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1st United States Colored Infantry Regiment

February 1, 2026

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February 1, 2026

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Peace isn’t a passive state; it’s a quiet rebellion against a loud world. We often wait for our schedules to clear or for others to change before we allow ourselves to feel calm. But external stillness is a luxury, whereas internal peace is a practice. It begins when you stop negotiating with chaos and start […]
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To safely navigate icy sidewalks, walk like a penguin

January 31, 2026

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The recent snow and ice storm turned much of the nation into a winter wonderland—from the safety of a nice, cozy sofa indoors. If you step outside in such conditions, however, you’ll find a dangerous obstacle course that can turn walking the dog or checking the mailbox into an emergency room visit with just one false step.

There’s no good clearinghouse for data about injuries related to winter weather, but studies do suggest that fall rates increase with snow and ice, especially among older adults. That said, anyone can slip and tumble when sidewalks get icy. Alas, you can’t always hunker down until the thaw, so what’s to be done? Walk like a penguin, says Gabriela Murza, a health and wellness extension associate professor at Utah State University.

“You’re not really waddling literally,” she notes, but there’s enough similarity between the movements to channel everyone’s favorite Antarctic birds. “When you walk like a penguin, you keep your feet flat the entire time, and you take shorter steps,” Murza says. “You’re less likely to slip and fall.” Flat feet have more surface area in contact with the ground each time you take a step than our typical heel-to-toe gate, and smaller steps keep your weight more centered, she explains.

In addition to the small, flat-footed steps, Murza recommends keeping your knees slightly bent to reduce pressure on your lower back and increase stability.

Icy days aren’t the time to multitask while walking, either, so tuck your phone away and keep your hands free. Murza also recommends bending your arms and keeping your hands out of your pockets. If you do end up slipping, that position will leave your forearms ready to catch you, protecting your more vulnerable wrists and face.

Overnight and early morning, when temperatures are at their lowest, and the sun isn’t helping to melt ice, are the most dangerous. Keep your eyes peeled for ice hiding under snow or meltwater and for transparent “black ice” in general, Murza recommends.

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-walk-safely-when-sidewalks-turn-icy/

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Takeaways from the millions of newly released Epstein files

January 31, 2026

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Millions of new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the largest number of documents shared by the government since a law mandated their release last year.

Three million pages, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos were posted publicly on Friday.

The release came six weeks after the department missed a deadline signed into law by US President Donald Trump that mandated all Epstein-related documents be shared with the public.

“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

The files include details about Jeffrey Epstein’s time in prison – including a psychological report – and his death while incarcerated, along with investigative records on Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, who was convicted of helping him traffic underaged girls.

They also include emails between Epstein and high-profile figures.

Many of the emails and documents go back more than a decade, showcasing Epstein’s relationships amid his legal troubles. He was convicted in 2008 in Florida for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl after coming to a controversial plea agreement with prosecutors.

He died in August 2019 while in jail on charges in a sprawling sex trafficking case.

Epstein invited ‘The Duke’ to meet Russian woman

The documents shed light on the disgraced financier’s close association with Britain’s elite.

They include emails between Epstein and a person named “The Duke” – believed to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – discussing having dinner at Buckingham Palace, where there was “lots of privacy”.

Another message from Epstein includes an offer to introduce “The Duke” to a 26-year-old Russian woman.

The emails are signed “A”, with a signature that appears to read “HRH Duke of York KG”. They were exchanged in August 2010, two years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.

In the latest file release, there is also a photo that appears to show the former prince kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground.

There are also emails between Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor dated February 2011 – putting more holes in Andrew’s assurances that he had cut off any contact with Epstein the previous year.

The emails do not indicate any wrongdoing.

The BBC has contacted Andrew, formerly known as the Duke of York, for a response. Mountbatten-Windsor has faced years of scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Some emails in the latest release appear to be between Epstein and Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife.

One email dated 4 April 2009, was signed “Love, Sarah, The red Head.!!”

It says that she was going to be in Palm Beach and wanted to have tea. The email goes on to discuss ideas for Ferguson’s company, Mother’s Army. The former Duchess of York refers to Epstein as “My dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey”.

She calls him a “legend” and says, “I am so proud of you”.

The financier was still under house arrest for his 2008 conviction when the email exchange was sent.

There are also hundreds of mentions of Richard Branson, the British founder of Virgin Group, in the files. In an email exchange from 2013, Branson appears to tell Epstein that is was “really nice” seeing him, before adding: “Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!”

Virgin Group has clarified that “harem” referred to three adult members of Epstein’s team, adding that “Any contact Richard and Joan Branson had with Epstein took place on only a few occasions more than twelve years ago

, and was limited to group or business settings, such as a charity tennis event”.

Epstein sent money to Mandelson’s husband

Other emails show Epstein sent £10,000 ($13,692) to Lord Peter Mandelson’s husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva in 2009.

In an email to Epstein, da Silva sets out the costs of an osteopathy course, provides his bank details and thanks the financier for “anything you can help me with”.

Epstein replies a few hours later, saying he would wire the loan amount, and da Silva, who married Mandelson in 2023, replies with a thank you the following day.

In another batch of emails, Lord Mandelson asks to stay at one of Epstein’s properties.

The emails are from 16 June 2009, when Epstein was serving a prison sentence for soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. For much of his sentence, Epstein was allowed to work from his office during the day and returned to jail each night.

In December 2024, Lord Mandelson was appointed as the UK’s ambassador to the US, but was sacked less than a year later when it emerged he had sent supportive messages to Epstein following the conviction.

Lord Mandelson has repeatedly said he regrets his past friendship with Epstein, which has long been public knowledge. He has said he never saw any wrongdoing while with Epstein and “fell for his lies”.

Trump mentioned hundreds of times

The US president is mentioned hundreds of times in the newly released files. Trump had a friendship with Epstein but he says it soured many years ago and has denied any knowledge of his sex crimes.

Among the new documents is a list compiled by the FBI last year of allegations made against Trump by callers to its national Threat Operation Center tip line. Many of these appear to be based on unverified tips received by the agency and were made without supporting evidence.

The list includes numerous allegations of sexual abuse made against Trump, Epstein and other high-profile figures.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein’s victims.

When asked about the latest allegations, both the White House and justice department pointed to a line in a news release accompanying the new batch of files.

“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the US Justice Department said.

“To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already.”

Elon Musk asked Epstein when ‘wildest party’ on his island will be

The documents also include email correspondence between Epstein and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case, has previously said that Epstein had invited him to his island, but he had declined.

The new emails show Musk had discussed travelling there on more than one occasion – including a proposed 2012 trip – in which he asked Epstein: “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”

The emails from November 2012 show Epstein asked how many people Musk would need transporting on a helicopter to the island, and Musk replies that it would only be himself and his then-wife, Talulah Riley.

An email from Musk to Epstein on Christmas in 2012 includes Musk inquiring whether the financier had any parties planned because he needs to “let loose”.

“I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year, and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose,” he writes, adding that a “peaceful island experience” is the opposite of what he’s wanting.

In another batch of emails from the end of 2013, Musk and Epstein discuss a visit to the financier’s island and are working on logistics and dates.

There is no evidence that Musk ever did end up taking a trip to Epstein’s island.

Musk said in an X post on Saturday that he was “well aware that some email correspondence with [Epstein] could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name”.

He added: “I don’t care about that, but what I do care about is that we at least attempt to prosecute those who committed serious crimes with Epstein, especially regarding heinous exploitation of underage girls.”

Bill Gates dismisses lurid claims by Epstein as ‘absurd and false’

A spokesperson for Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has responded to lurid allegations contained in the latest Epstein files – including that he caught a sexually-transmitted disease – calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false”.

Two emails from 18 July 2013 appear to have been drafted by Epstein, but it is unclear if they were ever sent to Gates. Both were sent from Epstein’s email account and back to the same account, while no email account associated with Gates is visible, and both emails are unsigned.

One email is written as a resignation letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and complains about having had to procure medicine for Gates “to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls”.

The other, which begins “dear Bill”, complains about Gates having ended a friendship and makes more claims about Gates having tried to cover up a sexually transmitted infection, including from his then-wife, Melinda.

A spokesperson for Gates told the BBC: “These claims – from a proven, disgruntled liar – are absolutely absurd and completely false.”

They added: “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

Criticism over identification of victims

Gloria Allred, a women’s rights lawyer who has represented many of Epstein’s victims, told the BBC that numerous survivors’ names had been disclosed in the latest release, including some who had not been previously identified publicly.

Many of the documents released on Friday include heavy redactions. The law mandates that redactions can only be made to protect victims or information currently under investigation. It also mandates a summary of the redactions made and the legal basis for them.

Deputy Attorney General Blanche said the redactions aimed to protect victims, and the Justice Department had hundreds of employees combing through the documents for more than two months to ensure they were released quickly.

But Allred said Blanche’s stated hope that the release would “bring closure” to the victims was “ridiculous”.

“They have devastated so many of these survivors by publicly releasing their names,” Allred said.

“In some cases… they have a line through the names, but you can still read the names.

“In other cases, they’ve shown photos of victims-survivors who have never done a public interview, never given their name publicly.”

She said that while her legal team was working to inform the department of where further redactions were needed to protect survivors’ identities, “many people have already downloaded the files”.

Allred described the situation as “an absolute mess”, saying the department “should be ashamed of themselves”.

The BBC has contacted the DOJ for further comment.

Have all the Epstein files now been released?

It is uncertain if this is the end of the road for the Epstein documents release saga.

Blanche said Friday’s drop “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process,” signalling that as far as the US justice department is concerned, it’s job over.

However, Democrats continue to argue that the department has withheld too many documents – possibly around two-and-a-half million – without proper justification.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, said he’s wary.

“The DOJ said it identified over 6 million potentially responsive pages but is releasing only about 3.5 million after review and redactions,” he said.

“This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld. I will be reviewing closely to see if they release what I’ve been pushing for.”

The DOJ had been under heavy scrutiny after missing the 19 December deadline to release all files as mandated in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law in November.

But still, whether this saga is over remains to be seen.

Many – including within Trump’s base – have long believed there was a conspiracy to protect the rich and powerful who were connected to Epstein.

Blanche acknowledged the release of these documents would not satisfy that need for more information. He said the files don’t contain the names of specific men who abused women and that, if the department had those names, the men would be prosecuted.

“I don’t think that the public or you all are going to uncover men within the Epstein files that abused women, unfortunately.”

Andrew Mountbatten

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevnmxyy4wjo

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Over Creamy Chicken, Europe’s Leaders Try to Reduce Dependence on Trump

January 31, 2026

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After President Trump shocked the world last week by threatening Europe with economic pain, humiliating its politicians, and excoriating their values, leaders from across the continent wrestled with the fallout the next day at an emergency dinner meeting in Brussels.

The dishes were neat and traditional — chicken supreme, a classic French comfort food, with vanilla roast parsnips — but the question on the table was messy and recent. What should Europe do to cope with the rapid deterioration of its relationship with the United States, most recently manifested in Mr. Trump’s obsessive pursuit of Greenland?

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, an ideological ally of Mr. Trump on many issues, arrived at the meeting urging ongoing dialogue with the president. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany pushed for immediate steps to reduce business regulations across Europe, to lift growth, and reduce dependence on the American economy. President Emmanuel Macron of France said that to win respect from Mr. Trump, Europe must show a willingness to strike back against his threats.

Deliberations ran into the early hours of the morning. What emerged was a sort of playbook for how to deal with a Trump administration that is expected to remain volatile, according to three officials briefed on the meeting and leaders’ public statements. The leaders’ plan is to remain calm during Mr. Trump’s future provocations, threaten to hit back with tariffs, and, the officials said, work behind the scenes to make Europe less militarily and economically dependent on its increasingly unreliable ally. The officials requested anonymity to speak about the politically sensitive discussions.

The playbook — a relatively bold but still largely abstract approach — was an example of how Europe’s leaders were now verbally pushing harder than ever against Mr. Trump and yet are still struggling to bolster their statements with action.

To keep Mr. Trump placated in the short term, Europeans are talking about how to beef up Arctic security. To lessen their reliance on Washington in the long term, they are working to diversify their trade relationships, improve their militaries, and make their countries less dependent on American technology.

Yet they still have no workable plan to rapidly establish military autonomy from the United States. Their financial and banking system remains fragmented, making it hard to finance ambitious projects. Their decision-making is protracted, and their leaders are divided over how to enact what could be a years-long or even decades-long project to reduce their trans-Atlantic dependency.

“The past few weeks have made it painfully clear that the European Union often drifts on waves created by others, that we are too dependent on factors beyond our control and have not built on our strengths enough,” Prime Minister Bart De Wever of Belgium, who attended the dinner in Brussels, later told Belgian lawmakers.

The German and Italian governments jointly produced a brief policy paper last week, after a meeting of Mr. Merz and Ms. Meloni, that illustrated both a rising desire to increase Europe’s strategic independence as well as the obstacles to that goal.

The document urged immediate moves to cut regulations and kindle investment, including long-debated steps to create a single continental capital market and a Pan-European stock exchange. It will help to frame the next meeting of E.U. leaders, an informal gathering on Feb. 12 that the Germans and the Italians hope will produce immediate results.

When it comes to diversifying relationships, officials wrote in the paper, “We need more ambition, more focus, and more speed.”

Perhaps the most concrete steps Europe is taking are on trade. This past week, European leaders announced a long-sought trade agreement with India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, in an effort to open markets outside America. It was one of a rash of trade deals officials have been working on to secure supply chains and future customers.

Freeing itself from dependencies on imported semiconductors, rare earths, American technology products, and American arms would give Europe more leverage in its partnership with the United States — and more ability to respond to the tariff threats that have become a feature of Mr. Trump’s second-term foreign policy. Before softening his position over Greenland, the Danish territory that Mr. Trump covets, Mr. Trump had suggested he could use trade coercion to obtain the island.

Mr. Trump’s threats over Greenland also prompted Europeans to talk more urgently about reducing their military dependence on Washington.

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, said in Berlin this past week that Europe must spend what it takes to fully defend itself by 2030. German defense officials have said that they want to be self-sufficient by 2029. The European Union is helping to accelerate that effort and this week took a step toward giving eight European countries access to loans worth billions of euros that will allow them to improve their military infrastructure.

European officials are also scaling up plans to jointly protect the Arctic from Russia and China, hoping to show Mr. Trump that they can do their part to protect American interests in the polar region without ceding Greenland.

The operation, led by NATO, would potentially be called “Arctic Sentry,” a nod to similarly named alliance missions of maritime surveillance and air patrols over the Baltic Sea and Eastern Europe. Officials and experts said that the Arctic operation would also extend reconnaissance missions, relying heavily on drones, that some alliance members have already launched in the High North to shadow and search for Russian ships and submarines.

The top French general met with Swedish troops last week to enhance Arctic cooperation. Other countries, including Italy, are adapting some of their Alpine brigades to Arctic operations, Minna Alander, an expert on Arctic security, told a panel at the Center for European Policy Analysis this month. And the British military said in January that it was broadening its deployments in northern Norway.

Like many European moves, the flurry of Arctic activity is more conceptual than actionable. Discussions over the proposed NATO campaign in the Arctic are still at a very early stage, according to one current and one former NATO official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Divisions between some NATO members might slow any progress. The operation, both officials said, would have to steer clear of a demilitarized island near the North Pole to avoid objections from an ally, Turkey, that has scientists stationed there. Canada, at least until recently, has been reluctant to cede more defense responsibilities to NATO. Such tensions risk projecting a sense of disunity, undermining Europe just as it tries to strengthen.

“Everyone has got national interests, but we need to be cautious about what and how we do things, and say and communicate things,” Gen. Karel Rehka, chief of the Czech armed forces, said in an interview. “We don’t want to send the wrong signals to any potential adversary.”

Similar differences have emerged in Europe over whether Ukraine is a more pressing priority than the Arctic. Some leaders, particularly in countries closer to Ukraine, are reluctant to stand up to Mr. Trump over Greenland when Europe still needs him to help Kyiv defend against Russia, experts and officials say.

“For Poland and the Baltics, the idea of defending Greenland is problematic,” said Rosa Balfour, the head of Carnegie Europe, a research group in Brussels. “Ukraine is the priority.”

There is at least one familiar strategy with Mr. Trump that Europeans continue to fall back on: patience, while they wait to see what Mr. Trump says and does next.

Denmark and Greenland are still waiting for a serious American offer that could expand the U.S. presence on the island without granting ownership, said Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, head of the Center for Arctic Security Studies at the Royal Danish Defense College.

“That would be the cleverest way, to offer a significant carrot,” he said. “The problem for the Americans is that there’s been a lot of stick, but it’s very vague what the carrot is.”

Christopher F. Schuetze contributed reporting from Berlin, and Koba Ryckewaert from Brussels.

A correction was made on

Jan. 31, 2026

An earlier version of a picture caption with this article misidentified the position of Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. He is the foreign minister of India, not its prime minister.

European leaders on Monday at a summit in Hamburg, Germany. Although they are verbally pushing harder than ever against President Trump, they are still struggling to bolster their statements with action. Credit…Ronny Hartmann/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/world/europe/eu-trump-greenland-europe.html

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Menopause linked to changes in brain’s gray matter, new study shows

January 30, 2026

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Everyone who menstruates and lives long enough experiences menopause in one form or another. Yet despite that, research into what happens during this natural cessation of menstruation and why is limited. Scientists know that menopause can cause a myriad of neurological symptoms, from hot flashes to poor sleep to depression. But what is going on in people’s brain during this period is still murky. Now, new research offers clues to a link between menopause and changes in the brain’s gray matter, as well as anxiety and depression.

Using brain scans from 10,873 people in the U.K., the researchers found that postmenopausal participants showed lower volumes of gray matter in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, which are involved in storing and retrieving memories, and in the anterior cingulate, which is involved in emotional regulation.

The researchers also looked at whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a frontline but still rarely prescribed treatment for symptoms of menopause, might ameliorate some of these changes.

Barbara Sahakian, a psychiatry professor at the University of Cambridge and an author of the study, explains that she and her colleagues theorized HRT might influence people’s experiences, tamping down their neurological symptoms, for instance. “That was the hypothesis,” she says, “but it didn’t seem to pan out completely that way.”

They found that people who were treated with HRT for menopause showed lower volumes of gray matter in some areas of the brain than those who did not receive HRT. The HRT group also showed higher rates of anxiety and depression—importantly, Sahakian says their work doesn’t find that HRT treatment causes brain changes or menopause symptoms. Previous research suggests HRT prescribed during the run-up to menopause and early postmenopause can reduce anxiety, depending on the kind of HRT and dose, in at least some women. And a subsequent analysis found that participants who were prescribed HRT were more likely to have reported anxiety and depression before HRT treatment, the study explains.

It’s unclear what kind of hormone therapy the participants received, says Roberta Brinton, director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona, who was not involved in the study. “The type of and treatment regimen of menopausal hormone therapy is a critical factor in the efficacy, or lack thereof, for neurological [and] brain-related functions,” she says.

Sahakian and her colleagues didn’t have access to the participants’ treatment regimens or what dose of HRT they were taking, which could also muddy the findings. “They are good questions,” she agrees. “They are important. But I think the basic findings still hold, independent of that.”

One potential benefit of HRT that did emerge from the data was its beneficial effect on psychomotor slowing, or the tendency for reaction times to slow with age. Without HRT, postmenopausal women had slower reaction times in a card-matching speed game than those who were premenopausal. But study participants who were treated with HRT had similar reaction times to participants who hadn’t gone through menopause.

This indicated that the HRT may be protective for psychomotor slowing postmenopause,” Sahakian says.

She hopes the results will serve as a basis for future studies on the brain and aging, including menopause’s potential role in Alzheimer’s syndrome and dementia. Women are more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s, although it’s not totally clear why. Women’s tendency to live longer may play a role, but a growing number of researchers, including Sahakian, wonder if menopause might, too. Indeed, the brain areas singled out in this study are also often among those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

A next step would be to look more deeply at what’s happening in the brains of the study participants to try and figure out what, exactly, is causing decreases in brain volume—whether it’s stress, hormones, or something else.

In the meantime, Sahakian recommends people who are experiencing menopause focus on behaviors that are known to improve brain health—exercising, sleeping well, keeping your mind active, eating healthy, and maintaining a positive social network.

“If women would try to do those things, particularly during the menopause, then that would put them in the best possible shape to get through it well,” she says.

aquaArts studio via Getty Images

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/menopause-linked-to-changes-in-brains-gray-matter-new-study-shows/

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Is It Bad to Just Close Your Laptop Instead of Turning It Off?

January 30, 2026

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Most of us do it without thinking: You’re done working, and so you close your laptop and walk away. No shut down — just snap the lid shut and move on.

But is that actually OK, or is it quietly hurting your laptop over time?

Like a lot of tech myths, the answer isn’t a simple “yes” or “no.” Closing your laptop usually isn’t bad, but there are situations where you should turn it off, or at least restart it.

Don’t miss: 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your MacBook’s Battery Life

What actually happens when you close your laptop

When you close your laptop lid, most modern computers automatically enter sleep mode. In sleep mode, your laptop pauses most activity, keeps your open apps, leaves your files in memory, and uses a small amount of power to stay ready. That’s why it wakes up almost instantly when you reopen it.

This is obviously very different from shutting down, which fully stops all processes, clears memory, and powers the system off completely.

Sleep mode is designed for convenience, not long-term rest. And most of the time, it works exactly as intended. Just make sure your display settings aren’t set to “never” for turning off the screen or sleeping, or your laptop will continue running even when closed.

On a MacBook, you can check this under the Battery and Lock Screen options in System Settings. For Windows laptops, look in System settings under Screen, sleep and hibernate, and Lid and power button controls.

When closing your laptop is totally fine

For everyday use, closing your laptop is usually harmless, especially if you’re opening it again within a few hours or even a day.

Sleep mode is ideal when:

You’re stepping away briefly

You want to pick up right where you left off

You’re moving between meetings or locations

Your laptop is plugged in or has plenty of battery

Modern laptops, especially newer MacBooks and Windows PCs, are optimized for sleep mode. They manage power efficiently, pause background activity, and handle short idle periods without issue.

If your laptop feels fast and nothing seems off, there’s usually no reason to worry.

When sleep mode can cause problems

That said, relying only on closing your laptop and never shutting it down can create issues over time. Sleep mode doesn’t fully reset your system. Apps stay loaded, background processes continue to run, and small software glitches can pile up.

You may notice the following if you only ever put your computer to sleep:

Slower performance after days or weeks without a restart

Apps freezing or behaving oddly

Battery drain while the laptop is “asleep.”

Missed system or security updates

Fans spinning or heat buildup inside a closed bag

This is especially common if you run heavy apps — Photoshop, Steam, or your web browser with dozens of open tabs — or connect external devices.

Sleep mode also isn’t ideal if you’re packing your laptop into a backpack for hours. Some laptops wake unexpectedly, which can lead to heat buildup and battery loss.

Check out: Best Budget Laptops I’ve Tested: Cheap Computers for Every Use

Why restarting or shutting down helps

Turning your laptop off, or at least restarting it, clears memory, stops stuck processes, and gives the operating system a clean slate. It’s one of the simplest ways to fix minor issues and keep things running smoothly.

You should always restart your laptop when your laptop feels sluggish, apps won’t close properly, updates are pending or you’ve simply gone days (or weeks) without a reboot. Now, it’s not a guarantee that shutting down your computer will fix any or all of these issues, especially if it’s a bigger problem (low RAM, high CPU usage, nearly full hard drive), but it’s still worth doing, because a lot of the time, it does help.

You don’t need to shut down every night, but restarting occasionally is still good digital hygiene.

So… what should you actually do?

Here’s the practical middle ground most experts recommend:

Close your laptop for short breaks or daily use

Restart it every few days or at least once a week

Shut it down if you won’t use it for a while or you’re traveling

Power it off if it’s acting weird, before trying anything else

No, it’s not bad to close your laptop instead of turning it off — most of the time. But sleep mode isn’t a substitute for restarting or shutting down your computer. Think of sleep mode like leaving your car parked with the engine idling. It’s fine for short stops, but you wouldn’t want to leave it that way indefinitely.

Josh Goldman/CNET

Click the link below for the complete article (many more computer tips follow this article):

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/is-it-bad-to-just-close-your-laptop-instead-of-turning-it-off/

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Minnesota Live Updates: Justice Dept. Conducting Inquiry Into Pretti Killing

January 30, 2026

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Here’s the latest.

The Justice Department said on Friday that it will conduct a civil rights investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse whose killing by federal agents in Minneapolis resulted in a national backlash against President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

The announcement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche marked a major turnaround in the Trump administration’s approach to the case, which officials had initially said would be confined to a relatively narrow use-of-force inquiry by the Department of Homeland Security.

As demonstrators fill city blocks and wind their way through downtown Minneapolis, hundreds of others are watching from the city’s elevated, enclosed Skyway, which links a variety of buildings. Some are cheering and holding anti-ICE signs. The subway stations leading to New York City’s Foley Square, across from ICE headquarters, spilled out protesters in advance of a rally. The square was packed with more than a thousand protesters bundled against the 6 degree windchill. To fit more people, volunteers shoveled away snow — as a PA system blasted Bob Marley’s “War.” “Donald Trump’s administration is killing innocent people, arresting journalists, and destroying America’s moral authority,” Gov. Gavin Newsom of California wrote on X on Friday. He condemned the arrest of Don Lemon by federal authorities in California as the act of a “wrecking-ball presidency.” In a separate post on his personal social media account, the governor, a Democrat, compared the arrests to Russian authoritarianism, writing “Putin would be proud.”In an initial appearance on Friday afternoon, a lawyer with the federal government asked that Georgia Fort and two others indicted in connection with the Cities Church protest remain in custody, on the grounds that the allegations against them “qualify as a crime of violence.” The government lawyer further requested that all three be barred from entering Cities Church or contacting any of its congregants. The presiding district court judge denied all of those requests. All three defendants were ordered released as their cases move forward.

Florida Universities have partnered with ICE, stoking anxiety among students.

An unusual agreement between many Florida universities and federal immigration officials has caused a new wave of anxiety among students, as immigration raids around the country have swept up thousands and ignited protests.

The agreements give university police departments, after training from ICE, authority to conduct immigration enforcement and access to databases to check immigration status. It remains unclear to what extent university police departments have worked with ICE in practice.

The demonstration in downtown Minneapolis is packing the central district and moving slowly, with chants of “Who’s streets? Our streets!” Attendees are filling outdoor stairs in front of the government center and every other available public space. Light rail trains are having trouble making their way. Several Minnesota news organizations, including the Minnesota Star Tribune, criticized the arrest of the independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. “The First Amendment recognizes the press as holding a distinct and protected role in our democracy,” they said in a statement, which was also signed by Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Reformer, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, and Sahan Journal. “In America, we do not arrest journalists for doing their jobs.”Bruce Springsteen has the words “Arrest the President” plastered to his guitar. He is hugging the musicians, and the crowd is stomping.

Bruce Springsteen took the stage at a fund-raiser for Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the iconic First Avenue music venue in downtown Minneapolis. Rumors of Springsteen’s appearance had filtered through the crowd, so energy was building before he arrived. Springsteen sang his recently released song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” to protest ICE.

A crowd gathered in front of the Minneapolis courthouse as three people arrested in connection with a protest at a St. Paul church earlier this month awaited their arraignments inside. Among those arrested is the independent journalist Georgia Fort, whose name was on some of the protesters’ signs.

Becca Bollingmo, an ex-wife of the man charged with assault for spraying vinegar on Representative Ilhan Omar, said her children have been harassed since their father’s arrest. She asked that they be left alone. “They are estranged from their father and do not agree with his beliefs or actions,” she said. The two children, who are 20 and 22, said in a statement that what Anthony Kazmierczak did was “racist and dangerous” and fueled “by the hateful rhetoric he regularly consumed.” Bollingmo divorced Kazmierczak in 2009. She asked that her children not be named.

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights inquiry into the killing of Alex Pretti.

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the intensive care nurse who was killed in Minneapolis last weekend by federal immigration agents, Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said on Friday.

The announcement marked a significant reversal in the department’s approach to Mr. Pretti’s killing, suggesting that after a week of lacerating criticism, it had decided to handle the high-profile incident in a manner more in keeping with how investigators have traditionally dealt with fatal shootings by law-enforcement officers. But even as Mr. Blanche disclosed the existence of the inquiry, he sought to downplay it.

The Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, criticized the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in a statement, saying that “no one should be arrested merely for holding a camera, asking hard questions or telling the public what we have a right to know.”

Ellison, a Democrat, added that “arresting the storytellers does not change the story: this dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional surge must end.”

Protesters rallying earlier this week outside the offices of Senator Amy Klobuchar in Minneapolis. Credit…Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/30/us/minnesota-ice-protests-minneapolis

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The hidden threat eating away at museum treasures

January 29, 2026

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Last summer, I polled the great art houses of Europe with a seemingly straightforward question: Had they had any recent experiences with mold in their collections?

Mold is a perennial scourge in museums that can disfigure and destroy art and artifacts. To keep this microbial foe in check, institutions follow protocols designed to deter the familiar fungi that thrive in humid settings. But it seems a new front has opened in this long-standing battle. I’d recently heard rumblings that curators in my then home base of Denmark have been wrestling with perplexing infestations that seem to defy the normal rules of engagement. I wondered how pervasive the problem might be.

My survey did not make me popular. Some museums responded quickly—too quickly, perhaps, to have checked with their curators. Ten minutes after receiving my inquiry, the press office at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence assured me unequivocally that there was no mold at the Uffizi. The museum declined to connect me with the curatorial team or restoration department. Many institutions—the Louvre, the British Museum, the Musée d’Orsay—didn’t respond to my calls and e-mails at all. I eventually came to suspect the Vatican Museum had blocked my number.

Frustrating though it was, this is the reception I expected. Asking a curator if their museum has problems with mold is like asking if they have a sexually transmitted disease. It’s contagious, it’s taboo, and it carries the inevitable implication someone has done something naughty.

Consequently, mold is spoken of in whispers in the museum world. Curators fear that even rumors of an infestation can hurt their institution’s funding and blacklist them from traveling exhibitions. When an infestation does occur, it’s generally kept secret. The contract conservation teams that museums hire to remediate invasive mold often must vow confidentiality before they’re even allowed to see the damage. But a handful of researchers, from in-house conservators to university mycologists, are beginning to compare notes about the fungal infestations they’ve tackled in museum storage depots, monastery archives, crypts, and cathedrals. A disquieting revelation has emerged from these discussions: there’s a class of molds that flourish in low humidity, long believed to be a sanctuary from decay. By trying so hard to protect artifacts, we’ve accidentally created the “perfect conditions for [these molds] to grow,” says Flavia Pinzari, a mycologist at the Council of National Research of Italy. “All the rules for conservation never considered these species.”

These molds—called xerophiles—can survive in dry, hostile environments such as volcano calderas and scorching deserts, and to the chagrin of curators across the world, they seem to have developed a taste for cultural heritage. They devour the organic material that abounds in museums—from fabric canvases and wood furniture to tapestries. They can also eke out a living on marble statues and stained-glass windows by eating micronutrients in the dust that accumulates on their surfaces. And global warming seems to be helping them spread.

Most frustrating for curators, these xerophilic molds are undetectable by conventional means. But now, armed with new methods, several research teams are solving art history cold cases and explaining mysterious new infestations.

The xerophiles’ body count is rising: bruise-like stains on Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous self-portrait, housed in Turin. Brown blotches on the walls of King Tut’s burial chamber in Luxor. Pockmarks on the face of a saint in an 11th-century fresco in Kyiv. It’s not enough to find and identify the mold. Investigators are racing to determine the limits of xerophilic life and figure out which pieces of our cultural heritage are at the highest risk of infestation before the ravenous microbes set in.

Scandinavian museums have been some of the first to confront the effect of climate change on molds. Whereas certain parts of the planet are growing drier as temperatures rise, the Nordic countries are among those that are becoming wetter. Higher temperatures allow the air to hold more moisture, and extreme rainfall events called cloudbursts are occurring more frequently. Sea-bound Denmark, for example, which is already rainy, could receive more than 50 percent more winter rainfall by the end of this century.

In decades past, local museums in Denmark could get away with storing their treasures in drafty basements, sheds, and even barns—practices that are typical for small museums around the globe when funding is limited, and they don’t have the luxury of purpose-built facilities. But rising humidity and increasing floods led to runaway mold infestations at several Danish institutions in the 2000s. In response, Danish museums invested tens of millions of dollars to develop centralized, climate-controlled storage facilities.

It’s a pattern that’s playing out in many parts of the world. As the climate becomes more erratic, museums are tightening the temperature and humidity controls for their collections to prevent mold growth. But paradoxically, these efforts may be creating the perfect niche for a different kind of mold.

In 2012, Danish museum conservator Camilla Jul Bastholm was patrolling one such climate-controlled facility—a newly retrofitted warehouse about an hour outside Copenhagen—when she spotted subtle white shimmers on a variety of items, including hats and cloaks. “It was tricky to see with the naked eye,” Bastholm says of the discoloration—“a whitish, brittle layer on the surface of the artifacts.”

Conventional wisdom would have suggested that these shimmering patches were pesticide blooms, an unfortunate legacy from past generations of conservators who sprayed their collections with pesticides such as DDT to keep insects and molds at bay. These chemicals absorbed into artifacts only to bubble up to the surface later in the form of white blotches. But Bastholm had seen these little white dots before. She was working in another repository as a contract conservator, the kind of consultant museums hire after a flood or leak. After eight hours in that facility, a colleague had “reacted like she had the beginning of the flu—her eyes running; she had a migraine.” To Bastholm, that sounded like exposure to a fungus, not a chemical.

A close examination revealed that about half of the objects in the Roskilde Museum’s facility bore these worrisome white marks. Two museum employees developed the same flu-like symptoms Bastholm had observed before. The staff were convinced they had a mold outbreak. Yet the building’s envelope was intact, with no evidence of leaks.

Twice, museum leadership called in outside technicians to test for mold, a process that involves rubbing samples of potentially contaminated material onto a fungal growth medium—a gelatinous goo packed with nutrients and moisture to jump-start mold growth in a petri dish. The dishes bloomed black, yellow, brown, and green with common molds, but nothing matched the enigmatic white marks.

Maja Lindholm Kvamm, curator and collections manager at the Roskilde Museum in Denmark, cleans objects in a storage facility that has been sealed off since 2014 because of a mold outbreak. Ty Stange

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-extremophile-molds-are-destroying-museum-artifacts/

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Today’s Senior Living Communities Are Not Your Grandma’s ‘Old Folks’ Home’: An Expert Guide to Shopping for the Right Fit

January 29, 2026

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In my hometown, everybody called it the “old folks’ home.” It’s where my aunt worked long ago, and I used to tag along as a boy because I liked the people who lived there.

In the old folks’ home, ageist as that term is, people had roommates and ate community meals and maybe joined a weekly bingo game for entertainment.

Oh, how times have changed.

Four decades later, I’m an adult, and shopping for a new place for my mom, 85, and my dad, 87, to live was a stark reminder of just how much housing for older people has changed. The old folks’ home? Maybe it’s still out there, but it’s definitely not the norm.

The good news is, the marketplace has been transformed in a way that gives older people unprecedented choice over their style of living.

As a licensed nurse and CEO of a complete senior health company serving 5,500 people each day in their homes and in over 45 senior living communities, I know something about how senior living has improved over the years — and how to look for the best fit for you.

Modern options

With more Americans turning 65 now than at any time in history — more than 4 million per year, a total of 76 million people in the biggest generation of older people ever — the balance of power has shifted toward consumers, and older people are moving the market toward their wants.

After decades of transforming business, politics, music, education, arts and culture, Baby Boomers are changing the way America ages.

The biggest shift from the former days of the old folks’ home is all the choices in modern senior living.

An AARP survey found that three of every four older people want to age in place at home, but professional home health care aides are increasingly hard to find, with agencies reporting major labor shortages that will grow to as many as 2.5 million unfilled jobs in the next decade.

Many older people, instead, are opting for community life. This route has developed the newest options that far surpass the former basics of the old folks’ home.

Today, older people can move to:

Age 55-plus communities for independent living with shared amenities

Assisted living with staff that helps with bathing, dressing, and eating

Memory care for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia

Nursing homes with specialist nursing facilities and round-the-clock medical care

Managed communities that allow people to live within all of the stages mentioned above as health changes over time

The key here is comparison shopping. It’s crucial to visit prospective senior living options before you need them — the idea is to see if the community, culture, and space feel right for you.

Though some liken the experience of shopping for senior communities to kicking the tires on a prospective car, I think it should be more like considering a college — you may be living there for years, and the experience can change your life.

Key items for your checklist

While the typical old folks’ home of my youth had a one-size-fits-all approach to the people who lived there, modern communities should be able to reflect the Baby Boomer culture that values personal control for health choices.

Most older people have numerous doctors and specialists in several different medical offices. Scheduling and transportation can be daunting, so it pays to look for a senior community with professionals who work as a point person to coordinate health care.

Today, there’s much greater priority on daily wellness and prevention. Workout facilities have become standard for both exercise and rehab; many offer staff who are physical therapists, personal trainers, and dieticians.

One of the biggest ways boomers have transformed American culture is at mealtime. Gone are the TV dinners and institutional fish sticks of Boomer youth.

Shopping for the right senior living experience means making sure the dining at any community can not only accommodate but celebrate healthy food choices and individual requirements for people who want vegetarian, gluten-free, and other options.

Another important shopping point is to see how much personal risk each community allows you to take on. Sometimes adult children who serve as caregivers at home are more interested in safeguarding their parents than letting them take on the responsibilities and choices of daily life.

However, few older people want to live like a fragile egg in a protective cocoon. How important is it for you to keep your own schedule, or be outside daily, or continue hobbies that may carry consequences, such as woodworking, swimming or pickleball? Check out the community ethic before committing to a new place to live.

Not too long ago, the old folks’ home was designed and run to be a basic safety net. In our lifetimes, though, senior living has become more than just a place to go — it can be a place to grow.

The senior living market is big enough and diverse enough that you should be able to find the right fit for you. It pays to shop around.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/senior-living-communities-finding-the-right-fit

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James' World 2

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Minnesota Live Updates: Justice Dept. Conducting Inquiry Into Pretti Killing

Here’s the latest.

Florida Universities have partnered with ICE, stoking anxiety among students.

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights inquiry into the killing of Alex Pretti.

The hidden threat eating away at museum treasures

Today’s Senior Living Communities Are Not Your Grandma’s ‘Old Folks’ Home’: An Expert Guide to Shopping for the Right Fit

Modern options

Key items for your checklist

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