Wednesday 30 November 2016

US Hate Incidents Spike after Donald Trump Elected

US Hate Incidents Spike after Donald Trump Elected

Civil rights group tracks nearly 900 cases of assaults, intimidation, and harassment in 10 days after election win.
Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/hate-incidents-spike-donald-trump-elected-161130161203648.html?source=Snapzu

Scottish banks promise their notes are vegan-friendly

Scottish banks promise their notes are vegan-friendly

All of Scotland’s producers of new polymer bank notes have confirmed that their cash is free of any animal products. Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank were all asked to make statements about the contents of their notes after vegans throughout Britain reacted angrily yesterday to news that the Bank …
Read more: http://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/11090/scottish-banks-promise-their-notes-are-vegan/?source=Snapzu

Prosecutor clears officer in man's death, says man was armed

Prosecutor clears officer in man's death, says man was armed

A prosecutor on Wednesday cleared a Charlotte police officer in the killing of a black man whose death touched off civil unrest, and he presented detailed evidence to rebut assertions that the slain man was unarmed.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/prosecutor-hold-announcement-charlotte-police-shooting-150104597.html?source=Snapzu

AT&T just declared war on an open internet (and us)

AT&T just declared war on an open internet (and us)

Last year we won the open internet back, but the new regulations had one big weakness: they didn’t explicitly ban a scheme called “zero rating.” Zero rating is a poison pill wrapped in a piece of cheese; it looks like a good thing for consumers (free video!), but ultimately has the capability to rot competition and the open internet. The FCC decided it would look at zero rating schemes on a case-by-case basis, which left the door open for wireless companies to play their usual games. AT&T just broke that door off its hinges.
Read more: http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/29/13774648/fcc-att-zero-rating-directv-net-neutrality-vs-tmobile?source=Snapzu

At Least Five Dead after Tornadoes Rip through South

At Least Five Dead after Tornadoes Rip through South

At least five people were killed and dozens more were injured after tornadoes tore through Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi overnight and into Wednesday morning, forecasters and local media reported.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tornados-idUSKBN13P0YK?source=Snapzu

The Internet Archive to safeguard its collection in Canada because of Trump

The Internet Archive to safeguard its collection in Canada because of Trump

While many have threatened to move to Canada in the wake of the election, the Internet Archive is actually raising money to do it.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/11/29/internet-archive-canada/#vMON3HpKq5q6?source=Snapzu

Lib Dems to oppose UK plan to block porn sites without age checks

Lib Dems to oppose UK plan to block porn sites without age checks

The Liberal Democrats will oppose proposals to force adult websites to impose strict age regulation and empower a regulator to block websites that show a range of sexual acts, calling it the kind of measure one would expect of China or Russia. The digital economy bill, which will introduce new policies for Britain’s electronic communications infrastructure and services, is due for a report stage vote and third reading in the Commons on Monday afternoon.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/28/lib-dems-to-oppose-uk-plan-to-block-porn-sites-without-age-checks?source=Snapzu

Decades after Chernobyl disaster, engineers slide high-tech shelter over reactor

Decades after Chernobyl disaster, engineers slide high-tech shelter over reactor

On Tuesday, officials from all over the world gathered about a football field away from the Chernobyl disaster site in Ukraine. They were there to celebrate the final placement of a massive, high-tech shelter over reactor 4, which exploded in April 1986. The shelter, called the New Safe Confinement (NSC), is a feat of engineering. Because it was too dangerous to assemble the NSC over the original shelter that was built in the weeks after the explosion, the NSC was instead built at a distance and moved...
Read more: http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/11/decades-after-chernobyl-disaster-engineers-slide-high-tech-shelter-over-reactor/#p3?source=Snapzu

Inventor of the Big Mac dies, aged 98

Inventor of the Big Mac dies, aged 98

The man who invented the McDonald's Big Mac burger has died, aged 98.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38162497/inventor-of-the-big-mac-dies-aged-98?source=Snapzu

Medical marijuana and new hope for Florida family

Medical marijuana and new hope for Florida family

Rich and Kim Muszynski know when their 5-year-old daughter, Abby, is about to have a grand mal seizure because her pupils enlarge, and she'll seem to fixate at something in the distance that only she can see. Then it starts. Abby's extremities shake. She gasps for air. By the time she turned 3, Abby had tried about eight different anti-seizure medications. None of them worked very well. Panicked to see their daughter getting worse and worse, the Muszynskis drove three hours to Orlando to see Dr. Ngoc Minh Le, a board certified pediatric neurologist and epileptologist.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/health/health-care-refugees-part-2/index.html?source=Snapzu

Besieged Pelosi favored to survive

Besieged Pelosi favored to survive

She's under fire from all sides ahead of Democratic leadership elections Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats-231953?source=Snapzu

Libertarian lawyer enters fight against Indiana's civil forfeiture law

Libertarian lawyer enters fight against Indiana's civil forfeiture law

Criminal defense attorney Jeff Cardella wears his beliefs on his sleeve, in the form of a pair of large, pastel yellow "Don't Tread On Me" cuff links. In between explanations of his libertarian principles, the 34-year-old Cardella said his clients may not always be the most sympathetic individuals, but they deserve their rights, too.
Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/11/27/class-action-suit-challenges-constitutionality-civil-forfeiture/93253242/?source=Snapzu

Canada sets in motion microbeads prohibition

Canada sets in motion microbeads prohibition

Canada this month took steps toward joining the United States in banning the sale of personal-hygiene products that contain tiny plastics known as microbeads in an effort to keep them away from fish and wildlife and address plastic pollution in general. The battle continues against larger plastics such as discarded milk, juice, and soda containers, though.
Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2016/11/28/Canada-sets-in-motion-microbeads-prohibition.html?source=Snapzu

Elite U.S. Special Operators Build Center for Perpetual War on Terror

Elite U.S. Special Operators Build Center for Perpetual War on Terror

The Joint Special Operations Command opened task force to bring together everyone from the CIA to the UK at an undisclosed location in the Mideast. By Kimberly Dozier.
Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/28/elite-u-s-special-operators-build-center-for-perpetual-war-on-terror.html?source=Snapzu

3 Dams to Be Removed in American West to Restore Rivers

3 Dams to Be Removed in American West to Restore Rivers

A new $50 million fund will help communities remove “deadbeat dams,” starting in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Read more: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/dam-removal-nelson-dam-matiliha-rogue-river-hewlett-foundation-open-rivers/?source=Snapzu

Erdogan: Turkish forces are in Syria to end Assad's rule

Erdogan: Turkish forces are in Syria to end Assad's rule

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Turkish Army entered Syria to end the rule of President Bashar Assad, whom he accused of terrorism and causing the deaths of thousands. “We entered [Syria] to end the rule of the tyrant al-Assad who terrorizes with state terror. [We didn’t enter] for any other reason,” the Turkish president said at the first Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform Symposium in Istanbul, as quoted by Hurriyet daily.
Read more: https://www.rt.com/news/368601-erdogan-syria-oust-assad/?source=Snapzu

Facebook Messenger launches Instant Games

Facebook Messenger launches Instant Games

Bored while you wait for someone to text back? Now you can challenge friends for high scores on Facebook Messenger’s new Instant Games, like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends Frenzy. Available right from your message threads, they load in seconds since they’re built on the HTML5 mobile web standard, rather than having to be downloaded like clunky native apps.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/29/messenger-instant-games/?utm_source=news?source=Snapzu

Assad, allies aim to seize all Aleppo before Trump takes power: official

Assad, allies aim to seize all Aleppo before Trump takes power: official

Syria and its allies aim to drive rebels from Aleppo before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. President, a senior official in the pro-Damascus military alliance said, as pro-government forces surged to their biggest victories in the city for years. Rebels face one of their gravest moments of the war after pro-government forces routed fighters over the past few days from more than a third of the territory they controlled in the city. Thousands of civilians have fled for safety.
Read more: http://reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKBN13O1SU?source=Snapzu

Man who sued deputies for choking him for smiling in mug shot appears in court

Man who sued deputies for choking him for smiling in mug shot appears in court

A Harris County inmate who claims he was assaulted by deputies for smiling during his booking photo was in court Monday morning. Christopher Johnson's attorney requested more time to prepare before trial, and he said they will be back in court Dec. 12. The trial is regarding the DWI with which Johnson is charged.
Read more: http://www.click2houston.com/news/man-who-sued-deputies-for-choking-him-for-smiling-in-mug-shot-appears-in-court?source=Snapzu

Trump to reveal deal to keep nearly 1,000 Carrier jobs in Indiana

Trump to reveal deal to keep nearly 1,000 Carrier jobs in Indiana

The incoming Trump Administration and UTX have reached an agreement that will keep close to 1,000 jobs at Carrier in Indiana.
Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/29/trump-to-reveal-deal-to-keep-nearly-1000-carrier-corp-jobs-in-indiana-sources.html?source=Snapzu

Great Smoky Mountains fires leave three dead, 'scene of destruction'

Great Smoky Mountains fires leave three dead, 'scene of destruction'

Local officials said on Tuesday that "the worst is over" for two small Tennessee resort towns in the Great Smoky Mountains where wildfires killed three people, destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes, forced thousands to flee and threatened country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fires-tennessee-idUSKBN13O2E3?source=Snapzu

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Venezuela's currency is now worth so little people are weighing it instead of counting it

Venezuela's currency is now worth so little people are weighing it instead of counting it

Inflation in Venezuela is expected to reach 720 per cent this year, with the largest bolívar bill now worth just five US cents on the black market. Some shopkeepers have reportedly taken to weighing rather than counting the wads of cash customers hand them, and standard-size wallets have become all but useless in the socialist South American state. Instead, many people stuff huge volumes of cash into handbags, money belts, or backpacks, in scenes analysts have said are suggestive of "runaway" inflation.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuelas-currency-hyper-inflation-oil-crisis-devalued-shop-keepers-weigh-notes-a7443596.html?source=Snapzu

Peter Thiel Insider Picked to Oversee Donald Trump’s Defense Department Transition

Peter Thiel Insider Picked to Oversee Donald Trump’s Defense Department Transition

Trae Stephens is a principal at billionaire Peter Thiel’s venture capital firm Founders Fund and used to work at Thiel’s controversial Palantir. By Lee Fang.
Read more: https://theintercept.com/2016/11/28/peter-thiel-dod/?source=Snapzu

At least 75 killed as plane carrying Brazilian soccer club team crashes in Colombia

At least 75 killed as plane carrying Brazilian soccer club team crashes in Colombia

A chartered plane carrying the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense crashed in Colombia near the city of Medellín on Tuesday morning.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/colombia-plane-crash-carrying-squad-from-top-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-survivors-found-2016-11?source=Snapzu

‘Snoopers’ charter’ petition hits signatures target

‘Snoopers’ charter’ petition hits signatures target

A petition asking government to repeal its Investigatory Powers Act has more than 118,000 signatures. By Zoe Kleinman.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38130344?source=Snapzu

Elizabeth Warren blasts medical research bill as ‘extortion’

Elizabeth Warren blasts medical research bill as ‘extortion’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered a ferocious attack Monday on congressional Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over a medical research bill, and put fellow Democrats on the spot by pushing them to oppose a measure she said “is corrupt, and it is very, very dangerous.”
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-elizabeth-warren-medical-research-bill-20161128-story.html?source=Snapzu

Reddit Is Tearing Itself Apart

Reddit Is Tearing Itself Apart

For the past 11 years, an eternity in internet time, Reddit has touted itself—repeatedly, and loudly—as the place to have “authentic conversations” online. For a variety of reasons, that sentiment has always rang hollow. Now, Reddit, in its goal to be a laissez-faire haven of (relatively) free expression, has been overrun by nationalist trolls. Its staff of volunteer moderators is losing hope in the site’s future. Gizmodo spoke with five high-ranking volunteer moderators of some of Reddit’s biggest communities, as well as a Reddit spokesperson.
Read more: http://gizmodo.com/reddit-is-tearing-itself-apart-1789406294?source=Snapzu

It will soon be illegal to punish customers who criticize businesses online

It will soon be illegal to punish customers who criticize businesses online

Consumer Review Fairness Act bans customer gag clauses, awaits Obama signature.
Read more: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/11/congress-passes-law-protecting-right-to-post-negative-online-reviews/?source=Snapzu

CBC asks for $400M to go ad-free

CBC asks for $400M to go ad-free

CBC/Radio Canada has submitted a position paper to the federal government proposing the public broadcaster move to an ad-free model, similar to the one used to pay for the BBC in the United Kingdom, at a cost of about $400 million in additional funding. "We are at a critical juncture in our evolution, continuing to operate under a business model and cultural policy framework that is profoundly broken," says the CBC's document, released on Monday afternoon. "At the same time, other nations are moving their cultural agendas forward successfully — and reaping the benefits of strong, stable, well-funded public broadcasters."
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cbc-radio-canada-ad-free-proposal-1.3871077?source=Snapzu

The Official Thomas Friedman ‘Make a Meaningless Graph’ Contest

The Official Thomas Friedman ‘Make a Meaningless Graph’ Contest

‘New York Times’ Thomas Friedman graphed history in his new book, ‘Thank You For Being Late’ – outdo him and win a free T-shirt! By Matt Taibbi.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/official-thomas-friedman-make-a-meaningless-graph-contest-w452465?source=Snapzu

Google Asked to Remove a Billion "Pirate" Search Results in a Year

Google Asked to Remove a Billion "Pirate" Search Results in a Year

Copyright holders asked Google to remove more than 1,000,000,000 allegedly infringing links from its search engine over the past twelve months. A new record, in line with the continued rise of takedown requests and the increase in pressure on Google to do more to tackle piracy.
Read more: https://torrentfreak.com/google-asked-to-remove-a-billion-pirate-search-results-in-a-year-161128/?source=Snapzu

India Unveils the World's Largest Solar Power Plant

India Unveils the World's Largest Solar Power Plant

The country is on schedule to be the world’s third biggest solar market next year.
Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/india-unveils-world-largest-solar-power-plant-161129101022044.html?source=Snapzu

NASA study confirms rift in Antarctic ice shelf

NASA study confirms rift in Antarctic ice shelf

Ice loss could be happening much faster than previously thought. By Laurel Kornfeld.
Read more: https://thespacereporter.com/2016/11/nasa-study-confirms-rift-antarctic-ice-shelf/?source=Snapzu

Scientists record biggest ever coral die-off on Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Scientists record biggest ever coral die-off on Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Warm seas around Australia's Great Barrier Reef have killed two-thirds of a 700-km (435 miles) stretch of coral in the past nine months, the worst die-off ever recorded on the World Heritage site, scientists who surveyed the reef said on Tuesday.
Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/scientists-record-biggest-ever-coral-die-off-on-australias-great-barrier-reef/ar-AAkSwe7?ocid=spartanntp?source=Snapzu

The Manhattan White House, the Secret Service, and the Painted Bikini Lady

The Manhattan White House, the Secret Service, and the Painted Bikini Lady

A Journey to the President-Elect’s Private “Public” Park. By Nick Turse.
Read more: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176214/tomgram:_nick_turse%2C_life%27s_no_picnic_in_trump%27s_secret_%28service%29_garden/?source=Snapzu

A Wrenching Choice for Alaska Towns in the Path of Climate Change

A Wrenching Choice for Alaska Towns in the Path of Climate Change

Alaska is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the nation. So what are the dozens of villages at imminent risk of destruction to do?
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/29/science/alaska-global-warming.html?source=Snapzu

Privacy Activists Urge Obama To Trump-Proof the NSA Before Leaving

Privacy Activists Urge Obama To Trump-Proof the NSA Before Leaving

A chorus of voices beg Obama to do something—anything—to stem potential abuse. By Kevin Collier.
Read more: http://www.vocativ.com/378399/obama-trump-proof-nsa/?source=Snapzu

Michigan plans to sell 100 million gallons of groundwater to Nestle for $200

Michigan plans to sell 100 million gallons of groundwater to Nestle for $200

Nestle, which is arguably the world’s leading advocate of water privatization, is about to acquire 100 million gallons of drinking water in Michigan. By Tom Cahill.
Read more: http://usuncut.com/climate/michigan-sell-off-100-million-gallons-water-nestle-200/?source=Snapzu

Fake Science News Is Just As Bad As Fake News

Fake Science News Is Just As Bad As Fake News

A Canadian journalist set out to get a fake article published in a scientific journal. By Bryson Masse.
Read more: http://motherboard.vice.com/en_au/read/fake-science-news-is-just-as-bad-as-fake-news?source=Snapzu

Gatlinburg neighborhood voluntarily evacuating due to fire

Gatlinburg neighborhood voluntarily evacuating due to fire

GATLINBURG - 9PM UPDATE:  Wildfires driven by wind gusts are prompting the evacuations of multiple areas of Gatlinburg including downtown Gatlinburg, fire officials said Monday night.
Read more: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/gatlinburg-neighborhood-voluntarily-evacuating-due-to-fire/357115866?source=Snapzu

Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

I didn't quite think it was possible, but it seems that the fight over some potential election recounts has served to basically make everyone look petty and awful. American politics continues to be a dumpster fire. Here is the latest, in three...
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161128/00444036141/somehow-everyone-comes-out-looking-terrible-effort-election-recounts.shtml?source=Snapzu

Monday 28 November 2016

Iraqi forces grind on in east Mosul as political rift opens over Shi’ite militias

Iraqi forces grind on in east Mosul as political rift opens over Shi’ite militias

Iraq’s sectarian political leaders have plunged back into a dispute over the status of Shi’ite armed groups, undermining efforts to reunite the country as its troops press on with the assault of Mosul, Islamic State’s biggest stronghold. By Michael Georgy, Isabel Coles and John Davison.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-iraq-idUKKBN13M0PH?source=Snapzu

As Batteries Keep Catching Fire, U.S. Safety Agency Prepares For Change

As Batteries Keep Catching Fire, U.S. Safety Agency Prepares For Change

Picture this: You're at a park, on a walk, with a baby. A friendly middle-aged man approaches you and tells you your stroller could be really dangerous. You might think this man is crazy. But maybe not if you knew he's the nation's product safety chief. "I couldn't live with myself if I walked away and it turned out that that child was harmed when I could've just said something," Elliot Kaye says. His voice is soft-spoken and his worldview seems to fluctuate between pride in saving lives and the unease of someone who has seen many things go wrong in unexpected ways. "You can't help it; you just automatically see the hazards."
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/11/27/503132072/as-batteries-keep-catching-fire-u-s-safety-agency-prepares-for-change?source=Snapzu

NASA X-Ray Tech Could Enable Superfast Communication in Deep Space

NASA X-Ray Tech Could Enable Superfast Communication in Deep Space

NASA’s NavCube project could power an X-ray communication demonstration in space. By Charles Q. Choi.
Read more: http://www.space.com/34824-nasa-x-ray-tech-deep-space-communication.html?source=Snapzu

China Asks Muslims To Stand Against Religious Extremism And For Socialism With Chinese Traits

China Asks Muslims To Stand Against Religious Extremism And For Socialism With Chinese Traits

Wang Zuo'an, chief of the State Administration for Religious Affairs in China, asked Muslim citizens to stand against religious extremism. He also said the development of Islam in China should stick to socialism with Chinese characteristics, as per a Xinhua news report. Wang also asked for new mosques to exhibit Chinese features rather than copied foreign architectural styles.
Read more: http://swarajyamag.com/insta/china-asks-muslims-to-stand-against-religious-extremism-and-for-socialism-with-chinese-traits?source=Snapzu

Irish father and daughter survive plane crash after 'complete engine failure'

Irish father and daughter survive plane crash after 'complete engine failure'

Pilots John and Isabella Ordway suffered complete engine failure 80 miles from Nairobi. Writing on Facebook Mr Ordway, from Co Cork, described their terrifying ordeal. "We had a complete engine failure 80 miles from Nairobi (the end part for our vintage air rally) and Had to crash land. Both bella and I are thankfully fine. The plane was destroyed but we walked away without a scratch.
Read more: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/irish-father-and-daughter-survive-plane-crash-after-complete-engine-failure-35250035.html?source=Snapzu

Obama Expands War With Al Qaeda to Include Shabab in Somalia

Obama Expands War With Al Qaeda to Include Shabab in Somalia

The administration’s move to stretch a 2001 war authorization will strengthen Donald J. Trump’s authority to combat thousands of Somali militants, and has drawn objections from some experts. By Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzettinov.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/27/us/politics/obama-expands-war-with-al-qaeda-to-include-shabab-in-somalia.html?source=Snapzu

Theranos Sued for Alleged Fraud by Robertson Stephens Co-Founder Colman

Theranos Sued for Alleged Fraud by Robertson Stephens Co-Founder Colman

Robertson Stephens & Co. co-founder Robert Colman accused Theranos Inc. in a lawsuit filed Monday of making false and misleading claims about its operations and technology while soliciting money from investors.
Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-sued-for-alleged-fraud-by-robertson-stephens-co-founder-colman-1480364852?source=Snapzu

Switzerland votes against strict timetable for nuclear power phaseout

Switzerland votes against strict timetable for nuclear power phaseout

People in Switzerland voting in a referendum have rejected a proposal to introduce a strict timetable for phasing out nuclear power. A projection for SRF public television showed the initiative failing by 55% to 45%. A majority of cantons (Swiss states) voted against the initiative. The plan, backed by the Green Party, would have meant closing three of Switzerland's five nuclear plants next year, with the last shutting in 2029.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38120559?source=Snapzu

Suspect 'dead' at Ohio State University

Suspect 'dead' at Ohio State University

A suspect is reportedly dead at Ohio State University that injured at least eight.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38136658?source=Snapzu

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