washingtonpost.com - Storm clouds are brewing in California’s coffee cups. Companies across the state will have to add a cancer-warning label to coffee, a judge ruled this week, because the drink contains a chemical called acrylamide.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle sided with a nonprofit organization in a case against Starbucks, Peets and dozens of other coffee chains, saying that businesses that sold coffee were in violation of a state regulation called Proposition 65. Prop 65 requires businesses with at least 10 employees to disclose any carcinogens and toxic chemicals in their products.
The lawsuit, filed by an organization called the Council for Education and Research on Toxics, cites the presence of acrylamide in coffee. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, describes acrylamide as a human neurotoxin and a “group 2A probable carcinogen.”
With those classifications, the chemical certainly does not sound like something people want floating in their morning pick-me-up. But experts said coffee drinkers should not change their habits on the basis of the new ruling.
“The name, ‘acrylamide,’ it makes it sound scary,” said Michelle Francl, a chemist at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. But, she pointed out, a liquid labeled “oxidane” sounds ominous, even though that’s a fancy term for water.
Rodents fed massive amounts of acrylamide do develop cancer. This is an “acceptable and appropriate” way to determine a carcinogenic effect, said J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society’s deputy chief medical officer. But anything — including water and oxygen — can be unsafe at the wrong dosage. Those lab rats and mice were dosed at rates 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than what humans consume in food, according to the American Cancer Society.
Links between cancer and acrylamide in humans are weak or need to be replicated in additional studies, said Timothy Rebbeck, a professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Lichtenfeld agreed. “There are no well-done human studies that answer the question definitively,” he said. What research there is indicates that the human body does not absorb the chemical at the same rate as rodents do, and we also metabolize it differently.
“From a practical standpoint would we recommend people stop drinking coffee as a result of the judge’s decision? No,” Lichtenfeld said. “That’s not what the science shows us.”
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
Canadians’ love affair with Justin Trudeau is over
OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no longer looks invincible.
After showing a steady lead in public opinion surveys for more than two years after his surprise October 2015 election victory, Trudeau appears to be politically vulnerable. And that’s despite a buoyant economy, what’s seen as a steady hand in NAFTA trade talks with President Trump, and a weak political opposition.
“All of a sudden, we saw this drop,” said David Coletto, chief executive of Abacus Data, an Ottawa polling firm, referring to his company’s latest poll, completed in early March. “It’s the first time since Trudeau became prime minister that we have results showing the Conservatives slightly ahead.”
CBC’s Poll Tracker, which aggregates and weights the results of a dozen opinion surveys, reported in late March that the opposition Conservative Party is now in the lead, at 37.7 percent of voting intentions, compared with Trudeau’s Liberals, at 33.7 percent. The left-of-center New Democratic Party was third at 18.5 percent.
Some observers say it’s just a question of midterm blues, with a Canadian election not scheduled until the fall of 2019. But the real culprit seems to have been Trudeau’s visit to India in February. During the week-long trip, Trudeau was widely mocked for wearing traditional Indian garb as he crossed India with his wife and three children.
“When you have foreign media like CNN and BBC making fun of our prime minister, that was jarring for some people and made people question whether he was the best person for the job,” Coletto said. ContinueReading
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Oldest human footprints in North America suggest 'early entrance' into the Americas
foxnews.com - Researchers on Wednesday published details of the discovery of footprints determined to be 13,000 years old. The prints were found on the shoreline of an island north of Vancouver, and the scientists said they are the oldest ever found in North America.
LiveScience reported that the footprints — 29 in all -- appear to have been made by two barefoot adults and a child. They left the prints in the wet clay near the water’s edge on Calvert Island.
The age of the site is also remarkable, scientists said, and “suggests an early entrance into the Americas,” Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist, said.
The LiveScience report said archeologists were amazed at how well-preserved the footprints were. Scientists were able to determine the sizes of the feet: the child was a junior size 1; while one of the adults wore a woman’s size 3 and the other wore a man’s size 7.
The island today is dense with forests and can be reached only by boat.
Duncan McLaren, an anthropologist at the Hakai Institute and University of Victoria in British Columbia, said in an interview that the find “provides evidence that people were inhabiting the region at the end of the last ice age.”
“It is possible that the coast was one of the means by which people entered the Americas at the time,” he said, according to the New York Times.
Scientists determined the age of the footprints by using radiocarbon.
"Ultimately, the data seem to show indisputable evidence for human presence along the Pacific Coast of Canada," Kevin Hatala, an assistant professor of biology at Chatham University, told Live Science. "This is important because archaeological sites from this time and place have been quite rare."
LiveScience reported that the footprints — 29 in all -- appear to have been made by two barefoot adults and a child. They left the prints in the wet clay near the water’s edge on Calvert Island.
The age of the site is also remarkable, scientists said, and “suggests an early entrance into the Americas,” Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist, said.
The LiveScience report said archeologists were amazed at how well-preserved the footprints were. Scientists were able to determine the sizes of the feet: the child was a junior size 1; while one of the adults wore a woman’s size 3 and the other wore a man’s size 7.
The island today is dense with forests and can be reached only by boat.
Duncan McLaren, an anthropologist at the Hakai Institute and University of Victoria in British Columbia, said in an interview that the find “provides evidence that people were inhabiting the region at the end of the last ice age.”
Scientists determined the age of the footprints by using radiocarbon.
"Ultimately, the data seem to show indisputable evidence for human presence along the Pacific Coast of Canada," Kevin Hatala, an assistant professor of biology at Chatham University, told Live Science. "This is important because archaeological sites from this time and place have been quite rare."
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Repealing the Second Amendment – is it even possible?
cbsnews.com - Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens called for a repeal of the Second Amendment in a New York Times op-ed Tuesday, and he urged demonstrators pressing for gun control to do the same. His bold proposal has prompted many questions about whether such a fundamental change to the U.S. Constitution is legally – let alone politically – possible.
"For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation," Stevens wrote.
That changed in 2008, when the Supreme Court ruled in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller that there is an individual right to bear arms. Stevens was one of four dissenters.
"That decision – which I remain convinced was wrong and certainly was debatable – has provided the N.R.A. with a propaganda weapon of immense power. Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the N.R.A.'s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option," Stevens wrote.
But just how "simple" – or difficult – is it to repeal a constitutional amendment, and how does the repeal process work?
Experts say there are two ways to go about it. The first process requires that any proposed amendment to the Constitution be passed by both the House and the Senate with two-thirds majorities. It would then need to be ratified by three-fourths of the 50 states – or 38 of them.
Historically, that's proved challenging.
The "arduous process has winnowed out all but a handful of the amendments proposed over the past 230 years," Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News, wrote earlier this month.
"Even relatively popular ideas with a big head of steam can hit the wall of the amendment process. How much more challenging would it be to tackle individual gun ownership in a country where so many citizens own guns — and care passionately about their right to do so?" Elving wrote. He pointed out the "tremendous support" gun ownership has in large parts of the nation, especially the South, West and Midwest, "which would easily total up to more than enough states to block a gun control amendment."
The second option for repealing an amendment is to hold a Constitutional Convention. In that case, two-thirds of state legislatures would need to call for such a convention, and states would write amendments that would then need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
While it's theoretically possible to change the Constitution this way, "that's never happened since the Constitution was ratified," said Kevin McMahon, an expert in constitutional law and a professor of political science at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
In the history of the United States, the only amendment that's ever been repealed is Prohibition. The 21st Amendment, in 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment, of 1919, which prohibited the making, transportation and sale of alcohol.
McMahon told CBS News it's "very unlikely" that the Second Amendment could ever be repealed.
"It's hard enough for gun control legislation to be passed now in the Congress which requires simply a simple majority," he said.
A repeal would require "a sea change" in how Americans think about gun control and the right to bear arms, McMahon said.
"I would never say it's impossible," but "it is very difficult to enact a constitutional amendment," he said.
Stevens' call for a repeal is not the first remark from a former member of the Supreme Court against the Second Amendment. As The Atlantic reports, former Chief Justice Warren Burger said in 1991: "If I were writing the Bill of Rights now, there wouldn't be any such thing as the Second Amendment." ContinueReading
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
What is Interstitium? Scientists 'discover new organ'
newsweek.com - The interstitium, the shock-absorbing tissue underneath the skin, gut and blood vessels, has been identified as an organ for the first time according to a new study.
Researchers think the layers of the body previously believed to be dense, connective tissues are in fact interconnected compartments filled with fluid. According to the team co-led by New York University's (NYU) School of Medicine, the interstitium is an organ in its own right and one of the largest in the body. If the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is widely accepted, the interstitium could be regarded as the body's 80th organ.
Supported by a mesh of strong and flexible connective tissue proteins, the interstitium protects the organs, muscles and vessels that keep our bodies alive by absorbing bumps and shocks.
The scientists behind the research hope that the discovery will help determine why cancer that affects this area of the body becomes more likely to metastasize. It could be because the fluid in the interstitium drains into the lymphatic system, which plays a vital role in the immune system.
The research also offers new insight into how our body ages, including our skin, the stiffening of limbs and the progression of fibrotic, sclerotic and inflammatory diseases.
According to the team, the spaces that make up the interstitium were missed because scientists have relied on fixed tissue on microscope slides to study the human anatomy. The process of preparing tissue for examination involves draining away fluid and dyeing it, causing the meshwork to flatten like a pancake.
Study co-authors David Carr-Locke and Petros Benias set about investigating the tissue that lines the digestive tract, lungs and urinary systems, and the surrounding arteries and veins, after they saw a mysterious web of interconnected cavities as they investigated a cancer patient’s bile duct in 2015 at Beth Israel Medical Center. When they attempted to investigate the apparent cavities using a traditional biopsy slide, they found that the pattern had disappeared. Working with scientists including Rebecca Wells of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers have since confirmed that this was, in fact, the interstitium.
To get their findings, scientists used a technology called probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. A probe fitted with a camera and laser was sent down the throat to illuminate the organs. Sensors then analyzed the resulting fluorescent patterns, offering a picture of living human tissue. Researchers collected tissue from 12 cancer patients as they removed the pancreas and the bile duct as part of the study.
"This fixation artifact of collapse has made a fluid-filled tissue type throughout the body appear solid in biopsy slides for decades, and our results correct for this to expand the anatomy of most tissues," co-senior author Neil Theise, a professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.
"This finding has potential to drive dramatic advances in medicine, including the possibility that the direct sampling of interstitial fluid may become a powerful diagnostic tool," he said.
Researchers think the layers of the body previously believed to be dense, connective tissues are in fact interconnected compartments filled with fluid. According to the team co-led by New York University's (NYU) School of Medicine, the interstitium is an organ in its own right and one of the largest in the body. If the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is widely accepted, the interstitium could be regarded as the body's 80th organ.
Supported by a mesh of strong and flexible connective tissue proteins, the interstitium protects the organs, muscles and vessels that keep our bodies alive by absorbing bumps and shocks.
The scientists behind the research hope that the discovery will help determine why cancer that affects this area of the body becomes more likely to metastasize. It could be because the fluid in the interstitium drains into the lymphatic system, which plays a vital role in the immune system.
According to the team, the spaces that make up the interstitium were missed because scientists have relied on fixed tissue on microscope slides to study the human anatomy. The process of preparing tissue for examination involves draining away fluid and dyeing it, causing the meshwork to flatten like a pancake.
Study co-authors David Carr-Locke and Petros Benias set about investigating the tissue that lines the digestive tract, lungs and urinary systems, and the surrounding arteries and veins, after they saw a mysterious web of interconnected cavities as they investigated a cancer patient’s bile duct in 2015 at Beth Israel Medical Center. When they attempted to investigate the apparent cavities using a traditional biopsy slide, they found that the pattern had disappeared. Working with scientists including Rebecca Wells of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers have since confirmed that this was, in fact, the interstitium.
To get their findings, scientists used a technology called probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. A probe fitted with a camera and laser was sent down the throat to illuminate the organs. Sensors then analyzed the resulting fluorescent patterns, offering a picture of living human tissue. Researchers collected tissue from 12 cancer patients as they removed the pancreas and the bile duct as part of the study.
"This fixation artifact of collapse has made a fluid-filled tissue type throughout the body appear solid in biopsy slides for decades, and our results correct for this to expand the anatomy of most tissues," co-senior author Neil Theise, a professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.
"This finding has potential to drive dramatic advances in medicine, including the possibility that the direct sampling of interstitial fluid may become a powerful diagnostic tool," he said.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Egypt votes for president, with el-Sissi certain to win
CAIRO — Egyptians began voting Monday in an election that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is virtually guaranteed to win, one that resembles the referendums held by Arab autocrats in the decades before the 2011 uprisings briefly raised hopes of democratic change.
His only challenger is Moussa Mustafa Moussa, a little-known politician who joined the race at the last minute to spare the government the embarrassment of a one-candidate election after several hopefuls were forced out or arrested.
Moussa, who supported el-Sissi until he joined the race, made no effort to challenge the incumbent, who never mentioned his challenger once in public. “Today we want the people to come out and vote ... It doesn’t matter who wins as long as Egypt remains safe,” Moussa said after casting his ballot Monday.
Authorities hope enough of Egypt’s nearly 60 million eligible voters will take part in the three-day balloting to give the election legitimacy. Local media, which are dominated by pro-government commentators, have portrayed voting as a national obligation and the only way to prevent foreign conspiracies from sowing instability.
Some of the presidential hopefuls who had stepped forward might have attracted a sizable protest vote, but they were all either arrested or intimidated into withdrawing, making this the least competitive election since the 2011 uprising ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
The vote is being held against the backdrop of the most wide-ranging crackdown on dissent in decades, with thousands of Islamists as well as several prominent secular activists in jail. Unauthorized protests are banned, critical voices have been silenced in the local media, and hundreds of websites, including those of independent media and rights groups, have been blocked.
El-Sissi, who led the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected president, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, cast his ballot as soon as the polls opened at 9 a.m., at a girls’ school in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. He made no public comments.
Associated Press reporters visiting polling stations across Cairo saw short lines formed in front of some locations and others that were nearly empty as of early afternoon, though more voters were expected to come out in the evening and over the next two days.
Local television aired footage of festive scenes outside some polling stations, with women and children singing nationalistic songs. The national election commission reported large turnout in Cairo, Alexandria and northern Sinai, the epicenter of an insurgency led by the Islamic State group, but provided no figures. ContinueReading
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Is Facebook too big to fail?
qz.com - Over the last week or so, Facebook has been embroiled in a scandal over reports that Cambridge Analytica, the data firm hired by Donald Trump’s campaign to build targeted ads during the 2016 US election, harvested data from 50 million Facebook users without their consent. Executives at Cambridge Analytica have been caught bragging on camera that they helped fix elections, and that it ran the entire Trump campaign. Reports also resurfaced the fact that Facebook and Cambridge Analytica worked side by side at a Trump campaign office in San Antonio.
Facebook has seen more than $60 billion wiped off of its valuation over fears that the revelations will result in regulations on the digital advertising industry, dragging down the stock prices of other tech giants as well. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivered an anodyne non-apology, saying many things have already been fixed and more changes are on the way, amid repeated calls for him to testify before Congress. The hashtag #deletefacebook has trended on Twitter.
As the scandal and backlash escalate, we begin to wonder how badly Facebook could be hurt. Does its dominant position in so many people’s’ lives, and the sheer amount of money it makes, mean that it’s untouchable? Is Facebook too big to fail?
Facebook has seen more than $60 billion wiped off of its valuation over fears that the revelations will result in regulations on the digital advertising industry, dragging down the stock prices of other tech giants as well. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivered an anodyne non-apology, saying many things have already been fixed and more changes are on the way, amid repeated calls for him to testify before Congress. The hashtag #deletefacebook has trended on Twitter.
As the scandal and backlash escalate, we begin to wonder how badly Facebook could be hurt. Does its dominant position in so many people’s’ lives, and the sheer amount of money it makes, mean that it’s untouchable? Is Facebook too big to fail?
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Spanish court charges Catalan leaders with rebellion
politico.eu - Spain’s Supreme Court said on Friday it will try 13 Catalan independence leaders on charges of rebellion, including ousted regional President Carles Puigdemont and his top aides and allies.
A judge later ordered that four of them should be jailed without bail.
Judge Pablo Llarena’s decision to bring formal charges means the secessionist leaders face potential jail terms of 25-30 years. It also complicates the Catalan parliament’s attempts to replace Puigdemont, who is in exile in Belgium to avoid being jailed over last year’s attempt to declare independence from Spain.
In total, Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena indicted 25 former officials and pro-independence leaders on charges including misuse of public funds and disobedience. He also ordered the main group to pay back €2.1 million to cover the cost of last year’s referendum, which Madrid declared illegal, and court costs.
The judge later said Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Raül Romeva, Dolors Bassa, Carme Forcadell should be placed in pre-trial detention.
The 13 former officials indicted with the most serious charge — rebellion — include Puigdemont; his jailed former deputy Orio Junqueras; the former speaker of the Catalan parliament Carme Forcadell; and two men proposed by the independence movement to replace Puigdemont: Jordi SÃ nchez of the grassroots Catalan National Assembly (ANC), whose candidacy was blocked because he is in jail; and Turull, who failed to secure the post at a first attempt in the regional parliament on Thursday. ContinueReading
Friday, March 23, 2018
Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France
(CNN) A huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of France.
According to a three-year study published in Scientific Reports Friday, the mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is about 1.6 million square kilometers in size -- up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates.
Ghost nets, or discarded fishing nets, make up almost half the 80,000 metric tons of garbage floating at sea, and researchers believe that around 20% of the total volume of trash is debris from the 2011
Along with nets to survey and collect trash, researchers used two six-meter-wide devices to measure medium to large-sized objects. An aircraft was also fitted with advanced sensors to collect 3D scans of the ocean garbage. They ended up collecting a total of 1.2 million plastic samples and scanned more than 300 square kilometers of ocean surface.
The bulk of the pile is made up of larger objects while only 8% of the mass is microplastics, or pieces smaller than 5 millimeters in size.
"We used to think most of the debris consists of small fragments, but this new analysis shines a new light on the scope of the debris.
According to a three-year study published in Scientific Reports Friday, the mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is about 1.6 million square kilometers in size -- up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates.
Ghost nets, or discarded fishing nets, make up almost half the 80,000 metric tons of garbage floating at sea, and researchers believe that around 20% of the total volume of trash is debris from the 2011
Japanese tsunami.
The study -- conducted by an international team of scientists with The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, six universities and an aerial sensor company -- utilized two aircraft surveys and 30 vessels to cross the debris field.
Along with nets to survey and collect trash, researchers used two six-meter-wide devices to measure medium to large-sized objects. An aircraft was also fitted with advanced sensors to collect 3D scans of the ocean garbage. They ended up collecting a total of 1.2 million plastic samples and scanned more than 300 square kilometers of ocean surface.
The bulk of the pile is made up of larger objects while only 8% of the mass is microplastics, or pieces smaller than 5 millimeters in size.
\
"We were surprised by the amount of large plastic objects we encountered," Chief Scientist Julia Reisser said in a statement.
"We were surprised by the amount of large plastic objects we encountered," Chief Scientist Julia Reisser said in a statement.
"We used to think most of the debris consists of small fragments, but this new analysis shines a new light on the scope of the debris.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
How Toys R Us’ Demise Could Benefit Amazon And Other Retailers
Amazon could take over some of Toys R Us’ stores, which may be soon vacant as the retailer winds down its operations. And while Amazon doesn’t want to keep the Toys R Us brand, it could use the space to display its own products, Bloomberg reported.
But the stores could, for example, give Alexa — and the devices it powers — a brick-and-mortar home. The voice-activated technology’s benefits are easier for consumers to see and experience in person, after all.
Beyond Alexa and the Amazon Echo, Toys R Us’ space could be of use to the eCommerce giant for, say, groceries. Think of the new stores as mini-Whole Foods delivery depots: If Amazon were to take over some of the space left vacant by Toys R Us, the company could gain space to store groceries for delivery.
In addition to groceries, Amazon has been growing its brick-and-mortar presence. For example, the retailer is reportedly gearing up to open as many as six of its Amazon Go cashless brick-and-mortar convenience stores.
But whatever Amazon has in mind for Toys R Us, talk of the company taking over its stores is still just speculation: Those plans may never come to life.
About three years ago, Amazon considered taking over a few RadioShack locations when the retailer went bankrupt. As with Toys R Us, RadioShack’s locations would have been places in which to showcase the company’s hardware.
In the end, Amazon’s plans to take over RadioShack’s locations never materialized. Had that happened, it would have been the retailer’s biggest buy-in into traditional retail at the time. ContinueReading
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
U.K. YouTuber convicted of hate crime for teaching dog ‘Nazi salutes’
washingtontimes.com - A Scottish YouTuber who goes by the name Count Dankula could be facing jail time after he was convicted Tuesday of committing a hate crime for purportedly teaching his dog to give Nazi salutes in a 2016 video.
Mark Meechan, 30, was arrested in April 2016 for producing a viral clip showing his girlfriend’s pet pug sitting in front of a video of Adolf Hitler and appearing to salute the Nazi dictator. Mr. Meechan later apologized to the Jewish community for the video, which he said was made to annoy his girlfriend.
Sheriff Derek O’Carroll on Tuesday found Mr. Meechan guilty of posting content that was “grossly offensive” and “anti-semitic and racist in nature,” convicting him under the U.K.’s Communications Act.
Mr. Meechan could face up to six months in prison for the offense. He will be sentenced on April 23.
English comedian Ricky Gervais came to Mr. Meechan’s defense on Twitter Tuesday, writing, “If you don’t believe in a person’s right to say things that you might find ‘grossly offensive’, then you don’t believe in Freedom of Speech.”
Jewish comedian David Baddiel also supported Mr. Meechan, writing on Twitter: “The court should seek to acquit Mr Meechan for no other reason but to show it is 2018 and not 1984.”
Mark Meechan, 30, was arrested in April 2016 for producing a viral clip showing his girlfriend’s pet pug sitting in front of a video of Adolf Hitler and appearing to salute the Nazi dictator. Mr. Meechan later apologized to the Jewish community for the video, which he said was made to annoy his girlfriend.
Sheriff Derek O’Carroll on Tuesday found Mr. Meechan guilty of posting content that was “grossly offensive” and “anti-semitic and racist in nature,” convicting him under the U.K.’s Communications Act.
Mr. Meechan could face up to six months in prison for the offense. He will be sentenced on April 23.
English comedian Ricky Gervais came to Mr. Meechan’s defense on Twitter Tuesday, writing, “If you don’t believe in a person’s right to say things that you might find ‘grossly offensive’, then you don’t believe in Freedom of Speech.”
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Arizona: Uber ‘likely’ not at fault in deadly self-driving car crash, police chief says
“I suspect preliminarily it appears that the Uber would likely not be at fault in this accident,” Moir told the Chronicle, adding, “I won’t rule out the potential to file charges against the [backup driver] in the Uber vehicle.”
The crash occurred near Mill Avenue and Curry Road late on Sunday in Tempe, Arizona. The Uber vehicle was headed northbound when a woman, identified as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, was struck while pushing a bicycle across the street. Herzberg was taken to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
The vehicle was traveling 38 mph, though it is unclear whether that was above or below the speed limit. (Police said the speed limit was 35 mph, but a Google Street View shot of the roadway taken last July shows a speed limit of 45 mph along that stretch of road.) The driver, 44-year-old Rafaela Vasquez, has given a statement to police.
Police have viewed footage from two of the vehicle’s cameras, one facing forward toward the street, and the other inside the car facing the driver. Based on the footage, Moir said that the driver had little time to react. “The driver said it was like a flash, the person walked out in front of them,” she said. “His first alert to the collision was the sound of the collision.”
She added, “It’s very clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode [autonomous or human-driven] based on how she came from the shadows right into the roadway.”
Safe streets advocates were quick to denounce Moir’s comments as tone deaf, inappropriate, and possibly misinformed. The Tempe Police Department has since walked some of it back, issuing a statement that reads, “Tempe Police Department does not determine fault in vehicular collisions.” ContinueReading
Monday, March 19, 2018
Texas: Austin explosions: ‘Serial bomber’ hunted after tripwire sets off 4th blast
nbcnews.com - The fourth explosion in less than three weeks in Austin, Texas, appears to be the work of a serial bomber, officials said Monday.
Authorities warned that the devices appear to be getting more sophisticated and asked residents of one neighborhood to stay indoors until 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) Monday.
"We are clearly dealing with a serial bomber," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said, adding that he was unable to answer questions from reporters about whether the incidents should be considered domestic terrorism. "We will have to determine if we see a specific ideology behind this."
The latest blast occurred Sunday just after 8:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET), when two bicyclists received non-life-threatening injuries after apparently setting off a tripwire in the southwest of the city. The previous three recent explosions had instead been left at people's houses.
The FBI has sent 350 special agents to the Texas capital as well as extra bomb squads.
"With this tripwire, this changes things," said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio division. "It's more sophisticated, it's not targeted to individuals ... a child could be walking down a sidewalk and hit something."
The two latest victims, white men ages 22 and 23, set off the bomb that had been left next to a fence and were recovering in the hospital with "significant injuries," Manley said.
Overnight, authorities warned that they didn't want residents in the Travis County neighborhood to leave their homes until 10 a.m. local time to give teams a chance to secure the scene in daylight. Manley later extended that until 2 p.m. citing "an overabundance of caution as we process the scene."
Manley also asked the community to contact authorities if anything looked suspicious or out of place, and cautioned against approaching suspicious items, including boxes and bags.
The unsolved package bombings earlier this month killed two and injured two others. Officials are examining whether the packages have been specifically meant to target minorities: Stephen House, 39, was killed on the morning of March 2, and Draylen Mason, 17, died on the morning of March 12. Both were black members of the same church, Nelson Linder, the local NAACP chapter president, told NBC News last week. ContinueReading
Authorities warned that the devices appear to be getting more sophisticated and asked residents of one neighborhood to stay indoors until 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) Monday.
"We are clearly dealing with a serial bomber," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said, adding that he was unable to answer questions from reporters about whether the incidents should be considered domestic terrorism. "We will have to determine if we see a specific ideology behind this."
The latest blast occurred Sunday just after 8:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET), when two bicyclists received non-life-threatening injuries after apparently setting off a tripwire in the southwest of the city. The previous three recent explosions had instead been left at people's houses.
The FBI has sent 350 special agents to the Texas capital as well as extra bomb squads.
"With this tripwire, this changes things," said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio division. "It's more sophisticated, it's not targeted to individuals ... a child could be walking down a sidewalk and hit something."
The two latest victims, white men ages 22 and 23, set off the bomb that had been left next to a fence and were recovering in the hospital with "significant injuries," Manley said.
Manley also asked the community to contact authorities if anything looked suspicious or out of place, and cautioned against approaching suspicious items, including boxes and bags.
The unsolved package bombings earlier this month killed two and injured two others. Officials are examining whether the packages have been specifically meant to target minorities: Stephen House, 39, was killed on the morning of March 2, and Draylen Mason, 17, died on the morning of March 12. Both were black members of the same church, Nelson Linder, the local NAACP chapter president, told NBC News last week. ContinueReading
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Putin is on track for a win as Russians head to polls, but it's causing fears of a low turnout
cnbc.com - Russians began voting in a presidential election on Sunday, and are set to give Vladimir Putin a commanding victory that could only be blemished if large numbers do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable.
A day of voting across Russia's 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia's eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday.
Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Putin's opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout.
Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia's interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is confrontation with the West.
A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town — denied byMoscow — has not dented his standing.
The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: He has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.
Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei. They arrived soon after the doors opened.
"We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us," said Alexei. "And there's no one else to vote for," Galina said.
"He (Putin) is our president. We take pride in him," said Marianna Shanina, a resident of the Crimea region. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years ago, earning Putin admiration from many Russians and condemnation from the West.
"We wish him victory at the election. Our whole family will vote for Putin. Putin! Good health to you, beloved president!," Shanina said at a Putin election rally.
A day of voting across Russia's 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia's eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday.
Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Putin's opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout.
Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia's interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is confrontation with the West.
A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town — denied byMoscow — has not dented his standing.
The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: He has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.
Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei. They arrived soon after the doors opened.
"We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us," said Alexei. "And there's no one else to vote for," Galina said.
"He (Putin) is our president. We take pride in him," said Marianna Shanina, a resident of the Crimea region. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years ago, earning Putin admiration from many Russians and condemnation from the West.
"We wish him victory at the election. Our whole family will vote for Putin. Putin! Good health to you, beloved president!," Shanina said at a Putin election rally.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Malaysian 'snake-handling celebrity' dies of cobra bite
BBC - A Malaysian man who became famous for his snake-handling skills has died after being bitten by a cobra.
Abu Zarin Hussin, a firefighter, first shot to fame after British tabloids published a story incorrectly identifying him as a Thai man who'd allegedly married his pet snake.
Mr Hussin had trained other firefighters on how to handle snakes.
But he was admitted to hospital on Monday after being bitten a cobra during a snake-catching operation.
According to local news outlet The Star, the 33-year-old who lived in the state of Pahang, often taught other firemen how to identify different snake species and ways to capture them without having to kill.
He had also participated in television programme Asia's Got Talent, where he pulled off the daring act of "kissing" a snake.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Finland is world's happiest country, US discontent grows: U.N. report
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Finland is the world’s happiest country, according to an annual survey issued on Wednesday (March 14) that found Americans were getting less happy even as their country became richer.
Burundi came bottom in the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s (SDSN) 2018 World Happiness Report which ranked 156 countries according to things such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.
Taking the harsh, dark winters in their stride, Finns said access to nature, safety, childcare, good schools and free healthcare were among the best things about in their country.
“I’ve joked with the other Americans that we are living the American dream here in Finland,” said Brianna Owens, who moved from the United States and is now a teacher in Espoo, Finland’s second biggest city with a population of around 280,000.
“I think everything in this society is set up for people to be successful, starting with university and transportation that works really well,” Owens told Reuters.
Finland, rose from fifth place last year to oust Norway from the top spot. The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, is: Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.
The United States came in at 18th, down from 14th place last year. Britain was 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th.
One chapter of the 170-page report is dedicated to emerging health problems such as obesity, depression and the opioid crisis, particularly in the United States where the prevalence of all three has grown faster than in most other countries.
While U.S. income per capita has increased markedly over the last half century, happiness has been hit by weakened social support networks, a perceived rise in corruption in government and business and declining confidence in public institutions.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Duterte to withdraw Philippines from ICC after "outrageous attacks"
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called “outrageous” attacks by U.N. officials and violations of due process by the ICC.
The decision marks a stunning about-face by Duterte, who has repeatedly dared the ICC to indict him and said he was willing to “rot in jail” or go on trial to defend a war on drugs that has killed thousands of his own people.
The mercurial former mayor had initially welcomed last month’s announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.
But in a 15-page statement, dated March 13, Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” by U.N. officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.
“There appears to be a concerted effort on the part of the U.N. special rapporteurs to paint me as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings,” Duterte said.
The ICC’s examination was premature, he added, and “effectively created the impression that I am to be charged ... for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction.”
He made no mention of the withdrawal in a speech on Wednesday.
Duterte’s chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode. The London-based rights group Amnesty International called the withdrawal “misguided” and “cowardly”.
An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the court’s prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.
According to ICC rules, a withdrawal is effective one year after receipt of notification. The Philippines comes under the its jurisdiction because it is a member, and pulling out cannot impact jurisdiction retroactively.
The decision marks a stunning about-face by Duterte, who has repeatedly dared the ICC to indict him and said he was willing to “rot in jail” or go on trial to defend a war on drugs that has killed thousands of his own people.
The mercurial former mayor had initially welcomed last month’s announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.
But in a 15-page statement, dated March 13, Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” by U.N. officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.
“There appears to be a concerted effort on the part of the U.N. special rapporteurs to paint me as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings,” Duterte said.
The ICC’s examination was premature, he added, and “effectively created the impression that I am to be charged ... for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction.”
He made no mention of the withdrawal in a speech on Wednesday.
Duterte’s chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode. The London-based rights group Amnesty International called the withdrawal “misguided” and “cowardly”.
An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the court’s prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.
According to ICC rules, a withdrawal is effective one year after receipt of notification. The Philippines comes under the its jurisdiction because it is a member, and pulling out cannot impact jurisdiction retroactively.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Idaho teacher investigated after allegedly feeding live puppy to snapping turtle as students watched
usatoday.com - An Idaho science teacher is under investigation after allegedly feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students at his school.
An animal rights activist, Jill Parrish, filed a police report last week after hearing that the teacher, Robert Crosland, who works in Preston, a small city near the Utah border, fed the puppy to the reptile as students looked on, according to local media.
"What I have learned in the last four days is disgusting. It is sick. It is sick," Parrish told Salt Lake City TV station KSTU.
"Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal. That is violence. That is not OK," Parrish added. The animal reportedly was terminally ill.
Este Hull, a 7th-grade student at Preston Junior High, told the station that Crosland usually fed mice or birds to his menagerie of animals, which also include snakes.
“I feel a little bit better that it was a puppy that was going to die, not just a healthy puppy," she said.
Parents Annette Salvesen and Julie Johnson told KSTU that Crosland is the best science teacher at the school.
"If it was a deformed puppy that was going to die anyway, Cros(land) is very much circle-of-life," Salveson added.
In a statement, the school district said it was investigating the allegation.
“On March 7, 2018, Preston School District was made aware of a regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens at Preston Jr. High. The event … was not a part of any school-directed program. We emphasize that at no time was the safety of students or staff compromised.”
According to the Idaho Statesman, Dave Fryar, the sheriff of Franklin County, of which Preston is the largest city and county seat, said he had forwarded a report on the investigation to the county prosecutor. CotinueReading
An animal rights activist, Jill Parrish, filed a police report last week after hearing that the teacher, Robert Crosland, who works in Preston, a small city near the Utah border, fed the puppy to the reptile as students looked on, according to local media.
"What I have learned in the last four days is disgusting. It is sick. It is sick," Parrish told Salt Lake City TV station KSTU.
"Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal. That is violence. That is not OK," Parrish added. The animal reportedly was terminally ill.
Este Hull, a 7th-grade student at Preston Junior High, told the station that Crosland usually fed mice or birds to his menagerie of animals, which also include snakes.
“I feel a little bit better that it was a puppy that was going to die, not just a healthy puppy," she said.
Parents Annette Salvesen and Julie Johnson told KSTU that Crosland is the best science teacher at the school.
"If it was a deformed puppy that was going to die anyway, Cros(land) is very much circle-of-life," Salveson added.
In a statement, the school district said it was investigating the allegation.
“On March 7, 2018, Preston School District was made aware of a regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens at Preston Jr. High. The event … was not a part of any school-directed program. We emphasize that at no time was the safety of students or staff compromised.”
According to the Idaho Statesman, Dave Fryar, the sheriff of Franklin County, of which Preston is the largest city and county seat, said he had forwarded a report on the investigation to the county prosecutor. CotinueReading
Monday, March 12, 2018
At least 49 dead in Nepal after plane crashes on landing, officials say
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A survivor of a plane crash near Kathmandu’s international airport said Monday that the US-Bangla Airlines plane began “behaving strangely” on descent before it crash-landed, killing at least 49 people.
Basanta Bohara, a Nepali tour operator, said the nearly two-hour flight from Bangladesh’s capital was uneventful until the plane began to wobble on its descent into Kathmandu, hitting a field near the airport and catching fire.
“Thank God I was able to escape through a cracked window,” Bohara said in an interview at Norvic International Hospital, not far from the airport, where he was taken with several other injured passengers. “I hope I will survive now.”
Authorities said the 78-seat airplane caught fire after crash-landing around 2:20 p.m. Monday and breaking into large pieces. The twin-propeller Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members. A police spokesman, Manoj Neupane, said that at least 49 people died and that 22 injured were being treated at three hospitals.
Raj Kumar Chhetri, general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, said at a news conference Monday afternoon that there was a “problem” with the landing alignment of the aircraft and that when air traffic control ordered the plane not to land, “there was no response from the pilot.” The plane narrowly missed hitting a parked aircraft and crashed in the airport compound on the eastern side, he said.
The aircraft had taken off from Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Officials said 32 Bangladeshi nationals, 33 Nepalis, one Chinese and one Maldives citizen were among the 71 people aboard.
US-Bangla Airlines, a private carrier based in Bangladesh, set up a hotline for information on the fate of passengers aboard its Flight BS211. ContinueReading
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Russia: Putin says Jews, Ukrainians, Tatars could be behind U.S. election meddling
usatoday.com MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin says he doesn’t care about alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election because the actions weren’t connected to his government.
In an interview with American broadcaster NBC News that aired Saturday, Putin also suggested that some of the 13 Russian nationals indicted by the United States may not be ethnically Russian.
“Maybe they are not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship, which should also be checked,” he said.
Putin responded brusquely when interviewer Megyn Kelly asked if he condoned the interference that was alleged in last month’s U.S. indictment by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“It’s all the same to me. To me it absolutely makes no difference because they do not represent the government,” Putin answered, according to the Russian-language interview transcript posted Saturday by the Kremlin.
Putin said Russia has neither the tools nor the will to meddle in elections. He repeatedly complained during the interview that Washington has brushed off Russian initiatives to work together on cybersecurity issues.
“But the U.S. refuses to work like this and instead throws 13 Russians to the media,” he said, going on to list the possible ethnicities that would make the suspects “not even Russian.”
“Maybe they have dual citizenship or a green card; maybe the U.S. paid them for this. How can you know that? I do not know, either,” the Russian leader said.
Putin claimed that the United States interferes in Russian elections “all the time” but that it was “impossible for us” to do the same.
In an interview with American broadcaster NBC News that aired Saturday, Putin also suggested that some of the 13 Russian nationals indicted by the United States may not be ethnically Russian.
“Maybe they are not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship, which should also be checked,” he said.
Putin responded brusquely when interviewer Megyn Kelly asked if he condoned the interference that was alleged in last month’s U.S. indictment by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“It’s all the same to me. To me it absolutely makes no difference because they do not represent the government,” Putin answered, according to the Russian-language interview transcript posted Saturday by the Kremlin.
Putin said Russia has neither the tools nor the will to meddle in elections. He repeatedly complained during the interview that Washington has brushed off Russian initiatives to work together on cybersecurity issues.
“But the U.S. refuses to work like this and instead throws 13 Russians to the media,” he said, going on to list the possible ethnicities that would make the suspects “not even Russian.”
“Maybe they have dual citizenship or a green card; maybe the U.S. paid them for this. How can you know that? I do not know, either,” the Russian leader said.
Putin claimed that the United States interferes in Russian elections “all the time” but that it was “impossible for us” to do the same.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
End of mankind? Global pandemic warning as WHO discovers new killer pathogen with no cure
www.express.co.uk - WHO medics understand so little about the deadly pathogen they have named it Disease X – but they are so worried they have added it to a shortlist of extremely deadly illnesses capable of wiping out humanity.
Despite not being identified as a specific disease, the pathogen has been classed as extremely dangerous.
Disease X now ranks alongside other listed illnesses like Lassa fever and Ebola which killed more than 11,000 people in Africa between 2013 and 2016.
The WHO warned: “Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.”
John-Arne Rottingen, chief executive of the Research Council of Norway and a scientific adviser to the WHO committee, added: “History tells us that it is likely the next big outbreak will be something we have not seen before.
“It may seem strange to be adding an 'X' but the point is make sure we prepare and plan flexibly in terms of vaccines and diagnostic tests.”
Mr Rottingen explained Disease X could spark an epidemic if it was passed from animals to humans like HIV, which jumped from chimpanzees to humans claiming the lives of 35million people since the 1980s.
He said animal-human illnesses were called “zoonotic diseases” and become an epidemic when they happen and added: ”It is vital that we are aware and prepare.”
“It is probably the greatest risk.”
Lassa fever killed 1,081 people and was linked to more than 70 deaths in Nigeria.
The deadly fever also spread to Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Bleeding through the nose, mouth and other parts of the body is a symptom of the horrific illness and is spread through rat faeces and urine.
Tom Frieden, a former leading disease control director in the US, said: “We don’t know where the next threat will come from.
“But we are certain there will be a next time.”
Friday, March 9, 2018
'HAMMER' Time? Spacecraft Could Nuke Dangerous Asteroid to Defend Earth
space.com- The next time a hazardous asteroid lines Earth up in its crosshairs, we may be ready for the threat.
Scientists and engineers with the U.S. government have drawn up plans for a spacecraft that could knock big, incoming space rocks off course via blunt-force impact or blow them to bits with a nuclear warhead, BuzzFeed News reported.
The researchers announced the concept vehicle, known as the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER), in a study in the February issue of the journal Acta Astronautica. And the team will discuss HAMMER at an asteroid-research conference in May, according to BuzzFeed News. [Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (Images)]
Each HAMMER spacecraft would weigh about 8.8 tons (8 metric tons). If an asteroid threat is detected early enough, a fleet of the vehicles could be dispatched to collide, nuke-free, with the space rock, changing its trajectory enough to spare Earth from an impact.
But this strategy wouldn't work for big asteroids that appear out of the cosmic gloom with little warning; there wouldn't be enough time for the nudge to take effect. To neutralize, or at least mitigate, such threats, a HAMMER would have to be outfitted with a nuke, the study team stressed.
"Whenever practical, the kinetic impactor is the preferred approach, but various factors, such as large uncertainties or short available response time, reduce the kinetic impactor's suitability and, ultimately, eliminate its sufficiency," the researchers wrote in the Acta Astronautica paper. The research is part of a broader study by NASA and the National Nuclear Security Agency to better understand humanity's options when presented with a potentially threatening near-Earth object (NEO). ContinueReading
Scientists and engineers with the U.S. government have drawn up plans for a spacecraft that could knock big, incoming space rocks off course via blunt-force impact or blow them to bits with a nuclear warhead, BuzzFeed News reported.
The researchers announced the concept vehicle, known as the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER), in a study in the February issue of the journal Acta Astronautica. And the team will discuss HAMMER at an asteroid-research conference in May, according to BuzzFeed News. [Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (Images)]
Each HAMMER spacecraft would weigh about 8.8 tons (8 metric tons). If an asteroid threat is detected early enough, a fleet of the vehicles could be dispatched to collide, nuke-free, with the space rock, changing its trajectory enough to spare Earth from an impact.
But this strategy wouldn't work for big asteroids that appear out of the cosmic gloom with little warning; there wouldn't be enough time for the nudge to take effect. To neutralize, or at least mitigate, such threats, a HAMMER would have to be outfitted with a nuke, the study team stressed.
"Whenever practical, the kinetic impactor is the preferred approach, but various factors, such as large uncertainties or short available response time, reduce the kinetic impactor's suitability and, ultimately, eliminate its sufficiency," the researchers wrote in the Acta Astronautica paper. The research is part of a broader study by NASA and the National Nuclear Security Agency to better understand humanity's options when presented with a potentially threatening near-Earth object (NEO). ContinueReading
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Florida Senate OKs bill for year-round Daylight Saving Time
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is a step closer to living up to its nickname as "The Sunshine State."
A bill to let Florida remain on Daylight Saving Time year round is headed to Gov. Rick Scott's desk after the state Senate approved it 33-2 on Tuesday.
If Scott signs the "Sunshine Protection Act," Congress would need to amend existing federal law to allow the change.
While the rest of the Eastern United States would set their clocks back in the fall, Florida wouldn't, leaving it with more sunshine in the evening during the winter. Northwest Florida is currently in the Central time zone.
Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a handful of U.S. territories — including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Coca-Cola plans to launch its first alcoholic drink
BBC.com - Coca-Cola is planning to produce an alcoholic drink for the first time in the company's 125-year history - with an alcopop-style product in Japan.
It is keen to cash in on the country's growing taste for Chu-Hi - canned sparkling flavoured drinks given a kick with a local spirit called shochu.
The product is typically between 3% and 8% alcohol by volume.
A senior Coke executive in Japan said the move was a "modest experiment for a specific slice of our market".
"We haven't experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it's an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas," said Jorge Garduno, Coca-Cola's Japan president.
It was unlikely the drink would be sold outside of Japan, he suggested.
Chu-Hi - an abbreviation for shochu highball - has been marketed as an alternative to beer, proving especially popular with female drinkers.
Japan's big drinks firms including Kirin, Suntory and Asahi all have varieties of the drink, and continue to experiment with flavours.
The most popular flavours are strong citrus ones such as grapefruit or lemon, but the drink can also be made with other fruit flavours like grape, apple and peach.
It is keen to cash in on the country's growing taste for Chu-Hi - canned sparkling flavoured drinks given a kick with a local spirit called shochu.
The product is typically between 3% and 8% alcohol by volume.
A senior Coke executive in Japan said the move was a "modest experiment for a specific slice of our market".
"We haven't experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it's an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas," said Jorge Garduno, Coca-Cola's Japan president.
It was unlikely the drink would be sold outside of Japan, he suggested.
Chu-Hi - an abbreviation for shochu highball - has been marketed as an alternative to beer, proving especially popular with female drinkers.
Japan's big drinks firms including Kirin, Suntory and Asahi all have varieties of the drink, and continue to experiment with flavours.
The most popular flavours are strong citrus ones such as grapefruit or lemon, but the drink can also be made with other fruit flavours like grape, apple and peach.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Party for everybody: Ghana celebrates 61 years of Independence
Ghanaweb.com - The Republic of Ghana today Tuesday, March 6, 2017, turns 61 years since it attained independence on from British after over 100 years of colonial rule.
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to become independent on the back of Ghana’s first President and his Pan-African ethos, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The celebration will be marked with the traditional march past and parade at the iconic Black Star Square. The march will feature the usual active participation of school children alongside security personnel.
Parades will also be held simultaneously across all the regional and district capitals across the country.
President Nana Akufo-Addo will take the national salute, deliver a speech of solidarity to Ghanaians and light the perpetual flame. But in the regional capitals and districts, representatives of the President will take the national salute and read the President’s speech.
President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Ghana to attend the country’s 61st independence anniversary celebrations today at the Independence Square.
President Buhari is the only foreign leader invited to the historic event as the special guest of honour.
The Nigerian leader is scheduled to address the august gathering. The statement further said that President Buhari will use the unique opportunity to reaffirm the long-standing warm relations between the peoples and governments of both nations.
He will also underscore Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the bilateral ties in furtherance of democracy, good governance, and overall development not only in the West African sub-region but also the African continent.
The president and his delegation, which includes, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, will return to Abuja after the celebrations on Tuesday.
Monday, March 5, 2018
After Trump move, a second nation recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital
Newsweek.com - Guatemala has confirmed it will relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The transfer will take place just two days after the U.S. makes the same controversial move to coincide with the anniversary of Israel’s creation.
"I would like to thank President [Donald] Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right," President Jimmy Morales said at a Washington conference on Sunday.
He added the decision “strongly evidences Guatemala’s continued support and solidarity with the people of Israel.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Morales at the conference, thanking him for the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “It’s the right thing to do,” said Morales.
Palestinians have been angered by Trump’s decision, which went against the vocal opposition of Arab leaders as it seeks to change the status of the contested city. They intend east Jerusalem as the capital of any future sovereign Palestinian state.
They have also slammed the timing of the move, saying its pace has not taken into account Palestinian protests, and called the date—a celebration of independence for Israelis, a commemoration of “disaster” for Palestinians—insensitive.
Guatemala now becomes the first country other than the U.S. to set a date for the relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem. No other foreign embassies to Israel are currently in the city, which hosts holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
"I would like to thank President [Donald] Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right," President Jimmy Morales said at a Washington conference on Sunday.
He added the decision “strongly evidences Guatemala’s continued support and solidarity with the people of Israel.”
Palestinians have been angered by Trump’s decision, which went against the vocal opposition of Arab leaders as it seeks to change the status of the contested city. They intend east Jerusalem as the capital of any future sovereign Palestinian state.
They have also slammed the timing of the move, saying its pace has not taken into account Palestinian protests, and called the date—a celebration of independence for Israelis, a commemoration of “disaster” for Palestinians—insensitive.
Guatemala now becomes the first country other than the U.S. to set a date for the relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem. No other foreign embassies to Israel are currently in the city, which hosts holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Revolutionary Robotic Treatment For Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries Now Available In United States
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 2, 2018; Brooks Rehabilitation, an industry leader in post-acute physical rehabilitation, announced today its partnership with Japanese medical and social innovation company, CYBERDYNE, INC., to introduce and make available the world's first advanced robotic treatment device that has been shown to improve a patient's ability to walk. Individuals with spinal cord injuries can now access FDA-cleared HAL, which is short for Hybrid Assistive Limb, at the Brooks Cybernic* Treatment Center in Jacksonville, FL. The Treatment Center is currently the only facility in the U.S. offering this innovative treatment.
“We've already seen the results of improved mobility and ability to walk in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) at several international locations that are providing this technology,” said Dr. Geneva Tonuzi, Medical Director of the Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center. “We are thrilled to finally have this unique technology available here at Brooks Rehabilitation as it opens the door to more research and treatment methods in advancing spinal cord injury treatment.”
Recently implemented in Japan, Germany and other countries, HAL fits to the patient's lower limbs and trunk, and operates using internal signals from the body. This powered lower extremity exoskeleton is unique from any other exoskeleton treatment available today because the device's movements are neurologically-controlled by the patient's volition, and use of its secondary Biofeedback Device features allows the patient to see and adjust the signals they are producing. This functional integration of human neural pathways with modern technology is a landmark advancement for SCI patients nationwide. ContinueReading
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Burkina Faso PM tours army headquarters and French embassy after deadly attacks
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba on Saturday toured the army headquarters and French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou, a day after attacks at those two sites left 16 people dead, including eight gunmen, and wounded 80 more.
No one has claimed responsibility for Friday’s attacks, which follow two other major assaults in Ouagadougou in the past two years.
Previous attacks in the capital and near the porous border with Mali were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso’s participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.
“I bow my head to the memories of our brave soldiers who died in defence of liberty and democracy,” Thieba told reporters.“I would like to make clear to the terrorists that nothing will shake the Burkinabe people.”
Authorities said four gunmen were killed at army headquarters, where the assailants also detonated a car bomb, and four more were killed at the embassy. Two attackers were also captured on Friday.
Local residents were left to wonder how their country remained vulnerable to such attacks after a raid in January 2016 claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and another last August by suspected jihadists killed a total of nearly 50 people.
“If the army headquarters is totally wiped out there is a problem,” said Souleymane Traore, director of the newspaper Le Quotidien.
“We are really revolted by this insecurity and we must point the finger at those who are responsible.”
Security was reinforced near strategic sites in Ouagadougou on Saturday.
Government spokesman Remi Dandjinou told Reuters on Saturday that arrests had been made in connection with the attacks but it was unclear if he was referring to new arrests or the two that authorities had reported on Friday.
Friday, March 2, 2018
STRENGTH: Google Sued by Ex-Recruiter Alleging Anti-White, Asian Bias
Bloomberg.com - The critics of Google’s effort to promote workforce diversity now include one of its own former recruiters, who claims in a lawsuit he was fired because he didn’t toe the line on rejecting white and Asian male job candidates.
The Alphabet Inc. unit had “irrefutable policies, memorialized in writing and consistently implemented in practice, of systematically discriminating in favor job applicants who are Hispanic, African American, or female, and against Caucasian and Asian men,” according to the complaint filed in state court in Redwood City, California.
Arne Wilberg, who worked at Google and its YouTube unit for about nine years both as a contractor and an employee, claims he was terminated in retaliation for complaining to human resources about the company’s hiring practices. Wilberg also alleged that late last year, management deleted emails and other digital records of diversity requirements.
A Google spokeswoman said the company will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
“We have a clear policy to hire candidates based on their merit, not their identity,” Gina Scigliano said in an email. “At the same time, we unapologetically try to find a diverse pool of qualified candidates for open roles, as this helps us hire the best people, improve our culture, and build better products.”
Google has faced criticism over its diversity practices from both sides: those who say it’s not doing enough to include women and underrepresented racial minorities, and those who assert that its efforts go too far. Google and many other technology giants started publicly sharing data on racial and gender diversity in 2014 and have faced pressure to increase the percentage of their workforce that isn’t white or Asian men.
Wilberg said that in 2016 and 2017, he and his fellow recruiters were told on several occasions to approve or dismiss job candidates based solely on whether they were women, black or Latino. In March 2017, a YouTube staffing manager emailed recruiters and told them, "Please continue with L3 [level three] candidates in process and only accept new L3 candidates that are from historically underrepresented groups." In another email, the same manager wrote, "We should only consider L3s from our underrepresented groups." ContinueReading
The Alphabet Inc. unit had “irrefutable policies, memorialized in writing and consistently implemented in practice, of systematically discriminating in favor job applicants who are Hispanic, African American, or female, and against Caucasian and Asian men,” according to the complaint filed in state court in Redwood City, California.
Arne Wilberg, who worked at Google and its YouTube unit for about nine years both as a contractor and an employee, claims he was terminated in retaliation for complaining to human resources about the company’s hiring practices. Wilberg also alleged that late last year, management deleted emails and other digital records of diversity requirements.
A Google spokeswoman said the company will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
“We have a clear policy to hire candidates based on their merit, not their identity,” Gina Scigliano said in an email. “At the same time, we unapologetically try to find a diverse pool of qualified candidates for open roles, as this helps us hire the best people, improve our culture, and build better products.”
Google has faced criticism over its diversity practices from both sides: those who say it’s not doing enough to include women and underrepresented racial minorities, and those who assert that its efforts go too far. Google and many other technology giants started publicly sharing data on racial and gender diversity in 2014 and have faced pressure to increase the percentage of their workforce that isn’t white or Asian men.
Wilberg said that in 2016 and 2017, he and his fellow recruiters were told on several occasions to approve or dismiss job candidates based solely on whether they were women, black or Latino. In March 2017, a YouTube staffing manager emailed recruiters and told them, "Please continue with L3 [level three] candidates in process and only accept new L3 candidates that are from historically underrepresented groups." In another email, the same manager wrote, "We should only consider L3s from our underrepresented groups." ContinueReading
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Are Mexico's Elections Russia's Next Target?
-theatlantic.com - Amid the political firestorm over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections here in the United States, it may have been easy to overlook the steady drip of warnings about a possible replay of Russian mischief-making right next door in Mexico. Back in December, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke ominously about “initial signs” of a trademark campaign of subversion, disinformation, and propaganda, ahead of Mexico’s presidential elections on July 1. One month later at a press conference in Mexico City on February 1, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asked about evidence of Russian election interference. He had this advice to offer to Mexican officials: “Pay attention. Pay attention to what’s happening.”
But it’s unclear whether Mexican officials, who have repeatedly denied that they see any signs of Russian interference, will heed such advice. President Donald Trump’s relentless vitriol for Mexican immigrants and contempt for nafta haven’t exactly endeared his administration to Mexicans, potentially undermining the credibility of such warnings from Washington. (Tillerson didn’t do himself any favors when he called the Monroe Doctrine, which called for keeping European powers out of the Americas, “as relevant today as it was the day it was written.”) Mexico may even view U.S. warnings about the Russian threat as a potential smokescreen for Washington’s intention to interfere in its election, which will pit the unpopular incumbent Institutional Revolutionary Party and the center-right National Action Party against frontrunner and fiery populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City known as amlo. Indeed, some members of the U.S. political establishment seem to view Lopez Obrador as the second coming of Hugo Chavez.
Against this backdrop, it’s uncertain whether the United States or its European allies will be able to share with Mexico the lessons they’ve learned from their own election experiences, let alone with the long roster of Latin American countries holding national elections this year, including Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. But unless countries like Mexico confront election-related vulnerabilities and the manipulation of voters through fake news and propaganda, the democratic process will be at risk.
Why would Russia choose to meddle with Mexico? For one thing, Moscow seeks to project itself as a great power. It likely sees Mexico’s election as an opportunity to reciprocate for what it perceives as Washington’s long history of meddling in the internal political of former Soviet states. Interfering in the Mexican election is also an easy way for Russia to cast itself as an equal to the United States—to show that it’s no mere regional power, to borrow from Barack Obama’s unfortunate phrasing.
By now, Russia also knows that effective influence campaigns require eager audiences—which, thanks in part to Trump, it’s likely to find in Mexico. According to a 2017 Pew survey, 65 percent of Mexicans express a negative opinion of the United States, more than double the share two years ago. This downturn in relations has strengthened the resolve of Mexican political and economic elites to diversify their country’s foreign policy and trade relationships, given the damage Trump has done to America’s image as a reliable partner. Taken together, this anti-American animus and white-hot anger inside the electorate about a soaring crime rate, Mexico’s failed war on drugs, and endemic corruption help make Mexican audiences amenable to the kind of reports that are dished out 24/7 by the Spanish language arms of Russia’s sprawling propaganda apparatus.
But it’s unclear whether Mexican officials, who have repeatedly denied that they see any signs of Russian interference, will heed such advice. President Donald Trump’s relentless vitriol for Mexican immigrants and contempt for nafta haven’t exactly endeared his administration to Mexicans, potentially undermining the credibility of such warnings from Washington. (Tillerson didn’t do himself any favors when he called the Monroe Doctrine, which called for keeping European powers out of the Americas, “as relevant today as it was the day it was written.”) Mexico may even view U.S. warnings about the Russian threat as a potential smokescreen for Washington’s intention to interfere in its election, which will pit the unpopular incumbent Institutional Revolutionary Party and the center-right National Action Party against frontrunner and fiery populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City known as amlo. Indeed, some members of the U.S. political establishment seem to view Lopez Obrador as the second coming of Hugo Chavez.
Against this backdrop, it’s uncertain whether the United States or its European allies will be able to share with Mexico the lessons they’ve learned from their own election experiences, let alone with the long roster of Latin American countries holding national elections this year, including Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. But unless countries like Mexico confront election-related vulnerabilities and the manipulation of voters through fake news and propaganda, the democratic process will be at risk.
Why would Russia choose to meddle with Mexico? For one thing, Moscow seeks to project itself as a great power. It likely sees Mexico’s election as an opportunity to reciprocate for what it perceives as Washington’s long history of meddling in the internal political of former Soviet states. Interfering in the Mexican election is also an easy way for Russia to cast itself as an equal to the United States—to show that it’s no mere regional power, to borrow from Barack Obama’s unfortunate phrasing.
By now, Russia also knows that effective influence campaigns require eager audiences—which, thanks in part to Trump, it’s likely to find in Mexico. According to a 2017 Pew survey, 65 percent of Mexicans express a negative opinion of the United States, more than double the share two years ago. This downturn in relations has strengthened the resolve of Mexican political and economic elites to diversify their country’s foreign policy and trade relationships, given the damage Trump has done to America’s image as a reliable partner. Taken together, this anti-American animus and white-hot anger inside the electorate about a soaring crime rate, Mexico’s failed war on drugs, and endemic corruption help make Mexican audiences amenable to the kind of reports that are dished out 24/7 by the Spanish language arms of Russia’s sprawling propaganda apparatus.
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