Latest news with #Liska
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Employees say 'block lists' are happening across all industries, from tech to hospitals
This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. Good morning. Best of luck with your March Madness brackets today as the games tip-off. Especially if you work at Berkshire Hathaway, where it's possible to win $1 million if your first-round picks are accurate enough. In today's big story, BI uncovered Meta's secret "block lists" — and it turns out the practice may be far more widespread than many job seekers realize. What's on deck Markets: A Wall Street analyst still sees Tesla's sharp correction as a good opportunity to buy its stock. Tech: As Microsoft shakes up its performance review process, one exec is taking on a new role. Business: The American whiskey business has some growing pains. Tariffs could make them way worse. But first, have you been blocked?"A special kind of cruelty" is how one ex-Meta employee described it. Earlier this month, BI's Pranav Dixit revealed that Meta maintains secret "block" lists of employees who are ineligible for being rehired. If you find your name on one of Meta's lists, you're pretty much stuck. Not even a glowing performance record or help from a VP can get you off it. Laszlo Bock, a former Google HR chief, was shocked by BI's report: "I've never heard of anything like this," he wrote on LinkedIn. "I've sometimes heard an exec say, 'don't ever re-hire this person', but never seen a large scale, systematic approach like this." But what's more shocking is the practice may be more widespread than many realize. Since BI's initial report, employees from across corporate America have shared similar experiences of applying for roles at former employers, only to be mysteriously ghosted by recruiters or quietly marked as "ineligible for rehire." Many employees only found out they were on these lists after they had already left their companies and tried to rejoin — more may still not even know they're on them. Employees say block lists are happening across all industries, from tech to hospitals. A nurse with 38 years of experience told BI: "If a manager has a beef against an employee, they can easily keep them from being hired again." A former employee of a major chip company said they were "banned for life" from working there despite a promotion and a raise right before they were laid off: "Why? No one seems to know." Karen Liska, an attorney and director of people operations at SafeSend, shed some light in an interview with BI. The lists ensure a "source of knowledge within the business about which former employees may not be viable future candidates," Liska said. However, Liska has also written that the lists can be used "improperly as part of retaliation or to maintain discriminatory practices." Read the full story. 1. Interest rates steady; stagflation fears up. The Fed met Wall Street expectations when it held interest rates steady Wednesday. But its new economic projections, which include higher inflation and lower growth, signal the growing possibility of a dreaded stagflation scenario. 2. The upside of Tesla's stock crash. An analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald thinks now's the time to invest in Tesla, and he shared 7 reasons why, including the introduction of its Robotaxi segment. 3. Nvidia's roadblock. One analyst thinks the chipmaker may not grow next year if GPU demand dwindles. They argue Nvidia's biggest customers may rein in AI spending, leaving the company scrambling to sell chips to new customers. 1. What Google's top bosses are saying about the $32 billion Wiz deal. The search giant's plan to acquire the cybersecurity startup comes at a critical moment. BI reviewed leaked memos sent to employees to see why. 2. Microsoft replaces its longtime chief people officer. CEO Satya Nadella announced Kathleen Hogan is moving to a new role as the tech giant rethinks its performance review process. Read Nadella's email to employees. 3. Sorry, fanboys. Apple is becoming a utility. Apple's AI rollout might matter to a small fraction of customers. For everyone else, we just need our iPhones to work — with or without AI. The slow-and-steady upgrade cycle, not the sexy new features, is the main driver of sales growth. 1. Hit the road, Jack Daniels. Trump's trade war could crush a beloved sector: the American whiskey industry. Looming tariffs mean some favorite craft brands might fold if they can't hit enough shelves in the US or abroad. 2. A recession isn't here, but the memes are. Canceled lash appointments and throwbacks to 2008 pop culture — these are some of the informal "recession indicators" taking over the internet. As investors signal potential recession fears, people are using memes to cope. 3. Gen Z want to be doctors, but only if it makes them rich. Relative to other doctors, family physicians don't make a boatload. Despite the rise in med students over the past decade, many gravitate toward competitive specialties, leaving vacancies in primary care. Powell warns inflation is sticking around thanks to Trump tariffs. A website doxxed Tesla owners — but some had already sold their cars. AI agents are all the rage. But no one can agree on what they do. The crypto market just saw one of its biggest regulatory hurdles cleared away. Elon Musk's slice of SpaceX is now worth $43 billion more than his Tesla stake. I'm a federal worker who commutes 15 hours a week after RTO. It's affected my marriage and social life. Wait a minute. Has Elon Musk really turned Twitter around, after all? Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says every company will become an 'AI factory.' Here's what he means. Nike and FedEx report earnings. EU summit begins in Brussels. NCAA March Madness First Round begins. The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York (on parental leave). Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Nathan Rennolds, editor, in London. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How a ‘Dauntless' dive bomber became a WWII ace at Coral Sea
When one thinks of U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operations in the months leading up to the Battle of Midway, one name that readily comes to mind is Lt. Edward 'Butch' O'Hare, the F4F-3 Wildcat pilot whose five aerial victories in defense of the carrier Lexington on Feb. 20, 1942, made him both the Navy's first World War II fighter ace and its first WWII aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. Meanwhile, hard on O'Hare's heels in Lexington lore was a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless team whose activities seemed just as much devoted to fighters as to dive bombers. John Arthur Leppla was born in Lima, Ohio, on May 7, 1916. After graduating from Purdue University, he enlisted in the Navy in September 1940, and went on to qualify as an aviator with an ensign's commission. In 1941, he joined scout squadron VS-2, flying SBDs from the Lexington. Leppla's usual 'back-seater,' Aviation Radioman 3rd Class John Liska, was born in Coalville, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 28, 1922. The first indication that the two were a natural team occurred on March 10, 1942, two days after a Japanese naval force occupied Lae and Salamaua harbors in northern New Guinea, when the Lexington and Yorktown struck back in the first raid of the war by two U.S. carriers. The surprise attack caught Japanese forces without air support except for eight reconnaissance seaplanes, two of which tried to engage the U.S. bombers until they were brought down by Wildcat fighters. The U.S. bombers sank a number of Japanese ships, in addition to damaging multiple other vessels. Of the 104 carrier planes involved in the raid, only one SBD from Leppla's scout squadron VS-2 and its crew were lost to antiaircraft fire. For their part in the raid, Leppla and Liska were awarded the Navy Cross. Two months later, in May 1942, the Japanese launched Operation MO, an offensive to seize Port Moresby, New Guinea. The invasion force was escorted by the heavy cruisers Aoba, Furutaka, Kinugasa and Kako, and the light carrier Shoho. Fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku offered mobile support. On May 7, 1942, Shokaku's and Zuikaku's D3A1 dive bombers sank the U.S. destroyer Sims and so badly damaged the fleet tanker Neosho that it was scuttled a few days later. Elsewhere, however, the Lexington and Yorktown set out to intercept enemy threats. The carriers located Shoho and dispatched 53 SBDs, 22 TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers and 18 F4F-3s to eliminate it. The Japanese light carrier's hangar sheltered eight A6M2 Zeros, four A5M4 fighters and six B5N2 torpedo bombers, but it had only one Zero and two A5M4s in the air on combat air patrol when the Americans attacked off Misima Island. The first Americans on the scene were SBDs of Leppla's scout squadron VS-2, led by Lt. Cmdr. Robert Dixon. As they positioned themselves to dive from 12,500 feet, the first echelon came under attack. Dixon extended his dive brakes, causing enemy forces to overshoot. Two Zeros then went after an SBD crewed by Leppla and Liska, but Liska drove them off with his .30-caliber machine gun. As a third Zero attacked the SBD in front of him, Leppla briefly rolled, fired and saw the Japanese disengage. He then resumed his dive, registering a near miss with his 1,000-pound bomb. Their squadron mates, Lt. j.g. William Edward Hall and Seaman 1st Class John Moore, were more successful in bombing the Japanese carrier Shoho. Although Shoho launched three more fighters, it could not stop U.S. aircraft from landing as many as 13 bombs and seven torpedo hits in less than one hour when it went down — the first Japanese carrier sunk in the war. As the U.S. planes returned to their carriers, Dixon reported to the Lexington: 'Scratch one flat top! Signed Bob.' Three SBDs of VS-2 and one from Yorktown's VS-5 were shot down, while their crews claimed a total of five Zeros and one A5M4, though the Japanese denied any air-to-air losses among their fighters. Leppla was credited with shooting down two Japanese aircraft in 30 seconds, with two more credited to his radioman, Liska. About halfway along the 180-mile flight back to their carrier, the two encountered a Japanese reconnaissance plane, which Leppla shot down. The next day, on May 8, 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea reached its crescendo. Shortly before 11 a.m., the Lexington's radar detected Japanese forces from 64 miles out. With most of their Wildcats escorting the strike on the Japanese carriers, only 17 remained to defend the American carriers, so their numbers were supplemented with 18 available SBDs from the scouting squadrons, including Leppla and Liska's squadron mates, Hall and Moore. Japanese torpedo bombers had an escort of their own, and three picked out Hall's plane. A 20mm round entered his cockpit, wounding Hall in both ankles and nearly severing his right foot. Still, Hall stayed in the fight, firing at any opponent that passed before his sights. Noticing Hall's plight, Leppla and Liska intervened, with the two claiming four Zeros in the process. In reality, Japanese forces lost one fighter whose pilot ditched. The SBDs, however, were credited with downing a Japanese D3A dive bomber and five B5N torpedo bombers. Although the Battle of the Coral Sea ended in a tactical victory for Japan, the U.S. had turned back a major Japanese invasion attempt. Moreover, while Shokaku underwent repairs and Zuikaku replaced its airplane and aircrew losses, Yorktown's damage was repaired in time to join in the decisive U.S. victory at Midway on June 4, 1942. After sorting out the air-to-air claims at Coral Sea, Hall was credited with one enemy plane, while Leppla was credited with a Zero and a floatplane destroyed and two Zeros damaged on May 7, followed by two Zeros downed and one damaged on the 8th. Liska was credited with three Zeros. Their outstanding performance resulted in a gold star in lieu of a second Navy Cross for Leppla and Liska. On Nov. 21, 1942, Hall was awarded the Medal of Honor. Leppla's bellicose attitude led to his being retrained as a fighter pilot. He then rejoined the war with fighter squadron VF-10 on the carrier Enterprise in the Solomon Islands. Also aboard, now with VS-10, was Liska with Lt. j.g. Martin Carmody as his pilot. While en route to intercept another Japanese carrier task force threatening U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal, Leppla trained under VF-10′s commander, Lt. Cmdr. James Flatley Jr., whose experience at Midway led to a change in fighter tactics, from the three-plane formation to the 'fluid four.' On Oct. 26, 1942, Air Group 10 got to put its months of training into practice when the Enterprise and its sister ship, the carrier Hornet, faced the Japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku and light carriers Zuiho and Junyo off the Santa Cruz Islands. As U.S. forces headed toward the Japanese fleet, U.S. aircraft passed Japanese planes en route to attack their task force. Lt. Saneyasu Hidaka, leading nine of Zuiho's Zeros to escort Japanese torpedo and dive bombers, let the first wave of Americans pass, but was unable to resist attacking the second. In the ensuing dogfight, Hidaka and his pilots claimed 14 Americans. In fact, they downed two U.S. planes and badly damaged a third. Flatley deviated from his escort task only long enough to pick off a nearby Zero. Belatedly entering the fray, Leppla, flying an F4F, and his wingman, Ens. Albert Mead, were credited with three Zeros and certainly got one. However, Leppla and Mead soon got into an aerial duel with Hidaka during which Leppla signaled that only one of his six machine guns was functioning. Mead was surprised Leppla didn't assume a beam defense position, but he stuck with his wingman, who he noted 'seemed to fly straight ahead and I don't believe fired a shot. I shot for both of us and believe I got three.' At that point, Leppla had probably been wounded or killed, while another Zero's fire disabled Mead's motor. As he descended, Mead saw Leppla's Wildcat still flying level. Two of Enterprise's SBDs reached the Japanese fleet and damaged Zuiho, while Hornet's Dauntless dive bombers scored hits that put Shokaku out of action for months. At the same time, however, Japanese attack planes reached the American task force, and in the ensuing melee, seven D3As dive-bombed Hornet, losing three planes but scoring three hits. Although the Hornet ultimately sank and the Enterprise was damaged, Japanese forces failed to follow up their tactical victory at Coral Sea. Meanwhile, the U.S. hurriedly repaired the Enterprise — its only remaining operational carrier — to get back to Guadalcanal, where it continued playing a vital role. Leppla was recommended for a third Navy Cross for his last mission but only received a Letter of Commendation. Mead credited him with one of the three Zeros he'd claimed, making Leppla the closest thing to an SBD Dauntless ace. Although his body was never recovered, he is remembered by a cenotaph in Arlington National Cemetery. Liska survived the war and lived his final years in Manteca, California. He died on Aug. 12, 2011. Sources consulted for this report include 'Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II' by Ikuhiko Hata and Yasuho Izawa; 'The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway' by John B. Lundstrom; 'Duel: SBD Dauntless vs. A6M Zero-Sen' by Donald Nijboer; and 'Stars & Bars: A Tribute to the American Fighter Ace' by Frank Olynyk.
NBC News
31-01-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Major blood bank cancels appointments during blood shortage after cyberattack
The New York Blood Center, one of the country's largest nonprofit blood donation and distribution centers, has canceled appointments and blood drives after a cyberattack. In a statement posted to its website Wednesday, the NYBC said hackers attacked it with ransomware on Sunday, significantly reducing its operations. NYBC is still accepting blood donations, but is cautioning donors to expect longer wait times. It has no estimated timetable for fully restoring operations. Independent blood suppliers like the NYBC, the largest in the New York City area, provide 60% of the U.S. blood supply, according to America's Blood Centers, a nonprofit that represents blood donation centers across the country. Ransomware is a type of cybercrime where cybercriminals lock up an organization's computer networks and demand a payment in Bitcoin for a code or program to make them usable again. For a victim organization, containing a ransomware attack often means taking computers offline and either working to rid each one of the malicious software or replacing devices entirely. Even if the victim pays, ransomware can be extremely disruptive. The NYBC has canceled eight blood drives scheduled for Friday and nine for Sunday over the attack, it announced Friday. It was already under significant strain before the cyberattack. Last week, it announced a blood emergency. Thanks to a combination of factors, including winter travel and school breaks, its supplies of types O and B blood had dropped to levels that could only last 1-to-2-days. Allan Liska, a ransomware analyst at the cybersecurity company Recorded Future, told NBC News that ransomware attacks against medical nonprofits and other sensitive organizations are now commonplace. 'We should be shocked by this latest attack, but we've seen ransomware groups hit food banks, children's hospitals, and this isn't even the first time a blood bank has been hit,' Liska said. 'The threat actors behind ransomware attacks simply do not care who they starve or kill with their attacks.'
