Tootfinder

While immigrants do contribute to rising housing demand,
they are not the primary drivers of increasing housing costs.
Instead, factors such as housing shortages,
restrictive zoning laws,
and shifts in housing preferences in the wake of the pandemic
are the more dominant forces behind rising prices.
Furthermore, immigrant workers are essential to the housing supply, making up a crucial segment of the construction workforce that can address shortages and …

Vance Blames Immigrants, Biden in Response to Affordability Questions
There is no significant relationship between immigration rates and rising housing costs in the US, experts have said.

Aaron Rodgers injury: Steelers QB exits Bengals matchup with left hand injury

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/aaron-rodgers-injury-steelers-qb-hand-injury/

The murder of 15 people at Bondi Beach was a vile antisemitic attack and is rightfully being condemned.
https://www.irishtimes.com/world/australia/2025/12/15/bondi-beach-terror-attack-injured-gunman-expected-to-su…

Bondi Beach shooting: Australia vows stricter gun laws after 15 killed
Gunman wounded during attack on Jewish celebration ‘is likely to survive’ his injuries with second killed at scene

PSA about food labeling in the US
We have a gluten detection service dog because many things that should be gluten free/say they’re gluten free are not actually gluten free.
Stuff gets contaminated when growing (e.g. next to wheat field), by shared equipment, in factories, from packaging, during transport and in-store.
Every US consumer should know:
1. The list of ingredients on food isn't exhaustive
2. Allergen labeling:
a) limited to just some allergens
b) manufacturers don't actually have to test
c) "certified" foods are tested—but not continuously
d) testing only works with enough contamination
Some certifications may require batch-testing, but usually they don't.
A "certified gluten free" product may e.g. contain oats which sometimes are contaminated with gluten—but as not every batch is tested it's impossible to know unless you test yourself (hence the service dog).
Even if the product is properly batch-tested, you might get a part of the product that has the allergen in it, whereas the tested part didn't.
Or the threshold was too low (our dog can detect gluten better than any available lab testing equipment; yes, dogs are amazing).
Food products also contain ingredients that do not have to be included on the label when they're "incidental" (included in an another ingredient) or if they're considered part of the manufacturing process but not of the final product (e.g. various coatings on factory equipment).
Don't need to list flavors or specific spices either. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As for allergens, only those responsible for ~90% of food allergies* have to be specifically declared, and they're not tested for as it's simply based on the ingredients list.
Good luck if you have other allergies.
*milk, egg, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans

"Report finds increased tropical forest regrowth over the last decade"
#Trees #Forests #Environment

Report finds increased tropical forest regrowth over the last decade
Natural forest regrowth in the world’s tropical rainforests is expanding. According to the Forest Declaration Assessment 2025, more than 11 million hectares (27 million acres) of tropical moist forests are under some stage of forest regrowth between 2015 and 2021. The growth is most notable in the tropical areas of Latin America, where regrowth increased […]

Russian attacks kill 4, injure 17 across Ukraine, hit Odesa power facility: https://benborges.xyz/2025/11/16/russian-attacks-kill-injure-across.html

[OT] We may soon all be hanging on to our old laptops until an AI bubble burst makes chips affordable again https://mashable.com/article/laptop-price-increase-ddr5-ram-ai All signs point to big laptop and smartphone price increases due to escalating memory shortage.

All signs point to big laptop price increases due to memory shortages
Better get a laptop now if you need one.

Michael Penix Jr. injury: Falcons QB to be evaluated after hurting knee, leaving game in loss to Panthers

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/michael-penix-jr-injury-falcons-qb-knee-in…

Federal Border Patrol agents
arrested 81 people in immigrant neighborhoods across the Charlotte, N.C., area on Saturday,
the first day of an operation that has already drawn significant criticism over its aggressive tactics.
An immigrant rights group said it was the largest single-day tally for immigrant arrests in the state’s recent history.
The operation has startled people in one of the fastest growing cities in the country, whose growth in recent years has been sp…

U.S. Border Patrol Arrested 81 People in Charlotte, N.C.
Border Patrol agents descended on Charlotte this weekend searching for immigrants in the country illegally. It remains unclear how long the agents will stay.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers suffers left hand injury vs. Bengals https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-qb-aaron-rodgers-left-hand-injury-bengals