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• Name: @BirSaNN • Time & Date: 00:37 / 08/01/2023 • Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/J90Drbg

The prime minister, health secretary and Treasury ministers are meeting health experts to help tackle crucial challenges facing the NHS in England. Reports have emerged of patients spending days on trolleys because of shortages of beds in some hospitals. Rishi Sunak has promised to cut long waiting times for routine operations within two years. Labour says patients deserve "more than a talking shop" and the Lib Dems say it is "too little too late". Representatives from the public and private sectors are attending Saturday's forum at Downing Street, alongside chief executives and clinical leaders of NHS organisations, local areas and councils from across the country, plus medical and social care experts. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, and Sir Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, are also taking part in the meeting. Senior doctors have said the NHS is on a knife-edge, with long waits for emergency care, routine operations, GP appointments and care for patients when they are discharged from hospital. High levels of flu and Covid, a wave of strike action and a cost-of-living crisis are also putting huge pressure on the health service. On Monday, health unions have been invited to meet Health Secretary Steve Barclay to discuss pay for 2023-24 from April - but union leaders say the government must act on the current pay dispute for this year, and the talks will not stop planned strikes in January. Speaking to the BBC's Today programme on Saturday, Royal College of Nursing General Secretary Pat Cullen said the pay increase nurses would receive in 2022-23 was "fundamental" to the ongoing dispute. "We'll of course go to the meeting... but it's sadly not what's going to prevent strike action that's planned for 10 days' time," she said. Asked about earlier comments in which she appeared to suggest the union would consider lowering its pay increase demand from 19%, and about reports it would be prepared to accept 10%, she called on Mr Sunak to meet her "halfway". "I have put out an olive branch to get us to the table," she said. "The ball is now firmly in the prime minister's court. He needs to come to the negotiation table with me and he needs to put money on that table, and it needs to be about the current year." Record number of ambulances queue at A&E Pressure on the NHS is unsustainable, medics warn Why are nurses and ambulance staff striking? The government says it has organised all-day NHS Recovery Forum on Saturday to focus on how to "share knowledge and practical solutions" across different regions of England. Downing Street said the aim was to tackle "the most crucial challenges" faced by the health service, such as delayed discharge and emergency care. A spokesperson said: "We're bringing together the best minds from the health and care sectors... We want to correct the unwarranted variation in NHS performance between local areas, because no matter where you live you should be able to access quality healthcare." But shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: "Health experts have been sounding the alarm for months about the crisis the NHS is facing, so why has it taken so long for Rishi Sunak and Steve Barclay to decide to listen to them?" The government in England has already announced plans to roll out virtual ward beds so that more people can be treated at home, a new service to save thousands of ambulance call-outs to people who have fallen, and more funding to improve emergency care and adult social care. More than 90 diagnostic hubs, housed in venues such as football stadiums and shopping centres, have also been opened to reduce the queues for tests, checks and scans. The hubs enable GPs to refer patients for procedures like MRI and CT scans without the need for a hospital visit. The government says it wants 40% of all diagnostic activity to take place in the hubs by 2025. It also aims to eliminate 18-month waits by April 2023 and 12-month waits by March 2025. Although two-year waits for routine treatment have shrunk since the pandemic, experts say there is still a mountain to climb before the numbers of patients waiting longer than a year start coming down. More than seven million people are currently on a hospital waiting list for a non-urgent operation or treatment in England - one in eight of the po[CENSORED]tion. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-64189116

Ancient mammals were better adapted than nonavian dinosaurs to survive the Chicxulub asteroid impact. Dinosaurs largely died off when a Manhattan-size asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago. Meanwhile, in the shadows, tiny mammals had steadily picked up adaptations that helped them survive the disaster and thrive in its aftermath, a new study suggests. The study, published Wednesday (Dec. 7) in the journal Science Advances(opens in new tab), came to that conclusion by mapping the complex interactions between a huge range of ancient animals and their ecosystems before and after the asteroid hit. The model incorporates data from fossils gathered in western North America whose ages straddle the boundary between the end of the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago) and the start of the Paleogene (66 million to 23 million years ago). These 1,600 fossils represent more than 470 genera of animals, including mammals, fish, crocodilians, birds and nonavian dinosaurs. From the model, "the authors were able to determine that freshwater organisms and small terrestrial organisms" — including mammals — "were more resilient and better equipped to weather the extinction when compared to non-avian dinosaurs," said Thomas Cullen(opens in new tab), a postdoctoral fellow at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, who was not involved in the study. They "make a compelling case" that mammals diversified prior to the asteroid strike, rather than branching out only after the dinosaurs went extinct, Cullen told Live Science in an email. This evolution resulted in mammals that could eat a wide variety of foods, live in a range of temperatures and weather conditions, and produce offspring quickly, so as to rapidly bounce back from sudden po[CENSORED]tion crashes. Related: What happened when the dinosaur-killing asteroid slammed into Earth? Scientists once thought that mammal evolution exploded only as a result of the dinosaur die-off, because it left ecosystem gaps that mammals could then fill, said Gemma Louise Benevento(opens in new tab), a postdoctoral researcher at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) in Germany who was not involved in the study. The new study adds to a growing body of evidence that mammals were already expanding into new niches before the impact, she told Live Science in an email. Back then, the environment of the now-western U.S. would have been similar to a modern Florida swamp, co-first author Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza(opens in new tab), a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Vigo in Spain, told Live Science. Overall, the climate was slowly cooling toward the end of the Cretaceous, he said. Despite this cooling, nonavian dinosaurs didn't really adapt, the study found. Instead, they stuck to the same temperature ranges, weather conditions and diets they'd already adapted to. Thus, their ecological roles remained largely stable, except for the fact that the diversity of big, plant-eating dinosaurs decreased somewhat and their influence in the food web shrank slightly around 83.6 million to 61.6 million years ago. During the same period mammals jumped from one "climatic niche" to another and adopted broader habitat ranges and diets, Chiarenza said. At first, this instability likely caused mammal po[CENSORED]tions to crash and rebound with the slight shifts in climate, but when the asteroid plunged the Earth into sudden cold and darkness, mammals had the flexibility to adapt. "That eventually turns out to be a great trait, when something changed so radically because of the asteroid impact," Chiarenza said. The modeling approach used in the study was originally developed to study modern ecosystems, co-first author Jorge García-Girón(opens in new tab), a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland and the University of León in Spain, told Live Science in an email. These models are challenging to apply to ancient animals because the fossil record is incomplete and generally biased toward large specimens, but the team made an effort to account for these factors, he said. The study's focus on U.S. fossils is another potential limitation, Cullen said. Eventually, models based on additional locations could give us a "global picture" of what happened around the end-Cretaceous extinction, Chiarenza said. As it stands, the current model helps explain why our mammal ancestors fared so well during the so-called impact winter that followed the asteroid strike. "It did not only amaze me how they managed to thrive in the highly complex (and probably dangerous) dinosaur-dominated ecosystems, but also how rapidly our ancestors moved into vacant niches after the asteroid hit," García-Girón said. The modeling keeps showing how "life finds a way," he said. link: https://www.livescience.com/mammal-poised-to-succeed-dinosaur-extinction

A yoke is still an option, but the Tesla Model S and X once again have steering wheels along with a separate retrofit that will cost current owners $700. The Tesla Model S and Model X are once again available with a regular steering wheel. A yoke is still offered, but a steering wheel (pictured above)—now with capacitive buttons versus stalks—returns as a no-cost option. Already yoked Model S or X EVs can have a steering wheel retrofitted for $700, but the Tesla service isn't available until March. The tried-and-true steering wheel returns to the Tesla Model S and Model X. While the steering yoke that has been mandatory since the cars' 2021 redesign is still offered, people who order a new S or X can once again drive with a normal wheel at no extra cost. Unlike before, the new steering wheel in the Model S and Model X doesn't have stalks that control the blinkers, windshield wipers, or gear selection. Instead, all of those functions are now handled through capacitive buttons and controller balls, just like those found on the yoke. What about all the folks who bought a Tesla Model S or X with the yoke-style setup and are unhappy with it? Well, Tesla is letting those customers swap it out for a real wheel with a retrofit option through its online store. It won't be available until March, and it costs $700, which is said to include installation through Tesla service. The return of a regular steering wheel to the Model S and Model X represents a symbolic U-turn by Tesla—and, more specifically, by CEO Elon Musk. Back in 2021, in the months after the company stirred up controversy by only offering both models with a yoke, Musk tweeted that there was no chance a traditional steering wheel would return, even as an option. The irony is that eggs have a yoke, and Musk may have a little on his face. link: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42417689/tesla-model-s-model-x-steering-wheel-returns-retrofit/

Every household has its own unique division of labour, but one person often thinks they do the lion’s share. Would switching roles reveal the truth? Tim Dowling, Joe Stone, Zoe Williams and Coco Khan Sat 7 Jan 2023 11.00 GMT 219 Tim Dowling, swaps with his wife, Sophie I expected my wife to have a lot to say about the swap. I did not expect her to refuse outright. “No,” she says. “You’ll ruin the house.” “It’s only for a fortnight,” I say. “Anyway, you don’t have any chores.” This, to be fair, is what I expected her to say. “Of course I do,” I say. “So you would do everything I do, and I would take the bins out twice.” “If that’s what you think, why are you turning down this sweet deal?” “I’m just not doing it,” she says. “Also, you’d have to mow the lawn,” I say. “It’s too wet to mow the lawn,” she says. “You’re getting the hang of my end already,” I say. Tactically, it seemed wise to pretend this conversation had not taken place. The strategy worked, but I found my wife had accepted the terms only a few days later when I overhead her talking to someone on the phone. “He’s making me do this stupid thing where we swap chores,” she said. “Exactly – so I’ll be doing nothing.” The truth is, I do all the things my wife does, just nowhere near as often. I make about a quarter of the supermarket trips. I mop the kitchen floor, but generally only on the occasion of some catastrophic spill I don’t want anyone else to find out about – once a month, say. There is no question that I am remiss, but the idea that I’m inept – that I have no idea how the washing machine works, for example – is a fiction. A fiction my wife insists on perpetuating. “Now turn the dial to delicate,” she says. “I know,” I say. “No, you don’t,” she says. “You’ve never washed a jumper in your life.” “That’s a lie,” I say. “Why isn’t it coming on?” On the first afternoon I go to the supermarket, and when I return my shopping is critiqued as if I’m training for a future exam. “No fennel?” my wife says, pulling things from the bags. “There wasn’t any today,” I say. “Fennel was on the list,” she says. “I can only buy things they have.” The laundry regime is a little more full-time than I had anticipated: I lug a basket of dirty clothes downstairs to find the dryer and the washing machine still full. Working quickly in the cramped space – where the two machines are stacked one atop the other – I pull the clean clothes from the dryer, transfer the wet clothes from one drum to the other and load the dirty clothes into the washing machine. I am not just mastering the system, I think. I am the system. When I’m done I start both cycles, and fold my arms in satisfaction. So far, so efficient, except the clean clothes are somehow missing – the basket at my feet is empty. I’m still not sure what happened. On Friday I have to go to the supermarket again – again! – and once more, the results are criticised For several years my wife and I have adhered to an arrangement with regard to meals: I always make dinner, and she always makes lunch. Although I would maintain this is not an equal division of labour – dinner is cooked, where lunch is merely collated. It is satisfactory to all parties so we decide not to mess with that bit of the system. But I’ll tell you what: cooking supper for four people, then having to clear it all up, every night, is a hugely rich source of resentment. To find the kitchen dirty again in the morning is an occasion for rage. Tuesday night is bin night: rubbish, food scraps, garden waste. In our swapped roles it falls to me to back the car out of the drive and then wait while my wife struggles with three overflowing bins in a cold rain, in the full glare of my headlights. It is tremendously satisfying, or it would be if I could be certain none of the neighbours was watching. On Friday I have to go to the supermarket again – again! – and once more, the results are criticised. “Where are my Quavers?” my wife says. “They were out of Quavers,” I say, “and the apples you like.” “Not very good at this, are you?” she says. “Your issue is with the global supply chain, not with me.” Towards the middle of the second week, faced with a large pile of clean clothes, I find myself holding a single orange sock when it hits me: I participate in the system in the sense that I am available to move things forward – to wash up a sink full of dishes, or escort some laundry through one leg of its journey – but I have almost never been in sole charge of the domestic machine. Consequently, I have no idea whose sock this is. When my wife initially refused to participate in the experiment, this is exactly what she feared: that I would wreck the system; that there would never be any fennel, or Quavers. Clothes would get washed twice for no reason, and jumpers would be destroyed. This didn’t quite happen – things more or less functioned – but then I only had two weeks. In closing, I think it’s only fair to point out that she didn’t mow the lawn, even once. Joe Stone, swaps with his boyfriend, Peter I’m the second to admit that I am not an easy person to live with; the first is my boyfriend, Peter. It took us 10 years to move in together and I sometimes get the impression that he considers this premature. While we’re compatible in many ways, we are domestically opposed. By that I mean: I am someone who owns multiple vacuum cleaners, and he is someone who litters indoors. You might imagine that the absence of gendered roles in a same-sex relationship would result in an equal division of domestic labour – but as anyone who’s set foot in G-A-Y bar can attest, gay utopias rarely live up to their promise. In our house, I am responsible for: dusting, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, oven and windows, most of the laundry, all of the admin and anything which requires confrontation. If I’m feeling particularly resentful, I undertake these chores while performing This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush, or loudly complaining about him on the phone while he’s within earshot. He cooks us three or four meals a week and does the washing-up when I give strong indications that he has wronged me in some way. I also once forced him to break into our neighbour’s garden (between tenancies) and saw down a tree which was blocking my light. You’re probably thinking that I sound like a very sweet person who is being horribly taken advantage of. I should mention that I have quite stringent standards when it comes to housework, and have discouraged Peter from doing tasks which I believe him to be unqualified for (I banned him from doing laundry after he put a duvet cover on the washing line without pegs, and I had to retrieve it from a flower bed). I’m a big believer in “indoor” and “outdoor” clothes, and won’t get into bed unless I’ve had a shower first. Last summer Peter lost his tent on the way to a festival, and slept outside for three nights. link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/07/what-happened-when-four-writers-swapped-chores-with-their-partners

Social media is awash with claims, repeated on news websites, that Russian President Vladimir Putin surrounded himself with actors for his New Year's address and at previous events. But what's the evidence? We used facial recognition software to check some of these allegations. The Russian president has a track record of posing at events where some of the attendees are not what they seem. A BBC Russian investigation in 2020 found that some events presented as impromptu conversations with everyday people were actually filled with friendly local officials. Social media posts, and news websites such as the Sun and the Daily Mail, have suggested a blonde woman has been playing different characters at several previous events with Mr Putin, including a fishing trip in 2016 and a church service in 2017. Others, including a Ukrainian news report, say she may be part of Russia's Federal Guards Service (FSO) - a security force that protects top leaders. We've used facial recognition software to compare the face of the woman in the New Year picture with those in 2016 and 2017, producing low match results of 29% and 28% respectively. "Usually, a similarity score of 75% or higher should be considered when looking for an identity match," says Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing at the University of Bradford. Next, we compared the images from the events held in 2016 and 2017, which generated a 99.1% score, strongly indicating that these two are of the same person. This woman has been identified in Russian media as Larisa Sergukhina. Both events at which she appeared took place in the Novgorod region where she is a member of the regional parliament for the United Russia Party, which backs Mr Putin. When we compared her 2016 image from the boat with her official party portrait online we got a 99.8% match. Ms Sergukhina is also listed as the founder of a company that trades fish in Novgorod. The woman at the New Year address has been named in Russian media as Anna Sergeevna Sidorenko, a captain and military doctor. Comparing her face at the event with an image taken from a video interview posted online by the Russian Isvestia newspaper gave a 99.5% match. Her name also appears on a members list of a Russian military regiment published by the Ukrainian intelligence services. The fishermen We then looked into claims about a group of men in fishing gear, photographed with Mr Putin on a boat in 2016. The same men, it was alleged, were also photographed at the 2017 church service. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/64189366

Achraf Hakimi’s fans were quick to express their condemnation of the French comedian’s remarks. Rabat - French comedian Julien Cazarre has found himself embroiled in a major controversy after mocking and making disrespectful remarks about Moroccan football player Achraf Hakimi, triggering a wave of anger and criticism on social media. Appearing on the “Rothe s’enflamme” podcast on Thursday, Cazarre spoke about the relationship between Hakimi and his friend and Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe, suggesting that Hakimi is “Mbappe’s dog.” As the PSG duo are currently spending their time off in the US, the French comedian mimicked French player Kylian as saying: “I will go there with my dog … my dog Achraf.” Cazarre then proceeded to mimic Hakimi, as he started barking. Cazarre proceeded to imitate Kylian while talking with Hakimi, saying: “Do you want a candy bar? He follows me everywhere. Even during France-Morocco’s game, he was glued to my sneakers.” “Hein my Achraf,” Cazarre continued, pronouncing the name Achraf in a way that sounded like barking. When mimicking Hakimi's speech, the French comedian started making fun of the Moroccan player’s accent and spoke in a way that resembles that of a gullible person. Read also: German Channel Apologizes After Islamophobic Comments Against Moroccan Players Cazarre’s offensive remarks have unsurprisingly triggered widespread outrage, with several netizens taking to social media to condemn his statements. In a statement on Twitter, Moroccan journalist Salek Boujdour condemned Cazzare’s remarks and described it as “abhorrent racism.” He also criticized the channel RMC Sport for not deleting the podcast episode or issuing an apology in this regard. Other social media users echoed Boujdour’s thoughts, with a Twitter user saying: “When it’s to insult a Muslim, it’s freedom of expression. But if it concerns someone else, all media would be indignant. It’s the French reality.” This was not the first time that Moroccan players were the victim of shockingly racist and disrespectful remarks by Western media. During the Atlas Lions’ journey at the World Cup in Qatar, a Danish TV channel compared images of Moroccan players celebrating with their families to a “family of monkeys,” a comparison that outraged many viewers. In addition, a German news outlet made controversial remarks about some Moroccan footballer players, particularly Zakaria Aboukhlal, for doing the “Tawhid” sign during their World Cup games. While the Tawhid sign, which is done by raising the index finger, is used by Muslims to signify the oneness of God, the German news outlet claimed that the Moroccan players’ use of the sign could be interpreted as sympathy for the terrorist group ISIS. link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353418/french-comedian-under-fire-for-calling-achraf-hakimi-mbappes-dog

Nick Movie: Lightyear Time: June 17, 2022 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: ? Duration of the movie: 1h 40min Trailer:

Live Performance Title: Selena Gomez - Feel Me (Live from the Revival Tour) Signer Name: Selena Gomez Live Performance Location: - Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10/8

Music Title: Music Mix 2023 🎧 EDM Remixes of Po[CENSORED]r Songs 🎧 EDM Best Gaming Music Mix $ Signer: - Release Date: 07/01/2023 Official Youtube Link: Informations About The Signer: - Your Opinion About The Track (Music Video): 10.6

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• Name: @BirSaNN • Time & Date: 01:11 / 07/01/2023 • Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/vgUd3jR

this is the second time Report - Ramove T/C

Lawyers say they expect the UK government's planned laws on enforcing minimum service levels during strikes to be hampered by legal challenges. Unions could be sued if basic services are not provided in key sectors under the proposed anti-strike laws. Some unions have threatened legal action and say they believe the strike restrictions would be unlawful. Labour says it would repeal such laws, calling them a "legislative weapon" used for political reasons. The law was announced on Thursday after weeks of industrial strife, with key public services paralysed by large-scale strikes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended the new law as an "entirely reasonable" way to balance the freedom to strike with "the right of ordinary working people to go about their lives free from significant disruption". But employment lawyers have told the BBC the proposed law has raised serious legal questions and would be contested by unions in court. Anti-strike law sets up battle over principles Who could be banned from striking? The strikes taking place in January The government says the law would introduce "minimum safety levels" for fire, ambulance and rail services and would consult on what that means for these sectors. For other sectors, including health services, education and border security, the government would only consult on minimum safety levels if voluntary positions are not agreed. The government is yet to spell out what those minimum levels might be, or who defines them. Richard Arthur, head of trade union law at Thompsons Solicitors, said the introduction of minimum safety levels would not comply with the UK's obligations under international law. He said the law could be struck down in court for breaching treaties the UK government has signed up to, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR is an international treaty that has been incorporated into UK law. "Based on what we've seen so far, it seems that there's been no regard paid to international labour standards," Mr Arthur said. "That has got to raise very serious legal question marks." Legal hurdles Mr Arthur said UK unions could challenge the law in the same way they brought a case against new regulations that would allow agency workers to fill in for striking workers. In December, the High Court granted permission for a judicial review of what unions called "anti-worker" regulations. The case is expected to be heard early this year. The unions "may hope for similar success in a judicial review of any future minimum service level legislation", said Tom Long, employment partner and industrial relations specialist at law firm, Shakespeare Martineau. But Mr Long said there was no guarantee the unions would be able to win the case in court. He said the rights of trade unions under the ECHR "can be interfered with where necessary and where such interference can be justified". Mr Long said others European countries - including France and Spain - have passed similar laws on minimum service levels. But Mr Arthur said these laws were "not in effective use" and in Spain's case, had been "subject to considerable censure" by the country's courts. The UK government's legislation is expected to be published next week, with MPs debating it for the first time the week after. It will apply in England, Scotland and Wales - but not in Northern Ireland. It is likely to face significant opposition in the House of Lords, as only transport strikes were mentioned in the Conservatives' 2019 manifesto pledge to introduce minimum service levels. The legislation would apply to vital public services, including railways, which was disrupted by another 48-hour strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said the legislation would "make strike action completely entrenched". "We'll have to resort to partial strikes, which will mean disputes will become intractable, probably," he told the BBC. Mr Lynch said a lawyer had advised the RMT that "much of what they've got in mind would be illegal". link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64187224

Jewel damselfish living on coral reefs surrounding rat-infested tropical islands have become less territorial and less aggressive due to a bizarre ecological link between the two species: bird poop. It's no secret that invasive rats can cause widespread and long-lasting damage to tropical island ecosystems, but now, a new finding reveals that the invasive rodents' impacts may extend even further than the land on which they scamper; these ravenous critters can also disrupt the surrounding marine ecosystem. In the Indian Ocean, invasive island rats have altered the behavior of tiny farming fish known as jewel damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) that live on coral reefs located miles offshore, a new study shows. Affected damselfish have become much more docile than normal due to a weird link between the fish and the rats: bird poop. Jewel damselfish are normally highly territorial fish that aggressively defend and cultivate small patches of algae that grow on corals surrounding tropical islands. The plant patches are greatly desired by the damselfish because the algae are highly nutritious, thanks largely to the nutrients that run off from the islands. One main source of island-derived nutrients is the poop, or guano, excreted by seabirds that nest on the islands, which then gets washed into the ocean. However, invasive rats, which were historically introduced to islands after stowing away on ships, are known to decimate bird po[CENSORED]tions on their new homes by sneaking into nests and feeding on unhatched eggs. This can cause seabird densities to decrease by up to 720 times on rat-infested islands, which can decrease the nutrients in surrounding waters by up to 251 times, the study authors explained in a statement(opens in new tab). As a result, the damselfish's algal patches have become less nutritious, which means the feisty farmers are less inclined to defend them. Related: Glowing, red-eyed rat fetus is global photo contest's gorgeously creepy winner In the new study, published Jan. 5 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution(opens in new tab), researchers compared the damselfish behavior on coral reefs surrounding five rat-free islands and five rat-infested islands in a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The team found that damselfish surrounding rat-infested islands had larger territories, measuring an average of 6.7 square feet (0.62 square meter), compared with an average of 5.2 square feet (0.48 square meter) on rat-free islands. The larger territories are a sign that the fish have become less territorial over specific patches, the researchers said. The team also observed that the fish were up to five times less likely to act aggressively toward one another. Jewel damselfish around rat-free islands fiercely defend their patch of algal turf because it is packed with nutrition, which means the fish get "more for their money," by using energy to defend it, said study co-author Rachel Gunn(opens in new tab), a behavioral ecologist at Tübingen University in Germany and a former doctoral student at Lancaster University in the U.K. at the time of the study. "We believe that the presence of rats is lowering the nutritional benefit of the turf to the extent that it is almost not worth fighting for, which is what we are observing with these behavior changes." The researchers think the change in the damselfish's behavior is likely to have further knock-on effects on their coral reef ecosystems, which have not yet been properly studied. "The algal farming of damselfish affects the balance of corals and algae on the reef," Gunn said. "Their aggression towards other fish can [also] influence the way those fish move around and use the reef." The decrease in the available nutrients in the water could also have implications for other algae eaters, as well as for filter-feeding organisms such as sponges, which could, in turn, affect food chains across the reefs, the researchers warned. "Ecosystems evolve a delicate balance over long time scales, so any disruption could have knock-on consequences for the wider ecosystem," Gunn said. The team believes the new findings show how important it is to control or completely kill off invasive rat po[CENSORED]tions where possible. "Rat eradication has the potential to have multiple, cross-ecosystem benefits," Gunn said. The removal of rats from tropical islands would likely restore the territorial behavior of jewel damselfish and provide other benefits to the rest of the coral reef ecosystem, she added. link: https://www.livescience.com/invasive-rats-alter-reef-fish-behavior

The upcoming electric truck will be available with a combustion engine to recharge the battery, as confirmed by Ram's and Stellantis' CEOs. Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. says the Ram 1500 EV will offer a range extender, as first reported by evpulse.com. A range extender is a combustion engine that can recharge the truck's battery, and it's currently not an option on other EV trucks. Ford has already patented a bed-mounted range extender for the electric F-150, so Ram isn't the first to think of the idea. UPDATE 1/5/23: Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares confirmed the range-extender powertrain option for the upcoming Ram 1500 EV during a roundtable interview at CES 2023. While the Ram Revolution BEV concept is battery-powered EV, there will also be a version of this pickup offered with a gasoline engine that can recharge the battery. By the time the Ram 1500 EV hits the market in 2024, it'll be a couple of years late to the all-electric-pickup-truck party that's already getting started. However, it could arrive with an available range extender, which is not currently an option on rivals such as the F-150 Lightning, the GMC Hummer EV, or the Rivan R1T. Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. first mentioned that the upcoming Ram 1500 EV will be offered with a range extender in an interview with EV Pulse. Powering a generator that can recharge the truck's battery pack, it might help alleviate concerns some people have about driving range. It's perhaps a hedge for buyers of electric trucks who plan on using them to tow, as it significantly affects efficiency and range. We've seen the Rivian R1T's range shrink to just 110 miles when towing a modest load just half of the truck's 11,000-pound maximum. Of course, a Ram 1500 EV with a range extender is no longer an EV, but a plug-in hybrid. Then again, Ram hasn't had an issue with calling its V-8 a Hemi despite not having hemispherical combustion chambers, so maybe it will still label its electrified 1500 an EV. While we haven't heard of any other new electric trucks that'll offer a range extender, it's unlikely that Ram would be the only company to have one if it's an effective solution. In fact, Ford in 2018 filed a patent for a bed-mounted range extender for what we now know is the F-150 Lightning. However, Ford's patent was for a modular unit versus one that's built-in like the one used on BMW's now-defunct i3 hatch. The i3's two-cylinder engine was a pure range extender, used only to recharge the battery, but there's a host of plug-in hybrids with lesser electric range where the gas engine also provides propulsion, such as the Chevy Volt or any number of today's plug-in hybrids. Koval didn't say what type of range extender would be used or when it might be available. link: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39038431/ram-1500-ev-truck-range-extender-report/

When I came across the box of papers, I was shocked by the extent of Dad’s lies After my dad, Peter, died in 2011, I found a box of papers and a photo album under his bed. That’s how I discovered he had a secret wife named Irene, and that he was 10 years older than he had said he was. Even his birthday was different. I found photos of his family and discovered he had 12 siblings he’d never told me about. Dad was a first-generation immigrant from Ghana. He went to Harlech College in Wales, on a scholarship in the 1960s and later worked at the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). He met my mum, Su, who is white British, in 1987 at a work conference. We lived together in Wolverhampton in the 90s. My parents separated eight years later – after that, I lived with Dad on weekdays and spent weekends with my mum. Mum encouraged me to express myself, to sing, dance and have a great time. Dad’s vibe couldn’t have been more different. He once told me: I don’t care if you love me, but you will respect me. His life was all about work, and he was obsessed with my education. I was interested in music growing up, but he wanted me to be a civil servant and never heard me sing. He didn’t speak about his past or where he came from. When I first came across the box of papers, I was shocked by the extent of my dad’s lies, but I wasn’t entirely surprised. He’d always been secretive. I tried not to get too emotional about it, and thought instead about organising the funeral, clearing his house and focusing on my singing career. Then came Covid. I was living in Berlin but was touring the UK as a backing singer with a band in March 2020, when flights and borders were suddenly closed. I couldn’t get back to Germany. I became jobless and homeless on the same day. A friend kindly put me up in her flat in Brixton, south London. Locked down, my thoughts drifted back to my dad. It was time to get some answers, so I started working on a documentary about it. I got in touch with some of Dad’s former CRE colleagues and a close friend of his from the 60s called Ian, who painted a very different picture of my dad. Ian described him as outgoing, always repping for Ghana and wearing African clothes. I was disappointed he had kept that part of himself from me. I knew him in his later years, when he was happiest at home watching EastEnders and pottering in the garden. Using social media and ancestry websites, I also tracked down my Ghanaian family. I discovered that Dad was the youngest in the family – sadly, his siblings had all died by then. I came across an article online about the town Dad came from, and contacted the author, a professor who was willing to help. I gave him everything I knew about Dad’s family. That’s how I was put in touch with my cousin Edward, who lives in Peckham. It’s incredible – all this time, I had a family member living only a half-hour bus ride from me. Edward told me he had met Dad occasionally in the UK but then Dad stopped contacting him and the rest of the family. He doesn’t know why. He just disappeared out of their lives. And I’m still looking for Irene. She and dad married in the 70s – it would be huge to find her. I used to be angry that Dad held things back from me, but as I’ve learned more about him, I’ve softened. I was looking for concrete answers and a perfect conclusion, but the truth is messier. My documentary is just coming out now on YouTube, and I hope Dad would have been proud to see how far I’ve come. I’m going to Ghana this month for the first time. I’m so excited about what I’ll find there, feeling part of his family and heritage. I’ll meet some of my relatives and find out where my dad was born so I can scatter his ashes there. I’m releasing some music inspired by this search, and hope to work with Ghanaian musicians. Dad’s family have been super welcoming. I’m hoping this will feel like a conclusion – I’m not going to forget but I’m ready to move on now. When I had some therapy a few years ago, I expected to have a Tony Soprano moment – that huge dramatic revelation where everything comes into focus. It’s nothing like that. This process has been longer, a search in which a thousand little pieces eventually come together. link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/06/experience-after-my-dad-died-i-tracked-down-his-secret-family

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defence minister to impose a 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukrainian front line. The ceasefire - from 12:00 Moscow time (09:00 GMT) - coincides with the Russian Orthodox Christmas. Mr Putin asked Ukraine to reciprocate, but Kyiv quickly rejected the request. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the truce was an attempt to stop his country's military advances in the east of the country. The Kremlin statement appeared to stress that President Putin ordered his troops to stop fighting not because he was de-escalating - Putin never de-escalates - but because he had listened to an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill had, earlier in the day, called for a Christmas truce to allow believers to attend services for Orthodox Christmas. Mr Putin's order called on Ukraine to reciprocate so that the "large numbers of Orthodox believers [who] reside in areas where hostilities are taking place" could celebrate Christmas Eve on Friday and Christmas Day on Saturday. But in his nightly video address, President Zelensky said that Russia wanted to use the truce as a cover to stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region and bring in more men and equipment. The Russian Orthodox Church - the largest of the Eastern Orthodox Churches - celebrates Christmas Day on 7 January, according to the Julian calendar. Some people in Ukraine celebrate Christmas on 25 December, others on 7 January. Both days are public holidays in the country. This year, for the first time, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine said it would allow its congregations to celebrate Christmas on 25 December, as do some other denominations in western Ukraine. The Church split with the similarly named Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in 2018. The UOC itself was tied to Moscow's religious leadership until Russia's invasion, and some of its top clergy have been accused of still covertly supporting Moscow. Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Moscow had repeatedly ignored President Zelensky's propositions for peace. He pointed to Russia's shelling of Kherson on 24 December and strikes on New Year's Eve as evidence of Moscow's inability to cease hostilities during religious holidays. US President Joe Biden believes Mr Putin was simply "trying to find some The Kremlin's ceasefire fits in nicely with a common narrative in Moscow, one that is aimed primarily at the domestic audience. That is - that the Russians are the good guys, and it is Ukraine and the West that are threatening Russia. The truce is also a handy tool that can be used to demonise Ukraine - as the Ukrainians have dismissed the proposal, Moscow will claim that Kyiv does not respect religious believers and has no desire for peace. Monastery raided as Ukraine targets Russian agents Five ways conflict could go in 2023 But it should not be forgotten that it was Russia who started this war by launching an unprovoked invasion of its neighbour. The move also comes just a few days after a large number of Russian troops were killed in a Ukrainian strike on a temporary barracks in the occupied Ukrainian city of Makiivka. The Russian defence ministry put the death toll at 89, making it the highest single loss of life admitted by Moscow since the war began. Relatives of the dead, as well as some politicians and commentators, expressed anger over what happened in Makiivka and blamed incompetent military officials. The incident happened on New Year's Eve - the most important holiday in the Russian calendar. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64178912

Noussair Mazraoui will miss Bayern Munich’s training camp in Doha due to his heart issue. Rabat - German football club Bayern Munich on Friday announced that Moroccan player Noussair Mazraoui is suffering from a “mild inflammation” of the pericardium, a protective sack that surrounds the heart. The football club recalled that the Moroccan international player tested positive for COVID-19 during the Qatar World Cup in December, and was unable to play alongside the Moroccan squad in the tournament’s quarter-final against Brazil. FC Bayern’s team doctor Roland Schmidt diagnosed Mazraoui with pericarditis during a follow-up medical check after the World Cup, the club indicated in a statement. Due to his health condition, Mazraoui is unable to join his teammates in Doha for FC Bayern’s training camp, which will take place between January 6 and 12. “Noussair Mazraoui was not able to fly with the Bayern team to Doha on Friday as they prepare for the second half of the season at their training camp,” added the statement. Read also: Noussair Mazraoui: From Law Student to Morocco's Wingback The German club wished Mazraoui “all the best for a full and quick recovery.” Mazraoui’s COVID-19 diagnosis during the world cup is no news, as the President of Morocco’s Royal Federation of Football (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa last week disclosed that a number of players from Morocco’s national team suffered from the virus in Qatar. Speaking during a board of directors meeting, Lekjaa indicated that at least two Moroccan players, including Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd, had suffered from COVID-19 during Morocco's fairytale run at the World Cup. He highlighted the remarkable performance of the Atlas Lions despite the many challenges they faced, including “the curse of injuries and COVID-19.” “All these factors did not make them complacent, even for a single moment,” said Lekjaa, stressing that the national team was aware of the “historical responsibility” that was placed on them. link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/01/353400/moroccos-noussair-mazraoui-diagnosed-with-heart-issue

Nick Movie: Knock At The Cabin Time: February 3, 2023 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: ? Duration of the movie: 1h 50min Trailer: