Archive for May, 2014
Suspended-Animation Trials to Begin on Humans
May 26th, 2014Via: CNET: This month, the world’s first attempts at placing humans in suspended animation using a new technique will take place at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — not for space travel, but to save lives. The technique will initially be used on 10 patients whose wounds would otherwise be lethal in an […]
White House Mistakenly Identifies CIA Chief in Afghanistan
May 26th, 2014Via: Washington Post: The CIA’s top officer in Kabul was exposed Saturday by the White House when his name was inadvertently included on a list provided to news organizations of senior U.S. officials participating in President Obama’s surprise visit with U.S. troops. The White House recognized the mistake and quickly issued a revised list that […]
Oregon Counties Ban GM Crops
May 26th, 2014Via: IB Times: Voters in two Oregon counties approved ballot initiatives Tuesday banning the cultivation of genetically modified crops. The ballot measures add Jackson and Josephine, neighboring counties in southwestern Oregon, to the growing list of places around the world that have outlawed the highly controversial GMO crops from being grown within their borders. The […]
Doctor: Detroit Abortion Stats ‘Like Some Third World Country’
May 24th, 2014Via: Detroit News: Nearly one-third of all pregnancies in the city of Detroit end in abortion, a statistic public health officials blame on rising poverty and dwindling access to affordable contraception. Of an estimated 18,360 pregnancies among Detroit residents in 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, 5,693 ended in abortion, or […]
U.S. Faces Higher Food Price Inflation in 2014, Led by Meats
May 23rd, 2014Via: Reuters: The severe drought in California could have a lasting effect on U.S. fruit, dairy and egg prices, while prices for meats, especially beef, look likely to continue climbing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday. The agency said overall U.S. food price inflation for 2014, including food bought at grocery stores and […]
Teaching Union in Northern Ireland: Computers Can Have Negative Impact on Children’s Ability to Learn
May 23rd, 2014When I make my weekly trip to town, it is becoming increasingly common to see very young children using smartphones and cheap Android tablets. As parents buy soda, frozen pizzas and other toxic waste at the supermarket, the children waddle behind like zombies, swiping away at the screens. Loud game noise or crap music blares […]
Lifeguard Drones
May 23rd, 2014Via: Motherboard:
U.S. Officials Cut Estimate of Recoverable Monterey Shale Oil by 96%
May 22nd, 2014Via: Los Angeles Times: Federal energy authorities have slashed by 96% the estimated amount of recoverable oil buried in California’s vast Monterey Shale deposits, deflating its potential as a national “black gold mine” of petroleum. Just 600 million barrels of oil can be extracted with existing technology, far below the 13.7 billion barrels once thought […]
Facebook Wants to ‘Listen’ to Your Music and TV
May 22nd, 2014Via: BBC: Facebook is to release a new feature on its mobile app that “listens” to your music and TV shows. If the song or show is recognised by the app, users can publish the information on their profile or to selected friends. The service hopes to take advantage of the “second screen” trend, which […]
North Carolina GOP Pushes Unprecedented Bill to Jail Anyone Who Discloses Fracking Chemicals
May 21st, 2014Via: Mother Jones: As hydraulic fracturing ramps up around the country, so do concerns about its health impacts. These concerns have led 20 states to require the disclosure of industrial chemicals used in the fracking process. North Carolina isn’t on that list of states yet—and it may be hurtling in the opposite direction. On Thursday, […]
