All posts tagged: junk

Boss of British Greens plots review to junk unpopular policies – POLITICO

Boss of British Greens plots review to junk unpopular policies – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

That official, and a second official, said one area earmarked for review is their migration policy, which they acknowledged causes real issues on the doorstep. The Greens’ policy principles state the party “wants to see a world without borders,” even if it would implement a “fair and humane system of managed immigration” before then.  In an interview with POLITICO earlier this month Polanski hinted at his frustration that voters appear to believe his party would throw open Britain’s borders. The Green leader recounted a conversation in the seaside town of Margate with a man who requested a selfie and claimed to be receptive to large swathes of the Greens’ offering, but was not in favor of its approach on drugs and immigration. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media about the situation in the Middle East in London on March 16, 2026. | Pool photo by Brook Mitchell via AFP/Getty Images Polanski stressed that the Greens have “never called for open borders in the manifesto.” But that distinction is lost when it comes …

I ran one open-source tool and deleted 150GB of hidden Windows junk in minutes

I ran one open-source tool and deleted 150GB of hidden Windows junk in minutes

Published by skeptic

Using a laptop with only 512GB storage isn’t really a problem for me, since I keep most of my personal data in the cloud. But somehow, Windows and apps I use have a strange way of filling it up over time. Most of it comes from temporary files, cached data, update leftovers, and system junk that keeps piling up in the background. BleachBit is a free, open-source app that helps clear these useless files with minimal effort. On my PC, it helped me find close to 150GB of junk I had no idea was there and clear it all in just a few clicks. It’s as thorough as it gets Pankil Shah / MakeUseOfCredit: Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf To be fair, Windows isn’t completely helpless when it comes to cleaning up after itself. Tools like Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense are quite capable of cleaning temporary files. So like most people, I also thought Windows doesn’t need a third-party cleaning tool. But once I actually tried BleachBit, that perception changed. What makes BleachBit so useful is …

Why you can’t see space junk in Artemis II photos

Why you can’t see space junk in Artemis II photos

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The Artemis II astronauts have completed their historic lunar flyby and taken the pictures to prove it. But as skygazers continue enjoying the images of both the moon and Earth, one question is making the rounds online: If there’s such a space junk problem orbiting our home planet, then why isn’t it visible in any of the newest photos? It may sound like an odd question, but it’s somewhat understandable. After all, numerous astronomers and researchers continue to sound the alarm on the exponentially growing amount of trash encircling Earth at any given moment. Without any actionable solutions, there is an increasing worry about the possibility of initiating a “Kessler cascade.” In such a scenario, the amount of space junk becomes so ubiquitous that collisions are inevitable. Debris traveling at upwards of 17,500 miles per hour smacks into one another, creating even smaller pieces of trash that then increase the likelihood of similar events. All of that ensuing orbital …

I used Omega Linux to revitalize a junk PC, and it’s noticeably better than Ubuntu

I used Omega Linux to revitalize a junk PC, and it’s noticeably better than Ubuntu

Published by skeptic

Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Omega Linux is a lightweight Linux distro. Based on Arch, Omega is a rolling release. Omega is free to install and use. Do you have an old PC lying around just waiting to serve as your secondary desktop machine, or a way to take your first steps with Linux?  Maybe you want to skip the Ubuntu track and go with a Linux distribution that is regularly updated, lightweight, blazingly fast, and incredibly reliable. If that’s the case, don’t overlook Omega Linux. Omega Linux is an Arch-based Linux distribution designed to be an OS perfectly suited for older, lower-powered hardware. This distro can run on: 1GB of RAM 1 core CPU at 1.5 GHz 15GB of storage Also: Have an old PC? These 5 lightweight Linux distributions will bring it back to life Those system requirements cover machines built in the last decade. What Omega offers A lightweight Linux distribution based on Arch Linux A rolling release distribution, …

SNAP Recipients Claim Trump Trying To “Destabilize Food Access”, Sue Feds Over Junk Food Ban

SNAP Recipients Claim Trump Trying To “Destabilize Food Access”, Sue Feds Over Junk Food Ban

Published by Jenni Sidey

The Make America Healthy Again agenda just found its first serious legal challenger. This week, five food stamp recipients filed suit in Washington, D.C., federal court demanding the right to spend taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits on candy, soda, and energy drinks.  The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its growing list of “food restriction” waivers, which Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins began approving back in May 2025. Since then, 22 states have signed on, each with their own specific list of banned items — generally soda, energy drinks, candy, and pre-packaged desserts.  Both Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have championed the waivers as a concrete step toward addressing chronic disease and redirecting taxpayer money toward genuinely nutritious food.  “The Trump Administration is unified in improving the health of our nation. America’s governors have proudly answered the call to innovate by improving nutrition programs, ensuring better choices while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer,” Rollins said last year. “Each waiver submitted by the states and …

Early exposure to a high-fat diet alters how the adult brain reacts to junk food

Early exposure to a high-fat diet alters how the adult brain reacts to junk food

Published by José Betancourt

Exposure to a diet heavy in fats and sugars during early development primes the brain to overreact to unhealthy foods in adulthood. This combination leads to high levels of inflammation and reduced adaptability within the brain’s main memory center. These molecular changes suggest that early nutritional environments have long-lasting effects on cognitive health, according to a recent study published in Nutritional Neuroscience. The physical makeup of the brain is not set in stone at birth. It constantly changes and adapts in response to life experiences. This feature of the nervous system is known as neural plasticity. Neural plasticity allows humans and animals to form new memories, learn new skills, and recover from physical injuries. To function properly, the brain relies on specific proteins that act as fertilizer for neural connections. One of these vital proteins is a growth factor that helps neurons survive and communicate. When the brain is healthy, these growth factors bind to specific receptors on the outside of brain cells. This continuous chemical dialogue allows the nervous system to adapt to new …

Dopamine and insulin interact in the brain to control junk food cravings

Dopamine and insulin interact in the brain to control junk food cravings

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests that compulsive eating is driven by a complex interaction between the brain’s reward system and metabolic signals, rather than a simple lack of willpower. Scientists discovered that dopamine receptors and insulin receptors work together in a specific brain region to act as a brake on the desire for highly palatable foods. These findings provide evidence that disruptions in this delicate balance make it harder to resist sugary and fatty foods, even when eating them has negative consequences. Compulsive eating involves a strong urge to consume foods high in sugar and fat, even when a person is not physically hungry. Past research points to the involvement of the brain’s reward pathways, specifically the dopamine system, which helps regulate motivation and pleasure. The dopamine D2 receptor is a specific protein on the surface of brain cells that receives dopamine signals and has been linked to obesity and addiction. Scientists noticed that these dopamine receptors are frequently located in the exact same spot as insulin receptors within the central amygdala. …

Atmospheric pollution caused by space junk could be a huge problem

Atmospheric pollution caused by space junk could be a huge problem

Published by skeptic

A 30-second exposure showing a Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on 19 February 2025 Gerd Baumgarten A SpaceX rocket that burned up after re-entering the atmosphere unleashed a plume of vaporised metals over Europe, a type of pollution that is expected to increase as spacecraft and satellites multiply. The upper stage of a Falcon 9, which is designed to splash down in the Pacific Ocean for possible re-use, lost control due to engine failure and fell from orbit over the north Atlantic in February 2025. People across Europe saw fiery debris streaking through the sky, some of which crashed behind a warehouse in Poland. Seeing the news, Robin Wing at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany and his colleagues turned on their lidar, an instrument for atmospheric sensing. Twenty hours later, it detected a 10-fold spike in lithium, a key component of rocket hulls, in the upper atmosphere as the plume of vaporised metal drifted over it. Atmospheric modelling suggested this plume had drifted 1600 kilometres from the …

The Case Against Don Lemon Is Junk, and Dangerous

The Case Against Don Lemon Is Junk, and Dangerous

Published by José Betancourt

One year in, the Trump administration has amassed a startling record of hostility toward open public discourse—including barring journalists from the White House press pool, evicting any less-than-sycophantic reporters from the Pentagon, and, just this month, sending the FBI to search the home of a Washington Post reporter. Today, it crossed a new line. It arrested two journalists: Don Lemon, the former CNN news personality, and Georgia Fort, a freelance reporter based in Minnesota. Along with seven others, Lemon and Fort have been charged with conspiring to violate the civil rights of parishioners at a St. Paul church, along with violating a prohibition on blocking access to a house of worship. On the basis of the record available so far, the case against them appears factually weak, legally shoddy, and marred by a baffling series of procedural irregularities that raise serious questions about the Justice Department’s ability to win in court. This prosecution is best understood not as law enforcement but as propaganda, junk intended purely to get attention. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t …