Jun 13
Prominent GOP Gov. Says Trump ‘Politically, Morally Responsible’ For Jan. 6
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe Capitol riot was a “costly error” for democracy, the Republican governor said on Fox News.
Jun 13
Google has agreed to pay $118 million to settle a lawsuit first launched in 2017 over gender-based wage discrimination, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Three former female employees accused Google of segregating women into lower paying jobs that curbed advancement, while similarly-qualified men didn’t face those obstacles.
The lawsuit was expanded to class-action status in 2021 and the settlement covers around 15,500 female employees who worked in Google’s California offices after September 2013. It includes a clause that independent experts must review Google’s hiring practices and pay-equity studies, according to the law office representing the plaintiffs. However, Google admitted no wrongdoing as part of the deal.
“While we strongly believe in the equity of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that resolution of the matter, without any admission or findings, was in the best interest of everyone, and we’re very pleased to reach this agreement,” Google spokesperson Chris Pappas told the WSJ.
Google ran a pay-equity analysis to see if salaries, equity awards and bonuses were fair since 2013. The co-counsel for the plaintiffs said that the settlement would be “precedent-setting” for the industry.
“As a woman who’s spent her entire career in the tech industry, I’m optimistic that the actions Google has agreed to take as part of this settlement will ensure more equity for women,” said one of the original three plaintiffs, Holly Pease, in a statement from law firm Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein. “Google, since its founding, has led the tech industry. They also have an opportunity to lead the charge to ensure inclusion and equity for women in tech.”
Google is far from the only tech company to face complaints over gender-based pay. Riot Games recently paid $10 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit while Microsoft, Uber and other firms have faced pay equity accusations. The gender pay gap in the US didn’t improve last year, according to the labor group SHRM — March 15 is still Equal Pay Day, the date that represents how far into 2022 women have to work to earn what men earned by the end of 2021.
Jun 13
The Celsius crypto network has halted all trading, including withdrawals, according to a press release from the company released overnight. The unusual move comes as major cryptocurrencies plummeted over the weekend and there are serious questions about whether Celsius will ever allow users to withdraw their money…
Jun 13
U.S. regulators have historically inspected baby formula plants at least once a year, but they did not inspect any of the three biggest manufacturers in 2020.
Jun 13
Amazon’s Fire HD tablets are on sale at the second-lowest prices we’ve seen across a range of 8-inch and 10-inch models. If you’re looking for the lowest price possible, the Fire HD 8 is available for just $50, and for the biggest discount, the the Fire HD 8 Plus is on sale for $60, or 45 percent ($50) off the regular price — the second-best deal we’ve seen so far.
There’s already a lot to like about the Fire HD 8, like Alexa support, a USB-C port that allows for faster charging, good build quality, 32GB of storage that’s upgradeable via a microSD slot, a sharp 1,200 x 800 display, 2GB of RAM, a big 4,850 mAh battery and a quad-core processor. The main drawback is the lack of Google apps, unless you’re willing to side load them. As mentioned, the Fire HD 8 is on sale for $50, or 44 percent off the regular $90 price, and is available in four colors including black and white.
The Fire HD 8 Plus gives you all of those features, but boosts the RAM from 2GB to 3GB, while including wireless charging and a fast 9W charger in the box. The Fire HD 8 Plus is on sale for just $60 or $50 (45 percent) off the regular price.
If you need something bigger than 8 inches, a pair of 10-inch tablets are on sale as well. The Fire HD 10 gives you a lot of tablet for the money, including a 1080p display, 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, an octa-core battery and fast USB-C charging. It’s on sale for $100, or 33 percent off the regular price. And finally, the Fire HD 10 Plus boosts those specs to 4GB of RAM, along with wireless charging and a fast 9W charger. It’s on sale for $130, or $50 off the regular price.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Jun 13
“The name change is long overdue,” said Piikani Nation Chief Stan Grier in a statement.
Jun 13
Rocket startup company Astra has suffered from a second launch failure this year as its LV0010 launch vehicle failed to get to orbit with a pair of NASA weather satellites on board. “The upper stage shut down early and we did not deliver the payloads to orbit,” the company tweeted. “We have shared our regrets with NASA and the payload team. More information will be provided after we complete a full data review.”
The launch was backed by NASA as part of its mission to eventually deliver six TROPICS CubeSat weather satellites into orbit. Those low-cost satellites were designed to help NASA keep better track of developing tropical storms.
NASA was disappointed but remained upbeat about the Astra program. “Although today’s launch with Astra did not go as planned, the mission offered a great opportunity for new science and launch capabilities,” tweeted NASA’s associate science division administrator Thomas Zuburchen. “Even though we are disappointed right now, we know there is value in taking risks in our overall NASA science portfolio because innovation is required for us to lead.”
Astra’s last mission also ended in failure, with the loss of four CubeSats including three from universities. The company blamed that on two separate problems, a wiring error and software flaw.
It’s not unusual for launch failures early in the life of a rocket company — RocketLab has suffered from three since it started launching in 2017, and even SpaceX failed with its first three Falcon 1 launches from 2006-2008. However, Astra’s streak is starting to look like an issue. Of seven attempted orbital launches, five have ended in failure, with issues ranging from guidance problems to software flaws to engine failures.
Jun 13
Critics Blast James Patterson For Saying White Writers Are Struggling To Get Work
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe author, who is white, told British newspaper The Times that job difficulties were “another form of racism.”
Jun 13
In addition to the Switch and PC, Hollow Knight: Silksong will be headed to Xbox Game Pass when it launches, Microsoft announced during its showcase event today. And no, we still don’t have a release date for Team Cherry’s long-anticipated sequel (our last preview was from 2019!). There was one availability crumb, though: Xbox corporate vice president Sarah Bond noted that every game at the showcase would be playable within the next 12 months. That’s far from a confirmation, especially for a game with such a lengthy development cycle, but it gives us a bit of hope that we can get hacking and slashing soon.
Jun 13
“So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax,” he wrote.
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