[Inter-Korea] :
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have condemned the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia in the “strongest” terms with “one voice.” Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued the condemnation on Wednesday in a joint statement after ...

[more...]

[Inter-Korea] :
Defense minister Kim Yong-hyun said Wednesday that South Korea is not considering sending troops to support Ukraine.  The minister made the remarks during a meeting with reporters in Washington, while visiting the United States to attend the annual Security Consultative Meeting. When asked how the ...

[more...]

[Sports] :
The sports ministry recommended on Tuesday that the Korea Football Association(KFA) take strong disciplinary action against its executives following an audit of the governing body. Following the monthslong audit, the ministry concluded that at least suspensions would be necessary for KFA President Chung ...

[more...]

Trailblazing seismologist named new editor-in-chief of GJI  The Royal Astronomical Society

Chalcopyrite, the world's primary copper ore mineral, is abundant in Latin America. Copper extraction offers significant economic and social benefits due to its strategic importance across various industries. However, the hydro­metallurgical route, considered more environmentally friendly for processing low-grade chal­co­py­rite ores, remains challenging, as does its concentration by froth flotation. This limited understanding stems from the poorly understood structure and reactivity of chal­co­py­rite surfaces. This study reviews recent contributions using density functional theory (DFT) calculations with periodic boundary conditions and slab models to elucidate chal­co­py­rite surface properties. Our analysis reveals that reconstructed surfaces preferentially expose S atoms at the topmost layer. Furthermore, some studies report the formation of di­sulfide groups (S22−) on pristine sulfur-terminated surfaces, accom­panied by the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+, likely due to surface oxidation. Additionally, Fe sites are consistently identified as favourable adsorption locations for both oxygen (O2) and water (H2O) mol­ecules. Finally, the potential of com­puter modelling for investigating collector–chal­co­py­rite surface inter­actions in the context of selective froth flotation is discussed, highlighting the need for further research in this area.

The pandemic has once again felled Burning Man. Some burners still plan to gather for informal events on the dusty Black Rock Desert Playa this summer.; Credit: Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

And so it goes: Burning Man 2021 is canceled. It's the second year in a row, the popular arts festival won't be held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert due to the pandemic.

"We have decided to set our sights on Black Rock City 2022," event officials announced in a blog post on Tuesday. In a frequently-asked-questions section, organizers added: "We've heard from many who don't feel ready to come to Black Rock City. While we're confident in our ability to get a permit and to safeguard public health, we know that co-creating Black Rock City in 2021 would put tremendous strain on our community while we are still ironing out uncertainty."

Many would-be attendees praised the decision in comments on the Burning Man website and on social media as a safe one; others are anxiously anticipating a bigger and better 2022 Burn.

But the cancellation has put many people in the event's host community at ease.

Wary of a trend of rising coronavirus cases in some parts of the region, Washoe County's district health officer Kevin Dick said "the right call was made," in order to lower the risk of spreading infection.

"The event draws thousands of people from all over the world," Dick said in an email. "We are seeing large outbreaks of COVID-19 occurring in a number of countries, areas where very contagious COVID-19 variants of concern are prevalent and where low rates of vaccination are occurring."

The head of a local Paiute tribe is also feeling less burdened knowing there won't be the annual pilgrimage. The main highway to get to the Black Rock Desert playa, which normally draws tens of thousands of people to the summer event, cuts through tribal lands.

"For us it is a sigh of relief," said Janet Davis, chairwoman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

Although the event — which brings in about $63 million to the state annually — gives the tribal community a welcome financial boost, Davis said.

"We don't know who's vaccinated and who's not," she said. "We've been trying to keep our reservation safe and that happening was too soon for us to open."

As with last year, the organization will offer virtual programming during Burn Week, from Aug. 29 through Sept. 7, an experience they say drew 165,000 participants in 2020.

In response to a request for more details on the reasons for the cancellation, Burning Man organizers declined to comment further. Earlier this month, though, CEO Marian Goodell said the organization was "weighing the gravity" of implementing a vaccination requirement that she said challenged "radical inclusion," one of the group's 10 principles.

Still, for many burners, the news won't extinguish their plans to trek to the desert in droves. Just like last year, revelers are preparing to hold unofficial gatherings on public land in place of the annual event.

Last summer, those events — the so-called "rogue" and "free" burns or, unmistakably, "Not Burning Man" — drew an estimated 3,000 people to Black Rock Desert during the time Burning Man is normally held, according to the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency that approves the organization's permits each year.

Kevin Jervis, one such attendee who now lives in Gerlach — a tiny desert town near the event site — welcomed this year's cancellation.

He called it "more of a relief than anything. ... A lot of us liked it better the way it happened last year."

During the informal festivities, Jervis spent a few days between the playa and its outskirts. He said he and his fellow burners felt like it represented the festival's freewheeling roots.

"I've had friends that have been going since '94 and they said it was a lot more like it used to be. We didn't have to go by regulations," he said. "We could have guns, dogs ... it was a lot freer."

Even before the pandemic, burners increasingly saw an annual gathering under siege.

Event-goers who adhere to Burning Man's counterculture beginnings say the festival's explosion in popularity in the past decade has welcomed a host of bad actors who trash the desert and surrounding communities and disregard the event's founding principles, including "decommodification" and the eco-friendly philosophy of "leave no trace."

Some of those perceived threats come from festival officials themselves, he said. A ticket to the main event alone cost over $400 in 2019 — a financial hurdle critics say goes against another tenet long espoused, that "everyone is invited."

"People that have never been before came out last year because they either couldn't get a ticket other years or they were just kind of curious. Or they didn't have the money to go to the actual Burn," said Jervis.

As for the Pyramid Lake Paiute community, with the reservation largely closed during that period last year, Davis said, "we really didn't see the impact" from a public health standpoint.

"You're not talking about 65 — 75,000 people." While there was more traffic, she said, "they moseyed on through and moseyed on out."

In the years leading up to the pandemic, BLM had been cracking down on the event's growth. Were the festival to return this year, Burning Man organizers said they would have had to meet a population cap of 69,000, down from its 80,000 limit for previous events.

Jervis says he won't miss what he describes as organizers' leniency toward "elites" who set up VIP areas at their camps and hire out to construct their art creations instead of making their own.

"A lot of people have gotten sick of what Burning Man's kind of become," he said.

Even if this year was a go, he said, burners would still be setting up their own Burning Man-adjacent happenings.

Following the announcement of the event's cancellation, people are taking to Facebook groups to reminisce about last year's unsanctioned burns and discuss preparations for their own this summer.

"So it seems that as of today there isn't going to be an official [Burning Man Ceremony] this year," James Zapata wrote. "So who's joining me in the dust?"

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

Randy Cress, currently the Systems and Network Manager for Rowan County, North Carolina, is named Catawba County's new Chief Information Officer.

Good morning. I am Dr. Alice Gast and I am here today with Dr. David Relman as the chair and vice chair of the Committee on the Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis Mailings.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announces the appointment of May R. Berenbaum as Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official journal of the Academy. Berenbaum will begin the editorship on January 1, 2019.

As jurisdictions around the nation explore how to shore up their voting systems against vulnerabilities revealed by the 2016 election, Congress held a hearing yesterday to learn more about cyberthreats and options for thwarting them.

Alison Purvis has been promoted to chief development officer, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that Laura Castillo-Page will become its first chief diversity and inclusion officer, effective June 1.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that Lory Mitchell Wingate will join the organization as its new chief operating officer, effective July 6. Wingate comes to the National Academies from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), where she currently serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer.

Football season is in full swing and the Kansas City Chiefs are going the extra yard by scoring a major victory for the environment.

Ingredient briefs from different suppliers. Check it out!

Read about the latest ingredients for the baking industry.

Ingredient briefs from different suppliers. Check it out!

Read about the latest ingredients for the baking industry.

Ingredient briefs from various suppliers. Check it out!

Craig brings over 15 years of global business and finance experience, including leading finance divisions across various Mars portfolios.

Equipment Briefs from various Suppliers. Check it out!

Butter Buds Inc., a dairy and non-dairy concentrates company, announced Tom Buhler has been named the company’s chief community affairs officer.

Bromberg's return to the pizza industry marks a full-circle moment, building on her previous experience as director of core brand marketing at Pizza Hut.

van Poppel will lead the food solutions firm in its efforts to improve its environmental impact.

With great trepidation that this column will become immediately obsolete or at least very dated in the short time from submitting it to publication, I want to address the whirlwind of regulatory relief announcements from the new Trump Administration.

Pressure relief valves protect fire sprinkler system components by relieving excess system pressure from supply surges or temperature changes. Since the 2010 edition, NFPA 13: “Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems” has required pressure relief valves to be installed on all wet pipe fire sprinkler systems. But picking the correct relief valve for a specific system does need a little preplanning.

Not maintaining this valve could destroy the heating system.

Introducing Caleffi's New Vacu-Stop™ Vacuum Relief Valve (VRV). Available in ½” and ¾” MNPT, the Vacu-Stop is suitable for use in water and low-pressure steam services.

NHC Audio Briefing not available

One of the key features of THORZT™ Freeze Shots is its innovative snap-and-twist packaging, which provides unparalleled convenience. 

Steve Lothary joins ASSP’s leadership team, working with the CEO and Board of Directors to align resources with the organization’s strategic direction. 

At ASSP Safety 2024, he addresses enforcement efforts, new and upcoming rulemaking, and the importance of a holistic approach to worker well-being.

In his three years on the job, Parker said he has been surprised by the number of companies that simply don’t care about worker health and safety, even some large, well-known companies. 

As consumers cope with stress and anxiety, they are turning to beverages to induce relaxation and support healthy sleep cycles.

The challenges of today’s labor market have made automated guided vehicles (AGVs) a growing solution for beverage warehouses.

Cooper & Thief, producers of a portfolio of spirits barrel-aged wines, unveiled its new bourbon barrel-aged wine: Cabernet Sauvignon. 

President Ahn said, "If we utilize the results of this mRNA patent analysis, it would be greatly helpful in determining the direction of future vaccine research and development."

Jane Clover Alexander's numerous achievements include creating a book festival, strengthening public schools, and remediating blighted areas

Chief Hudson draws Cherokee people together in his work with the government

Hearsey will fortify the company's strategic initiatives and propel it towards uncharted territories in space exploration and utilization.

Engel led marketing strategy and subscriber growth at Warner Bros. Discovery and A+E Networks.

Mike Bazar Appointed To Chief Revenue Officer

Burlywood is committed to transforming the SSD industry from a hardware-centric, one-size-fits-all market to software-defined flash solutions that optimize the needs of individual applications.

Burlywood, a Denver-based tech firm specializing in innovative data storage solutions, announced the appointment of Mike Jones as Chief Executive Officer.

Opus VO Disaster Relief

EHC is pleased to announce the fruition of Hamilton's Hurricane Relief non-profit, created from EHC's Tony Hamilton and the progression of the Sanibel Causeway through EHC's partner, AJAX.

AccelESG is thrilled to announce significant advancement within our leadership team that marks a new era of innovation and impact. Please join us in welcoming Mark Becking as Chief Product Officer (CPO) for our Sustainability Platform Development.

Due to widespread abuse, the over-prescription of addictive opioids has caused immense suffering. We got in touch with the experts from Chiropractic Doctors Association of Hong Kong (CDAHK), who revealed the newest studies.

Van Hofwegen will actively partner with the Tenacore operations leadership to grow and expand all segments of the Tenacore product and service offering.

The leader in Dental Sleep Medicine Education and Technology, has named Mr. John Nadeau as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer