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Violence Against Women and International Law, April 2024 Update

Via LLRXViolence Against Women and International Law, April 2024 Update – Sabrina I. Pacifici is identifying and documenting pertinent sources for researchers on the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and violence against women and girls. This is the April 2024 update to the first installment of the guide, published on November 23, 2023. The initial guide had 8 pertinent sources on this topic comprising government reports, academic papers, reviews of UN/NGO programs, news, databases, analysis and commentary. Part 2 of this series, posted December 31, 2023 expanded the original guide with more than a dozen new sources. The February 2024 update to this guide has links to over two dozen sources. This April update comprises recent news, reporting, and social media postings. It also includes a report issued by the UN acknowledging, despite months of denial, prevarication and statements to the contrary in official communications as well as action by various representatives of the organization that…”Based on the information it gathered, the mission team found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity.”

We Are in the Golden Age of Bird-Watching

Scientific American [unpaywalled]: “It’s springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and one of nature’s greatest spectacles is unfolding: the migration of billions of birds to their breeding grounds. They’ve spent the winter in balmier locales to the south, getting fat on insects, seeds, fruits and aquatic plants and prey. Now they’re winging their way north to… Continue Reading

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars

Vox – Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous. Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any… Continue Reading

‘World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing’ Will Help Animals Walk Safely Over 8 Lanes of California Traffic

Smithsonian Magazine: “When freeways are built through their natural habitats, animals often end up suffering—and so do humans on the road. Every year, more than one million wildlife-vehicle collisions occur across America, resulting in 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries to drivers and passengers. Now, an ambitious project in California aims to help address this problem. Crews are… Continue Reading

Legal ChatGPT: Tips, Prompts, and Use Cases

My Case – By Catherine Brock: “AI tools like ChatGPT are creating a buzz in the legal field. According to the Legal Industry Report 2024, nearly one-quarter (24%) of law firms have adopted legal-specific generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools. Survey respondents confirmed they use GAI to streamline firm processes, from drafting marketing content to finding… Continue Reading

Ai and Moderna

Noting this press release as it shines light into the foothold AI is gaining in major sectors, in this case, pharmaceuticals: “For over a decade, Moderna has been at the intersection of science, technology and health. Since our beginnings, we’ve leveraged the power of machine learning to support our mission to develop transformative mRNA medicines.… Continue Reading

8 best password managers of April 2024

CNBC: “Keep all of your passwords safe, secure and in one place with these top-rated password managers. Cybersecurity experts recommend that every password you create be long, complex and unique. So between online bank and investment accounts, credit card accounts, email accounts and other types of accounts, you may wind up with dozens of passwords… Continue Reading

David Byrne Radio

“For the past decade David Byrne, the legendary rock musician, has operated his own “radio station,” which is really the curated playlist of his own musical explorations. Every month on his website David Byrne Radio, Byrne streams another 100-minute loop of new, old, classic, weird, wonderful, surprising, themed music he’s discovered and loves. He writes… Continue Reading

Deepfakes in the courtroom

Ars Technica: “US judicial panel debates new AI evidence rules Panel of eight judges confronts deep-faking AI tech that may undermine legal trials. On Friday, a federal judicial panel convened in Washington, DC, to discuss the challenges of policing AI-generated evidence in court trials, according to a Reuters report. The US Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee… Continue Reading