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Submission + - Pneumonic plague outbreak hits Siberia as lab worker, 28, dies (hotair.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A suspected plague outbreak has erupted in Russia — killing a young lab worker, forcing nearly 200 people into isolation and triggering accusations that Vladimir Putin’s regime is trying to keep the infection’s possible spread under wraps.

The alarm was raised in Siberia after a worker at an anti-plague laboratory died of the disease, which killed tens of millions in the medieval Black Death, according to a report from The Moscow Times.

Anna Popova, who heads Russia’s public-health watchdog, then rushed 2,600 miles from Moscow to the Irkutsk region as authorities quarantined a hospital and placed scores of people who had come into contact with the victim under medical observation.

"FSB units accompanying ambulances transporting people who had been in contact with [lab tech] Shipilova for medical examination," as per local news. This is significant. FSB is Russia's domestic security / counterintelligence service, tasked w/implementing the national security of Russia." (Its predecessor was the KGB). This suggests quarantine was not voluntary.

It also means Russian authorities are treating the lab accident and plague outbreak as a national security issue, involving a lot more than routine public health.

https://x.com/AnnieJacobsen/st...

Submission + - California scientist emerges as possible Tylenol murders suspect (sfgate.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A man found dead in a church halfway across the country may have suddenly unlocked the key — quite literally — to one of America’s most famous unsolved crimes.

But although he had a successful career, working at one point for Lockheed Martin on a NASA-related project in New Mexico, Betkouski had a reputation for making unsettling comments. Former coworkers told Cooper that Betkouski spoke of how to commit a “perfect crime,” had a “history of volatility" and referenced cyanide as an ideal way to kill without detection. He also mentioned putting poison in over-the-counter medication, an especially worrisome comment coming from someone who had worked in multiple drugstores.

“It was said that Dr. Betkouski attempted to obtain some type of pills or capsules from a pharmacy in the Las Cruces area,” Cooper said at a press conference last week. “He said this would be for an experiment. For reasons not fully understood, Dr. Betkouski created a disturbance at the location and the police were summoned.”

Less than three months before Betkouski killed himself, a national terror was unfolding in Chicago. In late September 1982, seven people took over-the-counter Tylenol for their usual aches and pains. The capsules had been opened and filled with potassium cyanide, killing the people who took them.

Submission + - China broadens travel curbs to encompass family of top AI talent. (business-standard.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: That marks a broadening of existing curbs on the freedom of movement of China’s most influential tech talent — a category that encompasses entrepreneurs, researchers and executives. While not an outright ban on travel, the new requirement is likely to exert a further chilling effect on a tech sector already facing unprecedented curbs. China has restricted foreign travel for top AI professionals in private firms such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and DeepSeek since earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported in May, reflecting Beijing’s determination to safeguard its technology as it makes big strides in AI and chipmaking.

It’s unclear whether all those people’s families need to follow the new strictures, the people said. China is also separately implementing rules, which became effective Sept 15, for enforcing exit bans in cases ranging from criminal investigations to potential violations of the country’s industrial and technological security.

Beijing’s plan is to add relevant individuals to the list as time goes by, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a sensitive issue. Government departments have already notified several people of the need to clear family travel, two of the people said.

Submission + - Samsung to invest up to $100 million in Oak Ridge nuclear plant (wate.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: “Kairos broke ground on the Hermes 2 plant in April. It is the first power-producing Generation IV reactor to get a United States construction permit. In August, Kairos announced a deal with Google and the Tennessee Valley Authority as well as plans to train East Tennesseans to join the nuclear workforce.”

Submission + - The 'Anti-AI' Panic Is Led by...AI Companies (hotair.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: What we are seeing is a massive, pretty obviously coordinated campaign by AI researchers, companies, NGOs, and politicians to strangle competition in an industry and, as I will show, save the financial bacon of the top AI companies that are vastly overextended financially because they have made contractual commitments that they simply have no prospect of paying for.

Submission + - New York City Forced to Release 170,000 Pages Exposing 9/11 Toxic Air Deception (nytimes.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: New York City has been forced to release more than 170,000 pages of documents exposing how government officials assured Americans that the air around Ground Zero was safe despite evidence showing dangerous contaminants remained in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The massive document release comes 25 years after thousands of first responders, workers, residents, and others were exposed to the toxic cloud that engulfed Lower Manhattan following the collapse of the World Trade Center.

The records show officials had information indicating troubling levels of asbestos and other hazardous contaminants while the public was being reassured about the safety of the air.

The documents are now being released after transparency organization 9/11 Health Watch sued New York City to force their disclosure.

The revelations come as people exposed to the toxic aftermath continue to suffer and die from cancers, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and other conditions decades later.

The newly disclosed records contain evidence of hazardous conditions extending beyond the immediate footprint of the Twin Towers.

In November 2001 an audit was prepared by a private company and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency that relied on information collected by New York City and state agencies.

The findings raised serious concerns.

“That audit demonstrated that air concentration of the carcinogen benzene was still spiking near the towers’ footprint, and that the concentration of asbestos in the air at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island had increased after the attacks,” the New York Times reported.

The records also show higher-than-acceptable levels of asbestos and other contaminants in dust and air elsewhere in Lower Manhattan.

Yet Americans were being told something very different.

Officials Told the Public the Air Was ‘Safe’

Submission + - Gov. DeSantis bans Flock cameras from state highways (www.wctv.tv)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he’s removing Flock camera from state roadways.

The announcement comes amid a growing concern over the misuse of automated license plate readers.

On Monday, DeSantis ordered all Flock cameras removed from what he calls the “state highway system” within the next 30 days, which would include interstates like I-10 and I-75.

That order led to several sheriff’s departments like in Franklin, Liberty and Putnam Counties to announce they’re ending their own license plate reader programs.

Comment The 2nd booster landed miles away (Score 2) 27

One side booster (B1072-3) landed at Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2)
The other side booster (B1104-1) landed at Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40)

These two pads are several miles apart, so the classic close dual landing (the dramatic “twin touchdown” view from past missions) didn’t happen.
Why the change?

In the past, SpaceX almost always recovered both side boosters at the adjacent pads LZ-1 and LZ-2 (at the old Launch Complex 13 area).

LZ-1 has since been retired (its last landing was in 2025), and SpaceX built a new landing pad called LZ-40 right next to their main Falcon 9 launch site (SLC-40).

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