Recommendable! Don't get spacled by hot air! What goes up, must come down! 😊
Monday, October 31, 2022
Prager University: The DEI Disaster
Very recommendable! DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) is a wonderful demagoguery, because you can not win. If you refuse, you will be called a racist. If you accept, you admit you are a racist. And when is DEI ever going to be satisfied?
TSMC Said to Suspend Work for Chinese Chip Startup Biren Amid US Curbs
If confirmed, this is serious stuff!
"Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has suspended production of advanced silicon for Chinese startup Biren Technology to ensure compliance with US regulations, according to a person familiar with the matter. ..."
China’s space station is almost complete, the third and final module was launched today
This is quite an achievement by China!
"Update: Mengtian launched successfully at 3.37 PM local time on 31 October.
China’s space station Tiangong is almost complete. The third and final module is scheduled to launch into low Earth orbit on Monday [10/31/2022]. The station, only the second laboratory in orbit, is expected to host more than 1,000 scientific experiments over its lifetime of at least 10 years. These include studying the effects of microgravity on living tissues and the behaviour of fires. ...
Researchers from other countries will also have access to the orbiting laboratory, says Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University in Canberra. China has selected nine international experiments to fly to the outpost through a collaborative project with the United Nations, developed by researchers from Japan, Russia, India and Mexico, among others. ..."
Elon Musk gets hilarious 'actual, real email' from Twitter about 'mandatory course' he must finish in 30 days on 'what it means to be a good manager at Twitter'
This is a hilarious story! Elon may have to fire more employees at Twitter!
Life is stranger than fiction! 😊
So much fun for $44 billion!
Nations are renewing interest in climate-friendly nuclear energy amid the energy crisis
Good news! The fear of the peaceful use of nuclear power is largely irrational!
Until we have better alternatives, more nuclear power should be generated! Unreliable environmentally dubious renewable energy is not a solution! The world and its 8 billion human inhabitants need more cheap and dependable energy supply!
Latest technologies suggest very different nuclear power plants will be built in the future. E.g. smaller or more modular power plants, Thorium based etc. etc. I have blogged here about some of the advances.
"Nations around the world are rethinking their longtime reluctance to nuclear energy, following the upending of global energy markets by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ."
A Brief History of Abortion in the U.S. | Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine. Really!
What an absurd distortion of history!
How many women died when those historical abortions were performed?
How many women were forced to undergo abortion in the past?
What contraceptives were available in the past?
Given the much larger family sizes back then, any extra child could be ruinous etc.
"Abortion laws have never been stricter in the U.S. Yet for the first century of the country’s existence—and most of human history before that—abortion was a relatively uncontroversial fact of life.
“Abortion has existed for pretty much as long as human beings have existed,” says Joanne Rosen, JD, MA, a senior lecturer in Health Policy and Management who studies the impact of law and policy on access to abortion.
Until the mid-19th century, the U.S. attitude toward abortion was much the same as it had often been elsewhere throughout history: It was a quiet reality, legal until “quickening” (when fetal motion could be felt by the mother). In the eyes of the law, the fetus wasn’t a “separate distinct entity until then,” but rather an extension of the mother, Rosen explains. ..."
Apple: Chinese workers flee Covid lockdown at iPhone factory in the city of Zhengzhou
These are some of the consequences of the insane zero Covid-19 policy of the dictator for life Xi Jinping!
"Video shared online showed about 10 people jumping a fence outside the plant, owned by manufacturer Foxconn, in the central city of Zhengzhou. ..."
Prize-winning Jerusalem spirits distillery using water extracted and purified from ambient moisture
I toast to that! Amazing stuff!
"... While Thinkers imports winter wheat from France and England, the water in its spirits is drawn from the air of Jerusalem using technology from WaterGen, an Israeli firm that developed a way to extract and purify water from ambient moisture. ..."
Israel’s military cooperation with UAE is ‘revolutionary,’ analysts say
The Abraham Accords keep on giving! Blessed are the peacemakers!
"Israel’s alleged military cooperation with the United Arab Emirates is a “revolutionary” development that could transform the former into a key regional power, defense analysts have stated.
Satellite images from September revealed that the UAE has deployed the Israeli Barak 8 missile defense system in order to defend against Iranian missile and drone attacks, according to a report by the Tactical Report news site. The analysis, which was published on Friday, stated that two Barak launchers in addition to an Elta ELM 2084 radar system were operational near the al-Dhafra airbase south of Abu Dhabi. ..."
Pro-Palestinian, pro-Iran Lula retakes Brazil’s presidency a view from Israel
Israel is certainly not happy that this controversial politician has won the presidential elections again in Brazil!
Brazil is a nice example of the frequent trouble with lifetime career politicians in democracies! Not to mention the demented and senile 46th President of the United States.
The good news is that the general elections of 30 days ago voted many conservative politicians almost in a landslide into office so Lula will have to compromise.
"Jerusalem lost a friend in Brasilia this week[end], when President Jair Bolsonaro, an enthusiastic Israel supporter, lost to former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who is vocally pro-Palestinian and nurtured ties between Brazil and Iran."
Der Anti-Atomstaat - Wie grüne Ministerien die AKW-Rettung blockiert haben
Die Abneigung gegen Atomkraft in der Bananenrepublik D. ist völlig irrational und absurd! Z.B. man schaue mal nur nach Frankreich!
Besonders makaber: Die CDU unter der schrecklichen SED Kanzlerin Merkel hat versucht die Grünen zu überholen!
P.S. Habe den Artikel selbst nicht gelesen, aber die Tendenz scheint richtig zu liegen.
Ist die EU-Mitgliedschaft noch im deutschen Interesse? Und ist die EU noch reformierbar? (Teil 2)
Etwas zum Nachdenken! Die Zentralisierung der EU ist stark fortgeschritten zu Lasten des Föderalismus. Die Europäische Zentralbank hat über viele Jahre mit viel zu lockerer Geldpolitik und ultra niedrigen Zinsen dazu beigetragen die gegenwärtige Inflation anzufeuern.
Kürzlich hat das Europäische Parlament beschlossen die Stecker von Ladegeräten zu vereinheitlichen. So absurd!
Usw. usw.
Germany dismantles wind farm for coal mine expansion and will restart three standby coal fired power plants each producing 300MW
You got to love those news coming out of the banana republic of Germany!
"... German energy giant RWE is tearing down wind turbines to expand a neighboring coal mine in an effort to deal with the country's energy crisis. The area of the wind farm near the small town of Lützerath will be used to expand the Garzweiler open pit mine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The wind farm features eight wind turbines. One wind turbine was dismantled last week, two more are scheduled to be deconstructed some time next year, and the final five will be taken down by the end of 2023. ...
In addition, RWE will reactivate three lignite-fired coal units that were previously on standby. In addition, RWE will reactivate three lignite-fired coal units that were previously on standby. "The three lignite units each have a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW). ..."
In addition, RWE will reactivate three lignite-fired coal units that were previously on standby. In addition, RWE will reactivate three lignite-fired coal units that were previously on standby. "The three lignite units each have a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW). ..."
Ethiopia holds talks over opening banking industry to foreign investors
Good news! The banking sector in Ethiopia was closed to foreign banks for decades.
"The Ethiopian government is in consultation with representatives from its banking industry over the opening up of the sector to foreign investment. A draft proclamation to amend the banking business laws suggests that a foreign bank may be allowed to acquire shares in a domestic bank. The move is part of the government's homegrown economic reforms."
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Grafik: Erwerbstätigkeit Älterer in der EU
Das ist ein ganz schönes Gefälle innerhalb der EU! Wo bleiben die Forderungen nach Frauenquoten? (Vorsicht: Ironie).
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Funding Scheme Unconstitutional
The CFPB seems to be an excellent example of how the U.S. Congress can totally screw up things by creating such a monster!
The path to hell is paved with good intentions! The terrible President Obama failed to veto the horrible Dodd-Frank Act, but he e.g. vetoed the Key Stone pipeline like the demented and senile 46th President and his then Vice President opposed the Key Stone pipeline!
"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is “completely off the separation of powers books.”
So wrote the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in a decision last week holding that the bureau’s independent funding mechanism was unconstitutional because it violated Congress’ exclusive power to appropriate federal funds.
The decision heralds trouble ahead for this powerful and uniquely problematic federal agency.
The most remarkable feature of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is its unaccountability. Created in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Act, the bureau acts (in the words of the Supreme Court) “as a mini legislature, prosecutor, and court” in the realm of consumer affairs, while enjoying near total insulation from the traditional political influences felt in every other sphere of government. ..."
IDF begins drafting women to elite combat units in historic first
Bravo Israel! It is not enough to have female ministers of defense like in the banana republic of Germany land of the gender quotas with three female defense ministers in a row, who have no or little clue what commanding a military means!
This is what I call gender equality! Feminists and others would like men to keep doing the dirty work! Men watch out in the battle of the sexes!
"For the first time, women will be drafted into the IAF’s 669 Search and Rescue Unit beginning this month, the IDF said Sunday [10/29/2022].
Female recruits will undergo various physical and mental screenings for combat positions in the elite unit. The brigade had been closed to women until earlier this year, when IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi approved the integration of women. ...
The IDF’s Airborne Combat, Search and Rescue Unit 669 is one of the four special forces of the IDF. Though more than 1,200 cadets on average try out for the elite unit, only a small fraction graduate the course. The course, which lasts about 20 months, is considered to be particularly intense, with cadets training in the air, on land and at sea.
Women will also be eligible for the Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit beginning in March 2023. Those who pass the initial screening but not the final process will be eligible for other roles. ..."
More on the politicization of the U.S. Department of Justice under the 46th President
Presumably, the demented and senile 46th President does not even know or care what is going on in his administration!
How is it even possible that such an unhinged partisan person is appointed to such a position?
Hopefully, congressional oversight will be restored after the mid-term elections!
"... Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice, is a vocal abortion proponent who has repeatedly expressed her support for preserving Roe v. Wade. She also oversees investigations into violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act—which she has used to charge 26 pro-life individuals this year.
“It appears she’s violating her oath of office and she’s violating her duty, which is to fairly administer the law regardless of political views,” John Daukas, former acting assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Trump administration, told The Daily Signal. “She appears only to be prosecuting groups that she doesn’t like, doesn’t agree with.” ...
She has called Alliance Defending Freedom a “hate group” and Liberty University a “fundamentalist Christian school.” She has said that those protesting Dr. Anthony Fauci should be “publicly identified and named, barred from treatment at any public hospital if/when they fall ill and denied coverage under their insurance.”"
She has called Alliance Defending Freedom a “hate group” and Liberty University a “fundamentalist Christian school.” She has said that those protesting Dr. Anthony Fauci should be “publicly identified and named, barred from treatment at any public hospital if/when they fall ill and denied coverage under their insurance.”"
Artificial intelligence powers record-breaking all-in-one miniature spectrometers
Amazing stuff! This could be a major breakthrough! The possibilities are enormous! Will your next smartphone also come with a spectrometer?
"... Now, an international team of researchers, including the University of Cambridge, have designed a miniaturised spectrometer that breaks all current resolution records, and does so in a much smaller package, thanks to computational programmes and artificial intelligence.
The new miniaturised devices could be used in a broad range of sectors, from checking the quality of food to analysing starlight or detecting faint clues of life in outer space. ...
The result is an all-in-one spectrometer thousands of times smaller than current commercial systems. At the same time, it offers performance comparable to benchtop systems. In other words, these new spectrometers will provide portable alternatives to uncover otherwise invisible information, without even going into the lab. ...
The detector uses van der Waals heterostructures – a ‘sandwich’ of different ingredients, including graphene, molybdenum disulfide, and tungsten diselenide. Different combinations of material components enable light detection beyond the visible spectrum, as far as the near-infrared region. This means the spectrometer detects more than just colour, enabling applications such as chemical analysis and night vision. ..."
The new miniaturised devices could be used in a broad range of sectors, from checking the quality of food to analysing starlight or detecting faint clues of life in outer space. ...
The result is an all-in-one spectrometer thousands of times smaller than current commercial systems. At the same time, it offers performance comparable to benchtop systems. In other words, these new spectrometers will provide portable alternatives to uncover otherwise invisible information, without even going into the lab. ...
The detector uses van der Waals heterostructures – a ‘sandwich’ of different ingredients, including graphene, molybdenum disulfide, and tungsten diselenide. Different combinations of material components enable light detection beyond the visible spectrum, as far as the near-infrared region. This means the spectrometer detects more than just colour, enabling applications such as chemical analysis and night vision. ..."
"Optical spectrometers can measure the intensity of light with spectral resolution. Although laboratory benchtop spectrometer systems offer high resolution and wide spectral range, their large size hampers them from being more widely adopted for general consumer products, such as wearable electronics. The miniaturization of spectrometers is crucial to making them cheaper and easier to integrate with other devices, which can help expand the use of such a powerful analytical tool. There is a wide range of potential applications for cheap and small-sized spectrometers, from detecting counterfeit pharmaceuticals and banknotes to monitoring specific biosignals. On page 296 of this issue, Yoon et al. (1) present a design for an ultraminiaturized spectrometer with performance approaching that of benchtop systems."
"Miniaturizing spectrometers
High-resolution spectrometry tends to be associated with bench-sized machines. Recent efforts on computational spectrometers have shown that this physical footprint can be shrunk by using nanowires and two-dimensional (2D) materials, but these devices are often associated with limited performance. Yoon et al. developed a single-detector computational spectrometer using an electrically tunable spectral response of a single junction comprising 2D van der Waal materials (see the Perspective by Quereda and Castellanos-Gomez). The electrically tunable spectral response and high performance of the tiny detector are promising for the further development of computational spectrometers."
From the abstract:
"Miniaturized computational spectrometers, which can obtain incident spectra using a combination of device spectral responses and reconstruction algorithms, are essential for on-chip and implantable applications. Highly sensitive spectral measurement using a single detector allows the footprints of such spectrometers to be scaled down while achieving spectral resolution approaching that of benchtop systems. We report a high-performance computational spectrometer based on a single van der Waals junction with an electrically tunable transport-mediated spectral response. We achieve high peak wavelength accuracy (∼0.36 nanometers), high spectral resolution (∼3 nanometers), broad operation bandwidth (from ∼405 to 845 nanometers), and proof-of-concept spectral imaging. Our approach provides a route toward ultraminiaturization and offers unprecedented performance in accuracy, resolution, and operation bandwidth for single-detector computational spectrometers."
An ultraminiaturized spectrometer (no public access) Scaling down spectrometers could allow their application in consumer devices.
Miniaturized spectrometers with a tunable van der Waals junction (no public access)
On-chip spectrometer on a fingertip
Puzzling astronomical observations support alternative theory of gravity questioning the existence of dark matter
Amazing stuff! Are we finally able to explain Dark Matter/Energy? For almost a century scientists got away explaining the universe using such obscure terms like Dark Matter for lack of better knowledge.
Learn how the Phantom of Ramses code was involved in this study! Astronomers have too much fun! 😊
This work raises the interesting question whether the force of gravity is influenced by velocity or motion.
"... An international team of astrophysicists had been investigating open star clusters, which contain thousands of young stars being born from a large cloud of dust and gas. These clusters have a relatively short lifespan before they dissolve, as the stars drift into two “tails” – one in front of the cluster and one behind.
“According to Newton's laws of gravity, it's a matter of chance in which of the tails a lost star ends up,” ... “So both tails should contain about the same number of stars. However, in our work we were able to prove for the first time that this is not true: In the clusters we studied, the front tail always contains significantly more stars nearby to the cluster than the rear tail.” ...
In the past it’s been tricky to determine which of a cluster’s stars belong to which tail, but the researchers on the new study developed a method to do so. They call it the Jerabkova-compact-convergent-point (CCP) method, and this was applied to data on four open star clusters gathered by surveys like the Gaia mission. To their surprise they found that in all four clusters, the leading tail had far more stars than the trailing one, in an apparent contradiction of Newton’s laws. ...
So, the team then simulated the movements of stars in these clusters according to a different hypothesis, known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). Essentially, this model suggests that gravity’s effects are stronger at low accelerations than they are in Newton’s laws. And intriguingly, this model’s predictions lined up very well with the observations. ...
Another major implication of MOND could shake up astrophysics as we know it – if it was true, then dark matter wouldn’t exist. This mysterious substance was conjured up in the 1930s to explain discrepancies in the observed motion of stars and galaxies, which were seen to be moving much too fast for how much mass they apparently contained. Dark matter fills the gap by adding huge amounts of invisible mass, which scientists have been searching for ever since. Decades of experiments designed to detect dark matter particles have come up empty. ..."
So, the team then simulated the movements of stars in these clusters according to a different hypothesis, known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). Essentially, this model suggests that gravity’s effects are stronger at low accelerations than they are in Newton’s laws. And intriguingly, this model’s predictions lined up very well with the observations. ...
Another major implication of MOND could shake up astrophysics as we know it – if it was true, then dark matter wouldn’t exist. This mysterious substance was conjured up in the 1930s to explain discrepancies in the observed motion of stars and galaxies, which were seen to be moving much too fast for how much mass they apparently contained. Dark matter fills the gap by adding huge amounts of invisible mass, which scientists have been searching for ever since. Decades of experiments designed to detect dark matter particles have come up empty. ..."
"... "In most cases, open star clusters survive only a few hundred million years before they dissolve,"... In the process, they regularly lose stars, which accumulate in two so-called "tidal tails." One of these tails is pulled behind the cluster as it travels through space. The other, in contrast, takes the lead like a spearhead. ...
Until now, it has been almost impossible to determine from among the millions of stars close to a cluster those that belong to its tails. "To do this, you have to look at the velocity, direction of motion and age of each of these objects," ... She developed a method that allowed her to accurately count the stars in the tails for the first time. ..."
Until now, it has been almost impossible to determine from among the millions of stars close to a cluster those that belong to its tails. "To do this, you have to look at the velocity, direction of motion and age of each of these objects," ... She developed a method that allowed her to accurately count the stars in the tails for the first time. ..."
From the abstract:
"After their birth a significant fraction of all stars pass through the tidal threshold (práh) of their cluster of origin into the classical tidal tails. The asymmetry between the number of stars in the leading and trailing tails tests gravitational theory. All five open clusters with tail data (Hyades, Praesepe, Coma Berenices, COIN-Gaia 13, NGC 752) have visibly more stars within dcl≈50pc of their centre in their leading than their trailing tail. Using the Jerabkova-compact-convergent-point (CCP) method, the extended tails have been mapped out for four nearby 600–2000 Myr old open clusters to dcl>50pc. These are on near-circular Galactocentric orbits, a formula for estimating the orbital eccentricity of an open cluster being derived. Applying the Phantom of Ramses code to this problem in Newtonian gravitation the tails are near-symmetrical. In Milgromian dynamics (MOND), the asymmetry reaches the observed values for 50 < dcl/pc < 200 being maximal near peri-galacticon, and can slightly invert near apo-galacticon, and the Küpper epicyclic overdensities are asymmetrically spaced. Clusters on circular orbits develop orbital eccentricity due to the asymmetrical spill-out, therewith spinning up opposite to their orbital angular momentum. This positive dynamical feedback suggests Milgromian open clusters to demise rapidly as their orbital eccentricity keeps increasing. Future work is necessary to better delineate the tidal tails around open clusters of different ages and to develop a Milgromian direct n-body code."
Astronomy: Observation puzzles researchers Finding cannot be explained by classical assumptions.
Asymmetrical tidal tails of open star clusters: stars crossing their cluster’s práh† challenge Newtonian gravitation (no public access)
Asymmetrical tidal tails of open star clusters: stars crossing their cluster's prah challenge Newtonian gravitation (preprint, open access)
In the star cluster "Hyades" (top), the number of stars (black) in the front tidal tail is significantly larger than those in the rear. In the computer simulation with MOND (below), a similar picture emerges.
U.S. Senate Committee interim report details 'substantial evidence' COVID-19 came from Wuhan lab
This news was barely covered nor got any attention! I have argued here several times that a lab leak was quite possible. I did not have the time to read the interim report.
From the official press release:
"Key Highlights:
Experts have proposed two dominant theories on the origins of the virus: (1) the virus is the result of a natural zoonotic spillover or (2) the virus infected humans as a consequence of a research-related incident. This report has reviewed open-source, publicly available information relevant to the origins of the virus.
While it remains possible that SARS-CoV-2 emerged as a result of a natural zoonotic spillover, facts and evidence found in previous documented zoonotic spillover events have not, to date, been identified in relation to this pandemic.Such gaps include the failure to identify the original host reservoir, the failure to identify a candidate intermediate host species, and the lack of serological or epidemiological evidence showing transmission from animals to humans, among others outlined in this report. As a result of these evidentiary gaps, it is hard to treat the natural zoonotic spillover theory as the presumptive origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Substantial evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic was the result of a research-related incident associated with a laboratory in Wuhan, China. A research-related incident is consistent with the early epidemiology showing rapid spread of the virus exclusively in Wuhan with the earliest calls for assistance being located in the same district as the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s (WIV) original campus in central Wuhan. The WIV is an epicenter of advanced coronavirus research, where researchers have collected samples of and experimented on high-risk coronaviruses.
This report describes a pattern of persistent biosafety problems at the WIV as indicated by a series of patents and procurements relevant to the biocontainment of a highly-pathogenic virus, like SARS-CoV-2. Also outlined in this report are a series of management and training concerns at the WIV further indicating biosafety problems and an unsafe work environment for laboratory personnel. The research-related incident hypothesis also explains the low genetic diversity of the earliest known SARS-CoV-2 human infections and the failure to identify an intermediate host and any animal infections pre-dating human COVID-19 cases.
This investigation’s interim report concludes that SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting COVID-19 global pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident associated with coronavirus research in Wuhan, China. "
‘100 Schools in 10 Years’, Award-Winning Microschool Founder Shares Her Vision
Government run schools need more competition! Privatize the education of our children! Home schooling, online schooling, or microschools etc. Variety is the spice of life!
"... At the same time, Alleyne was also feeling dissatisfied in her job as a certified special education teacher and school counselor in a Florida public charter school. She saw kids being bullied by other students, as well as being yelled at by teachers. Dismayed but determined, Alleyne began plotting what would eventually become Kind Academy, an award-winning microschool, or small, mixed-aged, co-learning community, in Coral Springs, Florida.
Centered around kindness to oneself, others and the world, Kind Academy officially began in 2016 as a two-day a week, drop-off program for homeschoolers, including her son, that blended academics and nature-based learning.
In 2019, Alleyne helped another Florida microschool founder, Laurel Suarez, open Compass Outreach, the first brick-and-mortar microschool in Fort Lauderdale. Having a designated building enabled many more students to gain access to a microschool through the state’s school choice tax-credit scholarship programs.
Working with Suarez helped Alleyne to imagine what was possible for her fledgling microschool, and earlier this year she moved Kind Academy from a mostly nomadic program to a dedicated location that would also offer school choice scholarship eligibility. Today, Kind Academy serves 25 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with four teachers in addition to Alleyne.
She’s only just getting started. “My dream is 100 schools in 10 years,” said Alleyne, who hopes to scale her microschool network nationwide. ..."
Iman Alleyne of Kind Academy
The facts regarding Taiwan’s email to alert WHO to possible danger of COVID-19 - Taiwan Centers for Disease Control
Indeed Taiwan, which was monitoring disease outbreaks in mainland China warned the Who and others at the end of 2019 of a potential new, fast spreading SARS like disease.
The statement by the Taiwan CDC does not mention whether it informed Western health authorities about the new outbreak. I suspect, they did.
"In response to WHO’s denial that Taiwan ever alerted it to the possibility of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center makes the following statement today, April 11 [2020]:
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) learned from online sources that there had been at least seven cases of atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, China. In China, the term “atypical pneumonia” is commonly used to refer to SARS, a disease transmitted between humans caused by coronavirus.
Owing to its experience with the SARS epidemic in 2003, Taiwan vigilantly kept track of information about the new outbreak. On December 31, 2019, Taiwan sent an email to the International Health Regulations (IHR) focal point under the World Health Organization (WHO), informing WHO of its understanding of the disease and also requesting further information from WHO. Given the lack of clarity at the time, as well as the many rumors that were circulating, Taiwan’s aim was to ensure that all relevant parties remained alert, especially since the outbreak occurred just before the Lunar New Year holiday, which typically sees tremendous amounts of travel. To be prudent, in the email we took pains to refer to atypical pneumonia, and specifically noted that patients had been isolated for treatment. Public health professionals could discern from this wording that there was a real possibility of human-to-human transmission of the disease. However, because at the time there were as yet no cases of the disease in Taiwan, we could not state directly and conclusively that there had been human-to-human transmission.
The Taiwan CDC also contacted the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a bid to obtain more information. However, in response to our inquiries, the WHO IHR focal point only responded with a short message stating that Taiwan’s information had been forwarded to expert colleagues; China provided only a press release.
Even though Taiwan strongly suspected that human-to-human transmission of the disease was already occurring at the time, we were unable to gain confirmation through existing channels. Therefore, on the day the aforementioned email was sent to WHO, the Taiwan government activated enhanced border control and quarantine measures based on the assumption that human-to-human transmission was in fact occurring. These measures included screening passengers on flights from Wuhan prior to disembarkation.
In mid-January [2020], the Taiwan CDC dispatched experts to Wuhan to gain a better understanding of the epidemic, the control measures taken there, and patients’ exposure history. Based on preliminary research, Taiwan determined that this form of pneumonia could indeed spread via human-to-human transmission."
Catalytic Converter Theft in the U.S. Surges to 52,000 in 2021 as Precious Metals Attract Criminal Groups
These catalytic converters were introduced in the 1970s, why are they now such a hot commodity for thieves? What changed?
"Rough number of catalytic converters stolen last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, three times as many as in 2020 and a more than 10-fold increase from 2019. The high prices of precious metals used in these car-exhaust components have triggered a crime wave. The devices fetch hundreds of dollars for criminals but can cost several thousand dollars to replace, according to police."
Is this the reason?
Watch These Dancers Rock The Soul Train Line!
Enjoy! Get in the groove! I miss Soul Train! What a great show!
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Greg Kelly: I have a LOT of questions about the attack on Nany Pelosi's husband
Recommendable! Was there something fishy about this attack? It almost appears so! Maybe desperate measures to counter the prospect of crushing election results for the Dimocratic Party!
It is very convenient that the husband of Speaker of the House was reportedly attacked just a few days before the mid-term elections when 82 year old nutty and erratic Nancy Pelosi most likely will have to give up her gavel and finally retire!
The untold story of Rishi Sunak
Recommendable! The new Prime Minister also has family ties to to east Africa. His wife is the daughter of the founder of the Indian multi-national IT company Infosys. Very impressive!
English for trippers: How fat can a fad get?
Take e.g. the current obsession with and drama about gender dysphoria and transgender. How much of this is a typical transient human fad or folly?
Only the future will tell.
Wisconsin appeals court outlaws practice of spoiling absentee ballots to vote again
Good news! That is an interesting trick to manipulate the outcome of an election!
In the 2020 presidential election, Biden won by just over 20,000 votes.
How much can you get paid for doing that? Who is out there offering money for this activity?
English for trippers: A clerk clerking for a cleric?
Is clerking for a cleric possible? You'll be the judge for whom to clerk!
No clerical error intended! 😊
AI diagnostics in Medicine Is Overhyped. Really!
So far AI and machine learning have delivered some superior results in specialized applications (e.g. Chess, Go, Poker, video games). Medical diagnostics is actually very suitable for the application of machine learning and computer vision.
The authors are basically accusing AI researchers of cheating by using held out test data for training their models! This is actually quite an accusation coming from two associate professors at the Arizona State University. Even if researchers cheated in such a way, this can be countered very easily by creating new datasets to test the models again or by third parties training the model again without any of the test data.
Then, the author s resort to the very specious and most of the times suspicious "no silver bullet" argument! Of course, there are no silver bullets in live! What is the point!
"However, mistakes by AI models that support doctors’ clinical decisions can mean life or death. Therefore, it’s critical that we understand how well these models work before deploying them. Published reports of this technology currently paint a too-optimistic picture of its accuracy, which at times translates to sensationalized stories in the press. Media are rife with discussions of algorithms that can diagnose early Alzheimer’s disease with up to 74 percent accuracy or that are more accurate than clinicians. The scientific papers detailing such advances may become foundations for new companies, new investments and lines of research, and large-scale implementations in hospital systems. In most cases, the technology is not ready for deployment.
Here’s why: As researchers feed data into AI models, the models are expected to become more accurate, or at least not get worse. However, our work and the work of others has identified the opposite, where the reported accuracy in published models decreases with increasing data set size. ...
And why does the research say that reported accuracy decreases with increasing data set size? Ideally, the held-out data are never seen by the scientists until the model is completed and fixed. However, scientists may peek at the data, sometimes unintentionally, and modify the model until it yields a high accuracy, a phenomenon known as data leakage. By using the held-out data to modify their model and then to test it, the researchers are virtually guaranteeing the system will correctly predict the held-out data, leading to inflated estimates of the model’s true accuracy. ...
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for reliably validating clinical AI models. Every tool and every clinical population are different. ..."
And why does the research say that reported accuracy decreases with increasing data set size? Ideally, the held-out data are never seen by the scientists until the model is completed and fixed. However, scientists may peek at the data, sometimes unintentionally, and modify the model until it yields a high accuracy, a phenomenon known as data leakage. By using the held-out data to modify their model and then to test it, the researchers are virtually guaranteeing the system will correctly predict the held-out data, leading to inflated estimates of the model’s true accuracy. ...
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for reliably validating clinical AI models. Every tool and every clinical population are different. ..."
Credits: Last Week in AI
Engineered porous silica made from purified sand gain momentum as obesity treatment
Good news! Sounds simple, safe, and convenient! It appears that several studies have now confirmed these results.
"... A new study has bolstered the potential of silica particles made from this material by showing how they block enzyme activity to hamper the body’s uptake of fats and sugars, while also hinting at the ideal design for the optimal anti-obesity effects. ...
The research ... builds on earlier work exploring how engineered silica particles can impact the way the body absorbs energy from high-fat foods. Previous studies have shown mesoporous silica particles can drive weight loss in obese mice when added to their diet, and can be safely tolerated in male humans as a food additive. One 2020 paper also hinted at the best shape and size of particle to induce anti-obesity effects. ...
"... research shows how porous silica promotes an anti-obesity effect by functioning locally in the gut to restrict fat and carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Importantly, the gentle mechanism is expected to deliver clinically effective outcomes for weight loss, without adverse effects.” ...
by hampering activity of digestive enzymes called α-Amylas and pancreatic lipase in the gastrointestinal tract ..."
by hampering activity of digestive enzymes called α-Amylas and pancreatic lipase in the gastrointestinal tract ..."
From the abstract:
"The potential for porous silica to serve as an effective anti-obesity agent has received growing attention in recent years. However, neither the exact pharmacological mechanism nor the fundamental physicochemical properties of porous silica that drive its weight-lowering effect are well understood. Subsequently, in this study, an advanced in vitro digestion model capable of monitoring lipid and carbohydrate digestion was employed to elucidate the effect of porous silica supplementation on digestive enzyme activities. A suite of porous silica samples with contrasting physicochemical properties was investigated, where it was established that the inhibitory action of porous silica on digestive enzyme functionality was strongly dependent on porous nanostructure, particle size and morphology, and surface chemistry. Insights derived from this study validate the capacity of porous silica to impede the digestive processes mediated by pancreatic lipase and α-amylase within the gastrointestinal tract, while the subtle interplay between porous nanostructure and enzyme inhibition indicates that the anti-obesity effect can be optimized through strategic particle design."
Corrupted endothelial cells protect blood cancer cells from chemotherapy
Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!
"Endothelial cells – the cells that line blood vessels – grown alongside leukemia cells become corrupted and rescue the cancer cells from many chemotherapy drugs ...
A growing body of evidence suggests that genetic mutations are not enough to cause cancer; tumor cells also need the right environment to grow. ...
About 30% of patients with T-ALL [leukemia] don’t respond to chemotherapy, and some successfully treated patients will have a recurrence years later ...
A growing body of evidence suggests that genetic mutations are not enough to cause cancer; tumor cells also need the right environment to grow. ...
About 30% of patients with T-ALL [leukemia] don’t respond to chemotherapy, and some successfully treated patients will have a recurrence years later ...
build and test a library of 433 drug compounds on the tumor cells alone. They used a high-volume automated platform to test the drugs.
Next, they tested the drugs again on T-ALL cells grown with an endothelial cell line ... They found that these tumor cells were resistant to many chemotherapies, and they became more aggressive. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed changes in gene expression affecting multiple gene pathways in both endothelial and cancer cells grown together. The endothelial cells became corrupted and expressed genes that promote cancer growth. Endothelial cells extracted from T-ALL tumors expressed the same genes, suggesting the model recreates what happens in the body. ..."
From the abstract:
"Key Points
We generated 22 T-ALL PDX models to identify T-ALL liabilities and investigate the interplay between leukaemia and endothelial cells.
We identified active compounds, some of which were effective in-vivo. Interacting EC and T-ALL underwent reciprocal transcriptomic changes.
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive and often incurable disease. To uncover therapeutic vulnerabilities, we first developed T-ALL patient-derived tumor-xenografts (PDX) and exposed PDX cells to a library of 433 clinical-stage compounds in vitro. We identified 39 broadly active compounds with anti-leukemia activity. Since endothelial cells (ECs) can alter drug responses in T-ALL, we developed an endothelial cells (ECs) / T-ALL co-culture system. We found that ECs provide pro-tumorigenic signals and mitigate drug responses to individual T-ALL PDX. ECs broadly rescued several compounds in most of the models, while other drugs were rescued only in individual PDXs suggesting unique crosstalk interactions and/or intrinsic tumor features. Mechanistically, co-cultured T-ALL and ECs underwent bi-directional transcriptomic changes at the single-cell level, highlighting distinct "education signatures". These changes were linked to a bi-directional regulation of multiple pathways in T-ALL and ECs. Remarkably, in-vitro EC-educated T-ALL cells mirrored ex-vivo splenic T-ALL at the single-cell resolution. Lastly, five effective drugs from the two drug screenings were tested in vivo and shown to effectively delay tumor growth/dissemination and prolonging the overall survival (OS). We anticipate that this T-ALL-EC platform can contribute to elucidating leukemia-microenvironment interactions and identify effective compounds and therapeutic vulnerabilities."
After Anthony Fauci, John Kerry considering fleeing Biden administration, escaping GOP scrutiny
Good news! The rats are leaving the sinking ship!
After Anthony Fauci, now the utter lifetime fool John Kerry! Good riddance!
"Jet-setting climate czar John Kerry is reportedly thinking of fleeing the Biden administration just before a potential GOP takeover of Congress, escaping likely scrutiny into his payroll and globetrotting ways. ..."
Government workers across Atlantic Canada receive 11.9% higher wages, on average, than comparable private-sector workers
How fair are wages and salaries of government employees compared to private sector employees? As far as Western countries are concerned, this is a good question and it is probably only infrequently researched.
Compensation of the many government employees is also a form of vote buying on all levels of government!
Theoretically, government has the power to pay their employees any wages and salaries irrespective of prevailing and comparable private sector compensation.
"... government-sector workers (federal, provincial, and local) in the Atlantic provinces enjoyed an 11.9% wage premium, on average, over their private-sector counterparts in 2021. When the wage difference between unionized and non-unionized workers is taken into account, the wage premium for the government sector declines to 7.2%. ..."
Measuring Progressivity in Canada’s Tax System 2022
This a typical and widespread phenomenon that about 1/5 or 1/4 of taxpayers pay significantly more than 50% of all taxes is typical for other Western countries too, e.g. the U.S.
Is it some kind of Robin Hood principle enforced by government or is it some form of expropriation called income redistribution?
I recently blogged here about the importance of flat income taxation.
"... However, high-income families already pay a disproportionately large share of all Canadian taxes. Indeed, the evidence shows that the top 20 percent of income-earning families pay nearly two-thirds (61.4 percent) of the country’s personal income taxes and more than half (53.0 percent) of total taxes.
In contrast, the bottom 20 percent of income-earning families are estimated to pay only 0.8 percent of all federal and provincial personal income taxes and 2.1 percent of total taxes in Canada. This is, in part, due to the progressivity of Canada’s tax system, where the share of taxes paid typically increases as income rises. ..."
Republicans, Don't Be Fooled By Fraudulent Left-Wing Polls
This is an interesting proposition! There are many forms of voter suppression and the Dimocrats and their allies are experts in how to use them!
"... Left-leaning journalists take particular delight in using flawed polling to construct distorted narratives to discourage conservative voters from showing up at the voting booth. ...
This is psychological warfare. It’s part of a broad media strategy to use bad polling to skew the outcome of the midterm elections and suppress conservative voter turnout — and we shouldn’t fall for it. ...
This comes as no surprise. The Democrats have been weaponizing polling for years, so now both political acolytes and campaigns know there are two distinct kinds of polls: those used internally by campaigns, with a stringent methodology to produce accurate results, and those designed as propaganda for public consumption. ..."
This is psychological warfare. It’s part of a broad media strategy to use bad polling to skew the outcome of the midterm elections and suppress conservative voter turnout — and we shouldn’t fall for it. ...
This comes as no surprise. The Democrats have been weaponizing polling for years, so now both political acolytes and campaigns know there are two distinct kinds of polls: those used internally by campaigns, with a stringent methodology to produce accurate results, and those designed as propaganda for public consumption. ..."
Quote of the day: "... and the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan"
These are very true words! A vicious cycle beloved by so many lifelong career politicians and government bureaucrats!
Take e.g. the intention of the EU to ban all combustion engine cars by 2035!
The quote is taken from Ronald Reagan's speech Address on Behalf of Senator Barry Goldwater: "A Time for Choosing"
Olaf Scholz ist überfordert mit Europa
Ansichten aus der Schweiz zur Bananenrepublik D.!
Nicht nur mit Europa ist er überfordert! Da ist noch Bundeskasper Lauterbach! Ein fauler Atomkompromiss u.v.m.
Darüber hinaus sieht Olaf noch ziemlich spießig aus! Spießbürger im Kanzleramt!
Robotics coffee startup in the U.S. attracts investment
They did not say anything whether the coffee would be cheaper!
When can I get a robot as a kitchen maid? 😊
Was the Azores home to an ancient civilisation?
Amazing stuff! It seems to confirm again that the seafaring capabilities of our remote ancestors were much better than expected. Unfortunately, the video does not mention any human remains.
RUSSIA-INDIA | A Failing Friendship?
Very recommendable! Russia is now more dependent on the the up and coming superpower India!
Janis Joplin - Piece Of My Heart (1969) Frankfurt, Germany
Enjoy! This video was posted by the Pretzelfarmer! 😊 I did not know that Janis gave a concert at the Jahrhundertalle in my home town. I was just 8 years old back then and I lived only less than a mile away from this concert!
Janis asked several guests in the audience to come up on the stage with her to have a session.
Friday, October 28, 2022
Russian soldiers are surrendering en masse in Ukraine
Good news assuming this is not simply war propaganda! Bravo to those Russian soldiers, who surrender!
"More than 3,000 Russian soldiers have turned to the Ukrainian 'hot line' for those who want to surrender rather than fight."
Angry protesters in Iran target scholars & clerics as Iranians adopt a new symbol of protest
Wow! This news report shows several short amateur videos showing protesters removing the turban of a cleric in public!
There is still no leader of the protests known!
The Middle East and the world would be a much better place without the militaristic theocratic dictatorship in Iran!
Over 40 years of militaristic theocratic dictatorship in Iran is enough!
Deutschlands Bitte um Freigabe der Gepard-Munition sorgt in der Schweiz für Irritation
Die USA haben einen dementen und senilen 46igsten Präsidenten und die Bananenrepublik D. hat Olaf Scholz! Wirklich toll!
Es wird höchste Zeit, dass die Bananenrepublik wieder einen männlichen Verteidigungsminister bekommt nach drei weiblichen in Folge! Frauen mussten und müssen in D. nicht dienen, daher ist es auch ziemlich vermessen, dass Frauen so oft von oben führen dürfen! Wieviele weibliche Generäle hat die Bundeswehr, die nicht Sanitäter sind? Wieviele Frauen haben den Wunsch einmal General zu werden?
Ein glaubhafte und wirksame Verteidigung ist kein Spielplatz für Quoten, Gleichberechtigung etc.!
Ein glaubhafte und wirksame Verteidigung ist kein Spielplatz für Quoten, Gleichberechtigung etc.!
"Die deutsche Verteidigungsministerin Christine Lambrecht hat in einem Brief an Bundesrätin Viola Amherd, die Vorsteherin des Verteidigungsdepartements (VBS) in Bern, um die Freigabe von Munition für den Gepard-Flugabwehrpanzer an die Ukraine gebeten. Dass der Brief gleichzeitig offenbar nach Hamburg an das Nachrichtenmagazin «Spiegel» geschickt wurde, sorgte in der Schweiz für Irritationen. In der Bundesverwaltung in Bern ist man nicht amüsiert darüber, dass die Medien bereits über Lambrechts Wiedererwägungsgesuch Bescheid wussten, bevor das Schreiben auf Amherds Tisch lag. Zum Bericht
Darum ist es wichtig: Irritierend für Bern ist auch, dass der Brief im Umfeld der G-7-Konferenz eintrifft. Kaum ein anderes Land hat sich in den letzten Monaten mehr um den Wiederaufbau der Ukraine bemüht als die Schweiz."
Remarks on: Toward Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence: Catalyzing the NeuroAI Revolution
This very recent paper was authored by Yoshua Bengio, Yann LeCun, Timothy Lillicrap among others.
Some excerpts:
- "... we must invest in fundamental research in NeuroAI ..."
[Maybe not!] - "... as profound as the computer revolution of the last half century ..."
[That is funny! Did the computer revolution not start already in World War II, then there were the mainframes (e.g. IBM) in the 1960s/70s/80s] - "... to reach this potential, we still require advances that will make AI more human-like in its capabilities. Historically, neuroscience has been a key driver and source of inspiration ..."
[AI does not have to be human like] - "... many front-line AI researchers believe that major new breakthroughs are needed before we can build artificial systems capable of doing all that a human ... Today’s AI systems cannot compete with the sensorimotor capabilities of a four-year old child, or even simple animals. ... A growing number of AI researchers doubt that merely scaling up current approaches will overcome these limitations. ..."
- "... Over the last decades, through efforts such as the NIH BRAIN initiative and others, we have amassed an enormous amount of knowledge about the brain. ... We believe it is the right time for a large-scale effort to identify and understand the principles of biological intelligence ..."
- "... Words only have meaning for these models by virtue of their statistical co-occurrence, as opposed to their grounding in real-world experiences, so even the most advanced language models, despite their increasing power, continue to struggle with some basic aspects of physical common sense ..."
- "... We therefore propose an expanded Turing test, one that includes advanced sensorimotor abilities. ... An expanded embodied Turing test would benchmark and compare the interactions with the world of artificial systems versus humans and other animals. Because each animal has its own unique set of abilities, each animal defines its own embodied Turing test: An artificial beaver might be tested on its ability to build a dam, and an artificial squirrel on its ability to jump through trees. Nonetheless, many core sensorimotor capabilities are shared by almost all animals, and the ability of animals to rapidly evolve the sensorimotor skills needed to adapt to new environments suggests that these core skills provide a solid foundation. ..."
[The authors may have watched too many of Sir Attenboroughs natural history documentary videos.] - "... Although machine learning has been pursuing approaches for sidestepping this tabula rasa limitation, including self-supervised learning, transfer learning, continual learning, meta learning, one-shot learning and imitation learning ..., none of these approaches comes close to achieving the flexibility found in most animals. Thus, we argue that understanding the neural circuit-level principles that provide the foundation for behavioral flexibility in the real-world, even in simple animals, has the potential to greatly increase the flexibility and utility of AI systems. ... we can greatly accelerate our search for general-purpose circuits for real-world interaction by taking advantage of the optimization process that evolution has already engaged in ..."
- "... Achieving these goals will require significant resources and also contribution across many disciplines beyond traditional AI and neuroscience, including psychology, engineering, linguistics, etc. ..."
- "... Moreover, explicit design of new training programs can ensure that the NeuroAI research community reflects the demographics of society as a whole. ..."
[Ah the ideology of diversity, equity, an inclusion shines through! Meritocracy combined with equal opportunity is sufficient!] - "... large investment in a shared computational platform will be required. Much like a particle accelerator in physics or large telescope in astronomy, this sort of large-scale shared resource will be essential for moving the brain-inspired AI research agenda forward. It will require a major organizational effort, with government and ideally also industry support, that has as its central goal scientific progress on animal and human-like intelligence. ..."
[More large scale government projects would certainly not hurt!]
Remarks:
- Anthropomorphism permeates this paper. The naturalistic viewpoint dominates. The human brain is the model to imitate!
- We ought to follow biology and evolution to further develop AI.
Unfortunately, humans do not have millions of years to develop better AI.
Humans may very well transcend nature & evolution to find better solutions - The authors kind of suggest that current AI efforts have hit a wall and new directions and approaches on larger scale and across several areas of scientific research (interdisciplinary approach) are necessary
- These researchers are right about the enormous energy and resource consumption of today's advanced AI systems compared with the very energy efficient human brain.
- Future artificial intelligence may very well not be based on silico or other solid materials, but on biological molecules or single atoms or other yet to be discovered chemistry and physics. Going beyond nature is destiny!
50-Year U.S. Summer Temperature Trends: ALL 36 Climate Models Are Too Warm. Really!
This web page has been quoted quite often by climate change skeptics etc.! Unfortunately, I can not recommend it.
This research is not published in any journal and not even in preprint like arXiv. No references, no sources, no methodology etc.
The study is poorly explained etc.! This claim is basically based on only one chart by the author.
However, I dare say the conclusion of this web page that the forecasts/projections of the majority of major climate models are flawed is most likely correct. I think it is pretty much established now that these climate models can not even accurately backcast!
Rishi Sunak brings back fracking ban in first PMQs. Disappointing!
Two thumbs down for the new PM!
Honda's battery exchange stations keep scooter, motorcycle, and rickshaw riders on the move. Cars?
Is this going to be the replacement for gas stations? It certainly speeds up charging?
What about heavier batteries?
"In a model similar to that used by Gogoro, Honda has started rolling out modular battery exchange stations in Japan and India that each hold a dozen Mobile Power Packs for hot-swaps into electric scooters, motorcycles and rickshaws. ...
"
Honda's battery exchange stations keep e-moto riders on the move
Indian scientists shocked as government scraps nearly 300 awards
Wonders of India! India has more scientific awards than gods? (just kidding) 😊
"... For instance, the country’s main science and technology funding agency, the Department of Science and Technology, will retain just four of its 207 awards; the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research will scrap or merge six out of its seven awards; and the Ministry of Earth Sciences will cancel three of its four awards, according to the minutes. The departments of atomic energy, space and health will axe all of their awards, 45 in total, and introduce new awards for research in atomic energy and space. The awards that will be culled are not named, but can be inferred in some cases.
The government also plans to introduce a new prize, the Vigyan Ratna award, which will be India’s version of a Nobel prize. The details are yet to be provided. ..."
The government also plans to introduce a new prize, the Vigyan Ratna award, which will be India’s version of a Nobel prize. The details are yet to be provided. ..."
Threat of diesel shortage in the U.S. looms as reserves dwindle to a low not seen since 2008 or 25 days of reserves
Despite all the green hype, the U.S. economy still runs on diesel and heating oil is still very important!
The demented and senile 46th President delivers one disaster after the other! His last best chance to become a great president is to resign immediately for health reasons! Mistress Kamala may also step down as well to become a great vice president and historical first!
I was not able to find this EIA announcement on their website! Disturbing!
"The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported this week that, as of Oct. 14, the U.S. had only 25 days of reserve diesel supply, a low not seen since 2008. ...
The EIA also said that distillate fuel includes heating oil inventories and is about 20% below the five-year average for this time of year. But areas in the Northeast are already rationing heating oil as temperatures drop, driving concerns that energy costs will surge further. ..."
The EIA also said that distillate fuel includes heating oil inventories and is about 20% below the five-year average for this time of year. But areas in the Northeast are already rationing heating oil as temperatures drop, driving concerns that energy costs will surge further. ..."
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