Current Reading
Melting of Alaskan glaciers Shown to be Accelerating; Could Reach an Irreversible Tipping Point Earlier Than Previously Thought
Melting of glaciers in a major Alaskan icefield has accelerated and could reach an irreversible tipping point earlier than previously thought, research led by Newcastle University suggests. The increased rate of glacier thinning has also been accompanied by increased glacier fragmentation... 100% of glaciers mapped in 2019 have receded relative to their position in 1770, and 108 glaciers have disappeared completely. Study lead, Dr Bethan Davies, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University, said: “It’s incredibly worrying that our research found a rapid acceleration since the early 21st century in the rate of glacier loss across the Juneau icefield. more »
National Institutes of Health: For Healthy Adults, Taking Multivitamins Daily is Not Associated With a Lower Risk of Death
Findings come from an NIH analysis of more than two decades of dietary data from 390,124 U.S. adults. "The analysis showed that people who took daily multivitamins did not have a lower risk of death from any cause than people who took no multivitamins. There were also no differences in mortality from cancer, heart disease, or cerebrovascular diseases. The results were adjusted for factors such as race and ethnicity, education, and diet quality." Because the study population was so large and included lengthy follow-up and extensive information on demographics and lifestyle factors, the researchers were able to mitigate the effects of possible biases that may have influenced the findings of other studies. For example, people who use multivitamins may have healthier lifestyles in general, and sicker patients may be more likely to increase their use of multivitamins. more »
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Deliver Remarks at ATF’s Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit
"Today’s discussions and dedication of the Faces of Gun Violence Exhibit this afternoon reflect a deep and abiding commitment by the women and men of the ATF to victims and survivors of gun violence. I’m grateful to the ATF and to all of you for being here — especially those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Your presence honors their memory and fuels our fight for a better, safer future. The community gathered today shares a powerful bond. You are survivors. You are advocates. You are members of law enforcement. You call different places home and you come from different walks of life. But together, you’re bound by extraordinary courage. Your lives have been transformed by gun violence – but you are not defined by it.
You share a commitment — to turn your pain into purposeful action — doing everything you can to prevent another family from enduring the same loss."
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Antony Blinken, Secretary of State: Building A More Resilient Information Environment
"What I’d like to do this afternoon is spend a few minutes focusing on one longstanding problem that’s become increasingly complicated and increasingly consequential, and that’s the challenge of disinformation – of material deliberately meant to deceive and divide – as well as other forms of false and misleading content. We all know that a world in which reliable information is readily accessible is pretty much foundational to every issue, in every country. It empowers us to understand and engage with the world around us. To make decisions that shape our lives, that shape our communities, that shape our countries. But we also know the information space has become more crowded, more complex, more confusing, more contested than ever. That, in turn, creates an enabling environment for disinformation – an environment in which state and non-state actors are undermining the objective truths on which open societies depend." more »