Author: damazah@gmail.com

It’s tempting to think of Toy Story as just another successful Pixar animated franchise, especially now that its fifth installment has just arrived in theaters. But one could actually argue that Pixar’s entire journey — from a computer animation startup to the box-office juggernaut behind originals like Inside Out, Cars, and The Incredibles — is best understood through its beloved animated films about toys that come to life whenever humans leave the room.For one thing, Toy Story has accomplished something no other Pixar franchise has managed. It’s remained a major theatrical event across three decades — the 1990s, 2010s, and…

Every year on 19 June, the world marks World Sickle Cell Day to raise awareness about a condition affecting millions globally. Yet despite decades of public campaigns encouraging genotype testing and informed marriage decisions, Nigeria continues to record one of the highest burdens of sickle cell disease (SCD) in the world. According to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the country records approximately 150,000 infants born with sickle cell disease annually, accounting for a significant share of the global burden. While genotype awareness campaigns have become common in schools, churches, mosques and healthcare facilities, health experts say awareness…

Last week, the Nigerian stock market witnessed one of its sharpest declines so far this year, depreciating by 3.6 per cent as sell-offs in bank stocks hammered the benchmark equity index. That was not unexpected, as analysts have recently projected stocks to experience price correction, having stayed in the uptrend territory for quite a while. “Investors are likely to continue to take advantage of recent price corrections to accumulate fundamentally sound stocks, particularly counters with strong earnings prospects and attractive valuations,” analysts at Meristem Securities said in their outlook for the week. Looking forward, increased positioning in stocks that pay…

Anthropic has billed Mythos as capable of discovering critical cyber security gaps, initially limiting its access on safety grounds to certain US organizations. The company had been working with government officials on a controlled rollout before releasing Mythos more widely earlier this month. News coverage of Mythos, which the company announced in April, was significantly higher than coverage of other models released this year, according to data from AlphaSense. Media mentions of Mythos surged after it was unveiled and again this week following the export ban. Some in the industry have criticized Anthropic’s handling of government talks over the new…

Because demand for the free cleans is so high, they are stationed in New York indefinitely, cleaning around five apartments a day, five days a week. The only difference between these guys and a regular cleaner is they have built-in cameras attached to their caps, connected via a lead to their mobile phones.

Gathering light, decoding data At a high level, the concept is fairly straightforward. A spacecraft encodes data onto a laser, which sends a narrow beam toward Earth. Large optical telescopes on the ground collect the incoming photons, and detectors convert the light back into electrical signals. Sophisticated error-correction software reconstructs the original message as many photons are lost. The greater the distance, the more daunting the challenge. A laser beam from geostationary orbit, about 22,000 miles (36,000 km) above Earth, starts out about the diameter of a coffee cup, and when it reaches Earth, it’s about 1km across. The further…

Since the 2024 elections, Democrats in or seeking office have tried hard to stick to the new playbook: Focus on pocketbook worries, criticize President Trump if you must, but for the love of all that is sacred, avoid the social issues that Republicans have used to paint the party as out of touch — and maybe even a little weird.A new animal rights measure in Oregon has Democratic leaders like Gov. Tina Kotek going out on a limb. They want voters to know they’re just as committed to killing animals as Republicans.The measure, known for now as Initiative Petition 28,…

*Describes Asogwa as people’s champion Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has congratulated the winner and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Saturday by-election for Enugu North Senatorial District, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, describing the landslide victory as an affirmation of APC’s overwhelming acceptance and dominance in the state’s politics. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, declared APC’s Asogwa winner of the senatorial seat formerly won in 2023 by Labour Party Senator Okey Ezea, who died after an illness in November 2025. The district covers Nsukka, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Uzo-Uwani, Igbo-Etiti, and Udenu Local Government…

President Trump’s fragile agreement with Iran has introduced a new variable into this year’s midterm elections.Democratic candidates have assailed the agreement, arguing that the president accepted unfavorable terms to try to end an unnecessary war that hurt the economy. Republicans have been more divided. Some, eager to turn the page on the unpopular war, are hailing falling gas prices and praising Mr. Trump for weakening Iran’s military capabilities, while others are expressing doubts about whether the president is likely to achieve the goals he set out to accomplish with the war.Although the long-term durability of the accord was unclear —…

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit group chartered by Congress, has a new leader.Brent Leggs, 53, who has risen in the ranks during more than two decades at the organization, becomes president and chief executive on Monday, its board of trustees has announced. In taking the reins from Carol Quillen, who is leaving for family reasons, Leggs becomes the 11th leader of the trust since it was formed in 1949 to help safeguard historically and culturally significant U.S. sites, buildings and objects.The trust has been in the news recently for the lawsuit it filed in federal court, seeking…