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In search of the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth’s rivers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

(The Conversation) - Rivers have been the lifeblood of human civilization throughout history, and yet we know surprisingly little about what lives in many of them – including the giant creatures that prowl their depths.While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish is the whale shark, the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish species long remained a mystery.Until 2022, that is, when fishers in Cambodia caught a giant freshwater stingray in the remote reaches of the Mekong River.Weighing an astounding 661 pounds, the stingray surpassed by 15 pounds a giant catfish caught in Thailand in 2005 that had previously been considered the unofficial record holder.The discovery marked a milestone in fish biologist Zeb Hogan’s more than two-decade quest to study and protect giant freshwater fish. As a group, these megafish are among the most endangered animals on the planet.The world’s largest freshwater fish confirmed s...

Real World Economics: Military readiness comes with a price

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

Edward LottermanEconomics studies how a society can allocate scarce resources to meet its needs, and there is no knottier challenge than finding people to fight wars.That is a hot topic right now as all NATO countries reassess their militaries in the face of a Russia willing to slug it out in a large, traditional land war. At the same time, there is increasing asperity between China on one hand and virtually all of its neighbors, the United States, Australia and New Zealand on the other.Yet all U.S. armed forces in all their components, active, reserve and National Guard, are struggling to find enough people willing and able to serve. This is a big deal within the Department of Defense and outside it. Two recent publications by the non-partisan Council on Foreign Relations explore the issues, which are well summarized in a July 26 Washington Post editorial, “Army recruiting shortages will force big changes at the Pentagon.”Irony abounds in that 2023 is the 50th anniversary of an all...

Dolly Parton rocks cover of 'We Are The Champions' for the 2024 Olympics

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — With her album "Rockstar" set to release later this year, Dolly Parton is helping promote the upcoming Summer Olympics by covering two iconic rock anthems. NBCUniversal, the U.S. broadcaster for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, teamed up with Parton to create a unique cover of Queen's "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" to promote their coverage of the games in Paris. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The official music video combining the two anthems was released Wednesday, exactly one year before the start of the games, with Parton in front of the Eiffel Tour along with dramatic images of such famed U.S. Olympians as Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and the U.S. basketball teams. The tracks mark her latest foray into the rock world following her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. Her new album "Rockstar" is set to release on Nov. 17 with collaborations with icons including ...

More than 5,000 without power, storm damage across the St. Louis area

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Winds peaked at nearly 80 miles per hour at the St. Louis Lambert Regional Airport during an intense afternoon storm system Saturday afternoon, one that caused some scattered damage around St. Charles County. FOX 2's extreme weather specialist Chris Higgins describes the winds as some of the worst he has ever seen from a non-tornado or non-hurricane warned storm. He witnessed strong winds and heavy rainfall around 3:30 p.m. near Highway K in St. Charles County. Community officials are currently surveying damages. FOX 2 has learned of more than 100,000 power outages in the St. Louis metro and tens of thousands in St. Charles County. Right now, more than 5,000 people there are waking up without power.Residents are reporting downed power lines and trees. Two viewers from St. Charles County sent the following photos of damages. Viewer-submitted photos of storm damage in St. Charles County on July 29, 2023. Viewer-submitted photos of storm damage in St. Charles County on July...

Woman arrested for fatally striking pedestrian walking into convenience store 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

A pedestrian walking into a convenience store in South L.A. was killed by a driver after she crashed into the store while they were walking in. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident happened at the 7-Eleven on the corner of West Century Boulevard and Figueroa Street around 10:10 p.m. Sunday night. Officers were sitting at a red light in a nearby intersection when they observed a female driving in reverse and crashing into parked vehicles, authorities told KTLA.A pedestrian walking into a convenience store was killed by a driver after she crashed into the store. (OC Hawk)A pedestrian walking into a convenience store was killed by a driver after she crashed into the store. (OC Hawk)A pedestrian walking into a convenience store was killed by a driver after she crashed into the store. (OC Hawk)“She continued to reverse her vehicle, striking a pedestrian who was walking into the [store],” LAPD said. The victim, who has not been identified, was transp...

Evacuations ordered as wildfire near Temecula grows to over 2,200 acres

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

A brush fire burning near Temecula has charred more than 2,200 acres with very little containment as of Sunday morning, authorities said.The Bonny Fire was first reported around 2:45 p.m. Thursday near the 44000 block of Bonny Lane in Aguanga, a city about 20 miles east of Temecula. The blaze initially burned about five acres of dry brush on a hillside but grew rapidly amid the dry weather and triple-digit heat.The rugged and steep terrain remains a challenge for fire crews, who will continue to cool down hot spots and construct a containment line around the perimeter, CalFire said."The change in weather patterns and continued chance of thunderstorms today and tomorrow heightens the risk of erratic fire behavior," fire officials said in a release.The Bonny Fire burns near Temecula, California on July 28, 2023. (OnScene.tv)"We anticipate the number of acres is going to increase dramatically due to the way the fire is moving," CalFire spokesman Richard Cordova said Friday afternoon. "...

Contest winners address struggle of being ‘Be-You-tiful’ in social media age

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

Winning entries by local middle school students in this year’s Be-You-tiful contest, sponsored by the Campbell-based Eating Disorders Resource Center (EDRC), use different mediums to express similar ideas about how social media affects body image and overall well being.The annual contest is open to Bay Area middle and high school students.Emma Xuanyi Ma, a seventh-grader at Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino, won first place in the middle school prose category for “A Fresh Start.” Her poem addresses the stressors teens face in the age of the selfie: “It takes you thirty shots,/Before you get it right,/You’ve made your skin smooth/And your eyes bright;/But you’re not satisfied,/Perfection seems so far,/How come you never have/The beauty of those stars?”Nandika Trivedi, an eighth-grader at Thomas Russell Middle School in Milpitas, used self-portraiture to convey her inner child “that just wants to get out there and roam, no matter what others think about her weight or clothes.”“When I...

State Route 13 in Oakland closed after fatal crash involving pedestrian

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

A fatal crash early Sunday morning shut down all southbound lanes on State Route 13 near Montclair and left one pedestrian dead.The crash, which involved a black Toyota Corolla, occurred sometime after midnight. California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a man crawling in the slow lane near the Park Boulevard onramp after possibly being hit by a car at 1:17 a.m.Oakland Fire Department also responded and confirmed the fatality at 1:33 a.m.. California Highway Patrol ordered the highway closed soon after, diverting traffic onto Park Boulevard.The highway reopened to Southbound traffic at 3:38 a.m.As of June, 4 pedestrians had been killed in Oakland this year.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Head-on collision kills suspected DUI driver, passenger on I-280 in Los Altos Hills Crashes and Disasters | Alameda County DA gives early release to Oakland man convicted of murder in 2003 crash during police chase Crashes and Disasters | Pi...

Negotiating the ins and outs of San Jose Jazz Summer Fest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

Last year’s San Jose Jazz Summer Fest was arguably a victim of its own success in that so many people turned out to hear the main stage acts that the security checkpoints couldn’t get them through the gates until after the music had started.Festival organizers have taken steps to get folks settled in Plaza de Cesar Chavez for this year’s Summer Fest, taking place Aug. 11-13.“Organizers have both made infrastructure changes and are working closely with fest security on updated gate procedures to ensure a smoother, faster line process at the main gates,” says Summer Fest Operations Director Annie Hermes.Among these changes, a second VIP entrance has been added near the main stage to help alleviate main gate congestion. For everyone else, there’ll be an express line for those who forego camp chairs and come only with clear bags and small purses.Related ArticlesEntertainment | Taylor Swift breaks curfew for second night in a row at Levi’s Stadium Entertainment | ...

Westmont High School junior is a winner in Be-You-tiful contest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:09 GMT

Be-You-tiful winnerWestmont High School junior Jupiter Polevoi is among the winners of this year’s Be-You-tiful contest, sponsored by the Campbell-based Eating Disorders Resource Center (EDRC). The annual contest asked Bay Area middle and high school students to share their thoughts on how social media affects body image and overall well being.In her winning video, Jupiter sings an original song about a young woman’s struggle with an eating disorder. According to the EDRC, As many as 30% of girls and 16% of boys in American high schools suffer from disordered eating.First-, second- and third-place winners in the Be-You-tiful contest’s  various categories won $300, $200 and $100, respectively.Register for Teal RunRegistration is open for the ninth annual Teal Run, a fundraiser for women and families affected by ovarian cancer. The 5k fun run/walk is set for Oct. 1, 7:30-11:30 a.m., at Campbell Park.The race is hosted by the Teal Foundation, started in 2015 to promote a sense of commu...