April 2025 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Watch "Blue Origin Space Flight with All-Female Space Crew" on YouTube
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

This is super duper cool! -- Watch "Blue Origin Space Flight with All-Female Space Crew" on YouTube https://youtu.be/tycHGEBwxqk?si=PQ92KVX4QZbgyMMp

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A double-edged sense of urgency? Twenty-five days later, seven WCK staff in Gaza were dead.
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

A double-edged sense of urgency? The email was titled *Urgent: Personnel safety concerns* and was sent to the leadership of World Central Kitchen last year. <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POkrZ218GcgnHX2hd2Dfy8uBs148Ouces…> “I have first hand witnessed this organization *disregard safety many times in the past*,” wrote Brack Watters, a distribution operations manager who’d deployed with WCK to Ukraine, Turkey, Haiti, and beyond, and was now working on the organization’s response in Gaza, in the email. “I feel it is happening again and on a level that is completely unacceptable.” Twenty-five days later, *seven WCK staff in Gaza were dead*. Israel took responsibility for the killings on April 1, 2024, *calling them a “grave mistake.”* A report commissioned by the Australian government reached the same conclusion, although it also presented a more nuanced picture. My colleague Elissa Miolene spent months delving into those nuances, speaking to 14 former and current staff members and contractors about whether World Central Kitchen’s renowned sense of urgency to help people in disasters and war zones came at the expense of its own people <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POkrZ218GcgnHX2hd2Dfy8uBs148Ouces…> . “For this to happen did not come as a surprise to any of us,” says one former staff member who left the organization in 2023. “And that makes it so much worse.” World Central Kitchen <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZ0vIechByqryQAEjuDFtrUK6QadxktGYPZik…> *refuted allegations that it suffered from a lax safety culture*. "Any suggestion that a lack of training or security protections contributed to the events of April 1 is both malicious and contrary to these undisputed facts,” writes Erin Gore, who became WCK’s chief executive officer in March 2023. “Our model is unique: when disaster strikes, we move fast to get on location, partner with communities, and dramatically scale operations to fill immense humanitarian food needs,” the organization adds in a statement to Devex. That’s exactly what WCK became known for: Feeding millions of people while bucking the bureaucracy that often can slow down traditional humanitarian groups. The organization’s vision statement highlights how it shows up “with the fierce urgency of now,” instead of “asking for permission or following systems and bureaucracy that lack urgency and flexibility.” But not everyone agrees with what two people describe as a tendency to *“build the plane while flying it”* across the world. “I love that we move so quickly and usually make the impossible happen,” Watters wrote in his email. “But at what cost.” *Read:* What lay behind the deaths of 7 World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POkrZ218GcgnHX2hd2Dfy8uBs148Ouces…> *Background:* How 7 deaths changed aid work in Gaza <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POnf_FbI6LykMaSzAO87LWNLpureB2rfV…>

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55 years ago today, April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. On the way to the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded in the service module, ending the mission and endangering the astronauts. In the now famous effort, engineers and astronauts on the ground used the Lunar Module Simulator we have in the Davidson Center to find the solution to bring the astronauts home safely. The simulator was also used to train the Apollo 11 astronauts for their mission, and Neil Armstrong, seen here with then
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

55 years ago today, April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. On the way to the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded in the service module, ending the mission and endangering the astronauts. In the now famous effort, engineers and astronauts on the ground used the Lunar Module Simulator we have in the Davidson Center to find the solution to bring the astronauts home safely. The simulator was also used to train the Apollo 11 astronauts for their mission, and Neil Armstrong, seen here with then Director Ed Buckbee, revisited it on a visit to the Rocket Center. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DPBPu6iH6/

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Step into a world where Four Seasons legendary service and hospitality extend to the sea. Our inaugural season, with exclusive holiday voyages, invites you to experience the world through a new lens.
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

Step into a world where Four Seasons legendary service and hospitality extend to the sea. Our inaugural season, with exclusive holiday voyages, invites you to experience the world through a new lens. https://www.facebook.com/share/19TEBTezH2/

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160 years ago today, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia – effectively bringing four long, bloody years of civil war to a close. For so many reasons, it remains one of the most important days in American history, and visiting our expertly-preserved Civil War battlefields is time well spent.
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

160 years ago today, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia – effectively bringing four long, bloody years of civil war to a close. For so many reasons, it remains one of the most important days in American history, and visiting our expertly-preserved Civil War battlefields is time well spent. https://www.facebook.com/share/1JxzbqdTTD/

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Insurers Allowed To End Chemical Explosion Coverage Suit
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

Insurers Allowed To End Chemical Explosion Coverage Suit <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324611?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…> By Elizabeth Daley Insurers were allowed Friday to dismiss their case in Texas federal court against Team Industrial Services Inc. seeking to disclaim coverage for underlying suits filed against the company in connection with injuries from a 2021 explosion at a chemical plant. Order attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324611?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324611?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…>

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Liberty Mutual Unit Beats Suit Seeking Bigger Fire Payout
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

Liberty Mutual Unit Beats Suit Seeking Bigger Fire Payout <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324250?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…> By Ryan Harroff Ohio's law governing total loss insurance coverage does not necessarily mandate that insurers pay out the maximum policy limit, according to a new order from a Buckeye State federal judge granting a Liberty Mutual subsidiary a victory over claims brought by a woman seeking a larger payout for her burned property. Decision attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324250?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/insurance/articles/2324250?nl_pk=347c5954-47a8-495c-…>

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NC AG Can't Shield Most Merger Review Docs, Judge Holds
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

NC AG Can't Shield Most Merger Review Docs, Judge Holds <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324439?nl_pk=34b724c6-…> By Hayley Fowler The North Carolina Attorney General's Office can't shield a host of internal records pertaining to its review of a 2019 hospital merger at the center of a compliance case, a state court judge has said, finding "only a few" records constitute protected attorney-client communications or work product. Order attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324439?nl_pk=34b724c6-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324439?nl_pk=34b724c6-…>

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Apollo Plugs $400M Into Joint Venture With Solar Company
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

Apollo Plugs $400M Into Joint Venture With Solar Company <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324339?nl_pk=34b724c6-…> By Jade Martinez-Pogue Private equity giant Apollo, led by Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, on Friday announced plans to commit up to $400 million to a new joint venture partnership with commercial solar company Summit Ridge Energy LLC. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324339?nl_pk=34b724c6-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/2324339?nl_pk=34b724c6-…>

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Feds To Try Coal Exec For Bribery Despite FCPA Freeze
by Gunnar Larson 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

Feds To Try Coal Exec For Bribery Despite FCPA Freeze <https://www.law360.com/compliance/articles/2324656?nl_pk=7f7472c8-af4a-4299…> By Elliot Weld Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania said Friday that they plan to proceed with a case charging a coal executive with bribing foreign officials for business, after reviewing President Donald Trump's order that paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Notice attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/compliance/articles/2324656?nl_pk=7f7472c8-af4a-4299…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/compliance/articles/2324656?nl_pk=7f7472c8-af4a-4299…>

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