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Lisa Sólrun Christiansen gets up at 4 a.m. most days and gets to work knitting thick wool sweaters coveted by buyers around the world for their warmth and colorful patterns celebrating Greenland’s traditional Inuit culture.Her morning routine includes a quick check of the news, but these days the ritual shatters her peace because of all the stories about U.S. President Donald Trump’s designs on her homeland.“I get overwhelmed,” Christiansen said earlier this month as she looked out to sea, where impossibly blue icebergs floated just offshore.The daughter of Inuit and Danish parents, Christiansen, 57, cherishes Greenland. It is a source of immense family pride that her father, an artist and teacher, designed the red-and-white Greenlandic flag.“On his deathbed he talked a lot about the flag, and he said that the flag is not his, it’s the people’s,” she said. “And there’s one sentence I keep thinking about. He said, ‘I hope the flag will unite the Greenlandic people.'” Island of anxiety Greenlanders are increasingly worried that their homeland, a self-governing region of Denmark, has become a pawn in the competition between the U.S., Russia, and China as global warming opens up access to the Arctic. They fear Trump’s aim to take control of Greenland, which holds rich mineral deposits and straddles strategic air and sea routes, may block their path toward independence.Those fears were heightened Sunday when Usha Vance, the wife of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, announced she would visit Greenland later this week to attend the national dogsled race. Separately, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will visit a U.S. military base in northern Greenland.The announcement inflamed tensions sparked earlier this month when Trump reiterated his desire to annex Greenland just two days after Greenlanders elected a new parliament opposed to becoming part of the U.S. Trump even made a veiled reference to the possibility of military pressure, noting the U.S. bases in Greenland and musing that “maybe you’ll see more and more soldiers go there.”News of the visit drew an immediate backlash from local politicians, who described it as a display of U.S. power at a time they are trying to form a government.“It must also be stated in bold that our integrity and democracy must be respected without any external interference,” outgoing Prime Minister Múte Boroup Egede said.Greenland, part of Denmark since 1721, has been moving toward independence for decades. It’s a goal most Greenlanders support, though they differ on when and how that should happen. They don’t want to trade Denmark for an American overlord.The question is whether Greenland will be allowed to control its own destiny at a time of rising international tensions when Trump sees the island as key to U.S. national security. David vs. Goliath While Greenland has limited leverage against the world’s greatest superpower, Trump made a strategic mistake by triggering a dispute with Greenland and Denmark rather than working with its NATO allies in Nuuk and Copenhagen, said Otto Svendsen, an Arctic expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.Trump’s actions, he says, have united Greenlanders and fostered a greater sense of national identity.“You have this feeling of pride and of self-determination in Greenland that the Greenlanders are not, you know, cowed by this pressure coming from Washington,” Svendsen said. “And they’re doing everything in their power to make their voices heard.”Denmark recognized Greenland’s right to independence at a time of its choosing under the 2009 Greenland Self-Government Act, which was approved by local voters and ratified by the Danish parliament. The right to self-determination is also enshrined in the United Nations charter, approved by the U.S. in 1945. U.S. national security But Trump is more focused on the economic and security needs of the U.S. than the rights of smaller nations. Since returning to office in January, he has pressured Ukraine into giving the U.S. access to valuable mineral resources, threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal, and suggested that Canada should become the 51st state.Now he has turned his attention to Greenland, a territory of 56,000 people, most from indigenous Inuit backgrounds.Greenland guards access to the Arctic at a time when melting sea ice has reignited competition for energy and mineral resources and attracted an increased Russian military presence. The Pituffik Space Base on the island’s northwest coast supports missile warning and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.Before Trump’s reelection, Greenlanders hoped to leverage this unique position to help the country achieve independence. Now they fear it has made them vulnerable.Cebastian Rosing, who works for a water taxi firm that offers tours around the Nuuk fjord, said he’s frustrated that Trump is trying to take over just as Greenland has begun to assert its autonomy and celebrate its Inuit origins.“It’s so weird to defend (the idea) that our country is our country because it’s always been our country,” he said. “We’re just getting our culture back because of colonialism.” Strategic importance It’s not that Greenlanders don’t like the U.S. They have welcomed Americans for decades.The U.S. effectively occupied Greenland during World War II, building a string of air and naval bases.After the war, President Harry Truman’s government offered to buy the island because of “the extreme importance of Greenland to the defense of the United States.” Denmark rejected the proposal but signed a long-term base agreement.When Trump resurrected the proposal during his first term, it was quickly rejected by Denmark and dismissed as a headline-grabbing stunt. But now Trump is pursuing the idea with renewed energy.During a speech earlier this month he told a joint session of Congress that the U.S. needed to take control of Greenland to protect its national security. “I think we’re going to get it,” Trump said. “One way or the other.” A model in the Marshall Islands? Even so, Trump has his admirers in Greenland.And there is no greater fan than Jrgen Boassen. When he spoke to the Associated Press, Boassen wore a T-shirt featuring a photo of Trump with his fist in the air and blood streaming down his face after an assassination attempt last year. Underneath was the slogan, “American Badass.”Boassen works for an organization called American Daybreak, which was founded by former Trump official Thomas Dans an promotes closer ties between the U.S. and Greenland.The former bricklayer, who describes himself as “110%” Inuit, has a litany of complaints about Denmark, most stemming from what he sees as mistreatment of local people during colonial rule. In particular, he cites Inuit women who say they were fitted with birth control devices without their permission during the 1970s.Trump must act to secure America’s back door, Boassen says, because Denmark has failed to guarantee Greenland’s security.But even he wants Greenland to be independent, a U.S. ally but not the 51st state.What he has in mind is something more like the free-association agreement the Marshall Islands negotiated with the U.S. when it became independent in 1986. That agreement recognizes the Pacific archipelago as a sovereign nation that conducts its own foreign policy but gives the U.S. control over defense and security.“We’re in 2025,” Boassen said. “So I don’t believe they can come here and take over.”Whatever happens, most Greenlanders agree that the island’s fate should be up to them, not Trump.“We have to stand together,” Christiansen said, her knitting needles clicking and clacking. This story, supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, is part of an ongoing Associated Press series covering threats to democracy in Europe. Danica Kirka, Associated Press
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Big Bear’s internet-famous bald eaglesJackie, Shadow, and their three chickshave been a source of joy for millions of people during these unprecedented times. Unfortunately, that did not protect our feathered friends from tragedy. During a harsh late winter storm, the eldest chick died after the couple worked so hard to nurture it. This heartbreaking loss was a reminder of natures brutality and the ability to persevere. Lets take a look at the timeline of this tragic event, the internets reaction to it, and how fans are moving forward, including with a chance to give names to the two surviving chicks: What happened to the baby chick? The week of March 9, California’s Big Bear Valley received two feet of snow. On Thursday, March 13, Jackie and Shadows instincts kicked in, sensing the upcoming storm, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the nonprofit that manages the bald eagle live cams. Shadow delivered three fish, five sticks, and three piles of fluff to prepare. Sometime after the 6 p.m. feeding, Chick 1 passed. Jackie covered up her babies for the snowstorm and did her best to protect them. Shadow perched nearby. The cameras revealed Chick 1 was not present during the first feeding the following day. The exact details of the chicks death are unknown, according to the nonprofit. Even though the webcam operates 24/7, camera angles have their limits. Camera 1 was also damaged in the storm, with the nightlight and audio features taking the brunt of it. BOBBV did not jump to an immediate conclusion. As observers of nature, the staff and volunteers have much practice being patient. The organization even dispelled several rumors that were widely circulated on the internet. After more of the snow melted and the body of the deceased chick was spotted, the organization made a formal announcement on Sunday. At first it was not known which chick passed as it was hard to tell them apart because they were so close in size. Time eventually revealed that it was the eldest eaglet known as Chick 1. In the midst of the sadness, we want to honor the life of this chick for its courage in getting as far as it did and for the joy it brought to us in its short time here, the nonprofit told its more than one million followers on Facebook and Instagram. Jackie and Shadow appeared to be affected by the loss. On Sunday, Shadow moved the body from the nest bowl to the side of the structure. Jackie removed it from the nest altogether. The couple, however, do not have much time to mourn because they are kept busy raising the other two chicks. Thankfully, these eaglets appear to be in good health and thriving. How fans have responded to the loss These bald eagles have a massive internet following, so fans were understandably devastated at this news. It seemed especially cruel since during the last couple of seasons the eggs didnt hatch, despite Shadow and Jackie doing everything right. I wonder if Jackie and Shadow can feel the love of the thousands of us rooting for them day after day,” one fan mused on Instagram. “She was so brave throughout that storm, holding on for hours despite the high winds and pelting snow. What a gift it has been to watch these devoted eagles.” Many teachers use the webcam footage in their classrooms and were now faced with the difficult task of breaking the news gently to their students in an age-appropriate manner. “So tomorrow is the first day back to school after spring break and Im not quite sure how to handle that our third baby did not make it,” posted one Facebook user who identified herself as a Pre-K teacher in Alabama. “But Im sure I will find the words and Im sure that they will be sad, but will understand that thats just part of life.” Death is part of life, but so is the resilience that Jackie and Shadow have demonstrated. If they can ride out the storms, so can we. One way to honor the feathered family is to band together in community and help FOBBV name the chicks. Eagle naming contest ends on Friday On Sunday March 23, FOBBV announced a contest to name the remaining chicks. The deceased chick formerly, known as Chick 1, will now be remembered as Misty. This moniker honors former FOBBV volunteer Kathi Misterly who died of cancer and is dearly missed by the organization. It is tradition for Jackie and Shadows offspring to be named through a contest. The nonprofit asks for a small donation for suggestions to help offset the costs of running the webcam. It is $5 for one name, $10 for three names, or $25 for 10 names. The organization asks for gender-neutral options as the sex of the eaglets is not known at this time. Additionally, it warns that offensive and obscene names will not be considered. The deadline to get your entries in is Friday, March 28, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. All the acceptable monikers will be compiled and a computer will randomly make a list of finalists. While the world may seem more divided than ever, the enduring popularity of this family of bald eagles has proved that is simply not the case. These feathered friends have connected humans around the globe and inspired unity and compassion. If that same empathy were channeled into our daily interactions with each other, think of the larger ripple effect it would have on the political, social, and economic challenges of the world.
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Otter, the AI-powered meeting assistant and transcription service, is introducing a new AI agent capable of answering spoken questions from meeting participants in real time.The AI can also perform tasks like scheduling follow-up meetings and assigning action items to the meeting record stored on Otters platform. When responding to questions, it can draw on both publicly available information for quick research queries and knowledge gained from previous company meetings. The AI will only provide answers based on meeting records that all current participants have permission to view, ensuring confidential information remains protected.[Image: Otter]The tool can also be connected to other sources of information, like company knowledge bases or customer-relationship management (CRM) software, and its abilities will only grow over time. Its some simple tasks, but pretty soon, it can do more and more complicated tasks, Otter CEO Sam Liang says.Currently, the AI agent must be activated with a phrase like Hey Otter, similar to Alexa or Siri. In the future, though, it may also be able to chime in automaticallyanswering questions and offering information proactively, much like a human meeting participant would. The agent is being rolled out to all Otter users and is currently compatible with Zoom, with support for Microsoft Teams and Google Meet expected in the coming weeks.Otter, which recently announced it has reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue, is also rolling out other AI agents aimed at supporting sales teams. One of them, dubbed the Otter Sales Agent, can provide real-time guidance to salespeople during virtual meetings with customers, and can surface answers to product-related questions and suggest responses to customer objections on the fly.[Image: Otter]Once the meeting is done, the Sales Agent can assist with drafting follow-up emails to customers or entering data from the call into CRM tools. The tool is now available to Otter enterprise sales customers, with Otters team helping configure the agent using relevant product information from previous meetings and other data sources, Liang says.Initially, well provide white glove service to help them build the model, he adds. Gradually, it can become self-serve as well.A third new AI agentcalled the Otter SDR Agent (short for sales development representative)can be embedded into websites to conduct interactive live demos of products. The goal is to give potential customers a glimpse at how products work and ask basic questions at any time, without waiting for a human sales rep (though the agent gathers user contact information for a follow-up call). [Image: Otter]The SDR Agent is already live on Otters website, demonstrating the companys own features. Upon request, Otter can help set it up for customers to use to sell their own products. Otter, which first launched a chat-based AI assistant in 2023 to answer meeting-related questions and perform basic tasks, is likely to launch other AI agents geared at helping with other types of calls, including customer service, recruiting, marketing, and user research, perhaps with more launches as soon as this year, Liang says. And while plenty of other companies are building AI agents and assistants, Liang believes Otter has an advantage in meeting-focused domains, thanks to customers whove let the company use their meeting data for training.A lot of users actually contribute some data to us, allowing us to use that to train, he says. We actually have the advantage to build the best conversational AI agent that can participate in meetings compared to some of the other AI [companies].
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