'Foundations that are interested in this topic'

‘I wear a hijab in order to cover my head'

John Bonavia descended into alcoholism and addiction trying to mask childhood wounds‚ including an absent mother and emotional neglect. But the media spotlight during his arrest and trial prodded even deeper scars. Headlines labeled him a “Millionaire Matchmaker Monster” over a domestic assault incident‚ conjuring images of a violent unrepentant abuser. In reality‚ initial charges […]

'Hopefully‚ it goes to plan'

'The hoax calls caused emergency responses' from cops and 'first responders'

'Substantial lobbying pursuits'

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The upcoming hearing on February 16 before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit represents a pivotal moment in the fight for free speech online. This court session will address the significant concerns raised by Eugene Volokh‚ a renowned First Amendment professor and legal blogger‚ alongside social media platforms Rumble and Locals. These parties have joined forces with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)‚ a leading national group advocating for free speech‚ to challenge a contentious New York law. This law‚ enacted in December 2022‚ has been a point of contention for its mandate requiring websites to actively engage with speech considered “humiliating” or “vilifying” toward any group based on race‚ color‚ religion‚ or other protected characteristics. The lawsuit‚ initiated by Volokh‚ Rumble‚ and Locals‚ argues that this requirement infringes on constitutional rights. A federal judge previously sided with this viewpoint‚ deeming the law likely unconstitutional. Following this‚ FIRE secured an injunction against the law’s enforcement‚ prompting New York to appeal. Eugene Volokh confidently anticipates the Second Circuit’s agreement with the District Court’s decision‚ highlighting the absence of a ‘hate speech’ exception within the First Amendment. “The District Court correctly held that the New York law unconstitutionally targeted certain viewpoints‚ since there’s no ‘hate speech’ exception to the First Amendment‚” Volokh stated. Rumble’s Chairman and CEO‚ Chris Pavlovski‚ expressed a strong stance against the law‚ emphasizing Rumble’s dedication to safeguarding free speech. Pavlovski remarked‚ “New York’s law commands social media platforms to crack down on a variety of forms of protected speech‚ and fighting to defend that speech is the very reason Rumble exists. We cannot let activist governments continue to chip away at the freedom of expression‚ which is one of the most basic of all human rights. We are grateful to our partners in this fight‚ Locals‚ Eugene Volokh‚ and FIRE‚ for helping to carry the torch of freedom with us.” The post Second Circuit Set To Hear Oral Arguments in Rumble’s Free Speech Case Against New York’s Online Censorship Law appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Will It Ever Be Acceptable to Simply Expect a Professional WOC to Be Accountable for Their Actions?

In the video game Simcity 2000‚ one of the futuristic types of energy plants was a microwave power plant where solar energy was collected in space and transmitted back down to Earth. That idea is now a reality. Since June last year‚ an experiment in space has been transmitting energy down to Earth via solar panels on a satellite in orbit and now we have the first results of how the experiment is going.Using their Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE)‚ the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD) has showcased that transmitting power in space and from space to Earth is possible. This is the first time solar power has been transmitted from orbit and could be the first step toward a solar power station in space.First launched in January 2023‚ just two months later the device was able to transmit about 100 milliwatts worth of power through space and could easily be refocused to send the beam in any direction. The test sending power to Earth had about 1 milliwatt of power getting to the ground and was conducted three times over eight months.The idea is to create a modular spacecraft constellation around a kilometer in scale that can transmit enough power to provide for 10‚000 homes. Individual 1-meter cube satellites will unfurl into a flat square 50 meters (164 feet) per side with solar cells on one side and microwave transmitters on the other. Because MAPLE can beam energy in any direction‚ the idea is this approach can directly send energy and power to a remote location or during an emergency as it does not require transmission infrastructure."In the same way that the Internet democratized access to information‚ we hope that wireless energy transfer democratizes access to energy‚" lead researcher and co-director of SSPP‚  Ali Hajimiri‚ said last year."No energy transmission infrastructure will be needed on the ground to receive this power. That means we can send energy to remote regions and areas devastated by war or natural disaster."The SSPD has other components being tested alongside MAPLE: DOLCE (Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment)‚ which is testing the architecture deployment structure of the spacecraft‚ and ALBA which is testing the best type of photovoltaic cells to use. Results about them have not been shared yet but they are crucial components for the SSPD.As this experiment is currently a proof-of-concept‚ the new preprint paper describing the results highlights some of the weaker areas of the design and where improvements are needed. The next version will build on this one's strengths and get closer to a fully functioning prototype. The study is awaiting peer review and is available on the ArXiv. [H/T: New Scientist]

"A district the Republicans should have won." That's how‚ on today's Morning Joe‚ Joe Scarborough described yesterday's special election in New York's 3rd district‚ won by the Democrat‚ Tom Suozzi‚ who represented the district from 2017 to 2023‚ and so was the virtual incumbent in the race. He won the district in 2018 by 59-41 percent‚ and in 2020 by 56-43. The election was held to fill the seat vacated by serial fabulist Republican George Santos‚ only the third person since the Civil War to be expelled from the House. There was surely significant voter sentiment wanting to punish Santos retroactively. Moreover‚ it was in a district that in 2020‚ per Ballotpedia‚ Biden carried by over 10 points (although‚ before correcting himself‚ Willie Geist had said‚ trying to support Scarborough's point‚ that Trump won the district in 2020.) Scarborough blamed Trump for the loss. This despite the fact that Mazi Pilip‚ the Republican candidate‚ had distanced herself from Trump‚ never endorsed him‚ declined to say if she even voted for Trump in 2020—and is reportedly still a registered Democrat! Moreover‚ running to be the successor to the disgraced Santos‚ if there was one thing Pilip absolutely had to avoid was being caught "embellishing"—to use Santos' phrase—her resume. But the Democrats at the New York Times published an article on how Pilip had described herself on social media as having been a "paratrooper" in the Israeli military‚ she was not: "She was an armorer maintaining weapons in the paratrooper’s brigade‚ not a paratrooper or trained parachutist. She did not face combat." Trump's post on her loss might have been ungracious‚ calling her a "very foolish woman" for failing to endorse him. But the fact is that Pilip was anything but a MAGA candidate. But Morning Joe the Biden Adviser Show had to parrot a statement put out by the Biden campaign‚ as read by Geist:  "Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump's extreme agenda even a Republican-held seat‚ voters reject them." Morning Joe even needled Trump by adding a statement from Nikki Haley saying "Donald Trump continues to be a huge weight against Republican candidates. Until Republicans wake up‚ we will continue to lose." Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 2/14/24 6:03 am ET JOE SCARBOROUGH: So Willie‚ the big news coming out yesterday in the political world‚ sure to shake up the Republicans‚ yet another loss in an off-year election.  I mean‚ the Republicans just continue to lose. They continue to underperform. This continues to happen in the age of Trump. If you're running in a special election‚ in the age of Trump‚ you're most likely going to lose. I mean‚ Democrats just over -- I mean‚ Donald Trump has turned the Democratic party into the Kansas City chiefs of special elections. Just‚ it's always -- there's always areaction. And there was again last night. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh‚ yeah. SCARBOROUGH: In a district Republicans should have won‚ again! WILLIE GEIST: Exactly. In a district that Donald Trump just won in 2020. A district that George Santos took in 2022. And now it goes back to the Democrats. They're celebrating this morning after former Congressman Tom Suozzi's special election win in New York's third district. The victory against Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip flips that district from red to blue‚ cutting now Republicans' razor-thin majority in the House even closer. He replaces disgraced former Congressman George Santos who was ousted last year.. . .  After Suozzi's win last night in New York‚ the Biden campaign wrote in a statement‚ "Donald Trump lost again tonight. When Republicans run on Trump's extreme agenda even a Republican-held seat‚ voters reject them. Trump and the MAGA extremists in the House are already paying the political price for derailing a bipartisan deal to secure our borders and to fix our broken immigration system." Nikki Haley's campaign also reacted to last night's Democratic victory in New York‚ writing‚ "Let's just say the quiet part out loud. Donald Trump continues to be a huge weight against Republican candidates. Until Republicans wake up‚ we will continue to lose. Time for a new generation of conservative leadership that doesn't turn off the American people." Donald Trump‚ as you can imagine‚ blamed anyone but himself for the loss‚ calling Pilip‚ the Republican candidate‚ a "very foolish woman" and saying his MAGA supporters stayed home again yesterday.  So‚ Joe‚ I think I misspoke. I said Trump won in 2020. I meant‚ Joe Biden won by eight points in 2020. Then it flips to Santos‚ a Republican‚ by eight points in 2022. And now this is looking like another eight-point win‚ or so‚ for the Democrat Tom Suozzi‚ a known entity there‚ a guy people trust.