World

Skolnik: Leadership In The Age Of COVID-19

by

By RICHARD SKOLNIK
Los Alamos

To deal effectively with the COVID-19 health crisis, the US needs exceptional leadership at all levels of government and society.

In the absence of such leadership, many more people will die then would otherwise be the case.

So, what kind of leadership do we so urgently need?

General Stanley McChrystal suggested in a webinar Friday (https://vimeo.com/403896265) that we must have leaders who:

  • Are honest and inspire
  • Understand the directions in which they have to move the country and the world
  • Surround themselves with experts to whom they listen
  • Drive action in
Read More

DOJ: Over $55 Million Available To Fight Human Trafficking

by

The International Labour Organization points out that human trafficking is a growing menace, with an estimated 40.3 million people enslaved worldwide. Over the years, these human traffickers have raked in $150 billion as profits from forced employment in domestic, agricultural, industrial and prostitution. Courtesy/analyticsinsight.net

DOJ News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of Justice Programs announced Friday that more than $55 million in grant funding is available to help communities combat human trafficking and serve adults and children who are victimized in trafficking operations. Read More

COVID-19 Doubling Rate Slows In Some States But Number Of New Confirmed Cases Per Day Increasing Everywhere

by

COVID-19 continues to spread. The doubling rate has slowed in some states recently, but the absolute number of new confirmed cases per day is increasing everywhere, still indicating exponential growth. This figure shows the recent growth in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases for several US states, using data through Friday 3, April. Dashed lines show exponential growth curves, labeled by doubling time in days. Data are from several sources: from state reports (for New Mexico and Colorado), from https://ncov2019.live/data, from the Johns Hopkins U. GitHub repository https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19
Read More

World Futures: Privacy Or Is It Secrecy? – Part Four

by

By ANDY ANDREWS
Los Alamos World Futures Institute

In parts one, two and three of this series we examined definitions of privacy and secrecy, customer care, the internet, biometrics and public records.

Returning to the definitions again, is it personal or informational and is it privacy or secrecy that we want or need? And what do we want known about us? Obviously the terms differ from person to person, business to business, government to government, or any mixture thereof.

As previously noted in these columns, the information in the world doubles every year. In two years it will have grown 400 Read More

Catch Of The Week: Security Tips For Using Zoom

by

By BECKY RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

The COVID-19 pandemic has most of the world working, socializing, and going to school from home. This means a significant rise in the usage of video teleconferencing services (VTC), especially Zoom.

Zoom usage went from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million in March 2020. It can be a great tool to bring people together in the virtual world, but it is already being abused via an attack known as “Zoom-bombing”. In this attack, uninvited guests hijack VTC meetings by disrupting them with pornographic/hate images and threatening language.

The problem has gotten Read More

LANL: High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory Tests Speed Of Light

by

This compound graphic shows a view of the sky in ultra-high energy gamma rays. The arrows indicate the four sources of gamma rays with energies over 100 TeV from within our galaxy (courtesy of the HAWC collaboration) imposed over a photo of the HAWC Observatory’s 300 large water tanks. The tanks contain sensitive light detectors that measure showers of particles produced by the gamma rays striking the atmosphere more than 10 miles overhead. Courtesy/Jordan Goodman

LANL News:

New measurements confirm, to the highest energies yet explored, that the laws of physics hold no matter where you are Read More

Chart 15: COVID-19 Daily Cases By County In New Mexico

by

Chart shows the cumulative cases of COVID-19 by county in New Mexico. Courtesy/Eli Ben-Naim

Chart shows total cumulative tests of COVID-19 statewide in New Mexico, Courtesy/Eli Ben-Naim

Chart shows number of COVID-19 cases per county across New Mexico. Courtesy/Eli Ben-Naim

Chart shows COVID-19 in the United States and the US fraction of cases worldwide. Courtesy/Eli Ben-Naim
 Read More

Debate Flares Over AI To Detect COVID-19 In Lung Scans

by

Medical staff perform a CT scan of a Covid-19 patient at Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China. STR/AFP/Getty Images

HSNW News:

A series of studies, starting as a steady drip and quickening to a deluge, has reported the same core finding amid the global spread of COVID-19: Artificial intelligence could analyze chest images to accurately detect the disease in legions of untested patients.

Casey Ross writes in STAT that the results promised a ready solution to the shortage of diagnostic testing in the U.S. and some other countries and triggered splashy press releases and a cascade of hopeful headlines. Read More

Catch Of The Week: COVID-19 Stimulus Check Scams

by

By BECKY RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

COVID-19 relief is on the way from the federal government, and even though they haven’t printed a single stimulus check yet, the bad guys are already trying to get their share.

There are already reports of scammers who claim to be calling about the federal government’s COVID-19 stimulus package. These calls claim that you can get your money immediately if you just give the caller your debit or credit card information. They might claim you qualify for $1,000-$14,000 in federal relief funds; in some cases, they might claim it is “grant money”. The government will not Read More

Governor Issues Proclamation For Vietnam Veterans

by

NMDVS News:

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has issued a message and proclamation designating Sunday, March 29: “National Vietnam War Veterans Day” in New Mexico.

“As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to take a moment to recognize our Vietnam War veterans on this day: March 29…National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

“March 29 is the day our nation recognizes the men and women who were denied a proper welcome upon returning home from their service in Vietnam.

“Today many in our nation may debate the merits of that war. However, in issuing a state proclamation declaring the day as “National Read More