William Lee, Author at Author feast

Tongue-Tie Releases: What Parents Should Know

18

Dec

Health

Tongue-Tie Releases: What Parents Should Know

It’s an increasingly common scenario faced by new mothers across the country: A lactation consultant examines their newborn and suggests that cutting a “tongue-tie” may ease their difficulty breastfeeding.The quick procedure, known as a tongue-tie release, involves a dentist or doctor snipping a tight band of tissue connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. In recent years, lactation consultants and dentists have aggressively promoted the procedures, even for babies with no signs of real tongue-ties and despite a modest risk of complications, a New York Times investigation recently found.Many parents, anxious and exhausted, agonize over whether to go…

Jesse Lingard is a non-footballing footballer – he won’t be the last

18

Dec

By William Lee

Sports

Jesse Lingard is a non-footballing footballer – he won’t be the last

Follow live coverage of Liverpool vs Manchester United in the Premier League todayIt’s Jesse Lingard’s birthday. He turns 31 today and, at this stage of his life, he must realise it is not going to be easy shifting some of the perceptions that come from being a non-footballing footballer. For now, at least.Speak to Lingard’s former team-mates and they will talk about a guy who has been popular at all his clubs and played at a level, including a World Cup semi-final, that automatically commands respect among his fellow pros.But it is also a harsh reality that many others will…

Illicit Content on Elon Musk’s X Draws E.U. Investigation

18

Dec

By William Lee

Technology

Illicit Content on Elon Musk’s X Draws E.U. Investigation

The European Union on Monday announced a formal investigation into X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, for failure to counter illicit content and disinformation, a lack of transparency about advertising and “deceptive” design practices.The inquiry is perhaps the most substantial regulatory consequence to date of X, which has scaled back its content moderation policies since Mr. Musk bough the service, once known as Twitter, last year. The company’s new policies have led to a rise in incendiary content on the platform, according to researchers, causing brands to scale back advertising.In going after X, the European Union is…

Wall Street’s Bond ‘Vigilantes’ Are Back

18

Dec

By William Lee

Business

Wall Street’s Bond ‘Vigilantes’ Are Back

Typically, the esoteric inner workings of finance and the very public stakes of government spending are viewed as separate spheres.And bond trading is ordinarily a tidy arena driven by mechanical bets about where the economy and interest rates will be months or years from now.But those separations and that sense of order changed this year as a gargantuan, chaotic battle was waged by traders in the nearly $27 trillion Treasury bond market — the place where the U.S. government goes to borrow.In the summer and fall, many investors worried that federal deficits were rising so rapidly that the government would…

Brazil’s Congress Weakens Protection of Indigenous Lands, Defying Lula

15

Dec

By William Lee

New miscellaneous

Brazil’s Congress Weakens Protection of Indigenous Lands, Defying Lula

Brazilian officials served up an array of plans and figures at the recent COP28 climate summit in Dubai, presenting itself as a world leader, on track to protect its forests and the people who live there.But on Thursday, Brazil’s Congress approved a law that threatens Indigenous people’s rights to most of the land they inhabit or claim, potentially opening vast territories to deforestation, farming and mining.The new law requires that Indigenous people must provide concrete evidence that they occupied the land they claim on Oct. 5, 1988, when the country’s current Constitution was enacted — a requirement that many of…

Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank.

14

Dec

By William Lee

Sports

Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank.

Neanderthals were morning people, a new study suggests. And some humans today who like getting up early might credit genes they inherited from their Neanderthal ancestors.The new study compared DNA in living humans to genetic material retrieved from Neanderthal fossils. It turns out that Neanderthals carried some of the same clock-related genetic variants as do people who report being early risers.Since the 1990s, studies of Neanderthal DNA have exposed our species’ intertwined history. About 700,000 years ago, our lineages split apart, most likely in Africa. While the ancestors of modern humans largely stayed in Africa, the Neanderthal lineage migrated into…