Author: KnowledgeHippo

This winter, for the first time, there were two vaccines available to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, which is especially dangerous for the elderly and infants. Only one of them — Abrysvo, made by Pfizer — was approved for pregnant women and not for young children.The distinction apparently slipped by some clinicians and pharmacists.At least 128 pregnant women were mistakenly given the alternative vaccine — Arexvy, by GSK — and at least 25 children under the age of 2 were vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned. Dr Sarah Long, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and consultant to the…

As repositories of valuable historical documents and other records, US presidential libraries have long been important destinations for scholars. But you don’t have to be an academic or even a history buff to appreciate these destinations, as many increasingly offer museums, special exhibitions and unique programming — from interactive stateroom experiences to musical performances — to the general public.The first library was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt and opened to the public in 1941. Since then each administration has created one of its own. (President Hoover, liking what he saw of FDR’s work, established his own retrospectively, in 1962.) Fifteen…

Ukraine turns to Europe for more supportPresident Volodymyr Zelensky is doubling down on his diplomatic outreach to Europe as US aid to Ukraine continues to flounder in Congress.Zelensky and other Ukrainian politicians praised the bipartisan group of senators for approving $60 billion in aid for Ukraine at a time when weapons and ammunition are in short supply there. The aid still needs to be approved by the US House, where a powerful Republican faction, emboldened by Donald Trump, is determined to resist the bill and where the Republican president has said he will ignore it.Mr Zelensky will likely push for…

They represent opposite corners at the University of Michigan, two sides of student activism that are caught up and almost never communicate.Salma Hamamy is one of the most prominent figures in the pro-Palestinian movement on campus.”One, two, three, four, open the prison doors!” he shouts, bull’s head in hand, as he leads anti-Israel demonstrations in front of crowds of fellow students. “Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terrorist state!” Ms Hamamy helped lead more than 20 protests following Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent bombing of Gaza.As she makes calls to end the war…

Bob Moore, the grandfatherly businessman who, with his wife, Charlee, used an image of organic hearty and wholesome Americana to turn Bob’s Red Mill cereal company into a $100 million-a-year business, died Saturday at his home in Milwaukie. , Ore. He was 94 years old.His death was announced by the company, which did not give a cause.Founded in Milwaukie in 1978, Bob’s Red Mill has grown from serving the Portland area to a global natural foods behemoth, marketing more than 200 products in more than 70 countries. The company’s product line includes a range of whole grains, including sorghum flour,…

Another month, another attempt at the moon — but not on Wednesday.SpaceX announced the postponement Tuesday night of the planned launch of a private robotic lunar lander.The spacecraft, built by Intuitive Machines of Houston, sits atop the rocket at the launch site. Weather conditions were favorable but a technical issue delayed his flight by at least a day. The next attempt will be on Thursday at 1:05 am. Eastern time.If all goes well then, it will usher in the first US spacecraft to soft-land on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 landed in 1972. It will also be the last…

An Alaska man died last month from Alaskapox, a rare virus that occurs mostly in small mammals and can cause skin lesions, according to state health officials.Alaskapox was first identified in 2015 in a woman living near Fairbanks, Alaska, and a total of seven cases of the virus have been reported to the Alaska Department of Epidemiology. As of last month, no one had been hospitalized or died from Alaska, which can also cause swollen lymph nodes and muscle or joint pain, Alaska epidemiology officials said Friday.Of the seven people who contracted Alaskapox, six lived in the Fairbanks North Star…

Mediators in Cairo were pushing Tuesday for a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip as international concern grew over Israel’s plan to launch a ground offensive on the southern town of Rafah, where nearly half the territory’s population has sought refuge.President Biden sent CIA Director William J. Burns to join the talks and said he had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to “move this forward” last month.The negotiations took place as the United Nations, the United States and other countries have expressed growing concern over the prospect…

New York City public schools on Tuesday began their first major experiment with distance learning since the coronavirus pandemic. More than 900,000 students were asked to participate in virtual classes during the winter storm.It didn’t go well.Many teachers, parents and students trying to log in found themselves locked out of their classrooms. Instead of joining their video meetings, they received an error message: “The service you are trying to reach is temporarily unavailable.””It seems like a very broad issue,” said Jay Brown, an elected parent leader in South Brooklyn who was trying to help his kids connect while trying to…

Upgrades to aging utility equipment and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have combined to drive up electricity costs across the country, with the national average rising year over year.As a business reporter for The New York Times, I examine the impact of rising electricity costs on consumer bills. With my colleague Madeleine Ngo, I recently looked at how higher rates have strained the budgets of low-income consumers — many of whom can’t afford clean energy technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles.We’re planning more stories about the rising cost of energy and how it’s affecting people across the country.…