Archive for August, 2014
Russian Armored Columns Said to Capture Key Ukrainian Town
August 28th, 2014Via: Washington Post: Russian forces in two armored columns captured a key southeastern coastal town near the Russian border Thursday after Ukrainian forces retreated in the face of superior firepower, a Ukrainian military spokesman said. The two Russian columns, including tanks and armored fighting vehicles, entered the town of Novoazovsk on the Sea of Azov […]
Philadelphia Earns Millions By Seizing Cash And Homes From People Never Charged With A Crime
August 28th, 2014Via: Forbes: Chris Sourovelis has never had any trouble with the law or been accused of any crime. But that hasn’t stopped the City of Philadelphia from trying to take his home. The Sourouvelis family, along with thousands of others in Philadelphia, is living a Kafkaesque nightmare: Their property is considered guilty; they must prove […]
Neuroscientists Reverse Memories’ Emotional Associations
August 28th, 2014Via: MIT News: Most memories have some kind of emotion associated with them: Recalling the week you just spent at the beach probably makes you feel happy, while reflecting on being bullied provokes more negative feelings. A new study from MIT neuroscientists reveals the brain circuit that controls how memories become linked with positive or […]
Soldiers Enforce Liberian Ebola Quarantine
August 28th, 2014Via: Reuters: Security forces in the Liberian capital fired live rounds and tear gas on Wednesday to disperse a stone-throwing crowd trying to break an Ebola quarantine imposed on their neighborhood, as the death toll from the epidemic in West Africa hit 1,350. In the sprawling oceanfront West Point neighborhood of Monrovia, at least four […]
Variety of Military Weapons Given to Police Departments Have Gone Missing
August 27th, 2014Via: Fusion: Fusion has learned that 184 state and local police departments have been suspended from the Pentagon’s “1033 program” for missing weapons or failure to comply with other guidelines. We uncovered a pattern of missing M14 and M16 assault rifles across the country, as well as instances of missing .45-caliber pistols, shotguns and 2 […]
These 3-D Printed Skeleton Keys Can Pick High-Security Locks in Seconds
August 27th, 2014Via: Wired: One of the hairier unintended consequences of cheap 3-D printing is that any troublemaker can duplicate a key without setting foot in a hardware store. But clever lockpickers like Jos Weyers and Christian Holler already are taking that DIY key-making trick a step further: They can 3-D print a slice of plastic or […]
Mountain of Tourist Landfill Threatening Bali’s Paradise
August 27th, 2014Via: Journeyman Pictures:
L.A. Unified Halts Contract for iPads
August 26th, 2014Via: Los Angeles Times: L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy suspended future use of a contract with Apple on Monday that was to provide iPads to all students in the nation’s second-largest school system amid mounting scrutiny of the $1-billion-plus effort. The suspension comes days after disclosures that the superintendent and his top deputy had especially […]
U.S. Begins Surveillance Flights Over Syria
August 26th, 2014Via: Syria: U.S. surveillance flights over Syria have started with President Obama’s go ahead, a step that will provide potential targets if airstrikes against Islamic State militants are approved. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that an unnamed U.S. official said the flights had begun. USA TODAY reported Monday that the flights will provide information on […]
Targeting Political Ads to Individuals
August 26th, 2014Via: Engadget: Like it or not, another US election is almost upon us — and this time around, the incessant political advertising may cut a little too close to home. Both Democrats and Republicans are using a new TV ad targeting system from DirecTV and Dish that takes advantage of voter records to put personalized […]
