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Opinion: Smartphones take a toll on teens. What choice do parents have?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

:We can’t keep ignoring social media’s harmful effects on the mental health of young people.Across the world, regardless of skin color or language, people are suffering from mental health problems that are linked to the age at which they got their first smartphone or tablet, according to a new report from Sapien Labs. The nonprofit organization, which has a database of more than a million people in dozens of countries, found that the younger that people were when they got their first smartphone or tablet, the more likely they were to have mental health challenges as adults, including suicidal thoughts, a sense of being detached from reality and feelings of aggression toward others.The effects were most pronounced among girls, who spend more time on social media than boys do. The harm of the devices seems to be rooted in the 24/7 access they provide to social media.The longer that parents wait to give children portable digital devices, the better. Respondents who got thei...

Target pulls some LGBTQ+ merchandise ahead of June Pride month after backlash from some shoppers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO | Associated PressNEW YORK — Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement Tuesday. ”Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”Target declined to say which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and ...

Two accused shooters appear in court to face charges from fatal mass shooting in Northern California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

OROVILLE — Two men entered Butte County Superior Court to face charges of murder and attempted murder stemming from a drive-by shooting early May 6 in Chico that drew national attention.Oscar Sebastian Castrejon-Sanchez, 18, of Chico, and his cousin Marcos Tiny Douglas-Ayala, 21, of Hamilton City, were charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder Monday. They’re accused of involvement in a gang-related shooting at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Columbus Avenue, near Chico State.Douglas-Ayala (Butte County District Attorney’s Office/Contributed)Castrejon-Sanchez (Butte County District Attorney’s Office/Contributed)Show Caption of ExpandBoth men also face additional charges of assault with a firearm, and Castrejon-Sanchez faces numerous firearms enhancements on his charges. The judge at Monday’s arraignment ordered both Castrejon-Sanchez and Douglas-Ayala held without bail, citing public safety concerns.They will next appear in court at 8...

Opinion: A President Kamala Harris might even be good for our republic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

If an increasingly possible scenario develops — a 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump—age will be an issue. But not just Biden’s.Certainly, Biden is advanced in years. On Election Day 2024, he will be 81.But Trump will be 78. And while Biden is trim, athletic and a reasonably responsible eater, Trump is overweight, exercise-averse and devoted to fried chicken and cheeseburgers. Imagine either of these men as president in 2025 and speculate on which one is more likely to live through a four-year term. It’s hard to say.Therefore the vice presidential choice for both candidates is more important than usual.The only thing certain about Trump’s running mate is that it won’t be his insufficiently loyal former vice president, Mike Pence, who appears to be mounting a weak run against Trump. Reportedly Marjorie Taylor Greene is a possibility as a running mate, as is Kari Lake, who refuses to concede her defeat in the race for Arizona’s governorship.Both...

California school investigating substitute teacher seen on video using the N-word

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

Temecula Valley schools are investigating after a substitute teacher was captured on video using the N-word in a middle school classroom.The video shows him sitting at a desk and in a conversation with students at Bella Vista Middle School near Murrieta. The substitute discusses use of the word “negroes,” and says that using that word is OK. He says “the word that people don’t like is …” before saying the N-word.The man then says the slur a few times as students react with laughter and what appears to be shock. The video appears edited, with parts not being continuous. Also, children’s faces are digitally obscured.James Evans, Temecula Valley Unified School District spokesperson, said in an email Monday, May 22, that the district learned of the video Thursday, May 18, and immediately blocked the substitute from working at any of its schools.“The District does not tolerate the use of racial slurs … the District will appropriately investigate this matter and take all appropriate measu...

California board orders LA County to close juvenile halls within 60 days

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

A California regulatory board has ordered Los Angeles County to remove 275 youths from its troubled juvenile halls in Sylmar and Boyle Heights by the end of July.The Board of State and Community Corrections voted Tuesday, May 23, to declare the Barry J. Nidorf and Central juvenile halls “unsuitable.” Such a declaration gives the county 60 days to empty the halls of all “pre-disposition youths,” a category that covers juvenile detainees who have not been sentenced.At the meeting, county officials asked the board to delay the decision and to instead give them 150 days to implement a plan to consolidate their staff and youths to a soon-to-be reopened Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, but the board members declined that option, saying the proposal was “too little, too late.”The county promised sweeping reforms when the BSCC declared the same halls unsuitable more than a year ago, and yet the facilities, which narrowly avoided a shutdown at that time, are now once again out of compli...

Amid soaring thefts, California city bans possession of catalytic converters without proof of ownership

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

In a bid to curb rising catalytic converter thefts in the city, the Torrance City Council on Tuesday, May 23, voted to make it illegal for people to possess catalytic converters without proof of ownership.The ordinance would require anyone in possession of a detached catalytic converter to provide proof of ownership, such as a bill of sale from the original owner with photographs, documentation from an auto-body shop and verifiable electronic communications from the previous owner to the possessor proving the relinquishment of ownership.Code violations could constitute a misdemeanor, which can result in as much as $1000 in fine or up to a year of imprisonment at the county jail.The city council approved the measure with a 5-0 vote, due to the absence of Councilmembers Jon Kaji and Mike Griffiths. It essentially gives the Torrance Police Department the legal authority to prosecute catalytic converter thefts without an identifiable victim.Catalytic converter, located within a car’s ex...

Swiss gov’t favors compensation for journalistic ‘snippets’ posted by online services

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s executive branch says it favors changes to copyright law to require large online service providers — including social media platforms and search engines — to pay media companies for use of their journalistic content, even small excerpts known as “snippets.” The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, announced Wednesday that it’s opened a four-month examination of a proposed legal change to improve compensation for journalists and their media companies.The government noted the importance of public debate in a democracy, which has now largely moved onto the Internet.“The content offered by search engines, social media and multimedia platforms is largely based on journalistic works by traditional publishing media,” a government statement said. Short previews of journalistic content — or “snippets” — are not currently protected under Swiss copyright law.It said media companies and journalists don’t receive any remuneratio...

Abercrombie: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

NEW ALBANY, Ohio (AP) — NEW ALBANY, Ohio (AP) — Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $16.6 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.On a per-share basis, the New Albany, Ohio-based company said it had net income of 32 cents. Earnings, adjusted for asset impairment costs, were 39 cents per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 2 cents per share.The teen clothing retailer posted revenue of $836 million in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $812.2 million.Abercrombie shares have risen slightly since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 14% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ANF at https://www....

Así es cómo la tecnología detrás de ChatGPT podría hacer realidad leer las mentes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:48 GMT

(CNN) — En una mañana de domingo reciente, me encontré usando un par de uniformes médicos que no me quedaban bien, acostado boca arriba en los confines claustrofóbicos de una máquina de resonancia magnética funcional en un centro de investigación en Austin, Texas. “Las cosas que hago para la televisión”, pensé.Cualquiera que haya tenido una resonancia magnética o resonancia magnética funcional te dirá lo ruidoso que es: las corrientes eléctricas se arremolinan creando un poderoso campo magnético que produce escaneos detallados de tu cerebro. En esta ocasión, sin embargo, apenas podía escuchar el fuerte arranque de los imanes mecánicos, me dieron un par de auriculares especializados que comenzaron a reproducir segmentos del audiolibro “El mago de Oz”.¿Por qué?Neurocientíficos de la Universidad de Texas en Austin han descubierto una forma de traducir los escaneos de la actividad cerebral en palabras utilizando la misma tecnología de inteligencia artificial que impuls...