EXCERPTS: A new tsar is to be created to tackle growing hatred towards Muslims. The 'special representative on anti-Muslim hostility' will be appointed to 'strengthen understanding, reporting and response', the Government said. In addition, a 'historic' definition of anti-Muslim hostility has been created to protect followers of Islam from 'unacceptable abuse and violence'.
Hate crimes against followers of Islam are at 'record levels', the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said, with many 'living in fear that they will be targeted because of how they look or assumptions over where they come from'.
But ministers insisted the new definition would also guarantee 'the fundamental right to freedom of speech' amid fears it would create a blasphemy law by the back door. The Government ditched a plan to give a definition for the word 'Islamophobia' amid free speech concerns and decided to adopt a definition of 'anti-Muslim hostility' instead.
But campaigners have warned this could be more dangerous and risks creating an even broader term which could be exploited by some groups seeking to influence political debate on matters such as immigration and counter-terrorism.
The controversial announcements are part of a wider cross-Government drive to reduce divisions in society, which it said have grown after decades of rapid change including 'technological advancements, demographic change, local industries collapsing, the increasing cost of living and the decline of vital public services'.
The MHCLG blamed 'bad actors, including from abroad' for stoking community tensions and promoting 'toxic division and extremist ideology'. It claimed that their efforts will mean millions of families 'feel a stronger sense of community, unity and national pride'.
[...] The strategy will also set out 'clear expectations' of integration for 'people looking to settle in the UK' including 'shared language, local participation and respect for shared values'. To support this, the Government will look at how English is taught, and if new technology can help more people can speak the language confidently,' the MHCLG said... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Today I have a new bow that I want to shoot with. It's right out of the box. When I saw a picture of this bow, I knew that I needed to try it out because it's so beautiful...
Basically a cat and mouse game revolving around a blackmail attempt. An explicit negative for some viewers would be the extortionists' graphic intersection with the porn industry of the mid-1980s. The chief villain is a charismatically vocal jerk who indulges in abrupt spasms of cruelty and violence.
Ann-Margaret seems to be there for no other reason than being Ann-Margaret (not much depth to her role). Though Roy Scheider's character only avoids similar because the script gives him more scenes with agency. Mildly above average (58% rating), though some critics back then like Ebert did praise it somewhat.
EXCERPTS: They raid compost bins, outsmart latches and sometimes look gleeful doing it. A new UBC study in Animal Behaviour suggests raccoons may not just be opportunistic—they may be genuinely curious. UBC researchers Hannah Griebling and Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram found raccoons continued solving puzzles long after retrieving the only food reward available. This behaviour reflects intrinsic motivation rather than hunger and is described as “information foraging,” because no additional food was given for continuing.
[...] The findings help explain why raccoons thrive in urban centres like Vancouver. Their success could be attributed to the cognitive and physical traits that suit urban life.
Their forepaws, rich with sensory nerves for foraging in streams, are well suited to manipulating latches and handles—often the same kinds used by humans. Solving problems for information, not just food, may give them an advantage in complex environments, helping them access garbage bins or other food sources. Vancouver’s greenspaces, waterways and generally tolerant public provide near-ideal habitat.
“Understanding the cognitive traits that help raccoons thrive can guide management of species that struggle, and inform strategies for other species, like bears, that use problem-solving to access human-made resources,” said Griebling.
Although the experiment involved captive animals at a research facility in Colorado, previous research suggests wild raccoons show similar problem-solving abilities, though researchers caution the behaviours may not be identical. “Raccoon intelligence has long featured in folklore, yet scientific research on their cognition remains limited. Studies like this provide empirical evidence to support that reputation,” said Dr. Benson-Amram... (MORE - missing details, no ads)
INTRO: An analysis led by Mass General Brigham investigators found slower aging in older adults after two years of a daily multivitamin, with greater benefits for those who began the trial with accelerated biological age
How quickly our bodies age on a cellular level, our “biological age,” can differ from how old we actually are in years. Using data from a large randomized clinical trial of older adults, researchers at Mass General Brigham evaluated the effects of taking a daily multivitamin over the course of two years on five measures of biological aging and found a slowing equivalent to about four months of aging. The benefits were increased in those who were biologically older than their actual age at the start of the trial. Their results are published in Nature Medicine.
“There is a lot of interest today in identifying ways to not just live longer, but to live better,” said senior author Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, associate director of the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. “It was exciting to see benefits of a multivitamin linked with markers of biological aging. This study opens the door to learning more about accessible, safe interventions that contribute to healthier, higher-quality aging.” (MORE - details, no ads)
Quote:A migratory bird just shattered world records — flying 8,425 miles (13,560 km) NON-STOP across the Pacific without landing once.
The bar-tailed godwit doesn’t stop to eat, drink, or sleep during its migration across the Pacific Ocean. Its journey from Alaska to Australia takes roughly 11 days of continuous flight, covering over 13,000 kilometers through storms, headwinds, and open ocean with zero land beneath it the entire time.
Before departure, it does something almost surgical to its own body. It shrinks its digestive organs down to almost nothing, converting the stomach, intestines, and liver into raw fuel. The bird essentially eats its own gut to make room for fat reserves that will power its wings for nearly two weeks straight.
The brain doesn’t fully sleep either. Half of it stays active while the other half rests, alternating in shifts mid-flight at altitude over the open Pacific. The godwit is simultaneously unconscious and navigating with magnetic field sensitivity that no human instrument in the 18th century could replicate.
What makes this genuinely staggering beyond the physical record is the navigational precision involved. The bird leaves Alaska and arrives in New Zealand with accuracy that would embarrass early GPS systems. It reads Earth’s magnetic field, atmospheric pressure gradients, star positions, and potentially quantum-level compass mechanisms inside its eye that literally let it see magnetic field lines overlaid on its visual field.
Evolution spent millions of years building an aerospace navigation system inside a 300 gram animal.
Holy smoke, at first glance a primary outcome like that might seem to be Vance's midnight max dream. But no one actually knows that he can attract the same eccentric independents and disaffected Democrats that Trump garners to acquire an edge. After all, the latter had been courting those peeved proles for decades, whereas Vance is just another untested GOP member at the art. Other Republicans could easily give up due to the clumsy results or unfamiliar posturing and reflexively revert to the old pre-populism ways of the party.
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INTRO: Former Vice President Kamala Harris is receiving renewed attention as a potential 2028 presidential contender, as new polling and analysis suggest that Democratic voters may be more receptive to a pragmatic, center-leaning figure than the party’s public image or internal rhetoric often implies.
A recent survey analysis published by the Manhattan Institute found that the Democratic coalition is significantly more moderate and internally divided, with the party’s largest bloc made up of voters who favor a more “normal,” middle‑of‑the‑road governing approach.
Harris recently topped a poll of potential Democratic Primary candidates, with Democratic primary voters getting 23 percent, followed by Gavin Newsom at 20 percent, according to the Manhattan Institute.
On issues ranging from immigration and crime to education and social policy, respondents often favored incremental or centrist positions over more ideologically rigid ones. Analysts behind the survey argued that the party’s median voter is closer to the center than commonly portrayed, a dynamic that could benefit a candidate with broad name recognition and establishment credibility.
The findings come as Harris remains competitive-or gains ground-in early polling of potential Democratic presidential candidates, fueling speculation about a possible comeback bid.
This environment may play to Harris’s advantage. Despite her 2024 loss to President Donald Trump, Harris has remained a prominent national figure through a high‑profile memoir release, a nationwide book tour, and continued engagement with Democratic audiences.
Polling has shown Harris either leading or closely trailing other top Democratic figures, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, in early 2028 primary matchups... (MORE- details)
INTRO: Dr. Andrew Gallimore is a computational neurobiologist, chemical pharmacologist, and writer, living and working in Tokyo. [...] the author of three books ... and the forthcoming Death by Astonishment -- Confronting the Mystery of the World’s Strangest Drug, which focuses on the history of DMT and science’s continuing struggle to understand how such a simple naturally-occurring molecule can have such astonishing effects on the human mind. His current interests lie in implications of DMT in understanding the nature of reality, and how it might be developed as a tool for extended communication with non-human intelligences inaccessible to normal waking consciousness.
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INTRO: In this fascinating conversation, Dennis McKenna takes us on a wild journey through his psychedelic adventures and the mysterious world of ancient consciousness. [...] The discussion ends with some mind bending ideas about consciousness, reality, and the possibility that we are all part of a vast, interconnected intelligence. He touches on the strange mysteries of alien encounters and the potential of DMT research to reveal deeper truths about our existence. This is not just a story about drugs—it’s a story about how we perceive the world, and what might be waiting just beyond the edge of ordinary awareness.
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