Our Huskies fought hard last night before falling to Boston University in a shootout. Win or lose, our #Northeastern community packed TD Garden for a dog fight to remember.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4qaNqgp

Matthews Arena Scoreboard Is... Something!

It doesn't fit!

#MatthewsArena #BU #Northeastern #NortheasternHuskies #ThankYouMatthews #podcast #Sports #Travel

Hear and see more on our #YouTube channel, StadiumJourney.com or your favorite #Podcast app!

[Thread] So, here's a problem that may already have a solution...! Apparently, #ElmZigZagSawfly, an invasive species, is spreading in the #Northeastern US and can defoliate #ElmTrees (which have been making a comeback from #DutchElmDisease), and has adapted to switch tree species. However, #AsianLadyBeetles, another invasive species and the natural predator of Lantern Flies (and aphids and other pests), is also spreading! I know we always have some Lady Beetles inside our house, and instead of killing them, my plan is to catch and release them outside... So they can hopefully do their thing! (And yes, we have quite a few Elm trees, descendant of a survivor tree that fell down recently, in our tree stand).

Elm Zig Zag Sawfly

"The first confirmed detection of the elm zigzag sawfly in North America occurred in August 2020 in Québec, Canada (Martel et al. 2021; https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/first-confirmed-sighting-of-a-new-invasive-in-north-america-elm-zigzag-sawfly/). Canadian authorities were unable to determine the introductory pathway or amount of time the insect had been present [Invasive Species Centre].

The Canadian population was not the only outbreak on the continent, however. Earlier the same year, the tell-tale feeding pattern – zigzags on the tree’s leaves — was observed in Frederick County, Virginia (northwestern corner of the state). Since no specimens were recovered, identification was not confirmed. A year later, specimens collected from the same confirmed the presence of EZS [David Gianino, State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO) of Virginia, pers. comm.]. Additional surveys that summer led to detections in eight additional Virginia counties [K. Oten blog].

Also in the summer of 2021, symptoms were observed in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Again, however, the absence of a specimen prevented formal identification [K. Oten blog]. In 2022, official detections were made in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, and New York [NCSU extension]. The New York infestation might have spread naturally across the St. Lawrence River from the Canadian population [https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/10/03/new-pest-affecting-elm-trees-st-lawrence-county/].

In 2023, outbreaks were detected in Ohio, Vermont, and Massachusetts [NCSU extension map]. In 2024, Wisconsin found EZS in several counties [University of Wisconsin extension]. Neither the Canadian Food Inspection Agency nor the [Canadian] Invasive Species Centre reports on EZS’ more recent status in Canada."

[...]

"Since most trees can recover from sporadic or minor defoliation events, the state extension programs say control efforts are often not warranted. Furthermore, since EZS is a new pest species, little is known about effective management. Results of experimental treatments using various pesticides or biopesticides are reported from Hungary (Blank et al. 2010), Romania (Fătu et al. 2020), and Virginia [NCSU extension]. The University of Wisconsin and University of Massachusetts extension service mention several predators present in Europe. The University of Massachusetts extension service notes that the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, which preys on EZS in Serbia, is also present in Massachusetts (actually, it is widespread in the United States); its impact on elm zigzag sawfly in Massachusetts is uncertain."

Learn more:
https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/pest_pathogen/elm-zig-zag-sawfly/

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #NaturalSolutions #Trees #NoPesticides #DontTransportFirewood #CheckYourVehicles #SaveTheTrees

Rave Rothstein RIP

Dave Rothstein #RIP #snowsculpt #Northeastern #LawSchool

https://wisconsinui.wordpress.com/2025/12/25/rave-rothstein-rip/

د ژمي په درشل کې #زلزله_ځپلو کورنیو ته د مرستو پراختيا؛ له #نړيوالو_ملي_ټولنو سره آنلاین ناسته وشوه

چهارشنبه، ۲۶ جمادی الآخره ۱۴۴۷

د #افغاني_سرې_میاشتې عمومي رئیس، ښاغلي شیخ الحدیث شهاب الدین دلاور، په #افغانستان کې د ملي ټولنو #نړیوال_فدراسیون د مسؤولینو په حضور کې د ۵۱ هېوادونو ملي ټولنو له مسؤولینو سره په شمال، ختیځ او شمال ختیځو ولایتونو کې د وروستیو خونړیو زلزلو له امله اغېزمنو شوو کورنیو ته د #بشري_مرستو برابرولو او همکاریو د پیاوړتیا په موخه #آنلاین_ناسته وکړه.

ناسته کې ښاغلي دلاور د زلزلې د پېښې له رامنځته کېدو راهیسې اغېزمنو شوو کورنیو ته د کاري شریکانو په مرسته د خوراک، څښاک، پوښاک او روغتیایي خدمتونو وړاندې کولو په اړه هر اړخیز معلومات وړاندې کړل او هم یې د کاري شریکانو د دوامدار ملاتړ مننه وکړه.

نوموړي زیاته کړه: هغه بشري مرستې چې د یادو زلزله ځپلو په موخه د نړیوالو مرستندویه بنسټونو او ملي ټولنو له لوري افغانستان ته را استول شوي؛ په بشپړ شفافیت تر پېښځپلو او اړمنو کورنیو رسول شوي دي او موږ هیله لرو؛ څو نړیوال کاري شریکان د ژمي په درشل کې هم له یادو بې وسه او زیانمنو شوو کورنیو سره خپلې بشري مرستې لا پراخې کړي.

په پای کې د ناستې ګډونوالو هم خپل نظرونه وړاندې کړل، د خپلو ګډو بشري اهدافو د تعقیب ژمنې یې وکړې او ډاډ یې څرګند کړ، چې زلزله ځپلو کورنیو ته به د ژمي په موسم کې اړینې مرستې برابرې کړو او د هغوی د دوامدار ملاتړ لپاره به هېڅ ډول مرستې ونه سپموو.

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Expansion of Aid to #Earthquake_Affected Families During Winter: Online Meeting Held with #National_Societies

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Sheikh-ul-Hadith Shahabuddin Delawar, General President of the #ARCS, held an online meeting with representatives from 51 national societies, with officials from the #IFRC delegation in #Afghanistan in attendance. The meeting focused on providing aid to families affected by the recent devastating earthquakes in #northern, #eastern, and #northeastern provinces, and on strengthening collaboration.

During the meeting, Mr. Delawar provided comprehensive updates on the delivery of food, water, clothing, and healthcare services to affected families with the support of partners since the onset of the recent earthquakes. He expressed gratitude to partners for their ongoing support.

He stated, “The humanitarian aid sent to Afghanistan by international organizations and national societies for the earthquake-affected has been delivered transparently to the affected families and those in need. We hope international partners will further expand their assistance to these vulnerable families, especially as winter approaches.”

At the conclusion, participants shared their perspectives and pledged to pursue their common humanitarian goals. They assured that vital assistance will be provided to earthquake-affected families throughout the winter season, and that no efforts will be spared in continuing support for the affected communities.

Source: Afghan Red Crescent | افغاني سره میاشت (@ARCSAfghanistan)
[ https://x.com/ARCSAfghanistan/status/2001257137079451888 ]

#Afghanistan

#Syntax #hacking : Researchers discover sentence structure can bypass #AI safety rules

Researchers from #MIT , #Northeastern University, & #Meta recently released a paper suggesting that #LLMs similar to those that power #ChatGPT may sometimes prioritize sentence structure over meaning when answering questions. The findings reveal a weakness in how these models process instructions that may shed light on why some prompt injection or #jailbreaking approaches work
#llm

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/syntax-hacking-researchers-discover-sentence-structure-can-bypass-ai-safety-rules/