Archive for July, 2012
TEPCO Subcontractor Tried to Underreport Workers’ Radiation Exposure by Covering Dosimeters with Lead
July 23rd, 2012Via: Kyodo: An executive of a Tokyo Electric Power Co. subcontractor forced its nine workers at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to cover their radiation monitoring meters with lead-made plates, the company said Saturday.
Jellyfish Made From Rat Cells
July 23rd, 2012Via: Wired: Now Frankenstein can have a pet jellyfish. A team of scientists has taken the heart cells of a rat, arranged them on a piece of rubbery silicon, added a jolt of electricity, and created a “Franken-jelly.” Just like a real jellyfish, the artificial jelly swims around by pumping water in and out of […]
Marine Corps Creates Law-Enforcement Battalions
July 23rd, 2012If you think that this is exclusively for deployment abroad, I’ve got a bridge to sell ya. Via: AP: The Marine Corps has created its first law-enforcement battalions — consolidated units of military police officers trained to investigate a variety of crimes. Combat in Iraq and Afghanistan has underscored the relevance of such a force, […]
June Earnings
July 22nd, 2012Earnings in June totaled $1197.69. Thanks very much to the five readers (out of the 25,000+ in June) who sent funds. Thanks also go out to those of you who conducted your business via Cryptogon’s affiliate links. The U.S. Amazon affiliate commissions have become, by far, the largest component of earnings. Those thoughtful clickthroughs from […]
JCPenney to Eliminate Check-Out Clerks
July 22nd, 2012Via: CBS: But the store is getting a makeover – specialized boutiques within the store like a denim bar – and more. The CEO of JCPenney is the former retail chief of Apple, and he wants to shake things up to restore the company to profitability. But one of his ideas – replacing clerks with […]
Cops Seize Cell Phone, Impersonate Owner
July 21st, 2012Via: Ars Technica: Court says sending texts using a seized iPhone doesn’t violate privacy rights. In November 2009, police officers in the state of Washington seized an iPhone belonging to suspected drug dealer Daniel Lee. While the phone was in police custody, a man named Shawn Hinton sent a text message to the device, reading, […]
Japan Investigating Alternative Capitals in Case Earthquake Takes Out Tokyo
July 21st, 2012This has nothing to do with that Fukushima reactor 4 spent fuel pool situation. *wink* Via: Nikkei: A Cabinet Office council has proposed five cities — Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya and Fukuoka — to replace Tokyo as the seat of government should an earthquake knock out the capital. In an interim report issued Thursday, the […]
UV Skin Damage from Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
July 21st, 2012Via: Photochemistry and Photobiology: Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs can provide the same amount of lumens as incandescent light bulbs, using one quarter of the energy. Recently, CFL exposure was found to exacerbate existing skin conditions; however, the effects of CFL exposure on healthy skin tissue have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we […]
Portugal: Number of Drug Addicts Halved a Decade After Drug Decriminalization
July 20th, 2012Via: Global Post: On July 1, 2001, Portugal decriminalized every imaginable drug, from marijuana, to cocaine, to heroin. Some thought Lisbon would become a drug tourist haven, others predicted usage rates among youths to surge. Eleven years later, it turns out they were both wrong. Over a decade has passed since Portugal changed its philosophy […]
Colorado Movie Theater Massacre
July 20th, 2012Prop Master of Dark Knight Rises Died 3 Months Before Movie Release Via: Daily Paul: So, the map says “Sandy Hook”…Well, the ‘prop master’ for the Dark Knight movie, Scott Ketzinger, died in early April of this year, just months before the movies release. As I’m understanding this (please correct me if I’m wrong), it […]
