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Australian energy giant Woodside is planning to cut more than 500 jobs worldwide as part of a restructuring programme aimed at delivering $400m in annual cost savings from 2028. The workforce reduction, equivalent to more than 10% of the company’s employees at the end of 2025, forms part of a broader effort to streamline operations, …

This summary was generated using AI, reviewed by humans - watch the video for the full story. Quarkus Insights #266: What’s new in Leyden? Java gets faster the longer it runs, but what if an application could start out already warmed up? That is the goal of Project Leyden, and a lot has changed since Maria Arias de Reyna Dominguez last appeared on the show roughly a year ago. In episode 266, Maria, a committer on the OpenJDK project who works on Leyden at IBM, joins hosts Eric Deandrea and Holly Cummins to explain how the AOT cache works, what the newly merged ahead-of-time code compilation adds, what it takes to use the cache in production, and why the Leyden team wants feedback from real users now. Quarkus News Holly noted that the finish line for Quarkus 4 is in sight, and encouraged everyone to try Quarkus 4 Beta 2 if they have not already. The Quarkus:Dev conference call for papers is coming soon, so start thinking about the stories and projects you would like to share. A Quick Recap: Why Leyden Exists Project Leyden is one of several OpenJDK projects improving the Java language, the JVM, or the wider ecosystem, alongside efforts such as Project Valhalla. Leyden targets startup and warm-up time. Maria explained the underlying trade-off. A natively compiled C or C++ binary runs the same code from start to finish. Java instead ships bytecode that the JVM interprets, profiles, and recompiles repeatedly. Along the way it learns runtime-only facts, such as which branches are hot, which code is never used, and exactly which CPU instructions the hardware supports. That is why long-running Java applications can end up faster than ahead-of-time compiled code, but it also means the application is slowest right when it starts. Leyden’s approach is a three-step workflow: Run the application in a training run to reach peak performance and collect runtime information. Store what was learned in an AOT cache. Start the real production run with the cache, so the JVM has that information from the first request. What Was Already in the Cache Last year’s work already delivered roughly a 50 to 60 percent improvement in startup and time to first response. The cache stores the class metadata model (including class hierarchy and field relationships), method counters and profiling data, class, method, and compile training data, and the adapter handlers that convert method signatures and arguments to hardware-specific native calling conventions. Maria also made a useful distinction between the two metrics teams usually measure. Time until the port is open mostly depends on the framework, while time until responses arrive quickly depends on application warm-up, which is where the cache has the most impact. JEP 544: Ahead-of-Time Code Compilation The big new addition is JEP 544, available from JDK 28, which stores compiled native code in the cache in addition to profiling data. Maria explained that this was harder than simply saving machine code, because memory addresses differ on every load and pointers must be translated. The change was ready by summer but had to wait while the large Valhalla pull request was merged, since every new commit to the main source tree broke it. To show why this matters, Maria walked through JVM tiered compilation: Tier 0, the interpreter: Translates bytecode instruction by instruction without optimizing, which is why the JVM is slowest at the start. Tiers 1 to 3: Method counters trigger compilation with C1 at increasing levels of profiling. If the C2 compiler queue is busy, a method may go to tier 2 instead of tier 3, and trivial methods with no loops or branches stop at tier 1. Tier 4: Fully optimized C2 code with peak performance, which most one-time methods such as startup logic never need. Cached code does not freeze behavior. If a method behaves differently in production than it did during training, the JVM still recompiles it. Maria used a "Black Friday" branch as an example: when that branch is finally taken, the JVM deoptimizes and recompiles accordingly. Code loaded later is also compiled dynamically as usual. Code compilation in the cache is currently supported on two architectures, and the team chose not to hold the JEP back while waiting for more. Benchmarks on Quarkus Maria showed the official normalized chart from the JEP, which compares frameworks against their own baseline without a cache. She stressed that it does not rank frameworks against each other. Holly added that Quarkus appeared to gain less in the chart simply because it already does so much work ahead of time, and the data shown was also from an older Quarkus version. For her own tests, Maria used a REST benchmark project from a colleague, with 25,000 requests and a rate limit of 5,000, running a basic Quarkus REST endpoint and a variant backed by Hibernate. She was upfront that these were laptop numbers with Slack and streaming software running, and recommended real servers for real measurements. The shape of the results was still clear: Time to port open was slightly slower with the cache, but Maria argued it does not matter if responses arrive much sooner. Without a cache, per-request latency started around 60 milliseconds and reached peak performance after about 1,000 requests. With the AOT cache and code compilation, requests started around 20 milliseconds and reached peak performance after about 400 requests. The more complex Hibernate application took longer to warm up overall, but it also showed the biggest gains from the cache. Compared with the previous cache without code, startup latency in the Hibernate case roughly halved, from around 200 milliseconds to 100. Eric and Holly highlighted the practical consequence: the improvement requires no code changes, no different arguments, and the same training run. Upgrading the JDK is enough, which makes a performance case for moving to newer Java versions in addition to the security case. Faster warm-up can also mean fewer instances when scaling out under load, which saves real money in the cloud. Using the Cache with Quarkus Maria said Quarkus has been the framework most involved with Leyden, and that its early feedback helped the team find problems sooner. Several practical points came up: Custom class loaders are a problem. The JVM needs predictable class loading to trust the cache, and it cannot verify that a custom class loader behaves identically in training and production. Work on supporting them is in progress through an open pull request. Quarkus AOT jar packaging uses a class loader that works well with Leyden, so the Quarkus team had to rethink its packaging names. Holly described how the old "fast jar" format ended up slower than the regular jar once the cache was involved. Where to train. Canary deployments let you train on real production traffic, while Quarkus can also generate the cache from integration tests, which has the side benefit of rewarding good test coverage. Maria recommended the Quarkus AOT guide as a quick read. Trade-offs in Production Eric asked what developers give up in exchange for the speedup. Maria covered the main costs: Size. The cache grows with the application, so container images get larger. She mentioned a talk by Netflix, an early adopter, describing how they split the cache into pieces and reassemble them at deployment time. Shared storage is another option. Hardware specificity. Compiled code may use instructions from a particular CPU, so training should target a lower common instruction set if the cache will run on different chips. Pipelines. The hardest part for early adopters has been adapting delivery pipelines. A new cache is needed whenever the application changes, and caches are not bit-for-bit reproducible, which clashes with GitOps expectations. Eric and Holly noted that even careful environment pinning would likely not make them identical. Trade CPU and RAM for storage. If storage and bandwidth cost more than compute for you, the cache may not be worth it. Staging environments can simply skip it. Maria also pointed out that a missing or corrupted cache does not stop the application by default. It runs without the cache unless you explicitly ask the JVM to fail in that case. Iterative AOT Training A feature merged just days before the episode addresses one of the biggest complaints, which is that a good training run is hard to get. With iterative AOT training, the cache is no longer a static asset. A production instance can read the existing cache and write an improved version back. A basic cache is still recommended to avoid a cold start, but real-world usage can now refine it over time, and startup behavior can be trained across many instances. Agents and the Analyzer Java agents are an open question. Because they modify bytecode, the JVM cannot guarantee they will do so the same way in training and production, so classes modified by an agent are currently excluded from the cache. The OpenTelemetry Java agent has been adapted to work with Leyden. Maria noted the impact is limited when an instrumented entry point simply delegates to an unmodified class that does the real work. For diagnosing problems, Maria maintains an analyzer tool that inspects the contents of a cache, flags content that should or should not be there, and can compare two caches, for example one generated from a canary deployment and one from integration tests. She had planned a live demo of the analyzer, but loading a cache with millions of assets on a laptop running streaming software did not cooperate. A smaller demo with a CPU-heavy benchmark app did show the improvement from adding the training and production flags. Security Questions An audience question asked about injection attacks through the cache. Maria explained that the JVM checks the cache for consistency, but a malicious cache with valid checksums is possible in theory, just as a jar file can be tampered with. The advice is to verify the integrity of caches the same way you verify downloaded jars. Holly and Maria also noted that a cache from a stranger would not match your hardware configuration anyway. A Call for Feedback Maria’s closing message was direct. The group of companies investing in Leyden will eventually move on to other projects, so now is the time to try it, report pipeline difficulties, and share use cases that do not work. Feedback can go to the public Leyden developer mailing list on the OpenJDK site, which is open to everyone. Key Takeaways Warm up from the first request: Leyden’s AOT cache applies runtime learnings from a training run to production starts. Ahead-of-time code compilation: JEP 544 adds compiled native code to the cache, available from JDK 28 on supported architectures. Still adaptive: The JVM recompiles cached code if production behavior differs from training. Real gains: In Maria’s tests, latency on a basic Quarkus REST endpoint started at about 20 milliseconds instead of 60 and reached peak performance in 400 requests instead of 1,000. A free upgrade: Teams already using the cache benefit from the new compilation support by upgrading the JDK. Avoid custom class loaders: The cache needs predictable class loading, which is why Quarkus AOT jar packaging matters. Plan your training: Integration tests or canary deployments are the two recommended ways to generate a representative cache. Budget for the trade-offs: Expect larger images, hardware-specific considerations, and pipeline changes. Iterative training: Caches can now be refined from production instances instead of staying static. Test it now: The Leyden team is actively asking for real-world feedback while the project is still staffed. Conclusion Leyden has moved from reducing startup work to storing compiled code itself, and the early numbers on Quarkus show why the effort is worth following. The trade-offs are real, especially around pipelines and cache size, but most of them are manageable with a good training strategy. Next week, Quarkus Insights returns with Sanne Grinovero to talk about incaspawn, a tool that gives AI agents their own sandboxes so they can run safely in YOLO mode. Watch the full episode on the Quarkus YouTube channel and join the discussion on the Leyden developer mailing list.

Natalie Allison / Washington Post: Hegseth not under consideration to be appointed to Senate — Neither President Trump nor Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the governor elect, have made moves to get the defense secretary a Senate seat in Tennessee. — SummaryLoading... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not under consideration …

People still receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits in the mail need to prepare for electronic changes as paper checks are being phased out soon. The post Social Security Is Phasing Out Paper Checks. Here’s What Beneficiaries Need To Know appeared first on Disability Scoop.

Transcript Joe Graedon (00:00:00): I’m Joe Graedon. Terry Graedon (00:00:01): And I’m Terry Graedon. Joe Graedon (00:00:02): Welcome to this podcast of The People’s Pharmacy. Terry Graedon (00:00:02): You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at peoplespharmacy.com. Joe Graedon (00:00:13): Where would we be without plastic? Parents rely on plastic pacifiers, plastic toys, and plastic bike helmets. This is The People’s Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graedon. Terry Graedon (00:00:27): Plastics are incredibly convenient, lightweight, and unbreakable. They make great food containers. Now they’re everywhere, including in us. Is that a problem? Joe Graedon (00:00:45): Young people have more plastic in their bodies relative to their size than older folks. Terry Graedon (00:00:50): One major source of plastic is ultra-processed food. Microscopic particles of plastic are often embedded in the food and are also in the packaging. Can busy parents feed their kids without relying on ultra-processed food? Joe Graedon (00:01:05): Coming up on The People’s Pharmacy, protecting children from the perils of plastic. Terry Graedon (00:01:14): In The People’s Pharmacy Health Headlines: Doctors could predict women’s risk of heart disease decades in advance if they use three common blood tests. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that inflammation and a blood lipid called lipoprotein A are critical, along with LDL cholesterol. Researchers analyzed high-sensitivity CRP, LDL cholesterol, and LP-little a levels in the 1990s for nearly 30,000 participants of the Women’s Health Study. Thirty years later, these healthy, middle-aged women had experienced more than 3,600 cardiovascular events. People with the highest levels of CRP were 70% more likely to have had one. High levels of LDL cholesterol increased the risk by 36%, while women with high levels of LP little a were 33% more likely to have had a heart attack or stroke. Terry Graedon (00:02:16): When there’s a history of heart attacks in families, often lipoprotein A levels are high. It’s estimated that about 30% of the world’s population has elevated levels of LP little a. Many physicians believe that diet has no impact on this biomarker. Joe Graedon (00:02:38): A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals, however, that eating more saturated fat lowers LP little a levels modestly. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, raise LP little a levels. Terry Graedon (00:02:52): Of course, this research completely contradicts the usual dietary advice for controlling heart disease risk. Diet can also lower C-reactive protein, which is a measure of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods include dark green leafy vegetables, blueberries, flaxseed, and cocoa. Joe Graedon (00:03:11): The European Society of Cardiology has just updated its guidelines for treating high blood pressure. Hypertension in Europe is now defined as 140 over 90, but there’s a new category. Doctors are encouraged to treat elevated blood pressure higher than 120 over 70. Terry Graedon (00:03:32): This is a major change from previous European guidelines. Physicians there are being urged to start treatment with lifestyle changes such as exercise and diet. If that does not lower blood pressure adequately, they’ll be expected to prescribe antihypertensive medications. Exceptions are made for patients who get dizzy when they stand up or those over 85 years of age. Joe Graedon (00:03:55): Patients with a history of cancer are rarely given advice about diet. Data from the UK Biobank showed that individuals who ate the most ultra-processed foods were 17% more likely to die and 22% more likely to die from cancer than those who ate the least. Terry Graedon (00:04:23): This was based on records of almost 14,000 volunteers with a history of cancer. The median follow-up was more than 10 years. The authors conclude, quote, “Current research results support the recommendation for individuals with a history of cancer to consume unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as fruits and vegetables.” Joe Graedon (00:04:38): Medications such as Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade work in part by blocking the action of the inflammatory compound called tumor necrosis factor, or TNF. These drugs are used to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Terry Graedon (00:04:54): A systematic review of 15 randomized trials of green tea found that this natural compound significantly reduced circulating levels of TNF in people with metabolic syndrome. Joe Graedon (00:05:08): Plastic is ubiquitous in our environment. Now, scientists report that autopsies show micro- and nanoplastic particles in our brains. Terry Graedon (00:05:11): Even worse, these tiny shards of plastic are increasing over time. The researchers compared autopsy data gathered in 2016 to tissue samples gathered in 2024. Levels of micro- and nanoplastics are now roughly 50% higher than they were eight years ago. Joe Graedon (00:05:38): The researchers note that the amount of plastic particles in brain samples was 7 to 30 times higher than that seen in livers or kidneys. They conclude that plastic appears to accumulate selectively in brain tissue, which could be worrisome as global rates of dementia continue to rise. Terry Graedon (00:05:57): And that’s the health news from The People’s Pharmacy this week. Terry Graedon (00:06:18): Plastic has been around for a little more than a century. The original compound, Bakelite, was employed as an electrical insulator. Joe Graedon (00:06:21): Today, plastic material is ubiquitous. We use it in buildings, cars, pipes, bottles, and packaging, to name just a few of the many places plastic appears in modern life. Terry Graedon (00:06:40): But plastic is showing up in us as well. Micro- and nanoplastic particles are found in the blood and organs of humans in increasing concentrations. Joe Graedon (00:06:49): To help us better understand the implications of plastic on human biology, we turn to The People’s Pharmacy pediatrician. Terry Graedon (00:06:58): Dr. Alan Greene is the founder of DrGreene.com, the pioneer physician website. He’s founding president of the Society for Participatory Medicine and author of Feeding Baby Green and From First Kicks to First Steps. His first children’s book, Flower Moon, was published in 2023. Joe Graedon (00:07:13): Welcome back to The People’s Pharmacy, Dr. Alan Greene. Dr. Alan Greene (00:07:20): Terry, I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back on The People’s Pharmacy with you and Joe. Terry Graedon (00:07:23): Well, Dr. Greene, we have to tell you, it is always a joy to speak with you. And we are now excited to talk to you about something that has been worrying us for almost, if you can believe it, 50 years. I’ll never forget the movie The Graduate. Joe Graedon (00:07:34): Yes. Terry Graedon (00:07:34): And Dustin Hoffman was told just one word: plastics. It was the wave of the future. Dr. Alan Greene (00:07:47): And now it’s the wave of the disaster. Terry Graedon (00:07:48): Can you tell us about the problems of plastic, especially for children, and not just those plasticizers, the BPA and the bisphenols and the phthalates, but the microparticles of plastic and what they’re doing to us, especially our kids? Dr. Alan Greene (00:08:02): You’re right. The Graduate was so on point. Plastics were huge, just like they predicted. Back in 1906, when there was an earthquake in San Francisco, there were zero synthetic plastics in the world. There were zero synthetic plastics in the soil, in the water, in the air, in animals, in the ice in Antarctica. There were zero. But in 1907, synthetic plastics were invented and introduced into our environment. And then they really took off in World War II. And then they really took off after that because they’re so convenient in so many ways and inexpensive. But as a result, little bits of broken-down plastics, a micron in size, a nanometer in size, maybe five millimeters in size—these shards are showing up literally everywhere. They’re in our soil, in our food, in our water, in so many products that we use in our lives every day and every corner of the environment, including in Antarctica. Terry Graedon (00:09:21): Where are they coming from? Dr. Alan Greene (00:09:34): So the plastics were manufactured to last. But they last in a way that they slowly break down into little pieces. Then they get into our body. And the question is, they’ve been found in multiple places in our bodies. We now know that there are microplastics or nanoplastics, these little shards that are present in our kidneys and that are present in our livers and that are present in our brains. Just in 2024, there was a study out of New Mexico showing that microplastics were in every single placenta that was studied. And then just in May 2024, in every human testicle that was studied. Dog testicles too, but they were much, much higher in human testicles. Joe Graedon (00:10:22): And what are they doing in our testicles? Because it seems like that’s not a good place, especially given that they’re endocrine disruptors. Dr. Alan Greene (00:10:38): So up until recently, there hasn’t been a clear-cut answer to that. Back in 2005, I was the physician on a study with the Environmental Working Group where we measured umbilical cord samples to see what chemicals were there. We found 287 different chemicals, industrial chemicals, in baby’s blood at the moment of birth. And in their umbilical cord, they’ve been coursing through their bodies while they were developing before birth, including plastic ingredients and byproducts. But we didn’t know what that meant. We do know in this study in May, looking at shards of plastic and testicles of dogs, the higher the level of plastics, the lower the sperm count of the dog. And this makes sense. We’ve known for a while that phthalates, one of the plasticizers used to make plastics softer, does lower sperm count and sperm concentration. And we’re headed for a bit of a disaster in that regard. From the time my dad was born until 1990, male sperm counts dropped from 113 million per milliliter to 66, almost in half. Not enough that that meant most people were having problems with fertility. Usually, you have to drop down to about 48 was the number I learned in med school for that to become an issue with male fertility. But right now in the U.S., we’ve just dropped to a sperm concentration of 47. Terry Graedon (00:12:12): Dr. Greene, that sounds a lot like The Handmaid’s Tale. Dr. Alan Greene (00:12:15): It sounds a lot like The Handmaid’s Tale. Margaret Atwood was prescient in a lot of ways. Terry Graedon (00:12:20): Now, we’ve been talking about the effect of microplastic particles, which have been seen in both dog testes and human testes. And we’ve been talking about the effects on reproductive health for men. What about the effects on reproductive health for women? And do we have micro pieces of plastic in our bodies, too? And are they having an impact? Dr. Alan Greene (00:12:36): We definitely have them in males and females, both in reproductive organs and almost everywhere there we look in the body. We still don’t know the impact of this brand-new experiment. Really, up until 2024, one would say that there is means, motive, and opportunity for plastics to be able to cause problems. But there hadn’t been a real clear-cut link to the problems of these new materials in different places in our body. But that changed when there was a big article, a big study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, where they looked at coronary artery plaques on people that had a problem in the coronary arteries. It was severe enough that they needed to have surgery. And they went and measured to look at how much plastic was there, to see if plastics, little plastic shards that they could see under the microscope, made a difference in the outcomes. And a few things. One, they found that about 60% of the plaques that they identified did have plastics in them. Most of them did have plastics in them. And oddly, the amount of plastic was higher the younger the person was. Same thing, sadly, was found in the testicles of men. The younger the person, the more likely they were to have increased plastics. So the thought was that since these folks were younger with the higher levels of plastics, perhaps they would have a better outcome. But they followed them for three years, and they found that those who had the microplastics in the plaque in their artery were four and a half times more likely to have stroke, heart attack, or death within 34 months. Four and a half times more. Terry Graedon (00:15:18): Dr. Greene, I’m wondering, as you tell me that younger people have more plastic particles in their bodies, I’m thinking, well, the amount of plastic in our environment has been steadily increasing. Old people like Joe and me, who were born in the 1940s, we weren’t overexposed to plastics when we were very young, when we were children. But people who have been born in the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s, plastic is just kind of ubiquitous, isn’t it? Dr. Alan Greene (00:15:56): It’s everywhere. And our exposure to plastics is doubling about every 10 to 15 years and still going up. So yeah, it is the young who are at the highest risk from this. Joe Graedon (00:16:21): So the question is, how does the plastic get into our body in the first place? Dr. Alan Greene (00:16:26): And there’s lots of ways. We know it does come in some when we inhale it. It’s in the air. It does come in some through personal care products that go on our skin, and that’s important to try to avoid phthalates in your personal care products. But far and away, the big way is when we directly put the plastic into our body through what we eat and what we drink primarily. And there was an interesting study this year done up in Toronto where they were looking at plastic levels in foods. This was primarily proteins because often the thinking was that because seafood is in the ocean where there’s lots of microplastics now that maybe they’ll have the highest level compared to maybe cows are different and maybe tofu is different and maybe seafood and maybe poultry is different. Joe Graedon (00:17:16): And what, among all the protein sources, which ones have the highest levels of microplastics? Dr. Alan Greene (00:17:21): And it turned out differently than they expected. It turned out that the type of protein made very little difference. What made a difference was how processed the food was. So back in 2009 in Brazil, they came up with a study called NOVA rankings of ultra-processed food. And level one means the food is the way you would find it in nature. Joe Graedon (00:20:15): When we say plastic is ubiquitous, it really is. Plastic is found not just in the obvious places, like water bottles, backpacks, and flip-flops, but also in us. Studies have found teensy plastic particles in our brains, livers, and coronary arteries. Terry Graedon (00:20:27): Young people have more plastic inside them relative to their size than older folks. How can parents protect their children from the perils of plastic? Joe Graedon (00:20:38): We’re talking with Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician in private practice. Dr. Greene is the founder of DrGreene.com, a pioneering physician website. He also founded La Connexion and was the founding president of the Society for Participatory Medicine. He’s the author of Feeding Baby Green, Raising Baby Green, and From First Kicks to First Steps. He published his first children’s book, Flower Moon, in 2023. Terry Graedon (00:21:14): Dr. Greene, you’re saying that the type of protein in this study didn’t make nearly as much difference as how processed it was. Can you tell us more about that, please? Dr. Alan Greene (00:21:26): Yeah, this was a dramatic finding. And back in 2009 in Brazil, they came up with this rating for how processed food is. It’s called the NOVA Classification. And Class 1 is food the way you’d find it in nature, like an apple or a carrot or something like that, an ingredient you would find growing from the land or from the water. Level 2 are other ingredients that you would find in a kitchen, like a home kitchen or even a restaurant kitchen. Level 3 are things that are made in a factory but made from real foods. And then Level 4 are things that are primarily the main ingredients are factory-made ingredients. And it could be an extrusion or a chemical or an emulsifier or whatever it is, or artificial color, flavor, preservative. And those are ultra-processed. Joe Graedon (00:22:20): Well, Alan, I’m going to interrupt you because we can talk about this in an abstract way. Terry Graedon (00:22:28): Yeah. Joe Graedon (00:22:29): People want to know, well, what precisely are you talking about when it comes to foods? And I think for the most part, it’s all that stuff that’s in a bag or a box. Terry Graedon (00:22:36): Right. Joe Graedon (00:22:36): And it’s in the middle of the supermarket. So let’s just name some things that equal ultra-processed because I think, you know, a lot of us just go, oh, chips, no biggie. You know, chips are great. They go well with guacamole. You know, cheese and crackers, not a problem. What do you mean when you say ultra-processed foods, especially when it comes to children? So just give us some examples, please. Dr. Alan Greene (00:23:01): So it matters how the food is prepared. So for instance, a chocolate chip cookie that’s made at home with flour and butter and real ingredients is entirely different. That would be like a level two than a chocolate chip cookie that you buy in a package made in a factory with artificial and chemical ingredients.

GloRilla premiered the music video for her new single "Jiggly Bow Bow" featuring fellow rapper Sexxy Red on Thursday, November 5.

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Here is my guide to toy selection. I hope it helps you with your shopping. Categories of Healthy Toys Before making your toy selection, let’s discuss healthy categories of toys. Especially in this digital age, it is important to remember the value of play without the use of media or devices. In 2019, the journal Pediatrics published a report on how to select appropriate and safe toys in this digital era. The report discussed the concern that electronic toys were replacing more traditional children’s toys. Although we know there is a place for healthy use of electronics, in this guide we will focus on the traditional categories of children’s toys. The Council on Early Childhood Development cites a number of different traditional toy categories. In each of these categories, there are a range of options for toys that are fun and appropriate for different ages of children. These include: Symbolic or pretend play (dolls, costumes, play kitchen with food, cars, airplanes) Fine motor/manipulative play (legos, blocks, shapes, puzzles) Art (crayons, paints, clay) Language-based toys (card games, board games, toy letters) Gross motor (bikes, jump ropes, pull or push toys). Toy Selection Safety Tips One important safety practice when purchasing a toy is to check the label for the minimum age that a child should be in order to safely use the toy. Here is a guide published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children with recommended toys for children at different ages. Unfinished solid wood toys, or the ones with water-based stains, are great choices. As we know, younger children will often put these toys in their mouths, and you want to ensure the wood is non-toxic and will not cause harm. Skip the wooden toys made from pressed wood (where you can see the layers) or particleboard (where you can see the fine grain of glued-together particles), unless you are sure that the glues are safe. Many adhesives contain chemicals that you wouldn’t want to expose to your child. For wood products, something displaying the seal from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) goes the extra step, and certifies the wood was harvested in a sustainable way. Bamboo can be another good choice for toys. It is also a great year to look for toys made from natural cotton or wool (organic is even better). You want your stuffed toys to have a safe filling. You also want fabric-based toys to be washable in order to keep them clean at home. For art supplies (a great gift that fosters creativity!), look for those that are labeled nontoxic. Products with the AP seal are certified safe by the Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). Although I prefer natural toys, I am realistic. Many of the toys your children request are made out of plastic. Look for plastic toys with the recycling symbols 1, 2, 4, or 5. Avoid anything made from 3 (PVC, commonly made with phthalates) or 7 (unless it says BPA-free). BPA is primarily a concern in the mouth. Phthalates are also a concern in the air and on the skin. Some toys are labeled BPA-free and phthalate-free. Avoid toys with button batteries or high-powered magnets as these may be a choking hazard and dangerous, especially to younger children. Toys with batteries should always have their batteries secured in a battery case by screws so that children cannot open them. The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates consumer products to ensure their safety and manages recalls when needed. Toys may be recalled if a problem is found. Always take these recalls seriously and discard the toy right away. Don’t Forget about the Packaging Even if a toy is safe, the packaging, carrying case, or storage pouch may not be. You may want to keep the toys and throw away the case. Be sure to promptly remove and discard plastic packaging to avoid choking and suffocation injuries. And I always recommend you watch out for cheap metal jewelry and toy cosmetics, which may contain lead and other harmful substances. Paint on toys should be lead-free and labeled nontoxic. As you shop for toys this holiday season, remember that fancy electronic toys are not necessary. Sometimes the best gifts are the old-fashioned simple toys that foster growth and creativity in your child. Have fun with picking safe gifts for your children, and cherish their smiles as they receive them. References and Resources https://www.saferproducts.gov — Allows anyone to report a problem with a consumer product. https://www.recalls.gov — Provides details and information about toy recalls. Healey, A, et al. Selecting appropriate toys for young children in the digital era. Pediatrics 2019;143(1):e20183348. Karr C. Addressing environmental contaminants in pediatric practice. Pediatr Rev. 2011;32(5):190–200. The post Dr. Greene’s Guide to Holiday Toy Selection appeared first on DrGreene.com.

Tomorrow is election day in the United States, and it looks like we will get the ideal investor outcome. Gridlock! After two years of Republican control, it looks like Congress will swing to the Democratic Party. That means very little will get done with Trump vetoing any legislation that squeaks through. The Democratic control will not strong enough to override that. Investors love certainty, and the gridlock will ensure that no crazy proposals get passed. (Of course, I also thought that 8 years ago, and then the mid-term Congress confronted the CV19 pandemic with a basketful of dubiously bipartisan spending). Hopefully, this next two years will slide by with no new taxes, no major “emergency” stimulus, and no ugly foreign interventions. I expect we’ll just get two years of ugly Congressional “investigations” as the two major parties gear up for the big prize in 2028. What action (if any) do you expect to impact your finances in the next two years? Image: Pixabay

Hoban Group has become the largest shareholder in Hanjin KAL, parent of Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon), with a combined 20.7% stake held through four group companies. Additional open-market purchases by Hoban Industry lifted the construction group above Hanjin Group chairman Cho Won-tae and related parties, who hold 20.6%. Cho has agreed to buy another 325,000 shares in December 2026, which could restore his side's position as the largest shareholder. The change has not transferred management control of Hanjin Group to Hoban.

Written by amomwithalessonplan.com Happy birthday to you! What better way to celebrate than reading clever birthday riddles with answers? You’ll find some of these riddles easy and some a little challenging. Share your favorite birthday riddle with us in the comment section. These are perfect for the birthday girl or birthday boy! Once you’ve gone through these riddles, check out our birthday jokes collection, Harry Potter riddles, and beach riddles. You might also like our ultimate list of riddles with answers. Birthday Riddles with Answers Include these birthday riddles at your next celebration! Riddle: Sometimes I am loved, usually by the young. Other times I am dreaded, mostly by the old. I am hard to remember, also hard to forget. And yet, if you do, you’ll make someone upset. Even if you don’t want it to happen, embrace me. What am I? – Answer: Birthday. Riddle: A girl was ten on her last birthday and will be twelve on her next birthday. How is this possible? – Answer: Today is her 11th Birthday. Riddle: Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible? – Answer: Billy lives in the Southern Hemisphere. Riddle: How can twins be born in different years? – Answer: One was born on December 31st at 11:59 pm, and the other was born on January 1st at 12:00 am. Related Post: Birthday Knock-Knock Jokes Riddle: Triplets (Neha, Bandini & Shivani) were born in August, but their birthday is in December. How is that possible? – Answer: August is a town. Riddle: I get shorter the more I’m used, but I’m not a pencil. I’m made of wax, but I’m not a crayon. I can help you see in the dark, but I’m not a flashlight. I’m often found on a birthday cake, but I’m not icing. What am I? – Answer: A candle. Riddle: Can you think of a way to cut a cake into eight equal pieces with only three cuts? – Answer: Use two cuts to divide the cake into four equal pieces (quarters). For the third cut, cut the cake in half horizontally. Some pieces may not have any icing, but their size will be equal. Related Post: Mystery Riddles, Riddle: Today, I celebrated my 32nd birthday, but I was born in 1971. How is this possible? – Answer: I was born in Hospital whose room number is 1971. Riddle: I get blown up, but I’m not a bomb. I sometimes have a string attached, but I’m not a kite. I sometimes float, but I’m not a swimmer. I’m seen at birthday parties, but I’m not a candle. What am I? – Answer: A balloon. Riddle: What goes up and doesn’t come back down? – Answer: Your age. Fun ways to use these riddles Goodie Bag: Print out the riddles and tuck them into party favor bags or birthday goodie bags as a fun, screen-free surprise. Scavenger Hunt Clues: Use the answers or the riddles themselves as clues hidden around the party venue, leading kids from one clue to the next. Party Game Break: Read them aloud as quick trivia before cutting the cake to keep everyone entertained. Print your Birthday Riddles These printable birthday riddles are fun for kids and all ages to laugh at a funny joke! Send Me the Birthday Riddles We will also send you emails about other joke posts from time to time. Yes Please!We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy BirdSend Email Marketing Tool Looking for a last minute birthday gift? Check out this printable Ice Cream Shop Play Kit. For more giggly fun, check out these joke books for kids: Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids (check it out on Amazon here) – Affiliate link Laugh-out-Loud Jokes for Kids (check it out on Amazon here) – Affiliate link National Geographic Kids Just Joking (check it out on Amazon here) – Affiliate link Written by amomwithalessonplan.com

Al Michaels ended up making another broadcasting error on "Thursday Night Football" and NFL fans were all over the veteran sports voice.

By Barry Spud, Specialist in Acronym-Transmitted Confusion Sadie arrived in my office looking distressed. “Barry, I’ve been looking at... The post Sadie Discovers the Glossary Is SIF-less appeared first on SafetyRisk.net.

Barak Ravid / Axios: Trump meets with national security team, says Iran war decision coming “soon” — President Trump said after meeting with his national security advisers Thursday that he'll soon decide whether to resume all-out war in Iran now that the midterms are over.

In December 1995, there was no way for a worried parent to look anything up at 2 a.m. There was no broadband, no smartphone, no medical database sitting in anyone’s pocket. If your child spiked a fever overnight, your only real option was to wait for morning, or to call a doctor and hope. That gap — between what families needed to know and what they could actually find out — is the reason DrGreene.com exists. And it’s the subject of a talk I was honored to give this June at Stanford Health AI Week, as part of the AIMI Pediatric Symposium. Dr. Natalie Pageler of Stanford Medicine introduced it, and I’ve wanted to share the full recording with you ever since. I called it “The Revolution That Took 30 Years (And Is Just Getting Started)” — because that’s really what this has been. Over thirty years ago, Cheryl and I bet that the internet could put trustworthy pediatric information directly into parents’ hands. Today, I think we’re standing at the start of a second revolution, one that could matter even more than the first. What’s in the talk The full video runs about 41 minutes, and I’d love for you to watch the whole thing. But here’s what you’ll find, chapter by chapter, in case you want to jump to what speaks to you: The world before the internet (1:35) — What it actually meant to look for health answers in 1995, before smartphones, before broadband, before any of this was normal. Why we started drgreene.com (5:43) — Managed care was squeezing appointment times just as families needed more from their doctors, not less. Cheryl and I built one of the very first health information sites on the internet because I couldn’t give every family what they needed in a 15-minute visit. “Screenside manner” (12:56) — How you build a real, caring relationship through a screen. This is something I’ve thought about since the very beginning, and it matters more than ever. Cheryl’s story (14:15) — In 1996, Cheryl was diagnosed with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer while nursing our son. I talk about what that year did to our sense of purpose, and why it made us more committed to this work, not less. From protection to participation (16:57) — The shift from a medical culture that protected patients from information to one that partners with them. This is the heart of the participatory medicine movement, and of the Society for Participatory Medicine, which I helped found. The second revolution: AI (23:52) — The internet gave families access to information. I believe AI can give us something bigger: real understanding, and the chance for patients to genuinely own their own health. My hope isn’t for more automated medicine — it’s for more capable humans. Discussion with Dr. Pageler (30:30) — We dig into where AI in medicine goes from here, why trust and safety have to come first, and how we keep the human relationship at the center of care as the technology changes around it. Why I wanted to share this with you I’ve spent over thirty years trying to close the gap between what families need to know and what they can find out in time to matter. The tools have changed enormously — from a dial-up website to a language model that can talk through a worried parent’s question at midnight — but the goal hasn’t moved an inch. It was never really about information. It was always about giving you what you need to take good care of the people you love. If you’ve been part of the DrGreene.com community for any length of time, this talk is, in a real sense, the story of how we got here — and where I think we’re headed next. I hope you’ll watch it, and I’d love to hear what you think in a Dr. Greene Live Chat. Check for the next scheduled chat time on the front page of DrGreene.com. The post The Revolution That Took 30 Years (And Is Just Getting Started) appeared first on DrGreene.com.

The best time to prepare for flu is before the first fever. Once someone in the family wakes up with chills, body aches, and that unmistakable feeling of being flattened, even small decisions can feel like work. Having a few things ready can make those first hours easier and help you get treatment when it matters most. This fall, I’m paying attention to H1N1, particularly viruses carrying a mutation called G155E. My approach is practical: have tests ready, make a treatment plan, and support your body while it recovers. What’s different this season? In the CDC’s report for the week ending October 10, 2026, H1N1 accounted for 96.4% of influenza A viruses subtyped by public health laboratories. That’s a snapshot of those tested viruses, rather than a count of every flu infection. A recent preprint, a study that had not yet undergone peer review, found that G155E substantially reduced antibody neutralization in some people’s blood samples, particularly those from teenagers and young adults. That raises questions about susceptibility. It does not establish that everyone under 25 is disproportionately likely to become infected or seriously ill. In my practice so far this fall, younger people do seem to be getting hit hard. I’m watching that pattern, while remembering that one clinician’s experience is only part of the picture. Our immune histories matter. The flu infections and vaccines we’ve encountered help shape how we respond to the next one. The virus is changing, but this is still seasonal H1N1. Have tests and a treatment plan ready I like having FDA-authorized or cleared home flu tests available before anyone gets sick. Check expiration dates, age instructions, and directions for collecting the sample. When symptoms begin, test promptly according to the instructions. A negative result does not rule out flu. A positive result usually points toward flu, although false positives can occur too. Share the result and your symptoms with your clinician. For eligible patients, I appreciate the simplicity of Xofluza (baloxavir): a single dose. It is approved to treat uncomplicated flu in people ages 5 and older when started within 48 hours of symptom onset. It can also be prescribed for prevention after close contact with someone who has flu, within 48 hours of that contact. The right antiviral depends on the person. Baloxavir is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for hospitalized patients. Call promptly, especially if you or your child has a higher risk of complications. Don’t wait for a positive test before seeking advice. Other antivirals can still help after 48 hours, particularly with severe illness or higher risk. A pot of tea and a little daylight When I’m feeling ill, I like brewing a pot of tea and taking small, comfortable sips throughout the day. Warm, not scalding. Tea offers comfort and fluids. There’s also intriguing laboratory research from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine: green tea, matcha, and black tea inactivated certain SARS-CoV-2 variants under experimental conditions. That makes me curious. But those experiments do not establish that drinking tea clears influenza from your mouth or throat, prevents transmission, or speeds recovery. We don’t have evidence for a virus-clearing schedule of sipping every 15 minutes. For me, a pot of tea is still a welcome companion to recovery. If you feel up to it, a little quiet time outside in daylight can be welcome, too. Keep your distance from others while sick, and let your energy guide you. Think of daylight as part of a restful day, rather than a proven treatment for flu. Keep the foundations Stay current with your flu vaccine. Even as circulating viruses change, annual vaccination remains an important way to reduce the risk of flu and its serious complications. Prioritize sleep and fluids. And here’s another reason to protect your sleep: research links insufficient sleep around vaccination with a weaker antibody response. Give yourself the opportunity for good rest, without postponing vaccination because you had a rough night. Help freshen indoor air by opening windows when practical and using a properly sized HEPA air cleaner. Cleaner air can help reduce exposure to respiratory viruses. Know when home care needs to become medical care. Seek urgent help for trouble breathing, persistent chest pain, significant dehydration, confusion, or symptoms that improve and then return or worsen. Any fever in a baby younger than 12 weeks needs prompt medical attention. Before the first fever, check the tests. Know whom you’ll call. Make room for rest. A little preparation now can make a difficult day feel much more manageable. References and Resources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weekly US Influenza Surveillance Report: Key Updates for Week 40, ending October 10, 2026. October 16, 2026. Kikawa C et al. Near real-time data on the human neutralizing antibody landscape to influenza virus in summer of 2026 shows antigenic advance of H3N2 subclade K region D mutants and H1N1 D.3.1.1 Sa mutants. bioRxiv. 2026. Preprint, not peer reviewed. doi:10.64898/2026.09.15.751855. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Influenza Diagnostic Tests. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Influenza: Information for Clinical Laboratory Directors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Influenza Antiviral Medications: Summary for Clinicians. Shin-Ya M et al. Effects of tea, catechins and catechin derivatives on Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. Scientific Reports. 2023;13:16577. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-43563-3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine. Spiegel K et al. A meta-analysis of the associations between insufficient sleep duration and antibody response to vaccination. Current Biology. 2023;33(5):998-1005.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking Steps for Cleaner Air for Respiratory Virus Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs and Symptoms of Flu. The post Before the First Fever: Getting Ready for Flu Season appeared first on DrGreene.com.

German offshore wind services specialist Deutsche Windtechnik has secured a comprehensive maintenance contract from Ocean Breeze Energy covering all 12 turbines at the Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The contract will begin in January 2027 and covers turbine servicing, maintenance, troubleshooting and associated technical support. From September 2027, the scope will …

Actor Jamie Foxx welcomed his third child, his first with longtime girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp. He already has two daughters, Corinne, 32, and Anelise, 18.