan‚ an advance on the more basic Pioneer plaque he had championed.“The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space‚” Sagan said.  “But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”Ann Druyan was hired as the creative director‚ tasked with finding the images and music to include‚ and to try to have at least some of them make sense to minds very different from our own. While Druyan was putting together the possibilities‚ decisions on the records’ contents were made by a committee chaired by Sagan.Druyan worked closely with the committee members‚ including Frank Drake‚ but particularly with Sagan‚ and found herself falling in love with him.Among the sounds of machines operating‚ wind and rain‚ the greetings of various animals‚ and the music of humans and whales alike‚ the record contains an hour’s worth of recordings of Druyan’s brainwaves‚ squeezed down to a minute. The capacity to track brainwaves and turn them into sound was a new technology at the time‚ and Druyan and Sagan wondered if they might someday be resurrected to reveal her thoughts.Druyan has said that her thoughts during the time covered roamed widely‚ on the theme of the things we might like aliens to understand about ourselves. This included the history and challenges of human civilizations‚ but also what it was like to fall in love. Druyan told Radiolab that her brainwaves were recorded just two days after she and Sagan had declared their love for each other. Consequently‚ the thoughts on love were more than theoretical‚ and specifically about Sagan himself.Sagan and Druyan married and were together until his death. Their collaborations included the documentary series Cosmos‚ still regarded as a landmark in science communication. Druyan also contributed to Sagan’s book Pale Blue Dot‚ which includes his famous reflections on Voyager 1’s photograph of Earth‚ returning to the theme of our common humanity and our dependence on the “only home we’ve ever known.”Interstellar space is large and lonely‚ but also safe compared to the vicinity of stars. The Voyagers’ instruments will fail soon‚ but the structure of the craft‚ and the records on board‚ are expected to survive a billion years‚ give or take. Whatever becomes of humanity and the Earth in that time the record‚ including Ann’s thoughts of Carl‚ will live on.The complete sounds of the golden record can now be found online‚ and the records have been reissued for those who prefer the original.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has become a global issue‚ affecting pig farms since around the 1980s. A new type of gene editing hopes to tackle the fatal disease by creating CRISPR pigs that are immune – and it’s expected they could reach the market within two years.Also known as “blue-ear pig disease‚” PRRS is a viral disease that causes minimal symptoms in some animals while killing others. The leading symptoms include reproductive failure‚ respiratory distress‚ and a high rate of mortality for piglets.PRRS is the “most economically significant disease to affect US swine production since the eradication of classical swine fever‚” according to the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Vaccine programs already rolled out have only been able to reduce symptoms rather than eradicate the disease‚ which is why scientists began exploring gene editing as an alternative.Using CRISPR technology‚ they’ve been able to snip out the part of the DNA that codes for a protein called CD163‚ the virus’s preferred binding point. The effect is reported to be pigs that are immune to PRRS‚ but otherwise function normally.“This is a groundbreaking accomplishment in agriculture toward improving animal health‚ reducing waste‚ lowering production costs‚ and potentially reducing antibiotic use on the farm‚” write the authors of a new paper on the research. “Further‚ applying these learnings to eliminate other livestock diseases that are not only harmful to animals (African Swine Fever) but also to humans (swine influenza) would be a major step to benefit consumers‚ society‚ and the environment.”The project hasn’t been without its setbacks‚ however. Mosaicism saw some gene-edited pigs displaying the desired change to their DNA in some‚ but not all‚ of their cells. Should they reach Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval‚ the gene-edited animals will be available as sperm‚ rather than live animals.Some have also been critical that the solution is missing the point‚ stating that traditional farming practices will continue to give rise to new pathogen threats.“Keeping animals crowded together‚ and in stressful conditions‚ provides an ideal environment for pathogens to spread and evolve‚” Catherine Jadav of Compassion in World Farming said to New Scientist. “If PRRS-resistant pigs are used to perpetuate the current highly intensive model of pig farming‚ then other diseases will continue to develop – bringing disease after disease that ‘requires’ new gene-edited animals.”The study is published in The CRISPR Journal.

It is hard to know the details surrounding the lives of prehistoric people‚ especially when their remains are recovered in unusual places – and especially when they died under mysterious circumstances. One example is the so-called “Vittrup Man”‚ a partial skeleton recovered from a peat bog in northern Denmark during the early 20th century. For years‚ the identity and background of this mysterious and unfortunate man was a mystery‚ though it was clear he had met a violent end before disappearing into the bog. But now‚ with the help of advanced genetic analysis‚ researchers have unlocked fresh details about this man’s past.The coldest of cold casesAs far as we know‚ sometime around 5‚200 years ago‚ an unknown man found himself entangled in some sort of situation that resulted in him being murdered and his body left in a bog in what is now Vittrup‚ Denmark. The man’s remains were first recovered in 1915 and consisted of a right anklebone‚ a lower left shinbone‚ his jawbone‚ and parts of his skull. Intriguingly‚ and like a classic “whodunnit?”‚ the man’s body was recovered alongside a wooden club. The plot thickens.Previous analysis concluded that the Vittrup Man probably died after being beaten over the head around 8 or so times‚ making his death a murder mystery that dates back to around 3100 BCE to 3300 BCE.So who was the Vittrup Man and what led him to this grisly end? Dozens of other Neolithic human remains similar to his have been found in bogs across Europe. These “bog bodies”‚ as they are known‚ are often remarkably well preserved due to the conditions that sealed them away for centuries. Archaeologists think these people could have been killed as part of a ritual sacrifice. In many cases‚ the bones show malformations that may have marked the individual as significant in some way. However‚ the case of Vittrup Man appears slightly different from other examples because of the extremely violent nature of his death.A traveler from overseasDNA analysis of Vittrup Man’s remains has helped shine a light on who he was‚ though the details of his life remain unclear. Firstly‚ his genetic signature was distinct from other remains found within that local area. So Drs Anders Fischer and Karl-Goran Sjögren‚ and colleagues‚ decided to take a closer look.Through an analysis of his tooth enamel‚ which contained traces of strontium‚ carbon‚ and oxygen isotopes‚ the scientists were able to conclude that Vittrup Man had grown up along the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To corroborate this‚ the team found a close match between his DNA and Mesolithic people from Norway and Sweden.At some point in his young adulthood‚ Vittrup Man probably became a farmer. How do we know this? Well‚ isotope and protein analysis of his teeth and bones indicated a shift in diet from coastal food (marine mammals and fish) to farm foods (sheep or goat‚ cereals‚ and dairy) as he aged.It seems the previously mysterious man was also originally part of a northern foraging society‚ but later relocated to a farming society in Denmark. This may have happened naturally‚ as part of a broader migration towards Denmark‚ or‚ as the team suggests in their study‚ he may have been a trader or captive who was integrated into the local society.Regardless of the details of how he ended up in Denmark‚ this new analysis indicates that there was a more detailed and complex level of exchange between Mesolithic and Neolithic societies living in Europe at this time.As the authors explained in a statement‚ “To our knowledge‚ this is the first time that research has been able to map a north European inhabitant’s life history in such a high degree of detail and in such high distance of time.”The study is published in PLOS ONE.

Just imagine you’ve got a tiny cat and a big dog at home. Naturally‚ you’d get a small bed for the cat and a larger one for the dog. It’s just common sense‚ right? But‚ as many pet owners know‚ things don’t always go as planned. You might just walk in to find your little... The post Golden’s comical ‘showdown’ with kitten over bed scores 41M views appeared first on Animal Channel.

Welcome to Woke of the Weak where I’ll update you about the most woke‚ progressive‚ insane‚ and crazy clips and stories that the left thinks is tolerable and well‚ point out why exactly they’re nuts. Our grandparents and great grandparents are probably terrified while up in heaven and looking down at how nutso our world has gotten. Seriously! This week the UK insisted that transgender women‚ so biological men‚ can breastfeed their babies. They‚ along with a transgender individual featured in this week’s video‚ insisted that a baby sucking out discharge from a hairy man’s tit is just as good as the baby drinking his or her mom’s naturally occuring breastmilk. Poor kid! Speaking of poor kids‚ a little boy insisted that he was a little girl and his mom allowed him to actually follow through on it with tutus‚ long hair and nail polish included. This is coming from the same side of the aisle as people who think that God is trans‚ that drag is educational and that a transgender atheist prostitute should have his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.  Going back to the nipple issue for a second‚ one user decided to get her boobs cut off to further her delusion that she’s a boy. She chose to opt out of getting her nipples‚ or her “little burnt pepperonis” as she called them‚ put back on. She said she felt like Aladdin and a Ken Doll. Ironically‚ another user insisted that she wanted a velcro chest so that she could detatch and reattach her boobs based on the outfit she was wearing. Leftist lunacy at its best!!!

Even the title of AP’s piece showed how pro-abort the outlet is. The Associated Press released a hit piece Thursday bashing the idea that some states are thinking about implementing fetal development videos in their schools' sexual education classes. The piece titled‚ “Sex ed classes in some states may soon watch a fetal development video from an anti-abortion group” was chock full of bias and would rather kids be hidden from the truth of what happens during a pregnancy. Presently bills are going through the Kentucky‚ Missouri and West Virginia legislatures that‚ if passed‚ would require or at least suggest for fetal development videos to be played during sex ed classes.  Two years ago the pro-life group Live Action released a video called Baby Olivia. The video highlights the process that a baby experiences in utero to go from a single-celled human to a baby with a beating heart‚ brainwaves‚ fingers and toes. It’s a lovely and accurate depiction of the nine-month process and is very educational.   States like those above‚ as well as North Dakota‚ which passed a similar law last year‚ recognize that. They believe students who are learning about sex and reproduction‚ should learn about the gestational process too. Nonetheless‚ AP is not satisfied with the move. “Baby Olivia isn’t a real baby. It’s an animated fetus that develops over the course of a three-minute video‚” AP asserted. AP critiqued the fact that the video was animated. By that logic‚ should diagrams of penises and and vaginas be actual pictures of penises and vaginas for schools? Or what about the plastic body parts used to understand anatomy? Should those be real body parts then AP? The outlet went on to insist that the Baby Olivia video is “anti-abortion misinformation.” Seeing how a baby develops isn’t anti-abortion. In fact‚ the Baby Olivia video doesn't have anything to do with abortion. It simply points out the fact that at the moment of conception‚ life begins‚ but AP‚ like much of the left‚ doesn't want the public to know that because it goes against their narrative. AP noted that “Iowa physicians and educators said references to fetal ‘heartbeats’ are widely disputed. At six weeks‚ the embryo isn’t yet a fetus and doesn’t have a heart.” It also critiques the words that the Baby Olivia video uses like “playing‚” “exploring‚” “sighing‚” and making “speaking movements.”  “Those words assign human traits and properties to a fetus‚” AP wrote. Yeah … maybe because the "fetus" is a human …? Just a thought. AP did bring in some great points that supporters of the bill made. Iowa Representative Luana Stoltenberg said‚ “What’s the worst that can happen? Maybe a young child learns how they are developed and grow and so if they become pregnant‚ they decide maybe I don’t want an abortion? Is that a horrible thing?” Lila Rose‚ president and founder of Live Action also insisted that critics against playing the video in sex ed classes are in opposition of it because it “directly threatens their worldview‚ which is that this is not a life that is worthy of protection.” AP’s language and phrasing asserted that Rose was incorrect. (HINT: she’s not) In all‚ it’s obvious that AP is threatened by the educational Baby Olivia video. It shows what really happens during a pregnancy and AP‚ like most of the left doesn’t want you to see the truth as it may make you understand that ending life at any stage of a pregnancy is morally wrong.    

Someone failed their high school civics class! Or at least that’s the impression Politico’s democracy investigator‚ Heidi Przybyla left during an appearance on MSNBC’s All In Thursday night. According to the reporter who’s supposedly brushed up on American governance‚ if you understood that your rights as a human came from a higher power‚ it made up part of a dangerous “extremist element” in American politics. She even rhetorically scoffed that people don’t believe we get our rights from Congress. “We hold these truths to be self-evident‚ that all men are created equal‚ that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights‚ that among these are Life‚ Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness‚” was arguably the most well-known line from the Declaration of Independence‚ which set down why the colonies were starting a revolution. But that fact seemed to be ignored or unknown to Przybyla as she lashed out at the political right. She was spurred on by a traitor to the Republican Party‚ former party chairman Michael Steele (filling in for host Chris Hayes) who despised how openly Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) showed his Christian faith: On the other side‚ Heidi‚ you've got the new speaker‚ Mike Johnson‚ who’s not afraid to wear his Christianity on his skleeve [sic] – sleeve‚ his collar‚ his lapel‚ his head‚ wherever he can wear it. How do members react to that? How are they responding to this real strong infusion of Christian nationalism into the body politic of the House?     Przybyla warned that the only people who believed in the idea of Natural Law and actively pushed the notion was the “extremist element” of “Christian Nationalism.” “[T]hey believe that our rights as Americans and as all human beings do not come from any earthly authority. They don't come from Congress‚ they don’t come from the Supreme Court‚ they come from God‚” she scoffed‚ flaunting her ignorance of Christian teachings in general. She did note that Natural Law was “a pillar of Catholicism” and has “been used for good in social justice campaigns. Martin Luther King evoked it in talking about civil rights.” But seemed to play the gender card while also dismissing Natural Law. “The problem from that is that they are determining‚ man – men – it is men‚ are determining what God is telling them‚” she decried. Well‚ Heidi‚ allow us at NewsBusters to give you a little lesson about Natural Law. As noted above‚ Natural Law was a driving force behind the founding of America. Thomas Jefferson also wrote in the Declaration of Independence: “…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them‚ a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Przybyla was rightfully dragged on social media by people all across the political aisle. “The problem here is that literally *ALL* Christians believe our rights come from God‚ @HeidiReports; there is literally not a single Christian denomination that believes otherwise‚” radio host Erick Erickson posted on X.   The problem here is that literally *ALL* Christians believe our rights come from God‚ @HeidiReports; there is literally not a single Christian denomination that believes otherwise. https://t.co/oOVF54rOEs — Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 23‚ 2024   Even NewsNation host Chris Cuomo took aim at her suggestion that our rights come from mortal sources. “Where does the constitution say your rights come from congress? (Cuz they dont)‚” he too posted on X. The flailing continued on Thursday as Przybyla took to X to defend herself‚ doubling down on the false idea that only Christian nationalists believed our rights come from God. “While there are different wings of Christian Nationalism‚ they are bound by their belief that our rights come from God‚” she proclaimed. She also asserted that the so-called Christian nationalists were trying to apply Natural Law to their “man-made policy agenda” like “banning abortion.” Clearly‚ Politico's democracy investigator needs to get a clue. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s All In February 22‚ 2024 8:30:34 p.m. Eastern (…) MICHAEL STEELE: On the other side‚ Heidi‚ you've got the new speaker‚ Mike Johnson‚ who’s not afraid to wear his Christianity on his skleeve [sic] – sleeve‚ is collar‚ his lapel‚ his head‚ wherever he can wear it. How do members react to that? How are they responding to this real strong infusion of Christian nationalism into the body politic of the House? HEIDI PRZYBYLA: I talked with a lot of experts on this and I have seen it with myself with my reporting‚ Michael‚ which is that the base of the Republican Party has shifted. Right? Remember when Trump ran in 2016‚ a lot of the mainline evangelicals wanted nothing to do with the divorced real estate mogul who cheated on his wife with a porn star‚ and all of that. Right? So‚ what happened was that he was surrounded by this more extremist element. You’re going to hear words like “Christian nationalism‚” like the “new apostolic re-formation.” These are groups that you should get very – very schooled on because they have a lot of power in Trump's circle. And the one thing that unites all of them because there's many different groups orbiting Trump. But the thing that unites them as Christian nationalists‚ not Christians‚ by the way – because Christian nationalists is very different – is that they believe that our rights as Americans and as all human beings do not come from any earthly authority. They don't come from Congress‚ they don’t come from the Supreme Court‚ they come from God. The problem from that is that they are determining‚ man – men – it is men‚ are determining what God is telling them. And in the past‚ that so-called natural law is a pillar of Catholicism for instance‚ it’s been used for good in social justice campaigns. Martin Luther king evoked it in talking about civil rights. But now you have an extremist element of conservative Christians‚ who say that this applies specifically to issues including abortion‚ gay marriage‚ and it is going much further than that as you see‚ for instance‚ with the ruling in Alabama‚ this week that judges connected to the dominionist faction in talking about a lot of other issues including surrogacy‚ IVF‚ sex education in schools‚ there's a lot in addition. (…)

If you believe that men should use the men’s restroom and that minors should not be given gender-altering care‚ then the Friday edition of MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart Reports thinks you are partly responsible for the recent death of an Oklahoma teenager who identified as non-binary. Guest host Yasmin Vossoughian welcomed president of the Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson to the show and implied conservatives are the reason why the teen died: Oklahoma's queer community‚ they are reeling and they are demanding answers after the death of a non-binary teen who allegedly faced bullying at school for months. Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died on February 8th one day after their family says they were attacked and assaulted in a bathroom at a school northeast of Tulsa‚ Oklahoma. It's unclear if the attack was related to this bullying. Police saying Benedict did not die as a result of injuries from the fight‚ but the cause of death has not yet been determined. Their death is coming as Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced 54 bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community. The state with the highest number of these anti-LGBTQ bills in the nation and that’s according to the ACLU.      Vossoughian then introduced Robinson‚ who made the connection much more explicitly‚ “There has to be full accountability. It does not take an expert to connect the dots on what happened in this tragic case. We saw a state that leads the pack in anti-LGBTQ+ laws‚ a state that has pushed forward anti-trans bathroom bills‚ gender-affirming care bans‚ they’re trying to get book bans across the finish line‚ and couple that bad legislative action with hateful rhetoric from the governor to the superintendent.” The whole segment was a not very well hidden attempt to get conservatives to shut up‚ as Vossoughian later asked‚ “Again‚ I guess I got to ask you what does accountability look like when this is happening state by state‚ right? Fifty-four bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community in Oklahoma alone and that's not the only state in which we're seeing this.” Robinson reiterated that simply rejecting notions such as gender being immutable is responsible for creating a hateful environment‚ “Yeah‚ the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for the first time in our history last year because of all these pieces of legislation that are moving forward. This year already‚ we've seen nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across this country and every time they are introduced‚ politicians are spewing hate‚ hateful rhetoric towards our community. That's what's creating this culture of violence.” MSNBC would never suggest that the left has created a “culture of violence” when conservatives are on the receiving end of threats‚ but believing what was widely believed by just about everyone a few short years ago makes you responsible for death and high school bullying. Here is a transcript for the February 23 show: MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports 11:37 PM ET YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Oklahoma's queer community‚ they are reeling and they are demanding answers after the death of a non-binary teen who allegedly faced bullying at school for months. Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died on February 8th one day after their family says they were attacked and assaulted in a bathroom at a school northeast of Tulsa‚ Oklahoma. It's unclear if the attack was related to this bullying. Police saying Benedict did not die as a result of injuries from the fight‚ but the cause of death has not yet been determined. Their death is coming as Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced 54 bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community. The state with the highest number of these anti-LGBTQ bills in the nation and that’s according to the ACLU.  With us now to talk more about this is Kelley Robinson‚ president of the Human Rights Campaign. Kelley‚ thanks for joining us on this‚ appreciate it. What do you want to see happen here?  KELLEY ROBINSON: There has to be full accountability. It does not take an expert to connect the dots on what happened in this tragic case. We saw a state that leads the pack in anti-LGBTQ+ laws‚ a state that has pushed forward anti-trans bathroom bills‚ gender-affirming care bans‚ they’re trying to get book bans across the finish line‚ and couple that bad legislative action with hateful rhetoric from the governor to the superintendent. This is a moment where we have to make sure that Nex's life achieves some semblance of justice and we also have to ensure this doesn't happen to another child. So‚ we are calling for full accountability‚ especially for the superintendent‚ Ryan Walters.  … VOSSOUGHIAN: Again‚ I guess I got to ask you what does accountability look like when this is happening state by state‚ right? Fifty-four bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community in Oklahoma alone and that's not the only state in which we're seeing this.  ROBINSON: Yeah‚ the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for the first time in our history last year because of all these pieces of legislation that are moving forward. This year already‚ we've seen nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across this country and every time they are introduced‚ politicians are spewing hate‚ hateful rhetoric towards our community. That's what's creating this culture of violence. So‚ accountability looks like the removal of Superintendent Ryan Walters. It looks like making sure the Department of Justice and the Department of Education use every tool within their power to make sure this is investigated to the fullest extent of the law and ultimately what it looks like is making sure that parents in Oklahoma and across this country are having the ability to support their kids in having welcoming environments‚ especially our black‚ indigenous‚ and kids of color‚ especially our trans and non-binary kids. We can do something to change the outcomes of what is happening in too many states‚ but it demands accountability now. It demands the removal of the superintendent. 

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith claimed that podcaster Pat McAfee did not need to be as well versed in politics as Smith because of his skin color.Smith appeared on "Bussin' with the Boys‚" a podcast hosted by former NFL players Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. Smith commented on the differences between being a a successful host on a show on "linear television" versus podcasting.Lewan asked Smith about McAfee‚ who has had an extremely successful transition to ESPN with his less formulaic podcast‚ which hasn't been afraid to be controversial."You talked about being the man‚ number one for 12 years‚ and you see ESPN making a pivot to McAfee. Obviously great for the network. How do you in your mindset view a guy like McAfee‚ who is extremely good at his job in a lot of ways‚ is changing the course of mainstream media and all those things from a competitive standpoint? And also as a partner.""I'm an aberration in this regard‚" Smith began. "I love Pat McAfee ... love him to death‚ love him to death. I love his swag. I love the fact that he's an honest brother. He don't give a s*** and lets you know exactly where he stands. That's my kind of dude‚ that works for me‚" Smith continued.The broadcaster then alluded to the idea that because of McAfee's race‚ he didn't have the same necessity or requirement to be educated in politics as Smith does."Now‚ is he as polished politically as me? Nope‚ because he has no desire to be‚ number one. And number two‚ if we're being honest‚ he's white and I'm black. He didn't have to be‚ I had to be‚ so I get all of that and I'm not knocking him for it."Smith added that he still roots for McAfee as a "pioneer" in the podcasting field‚ just as he roots for all his friends and competitors. At the same time‚ Smith said he wants to be at the top.McAfee was at the center of controversy for most of 2023 when he had Super Bowl winner Aaron Rodgers on his show multiple times‚ showcasing a public feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.Rodgers has frequently made statements against large pharmaceutical companies‚ throwing McAfee into high-profile debates in the media.McAfee has explained‚ however‚ that his show was not very fond of being involved in "political wars and public beefs‚" adding that he and his fellow co-hosts will try to "avoid as many as possible" in the future. "I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero concrete evidence."\n\nAaron Rodgers gives his side of the controversy with Jimmy Kimmel — (@) Smith has recently been rumored to be replacing host Kimmel on his show after the 56-year-old's latest contract expires.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Critics of DEI have highlighted an apparent celebration of race- and sex-based discrimination in Microsoft's annual "Diversity and Inclusion Report." Microsoft proudly noted in the document that its black‚ Asian‚ and Hispanic employees earn more than their white counterparts. Additionally‚ it revealed that female employees earn more than male coworkers operating at the same level and in the same roles. The possibility that the tech giant is openly engaging in pay discrimination against employees on the basis of their immutable characteristics has prompted condemnation along with calls for legal action. Lindsay-Rae McIntyre‚ Microsoft's chief diversity officer‚ released the company's DEI report on Nov. 1‚ 2023‚ stating‚ "This year's report shows that we continue to be a more diverse Microsoft today than we have ever been. Looking at this year's data as well as our cumulative efforts‚ it's clear that we are driving positive change." In the "pay equity" section of the DEI document‚ Microsoft noted it is "committed to the principle of pay equity. Pay equity accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay‚ including things like job title‚ level‚ and tenure. Our pay equity analysis adjusts for these factors in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work." According to the document‚ as of September 2023‚ all American "racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards eligible combined earned $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure." Employees are "rewards-eligible" if they have worked for more than 90 days in the fiscal year. Such employees account for roughly 94% of Microsoft's workforce. The document specifically states that black‚ Hispanic‚ and so-called "Latinx" employees working in the U.S. earn $1.004 for every dollar alternatively earned by a "rewards-eligible" white employee. Asian employees‚ meanwhile‚ "earn $1.012 for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure." This apparent trend of systemic discrimination is not limited to race. The document indicates that "as of September 2023‚ inside the US‚ women who are rewards eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men" operating at the same level with the same job title. Microsoft appears to have been championing these pay deltas for several years. In its 2019 DEI report‚ the company noted‚ "As of September 2019‚ all racial and ethnic minority employees in the US combined earn $1.006 for every $1.000 earned by their white counterparts." Blaze News reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not receive a response by deadline. Libs of TikTok‚ who drew massive attention to the DEI document Thursday‚ wrote in response to the report‚ "HOLY SHLIT. In Microsoft's official 2023 Diversity &; Inclusion report‚ they openly admit that they are paying white people LESS than other ethnic groups in the name of 'pay equity.'" — (@) South African billionaire Elon Musk posed the question of whether the practice was legal‚ to which Libs of TikTok definitively responded: "No." The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes expressly clear on its website that "race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture‚ skin color‚ or certain facial features). The EEOC notes that federal law prohibits discrimination "when it comes to any aspect of employment‚ including hiring‚ firing‚ pay‚ job assignments‚ promotions‚ layoff‚ training‚ fringe benefits‚ and any other term or condition of employment." America First Legal‚ former Trump adviser Stephen Miller's nonprofit‚ said‚ "This is evidence of blatantly illegal discrimination‚ if true. If you are a Microsoft employee who is getting paid less because you are white or male‚ please contact us today." Michael Seifert‚ the founder and CEO of the unwoke Amazon alternative Public Square‚ wrote‚ "The only 'systemic racism' happening today is against white people." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!