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Letters: Delete, delete, for the future must be controlled

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

A future that must be controlledSo much previewed by George Orwell presents itself for inspection every day.“Who controls the past controls the future,” he wrote in his novel “1984”, adding, “Who controls the present controls the past.”Raw data is the enemy in such a scenario. It gets in the way of controlling the past and mucks things up.Thus, as the Pioneer Press reports (in an article by Christopher Magan, July 15): “The Minnesota Department of Human Services will delete emails more than a year old starting in August under a new policy unless workers decide the messages contain official government records.”The department’s dilemma, I suspect, is that, in the course of the free flow of discussion that occurs as workers resolve matters at hand, there may be unwise commentary typed into emails that might interfere with the manner in which, later on, the government wishes to present the past to the public.To sum up: While the thought process involved in decision-making is...

Azerbaijan president gives insight into prospect of peace with Armenia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has held a question-and-answer session with some 200 members of the press from around the world, gathered in the city of Shusha. It was recaptured from Armenia in 2020, during the Second Karabakh War. Since that conflict, a peace agreement has proved elusive, writes Political Editor Nick Powell from the Shusha Global Media Forum.President Ilham Aliyev took questions from journalists for nearly three hours at the Shusha Global Media ForumHe described the forum as “a remarkable event for our country and for Karabakh”. Shusha, he added, is a symbol of Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War but also of peace; after it was liberated the war stopped.Shusha has been officially declared by presidential decree the cultural capital of Azerbaijan. The government is restoring the city’s monuments after the Armenian occupation when Shusha’s traditional 17 mosques and 17 springs were destroyed. Five of the springs again have water.President Ilham A...

Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water poses serious risks to global marine environment and human health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

Since the announcement of Japan’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean in 2021, in disregard of opposition from different sides, Japan has insisted on advancing the plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean. This is a serious violation of the legitimate rights and interests of neighbouring countries, a serious contravention of Japan’s international moral responsibility and obligations under international law, and serious damage to the global marine environment and the health rights of people around the world.First, the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean is not Japan’s domestic affair. The handling of nuclear-contaminated water bears on the global marine environment and public health of Pacific-rim countries. Since the Japanese government unilaterally made the discharge decision in 2021, the international community has been questioning and opposing that...

1 dead, 2 injured after fight causes shooting in Long Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

A shooting at a party in Long Beach claimed the life of one person and sent two others to the hospital. According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers responded to a home in the 1900 block of Luray Street around 10:45 p.m. Saturday night on calls of shots being fired. Police confirmed that one person was killed and two more were sent to local hospitals, where they were listed in stable condition. The victims have not been identified. Cell phone video taken during the gathering shows an altercation break out between several people, and when the large crowd quickly turned their attention to the fight, that’s when shots were fired. Cell phone video taken during the gathering shows an altercation break out between several people, and when the large crowd quickly turned their attention to the fight, that’s when shots were fired. Cell phone video taken during the gathering shows an altercation break out between several people, and when the large crowd quickly turned the...

Garage full of cars catches fire in Woodland Hills 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

A large fire completely engulfed a garage with cars inside it in Woodland Hills late Saturday night. Video posted to the Citizen app shows the blaze, which occurred in the 22500 block of West Styles Street around 10:40 p.m., swallowing cars and beginning to spill into the driveway. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, crews were able to contain the fire before it spread to any adjacent structures. In total, 30 firefighters took around 22 minutes to extinguish the flames. Video posted to the Citizen app shows the blaze, which occurred in the 22500 block of West Styles Street around 10:40 p.m., swallowing cars and beginning to spill into the driveway. (Citizen App)Video posted to the Citizen app shows the blaze, which occurred in the 22500 block of West Styles Street around 10:40 p.m., swallowing cars and beginning to spill into the driveway. (Citizen App)Video posted to the Citizen app shows the blaze, which occurred in the 22500 block of West Styles...

Active citizens are the cornerstone of the Saratoga community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

Active citizens are the cornerstone of a thriving and vibrant community. In Saratoga, residents have numerous opportunities to engage with our local government and make their voices heard to shape the future of our beloved city.Your participation not only ensures that the needs and values of our community are accurately represented but also fosters open dialogue, collaboration, transparency, accountability and a stronger sense of unity. Join us in making a difference as we work together to create a brighter future for Saratoga.Attending city council meetings is an excellent way to stay informed about the decisions and initiatives being discussed. These meetings provide a valuable platform for residents to voice their concerns, share opinions and directly interact with their elected representatives. Mark your calendars because Saratoga holds city council meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7 p.m. The meetings take place in the civic theater at city hall.We und...

Saratoga Library hosts mental health presentation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

Mental health info at libraryThe Santa Clara County Library District is partnering with the County of Santa Clara Health System, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Clara County, and Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) to educate and empower local residents around mental health care through a series of events taking place at district libraries. The goal is to provide crucial information about accessing mental health care services.A presentation at the Saratoga Library is set for Tuesday, Aug. 15, 7-8 p.m. The presentation explains how common mental health conditions are and how to recognize signs and symptoms. It’s estimated that one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. In Santa Clara County that equals about 340,000 adults.Mental health parity requires that commercial insurance plans provide the same level of coverage for mental health services as they do for physical health services. The presentation includes information on rights to mental health care, s...

Local nonprofit offers clean energy business rebates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

Clean energy business rebatesSilicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) recently launched its Small-to-Medium Business Rebate Program, designed to help local businesses and property owners adopt clean, efficient electric technologies. The program offers rebates of up to $20,000—$25,000 for nonprofits—for upgrading to electric heat pump water heaters and heat pump heating and cooling units, helping business and property owners transition toward an emissions-free building.Business and property owners can find more information at SVCleanEnergy.org/Business-Rebates.Virtual ‘mystery spot’ tourAn outdoor educator from the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority will lead a virtual tour of her favorite “mystery spot” in Coyote Valley Aug. 4 at noon. Learn about a new ecosystem with plants and animals only found at this location, and hear how you can get the chance to visit the area.This program will be hosted live on the Open Space Authority’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/opensp...

Latest line: A good week for Canada, a bad week for Stanford’s president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

CanadaAmerica’s polite northern neighbor scores big on its plan to poach Silicon Valley tech workers, receiving applications from 10,000 H-1B visa holders in one day for a new program to grant Canadian work permits.    Marc Tessier-LavigneStanford president announces he will resign after a review panel finds that while he “did not personally engage in research misconduct,” he failed to correct errors in several scientific papers he authored going back decades.   Sheng ThaoOakland mayor rejects a $75,000 annual pay increase proposed by the city council, taking $13,000 instead and avoiding a growing controversy. Still, the move will leave her with a comfortable $216,000 a year. 

Bay Area real estate market: Will mortgage rates keep going up?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:44 GMT

Thinking of jumping into the Bay Area home market? Beware: Mortgage rates have been on the rise again in recent months — and are threatening to top 7% before the end of the year.As a result, steeper home loan payments continue squeezing out many house hunters. But growing demand from those who can still afford to buy — combined with a lack of properties coming up for sale during the traditionally busier summer months — is stoking competition, pushing the Bay Area’s typical single-family home price above $1.3 million.Despite the higher rates, which began to surge last year from historic sub-3% lows, buyers are now “biting the bullet” and moving forward with home purchases, said Matt Rubenstein, a real estate agent in Contra Costa County.Home seekers who had been holding out for rates to drop are accepting the increased borrowing costs just in time for the summer homebuying season. It signals something of a return to normalcy following a pandemic real estate boom tha...