Friday, June 11, 2021

Meat supplier JBS USA Holdings has said it paid out an $11 million ransom in Bitcoin to cyber criminals

The company’s chief executive said that the recent ransomware attack temporarily knocked out plants which handle about one-fifth of the meat supply for the U.S. Based in Brazil, JBS Holdings is the world’s largest meat supplier by sales. Ransomware attacks have spiked; last month, Colonial Pipeline paid a total of $4.4 million in Bitcoin to resume its pipeline, of which the Justice Department managed to retrieve roughly $2.3 million of the ransom paid to the Russian hackers. (CBS News)

Naked people will once again ride bikes through Philadelphia, but must still mask up

After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down last year’s bike ride, the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride is back with only one dress code requirement: You must wear a mask. Why ride a bike naked for 10 miles, you ask? The event aims to promote positive body images and love for cycling, an environmentally friendly mode of transportation no matter what you’re wearing (or not wearing). Masks are required during the ride despite Philadelphia’s mandate being lifted for those fully vaccinated and outside. Restaurants must operate at 50% capacity although the distance between chairs will be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet. Indoor catered events can operate at 25% capacity and outdoor events at 50% capacity. (USA Today)

Florida man chases after stolen Lamborghini on scooter

A Lamborghini was stolen by a 14-year-old, and the owner used a scooter to chase after his prized possession. Earlier this week, the owner of the vehicle heard his Lamborghini start up, looked out the window, and could see somebody driving it away. He grabbed his scooter and chased after his stolen Lamborghini. The teen was eventually stopped and taken into custody, but not before running away from police. Another man was sitting on his porch when the young suspect came running up to him after ditching the vehicle. The man said he didn’t know if the teenager had a weapon or if he was crazy. The man was trying to talk and calm him down. That’s when the teenager asked the man for advice while admitting he is 14 and didn’t know what to do. The man advised the teen to turn himself in and seconds later, an officer appeared. The Lamborghini was parked nearby with no one inside and eventually, driven off by its rightful owner. The owner believes that the teen broke into his garage and was able to find the Lamborghini’s keys. (KOLD)

Built-to-rent homes are on the rise

Investors are betting on a new subdivision of rental properties: built-to-rent homes. This new type of housing will likely become a dominant force in the rental market in the coming years, as home ownership is expected to see a decline in the next two decades, a trend partly catalyzed by Gen X. The properties, often one- and two-bedroom rentals, make up just over 6% of new homes built in the U.S. every year, per Hunter Housing Economics. By 2024, it’s projected the number of these renter-friendly homes will double in construction annually. (The Wall Street Journal)

United hiring only vax’d employees

United Airlines is the latest company to announce it will not hire anyone who has not been vaccinated. In a memo to employees, the airline said this is a way to display “United’s strong commitment to safety.” The process will entail new hires uploading their vaccination card within seven days of joining the company. Delta implemented a similar policy last month. Whether or not to require vaccines continues to be a highly controversial topic. Retailers such as Kroger, Walmart and Target, rather than require vaccines, have opted to pay workers or offer perks to motivate them to get vaccinated. (Travel Daily Media)

Human brain and testis found to have the highest number of common proteins

A team of researchers from the University of Aveiro and the University of Porto, both in Portugal, and the University of Birmingham in the U.K. has found that for humans, the brain and testis have the highest number of common proteins. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Biology, the group describes their study of protein similarities between tissues. In this new effort, the researchers noted that evidence from other studies has found some signs of similarities between testis and the human brain. Intrigued, they initiated a study that involved analyzing the proteins produced by different parts of the body and then comparing them to see similarities. The researchers found the greatest similarities between the brain and testicles, 13,442 of them. This finding suggests that the brain and the testicles share the highest number of genes of any organs in the body. (Phys.org)

A Breakthrough in the Physics of Blood Clotting

New research by Georgia Tech and Emory University sheds new light on the mechanics and physics of blood clotting through modeling the dynamics at play during a still poorly understood phase of blood clotting called clot contraction. Blood clotting is actually a physics-based phenomenon that must occur to stem bleeding after an injury. When the researchers simulated a clot where a large group of platelets was activated at the same time, the tiny cells could only reach nearby fibrins because the platelets can extend filopodia that are rather short, less than 6 micrometers. Researchers say the simulations showed that the platelets work best when they’re not in total sync with each other. “These platelets are actually pulling at different times and by doing that they’re increasing the efficiency (of the clot),” they added. The findings could open medical options for people with clotting issues. (Georgia Tech)

Australia’s largest dinosaur yet spanned the length of 2 buses

A new Aussie dinosaur is being welcomed into the fold. Australia’s largest dinosaur species ever discovered, and the largest land-dwelling species to have walked the outback. Australotitan, or the “southern titan”, was a massive long-necked titanosaurian sauropod estimated to have reached 25–30 metres in length and 5–6.5m in height. It weighed the equivalent of 1,400 red kangaroos. It lived in southwest Queensland between 92–96 million years ago, when Australia was attached to Antarctica, and the last vestiges of a once-great inland sea had disappeared. Finding dinosaurs in Australia has been labelled an incredibly difficult task. In outback Queensland, dinosaur sites are featureless plains. Compare that to many sites overseas, where mountain ranges, deep canyons or exposed badlands of heavily-eroded terrain can help reveal the ancient layers of preserved fossilized bones. (Peer J)

Google fined $270 million in France for unfair advertising practices

Google will pay a $270 million fine and make changes to its huge online advertising business as part of an antitrust settlement with French regulators. The penalty comes as the tech giant faces multiple US suits over anti-competitive behavior and could lead to similar agreements with officials elsewhere. Facebook, the other dominant player in digital advertising, is being investigated separately by EU regulators over claims that its use of data gives it an unfair advantage in the business. The authority accused Google of giving “preferential treatment” to Google Ad Manager, its ad management platform for large publishers. It did this by favoring its own online ad marketplace, AdX, where publishers sell space to advertisers in real time, according to the watchdog. (CNN)

The world just got a new ocean

Over those 106 years, the National Geographic has listed four oceans on Earth, the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic. Those maps are now being redrawn. A fifth ocean has been designated by the magazine: the icy waters surrounding Antarctica below the Earth’s southern 60th parallel is officially being named the Southern Ocean. The move is significant beyond adding one more name for grade school students to remember. The Southern Ocean is fenced from the the northern oceans by a fast current that circles the Earth from west to east around Antarctica in a band centered around a latitude of 60 degrees south. The waters south of that Antarctic Circumpolar Current are colder and ecologically distinct, the magazine says, making a home for thousands of species that can live nowhere else on Earth. (National Geographic)

Man drove into same people twice at banquet hall, police say

A 24-year-old Holiday, Florida man faces charges of attempted murder for driving into two people, throwing his car into reverse, and driving into them again, touching off a brawl outside a banquet hall, Pinellas Park, Florida police said. The victims, a 10 year-old-girl and a 35-year-old man, were taken to a hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, police said. The man was arrested on two counts off attempted second-degree murder in the attack at Banquet Masters. An 18-year-old back-seat passenger also faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in the case. (Tampa Bay Times)

Science supports smoking a blunt with your lobster before eating it

A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has solved another one of life’s great mysteries: Can lobsters get high? The impetus for this groundbreaking study: a Maine restaurant that’s famous for hot boxing lobsters. Back in 2018, restaurant called Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound sent the internet into a tizzy when the owner told a local newspaper that she was experimenting with marijuana in hopes creating a more humane way to kill lobsters. She would use an air mattress pump to smoke up a sealed, lobster-filled chamber; the results were undeniable. The UCSD scientists confirm that their research supports her results. After 30 minutes inside a sealed chamber gradually filled with THC vapor from an ecigarette, the lobsters showed significant behavioral changes; though they remained conscious and were active enough to turn around, change direction, and walk about 20 meters, they were mad chill while doing it. The scientists note that more research is needed, but overall, things look good for lobsters destined for your plate. (The Takeout)

Naked Ocala woman tased after destroying Outback, Mojo Grill in rampage

A 53-year-old woman was charged with aggravated battery after being found naked and erratically throwing alcohol bottles at Outback and Mojo Grill. An Ocala Police Department officer responded to the Mojo Grill because of reports of a woman “acting out of control.” The reports stated the female was topless and banging on tables and windows. She had flipped over a few tables and was last seen trying to get into a customer’s car. Later, she was found driving recklessly in the parking lot, before exiting the parking lot, according to the sheriff’s report. Prior to officers arriving at Mojo Grill, another call was received of a similar incident. The call was from the Outback Steak House on the same road. The call reported the woman arrived naked and acting “crazy” while breaking things in the bar. The officer on scene opened the front doors of the business and saw glass and liquid all over the bar. She was found naked with bottles in her hands. When she noticed the officer, she drew back her arm with a bottle of liquor in her hands before throwing the bottle at the officer, but the officer was able to dodge it. After she was arrested, she was transported to Advent Health where the medical staff discovered she had a possible fentanyl patch on her pubic area, but it was later found she did not have any narcotics in her system, except THC, the report stated. She was charged with aggravated battery on law enforcement and felony criminal mischief with a bond set at $5,000. (Ocala News)

Finally, It’s A Feelgood Friday With:

• Making Life Beautiful Day
• Corn on the Cob Day
• Cotton Candy Day
• German Chocolate Cake Day
• Making Life Beautiful Day
• Poultry Days (2nd full weekend)

Historical Events

• 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called “miracle of the rain”.
• 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: start of the Battle of Jargeau.
• 1770 – Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
• 1775 – The American Revolutionary War’s first naval engagement, the Battle of Machias, results in the capture of a small British naval vessel.
• 1776 – The Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to the Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence.
• 1935 – Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States at Alpine, New Jersey.
• 1937 – Great Purge: The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin executes eight army leaders.
• 1955 – Eighty-three are killed and at least 100 are injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collide at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the deadliest ever accident in motorsports.
• 1956 – Start of Gal Oya riots, the first reported ethnic riots that target minority Sri Lankan Tamils in the Eastern Province. The total number of deaths is reportedly 150.
• 1963 – Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.