[Politics] :
The Supreme Court has ruled against a man who cited his socialist beliefs as grounds for objecting to military service.  In upholding a lower court decision to dismiss the man’s case against the state conscription agency, the top court said Oct. 25 that there had been no error in interpreting the legal ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
The South Korean military believes the Hwasong-19, the intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) that North Korea test-fired on October 31, is a new model that Pyongyang may have developed with technological assistance from Moscow. In a report disclosed Monday by the office of ruling People Power Party ...

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[Science] :
An international high-level government-civilian meeting opened in Seoul on Monday for discussions on the principles and regulations for artificial intelligence(AI) application in the military. According to Seoul's foreign and defense ministries, this is the Second Summit on Responsible AI in the ...

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[Sports] :
The Korea Football Association(KFA) has revised its regulations on selecting the head coach of the national football team in a bid to boost the competitiveness and efficiency in operating the team.  Following a meeting of its board of directors in Seoul on Tuesday, the association said that in order to ...

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Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major pathogenic oral bacterium that is responsible for periodontal disease. It is linked to chronic periodontitis, gingivitis and aggressive periodontitis. P. gingivalis exerts its pathogenic effects through mechanisms such as immune evasion and tissue destruction, primarily by secreting various factors, including cysteine proteases such as gingipain K (Kgp), gingipain R (RgpA and RgpB) and PrtH (UniProtKB ID P46071). Virulence proteins comprise multiple domains, including the pro-peptide region, catalytic domain, K domain, R domain and DUF2436 domain. While there is a growing database of knowledge on virulence proteins and domains, there was no prior evidence or information regarding the structure and biological function of the well conserved DUF2436 domain. In this study, the DUF2436 domain of PrtH from P. gingivalis (PgDUF2436) was determined at 2.21 Å resolution, revealing a noncanonical β-jelly-roll sandwich topology with two antiparallel β-sheets and one short α-helix. Although the structure of PgDUF2436 was determined by the molecular-replacement method using an AlphaFold model structure as a template, there were significant differences in the positions of β1 between the AlphaFold model and the experimentally determined PgDUF2436 structure. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool sequence-similarity search program showed no sequentially similar proteins in the Protein Data Bank. However, DaliLite search results using structure-based alignment revealed that the PgDUF2436 structure has structural similarity Z-scores of 5.9–5.4 with the C-terminal domain of AlgF, the D4 domain of cytolysin, IglE and the extracellular domain structure of PepT2. This study has elucidated the structure of the DUF2436 domain for the first time and a comparative analysis with similar structures has been performed.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has...

New State food rules recently put in place are expected to enforce safe food handling and reduce transmission of food-borne illness.

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with students on Wednesday, ruling that a former cheerleader's online F-bombs about her school is protected speech under the First Amendment.

By an 8-1 vote, the court declared that school administrators do have the power to punish student speech that occurs online or off campus if it genuinely disrupts classroom study. But the justices concluded that a few swear words posted online from off campus, as in this case, did not rise to the definition of disruptive.

"While public schools may have a special interest in regulating some off-campus student speech, the special interests offered by the school are not sufficient to overcome B. L.'s interest in free expression in this case," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court's majority.

At issue in the case was a series of F-bombs issued in 2017 on Snapchat by Brandi Levy, then a 14-year-old high school cheerleader who failed to win a promotion from the junior varsity to the varsity cheerleading term at her Pennsylvania school.

"I was really upset and frustrated at everything," she said in an interview with NPR in April. So she posted a photo of herself and a friend flipping the bird to the camera, along with a message that said, "F*** the school ... F*** cheer, F*** everything."

Suspended from the team for what was considered disruptive behavior, Brandi and her parents went to court. They argued that the school had no right to punish her for off-campus speech, whether it was posted online while away from school, as in this case, or spoken out loud at a Starbucks across the street from school.

A federal appeals court agreed with her, declaring that school officials have no authority to punish students for speech that occurs in places unconnected to the campus.

The decision marked the first time that an appeals court issued such a broad interpretation of the Supreme Court's landmark student speech decision more then a half century ago. Back then, in a case involving students suspended for wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War, the court ruled that students do have free speech rights under the Constitution, as long as the speech is not disruptive to the school.

Although Brandi Levy is now in college, the school board in Mahanoy, Pa., appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that disruption can come from outside the campus but still have serious effects on campus. It pointed to laws in 47 states that require schools to enforce anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies.

The high court, however, focused on the facts in Levy's case, concluding that while her posts were less than admirable, they did not meet the test of being disruptive.

"We do not believe the special characteristics that give schools additional license to regulate student speech always disappear when a school regulates speech that takes place off campus," Breyer wrote. "The school's regulatory interests remain significant in some off-campus circumstances."

In a concurring opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote: "If today's decision teaches any lesson, it must be that the regulation of many types of off-premises student speech raises serious First Amendment concerns, and school officials should proceed cautiously before venturing into this territory."

In a dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the school was right to suspend Levy because students like her "who are active in extracurricular programs have a greater potential, by virtue of their participation, to harm those programs."

"For example, a profanity-laced screed delivered on social media or at the mall has a much different effect on a football program when done by a regular student than when done by the captain of the football team," Thomas wrote. "So, too, here."

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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a proposed rule for strengthening transparency in regulatory science (April 30, 2018, 83 Federal Register 18768), which stipulates that EPA will ensure that the data and models underlying the pivotal science that informs significant regulatory actions are made publicly available, in a format that allows for outside analysis and validation.

To detect soreness in Tennessee walking horses, only veterinarians should administer inspections at shows, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan on Friday came in a closely watched lawsuit that tested the ability of Internet Archive to lend out the works of writers and publishers protected by U.S. copyright laws.

The EU's Digital Services Act is one of the most ambitious pieces of legislation on controlling online content since the advent of social media, setting major obligations on how platforms deal with free speech. Meta, TikTok, Twitter, and others have to invest heavily in building compliance teams to meet the new rules.

The companies will have six months to demonstrate their compliance with their obligations and can be fined up to 10% of their annual global turnover for DMA violations.

TikTok has been fined $368 million by European regulators for breaching data privacy rules and failing to protect children's privacy. The investigation found that the app's sign-up process for teen users made their accounts public by default, posing a risk to underage users. The "family pairing" feature also allowed adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their consent.

The European Commission in September opened investigations to assess whether Microsoft's Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising as well as Apple's iMessage should be subject to the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The draft AI rules have to be agreed by the European Parliament and European Union member states. They have so far been discussed three times in trilogues, which are meetings between parliament and EU states to thrash out the final versions of laws.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposal would subject companies like Alphabet, Apple, PayPal and Block's CashApp to bank-like supervision, with CFPB examiners inspecting their privacy protections, executives' conduct and compliance with laws barring unfair and deceptive practices.

The use of the technology will also require individual's consent, the CAC said in a statement. It added that non-biometric identification solutions should be favored over facial recognition in cases where such methods are equally effective.

Are you thinking about restocking your packaging supplies? If you are, then you have a lot to think about before making the investment. 

The American Supply Association (ASA) recently joined the Alliance for Water Efficiency in its appeal to the United States Department of Energy related to allowable flow-rate changes for multi-head showers, and the subsequent negative affects it will have on business operations for ASA members, as well as overall negative water-efficiency consequences that will result.

As part of the rulemaking process, the agency will seek and consider input from a ride range of stakeholders and the public at-large as it works to propose and finalize its rule.

The proposed rule would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat.

The rule updates the current standard by improving the amount and quality of information on labels and safety data sheets. Updates take effect on July 19, 2024.

OSHA encourages public participation in the rulemaking process.

Currently designated as NFPA 660: Standard for Combustible Dusts, the all-encompassing standard will be completed in 2024 and likely released in late 2024/early 2025.

Rules are so easy to make that safety offices are often accused of being a “Rule Mill” because they continuously produce their rule-of-the month. Why do we create so many rules? One particular cog in our mill that causes us to create rules is incidents. When we suffer an incident, we want to throw every tool in the arsenal to keep it from happening again.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 overturn of 1973 Roe v Wade has emboldened states to propose “fetal personhood” laws. What does this mean for proposed rulemaking for blood lead levels?

Rulemaking process for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act includes workplace PPE, and OSH professionals should be paying attention.

EEOC’s final rule and interpretive guidance for implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was published in the April 19, 2024 Federal Register.

A new study from an advocacy nonprofit blasts OSHA and reveals increasing dangers. Heat stress is one of the top five causes of workplace injuries and deaths, and summers are getting hotter. 

The risk of heat-related injury and illness increases every summer. Learn everything you need to know to combat it.

Empowering Mature Singles with Fresh Perspectives on Modern Relationships

US SIF: The Sustainable Investment Forum released a statement regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) final rule on climate risk disclosure

Proposed Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses: A Game-Changer for Workers and Competition

Proposed Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses: A Game-Changer for Workers and Competition

Survey asked over 230 fee-only and hybrid advisors, broker-dealers reps about "Fiduciary Rule"

Federal Judge rules in favor of a crypto company, argues SEC committed an abuse of power.

Gorick Ng, career advisor at Harvard, tried to learn about the world of work at an early age, helping his mother search job listings and send out resumes. To launch his own career, he studied hard in school, secured an Ivy League education, and landed a plum job. But he still found himself struggling - as many first-generation college graduates do - because he didn’t understand workplace norms in the way that his (mostly white, middle- to upper-class) peers did. While they'd been taught how to network, angle for promotions, and "speak the language," he was left to figure it out on his own. Now, Ng counsels young people on how to avoid those mistakes and take on their first job in a way that puts them on the fast-track to success. He's the author of the book "The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right."

The Nevada Division of Industrial Relations proposed rules to implement the various provisions of a multifaceted 2023 bill that made a host of changes to the state’s workers’ compensation law. The…

New Mexico's Workers' Compensation Administration says rule changes will take effect on Jan. 1, and the agency invites the public to take part in a webinar and to submit comments…

The New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration proposed a package of rule changes that would increase food and lodging reimbursements and double the payment owed to doctors for deposition testimony. The rules…

The Appellate Division of New Jersey’s Superior Court affirmed a trial court’s decision granting summary judgment that dismisses an intentional harm case, saying the injured worker failed to clear the high…

Oregon's Workers' Compensation Division has posted amendments to rules governing the assessment that supports the state's Workers' Benefit Fund. The proposed changes are as follows: Amended Rule 003 includes the effective date for OAR 436-070,…

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division's rulemaking advisory committee will review medical treatment regulations during a Nov. 5 meeting. The division said a preliminary list of topics that the committee will discuss…

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will weigh in on the applicability of the “no-fixed-place-of-work” exception to the “going-and-coming rule” for a tree-trimming supervisor. In February, the Commonwealth Court issued a decision finding that Jorge Martinez…

The Governing Committee for the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will review pending legislative, regulatory and judicial actions during a Sept. 25 meeting. Committee members will hear reports on the annual…

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation opened a second 15-day comment period on a proposal to incorporate Medi-Cal’s reimbursement rules into its pharmacy fee schedule. In addition to technical corrections, the…

A federal appellate court has again ruled that a contractor was immune from civil liability for injuries suffered by an employee of a crane company it hired. Case: Hall v. SAC…

The U.S. Department of Labor released a proposed rule that would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive…

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is holding a reporting webinar Sept. 12. The program will cover best practices and reminders for non-group health plans that are required to…