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TikTok sets new default time limits for minors

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – The TikTok logo is seen on a cellphone on Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. TikTok says every account held by a user under the age of 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit in the coming weeks amid growing concerns about the app’s security. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer

TikTok said Wednesday that every account held by a user under the age of 18 will have a default 60-minute daily screen time limit in the coming weeks. The changes arrive during a period in which there are growing concerns among different governments about the app’s security and ability to alter its algorithm to push certain posts.

The update also mirrors gaming rules imposed on minors in China, where TikTok’s parent company ByteDance was formerly based. ByteDance now says it has no headquarters because it is a global business and that instead it has leaders in Singapore, New York and elsewhere managing its business. In 2021, Chinese authorities issued new rules that let minors play online games for only an hour a day and only on Fridays, weekends and public holidays — an effort to curb internet addiction.

In the U.S., families have struggled with limiting the amount of time their children spend on the Chinese-owned video sharing app. According to the Pew Research Center, about two-thirds of Americans teens use TikTok. Continue reading

4-day workweek trial: Shorter hours, happier employees

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – A woman types on a laptop while on a train in New Jersey, May 18, 2021. A trial of a four-day workweek in Britain, billed as the world’s largest, has found that an overwhelming majority of the 61 companies that participated over six months last year will keep going with the shorter hours and that most employees were less stressed and burned out and had better work-life balance. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

By COURTNEY BONNELL Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Work less, get more.

A trial of a four-day workweek in Britain, billed as the world’s largest, has found that an overwhelming majority of the 61 companies that participated from June to December will keep going with the shorter hours and that most employees were less stressed and had better work-life balance.

That was all while companies reported revenue largely stayed the same during the trial period last year and even grew compared with the same six months a year earlier, according to findings released this week.

“We feel really encouraged by the results, which showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day week from a dream into a realistic policy, with multiple benefits,” said David Frayne, research associate at University of Cambridge, who helped lead the team conducting employee interviews for the trial. “We think there is a lot here that ought to motivate other companies and industries to give it a try.” Continue reading

Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books as censorship

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – Books by Roald Dahl are displayed at the Barney’s store on East 60th Street in New York on Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Critics are accusing the publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colorful language from stories such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers. (AP Photo/Andrew Burton, File)

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Critics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colorful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers.

A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered. The changes made by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, first were reported by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which originally was published in 1964, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous.” In the new edition of “Witches,” a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be working as a “top scientist or running a business” instead of as a “cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.” Continue reading

Decision to shoot down balloons puts spotlight on hobbyists

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

In this image taken from a video shot by Tom Medlin on June 11, 2022, Ed Harrison launches a so-called pico balloon, which costs about $12 and is about 32 inches in diameter, in a field near Collierville, Tenn. Medlin, owner of the Amateur Radio Roundtable podcast, believes a similar balloon is what the U.S. military shot down over the Yukon recently. Hobbyists typically fly the balloons for fun and to experience the challenge of building transmitters and antenna systems, although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been collecting data from operators to learn more about wind patterns, he said. (Tom Medlin via AP)

By TODD RICHMOND and HARM VENHUIZEN Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Decisions to shoot down multiple unidentified objects over the U.S. and Canada this month have put a spotlight on amateur balloonists who insist their creations pose no threat.

Over the last three weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered fighter jets to shoot down three objects detected in U.S. air space — a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast as well as smaller unidentified objects over Alaska and Lake Huron. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week ordered another object to be shot down over the Yukon; a U.S. fighter jet carried out that mission.

U.S. government officials have yet to definitively identify the objects, but Biden said Thursday that they were probably balloons linked to private companies, weather researchers or hobbyists. Continue reading

Brace Yourself, Paris. Lisbon Is Europe’s Most Romantic Capital City

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Laura Olds

Vacationing couples in Lisbon, Portugal, this Valentine’s Day are in for more than a chocolate treat. New research analyzing Trip Advisor’s data for European capital cities shows that Lisbon has 152 romantic hotels and 588 romantic restaurants, ranking it as the top city for lovebirds.

The study determined its findings by accounting for each capital city’s population and area relative to the number of hotels and restaurants that Trip Advisor lists as romantic. Lisbon has an impressive 278 romantic hotels per million people and 1,077 romantic restaurants per million people.

Where Does The City of Love Rank?

Paris, a French city where even the rain is romanticized, comes in third place as Europe’s most romantic capital city, according to Catamaran Charter Croatia’s study.

Love isn’t the only time when looks can be deceiving, though. Couples have more accommodation and restaurant options in Paris than in Lisbon, with nearly twice as many romantic hotels and almost 2.5 as many romantic restaurants. But from a ratio perspective, Paris’ romantic hotel and restaurant industry is lacking. Paris is only five square kilometers larger than Lisbon but boasts a population nearly four times as big. Continue reading

Celebs tout ice baths, but science on benefits is lukewarm

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

“The Great Lake Jumper” Dan O’Conor takes a plunge into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, as he does every morning, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in Chicago. O’Conor has jumped every day since June 2020. Celebrities and regular folk are plunging into frigid water for their social media feeds, but the science on the supposed benefits is lukewarm.(AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer

The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths.

The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some of those claims is lukewarm.

Kim Kardashian posted her foray on Instagram. Harry Styles has tweeted about his dips. Kristen Bell says her plunges are “brutal” but mentally uplifting. And Lizzo claims ice plunges reduce inflammation and make her body feel better.

Here’s what medical evidence, experts and fans say about the practice, which dates back centuries.

THE MIND

You might call Dan O’Conor an amateur authority on cold water immersion. Since June 2020, the 55-year-old Chicago man has plunged into Lake Michigan almost daily, including on frigid winter mornings when he has to shovel through the ice. Continue reading

Robot Intervention: Will You Be Replaced by a Robot at Work?

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

Michael Dinich | Wealth of Geeks undefined

According to a new study, nearly half of UK jobs are at risk of being taken over by a machine. 45% of roles were at medium to high risk of being replaced by AI (artificial intelligence), including taxi drivers, dental nurses, and sales and customer services staff.

Data analysts at NetVoucherCodes looked at over 400 jobs to assess their risk of being replaced by AI or automation in the coming decades. The data revealed that the lowest-paid jobs are most at risk of being replaced by robots.

Using the AI bot ChatGPT, the analysts looked at job roles using the ONS Employee earnings in the UK 2022 survey to find out how at risk they are from automation and AI.

High Risk of Replacement

According to the data, lower-paid jobs are at a higher risk of being replaced because many of these roles involve repetitive tasks that require little creativity or decision-making. Continue reading

Chill pervades China’s tech firms even as crackdown eases

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – A staff member prepares to demonstrate live streaming at a booth from Chinese technology firm Alibaba at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, on Sept. 2, 2022. A grinding crackdown that wiped billions of dollars of value off Chinese technology companies is easing, but the once-freewheeling industry is bracing for much slower growth ahead. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer

HONG KONG (AP) — A grinding crackdown that wiped billions of dollars of value off Chinese technology companies is easing, but the once-freewheeling industry is bracing for much slower growth ahead.

Analysts say China’s easing of restrictions on companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba and online games company Tencent and talk of support for the private sector reflects Beijing’s decision to refocus on growth after the economy was ravaged by the pandemic and restrictions imposed to fight COVID-19.

But controls on internet content remain firmly in place. And the crackdown has left a “chilling” effect on the industry, potentially slowing innovation, while U.S. restrictions against China’s computer chips industry are hindering progress in developing leading edge technology in 5G and artificial intelligence.

In January, a top official at China’s central bank said in an interview with state-owned media that the crackdown on technology companies was “basically” over, adding that companies would be encouraged to lead economic growth and create more jobs. That came just weeks after China dropped stringent entry restrictions and testing and quarantine requirements that were part of its “zero-COVID” strategy meant to quash the virus. Continue reading

Past US presidents, VPs asked to recheck for classified docs

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – A man walks past boxes that were moved out of the Eisenhower Executive Office building, just outside the West Wing, inside the White House complex, Jan. 14, 2021, in Washington. The National Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to re-check their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

By COLLEEN LONG, JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession.

The Archives sent a letter Thursday to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents extending back to Ronald Reagan to ensure compliance with the Presidential Records Act, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press. The act states that any records created or received by the president are the property of the U.S. government and will be managed by the Archives at the end of an administration.

The Archives sent the letter to representatives of former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, and former Vice Presidents Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. Continue reading

Unicorn Sports Tech Company Imposes $1,200 Fine for Disturbing Coworkers on Vacation

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

By Bobby Kania

The founders of Indian unicorn startup Dream Sports have a revolutionary vacation policy.

First reported by CNBC, the company’s unusual approach to employee morale has the business world reeling.

No, it’s not unlimited vacation days or a company-paid trip. Instead, the company removes the vacationing employee from its systems for an entire week and fines anyone who attempts to interrupt their holiday $1,200, allowing employees to fully “unplug.” No email, Slack, phone calls, etc.

The co-founders say the policy “has been effective so far.” The 1-week separation helps employees to stay disconnected and have an uninterrupted holiday. Employees come back refreshed from their week’s vacation, and the founders know if the company depends too much on one person for making decisions or is missing critical process documentation. Continue reading