Mathematician Kit Yates on Anti Vaxxer Movement, Air Travel Germs and Samoa's Measles Outbreak
BY MEREDITH WOLF SCHIZER ON 12/23/19 

FOTODUETS/GETTY

What To Know About The Anti-Vax Movement

In his new book—The Math of Life & Death: 7 Mathematical Principles that Shape Our Lives—mathematician Kit Yates makes complex mathematical concepts easily accessible to anyone, and which can improve decision making in an increasingly quantitative society.

In this Q&A, Yates discusses why math is relevant to everyday life, what he thinks of the anti-vaxxer movement and whether he worries about the transmission of communicable diseases during air travel.

Kit Yates UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Why this book?

It's the right time. Math is fundamental for grasping the complicated phenomena we experience every day. It's the flow of water through our taps and the electricity that keeps the lights on. It's the ads we see in our internet browsers to the "friend" recommendations pushed at us on Facebook. I want people to know how they can both avoid falling victim to mathematical manipulators and use math to their own advantage.

What is a mathematical biologist?

The job of a mathematical biologist is to use mathematics in order to gain an understanding of complex biological processes. These range from the way in which our genes function at the smallest scales all the way up to the way in which diseases spread through populations at the largest scales.

How do you explain what you do to the layman?

I try to use stories. In the book, we meet athletes banned by faulty tests and patients crippled by faulty genes; innocent victims of miscarriages of justice and the unwitting victims of software glitches. I tell the stories of investors who have lost everything and parents who have lost children, all because of mathematical misunderstandings.

What is the best way to combat the persistent belief that vaccines cause autism?

The science is very clear. There is no connection between vaccines and autism. The best way to best way to combat anti-vax rhetoric is at the grassroots through education programs—arming people with the facts about the benefits of vaccination and dispelling the myths.

To what do you attribute the increased prevalence in autism?

There are prenatal risk factors including, for example, advanced paternal age, which might contribute to a rise in incidence of the disease. However, the number of cases diagnosed has almost certainly increased due to widening diagnostic criteria, better detection and improved awareness. In short, children who were previously being misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all, are now receiving diagnoses of autism

Why do you think the "anti-​vaxxer" movement has so many celebrity supporters?

There has long been a preponderance of new-age beliefs in Hollywood. In reality, however, there are probably more pro-​vaccine than anti-vax celebrities. People like Seth MacFarlane and Kristen Bell are staunchly pro-vaccination and doing great work to encourage people to vaccinate their kids. The anti-vax celebs just get more media attention because they hold such a controversial opinion.

We've seen more cases of measles in the U.S. since the 1990s, and now there's an outbreak in Samoa. Do we need to be concerned that measles will no longer be contained?

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Absolutely. In 2019, Greece, Albania, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom all had their measles-free status revoked by the World Health Organization. The United States itself came within a few weeks of losing its eliminated status. Measles is on the rise again in the U.S., Europe and much of the developing world, placing vulnerable people at risk. If vaccination rates continue to fall, this problem will only get worse.

Do you have any qualms about germs and air travel? How do you protect yourself when you travel?

I wash my hands thoroughly, but I don't go so far as to use a mask. There is relatively little risk of communicable diseases being transmitted on airplanes. Air quality is quite tightly controlled and filtered in order to reduce the risk, so I don't worry too much about it.

Have you always liked patterns?


I was not one of those child prodigies who always knew he was going to be a mathematician. I got into math at high school and I realized that, at its most fundamental, that's all math is—pattern. Pattern is the way that everyone can appreciate our subject. If you spot a pattern in the fractal branches of a tree, or in the multi-fold symmetry of a snowflake, then you are seeing math. When you tap your foot in time with a piece of music, or when your voice reverberates and resonates as you sing in the shower, you are hearing math. If you bend a shot into the back of the net or catch a baseball on its parabolic trajectory, then you are doing math.

What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies?

I have two little kids. They keep me busy. I love to take them out to the park or on muddy walks or just to play games with them at home. I also follow Manchester City Football Club [American soccer] in the English Premier League. And I read a lot, mostly literary fiction.

CBP IS 'GASLIGHTING' IRANIAN AMERICANS BY DENYING IT DETAINED DOZENS AT WASHINGTON BORDER, STATE'S LT. GOVERNOR SAYS

BY CHANTAL DA SILVA ON 1/7/20 AT 7:39 AM EST

Washington state's second-in-command has accused the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency of gaslighting Iranian Americans by denying the claims of dozens who say they were detained and questioned about their connections to Iran at a border crossing in Blaine over the weekend.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, Washington Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib, who made history as the first Iranian American to be elected to state legislature, said his office had received multiple reports of Iranian Americans being stopped and questioned about their heritage at the Peace Arch border crossing between the U.S. and Canada over the weekend.

"I have heard directly from people, I know that they—U.S. citizens of Iranian American heritage—have been held at the border for extraordinary lengths of time," Habib said.

In some cases, he said, Iranian Americans had been detained for more than 10 hours at the border, while being "subjected to invasive questioning."

"When we hear story after story of Iranian Americans being singled out based on their ethnicity, stopped for hours, and questioned about their family backgrounds, it is hard to call it anything other than racial profiling," he said.

Ultimately, Habib said: "To have U.S. Customs and Border Protection deny these claims is like being gaslighted from the federal government."

As Newsweek reported on Monday, the Washington state chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) had claimed to have identified more than 60 Iranians and Iranian Americans "of all ages" who said they had been "detained at length and questioned" by CBP officers at the Peace Arch crossing.

In one such case, CAIR-WA said a 24-year-old medical student, identified only as "Crystal," claimed to have been detained with several other people of Iranian descent for more than 10 hours before being released.

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• CBP Denies Detaining Iranian-Americans 'Because Of Their Country Of Origin'

Others, the organization said, were reportedly refused entry to the U.S. due to a "lack of capacity" for CBP "to detain them."

CBP has issued a blanket denial of the alleged incidents, however, sharing with Newsweek a statement it had previously posted to Twitter, asserting that "social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false."

The agency also asserted that neither the Department of Homeland Security, nor CBP, had issued any "directive" ordering border agents and officers to detain people of Iranian descent.

CBP further noted that based on the current threat environment, the agency is operating with an enhanced posture at U.S. ports of entry. Processing times, it said, are the result of current circumstances, including staffing levels, volume of traffic and threat posture.

While CBP did acknowledge that wait times had increased on Saturday evening to an average of two hours, with some travelers experiencing longer delays of up to four, the agency said those delays were due to increased volume and reduced staff during the holiday season.

In an interview with Newsweek, National Iranian American Council (NIAC) spokesperson Mana Mostatabi said a number of Iranian Americans had crossed the border into Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday to attend a music show featuring Persian pop duo Masih & Arash Ap.

As a result, Mostatabi said, "there were a lot of folks of Iranian heritage coming across the border at this point."

According to an event listing for the concert, it would have taken place starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Chan Center. Therefore, U.S. concertgoers may have been trying to make their way back home through Washington later that evening or on Sunday.

Vehicles line up to enter the United States at the border crossing between Blaine, Washington and White Rock, British Columbia November 8, 2001 in White Rock, B.C. CBP has been accused of detaining and questioning Iranian Americans, in some cases, for more than 10 hours, over the weekend.

JEFF VINNICK/GETTY

Mostatabi said that even if there had been an influx of people, including Iranian Americans, passing through the Blaine border crossing in connection with the concert, that would not explain why Iranian Americans would have been delayed for upwards of 10 hours and questioned about their ties to Iran.

Mostatabi said she suspected CBP was "using semantics" to try to avoid taking responsibility for the situation. The NIAC spokesperson questioned why CBP's statement only appeared to respond to "social media reports" and why the agency specifically said it did not detain and refuse Iranian Americans entry "because of their country of origin."

"They said social media reports are false that we are detaining and refusing entry, so we think they're using semantics to try to get around this, which is quite concerning," the NIAC spokesperson said.

Newsweek has followed up with CBP for further information.

At least 115 possible graves from a previously lost African-American cemetery have been located on land owned by a restaurant group in Florida.

The Columbia Restaurant Group, which purchased the plot of land on Florida Avenue in Tampa in 2016, immediately halted any further production in the area following the discovery of the possible graves from the Zion Cemetery, believed to be the first black burial ground to exist in Tampa.

Instead, the group are hoping for a land swap or sale which would permanently ensure the protection and preservation of the cemetery.

"We said from the beginning that we would do the right thing," Richard Gonzmart, president of the Columbia Restaurant Group said in a statement. "And this is the right thing. Let them rest in peace."

The group's decision to halt all development on the land where the graves were discovered has been praised.

"I'm very pleased with this quick decision by the Columbia Restaurant Group," said Yvette Lewis, Hillsborough branch president of the NACCP. "It's clear everyone wants the same thing: For this cemetery to be preserved and memorialized."

The Zion Cemetery was believed to have been founded in 1901. The cemetery has since been built over and was erased from all city maps after 1925.

The cemetery was forgotten about until a Tampa Bay Times investigation examined what happened to it last June.

Since then, 314 graves have since been discovered underneath roads, houses and other businesses using radar technology.

Unmarked graves were previously discovered on nearby land owned by the Tampa Housing Authority and the Sunstate Wrecker Services, raising questions about whether there could be more in the surrounding area.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the two-and-a-half acre cemetery could hold as many as 800 graves.

"It seems like nearly everybody was left there," said Rodney Kite-Powell with the Tampa Bay History Center. "It seems that Zion was purposely erased."

The Columbia Restaurant Group previously planned to turn the land into a non-profit culinary school for at-risk high school students.

"Fortunately, though, we're now working with Lena Young [founder and chair of] the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association's upcoming Early Development Center on an educational culinary and nutrition project on Central and Lake," Gonzmart said.

"We're donating all the kitchen equipment. I believe with faith, opportunity, hard work and a bit of assistance, people can rise above their economic situation."

Young added: "We are delighted that he is committed to and fully supporting the culinary training program at our new facility that will serve our residents in north Tampa Heights."

The Columbia Restaurant Group has been contacted for further comment.

Location of the 115 garves believed to be part of the Zion

 Cemetary in Tampa, Florida.GOOGLE EARTH

A lost, predominantly African American, cemetery appears to have been rediscovered underneath a Tampa, Florida high school, after 145 coffins were discovered during a radar scan.

Hillsborough County School Board officials announced in a Wednesday press conference that they believe they have found the remnants of Ridgewood Cemetery, a mid-20th century "pauper's burial ground" under King High School. The school district used a company called GeoView to map and scan areas of the campus after being alerted to the possibility that the cemetery might be located underneath.

"The company found clear evidence of burials. Ground penetrating radar found approximately 145 coffins buried three to five feet deep," said school board chair Tamara Shamburger at the press conference. "This entire area has been fenced off since last month, when a citizen first alerted us about the possibility of a cemetery. This is consistent with the research we've done in collaboration with the Tampa Bay History Center and other partners."

“We believe we have found Ridgewood Cemetery.”
Board Member @T_Shamburger announces results of scans beneath the surface of the @KingHSLions campus. Details: https://t.co/sjPjcdbLPe pic.twitter.com/tXKlWKw46Q— Hillsborough Schools (@HillsboroughSch) November 20, 2019

Ridgewood Cemetery was opened by the city in 1942 and sold to a private company only 15 years later. Almost all of the estimated 268 people believed to have been buried at the segregation-era cemetery were African American. The property was sold to the school district in 1959 and later forgotten. Some locals believe the cemetery was sold off and then forgotten about deliberately.

"I am sick of this," said Hillsborough County NAACP President Yvette Lewis to the Tampa Bay Times Wednesday. "This hurts deeply. It was hate toward people who looked like me. It deeply saddens me that people can hate you this much, that they can treat you less than."

The school district was tipped off about the possible grave site by cemetery researcher Ray Reed. In August, Reed had provided information that led to the discovery of the ruins of another lost burial site for the African American community, Zion Cemetery. That discovery resulted in 130 coffins being found, and inspired Reed to find the location of Ridgewood cemetery.

"This is one of those situations where being proven right is a no-win," said Reed. "You end up learning that this community was so twisted."

The location of the cemetery was said to have been long 

forgotten after the property was sold off to the school 

district in 1959.GETTY

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Officials say there are several explanations for the discrepancy between the number of caskets found and the number believed to have been buried at the cemetery. Many of the people buried are believed to have been children and the remains may have been too small for the scans to pick up. Some of the graves may have decayed to the point where they can no longer be seen. The scanning technology itself is also less than perfect and there could be individuals yet to be discovered.

The area containing the remnants of Ridgewood Cemetery currently houses an agricultural workshop. The school board says they intend to remove the building and are working with a local historical group on how to best memorialize the individuals who were buried there.

AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES MAP UPDATE: AREA THE SIZE OF KENTUCKY HAS BURNT SINCE BLAZES BEGAN AS PROTESTERS TARGET PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON
BY BRENDAN COLE ON 1/8/20 AT 6:07 AM EST

Former Australian Prime Minister Filmed Helping To Fight Wildfires As More Than 100 Continue To Burn

Police in Australia have urged people not to engage in planned protests against Prime Minister Scott Morrison for fear of drawing resources away from the fires presently devastating the country. Rancor has been building against Morrison's response to the blazes amid a series of perceived public relations missteps.

These include staying on holiday in Hawaii at the height of the fire season, walking away from questions from victims in Cobargo, and reiterating that he believes his government's carbon reduction policies are adequate.

A protest organised by Uni Students for Climate Justice will shut down parts of central Melbourne on Friday, with several other actions also planned.
Burnt out forest is seen on January 7, 2020 in Cann River, Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he is considering a federal inquiry into the disaster.DARRIAN TRAYNOR/GETTY IMAGES

Victoria's Acting Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen described the action as a "distraction" and said that resources should be focused on where the fires are burning.

"We see frontline police returning from the fire ground, returning from the fire zone that are fatigued, that do need a break, and this is now another operation we need to resource," he said, Australia's ABC News reported.

Protest convenor Anneke Demanuele defended the demonstration, saying it was important to express that "we're living in a climate emergency, a climate crisis. The bushfire season started earlier, it's more intense, and it's going to be ongoing."

Protesters are calling for all firefighters to be paid, want a move away from fossil fuels, and the sacking of Morrison.



At least 24 people have died and more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed in the blazes which have burned an estimated 10.7 million hectares of land, including grassland in the Northern Territory, or around 41,300 square miles, according to Guardian calculations as of January 8. This is an area slightly larger than the U.S. state of Kentucky.
Australia Wildfires Maps
This map shows the extent of the wildfires in the state of New South Wales as of 5 a.m. ET, January 8, 2020. The state's fires service says 119 fires are burning across the state.NEW SOUTH WALES FIRE SERVICE - GOOGLE MAPS
This map shows the areas in Victoria affected by wildfires according to the state government as of 5 a.m. ET, January 8, 2020. The orange icons indicate fire hazard and the yellow icons indicate concerns about air quality.VICTORIA GOVERNMENT
This map shows the areas where fires are in South Australia as of 5 a.m. ET, January 8, 2020.SOUTH AUSTRALIA GOVERNMENT
This map shows the areas in Queensland affected by fires according to state government as of 5 a.m. ET, January 8, 2020. The flame icon signifies that a fire has started in the area but does not pose a threatQUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

In New South Wales there are 119 fires burning according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Among the biggest is one in the Wollemi National Park area, across more than 512,000 hectares. Another is burning between Batemans Bay and Nowra and east of Braidwood, across an area of more than 307,000 hectares, which is being controlled, the NSW RFS said.

A huge blaze is burning in the Wollemi National Park, Putty State Forest, Coricudgy State Forest and Nullo Mountain State Forest across 323,000 hectares in size, although it is also being controlled.

The NSW RFS has also said a number of fires are burning north of Adaminaby, in the Bugtown area, with an area of around 20,000 hectares affected in blazes it describes as "out of control."

It has warned people between Yaouk in the north and Lake Eucumbene in the south to monitor conditions.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting "severe fire danger" in some districts in South Australia, including the Lower Eyre Peninsula, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and Lower South East.

Photos of Australia Show Devastation That Could Kill 1 Billion Animals
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In New South Wales, the BOM says there are hot and dry conditions and an increased fire danger for parts of the western slopes and a "very high fire danger" for the southern slopes.

There is the promise of some reprieve with heavy rainfall predicted for Hunter, Northern Tablelands and parts of Mid North Coast, Central Tablelands and North West Slopes and Plains Forecast Districts.

In Western Australia, hot and dry conditions are expected in the north-west of the state with extreme fire danger forecast for the Gascoyne Coast and "severe fire danger" forecast for Exmouth Gulf Coast and Gascoyne Island.

For people affected by the wildfires, the NSW RFS advises the following:
Stay up to date on bush fires in the area by checking your local fire service website, listening to the local radio station.
People with respiratory conditions who are affected by bush fire smoke should activate their health management plan and seek medical advice if necessary. Take precautions, such as staying indoors and closing windows.
For information on road closures, check live traffic updates. Roads may be closed without warning.
Monitor weather conditions and weather warnings at the Bureau of Meteorology.

For more information on how readers can support those affected by the bushfires in Australia, Newsweek has rounded up several ways Americans can help.

Correction (1/8/20, 10 a.m. ET): This article was updated to correct figures on estimated area burned and comparisons in size.

TECH & SCIENCE

ASTEROID UP TO 1,800 FEET WIDE IS ONE OF 14 TO PASS EARTH THIS WEEK

BY ROSIE MCCALL ON 1/7/20 


 ACCORDING to CNEOS data, the object (2019 UO) is projected to fly by Earth at 9.4 kilometers per second on Friday January 10, 2020.

It is expected to do so at a minimum possible close-approach distance of 0.03376 astronomical units (au) or 13.07 lunar distance (LD), meaning it is a little over 13 times the Earth-Moon distance.

That is a minimum distance of 3,138,000 miles or 5,050,000 kilometers. The Earth has a circumference of 24,901 miles or 40,075 kilometers.

The closest miss this week will be on Thursday January 9, 2020, with object (2020 AT1) with a minimum possible close-approach distance of 2.46 LD or 0.00631 au—which is still 23 times as long as the circumference of the Earth.

It is estimated to be between 8.3 and 19 meters wide.

IVANKA TRUMP'S KEYNOTE SPEECH AT CES 2020 BRANDED AN 'INSULT TO WOMEN' BY WOMEN IN TECH
Trump Falsely Claims Ivanka Created 14 Million Jobs During His PresidencyBY CHANTAL DA SILVA ON 1/8/20 AT 6:44 AM EST


President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump is facing backlash over her "extreme privilege" after the first daughter was invited to participate in a keynote interview at a major technology conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Trump participated in a keynote session at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Tuesday. She discussed the "path to the future of work" with Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which hosts the annual conference.

The first daughter had been invited to speak at the conference given her experience helping lead the White House's approach to economic empowerment, job creation and growth.

A number of prominent voices in the technology industry, however, were not convinced, with women leaders in tech branding Trump's involvement in the conference "an insult to women in technology."

Technology investor Elisabeth Fullerton, in a Facebook post, accused Trump of using her privilege to claim the spotlight at an event that has long been criticized over its failure to adequately include the voices of women in the technology industry.

"We did hard times in university, engineering, math, and applied sciences," Fullerton said. "This is what extreme privilege and entitlement get you. It's not what you know it's who you know I guess."

Brianna Wu, a prominent video game developer who is now running for Congress in Massachusetts, expressed similar sentiments, pointing out that "Ivanka is not a woman in tech."

"She's not a CEO. She has no background," Wu said. CES organizers' decision to give her such a prominent role at the event, the game developer said, appeared to be a "lazy attempt to emulate diversity." But, "like all emulation," she said, "it's not quite the real thing."


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Head of Major Technology Expo Addresses Ivanka Trump Invite Controversy

During her keynote interview, Trump spoke on what the White House was doing to stimulate job growth across the U.S., in addition to discussing why "innovation is a net job-producer" and how it could "allow for more inclusive growth."

While critics did not appear to take specific aim at the contents of Trump's interview, even before the event took place, detractors had made clear that their issue was with the fact that she had been allowed to speak at the conference at all.

In a December opinion piece published by Forbes days before the conference, tech analyst Carolina Milanesi explained that the reason for her "upset" was "rooted in the fact that there are many more women who are in tech and are entrepreneurs who could run circles around Trump on how technology will impact the future of work."

Trump, Milanesi wrote, had been selected as one of just two women delivering a keynote at the event, in what the tech analyst branded a "token woman appearance."

Rather than taking the opportunity, Milanesi asserted, Trump should have questioned whether she was "the best woman for the job before accepting the invitation from the CTA."

"Women in tech, and more generally women in business, should seek and take more opportunities, ask for what they deserve, but most of all, they should open doors to others when they have the chance to do so," she wrote. "I don't think I am unfair in believing that Trump did not stop and think if she was the best woman for the job before accepting the invitation from the CTA."

As the tech analyst noted, Trump's keynote moment was just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the CES, with organizers repeatedly accused of failing to promote diversity and inclusivity at the annual event.

"Given the track record we have had at CES and the state of the tech industry...you might now better understand the frustration of seeing Ivanka Trump selected to be one of the two women delivering a keynote," Milanesi said.

Ivanka Trump, senior adviser to the president of the United

 States and daughter of President Donald Trump, looks on

 during a plenary session of the Doha Forum in the Qatari 

capital on December 14, 2019. Trump is facing criticism 

over her decision to accept a speaking opportunity at the

 annual CES.MUSTAFA ABUMUNES/AFP/GETTY

Just last year, CES organizers faced scrutiny after an innovation award handed to a sex toy company with a female founder was revoked, with the conference ultimately forced to reinstate the award and apologize for the incident.

Milanesi suggested that the CES still had much to learn from past incidents, while also accusing organizers of seeking to "foster their relationship with Washington" by giving Trump a chance to speak.

"Politics and technology have always been intertwined, but in 2019 their connection has been more evident than ever before," she said. "So I am not surprised that CTA felt that CES, the biggest tech show in North America, needed to foster their relationship with Washington."

"And given the pressure of having more women on stage, why not pick a woman and kill two birds with one stone?" Milanesi wrote.

Ahead of the event, Shapiro had sought to address the controversy surrounding Trump's scheduled talk. "There's a lot of focus on jobs of the future," Shapiro told the BBC in an interview. "The keynote that I'll be doing with Ivanka Trump will be focusing on... how industry is working with government on this very important issue," he said.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, the CTA reiterated that sentiment, asserting that Trump "leads the White House efforts on job creation and economic growth through workforce development, skills training and entrepreneurship."

"Policy discussions are a critical part of the CES program, and we host over 150 policymakers," it said, adding: "CTA invites officials from every White House–both Republicans and Democrats–to participate in and speak at CES."

Newsweek has also contacted the White House for comment for this article.

Updated on 08/01/2020 at 9:25 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from the CTA.

Chris Hemsworth and his family are donating $1 million to Australia fire relief efforts
Olivia Singh Jan 7, 2020,

Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP


On Monday, Chris Hemsworth shared a video on social media and revealed that he and his family are donating $1 million to Australia's fire relief efforts.
He also included links to organizations and charities accepting donations.
"Beyond appreciative to everyone around the world for their well wishes and donations. It really does make a difference, so dig deep!" Hemsworth wrote.
The actor's home country has faced bushfires since September, resulting in the destruction of homes and the deaths of millions of animals.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Chris Hemsworth and his family are pledging $1 million dollars to aid in Australia's fire relief efforts.

On Monday, the 36-year-old "Avengers: Endgame" star shared a video of himself on Twitter and Instagram and revealed his generous donation.

"Hi everyone. Like you, I want to support the fight against the bushfires here in Australia. My family and I are contributing a million dollars. Hopefully, you guys can chip in too. Every penny counts so whatever you can muster up is greatly appreciated," Hemsworth, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, wrote.

He continued: "In my bio, I've added links to support the firefighters, organizations, and charities who are working flat out to provide support and relief during this devastating and challenging time. Beyond appreciative to everyone around the world for their well wishes and donations. It really does make a difference, so dig deep! Love ya."

The actor included a link with information regarding several means to donate money, from the Australian Red Cross to the World Wildlife Fund.


Fans and followers applauded Hemsworth, who lives in Byron Bay with his family, for taking action. Fellow Marvel star Jeremy Renner wrote: "My good man ... much love to you, your family, and all of Australia."

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. commented with the praying hands emoji and a heart emoji and "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa wrote, "so generous. beautiful man mahalo nui."

Hemsworth's video was also reposted by wife Elsa Pataky and younger brother Liam Hemsworth.

"Westworld" star Luke Hemsworth, the oldest of the Hemsworth siblings, also recently shared a message and a link to a Go Fund Me page for the Mallacoota Fires Support Fund.


"Some of my earliest memories and also some of the greatest memories are of holidaying at this amazing place. Heartbreaking to see it in trouble but inspiring to see the hard work all the fantastic local people are doing to save this little iconic spot," he wrote on Instagram. "Thank you to all the firefighters across our country working tirelessly in these difficult conditions. I believe there's some hard days ahead. I wish you all the best."



The bushfires began in September 2019 and have continued to spread across Australia, destroying homes and killing millions of animals.

Chris is one of several celebrities who have shared the ways they're contributing to relief efforts. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban pledged to donate $500,000 to the Rural Fire Services. Selena Gomez, Kacey Musgraves, and Russell Crowe also made donations.

Under pressure, Michael Bloomberg faces a new court challenge to his company's use of non-disclosure agreements in discrimination cases

Nicole Einbinder

FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Michael
 Bloomberg speaks about his gun policy agenda during a
 visit to Aurora Reuters

A former Bloomberg LP employee who allegedly experienced discrimination at the company asked a New York Supreme Court judge last month to invalidate not just her non-disclosure agreement, but the NDAs of any "similarly situated" Bloomberg LP employees.

The lawsuit comes as Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor running for president, faces mounting pressure over his company's use of non-disclosure agreements to bar those with grievances about his company from speaking out.

A November investigation by Business Insider found that Bloomberg LP has repeatedly been described as a sexualized, predatory environment in harassment and discrimination complaints from several women going back two decades.

A spokesperson for the Bloomberg campaign declined to comment on whether, in light of his presidential run, the company and the candidate will release employees with whom they have entered into non-disclosure agreements from their obligations to remain silent.

A former Bloomberg LP employee is asking a judge to invalidate any non-disclosure agreements that the company, which was founded by Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, used in settling sex, age, and disability discrimination complaints brought by its employees.

The request comes from Laurie Evans, a 56-year-old who worked on Bloomberg LP's sales team for six years before being fired in November 2016 while being treated for breast cancer. Evans claims in court filings that Bloomberg LP has a "culture of discrimination" and that her former supervisor, then-chief revenue officer Keith Grossman, created a hostile work environment that adversely impacted her job performance and caused extreme emotional and psychological distress. Grossman is now the president of Time USA LLC, the publisher of Time magazine.

A Time spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Evans first sued Bloomberg LP in October 2019. In December, her attorney Donna Clancy filed an amended complaint asking the court to void not just the confidentiality provision included in Evans' separation agreement, but also the nondisclosure agreements of any "similarly situated members of her protected classes" who may have claims against Bloomberg LP. The complaint accuses Bloomberg LP of fraudulently coercing employees to sign agreements that were vague, misleading, filled with misstatements and omissions, and written in a manner that an average employee would find difficult to understand.
Bloomberg LP's flagship offering is the Terminal, a financial-data product used across Wall Street, pictured in 1995. Erik Freeland/Corbis via Getty Images

This latest effort to void Bloomberg employees' non-disclosure agreements comes as Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who recently announced his presidential bid, faces mounting pressure over his use of these agreements to bar those with grievances about his company from speaking out. In late November, Business Insider revealed a string of lawsuits spanning decades alleging misconduct and a toxic workplace at Bloomberg LP, including two allegations of rape by senior Bloomberg LP managers 20 years apart.

In total, Business Insider found, nearly 40 employment lawsuits from 65 plaintiffs have been filed against Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg personally in state and federal courts since 1996. The majority of those allege discrimination over gender, race, and disability status, as well as pregnancy discrimination and wage theft. Eight discrimination suits were launched after Bloomberg returned to his namesake company as president and CEO in 2014.

Last month, after ABC News followed up with its own story on the Bloomberg lawsuits, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren called on Bloomberg to release women from any non-disclosure agreements they may have signed with the company. The group Lift Our Voices, formed by three former Fox News employees to end the practice of mandatory non-disclosure agreements to conceal workplace misconduct, also sent letters to all of the presidential campaigns urging them to publicly condemn these types of agreements in the context of workplace issues, such as sexual misconduct and a toxic work culture.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
 D-Mass AP Photo/John Minchillo

"Employees, and particularly female employees who are aware of discrimination in the workplace, if they become aware of it or become a victim of it, they are afraid to complain, to lose their job, to be retaliated against, to not be believed — and therefore they are silenced," Clancy told Business Insider. "When they are silenced, it breeds a culture. When you have a culture then and no one complains about it and it can be swept under the rug and managed internally, it gets worse and nothing gets better."

According to court records, the agreement Evans signed with Bloomberg LP in 2016 bars her from "disparaging [Bloomberg LP]" or making any "statements...to the media, to current or former employees or to others, that may be considered to be derogatory to the good name or business reputation" of Bloomberg LP.

Since 2016, Clancy has filed three cases against Bloomberg LP, including Evans' case. All three are currently ongoing and describe rampant discrimination and a toxic culture at Bloomberg LP. In one filing, a young woman identified as "Margaret Doe" alleged she was raped by her boss during her tenure at the company.

Julie Roginsky, one of the founders of Lift Our Voices, told Business Insider that, thus far, Bloomberg has not responded to the group's letter. As of now, the group has heard from Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, and GOP candidate former Rep. Joe Walsh, who all pledged not to use non-disclosure agreements to stop workers from discussing workplace issues.

Roginsky said that Biden and Walsh told the group that they don't use non-disclosure agreements for their campaign workers. In a statement to Lift Our Voices, the Biden campaign said "sexual harassment and other types of discrimination at work are simply unacceptable. No one should be forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prevents them from speaking out about harassment or discrimination, and Joe Biden opposes non-disclosure agreements that have been used to silence survivors."
—Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) December 18, 2019

While Booker does employ non-disclosure agreements on his campaign to prevent aides from disclosing proprietary information, he won't enforce them for toxic workplace issues, the New Jersey Globe reported.

"Women should be able to tell their own stories and women should have the right to share their experiences, not just privately among themselves but also publicly toward others about potential hostile work issues that they may encounter if they work for any corporation. There is no reason why Bloomberg or any other corporation or organization works to prevent women from being able to speak truth to power," Roginsky said. "If the organization feels strongly there wasn't wrongdoing, it should be in a position to respond publicly to any allegations."

Recent amendments to New York law prevent employers from including non-disclosure provisions regarding discrimination claims unless that is the employees' preference. As of last week, non-disclosure agreements in New York must also include notice that employees are not prohibited from "speaking with law enforcement, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the state Division of Human Rights, a local commission on human rights, or an attorney retained by the employee or potential employee."

The New York law follows similar legislation that went into effect last year in New Jersey that bans non-disclosure agreements in cases alleging discrimination, retaliation, or harassment.

A person familiar with Evans' lawsuit said the amended complaint is an effort to pressure companies like Bloomberg LP to retroactively comply with the new law in New York.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Clancy said she has spoken to women who feared speaking out about their experiences at Bloomberg LP because they believed they could be sued or face retaliation.

"When you are hired, you sign an NDA," Clancy told Business Insider. "When you are either terminated or resign, you're asked to sign an NDA, and you are reminded of your obligation to not discuss any information that you've learned while at the company. And then of course if there are any complaints made post employment or legal claims brought there are settlement agreements, separation agreements that can also contain NDAs."

In its November report on Bloomberg LP's history of discrimination complaints, Business Insider asked the company and a Bloomberg campaign spokesperson whether, in light of Michael Bloomberg's presidential run, the company and the candidate will release employees with whom they have entered into non-disclosure agreements from their obligations to remain silent. Both declined to respond.

This week, a spokesperson for the Bloomberg campaign again declined to comment.

A Bloomberg LP spokesperson said in a statement: "Bloomberg strongly supports a culture that treats all employees with dignity and respect, and enforces that culture through clear policies and practices. Our diversity and inclusion efforts — including training on preventing harassment and gender bias — are designed to foster a culture where thousands of people are proud to work every day."

Read more:
Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg clinched his first celebrity endorsement — and it's Judge Judy
The life of Michael Bloomberg: How an unemployed 39-year-old banker became a billionaire, 3-time mayor of New York, and presidential hopeful
Michael Bloomberg, the wealthiest 2020 candidate, used prison labor to help his campaign

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Nicki Minaj's wax figure was moved to Madame Tussauds in Germany, and fans are now

Iranian Americans aren't mourning Gen. Qasem Soleimani. They're glad he's dead. But, now what?

USA TODAY•January 7, 20201,237

After the death of General Qasem Soleimani, Iranian Americans in Los Angeles speak out

Scroll back up to restore default view.

LOS ANGELES – Smoke from grills full of kabob koobideh wafted past Roxanne Mirzaee as she cooked at a birthday party with Iranian American friends.

Mirzaee smiled warmly as laughter filled the air, but rising tensions far from this Beverly Hills barbecue have left her uneasy. While Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Donald Trump exchanged threats after a U.S. airstrike killed the regime's top general, Mirzaee worried for her father living in Iran.

"We don't know what's happening, or what's going to happen next," she says.

Many Iranian Americans in Los Angeles are not mourning the death of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, community members told USA TODAY, but they disagreed on the potential consequences for family here and abroad. Some feared war and restrictions on travel, while others hoped the assassination would dampen terrorism and spark another protest against the Iranian regime.

Roxanne Mirzaee and Ben Shaool cook kabobs at a 

birthday party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020.

Whether it was safe to share reactions to Soleimani's killing further divided the community, with more than 25 people declining to talk with USA TODAY, expressing fears that speaking out could endanger the lives of family members in their homeland. Others cited concern of being blacklisted from Iran, and some said they feared retaliation from their own parents.

Escalating situation: What you need to know about the death of Gen. Soleimani of Iran

Mirzaee, 51, faced her own daughter's disapproval for criticizing the regime on Sunday night. After refusing an interview, unlike her mother, the daughter asked over a video call: Why did you do that, mom? How are we supposed to get grandpa now?

But Mirzaee, who says she fled Iran about 40 years ago to be free to voice her opinions without facing execution, was adamant. Disapproving of Trump's decision to strike Soleimani, she said the move creates sympathy for the regime.

"The way it has been carried out just makes the people of Iran more supportive of the government because there are people like him," Mirzaee says. "Killing one is not going to do much. There are hundreds worse than him. There's going to be one tomorrow taking his place."

Still, much of the Iranian diaspora celebrated the killing, says Nasser Sharif, president of California Society for Democracy in Iran. Calling Soleimani a terrorist and a murderer of Iranians, Syrians and American soldiers in Iraq, Sharif says his contacts in Iran are thrilled and not fearful of strikes from the U.S. for any retaliation.

"I feel like there are not going be any major developments in that area because, again, the Iranian regime is very weak and vulnerable and desperate," Sharif says. "At the same time, their worry is from inside Iran. The uprising of 191 cities in Iran had a big effect. The separation that took place shows that the regime is very unpopular among the public and the young generation."
Will Iran strike against U.S.? 'We cannot rule out anything from them'

In Southern California, which is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, Sharif says opposition to President Hassan Rouhani's government is widespread. Thousands fled to Los Angeles after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and today about 87,000 people of Iranian descent live here, according to the U.S. census.

Among them is Mateen Markzar, 15. During brunch with his father in the Little Persia enclave nicknamed Tehrangeles – a word formed through the blending of Tehran, the capital of Iran, and Los Angeles – he worried about the potential for war in Iran.

Nasser Sharif, President of the California Society for 

Democracy in Iran, at his home in the Los Angeles area on

 Jan. 5, 2020, reacts to the recent news of the U.S. ordered 

strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Suleimani.

"I know that war is costly and unnecessary," Mateen says after a sip of Persian tea. "However, if war was engaged with Iran, it would serve a benefit of squandering the Iranian regime's hopes of an all-area supremacy. It would put a damper on the Iranian regime's oppression of women and minority groups in Iran."

Mateen, who has never visited Iran, also expressed concern for culturally significant sites Trump said are possible targets if Iran attacks any U.S. assets. He listed Persepolis and the Azadi Tower before his father cuts him off, saying: You don't know that.

We don't know, Mateen acknowledges, but it's possible.

Los Angeles is home to 87,000 people of Iranian

 ancestry, according to the Census Bureau. 

The Persian American community on Jan. 5, 2020, 

reacts to the recent news of the U.S. ordered strike

 that killed Iranian General Qassem Suleimani.More

The remains of their omelette and gata pastries had gone cold. The boy's father, Sam Markzar, 51, says their family in Iran cannot say much about the rising tensions because the regime monitors everyone's actions and communications. He says he left Iran about eight years after the revolution, and adds that he is not surprised by some media reports that U.S. officials detained Iranians at the Canadian border over the weekend.

"Whatever that they do in order to secure the borders, I think that's absolutely necessary because that's the only way that they can come in if they want to plot something inside United States," Markzar says. "I hope they're not crazy enough to do that, but from mullahs (leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran), anything can go. We cannot rule out anything from them."
How will the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani impact Iranian-Americans?

A few blocks away in Little Persia, Ray Kafi passed out flyers for a convention planned before the assassination but made more timely by it. Titled "Stand with the Iranian People's Uprising for Freedom," speakers at the Jan. 11 event plan to discuss recent developments in Iran.

Taking a break from talking with fellow Iranian Americans, the 66-year-old Kafi says people's reaction to the killing of Soleimani indicates whether they support the regime or democratic protesters.

Guests fill up Pink Orchid Bakery and Cafe, an American 

& Middle Eastern bakery in Los Angeles, from morning

 until night on Jan. 5, 2020.

"Whoever is happy today is on the side of democracy," Kafi says. "And whoever is unhappy and has an issue, he's to the side of mullahs or that kind of policy."

Back at the birthday party in Beverly Hills, Bijan Khalili says he doesn't expect discrimination against Iranian Americans to result from the killing. Since he immigrated to Los Angeles in 1980, Khalili, 67, says he hasn't experienced discrimination. He doesn't expect unequal treatment now.

Mounting anger: Iraq votes to expel U.S. troops after Iran Gen. Qasem Soleimani's killing

By the grill, however, Mirzaee disagreed. Since Trump's election in 2016, she says she has seen less tolerance and more divisiveness.

"Before it was all about tolerance, tolerating each other, tolerating each other's ideas," Mirzaee says. "That's why we came here, that's why all the immigrants came here for, to be able to voice out their opinion. Now it basically takes me back to the revolution, because I was there when it happened."

All she can do now, she says, is pray.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Qasem Soleimani is dead. Iranian Americans wonder, what's next?

POLITICAL CENSORSHIP BY SERBIAN ORTHODOX NATIONALISTS
Kosovo arrests Iran supporter over comments after Soleimani's death

By Fatos Bytyci,
Reuters•January 7, 2020

Protest against killing of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani in Istanbul

By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo police arrested a woman on Tuesday accused of inciting terrorist acts for social media comments against the United States over the killing of Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani.

Police said that Ikballe Berisha Huduti, the founder of a now defunct pro-Islamic organization called Kur'ani, was arrested following an order from the prosecution and she will remain in detention for 48 hours awaiting a court decision.

Police said she was detained on charges of “incitement to commit a terrorist offence.”

Huduti wrote comments on her private Facebook page criticizing Washington after the U.S. forces killed Soleimani on Friday.

"By killing the master of the house you have killed all members of the family, then revenge is obligatory but it has no border," Huduti wrote, according to Pristina media which had screenshots of her postings.

She deleted her messages and said on Facebook that her words were taken out of context by local media. She said in other postings she had praised U.S. democracy and U.S. support for Kosovo in 1999 when conflict erupted between ethnic Serbs and Albanians in the former Yugoslavia.

Showing a photo of her with the former hard-line leader of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, media in Kosovo have described Huduti as a strong supporter of the Iranian government. Her organization was closed by police in 2016. But she denied wrongdoing and there were never any charges against her.

Kosovo has been a strong supporter of the United States. When the Iranian general was killed, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said: "Kosovo stands firm in support of the U.S. in its right to self-defense."


(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=KOSOVO