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This video showed up in my YT feed yesterday:

Go time. AMFA-WJA NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE #13: UNION AUTHORIZES STRIKE BALLOT Apr 26, 2024 April 26, 2024 Participants for AMFA: Bret Oestreich – National President Will Abbott – Region II Director Ian Evershed – Airline Representative Simon Weizman – Member-at-Large Negotiator Lee Seham – Legal Counsel Peter Manikowski – Economist Participants for WestJet Airlines: Diederik Pen – President and COO, WestJet Group Gandeephan Ganeshalingam – Vice President Tech Ops Jason Begley – Director, Labour Relations Virginia Swindall – Senior Manager, Labour Relations Richard Tanner – Associate General Counsel Alex Hunt – Corporate Counsel – Labour Relations Alisha Visanji – Cost Controller John Romane – Person Responsible for Maintenance Darren Cook – Line Maintenance Manager UNION AUTHORIZES STRIKE BALLOT The AMFA-WestJet Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to the Membership at WestJet, an Alberta Partnership (“WestJet”). This is the only officially authorized source of negotiating communications. WestJet and AMFA representatives met in Calgary, Alberta on April 23-26, 2024. On a parallel track, AMFA administrators were updating employee contacts and making arrangements with its balloting contractor to proceed with a strike vote if required. It is required. It is our intention to issue the strike ballot next week. A secret ballot vote will be conducted, and bargaining unit members will be allowed seven calendar days to submit their vote. In the coming weeks of negotiations, however, we are determined to make every reasonable effort to achieve contractual wages and work rules commensurate with your skills. The Company persists in its failure to submit written proposals throughout the week on significantly enhancing your wages, benefits, layoff/recall, and quality of life work rules. In that case, the Union will call a strike in conformance with the requirements of the Canada Labour Code. Please make sure you have registered on the AMFA National website with your personal email address to receive important future strike vote information. Stay engaged with your Union updates and officers and continue to watch what the Company does as opposed to what it says in written updates or video messages. Remain informed and continue to support the Negotiating Committee as that support increases the ability to bargain a collective agreement your hard work deserves. AMFA thanks the numerous members who came to observe negotiations. Your input is valued, and your presence has an impact. Your AMFA representatives will continue to provide regular updates throughout the negotiating process. Thank you for your continued support. Fraternally, AMFA-WestJet Negotiating Committee AMFA (amfanational.org)

The terror began after crew heard a strange 'non-routine' noise.........

And that is the reason for the uproar. I can only speak from experience within my extended family, some of whom work for teams behind some of the commonly known AIs. What I hear is that much of the core engines were never developed to be used without close supervision, yet that is precisely the trend things are on. The sunk costs of trying to redevelop what already 'works' means that we are likely stuck with bug riddled and hack-vulnerable code for the foreseeable future. This, coupled with the bad habit humans have of trusting computed outputs (recalling children of the magenta atm) suggest to me that it's only a matter of time before AI generated aviation products are faulted in an incident or accident. Do I want AI to have direct control of an aircraft? Not with the AI as we know it today. All IMO. Vs

Pilotless Airplane??

Dramatic video shows Boeing plane bounce off LAX runway | Watch (msn.com)

Of course there are many who will use this as an example of a Boeing problem but since the aircraft was delivered in 1991, it is of course either because of the aircraft age or the maintenance

A glimpse into the future of passenger flight©Courtesy of Hybrid Air Vehicles Pilotless air taxis, robot-controlled airports and glass-bottomed airships may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but these futuristic technologies could be at an airport near you by as soon as 2030. Peering into the not-so-distant future, we reveal how you could be travelling just six years from now.... Flying taxis and luxury airships – this is what air travel will look like in 2030 (msn.com)

Could AI pull off a 'Sully'? Probably not; would it put a flyable aircraft on the bottom of the Atlantic? Probably not. It won't have to be perfect, just consistently better. At some point, lines will cross on a graph and there will be a new reality.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/fire-destroys-edmonton-hangar-11-happy-valley-goose-bay-hangar-8 'History going up in flames': Fire destroys Edmonton's Hangar 11 and Happy Valley-Goose Bay’s Hangar 8 just days apart Eight decades after they were built, Edmonton’s Hangar 11 and Happy Valley-Goose Bay's Hangar 8 were razed to the ground within a few days Author of the article: Jackie Carmichael Published Apr 24, 2024 • 6 minute read Join the conversation Edmonton's Hanger 11 (above) went up in flames Monday, April 22, 2024 while its eastern Canada counterpart, Hangar 8 (below) in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, was razed to the ground Friday, April 19, 2024. Postmedia, HVGP Fire Article content Canada’s Second World War military aviation heritage took two huge hits this week. Edmonton's historic Hangar 11 at Blatchford goes down in flames 31 seconds of 2 minutes, 4 secondsVolume 0% Eight decades after they were built to the critical centre of a sky ferry route for thousands of newly minted warplanes, Edmonton’s Hangar 11 and Happy Valley-Goose Bay’s Hangar 8 were razed to the ground within a few days. Edmonton authorities believe the fire that levelled the historic American air base on Blatchford Field may have been deliberately set. In a strange twist of fate, 5,000 kilometres away in Labrador, the counter-matched Hangar 8 went up in flames last Friday, April 19. The cause of the blaze is unknown for now. Close kin, the two were linchpins in North America’s bid to help the Allies defeat Nazi Germany in Europe. Each contained an U.S. Air Force base and a Canadian Air Force base, separated by a runway. They had nearly-identical plans and purposes. Thousands upon thousands of planes flowed through both sites. Now tattered in smoking ruins, they are each left with co-ordinating halves that together tell a whole story of international co-operation and resolve. Good Allies “The loss of these two hangars in my mind is a gutting of our important contributions during the Second World War,” said Tim Cook, chief historian at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. “History going up in flames … it’s the fragility of built history in this country. I have seen this in preserving artifacts and stories, the chanciness of fate… how quickly they can be lost,” Cook said. His new book, The Good Allies, explores the relationship between Canada and the United States in the Second World War. A huge part of that was the two staging routes: Edmonton-to-Alaska and the Soviet Union — and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Great Britain. “We have forgotten today just how closely the North Americans worked together to protect North America and then to fight abroad against fascism and Nazis,” Cook said. Between 1939 and 1945, 232,000 men and 17,000 women enlisted in Canada’s Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), operating 86 squadrons, including 47 overseas, according to warmuseum.ca. By 1945, the RCAF was the world’s fourth-largest air force. Bombers, fighters, reconnaissance, transport — if it had wings and would help win the war, Canadians would be part of the journey. Thousands of Canadian air crew and many Canadian fighter planes joined Britain’s Royal Air Force in the 1940 Battle of Britain. Then it was Europe, and patrolling the coasts of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Iceland and Britain for German U-boats. Over 21 months, the Americans poured millions of dollars into Edmonton, a crucial part of that Aerial Highway, a phrase they used at the time to correspond with the Alaska Highway, where thousands of young Albertans were carving a road through the wilderness at break-neck speed — a land route the Allies couldn’t wait for. It was discouraging to load planes in bunches on merchant ships and send them across the Atlantic, only to have them taken down in bunches by torpedoes from German U-boats. “They realized it was much, much more effective — even if you’re flying thousands of kilometres north to get them to Alaska, and then hand them over to the Soviets in that place, and then to have the Soviets fly them almost to the battlefront,” Cook said. “With the war on the Eastern Front, Stalingrad and the defence of Moscow, the Soviets desperately needed North American weapons and supplies,” he said. Ultimately Canada manufactured some 16,000 aircraft for that war effort — and America far more. The summer of ’42 In August 1942, the Northwest Staging Route was set in motion, and Edmonton’s air base became the critical middle of the Alaska-Siberian Air Road (ALSIB), an integral part of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Aerodrome of Democracy.” Over the next 21 months, 7,983 aircraft made their way from North American manufacturers to the Soviets. Fewer than two per cent of those were lost. Article content Aerial image of the Edmonton Blatchford airfield in 1942. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED PHOTO /City of Edmonton Archives ALSIB technically started at Gore Field in Great Falls, Montana — and in Minneapolis, Minnesota — where American-manufactured airplanes were flown to start their air trek to the Soviet Union. The route was dotted with airfields every 160 km (100 miles, at the time) on a route that, once it hit B.C., followed the nascent Alaska Highway. Some were emergency landing strips — in places like Okotoks, Carstairs, Innisfail, Lacombe, Ponoka, Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Fox Creek, Valleyview, Debolt and Beaverlodge. Others were refuelling, servicing airfields in RCAF Lethbridge, RCAF Claresholm, Nanton, High River, Calgary, Olds, Innisfail, RCAF Penhold, Edmonton, Namao, Birch Lake, Grande Prairie, RCAF Station Dawson Creek, before heading through northern B.C. and Yukon territory before reaching Alaska and Ladd Field near Fairbanks, where they were transferred to Russian pilots. (In many places, the infrastructure would form the basis of modern municipal airfields.) In Calgary, Edmonton and Namao, there were American bases as well. The main ones included Bell P-39 Airacobra, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra. There were bombers — the Douglas A-20 Havoc and B-25 Mitchell, and transport aircraft — the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. There were some others that went through the system in smaller numbers. From Fairbanks, it was off to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, and points south and west in a desperate bid to repel Nazi forces. The route also ferried diplomatic pouches from Washington, D.C., and Moscow, and everyone from Vice President Henry Wallace to Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov hitched a ride now and then. The Minneapolis-Edmonton route brought planes from the northeastern and midwestern U.S., flying a similar dotted line from Minnesota and North Dakota through Manitoba and Saskatchewan to emergency landing fields in Vermilion and Vegreville. The long-term impact was significant on Edmonton, home to the Alaskan Wing of the Air Transport Command. “The Edmonton population skyrocketed just from 1942 to 1943 by almost 40,000. About 10,000 U.S. soldiers and 38,000 American civilians went through that airfield during the war,” said Craig Baird, host of Canadian History Ehx. “A lot of Americans actually stayed in Edmonton and moved here afterwards.” Flames engulf Labrador counterpart Friday Article content Meanwhile in Labrador, fire razed Edmonton’s twin, the historic Hangar 8 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay last Friday, hurling large explosive canisters from an on-site oxygen plant hundreds of feet. Canada’s largest Christian radio station was knocked off the air by the fire as well. The fire started at a nearby abandoned commercial property. The cause of the Happy Valley–Goose Bay blaze remains under investigation, said Fire Chief Brad Butler. The Labrador base was twins with the Edmonton base — Canadians on one side of the runway, Americans on the other. When the Americans pulled out, the RCAF went over to the American hangar, so there’s a near-mirror image hangar to the one that was burned in Edmonton left standing in Labrador. “When I looked at the old pictures, your dome structure before your roof caved in and all that, the one that we have here is still standing and still being used by a private airline,” Butler said. When granny was a Rosie the Riveter Hangar 11 was one of a few rare reminders of Edmonton’s history in the Second World War and post-war era. It had a sentimental connection for Edmontonians whose grandmothers and great-grandmothers were the Rosie the Riveters of their day — half of the 2,000 war workers were female — their hair tucked under bandanas, muscled up from “man’s work” toiling on gleaming warbirds before heading out to dance the Jitterbug to swing bands playing Glenn Miller. Article content “It was a really interesting place because they were employing women in a lot of very non-traditional roles, like doing sheet metal repair or working rewiring aircraft, that kind of thing,” said Ryan Lee, curator of the Alberta Aviation Museum. The city has on the table a proposal to transfer museum building ownership to the museum, so the museum could raise funds for repair. “This Hangar 11 fire shows how quickly things can go when they’re not taken care of. I think it’s really time for the city and the province and the feds to come together and say, ‘This is the last hangar left at Blatchford Field, which was the first municipal registered air harbour in Canada,’” Lee said.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/new-rules-require-automatic-cash-refunds-for-delayed-cancelled-flights The Biden administration has announced rules that will require airlines to issue automatic cash refunds for any domestic flight that is canceled or delayed more than three hours, regardless of reason, including weather. Passengers can waive the refund and get rebooked on another flight if they choose. The new rules also include cash compensation for delayed and lost luggage. “No more defaulting to vouchers or credits,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said while announcing the new measures at Reagan National Airport. Although the status quo will remain through the busy summer travel season, they will be in force for Thanksgiving. The six-month delay will allow the airlines to adjust their accounting systems to implement the changes. Airlines have not yet responded formally to the news, but social media comments note that up to half of airline delays are attributed to ATC delays. There are also predictions the move will drive up ticket prices.

Hi, Vsplat - Same gut inclination as you, but "gut" is doing some work there. So is "as we know it today". Alongside the risks of a continued plunge into applying AI models, is the mistake of invalid comparison to idealized perfection (in this case, no accidents at all) rather than the real world as we know it. Food for thought: New data shows Waymo crashes a lot less than human drivers (understandingai.org) The article refers to very limited early data, for from dispositive, & the stakes may be a bit different, but it does point towards maintaining an open mind Cheers, IFG -

Biden’s New Chopper Is Demoted After Scorching White House Lawn New presidential helicopters delayed under $5 billion program A Marine One fleet Sikorsky VH-3D helicopter, top, lands near a Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin VH-92 Patriot helicopter, at Delaware Air National Guard Base Tue Apr 23, 2024 - Bloomberg News By Anthony Capaccio and Jennifer Jacobs The new presidential helicopter has been demoted to backup duty because Lockheed Martin Corp. still can’t figure out how to keep it from scorching the White House’s South Lawn. The VH-92 Patriot is landing only on paved runways for now, flying missions with White House officials or Secret Service staff instead of carrying President Joe Biden. The problem is down to an issue first identified in 2018 — the helicopter’s spinning rotors and engine exhaust sometimes scorch the grass where it lands. With its emblematic “white top” paint job, Marine One — its designation when the president is on board — is as much a symbol of the US presidency as Air Force One. Crowds of reporters and White House guests often gather to watch the president depart from its traditional takeoff spot on the South Lawn. For the time being, the helicopter doing that job will remain the VH-3D Sea King, which like the VH-92 is is built by Lockheed’s Sikorsky unit. Lockheed has so far delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters to the Marine Corps under the $5 billion program, Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick said. She said the company believes it’s found a fix and will start testing soon. “We have been working in close collaboration with our customer and have an agreed upon landing zone solution with testing planned to validate and ensure the aircraft meets that specific operational requirement,” Chadwick said. According to a White House official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, engineering and design work is underway to see if fixes can be made to prevent grass damage under hot environmental conditions when rotors are turning. The current fleet of presidential helicopters entered duty in 1975, a year after Richard Nixon resigned, walked across the South Lawn and waved the victory sign from the steps of Marine One in one of the the defining images of his presidency.

Saskatchewan airtanker fleet set to be replaced as forest fires rage By Andrew Benson Global News Posted April 23, 2024 3:00 pm 2 min read View image in full screen A sample of what the Dash 8-Q400AT planes will look like was shown off at the Regina International Airport on April 23, 2024. Dave Parsons / Global News Saskatchewan recorded one of the worst years on record for forest fires in 2023 and as crews prepare for the years ahead,help is on the way. Four repurposed land-based airtanker aircraft will be replacing the current fleet to fight fires across the province. “Saskatchewan relies on land-based airtanker aircraft as part of its approach to managing wildfires,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said. “These aircraft are used in instances where waterbombers may not be able to access lakes to fill up their tanks.” The aircrafts in question come with a total price tag of $187 million set to be paid by 2029. “This is an investment that’s just not about this summer or next summer but it’s about the longer term, the next number of decades and keeping our communities safe,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said. From the new fleet, the Conair 8-Q400At planes are dedicated airtankers with a focus on dispersing fire retardant, while the 8-Q400MRE will be used for multiple purposes, like passenger evacuation and transporting cargo. “Saskatchewan leads the country in preparing for future disasters with their order for four modern emergency response aircraft,” Conair Aerial Firefighting president and CEO Matt Bradley said. “They are the first province to invest in the safety and security of their citizens with a purchase of the multi-role airtankers, built by Canadians for Canadians.” The current fleet of planes has been in operation for over two decades, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Authority (SPSA), without including their lives before fighting fires. The old fleet will reach the end of its lifespan near 2027. “These planes will replace the SPSA’s aging land-based airtanker fleet with a modern, supportable aircraft with an anticipated useful life of 25 years,” Merriman said. “They will also support the SPSA’s ability to provide an operational response to more emergencies and public safety events beyond wildfires.” The first plane is expected to take off in 2025, with the remaining arriving by the end of 2027. Dash 8-400AT Airtanker - Conair Aerial Firefighting The Dash 8-400AT airtanker is currently being manufactured in Abbotsford, British Columbia, by Conair. FEATURES Quick response on initial dispatches and turn-arounds High climb rate and excellent slow speed flight characteristics Operational from 5,000' runways Fuel efficient - low fuel burn per litre/gallon retardant/suppressant hauled compared to similar size aircraft 30% less emissions than aircraft of similiar size Multi role variant available (Dash 8-400MRE) – airtanker, passenger, cargo, medevac, or combi configuration AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS Maximum take-off weight: 68,200 lbs Maximum zero fuel weight: 60,400 lbs Maximum landing weight: 61,750 lbs DELIVERY SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS Maximum Tank capacity: 10,000 litres (2,640 US gallons) AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE Cruise speed loaded: 360 knots Drop Speed: 125 knots Conair Dash 8-400AT airtanker to support firefighters in France | AirMed&Rescue (airmedandrescue.com)

B.C.’s Harbour Air aims to buy 50 electric engines to convert seaplane fleet By Simon Little Global News Posted April 23, 2024 1:29 pm 1 min readE FONT SIZE B.C.’s Harbour Air has unveiled plans to buy 50 new electric engines to electrify its seaplane fleet. The company made history with the 2019 test flight of the world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft and has conducted 78 subsequent test flights. On Tuesday, it said it had signed a letter of intent with electric engine maker magniX to buy 50 magni650 electric engines. In a media release, it said the engine maker would support work to get the engines validated by Transport Canada and gain Canadian and U.S. certification to have the mani650s installed in DHC-2 Beaver seaplanes. 2:06Canadian seaplane airline launches world’s first commercial electric plane The companies are also looking to extend support to other aircraft models. Harbour Air said it is aiming to build a west coast sustainable aviation hub, including offering electric conversion services to third parties. The seaplane operator is aiming for a commercial certification of their first electric aircraft by 2026.

CBC reported it being the original tower at the airport. Full wood frame construction and well before built-in fire suppression.

Indeed. Before he worked with Japan, Deming tried to convince the American auto industry that they needed a similar strategy, but the industry told him to pound sand. The first real effect of his work was seen in Toyota's shift from being builders of crap that noone in North America wanted to making cars that were the envy of the Big Three.

America's fight to save handwriting from extinction as IQs slowly fall https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13273363/handwriting-extinction-IQs-begin-fall.html Several US states are trying to prevent handwriting from going extinct as classrooms increasingly swap pen and paper for tablets and computers. The US government removed the skill from the core curriculum in 2010 due to claims it was time consuming and would not be useful in the age of technology which meant schools could instead focus on typing classes. Handwriting is considered a fine motor skill that stimulates and challenges the brain, but with schools turning to technology instead, some teachers are complaining students can barely hold a pencil but can swipe and double-click on their devices. tudents with learning disabilities like dysgraphia - when children can read but have trouble writing letters - can also be affected because methods of overcoming the disability requires them to practice writing by hand. Previous studies have revealed that IQ scores have dropped for the first time in a century and indicated that technology could be to blame. Teachers, parents and experts who DailyMail.com spoke to said they were seeing kids and young adults who don't know how to sign their name or read cursive. New legislative bills have been passed in states like California and New York requiring students aged six to 12 years old to learn cursive writing , but others are still advancing in state legislature while some are still hesitant to revert back including Colorado , New Mexico and Nevada . 'I wish [students] would learn how to write in cursive,' Tracy Bendish, an ABA autism therapist for Jefferson Public Schools told DailyMail.com. 'But it is like the telephone on the wall,' she said. 'Less and less used and then not there anymore.' There is a big educational disparity between schools that readily have access to gadgets versus those that don't, causing what's called the digital divide. Students who have better access to technology will have better educational success than those who don't, which is particularly concerning as more teachers turn to technology in their courses. 'The digital divide has affected individual students in the same school as well as groups of students across districts, lowering the academic outcomes of low-income, underserved students and districts,' according to American University . Last year, researchers at the University of Oregon and Northwestern reported that IQ scores had dropped because technology shortens attention spans and decreases the need to think deeply. Experts have been urging governments and school administrators to bring handwriting back to schools, citing sixth graders who have trouble holding a pencil but can use digital devices with ease. Dr. Lori Koerner, the assistant superintendent for the Riverhead Central School District in New York, told DailyMail.com that it is essential for elementary and middle schoolers to be taught cursive. 'Though technology has its benefits, children need to be able to read cursive in the event a document is presented to them along their journey. 'They most certainly, at the very least, need to know how to sign their name,' Koerner said. 'I have encountered too many secondary students and employment candidates who cannot sign documents relative to their onboarding process.' Teachers and coworkers continue to struggle with ineligible handwriting, and a 2021 survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bic USA Inc. found that 45 percent of Americans struggle to read their own handwriting while a shocking 70 percent reported that they have trouble reading notes or reports from their coworkers. Some people have expressed similar views, saying that signing important documents will become a stressful practice without the ability to write cursive. 'My 20 year-old-granddaughter struggles to sign a check,' said Kimberly Jacovino of Monroe, Connecticut. 'It is very important and should be brought back to all schools,' she added. In the wake of turning to keyboarding instead of writing by hand, educators found students' IQ levels are shrinking and placed the blame on technology in the classroom, Psychology Today reported. Hetty Roessingh, a professor emerita of education at the University of Calgary echoed this sentiment, saying that five-year-olds are not meeting academic benchmarks because of the accessibility of digital devices. Roessingh has long advocated for schools to push handwriting and cursive on children because it is an important tool to engage the hand-brain complex and circuitry that induces memory and retrieving information that typing simply doesn't do. A new study published in February by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) found that handwriting is linked to increased cognitive brain function, motor skills and memory. 'It is important to realize that the brain follows the principle of 'use it or lose it,' said Audrey van der Meer, the study's lead author and neuropsychology professor at the NTNU. 'When writing by hand, most of the brain is active,' she continued. 'This requires the brain to communicate between its active parts which, in turn, puts the brain in a state that helps both children and adults learn more and remember better,' van der Meer said. Schools stopped teaching cursive in 2010 when most US states adopted what's called Common Core State Standards , which set benchmarks for reading and math but didn't include cursive as part of the recommended curriculum. At the time, critics said teaching efforts would be better spent on developing new skills like coding and keyboarding while others called the writing style 'old fashioned.' When dropping cursive from common core, lawmakers argued that cursive was time-consuming and wouldn't be as useful as other skills like typing, that students would need at they moved on to junior and high school,' a then-spokesperson for Georgia Department of Education told ABC News at the time. Cursive also wasn't on the tests that ranked schools under the No Child Left Behind Law which was put in place by the Bush Administration in 2002 and ended in 2015. Schools would typically gear their learning curriculum around what was required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which set benchmarks for academic performance that all schools had to meet. If they continuously failed to meet the NCLB standards, the state had the right to change the school's leadership team or even close the school. Forty-one states adopted the common core curriculum and while individually they were able to choose to teach cursive, California and Massachusetts were among the few states to opt in. Roughly six years later, 14 states reintroduced the writing style into all classes, and by 2019, that number grew to 20 states. Democratic assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva introduced a bill in California last year, citing the need for students to not only be able to write in cursive but to read it as well. The California bill will go into effect for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year but similar bills are still pending in states like Kentucky where, if it's passed, would be implemented in the 2025-2026 academic year. The push is also in response to the ever-increasing artificial intelligence technology, which Quirk-Silva believed will cause teachers to return to handwritten essay exams necessitating students' ability to write in cursive because it is faster than print. If handwriting becomes extinct, it would be a major loss to understanding history or connecting with our past, Roessingh said. 'It is about the embodied cognition and the circuitry behind personal messages that are beneficial both for the person who wrote it and the person who read it,' she said. Handwriting, particularly cursive, presents the idea of what's called embodied cognition, meaning it acts as a switch to lock in your memory. This makes it increasingly important for kids to write by hand and learn cursive because they are 'essentially tactile and sensory beings who take in the world through engagement,' Roessingh explained. More than that, a piece of history could be lost to younger generations who aren't taught to read and write cursive, leaving them unable to read major historical documents like the diary of Anne Franke, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Chelsea Hayes, a Maryland mom, said regardless of what schools decide, she plans on making sure her three-year-old daughter knows how to write in cursive when she gets older. 'I do think it's important. Not just for historical purposes, but also just as a skill. I think it's almost like learning another language,' Hayes said. 'You don't teach kids art or music because of history, though I guess there's a historical component you can put in there. 'It's just another skill I think she should have. If she never uses it, oh well. If she does, great.'

According to the following article, it is not The organic food scam? Fruit and veg that is grown without the use of pesticides is NOT healthier for you than ordinary items, says former head of the Food Standards Authority Baron Krebs said organic food was not 'more nutritious' but was better for planet By SUKHMANI SETHI PUBLISHED: 12:43 EDT, 1 April 2024 | UPDATED: 12:46 EDT, 1 April 2024 Organic food is no better for you than ordinary food, despite the conception that non-organic goods can contain harmful pesticides, said the former head of the Foods Standards Agency. John Krebs said that whilst organic food is better environmentally, it is not necessarily 'more nutritious'. The 78-year-old crossbench peer told the Private Passions podcast he 'stands by' the controversial assertion he made whilst he was head of the UK's FSA. Baron Krebs admitted non-organic food has come 'at a cost' to the planet, but added: 'That doesn't mean that organic food is more nutritious, or healthier. 'You might want to eat it because you believe that it's a movement that's worth supporting. John Krebs said that many of the aspirations of the organic movement are 'admirable' and showed 'ladership' 'Less pesticides are used in the production, but then, conventionally farmed food is monitored very carefully for the pesticide levels. 'So, when you go to the supermarket and buy you know, spinach that's not organic, it's not going to have pesticide levels that will do you any harm. 'I do still stand by the assertion that I made that organic food is not healthier for you, but it may be healthier for the environment.' Baron Krebs, who is also a member of the food, diet and obesity Lord select committee, became the first Chairman of the UK Food Standards Agency in January 2000. He left after five years, in April 2005. During his tenure, he made the 'controversial' statement which saw a backlash from the organic farming community. He continued: 'I'm not against organic farming and I believe that many of the aspirations of the organic movement, to farm in a more sustainable way are admirable, and they are showing leadership. Baron Krebs, who is also a member of the food, diet and obesity Lord select committee, became the first Chairman of the UK Food Standards Agency in January 2000 The former head of the FSA said that we needed to 'rethink how we produce food' to 'farm sustainably' Baron Krebs admitted non-organic food has come 'at a cost' to the planet, but added that it 'doesn't mean that organic food is more nutritious, or healthier' 'Because, the truth is, although modern farming has brought us plentiful cheap food, it's brought it to us at a cost, a cost of pollution of the environment, damage to habitats, loss of species, loss of biodiversity. 'And, I think what organic farmers have said to us is that we need to rethink how we produce food. 'And, they are right. I wouldn't necessarily agree with the particular way they propose to do it, but the general principle, let's try and farm sustainably, is right.' Baron Krebs was the principal of Jesus College at Oxford University from 2005 until 2015. He was also the President of the British Science Association from 2012 to 2013. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

My point was that if they equipped it with 550SHP Pratt it should have posted the same speed. So the real hero in this story wasn't the propulsion system...it was their ability to reduce all types of drag.

That is just the way the mind works when one has been without, for many years

Ya, gives a whole new meaning to blue screen of death..... Vs

Is this really about propulsion or the current level of computer aided design in drag reduction? (RR story above)

https://www.twz.com/air/majority-of-the-b-2-spirit-fleet-took-to-the-skies-in-a-mass-launch

Britain shows 'most lethal' tank in history Story by Oleksandra Zimko • 1h • The British showed off their newest tank, the Challenger 3 (photo: twitter.com/BritishArmy)© RBC-Ukraine (CA) The last prototype of the latest Challenger 3 tank has rolled off the assembly line in Britain. It will be the most powerful combat vehicle in the history of the British Army, states British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps. "This is the first fully British-built tank in 22 years - the Challenger 3. Cutting-edge upgrades are now underway in Telford to make this the most lethal tank in British Army history - giving our soldiers the firepower they need to defend Britain," Shapps wrote on his X (Twitter). This is the first fully British built tank in 22 years - the Challenger 3 Cutting-edge upgrades are now underway in Telford to make this the most lethal tank in @BritishArmy history - giving our soldiers the firepower they need to defend Britain. pic.twitter.com/S7pyffG8zx — Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) April 18, 2024 At the same time, the British Army said that this is the last of eight Challenger 3 prototypes. The first prototype is already demonstrating its capabilities in tests, but all prototypes will have to pass the tests. Only then will Britain produce another 140 Challenger 3 tanks for its own army. The British army is confident that the Challenger 3 will become the "apex predator" of modern warfare, as it will dominate the battlefield with "unmatched cutting-edge firepower, protection and mobility." The Challenger 3 tank can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h and is armed with a 120-mm smoothbore gun with a higher muzzle velocity and greater penetration than its predecessor, the Challenger 2. "Its new modular armor and Active Protection System, which can detect and destroy rocket and missile attacks in seconds, will make it one of the best protected tanks in Europe," the British Army added. British tanks in Ukraine Ukraine is currently armed with the Challenger 3's predecessor, the Challenger 2 tank. It is known that the Ukrainian army has received 14 units. British tanks have already proven themselves on the battlefield. In particular, they are used by Ukrainian paratroopers

Link to the NP article: The author is: Katherine Brodsky is a freelance writer, commentator and author of, “No Apologies: How to Find and Free Your Voice in the Age of Outrage—Lessons for the Silenced Majority.” She tweets on X @mysteriouskat and writes essays on Substack: katherinewrites.com. How to survive in the age of cancel culture | National Post Owning an electric vehicle is madness and I regret ever buying one | National Post

You don't tug on Superman's cape; you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger... Air Canada apologizes to national chief after flight crew took her headdress away Airline says it's reviewing its policies following 'regrettable incident' Fri Apr 26, 2024 - CBC News by Arturo Chang Air Canada says it's sorry after staff tried to stow away the headdress of the Assembly of First Nations' national chief in cargo storage before the departure of a flight Wednesday. The company said in a statement Thursday it's apologizing to National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who said on social media Thursday she was forced to hand over a case containing the headdress that was with her in the plane's cabin. "I won't be letting anyone take away my headdress or case again," Woodhouse Nepinak said in a public Facebook post, ahead of a different flight to Montreal. "Air Canada needs a protocol for First Peoples so that we are not harassed for our sacred items. Our headdresses don't belong in [garbage] bags by airlines." CBC News contacted Woodhouse Nepinak, but she was still in transit and wasn't ready to talk at length about the incident Thursday night. . The national chief said staff wanted to put her headdress in cargo storage because there was no room in the cabin, and that the situation got tense. She said the flight crew threatened her staff, and other passengers stood up for her. The case was put in a plastic bag, said Woodhouse Nepinak. The pilot came out and brought the case back after she complained, she said. Woodhouse Nepinak said she normally travels with the headdress on her lap, or in carry-on storage. Air Canada said in a statement it's reached out to the national chief to "better understand and apologize for her experience." "Air Canada understands the importance of accommodating customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance, and in the past the chiefs have been able to travel while transporting their headdresses in the cabin," the statement said. The airline added it's following up on the matter internally, and will be reviewing its policies after the "regrettable incident." Incident 'unacceptable,' minister says Federal Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez said what happened is "unacceptable" and the government "expects Air Canada to treat Indigenous customers with respect and promote better Indigenous cultural diversity." Alvin Fiddler, grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, called out Air Canada on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, saying the incident was "shameful" and the company needs to ensure staff follow protocols on sacred items. David Lametti, who was the federal justice minister when Canada adopted the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2021, told CBC News in an interview the incident left him "stunned." "There aren't many chiefs across Canada who would have that kind of headdress," said Lametti, who now works as a lawyer specializing in Indigenous law. "It is critically important that it be treated as a sacred object, and I don't understand why this would have been treated with anything less than the appropriate amount of dignity that it deserves." Woodhouse Nepinak, from Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba, was elected national chief last December. She received the headdress during a New Year's Day ceremony by the Blackfoot Confederacy of the Piikani Nation in Alberta for her national leadership and her work championing a historic settlement on Indigenous child welfare. The Assembly of First Nations said in a release at that point that the headdress transfer is one of the "highest honours among First Nations ceremonies for leadership," and the eagle feathers that make up the headdress have been "blessed to help support leadership in their travels and challenges."

Looks pretty bad… https://ntv.ca/state-of-emergency-rcmp-warn-of-uncontrolled-fire-near-explosive-material-in-happy-valley-goose-bay/