#digital identity bill 2024

[aressida]

[73ghosts]

I'm sure many of you are already aware of this, but in case I have any newer tumblr users, pet bill donation scams are very common on this site. If someone DMs or sends you an ask asking you to reblog some sort of donation post for a sick/injured pet, it is most likely a scam.

Below the cut, I have included tips to spotting a scam, and why I believe the post by 507-on-queue is a scam. @kyra45 runs an excellent tumblr scam awareness blog, and has more information and tips here about spotting pet scams. I have archived the scam post in question on my side blog here.

Here's some ways to spot these scams:

Age of the blog - most scam blogs are a week old or younger, they are often under a day old

Similar urls being used for multiple blogs - scam blogs are typically blocked/deleted rapidly, and the OP makes a new account with almost the same name

The blog bio/pfp are not unique

You can only access the dashboard view of the blog so the post archive cannot be accessed (for example, my dashboard view is this, but you can also visit my webpage view and see my 9 years of post history via /archive lol)

The blog has never interacted with you before

The blog follows you and immediately sends a DM/ask

The DM/ask is overly polite and guilt trips (they often ask you to reply privately to reduce digital footprint)

Images of pets can be found via reverse image search

OP's story is inconsistent or unrealistic

The Paypal link does not match the supposed country OP lives in

Most recently, a scam post has been going around about a sphynx cat named Draven. This has been done using multiple urls, including:

meer-lion (deactivated)

507-on-queue (deactivated)

507onqueue (deactivated)

507-onqueue (current as of Jan 13th, 2024)

Here's how this blog meets our scam watch criteria:

The current blog (507-onqueue) is less than a day old (19 hours at the time of this post). The oldest post:

As listed above, OP uses multiple, similar URLs.

The bio of 507-onqueue is taken almost directly from another user (said user). Due to the same bio being used in previous scams, I suspect this is the same or related person to kappa-tundra/kappatundra (about this scam).

Scam blog:

Copied blog:

Only dashboard view is available.

The blog follows and immediately DMs/sends and ask. From my account:

The ask from the account is very polite, guilt trips, and asks me to answer to the post privately. The goal of being so polite is to win your trust and lower your defenses. This isn't the worst guilt trip I've been in a scam (that goes to the child support scam from several years ago). By asking me to reply privately, they're attempting to reduce their digital footprint (making them harder to google) and disguise how much they are spamming asks.

The information in that post was taken from a private Facebook account (source). I found the Facebook account in question and confirmed that the information was taken from there. I do not want to share the page because I view that as a further violation of the Facebook OP's privacy. For transparency, the images of Draven are not on Facebook OP's page any longer, but there are several other identifiable pieces of information that make it more than likely that the claims of her information being stolen are true.

The ask is inconsistent itself with the name of the cat (Draven vs Indie). This is also nearly identical to another scam ask from user captbridges. This user was using a real GoFundMe for a sick cat to scam.

The medical paperwork in OP's post is for a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin. However, OP's PayPal is based in the Philippines. The country.x= part of the url indicate the country of origin of the account; PH is the Philippines. The local.x= part of the url shows that the link was localized to the United States (making the donation currency USD). (PayPal's information page about country codes).

Stay safe out there and remain vigilant, everyone. If you don't already know them, try to pick up some boolean operators to refine your google searches when checking for scams. The tumblr search function sucks, so this is your best bet of finding information about scams like these online.

[homestuckreplay]

Webcomics at Day 100 #1: Kevin & Kell

Pages read: 9/3/1995 – 9/3/1996 & 4/13/2009 – 8/18/2009; about 380 pages

Reason for selection: Best I can tell this is the oldest webcomic that’s still running as well as among the first ones made. It updated every weekday from 1995-2000 and every day since then without breaks, totaling around 4500 strips as of 2009 and 10,000 strips as of 2024. This webcomic is older than I am and has been around for over 90% of the internet’s public history. While not originally intended as a ‘furry comic’ it quickly gained popularity among furries, who are an important internet subculture. K&K meetups happened at furry conventions in the 2000s.

Current status: This comic is an eternal truth of the internet

Content warnings: predator/prey dynamics

Overall thoughts: I think this strip is charming. It’s functionally identical to a newspaper strip, and there’s nothing about its presentation that couldn’t be done in print – which makes sense as its creator was already a newspaper cartoonist before starting this. Being published on the internet allows readers easy and instant access to the archives without having to buy the newspaper each day, although the sections I’ve read don’t take advantage of this by having long running storylines that require reading the archive. There is overall continuity, but jumping from 1996 to 2009 wasn’t super confusing. At the time of writing this the website is quick to load, well organized and really easy to navigate, so it’s no work at all to just start reading and get lost in the comic.

Content wise, the strip features anthropomorphic animals living in modern society (humans appear to be mythical creatures?) and includes a lot of jokes about animal traits manifesting in school, work and day to day life. Some specific jokes such as the hedgehog character getting stuck to things with her many spines are used often. Quite a few jokes rely on the fact that a significant portion of society are killing and eating the other portions on a daily basis, which is written in a lighthearted way but won’t be to everyone’s taste. I’d also describe the comic as ‘boomer humor’ in some places. Bill Holbrook began writing the strip in his late 30s so is older than the average early webcomics artist, and writes about family and technology from that perspective. The content also focuses on both nontraditional relationships and traditional family dynamics, and the ways these rub up against one another, while avoiding any genuinely controversial topics.

I love how Holbrook draws rabbits – Kevin and baby Coney’s designs are adorable to me and are the visual highlights of most strips. The character R.L., wolf and CEO of Herd Thinners Inc., is never shown in full – only his drooling mouth, fangs, and hands clasped on his desk are shown, which kicks ass as a villain design. Holbrook is also really good at conveying a character’s overall mood or vibe just through their body language in a still image, which is impressive considering how many different species he’s working with. The comic began in black and white and switched to color in 2000, and while I don’t think the color significantly improves the strip, it does make it easier to distinguish between characters of similar species as the cast has grown.

Connections to Homestuck: K&K doesn’t use the affordances of the internet (such as including gifs/sound in the comic) but it is definitely about the internet. It’s established imemdiately that titular couple Kevin & Kell first met and fell in love online, and that Kevin’s job is the system operator for the ‘herbivore forum.’ Kevin attends an online high school reunion, daughter Lindesfarne (INCREDIBLE character name) attends a virtual prom, and son Rudy stays in touch with his long distance girlfriend via email. Jokes about online life being inferior to digital are rare, and spending a lot of time online is normalized within the world of the comic, a decade or two before it became normalized in the real world.

K&K also plays with the boundary between digital and real space, and commonly depicts a character typing something into the computer to cause a physical effect in the world far away. Computers physically react to the digital content they are used for, such as Kevin’s computer starting to grow leaves and plants when he spends too much time on the herbivore forum, and digital phenomena are represented physically such as this depiction of a firewall:

I don’t think Rudy and Dave are the exact same archetype but Rudy does wear sunglasses 24/7 and is a different flavor of above it all coolguy whose feelings aren’t as secret as he thinks.

Continue reading? Probably! Despite being loosely drawn archetypes I did start caring about the characters quickly, enjoyed reading enough to go well past day 100, and have marked my place to come back to. It’s sweet and low effort entertainment that I can easily see myself digging into when I’m tired or sick.

I have sponsored today’s update which only costs $5 and is a small contribution to webcomics history.

[commiepinkofag]

Across the internet, communities of queer and trans youth have mobilized to oppose KOSA as the legislation became increasingly entangled in longstanding culture war debates over sex education and queer visibility in schools.

By Mike Ludwig , Truthout Published August 13, 2024

Despite many changes to the bill’s language since it was first introduced in 2022, KOSA continues to face stiff opposition from LGBTQ and digital rights groups. They take umbrage with the bill’s so-called “duty of care” provision for content recommendation, which makes internet companies responsible for designing their products to mitigate for broad threats to minors, such as “suicide,” “gambling” and “sexual exploitation.” Digital rights groups argue the provision would encourage tech companies to overcorrect and respond to threats from politicians by censoring reproductive and mental health resources, particularly for transgender youth and others who rely on the internet for support and information to navigate the marginalization of their identities. Across the internet, communities of queer and trans youth have mobilized to oppose KOSA as the legislation became increasingly entangled in longstanding culture war debates over sex education and queer visibility in schools. “The changes that I, LGBTQ+ advocates, parents, student activists, civil rights orgs, and others have fought for over the last two years have made it less likely that the bill can be used as a tool for MAGA extremists to wage war on legal and essential information to teens,” Wyden recently wrote on social media. “While constructive, these improvements remain insufficient.” Wyden and LGBTQ rights groups have reason to worry. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee who worked with Democrats on KOSA, said in 2023 that the bill could be used to censor content and shield young people from “indoctrination” and, as she put it, “the transgender.” After Democrats updated the bill earlier this year in an attempt to appease LGBTQ groups, Republicans, fed a diet of online misinformation about queer people, began to see KOSA as part of some liberal conspiracy to promote gender nonconformity, which does not exist.

[darkmaga-returns]

The thoroughly Technocratic “Digital Public Infrastructure” (DPI) originally slid in on the back of the global warming hoax. Unaccountable and unelected Bill Gates is rebranding the effort with his Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP).

On 1-3 October, the Global DPI Summit  2024 was held in Cairo, Egypt. The principal sponsor was a NGO called Co-Develop Fund, who promised to,

… bring together key stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors, including:

Countries: Countries that are seeking best-in-class approaches to digitization.

Bilateral and multilateral institutions: Institutions that support country governments in their digitization efforts.

Open-source digital public good providers: Providers of scalable digital solutions that can be used by countries to implement DPI.

Private sector companies: Companies with the expertise and capacity to help governments implement digital solutions at a population scale.

Civil society actors: Actors who are working to ensure that DPI is implemented in a way that is inclusive and protects the rights of all citizens.

Global DPI thought leaders: Experts on DPI who can provide valuable insights and guidance to countries on their DPI implementation journeys.

Domain-focused actors: Actors who are working to implement DPI solutions in specific sectors, such as education, healthcare, and agriculture.

⁃ Patrick Wood, Editor.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is pushing governments to adopt the new global system for digital cash and ID that is backed by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Gates and his foundation are doubling down on support for s digital public infrastructure (DPI).

DPI supports both digital IDs and payments and is backed by the WEF, the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN).

Gates is now pressuring governments around the world to begin incorporating DPI as the globalist groups push for payments and IDs to switch to a fully digital system on a global level.

The billionaire laid out his vision for global DPI in a new blog post.

The Silicon Valley oligarch is once again attempting to establish his reputation as a visionary on these matters.

Gates praised several third-world “developing countries” for allowing DPI to be tested on their citizens.

He revealed that the system has already been “trialed for the rest of the world” in India, Kenya, Brazil, and Togo.

One of the major criticisms leveled at digital IDs and payments is that they will lead to “enhanced,” digital government surveillance, and subsequent disenfranchisement of people.

Many have also raised concerns about the rush to usher in the technology.

Globalists have been pushing for DPI to be rolled out globally for large-scale adoption by 2030, ostensibly to fight “climate change.”

However, Gates does not share these concerns about the technology and is heavily pushing for DPI to be rolled out for the general public.

According to Gates, citizens should not be concerned about government surveillance because “a properly designed” DPI will in fact “enhance” privacy.

He claims DPI includes “safeguards” which he didn’t elaborate on.

Gates also touches on what he says are the benefits of using Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP).

MOSIP is a global digital ID tool backed by the Gates Foundation.

However, MOSIP is yet another point of contention from the privacy standpoint.

But MOSIP featured as a key participant during the recent Global DPI Summit 2024 held in Egypt.

At the event, those behind MOSIP, as well as the World Bank, the UN’s development agency UNDP, and the globalist Tony Blair Institute all took part.

The event provided another opportunity for these organizations to push for global adoption of DPI by 2030.

In addition, the organizations pledged to work on accelerating this process.

MOSIP demonstrated its identity platform at the summit.

At the same time, it stressed that the goal of digital ID and payments is to improve accessibility of identification, “particularly for developing nations.”

The platform is already in use in Ethiopia, Morocco, and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the World Bank announced that it is about to launch its own global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) program.

Read full story here…

[paigelts05]

Bill Blake [FNAF, Renegade AU]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/1104060944

Published: Sep 29, 2024

William Blake, whom prefers to be called Bill, is a friend of William Afton's. Whilst a people pleasing pushover, he's only a people pleaser to those who stand to benefit him. Else, he'll just use you. Whilst is is a rather proficient manipulator, sometimes his attempts are pathetic. Now onto his story.

He was around 20 in the mid-80's. He knew about the bite, he knew about one of the robots allegedly being haunted, but his interest in Freddy's and William was truly piqued after five kids went missing. After hearing rumours of nightmarish robots and catching wind of the digital consciousness transfer experiments, he wanted in on it. Come 1987, he managed to track down William, who had been masquerading as a nobody named Dave Miller whilst operating Faz Ent from the shadows.

Bill had connected the dots between the vanishing of William Afton and his comatose son David, and the emergence of Dave Miller and his not comatose son Evan: the Millers were occupying the same now abandoned Afton household, 'Evan' had scars that lined up with the injuries from the big bite, and 'Dave' was covered in springlock scars, and only a handful of people had survived a full body springlock failure, so the suspect list was limited. The conclusion was obvious.

Upon approaching William, the man almost killed Bill, thinking that he was an investigator, but once Bill revealed that he found William's work interesting and wanted to help him, William was much more receptive of what Bill had to say, and he let Bill join Faz Ent's inner circle.

Bill dealt with a handful of behind the scenes work, acting on William's behalf as William took on several fake identities. Bill made sure that new establishments ran whilst William was 'MIA'.

Meanwhile, he also was working on his own 'project'. William had a fourth child whom he had 'adopted' in the very early 80's after her parents suffered a 'tragic accident' at a business meeting. William had raised this daughter to help him cover up his crimes. Bill decided that a child of his own would be beneficial. He decided that 'suprise adoption' would be too risky, so he simply charmed a woman around his age who; this woman was Joy Diego, the daughter of the late Ina Diego. The women of the Diego family had always been susceptible to possession, so she was a perfect target. Faz Ent had tried to hire Joy after her mother's death because of her susceptibility to possession, but she'd gotten away. Some time between then and now, Joy had gone blind, so he knew that she wouldn't recognise him, not that their paths crossed back then anyway. They got together, and had a child. Joy wanted to call their child Sylvia, but Bill wanted to name their daughter after William's fourth child (not that he'd tell her his reasons for the name). They compromised to name their daughter "Sylvia Vanessa Blake", but Bill switched the forename and middle name on the birth certificate. Four years later, Bill divorsed Joy as her connections to those who wished to bring down Faz Ent was becoming a real risk to his safety. To secure his custody over his daughter, he threatened his attorney, the judge, and his daughter to comply with his lies against Joy Diego that should ruin her life. However, when he felt as if victory was in his grasp, his own daughter betrayed him and revealed his ploy and that Joy was innocent of everything that she had said and that Bill had threatened her. This made his attorney reveal that himself and the judge had been threatened too. The judge, however, was terrified of Bill, so gave him custody anyway. The judge stepped down from his position of judge a few months later, but Bill had gotten what he wanted.

Even though he now had to stay on the move, his job of checking on Freddy's locations was perfect for that. Even though most of them had closed by now - with only a handful remaining open - he had to check in on each location with near identical frequency, regardless of whether it was open for business or not. This constant mobility also came in handy, as he begun to put Sylvia (he calls her Vanessa) through electroshock 'therapy' to try and make her mote obedient. It failed, and after Sylvia met Vanessa Shelly, the woman whom Bill had named Vanessa Syivia Blake after, Sylvia kept on trying to run away. Whilst Bill had been able to recapture his 'wayward' daughter every time, once she turned 16, she escaped for good.

Bill was furious, but he was busy dealing with Faz Ent's current plans for the future and keeping tabs on Faz Ent locations to have the time to care: he knew who she'd been talking to, and he knew where she would have gone, so he already accepted that he had no shot at dragging Sylvia back this time.

Some years later, a fortunate coincidence struck: his daughter had been investigating an old Faz Ent HQ and been captured by the robots - which were all under the direct control of the science team. However, when he went to visit his daughter and give her a warm welcome to the Fazbear Family, he found out that she had escaped. The scientist in charge, Alistair Anadem, wasn't bothered as she'd gotten the stem cell sample that she wanted, but Bill was fuming. But with nothing he could do about it (the science team was under Adelaide's control, not William's, no matter how much the two work together), all he could do was suck it up, as it wasn't all bad. Alistair used the extracted stem cells to synthesise a person, and Al even gave the girl Bill's surname. The kid, a girl who was given the name Cassie Blake, was trained in the labs to be a killer, but six years later, Alistair and the girl went missing, and only the doctor returned. Bill was once again fuming.

A few years later, Bill had yet another stroke of luck. Faz Ent was making a means to allow William to not only escape the ghostly predicament he'd had himself in, but also the freedom to choose a new host for himself. The details of William's ghostly predicament are that there is something within the code of the animatronic chip that he was trapped in that keeps him trapped, and he needs a third party to escape. So Faz Ent devised a plan of creating a VR game that pulled triple duty: a cover up for Faz Ent's crimes, allow William to escape from being trapped in the old spring bonnie chip, and if all goes well, allow William to possess anyone in the world.

And the development team that this game was handed to after the first few teams 'expired' was none other than Silver Parasol: a small company of four, and one of those four was his wayward daughter Sylvia.

Bill had hoped that William would posess her, and when he received news that she had been posessed, he was ecstatic. For the whole of ten seconds, as he was also informed that about two days after she had been posessed, her friend Cassey Tapper had managed to push William back into the computer. After listening to the rest of what Dale had to say, he found a lot of the information infuriating.

He learned that Sylvia was not as susceptible to possession as her mother and grandmother (as it turns out, she got more than her hair colour from Bill).

He also learned that Joy had remarried shortly after his and Joy's divorce, so Syivia now had a half sister, also bearing the forename Vanessa (named after what Joy believed to be the middle name of her first child).

He also learned that it was that half sister who was both susceptible to possession AND wound up posessed by William and unable to force him back into the game.

Upon learning that last part, Bill changed his tune. He could get Sylvia's half sister Ness to be the pawn that he wanted, AND he could use that to blackmail Sylvia into the same position.

It took a few years for the peices to fall into place, and William controlling Ness, but he finally managed his goal of having Sylvia fully working for him. However, it was a mutual blackmail agreement: Faz Ent had Ness, which was Bill's blackmail against Sylvia, but Sylvia had 28 years worth of evidence of many terrible things against Bill. The safety of a sister Vs 28 years of shit looming over one's head. Sylvia got her position as a guard (head guard no less) at the megaplex, and all she had to do was some delivery errands for her father. Meanwhile, Bill had to get her that security guard position (Bill had to pull a favour from William for that one) and not rat her out to the execs that managed the megaplex. A part of this deal also protected Sylvia from the mass layoffs. Well, it protected her as far as it ment that she'd keep her job: she still had to fight in order to live to see the light of day like the others.

However, Bill also took advantage of the situation and had execs spike Sylvia with remnant, in hopes of it making her more 'manageable'

About a week after the mass layoffs, everything went to shit.

He was partially to blame.

Cassie, the MIA assassin girl, has returned, and Bill had managed to put her in the VR environment, yet unbeknownst to him, that was exactly where she wanted to be.

An 'incident' caused partially by outside interference and partially by letting Cassie into the VR environment caused a domino effect. Whilst the details were unknown to Bill, all he knew is that Cassie saved a young boy from Faz Ent's VR environment, and then that young boy went on to indirectly collaborate with Sylvia in freeing Ness from William.

With all his power over Sylvia dissolved in one night, he was so pissed that he wasn't even mentally present when he was informed that a Raid on the megaplex had taken place. With William now in dire straits again, about to lose use of the Burntrap body, Bill thought it was over. Until Cheryl informed him of the counterattack plan: if they could recapture Ness, Sylvia and that boy, named Gregory, would surely follow. Plus, as Gregory and Cassie were friends, then she would follow suit soon after.

Bill was glad of the plan, and whilst Cheryl M, Todd C, and Charles R were dealing with kidnapping Ness, Bill was making preparations for Sylvia and Gregory's inevitable attempt to take Ness back. Everything went well for Faz Ent.

Until the point where Sylvia, Ness, and Gregory had more fight in them than what Faz Ent had hoped. Ness was hardly fazed by Todd's crude attempt at vivisecting her to see "how Vanny functioned". The control device Charles R jammed onto Sylvia got blocked by the remnant that she'd been injected with, letting her reject Adelaide's control, but not without side effects. Sylvia and Ness then saved Gregory from Cheryl. To make it worse, Sylvia had now job-hopped to being a demolitions expert, and due to the control device blocking Sylvia's impulsive control, she set off some of the demolition explosives when everyone was still inside!

Fortunately, nobody died, but the megaplex was left in such a state that navigation was nigh-impossible without Adelaide's assistance.

But at least Cheryl was able to give Bill the clips of Gregory's voice. Clips they could use to lure Cassie to the labs. So Bill left a Roxie-talkie near the elevators in the megaplex's lobby, and with a regular walkie-talkie, he sent out the initial distress signal to outside the megaplex, then used the clips via the walkie-talkie to communicate with Cassie via the Roxy-talkie and lure her down.

Though he wasn't the only one who wanted to bring Cassie down to the labs. Tech Exec Burrows had his pet project, the mimic, wrecking havoc and complicating things. As the mimic became more and more of a potent threat to William and Cassie, Bill wound up cutting the elevator.

After watching Sylvia jump into the elevator shaft to find Cassie, Bill slowly lowered himself down to assess the damage, only to fortunately find Cassie alive and well already having a conversation with Sylvia.

Due to the dire straits, Cassie actually voluntarily agreed to work with William on the matter of eliminating the mimic, and by extension, Sylvia also agreed to work alongside Faz Ent for this matter only. He was, however, annoyed at William for how he felt the need to further terrify Sylvia and Cassie with the finer details of the control device and MXES respectively.

Bill didn't feel much of anything at Burrows's death. But he did feel abject terror when the mimic begun chasing him and the others down.

After hiding in the scoping room and watching Cassie push the button to kill the mimic, a sense of calm washed over him. He was alive, his daughter and granddaughter were alive. And now was the time for just getting out of the megaplex because it had been over thirty eight since he'd last showered and with being in the grimy labs for at least the past twenty-something of them, he REALLY needed to get cleaned up.

During the long track out, Bill chipped Cheryl to make her an AR mask wielder to make their escape easier. Bill and Alistair had been the ones who had been working on Faz Ent's VR environment since its infancy, so Bill knew enough about it.

Once down the stairs that were only visible through the VANNI network, and after Roxy used Sylvia's grappling hook to take them the rest of the way, Bill left the scene after hearing some choice words from his daughter. It was clear that she was not willing to join Faz Ent still.

He returned to HQ, and after a long bath, he begun trying to plan how to being Cassie back to Faz Ent, but has not yet come up with a decent plan.

[thisaintascenereviews]

Nostalgic Sound Review Round-Up

Profiler - A Digital Nowhere

A couple of albums came out recently that both fit the bill for being in the vein of having a nostalgic sound, regardless of the style, and I wanted to talk about both albums briefly, because I don’t have a whole lot to say about either album, but I’d like to talk about them. Both of these albums are very similar, yet they’re also relatively different. The first album I wanted to talk about is the debut from British nu-metal band Profiler, entitled A Digital Nowhere, and this band came to my attention out of nowhere, just from seeing this album pop up on Apple Music. They’re signed to SharpTone, which was a big reason as to why I decided to check this out, and this album is a solid little nu-metal / nu-metalcore album that also incorporates some shoegaze and grunge. If you love bands like Korn, Deftones, Linkin Park, and all things late 90s and early 00s, you’ll dig this. You can pinpoint a lot of their influences, but it never becomes annoying, it’s just cool hearing a lot of different influences instead of one or two key ones, and leaving it at that. This album is a lot of fun, even if the album’s rapped sections aren’t great, but they’re fine for what they are.

The Requiem - A Cure To Poison The World

On the other side of the spectrum, you got The Requiem, a band that sounds like they should have been huge in the early 00s, and their debut album, A Cure To Poison The World. Think if My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights, and The Used kept making melodramatic post-hardcore albums in 2024, and that’s how this would sound. It’s big, epic, catchy, melodramatic, and everything you’d expect from an album in that vein. For that, it’s a lot of fun, even if it sounds like stuff I’ve heard before, but hearing it now with a modern flair is really cool. I have to give this band credit for not trying to sound exactly like the past, either, so the album never comes off as parody or satire, but they play it straight. The album is executed well, so I can’t fault it for that. So-called “elder emos,” which is a phrase that makes me cringe when I hear it, although I get why people use it, should really enjoy this, because it sounds like music that they would have consumed 20 years ago, yet it still has a modern flair behind it that fans of newer music would enjoy, too. It’s not perfect, as they don’t have too much of an identity yet, but I’ll give it another album and they’ve got some potential there.

[fishingproo]

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[dorleco]

Things to Know about ISO 15118 Fast Charging

October 11, 2024

by dorleco

with no comment

Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Edit

What is ISO 15118?

The communication interface that electric vehicles (EVs) use to communicate with charging infrastructure is defined by the globally accepted ISO 15118 Fast Charging standard. Its main purpose is to enable “Plug and Charge” capabilities, allowing EVs to automatically commence and authenticate charging sessions without extra hardware or software.

All EVs are covered by this standard, including plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The reliability, convenience, and security of EV charging are made possible by ISO 15118, which is a crucial part of the infrastructure of smart grids.

In addition to Plug and Charge, ISO 15118 allows dynamic pricing, which lets charging station operators modify charges according to the availability of renewable energy, grid demand, and time of day. The standard also incorporates safe authentication and authorization procedures to prevent unwanted access to EV charging systems.

How Does It Work?

When an EV establishes a physical link with a charging station, the ISO 15118 process begins. The EV and charging station use digital certificates to verify each other’s identities to provide a safe connection. Upon successful identification, information about the EV, including its preferred charging method, energy requirements, and desired features, is shared with the charging station.

Afterward, the EV and charging station negotiate the charging settings, including the charging power, timing, and payment methods. The charging session starts once the parameters are established, and the station powers the EV according to the conditions specified while keeping an eye out for any problems or modifications that may be needed. Based on the selected payment method, the charging station generates a billing record at the end of the session.

ISO 15118 Components

1. Understanding the Fundamentals

Examine all of ISO 15118’s sections to familiarize yourself with its key components. The definition of key concepts, use cases, and basic standards that serve as the basis for standardization is mostly the responsibility of ISO 15118-I. Learn about the variables that affect load management, charging, and payment options.

2. Needs for Networks and Protocols

The network and application protocol standards are detailed in ISO 15118–2. Examine ISO 15118–3 in greater detail to learn about the physical and data link layer prerequisites for efficient communication.

3. Testing for Conformance

Use ISO 15124 to conduct network and application protocol conformance tests that comply with ISO standards. Through conformance testing, verify the physical and data link layers to ensure compliance with ISO 15118–3.

4. Wireless Communication Considerations

For information on wireless communication by the second edition of the international standard, see ISO/DIS 15118–6. Examine ISO 15118–7, which is now part of ISO/DIS 20, and describe the network and application protocol standards for mobile communication. The physical layer and data connection requirements for wireless transmission are described in full in ISO 15118–0.

5. Protocols of the Second Generation

To find out more about the precise criteria for application protocols on second-generation networks, consult ISO 15118–20.

6. Applications beyond Electric Vehicles

Examine the use of ISO 15118 Fast Charging in heavy-duty vehicles, such as automated guided vehicles in harbors and public transportation. Applying ISO 1548–8 to commercial wireless communication operations is advised, but should be done with caution as operational uptime issues may develop.

7. Addressing Communication Gaps

Analyze how ISO 15118 defines internal vehicle communication about devices other than the Supplied Equipment Communication Controller (SECC). Recognize that while unique use cases are handled separately, everything outside of the SECC and message exchange methods is outside the purview of the standard.

8. Reducing Wireless Difficulties

When utilizing ISO 15118–8 for wireless communication, especially in professional settings, proceed with caution. Use the approved ISO 15118–3 methodology for charging passenger EVs to avoid issues with operational uptime.

Benefits ISO 15118

1. Plug and Charge

2. ISO 15118’s Contribution to Enhanced User Convenience

Intelligent and effortless communication between electric vehicles and charging stations is facilitated by ISO 15118. With the use of this standard, EVs may communicate vital data such as preferred charging parameters, power needs, and charging preferences with charging stations. Because of this, charging may be tailored to the EV’s specifications and the resources at the station, resulting in the greatest efficiency and reduced charging times.

3. Facilitating Vehicle-to-Grid Integration

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology is made possible by ISO 15118 Fast Charging, allowing EVs to both take power from and return excess energy to the grid. In addition to improving energy storage, balancing grid capacity, and stabilizing the system, this bidirectional energy transfer may also present EV owners with income prospects.

4. Ensuring Secure Communication

To ensure safe communication between electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations, ISO 15118 puts in place robust security mechanisms. By using digital certificates for authentication, the standard builds confidence between the two parties and guards against tampering or illegal access. This technique protects EV owners’ privacy and safety from potential cyber security attacks.

5. Unlocking the Benefits of Bidirectional Charging

Here, your electric car serves as a reactive power bank, offering a practical way to keep the grid balance during overload situations. With the help of charging stations, EVs can function as a reliable power source and return electricity to the grid. This makes storing extra electricity possible and using it at a different station later on. Make use of this cutting-edge technology to boost energy efficiency and grid stability.

Applications Beyond Passenger EVs

Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Public Transport

Explore Public Transport Integration: ISO 15118 Fast Charging is used for heavy-duty electric buses as well as passenger EVs, enabling improved connectivity between infrastructure and charging systems in public transport. Improve Efficiency: Complying with ISO 15118 standards simplifies charging methods, enabling enhancements to public transportation networks.

Automatic Guided Vehicles in the Harbor

Facilitate Automated Operations: The applicability of ISO 15118 is also expanded to marine environments, specifically in the area of guided vehicle automation. Enhance Charging Processes: ISO 15118 guarantees standardized communication that makes charging electric forklifts and other smart vehicles easier and more reliable.

Conclusion:

An important step forward in the creation of EV charging infrastructure is indicated by ISO 15118 Fast Charging. With capabilities like dynamic pricing, secure authentication, and plug-and-charge capability, this standard aims to improve EV charging dependability, efficiency, and convenience for all users. While there are still issues with cost and compatibility, the future of infrastructure allowed by ISO 15118 seems bright.

To sum up, implementing ISO 15118 Fast Charging is essential to have a flawless EV charging experience. It encourages standardization and ensures compatibility. Its bidirectional charging capabilities also guarantee safe operations and allow grid connectivity.

With Dorleco’s Fast-Charging Solutions, which are supported by ISO 15118 compliance and guarantee smooth and effective charging experiences, you can stay ahead of the EV revolution. Discover our cutting-edge EV products, which include CAN Keypads, CAN Displays, and VCUs, all of which are intended to improve the performance of your car. Furthermore, management and integration are now simpler than ever thanks to our hassle-free EV software services. For cutting-edge car technology that keeps you going forward, put your trust in Dorleco!

[health-views-updates]

Investing in the Healthcare Fraud Analytics Market: Key Considerations and Opportunities

The global healthcare fraud analytics market revenue is poised for rapid expansion, with the market size valued at USD 2.42 billion in 2023 and projected to reach USD 14.01 billion by 2031. This substantial growth reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.5% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2031. The surge in healthcare fraud cases and the increasing need for advanced analytics solutions to combat fraudulent activities are key drivers of this market.

Healthcare fraud analytics solutions use data analytics, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect, prevent, and reduce fraudulent activities in the healthcare sector. These advanced technologies analyze vast amounts of data to identify suspicious patterns in healthcare claims, billing, and patient records, helping healthcare providers, insurers, and government bodies mitigate fraud and reduce financial losses.

Key Market Drivers

Increasing Healthcare Fraud Incidences: The rising number of fraudulent activities in healthcare is one of the primary drivers of the healthcare fraud analytics market. Fraudulent claims, billing inaccuracies, and identity theft are leading to significant financial losses for healthcare organizations and insurance providers. This growing challenge has amplified the demand for advanced fraud detection systems that can quickly and accurately identify and flag fraudulent behavior.

Adoption of Big Data and AI Technologies: The healthcare industry is increasingly adopting big data analytics and AI technologies to handle the large volume of data generated by electronic health records (EHRs), insurance claims, and medical transactions. AI-driven solutions are being integrated into fraud detection systems to identify anomalies and potential fraud cases with higher precision. These technologies enable real-time monitoring and analysis, helping organizations detect fraud before it results in significant losses.

Regulatory and Government Initiatives: Stringent regulatory requirements aimed at reducing healthcare fraud are fueling the demand for fraud analytics solutions. Governments worldwide are actively promoting the adoption of fraud detection technologies through regulatory frameworks that require healthcare providers and insurers to implement systems to detect, report, and prevent fraudulent activities. The need to comply with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S. and similar frameworks in other countries is driving market growth.

Increased Use of Telemedicine and Digital Healthcare Services: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the adoption of telemedicine and digital healthcare services. However, this rapid shift to digital platforms has also opened up new avenues for fraud, including telehealth-related scams and fraudulent digital billing. As a result, healthcare organizations are increasingly investing in fraud analytics tools to safeguard their digital services and prevent misuse.

Get Free Sample Report: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/1767

Challenges and Opportunities

While the healthcare fraud analytics market is growing rapidly, there are challenges such as the high cost of deploying advanced fraud detection systems and the need for skilled professionals to operate them. Smaller healthcare organizations, in particular, may face barriers due to limited budgets and technological expertise. However, the development of cloud-based fraud analytics platforms and scalable, cost-effective solutions is expected to alleviate these challenges.

Moreover, the growing trend of automation in fraud detection, combined with the use of predictive analytics, presents new opportunities. Predictive analytics can help identify fraud trends and emerging risks before they escalate, giving healthcare organizations a proactive edge in fraud prevention.

Regional Insights

North America is currently the largest market for healthcare fraud analytics, owing to the high adoption rate of advanced technologies and the presence of a well-established healthcare infrastructure. The U.S., in particular, is at the forefront due to its robust regulatory framework and growing incidences of healthcare fraud.

Europe follows closely, with significant investments in healthcare IT and strong regulatory standards driving market demand. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period, fueled by the rapid digitalization of healthcare services and increasing government initiatives to combat fraud in emerging economies like China, India, and Japan.

Future Outlook

As healthcare systems become more digitized and the volume of healthcare transactions continues to grow, the need for sophisticated fraud detection tools will become even more critical. The healthcare fraud analytics market is expected to experience exponential growth over the next decade, with advancements in AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics shaping the future of fraud detection in healthcare.

In conclusion, the healthcare fraud analytics market is set to experience tremendous growth, from USD 2.42 billion in 2023 to USD 14.01 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 24.5% over the forecast period. As healthcare organizations continue to battle rising fraud risks, the adoption of advanced analytics solutions will be key to ensuring financial stability and maintaining trust within the healthcare ecosystem

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[neobanking]

Top Features of White Label Mobile Banking Solutions You Need in 2024

In the fast-evolving fintech landscape, white label mobile banking solutions have emerged as a game-changer for banks, financial institutions, and fintech startups. By offering pre-built, customizable platforms, these solutions enable businesses to launch mobile banking services without the need to develop technology from scratch. As we step into 2024, the competitive demands of the financial services industry continue to evolve, requiring white label banking platforms to deliver more advanced and innovative features.

Why White Label Mobile Banking Solutions?

White label mobile banking solutions provide a ready-made platform that fintech companies and traditional banks can rebrand and tailor to their specific business needs. They are particularly appealing because they drastically reduce the time and resources required to develop banking technology. Instead of building a mobile banking platform from the ground up, businesses can leverage a white label solution and focus on their core services and customer experience.

In addition, white label solutions allow for flexibility and customization, meaning that companies can personalize the app with their branding, add features, and offer tailored financial products to their customers. But what are the must-have features of a white label mobile banking solution to remain competitive in 2024?

Key Features of White Label Mobile Banking Solutions in 2024

1. Personalized User Experience

The modern consumer expects personalized interactions with their financial services. White label mobile banking solutions should provide robust tools for customization, allowing banks and fintechs to deliver a tailored experience based on user preferences, behavior, and financial history. This includes personalized notifications, product recommendations, and financial advice, which can significantly enhance customer engagement and retention.

2. Seamless Onboarding and KYC Compliance

Simplifying the account creation process is crucial for reducing friction and improving user adoption. In 2024, the top white label solutions will need to offer seamless, fully digital onboarding experiences. This includes integration with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance processes, ensuring that customers can easily verify their identities with minimal effort. Features like AI-driven document verification and biometric authentication will play a key role in making this process smooth and secure.

3. Multi-Currency and Cross-Border Capabilities

As more customers demand access to global financial services, offering multi-currency accounts and cross-border payment capabilities will be essential for white label mobile banking platforms. Solutions that enable users to hold, transfer, and spend money in different currencies will have a competitive edge, especially for fintechs that operate in multiple countries or target international markets.

4. AI-Powered Insights and Analytics

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the financial services industry, and mobile banking is no exception. AI-driven insights can help users manage their finances more effectively by offering personalized financial advice, predicting future spending trends, and alerting customers to upcoming bills. By integrating machine learning algorithms, white label platforms can deliver more intelligent, data-driven experiences, improving financial literacy and customer satisfaction.

5. Advanced Security Features

In 2024, security remains a top concern for mobile banking users. White label mobile banking platforms must incorporate advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric security (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprint scanning), and real-time fraud detection. These features ensure that user data is safeguarded from potential cyber threats while providing peace of mind to customers.

6. Open Banking Integration

With the rise of open banking, consumers expect their financial data to be easily accessible across multiple platforms. White label mobile banking solutions should offer APIs that allow for seamless integration with third-party apps and services. This enables customers to view all their financial accounts, investments, and spending patterns in one place, fostering a more holistic financial management experience.

7. Contactless Payments and Digital Wallet Integration

As contactless payments continue to grow in popularity, white label solutions must provide users with the ability to make instant payments through mobile wallets, QR codes, and near-field communication (NFC) technology. Integrating with popular digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay will be essential for ensuring users can pay with ease and convenience.

8. Modular and Scalable Architecture

One of the most critical aspects of a white label mobile banking platform is its scalability. As fintech companies grow and evolve, their mobile banking solution should be able to scale with them. A modular architecture allows businesses to add new features and functionalities over time without having to overhaul the entire system. This flexibility is key to future-proofing the platform and ensuring it can meet the needs of customers as they change.

9. Instant Payments and P2P Transfers

In a world where customers expect immediacy, instant payments are a necessity. White label banking apps must facilitate real-time peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers, bill payments, and other financial transactions. This ensures that users can send and receive money instantly, further enhancing the customer experience.

10. Regulatory Compliance and Customizable Compliance Tools

Regulatory compliance varies by region and can be highly complex. White label mobile banking solutions should come with customizable compliance tools that cater to the legal requirements of different jurisdictions. The ability to stay compliant with regulations such as PSD2 (Europe), GDPR, and CCPA (California) is crucial, especially for fintech startups aiming to scale globally.

The Future of White Label Mobile Banking Solutions

The demand for mobile-first financial services is only going to increase in the coming years, and white label solutions are perfectly positioned to meet this demand. They offer the flexibility and scalability that banks and fintechs need to innovate rapidly while maintaining a focus on customer experience and security.

As we move into 2024, the top features of white label mobile banking solutions will be those that provide seamless user experiences, integrate the latest technology like AI and machine learning, and support businesses in scaling globally. Companies looking to implement or upgrade their mobile banking platforms should consider these features to stay ahead of the competition and meet the growing demands of their customers.

By incorporating the right features and strategies, white label mobile banking solutions can provide a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, enabling businesses to offer innovative and personalized financial services with minimal development effort.

[aressida]

"🔥🔥🔥BREAKING

At 4.50pm this afternoon, and with only token opposition from the Liberals & Nationals the Digital ID Bill was passed by the Parliament.

A sad day for Australia, as the nation marches further down the road towards a totalitarian society.😥

And never forget tricks used to stifle debate and public discussion.

Contrary to precedent, the spirit of the Constitution and Westminster tradition, Labor introduced the Digital ID in the Senate (the House of review) instead of the House of Representatives.

Then they guillotined debate in the Senate.

And in House of Representatives, Labor shifted debate to the Federation Chamber where the Liberals put up token resistance with only one Liberal MP and two National MP’s bothering to speak on the Bill - and they didn’t even try any amendments to protect privacy or to try and safeguard against it being made compulsory." - Craig Kelly.

[pagebypagereviews]

# 20 Must-Have Books for 2024 As we approach 2024, the literary world is buzzing with anticipation for the year's most awaited releases. From groundbreaking novels to insightful non-fiction, the upcoming year promises a treasure trove of literary gems. Whether you're a voracious reader or looking to add some variety to your reading list, here are 20 must-have books for 2024 that you won't want to miss. ## Fiction Favorites ### 1. "The Echoes of Tomorrow" by Eliza Montgomery In this gripping science fiction novel, Montgomery explores the consequences of time travel in a world ravaged by climate change. With its intricate plot and compelling characters, "The Echoes of Tomorrow" is a must-read for fans of speculative fiction. ### 2. "Shadows in the Vineyard" by Amirah Anwar This mesmerizing mystery set in the heart of France's wine country combines rich descriptions with a twisting plot that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Anwar's latest is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. ### 3. "The Last Symphony" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Published posthumously, Zafón's final novel is a hauntingly beautiful tale of music, love, and mystery. Set in Barcelona, it serves as a fitting farewell from one of Spain's most beloved authors. ### 4. "Ariadne Unraveled" by Bethany C. Morrow Morrow retells the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from Ariadne's perspective, offering a fresh and feminist take on the classic story. It's a powerful novel about agency, betrayal, and finding one's voice. ### 5. "The Book of Lost Names" by Kristin Harmel Based on true events, this historical novel follows a young woman's quest to save children during World War II by forging their identities. It's a poignant exploration of resilience and the power of names. ## Non-Fiction Nuggets ### 6. "The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis" by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac This urgent and optimistic book outlines two possible scenarios for our planet and the practical steps we can take to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It's an essential read for anyone concerned about our environmental future. ### 7. "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World" by Cal Newport Newport's guide to decluttering our digital lives is more relevant than ever. With practical advice and real-life examples, it's a must-read for anyone looking to regain control over their time and attention. ### 8. "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power" by Shoshana Zuboff Zuboff's groundbreaking book exposes how our personal data is being exploited by tech companies. It's a compelling call to action to protect our privacy and democracy. ### 9. "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer Blending her background in scientific inquiry with indigenous teachings, Kimmerer presents a lyrical and insightful look at the natural world and our place within it. ### 10. "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need" by Bill Gates In this accessible and authoritative book, Gates lays out a clear and practical plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. ## Upcoming Talents ### 11. "The Weaver's Legacy" by Aisha Yusuf A stunning debut novel that weaves together the stories of three generations of women, exploring themes of identity, legacy, and the bonds that tie us together. ### 12. "Echoes of the Storm" by Charlie Jane Anders Anders' latest science fiction novel is a thrilling adventure set in a world where weather can be controlled, but at a great cost. It's a thought-provoking exploration of power, responsibility, and environmental stewardship. ### 13. "The Art of Resilience" by Rosa Brooks In this inspiring memoir, Brooks shares her journey from human rights activist to urban police officer, offering insights into resilience, empathy, and how to make a difference in a divided world.

### 14. "The Hidden Palace" by Dinah Jefferies Jefferies' novel transports readers to the exotic world of early 20th-century Siem Reap, as it follows the life of a young woman caught between tradition and her dreams of independence. ### 15. "The Silence of the Girls" by Pat Barker Revisiting the Trojan War from the perspective of Briseis, Barker's novel is a powerful retelling that highlights the often-overlooked voices of women in history. ## Must-Read Memoirs ### 16. "Educated" by Tara Westover Westover's gripping memoir about growing up in a strict and abusive household before breaking away to pursue an education is a testament to the transformative power of learning. ### 17. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama The former First Lady's memoir is an intimate, powerful, and inspiring account of her life, from her childhood in Chicago to her years in the White House. ### 18. "The Yellow House" by Sarah M. Broom Broom's memoir explores the complexities of home, identity, and family through the lens of a dilapidated house in New Orleans, offering a profound look at the American dream. ### 19. "In the Dream House" by Carmen Maria Machado Machado's innovative memoir uses narrative tropes to tell the story of an abusive same-sex relationship, breaking new ground in how we talk about domestic abuse. ### 20. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls Walls' memoir of her unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing is a moving tale of resilience and redemption. ## Conclusion The books listed above represent just a fraction of the incredible works set to be released in 2024. From thought-provoking non-fiction that challenges us to think differently about our world, to fiction that transports us to other times and places, there's something for every type of reader. As we look forward to these releases, it's

[pashterlengkap]

How Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community is fighting the country’s deadly “Family Values” bill

Like every other queer community on the continent already living in fear after being targeted with draconian anti-gay laws, the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana was the latest to be hit with its own extreme bill. The Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2024 imposes prison sentences for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and those who advocate, organize, or fund LGBTQ+ groups. Following the unanimous passage of the bill by the Ghanaian parliament on February 28, there has been an intensified crackdown on LGBTQ+ communities in Ghana, significantly worsened discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, and emboldened homophobic attitudes now that there’s legal backing to the already hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people. Related State Department warns Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill could jeopardize U.S. aid The law would make it illegal to identify as LGBTQ+ or an ally. Despite the imminent threat posed by this bill, Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community has demonstrated remarkable resilience by moving forward with courage, innovation, and a deep commitment to survival in a hostile environment. The community has developed various strategies to navigate the perilous landscape, including the creation of digital safe spaces on platforms such as X, Instagram and WhatsApp. These platforms have become essential to Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community and enable LGBTQ+ individuals to foster connections and receive support. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Underground queer art scenes have also emerged as powerful platforms for self-expression and resistance. These artistic spaces allow LGBTQ+ individuals to explore and express their identities in ways that are both personally fulfilling and politically subversive. Often operated clandestinely, the art shows, film screenings, theatrical performances, and meeting spaces provide a critical sense of community and belonging, fostering resilience in the face of external hostility. However, resilient and vocal community members like Rayku and Denii-Peror have courageously spoken out against the negativity affecting their communities since the bill’s passage. “Generally, the LGBTQ existence right now in the continent across the West and East Africa belt is a little bit precarious,” says Rayku, a Ghanaian queer youth advocate. “Due to the sensationalism of the bill and how it has heightened black violence and assault on the community, people are going back into their shells and are being overly cautious with LGBTQ activity, interactions, and engagements.” Despite the doubling down and partial crippling of LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy in the country, Rayku has been using his platform to share some of his personal experiences on TikTok. He’s been sharing updates on the legislation, how he’s experiencing it, and how it’s affecting the community. “I’m receptive to documenting queer lived experiences, my experiences and shed a light on the ongoing human rights violations when it comes to queer people and how their lives are not being prioritized. Because we think for cultural and religious reasons, their lives don’t matter,” he added. The bill is currently in transmission to the president, however, there have been several injunctions against the bill as activists and legal experts have argued that the bill infringes upon the rights of queer Ghanaians. On July 17, the Supreme Court of Ghana, headed by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, deferred decisions on two separate applications seeking to halt the transmission of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill from Parliament to the president. The first application, filed by Dr. Amanda Odoi, sought to block the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and the Clerk of Parliament from passing the bill onward. The second application, filed by Richard Dela Sky, asked the Supreme Court to restrain Parliament from any attempt to push the bill into law. The court is now… http://dlvr.it/TCRcty

[newstfionline]

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Where mosquito season is getting longer (Washington Post) As global temperatures rise due to climate change, mosquito season has lengthened across much of the contiguous United States, a development that scientists warn could heighten the risk of outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and malaria, and the spread of West Nile and Zika viruses. Over the past four decades, more than two-thirds of the country has seen an increase in “mosquito days”—defined as days with an average humidity of at least 42 percent and temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 35 degrees Celsius). The Northeast, which has warmed faster than the rest of the country, experienced the biggest increase in mosquito days. In Vermont, for instance, the past five years have averaged 17 more mosquito days compared with the period from 1980 to 2009. Mosquito season shortened in hotter regions such as Texas, which experienced more frequent temperatures exceeding 95 degrees, pushing mosquitoes past their physiological limits.

RFK Jr suspends campaign to 'throw support' behind Trump (BBC) Robert F Kennedy Jr has said he is suspending his independent run for the US presidency and will back Donald Trump's campaign. Mr Kennedy, 70, a Democrat for most of his life and the scion of the powerful Kennedy dynasty, said the principles that had led him to leave the party had now compelled him "to throw my support to President Trump". He insisted in a press conference in Arizona that he would not drop out, and would keep his name on the ballot in the states where it will not affect the race.

Nicaragua Taxes Tithes After Closing 1,500 Churches and Nonprofits (Christianity Today) A series of policies recently enacted by the Nicaraguan government will significantly impact the activities of churches and ministries operating in the country. Viewed by religious freedom specialists as an effort to increase the state’s control over religious institutions, the measures impose taxes on tithes and offerings while mandating that organizations create formal partnerships with the Nicaraguan government to carry out in-country projects. Local newspaper La Prensa estimates that taxes on tithes may reach 30 percent. President Daniel Ortega introduced the bill that was unanimously approved on August 20 by the Asemblea Nacional. Ortega’s party, the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, which started in the 1970s as a guerrilla group, controls the legislature. The same day the legislation passed, the government canceled the legal status of 1,500 nonprofit and religious organizations, citing their failure to submit proper financial statements.

Venezuela’s Supreme Court certifies Maduro’s claims that he won presidential election (AP) Venezuela’s Supreme Court has backed President Nicolás Maduro’s claims that he won last month’s presidential election and said voting tallies published online showing he lost by a landslide were forged. The ruling is the latest attempt by Maduro to blunt protests and international criticism that erupted after the contested July 28 vote in which the self-proclaimed socialist leader was seeking a third, six-year term. The high court is packed with Maduro loyalists and has almost never ruled against the government. But opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, which show opposition candidate Edmundo González won by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Estonia's digitalized public services (NZZ/Switzerland) In an effort to cut bureaucracy and improve services to citizens, many countries have tried to digitize such universally maligned tasks as filing tax returns, booking appointments, and communicating with government agencies. But none have succeeded on the same scale as the tiny eastern European country of Estonia. Some 98% of the population files their tax returns online. To use the tax office website, residents first must apply for an e-ID—an identity card with a chip and a personal number—which has been mandatory since 2002. These digital credentials can be used whether a citizen wants to file a return, log into an e-banking service, view a bill or even determine their number of supermarket loyalty points. Contracts are signed digitally, parking spaces are paid for by app, and at the city festival, the deposit system for beer glasses works via QR codes. The country boasts that its digitalization system saves citizens 1,345 years of work time per year. Digitalization in Estonia is based on transparency and decentralized data storage, which makes it difficult for hackers to attack. At any time, citizens can see what data has been stored relating to them, and who has accessed it.

Let them eat burgers! The surprising love affair between France and fast food (Les Echos/France) Over the past decade, the number of American fast-food chains arriving in France has accelerated. After the return of Burger King in 2014, the land of gastronomy has seen Chipotle, Popeyes and Krispy Kreme arrive—now Dunkin' and Wendy's are eyeing the market. Experts trace this acceleration back to 2014. Two years after Burger King's big comeback—the chain had left France in 1997 due to lack of profitability—Steak 'n Shake and Chipotle also set up shop in France. Then Five Guys arrived in 2016, Carl's Jr., in 2018 and finally Popeyes, in 2023. So why are American chains so attracted to the French restaurant market, which is reputed to be a difficult one? Bernard Boutboul, president of Gira Conseil, which specializes in food services, says the success of McDonald's, "the country's number one restaurant," has a lot to do with it. And in France, the average meal costs between 12 and 13 euros, the highest in the world for McDonald's. "American culture is very popular in France, whether it's music, films or lifestyle," says Michael Ballay, Associate Director of Food Service Vision.

NATO air base in Germany raises security level due to ‘potential threat’ (Reuters) The NATO air base in the German town of Geilenkirchen has raised its security level “based on intelligence information indicating a potential threat,” it said late on Thursday. “All non-mission essential staff have been sent home as a precautionary measure,” the base said in a statement on the social media platform X, without giving details. “The safety of our staff is our top priority. Operations continue as planned.” It was the second time the base housing NATO’s fleet of AWACS surveillance planes raised the security level after an incident last week when a military base in nearby Cologne was temporarily sealed off as authorities investigated possible sabotage of the water supply. NATO has warned in the past of a campaign of hostile activities staged by Russia, including acts of sabotage and cyberattacks.

The US is sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials say (AP) The Biden administration will send about $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday. U.S. officials said the latest package of aid includes air defense missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins and an array of other anti-armor missiles, counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems and equipment, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, vehicles and other equipment. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not been publicly announced. The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which means they are taken from Pentagon stockpiles and can be delivered more quickly.

Is India a Safe Place for Women? Another Brutal Killing Raises the Question. (NYT) In December 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student boarded a bus in New Delhi a little after 9 p.m., expecting it would take her home. Instead, she was gang-raped and assaulted so viciously with an iron rod that her intestines were damaged. She died days later as India erupted in rage. Nearly 12 years later, the nation is convulsing with anger once again—this time, over the ghastly rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in a Kolkata hospital, as she rested in a seminar room after a late-night shift. Since the Aug 9. killing, thousands of doctors have gone on strike to demand a safer work environment and thousands more people have taken to the streets to demand justice. For a country desperate to be seen as a global leader, repeated high-profile cases of brutal sexual assaults highlight an uncomfortable truth: India, by many measures, remains one of the world’s most unsafe places for women. Rape and domestic violence are relatively common, and conviction rates are low.

Floods, landslides in India’s Tripura displace tens of thousands (Reuters) Soldiers in lifeboats ferried people to safety on Friday in India’s northeastern state of Tripura after heavy rain triggered floods and landslides, forcing more than 65,000 people from their homes and killing 23, authorities said. Television images showed army personnel manning the rescue craft, while cars and buses were marooned in streets of knee-deep water, and disaster management officials said four days of incessant rain had swelled rivers.

Australia's 'right to disconnect' law set to come into force (Reuters) Australian employees will from Monday have the right to ignore their bosses outside working hours thanks to a new law which enshrines the "right to disconnect." The law, which passed in February, protects employees who refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact from their employers outside work hours. Similar laws giving employees a right to switch off their mobile devices are already in place in France, Germany and other countries in the European Union. The law allows for certain circumstances where an employee's right to refuse is unreasonable, depending on their role, the reason for the contact, and how it is made, among other factors.

Israel Orders New Evacuations, Forcing Gazans to Flee Again (NYT) The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, forcing more Palestinians to flee their homes and shelters, as the United States and others tried to salvage sputtering talks that could ease regional tensions and stop the 10-month war. Thousands of civilians were already on the move, responding to Israeli orders issued a day earlier to leave several neighborhoods in central Gaza. Most of them have been displaced multiple times over the course of the war. Mohammed Aborjela was among those who fled the city of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after he received a phone message from the Israeli military on Wednesday afternoon warning that it would act “forcefully” against Hamas militants in the area. Mr. Aborjela, 28, packed up the few belongings he had and headed to Al-Mawasi, a coastal area that Israel has declared a humanitarian zone, but that has come under attack numerous times. Hours after he arrived there, he said, shelling from tanks reached tents where people were sheltering. “The tanks got close to us,” Mr. Aborjela said. “And they started shelling the people even though it is supposed to be a safe zone.”

The biggest diamond in over a century is found in Botswana (AP) Botswana announced the discovery of a massive 2,492-carat diamond, the second-largest ever brought out of a mine, found by the Lucara Diamond Corp. It appears to be the largest diamond found in over 100 years, after the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond found in South Africa in 1905, and beats out the previous second-largest diamond, the Sewelo diamond, which came in at 1,758 carats in 2019. The diamond is still rough, though high-quality.

Back to school with Crayola (Bloomberg) It’s Crayola’s big month with back-to-school, and all summer the crayon maker has been cranking out 13 million crayons a day from their factory in Easton, Pennsylvania. Half of Crayola annual sales happen in the nine weeks leading up to Labor Day, and the Easton plant produces 350,000 24-count boxes every day. The wax that goes into the crayons is stored molten in silos that hold a three-day supply at a time. Pigment arrives in sacks that weigh 3.85 pounds each, and the facility goes through 450,000 pounds of wax every five days.

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PESCO Online Bill check by name 2024 for Peshawar Electricity Company

To check your PESCO (Peshawar Electricity Supply Company) online bill for March 2024 or any other month, you can follow these simple steps:

Visit the PESCO Official Website: Go to the PESCO online bill checking portal. You can find this by searching for "PESCO bill check" on your preferred search engine or by visiting the official PESCO website.

Enter Your Reference Number: On the bill checking page, you will find an option to enter your reference number. This is a 14-digit number assigned to your electricity connection.

Search for Your Bill: After entering your reference number, click on the “Search” or “Submit” button.

View Your Bill: Your current bill details will be displayed on the screen. You can view the total amount due, previous payments, and any other relevant details.

Download or Print Your Bill: You will have options to download or print the bill. This can be useful for record-keeping or for submission of payment.

Alternative Method - CNIC Number:

If available, you can also check your bill using your CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) number. Enter the 13-digit CNIC number in the provided field on the website and proceed with the search.

For Duplicate Bill:

If you need a duplicate bill, follow the same steps but make sure to select the option for downloading a duplicate bill if provided.

Additional Tips:

Save the URL: Bookmark the PESCO bill checking website for easy future access.

Regular Updates: Check the website regularly for updates or changes in the process.

For any issues or specific questions, consider reaching out to PESCO customer service for further assistance.