Archive for August, 2019
FCC Investigating Cell Phone Radiation
August 22nd, 2019Via: Chicago Tribune: This test, which was paid for by the Tribune and conducted according to federal guidelines at an accredited lab, produced a surprising result: Radiofrequency radiation exposure from the iPhone 7 — one of the most popular smartphones ever sold — measured over the legal safety limit and more than double what Apple […]
How Amazon and Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon
August 22nd, 2019Insidious. Via: ProPublica: Tech moguls like Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt have gotten unprecedented access to the Pentagon. And one whistleblower who raised flags has paid the price.
U.S. Budget Deficit Will Grow to $1 Trillion in 2020
August 22nd, 2019Via: Bloomberg: The U.S. budget deficit is growing faster than expected and President Donald Trump’s trade war is weighing on the economy, according to a new Congressional Budget Office forecast that highlights key challenges ahead of the 2020 elections. The shortfall is set to widen to $1 trillion by fiscal year 2020, two years earlier […]
How the Plastics Industry Is Fighting to Keep Polluting the World
August 21st, 2019I’ve been seeing the bales of plastic piling up at my local dump and I thought, “Why not make building materials out of all this stuff?” It turns out that there are some small moves being made in that direction. Here are a few examples: Of course, these efforts are noise level in the scheme […]
Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays
August 21st, 2019Via: Vice: Every year, millions of students sit down for standardized tests that carry weighty consequences. National tests like the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) serve as gatekeepers to higher education, while state assessments can determine everything from whether a student will graduate to federal funding for schools and teacher pay. Traditional paper-and-pencil tests have given […]
U.S. Special Forces Training Exercises Across North Carolina
August 21st, 2019Via: The Charlotte Observer: A series of Special Forces military training exercises — including gunfire with blanks — is being staged across 21 North Carolina counties starting Aug. 30, and the Army is telling the public not to be alarmed at the suspicious-looking activity. Known as Robin Sage training, the unconventional warfare exercises can be […]
Japan Believes North Korea Capable of Building Nuclear Weapons Small Enough to Fit on Missiles
August 21st, 2019Via: Guardian: Japan’s government will reportedly state that North Korea is capable of miniaturising nuclear warheads in a forthcoming defence report, it has emerged. Tokyo will upgrade its estimate of the regime’s nuclear capability, having said last year only that the technical feat was a possibility, the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said on Wednesday, without […]
Walmart Sues Tesla Over Solar-Panel Rooftop Fires
August 20th, 2019Via: MarketWatch: Walmart Inc. is suing Tesla Inc. over a spate of roof fires at several Walmart stores that the retailer alleges were caused by Tesla solar panels. Walmart is suing for breach of contract and alleges “gross negligence” on Tesla’s part for the fires, which it says all started on the rooftops of several […]
CEO Compensation Increases vs. Average Worker Compensation Increases
August 20th, 2019Via: CBS: The chasm between what the country’s corporate leaders and their workers earn is widening to Grand Canyon-like proportions, according to new research that shows CEO compensation surged 940% between 1978 to 2018 while the average worker saw a meager 12% pay hike over the same 40-year period. … Last year chief execs got […]
