Syroco raises €7.5m from alter equity and Seventure to accelerate the energy transition of maritime transportationAP: Ex-CM Jagan slams TDP for neglecting Education & Student welfare
In 16 short years, mirrorless cameras have gone from being the new kid on the block to the new normal, now accounting for about 90% of all sales of interchangeable-lens digital cameras. The compact Panasonic Lumix G1 was the very first mirrorless camera, and it changed the photography world forever. A lot of exciting and innovative events happened in 2008. It was the year we all flocked to movie theaters to bask in the gloomy, noir ambiance of “The Dark Knight,” and listened for the very first time to the likes of Lady Gaga and Coldplay on the newly launched Spotify music streaming service. It was also the year that saw the introduction of a genuine innovation in digital cameras—one that would completely reshape the camera market in the decades that followed. 2008 was the year I purchased my Panasonic Lumix G1, the very first commercially available mirrorless camera. I still have it to this day, and I doubt I would ever sell it because it is such a landmark camera for me. You can see my little G1 in the lead picture for this article, complete with its original strap. All the photographs in this article are my own, taken with that very same G1 you see in the picture. If you think you might want a G1 of your own, there are still plenty of them around, and you can pick up a used one for next to nothing on sites like eBay. The slightly textured, rubberized coating on the G1 body came in a few different colors (I chose the blue), which gave the camera a novel and unique look that reflected the mechanical and optical innovation happening inside. Unfortunately, on my G1, this coating has developed a slight stickiness over the years, making it a magnet for dust. This stickiness also makes it rather difficult to remove the dust, as you can probably tell from the picture. Despite its dusty exterior, however, my Lumix G1 is still in perfect working order, and the batteries still hold their charge pretty well, even after all these years. Before we go on, I should mention that this is in no way, shape, or form intended to be a review of the Lumix G1. There would be little sense in writing yet another review of a camera that came out 16 years ago, and if you were hoping for one, you’ll probably need to jump into your internet time machine and scroll back to 2008. The release of the G1 was pretty big news at the time, so I’m sure you can find plenty of reviews out there if that's what you're looking for. Now, in this age where hyperbole often gets weaponized to be heard above the noise of social media, the phrase “game changer” tends to get thrown around rather liberally. If ever an innovation deserved this title, however, it was the Lumix G1. Here was a fully featured camera in an incredibly compact and lightweight form factor, able to accept a range of interchangeable lenses that were every bit as compact and lightweight as the camera itself. Migrating, as I was at that time, from my hefty Canon 20D SLR that could double as a tank obstacle, along with a selection of equally hefty Canon glass that made you want to trade in your camera bag for a wheelbarrow—the Lumix G1 seemed nothing short of miraculous. Here was a fully featured system of camera bodies and lenses you could carry all day without needing a team of sherpas! A little slice of camera history is probably necessary at this point to understand how the evolution of digital cameras brought us to the tiny marvel that is the Lumix G1, and how this eventually spawned a subsequent generation of mirrorless cameras that became the dominant form factor in the digital photography market. 35mm is the standard. It’s important to realize that the very first interchangeable-lens digital cameras produced between the 1990s and the early 2000s were just digital camera bodies designed to take advantage of all the legacy glass film photographers had accumulated over the years. This made perfect practical and commercial sense—offering photographers the digital technology to transition from film while retaining and leveraging their investment in existing film lenses. In this sense, the first DSLRs could not be considered digital camera systems of the kind we are used to today, where the digital image capture path is fully integrated between the camera body and the lens. The form factors and optical paths of these early DSLRs were dictated by the demands of existing lenses designed for use with 35mm film cameras (even though, ironically, the first DSLRs did not have full-frame sensors to reproduce the 24 x 36mm frame size of 35mm film). For commercial and practical purposes, these pioneering DSLR manufacturers were essentially locked into building their new digital imaging technology around the demands of a century-old analog imaging format. What if we did not have to constrain the design of our digital camera systems to the demands of using a 35mm format? , developed jointly by Olympus and Kodak, was the first attempt to address this question. The requirement to capture a digital image in a 35mm format essentially predetermined the form factors and optical paths of the first DSLRs. But if you could abandon the 35mm format and its legacy lenses entirely—starting from scratch with a digital sensor of any size you wanted, along with a new range of lenses designed specifically for it—you could build a system with much smaller and lighter bodies and lenses. This system would be far more compact and lightweight than any traditional 35mm SLR system. In 2008, the semiconductor sensors used in digital cameras were following the kind of exponential performance/value trajectory that had correctly predicted for computers. With the availability of smaller, cheaper sensors that could match or even exceed the performance of the previous generation of larger sensors, a smaller sensor format became a viable option for creating high-performance systems with more compact camera bodies and lenses. The Four Thirds engineers eventually settled on a sensor with a 4:3 aspect ratio and an area about nine times larger than the tiny 1/2.5” sensors typically used in compact point-and-shoot cameras. This compromise between sensor size and performance gave the Four Thirds System much better image quality than was possible with compact point-and-shoot cameras, while using a sensor that was still 30% smaller than APS-C and had about half the linear dimensions (roughly one-quarter the area) of a 35mm full-frame sensor. The 4:3 aspect ratio also made better use of the imaging circle produced by a lens than the 3:2 aspect ratio of 35mm, further facilitating the design of more compact, high-performance lenses. But there was still a problem. The camera bodies and lenses for the Four Thirds System achieved some reduction in size and weight compared to traditional 35mm systems. However, the major obstacle to achieving the significant size and weight reductions that the Four Thirds sensor could theoretically deliver was the SLR’s complex optical path between the lens and the image capture surface. In a traditional SLR, a diagonal mirror is positioned in front of the film to redirect light from the lens into the viewfinder for composing the image. When the photographer trips the shutter, this mirror moves out of the way before the shutter opens to expose the film, then immediately moves back into place to redirect the light into the viewfinder again. Because the mirror corrects the vertically inverted image projected by the lens while also creating a laterally inverted image, it was necessary to reflect this laterally inverted image through a pentaprism in the roof of the camera, correcting the lateral inversion and allowing the photographer to see the original, upright, left-right-corrected view of the scene in the viewfinder. In the diagram below, you can clearly see how the need for a mirror and pentaprism in the optical path between the lens and the image plane required a much bulkier camera body. It also placed the rear element of the lens much further away from the image plane than would be necessary without this extended optical path. The shaded orange area gives you a good sense of how much space could be saved if the mirror and pentaprism system were eliminated from the SLR design. The solution? The solution involved replacing the optical viewfinder with the live view from the actual sensor itself. In this way, the photographer could compose the shot through the same lens that would capture the image, but there was no need for the complex moving mirror system or the pentaprism to correct the mirror image in the viewfinder. The optical viewfinder was replaced by an electronic viewfinder (EVF) that displayed, in real time, exactly what the sensor saw through the lens. The other great benefit of simplifying the optical path in this way was that it brought the rear element of the lens much closer to the plane of image capture. This resulted in several performance advantages for both lens and sensor design. And thus the was born. Although Micro Four Thirds inherited the same sensor format as Four Thirds, the elimination of the mirror and pentaprism allowed for much smaller and lighter camera bodies. The corresponding reduction in distance between the rear lens element and the imaging plane also allowed for much smaller lenses. In fact, the flange focal distance—a measure of the gap between the lens and the imaging surface—was reduced by about 50% in the Micro Four Thirds System, enabling far more compact lenses. The initial response to mirrorless cameras was overwhelmingly positive, but this new format was not without its issues. Many pointed out (rightly) that the EVFs in these new cameras tended to be sluggish in terms of refresh rate and couldn’t match the performance of equivalent optical viewfinders, particularly in low light. However, even in 2008, it was clear that since this was an electronics issue, the rapid evolution of semiconductor technology would likely overcome many of these limitations in the near future. At the time I purchased my Lumix G1, I was seldom really bothered by the performance of its EVF, which I felt was more than adequate in most circumstances. With its equivalent of about 1.4 million pixels and 100% coverage of the frame, it felt pretty much like the state of the art at that time. Comparing the EVF of the G1 to any modern mirrorless camera, however, it definitely feels rather clunky and primitive by today’s standards. But I liken this sentiment to the kind of experience we went through with the introduction of high-definition TV (HDTV). Before we got used to HDTV, we were perfectly happy with our grainy 525 vertical lines of analog picture resolution, and it was only after we got used to watching HD that the old analog format started to look rather shabby and outdated. I’m a firm believer in the old adage that the absolute best camera in the world is the one that you actually have with you when the shot presents itself. From this perspective, it is difficult to overstate what a huge benefit it can be to have smaller, lighter photo gear. My Lumix G1, with its tiny 14-45mm kit lens (equivalent to a 28-90mm zoom in 35mm full frame format), weighs in at a meager one and a half pounds, so there was never any question of being reluctant to tote it around when you were out and about. Given the passage of 16 years since its release, it would be pretty futile to spend too much time comparing the specifications of the G1 with any modern mirrorless camera. Innovation in the camera world has continued apace since 2008, and of course, the G1 lacks many of the features we now take for granted in mirrorless cameras—in-body image stabilization, high resolution coupled with incredible low-light performance, face recognition, etc. And while it’s certain that the Lumix G1’s EVF and 12 MP sensor would not offer any real competition to the current generation of mirrorless cameras, the fact remains that it was (and in many ways still is) a great little camera. The proof of the pudding, as they say, is that you can still take great pictures with it. Looking back, I loved using my Lumix G1, and it really was a camera that went everywhere with me. I was very happy with its performance, and I took a lot of great pictures with it. But I think there was also an additional sense of excitement around the potential this transformative evolution in digital cameras might hold for the future. The Lumix G1 just turned sixteen this year, and it was the seed of a mirrorless camera revolution that is still ongoing today—an evolution in digital photography that started with small-sensor cameras and has now grown to include full frame and even medium format systems as well. So happy sixteenth, G1—the photography world would not be the same without you! Gordon Webster is a professional photographer based in New England. He has worked with clients from a wide range of sectors, including retail, publishing, music, independent film production, technology, hospitality, law, energy, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, medical, veterinary, and education.Cherries decorate tops, dresses, and other upbeat wardrobe pieces in PH5’s pre-fall collection. These can be savored as is, but there is, of course, a backstory. Addressing climate change is one of designer Zoe Champion’s passions and this collection grew out of her discovery of low-chill cherries, which have been selectively bred—though not genetically modified, the designer stressed—to need less time in the cold to grow. “As people and as a brand, I think we’re not low chill; [founder] Wei [Lin] is running a fashion brand and also running triathlons.” The athletic Lin was tasked with wear-testing PH5’s new and ingenious line of bathing suits. Developed in tandem with two factories, one that specializes in knitwear, the other in swimwear, all of the pieces are reversible, which means a single bikini can be styled four ways—or more if you add or subtract the straps. The application of the brand’s signature trompe l’oeil hourglass to maillots is especially flattering and fun. It’s also used on dresses that are UV reactive. The new technology, which allows fabric that looks black on the rack to turn reflective white, complements pieces from previous seasons that change color when exposed to light. Sometimes analyzing a PH5 collection is a bit like eating a cherry with a pit—the messaging complicates the process. Pre-fall, in contrast, went down nice and smooth. The fool-the-eye denims continue to be developed in interesting ways, and there’s lots more that Champion can do with the polos. The application of PH5’s knitting technique to wardrobe staples is especially effective. What you can’t see here is that the weight of the knits have been greatly reduced for pre-fall. The mixed media pieces (in which the brand’s knits are mixed with wovens) are successful as well.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group Announces Arrangements to Address Mailing Delays Resulting from Canada Post Strike
Government announced plans to establish the country’s first women’s software technology park in Azad Kashmir, with a targeted launch date set for February. The initiative aims to bridge the region’s gender-based digital divide and promote women’s participation in the tech industry. The decision was made during a meeting of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), chaired by Minister of State for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja. The meeting reviewed the overall performance of Pakistan's IT sector. This move is part of a broader government plan, revealed in May, to establish 10 new software technology parks across the country by next year, including one in the capital, Islamabad. These parks will feature incubation centres, facilities to support start-ups, and will aim to expand Pakistan’s digital landscape, increase IT exports, and promote gender inclusivity in the tech sector. “The initiative [in Azad Kashmir] underscores our dedication to creating equal opportunities for women and ensuring their meaningful participation in Pakistan’s digital economy,” Minister Khawaja said in an official statement after the meeting. Currently, women make up 20 percent of the workforce in PSEB-supported technology parks, which collectively employ over 18,000 export professionals across 43 IT parks in Pakistan. The PSEB has also been proactive in creating job opportunities through training, certifications, and internship programs. Since 2020, the organisation has facilitated over 10,000 job placements. Looking ahead, the PSEB aims to empower 25,000 freelancers by 2027 by establishing 250 e-Employment Centres and expanding the country's IT sector internationally. COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our
The ’s hit historic highs this month, closing above 6,000 points for the past two weeks running. Up 27% this year, its performance has dwarfed the ‘s lacklustre 6.5% growth. Major US tech stocks such as and have been leading the charge in the past five days, up 40% and 20% respectively. But looking at year-to-date performance, one under-the-radar company sticks out. Slotted between the usual suspects of and is ( ), the second-best-performing S&P 500 stock this year. Up 262% since 1 January, it’s streaks ahead of Nvidia’s 163% gain but someway behind Palantir’s mind-boggling 333% gain! The Texas-based retail electricity company’s probably a big deal in the US. But here in the UK, our news is dominated by headline-grabbing tech giants like and . So I decided to do some digging and find out why the stock’s doing so well. It’s AI again! Unsurprisingly, Vistra’s performance is intrinsically linked to artificial intelligence (AI). The rapid increase in data centre development over the past year has led to a skyrocketing demand for electricity. Datacentres house the huge number of servers, GPUs and storage devices that are critical to running AI technologies. They’re essentially massive digital libraries where the internet resides. With the demand for electricity forecast to keep growing, hedge funds across the US have been pouring cash into energy suppliers. Vistra operates in the deregulated energy markets of Texas and the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM). This, combined with its capacity to provide dispatchable power, makes it a preferred choice for US data centres. Latest results In its third-quarter results released on 7 November, earnings per share (EPS) and revenue exceeded analyst expectations. Revenue climbed 54% to $6.29bn compared to Q3 2023, while EPS surged 320%, from $1.27 to $5.25. The results were well received, with the stock rallying 15%. Guidance for 2025 was also raised, with adjusted EBITDA expected to range $5.5bn-$6.1bn and cash flow between $3bn-$3.6bn. Looking ahead, revenue’s forecast to grow at an average rate of 9.2% a year. Balance sheet Vistra’s balance sheet has some worrisome figures, particularly $15.52bn in debt. This is considerably higher than its $8.65bn in equity. Operating income covers interest payments four-fold but it’s still a lot of debt to hold. For now, it looks manageable but a debt-to-equity ratio below 100% would be more reassuring. , the price looks a bit high, with a (P/E) ratio of 25.7. The industry average is closer to 15. That’s not particularly surprising, considering the recent growth. It could suppress growth but with electricity demand increasing, I doubt it’ll be a big issue. So what’s the catch? Vistra’s performance is heavily reliant on the AI industry maintaining stability. It’s at risk from unforeseen regulatory hurdles, not to mention energy price fluctuations. And with the bar now set high, shareholders will expect a lot from the year’s final results. A fall below expectations could spook investors, sending the share price tumbling. All things considered, I think it’s a big enough company to weather short-term issues. If I had spare cash, I’d buy the stock to diversify my tech-laden portfolio. I think it’s well worth considering, especially for investors looking for AI exposure beyond the obvious options.
Conor McGregor Ordered to Pay $250k in Sexual Assault CaseGreece’s economy held up well during recent crises and has outpaced growth in the euro area since the global energy crisis. Further policy action is now needed to ensure continuing strong growth and fiscal sustainability, notably to keep public debt on a firmly declining path, according to a new OECD report. The latest OECD Economic Survey of Greece projects GDP growth to rise from 2.3% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025 to 2.5% in 2026. The government plans primary fiscal surpluses of 2.5% of GDP in 2025 and 2.4% in 2026. Inflation is proving persistent and remained at 3.2% in October 2024, but is projected to decline gradually, returning close to target by end 2026. “Greece has reaped the benefits of the many important reforms it has implemented over the years, but more needs to be done to promote competition, allow more youths and women to participate in the labour market and maintain significant primary fiscal surpluses while preserving investment.” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said, presenting the Survey in Athens alongside Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Minister of Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis. “Greece’s outlook remains positive, with disinflation, improving growth in trading partners and increasing disbursements of European funds set to support growth over the coming years.” Public debt has been declining since 2020 but remains high, at 163.9% of GDP in 2023. Maintaining public debt on its firmly declining path and increasing fiscal space for investment will require additional efforts to reduce tax expenditures and tackle tax evasion. Moreover, a gradual shift of spending towards infrastructure, education and health would improve both economic and social outcomes. Significant challenges remain. Labour productivity has stagnated at low levels over the past decade. Despite recent progress, investment remains relatively low, particularly in intangibles and R&D. The productivity gap between small firms and large enterprises is large, with many of the large enterprises failing to grow and adopt new technologies. Further reforms to strengthen competition, reduce regulatory burdens, improve access to skills and financing would support firm growth and innovation. Competition remains weak in some parts of the economy, making it all the more important for Greece to review some of the unnecessarily stringent regulations in services and to ease entry restrictions in professional services. Skill shortages have increased. Strengthening apprenticeships and vocational training is key to ensure a supply of skills that better matches the needs of employers. The expansion of childcare capacities would allow more women to join the labour market and support employment growth. Extreme weather events are becoming more likely with a warming climate and could lead to renewed disruptions of production and reduce domestic demand. Greece has cut emissions by 42% over the past two decades and renewable energy generation is expanding rapidly. A mix of investment, tighter regulations and emission pricing, complemented with financial support for vulnerable groups, can steer households and business to move towards greener technologies. Source: OECDAs her students finished their online exam, Arlet Lara got up to make a cafe con leche.Her 16-year-old son found her on the kitchen fl oor. First, he called Dad in a panic. Then 911. "I had a stroke, and my life made a 180-degree turn," Lara said, recalling the medical scare she experienced in May 2020 in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The stroke aff ected my left side of the body." Lara, an avid runner and gym-goer couldn't even walk. "It was hard," said the 50-year-old mom from North Miami and former high school math teacher. After years of rehabilitation therapy and a foot surgery, Lara can walk again. But she still struggles with moving. This summer, she became the first patient in South Florida to get an implant of a new and only FDA-approved-nerve stimulation device designed to help ischemic stroke survivors regain movement in their arms and hands. Every year, thousands in the United States have a stroke, with one occurring every 40 seconds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of strokes are ischemic, often caused by blood clots that obstruct blood fl ow to the brain. For survivors, most of whom are left with some level of disability, the Vivistim Paired VNS System — the device implanted in Lara's chest — could be a game changer in recovery, said Dr. Robert Starke, a neurosurgeon and interventional neuroradiologist. He also serves as co-director of endovascular neurosurgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Lara underwent the procedure. How the device works The Vivistim Paired VNS System is a small pacemaker-like device implanted in the upper chest and neck area. Patients can go home the same day. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the stroke rehabilitation system in 2021 to be used alongside post-ischemic stroke rehabilitation therapy to treat moderate to severe mobility issues in hands and arms. Lara's occupational therapist can activate the device during rehabilitation sessions to electrically stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain down to the abdomen and regulates various parts of the body's nervous system. The electrical stimulation rewires the brain to improve a stroke survivor's ability to move their arms and hands. Lara also has a magnet she can use to activate the device when she wants to practice at home. Her therapy consists of repetitive tasks, including coloring, pinching cubes and grabbing and releasing cylindrical shapes. After several weeks of rehabilitation therapy with the device, Lara has seen improvement. "Little by little, I'm noticing that my hand is getting stronger," Lara said in September. "I am already able to brush my teeth with the left hand." Since then, Lara has finished the initial six-week Vivistim therapy program and is continuing to use the device in her rehabilitation therapy. She continues to improve and can now eat better with her left hand and can brush her hair with less difficulty, according to her occupational therapist, Neil Batungbakal. Going beyond the 'plateau' Starke sees the device as an opportunity to help bring survivors one step closer to regaining full mobility. Strokes are a leading cause of disability worldwide. While most stroke survivors usually can recover some function through treatment and rehabilitation, they tend to hit a "major plateau" after the first six months of recovery, he said. Vivistim, when paired with rehabilitation therapy, could change that. Jackson Health said results of a clinical trial published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet in 2021 showed that the device, "when paired with high-repetition, task-specific occupational or physical therapy, helps generate two to three times more hand and arm function for stroke survivors than rehabilitation therapy alone." The device has even shown to benefit patients 20 years after their original stroke, according to Starke. "So now a lot of these patients that had strokes 10 to 15 years ago that thought that they would never be able to use their arm in any sort of real functional way are now able to have a real meaningful function, which is pretty tremendous," Starke said. More about the device Vivistim's vagus-nerve stimulation technology was developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas' Texas Biomedical Device Center and is being sold commercially by Austin-based MicroTransponder, a company started by university graduates. Similar devices are used to treat epilepsy and depression. For Lara, the device is a new tool to help her recovery journey. "Everything becomes a challenge, so we are working with small things every day because I want to get back as many functions as possible," Lara said. Patients interested in Vivistim should speak with their doctor to check their eligibility. The FDA said patients should make sure to discuss any prior medical history. "Adverse events included but were not limited to dysphonia (difficulty speaking), bruising, falling, general hoarseness, general pain, hoarseness after surgery, low mood, muscle pain, fracture, headache, rash, dizziness, throat irritation, urinary tract infection and fatigue," the FDA said. MicroTransponder says the device is "covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance with prior authorization on a case-by-case basis." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers. The FBI, Homeland Security, state police and other agencies are investigating. Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety , but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft — and to be allowed to shoot them out of the sky. Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones statewide since mid-November, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Murphy, a Democrat, said Monday that equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment except to say it was powerful and could even “mitigate” the drones, though he added that’s not currently legal on U.S. soil. The state tallied 12 sightings Saturday and just one on Sunday. Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones. The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively. White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday said the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks from reported drone sightings in the northeast, saying officials believe they were lawfully flown drones, planes or even stars. “There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,” Kirby said. “And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.” The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said. The FBI received more than 5000 tips in recent weeks, he added, with only “about 100” deemed credible enough to require additional investigation. Authorities say they do not know. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI said they have no evidence that the aircraft pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” Speculation has nevertheless raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents. Officials stress that ongoing investigations have found no evidence to support such concerns, but U.S. Rep Chris Smith, a Republican, on Saturday echoed such speculation. “The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities — or worse — by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said. On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder cast doubt on the idea that the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are. He said about 1 million drones are registered drones in the U.S. and about 8,000 flying on any given day. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh has said the aircraft are not U.S. military drones. In Boston, city police arrested two men accused of operating a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport on Saturday night. Authorities said an officer using drone monitoring technology detected the aircraft and the location of the operators. A third man fled police and remains at large. Authorities said the two men face trespassing charges and could face more charges and fines. Drones flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, forced base officials to close its airspace for about four hours late Friday into early Saturday, said Robert Purtiman, a base spokesperson. It was the first time drones had been spotted at the base, one of the largest in the world, and no sightings have been reported since, Purtiman said Monday. He said the drones had no impact on any facilities on the base. Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on Truth Social. Kim said he’s heard no support for the notion the government is hiding anything. He said a lack of faith in institutions is playing a key part in the saga. “Nothing that I’m seeing, nothing that I’ve engaged in gives me any impression of that nature. But like, I get it, some people won’t believe me, right? Because that’s the level of distrust that we face," Kim said Monday. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut last week called for the drones to be “shot down." Rep. Smith urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to bring down one or more drones to try to figure out who deployed them. The objects could be downed over the ocean or in an unpopulated area on land, Smith said Saturday. “Why can't we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” Smith said. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said members of the public must not try to shoot down drones, as that would violate state and federal laws. Drone sightings were also reported in New York, where a permit is required. Mayor Eric Adams said the city was investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials. The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the city — were shut down for about an hour Friday night because of drone activity, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “This has gone too far,” she said in a statement. The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.
Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left legA s a former deputy state underwater archaeologist, Mark Wilde-Ramsing can’t help but look down. While rowing around North Carolina’s Eagles Island, at the tip of the Gullah Geechee corridor, he noticed signs of human-made structures, visible at low tide. Though he’d retired, he was still active in the field and knew his former agency hadn’t recorded the structures – which meant he had come across something previously undocumented. The next step was figuring out exactly what he’d found. Wilde-Ramsing knew the area had once been full of rice fields. His neighbor, Joni “Osku” Backstrom, was an assistant professor in the department of environmental sciences at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington whose specialty was shallow-water sonar, and he had the skills and technology to explore the area. Using a sonar device, the duo detected 45 wooden structures in the river, and the remote sensing tool allowed Backstrom and Wilde-Ramsing to acoustically map the canal beds. “The side-scan sonar system that Mark and I put together and put on these vessels has been really important in finding these artifacts because if you went diving, you wouldn’t be able to see anything,” Backstrom said. “That’s really the advantage of this custom, shallow sonar system and being able to go up through these known rice canals and irrigation areas.” Spanning 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of the northern end of Eagles Island, the 45 irrigation devices were developed by enslaved people, who would later come to be known as the Gullah Geechee. The devices were used to control water flow for the rice fields in conjunction with earthen dams and levees, Wilde-Ramsing said. Their existence provides further evidence of the engineering and technological skills that Gullah Geechee people used for rice cultivation, beginning in the late 1700s at the latest. Backstrom and Wilde-Ramsing documented their findings in a study published earlier this year. “The use of the island for this endeavor prior to the Civil War, in large part rested on the shoulders of transplanted and enslaved Africans and their descendant Gullah Geechee tradition,” the study reads. The team’s discoveries, which came after two years of research in and around Eagles Island, have helped further shed light on the ingenious, skilled work of the Gullah Geechee people. Though Gullah Geechee people have been studied for centuries, Backstrom and Wilde-Ramsing’s research is the first to focus on their irrigation systems. The research couldn’t come soon enough: Eagles Island is environmentally vulnerable, both because of climate change and ongoing development. The duo registered their sites with the state, making development more difficult as a means to ensure the protection of cultural artifacts. “The whole area was originally swamp. It was cleared mostly in the post-colonial, early 1800s period for tidal rights cultivation because that area was freshwater,” Wilde-Ramsing said. “They were able to actually use, regulate, introduce the water and drain it with the tides instead of having these big ponds and using the traditional way.” The work the Gullah Geechee people did would have been exhaustive. Wilde-Ramsing says it required removing the cypress forests, then building dams and levees. Growing rice necessitated the use of water, so they created long wooden boxes, or “trunks”, with gates on either side, that allowed them to let the water in by opening the gates. The area, Wilde-Ramsing said, is desolate, difficult swamp terrain, which makes it good for rice cultivation, but hot, buggy and humid – “really not a nice place to work in the summer”. Everyone got around via boat, and most of the boat drivers were enslaved Africans. The enslaved populations throughout the Gullah Geechee corridor – which spans the coasts of North Carolina to upper Florida – were isolated in such a way that they developed and maintained a culture different from that of most plantations. “Originally, they were sought out as slaves from coastal regions of west Africa, an area that had similar environs to those along the southern Atlantic seaboard centering on Georgia and the Carolinas, where rice agriculture was a mainstay of the economy,” the study reads. “Traditional knowledge and skills, as well as the ability to tolerate humid, mosquito-infested conditions, made this group critical to the success of rice cultivation in the Americas.” Eagles Island has a long history of slavery: formerly known as Cranes Island, it was featured on John Ogilby’s 1672 map of Carolina, and around 1737, King George II granted much of the “ grand island ” opposite Wilmington to Richard Eagles, an attorney and plantation owner from Bristol, England, for whom the island is named. The Eagles plantation was one of many on the island. Via Wilmington, a port city founded in 1739 that developed in large part due to its participation in the slave industry , Eagles Island was used for shipping cotton, shipbuilding and rice cultivation. That rice cultivation made Wilmington wealthy, at the expense of the enslaved Gullah Geechee, who received no wages for their labor. “I didn’t quite realize the role that rice played. It rivaled cotton during the 1840s and 50s,” Backstrom said. “It was all over Europe and the US and it was all run by African Americans. A lot of it was developed based on their skills. I’m just happy that it’s coming to light and they’re getting their – I won’t say new – but recognition that this was an amazing thing, amazing work.” Even though Wilde-Ramsing and Backstrom’s discovery likely won’t permanently stop either development or climate change, not least because the island is owned by multiple private entities, the existence of historic, cultural artifacts can ensure that the Gullah Geechee structures are at least documented instead of simply being razed and forgotten. The researchers have been in communication with East Carolina University’s maritime program, and the school plans to send a contingent to the site to study some of the characteristic types. People from the school will be able to work on noting the various structures, trying to figure out how they operated and taking samples. Backstrom said that they’ve also been in contact with researchers at George Mason University in Fairfax county, Virginia, including a professor who had ancestors in Wilmington. In terms of further discovery, a mix of approaches best suits the complicated terrain. “We’re thinking about using drone imagery,” Backstrom said. “We have some preliminary drone footage, which gives us access to these areas at dead low tide, areas that we had a lot of difficulty with, even with a very small vessel.” The area is remote, full of tight nooks and crannies. It’s “particularly challenging because of the tides and the timing”, he said. The different combinations of drone imagery and sonar mean the researchers aren’t limited by turbidity in the water. Backstrom hopes to go to west Africa, specifically to Senegal or the Senegambia region, where many Gullah Geechee people were from, to learn about the history of rice farming, including the roles women and children played. Children, for instance, tasted the water to ensure too much saltwater wasn’t being let in, and women helped in the actual cultivation of the rice , using skills from their home countries that were passed down throughout generations. The methods that the researchers used for Eagles Island can be transferred elsewhere, and Wilde-Ramsing and Backstrom will apply their discovery techniques to finding other such sites in the area. They anticipate finding others around Cape Fear, a nearby former slave center , and in places farther south in the Gullah Geechee corridor. “South Carolina was kind of the center of rice cultivation compared to here, so we’re hoping to link up with the Gullah Geechee researchers, [maybe] down in South Carolina or even Georgia,” Backstrom said. Their work will continue to expand knowledge around historic Gullah Geechee practices for generations to come.
Safety first Kaspersky report says cyber threats targeting Pakistan’s financial sector have seen dramatic rise in 2024 Technological advancements around the world have come with their unique set of challenges. As countries shift towards digitisation, they face a pressing problem: cyber attacks. According to a report by a cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky, published this week, cyber threats targeting Pakistan’s financial sector have seen a dramatic rise in 2024. The firm reported a 114 per cent increase in banking and financial malware attacks in the January-October period, adding that such threats may well continue in 2025 as well. The government should pay urgent attention to this. The country already has many people who are sceptical of carrying out financial transactions through online banking. Such reports may break their trust, prompting them to once again go back to hoarding cash. Digital security in Pakistan has been unsatisfactory. Reports of data breaches surface now and then, and while digital experts try to convince policymakers to sit with them and figure a way out of this situation, there has not been any progress on this front. Cyber attacks should not now be seen as a ‘dark side’ of the internet. Many countries use them as a tool to cause disruptions in rival countries. Some sophisticated attacks are carried out by seemingly independent cyber cells of governments that deliberately cause unrest and chaos in ‘enemy’ states. That Pakistani authorities are aware of these threats is not debatable. But the problem is a majority of people here have little understanding of how the digital space works, and they end up falling prey to such attacks. Besides this, miscreants within the country also see cyber attacks as an easy way to make quick money. In most cases, these people attack small businesses and often hack into their systems. They then demand a good sum of money to grant access. The government cannot ignore it for long. In today’s age, a state’s strength lies in its cybersecurity. Any leniency shown in fencing our digital spaces may lead to serious repercussions. In this regard, it is almost laughable that the government is more focused on banning VPNs, deliberately paring back the layers of security many organisations desperately need than figuring out a plan to make digital spaces secure. There have been numerous instances where people’s social media accounts get hacked with imposters demanding money from those who interact with such accounts. Phishing attacks have also become much more common. Many users enter their sensitive information on websites that are used by cybercriminals to collect and store people’s data. This is not all. Many apps are also being used for this purpose. Cybercriminals use apps to get access to people’s data and then use that as a bargaining tool to extort money. All of this has been happening for quite some time now, and the government has to take adequate measures to put an end to this. We cannot let our digital spaces be unmanned.None
