Rancho Cordova police officer brutalizes unarmed Black teen in viral video

A disturbing video of a Rancho Cordova police officer assaulting a Black teenager has once again gone viral.

In the clip that was shot by a bystander purportedly on Monday, a Rancho Cordova police officer is seen attempting to handcuff the teenager who is believed to be 14. The person who originally uploaded the tweet said the incident happened because of a cigar.

The unarmed teenager is punched repeatedly, has his neck squeezed and thrown from side to side.

“RCPD brutally tackled and hit my best friend’s 14 year old brother today over a swisher sweet! The officer had no reason to brutalize and traumatize this boy like this! He has a pre existing health condition which could be fatal under this kind of stress! Unjustifiable!”

RCPD brutally tackled and hit my best friend’s 14 year old brother today over a swisher sweet! The officer had no reason to brutalize and traumatize this boy like this! He has a pre existing health condition which could be fatal under this kind of stress! Unjustifiable! pic.twitter.com/94fqyu3J28

— De$🔮 (@destiinoo_) April 28, 2020

READ MORE: Charges dropped against Michigan teen in alleged police brutality case

There is no footage as of yet to what occurred before the 15 seconds of filming occurred, but many still felt that the officer did not have to escalate to the violence he did. It was noted that a white teenager would not have been treated in the same manner.

“Yet white school shooters walk out handcuffed practically skipping with authorities after slaughtering the masses…..*not all cops are bad, but some obviously stick to a certain script*,” one commented.

Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing & Urban Development and Mayor of San Antonio retweeted the disturbing footage. It got over 1 million retweets within a half hour as Castro called for action to be taken against the unidentified cop.

“WARNING: This video of a @RanchoCordovaPD officer beating a 14-year-old is sickening, and demands immediate action. How many of these videos must we see before we do something about police violence in this country?” he tweeted.

READ MORE: OPINION: It’s time to call for immediate action to investigate, discipline, and hold police accountable in issues of police brutality

April Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief of American Urban Radio Network, expressed her outrage. She demanded his firing.

“Fire him!  Now!” she simply tweeted.

A woman who alleged to be the teenager’s sister took to Twitter and stated that her brother had been arrested for resisting arrest. She said there was more footage that she wasn’t able to upload and he had a heart condition that could’ve been triggered by the assault.

“And to add on: my brother has a serious heart condition that could be triggered very easily by being hit in his chest/back! He’s a kid and has never been in any kind of trouble with the law! He was very scared and in so much pain!!!,” she tweeted.

And to add on: my brother has a serious heart condition that could be triggered very easily by being hit in his chest/back! He’s a kid and has never been in any kind of trouble with the law! He was very scared and in so much pain!!!

— nana mf bangah💋 (@0hnana__) April 28, 2020

The Rancho Cordova Police Department in Rancho Cordova, Calif., reacted to the video and social media outcry Tuesday afternoon with a statement. They claimed that there was an investigation in its infancy but that a problem-oriented policing officer was responding to complaints from citizens about sales of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs to minors.

The statement goes on to claim that the teenager informed the deputy he was 18 and that the officer was acting within the bounds of his authority.

“Having reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was occurring, the deputy attempted to detain the juvenile so he could conduct further investigation. The juvenile became physically resistive at that time, causing the deputy to lose control of his handcuffs, which landed several feet away,” the statement read. The deputy attempted to maintain control of the juvenile without his handcuffs and while alone waiting for his partners to arrive and assist him.”

The unnamed juvenile was cited and released to his guardians. Despite the investigation into the apparent use of force, the police department also felt that the teenager was responsible for the incident.

“This type of situation is hard on everyone–the young man, who resisted arrest, and the officer, who would much rather have him cooperate,” the statement continued.

The post Rancho Cordova police officer brutalizes unarmed Black teen in viral video appeared first on TheGrio.

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Chicago businessman says his PPE supplies were turned down by officials

The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 42,000 cases and almost 1,900 deaths state-wide. Most of those cases are coming out of Cook County, with many of the dead being African American.

So when Dr. Willie Wilson, founder and CEO of Illinois-based Omar Medical Supplies reached out to the office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot with tens of millions of pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for sale, it seemed like a no-brainer that the city and the state would strike a deal with him.

Instead, Pritzker paid Federal Express nearly $1.8 million to retrieve PPE from China for the state of Illinois in addition to about $17 million on PPE itself.

READ MORE: Texas nurse creates face masks that protect against COVID-19 better than N-95 mask

theGrio spoke to the philanthropist, entrepreneur, and aspiring politician about his interaction with the governor and Chicago mayor, as well as his Senate run.

Dr. Willie Wilson speaks with his staff at Omar Inc. (Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Willie Wilson)

Dr. Wilson reached out to both Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot, only to hit roadblocks in conversations with both offices in trying to get a deal finalized. Both Pritzker and Lightfoot placed the blame on Wilson.

Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Governor Pritzker, claims Wilson wanted “an open purchase order, with no specific pricing set,” adding “the state does not enter into open purchase orders.”

Dr. Wilson vehemently denies this writing in a letter to the governor. “(The Governor and I) had a telephone conversation a few weeks ago and l expressed my desire to assist the State of Illinois through the provision of these necessary supplies,” wrote Wilson.

“After our discussion, a member of your staff called me. My staff explained the process of purchasing PPE from China. If the order from the State of Illinois was a one-time order all we would have needed was one purchase order,” Wilson explained.

“If the state needed more PPE than just the one order, we would have needed an open purchase order to secure additional PPE for several months, otherwise, we would run the risk of not being able to secure the PPE.

READ MORE: Meek Mill and Michael Rubin with Madonna to send masks to prisons

He adds, “I believe it was a misunderstanding in how business is transacted in China at this critical time. As for pricing, we are very clear on pricing per order. However, the price could fluctuate over time due to the emergency nature of the pandemic and availability of materials to make (the) product.”

The mayor’s office also placed the blame on Wilson, saying he requested cash payment upfront, which he also denies.

Lori Lightfoot addresses guests after being sworn in as Mayor of Chicago during a ceremony at the Wintrust Arena (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“That you would misrepresent my statements to you on this issue so blatantly and dishonestly is not only disturbing, it is, in light of our current public health crisis, profoundly disheartening,” Wilson wrote in a letter to Mayor Lightfoot. 

“(The Mayor and I) had a telephone conversation approximately six weeks ago and l expressed my desire to assist the city through the provision of these necessary supplies,” Wilson said.

“After our discussion, a member of your staff called me. At no point during either of these discussions was pricing ever discussed. After an initial conversation, I never heard from your administration again. Given the high volume of materials needed, I did state that to cover the cost of manufacturing, payment would be needed upfront. However, I never stated that we would demand or require cash upfront.”

Requests for comment from theGrio to the offices of both Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot went unanswered.

The qualifications of Wilson’s company can’t be disputed, he said. “We are eminently qualified,” Wilson said. “In fact, I provide 100 to 200 million face masks a month to Fortune 500 companies around the world.

Dr. Willie Wilson. (Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Willie Wilson)

READ MORE: Black men told to leave Walmart for wearing masks

“People are dying out here and I am right here, and I have product right here in my warehouse,” Wilson added.

The state of Illinois has reportedly spent nearly $180 million on COVID-19-related purchases, including ventilators and PPE, through April 21, according to the office of the Illinois State Comptroller. 

But how much of that money has gone to Black-owned businesses?

“Where is your commitment to the African-American community?” Wilson asked in an interview with theGrio. “More people are dying [in the African American community]. Where is your commitment to contracts and jobs? I bet you they can’t even show that African Americans have gotten a fair portion of the dollars that the federal government has given [the state] and money they are spending today.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Wilson also continues to be active in the community making both PPE and financial donations.

“My company has donated one million masks to Mount Sinai Hospital and 22 other community organizations,” Dr. Wilson said. “I have donated 20,000 masks to Jackson Park Hospital, 10,000 masks to the Westside NAACP, 50,000 to the Chicago Transit Authority, and 10,000 to Cook County Jail for correctional officers.

Dr. Willie Wilson. (Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Willie Wilson)

He added, “I donated masks to 75 senior citizen facilities and to several Aldermen for their residents. In addition, we have provided masks to the Chicago firefighters, and the Fraternal Order of Police.

“Finally, I have personally given away $1 million to people that have lost their jobs and another $1 million to 1,000 churches. The reality is I give away 90 percent of my profits back to the community.”

On Tuesday, April 28, Dr. Wilson donated 20,000 masks each to 50 Chicago aldermen for a total of 1 million, after Gov. Pritzker signed an order making it mandatory for all Illinois citizens to wear face masks starting May 1.

After receiving a shipment of supplies, Omar Medical Supplies has PPE totaling over 10 million, and its goal is to get the equipment to the people in need and help save lives. 

When asked why citizens of Illinois should vote for the senate hopeful, Dr. Wilson said he’s “I’m interested in being a US senator to shed some light on all of the communities, without leaving out the Black and Brown communities.”

“I’m not interested in a paycheck,” he said.

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D.C. Landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl approved for PPP loan after public outcry

Ben’s Chili Bowl has been approved for a Paycheck Protection Program loan following a public outcry regarding their extended wait time.

The original restaurant, famously located on U Street, will receive a loan, along with all other Ben’s locations in Washington D.C., WJLA reporter Anna-Lysa Gayle tweeted on Tuesday, April 28.

The D.C. staple, which fed protestors during the Civil Rights Movement, faced financial difficulties after the coronavirus pandemic forced co-owner Sage Ali to shut down all of its locations, with the exception of U-Street.

“We have Ben’s Chili Bowl here, we have Nats Park, FedEx Field, Horseshoe Casino and we have Capital One Arena,” Ali explained to local news outlet WJLA on April 21. “We were looking to really have our best year yet. And all of a sudden this hit and it just took in a very, very different direction.”

READ MORE: Restaurant that fed protesters during civil rights faces financial woes during quarantine

The restaurant owner and his team applied for a PPP loan after Congress passed a historic $2 trillion stimulus package, which included $349 billion allocated to small businesses, on March 27.

Ben’s Chili Bowl, located at 1213 U Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C. Date 5 January 2010 (Wikimedia Commons)

The program, marred by technical glitches and red tape, ran out of money by April 16, with thousands of small business owners stranded without any income or assistance. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that large corporations, such as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Shake Shack, had received millions of dollars worth of funding from the program.

“The COVID-19 hit us hard, we’ve had to consolidate, we’re just working out of here for carry out and delivery,” Ali said. “We applied for the PPP loan and unfortunately, it did not get through yet.”

READ MORE: Los Angeles Lakers return $4.6 million federal loan

Congress passed another $484 billion stimulus bill on April 21 to replenish the small business loans program.

The legislation includes $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, including $30 billion allocated to community lenders, small banks and credit unions, and $60 billion for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which includes $10 billion in emergency grants for businesses.

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Gospel singer Troy Sneed, 52, dies from the coronavirus

A powerful voice in gospel music has been silenced due to COVID-19. GRAMMY-nominated gospel singer, Troy Sneed, passed away on Monday morning due to complications from the deadly disease.

Sneed, a Florida native, studied education and music at the historic Florida A & M University, where he played football. Sneed was the Assistant Minister of Music for the Georgia Mass Choir for over a decade. He appeared with the choir in the 1996 film, The Preacher’s Wife starring Denzel Washington and the late, great Whitney Houston.

READ MORE: Whitney Houston biopic planned with ‘Photograph’ director possibly on board

According to Billboard, Sneed had seven albums hit the trade magazine’s Top Gospel Albums chart, including A State of Worship, In His Presence, In Due Season, My Heart Says Yes, All Is Well, Awesome God, and Taking It Back.

The Jacksonville-area native’s debut album, Call Jesus, was released in 1999. He and his wife, Emily, founded Emtro Records which allowed them to produce and distribute music for many others.

The Emtro label released Rev. Rudolph McKissick’s The Right Place, and Alvin Darling & Celebration’s, All Night.

Sneed and his wife had been married for 27 years. He leaves behind four children, Troy Jr., Evany, Trey, and Tyler.

Sneed was also a former educator who taught at Jacksonville Beach Elementary School. During his tenure with the Georgia Mass Choir, Sneed performed with James Moore, LaShun Pace, and the Rev. James Cleveland.

READ MORE: White Western Michigan University choir accused of cultural appropriation over negro spirituals

In an interview with the local news affiliate, FOX 23, in Jacksonville, Mike Chandler the CEO of Rejoice! Musical Soul Food radio network said that Sneed was, “one of the most talented men in our industry, but more importantly Troy was a good person and he did a lot of good work. The world is going to miss him.”

The state of Florida has over 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with just over 1,000 deaths. Duval County, where Jacksonville sits, accounts for 990 cases and 19 deaths, now including the heralded gospel singer.

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Automating the search for entirely new “curiosity” algorithms

Driven by an innate curiosity, children pick up new skills as they explore the world and learn from their experience. Computers, by contrast, often get stuck when thrown into new environments.

To get around this, engineers have tried encoding simple forms of curiosity into their algorithms with the hope that an agent pushed to explore will learn about its environment more effectively. An agent with a child’s curiosity might go from learning to pick up, manipulate, and throw objects to understanding the pull of gravity, a realization that could dramatically accelerate its ability to learn many other things. 

Engineers have discovered many ways of encoding curious exploration into machine learning algorithms. A research team at MIT wondered if a computer could do better, based on a long history of enlisting computers in the search for new algorithms. 

In recent years, the design of deep neural networks, algorithms that search for solutions by adjusting numeric parameters, has been automated with software like Google’s AutoML and auto-sklearn in Python. That’s made it easier for non-experts to develop AI applications. But while deep nets excel at specific tasks, they have trouble generalizing to new situations. Algorithms expressed in code, in a high-level programming language, by contrast, have the capacity to transfer knowledge across different tasks and environments. 

“Algorithms designed by humans are very general,” says study co-author Ferran Alet, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). “We were inspired to use AI to find algorithms with curiosity strategies that can adapt to a range of environments.”

The researchers created a “meta-learning” algorithm that generated 52,000 exploration algorithms. They found that the top two were entirely new — seemingly too obvious or counterintuitive for a human to have proposed. Both algorithms generated exploration behavior that substantially improved learning in a range of simulated tasks, from navigating a two-dimensional grid based on images to making a robotic ant walk. Because the meta-learning process generates high-level computer code as output, both algorithms can be dissected to peer inside their decision-making processes.

The paper’s senior authors are Leslie Kaelbling and Tomás Lozano-Pérez, both professors of computer science and electrical engineering at MIT. The work will be presented at the virtual International Conference on Learning Representations later this month. 

The paper received praise from researchers not involved in the work. “The use of program search to discover a better intrinsic reward is very creative,” says Quoc Le, a principal scientist at Google who has helped pioneer computer-aided design of deep learning models. “I like this idea a lot, especially since the programs are interpretable.”

The researchers compare their automated algorithm design process to writing sentences with a limited number of words. They started by choosing a set of basic building blocks to define their exploration algorithms. After studying other curiosity algorithms for inspiration, they picked nearly three dozen high-level operations, including basic programs and deep learning models, to guide the agent to do things like remember previous inputs, compare current and past inputs, and use learning methods to change its own modules. The computer then combined up to seven operations at a time to create computation graphs describing 52,000 algorithms. 

Even with a fast computer, testing them all would have taken decades. So, instead, the researchers limited their search by first ruling out algorithms predicted to perform poorly, based on their code structure alone. Then, they tested their most promising candidates on a basic grid-navigation task requiring substantial exploration but minimal computation. If the candidate did well, its performance became the new benchmark, eliminating even more candidates. 

Four machines searched over 10 hours to find the best algorithms. More than 99 percent were junk, but about a hundred were sensible, high-performing algorithms. Remarkably, the top 16 were both novel and useful, performing as well as, or better than, human-designed algorithms at a range of other virtual tasks, from landing a moon rover to raising a robotic arm and moving an ant-like robot in a physical simulation. 

All 16 algorithms shared two basic exploration functions. 

In the first, the agent is rewarded for visiting new places where it has a greater chance of making a new kind of move. In the second, the agent is also rewarded for visiting new places, but in a more nuanced way: One neural network learns to predict the future state while a second recalls the past, and then tries to predict the present by predicting the past from the future. If this prediction is erroneous it rewards itself, as it is a sign that it discovered something it didn't know before. The second algorithm was so counterintuitive it took the researchers time to figure out. 

“Our biases often prevent us from trying very novel ideas,” says Alet. “But computers don’t care. They try, and see what works, and sometimes we get great unexpected results.”

More researchers are turning to machine learning to design better machine learning algorithms, a field known as AutoML. At Google, Le and his colleagues recently unveiled a new algorithm-discovery tool called Auto-ML Zero. (Its name is a play on Google’s AutoML software for customizing deep net architectures for a given application, and Google DeepMind’s Alpha Zero, the program that can learn to play different board games by playing millions of games against itself.) 

Their method searches through a space of algorithms made up of simpler primitive operations. But rather than look for an exploration strategy, their goal is to discover algorithms for classifying images. Both studies show the potential for humans to use machine-learning methods themselves to create novel, high-performing machine-learning algorithms.

“The algorithms we generated could be read and interpreted by humans, but to actually understand the code we had to reason through each variable and operation and how they evolve with time,” says study co-author Martin Schneider, a graduate student at MIT. “It’s an interesting open challenge to design algorithms and workflows that leverage the computer’s ability to evaluate lots of algorithms and our human ability to explain and improve on those ideas.” 

The research received support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, Honda Research Institute, SUTD Temasek Laboratories, and MIT Quest for Intelligence.

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This Black Cannabis Advocate Wants To Shift The Narrative Around Cannabis Amid COVID-19

Recreational cannabis has become legal in several states including California, Massachusetts, and Maine with local entrepreneurs cashing in on the new legal status. The cannabis industry generates billions of dollars and yet black entrepreneurs are often left out of business opportunities despite the disproportionate number of black and brown people incarcerated across the United States for low-level marijuana convictions. One activist is looking to use the current COVID-19 pandemic to change the stigma around cannabis and leverage it for new business opportunities.

Solonje Burnett is a pro-cannabis advocate and co-founder of the cannabis immersive education and advocacy platform Humble Bloom with a mission to equalize the cannabis industry. The Brooklyn-based activist is looking to educate people about the healing benefits of marijuana and stands for inclusion for those underrepresented in the industry. Burnett says that cannabis has created a positive change for her and shares the many ways women can utilize it.

“Humans are in cages, convicted for something that is no longer a crime, while others are elevated and get the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth doing exactly the same thing,” Burnett tells Refinery29 Unbothered. She is using her platform during COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, quarantine, to urge others to use their platforms to fight for progressive humanist and regenerative solutions. She wants women to know that, even in these uncertain times, there are ways to tap into your wholeness and feel empowered through the use of cannabis.

The CDC does not recommend smoking during this time, however, there are other ways you can medicate. Burnett recommends using CBD and THC in the form of face masks, oils, soaks, drops, body serums, cooling rub, or edibles.

“All of these brands are small businesses owned by women and/or POC,” Burnett adds. “Where and how you spend your money matters more than ever. Instead of buying from Amazon and supporting a billionaire ruthless capitalist. Go direct to the source. You’ll support the USPS, cut out Bezos and give all the profit to these brands.”

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Could Staring Into a Stranger’s Eyes Cure Zoom Fatigue?

Human Online still requires a screen, but in place of the agony of work meetings or happy hours, you spend 60 seconds with a single person—no speaking.

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During the Pandemic, the FCC Must Provide Internet for All

Broadband access is more crucial than ever, particularly for low-income Americans. The Trump administration must stop withholding it.

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Now Is the Time for Main Street Shops to Go Digital

WIRED editor in chief Nicholas Thompson talks to branding expert Amanda Brinkman about how America’s small businesses are coping with coronavirus

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Covid-19 Was Here Earlier Than Most Americans Thought. Now What?

Epidemiologists aren't surprised that virus was spreading in the US in early February. But those early days offer lessons for how to catch the next wave.

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NBA G League Players May Form a Union

It’s a rarity that a professional minor league has a union for its players. This may change if the basketball players in the NBA G League vote to become a union, according to ESPN.

The ‘minor league’ system of the NBA is considering forming a union for the players with the support of The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). There would need to be more than 50% of players signing on to obtain that goal.

The players were to begin voting over the weekend by electronic transmission.

NBA’s G-League players will begin voting Saturday on the creation of a union, sources tell ESPN. The NBPA’s assisting in the formation of a G-League-governed players association that would need more than 50 percent of players to sign an electronic authorization card for passage.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2020

Among agents and players, there’s been optimism that the vote will render the union’s formation – which would allow G-League players to collectively bargain with the NBA and G-League. Issues for G-League players in the past have included housing, salary and travel. https://t.co/tyslZ7tC2B

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2020

Adrian Wojnarowski, senior NBA Insider at ESPN stated, “Among agents and players, there’s been optimism that the vote will render the union’s formation—which would allow the union to collectively bargain issues with the NBA and G League. The NBPA sent G League players a video of veteran player Andre Ingram describing the kinds of issues that a union could assist in collective bargaining with the NBA. Issues for G League players in the past have included housing, salary, and travel.

“The union would be separate from the NBPA and serve independently with its own constitution, bylaws, and leadership structure.”

Back in February, the NBPA Board of Representatives voted to support the formation of the union for G League players. The NBPA had representatives at the 2018 and 2019 G League showcases, the NBPA had representatives who were there to discuss the idea of the formation of a union with a significant number of players from the developmental league.

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Hotel CEO Says Industry Is In For A Major Change With Fewer Amenities

The global outbreak of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has brought the travel industry to a complete standstill. Many countries have closed off their borders to all noncitizens and any plans of leisure travel have been canceled for the foreseeable future. As a result, the industry has lost millions of dollars in revenue with many major companies left struggling to stay afloat in the process.

When the industry does reopen, you can expect to see a lot of changes in the way you travel through airports and hotels. Some experts are sayings the days of extra amenities such as minibars, room service, and turndown service may be over as we know it if hoteliers can’t cut costs in other ways to survive this public health crisis.

“We need to operate less expensively,” said Pebblebrook Hotel CEO Jon Bortz, who oversees 54 high-end hotels in key markets such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Florida, and New York, during a Bisnow webinar last week. “Now, there are going to be things that are going to cost more, but there are other things we have to do less expensively and more efficiently because this recovery is going to take a significant period of time.”

Since the pandemic hit, Bortz said he has had to temporarily close 46 of its hotels and furloughed about 7,500 workers. Most of the eight hotels that remain open are running in the low- to mid-single digit occupancy range. In some hotels in San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle, Bortz said he had to board up some of the ground-floor retail glass windows because of reports of looting in those cities.

“In all cases, we have skeleton crews running the hotels,” Bortz said, adding that there are only about five to 10 people working different shifts at each of the opened hotels. There are security guards at the closed hotels, he said.

Bortz went on to say that unless there is a medical breakthrough, he doesn’t expect the hotel industry to open until at least July 1. He does expect leisure to come back first but business travel will probably be slow. “It’s going to be a very, very slow and bumpy recovery,” Bortz said.

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Coronavirus: 'One billion' could become infected worldwide - report

An international aid group warns that vulnerable countries need urgent help to avoid major outbreaks.

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Tech Is a Double-Edged Lifeline for Domestic Violence Victims

As Covid-19 forces some to shelter place with their abusers, dedicated hotlines, apps, and text messages can provide support. But using them is also risk.

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Delivery Robots Aren't Ready—When They Could Be Needed Most

Sheltering in place has driven up demand for deliveries, but machines still have trouble confronting the unpredictability of the real world.

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10 Best Fitness Trackers (and Fitness Watches) for 2020

Do you need an activity tracker for skiing, or for counting your steps around the backyard? We've found the best fitness watches and trackers for everybody.

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'Valorant' Is Cutthroat, Punishing, and Addictive as Hell

The Riot Games follow-up to *League of Legends* is worth the wait.

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Here's What Disinfectants and UV Light *Really* Do to Your Body

There’s a reason why cleaners for external surfaces are not meant for your innards. They’re indiscriminate killers, not medicine.

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Today's Cartoon: Unfinished Business

A message from the beyond.

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The Pandemic Creates New Challenges for Crisis Counselors

Therapists and hotline workers who work with abuse victims now must take calls from home, increasing their risk for isolation and emotional burnout.

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