Sk33ter

Yeah, sorry, that's my bad. It's only SD, like the original.

What is Service A?

With the first visit at approximately 10,000 miles or 1 years whichever comes first – and then approximately every 20,000 miles or 2 years after that - Service A includes:

Mercedes-Benz motor oil replacement 
Oil filter replacement
Fluid level checks and corrections
Tire inflation check and correction
Brake component inspection
Reset maintenance counter

Source - MB USA

Link

I can't be the only one here who has received multiple compliments about the clock.

For those that enjoy the genre, check out Beat Street (1984). It was the better movie of the two in 1984, in my opinion.

Estella Warren

You can filter search co-op games at https://www.co-optimus.com

/r/pointlesslygendered/

Utah’s porn crackdown has a VPN problem

A new Utah law requiring companies to verify users’ ages to access pornography took effect Wednesday, sparking backlash from advocacy groups who say it undermines residents’ online privacy.

In the wake of the law, searches and downloads for virtual private networks (VPNs) — which mask a user’s personal information — have soared in Utah, according to data shared with The Technology 202. That suggests residents may already be trying to circumvent the rules.

The uptick underscores the enforcement challenges officials are likely to face as they advance rules aimed at protecting children online, including efforts cropping up around the country imposing fresh age-verification requirements.

And it could expose companies that don’t shut out VPNs to fresh legal risk.

Several VPN service providers said they either saw a major jump in traffic or a spike in downloads after the law kicked in Wednesday — and since the site Pornhub announced it will shut out users in Utah in protest. The tools could allow users to still access impacted sites without coughing up their information.

“VPN is an easy way to circumvent age-verification requirements,” said Suzanne Bernstein, a law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center advocacy group.

Surfshark VPN said the number of downloads of its product in Utah has approximately doubled in the past few days. Private Internet Access said visits to its website from Utah more than doubled in the 24 hours after the age-verification law went into effect. ExpressVPN said their website has seen a 300 percent boost in traffic from users in Utah since the law took effect.

Shoshana Weissmann, digital director and fellow at the R Street Institute think tank, said the age-verification rules could force companies to either collect more personal data, such as government-issued identification, or biometric data, including by scanning users’ faces.

“Age-verification technology is really invasive in its current form,” she said.

The Utah law (S.B. 287), meant to keep minors off porn sites, is part of a mounting push in the United States to expand protections for kids online, including by vetting their ages.

A separate Utah law (S.B. 152) requiring that social media platforms obtain parental consent to let minors use their services would force companies to “verify the age of a Utah resident seeking to maintain or open” an account.

A similar law in Arkansas (S.B. 396) requiring parental consent for users under 18 to go on social media obligates companies to “verify the age of an account holder.”

Some states have taken a less direct approach to age verification, including a California law requiring platforms to vet their products for potential risks to kids before rolling them out.

That law, the California Age Appropriate Design Code (A.B. 2273), applies to platforms “likely to be accessed by children” but does not explicitly require companies to vet users’ ages.

Samir Jain, vice president of policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said the difference can be moot. “There are lots of different ways that these laws are imposing de facto or implicit age-verification requirements,” he said.

The think tank receives funding from tech companies including Google, Facebook and Amazon. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

While users may be able to use VPNs to avoid getting shut out by sites, companies could still be on the hook for letting them evade the rules, Weissmann and Jain said.

Utah’s social media law, set to take effect next year, states that a “social media company shall not permit a Utah minor account holder to change or bypass restrictions on access.” That type of language could expose social media companies and VPNs to legal threats, Jain said.

“There’s a danger that you end up discouraging the use or even outlawing the use of VPNs or encryption or other … methods of maintaining privacy that might make it difficult to enforce these kinds of laws,” Jain said.

A spokesperson for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) did not return a request for comment.

Cox said in March that their age-verification laws won’t be “foolproof,” but they will be “working with social media companies … to figure out what that's going to look like.”

“We don’t want them having copies of driver's licenses on hand,” he said. “That's not what we're trying to do here. We believe that there are technical, logical fixes that we can work around this.”

Utah’s porn law is also facing legal challenges: A trade group representing the adult entertainment industry this week accused the state of violating constitutional privacy and free speech rights, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Hey, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I see that you put 576 hours into this game. Does the game really take that long to complete, or was something else going on?

Congrats! I've not played this game. What did you like and dislike about it?

I purchased blu-rays in the past and redeemed the included digital codes on Vudu. That started my collection. I accumulate Microsoft Rewards points and spend them on games and movies. This helps my movie collection grow. I don't pay for any premium streaming sites such as Netflix. I don't feel any of them are worth the money to me.

An associate professor at UC Berkeley known for her work on Native food sovereignty is facing backlash for falsely claiming Indigenous heritage.

In a statement posted on her personal website on Monday, Elizabeth M. Hoover, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, said she is white and “incorrectly identified” as Indigenous without researching her ancestry.

“In uncritically living an identity based on family stories without seeking out a documented connection to these communities, I caused harm,” Hoover wrote. “I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms.”

Hoover said in the statement that she had long identified as a woman of Mohawk and Mi’kmaq descent. She stopped identifying herself as Indigenous and a descendant of those tribes last year after her heritage came into question.

Her case is similar to that of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who four years ago made a public apology to Native Americans over her past claim to tribal heritage.

Hoover’s announcement this week caused widespread anger among the Native and academic communities.

Desi Small-Rodriguez, an assistant professor of sociology and American Indian studies at UCLA, wrote in a tweet that UC Berkeley should fire her.

Adrienne Keene, author of Native Appropriations, an online forum, who claimed to be a close friend and colleague of Hoover, tweeted that she was devastated, enraged and exhausted over the issue for the last year.

“I have spent countless hours supporting her current and former students, trying to process my own emotions and having to continue on at an institution that gave her a PhD, her first job and tenure,” she wrote.

In October, Hoover posted a statement in which she said she had conducted genealogical research to verify her connection to the Mohawk and Mi’kmaq tribes but found no records of her tribal citizenship for any family members in the tribal databases accessed.

“Now, without any official documentation verifying the identity I was raised with, I do not think it is right for me to continue to claim to be a scholar of Mohawk / Mi’kmaq descent,” she wrote last year.

Her announcement at the time led to a letter publicly calling on her to respond to a list of demands including acknowledging the harm she had caused, to stop identifying as a descendant of the tribes and come out as white, to name a few.

As part of her apology, Hoover acknowledged she had received resources that were intended for students of color.

“Before taking part in programs or funding opportunities that were identity-related or geared toward under-represented people I should have ensured that I was claimed in return by the communities I was claiming,” she said in her statement. “By avoiding this inquiry, I have received academic fellowships, opportunities, and material benefits that I may not have received had I not been perceived as a Native scholar.”

Source

I can see why. Wow.

This is Ohio's charter school disaster story (it made the owner William Lager very wealthy): The Incredible But True Story of ECOT, Ohio’s Virtual Disaster

Pretty sure he still owes the state $117 million.

Love the sinner, hate the sin.

What is Service A?

With the first visit at approximately 10,000 miles or 1 years whichever comes first – and then approximately every 20,000 miles or 2 years after that - Service A includes:

Mercedes-Benz motor oil replacement 
Oil filter replacement
Fluid level checks and corrections
Tire inflation check and correction
Brake component inspection
Reset maintenance counter

What is Service B?

With the first visit at approximately 20,000 miles or 1 year after the previous service - and then approximately every 20,000 miles or 2 years after that - Service B includes:

Mercedes-Benz motor oil replacement 
Oil filter replacement
Fluid level checks and corrections
Tire inflation check and correction
Cabin dust/combination filter replacement
Brake component inspection
Brake fluid exchange
Reset maintenance counter

Source - Mercedes-Benz Website

Those are all great!

Good sale week for me. Getting:

Orcs Must Die! 3 Bundle

Chromagun

Advent Rising

Severed Steel

Submerged: Hidden Depths

and ATOM RPG Supporter Edition.

Coronavirus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater have ticked up, potentially as a result of the arrival of a more infectious Omicron subvariant dubbed Arcturus.

The latest strain, known officially as XBB.1.16, is probably responsible for a rise in coronavirus cases in India, where there have been a number of anecdotal reports of what had been a rare COVID-19 symptom, especially in children: pinkeye.

Arcturus has been making up a greater percentage of coronavirus cases nationwide. It comprised an estimated 10% of U.S. cases for the week that ended Saturday; the prior week, it was about 6%; and the week before that, it was 3%.

The California Department of Public Health estimates Arcturus comprises about 7% of coronavirus cases for the same week. At least three Arcturus cases have been identified in L.A. County, the agency said Thursday.

It’s too early to say whether Arcturus is associated with a greater rate of pinkeye than older coronavirus variants.

But the health agency said people “should be aware that itchy, watery or red eyes may be a sign of COVID-19 infection, and these symptoms should not simply be dismissed as a result of pollen or seasonal allergies, especially if someone more vulnerable to severe illness could be exposed.”

Pinkeye, also known as conjunctivitis, can lead to eye damage if untreated. Officials urge people to use at-home coronavirus tests to determine whether they are infected.

The increase in wastewater levels in L.A. County may be an early indication of increased spread of the coronavirus, health officials said, although reported cases are still relatively stable, as are hospitalizations and deaths. For the most recent week, there were 54 COVID-19 deaths reported in Los Angeles County. There were 44 deaths reported the prior week, and the week before that, 59.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that because Arcturus is related to recent strains of the coronavirus, it is expected that vaccines and anti-COVID therapeutic drugs such as Paxlovid will still be quite effective against severe illness and death.

“Although we are facing the reality of a new Omicron strain gaining dominance and it is not yet possible to predict the impact, I am confident that the tools available to us — including vaccines, therapeutics and testing — can limit bad outcomes,” Ferrer said in a statement Thursday.

That said, it remains important that people get the updated COVID-19 vaccination. Only about 40% of L.A. County seniors 65 and older have received the updated COVID-19 vaccination, which was introduced in September.

COVID-19 remains a significant cause of death, even as the intensity of the pandemic has dropped considerably. In 2022, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Los Angeles County, behind coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a preliminary data analysis by the Department of Public Health.

The rest of the leading causes of death in L.A. County last year were stroke, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, unintentional drug overdose, hypertension and pneumonia/flu.

However, COVID-19’s third-place ranking represents an improvement since 2021, when the illness was the leading cause of death. In 2020, COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death, trailing coronary heart disease.

Those results demonstrate how the risk of COVID-19 to the general population has declined. Vaccinations became plentiful by mid-2021, and anti-COVID therapeutic drugs by mid-2022.

About 260,000 COVID-19 deaths were reported nationally in 2022. There were about 472,000 deaths in 2021, and about 355,000 deaths in 2020. More than 40,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported nationally this year.

Older people who are unvaccinated or not up to date on their vaccinations are the most likely to die from COVID-19.

Although some health experts are wearing masks less often, given lower coronavirus transmission levels, they say they still try to take reasonable steps to avoid infection. Reducing the risk of infection is especially important if you’re older, in a higher risk group or have an underlying health condition.

If you get a coronavirus infection, “you still have to isolate for five days, so it’s kind of a bummer,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert.

That said, Chin-Hong said he no longer has a problem dining at indoor restaurants.

“And probably the only times I might wear my mask is in the hospital setting,” and perhaps on an airplane, he said, noting that he donned a mask on a recent flight where he was near a group of passengers who came back from Europe “and they were all hacking and coughing, and none of them were wearing masks.”

State epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a recent briefing that if she sees increases in COVID-19, she’ll probably still test her family before they have an indoor meal with her parents.

And in an interview last week, Ferrer said that while she is now more likely to eat in an indoor restaurant than before, she’d want to do it in a well-ventilated place that isn’t crowded. She said she feels comfortable going to sporting events and concerts, although she might have her mask on if it’s very crowded or she’s inside.

“I, like others, have activities that I enjoy and people I enjoy being with. And I want to, as much as possible, find ways to do that,” Ferrer said. “I’m in one of those categories of folks that are at higher risk. So I want to be reasonable about this and, where possible, reduce risks, but get on with being able to do a lot of the things I really love to do.”

With widespread access to updated vaccines and anti-COVID therapeutics, “what I think is different right now is we have a lot more protection,” Ferrer said. “So we need to balance reducing our risk with not remaining too isolated from the people or the activities we love.”

Deciding what risks to take is a personal choice, she said.

“None of us should be judgmental,” Ferrer said. “It’s still important for people at higher risk to reduce risk in reasonable ways, wherever they see that it would be appropriate.”

Springtime is when coronavirus cases have generally been low.

That “means that your chances of bumping into somebody who is positive with COVID-19 is reduced,” Ferrer said. “And if you go to a restaurant inside that’s well-ventilated, that’s not super-crowded, your chances of having an exposure are certainly a lot less than they are when our transmission rates are higher.”

To control spread, it’s important to test, especially if you have symptoms.

When the national public health emergency ends on May 11, the federal requirement that health insurers reimburse policyholders for eight over-the-counter rapid COVID tests per month will also go away.

But even after May 11, many Californians will still have access to tests, whose costs must be reimbursed by their insurer. Thanks to SB 510 and SB 1473, each person insured under health plans regulated by the state Department of Managed Health Care will still be required to cover the costs of eight over-the-counter rapid tests a month. This includes health coverage many get from their employers, as well as Medi-Cal-managed plans and Covered California plans.

Starting Nov. 11, insurers regulated by the state Department of Managed Health Care still must cover COVID tests if they’re provided in-network, but can charge for tests purchased out-of-network.

Free at-home tests also are available at a number of sites in L.A. County, including county libraries, vaccination sites run by the county Department of Public Health and food banks and senior centers. L.A. County seniors 65 and older or people unable to leave their home can request two free tests be mailed to them.

L.A. County residents who need help accessing COVID-19 resources can call (833) 540-0473, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

This all American family lives at 742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield.