🌞 The Queen is… – February 24 2022

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00 am ET. 

• Markets: The Dow and Nasdaq fell for the fifth straight day, while the S&P fell further into correction territory.

China Follows The Putin Lead

credit: reuters

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Ukraine worry for some Taiwan worry.

China, which has backed Russia’s Ukraine aggression, seems to be watching the current conflict very, very closely. Ironically, in what seems to be a page ripped from Putin’s playbook, the country is already making the case for why their possible invasion of Taiwan would make so much more sense than Russia invading Ukraine.

"Taiwan is not Ukraine," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China. This is an indisputable legal and historical fact."

Taiwan, which is where the Republic of China leaders took refuge after the Communist People’s Republic of China took over in 1949, definitely disagrees. But they can see what’s coming. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen told the military to be ready for coming aggression.

India's Hijab Debate

credit: getty

The Hindu-Muslim divide in India is playing out in the courts this week. A group of five students wants to wear their hijabs to school, but a ban on hijabs at their government-run college makes that impossible.

The government says that the ban does not violate constitutional rights protecting religious freedom, so students should follow the school's dress code. While the case is in review, religious garments are banned from all classrooms in the state.

People are not following this ban. A video of student Muskan Khan wearing hijab and getting heckled by a group of men went viral. Khan told The Times of India that contrary to the government's arguments in court that the hijab isn't an "essential religious practice" of Islam, the hijab "is beyond a symbol of Islam for us; it is a vessel of our self-respect."

Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Bill

gov. ron desantis credit: getty

Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill is racing through the legislature, and teachers, guidance counselors, and many Florida parents like me are watching in horror.

HR 1557 states: "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards." 

It also says parents can sue if, say, Jimmy had a discussion with his guidance counselor about confusing feelings and they didn't feel it was "appropriate." Suppose Alex spoke to a trusted teacher about their gender identity. If Keisha saw a picture on her teacher's desk of him with his husband.  

Unfortunately, many LGBTQIA+ kids and others face big threats at home. For some, school is a refuge but this bill erases that. This outing-kids-bill seems a reaction to bills in other states that require teachers to keep childrens' gender identity, new names and sexual orientation a secret from parents. Both extremes are dangerous. In Florida, the bill's broad language is terrifying to many of us in the state for how we know it will be used. Still, the bill advanced in the Florida House Tuesday.

No one is teaching a class called "How to Be Gay" in Florida or anywhere else. A class like that wouldn't change who anyone is even if it tried. Bills like these (and there are many in other states) have a chilling effect on students trying to figure out who they are. Which is ALL OF THEM! Don't be gay bills like this will cause an escalation in shame, solitude, and suicide.

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My Robot Painted This

credit: stephen thaler

Dr. Stephen Thaler is testing copyright and patent laws across the world with his applications for work created by artificial intelligence systems.

The U.S. Copyright Office is the latest to deny his application, this time for a piece of art created by "The Creativity Machine" titled A Recent Entrance to Paradise. In its denial, the office said the work "must be created by a human being" in order to qualify for a copyright.

According to Engadget, this is the way it's gone for Thaler in other countries: "He has attempted to have an AI called DABUS recognized as the inventor of two products in patent applications. The US Patent and Trademark Office, UK Intellectual Property Office, and European Patent Office rejected the applications because the credited inventor wasn't human. Appeals have been filed against those rulings and ones in Australia and Germany."

But Thaler got a patent in South Africa! Well, not Thaler. His AI. But Thaler. But… ah. I see the problem.

News By The Numbers

$24 million. That is the settlement the U.S. Soccer Federation agreed to pay the Women's National Team for a history of unequal pay. Who's next? WNBA???

$390,000. That is how much a Tennessee woman lost in a cryptocurrency scam on the dating app Hinge. 

17%. That is how much of the world's natural gas Russia produces. And they provide 12% of the world's oil. Conflict in Ukraine will send energy markets spinning.

70%. That is how much higher methane emissions are from the global energy sector than originally reported, according to the International Energy Agency. 

What's Trending? 

credit: polygon

Elden Ring is trending because the review embargo on the new RPG video game has been lifted and there seems to be a collective jaw-drop.

They did the thing is trending. Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield did the thing.

Wendy Williams is trending because her syndicated talk show "The Wendy Williams Show" has been canceled. Sherri Shepherd will be taking her place with her own show, called "Sherri."

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