Welcome to the Overnight News Digest (OND) for Tuesday, September 20, 2011.
OND is a regular
community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing near 12:00AM Eastern Time.
Creation and early water-bearing of the OND concept came from our very own Magnifico - proper respect is due.
---
This diary is named for its "Hump Point" video: Comeback Kid (That's My Dog) by Brett Dennen
Please feel free to browse and add your own links, content or thoughts in the Comments section.
Any timestamps shown are relative to each publication.
---------------------------------------
|
|
Top News |
|
Afghanistan peace process in tatters after murder of key negotiator
By Jon Boone
|
The assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani by men posing as leading Taliban envoys looked certain to tip the country even deeper into crisis. Rabbani was a former president of Afghanistan, respected religious scholar and chairman of the country's high peace council.
The explosion in the heart of Kabul's diplomatic district kills off a peace process that was already on life support. It also deprives President Karzai of an important ally who had flown into Kabul specifically to meet the men claiming to be Taliban envoys and emboldens his enemies who are implacably opposed to the idea of powersharing with armed insurgents.
"This absolutely shows that peace with the Taliban is dead," said Ahmed Wali Massoud, the brother of a famous anti-Taliban guerrilla leader who was killed by suicide bombers days before the terrorist attacks of September 11. "It doesn't work, it won't work," he added.
. . .
Not only were the visitors deemed too important to search thoroughly, inspecting a turban is still generally seen as disrespectful, even though there have been three other cases this year of the headgear used to conceal bombs.
|
Food Industry Pitted Against Public Health At U.N. Summit
By Eliza Barclay
|
How do you come up with a plan to help millions of people around the world avoid a chronic disease? For starters, don't treat the food companies that sell the products that contribute to those diseases as partners in the process. At least, that's what public health advocates argue — even as the accused companies say they're committed to making healthier products for the masses.
. . .
Non-communicable, or chronic, diseases kill more than 36 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization. The four biggest ones are cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease and diabetes. Unlike most infectious diseases, these diseases tend to involve some amount of personal choice – around nutrition, consumption of alcohol or tobacco, and physical activity.
. . .
But some say bringing chronic disease rates down also requires industry to agree to make some real changes, too — for example, lowering sugar and sodium content in popular food items. And some experts are skeptical that will happen voluntarily.
"Ideally, what would come from this summit is some tough criteria about nutrition, food marketing and food processing that the companies would be expected to meet if they want to avoid government regulation," Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, tells Shots. "But my guess is that you're not likely to see that, because the food companies are too involved with the event."
|
Libya war: African Union recognises NTC as leaders
By (BBC)
|
The African Union (AU) has recognised Libya's interim leaders the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the country's de facto government.
It came as US President Barack Obama said after meeting NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil that his ambassador was to re-open an embassy in Tripoli.
. . .
The AU, a pan-African body which has frequently been criticised for its lack of speed when reacting to events in neighbouring states, said that it was ready to help the NTC in its efforts to build an inclusive government.
. . .
After meeting Mr Obama in New York, interim government leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil thanked the UN and the international community for its involvement in Libya but warned that their task had only just begun.
|
|
|
|
International |
|
NATO operation in Libya to continue - Obama
By (RIA Novosti)
|
The NATO-led operation in Libya will continue until the defeat of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday.
"So long as the Libyan people are being threatened, the NATO-led mission to protect them will continue," Obama said at a high-level UN conference on Libya . "And those still holding out must understand-the old regime is over, and it is time to lay down your arms and join the new Libya."
. . .
The North African state's new flag flew at UN headquarters for the first time since Gaddafi was deposed. The flag was used from 1951 until Gaddafi introduced his own flag in 1977.
|
Anti-Government Protests In Yemen Turn Bloody
By (Morning Edition)
|
. . .
INSKEEP (ed:host): How have Yemenis ended up with another round of violence? I thought the president was on his way out.
CAMPBELL: Well, it's an amazing situation where the president was badly injured. Most members of his government were injured at the same time in a bombing on their mosque. The head of the Shura Council, who was standing beside the president at the time, died of his injuries later. He's in Saudi Arabia. He has been since June. And yet there's no transition in Yemen.
. . .
CAMPBELL: It's always been a difficult country to govern. Almost impossible. And you have a secessionist movement. You have a political opposition. You have Arab Spring protesters who simply want to move on and have a new government and a new future. And it's - they're not fighting each other. But the president, who's been there for a long time, is refusing to step down. But more importantly, he's refusing to allow a transition to something new. And what Yemen desperately needs is something new.
|
Israel's FM tells Canadians: Palestinians not ready for statehood
By Limor Shmuel Friedman
|
On the eve of the historic United Nations session on the declaration of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said the Palestinians are not ready to establish their own country. "I recommend that they wait until we see there is a single security apparatus and not small armed groups," he said.
If a Palestinian state is established, its future will be the same as those Muslim states now experiencing internal revolutions, said Lieberman. "The situation in the countries of the Arab world surrounding Israel is even worse than before. In Tunisia, Egypt and Syria there is no economy, no tourism and no security. This is what will also happen with the Palestinians."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a press conference, July 20, 2011.
. . .
The Palestinian Authority is not stable economically, has no middle class, there are large numbers of poor and about 10% are rich - and it lacks political stability, said Lieberman. A single Palestinian entity is only virtual, he said. "The PA is divided between Hamasstan in Gaza and Fatah in Judea and Samaria. When we come to Abu Mazen [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] over complaints on the continued firing from Gaza, he says he is not in control there, he is not the ruler and does not represent them. But when he goes to the United Nations he says he represents all the Palestinians."
|
Polio strain spreads to China from Pakistan
By (BBC)
|
Polio has spread to China for the first time since 1999 after being imported from Pakistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed.
It said a strain of polio (WPV1) found in China was genetically linked with the type now circulating in Pakistan.
. . .
The WHO warned there was a high risk of the crippling virus spreading further during Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca.
. . .
It is transmitted through contaminated food, drinking water and faeces.
|
|
|
|
USA Politics, Economy, Major Events |
|
Reid: Dems won't 'cave' on disaster aid
By (UPI)
|
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday Democrats will not give in on the amount of disaster relief, even if it means a government shutdown.
. . . the Senate has previously approved stand-alone legislation to provide $6.9 billion in relief funds, and Reid said he would be amending the House bill to include that increased funding.
. . .
But House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said if Reid follows through and attaches the higher disaster aid to the continuing resolution, there aren't enough votes in the House to pass it, Politico reported.
|
Attorney General: U.S. Wants To Close Guantanamo
By (NPR Staff and Wires)
|
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday the Obama administration is determined to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay before next year's presidential elections despite political opposition.
"There has been some strong opposition within Congress to the closure of the facility," Holder said at the European Parliament in Brussels. "On the other hand, there is equal determination on the part of the president."
. . .
In December, congressional conservatives spearheaded legislation that barred their transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States. In several other congressional votes last year, many Democrats joined Republicans in opposing bringing such prisoners to the U.S. for trial or detention.
Holder also said that the United States would stick to the "fundamental break" with some interrogation techniques that were criticized around the world as amounting to torture.
|
Zombie Lies: Taxes and Small Businesses
By Kevin Drum
|
A loyal reader had the misfortune of hearing Rep. Phil Gingrey (R–Ga.) blather on the radio this morning about the woeful effect that a tax hike on the rich would have on "the small business owners and job creators." He asks, "Can you please do a post providing us with an evidence-based response to this? I have little doubt that most small business owners are pulling in less than 250K and that most people making over 250K aren’t small business owners, but my hunch doesn’t have much credibility."
But his hunch is exactly right! In fact, this is a zombie lie, and as you might expect with a zombie lie, I've written about it before. So here's a reprint of what I wrote 14 months ago, suitably updated with shiny new quotes making the same old complaints:
Back in the day, one of the key Republican arguments against the estate tax was that it forced hardworking, salt-of-the-earth children of small farmers to sell the family plot in order to pay their taxes after dad died. It was a sad story, but with one problem: no one could find even a single small farmer who had been forced to liquidate in order to satisfy Uncle Sam's voracious maw. Even the American Farm Bureau Federation was eventually forced to admit that it couldn't come up with a single example, and a few years later the Congressional Budget Office estimated that under the now-current exemption level, only a tiny handful of small farms were likely to owe any estate tax to begin with — and of those, only about a dozen lacked the assets to pay their taxes. And even those dozen had 14 years to pay the bill as long as the kids kept running the farm. In other words, the story was a fraud from beginning to end.
|
Cheney insists ex-aide Libby wrongly convicted in Plame case
By Rick Pearson
|
Speaking a few paces from Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's offices, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that his former chief of staff did not deserve prosecution by the federal prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case.
. . .
"My friend 'Scooter' Libby is a very good man. He gave up a very successful private life in order to serve the nation on two separate occasions. For his trouble, he ended up a target of that particular prosecution. I will always think that he did not deserve that," Cheney said.
Fitzgerald, acting as a special prosecutor, indicted Libby as part of the investigation into who leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to the late columnist Robert Novak. Indicted in October 2005 on charges of perjury, obstruction and making false statements, Libby was convicted at trial and sentenced to 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine.
|
Congressional effort would block Palestinian funding if statehood pursue
By Maria Recio
|
Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, who took over a key U.S. House funding subcommittee in January, has emerged as a behind-the-scenes power player in the Israel-Palestinian Authority face-off that is coming to a head this week at the United Nations.
. . .
But Granger, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee that funds the State Department and foreign operations, and a strong supporter of Israel, has been warning Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas for months that the consequence of the statehood move would be a cutoff of hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.
Granger, along with the panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., delivered on the threat this summer with a provision in the annual funding bill for international programs that would cut $390 million in economic assistance if the P.A. pursues statehood at the United Nations. Although the United States is committed to vetoing the bid in the Security Council, the much larger General Assembly, full of Palestinian supporters, would back the Palestinian Authority's plea for statehood.
|
U.S. hospitals worried over Medicaid cuts
By (UPI)
|
. . .
The National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems in Washington says the president's proposal would shift heavy cost burdens onto states, limiting their ability to fund Medicaid and potentially hurting the nearly 60 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare.
. . .
The president's blended Federal Medical Assistance Percentages -- the percentage rates used to determine the matching funds rate allocated annually to certain U.S. medical and social service programs -- includes an across-the-board cut to the federal match states receive for Medicaid coverage.
By reducing federal spending on Medicaid, the proposal would force cash-strapped states to make up the difference, Siegel says.
|
Today in Out-of-Control Copyright
By mistermix
|
Nate Anderson at Ars Technica is an excellent beat reporter. Here are a few of his most recent stories on copyright, if you’re interested in that kind of thing:
1. We have Disney driving our copyright law, and the EU has the Beatles and other 60’s groups. When the copyright on 60’s hits was about to reach the 50 year copyright limit, the EU passed a 20 year extension that will gather a billion euros, mainly for record companies.
2. There’s no shortage of bottom-feeding lawyers in the copyright game. Nate profiles one, Ken Ford, who has been running a scam for a porn company. Ken files thousands of John Doe subpoenas to intimidate possible illegitimate downloaders into settlements, even though he has no intention of pursuing those cases in court. . . .
3. In some good news, copyright troll Righthaven, the group that bought the right to sue from Las Vegas papers and went after bloggers who quoted a few words from news stories, is on the verge of having their assets seized after losing a case and being assigned legal fees.
|
|
Welcome to the "Hump Point" of this OND.
News can be sobering and engrossing - at this point in the diary, an offering of brief escapism:
Random notes related to this video:
. . .
Outside: You had high ambitions as a teenager, huh?
Dennen: Well, I grew up in Oakdale, California, which is pretty much the gateway to Yosemite, so I spent a lot of time backpacking in the high wilderness as a kid. I started canoeing when I was 8. At 14, I was working on the kitchen crew at an outdoor camp, listening to the Indigo girls, and dreaming about being a forest ranger.
When did that change?
I went to college in Santa Cruz, California, and studied environmental science and social change. As part of my studies, I worked at a nonprofit writing music for kids.
. . .
Being on the road is definitely different that having a home base outside of Yosemite. Are you living the rock star lifestyle now?
No. If being on the road is my life, I need to be healthy. I eat lots of raw veggies and fruits. Those things support farmers and have good impact on the earth—unlike eating meat. . .
Back to what's happening:
|
|
Environment and Greening |
|
Study On Emissions from BP/Deepwater Horizon Controlled Burns Completed
By (ScienceDaily)
|
During the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, an estimated one of every 20 barrels of spilled oil was deliberately burned off to reduce the size of surface oil slicks and minimize impacts of oil on sensitive shoreline ecosystems and marine life. In response to the spill, NOAA quickly redirected its WP-3D research aircraft to survey the atmosphere above the spill site in June. During a flight through one of the black plumes, scientists used sophisticated instrumentation on board, including NOAA's single-particle soot photometer, to characterize individual black carbon particles.
The black smoke that rose from the water's surface during the controlled burns pumped more than 1 million pounds of black carbon (soot) pollution into the atmosphere, according to a new study published last week by researchers at NOAA and its Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) in Boulder, Colo.
This amount is roughly equal to the total black carbon emissions normally released by all ships that travel the Gulf of Mexico during a 9-week period, scientists noted.
|
McConnell opposes energy loan guarantees—except in Kentucky
By David Roberts
|
After the bankruptcy of California solar panel company Solyndra, which received more than half a billion dollars in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated his opposition to the loan guarantee program, accusing the Obama officials of "picking winners," using government interference in the free market to favor ... hm? [Jon Stewart-style finger to ear] what's that? ... I'm being told we have some archival material coming in ...
. . .
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ... pressed Energy Secretary Steven Chu to save a uranium enrichment facility in western Kentucky run by USEC Inc. that does contract work for the federal government. USEC is looking to expand its business with the agency through a $2 billion loan guarantee for a new facility in Piketon, Ohio, but its application stalled before the DOE.
Politically connected energy firms ... ooookay.
|
|
|
|
Science and Health |
|
Experts Want Practical Research to Improve Mental Health of People Experiencing Humanitarian Crises
By (ScienceDaily)
|
. . .
Experts in regions experiencing humanitarian crises want more research focused on generating and developing practical knowledge that could have tangible benefits in humanitarian settings rather than yet more research on topics, such as the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, that have to date dominated academic debates and research.
These findings are important because such crises affect millions of people -- in 2009, more than 119 million people were affected by natural disasters and there were 36 armed conflicts in 26 countries -- and previous research in such settings has demonstrated the negative impact of humanitarian crises on mental health and psychosocial well-being, including increased psychological distress, social problems, and common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
. . .
The experts agreed that the ten priority research questions should be in areas related to problem analysis (four questions on identifying stressors, problems, and protective factors from the perspective of affected populations); mental health and psychosocial support interventions (three questions on sociocultural adaptation and on effectiveness of family- and school-based prevention); research and information management (two questions on assessment methods and indicators for monitoring and evaluation); and mental health and psychosocial support context (one question on whether interventions address locally perceived needs).
|
Ancient Swedish Fishers Put Human Heads On Stakes
By Martin R
|
The Mesolithic is the period between deglaciation and the introduction of agriculture in Europe (up to about 4000 cal BC in my parts). Within Swedish research into this period in recent years, no single site has been able to compete with the small town of Motala in Östergötland county. Located at a series of rapids on the main waterway from Lake Vättern to the Baltic, the spot has always been important for fishers and travellers. Its Mesolithic record has gained the limelight thanks to major railroad construction in an area with waterlogged sediment that preserves organics. Thus any number of beautiful bone and wood finds, and of course the bone boner covered here before.
. . .
Archaeological excavations in 2009-2011 in Motala have unearthed a unique Mesolithic site with ceremonial depositions of human crania in a former lake. The skulls have been treated in a complex ceremony that involved the display of skulls on stakes and the deposition of skulls in water. The skulls have been radiocarbon-dated and are 8000 years old.
. . .
The skull depositions at Kanaljorden are clearly ritual in character. The next step is to find out if the human bones are relics of dearly departed that were handled in a complex secondary burial ritual, or trophies of defeated enemies. The archaeologists hope that the ongoing laboratory analysis [stable isotopes] will give clues as to whether the bones are the remains of locals or people with a distant geographic origin, and if they represent a family group or persons unrelated to each other.
|
Trial Opens Against Scientists For 2009 Italy Quake
By (AP via NPR)
|
Seven scientists and other experts have gone on trial on manslaughter charges for allegedly failing to sufficiently warn residents before a devastating 2009 earthquake that killed more than 300 people in central Italy.
The case is being closely watched by seismologists around the globe who insist it's impossible to predict earthquakes and dangerous to suggest otherwise, since seismologists will be discouraged from issuing any advice at all if they fear legal retaliation.
Last year, about 5,200 international researchers signed a petition supporting their Italian colleagues. The Seismological Society of America wrote to Italy's president expressing concern about what it called an unprecedented legal attack on science.
|
Gamers Solve Stubborn Viral Mystery: The Shape Of A Key Enzyme
By Kristofor Husted
|
An online group of gamers has correctly deduced the structure of an enzyme that AIDS-like viruses use for reproduction. By playing the online-game Foldit, the group figured out the structure of an important viral protein that has baffled scientists for more than a decade.
The enzyme is a retroviral protease and plays a critical role in how the AIDS virus matures and proliferates. Gamers, who weren't experts in viruses, solved the puzzle in just three weeks.
. . .
Gamers start with a protein that looks like a necklace. Instead of beads or pearls, amino acids hang from the strand. The game challenges players to manipulate the structure of the protein so that it reaches the lowest energy state, which earns them the highest score. The function of the protein changes with the shape it takes.
|
Breast MRI may be better for at-risk women
By (UPI)
|
Breast magnetic resonance imaging screenings used on high-risk, underserved women detected more tumors than mammography, U.S. researchers said.
. . .
Women with abnormal mammogram or abnormal breast MRI underwent ultrasound, ultrasound guided biopBreast magnetic resonance imaging screenings used on high-risk, underserved women detected more tumors than mammography, U.S. researchers said.
. . .
The study found mammographic screenings detected one breast cancer case, while MRI screenings detected nine cases, while benign breast/total biopsies were found in 88 percent of mammographic screening cases and in 78 percent of MRI cases.
|
Male squid seeks mate of either sex for fun in the dark
By Ian Sample
|
Scientists have identified another mishap that can result from sex in the dark after filming creatures that live in the deeps of the Pacific Ocean.
. . .
But instead of developing keener senses to help find a partner, the male of the species has adopted a sexual strategy to suit the conditions: it mates with any deep sea squid it comes across.
Researchers blame bad light, similar male and female body size and the rarity of encounters for the squid's indiscriminate behaviour, which leaves its mark on the bodies of unsuspecting males in the form of spent sperm sacs.
|
Michele, My Warning Bell about Vaccine Fear-Mongering
By Arthur Caplan
|
Greg Kaebnick, the editor of the Hastings Center Report (and, full disclosure, a former student of mine!) kindly invited me to offer some comments on my decision to publicly challenge Congresswoman and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann’s comments on the safety of the HPV vaccine. I am happy to do so. It lets me tell a story that might be of interest to the bioethics community and to offer a few comments about my own thinking about the public work in which some bioethicists engage.
. . .
During interviews that Thursday, I pointed out again and again that there was no evidence at all that the HPV vaccine caused “retardation,” that the CDC/VAERS Web site had never received any such report, that there had been no report I knew of in any other country in the world of any such side-effect despite more than 35 million doses administered, and that it was reprehensible that the same sort of fear-mongering that was causing infants to die of pertussis, flu, rotavirus, measles, and polio around the world was being offered up about HPV vaccine by a serious contender for the presidency of the United States.
I then received a request for an interview on “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN about my challenge. The power of TV in American culture is still impressive. After the Anderson Cooper interview, the issue of Bachmann’s vaccine fear-mongering became national news, splashed all over the print, radio, and Internet. Bachmann was being held accountable, and lying about vaccine safety was costing her. By Saturday she had dropped in the polls.
Her campaign has not responded to Steve or me. An NPR reporter told me that her press person said she would not respond because she had not received “a letter” from me challenging her views about the HPV vaccine. That response is absurd on its face.
|
|
|
|
Technology |
|
How Negative Reviews Increase Sales Online
By Christopher Mims
|
On Amazon, consumers will pay a significant premium -- at least five percent of the cost of a product -- to purchase it from a seller with a good reputation. What's surprising is that once you get beyond the star rating of a seller and the number of transactions they've completed, the text of user reviews of that seller can affect their sales in strange ways, said researcher Panagiotis Ipeirotis in a recent talk . . .
For example, you would think that a user who said that something was "Best camera!" would be increasing the reputation (and sales) of that item. But this turns out not to be the case, and Iperotis has actually quantified the effect. A review like this reduces sales, on average, by 0.2 percent.
. . .
It's the presence or absence of this information that makes buyers confident in a product, apparently. For example, negative reviews that are well written can actually increase sales of a product. One reason is that buyers gain confidence that "if this is the worst this product will throw at me, it must be pretty good."
|
Spaceship factory opens in California
By (UPI)
|
A civilian space company has completed the first commercial spacecraft factory at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, company officials said.
Spaceship Co., a joint venture of Scaled Composites and British billionaire Richard Branson's space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, says it plans to begin building spacecraft in its 68,000-square-foot facility at the end of this month, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
. . .
As many as 200 people are expected to be employed assembling spacecraft, and the company has begun advertising for engineers and technicians.
|
Latina Moms Find Advice, Community In 'MamiVerse'
By (Tell Me More)
|
. . .
MARTIN: Okay. Well, what gave you the idea?
ALEGRIA: Well, you know, I think ultimately, there was a need in the marketplace for a site, a hub that addressed the needs of Latina moms. I have worked with smart and savvy Latina writers and journalists and executives of all media for years now and if there's one thing that I know of them is that they were all looking for something that addressed their needs as moms.
. . .
VALDES: You know, I think a lot of times, you know, you're saying why set yourselves apart, well, you know, a lot of times it's not a choice. We're just kind of set apart, so whether we want to be or not. So I think it's a useful thing on the one hand to come together or out of perceive - but see at the same time, I don't think there are any expectations on the website of extreme deference. This is the site for, you know, the vast majority of Latinos in the United States are born here. And, you know, the Pew Center for Hispanic Research shows that by the second generation, English is the language that people are using and yet the media continues to conflate all kinds of things like immigrant and Latino and so-called the illegal.
All those words are used interchangeably in the mainstream media all the time. So in the past 10 years I've seen this widespread perception, you know, that we're all somehow foreign-born and the culture is genetic rather than learned. And what I love about Mamiverse is that Rene is standing up and saying look, we're Americans. We're here. This is who we are and this is, you know, a site where you can come and actually be your true self and not what everyone expects you to be.
|
Japan anxious over defence data as China denies hacking weapons maker
By Justin McCurry
|
. . .
Dozens of the firm's computers were infected in what reports suggested was a co-ordinated attack on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which may have resulted in the leak of sensitive defence information.
The company, whose military inventory includes submarines, US-designed F-15 fighter jets and surface-to-air Patriot missiles, said that only network information and IP addresses might have fallen into the hackers' hands.
. . .
Speculation that hackers in China were responsible grew after media reports said Chinese characters had been detected in the attack. But Hong Lei, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters: "The Chinese government has consistently opposed hacking activities. The law strictly prohibits this
|
Yahoo (Accidentally?) Blocked Emails About the Occupy Wall Street Protests
By Kyle Wagner
|
Wall Street has been a mess of bodies and police for the past few days as Occupy Wall Street protests have clogged up lower Manhattan. But there were some congestion problems online, too, as Yahoo was reportedly blocking emails attempting to organize the gathering.
Starting yesterday, several members of the Occupy Wall Street group reported being unable to send messages about the protests, and made the video you see above to verify that their messages were being blocked. A Yahoo rep told Gothamist, though, that the "censorship" was simply due to the occupywallst.org url being incorrectly flagged as spam. When we tried to replicate the censorship, we were able to send and receive emails containing the keywords and the url, so the issue seems to be resolved.
|
Researchers Develop Laser to Help Detect Roadside Bombs
By Michael Hatamoto
|
Researchers from Michigan State University are developing a laser-based method to combat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by insurgents fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
. . .
Originally designed for microscopes, the new technology uses both ultra-short pulses designed to disturb molecules, and the longer pulses are able to identify different frequencies.
Accurately picking out chemical compounds used in IEDs in the field is complicated due to the varying compounds already present. To complicate matters further, IEDs are often placed in populated locations, so any type of IED locator must spot an IED without destroying it.
|
Google+ Open to Everyone, Offers 9 New Features
By Tiffany Kaiser
|
Since Google+'s release on June 28, it has been in an invite-only field trial where invited users could try it out and make suggestions along the way. After nearly 90 days in field trial mode, Google is opening its social network up to everyone, and has made a total of 100 updates to enhance the experience.
While 91 of these updates have been made throughout the months, Google is releasing nine new features today that totals it up to 100 according to The Official Google Blog.
. . .
In addition to the various Hangouts-related features, Google+ now also features a search option, which will return relevant people and posts as well as info from the Web. For instance, a Google+ member who is interested in photography can search "photography" and find people who are also into that topic as well as a myriad of photos.
|
Twitter trouble for Netflix over Qwikster launch
By (BBC)
|
Netflix's plans to re-name its DVD rental business Qwikster have hit problems.
While the firm has secured the web domain for Qwikster, the Twitter handle for it is the property of an American man called Jason Castillo.
. . .
Now he is debating how much to sell the account for and will not hand it over until he is "making bank".
|
|
|
|
Cultural |
|
Bullied N.Y. teen dead in apparent suicide
By (UPI)
|
Several months before he died in an apparent suicide, an upstate New York teenager told other teens in an online video, "It gets better."
Jamey Rodemeyer, 14, of Williamsville, died Sunday, The Buffalo News reported.
. . .
His parents, who met Monday with some of his friends at Williamsville North Middle School, say he was seeing a therapist and a social worker. They said Jamey appeared to have come to terms with online bullying that became worse after he publicly said he was unsure of his sexual orientation.
|
Public Sector Workers More Pro-Socially Motivated Than Their Private Sector Counterparts, Multi-Country Study Finds
By (ScienceDaily)
|
New research has found public sector workers are typically more pro-socially motivated than their private sector counterparts. The University of Bristol study, published Sept. 21, examined motivational indicators in workers from both sectors across 51 countries.
. . .
As well as differences in motivation, there is a near-universal tendency for public sector workers to be older, more likely to be female and to be better educated than private for-profit sector workers. People with a higher level of well-being are also more likely to work in the public sector.
One of the authors, Professor Sarah Smith, said: "Our findings suggest that public sector workers tend to be more intrinsically motivated across a wide range of different countries but this is not a universal characteristic. Our research shows that there are certain features of the public sector, such as the level of corruption, that can make it more attractive to pro-socially motivated workers."
|
Welcome to The Plot Against Syria
By Hugh Macleod
|
Like most systems founded on repression, President Assad of Syria and supporters of his dictatorship have always been conspiratorially minded, blaming dark forces of Western imperialism for any and all ills which their need to retain absolute power inflicts on their own people and others.
Little wonder then, that when the Syrian people took to the streets to demand and end to their nation’s 41-year dictatorship, the Assad regime responded the only way it knew how: With some good old fashioned plot twisting.
Pro-democracy protestors peacefully marching through the streets of Syria were branded “armed gangs,” “terrorists,” or, in the words of President Assad himself, “germs,” directed by foreign plotters, mainly the West, the US, Israel or Saudi Arabia.
Now supporters of the regime have kindly produced a helpful website to guide users through the key plotters pulling the strings behind the scenes in this grand conspiracy against Syria.
|
How to Save a Dog’s Life? Take Better Pictures
By Casey Chan
|
So many dogs are euthanized every year because they can't find a family to adopt them. It's not their fault. With some better picture taking, a few cute poses and accessories, dogs can find a new home in no time.
It's true, Dallas pet photographer Teresa Berg has taken it upon herself to "better market" homeless dogs so they can find a family to take them in. Instead of just snapping a random picture of a dog behind a chain-linked fence, in poor lighting and unflattering poses, Berg takes time with each shot, dressing them up and creating pictures of dogs you can imagine on people's mantles. . .
The results of her pictures were instant. Every dog Berg took a picture of was adopted and the entire dog shelter as a whole has seen a 100% increase in adoption rates. . .
|
Sada Mire: Uncovering Somalia's heritage
By Stephanie Hegarty
|
Sada Mire fled Somalia's civil war as a child, and lived as a refugee in Sweden. But now she is back in the Horn of Africa as an archaeologist, making some incredible discoveries.
. . .
The region has proved to be rich in archaeological wonders, which Sada Mire has been logging for the last four years with a team of 50 helpers.
She has recorded ancient rock art at 100 sites, medieval Islamic towns, and pre-Islamic Christian burial sites.
. . .
The most stunning of Ms Mire's discoveries is a vast series of rock art sites in Dhambalin, outside the seaside town of Berbera.
|
Time for burial to die a death
By Sarah Ditum
|
Counsellors talk about "letting go" as the last phase of the mourning process, but before the bereaved can get there, they have the urgent problem of "getting rid". Human bodies need to be disposed of, although not primarily for health reasons – corpses are surprisingly benign, according to the World Health Organisation. Funeral practices are about much more than hygiene. Dealing with the dead is a last tribute to their humanity; but there's also a powerful element of disgust involved, too.
Whatever the WHO says, there's a deep and powerful conviction that corpses are unpleasant and probably hazardous, and that, in turn, seeps into a set of moral beliefs. From Frankenstein to Pet Sematary, meddling with the dead is the kind of supercharged taboo that fuels our worst nightmares – which is probably why any change to the habitual methods of handling remains can feel like a shocking oddity at best, and an outrage against humanity at worst.
. . .
In the same article, natural burial is dismissed as "what effectively amounts to composting", as if a churchyard guarantees a more civilised form of decay. The smell of self-delusion is as ripe as a week-old corpse here – whatever the process, human bodies are ultimately going to end up as a selection of brownish fluids and bone bits, so why get more distressed about one means of physical obliteration than another?
|
|