* President Biden On The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
* Something Extremely Dark Happened At Travis Scott's Deadly "Astroworld" Festival
* One Of The 13 Republicans Who Backed Infrastructure Bill Explains His Vote
* Deadly Parasite That Enters Body Through Barefeet Is Spreading In America
* U.S. To Allow Travel For Fully Vaccinated International Visitors
* Spire Warning Customers About Potential Shutdown In December
* World Economic Forum Embraces Metaverse Future
* New 'Smart Region' Scheme Is Regionalism To Dictate Smart City Makeovers
* Collins Aerospace In Foley Closed After Covid Vaccine Related Security Threat
* New Zealand PM: We Can't Call For Climate Change Targets Unless We 'Demonstrate That Leadership'
* AT&T, Verizon To Delay 5G Due To Air Safety Concerns: US Regulators
* Children Under 12 Leading New Covid-19 Infections Across Canada: PHAC
* Europe Faces Real Threat Of Covid-19 Resurgence, Says WHO
* Astroworld Festival- Latest: Travis Scott And Drake Sued By Crush Survivors As Flowers Left At Memorial
President Biden On The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is going to create millions of jobs, bring high speed internet to every household, improve our public transit, tackle the climate crisis, and much more.
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Something Extremely Dark Happened At Travis Scott’s Deadly “Astroworld” Festival
Reports emerging from the Astrowold festival, which took place in Houston on November 5th, are horrifying. Travis Scott’s concert, described as “dark and hellish” by people present, was the site of at least eight deaths and countless injuries. Throughout the entire time, and despite pleas from the public, the show never stopped. As Travis performed in front of a background that was described by some as “the gates of hell”, lifeless bodies were being carried away by security.
Soon after the concert, social media was flooded with accounts by concertgoers who felt a “dark energy” throughout the event which prompted many to declare that the entire thing was a satanic ritual sacrifice. These suspicions were only amplified when reports emerged that several people in the crowd (and at least one security guard) were “pricked” by a needle. Not only did these people get injected with an unknown drug, but these assaults prompted panic in the crowd which lead to people fainting and getting trampled.
Soon after the concert, social media was flooded with accounts by concertgoers who felt a “dark energy” throughout the event which prompted many to declare that the entire thing was a satanic ritual sacrifice. These suspicions were only amplified when reports emerged that several people in the crowd (and at least one security guard) were “pricked” by a needle. Not only did these people get injected with an unknown drug, but these assaults prompted panic in the crowd which lead to people fainting and getting trampled. Read More
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One Of The 13 Republicans Who Backed Infrastructure Bill Explains His Vote
Republican Don Bacon (R-NE), one of the 13 Republicans to vote for the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, reacts to its passage and explains his vote.
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Deadly Parasite That Enters Body Through Bare Feet Is Spreading In America
A Texas community is dealing with the spread of an intestinal parasite that inhabits the guts of humans and other animals and excretes larvae during defecation.
The Guardian reports 16 residents in Rancho Vista, Texas -- located within an hour from Austin -- were notified that they were infected by Strongyloides after giving blood and stool samples to a noted university conducting a study researching the spread of the parasite.
The report confirms the individuals included a woman who was pregnant and a 2-year-old child.
Strongyloides are capable of contaminating soil due to a sewage leak and surviving up to three weeks. It's common for the parasite to burrow through the skin of a person walking barefoot, enter their bloodstream and lungs and rise into the windpipe, where Strongyloides are coughed up and swallowed.
The central Texas community was chosen as the location of a study given its previous widespread sanitation failure, poverty levels and willingness to participate, according to a scientific paper .
However, the town's parasite infection was previously unknown given researchers labeled it anonymously as "Community A" and residents are concerned no one capable of helping will lend them aid.
Rancho Vista has an estimated 400 homes on a small number of streets. Its population is mostly comprised of Mexican Americans or immigrants from Mexico, many of which who work in lower-paying fields, according to the Guardian .
Residents say that despite paying high taxes, the town still deals with packs of stray dogs, which play a key factor in the widespread of parasites and swirls of trash, creating an airborne smell of sewage. Read More
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U.S. To allow travel For Fully Vaccinated International Visitors
Starting Monday, the U.S. is set to reopen its borders for fully vaccinated international travelers. The reopening ends a 20-month-long hiatus of border crossings due to coronavirus restrictions. Carter Evans reports.
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Spire Warning Customers About Potential Shutdown In December
ST. LOUIS — Natural gas company Spire is warning customers about a potential winter shutdown that could affect more than 650,000 households and businesses in the St. Louis area.
“We’re confident that we’ve done everything we can to demonstrate the critical role the pipeline plays in providing the St. Louis community with energy, but there are no guarantees it will operate beyond Dec. 13,” the company said in a recent email to customers.
In October, Spire asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to keep operating a pipeline through Illinois and Missouri. The U.S. Court of Appeals had voted in June that the 2018 approval of the 65-mile natural gas pipeline was unlawful.
The court ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission “failed to adequately balance public benefits and adverse impacts” of the pipeline. The court also questioned the pipeline’s necessity.
Spire cited a severe cold spell last winter as evidence of its value. Read More
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World Economic Forum Embraces Metaverse Future
If you’re interested in technology, you’ve probably heard the buzzword of the moment – “metaverse.” The hype around this term may have reached its zenith Thursday, when Facebook announced that it was renaming its portfolio of companies ‘Meta’ to align its businesses with its ambition to build the metaverse.
What is the metaverse?
The metaverse doesn’t exist – at least not yet. As of today, there isn’t anything that could legitimately be identified as a metaverse. A useful parallel for understanding its maturity – with a hat-tip to technology analyst Benedict Evans for the reference – may be the story of when telecoms entrepreneur Craig McCaw first heard about the internet.
Reputedly, it was Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs who described the implications that a globally distributed network of interconnected computers could have on communications, commerce and information. When Jobs had finished, McCaw’s reaction was: “Let’s buy it!”
Just as you can’t invest in the internet, so, too, can you not identify the metaverse as a unique product, technology or service. A better question might be: what could become the metaverse?
Metaverse as the next major computing platform
Technologists would answer that the internet will eventually evolve into the metaverse, which will come to represent the next major computing platform. If the concept can be actualized, it is expected to be as transformative to society and industry as the mobile phone.
The internet today is often the main entry point for millions of us to access information and services, communicate and socialize with each other, sell goods, and entertain ourselves. The metaverse is predicted to replicate this value proposition – with the main difference being that distinction between being offline and online will be much harder to delineate. Read More
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New ‘Smart Region’ Scheme Is Regionalism To Dictate Smart City Makeovers
Imagine a perfect day in metro Phoenix: no traffic congestion and autonomous vehicles glide commuters through the streets, hitting nothing but green lights. The air is clean, there’s a sustainable supply of water, and everybody has access to great health care, nutritious food and the latest technologies. Sun Devil Stadium is packed with a roaring crowd, and the fans move efficiently through short lines at the concession stands and restrooms.
That picture may seem far-fetched in a region where rapid population growth seems to be stressing resources and infrastructure. But it’s all part of the vision of Dominic Papa, a third-year student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Papa is the co-founder and executive director of the Institute for Digital Progress, a nonprofit aiming to improve the Phoenix area by transforming the region into a major hub of smart-city technology. It’s an ambitious project that relies heavily on innovation — and collaboration.
But first and foremost, what exactly is a “smart city”?
“The running joke is, you ask 10 mayors what a smart city is, you’re going to get 12 answers, because no one knows, and they’re going to change their answer after hearing everybody else’s,” Papa said. “But I would say, from a community’s perspective, it is leveraging emerging technology and data to provide more efficient, more effective services and a higher quality of life.” Read More
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Collins Aerospace In Foley Closed After COVID Vaccine-Related Security Threat
FOLEY, Ala. (WKRG) — One of the largest employers in Foley, Collins Aerospace, closed its massive plant Friday morning over a security threat, according to Foley Police.
An investigation is ongoing, but according to Assistant Police Chief Kevin Carnley, the plant closed “out of an abundance of caution.”
Carnley said so far the threat “has not been found to be a credible threat.”
Carnley said the threat was related to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
In a statement, Collins Aerospace confirmed the facility will close Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Collins Aerospace in Foley, Alabama has notified employees it will close on Friday, Nov. 5 due to a potential security threat to the facility,” according to the statement. “Collins is investigating and working with the Foley Police Department.” Read More
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New Zealand PM: We Can’t Call For Climate Change Targets Unless We 'Demonstrate That Leadership'
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to Chuck Todd about climate change during an exclusive interview with Meet the Press
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AT&T, Verizon To Delay 5G Due To Air Safety Concerns: US Regulators
Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon agreed to push back deployment of a new 5G frequency band to allow time to address air safety concerns, US regulators said Thursday.
The two companies will "voluntarily pause" the commercial rollout "to further assess any impact on aviation safety technologies," the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission said in a joint statement.
The two companies had planned to begin using the 5G network on December 5, after spending tens of billions of dollars to purchase licenses.
But aviation regulators have worried about the possible interference of the signals with flight safety equipment.
The agencies pledged "to coordinate closely to ensure that the United States keeps pace with the rest of the world in deploying next-generation communications technologies safely and without undue delay."
The FAA on Tuesday issued a special bulletin to aircraft manufacturers and radio altimeter manufacturers recommending analysis of potential interference at the 3.7 to 3.8 Ghz levels, as well as at frequencies between 4.2 and 4.4 GHz. Read More
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Children Under 12 Leading New COVID-19 Infections Across Canada: PHAC
Children under 12 now make up the largest number of new COVID-19 infections as health officials say vaccinations for the age group are still weeks away.
Infections in that age group surpassed those of all other age groups for the first time in the fourth wave of the pandemic, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials revealed Friday.
“It’s not an unexpected pattern given the high level of vaccination in the other age groups,” said Dr. Theresa Tam during a news conference.
“I think the key is that, in general, (with this age group) they have milder illnesses, but there are occasional or rare aspects of severe outcomes. But very rarely do they result in death.”
The statistics come as Health Canada continues to review data from Pfizer regarding its vaccine for children five to 11. The United States has begun to inoculate millions of children after approving the shots earlier this week.
The Canadian government has ordered 2.9 million doses of the children’s vaccine in anticipation of approval, which Tam said could come within weeks.
“I would say to all parents that Health Canada regulators are working extremely hard to prioritize the review for this vaccine. They need to do due diligence but it will be in weeks and not months,” she said, clarifying an incorrect Twitter post published by Health Canada earlier this week, which was later taken down. Read More
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Europe Faces Real Threat Of COVID-19 Resurgence, Says WHO
European countries must work harder to prevent the coronavirus spreading further as deaths and new cases surge, the World Health Organization's European director Hans Kluge said.
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Astroworld Festival – Latest: Travis Scott And Drake Sued By Crush Survivors As Flowers Left At Memorial
Travis Scott and the organisers of the Astroworld event that left eight people dead have been sued by an injured concertgoer who branded it a “predictable and preventable tragedy.”
Lawyers for Manuel Souza filed a petition in Harris County District Court suing Scott, event organiser ScoreMore and concert giant Live Nation over the Friday night incident, according to Billboard.
At least two investigations are now underway into the deadly stampede which took placed at the opening night of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas.
A sold-out headline show by rapper and festival organiser Travis Scott on turned deadly when guests began pushing towards the front of the stage, crushing some and reportedly leaving them unable to breathe.
Officials said a 14-year-old was among the victims, and that a security guard may have been injected with drugs as the chaos unfolded.
The mayor of Houston has vowed to “leave [no] stone unturned” in investigating the disaster, while Mr Scott said in a message to fans that he is “absolutely devastated.”