Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Global Glitch Knocks Out Internet Sites


A widespread internet outage took down multiple websites Tuesday morning, including Amazon, Google, Reddit, CNN and USA TODAY.  DownDetector, a site that tracks website outages, reported that a long list of sites, which also included Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Hulu, Spotify, Etsy and Paypal, started experiencing problems just after 5:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Comcast, Verizon and Cox were also impacted.

The outage may be linked to Fastly, a cloud platform that powers websites such as The New York Times and Shopify.

Visitors trying to access CNN.com got a message that said: “Fastly error: unknown domain: cnn.com.” Attempts to access The Financial Times website turned up a similar message while visits to The New York Times and Britain's gov.uk site returned an "Error 503 Service Unavailable" message, along with the line “Varnish cache server," which is a technology that Fastly is built on. 

A status update posted by Fastly acknowledged the service was investigating “potential impact to performance” with content delivery network services.

“The issue has been identified and a fix has been applied,” read the latest update from Fastly posted at 6:57 a.m.

Justice Department officials announced Monday that the U.S. has recovered most of the $4.4 million paid by Colonial Pipeline to hackers who carried out a ransomware attack against the company last month that caused the operator of the nation's largest fuel pipeline to shut down operations for several days. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said the FBI was able to identify a virtual currency wallet used by the Russia-backed hacker group and recovered from it 85 percent of the Bitcoin that was paid by Colonial Pipeline. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the operation that seized the cryptocurrency is the first of its kind carried out by a specialized ransomware task force created by the Biden administration.

 

➤HARRIS, IN GUATEMALA, OFFER BLUNT 'DO NOT COME' MESSAGE: Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Alejandro Giammattei in Guatemala Monday on her first foreign trip since taking office, with addressing the surge in migrants from Central America traveling north to try to cross the U.S. border a central focus. 

Harris said, "I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home," so they don't feel they have to try to get to the U.S. for better opportunities. But she also warned against trying to make the journey, saying, "[I] want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come, do not come." The U.S. yesterday also announced the creation of an anti-corruption task force and another to fight human trafficking and drug smuggling in the region, as well as a $7.5 million commitment to support entrepreneurs and innovators in Guatemala, and other economic investments. Harris will be in Mexico today, where she will meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

➤MAN DRIVES PICKUP INTO MUSLIM FAMILY OF FIVE IN CANADA, KILLING FOUR OF THEM, IN TARGETED ATTACK: A man drove a pickup truck into a Muslim family of five people, killing four of them, in the Canadian city of London, Ontario, Sunday night, with police saying Monday that they were deliberately targeted because they were Muslim. The only survivor, a boy, was seriously injured. Mayor Ed Holder said, "This was an act of mass murder perpetuated against Muslims. It was rooted in unspeakable hatred." Officials said a 20-year-old man, Nathaniel Veltman, was arrested in the parking lot of a nearby mall after the attack and is facing four counts of first-degree murder. Detective Superintendent Paul Waight said they hadn't determined yet if Veltman was a member of any specific hate group, but stated that the attack was planned. The dead were identified as 46-year-old Salman Afzal, his 44-year-old wife Madiha, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna, and a 74-year-old grandmother whose name wasn't released.

➤SUPREME COURT DECLINES CASE OF WHETHER MALE-ONLY DRAFT REGISTRATION IS DISCRIMINATORY: The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear a case over whether the requirement that only men must register for the draft is discriminatory. Three of the justices said in a statement that Congress is considering whether to change the legislation that only requires men to register, saying that was a reason to let lawmakers address the issue. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for them, "[A]t least for now, the Court’s longstanding deference to Congress on matters of national defense and military affairs cautions against granting review while Congress actively weighs the issue."

➤CARBON DIOXIDE IN ATMOSPHERE NOW 50 PERCENT HIGHER THAN PRE-INDUSTRIAL LEVELS: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said yesterday that the amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now 50 percent higher than it was when the industrial age began. The reading was from May, the annual peak of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, just before plant life that blossoms in the Northern Hemisphere begins to take some of it out of the air, and that level was the highest in four million years. The scientists also said the average rate of increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is faster than ever.


➤DeSANTIS COULD BE TRUMP RUNNING MATE IN 2024:  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a rising star in the Republican Party, and former President Donald Trump said Monday that he'd consider DeSantis as a possible vice presidential running mate if he runs for president again in 2024. Trump was asked during a Fox Business phone interview with host Stuart Varney if he'd consider DeSantis as a possible running mate for a potential 2024 run, and he said, "Sure I would . . . I would certainly consider Ron." He continued, "I was at the beginning of Ron. I was the first one to endorse him when he came out as a congressman that a lot of people didn’t know, and my endorsement helped him tremendously. And I know him very well. He’s a great guy." However, Trump also said there are, quote, "other great people that have done a great job with states" that he could choose. But one person he didn't mention as a potential 2024 running mate was the man who was his vice president for four years -- Mike Pence.

➤RARE ‘RING OF FIRE’ SOLAR ECLIPSE WILL BE VISIBLE FROM RUSSIA AND CANADA THIS WEEK, WITH A PARTIAL ECLIPSE VISIBLE FROM THE US AND UK:  A rare type of solar eclipse will be visible from Russia and Canada Thursday (June 10th). Those in the UK and US will be able to see a partial solar eclipse at the same time. This is known as an annular eclipse, which happens when the sun and moon are exactly in line with the Earth, but the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun. This creates a “ring of fire” around the edge of the moon that will be visible in Russia and Canada. In the US, we’ll be able to see a partial eclipse at sunrise. Also, a reminder that experts say you should never look directly at the sun, even when it’s partially eclipsed, as it can potentially cause serious harm to your eyes.

➤STUDY..DRINKING FOUR COFFEES PER DAY MAY QUADRUPLE YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING GLAUCOMA:  If you drink a lot of coffee you might want to cut back. Researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital looked at data on over 120,000 adults and found that people with a strong family history of glaucoma should really cut down on their daily caffeine intake. Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve or retina is damaged, usually as a result of a built-up “intraocular pressure” within the eye. They specifically found that those who consumed the highest amount of caffeine per day, or more than 480 milligrams, which is about four cups of coffee, had intraocular pressures that were 0.35 mmHg higher than their peers. Researchers say that those with the highest genetic risk for glaucoma may benefit from moderating their caffeine intake.

➤WASHINGTON STATE OFFERING FREE JOINTS FOR COVID VACCINATION: Washington state has added a new one to the give-aways, lotteries and other incentives being offered across the country to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, announcing yesterday that people can get free marijuana. Under the "Joints for Jabs" program, licensed marijuana stores can give away one pre-rolled joint to anyone over 21 who gets a Covid shot at an on-site vaccine clinic by July 12th. The state is already letting breweries, wineries and restaurants offer free drinks for those who get vaccinated, and free tickets to sports events and prize money for up to $1 million are also being offered.

➤HOOVER DAM'S LAKE MEAD AT AT LOWEST POINT EVER DUE TO YEARS-LONG DROUGHT: A years-long drought is taking its toll at Lake Mead, the reservoir formed when the Hoover Dam was completed in 1935 between Nevada and Arizona, with its water level the lowest its ever been at only 37 percent full. The water level has gotten so low, according to CBS News, that new blades had to be installed for the Hoover Dam's power turbines that supply electricity to the region so they could operate in the shallower water. If the water level gets low enough, the dam's electricity production may have to be totally stopped. Lake Mead also supplies water for Las Vegas, Phoenix, and parts of Southern California, and there's likely to be a shortage by August.

➤BEZOS TO LAUNCH INTO SPACE ON COMPANY'S FIRST FLIGHT: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced Monday that he will travel into space when his Blue Origin company launches its first flight with a crew next month. The 57-year-old also said that his younger brother Mark Bezos will also be on the flight. Traveling with them will be the winner of an online charity auction. 


Blue Origin's first flight of the New Shepard capsule with people on board will be on July 20th, the 52nd anniversary of the first moon landing by Apollo 11. It will last 10 minutes, taking the passengers up 65 miles to just beyond the edge of space, before returning to Earth. In making the announcement, Bezos said he has dreamed of traveling to space since he was five years old.

➤U.S. APPROVES FIRST NEW ALZHEIMER'S DRUG IN 20 YEARS: The first new treatment for Alzheimer's disease for nearly 20 years has been approved by regulators in the U.S. Aducanumab targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer's, rather than its symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration said there was "substantial evidence that aducanumab reduces amyloid beta plaques in the brain" and that this "is reasonably likely to predict important benefits to patients." At the same time, independent advisers have said the treatment hasn’t been shown to help slow the disease. (BBC)

➤REPORT..NEARLY 2% OF THE 1,000 HIGHEST-GROSSING APPS IN APPLE’S APP STORE ARE SCAMS:  Be careful what you download. Market research firm Appfigures says that nearly two percent of the 1,000 highest-grossing apps in Apple’s App Store are scams. They say the offending apps have scammed consumers out of an estimated $48 million. The top five biggest scamming apps were: Guitar Tuner Pro, MatureDating, BothLive, iMetric Analyser for Instagram, and mSpy. A spokesperson for Apple says, “We hold developers to high standards to keep the App Store a safe and trusted place for customers to download software, and we will always take action against apps that pose harm to users.”


🏒CANADIENS SWEEP JETS IN SECOND ROUND OF NHL PLAYOFFS: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime last night (June 7th) to sweep their second-round NHL playoffs match-up 4 games to none. Tyler Toffoli scored the winning goal for Montreal at 1:39 of overtime. The Canadiens are now the first team to make the semifinals, where they'll play the winner of the Colorado Avalanche-Vegas Golden Knights series, which is tied at 2-2.

NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Montreal Canadiens 3, Winnipeg Jets 2 (OT) - Montreal sweeps series 4 games to 0
  • New York Islanders 5, Boston Bruins 4 - New York leads series 3 games to 2
🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Brooklyn Nets 125, Milwaukee Bucks 86 - Brooklyn leads series 2 games to 0
  • Phoenix Suns 122, Denver Nuggets 105 - Phoenix leads series 1 game to 0
🎾DJOKOVIC, NADAL, GAUFF MAKE IT TO FRENCH OPEN QUARTERFINALS: Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, Number Three Rafael Nadal, and American Coco Gauff were among the players who advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open yesterday. Nadal and Gauff won their fourth-round matches, but Djokovic moved on after Number 76 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy retired from the match with lower back pain and cramps while down in the fifth set. Tenth-seeded Diego Schwartzman also made it to the quarters, and on the women's side, the defending champion, eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek, also advanced. But while 24th-seeded Gauff made it to quarterfinals, two other American women lost -- fourth-seeded Sofia Kenin, who was upset in straight sets by Number 17 Maria Sakkari of Greece, and Sloane Stephens.

🏀KNICKS THIBODEAU NAMED NBA COACH OF THE YEAR: The New York Knicks' Tom Thibodeau was named yesterday as NBA Coach of the Year, in balloting by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. Thibodeau, who's in his first year with the Knicks, got them to the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and to their second-best record in 20 years. New York lost to Atlanta in the first round in five games. Thibodeau also won Coach of the Year in his first season with the Chicago Bulls in 2011.

🏈ALABAMA EXTENDS SABAN'S CONTRACT THROUGH 2028 SEASON: The University of Alabama announced yesterday that it had extended football head coach Nick Saban's contract through the 2028 season, increasing his current contract by three seasons. The 69-year-old Saban, who'll be entering his 15th season with Alabama, has led the team to six national championships, including three of the last six. He also won a national title with LSU in 2003, making a total of seven championships that's the most in college football history. ESPN reported that Saban is set to make $8.425 million this coming season, and that the extension includes annual increases that will bring his annual salary to $10 million over the life of the contract.

🏀76ERS, EXEC MOREY FINED FOR STEPHEN CURRY TWEET: The Philadelphia 76ers and the team's president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, were both fined $75,000 by the NBA last night for a tweet by Morey last week about Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. The NBA said it violated anti-tampering rules, which ban execs from talking about players on opposing teams. Morey tweeted, "join 'em," with a picture of an Instagram post by Curry about his brother, Seth Curry, the starting shooting guard for the 76ers. Morey said in a following tweet that he was "talking about the fact that we are thrilled [Seth Curry] is here with the @sixers -- nothing else!" But that apparently wasn't good enough for the league.
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