Friday, June 5, 2020

In the news, Monday, May 25, 2020


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MAY 24      INDEX      MAY 26
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from Forbes

A combination of the phrases “deep learning” and “fake”, deepfakes first emerged on the Internet in late 2017, powered by an innovative new deep learning method known as generative adversarial networks (GANs).

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from The Lancet
International family of medical journals, founded in 1823

Revisiting the 1957 and 1968 influenza pandemics
The relative unconcern about two of the largest influenza pandemics of the 20th century—the Encyclopaedia Britannica estimates that the 1968 pandemic, due to an H3N2 influenza virus, was responsible for between 1 million to 4 million deaths globally—presents a marked contrast and, to some critics, a rebuke to today's response to COVID-19 and the heightened responses to outbreaks of other novel pathogens, such as avian and swine influenza. “When hysteria is rife, we might try some history”, opined Simon Jenkins in an article in The Guardian titled “Why I'm taking the coronavirus hype with a pinch of salt”. “The [1968] pandemic raged over three years, yet is largely forgotten today”, commented The Wall Street Journal, “a testament to how societies are now approaching a similar crisis in a much different way”.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Then and Now: Spokane College
The Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the largest Methodist denominations, made Spokane’s first attempt at higher education. The Spokane First Methodist Church brought a new minister, the Rev. I. C. Libby, to town in 1881. Both Libby and his wife had college degrees and immediately helped organize Spokane College, which opened in a downtown building in 1882. The new school would take students from primary grades through college.

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Maduro Defends Iran & Venezuela’s Right to 'Trade Freely', Thanks Tehran for Help Amid US Sanctions
The first Iranian tanker carrying gasoline and the components to produce it from oil arrived in the Bolivarian Republic on 24 May, despite the two countries' concerns that it risked being intercepted by the US Navy, which is patrolling the Caribbean. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has condemned US attempts to prevent Caracas from having trade relations with Iran, arguing that this is an inalienable right of the two states.

'Wrong On Their Face': WHO Official Says US Departure 'Unimaginable', Slams Trump Claims
Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump sent a letter to the World Health Organization threatening to exit the international body and permanently suspend all funding, demanding that the agency "demonstrate independence" from Beijing. An exit by the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) would be "unimaginable", as the country and the agency have been "connected since the very beginning", according to the organization's assistant director-general of general management, Stewart Simonson, who outlined that the agency has "benefited from the enormous generousity of the people of the United States" and praised "the incalculable technical support" provided by the country.

Beijing Opposes All US Restrictions on Chinese Airlines, Foreign Ministry Says
The statement comes in response to a report that the US Transportation Department ordered four Chinese airlines to file their schedules by 27 May. The American government has accused Beijing of making it impossible for the US to resume flights to China. China opposes all US restrictions introduced against Chinese airlines, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a statement on Monday.

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