Latest news with #WPR
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
10 Mysterious and Ancient Finds That Shouldn't Exist (But Absolutely Do)
Ancient civilizations were dropping technological bombshells long before Silicon Valley existed. Just this year, archaeologists in Turkey uncovered 2,400-year-old tablets containing unknown encryption methods that make modern cybersecurity look basic. While you're struggling to assemble IKEA furniture, our ancestors were moving 40-ton stones with mathematical precision and engineering irrigation systems that would make Tesla's engineers weep. These historical mysteries prove that human ingenuity isn't new—it's just been rebranded with better marketing budgets. From stone circles that predate your favorite coffee shop by 176,000 years to desert farming tech that puts modern agriculture to shame, these discoveries will make you question everything you thought you knew about ancient capabilities. Ancient civilizations were dropping technological bombshells long before Silicon Valley existed, and the mysterious ancient technologies they left behind continue to challenge our understanding of history and innovation. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. Japan's keyhole-shaped burial mounds are the ultimate premium subscription service—3rd to 7th century edition. These massive structures face the rising sun with precision that would make Apple's design team jealous. The Daisenryo Kofun remains off-limits to archaeologists due to imperial connections. It's archaeology's equivalent of a 'Staff Only' door that nobody's allowed to hack. Traditional reverence keeps these tombs sealed, preserving secrets better than any password protection. For more on these enigmatic tombs, see Japan's ancient keyhole tombs. Circular structures in Bruniquel Cave, France, built 176,000 years ago, force us to upgrade Neanderthals from 'cavemen' to 'prehistoric architects.' They arranged stalagmites into deliberate patterns and managed fire—less caveman stereotype, more primitive engineering firm. Complex construction required planning and cooperation, proving Neanderthals had social structures rivaling early Homo sapiens. They weren't just surviving—they were designing with intentionality that makes most modern Zoom meetings look chaotic and unproductive. Recent research on Neanderthal cave constructions has fundamentally changed our understanding of their capabilities. The Garamantes created an irrigation system 3,000 years ago in Libya that would make modern civil engineers slow-clap in appreciation. They tapped ancient aquifers through vertical shafts connected by tunnels, creating underground networks that supported desert agriculture. This allowed crop growth and trade with Mediterranean neighbors despite living in conditions that would kill most houseplants within days. Their engineering turned barren desert into farmland without modern technology—just human ingenuity and serious commitment to digging. These ancient irrigation systems reveal how early societies engineered sustainable agriculture in extreme environments. This Greek cranium is archaeology's version of a glitched timestamp. Discovered in 1959, dating methods can't agree whether it's 50,000 or 300,000 years old—basically the difference between dial-up internet and fiber optic in evolutionary terms. Its features don't fit established human evolution categories, like finding an iPhone in a Nokia factory. While it doesn't overturn mainstream theories, it adds complexity to human migration patterns that scientists are still debugging. For a detailed overview, see Petralona skull controversy. Spanning 90 square miles of California desert, these rock carvings showcase wildlife, humans, and geometric patterns from thousands of years ago. Located on military land with restricted access, they're basically the world's oldest password-protected content. These markings form a visual language waiting to be decoded—stone-age status updates that outlasted entire civilizations. What were they communicating? Probably something more meaningful than your average TikTok trend. Explore California's Coso petroglyphs for more about these ancient carvings. Göbekli Tepe and Stonehenge feature stones weighing 20-40 tons, positioned with GPS-level accuracy thousands of years before anyone invented the wheel. That's like moving your entire apartment building using nothing but rope and raw determination. These structures align perfectly with astronomical events, proving ancient builders weren't just strong—they were running calculations that would challenge modern engineers. Local legends claim giants built them, which honestly makes more sense than imagining humans playing prehistoric Tetris with house-sized rocks. These cone-shaped sea creatures lived 500 million years ago, making dinosaurs look like evolutionary newcomers. Found in North American fossils, they had conical shells and unique appendages that have challenged scientific classification for decades. Some consider them primitive mollusks; others believe they deserve separate categorization entirely. While less mysterious than previously thought, these ancient creatures remind us that evolution's family tree has branches we're still trying to properly map. Recent studies have provided new insights into hyolith classification, but their full story is still unfolding. Waldseemüller's 1507 map first named 'America,' but his 1516 version shows coastline accuracy that seems impossible for someone working with quill pens and sailor gossip. His Greenland and southern Africa depictions display remarkable precision. While 'satellite-level' claims are marketing hype, his work suggests access to navigation data that wasn't well documented. His cartographic achievements prove that quality information sometimes flows through unexpected channels—like ancient crowdsourcing. For more on his cartographic achievements, see Waldseemüller's world map. Before Dubai became synonymous with impossible architecture and indoor ski slopes, Saruq al-Hadid was an ancient craft center discovered in 2002. Over 23,000 artifacts including copper tools, gold jewelry, and ceremonial daggers reveal a thriving trade hub in what's now desert. A small gold ring from the site inspired the Dubai Expo 2020 emblem—proving that 3,000 years ago, Dubai already had a knack for luxury branding and making the impossible look effortless. Statues from Sudan dating 2,600 years ago show Nubian rulers claiming titles like 'king of Upper and Lower Egypt.' That's the ancient equivalent of declaring yourself CEO of a company you've never worked for. These bold assertions reflect complex power dynamics between Nubian Kush and Egypt, particularly when Nubian kings actually did rule Egypt during the 25th Dynasty. Ancient political propaganda worked remarkably like modern résumé embellishments—just carved in stone instead of posted on LinkedIn.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel's 192-Core Diamond Rapids CPU Takes Aim at AMD's Server Dominance
Your data center's next major upgrade decision just got more complicated. Intel's Diamond Rapids Xeon processors, launching in 2026, pack up to 192 cores into a single socket—a 50% jump over current offerings that puts serious pressure on AMD's server market lead. But AMD isn't standing still, with its competing Epyc Venice promising an even more audacious 256 cores. It's a high-stakes showdown, and quietly in the background, Ryzen 8000HX shows how AMD keeps raising the bar. Diamond Rapids represents Intel's most aggressive server CPU push yet, splitting 192 performance cores across four 48-core tiles using multi-die architecture. You're looking at 16-channel DDR5 memory support delivering up to 1.6 TB/s bandwidth—double what current systems handle. That's the kind of memory throughput your AI training workloads have been desperately craving. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. The platform upgrades tell the real story. A new 9324-pin LGA socket, PCIe Gen 6.0 support, and configurations scaling to 768 cores per system suggest Intel is betting big on density. But here's where reality bites: each socket consumes 500W, meaning a fully-loaded quad-socket server hits 2000W. Your facility's power and cooling infrastructure might need serious upgrades. Intel's timing couldn't be more critical. AMD's Epyc Venice, also targeting 2026, promises 256 Zen 6 cores on TSMC's 2nm process—33% more cores than Diamond Rapids. That's like bringing a smartphone to a smartwatch fight; the size difference matters more than you'd expect. Both processors target the same sweet spot: environments blending traditional server tasks with AI workloads. Diamond Rapids includes Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) and enhanced Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX), plus native support for TF32 and FP8 floating-point formats. These aren't just spec sheet bragging rights—they're essential for modern AI inference that doesn't choke your general computing performance. Your infrastructure decisions in 2026 will hinge on more than core counts. Power consumption, platform compatibility, and total cost of ownership matter more than raw specifications. Diamond Rapids' 500W requirement might seem excessive, but it's targeting workloads that currently require multiple lower-core processors. The server CPU wars are entering their most intense phase since the original Opteron vs. Xeon battles. Your next hardware refresh cycle will determine whether you're riding the performance wave or drowning in outdated infrastructure, especially as Intel's comeback plan takes shape.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel's 192-Core Diamond Rapids CPU Takes Aim at AMD's Server Dominance
Your data center's next major upgrade decision just got more complicated. Intel's Diamond Rapids Xeon processors, launching in 2026, pack up to 192 cores into a single socket—a 50% jump over current offerings that puts serious pressure on AMD's server market lead. But AMD isn't standing still, with its competing Epyc Venice promising an even more audacious 256 cores. It's a high-stakes showdown, and quietly in the background, Ryzen 8000HX shows how AMD keeps raising the bar. Diamond Rapids represents Intel's most aggressive server CPU push yet, splitting 192 performance cores across four 48-core tiles using multi-die architecture. You're looking at 16-channel DDR5 memory support delivering up to 1.6 TB/s bandwidth—double what current systems handle. That's the kind of memory throughput your AI training workloads have been desperately craving. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. The platform upgrades tell the real story. A new 9324-pin LGA socket, PCIe Gen 6.0 support, and configurations scaling to 768 cores per system suggest Intel is betting big on density. But here's where reality bites: each socket consumes 500W, meaning a fully-loaded quad-socket server hits 2000W. Your facility's power and cooling infrastructure might need serious upgrades. Intel's timing couldn't be more critical. AMD's Epyc Venice, also targeting 2026, promises 256 Zen 6 cores on TSMC's 2nm process—33% more cores than Diamond Rapids. That's like bringing a smartphone to a smartwatch fight; the size difference matters more than you'd expect. Both processors target the same sweet spot: environments blending traditional server tasks with AI workloads. Diamond Rapids includes Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) and enhanced Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX), plus native support for TF32 and FP8 floating-point formats. These aren't just spec sheet bragging rights—they're essential for modern AI inference that doesn't choke your general computing performance. Your infrastructure decisions in 2026 will hinge on more than core counts. Power consumption, platform compatibility, and total cost of ownership matter more than raw specifications. Diamond Rapids' 500W requirement might seem excessive, but it's targeting workloads that currently require multiple lower-core processors. The server CPU wars are entering their most intense phase since the original Opteron vs. Xeon battles. Your next hardware refresh cycle will determine whether you're riding the performance wave or drowning in outdated infrastructure, especially as Intel's comeback plan takes shape.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China's Post-Xi Succession Problem Has Global Implications
In recent weeks, speculation became rife among overseas Chinese analysts and the tabloid media about the status of Chinese President Xi Jinping, prompted by a brief period of inactivity for Xi in May and early June. These rumors were further fed by continued purges of high-ranking military officials, including some promoted by Xi himself, and the announcement that Xi would not attend this week's BRICS Summit in Brazil. The speculation ranged from suggestions that there is internal resistance in Beijing to Xi's rule to reports that he is suffering from health problems and may step down from his three roles as China's paramount leader—Communist Party chief, president and head of the military—as early as August. These reports included misinterpretations and errors of fact, but that did not stop them from fueling further speculation and attempts at more analysis along similar lines. Given China's importance to the world economy and its ongoing competition with the United States for global power and legitimacy, the opaqueness of China's political system and its lack of an institutionalized process for political succession are problems with global implications. When Xi removed term limits for the state presidency in 2018 at the beginning of what would have been his second and last term, he discontinued a shaky but important attempt to limit China's paramount leader to two five-year terms. The term limits were intended to avoid the centralized and personalist rule that characterized the tenure of Mao Zedong, and instead encourage collectivist decision-making by the party leadership. They were more or less honored by Xi's two predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, both of whom were selected by Deng to succeed him after he stepped down from his formal leadership role in 1989. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. Abrogation of the two-term limit allowed Xi to further centralize power around himself and rule indefinitely. The fact that he accomplished this feat after only five years in office may indicate that many Communist Party leaders had grown dissatisfied with the two-term rule. Xi himself argued that it created weak leaders and lame-duck status in the second term. Centralization has allowed Xi to rule over an anti-corruption campaign of monumental proportions; to discipline and silence private sector entrepreneurs who spoke out against the Party, such as Jack Ma and Ren Zhiqiang; and to enforce draconian policies, such as China's 'Zero COVID' strategy, which locked people in their homes for weeks on end during the pandemic. China's bureaucracy, private sector and civil society have all been tamed into a docility thought nearly impossible at the beginning of his term as party chairman in 2012. But the rumors and speculation that currently dog Xi's rule will only continue to get worse as he ages. Centralization without institutionalized succession does not bode well for China's policymaking over the next decade. When Xi's third term ends in 2028, he will be 75. Each time something unusual happens with regard to Xi's public appearances, there will be speculation about his health and his grasp on power, as well as about how the next paramount leader will be chosen in a system that disavows the use of elections to make such selections. Autocracies are sometimes portrayed as more stable than democracies because leadership turnover is usually less frequent, meaning there is less uncertainty about who will be in power and the policies they will pursue. But unlike the uncertainty that pervades democracies, from the timing of elections and electoral outcomes to policy continuity across governments, political succession in autocracies in general, and in China in particular, is entirely uncertain. We don't know when it will occur; we don't know how it will occur; and because Xi has refused to groom a chosen successor, we don't know who his replacement will be or even whether one currently exists. This uncertainty over the process grows more important as Xi ages. It is ironic that a leader who has presided over the strengthening of the Chinese Communist Party by reducing corruption and formulating rules to enhance coordination of party organizations has not provided any mechanisms to transfer power. This may be due in large part to Xi's own rise to power, which was the first CCP leadership transition that did not include input from Deng, who continued to preside informally over China's post-Mao reforms until his death in 1997. Xi's ascendence was also marred by Bo Xilai's attempt to challenge him for the top leadership position in 2012. Bo, known to be an ambitious politician, ruled over the inland city of Chongqing and gained popularity as a populist leader who cracked down on crime and embraced China's communist past. His arrest and trial just before Xi was elevated to the top position in the CCP was the country's largest political scandal since the violent crackdown in 1989 against pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square. Given the conflict that marred his ascent, Xi may fear that any attempt to choose a successor or plan a transition would lead to open conflict among China's elite. But the lack of transparency at the top of China's political system has its own costs. It's increasingly difficult to make sense of recent changes and happenings among China's elite. The unprecedented purge of China's top military officials since the beginning of Xi's third term may indicate that his attempt to clean up corruption has failed despite more than a decade of hard work. However, the recent purges have targeted Xi's own hand-selected men. What does this indicate about his ability to choose leaders wisely? Ultimately the recent concerns about Xi's health or a palace coup were put to rest when he resurfaced at a Politburo meeting in June, where new rules were announced to regulate the top coordinating commissions of the CCP. These commissions have been strengthened under Xi, and many have taken on roles previously performed by government agencies. Since 2018, Xi has assumed the chairmanship of many of them, indicating his centralization of power but also perhaps his lack of faith in others to lead. That said, further institutionalization of these bodies may be part of a process of delegation, even—as some experts speculated—a move to transition power to the next generation. Without greater clarity from the top, however, it's impossible to tell if Xi is planning to groom the next generation of leadership or further centralize power with rules that govern everyone but himself. Mary Gallagher is the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. The post China's Post-Xi Succession Problem Has Global Implications appeared first on World Politics Review.
Chicago Tribune
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: President Donald Trump needs to prioritize the needs of Americans, not help Israel go to war
I voted for President Donald Trump to 'Make America Great Again,' not to fight against America. We need to ask our elected representatives and the president whose interests are more important: the interests of Americans who pay their bills or those of a foreign country that has received billions of dollars over the past 15 years? Americans have the right to know why we are entering a third Middle East war in that same time frame. Don't our elected representatives see the massive homelessness, a broken health care system, unaffordable education, Social Security on the brink and seniors forced to work into their 70s just to put food on the table? The president and our elected representatives need to prioritize the interests of America, not those of other countries. Americans are not a lobby, but our votes are what get these officials into the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and White denying the world's most dangerous nation nuclear weapons — a country that preaches 'death to America' — President Donald Trump is worthy only of commendation, not condemnation. His actions promote peace. The risk-reward equation is one-sided. Even so, some reflexively argue that the president committed an 'impeachable' offense, declared 'war' or broke the law by failing to get congressional approval. They are wrong on multiple levels. The critics hang their hat on the War Powers Resolution (WPR), a law passed by Congress in 1973 over President Richard Nixon's veto. Because it restricts a president's commander-in-chief power, many scholars argue it is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has never ruled whether it is constitutional. But even assuming the WPR is constitutional and further assuming it's applicable here, Trump fully complied with it. Under the WPR, a president may deploy forces without congressional approval for up to 60 days. Here, one could argue President Trump did not deploy forces, since it was a limited, precise aerial strike with no troops on the ground. But even if the WPR does apply, the forces were 'withdrawn' in minutes, far less than 60 days, meaning the president complied. Moreover, as a practical matter, all of Trump's predecessors — including Barack Obama — have engaged actual troops in faraway places without obtaining congressional permission. All said, you can debate whether you agree with Trump's actions but not whether he acted presidents are our defenders and not our apologists. They are the leaders of our country with the duty to defend and protect Americans. Yes, President Donald Trump did not ask Congress for the OK to bomb Iran's nuclear sites. But neither did Bill Clinton, to bomb Serbia, nor Barack Obama, to have Osama bin Laden the U.S. a peace-loving or warmongering nation? Most would likely say 'peace-loving.' However, in my lifetime, and before the recent attack on Iran, we have been involved in six major wars: World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq (twice) and Afghanistan. Can any other country come close to that war record? With the notable exception of WWII (and possibly Korea), all the other wars are questionable: Remember Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that did not exist and our leaving Vietnam and Afghanistan with our tail between our legs. This list of wars excludes other military adventures of a smaller scale, such as our invasions of Grenada (1983) and Panama (1989-90) and our bombing of Libya in 1986. It also excludes covert actions such as the civil wars triggered in Guatemala and Chile when the CIA helped oust democratically elected governments we did not like. Again, can any other country come even close? Also, consider the fact the U. S. has more military bases overseas than any other country by far! By one count, we have 750 military installations spanning 80 countries. Nearly 170,000 active-duty troops are stationed abroad, a number larger than the entire standing army of many countries, including Canada. Finally, U.S. military spending exceeds that of the next nine countries , a list that includes robust spending by China and Russia. If we reallocated some of that to certain domestic needs, might we become a civilized country? For example, there are more than 100 countries that have a lower murder rate than that of the U.S. Our country also ranks No. 48 in terms of life expectancy and No. 49 in terms of infant mortality (behind Cuba and Uruguay, for example), and we lag far behind many countries in terms of educational attainment. None of this takes away from my appreciation of the service and sacrifices of our veterans. I always go out of my way to thank them. I raise a larger question that goes beyond the patriotism of those who have served. It is a question about the soul of our nation and what kind of country we are when it comes to war and peace. President Dwight Eisenhower, a general, warned of the dangers of the 'military-industrial' complex. Have we heeded his warning?I have as much faith in President Donald Trump's assessment that the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities virtually obliterated its nuclear capabilities as I did with his declaration that 'COVID is going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear.'Are we living in the times of World War II Germany? A mother followed the rules and is now being held in a detention camp in Kentucky. Immigrant mothers and fathers are being separated from their children. Sounds like families being separated to go to concentration camps. What is wrong with our government? Who is going to stand up for what is happening in our country? I United States of America is a country long overdue for sweeping changes. We have considered ourselves favorably; however, we have become akin to a bloated and unhealthy human who is uncouth and ignorant. Our cities languish in poverty, subpar housing and inadequate educational opportunities as well as crime and congestion. Suburbia is no better, with its uninventive subdivisions and tract homes that sell at inflated prices. We have allowed our developers to ensure that everyone in the suburbs is dependent on a personal vehicle, most of which are of the supersized variety. Rural communities are stagnant with outmigration, while businesses there are confined to dollar stores, gas stations and fast food outlets. We don't desire manufacturing jobs and service sector employment. We want good jobs. We need a vision of America that is consistent with the current global viewpoint on the environment, societal health and upward mobility for everyone. Today, we are a country teetering on collapse. Our politicians have been divisive and self-serving and only pander to our citizenry. We have 'leaders' in leadership who have forgotten the 'servant' portion of 'public servant.' Maybe it has been the drugs — the prescription medications, the over-the-counter stuff, the supplements, the illegal narcotics or the recreational caffeine, alcohol or tobacco — that have kept us from perceiving that we live in a house that is decaying. Our quick-fix solutions have been short-sighted and based on nostalgia rather than a proactive treatment plan to prevent decay and revitalize ourselves. By this stage in time, we should be in the vanguard of countries in terms of renewable energy, recycling, women's rights and minority equity, although we have squandered our head start in favor of lining the pockets of those already with big budgets. I, for one, would like to abandon this ship, for I see the American experiment in individualism, democracy and capitalism as a failure. Pass around the kitty, and I will gladly depart for Iceland or Norway if they'll have me. Despite being born in the USA to parents born in the USA, I am ready to self-deport. Ready to leave. Ready to new book 'Original Sin' by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson feeds the narrative that President Joe Biden's refusal to drop out of the presidential race handed the victory to Donald Trump. The Tribune also ran an editorial to that effect about six months ago. You are all wrong about this. There was no way for Democrats to win in 2024. If Biden had left the race earlier, Kamala Harris would certainly have been the nominee. And then she would have lost. Most of the people she needed to support her, the people who were undecided, maybe not well informed, and many who were upset about Gaza, wanted one thing from her: to distance herself from Biden. They wanted her to show she didn't support all his policies and wasn't going to continue them. This put her in an impossible situation. She was serving as his vice president. She couldn't publicly oppose him or reject him. Maybe she could have found some way to come across more as her own person, but for the most part, these voters were demanding her to do the one thing she couldn't do: Oppose her own president. For these voters, Harris wasn't running against Donald Trump; she was running against Biden. That is why this election was unwinnable. So let's please stop dumping on needs to tell U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor that her liberal bias is showing. She doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'temporary.'I attended Indivisible Chicago's 'No Kings' rally at Daley Center in Chicago on June 14 and was among the tens of thousands of people from Chicago and Chicagoland there. As evidenced by the myriad homemade signs on view, things to protest ran the gamut of the Donald Trump administration's outrageous attempts to: upend American democracy; destroy the workings of federal government; round up and deport immigrants, and even U.S. citizens, without due process; diminish the quality and availability of health care; gut environmental protection laws and regulations; monetize the presidency; release favored convicted felons; and further fill the pockets of billionaires at the expense of the less fortunate. The Daley Center protest was just one of the reported 1,500 similar protests, large and small, conducted across the country, and by a million or more Americans, that day against the current administration and the failed Republican Congress It was robust and violence-free like nearly all these protests have been. Nevertheless, one may wonder how effective such protests could be. I found an answer recently in an excerpt from then-U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's June 1966 speech to the National Union of South African Students in Apartheid South Africa. Here's what Kennedy said, in part: 'Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.' The takeaway for me is: Keep making waves! And so, I hope, we all shall.
