“Making it” means making it in the specifically American climate of cut-throat, unprincipled competition, where good guys not only always end up last but deserve to, where the prize is money and power, and though the price is the loss of character and humanity, few hesitate to pay it. But money and power are the highest good possible for an American to achieve, and to achieve it no holds are barred, all foul means are fair. If you “win” no questions asked. There is only one caveat: don’t get caught.

Each successive US generation has seen larger numbers of self-identified non-heterosexuals

More than one in four (28%) Americans between the ages of 18 and 25, known as Generation Z, identified as LGBTQ in a survey published earlier this week by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

The figure was the largest percentage recorded for any generation by the pollster, which conducted its research during August and September on a sample of over 6,600 people.

Nearly half of the non-heterosexual Gen Zers said they were bisexual, amounting to 15% of all Gen Z adults. Gays and lesbians (5% of total) were outnumbered by “other” (8%).

Generation Z was far more likely to identify as something other than straight than previous generations. Among millennials, 16% said they were some form of LGBTQ, with ga

Right now, we have /c/Introductions, but it only has one post from nearly a year ago. Would be cool if those who wanted to introduce themselves knew that there was a place where they can.

Microsoft will lay off 8% of the workers at its gaming unit

Microsoft is cutting around 1,900 employees in its gaming unit Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.

The layoffs, which will eliminate around 8% of Microsoft Gaming’s 22,000 staff, are part of a larger “execution plan” that will reduce “areas of overlap,” shortly after the US software giant closed on its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, its largest ever acquisition, the head of the company’s gaming division said.

“It’s been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will

Image link https://www.peoplesworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/PBLA980.jpg Ken Bank/PW

The last few years have seen significant momentum towards the goal of making public, people-owned banks a reality in many parts of the country. This is especially true in California. In 2019 the governor of California signed a bill allowing counties and municipalities to establish publica banks.

Two years later, Gov. Newsom signed another bill that appropriates funds for a state commission to analyze the prospects and feasibility to establish a state bank that would also function as a commercial bank to provide personal financial services for residents of California.

Recently the Los Angeles City Council voted to allocate funding for a feasibility study to establish a city-managed public bank. This was a huge step forward to the creation of a public bank for Los Angeles. Though other cities and states have moved forward on proposals for a public bank, so far Los Angeles is the only public com

Despite the mammal’s death with her unborn calf, the team believes that IVF methods can save endangered African northern white rhinos

Scientists with the BioRescue research consortium in Kenya have recorded the world’s first pregnancy in a rhino following a successful embryo transfer, potentially paving the way to save Africa’s northern white subspecies from extinction.

The embryo of a southern white rhino, created in vitro from egg cells and sperm, was transferred into a surrogate mother at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy last year, the team said in a statement on Wednesday.

”The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed 6.4 cm long male embryo,” it announced. However, the mother rhino named Curra and her fetus have died from a bacterial infection.

”It is bitter that this milestone is confirmed under such tragic circumstances with the death o

Singapore (VNA) - Singapore and China have agreed to a 30-day mutual visa-free entry for their citizens, which will formally come into force on February 9 - the eve of the Lunar New Year.

As reported by the Channel News Asia, plans for the 30-day mutual visa exemption agreement were announced last December during the two countries’ highest-level annual bilateral forum, which was co-chaired by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

Singaporeans holding ordinary passports can currently enter China without a visa for 15 days for purposes like sightseeing, visiting family and business. China resumed this arrangement in July last year, more than three years after it was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese citizens curr

The shop is located in the capital Riyadh and will serve only non-Muslim diplomats

Saudi Arabia has opened its first liquor store in over 70 years, several news outlets reported on Wednesday, citing diplomats. The store is reportedly located in the Diplomatic Quarter in the capital of Riyadh.

The shop will exclusively serve non-Muslim diplomats, who will be required to register to buy alcohol in advance via a mobile app and get a clearance code from the Foreign Ministry, according to a document cited by Reuters. Monthly limits for liquor purchases will also be in place. It is unclear if non-Muslim expatriates outside of diplomatic circles will have access to the store.

Local residents, however, will not be served, and the alcohol ban that has been in place since 1951 in Saudi Arabia is not being rescinded.

Meanwhile, Riyadh on Wednesday confirmed earlier reports tha

This past Monday heavy rains hit Southern California, triggering dangerous flash flooding and mudslides across the region. Hundreds of people were in need of emergency rescue due to the intensity of the flooding, with many people losing all their belongings.

Image link https://www.wsws.org/asset/012b0c2d-cc5a-483a-a600-88a1f1dacd74?rendition=image1280 Marlene Sanchez-Barriento salvages items behind her home damaged by flooding on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 in San Diego. [AP Photo/Denis Poroy]

Thousands of residents were unaware of the immense danger until the floodwaters entered their homes. Miraculously, no deaths have been reported as of this writing.

Due to the large storm originating in the Western Pacific, San Diego County experienced historic levels of flash flooding. An alarming one inch an hour or more of water was falling in many places across the county, including National City, Point Loma and San Diego.

The airport in San Diego recorded 2.73 inches of rain, breaking the r

Total household energy debt in the UK has reached nearly $3.8 billion and continues to grow, according to Citizens Advice

More than 1.4 million people in the UK have been disconnected from the energy grid since November as consumers struggle to pay their bills this winter, according to new research by state-funded Citizens Advice.

Published on Tuesday, the study shows that over 3 million people have been cut off from energy in the last year because they could not afford to top up their prepayment meter. The average energy debt had increased to £1,835 ($2,332) by the end of 2023, up from £1,579 a year earlier. As the total energy debt pile – currently at £2.9 billion – continues to rise, it is weighing down millions of consumers and risks becoming unsustainable for the sector, the researchers warned.

Data shows that over 5 million people live in homes with an energy debt, a

Germany's rail network has been brought to a standstill after the country's leading train drivers union launched a six-day-strike as part of a long-running pay dispute.

The decision marks the longest strike in the history of state rail firm Deutsche Bahn and comes after months of shorter bouts of industrial action.

Passengers are being warned of major disruption, with thousands of services being cancelled across the country's high-speed, intercity, regional and metro networks. Affected ticket holders are being given the option to rebook with no penalty or a full refund.

The strike, which began at 2am local time on Wednesday morning is expected to last until Monday evening, follows intense negotiations between union leaders and Deutsche Bahn's management over salary increases for drivers.

With platforms largely empty at key rail hubs in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich, passengers were left scrambling trying to find alternative means of transportation.

"I'm a little frustrated

BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- By the end of 2023, all pre-roll advertisements had been removed from China's cable TV and Internet Protocol TV services as the result of a targeted campaign, according to an inter-agency meeting on Tuesday.

The ongoing campaign aims to tackle unreasonable TV fees and streamline TV services for the benefit of audiences, said the meeting, which was held by authorities including the National Radio and Television Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the State Administration for Market Regulation.

In over four months, the initial phase of the campaign also led to an average reduction of more than 50 percent in various TV package fees, and audience-friendly upgrades to TV home screens, navigation, fee-charging services and applications, according to the meeting.

CHANGCHUN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Jilin, a key agricultural province in northeast China, reported grain production of 41.87 billion kilograms in 2023, setting a new record, despite the challenges posed by floods in certain regions.

The average grain yield per mu (approximately 0.067 hectares) stood at 479.1 kg last year, positioning the province at the forefront of grain-producing regions nationwide, according to the government work report released at the annual session of the Jilin Provincial People's Congress on Wednesday.

In 2023, the province implemented a raft of measures to increase grain output, such as expanding cultivated areas, improving the quality of farmland and seeds, and promoting agricultural machinery.

The province developed nearly 8 million mu of high-standard cropland and 254,000 mu of arable land transformed from saline-alkali soil. The integrated mechanization rate for crop cultivation reached 94 percent, the government work report said.

Jilin Province plays a cru

Image too large to upload. Check link for image FILE PHOTO: National flags are placed outside a room in Beijing, China, January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — China, which once criticized and urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to “read more to develop a proper understanding” on the Taiwan issue, now said it appreciates the chief executive’s assurance that the Philippines adheres to the One China Policy.

“We appreciate President Marcos reiterating the Philippines adherence to the one-China policy, emphasizing Taiwan is a province of China and the Philippines not endorsing Taiwan independence,” said the China Embassy in Manila in a statement on Wednesday.

This, after Marcos made it clear that he only extended greetings to Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te “out of common courtesy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs previously explained that President Marcos’ controversial congratulatory message to Lai was only his way of thanking them for hosting nearl

Construction and real estate are among the hardest hit sectors, researchers say

The number of UK businesses on the brink of bankruptcy skyrocketed by more than a quarter at the end of last year amid a “debt storm” triggered by a series of interest rate hikes, a report from a group of insolvency specialists revealed on Monday.

The latest ‘Red Flag Alert’ released by Begbies Traynor Group found that 47,477 firms in Britain were in “critical” financial distress in the final quarter of last year, as more companies struggled with inflation and borrowing costs. The figure was a 26% increase compared to the 37,772 firms that reported a “critical” level of distress in the previous three months.

The surge marked the second consecutive quarter-on-quarter period in which critical financial distress has risen by 25%, the report noted. A significant percentage of businesses facing these conditions are expected to

Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nauru counterpart, Lionel Aingimea, talked in this capital about the future of bilateral relations and resumed ties at the level of ambassador, effective from the date of signature.

Nauru is the latest country to break diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

In this regard, the Chinese Government recently stressed that the one-China principle is non-negotiable and the so-called “dollar diplomacy” is not a go-to tool.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning was responding to media reports that Beijing is allegedly pressuring Nauru to break its ties with Taiwan.

Shortly after the elections in Taiwan, the Government of Nauru decided to re-establish diplomatic ties with Beijing and joined the 182 countries that re

The Los Angeles Times will fire at least 115 journalists amid heavy financial losses

The Los Angeles Times announced on Tuesday that it would lay off at least 155 employees, or a fifth of its newsroom staff. According to its owner, the paper has been losing up to $40 million per year.

The latest round of layoffs is among the most severe in the newspaper’s 142-year history, and comes after 74 newsroom staff were sacked in July. The Los Angeles Times Guild, a trade union representing the paper’s journalists, said that 94 of its members were among those let go.

The union said that it pushed the paper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, into agreeing to voluntary buyouts instead of layoffs, but that he refused.

However, in an article announcing the layoffs, Soon-Shiong said that the union soured ne

Washington, Jan 22 (Prensa Latina) Dexter Scott King, the youngest child of civil rights leaders Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died of cancer on Monday.

In a press release, The King Center said the 62-year-old died peacefully in sleep after a battle with prostate cancer.

“He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end,” said Leah Weber, Dexter Scott King’s wife for the last 11 years, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. “As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might.”

Named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama where his father had once served as pastor, King was only seven years old when his father was assassinated.

On Monday, The King Center said he “was the family member delegated to take on the mantle of continuing the precedent his father set by legally protecting his work.”

“He devoted his life to the continue

Many vulnerable households refrain from using heating due to the high cost of energy, according to the End Fuel Poverty coalition

Nearly 5,000 people died in the UK last winter due to living in cold and damp homes as they could not afford the rising energy costs, the latest report from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has claimed.

The surge in excess deaths underscores the need to upgrade the UK’s housing stock and implement measures to bring down energy bills, the coalition has warned.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition includes Greenpeace, WWF, Green Alliance, Save the Children, and Age UK, among others.

Meanwhile, a study by the Warm This Winter campaign noted that excess winter deaths climb when the temperature in the UK drops below four degrees Celsius.

According to Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, as many as 8.3 million adults in the UK are living in poorly insulat