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How a Stanford professor is organizing the hunt for alien life

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

On a cold December night in 1977 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a mysterious hovering object was reported to be flying overhead. Then a luminous hot molten rock fell to earth.What was it? Where did it come from? No one knows.But Stanford University immunologist Garry Nolan suggests one possible theory: It was a discarded part of a UAP, or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” the formal government name for objects previously called UFOs.Undaunted by the risk of professional stigma, the biotech entrepreneur is urging the creation of a “Stardust Repository,” where this and other pieces of mysterious materials of unknown origin would be stored for analysis.At a first-of-its-kind symposium on Friday and Saturday, hosted by Stanford, Nolan unveiled plans to bring scientific rigor to a realm that has long been home to kooks and wackos.“We’re here to professionalize and normalize this,” Nolan told a standing-room-only crowd of physicists, data scientists, tech entrepreneurs and others, representing s...

40% of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night — most in decades, poll says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

By Brendan Rascius, The Charlotte ObserverConcerns about certain crimes are at their highest levels in decades, causing Americans to isolate themselves from their communities, according to new polling.The spike in fear comes as violent crime has decreased nationwide, while property crime has ticked up, according to the FBI.A recent Gallup poll found that 28% of Americans worry frequently or occasionally that they will be murdered, according to a Nov. 16 news release. That’s a near-record high.The Gallup poll surveyed 1,009 adults between Oct. 2 and Oct. 23, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.Meanwhile, half of U.S. adults said they worry their car will be stolen or broken into, 37% worry they’ll be mugged and 32% are concerned about getting attacked while driving — near-record highs.Additionally, the vast majority of Americans, 72%, worry they will fall victim to identity theft, according to the poll.This heightened apprehension has had a detrimental effe...

Over 100K back ballot question on tipped worker wages, advocates say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

Campaigners for a “One Fair Wage” ballot initiative seeking to allow tipped workers a standard minimum wage announced the petition has far exceeded the 75,000 signature threshold required to secure a spot on the November 2024 ballot on Monday.“We’re here today to celebrate that we have officially gathered over 100,000 signatures,” said One Fair Wage Organizing Director Estefania Galvis at a press event Monday evening. “And we are very, very confident it will be on the ballot next year.”The One Fair Wage ballot question, if it goes to the ballot and is passed by voters, would incrementally phase out the state’s minimum $6.75 “service rate” wage by 2029, allowing tipped workers in restaurant and hospitality industries to earn at least the standard minimum wage in addition to tips.The ballot initiative was proposed in the fall and must pass additional measures in order to be put on the 2024 ballot.Proponents at the press confe...

Michael Soroka eager for a new opportunity with the Chicago White Sox after 3 years of injuries: ‘They see my potential’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

Michael Soroka had heard rumblings of a potential trade.“I had a good idea about the possibility of me being moved,” he said during a video conference call Monday.The right-hander received a call from Alex Anthopoulos on Thursday evening, and the Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations informed Soroka he was headed to the Chicago White Sox.“Alex laid out what their plans were and giving me an opportunity to get somewhere to pitch,” Soroka said. “I appreciate that, the candid conversation I had with him.“And then the (call) after that with (Sox general manager) Chris Getz, they stressed how excited they were about me and that made me feel awesome. That was a nice little boost of confidence to get somewhere that I think believes in me.”Soroka was dealt to the Sox — along with left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor-league right-hander Riley Gowens — in exchange for reliever Aaron Bumm...

Turkey rules the table. But a poll finds disagreement over other Thanksgiving classics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

By MARK KENNEDY and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over what’s on the crowded dinner table. We mostly agree on the deliciousness of pumpkin pie, say, but are split over the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat. And don’t even ask if marshmallows belong on sweet potatoes — it could cause a ruckus.About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) who will celebrate Thanksgiving this year say turkey is their favorite dish in the holiday feast, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Stuffing or dressing (19%) and mashed potatoes (6%) come in second and third.“Thanksgiving — it’s about turkey,” said Ralph Caya, 71, from Pensacola, Florida, who participated in the survey. On the other hand, Vaidehi Upadhyaya, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Glen Rock, New Jersey, is a lifelong vegetarian. It’s all about the side...

Padres hire Mike Shildt as new manager

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres have hired Mike Shildt as their new manager, the team confirmed Tuesday.Schildt takes over for Bob Melvin, who signed a deal last month to manage the San Francisco Giants.Shildt has been an adviser in player development and filled in on the Padres staff the last two seasons. Seidler’s business partner to become Padres interim point person As former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, he had over 250 wins.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Prosecutors won’t pursue assault charge against friend of Ja Morant after fight at player’s home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors will not pursue an assault charge against a close friend of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant stemming from a fight during a pickup basketball game at the player’s home last year, court records showed Tuesday. A misdemeanor charge of assault against Davonte Pack has been dismissed, according to Shelby County court records.Pack, whom Morant has referred to as “my brother,” was charged a year after a July 2022 altercation in which a teenager says in a lawsuit that Morant and Pack punched him during a game at the home of the Grizzlies guard.Pack, 24, was arrested days after an arrest warrant was issued in July. In an affidavit, investigators said Pack was identified as the person who hit the teen and knocked him to the ground. Morant’s accuser was 17 when the lawsuit was filed. It accuses Morant and Pack of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress. An amended complaint identified the plaintiff as Joshua Holl...

Rosalynn Carter made a wrongfully convicted felon a White House nanny and helped win her pardon

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Rosalynn Carter was never a lawyer. But the former first lady used her powerful posts to address injustices imposed as part of the racist Jim Crow system that prevailed in Georgia courts as her husband climbed the political ladder.The most personal of those cases for Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter involved Mary Prince Fitzpatrick, who met the Carters in Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion and went to Washington as White House nanny to their daughter Amy, with a felony murder conviction still on her record and the president of the United States as her parole officer.The Carters were certain that Mary Fitzpatrick, who reverted to her maiden name, Prince, was wrongfully convicted, and they stuck by her until she ultimately was exonerated.“I learned first-hand about the inadequacies and inequality in our judicial system from the prisoners who worked in the mansion,” Rosalynn wrote in her 1984 memoir. She described Mary as “a young trusty” who became a caregiver to thr...

Sobeys announces price freeze between November, January 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

As the cost of living continues to add pressure to many Canadians’ household budgets, a grocery retailing giant says it’s freezing prices on thousands of products — but only until the new year.Empire, which owns Sobeys, tells CityNews it has “historically” been a practice of the company to “freeze the vast majority of our prices on all packaged products between November and January, in partnership with our supplier partners.”“This practice has never been an external or public commitment, nor was it a mandatory practice internally,” Empire spokesperson Andrew Walker said in an email. “Typically, we would hold prices on approximately 90 per cent of packaged products during this time, subject to exceptions in select instances.” Related articles: More competition needed in grocery to help stabilize food prices: Freeland Champagne says he wishes grocers were more ‘forthcoming’ on plans to stabiliz...

Freedom Mobile ups roaming plan offerings as revamp under Quebecor continues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:13:52 GMT

TORONTO — Freedom Mobile is announcing a new international roaming plan that provides its customers unlimited calling and texting in 73 destinations as it continues to roll out new offerings since being acquired by Quebecor Inc.-subsidiary Videotron.Freedom says its new Roam Beyond package includes 60 gigabytes of international mobile data for $65 per month after digital discount.The plan covers the U.S. and Mexico, along with countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East.Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau says Freedom, which his company acquired from Shaw when the latter was sold to Rogers Communications Inc., is “reinventing international roaming with an offer never before seen in Canada.”Freedom announced earlier this year it would offer a $50 monthly plan, its first with national coverage, that includes unlimited calls and texts as well as 40 gigabytes of data usable throughout Canada and the U.S.It also revealed Tuesday it has extended 5G...