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*1. INCOME INEQUALITY
Hmmm...Interesting statistics from Bernie Sanders. "Incredibly, the wealthiest 62 people on this planet own as much wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population — around 3.6 billion people. The top 1 percent now owns more wealth than the whole of the bottom 99 percent. Meanwhile, in our country the top one-tenth of 1 percent now owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. Fifty-eight percent of all new income is going to the top 1 percent. Wall Street and billionaires, through their “super PACs,” are able to buy elections." From NYT - Bernie Sanders: Democrats Need to Wake Up
+ "It's not a question of my [Bernie Sanders] endorsement. It's a question of the American people understanding that Secretary Clinton is prepared to stand with them as they work longer hours for low wages, as they cannot afford health care, as their kids can't afford to go to college. Make it clear that she is on their side, that she is prepared to take on Wall Street, the drug companies, fossil fuel industry. Deal with the global crisis of climate change. I have no doubt that if Secretary Clinton makes that position, those positions clear, she will defeat Trump and defeat him by a very wide margin." From WaPo - Bernie Sanders just gave an amazingly condescending interview about Hillary Clinton
*2. THE SCALIA (UN)FACTOR
"For the second term in a row, the court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivered liberal decisions at a rate not seen since the famously liberal court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1950s and 1960s. [Recently deceased] Justice Scalia was a dominant presence on the court, and his influence could exceed the power of his single vote. But it is also possible that Justice Scalia played a role in pushing Justice Kennedy to the left. The silencing of Justice Scalia’s voice seemed to help other justices find theirs. Two weeks after Justice Scalia died, Justice Clarence Thomas broke a decade-long silence by asking questions from the bench. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, already a major presence at arguments, took on an even larger role. This month, she wrote a lashing dissent, rooted in the concerns of the Black Lives Matter movement, in a case on police stops." From NYT - The Right-Wing Supreme Court That Wasn’t and WaPo - For conservatives, high court’s term was a letdown
*3. TINY HOUSE BILLIONAIRE
"With a net worth of $840 million, Tony Hsieh could have a Caribbean island or a palatial estate overlooking an ocean vista all to himself. Instead, the Zappos.com chief executive has set down roots in a less exclusive locale: a dusty Las Vegas trailer park." From WaPo - Why this CEO is worth almost $1 billion but lives in a trailer park
*4. FATTY FATTY 2x4
"The evidence is now clear: Exercise is excellent for health; it’s just not that important for weight loss. So don't expect to lose a lot of weight by ramping up physical activity alone." That's disappointing... From Vox - The science is in: exercise won’t help you lose much weight
*5. HE WHO CONTROLS THE MESSAGE...
"Should we be thinking of Facebook as a news site? Is that how Facebook thinks of itself?" I guess not. "As if to underscore the point, the company is making a tweak to its news feed ranking system to increase the prominence of content from your friends and family over posts by news companies and other organizations. It is also warning news companies that their traffic might decline as a result of the change. Publishers have little choice but to deal with the changes that Facebook makes, given the dependent relationship news media companies have with the social network." This is interesting considering "social sharing" (posting updates about yourself) is declining on the site. From NYT - Facebook, a News Giant That Would Rather Show Us Baby Pictures and Facebook to Change News Feed to Focus on Friends and Family
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Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
THE STONEWALL INN
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*1. THE STONEWALL INN
Besides a Greenwich Village bar recently named as a National Historic Landmark, what is the Stonewall Inn? "Truth be told, the Stonewall Inn was nothing special. Just a dive bar where drag queens and drag kings gathered with others from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. But how many Americans today would know what the acronym LGBT meant if not for what happened there in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969? For the police, a raid on a joint like the Stonewall had been, until June 1969, a no-brainer. It was Deputy Inspector Pine who led the police raid on the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street that night; the night that queer patrons fought back. And it was Ms. DeLarverie (her first name was pronounced “Stormy”) who may or may not have led the charge." From WaPo - The long march from the Stonewall Inn and NYT - Storme DeLarverie and Seymour Pine, on Opposite Sides of Stonewall
+ From NYT - Gay Catholic Groups Want Pope Francis to Do More Than Apologize
+ From WaPo - I’m sorry, but Pope Francis rocks when it comes to the gays
*2. TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!
The video embedded in this article is awesome. "The booster fired horizontally for just over two minutes, burning through 5.5 tons of propellant per second, shooting flames out at three times the speed of sound, with temperatures that were expected to reach 3,700 degrees. The booster test comes ahead of the rocket's first mission, planned for 2018, when it would launch the unmanned Orion spacecraft on a three-week journey that would take it around the moon." From WaPo - NASA tests the massive rocket booster it says will go to Mars
*3. HOW MUCH IS YOUR VW DIESEL WORTH
Apparently, about $10,000 if you sell it back outright. "Volkswagen will settle its emissions scandal case for $14.7 billion. More than $10 billion of the settlement will go to fix or buy back 475,000 Volkswagens. Another $2.7 billion will go into an Environmental Protection Agency trust fund for environmental remediation, and the German automaker will spend $2 billion more on American clean energy technology." From WaPo - Volkswagen agrees to pay consumers biggest auto settlement in history
*4. ARE YOU PASSIONATE?
It doesn't really matter, because in most cases it won't pay the bills. "There's just one problem with all this advice about passion-following: It's terrible — and probably harmful. One recent chart from 80,000 Hours, a group promoting a kind of data-driven approach to career decisions, starkly illustrates the issue: The things people are passionate about and the things that they can make a living from are usually not the same things." 90% of students are passionate about sports, arts, leisure or music. Only 3% of the jobs come from those fields. From WaPo - Why Harvard’s career advice for its students is totally wrong
*5. BENGHAZI - THE STORY THAT KEEPS GIVING
Maybe this will put this well-tread story to rest. "A final report issued by the Republican-majority committee that investigated the 2012 attacks in Benghazi found fault with virtually every element of the executive-branch response to the attacks but provided no new evidence of specific wrongdoing by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." From WaPo - House Republicans issue report on Benghazi attacks but find no new evidence of wrongdoing by Clinton
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- The Marines just took ‘man’ out of 19 job titles, and people are losing their minds
- Clever Attack Uses the Sound of a Computer’s Fan to Steal Data
- What to Do When a Wild Animal Attacks
- Erase Lady Gaga from the internet, China’s censors say, after her Dalai Lama meeting
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
*1. THE STONEWALL INN
Besides a Greenwich Village bar recently named as a National Historic Landmark, what is the Stonewall Inn? "Truth be told, the Stonewall Inn was nothing special. Just a dive bar where drag queens and drag kings gathered with others from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. But how many Americans today would know what the acronym LGBT meant if not for what happened there in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969? For the police, a raid on a joint like the Stonewall had been, until June 1969, a no-brainer. It was Deputy Inspector Pine who led the police raid on the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street that night; the night that queer patrons fought back. And it was Ms. DeLarverie (her first name was pronounced “Stormy”) who may or may not have led the charge." From WaPo - The long march from the Stonewall Inn and NYT - Storme DeLarverie and Seymour Pine, on Opposite Sides of Stonewall
+ From NYT - Gay Catholic Groups Want Pope Francis to Do More Than Apologize
+ From WaPo - I’m sorry, but Pope Francis rocks when it comes to the gays
*2. TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!
The video embedded in this article is awesome. "The booster fired horizontally for just over two minutes, burning through 5.5 tons of propellant per second, shooting flames out at three times the speed of sound, with temperatures that were expected to reach 3,700 degrees. The booster test comes ahead of the rocket's first mission, planned for 2018, when it would launch the unmanned Orion spacecraft on a three-week journey that would take it around the moon." From WaPo - NASA tests the massive rocket booster it says will go to Mars
*3. HOW MUCH IS YOUR VW DIESEL WORTH
Apparently, about $10,000 if you sell it back outright. "Volkswagen will settle its emissions scandal case for $14.7 billion. More than $10 billion of the settlement will go to fix or buy back 475,000 Volkswagens. Another $2.7 billion will go into an Environmental Protection Agency trust fund for environmental remediation, and the German automaker will spend $2 billion more on American clean energy technology." From WaPo - Volkswagen agrees to pay consumers biggest auto settlement in history
*4. ARE YOU PASSIONATE?
It doesn't really matter, because in most cases it won't pay the bills. "There's just one problem with all this advice about passion-following: It's terrible — and probably harmful. One recent chart from 80,000 Hours, a group promoting a kind of data-driven approach to career decisions, starkly illustrates the issue: The things people are passionate about and the things that they can make a living from are usually not the same things." 90% of students are passionate about sports, arts, leisure or music. Only 3% of the jobs come from those fields. From WaPo - Why Harvard’s career advice for its students is totally wrong
*5. BENGHAZI - THE STORY THAT KEEPS GIVING
Maybe this will put this well-tread story to rest. "A final report issued by the Republican-majority committee that investigated the 2012 attacks in Benghazi found fault with virtually every element of the executive-branch response to the attacks but provided no new evidence of specific wrongdoing by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." From WaPo - House Republicans issue report on Benghazi attacks but find no new evidence of wrongdoing by Clinton
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- The Marines just took ‘man’ out of 19 job titles, and people are losing their minds
- Clever Attack Uses the Sound of a Computer’s Fan to Steal Data
- What to Do When a Wild Animal Attacks
- Erase Lady Gaga from the internet, China’s censors say, after her Dalai Lama meeting
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016
BRO CODE
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*1. BRO CODE
"Consciously or otherwise, many men believe that talking about personal matters with other men is not manly. The result is often less intimate, more casual friendships between men, making connections more tenuous and harder to sustain." Why are friends important? Studies show deep friendships increase longevity. From NYT - The Challenges of Male Friendships
*2 HERE'S WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DECIDED
"The Supreme Court struck down Texas abortion restrictions that have been widely duplicated in other states, a resounding win for abortion rights advocates in the court’s most important consideration of the controversial issue in 25 years. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joined the court’s liberals in the 5 to 3 decision, which said Texas’s arguments that the clinic restrictions were to protect women’s health were cover for making it more difficult to obtain an abortion." From WaPo - Supreme Court strikes down Texas abortion clinic restrictions
*3. BREXIT INVESTMENT GUIDANCE
Do nothing. Seriously, do nothing.
From NYT - Advice as Markets React to ‘Brexit’: Take Some Deep Breaths and Don’t Do a Thing and No, Really: Just Ignore Day-to-Day Stock Market Fluctuations
+ "One of the biggest immediate casualties of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union appears to be the banking sector." That's important because, "The vote to leave the European Union raised concerns about the future of London’s financial services sector, which serves as a gateway into the European market for many banks and other industries. In addition, an exit from the European Union would require renegotiating Britain’s financial regulations, many of which are currently determined by the E.U." From WaPo - This is the scariest thing that’s happening right now in the markets
*1. BRO CODE
"Consciously or otherwise, many men believe that talking about personal matters with other men is not manly. The result is often less intimate, more casual friendships between men, making connections more tenuous and harder to sustain." Why are friends important? Studies show deep friendships increase longevity. From NYT - The Challenges of Male Friendships
*2 HERE'S WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DECIDED
"The Supreme Court struck down Texas abortion restrictions that have been widely duplicated in other states, a resounding win for abortion rights advocates in the court’s most important consideration of the controversial issue in 25 years. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joined the court’s liberals in the 5 to 3 decision, which said Texas’s arguments that the clinic restrictions were to protect women’s health were cover for making it more difficult to obtain an abortion." From WaPo - Supreme Court strikes down Texas abortion clinic restrictions
*3. BREXIT INVESTMENT GUIDANCE
Do nothing. Seriously, do nothing.
From NYT - Advice as Markets React to ‘Brexit’: Take Some Deep Breaths and Don’t Do a Thing and No, Really: Just Ignore Day-to-Day Stock Market Fluctuations
+ "One of the biggest immediate casualties of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union appears to be the banking sector." That's important because, "The vote to leave the European Union raised concerns about the future of London’s financial services sector, which serves as a gateway into the European market for many banks and other industries. In addition, an exit from the European Union would require renegotiating Britain’s financial regulations, many of which are currently determined by the E.U." From WaPo - This is the scariest thing that’s happening right now in the markets
+ In case you were wondering. How Britain Could Exit ‘Brexit’ From NYT
*4. SPIES LIKE US
"Richard and Cynthia Murphy were really Vladimir and Lidiya Guryev, Russian spies, part of a Northeast corridor cell that was soon sent back to Moscow by the United States government in an exchange. The Guryevs and their two talented, popular daughters, Katie and Lisa, became an inspiration for the FX show 'The Americans.'" From NYT - ‘Spy House,’ a Decrepit Reminder of Betrayal, Sits Empty in New Jersey
+ From The Telegraph - The new lives back home for the Russian spies
+ "Many of the recent acts of intimidation by Russian security services have crossed the line into apparent criminality. In secret memos, diplomats reported that Russian intruders had broken into their homes late at night, only to rearrange the furniture or turn on all the lights and televisions, and leave. One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet." From WaPo - Russia is harassing U.S. diplomats all over Europe
*5. SEND IN THE ADVANCE TEAM
This is not going to end well. From Politico - Anti-Trump 'advance team' to land in Cleveland this week
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Yep...There Should Be Paid Time Off for Naps From Ozy
- "Don't f---king shoot!" Foul-mouthed parrot may be used as evidence in murder trial, prosecutor says From WaPo
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*4. SPIES LIKE US
"Richard and Cynthia Murphy were really Vladimir and Lidiya Guryev, Russian spies, part of a Northeast corridor cell that was soon sent back to Moscow by the United States government in an exchange. The Guryevs and their two talented, popular daughters, Katie and Lisa, became an inspiration for the FX show 'The Americans.'" From NYT - ‘Spy House,’ a Decrepit Reminder of Betrayal, Sits Empty in New Jersey
+ From The Telegraph - The new lives back home for the Russian spies
+ "Many of the recent acts of intimidation by Russian security services have crossed the line into apparent criminality. In secret memos, diplomats reported that Russian intruders had broken into their homes late at night, only to rearrange the furniture or turn on all the lights and televisions, and leave. One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet." From WaPo - Russia is harassing U.S. diplomats all over Europe
*5. SEND IN THE ADVANCE TEAM
This is not going to end well. From Politico - Anti-Trump 'advance team' to land in Cleveland this week
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Yep...There Should Be Paid Time Off for Naps From Ozy
- "Don't f---king shoot!" Foul-mouthed parrot may be used as evidence in murder trial, prosecutor says From WaPo
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Monday, June 27, 2016
DUMP TRUMP
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*1. DUMP TRUMP
"Roughly two in three Americans say they think Trump is unqualified to lead the nation; are anxious about the idea of him as president; believe his comments about women, minorities and Muslims show an unfair bias; and see his attacks on a federal judge because of his Mexican American heritage as racist." From WaPo - In new poll, support for Trump has plunged, giving Clinton a double-digit lead
+ "Sanders supporters aren't just rallying around Clinton; they're doing it rather quickly. And it's a big reason Clinton just extended her lead over Trump into the double digits, 51 percent to 39 percent." From WaPo - Donald Trump’s bad month just got worse, because Sanders backers just rallied to Clinton
+ "[George] Will is one of several influential Republicans who have left the party since Trump clinched the nomination. Republican strategist Mary Matalin changed her affiliation to Libertarian the day after the Indiana primary, though she said the decision was not connected to Trump’s primary-season victory." From WaPo - George Will exits the Republican Party over Trump
+ The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism." From WaPo - When it comes to Trump, a Republican Treasury secretary says: Choose country over party
All these articles are from ONE (1) edition of a Washington Post email newsletter. I guess that's what happens when you "revoke" their press credentials.
*2. ABOUT SWIMMING
This is a "feel good" story about Michael Phelps' recovery. I hope it stays feel good. "The trip to see Phelps by [Bob] Bowman, his longtime coach at the Meadows [treatment center] was a revelation, an introduction to a man stripped of the armor that had helped make him an athletic machine." From NYT - Seeking Answers, Michael Phelps Finds Himself
+ "As [Katie] Ledecky prepares to launch herself into the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics looming just six weeks in the distance, she already may be the most dominant athlete in sports, as measured by the gap between her and everyone else in her discipline." From WaPo - How Katie Ledecky became better at swimming than anyone is at anything
*3. "THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS"
Can you teach a machine what the right thing to do is? This might be one of the key questions to be answered for the future of mankind. Several good reads related to this question from the weekend:
+ From NYT - When Machines Need Morals and FastCompany - Google Created Its Own Laws of Robotics
+ From FastCompany - Would You Buy A Car That’s Programmed To Kill You? and NYT - Should Your Driverless Car Hit a Pedestrian to Save your Life
+ "Like all technologies before it, artificial intelligence will reflect the values of its creators. We need to be vigilant about how we design and train these machine-learning systems, or we will see ingrained forms of bias built into the artificial intelligence of the future." From NYT - Artificial Intelligence's White Guy Problem
*4. STRATEGIC INADVERTENCY
"We are now approaching the last months of the Obama era. He will be remembered as a great, but flawed, president, and many of those flaws have to do with how he has addressed race — or avoided doing so." From NYT - Barack Obama, the President of Black America?
*5. HIMALAYAN VIAGRA AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Maybe this will spur action on climate change... "A parasitic fungus, it forms out of the head of ghost moth larvae living in the soil at altitudes above 10,000 feet, and has been used as an aphrodisiac for at least a thousand years, earning it the nickname Himalayan Viagra." From NYT - Climate Change Seen as Threat to Lucrative ‘Himalayan Viagra’ Fungus
+ From Aeon - The body as amusement park: a history of masturbation
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Let's see how this plays out. I suspect it will not end well for Edward Snowden. From Fortune - Edward Snowden Denounces Russia’s New “Big Brother” Surveillance Bill
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*1. DUMP TRUMP
"Roughly two in three Americans say they think Trump is unqualified to lead the nation; are anxious about the idea of him as president; believe his comments about women, minorities and Muslims show an unfair bias; and see his attacks on a federal judge because of his Mexican American heritage as racist." From WaPo - In new poll, support for Trump has plunged, giving Clinton a double-digit lead
+ "Sanders supporters aren't just rallying around Clinton; they're doing it rather quickly. And it's a big reason Clinton just extended her lead over Trump into the double digits, 51 percent to 39 percent." From WaPo - Donald Trump’s bad month just got worse, because Sanders backers just rallied to Clinton
+ "[George] Will is one of several influential Republicans who have left the party since Trump clinched the nomination. Republican strategist Mary Matalin changed her affiliation to Libertarian the day after the Indiana primary, though she said the decision was not connected to Trump’s primary-season victory." From WaPo - George Will exits the Republican Party over Trump
+ The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism." From WaPo - When it comes to Trump, a Republican Treasury secretary says: Choose country over party
All these articles are from ONE (1) edition of a Washington Post email newsletter. I guess that's what happens when you "revoke" their press credentials.
*2. ABOUT SWIMMING
This is a "feel good" story about Michael Phelps' recovery. I hope it stays feel good. "The trip to see Phelps by [Bob] Bowman, his longtime coach at the Meadows [treatment center] was a revelation, an introduction to a man stripped of the armor that had helped make him an athletic machine." From NYT - Seeking Answers, Michael Phelps Finds Himself
+ "As [Katie] Ledecky prepares to launch herself into the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics looming just six weeks in the distance, she already may be the most dominant athlete in sports, as measured by the gap between her and everyone else in her discipline." From WaPo - How Katie Ledecky became better at swimming than anyone is at anything
*3. "THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS"
Can you teach a machine what the right thing to do is? This might be one of the key questions to be answered for the future of mankind. Several good reads related to this question from the weekend:
+ From NYT - When Machines Need Morals and FastCompany - Google Created Its Own Laws of Robotics
+ From FastCompany - Would You Buy A Car That’s Programmed To Kill You? and NYT - Should Your Driverless Car Hit a Pedestrian to Save your Life
+ "Like all technologies before it, artificial intelligence will reflect the values of its creators. We need to be vigilant about how we design and train these machine-learning systems, or we will see ingrained forms of bias built into the artificial intelligence of the future." From NYT - Artificial Intelligence's White Guy Problem
*4. STRATEGIC INADVERTENCY
"We are now approaching the last months of the Obama era. He will be remembered as a great, but flawed, president, and many of those flaws have to do with how he has addressed race — or avoided doing so." From NYT - Barack Obama, the President of Black America?
*5. HIMALAYAN VIAGRA AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Maybe this will spur action on climate change... "A parasitic fungus, it forms out of the head of ghost moth larvae living in the soil at altitudes above 10,000 feet, and has been used as an aphrodisiac for at least a thousand years, earning it the nickname Himalayan Viagra." From NYT - Climate Change Seen as Threat to Lucrative ‘Himalayan Viagra’ Fungus
+ From Aeon - The body as amusement park: a history of masturbation
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Let's see how this plays out. I suspect it will not end well for Edward Snowden. From Fortune - Edward Snowden Denounces Russia’s New “Big Brother” Surveillance Bill
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Friday, June 24, 2016
AFFORDABLE HEALTH-CARE REVISITED
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*1. AFFORDABLE HEALTH-CARE REVISITED
Republican or Democrat, dialogue on health-care is a great thing for America. Universal health-care should be available to EVERY American. The Affordable Care Act was the first crack at providing universal health-care. The basic tenet (healthcare for everyone) will evolve and we will figure it out. "In essence, they (House GOP) have accepted the argument that the federal government has an obligation to provide at least access to health-care insurance for all. Republicans are saying: We can do it [provide health-care] better. The libertarian dream of getting government entirely out of health care is gone. ('Americans deserve a competitive insurance marketplace that provides quality care at an affordable cost,' the GOP plan says. 'But, this does not mean returning to the pre-Obamacare status quo.')" From WaPo - 10 takeaways from House GOP's Obamacare alternative
+ From WaPo - Paul Ryan unveils plan to set fire to the American health-care system
*2. MAYBE THE GIG ECONOMY DOESN'T PAY SO WELL...
"Internal Uber calculations, provided to BuzzFeed News by Uber, based on data spanning more than a million rides and covering thousands of drivers in three major U.S. markets — Denver, Detroit, and Houston — suggest that drivers in each of the three markets overall earned less than an average of $13.25 an hour after expenses." From BuzzFeed - Uber Data Leaked Docs Provide A Look At How Much Uber Drivers Make
+ From Fortune - It Turns Out Millennials Really Aren’t That Into Freelancing
*3. WHAT THE FARC?!!!
A possible end to one of the world's longest-running (50 years) conflicts. "The agreement sets in motion an end to the region’s oldest conflict. An estimated 220,000 people have been killed in more than 50 years of fighting between the guerrillas and the government. More than five million people are estimated to have been displaced." From NYT - FARC Rebels in Columbia Reach Cease-Fire Deal With Government
*4 PLACE YOUR BETS! PLACE YOUR BETS!
The big winner in the "Brexit" vote? Bookies! "To bookmakers, uncertainty is the midwife of all wagers. Brexit presents the perfect swirl of unpredictable forces: a potentially grave geopolitical risk that has provoked fratricide in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, dominating news coverage. Everyone is paying attention. No one knows how it will end. William Hill, the largest bookmaker in Britain, assumes the industry will collectively count wagers reaching £20 million (more than $29 million) before the Brexit results are in." From NYT - 'Brexit' Vote Already Has a Winner: The Gambling Industry
+ From NYT - Britain Votes to Leave E.U.; Cameron Plans to Step Down
*5. NO PAIN, NO GAIN
There is no easy fix for long-term, debilitating pain. "A 2008 study by the Mayo Clinic, though, found that patients who were weaned off opioids and undergo a nondrug-based program experienced less pain than while on opioids and also significantly improved in function. Other studies have had similar findings." From NYT - New Ways to Treat Pain Meet Resistance
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- The Multitasking Celebrity Takes Center Stage From The New Yorker
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
*1. AFFORDABLE HEALTH-CARE REVISITED
Republican or Democrat, dialogue on health-care is a great thing for America. Universal health-care should be available to EVERY American. The Affordable Care Act was the first crack at providing universal health-care. The basic tenet (healthcare for everyone) will evolve and we will figure it out. "In essence, they (House GOP) have accepted the argument that the federal government has an obligation to provide at least access to health-care insurance for all. Republicans are saying: We can do it [provide health-care] better. The libertarian dream of getting government entirely out of health care is gone. ('Americans deserve a competitive insurance marketplace that provides quality care at an affordable cost,' the GOP plan says. 'But, this does not mean returning to the pre-Obamacare status quo.')" From WaPo - 10 takeaways from House GOP's Obamacare alternative
+ From WaPo - Paul Ryan unveils plan to set fire to the American health-care system
*2. MAYBE THE GIG ECONOMY DOESN'T PAY SO WELL...
"Internal Uber calculations, provided to BuzzFeed News by Uber, based on data spanning more than a million rides and covering thousands of drivers in three major U.S. markets — Denver, Detroit, and Houston — suggest that drivers in each of the three markets overall earned less than an average of $13.25 an hour after expenses." From BuzzFeed - Uber Data Leaked Docs Provide A Look At How Much Uber Drivers Make
+ From Fortune - It Turns Out Millennials Really Aren’t That Into Freelancing
*3. WHAT THE FARC?!!!
A possible end to one of the world's longest-running (50 years) conflicts. "The agreement sets in motion an end to the region’s oldest conflict. An estimated 220,000 people have been killed in more than 50 years of fighting between the guerrillas and the government. More than five million people are estimated to have been displaced." From NYT - FARC Rebels in Columbia Reach Cease-Fire Deal With Government
*4 PLACE YOUR BETS! PLACE YOUR BETS!
The big winner in the "Brexit" vote? Bookies! "To bookmakers, uncertainty is the midwife of all wagers. Brexit presents the perfect swirl of unpredictable forces: a potentially grave geopolitical risk that has provoked fratricide in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, dominating news coverage. Everyone is paying attention. No one knows how it will end. William Hill, the largest bookmaker in Britain, assumes the industry will collectively count wagers reaching £20 million (more than $29 million) before the Brexit results are in." From NYT - 'Brexit' Vote Already Has a Winner: The Gambling Industry
+ From NYT - Britain Votes to Leave E.U.; Cameron Plans to Step Down
*5. NO PAIN, NO GAIN
There is no easy fix for long-term, debilitating pain. "A 2008 study by the Mayo Clinic, though, found that patients who were weaned off opioids and undergo a nondrug-based program experienced less pain than while on opioids and also significantly improved in function. Other studies have had similar findings." From NYT - New Ways to Treat Pain Meet Resistance
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- The Multitasking Celebrity Takes Center Stage From The New Yorker
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Thursday, June 23, 2016
DOH!
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*1. DOH!
Is this foreshadowing for what is to come in Rio? "The jaguar was trotted out during an Olympic torch event in Brazil, where the official team mascot is named Ginga, a smiling, yellow jaguar. But the appearance did not end well for the jaguar: A soldier shot the animal after it escaped from its handlers." From WaPo - Jaguar shot dead during Olympic ceremony after escaping handlers
+ Lose an endangered animal and a golfer in the same day. Is this the first of many such announcements to come? "Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Rio Olympics because of his concerns over the Zika virus Wednesday, a disappointing decision for a sport that is returning to the Games after a 112-year absence." From WaPo - Rory McIlroy pulls out of Rio Olympics over Zika concerns
*2. SIT DOWN!
You don't give me what I want, I'm not leaving. "Democrats, who gathered in the well of the chamber, began their sit-in [on the House floor] around 11:30 a.m. The group grew to about 100 members by 3:30 p.m. The assembled Democrats are demanding gun-control votes on measures that would prevent suspected terrorists from buying firearms and expand background checks. Several members also spoke in support of banning assault weapons." From WaPo - Democrats stage sit-in on House floor to force gun-control votes
+ "House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) dismissed Democrats' 'sit-in' on the House floor Wednesday as 'nothing more than a publicity stunt' and said it was 'not a way to bring up legislation.'" From Politico - Ryan blasts sit-in as 'publicity stunt'
+ US Democrats had the TV feed of their gun-control protest cut off, so they’re using Facebook Live From Quartz
*3. VEGAS, BABY!
It's hard to believe Vegas does not have a pro team. Let's see if the Raiders follow. "The NHL became the first of the four major sports to bet on Las Vegas when it announced Wednesday the nation's gambling capital would be the home of the league’s 31st team starting in the 2017-18 season." From USAToday - NHL approves expansion to Las Vegas
*4. FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!
It's about time (no pun intended). The U.S. should be a leader in mobile data speeds. "Broadly speaking: far faster speeds. He [FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler] says 5G should be 'like mobile fiber,' offering speeds 10 to 100 times faster than what mobile offers today." From The Verge - The FCC will start to make 5G a reality this week
*5. COVER UP!
Somebody's ALWAYS watching AND listening. "An eagle-eyed Twitter user noticed that in the image’s background, his [Mark Zuckerberg's] laptop camera and microphone jack appeared to be covered with tape." From NYT - Mark Zuckerberg Covers His Laptop Camera. You Should Consider It, Too.
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
*1. DOH!
Is this foreshadowing for what is to come in Rio? "The jaguar was trotted out during an Olympic torch event in Brazil, where the official team mascot is named Ginga, a smiling, yellow jaguar. But the appearance did not end well for the jaguar: A soldier shot the animal after it escaped from its handlers." From WaPo - Jaguar shot dead during Olympic ceremony after escaping handlers
+ Lose an endangered animal and a golfer in the same day. Is this the first of many such announcements to come? "Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Rio Olympics because of his concerns over the Zika virus Wednesday, a disappointing decision for a sport that is returning to the Games after a 112-year absence." From WaPo - Rory McIlroy pulls out of Rio Olympics over Zika concerns
*2. SIT DOWN!
You don't give me what I want, I'm not leaving. "Democrats, who gathered in the well of the chamber, began their sit-in [on the House floor] around 11:30 a.m. The group grew to about 100 members by 3:30 p.m. The assembled Democrats are demanding gun-control votes on measures that would prevent suspected terrorists from buying firearms and expand background checks. Several members also spoke in support of banning assault weapons." From WaPo - Democrats stage sit-in on House floor to force gun-control votes
+ "House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) dismissed Democrats' 'sit-in' on the House floor Wednesday as 'nothing more than a publicity stunt' and said it was 'not a way to bring up legislation.'" From Politico - Ryan blasts sit-in as 'publicity stunt'
+ US Democrats had the TV feed of their gun-control protest cut off, so they’re using Facebook Live From Quartz
*3. VEGAS, BABY!
It's hard to believe Vegas does not have a pro team. Let's see if the Raiders follow. "The NHL became the first of the four major sports to bet on Las Vegas when it announced Wednesday the nation's gambling capital would be the home of the league’s 31st team starting in the 2017-18 season." From USAToday - NHL approves expansion to Las Vegas
*4. FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!
It's about time (no pun intended). The U.S. should be a leader in mobile data speeds. "Broadly speaking: far faster speeds. He [FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler] says 5G should be 'like mobile fiber,' offering speeds 10 to 100 times faster than what mobile offers today." From The Verge - The FCC will start to make 5G a reality this week
*5. COVER UP!
Somebody's ALWAYS watching AND listening. "An eagle-eyed Twitter user noticed that in the image’s background, his [Mark Zuckerberg's] laptop camera and microphone jack appeared to be covered with tape." From NYT - Mark Zuckerberg Covers His Laptop Camera. You Should Consider It, Too.
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
WIN SOME. LOSE SOME.
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
*1. WIN SOME. LOSE SOME.
Whether you are a "winner" or "loser" is dependent on which side of the isle you sit.
"The Senate on Monday failed to advance four separate measures aimed at curbing gun sales. Eight days after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State killed 49 people in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub, the Senate deadlocked, largely along party lines, on amendments to block people on the federal terrorism watch list from buying guns and to close loopholes in background check laws. Families of gun violence victims looked on from the Senate chamber as the votes were held. "From NYT - Senate Rejects 4 Measures to Control Gun Sales - NYTimes.com
+ "The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a Connecticut law banning many semiautomatic rifles. The law, enacted in 2013 in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., made it a crime to sell or possess the firearms, which critics call assault weapons." From NYT - Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge to Connecticut Ban on Semiautomatic Weapons
*2. FAST TIMES AT BEIJING HIGH
"China dominates a biannual ranking of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers, called the Top500. Not only does China have the world’s fastest machine for the seventh consecutive time, it has the largest number of computers among the top 500 — a first for any country other than the United States. While the Chinese have perfected the manufacture of traditional supercomputers pioneered by American companies like IBM and Cray, the United States may focus on new, more efficient supercomputers that might lead to machines intended for challenges like artificial intelligence." From NYT - China Wins New Bragging Rights in Supercomputers
*3. WHO LOOKS LIKE A TERRORIST?
"A Dartmouth College researcher and a nonprofit group say they have created a technology that can help Internet companies instantly detect images and videos generated by terrorists and their supporters and remove them from their platforms. But a number of major social-media companies are wary of the idea. They say there is no clear consensus in the United States, and globally, as to what constitutes a terrorist image, and they might end up expunging material posted by researchers or media organizations." From WaPo - There’s a new tool to take down terrorism images online. But social-media companies are wary of it.
+ "Mathematicians have concluded that profiling’s efficacy is so limited that randomly selecting people for scrutiny may be the better policy. It isn’t possible to build a highly accurate profile of a potential evildoer, and profiling can easily lead to wasting resources checking and rechecking the same innocent people over and over again." From WaPo - Who ‘looks like’ a terrorist in America?
+ How Do You Stop a Future Terrorist When the Only Evidence Is a Thought? From NYT
*4. BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE SOME CHANGE?
++ Donald Trump Hints He May Fund Race Himself From NYT
+ "A campaign to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican presidential nominee has the support of nearly 400 delegates to the GOP’s convention next month, quickly transforming what began as an idea tossed around on social media into a force that could derail a national campaign. 'If the next few weeks are anything like the last two,' a senior GOP official told me [Michael Gerson], 'anything could happen at the convention.'" From WaPo - New anti-Trump movement grows to include hundreds of GOP delegates and A delegate revolt has become Republicans’ only option
++ ‘Dump Trump’ Is Doomed, But We Can’t Take Our Eyes Off It From FiveThirtyEight
*5. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
"Rates of marijuana use among Colorado's teenagers are essentially unchanged in the years since the state's voters legalized marijuana in 2012, new survey data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows." From WaPo - Now we know what happens to teens when you make pot legal
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Why Handwriting Is Still Essential in the Keyboard Age
*1. WIN SOME. LOSE SOME.
Whether you are a "winner" or "loser" is dependent on which side of the isle you sit.
"The Senate on Monday failed to advance four separate measures aimed at curbing gun sales. Eight days after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State killed 49 people in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub, the Senate deadlocked, largely along party lines, on amendments to block people on the federal terrorism watch list from buying guns and to close loopholes in background check laws. Families of gun violence victims looked on from the Senate chamber as the votes were held. "From NYT - Senate Rejects 4 Measures to Control Gun Sales - NYTimes.com
+ "The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a Connecticut law banning many semiautomatic rifles. The law, enacted in 2013 in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., made it a crime to sell or possess the firearms, which critics call assault weapons." From NYT - Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge to Connecticut Ban on Semiautomatic Weapons
*2. FAST TIMES AT BEIJING HIGH
"China dominates a biannual ranking of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers, called the Top500. Not only does China have the world’s fastest machine for the seventh consecutive time, it has the largest number of computers among the top 500 — a first for any country other than the United States. While the Chinese have perfected the manufacture of traditional supercomputers pioneered by American companies like IBM and Cray, the United States may focus on new, more efficient supercomputers that might lead to machines intended for challenges like artificial intelligence." From NYT - China Wins New Bragging Rights in Supercomputers
*3. WHO LOOKS LIKE A TERRORIST?
"A Dartmouth College researcher and a nonprofit group say they have created a technology that can help Internet companies instantly detect images and videos generated by terrorists and their supporters and remove them from their platforms. But a number of major social-media companies are wary of the idea. They say there is no clear consensus in the United States, and globally, as to what constitutes a terrorist image, and they might end up expunging material posted by researchers or media organizations." From WaPo - There’s a new tool to take down terrorism images online. But social-media companies are wary of it.
+ "Mathematicians have concluded that profiling’s efficacy is so limited that randomly selecting people for scrutiny may be the better policy. It isn’t possible to build a highly accurate profile of a potential evildoer, and profiling can easily lead to wasting resources checking and rechecking the same innocent people over and over again." From WaPo - Who ‘looks like’ a terrorist in America?
+ How Do You Stop a Future Terrorist When the Only Evidence Is a Thought? From NYT
*4. BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE SOME CHANGE?
"Mr. Trump began June with just $1.3 million in cash on hand, a figure more typical for a campaign for the House of Representatives than the White House. He trailed Hillary Clinton, who raised more than $28 million in May, by more than $41 million, according to reports filed late Monday night with the Federal Election Commission." From NYT - Donald Trump Starts Summer Push With Crippling Money Deficit
++ Donald Trump Hints He May Fund Race Himself From NYT
+ "A campaign to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican presidential nominee has the support of nearly 400 delegates to the GOP’s convention next month, quickly transforming what began as an idea tossed around on social media into a force that could derail a national campaign. 'If the next few weeks are anything like the last two,' a senior GOP official told me [Michael Gerson], 'anything could happen at the convention.'" From WaPo - New anti-Trump movement grows to include hundreds of GOP delegates and A delegate revolt has become Republicans’ only option
++ ‘Dump Trump’ Is Doomed, But We Can’t Take Our Eyes Off It From FiveThirtyEight
*5. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
"Rates of marijuana use among Colorado's teenagers are essentially unchanged in the years since the state's voters legalized marijuana in 2012, new survey data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows." From WaPo - Now we know what happens to teens when you make pot legal
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Why Handwriting Is Still Essential in the Keyboard Age
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
HIGH TIME
*1. HIGH TIME
"Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from 'seed to sale.' The software is meant to help states that have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana keep tabs on sales and commerce, ensuring that they remain in the daylight of legality." From NYT - The First Big Company to Say It’s Serving the Legal Marijuana Trade? Microsoft.
*2. EXPENSIVE TIME
"In some states, the average premium [for auto insurance] doubles. And even in states with relatively modest increases, premiums can balloon by double digits. 'Parents need to understand, it’s very expensive to add a teenager,' said Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst with insuranceQuotes." From NYT - Adding Teen Driver to Auto Policy Yields Average 79% Premium Rise
*3. CHEAP TIME
The times are a changin'... "And while new accounts do not come with free toasters, GS Bank [Goldman Sachs], started in April, does promise 'peace-of-mind savings' and 'no transaction fees.' In short, it is aimed squarely at ordinary Americans — a clientele the company scrupulously avoided during the first 147 years of its history, favoring instead tycoons and plutocrats." From NYT - After 147 Years, Goldman Sachs Hangs a Shingle on Main Street
*4. HEALTHY TIME
"In 2015, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges put out a report calling exercise a 'miracle cure.' This isn’t one of those things with just some cohort or case-control studies behind it, either. There are many, many randomized controlled trials. A huge meta-analysis examined the effect of exercise therapy on outcomes in people with chronic diseases." From NYT - Closest Thing to a Wonder Drug? Try Exercise
"Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from 'seed to sale.' The software is meant to help states that have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana keep tabs on sales and commerce, ensuring that they remain in the daylight of legality." From NYT - The First Big Company to Say It’s Serving the Legal Marijuana Trade? Microsoft.
*2. EXPENSIVE TIME
"In some states, the average premium [for auto insurance] doubles. And even in states with relatively modest increases, premiums can balloon by double digits. 'Parents need to understand, it’s very expensive to add a teenager,' said Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst with insuranceQuotes." From NYT - Adding Teen Driver to Auto Policy Yields Average 79% Premium Rise
*3. CHEAP TIME
The times are a changin'... "And while new accounts do not come with free toasters, GS Bank [Goldman Sachs], started in April, does promise 'peace-of-mind savings' and 'no transaction fees.' In short, it is aimed squarely at ordinary Americans — a clientele the company scrupulously avoided during the first 147 years of its history, favoring instead tycoons and plutocrats." From NYT - After 147 Years, Goldman Sachs Hangs a Shingle on Main Street
*4. HEALTHY TIME
"In 2015, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges put out a report calling exercise a 'miracle cure.' This isn’t one of those things with just some cohort or case-control studies behind it, either. There are many, many randomized controlled trials. A huge meta-analysis examined the effect of exercise therapy on outcomes in people with chronic diseases." From NYT - Closest Thing to a Wonder Drug? Try Exercise
+ and exercise helps with your memory. "In recent years, for instance, many studies have shown that a powerful way to improving your memory is to exercise." From Quartz - There’s a powerful hack to remember something new you’ve just learned
*5. OUT OF TIME
"The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that evidence found by police officers after illegal stops may be used in court if the officers conducted their searches after learning that the defendants had outstanding arrest warrants." From NYT - Supreme Court Says Police May Use Evidence Found After Illegal Stops
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- "The average death toll in terror attacks, it turns out, is close to zero." From NYT - How Many Die in a Typical Terror Attack? Fewer Than You Think
- "And why do people hiccup, anyway?" From Vox - The mysterious science of hiccups: why we get them and how to stop them
- "The Terrafugia Transition earned an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration meaning the federal government is on track to legalize the first flying car." From WaPo - Flying cars just took a big step closer to being legal
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
*5. OUT OF TIME
"The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that evidence found by police officers after illegal stops may be used in court if the officers conducted their searches after learning that the defendants had outstanding arrest warrants." From NYT - Supreme Court Says Police May Use Evidence Found After Illegal Stops
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- "The average death toll in terror attacks, it turns out, is close to zero." From NYT - How Many Die in a Typical Terror Attack? Fewer Than You Think
- "And why do people hiccup, anyway?" From Vox - The mysterious science of hiccups: why we get them and how to stop them
- "The Terrafugia Transition earned an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration meaning the federal government is on track to legalize the first flying car." From WaPo - Flying cars just took a big step closer to being legal
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
Monday, June 20, 2016
MUTINY!
*1. MUTINY!
Folks at the State Department are not happy with the direction of Syrian policy...
"Dozens of State Department employees signed and submitted a memo urging the Obama administration to adopt a more aggressive stance against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, including the use of military force." From WaPo - In memo, U.S. diplomats urge more aggressive stance on Syria
+ Secretary of State John Kerry, said, "It’s an important statement and I respect the process very, very much." From NYT - John Kerry Is Said to Side With Diplomats' Critical Memo on Syria
+ The last ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, said, "Hope is not a policy. It can’t be the only basis of policy if there are major political consequences in NATO countries. The policy of the U.S. government since the end of the Second World War has been that Europe needs to unify to be strong and to avoid more internal conflicts. Now the very unity of Europe is being called into question, in no small part because of the refugee problem out of Syria. This is beyond Syria. That we did not expect in 2012." From New Yorker - Former Ambassador Robert Ford on the State Department Mutiny on Syria
What impact is the letter likely to have? Ford said, "The impact of the letter may not be so great."
*2. HER NAME IS RIO AND SHE...APPEARS TO BE IN DEEP TROUBLE
Let's see, Zika, presidential impeachment, the normal stressors of hosting the Olympics, and now this...
"Just weeks before it stages the 2016 Olympic Games, the state government of Rio de Janeiro has declared a 'state of public calamity in financial administration' and warned that the situation is so dire it impedes the locale’s ability to meet the Games commitments. The state government said the crisis could cause a 'total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management.'" From WaPo - Financial calamity declared in Rio weeks before Olympics, but Games will go on
*3. SPEAR PHISHING ALWAYS ALWAYS WORKS
"Verizon's report [Data Breach Investigations Report] makes it clear that these [phishing] attacks have become very successful. Verizon found that about one-third of recipients actually open phishing emails, and some 12 percent actually click the links contained in their messages. Fortunately, phishing attacks like these are easy to thwart, if you know what to look for; click here for a quick primer on how to spot and avoid them." From TechCrunch - How data thieves hook victims - and how to beat them
+ "The exercise was not meant to test whether Veris could breach Palantir’s external wall. Instead, the red team was deliberately let in, to simulate what would happen if a Palantir employee succumbed to a very common and highly effective break-in technique called 'spear phishing'. But from that point on, the Veris team went into hacker mode, using a range of tricks to spread through Palantir’s cyber fortress, the report shows." From BuzzFeed - How Hired Hackers Got “Complete Control” Of Palantir
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
Folks at the State Department are not happy with the direction of Syrian policy...
"Dozens of State Department employees signed and submitted a memo urging the Obama administration to adopt a more aggressive stance against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, including the use of military force." From WaPo - In memo, U.S. diplomats urge more aggressive stance on Syria
+ Secretary of State John Kerry, said, "It’s an important statement and I respect the process very, very much." From NYT - John Kerry Is Said to Side With Diplomats' Critical Memo on Syria
+ The last ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, said, "Hope is not a policy. It can’t be the only basis of policy if there are major political consequences in NATO countries. The policy of the U.S. government since the end of the Second World War has been that Europe needs to unify to be strong and to avoid more internal conflicts. Now the very unity of Europe is being called into question, in no small part because of the refugee problem out of Syria. This is beyond Syria. That we did not expect in 2012." From New Yorker - Former Ambassador Robert Ford on the State Department Mutiny on Syria
What impact is the letter likely to have? Ford said, "The impact of the letter may not be so great."
*2. HER NAME IS RIO AND SHE...APPEARS TO BE IN DEEP TROUBLE
Let's see, Zika, presidential impeachment, the normal stressors of hosting the Olympics, and now this...
"Just weeks before it stages the 2016 Olympic Games, the state government of Rio de Janeiro has declared a 'state of public calamity in financial administration' and warned that the situation is so dire it impedes the locale’s ability to meet the Games commitments. The state government said the crisis could cause a 'total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management.'" From WaPo - Financial calamity declared in Rio weeks before Olympics, but Games will go on
*3. SPEAR PHISHING ALWAYS ALWAYS WORKS
"Verizon's report [Data Breach Investigations Report] makes it clear that these [phishing] attacks have become very successful. Verizon found that about one-third of recipients actually open phishing emails, and some 12 percent actually click the links contained in their messages. Fortunately, phishing attacks like these are easy to thwart, if you know what to look for; click here for a quick primer on how to spot and avoid them." From TechCrunch - How data thieves hook victims - and how to beat them
+ "The exercise was not meant to test whether Veris could breach Palantir’s external wall. Instead, the red team was deliberately let in, to simulate what would happen if a Palantir employee succumbed to a very common and highly effective break-in technique called 'spear phishing'. But from that point on, the Veris team went into hacker mode, using a range of tricks to spread through Palantir’s cyber fortress, the report shows." From BuzzFeed - How Hired Hackers Got “Complete Control” Of Palantir
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
Friday, June 17, 2016
THE HUBBUB ABOUT THE PHRASE 'RADICAL ISLAM'
*1. THE HUBBUB ABOUT THE PHRASE 'RADICAL ISLAM'
"'Since before I was President, I’ve been clear about how extremist groups have perverted Islam to justify terrorism,' he [Obama] said. 'There’s not been a moment in my seven and a half years as President when we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didn’t use the label ‘radical Islam.’ Not once has an adviser of mine said, ‘Man, if we really use that phrase, we’re going to turn this whole thing around.’ Not once.' But this was a much more consequential political intervention than a campaign speech. It was a Commander-in-Chief making the case that Trump, and Trump’s approach to fighting terrorism, represent every bit as big a threat to the United States as the terrorists themselves do." From New Yorker - Obama's Defining Attack on Trump and Trumpism
+ Just in case your confused and need a "text book" definition for 'radical Islam'... "The phrase does not explicitly say there is an intrinsic link between terrorism and Islam. But it suggests religion is the core issue, and by using the vague modifier 'radical,' there is an implication that any adherent can be suspect on grounds that are unclear and open to interpretation." From NYT - When a Phrase Takes On New Meaning: ‘Radical Islam,’ Explained
Meanwhile, on the other side of the isle, elder GOP statesman John McCain had this to say...
+ "McCain made his remarks in a Senate hallway to a small group of reporters, responding to a question about the gun-control debate. 'Barack Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama’s failures,' McCain said." From WaPo - John McCain: Obama is ‘directly responsible’ for Orlando attack
*2. THE COST OF YOUR SUGAR FIX
Philadelphia mayor Mayor Jim Kenney was able to get the tax bill passed by focusing on using the tax funds for child development-related programs and not health benefits. "One of the mayor's selling points in persuading the City Council to support the measure is that much of the estimated $91 million the tax would bring to the city's coffers each year would boost funding for programs including citywide pre-K education." From NPR - Philadelphia Becomes 1st Major U.S. City To Pass A Tax On Soda
+ "Mars Inc. is reportedly considering ending the use of its signature M&Ms in sugary dessert treats, the most famous of which could be the McDonald’s mcd McFlurry. Mars is responding to increasing public scrutiny of the levels of sugar found in these items, according to Reuters, and the candy maker is looking to keep the use of its products in line with its stated stance that sweets like M&Ms are best enjoyed in moderation." Isn't that kind of like saying I'll have a Diet Coke with my Big Mac...? From Fortune - Why You May Not Be Able to Get M&M McFlurries Anymore
*3. A PHONE FREE-ZONE
"This is a “phone-free event." Your phone goes in here [a gray, rubbery pouch], and then we lock it. The pouch might not look like the latest techno-bling out of Silicon Valley, but it’s become the go-to tool for a slew of artists — including Dave Chappelle, the Lumineers and Louis C.K. — trying to reclaim their live performances without going all Adele on their fans." Can you still bring in tape recorders? From WaPo - Alicia Keys is done playing nice. Your phone is getting locked up at her shows now
*4. A SERVING OF CHINESE HACKING TO GO WITH YOUR PIZZA AND CHEESE CURDS
"'When they [Area 1, a company that focuses on tracking digital attacks against businesses] first told us, we said, ‘No way,’ Mr. Cate said over pizza and cheese curds, recalling when he first learned the computer server his family used to manage its welding business had been secretly repurposed [by Chinese hackers]. 'We were totally freaked out,' Ms. Cate said. 'We had no idea we could be used as an infiltration unit for Chinese attacks.'" From NYT - The Chinese Hackers in the Back Office
*5. "BLINKING RED LIGHTS"
"The CIA director [John Brennan ] told Congress Thursday that cyberthreats, North Korea's nuclear program, and instability across the Middle East and Africa are the top issues he would highlight when briefing President Barack Obama's potential successors on the world's 'blinking red lights.' Also, asked by Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, 'If the next president of the United States directs the CIA to use coercive interrogation techniques, how would you respond?' Brennan replied, 'I have said publicly that I do not believe such aggressive coercive techniques are necessary. As you know the CIA's interrogation program was disbanded, and I certainly, while I am director of the CIA have no intention of bringing such a program back and would not engage in EOT such as waterboarding and other things.'" From Politico - CIA chief outlines 'blinking red lights' for White House hopefuls
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Fighting ISIS With an Algorithm, Physicists Try to Predict Attacks From NYT
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
"'Since before I was President, I’ve been clear about how extremist groups have perverted Islam to justify terrorism,' he [Obama] said. 'There’s not been a moment in my seven and a half years as President when we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didn’t use the label ‘radical Islam.’ Not once has an adviser of mine said, ‘Man, if we really use that phrase, we’re going to turn this whole thing around.’ Not once.' But this was a much more consequential political intervention than a campaign speech. It was a Commander-in-Chief making the case that Trump, and Trump’s approach to fighting terrorism, represent every bit as big a threat to the United States as the terrorists themselves do." From New Yorker - Obama's Defining Attack on Trump and Trumpism
+ Just in case your confused and need a "text book" definition for 'radical Islam'... "The phrase does not explicitly say there is an intrinsic link between terrorism and Islam. But it suggests religion is the core issue, and by using the vague modifier 'radical,' there is an implication that any adherent can be suspect on grounds that are unclear and open to interpretation." From NYT - When a Phrase Takes On New Meaning: ‘Radical Islam,’ Explained
Meanwhile, on the other side of the isle, elder GOP statesman John McCain had this to say...
+ "McCain made his remarks in a Senate hallway to a small group of reporters, responding to a question about the gun-control debate. 'Barack Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama’s failures,' McCain said." From WaPo - John McCain: Obama is ‘directly responsible’ for Orlando attack
*2. THE COST OF YOUR SUGAR FIX
Philadelphia mayor Mayor Jim Kenney was able to get the tax bill passed by focusing on using the tax funds for child development-related programs and not health benefits. "One of the mayor's selling points in persuading the City Council to support the measure is that much of the estimated $91 million the tax would bring to the city's coffers each year would boost funding for programs including citywide pre-K education." From NPR - Philadelphia Becomes 1st Major U.S. City To Pass A Tax On Soda
+ "Mars Inc. is reportedly considering ending the use of its signature M&Ms in sugary dessert treats, the most famous of which could be the McDonald’s mcd McFlurry. Mars is responding to increasing public scrutiny of the levels of sugar found in these items, according to Reuters, and the candy maker is looking to keep the use of its products in line with its stated stance that sweets like M&Ms are best enjoyed in moderation." Isn't that kind of like saying I'll have a Diet Coke with my Big Mac...? From Fortune - Why You May Not Be Able to Get M&M McFlurries Anymore
*3. A PHONE FREE-ZONE
"This is a “phone-free event." Your phone goes in here [a gray, rubbery pouch], and then we lock it. The pouch might not look like the latest techno-bling out of Silicon Valley, but it’s become the go-to tool for a slew of artists — including Dave Chappelle, the Lumineers and Louis C.K. — trying to reclaim their live performances without going all Adele on their fans." Can you still bring in tape recorders? From WaPo - Alicia Keys is done playing nice. Your phone is getting locked up at her shows now
*4. A SERVING OF CHINESE HACKING TO GO WITH YOUR PIZZA AND CHEESE CURDS
"'When they [Area 1, a company that focuses on tracking digital attacks against businesses] first told us, we said, ‘No way,’ Mr. Cate said over pizza and cheese curds, recalling when he first learned the computer server his family used to manage its welding business had been secretly repurposed [by Chinese hackers]. 'We were totally freaked out,' Ms. Cate said. 'We had no idea we could be used as an infiltration unit for Chinese attacks.'" From NYT - The Chinese Hackers in the Back Office
*5. "BLINKING RED LIGHTS"
"The CIA director [John Brennan ] told Congress Thursday that cyberthreats, North Korea's nuclear program, and instability across the Middle East and Africa are the top issues he would highlight when briefing President Barack Obama's potential successors on the world's 'blinking red lights.' Also, asked by Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, 'If the next president of the United States directs the CIA to use coercive interrogation techniques, how would you respond?' Brennan replied, 'I have said publicly that I do not believe such aggressive coercive techniques are necessary. As you know the CIA's interrogation program was disbanded, and I certainly, while I am director of the CIA have no intention of bringing such a program back and would not engage in EOT such as waterboarding and other things.'" From Politico - CIA chief outlines 'blinking red lights' for White House hopefuls
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Fighting ISIS With an Algorithm, Physicists Try to Predict Attacks From NYT
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Thursday, June 16, 2016
AND NOW THIS...
*1. AND NOW THIS...
Donald Trump rang in the Army’s 241st birthday in unusual fashion on Tuesday — by calling attention to theft of government funds by American soldiers in Iraq. 'Iraq, crooked as hell. How about bringing baskets of money — millions and millions of dollars — and handing it out?. I want to know who were the soldiers that had that job, because I think they’re living very well right now, whoever they may be.'" From Politico - Trump: U.S. troops stole money in Iraq
*2. FLASH BOYS
"When the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed off on the new National Market System (Reg NMS) in 2005, the goal was to transform the 188-year-old New York Stock Exchange from an old school institution where specialists shouted from the trading floor into a hyper-efficient system of computers quietly matching orders in real time. But in the decade since Reg NMS was enacted, the proliferation of exchanges has combined with rapid growth in computing power to create a market system that is shockingly complex. There are now more than 50 public and private exchanges, tethered together by a web of regulations that dictate how they must coordinate." Even traders don't really know how a trade is made. From Quartz - The SEC tried to fix a finance problem and created a computer problem instead
*3. ROADMAP TO THE WHITEHOUSE...?
"Russian hackers broke into the Democratic National Committee’s computer networks and made off with opposition research about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Now a nearly 200 page document has turned up on Gawker that appears to be from that trove of stolen material. It’s too soon to attest to its authenticity, but it certainly looks real, and it’s the sort of thing that would be hard to create on short notice. The document, sets out a seven point strategy for Democrats to challenge Trump." The Russian hack of the DNC is going to be the gift that keeps giving for a while. From Fortune - Hacked Document Shows 7 Ways Hillary Plans to Attack Trump
*4. WHEN BLACK HOLES COLLIDE
"About 1.4 billion years ago...two black holes spiraled toward one another, approaching closer and closer until they finally collided. Ripples in spacetime spread from the collision at the speed of light until, for about a second on December 25, 2015, the space holding the atoms that make you up buckled and then relaxed. Today [6/15/2016], the LIGO team announced its second detection of gravitational waves." Why is it important? "[The detection of gravitational waves] provides further confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity." From Wired - LIGO Has Detected Gravitational Waves for the Second Time and from USAToday - Gravitational waves detected for second time
*5. GOLDEN SHOWER
"Still, that 0.875 gallon of water that will escape the shower head in the 21 seconds it takes for the average person to pee is still less than the 1.6 gallons — more in older toilets — used to flush urine away." And there you have it... From USAToday - It all adds up: Peeing in the shower makes sense
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Donald Trump rang in the Army’s 241st birthday in unusual fashion on Tuesday — by calling attention to theft of government funds by American soldiers in Iraq. 'Iraq, crooked as hell. How about bringing baskets of money — millions and millions of dollars — and handing it out?. I want to know who were the soldiers that had that job, because I think they’re living very well right now, whoever they may be.'" From Politico - Trump: U.S. troops stole money in Iraq
*2. FLASH BOYS
"When the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed off on the new National Market System (Reg NMS) in 2005, the goal was to transform the 188-year-old New York Stock Exchange from an old school institution where specialists shouted from the trading floor into a hyper-efficient system of computers quietly matching orders in real time. But in the decade since Reg NMS was enacted, the proliferation of exchanges has combined with rapid growth in computing power to create a market system that is shockingly complex. There are now more than 50 public and private exchanges, tethered together by a web of regulations that dictate how they must coordinate." Even traders don't really know how a trade is made. From Quartz - The SEC tried to fix a finance problem and created a computer problem instead
*3. ROADMAP TO THE WHITEHOUSE...?
"Russian hackers broke into the Democratic National Committee’s computer networks and made off with opposition research about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Now a nearly 200 page document has turned up on Gawker that appears to be from that trove of stolen material. It’s too soon to attest to its authenticity, but it certainly looks real, and it’s the sort of thing that would be hard to create on short notice. The document, sets out a seven point strategy for Democrats to challenge Trump." The Russian hack of the DNC is going to be the gift that keeps giving for a while. From Fortune - Hacked Document Shows 7 Ways Hillary Plans to Attack Trump
*4. WHEN BLACK HOLES COLLIDE
"About 1.4 billion years ago...two black holes spiraled toward one another, approaching closer and closer until they finally collided. Ripples in spacetime spread from the collision at the speed of light until, for about a second on December 25, 2015, the space holding the atoms that make you up buckled and then relaxed. Today [6/15/2016], the LIGO team announced its second detection of gravitational waves." Why is it important? "[The detection of gravitational waves] provides further confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity." From Wired - LIGO Has Detected Gravitational Waves for the Second Time and from USAToday - Gravitational waves detected for second time
*5. GOLDEN SHOWER
"Still, that 0.875 gallon of water that will escape the shower head in the 21 seconds it takes for the average person to pee is still less than the 1.6 gallons — more in older toilets — used to flush urine away." And there you have it... From USAToday - It all adds up: Peeing in the shower makes sense
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
*1. WHAT'S IN A NAME?
"By shoehorning these attacks into familiar narratives — gun violence, homophobia, jihadism — we can make sense of them, helping us to grieve, and also to process the danger and how to respond to it. Even more, it allows us to validate a pre-existing worldview or belief whose truth we feel has gone unacknowledged." I say name it a mass murder and call it a day. From NYT - Gays, Guns and Jihad: Motives Blur on Closer Scrutiny
+ "Another possibility is that the internal forces that led Mateen to his deadly attack...accelerated quickly. With the gun buys being made in the past two weeks, Mateen's earlier talk of radicalism may have been just talk, with the seriousness developing later." Any way you slice it, without significantly trampling on everyone's civil liberties and privacy, ferreting out these guys is very difficult. "How individuals get to this point is really complex, and if we try to boil it down to one factor we're going to miss a lot of that complexity." From Politico - For FBI, another set of 'what ifs'
*2. A TYPE OF LETHAL ERECTER SET
"The type of rifle used to kill 49 people and injure 53 at an Orlando nightclub Sunday — in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history — is as American as baseball cards and apple pie. The AR-15 is synonymous with the shootings in San Bernadino, Calif, Auroroa, Colo, and Newtoen, Conn. From WaPo - The history of the AR-15
+ "The 10 Newtown plaintiffs argue that the AR-15 is a weapon of war...and therefore should never have been marketed to civilians. They say, in effect, that the availability of a high-velocity weapon capable of inflicting such rapid carnage constitutes such negligence. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Joshua D. Koskoff, contends that the AR-15’s overwhelming firepower makes it a poor choice for home defense, hunting and recreation. 'But there is one civilian activity in which the AR-15 reigns supreme: mass shootings,' the lawsuit said." From NYT - Surprising Progress in Newtown Families’ Suit Against Maker of the AR-15 Rifle
+ "How do I tell my son that 49 people all died the way his sister did? And in one of our favorite places: Orlando, Florida?" From Vox - My 6-year-old daughter died at Sandy Hook. You never move on.
+ "According to an analysis of 2010 data by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, the price tag was $669 million in direct hospital costs for just that year and $174 billion in larger societal costs, which includes disability, effects on employment, and other longer-term factors." From Fortune - The Astronomical Costs of America’s Gun Epidemic — In One Chart
*3. HACK-A-TRUMP
"The purpose of such intelligence gathering is to understand the target's proclivities. Trump's foreign investments...would be relevant to understanding how he would deal with countries where he has those investments." This would be more fun if the Russians sold the information to Trump. From NYT - D.N.C. Says Russian Hackers Penetrated Its Files, Including Dossier on Donald Trump and from WaPo - Russian government hackers penetrated DNC, stole opposition research on Trump
*4. IT'S A UTILITY, NOT A LUXURY
"High-speed internet service can be defined as a utility, a federal court has ruled.The decision affirmed the government’s view that broadband is as essential as the phone and power and should be available to all Americans, rather than a luxury that does not need close government supervision." From NYT - Court Backs Rules Treating Internet as Utility, Not Luxury
*5. HOW ABOUT GLOBAL THERMALNUCLEAR WAR
"What would it mean to have Trump’s fingers on the nuclear button? We don't really know, but we do know this: In the atomic age the presidency has evolved into something akin to a nuclear monarchy. With a single phone call, the commander in chief has virtually unlimited power to rain down nuclear weapons on any adversarial regime and country at any time. You might imagine this awesome executive power would be hamstrung with checks and balances, but by law, custom and congressional deference there may be no responsibility where the president has more absolute control." From Politico - What Exactly Would It Mean to Have Trump’s Finger on the Nuclear Button?
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Is Stephen Curry Changing Basketball, or Just Owning It? From NYT
+Steph Curry Literally Sees the World Differently Than You Do - From NYMag
- Welcome to the Most Productive Place on the Planet - From Ozy
- Tesla Plans to Sell Its Electric Cars At Nordstrom - From FastCompany
Sign up for email distribution of the Day's Most Compelling News below or by visiting Top of the News
"By shoehorning these attacks into familiar narratives — gun violence, homophobia, jihadism — we can make sense of them, helping us to grieve, and also to process the danger and how to respond to it. Even more, it allows us to validate a pre-existing worldview or belief whose truth we feel has gone unacknowledged." I say name it a mass murder and call it a day. From NYT - Gays, Guns and Jihad: Motives Blur on Closer Scrutiny
+ "Another possibility is that the internal forces that led Mateen to his deadly attack...accelerated quickly. With the gun buys being made in the past two weeks, Mateen's earlier talk of radicalism may have been just talk, with the seriousness developing later." Any way you slice it, without significantly trampling on everyone's civil liberties and privacy, ferreting out these guys is very difficult. "How individuals get to this point is really complex, and if we try to boil it down to one factor we're going to miss a lot of that complexity." From Politico - For FBI, another set of 'what ifs'
*2. A TYPE OF LETHAL ERECTER SET
"The type of rifle used to kill 49 people and injure 53 at an Orlando nightclub Sunday — in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history — is as American as baseball cards and apple pie. The AR-15 is synonymous with the shootings in San Bernadino, Calif, Auroroa, Colo, and Newtoen, Conn. From WaPo - The history of the AR-15
+ "The 10 Newtown plaintiffs argue that the AR-15 is a weapon of war...and therefore should never have been marketed to civilians. They say, in effect, that the availability of a high-velocity weapon capable of inflicting such rapid carnage constitutes such negligence. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Joshua D. Koskoff, contends that the AR-15’s overwhelming firepower makes it a poor choice for home defense, hunting and recreation. 'But there is one civilian activity in which the AR-15 reigns supreme: mass shootings,' the lawsuit said." From NYT - Surprising Progress in Newtown Families’ Suit Against Maker of the AR-15 Rifle
+ "How do I tell my son that 49 people all died the way his sister did? And in one of our favorite places: Orlando, Florida?" From Vox - My 6-year-old daughter died at Sandy Hook. You never move on.
+ "According to an analysis of 2010 data by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, the price tag was $669 million in direct hospital costs for just that year and $174 billion in larger societal costs, which includes disability, effects on employment, and other longer-term factors." From Fortune - The Astronomical Costs of America’s Gun Epidemic — In One Chart
*3. HACK-A-TRUMP
"The purpose of such intelligence gathering is to understand the target's proclivities. Trump's foreign investments...would be relevant to understanding how he would deal with countries where he has those investments." This would be more fun if the Russians sold the information to Trump. From NYT - D.N.C. Says Russian Hackers Penetrated Its Files, Including Dossier on Donald Trump and from WaPo - Russian government hackers penetrated DNC, stole opposition research on Trump
*4. IT'S A UTILITY, NOT A LUXURY
"High-speed internet service can be defined as a utility, a federal court has ruled.The decision affirmed the government’s view that broadband is as essential as the phone and power and should be available to all Americans, rather than a luxury that does not need close government supervision." From NYT - Court Backs Rules Treating Internet as Utility, Not Luxury
*5. HOW ABOUT GLOBAL THERMALNUCLEAR WAR
"What would it mean to have Trump’s fingers on the nuclear button? We don't really know, but we do know this: In the atomic age the presidency has evolved into something akin to a nuclear monarchy. With a single phone call, the commander in chief has virtually unlimited power to rain down nuclear weapons on any adversarial regime and country at any time. You might imagine this awesome executive power would be hamstrung with checks and balances, but by law, custom and congressional deference there may be no responsibility where the president has more absolute control." From Politico - What Exactly Would It Mean to Have Trump’s Finger on the Nuclear Button?
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Is Stephen Curry Changing Basketball, or Just Owning It? From NYT
+Steph Curry Literally Sees the World Differently Than You Do - From NYMag
- Welcome to the Most Productive Place on the Planet - From Ozy
- Tesla Plans to Sell Its Electric Cars At Nordstrom - From FastCompany
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE
*1. YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE
Can a presidential candidate actually "bar" journalists or publications? "Barring journalists is an almost unheard-of practice for a modern presidential candidate. The [Washington] Post is the latest major news organization that Mr. Trump has barred from his rallies and events this year, following Politico, BuzzFeed News, The Huffington Post and others." I thought the first rule of PR was any press is good press... From NYT - Washington Post Is Latest News Outlet Barred by Trump
*2. ALL SWIMMERS BACK IN THE POOL
"Now that government policy allows more Chinese couples, including older couples, to have a second child, officials are concerned that the sperm shortages will get much worse — and they are doing everything they can to find new recruits." From NYT - What in the World: China’s Call to Young Men: Your Nation Needs Your Sperm
*3. MICRO...LINK
Microsoft announced that it was buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. This quote caught my attention, "Microsoft could have acquired LinkedIn for even less a little over a decade ago. Microsoft held discussions with LinkedIn about acquiring it for $250 million." There's a BIG difference between $250 million and $26.2 billion! What a difference 10 years makes... From NYT - Microsoft, Reasserting Its Muscle, Buys LinkedIn for $26.2 Billion and Microsoft’s Deal for LinkedIn Raises Red Flags
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- You know all those pre-installed Apple apps that you can't delete? Now you can... From Quartz - One of the most annoying things about the iPhone is finally about to change
- "Germans, globally notorious for their love of sunbathing in the nude, are being outshone by their Austrian neighbors." From Quartz - Germans are no longer the world champions of nude sunbathing
- From Recode - Take a closer look at Blockchain technology (Infographic)
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Can a presidential candidate actually "bar" journalists or publications? "Barring journalists is an almost unheard-of practice for a modern presidential candidate. The [Washington] Post is the latest major news organization that Mr. Trump has barred from his rallies and events this year, following Politico, BuzzFeed News, The Huffington Post and others." I thought the first rule of PR was any press is good press... From NYT - Washington Post Is Latest News Outlet Barred by Trump
*2. ALL SWIMMERS BACK IN THE POOL
"Now that government policy allows more Chinese couples, including older couples, to have a second child, officials are concerned that the sperm shortages will get much worse — and they are doing everything they can to find new recruits." From NYT - What in the World: China’s Call to Young Men: Your Nation Needs Your Sperm
*3. MICRO...LINK
Microsoft announced that it was buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. This quote caught my attention, "Microsoft could have acquired LinkedIn for even less a little over a decade ago. Microsoft held discussions with LinkedIn about acquiring it for $250 million." There's a BIG difference between $250 million and $26.2 billion! What a difference 10 years makes... From NYT - Microsoft, Reasserting Its Muscle, Buys LinkedIn for $26.2 Billion and Microsoft’s Deal for LinkedIn Raises Red Flags
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- You know all those pre-installed Apple apps that you can't delete? Now you can... From Quartz - One of the most annoying things about the iPhone is finally about to change
- "Germans, globally notorious for their love of sunbathing in the nude, are being outshone by their Austrian neighbors." From Quartz - Germans are no longer the world champions of nude sunbathing
- From Recode - Take a closer look at Blockchain technology (Infographic)
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Monday, June 13, 2016
MARS OR BUST!
*1. MARS OR BUST!
"Starting as soon as 2018, [Elon] Musk’s SpaceX plans to fly an unmanned spacecraft to Mars. The unmanned flights would continue about every two years, timed for when Earth and Mars are closest in orbit, and, if everything goes according to plan, build toward the first human mission to Mars with the goal of landing in 2025, Musk has said." From WaPo - Elon Musk provides new details on his ‘mind blowing’ mission to Mars
+ From Quartz - As Silicon Valley lays plans to colonize Mars, researchers offer a blueprint for governing it
+ "Just three days after the picnic-table meeting, 32-year-old [Nathanael] Miller presented the mission concept to NASA’s bigwigs with the money, who funded R3S just a week after that. Within 28 days—the length of a lunar cycle, or a global zombie virus outbreak—they had closed a deal with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to launch it aboard a small satellite. R3S will launch later this year, after its engineers spent just four months working on its design." From Wired - The Unknown Lab of Millennials Fast-Tracking NASA’s Missions
*2. MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN
Some days I'd like to transplant my brain, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards, yet. "His [Dr. Ren Xiaoping] plan: Remove two heads from two bodies, connect the blood vessels of the body of the deceased donor and the recipient head, insert a metal plate to stabilize the new neck, bathe the spinal cord nerve endings in a gluelike substance to aid regrowth and finally sew up the skin." From NYT - Doctor’s Plan for Full-Body Transplants Raises Doubts Even in Daring China
*3. I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
"Standing on top of a metal stool, Dr. Nunez cut into the torso. A thick greenish fluid oozed out. She grabbed an industrial-size ladle to scoop out more of it. Then she stuck both hands into the body to feel around for the liver. She came up empty, her gloves dripping." Not your typical day on the job... From NYT - Learning to Speak for the Dead
*4. IT'S A WOMAN'S WORLD
It's been a long slog. Hillary Clinton's historic nomination came 32 years after Geraldine Ferraro was selected to be Walter Mondale's running mate. Here's a few questions they dealt with back then: "How should Mr. Mondale and Ms. Ferraro share the stage? Could they touch? They shouldn't hug. Who should hold her pocketbook when she spoke?" If Clinton selects a man as her running mate, will we still get the same questions? From NYT - To Understand Clinton's Moment, Consider That It Came 32 Years After Ferraro's
*5. THE THINKER?
"In a world in which a phone or computer is rarely more than arm’s length away, are we eliminating introspection at times that may have formerly been conducive to it? And is the depth of that reflection compromised because we have retrained ourselves to seek out the immediate gratification of external stimuli?" From NYT - The End of Reflection
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Having an idea interesting enough to become a government secret just “means you’re S.O.L." From Bloomberg - Congratulations, Your Genius Patent Is Now a Military Secret
- "I’ve listened to a lot of people die, and take it from me, people don’t slip away quietly like they do on screen, with one last longing look and a soft sigh of disappointed resignation." From The Toast - Holding Hope: On Being a 911 Operator
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"Starting as soon as 2018, [Elon] Musk’s SpaceX plans to fly an unmanned spacecraft to Mars. The unmanned flights would continue about every two years, timed for when Earth and Mars are closest in orbit, and, if everything goes according to plan, build toward the first human mission to Mars with the goal of landing in 2025, Musk has said." From WaPo - Elon Musk provides new details on his ‘mind blowing’ mission to Mars
+ From Quartz - As Silicon Valley lays plans to colonize Mars, researchers offer a blueprint for governing it
+ "Just three days after the picnic-table meeting, 32-year-old [Nathanael] Miller presented the mission concept to NASA’s bigwigs with the money, who funded R3S just a week after that. Within 28 days—the length of a lunar cycle, or a global zombie virus outbreak—they had closed a deal with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to launch it aboard a small satellite. R3S will launch later this year, after its engineers spent just four months working on its design." From Wired - The Unknown Lab of Millennials Fast-Tracking NASA’s Missions
*2. MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN
Some days I'd like to transplant my brain, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards, yet. "His [Dr. Ren Xiaoping] plan: Remove two heads from two bodies, connect the blood vessels of the body of the deceased donor and the recipient head, insert a metal plate to stabilize the new neck, bathe the spinal cord nerve endings in a gluelike substance to aid regrowth and finally sew up the skin." From NYT - Doctor’s Plan for Full-Body Transplants Raises Doubts Even in Daring China
*3. I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
"Standing on top of a metal stool, Dr. Nunez cut into the torso. A thick greenish fluid oozed out. She grabbed an industrial-size ladle to scoop out more of it. Then she stuck both hands into the body to feel around for the liver. She came up empty, her gloves dripping." Not your typical day on the job... From NYT - Learning to Speak for the Dead
*4. IT'S A WOMAN'S WORLD
It's been a long slog. Hillary Clinton's historic nomination came 32 years after Geraldine Ferraro was selected to be Walter Mondale's running mate. Here's a few questions they dealt with back then: "How should Mr. Mondale and Ms. Ferraro share the stage? Could they touch? They shouldn't hug. Who should hold her pocketbook when she spoke?" If Clinton selects a man as her running mate, will we still get the same questions? From NYT - To Understand Clinton's Moment, Consider That It Came 32 Years After Ferraro's
*5. THE THINKER?
"In a world in which a phone or computer is rarely more than arm’s length away, are we eliminating introspection at times that may have formerly been conducive to it? And is the depth of that reflection compromised because we have retrained ourselves to seek out the immediate gratification of external stimuli?" From NYT - The End of Reflection
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Having an idea interesting enough to become a government secret just “means you’re S.O.L." From Bloomberg - Congratulations, Your Genius Patent Is Now a Military Secret
- "I’ve listened to a lot of people die, and take it from me, people don’t slip away quietly like they do on screen, with one last longing look and a soft sigh of disappointed resignation." From The Toast - Holding Hope: On Being a 911 Operator
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Friday, June 10, 2016
NO SEX. NO DRUGS. NO ROCK N' ROLL. BUT A LOT OF SCREEN TIME
*1. NO SEX. NO DRUGS. NO ROCK N' ROLL. BUT A LOT OF SCREEN TIME
"The troubles with kids these days ... are not as common as they used to be. U.S. teens are having a lot less sex, they are drinking and using drugs less often, and they aren't smoking as much, according a government survey of risky youth behaviors. 'We're trying to look at reasons why this [drop] might be happening,' said Dr. Stephanie Zaza. One possibility, Albert said: 'It may be that parking at Lookout Point has given way to texting from your mom's living room couch.'" From AP - Not doing it: Fewer high school kids are having sex
*2. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME
"Over the course of a few months, [Mohamad] Khweis joined and then quickly fled the Islamic State terrorist organization, after which Kurdish peshmerga forces captured him. Early Thursday morning, he was flown back to the United States, where he will be charged in federal district court in Alexandria with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. It is unclear precisely what U.S. law enforcement thinks Khweis did during his time with the Islamic State. The 26-year-old son of a limo driver and cosmetologist described his time overseas himself in a video on Kurdish TV, saying that he ultimately decided it wasn’t to his liking. 'I found it very, very hard to live there,' Khweis told Kurdistan 24." Duh! It's a war zone! - From WaPo - American ISIS fighter who ‘found it hard’ returns to face criminal charges
+ And if you do go home, you can always get back into the fight. "The Obama administration believes that at least 12 detainees released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have launched attacks against U.S. or allied forces in Afghanistan, killing about a half-dozen Americans, according to current and former U.S. officials. One U.S. official familiar with the intelligence said that nine of the detainees suspected in the attacks are now dead or in foreign government custody. Among former Guantanamo detainees, the total number of released detainees who are suspected or confirmed of reengaging is about 30 percent, according to U.S. intelligence." From WaPo - At least 12 released Guantanamo detainees implicated in attacks on Americans
*3. FAT AXL
So, all you have to do to have unflattering photos removed from the internet is ask Google nicely? "A less than flattering photo of the Guns N' Roses front man [Axl Rose] is being used for a series of mean memes, and now the singer is reportedly trying to get the image scrubbed from the internet. A batch of DMCA copyright notices were filed on behalf of Rose and sent to Google requesting the removal of the photo that sparked the "Fat Axl" memes because of copyright infringement. The memes change the lyrics to Guns N' Roses songs to poke fun at the picture of Rose. Lines like 'Welcome to the Jungle, we got tons of cake' and 'Sweet Pie o' mine' have regularly made the rounds on Twitter." From CNN - Trying to rid the world of 'Fat Axl'
*4. "IF IT DOESN'T FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT"
"A striking poll finding was cited often in coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1994 and 1995: Most white people thought the former football star was guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, while roughly the same proportion of black people thought Simpson was innocent. In the two decades since Simpson was acquitted by a majority-black jury, the racial gap has narrowed significantly. In two recent polls, more than 50 percent of black respondents said they thought Simpson was guilty — up from about 20 percent in most polls before, during and right after the trial." From FiveThirtyEight - Most Black People Now Think O.J. Was Guilty
+ "Ezra Edelman's seven-and-a-half hour documentary for ESPN, O.J. Simpson: Made in America, is really several documentaries in one. It's the story of Simpson's rise as a football icon and black celebrity, and his downfall as a murder suspect in the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend. But it's also the story of race in America, and what happens when celebrity culture meets the justice system." From NPR - 'O.J. Simpson: Made In America' Dives Deep Into Life Of Fallen Football Hero
*5. EXCTHUUSE ME, OCCIFER...
How many times does someone have to be caught driving drunk before he or she can no longer legally drive? In Texas it's nine times...and than you get LIFE in prison. "He [Donald Middleton] was arrested in May 2015 after he turned into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old who was on the way home from work at a grocery store. Mr. Middleton ran into a nearby convenience store and repeatedly asked a clerk to hide him, prosecutors said." From NYT - He Had 8 Convictions for Driving Drunk. On His 9th, He Got Life
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Parents are worried the Amazon Echo is conditioning their kids to be rude
- I’m a public defender. What if my clients got the same treatment as Brock Turner?
- Period. Full Stop. Point. Whatever It’s Called, It’s Going Out of Style
- The Average NBA Player Spends $42,500 a Month, Including Big Bucks on Clothing
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"The troubles with kids these days ... are not as common as they used to be. U.S. teens are having a lot less sex, they are drinking and using drugs less often, and they aren't smoking as much, according a government survey of risky youth behaviors. 'We're trying to look at reasons why this [drop] might be happening,' said Dr. Stephanie Zaza. One possibility, Albert said: 'It may be that parking at Lookout Point has given way to texting from your mom's living room couch.'" From AP - Not doing it: Fewer high school kids are having sex
*2. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME
"Over the course of a few months, [Mohamad] Khweis joined and then quickly fled the Islamic State terrorist organization, after which Kurdish peshmerga forces captured him. Early Thursday morning, he was flown back to the United States, where he will be charged in federal district court in Alexandria with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. It is unclear precisely what U.S. law enforcement thinks Khweis did during his time with the Islamic State. The 26-year-old son of a limo driver and cosmetologist described his time overseas himself in a video on Kurdish TV, saying that he ultimately decided it wasn’t to his liking. 'I found it very, very hard to live there,' Khweis told Kurdistan 24." Duh! It's a war zone! - From WaPo - American ISIS fighter who ‘found it hard’ returns to face criminal charges
+ And if you do go home, you can always get back into the fight. "The Obama administration believes that at least 12 detainees released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have launched attacks against U.S. or allied forces in Afghanistan, killing about a half-dozen Americans, according to current and former U.S. officials. One U.S. official familiar with the intelligence said that nine of the detainees suspected in the attacks are now dead or in foreign government custody. Among former Guantanamo detainees, the total number of released detainees who are suspected or confirmed of reengaging is about 30 percent, according to U.S. intelligence." From WaPo - At least 12 released Guantanamo detainees implicated in attacks on Americans
*3. FAT AXL
So, all you have to do to have unflattering photos removed from the internet is ask Google nicely? "A less than flattering photo of the Guns N' Roses front man [Axl Rose] is being used for a series of mean memes, and now the singer is reportedly trying to get the image scrubbed from the internet. A batch of DMCA copyright notices were filed on behalf of Rose and sent to Google requesting the removal of the photo that sparked the "Fat Axl" memes because of copyright infringement. The memes change the lyrics to Guns N' Roses songs to poke fun at the picture of Rose. Lines like 'Welcome to the Jungle, we got tons of cake' and 'Sweet Pie o' mine' have regularly made the rounds on Twitter." From CNN - Trying to rid the world of 'Fat Axl'
*4. "IF IT DOESN'T FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT"
"A striking poll finding was cited often in coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1994 and 1995: Most white people thought the former football star was guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, while roughly the same proportion of black people thought Simpson was innocent. In the two decades since Simpson was acquitted by a majority-black jury, the racial gap has narrowed significantly. In two recent polls, more than 50 percent of black respondents said they thought Simpson was guilty — up from about 20 percent in most polls before, during and right after the trial." From FiveThirtyEight - Most Black People Now Think O.J. Was Guilty
+ "Ezra Edelman's seven-and-a-half hour documentary for ESPN, O.J. Simpson: Made in America, is really several documentaries in one. It's the story of Simpson's rise as a football icon and black celebrity, and his downfall as a murder suspect in the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend. But it's also the story of race in America, and what happens when celebrity culture meets the justice system." From NPR - 'O.J. Simpson: Made In America' Dives Deep Into Life Of Fallen Football Hero
*5. EXCTHUUSE ME, OCCIFER...
How many times does someone have to be caught driving drunk before he or she can no longer legally drive? In Texas it's nine times...and than you get LIFE in prison. "He [Donald Middleton] was arrested in May 2015 after he turned into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old who was on the way home from work at a grocery store. Mr. Middleton ran into a nearby convenience store and repeatedly asked a clerk to hide him, prosecutors said." From NYT - He Had 8 Convictions for Driving Drunk. On His 9th, He Got Life
*BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
- Parents are worried the Amazon Echo is conditioning their kids to be rude
- I’m a public defender. What if my clients got the same treatment as Brock Turner?
- Period. Full Stop. Point. Whatever It’s Called, It’s Going Out of Style
- The Average NBA Player Spends $42,500 a Month, Including Big Bucks on Clothing
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Thursday, June 9, 2016
NOTHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO
*1. NOTHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO
"Americans today say they are generally optimistic about their futures, according to Gallup polling. But one group in particular -- poor white Americans -- has a shockingly dismal view of what the future holds for them. And this pessimism among poor whites goes a long way toward explaining the strange political moment we find ourselves in, one in which Donald Trump surged to the top of the Republican primary ticket by tapping into a deep vein of racial anxiety among the nation's working class." From WaPo - The incredible crushing despair of the white working class
+ "The realization has sparked concerns that poverty begets a certain level of impulsiveness, and that that tendency to act in the moment, on a whim, without fully considering the consequences, makes it all the more difficult for poor children to succeed. But there's an important thing this discussion seems to miss. Poor kids may simply not want to delay gratification. Put another way, their decisions may not reflect the sort of impulsive nature we tend to attribute them to. A recent two-part study conducted by Sturge-Apple shows how the tendency of poorer children to pounce on immediate rewards might not be the result of impulsiveness but rather of careful consideration." From WaPo - The big problem with one of the most popular assumptions about the poor
*2. 'HAMILTON'
News on the Broadway show 'Hamilton' is everywhere, so here's some things to know about the show... "Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s 36-year-old creator, wears an unusual number of hats: He came up with the idea; he wrote the music, book and lyrics; and he is, for now, the star. That means he gets a salary (as an actor), as well as authorship royalties and profits that ordinarily would be split among multiple people. On Broadway, “Hamilton” is consistently selling out all 1,321 seats at the Richard Rodgers Theater and is currently grossing about $1.9 million a week in ticket sales. Simply by maintaining that pace, the show would bring in nearly $100 million a year (that’s grosses, not profits)." From NYT - ‘Hamilton’ Inc.: The Path to a Billion-Dollar Broadway Show
+ "The producers of “Hamilton” are sharply increasing the cost of the best seats in the house, shattering Broadway’s top ticket price while also more than doubling the number of inexpensive seats available via same-day lotteries. The paired moves — raising the price for premium seats to $849 while offering 46 seats per show at $10 each — are part of a broader effort to stanch the loss of tens of millions of dollars in potential revenue to scalpers, and to make the show available to people who can’t afford costly theater tickets." From NYT - ‘Hamilton’ Raises Ticket Prices: The Best Seats Will Now Cost $849
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