U.S. imposes visa restrictions in response to gang violence in Haiti
The U.S. imposes visa restrictions in response to gang violence in Haiti, targeting Haitian government officials the Trump administration accuses of backing gangs and other criminal organizations. Translation: bankroll chaos, lose your Miami weekends. It’s a pressure play to squeeze alleged enablers of Haiti’s insecurity by hitting them where it hurts—their passports.
Atlassian’s tabletop disaster recovery drill revealed extensive dependency problems
Atlassian’s tabletop disaster recovery drill revealed extensive dependency problems—nothing like a fake crisis to expose the real one—prompting the Australian collaborationware firm to spend four years turning a spaghetti tangle of services into a more robust, recoverable cloud layer cake. The company rebuilt its PaaS to strip out dangerous internal dependencies; issues remain, but Atlassian says they’re now manageable—fewer tripwires, more guardrails.
Medik8 discounts anti-ageing cream by £19, touted to reduce wrinkles and fine lines
Medik8 discounts anti-ageing cream by £19, touted to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, with one fan claiming, “Each application leaves my skin plump and well hydrated without any signs of dryness.” Fewer creases promised—on faces and receipts.
Scientists develop simple technique to break down PFAS on activated carbon
Scientists develop simple technique to break down PFAS on activated carbon—and for once, “forever” looks negotiable. Clarkson University researchers report that PFAS trapped on granular activated carbon can be completely destroyed by simply milling the carbon in stainless steel ball mills at room temperature, with no added chemicals, heat, or solvents. The steel-ball collisions generate triboelectrons that drive PFAS breakdown via reactions with the carbon, working across multiple PFAS types in both lab-made and real-world samples. After treatment, no PFAS leached under landfill-like tests, suggesting the spent carbon can finally be disposed of without turning the environment into a chemistry set. Published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, this could unclog one of the nastiest bottlenecks in PFAS cleanup.
Two Philadelphia holiday traditions return to the Wanamaker Building, the former Center City Macy’s
Two Philadelphia holiday traditions return to the Wanamaker Building, the former Center City Macy’s, as the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village flicker back to life despite Macy’s exit—because in Philly, the lights don’t dim on our watch. A donor preview Monday night celebrated the community effort that saved the historic displays, with the Philadelphia Visitor Center’s Kathryn Ott Lovell thanking supporters. Families who feared a final curtain—like the Sugarmans, who arrive with an eagle-and-snowman tattoo, yearly pins, and a decade of dates-turned-babies—packed the atrium alongside siblings in matching sweaters and maximal nostalgia. Macy’s may have left the building; Philadelphia didn’t.
View all episodes
