Bédard, J H; Dewing, K; Grasby, S E; Nabelek, P; Heimdal, T H; Yakymchuk, C; Sheih, S; Rumney, J; Deegan, F M; Troll, V. Geological Society of America Bulletin 2023, 2023 p. 1-25, https://doi.org/10.1130/B36982.1
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20230095.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20230095.jpg" title="Geological Society of America Bulletin 2023, 2023 p. 1-25, https://doi.org/10.1130/B36982.1" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Kellett, D A; Coutand, I; Zagorevski, A; Grujic, D; Dewing, K; Beranek, L. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 2023 p. 1-25, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2023-0082
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20220220.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20220220.jpg" title="Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 2023 p. 1-25, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2023-0082" height="150" border="1" /></a>

1. Who is Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick as secretary of defence?  Sydney Morning Herald
2. Pete Hegseth’s Path from Campus Provocateur to “Fox & Friends” to the Pentagon  The New Yorker
3. 'Frightening': Van Jones reacts to Hegseth's military ideology  CNN

Indian American Governor Nikki Haley is one of the contenders for Secretary of State or other cabinet positions in the Donald Trump administration, according to media reports on Wednesday.

United States President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the nomination of popular Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth, 44, as his defence secretary.

[State Department] The United States congratulates the people of Mauritius for their dedication to the democratic process and the newly elected government on its election victory. We look forward to working with Prime Minister-Elect Dr. Navin Ramgoolam on strengthening our bilateral ties. By expanding our partnership and deepening our cooperation, we can promote democracy, economic growth, and regional security to the benefit of both our countries and the Indian Ocean region.

Hyundai’s Creta iVT is a hot favourite of our long term fleet, and that’s down to how convenient and fuss-free a companion it is. Here to give a taste of another flavour of the Creta is the N Line. A 160hp turbo-petrol engine, dual-clutch transmission, and tweaked steering and suspension promise a more involving driving experience, something I, its custodian, have a good few months to make the most of. However, for me, this version of the Creta appeals first and foremost for the way it looks. Its larger 18-inch rims alone uplift the stance successfully, and then there’s the rest of the N Line trimmings. The sportier bumpers, side skirts, roof spoiler and red detailing add up to give the Creta N Line genuine visual distinction among the sea of ‘ordinary’ Cretas. The iVT looks plain vanilla when standing alongside.

I like what Hyundai has done with the interior, too. The all-black treatment with red highlights works to bring in some sportiness to the ambience. The N Line-specific steering is also great to hold, and even the metal finish to the pedals is a detail not lost on me. For the full effect, I’ve made the Sport screen (carbon-fibre look) the default layout for the digital instruments. I’m not entirely satisfied with my seating position though. The digital screen and centre touchscreen are positioned a touch low for my liking. Oh, and the absence of wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was an irritant during my initial days with the Creta. A Rs 99 wire did help get past the issue, but I’d rather not have my phone plugged in for more time than required.

Our N Line is in top-spec N10 form and the goodies on board are being put to, well, good use. Front seat ventilation is a hit with everyone who experiences it, and I like the sound from the Bose sound system. I’m no audiophile but there is enough depth to the sound to satisfy my ears. What I really appreciate are the cameras. The front view camera is very handy in judging parking space, and the blind view monitors are a boon, too. Camera resolution and performance are impressive and better than what you get in many pricier cars.

We’re in the thick of the festive season as I file this report, which means traffic is at its yearly worst. Forget about letting the 160 horses under the hood loose, getting into fourth gear is an achievement on my daily commute these days. The stop/start driving means the dual-clutch gearbox has to work overtime, and it’s not particularly a fan of frequent shifts at low speeds. There’s the occasional delay and the odd jerky shift at other times. The Creta iVT offers a far smoother experience in the same environment. The N Line can be had with a 6-speed manual, too, but it’d be too committed a choice for my kind of driving. The other thing? The N Line’s larger 18-inch wheels also manifest in a busier ride. You feel more of the surface below, and it’s not quite as pliant as other Cretas on 17-inch rims. There’s more weight at the steering, too – great when you’re on a twisty road, not so much when you have a tight parking to work your car into.

Low-speed city driving has taken its toll on economy.

What’s also pinching a bit is fuel economy. I’ve been averaging all of 7.9kpl but my 10km round trip through choc-a-block traffic doesn’t let the engine have it easy at any point. The real-time figure improves dramatically (upwards of 10kpl) over late night drives on emptier roads. I would have liked more background music on said drives from the exhaust. The twin tip exhaust is just for show and sound levels are no higher than a regular Creta, which is a shame.

I intend to end the year with a few weekend getaways, and the plan is to select routes with some good driving roads as well. I’ll keep you posted on my learnings on those. Initial impressions are of being with the best looking Creta, but not necessarily the best Creta per se.

Also See:

2024 Hyundai Creta long term review, 1,700km report

2024 Hyundai Creta long term review, 4,850km report

The Hyundai Creta is one of the most in-demand SUVs in Autocar India’s long-term fleet, and it isn’t hard to see why. It’s spacious, comfy, practical and feature-loaded, and with the petrol-CVT powertrain this one packs, it’s right at home in the city, too. So I was very happy that I managed to snag the keys and draft it in as my ride for the rains. And while I’ve been using it mostly for commuting, with the monsoon season in full swing, a road trip with friends was soon planned, and the Creta was called into action as the weekend getaway car.

With not much luggage for a two-day trip, the Creta’s practicality wasn’t put to the test, but the 200-odd km highway drive did reveal a few of its other attributes. Let’s start with the seats; they’re very comfy and ventilated, and the power adjustment means it’s easy to get your ideal driving position. I also appreciate the Creta’s absorbent ride, as it dealt with the broken patches of the old Mumbai-Goa highway with ease. The Creta felt absolutely composed on the road despite loads of standing water on the highway and gusty winds on the Atal Setu. Another thing I grew to appreciate is the well-executed blind spot monitor that shows up in the instrument panel. This feature proved to be very useful when visibility from the wing mirrors was poor due to the weather. The 360-degree camera also proved its worth when parking during rain. 

But perhaps, what I like most about this particular Creta, is its easy-going nature – it has made me a much calmer driver, and that has only helped with fuel efficiency. A lot of that is down to the buttery smooth 1.5 petrol-CVT powertrain combo. The engine is barely audible inside the cabin. While you do get some of that typical rubber-band effect from the CVT when you’re pushing, it’s well-masked in this SUV. Overall, it makes for a relaxed driving experience that rarely brings out the ‘racer’ in you.

There’s not much wrong with the Creta, but I’ve noticed some things that could make living with it even more comfy. I would’ve liked it if the centre armrest had a sliding function to rest your elbow on long drives. Wireless smartphone integration would’ve been appreciated, too. The light-coloured upholstery has been a pain to keep clean in this weather.

Overall, it’s been a comfortable and trouble-free few weeks with the Creta. I’ve also figured out how to solve some issues, such as Android Auto only appearing in split screen and the infamous lock/unlock beeps. More on that in the next one – if I’m able to hold on to the keys.

Also see:

2024 Hyundai Creta long term review, 1,700km report

Hyundai Creta facelift sells 1 lakh units in just 6 months

Hyundai Alcazar discounts increased to Rs 90,000 ahead of facelift

Hyundai’s Creta iVT is a hot favourite of our long term fleet, and that’s down to how convenient and fuss-free a companion it is. Here to give a taste of another flavour of the Creta is the N Line. A 160hp turbo-petrol engine, dual-clutch transmission, and tweaked steering and suspension promise a more involving driving experience, something I, its custodian, have a good few months to make the most of. However, for me, this version of the Creta appeals first and foremost for the way it looks. Its larger 18-inch rims alone uplift the stance successfully, and then there’s the rest of the N Line trimmings. The sportier bumpers, side skirts, roof spoiler and red detailing add up to give the Creta N Line genuine visual distinction among the sea of ‘ordinary’ Cretas. The iVT looks plain vanilla when standing alongside.

I like what Hyundai has done with the interior, too. The all-black treatment with red highlights works to bring in some sportiness to the ambience. The N Line-specific steering is also great to hold, and even the metal finish to the pedals is a detail not lost on me. For the full effect, I’ve made the Sport screen (carbon-fibre look) the default layout for the digital instruments. I’m not entirely satisfied with my seating position though. The digital screen and centre touchscreen are positioned a touch low for my liking. Oh, and the absence of wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was an irritant during my initial days with the Creta. A Rs 99 wire did help get past the issue, but I’d rather not have my phone plugged in for more time than required.

Our N Line is in top-spec N10 form and the goodies on board are being put to, well, good use. Front seat ventilation is a hit with everyone who experiences it, and I like the sound from the Bose sound system. I’m no audiophile but there is enough depth to the sound to satisfy my ears. What I really appreciate are the cameras. The front view camera is very handy in judging parking space, and the blind view monitors are a boon, too. Camera resolution and performance are impressive and better than what you get in many pricier cars.

We’re in the thick of the festive season as I file this report, which means traffic is at its yearly worst. Forget about letting the 160 horses under the hood loose, getting into fourth gear is an achievement on my daily commute these days. The stop/start driving means the dual-clutch gearbox has to work overtime, and it’s not particularly a fan of frequent shifts at low speeds. There’s the occasional delay and the odd jerky shift at other times. The Creta iVT offers a far smoother experience in the same environment. The N Line can be had with a 6-speed manual, too, but it’d be too committed a choice for my kind of driving. The other thing? The N Line’s larger 18-inch wheels also manifest in a busier ride. You feel more of the surface below, and it’s not quite as pliant as other Cretas on 17-inch rims. There’s more weight at the steering, too – great when you’re on a twisty road, not so much when you have a tight parking to work your car into.

Low-speed city driving has taken its toll on economy.

What’s also pinching a bit is fuel economy. I’ve been averaging all of 7.9kpl but my 10km round trip through choc-a-block traffic doesn’t let the engine have it easy at any point. The real-time figure improves dramatically (upwards of 10kpl) over late night drives on emptier roads. I would have liked more background music on said drives from the exhaust. The twin tip exhaust is just for show and sound levels are no higher than a regular Creta, which is a shame.

I intend to end the year with a few weekend getaways, and the plan is to select routes with some good driving roads as well. I’ll keep you posted on my learnings on those. Initial impressions are of being with the best looking Creta, but not necessarily the best Creta per se.

Also See:

2024 Hyundai Creta long term review, 1,700km report

2024 Hyundai Creta long term review, 4,850km report

Production of C3 Aircross SUV has commenced at the Tiruvallur plant. Bookings will begin by September and deliveries by October. The price will be announced closer to that date.

1. Trump names Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defence secretary pick  BBC.com
2. Trump's defense choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience  The Associated Press
3. Trump Puts Allies on Alert by Handing Pentagon to Fox News Host Hegseth  Bloomberg
4. How Pete Hegseth went from Fox News host to Trump’s Defense Secretary pick  CNN

Conservative MP Alex Burghart has defended not visiting Northern Ireland during his time as shadow secretary.

1. Trump Taps Fox News Pundit to Be Secretary of Defense  Rolling Stone
2. Trump's defence choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience  CTV News
3. How Pete Hegseth went from Fox News host to Trump’s Defense Secretary pick  CNN
4. Trump Puts Allies on Alert by Handing Pentagon to Fox News Host Hegseth  Bloomberg
5. House Democrat ‘very disturbed’ by Hegseth pick as Trump Defense secretary  The Hill

Hegseth, who is also a former soldier without political experience, will lead the world's most powerful military.

WASHINGTON: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has picked Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense, tapping an outsider who has railed against diversity in the military.

“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,“ Trump said in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

Hegseth is an Army National Guard veteran and according to his website served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Hegseth has said he left the Army in 2021 after being deemed an extremist by an Army that didn't want him anymore.

“The feeling was mutual -- I didn’t want this Army anymore either,“ Hegseth said in his book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”

There is already anxiety in the Pentagon that Trump aims to root out military officers and career civil servants he perceives to be disloyal.

Culture war issues could be one trigger for firings. Trump was asked by Fox News in June whether he would fire generals described as “woke,“ a term for those focused on racial and social justice but which is used by conservatives to disparage progressive policies.

“At a basic level, do we really want only the woke ‘diverse’ recruits that the Biden administration is curating to be the ones with the guns and the guidons?” Hegseth wrote in “The War on Warriors,“ which was published in June.

“We want those diverse recruits -- pumped full of vaccines and even more poisonous ideologies -- to be sharing a basic training bunk with sane Americans,“ he said.

Trump's former U.S. generals and defense secretaries are among his fiercest critics, with some declaring him unfit for office. Angered, Trump has suggested that his former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, could be executed for treason.

Donald Trump gestures next to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem during a town hall campaign event in Oaks, Pennsylvania, US, October 14, 2024. — Reuters

US President-elect Donald Trump has picked South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next secretary of the Department of...

US President-elect Donald Trump and Republican US Senator Marco Rubio 2011. — Reuters

US President-elect Donald Trump announced new members of his incoming administration on Monday, and was expected to pick Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

Both Rubio and...

US President Donald Trump is interviewed by Fox and Friends co-host Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington, US April 6, 2017. REUTERS

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has picked as his secretary of defence Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran who has...

PTI leader Salman Akram Raja and founder Imran Khan. —Screengrab/ X/ @salmanAraja/ Instagram/ @ptiofficial/ FileOmar Ayub's resignation not yet formally accepted.Gohar says Raja’s work as secy gen is internal matter.PTI Constitution has no provision for secy gen's nomination.

There's a reason we heard so much about extreme heat deaths over the summer.

In a flurry of announcements, Trump also named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.

The post Trump nominates Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary appeared first on Boston.com.

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular.

The post Trump expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state appeared first on Boston.com.

As homeland security secretary, Noem would lead a sprawling federal bureaucracy with a $60 billion budget and more than 230,000 employees.

The post Trump picks Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as homeland security secretary appeared first on Boston.com.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says Stuart Andrew has a ‘deep understanding’ of the voluntary sector

The Steel Framing Industry Association announced that Jay Larson, P.E., F.ASCE, formerly with the American Iron and Steel Institute, has been appointed secretariat of the newly formed SFIA Standards Committee.

Washington — Health care workers will be the focus of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19, which will be issued June 10, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told the House Education and Labor Committee during a June 9 hearing.

Washington — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to become executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to multiple reports.

Washington — President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Julie Su for labor secretary.

Washington — Julie Su emphasized her commitment to “finding and expanding the vast areas of common ground between employers and employees” during her April 20 confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Washington — President Joe Biden has renominated Julie Su for labor secretary, but Su’s path to confirmation remains murky.

Washington – Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of Transportation on July 2, five days after being confirmed by the Senate in a unanimous vote.

Washington – The Senate confirmed Thomas Perez on July 18 as secretary of labor with a 54-46 vote.

Washington — A House committee has approved legislation that would set a limit on how long an acting secretary can lead the Department of Labor.

If confirmed, the Florida senator would become the first Latino to ever serve as the nation's top diplomat.

Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012.

Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security. It's one of the biggest government agencies that will be integral to his vow to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation.

[International] :
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as the next secretary of defense. In a statement issued Tuesday, Trump called the nominee “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” adding that with Hegseth at the ...

[more...]

"This is a petty, partisan power grab that is absolutely retaliation towards my office," Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs says of the new law.; Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP

Arizona Republicans have stripped the secretary of state's office — currently held by a Democrat — of the right to defend the state's election laws in court, or choose not to, a change enacted as part of Arizona's newly signed budget.

The spending blueprint that Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Wednesday declares that the attorney general — currently a position occupied by Republican Mark Brnovich — has sole authority over election-related litigation.

If the secretary of state and attorney general were to disagree over a legal strategy when Arizona election laws are challenged, the new law states that "the authority of the attorney general to defend the law is paramount."

Republicans also adopted language stating it's their intent for the law to apply through Jan. 2, 2023, coinciding with the end of Democrat Katie Hobbs' term as secretary of state.

Hobbs, the top election official in Arizona who's now running for governor, says her lawyers are looking at whether this change violates the Arizona Constitution.

"This is a petty, partisan power grab that is absolutely retaliation towards my office," Hobbs said. "It's clear by the fact that it ends when my term ends. ... It is at best legally questionable, but at worst, likely unconstitutional."

Republicans have generally cast the law as a cost-saving measure, citing Hobbs and Brnovich's frequent disagreements over how to defend state election laws that have been challenged in court. In 2020, Hobbs filed complaints with the state bar against Brnovich and other lawyers in his office.

Other election provisions in the budget

The budget includes a number of other election provisions, and it comes weeks after Republicans enacted new restrictions on early voting in the state, and as a controversial review of 2020 election results in Maricopa County continues.

Here are some of the other election-related measures in the budget:

• New laws could soon require watermarks, QR codes and other security measures to be printed on ballots.
• There's a new mandate to inspect state and county voter registration databases and create a report on voters who cast federal-only ballots — an option available to Arizonans who don't show proof of citizenship to register to vote in the state, but are still allowed to register under federal law.
• And a new task force would investigate alleged social media bias as an unreported in-kind political contribution.

The ballot security measures, though not mandated by law in the budget, have the potential to be the most cumbersome and costly requirement for county election officials to implement.

The budget amendment provides a list of 10 "ballot fraud countermeasures" for counties to choose from — features like holographic foil, background designs similar to those found on banknotes and ultraviolet or infrared ink. If mandated, counties would have to implement any combination of at least three features from the list on their ballots. The budget provides $12 million to pay for those features, to be split among Arizona's 15 counties.

"By everyone's admission, there is only one company that can do any of this," said Jennifer Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties. "And so now, we can't have a competitive bid process or a traditional procurement process at the county or state level to use these countermeasures because we're locked into one company."

That company is Authentix, a Texas-based firm that provided Republican Rep. Mark Finchem with a sample ballot that included watermarks, QR codes and other security measures. Finchem had the sample ballot on display at the Capitol in March. According to the Yellow Sheet Report, it could be five times more expensive to print ballots with those security measures as it is to print paper ballots currently in use.

Marson said Finchem has acknowledged the security levels required of companies in the budget amendment could only be met by Authentix, and has vowed to mandate the ballot security measures in the "very near future."

Finchem defended the company in a brief email. He wrote that Authentix "offers these countermeasures to governments around the world for document and tax stamp security."

As the budget was being considered, Democrats like Sen. Tony Navarrete said the amendment is part of a broad effort to solidify conspiracy theories of election fraud.

"It's important for us to make sure we vote down conspiracy-laced amendments that are going to hurt the integrity of our election system in the state of Arizona and encourage other states to have these bad copycat laws spread like wildfire," he said.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are now serving as the host for the InterAcademy Partnership for Research (IAP-R) secretariat.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) took center stage at the Chair’s Luncheon of the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting today.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed attendees of the Transportation Research Board’s 101st Annual Meeting, where he highlighted the importance of evidence-based science, along with economic strength, clean energy, road traffic safety, and infrastructure.

Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took the stage at the 2023 annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board to discuss the federal government’s plan to reach “net-zero” carbon emissions in the U.S. transportation sector by 2050.

Creta Class, the app that makes math fun and easy for kids, receives recognition from leading educational institutions in Asia

Empowering Young Minds: Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Early Math Skills

President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to name Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) as his secretary of state, The New York Times reported Monday night.