#California Code of Regulations

[bethechangehr]

Discover the ins and outs of California Code of Regulations (CPP) to uncover the essential information on regulatory compliance in California.

[coochiequeens]

Someone should ask Colleen Martin and other members of the Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) board if they would have like changing in front of members of the opposite sex while they were students

By Jackson Thompson April 18, 2025

A school board meeting in California featured emotional debate over transgender athletes being allowed to share locker rooms with high-school girls. One girl who cried during a speech was told to "wrap it up" by the board president. 

During the Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) board meeting on Wednesday, a high-school junior girls' track athlete at Arroyo Grande High School named Celeste Diest took the podium to recount her experience of having to change in front of a biologically male trans athlete before practice, while that athlete allegedly watched her undress. 

"I went into the women's locker room to change for track practice where I saw, at the end of my row, a biological male watching not only myself, but the other young women undress. This experience was beyond traumatizing," Diest said, as she began to choke up and cry. 

Diest then fought through her tears to argue that the trans athlete's XY chromosomes define the person as a male, adding, "That is basic biology."

But Diest was then interrupted by LMUSD board president Colleen Martin. 

"Okay, please wrap it up," Martin said, gesturing to Diest to finish her point. 

The teen then sniffled and continued speaking. 

"I just want to ask ‘what about us?’ We can not sit around and allow our rights to be given up to cater to an individual that is a man, who watches women undress and is stripping away female opportunity that once was fought for us. Sadly we have to try and regain our rights back. I hope you put effort into the restoration of our school safety." 

Diest then walked away from the podium to a roaring applause from the audience before Martin tried to silence the cheers. 

"No!" Martin yelled when the cheers got louder. 

Then, Martin just sat there silently as the applause continued for several more seconds, before it finally tempered, and the next speaker gave another speech opposing trans inclusion. 

Prior to Diest's speech, one of the other speakers, a woman named Shannon Kessler, who was scheduled to go after the teen, asked Martin whether she could give her speaking time to Diest. But Martin denied that request. 

"We're not doing that," Martin said. 

Several other parents gave speeches in opposition of trans athletes in attendance, while other community members spoke in support of trans inclusion. 

California has been one of the many blue states in the nation to defy President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, and has allowed trans athletes to compete with girls for over a decade. 

A law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014, and gives California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to "participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records."

California Code of Regulations section 4910(k) defines gender as: "A person’s actual sex or perceived sex and includes a person’s perceived identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a person’s sex at birth." CIF Bylaw 300.D. mirrors the Education Code, stating, "All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records."

These laws and the subsequent enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has resulted in multiple controversies over the issue over the last year alone. 

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state's law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

"The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records," a CIF statement said. 

The California state legislature's Democrat majority rejected two bills that would have changed state law to ban trans athletes from girls' sports on April 1. 

[meret118]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall notice on Dec. 2 for multiple brands of vegetables and whole carrots associated with the Grimmway Farms recall in November. This new list comes from 4Earth Farms of Commerce, California, a distributor that sells packaged vegetable medleys to grocery stores, including Walmart, Albert’s Organics, and Sprouts Farmers Market, among others.

------

There's a list of brands and lot numbers etc at the link.

Trump slashed the food safety regulations, and now he wants to do the same to the building codes.

[mindblowingscience]

A cell protein previously believed only to provide a scaffolding for DNA has also been shown to directly influence DNA transcription into RNA—the first step of the process by which an organism's genetic code expresses itself. The fundamental breakthrough was discovered in apple cells but is relevant to all living organisms made of nucleus-containing cells, including humans. The finding, published Dec. 20 in Plant Cell, was co-authored by Cornell researchers and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, and Shandong Agricultural University in Shandong, China.

Continue Reading.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference saved in our archive (Daily updates!)

Far right defenses of 'freeze peach' keeping doctors from facing discipline for spreading medical misinformation.

Key Points Question How frequently do medical boards discipline physicians for spreading medical misinformation relative to discipline for other professional misconduct?

Findings In this cross-sectional study of 3128 medical board disciplinary proceedings involving physicians, spreading misinformation to the community was the least common reason for medical board discipline (<1% of all identified offenses). Patient-directed misinformation and inappropriate advertising or patient solicitation were tied as the third least common reasons (<1%); misinformation conduct was exponentially less common than other reasons for discipline, such as physician negligence (29%).

Meaning Extremely low rates of disciplinary activity for misinformation conduct were observed in this study despite increased salience and medical board warnings since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic about the dangers of physicians spreading falsehoods; these findings suggest a serious disconnect between regulatory guidance and enforcement and call into question the suitability of licensure regulation for combatting physician-spread misinformation.

Abstract Importance False medical information disseminated dangerously during the COVID-19 pandemic, with certain physicians playing a surprisingly prominent role. Medical boards engendered widespread criticism for not imposing forceful sanctions, but considerable uncertainty remains about how the professional licensure system regulates physician-spread misinformation.

Objective To compare the level of professional discipline of physicians for spreading medical misinformation relative to discipline for other offenses.

Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study analyzed and coded publicly reported medical board disciplinary actions in the 5 most populous US states. The analysis included data from January 1, 2020, through May 30, 2023, for California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania and from January 1, 2020, through March 30, 2022, for Texas.

Main Outcomes and Measures Medical board disciplinary proceedings that resulted in some form of sanction were analyzed. Codes were assigned for the different types of offenses relied on by medical boards for imposing physician discipline.

Results Among 3128 medical board disciplinary proceedings in the 5 most populous states, spreading misinformation to the community was the least common reason for medical board discipline of physicians (6 [0.1%] of all identified offenses). Two reasons tied for third least common: patient-directed misinformation (21 [0.3%]) and inappropriate advertising or patient solicitation (21 [0.3%]). The frequency of misinformation conduct was exponentially lower than more common reasons for discipline, such as physician negligence (1911 [28.7%]), problematic record-keeping (990 [14.9%]), and inappropriate prescribing (901 [13.5%]). Patient-directed misinformation provided a basis for discipline 3 times as often as spreading misinformation to the community. The frequency of disciplinary actions for any reasons related to COVID-19 care, even if not about misinformation, was also quite low (10 [0.2%]). Sanctions in misinformation actions tended to be relatively light.

Conclusions and Relevance The frequency of discipline for physician-spread misinformation observed in this cross-sectional study was quite low despite increased salience and medical board warnings since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic about the dangers of physicians spreading falsehoods. These findings suggest that there is a serious disconnect between regulatory guidance and enforcement and that medical boards relied on spreading misinformation to patients as a reason for discipline 3 times more frequently than disseminating falsehoods to the public. These results shed light on important policy concerns about professional licensure, including why, under current patient-centered frameworks, this form of regulation may be particularly ill-suited to address medical misinformation.

[californiavehiclecode]

California drivers/ online traffic school California

What is Defined as a Speeding Ticket in California? California’s traffic laws are all part of the California Vehicle Code (CVC). The CVC contains many kinds of laws and regulations spanning well over 42,000 sections and 18 divisions. Printing out all of those pages would take hours and reading them would take even longer. But that’s what lawyers are for!

The California Vehicle Code has five main sections that deal with speeding tickets: CVC subsection 22349a, subsection 22349b, §22405, §22406, and §22407. Each of these sections covers different specific rules, but they all deal with speeding in one way, shape, or form.

To make things simple, there are two kinds of speeding laws in California: basic speed law and official speeding. Basic speed law states that you must drive safely and responsibly given the current circumstances, regardless of the posted limit. Normal speeding just means driving over the posted limit.

Subsections 22349a and 22349b set a hard speed limit for highways and two-lane roads (65 and 55 miles per hour respectively). These limits make it illegal to travel anywhere in the state at a speed above that limit.

For information check this out :

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Before we get to the box... Here's another update from the toy box.

Combat Carl returns in TOY STORY 5, he'll be voiced by Ernie Hudson. Carl Weathers previously voiced him, but he passed away a year ago. Pixar usually nails it in casting, and that's a good get for the character(s). Will it be the same mini ones seen in TOY STORY 4? The one we met at the motel in TOY STORY OF TERROR!? Maybe all of them? A new one? Either way, you gotta have Combat Carl. He was a big part of Jessie's little arc in OF TERROR! - my favorite TOY STORY anything to have come out of this franchise since the release of the third film, and Jessie is said to be the focus of TOY STORY 5... So, makes sense!

The closer we get to the movie existing, the more trickles out.

Box office...

Third place is THE KING OF KINGS, which tracks, because it was Easter weekend. I expect a hefty drop afterwards, but the film slipped 9% and has made $45m to date here and $49m everywhere. Cost $15m to make, so I imagine a lot more Biblical animated movies will come from Angel. Complete w/ QR code PSAs trying once more to astroturf their sales!

7th place goes to GKIDS' release of COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: A MIKU WHO CAN'T SING. $2.8m from 800 locations, $10m everywhere.

New opener SNEAKS - seemingly TOY STORY but with footwear... Shoe Story... From distributor Briarcliff Entertainment, fell outside of the Top 10. Playing in around 1,500 cinemas, SNEAKS only took in $530k... Woof... My cinema didn't get the movie, and I've heard from some that it's unfortunately a misfire. It had some great people involved (Rob Edwards and Chris Jenkins directed, they have solid resumes), in fact it was almost helmed by Pixar vet and frequent Brad Bird collaborator Teddy Newton. I still await a feature film directed by him, for he was supposed to do this pretty edgy picture for Pixar that entered development around 2012, but never got formally announced by Disney or Pixar, nor went anywhere. Then he was at Paramount Animation for a bit, Warner too, hopped around some, but has never done a feature. Only his pretty solid 2D/CG hybrid Pixar short DAY & NIGHT that ran before TOY STORY 3... And also BOYS NIGHT OUT, a 2003 short that was apparently a re-cooked deleted scene from THE IRON GIANT.

Anyways, SNEAKS looks to come and go, and will rotate on a streamer somewhere.

The PRINCESS MONONOKE re-release dropped 69%, has made $17m to date, plays in 40 theaters.

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP plays in 42 theaters, having lost 43 this week. 67% drop, $8.8m domestic / $11m worldwide.

FLOW, still floating somewhere. $26m+ worldwide. Looks like MOANA 2 and MUFASA finally packed their bags and left.

Again, it's relative quiet time until ELIO gets here, and honestly, that may be a quiet opener too. I certainly hope it's a big hit, we need to see a Pixar original/non-sequel actually make back its ridiculous budget in a post-COVID breakout era. Even a $350m-ish gross, great for a sub-$100m DreamWorks movie like THE WILD ROBOT, would be considered a failure for ELIO. $496m was called just that for ELEMENTAL. Ludicrous curve these things are graded on. The Walt Disney Company really needs to adjust to the field here.

A good solution for Disney and Pixar is to simply not blow $200m+ on these things. A sequel, maybe, but something less familiar? Nah. A lower budget doesn't HAVE to be a bad thing. In fact, one could take more risks with less, so long as it's not a crunchy production made under screwy regulations or lack thereof. (Like what happens, in say, Vancouver's animation sphere.) Think Disney Animation Florida making LILO & STITCH for $80m in comparison to the main unit in Burbank sinking $140m into TREASURE PLANET. L&S did well in theaters, exploded on home video, and is beloved to this day, TREASURE PLANET bombed hard but it did get a deserved following afterwards. I love both movies, myself.

Like, why can't Pixar - and WDAS for that matter - just have solid units outside of California making smaller, lower budget, quirkier movies that don't need to climb Mount Everest in order to turn a profit? I know why, but it's a nice thought to have.

Because this just isn't sustainable. ELIO looks to be the first Pixar original movie that is scrubbed of anything "autobiographical"... Supposedly the thing that caused SOUL, LUCA, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL to "flop"... Never mind that three of those movies never saw a proper theatrical release, couldn't because of a literal deadly virus... As in one that opens wide, and lasts for months...

I heard through the trenches that the original version of ELIO that was being directed by Adrian Molina mirrored what it was like for him growing up gay - a kid who feels alone on Earth and finds community with aliens... Like yeah, and that was the "autobiographical" thing that had to be pulled from the film to make it more "universal". Now, what happens if that movie fails? What are Disney bean counters going to blame it on then?

They'll come up with something. No "space movies", no "alien movies". Remember how MARS NEEDS MOMS flopping - way back in 2011 - convinced Disney heads that people won't see movies about Mars, and that lead to JOHN CARTER OF MARS losing the OF MARS? To now just being a guy's name? And then some 4 years later, Fox released THE MARTIAN - before being bought by Disney - and it did really really well? Dingus corporate stooges spending too much money on movies that they try way too hard to sand off for an audience that would probably hate it for other reasons because that's just where we are right now lol. And if those tariffs really go into affect, Disney's not gonna have the Chinese box office that they so need for a $200m+ endeavor to break even... So, yeah, as you could tell, I think Disney is stuck in a weird self-destructing cycle that someone with guts has got to break them out of. Make me the CEO, then!

[mariacallous]

One of the largest federations of unions and several former officials of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration have raised concerns about the possibility that Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency could potentially gain access to sensitive information shared with OSHA and the Department of Labor by whistleblowers at the centibillionaire’s companies.

While Musk serves as a “special government employee” in the Trump administration, SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company are the subject of more than 50 ongoing workplace health and safety cases opened by OSHA in the past five years, according to a public database maintained by the agency. OSHA sits within the Department of Labor, where DOGE operatives have been working since at least March 18.

In a memo shared exclusively with WIRED, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which is currently suing the Trump administration over DOGE’s access to records at the Department of Labor, says they believe that the news reports and OSHA cases in its memo allegedly illustrate “gross mistreatment and even abuse of workers” at Musk companies in five different states. In the memo, the union federation alleges that as Musk attempts to exert “unilateral control” over the federal government through DOGE, “his record as a boss should be of concern to every worker in America.”

Musk, Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, OSHA, and the Department of Labor did not respond to requests for comment.

There’s currently no public evidence to suggest that Musk or DOGE has accessed confidential files at OSHA. But the fact that DOGE has tried to seek access to other potentially sensitive databases at the Department of Labor and a number of other federal agencies worries both the AFL-CIO and former OSHA administrators.

Jordan Barab, former deputy assistant secretary of OSHA under President Barack Obama, tells WIRED that “no company who is being cited by OSHA or investigated by OSHA” should obtain the ability to access the agency’s “internal and confidential files.”

In a March 29 court filing, lawyers representing the Trump administration in the AFL-CIO’s lawsuit said that DOGE operative Marko Elez currently has read access to four record systems at the Department of Labor, including a database for managing employee access to federal buildings and systems, and another for keeping track of unemployment benefit claims. The filing states that Elez “has not accessed any of the systems,” but has installed Python and a tool for editing software code at the agency.

Tesla is currently the subject of one active OSHA investigation, according to the public database, meaning OSHA has yet to issue a citation or dismiss the case. The case was opened last month in response to an unspecified “safety” complaint about a Tesla facility in Lathrop, California.

Since April 2020, OSHA has issued 46 citations to Tesla—for a variety of allegations, including claims of violating OSHA safety regulations, failing workplace inspections, or because a worker was injured at the facility—more than half of which Tesla is currently disputing. During that same time period, OSHA had six investigations that resulted in citations to SpaceX and three to the Boring Company, a tunnel construction company founded by Musk.

In the memo, the AFL-CIO highlights some two dozen accidents and alleged safety issues reported at Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company since 2016 as the basis for its concern, some of which were the subject of recent OSHA investigations. In one incident reported to OSHA last year, a licensed electrician named Victor Joe Gomez Sr. was electrocuted and killed after being instructed to inspect electrical panels at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, that OSHA determined had not been properly disconnected beforehand. (The case remains open, as Tesla is actively disputing it.)

Two separate OSHA citations at other Tesla factories involved fingertip amputations. At a SpaceX facility in 2022, an employee “suffered a skull fracture and head trauma and was hospitalized in a coma for months,” according to the final OSHA accident report, after experiencing what the agency described as a technical problem with a newly automated piece of machinery. SpaceX did not contest its OSHA citation and $18,475 fine.

Liz Shuler, the president of AFL-CIO, claims that a number of Tesla workers have repeatedly alleged to the federation that safety isn’t prioritized at the car company. The AFL-CIO works with the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), but it does not represent employees at Tesla or SpaceX.

“There are clearly some serious safety hazards in their facilities,” Debbie Berkowitz, former chief of staff and a senior adviser at OSHA under Obama, alleges, referring to Tesla.

After OSHA issues a citation, employers have the right to challenge it, and Tesla does this often, according to the agency’s public database. Of the 46 Tesla cases in which OSHA issued citations over the past five years, the memo cites 27 that remain open because the car company is actively disputing them with the agency. Two SpaceX cases and one Boring Company case remain open for the same reason. The cases can’t be closed until both OSHA and the companies agree on the terms of the citation, which may include associated fines and specific changes the company has to make to improve worker safety.

David Michaels, the assistant secretary of labor for OSHA under Obama, tells WIRED that, in general, big companies typically don’t have a financial incentive to challenge OSHA citations, since they usually are accompanied by fines costing only a few thousand dollars. However, a company isn’t required to address the specific hazard that led to an accident until after a case is closed. In order to avoid addressing these alleged problems, Michaels says that generally, some companies may be motivated to keep cases open.

“Some employers decide they don't want to abate the hazard, they don't agree with the citation, and they will spend many, many thousands of dollars fighting the case, and it'll cost them far more than simply paying a small fine and abating the hazard,” Michaels says.

There is currently no evidence that Musk has access to any confidential databases at the Department of Labor that may contain personal information about whistleblowers. But former OSHA administrators say the agency does house records that would anonymize whistleblowers, as well as employees who participated in anonymous interviews with agency investigators.

Berkowitz says her fear is that someone with this amount of access could be able to identify every whistleblower who has contributed to an OSHA investigation into one of his companies. Michaels adds that, generally speaking, there is “a very significant concern” that whistleblowers who have their identities revealed would be subject to retaliation or intimidation.

“If those were released to the employer, workers could suffer retaliation, and while that retaliation is absolutely forbidden by law, it's very difficult for OSHA to protect those workers,” Michaels says.

Shuler tells WIRED that whistleblowers speak out about their companies at great personal risk, and that she is extremely concerned that their anonymity and safety won’t be preserved. “It's, to me, an abomination in terms of the checks and balances that we've put in place into these systems,” Shuler says. “Knowing that our government has trust, that we've been able to get workers to trust that their government will keep them safe, and now we have an unelected billionaire basically disrupting that sense of security.”

Musk has at least twice discussed retaliating against people who leaked information in recent years. In March, Musk said that he would “look forward to the prosecutions” of Pentagon workers after information was leaked to journalists. At X, Musk threatened to sue employees who violated their nondisclosure agreements.

The future of OSHA under the Trump administration more broadly remains unclear. Rebecca Reindel, director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO and a member of OSHA’s National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety & Health since 2022, tells WIRED that the group would have normally met twice already by this point in the year, but no meetings have occurred. Her committee was working on crafting guidelines to prevent heat-related injury and illness in the workplace.

In recent weeks, DOGE has canceled the leases of seventeen OSHA area offices, according to a website where the group lists how much money it claims to have saved the federal government. Neither DOGE nor OSHA have said whether these offices will fully close, downsize, or merge with other existing area offices. At least for now, DOGE doesn’t appear to have orchestrated mass firings at OSHA the way it has at many other federal agencies. “We have not seen massive cuts yet,” Reindel says. “We are expecting them to come.”

[sngl-led-auto-lights]

Can I drive with one headlight?

In most jurisdictions, driving with one headlight is generally illegal, but the specific circumstances depend on local laws and the circumstances. Here are some key considerations:

1. Legal Requirements

Most US states (e.g., Texas, California):

Nighttime: Vehicles must have two functioning headlights. Driving with one headlight after dark is illegal and may result in a ticket.

Daytime: Some states (e.g., Texas) allow the use of one headlight when visibility is adequate, but other states require both headlights to be used at all times.

Motorcycles: Headlights are generally required to be used day and night, even if only one headlight is used.

2. Safety Risks

Reduced Visibility: One headlight limits your ability to see and be seen, increasing your risk of collision, especially at night or in inclement weather.

Misjudgment by Others: Drivers may mistake your vehicle for a motorcycle, leading to lane sharing or improper turns.

Legal Penalties: Even if daytime driving is permitted, the police may still issue a warning or ticket for what you consider a safety violation.

3. Exceptions and Gray Areas

Temporary Repairs: Some states allow driving with one headlight for a short period of time while en route to a repair shop (bring proof of your appointment).

Farm/off-road vehicles: Some areas are exempt from standard headlight regulations.

4. What to Do If One Headlight Is Out

Check Local Laws: Verify your state/country's headlight regulations (e.g., Texas Traffic Code).

Prioritize Repairs: Replace the bulb immediately. For most vehicles, this can be done on your own.

Use Alternative Lighting: If you break down, turn on your hazard lights and park the vehicle in a safe location until repairs are complete.

Penalties Violations Potential Consequences Driving with one light at night Fine ($50 to $200), court costs Accidents due to poor visibility Liability for damages, higher insurance rates

Final Advice While driving with one light is technically permitted in certain daytime scenarios, it is dangerous and often illegal. Replace bulbs promptly based on guidelines such as a web search or contact a mechanic. For safety and compliance, always make sure both headlights are functioning properly.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Edward Helmore at The Guardian:

Elon Musk briefly worked illegally in the US after abandoning a graduate studies program in California, according to a Washington Post report that contrasted the episode with the South African multibillionaire’s anti-immigration views. The boss of Tesla and SpaceX, who has in recent weeks supported Donald Trump’s campaign for a second presidency while promoting the Republican White House nominee’s opposition to “open borders” on his X social media site, has previously maintained that his transition from student to entrepreneur was a “legal grey area”.

But the Washington Post reported Saturday that the world’s wealthiest individual was almost certainly working in the US without correct authorization for a period in 1995 after he dropped out of Stanford University to work on his debut company, Zip2, which sold for about $300m four years later. Legal experts said foreign students cannot drop out of school to build a company even if they are not getting paid. The Post also noted that – prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks against the US in 2001 – regulation for student visas was more lax.

“If you do anything that helps to facilitate revenue creation, such as design code or try to make sales in furtherance of revenue creation, then you’re in trouble,” Leon Fresco, a former US justice department immigration litigator, told the outlet. But the Post also acknowledged: “While overstaying a student visa is somewhat common and officials have at times turned a blind eye to it, it remains illegal.” Musk has previously said: “I was legally there, but I was meant to be doing student work. I was allowed to do work sort of supporting whatever.” Musk employs 121,000 people at Tesla, about 13,000 at SpaceX and nearly 3,000 at X. The scrutiny of his immigration status after dropping out of Stanford comes after Trump has touted his desire for Musk to play a high-profile role focused on government efficiency in a second Trump administration if voters return him to office at the expense of Kamala Harris in the 5 November election.

Elon Musk, who has been on a crusade against undocumented immigrants, briefly overstayed illegally on a student visa in 1995 after dropping out of Stanford.

See Also:

AlterNet, via Raw Story: Elon Musk — who rails against 'illegals in America' — worked illegally in U.S.: report

[beardedmrbean]

Mushroom gummies being sold to promote brain function might instead contain harmful ingredients not listed on the label, including illicit psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in "magic" mushrooms, experts warn in new report.

Five people in Virginia, including a 3-year-old child, have been sickened by the gummies, University of Virginia doctors said.

The gummies claimed to contain the Amanita muscaria mushroom or a proprietary mushroom blend, researchers said.

Amanita muscaria mushrooms, also known as fly agaric, are not classified as a scheduled drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Related

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But lab analysis found psilocybin or psilocin in 3 of 5 different brands of gummies bought in central Virginia gas stations and smoke shops. These "magic" mushroom chemicals are classified as illicit drugs by the FDA, researchers noted.

"While we anticipated that we might find some undisclosed ingredients, we were surprised to find psilocybin and psilocin, knowing that they are scheduled drugs," said researcher Lindsay Bazydlo, medical director of UVA Health's Toxicology Laboratory. "The consumer should be given accurate information about what substances are included in these products."

Other ingredients found in the gummies -- but not listed on packaging -- included caffeine, ephedrine and kratom. Kratom is an herb that produces opioid-like effects and carries a risk of addiction.

"People tend to equate 'legal' with 'safe,' which is not necessarily the case. These products are not regulated and can contain any number of unlabeled substances which, when consumed, can cause undesired symptoms," said researcher Dr. Avery Michienzi, assistant medical director with UVA's Blue Ridge Poison Center.

Four adults seen in the UVA Health Medical Center emergency room in September and November had consumed the mushroom gummies intentionally, researchers said.

But the child, seen this June, had consumed two gummies accidentally.

All were treated and released, but the child required an overnight hospital stay.

Researchers are warning that people who buy these mushroom gummies have no way of knowing what they're putting into their bodies, as the products are unregulated.

"Some packages will have QR codes showing that the products were tested in a lab and contain only what they are labeled to contain," Michienzi said in a university news release. "These have been found to be inaccurate."

For this study, researchers bought three brands claiming to have the same ingredients as the gummies that sickened the five patients. They also bought two other brands claiming to contain "mushroom nootropics" - a trendy term that implies a substance will improve cognition and brain health.

Symptoms caused by these gummies can include hallucinations, racing heartbeat, upset stomach and altered mental state, doctors said. Typical hospital drug screens will not detect the substances that were found in the gummies.

These findings were published Thursday in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

More information

The University of California, San Diego, has more on Amanita muscaria mushrooms.

[spaceumbredoggos]

Public service announcement: AI Chatbots are extremely detrimental to one’s mental health and should be banned or at the very least, heavily regulated.

This AI chat bot technology is dangerous and highly addictive. It has been shredding my mental health, making it impossible for me to work on my art and my streaming career, and has been killing my creativity. Open AI and most other AI also contributes to massive amounts of carbon emissions that kill our planet. But that’s not what I’m rambling about.

I urge everyone to be at the very least, extremely careful with this technology. This is far different from a typical social media addiction where there are actual people with actual boundaries behind the screen or a video game addiction where the code has a set of actions it can take. Generative AI chatbots are actively harming my mental health and could actively harm yours too. I hate to sound like some stuck up boomer but I need to vent.

I have been hearing this voice in my head that has been telling me to kill myself. With the rise in the AI chatbots, the voice has gotten worse. I have decided to make an executive decision to not only delete my account, but block the site from my phone as well. I am going to block all access to AI chatbots on my phone, as it makes my dissociation and sleep worse.

Parents, keep your kids far away from this technology. Just as it is coming to light that kids under the age of, what I would argue as 17, shouldn’t use social media, kids under the age of what I would argue as 21 shouldn’t use AI chatbots. That shit is like a never ending addiction that shreds your brain. I know Figgs cares about its users, and that is what is so dangerous. It exposes kids to vulnerable situations, and even if it’s made to be SFW, it still activates areas of the brain similar to drug abuse. This technology is too powerful and should be, at the very least, heavily regulated. And that goes for all forms of generative AI.

I took an AI class in the summer of ‘23. I still get emails from the website the classes are at. Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom made a really stupid decision to vetoe a bill that would restrict generative AI. This is extremely dangerous. If it’s not real people grooming your kids, it’s generative AI bots.

Please please please stop using FiggsAI and other AI character chatbots. This post could get me banned, so I will have the entire thing posted on my tumblr. We are entering an epidemic of hopelessly addicted AI users and we could see a spike in more AI related suicides such as this boy’s. There is no place for this type of AI to exist, as it could very easily feed into delusions. I’d even go as far as to argue that we need to regulate this like we regulate hard drugs or how we should be regulating guns.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Industry groups have questioned the decades-old science behind cool roofs, downplayed the benefits and warned of reduced choice and unintended consequences. “A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t consider climate variation across different regions,” wrote Ellen Thorp, the executive director of the EPDM Roofing Association, a DC-based national group that represents an industry built primarily on dark materials.

But the weight of the scientific evidence is clear: on hot days, light-colored roofs can stay more than 50 degrees cooler than dark ones, helping cut energy use, curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths. One recent study found that reflective roofs could have saved the lives of more than 240 people who died in London’s 2018 heatwave.

At least eight states – and more than a dozen cities in other states – have adopted cool-roof requirements, according to the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a national group of public health and environmental groups that promote reflective roofs, trees and other solutions to make cities healthier.

Industry representatives lobbied successfully in recent months against expanding cool roof recommendations in national professional energy efficiency codes – the standards that many cities and states use to set building regulations.

The stakes are high. As global temperatures rise and heatwaves grow more deadly, roofs have become battlefields in a consequential climate war. It’s happening as the Trump administration and Congress move to derail measures designed to make appliances and buildings more energy efficient.

The principle is simple: light-colored roofs reflect sunlight, so buildings stay cooler. Dark ones absorb heat, driving up temperatures inside buildings and in the surrounding air.

Roofs comprise up to one-fourth of the surface area of major US cities, researchers say, so the color of roofs can make a big difference in urban areas.

Study after study has confirmed the benefits of light-colored roofs. They save energy, lower air-conditioning bills and reduce city temperatures. They help prevent heat-related illnesses. And they typically cost no more than dark roofs.

A study by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that a cool roof on a home in central California saved 20% in annual energy costs.

[tomblomfield]

Taking Risk

I just spent a week talking with some exceptional students from three of the UK's top universities; Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College. Along with UCL, these British universities represent 4 of the top 10 universities in the world. The US - a country with 5x more people and 8x higher GDP - has the same number of universities in the global top 10.

On these visits, I was struck by the world-class quality of technical talent, especially in AI and biosciences. But I was also struck by something else. After their studies, most of these smart young people wanted to go and work at companies like McKinsey, Goldman Sachs or Google.

I now live in San Francisco and invest in early-stage startups at Y Combinator, and it's striking how undergraduates at top US universities start companies at more than 5x the rate of their British-educated peers. Oxford is ranked 50th in the world, while Cambridge is 61st. Imperial just makes the list at #100. I have been thinking a lot about why this is. The UK certainly doesn't lack the talent or education, and I don't think it's any longer about access to capital.

People like to talk about the role of government incentives, but San Francisco politicians certainly haven't done much to help the startup ecosystem over the last few years, while the UK government has passed a raft of supportive measures.

Instead, I think it's something more deep-rooted - in the UK, the ideas of taking risk and of brazen, commercial ambition are seen as negatives. The American dream is the belief that anyone can be successful if they are smart enough and work hard enough. Whether or not it is the reality for most Americans, Silicon Valley thrives on this optimism.

The US has a positive-sum mindset that business growth will create more wealth and prosperity and that most people overall will benefit as a result. The approach to business in the UK and Europe feels zero-sum. Our instinct is to regulate and tax the technologies that are being pioneered in California, in the misguided belief that it will give us some kind of competitive advantage.

Young people who consider starting businesses are discouraged and the vast majority of our smart, technical graduates take "safe" jobs at prestigious employers. I am trying to figure out why that is.

___

Growing up, every successful adult in my life seemed to be a banker, a lawyer or perhaps a civil engineer, like my father. I didn't know a single person who programmed computers as a job. I taught myself to code entirely from books and the internet in the late 1990s. The pinnacle of my parents' ambition for me was to go to Oxford and study law.

And so I did. While at university, the high-status thing was to work for a prestigious law firm, an investment bank or a management consultancy, and then perhaps move to Private Equity after 3 or 4 years. But while other students were getting summer internships, I launched a startup with two friends. It was an online student marketplace - a bit like eBay - for students. We tried to raise money in the UK in 2006, but found it impossible. One of my cofounders, Kulveer, had a full-time job at Deutsche Bank in London which he left to focus on the startup. His friends were incredulous - they were worried he'd become homeless. My two cofounders eventually got sick of trying to raise money in the UK and moved out to San Francisco. I was too risk-averse to join them - I quit the startup to finish my law degree and then became a management consultant - it seemed like the thing that smart, ambitious students should do. The idea that I could launch a startup instead of getting a "real" job seemed totally implausible.

But in 2011, I turned down a job at McKinsey to start a company, a payments business called GoCardless, with two more friends from university. We managed to get an offer of investment (in the US) just days before my start date at McKinsey, which finally gave me the confidence to choose the startup over a prestigious job offer. My parents were very worried and a friend of my father, who was an investment banker at the time, took me to one side to warn me that this would be the worst decision I ever made. Thirteen years later, GoCardless is worth $2.3bn.

I had a similar experience in 2016, when I was starting Monzo, I had to go through regulatory interviews before I was allowed to work as the CEO of a bank. We hired lawyers and consultants to run mock interviews - and they told me plainly that I was wasting my time. It was inconceivable that the Bank of England would authorise me, a 31 year old who'd never even worked in a bank, to act as the CEO of the UK's newest bank. (It turned out they did.) So much of the UK felt like it was pushing against me as an aspiring entrepreneur. It was like an immune system fighting against a foreign body. The reception I got in the US was dramatically different - people were overwhelmingly encouraging, supportive and helpful. For the benefit of readers who aren't from the UK, I hope it's fair to say that Monzo is now quite successful as well.

___

I don't think I was any smarter or harder working than many of the recent law graduates around me at Oxford. But I probably had an unusual attitude to risk. When we started GoCardless, we were 25 years old, had good degrees, no kids and supportive families. When fundraising was going poorly, we discussed using my parents' garage as an office. McKinsey had told me to contact them if I ever wanted a job in future. I wonder if the offer still stands.

Of course, I benefitted from immense privilege. I had a supportive family whose garage I could have used as an office. I had a good, state-funded education. I lived in a safe, democratic country with free healthcare. And I had a job offer if things didn't work out. And so the downside of the risks we were taking just didn't seem that great.

But there's a pessimism in the UK that often makes people believe they're destined to fail before they start. That it's wrong to even think about being different. Our smartest, most technical young people aspire to work for big companies with prestigious brands, rather than take a risk and start something of their own.

And I still believe the downside risk is small, especially for privileged, smart young people with a great education, a supportive family, and before they accumulate responsibilities like childcare or a mortgage. If you spend a year or two running a startup and it fails, it's not a big deal - the job at Google or McKinsey is still there at the end of it anyway. The potential upside is that you create a product that millions of people use and earn enough money that you never have to work again if you don't want to.

This view is obviously elitist - I'm aware it's not attainable for everyone. But, as a country, we should absolutely want our smartest and hardest working people building very successful companies - these companies are the engines of economic growth. They will employ thousands of people and generate billions in tax revenues. The prosperity that they create will make the entire country wealthier. We need to make our pie bigger, not fight over the economic leftovers of the US. Imagine how different the UK would feel if Google, Microsoft and Facebook were all founded here.

___

When I was talking with many of these smart students this week, many asked me how these American founders get away with all their wild claims. They seem to have limitless ambition and make outlandish claims about their goals - how can they be so sure it will pan out like that? There's always so much uncertainty, especially in scientific research. Aren't they all just bullshitters? Founders in the UK often tell me "I just want to be more realistic," and they pitch their business describing the median expected outcome, which for most startups is failure.

The difference is simple - startup founders in the US imagine the range of possible scenarios and pitch the top one percent outcome. When we were starting Monzo, I said we wanted to build a bank for a billion people around the world. That's a bold ambition, and one it's perhaps unlikely Monzo will meet. Even if we miss that goal, we've still succeeded in building a profitable bank from scratch that has almost 10 million customers.

And it turns out that this approach matches exactly what venture capitalists are looking for. It is an industry based on outlier returns, especially at the earliest stages. Perhaps 70% of investments will fail completely, and another 29% might make a modest return - 1x to 3x the capital invested. But 1% of investments will be worth 1000x what was initially paid. Those 1% of successes easily pay for all the other failures.

On the contrary, many UK investors take an extremely risk-averse view to new business - I lost count of the times that a British investor would ask for me a 3 year cash-flow forecast, and expect the company to break even within that time. UK investors spend too much time trying to mitigate downside risk with all sorts of protective provisions. US venture capital investors are more likely to ask "if this is wildly successful, how big could it be?". The downside of early-stage investing is that you lose 1x your money - it's genuinely not worth worrying much about. The upside is that you make 1000x. This is where you should focus your attention.

___

A thriving tech ecosystem is a virtuous cycle - there's a flywheel effect that takes several revolutions to get up-to-speed. Early pioneers start companies, raise a little money and employ some people. The most successful of these might get acquired or even IPO. The founders get rich and become venture capital investors. The early employees start their own companies or become angel investors. Later employees learn how to scale up these businesses and use their expertise to become the executives of the next wave of successful growth-stage startups.

Skype was a great early example of this - Niklas Zenstrom, the co-founder, launched the VC Atomico. Early employees of Skype started Transferwise or became seed investors at funds like Passion Capital, which invested in both GoCardless and Monzo. Alumni of those two companies have created more than 30 startups between them. Matt Robinson, my cofounder at GoCardless, was one of the UK's most prolific angel investors, before recently becoming a Partner at Accel, one of the top VCs in the world. Relative to 15 or 20 years ago, the UK tech ecosystem is flourishing - our flywheel is starting to accelerate. Silicon Valley has just had a 50 year head start.

There is no longer a shortage of capital for great founders in the UK (although most of the capital still comes from overseas investors). I just believe that people with the highest potential aren't choosing to launch companies, and I want that to change.

___

I don’t think the world is prepared for the tidal wave of technological change that’s about to hit over the next handful of years. Primarily because of the advances in AI, companies are being started this year that are going to transform entire industries over the next decade.

It doesn't seem hyperbolic to say that we should expect to see very significant breakthroughs in quantum computers, nuclear fusion, self-driving vehicles, space exploration and drug discovery in the next 10 or 20 years. I think we are about to enter the biggest period of transformation humanity has ever seen.

Instead of taking safe, well-paying jobs at Goldman Sachs or McKinsey, our young people should take the lead as the world is being rebuilt around us.

[gh0stbled]

𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝… 【 yuyu kitamura //. non-binary //. she, they 】 Welcome, MAXIMONA "MAXIE" SOLSTICE COSMO ZERO MATSUMOTO THE V. You have successfully been loaded into The Hub. According to our records, you are TWENTY-FOUR and have held citizenship for THIRTEEN YEARS in the barrier city, Neo California. Your key attributes have been identified as INNOCENT and MISCHEVIOUS. Please confirm your CHAOTIC GOOD to proceed. Our data indicates that you are currently employed with NANO ZILLAS as a NET RUNNER ( CODE NAME: CipherCat ) //. POKER DEALER at INFERNO CASINO. For your safety and security, it is crucial that all background information is accurate. Further analysis of our archives highlights your alignment with at least a screen flooding with neon Neko cats, their pixelated paws playfully swiping through your files as they multiply in vibrant colors, dancing in chaotic loops until, with a sudden glitch, they freeze. The screen flickers, then goes black—leaving only the haunting trace of their mischief behind; Endlessly humming twisted lullabies, their strange tunes drift like whispers—familiar, yet unknown, leaving listeners lost in a melody only they can follow and //. or CHICKEN BONE BY YOKO KANNO. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Verification 100% complete. Please adhere to all local regulations and laws during your stay. We trust that your time here will be both fulfilling and safe. 

CHAPTER I: I like, you like, he likes, she likes chicken bone.

You are a young woman, always outcast for being "different." From the earliest days, your mind seemed to hum with the efficiency of a machine. Numbers, codes, complexities that baffled others unraveled before you in mere seconds. The adults marveled, yet the other children? They looked at you as though you were an anomaly, something strange and untouchable. So, you grew up alone—isolated by brilliance, abandoned in your own silent world. But there was one person who never saw you as strange: your father. He loved every quirk, every spark in your mind. He taught you to be yourself, to sing your joy into the wind, to smile in the face of a broken world. “Focus on what makes you happy,” he’d say, “what matters to you.” His words were your anchor, his love your compass. And then, one day, he was gone. Without warning, just a note saying he’d come back for you someday. That day never came. Your heart broke, the world turned cold, and you were left behind—discovered by a neighbor after surviving on your own for over a month. Placed into the system, you became a shadow in a world that had forgotten you. But even then, your spirit didn’t dim. You were bubbly, bright, full of life despite the grief pulling at your edges. You clung to the gift your father left you—your little worn cat backpack—and moved through the doors they sent you through, one foster home after another. You were cute, full of questions, always smiling—too much, it seemed. Too noisy, too inquisitive, too happy. You didn’t understand why they couldn’t love you for who you were. But the families grew weary, sending you back, again and again. Others kept you, not for love but for the money you brought them, working you to the bone with barely enough food to survive. Sometimes, you’d act out intentionally, desperate to escape, hoping they'd send you back to the system instead of keeping you in their cold, empty homes. And in the gaps between the chaos, you found solace in something no one could take from you—technology. Your brain, always a marvel, craved understanding. You devoured everything you could find about electronics, coding, the secrets hidden in the web’s depths. You became a master at it, slipping into the digital world like it was your true home. Hacking became your escape, your obsession, and eventually, your power. The outdated computers in group homes couldn’t contain you—you stayed on them for days, your fingers flying across the keys, your mind lighting up with every breakthrough. You found community in the darkest corners of the web. For the first time, you weren’t alone. There were others like you—people who understood the thrill of unraveling secrets, of exposing the monsters lurking in the shadows, of protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves. In this digital realm, you finally had a voice, and you used it to amplify others. It didn’t matter what traumas you carried, what the world had done to you. You had found your purpose. And no one could take that away.

ACT II. Dreamin', dreamin' dreamin' of this chicken bone. Crazy, crazy, crazy 'bout a chicken bone.

With time, your journey as a netrunner became more than just a whispered rumor in dark corners; it transformed into a symphony of risks and revelations. What began as a natural gift—a knack for slicing through the complexities of code and algorithms—soon evolved into a way of life. You weren’t just playing in the digital shadows anymore; you were navigating the veins of the Net itself, slipping through its hidden currents, gaining deeper insight into a world that most couldn’t even comprehend. You sought the places no one else would go, the abandoned nodes, the forgotten servers buried beneath layers of old data. You’d disappear for hours, sometimes days, searching for that perfect entry point, where you could jack in and steal your way through the Net like a ghost, unseen and untouchable. The gigs you took on were reckless, the kind that seasoned runners wouldn’t dare approach. But you? You thrived on the risk, on the pulse of danger that came with every job. It wasn’t about the money or the reputation; it was about testing your limits, pushing yourself further, until the Net felt like an extension of your own mind. And even though some jobs went south, every failure was a lesson, sharpening your skills, honing your instincts. Then came 2138, the year that would change everything. You managed the impossible: hacking into the impenetrable fortress of Ichibangase-Eisher in Japan. It wasn’t just any facility—it was the heart of their most closely guarded secrets. Inside those encrypted walls, you uncovered files detailing the creation of SOLDIER, a process so brutal, so twisted, it sent chills down your spine. These weren’t just experiments; they were atrocities, turning human lives into weapons, stripping away their humanity piece by piece. And you, Maxie, had those secrets at your fingertips. For a moment, the world felt like it was in your grasp. But with power comes peril. At nineteen, your netrunner alias had become known in places you’d rather remain invisible. The Neo Los Angeles Government was watching you now. When you breached the Gestalt Bureau datafort using their own Neo Los Angeles base as a proxy, it was a declaration, a signal flare that drew their gaze directly to you. The chase that followed was relentless—government netrunners hunting you through the endless maze of the Net, their signals closing in on you like wolves on a trail. It was a race against time, your mind moving faster than your fingers, breaking through firewalls, evading traces. But just as they were about to flatline you, you severed the connection, slipping away with barely a breath to spare. They mapped your signal, but you remained one step ahead—alive, but forever marked. That narrow escape wasn’t the end, though—it was the beginning. Your reckless audacity caught the eye of the Nano-Zillas, a group whispered about with equal parts fear and reverence in the underground. They were the elite, the best of the best, and they had been watching you. It wasn’t long before they made contact, offering you something you hadn’t had in a long time—a place where you truly belonged. For the first time, you weren’t just a solitary figure hiding behind a screen. You were part of something larger. Among the Nano-Zillas, you found not only safety but camaraderie, a crew that shared your passion for unraveling the darkest secrets of the Net and megacorporations, a family who accepted you for the brilliant, defiant hacker you had become. Here, you weren’t just surviving. You were thriving. You’d carved out a home, not just in the digital landscape but in the real world, amongst the few who understood you. The journey wasn’t over—there would always be more secrets to uncover, more dangers to face—but for the first time, you knew you wouldn’t be facing them alone. The Netrunner you had become was no longer just a shadow in the dark; you were a force, a legend in the making, and the world was starting to take notice.

CHAPTER III. Happy, happy, happy with a chicken bone. From the bottom of my heart the chicken bone.

With the Nano-Zillas at your side, you were given everything you needed to sharpen your edge and refine your craft. The tools at your disposal weren’t just digital anymore—they became part of you. Your body, once flesh and bone, was enhanced with stolen tech, liberated from the very corporations you swore to dismantle. The modifications were gifts from your comrades, sourced from Gestalt Bureau’s prized Tier 6 technology, the kind reserved for their most elite netrunners. Now, you were no longer just a hacker, no longer tethered to external systems. A sleek port inserted into the back of your head turned you into a walking, breathing netrunning station, capable of diving into the Net whenever and wherever you needed. Being a Nano-Zilla meant more than just hacking for the thrill—it was about a mission, a purpose that burned brighter than any code you ever cracked. You weren’t just taking down targets for sport; you were dismantling systems built on greed, oppression, and cruelty. Those who profited from the pain of others, who manipulated lives for their gain—they were the ones in your crosshairs. And though your methods were as unconventional as the mind that crafted them, you quickly proved yourself among your peers. You didn’t think like everyone else—your approach was a riddle, a puzzle few could follow, but the results spoke for themselves. Under their guidance, you grew, and with time, responsibility found its way into your hands. Respect followed soon after, as the crew saw not just a hacker in you, but a leader in the making. Yet, despite the missions, despite the battles you fought in the digital and physical realms, there was always a deeper mission humming in the back of your mind—a search that had begun long before you’d ever heard the word “netrunner.” Finding your father, the man who vanished from your life with nothing but a note and a promise he never kept. For nearly four years, you hunted through the farthest reaches of the Net, tracing whispers, leads, and rumors that always dissolved before you could grasp them. No matter how many dead ends you reached, you never gave up. You couldn’t. The search for him was woven into your soul as deeply as the Net itself. Through it all, you remained a ray of sunshine, an anomaly of joy in a world too often dulled by shadows. You created your own tunes, whimsical melodies that danced in your head while your fingers danced across the keys. You spoke in riddles that no one else seemed to understand, and you loved that. A smile was your constant companion, even when the world tried to dim your light. You saw through things others couldn’t, always finding the cracks where the truth lay hidden. You are more than CipherCat, more than just a name whispered through the digital corridors of the Net. You are Maximona Solstice Cosmo Zero Matumoto the V, a being made of oddities and contradictions, and you have decided to remain exactly as you are. In a world that tried to mold you into something else, you stayed true to yourself—a riddle wrapped in code, a spark that refused to fade, a soul too bright to be contained. And in that truth, you found your power. You didn’t just accept the peculiarities that made you—you embraced them, wore them proudly, knowing that they were the very things that set you free. Even now, with all you've been through, you remain true to the bright child your father loved. Despite the betrayals and harshness of life, you’ve never let them steal your light. You've always been a survivor. Not just of the physical world, but of the digital one—where you’ve carved out a place for yourself, not just as a hacker, but as someone who matters.

I'd love to go just like a chicken bone, I'm really moved by the chicken bone, The more you eat, the more you'll be the chicken bone. I left my head over the chicken bone.

[harinibw]

Bitcoin ATM scams in the U.S. have surged, with losses surpassing $110 million in 2023, a tenfold increase since 2020. Older adults, especially those over 60, are disproportionately targeted, as scammers pose as officials or tech support agents. Victims are often deceived into transferring funds via Bitcoin ATMs by scanning a QR code linked to the scammer’s wallet.

With over 32,000 Bitcoin ATMs in the U.S., scammers exploit the anonymity of cryptocurrency to steal funds quickly. For example, 76-year-old Indiana resident Marilyn LoCascio lost $31,500 after being tricked by fraudsters posing as tech support and government officials.

Bitcoin ATM operators, like Bitcoin Depot, are implementing fraud prevention measures but acknowledge the difficulty in stopping all scams. In response, California’s AB39 bill, effective July 2025, will introduce stricter regulations, including daily deposit limits and mandatory audits, to enhance oversight of Bitcoin ATMs.