jili slot cheat
Mark Zuckerberg apologized to me, once. I was surrounded by other bereaved parents in a Senate hearing room on Jan. 31 when the CEO of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, turned around to face us and said he was sorry . Our children took their lives after being victimized by harms unleashed by unregulated social media platforms. In that surreal moment, we came face-to-face with a man who became a billionaire from one of the Big Tech companies that we fear puts profits above our kids’ safety. I lost my beautiful, goofy son Riley Basford when he was just 15 because he got connected on Facebook with a criminal posing as a teenage girl, who tricked him into sending private photos and then tried to blackmail him. Riley went into his room that day by all indications a happy boy. But within hours of the predator’s first contact with him through social media, Riley believed suicide was his only way out. Tragically, your child could be targeted too. Roughly 1 of every 17 American children are victims of sextortion , according to an analysis of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children data by Thorn , a nonprofit that combats child sexual abuse. Helen Lee Bouygues March 20, 2023 A majority of American teens use social media for nearly five hours a day , according to Gallup polling – more time than on anything other than school or sleep. All that time on unregulated social media platforms exposes kids to threats from criminals, sexual predators, bullies and unhealthy pressures that promote suicide, eating disorders, poor body image, drugs and alcohol, anxiety and depression. At first, I thought that if Meta knew what happened on their platform, the company would do something to stop it. I reached out – but nothing changed. So I joined ParentsTogether Action , a national advocacy group campaigning for a safer internet. For more than a year, my fellow parent advocates and I have been begging Facebook to meet with us to hear and respond to our stories – and to demonstrate how they are working to protect other children. We’ve been met with silence – aside from the single apology Zuckerberg gave when testifying before Congress under a national spotlight.Then in September, Zuckerberg told the hosts of a tech podcast and an audience in San Francisco that he had made a “political miscalculation” by taking too much ownership for problems that he said were out of Facebook’s control. Adding insult to injury, Zuckerberg said he’s done apologizing for bad actors on his platforms. We bereaved parents will never have the luxury of being done mourning our children. The best thing we can do now is to help save other children. As a nation, we must accept that social media companies won’t fix this themselves. The government must step in and hold Big Tech accountable for online harms. We need regulation to catch up with reality. The last law adopted to protect kids online was The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 . That was before widespread adoption of the internet, the invention of smartphones or social media or the vast technological advances of the last quarter-century. The Kids Online Safety Act , now before the U.S. House of Representatives, would require companies to take reasonable steps to “prevent and mitigate” online harms to children, including bullying and violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and illegal products such as drugs. KOSA would require social media platforms to allow minors to protect their personal information and disable addictive product features, and to limit adult users from communicating with children, defaulting to the safest possible settings for minors’ accounts. Chris Coons Oct. 9, 2024 KOSA passed the Senate in July by an overwhelming vote of 91-3. Some 100,000 parents from across the country signed a ParentsTogether Action petition supporting the bill that we delivered to the U.S. House in September. Last month, 32 state attorneys general from both parties and from across the country added their voices to the call for immediate action. Just this past weekend, Elon Musk and the CEO of his platform X echoed the call for Congress to pass KOSA. Yet with just days remaining in this current Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson has failed to schedule a vote – despite significant support from both Republicans and Democrats in that chamber. Why the delay? New lobbying disclosures show that Google and Meta have spent nearly $90 million lobbying against the bill over the past three years. That’s money that they could have used to make their platforms less dangerous for our kids, but instead spent on deceptive, bullying efforts to block any attempts at real change. By including KOSA in a year-end legislative package, Congress has a historic opportunity to save lives caused by online harms while also protecting the rights to free speech and free expression. The time for excuses is over. Congress must pass this bill now. Waiting another year – and risking more kids’ lives – is a cost too high to bear. Mary Rodee is a Canton, New York-based mother, teacher and advocate with ParentsTogether Action , which uses research to inform advocacy and works with families who have lost children to social media harms.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in one of the events at Malacañan Palace on September 2, 2024. PHOTO BY YUMMIE DINGDING/ PPA POOL President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated his repeated commitment to transform the military into a “world-class force” as he presided over the joint graduation rites of the officer candidates schools of the armed services. But the Commander in Chief, and even AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., both struggled to pronounce the monikers of the graduating classes that comprised of 609 new second lieutenants and ensigns of the army, air force and navy. At the graduation rites in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday, the President and Brawner stumbled in pronouncing the Philippine Army’s “Katarakian” Class 61-2024, the Philippine Air Force’s “Sigmandigan” Class 2024, and the Philippine Navy’s “Mangisalakan” Class 42-2024. READ: Marcos aims to make PH military a ‘world-class force’ The Inquirer tried, but failed to get an explanation of the meanings of the words, that are likely coined and portmanteaus. In his remarks before the President’s speech, Brawner floundered a bit in pronouncing Mangisalakan and remarked: “I hope I pronounced it right, it’s hard to pronounce.” A few minutes later, it was the Commander in Chief’s turn to falter. “To the Philippine Army class, Katarakian, Philippine Navy class, Mangisalakan—it’s getting more difficult to think of class names because so many already came before you! But you are showing very good imagination with all of this! Air Force class, Sigmandigan, congratulations on your graduation,” Mr. Marcos said with a chuckle. On Friday morning, 609 graduates of officer candidates schools of the three services were sworn in as new second lieutenants and ensigns. Of this figure, 361 came from the Philippine Army, 173 cadets from the Philippine Air Force, and 75 cadets from the Philippine Navy. The three services’ officer candidate schools, operational since the 1930s, was meant to train qualified enlisted personnel and civilians with baccalaureate degrees to be commissioned in the AFP. Before commissioning the new military officers, the President assured them that the government will continue investing in the military’s modernization and in the soldiers themselves. “Let this be your guiding principle as you step forward: In the face of evolving threats and modern warfare, innovation, technical expertise and leadership rooted in service will be your most powerful weapons,” Mr. Marcos said. He vowed that the government is “committed to transforming our AFP into a world-class force that is a source of national pride and national security.” “This transformation begins with investing in our people—in their talents, the specialists, the leaders who will bridge the gap between tradition and innovation. We will modernize your equipment, enhance your training programs, ensure that you are equipped to face challenges not just of today but also of the future,” the Commander in Chief said. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Mr. Marcos added: “Because together, we will build an AFP that will stand as a beacon of strength, of alliance, resilience and technological excellence.” INQ
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker is doubtful for SundayIran To Hold Nuclear Talks With 3 European Powers
LAS VEGAS -- The Milwaukee Bucks are making a return trip to the NBA Cup semifinals after falling short in Sin City last season. This time around, they'll have the responsibility of stopping one of the game's great entertainers in Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Young rolled a pair of imaginary dice over the New York Knicks' midcourt logo in the closing moments of the Hawks' 108-100 win in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, a nod to the Hawks' trip to Vegas. It was yet another example of Young's showmanship, something the Knicks have seen firsthand over the years. The Bucks also got to experience a bit of Young's big-game prowess in the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, but Young suffered an ankle injury in Game 3 of that series and wasn't the same the rest of the way. If "Ice Trae" has it his way, the Bucks will be the latest victim of his prime-time heroics on Saturday night. Even if he doesn't like to linger on the memories of that series. "I don't let past things make me mad (and I don't) hold a grudge on those things," the 26-year-old Young said. "Yeah, I'm young. I'm not super young anymore, where I like, let those things really affect me. "I remember it like it was yesterday. It definitely hurts, but I mean, this is a new team. I'm part of a new team. They're a different team. So I can't let my past affect my mental and my focus on right now, because it's a totally different team and totally different place." Young is averaging 21 points per game to go along with 12.2 assists, numbers that have only been equaled by Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas over the course of an entire NBA season. He's gotten a fair bit of help too, most notably in the form of 19.8 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game from fourth-year forward Jalen Johnson. The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in NBA Cup knockout play after going 3-1 in the East Group C stage. Atlanta's among the hottest teams in the league at the moment, having won seven of its last eight games overall. The Bucks, on the other hand, are the only team of the four remaining that made it to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas last season. They had a short trip, falling 128-119 to the Pacers, but the hope is that last year's experience better prepared them for all of the outside hoopla that comes with this stage. At the very least, they have a much better understanding of what winning the NBA Cup would entail. "I think last year, most people didn't even understand what was going on until they got to the final stages," Bucks star Damian Lillard said. "When we got to the game against New York last year, where the winner got to go to Vegas, we started to have a better understanding of what was on the line. "Coming into this season, I think everybody understood better. Everybody cared more, not just because it's an opportunity to win money. Even though it's not the ultimate goal, I think it gives you an edge. We want to be the last team standing in it. We want to win the money. We want to continue going in the right direction as a team." The Bucks entered Tuesday's quarterfinal as the East's top seed in NBA Cup play, going 4-0 in East Group B play despite a turbulent 2-8 start to the season. They've won nine of their last 11 games and eclipsed .500 for the season by beating the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday and the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo sits atop the NBA scoring leaders as of Friday afternoon, averaging 32.7 points and a team-high 11.4 rebounds per game. Lillard has also played at an All-Star level, averaging 25.8 points per game in addition to 7.6 assists. Bobby Portis (13.2 ppg) and Brook Lopez (11 ppg) are the only other Bucks averaging double figures. --Will Despart, Field Level Media
PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Two children were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a small religious K-8 school in Northern California and the shooter died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot, sheriff’s officials said. The children’s conditions were not immediately known. The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, a private, K-8 school in Palermo, a community of 5,500 people about 65 miles (104 km) north of Sacramento. Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said the 911 calls reported “an individual on campus who had fired shots at students,” and said that the shooter did not appear to have a connection to the school. The motive was not immediately known, he continued. One student was flown to a nearby hospital, Honea said. Authorities rushed students to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, the sheriff’s office said. The school has been open since 1965 and caters to fewer than three dozen children, according to its website.Developing nations slam 'paltry' $300bn climate deal
Romanians are casting ballots on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that could pit a far-right nationalist against the incumbent leftist prime minister in the runoff. Thirteen candidates are vying for the presidency in the European Union and NATO member country, and the vote is expected to go to a second round on Dec. 8. Polls opened at 7.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will close at 9.00 p.m. (1900GMT). Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday. By 8 p.m. local time (1800GMT), 9.2 million people — about 51% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau. The final vote could see George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, face off against incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, backed by Romania’s largest party, the Social Democratic Party or PSD. The presidential role carries a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy, and judicial appointments. Romania will also hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 1 that will determine the country’s next government and prime minister. Simion, 38, is a vocal supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and has long been a controversial figure. He campaigned for reunification with Moldova, which this year renewed a five-year ban on him from entering the country over security concerns, and he is banned for the same reason from entering neighbouring Ukraine. “I would like that in the next five to ten years, for Romanians to be really proud to be Romanians, to promote Romanian culture, Romanian products,” he told reporters on Wednesday in the capital, Bucharest. “As a Romanian president, I will promote Romanian interests. In most cases, Romanian interests coincide with partner interests.” Ecaterina Nawadia, a 20-year-old architecture student, said she voted for the first time in a national election on Sunday and hopes young people turn out in high numbers. “Since the (1989) revolution, we didn’t have a really good president,” she said. “I hope most of the people my age went to vote ... because the leading candidate is not the best option.” Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says Sunday’s vote will be “a tight race” in which the diaspora will likely play a key role in which candidates make it to the runoff. “We are at a point where Romania can easily divert or slip toward a populist regime because (voter) dissatisfaction is pretty large among a lot of people from all social strata,” he told The Associated Press. “And the temptation for any regime, any leader — will be to go on a populist road.” He added that Romania’s large budget deficit, high inflation, and an economic slowdown could push more mainstream candidates to shift toward populist stances amid widespread dissatisfaction. Ciolacu told the AP that if he is elected, one of his biggest goals is “to convince Romanians that it is worth staying at home or returning” to Romania, which has a massive diaspora spread throughout EU countries. “Romania has a huge chance to become a developed economy in the next 10 years, where honest work is fairly rewarded and people have the security of a better life,” he said. “But for this, we need balance and responsibility ... I am running for the Presidency of Romania because we need a change.” Other key candidates include Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR former NATO deputy general secretary Mircea Geoana, who is running independently and Nicolae Ciuca, a former army general and head of the center-right National Liberal Party, which is currently in a tense coalition with the PSD. Geoana, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, told the AP that he believes his international experience qualifies him above the other candidates. “I think I bring a lot of competence and experience and connections in this complicated world,” he said. Lasconi, a former journalist and the leader of the USR said she sees corruption as one of the biggest problems Romania faces and that she supports increased defence spending and continued aid to Ukraine. Romania has been a staunch ally of war-torn Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. But Simion of the AUR party said he opposes Romania — which has sent a Patriot missile system to Ukraine — contributing further military aid and that he hopes Trump can “stop the war.” In 2020, the AUR party went from relative obscurity to gaining 9% in a parliamentary vote, allowing it to enter parliament. Opponents have long accused Simion and AUR of being extremists, charges he denies. “We are sort of a Trumpist party in this new wave of patriotic political parties in Europe,” Simion said.
- Previous:
- Next: jili slot login
