Leaks say Israel sought a secret Wink in Project Nimbus, Google and Amazon deny evading laws
An investigation by the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reports that during Israel’s 2021, 1.2 billion dollar Project Nimbus cloud deal, officials pushed Google and Amazon for a covert “winking mechanism,” signals embedded in payments to quietly alert the state if the companies disclosed Israeli data to foreign courts despite gag orders. The alleged aim was to keep tight control over government data stored on the tech giants’ clouds. Critics call it an attempt to sidestep legal obligations abroad. Both companies deny evading any laws or facilitating such a workaround. Cloud sovereignty meets plausible deniability, with a wink for accounting.
Coyote bites child in Portland backyard, officials issue alert and safety guidance
A 9-year-old in Portland’s Alameda neighborhood was bitten around 6:15 p.m. while playing hide-and-seek. The coyote grabbed the child’s socked foot, the child pulled free, and the father’s shouts sent the animal running. The child was treated for minor injuries. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife canvassed the area, posted warnings, and is monitoring with city, state, and federal partners. Officials urge residents to supervise children, leash or bring in pets, remove food attractants, and haze bold coyotes with loud noises or thrown objects. Do not feed coyotes. Report aggressive behavior to ODFW at 971-673-6000, and call 911 in an emergency.
Antique on the dyno: a century-old wagon wheel becomes a small-engine test rig
A DIY builder turned a 100-year-old wagon wheel into a flywheel inside a 6 by 6 timber frame, balanced it with added weights, measured inertia with a falling-weight test, and drives it via a chain with a 7:1 reduction to keep speeds sensible. A BlackBoxDyno logs engine and flywheel RPM with Hall sensors, and after a quick calibration the setup calculates torque and horsepower for small engines. Not many people dyno their lawnmowers, fewer still with frontier-era hardware. If you are chasing peak grass-cutting performance, welcome to your pastoral proving ground.
Fox newsletter spotlights antisemitism as NYC race turns accusatory, wider incidents underscore gravity
Fox News’ Antisemitism Exposed newsletter frames the final stretch of New York City’s mayoral contest around charges and countercharges, highlighting Andrew Cuomo’s accusation that frontrunner Zohran Mamdani tolerates extremist rhetoric and Mamdani’s reply that Cuomo is trafficking in Islamophobia. Beyond the campaign crossfire, the newsletter surveys heavier developments: Pittsburgh SWAT officers recount confronting the Tree of Life synagogue gunman in a new documentary, Cornell’s student paper retracts a professor’s artwork featuring a bloodied Star of David and Nazi SS imagery after backlash, a Milan mural honoring Shiri Bibas and her two sons is defaced during an Oct. 7 memorial, and a 20-year-old Palestinian American is sentenced to 17 months for assaults on Jewish protesters at multiple pro-Israel rallies. A guest editorial by Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter and Mark Walker urges confronting metastasizing antisemitism head-on. The politics may be loud, but the stakes are sober and real.
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