Snapzu News: November 2017

Thursday 30 November 2017

Analysis | Poland’s in crisis again. Here’s what you should know about the far right’s latest power-grab.

Expect heavy street protests when the Law and Justice Party announces its backroom deal to control the courts.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/11/28/polands-in-crisis-again-here-are-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-law-and-justice-partys-attempt-to-take-over-the-courts/?source=Snapzu

Russell Simmons steps down after sexual assault allegation

Simmons, the founder of hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings and CEO of Rush Communications, released a statement on Thursday after screenwriter Jenny Lumet accused him of forcing her to have sex with him in 1991.
Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/30/media/russell-simmons-sexual-assault-stepping-down-companies/index.html?source=Snapzu

YouTube takes down Finnish music videos as licenses run out

The world's largest online video service, YouTube, took down a big chunk of the Finnish music hosted on the platform on Thursday morning after an agreement on licensing ran out. The organisation responsible for administering copyright in the Finnish music industry, Teosto, said that a new, temporary contract was agreed on Thursday morning—but it could be days before all the videos are back up.
Read more: https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/youtube_takes_down_finnish_music_videos_as_licenses_run_out/9955587?source=Snapzu

Alleged terror mastermind with $10M U.S. bounty on head is freed

Pakistani authorities released the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks from house arrest, but he still has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. Hafiz Saeed, whose arrest in January was seen as a signal of a broader shift in Pakistan’s treatment of extremists, was freed before dawn Friday local time in the city of Lahore, according to Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a spokesman for the Islamist cleric's charity. "I’m happy that no allegation against me was proved, which could have done damage to me, or my country’s interests," Saeed later told supporters. "Thank God, we were vindicated."
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pakistan-frees-hafiz-saeed-alleged-mastermind-mumbai-attacks-n823731/?source=Snapzu

[Dutch] - Smoking influences fecal volatile organic compounds composition

In other words, if you smoke or have smoked in the past, your farts smell differently.
Read more: https://www.vumc.nl/afdelingen/over-vumc/nieuws/rokerswindje/?source=Snapzu

Mystery Solved: How the Ancient Indus Civilization Survived Without Rivers

The rise and fall of the Indus civilization gets a new narrative. By Stephanie Pappas.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/61039-ancient-indus-civilization-survived-without-rivers.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon workers treated like ‘animals’ in exhausting working conditions, reporter reveals

Amazon workers are being treated like “animals,” forced to work to the point of physical collapse, it has been revealed. An undercover reporter for the Daily Mirror laid bare the working conditions at the world’s largest retailer. Daily Mirror reporter Alan Selby found that workers at the Amazon plant in Tilbury, Essex, were so tired that they “fell asleep on their feet” while working a 55-hour week.
Read more: https://www.rt.com/uk/411105-amazon-workers-conditions-retail/?source=Snapzu

Roy Moore Just Blamed His Sexual Misconduct Allegations On Lesbians, Gays, And Socialists

Speaking from a church pulpit in Alabama, the Republican Senate candidate said the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender...socialists" are behind the "malicious" allegations against him.
Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/briannasacks/roy-moore-just-blamed-the-lgbt-community-for-the-sexual?source=Snapzu

FDA clears first medical accessory for the Apple Watch—an EKG sensor

KardiaBand uses a neural network and the Apple Watch to detect abnormal heart rate.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/11/fda-approves-first-medical-accessory-for-the-apple-watch-an-ekg-sensor/?source=Snapzu

Forget the Blood of Teens. This Pill Promises to Extend Life for a Nickel a Pop.

The more researchers learn about metformin, the more it seems like a medieval wonder drug that could extend lifespans in the 21st century.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/this-pill-promises-to-extend-life-for-a-nickel-a-pop/?source=Snapzu

India is miles ahead of the US with its ironclad net neutrality rules

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published its recommendations for upholding net neutrality guidelines (PDF) across the country today, and boy, do they look good – for consumers, that is. The country has been tussling with the issue of regulating internet service providers’ ability to throttle traffic and create fast lanes for specific sources of content; TRAI has previously sought comments from the public on how to shape its rules. Today, it’s recommended that all ISPs should adhere to the principle of non-discriminatory treatment of content.
Read more: https://thenextweb.com/in/2017/11/28/india-preps-to-enforce-ironclad-net-neutrality-regulations/?source=Snapzu

Did Russians Find Alien Life Clinging to the International Space Station?

A surprising number of people believe we already have proof aliens exist. But it’s very rare when that segment of the population overlaps with the segment that’s actually been to outer space. And yet, on Monday, Anton Shkaplerov, a Russian cosmonaut who has already spent two stints aboard the International Space Station and is gearing up for a third mission to launch on Dec. 18, told Russian state media that scientists have found living bacteria sitting on the exterior of the Russian segment of the ISS. He claims the bacteria is not from Earth—it’s extraterrestrial in origin.
Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2017/11/the_bacteria_clinging_to_iss_probably_isn_t_alien_life.html?source=Snapzu

Japan Inc scandals widen as Toray admits cheating

Japan’s Toray Industries Inc on Tuesday revealed 149 cases of quality data falsification at a materials-making subsidiary spanning eight years, in the latest quality-assurance scandal to hit a Japanese manufacturer.
Read more: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-toray-scandal/japan-inc-scandals-widen-as-toray-admits-cheating-idUKKBN1DS05A?source=Snapzu

The FCC's Attack On Net Neutrality Is Based Entirely On Debunked Lobbyist Garbage Data

For several years now one of the broadband industry's biggest criticisms of net neutrality is that it "utterly devastated" investment into broadband networks. But for just as long, we've noted how every time a journalist or analyst actually dissects that claim, they find it's completely unsupportable. What objective analysts do tend to find is that the telecom sector hires an army of economists, consultants, fauxcademics and lobbyists more than happy to manipulate, distort and twist the data until it supports whatever conclusion they're paid to parrot.
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171128/08330138690/fccs-attack-net-neutrality-is-based-entirely-debunked-lobbyist-garbage-data.shtml?source=Snapzu

Computer glitch leaves American Airlines without any pilots for Christmas

A computer glitch has allowed all of American Airlines’ pilots to take vacation during the week of Christmas, according to ABC and Reuters. The error could leave thousands of planes grounded during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Citing the union that represents pilots, Reuters reports that over 15,000 planes currently lack pilot assignments in December. “On Friday, management disclosed a failure within the pilot schedule bidding system,” the Allied Pilots Association said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/29/16716152/american-airlines-computer-glitch-pilot-vacation-december?source=Snapzu

DMX Has Released an Official Cover of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

It's part of the 'Spotify Singles: Holiday' playlist, which also features tracks from Wolf Alice, Wyclef Jean and Rostam.
Read more: https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/ywnmgx/dmx-has-released-an-official-cover-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer?source=Snapzu

The Nintendo Switch was the hottest product on Black Friday and Cyber Monday — and it wasn't even on sale

Nintendo dominated online sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday thanks to the company's wildly popular Switch game console, Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal said in a note to clients. The Switch was the best-selling product online across all product categories among online retailers on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, according to Adobe's Digital Insights Initiatives. Nintendo offered no discounts during that time, although the console was already priced below $300.
Read more: http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nintendo-stock-price-switch-the-hottest-product-on-black-friday-cyber-monday-without-even-being-on-sale-2017-11-1009935119?source=Snapzu

Skeletons found on Japan 'ghost ship'

Japanese authorities are trying to identify eight people whose badly decomposed remains were found on a wooden boat that washed up on a beach. The discovery took place in the northern Akita prefecture. It comes days after a group of men claiming to be North Korean fishermen washed onshore in the same area.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42148099?source=Snapzu

Fully Functioning Artificial Human Heart Muscle Developed

Duke University researchers say they have created an artificial human heart muscle large enough to patch over damage seen in patients who have suffered a heart attack. The advance takes a major step toward the end goal of repairing dead heart muscle in human patients, the team adds.
Read more: https://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/fully-functioning-artificial-human-heart-muscle-developed/81255215?source=Snapzu

Top US general says Taliban 'living in comfort' in Pakistan

It's been nearly 100 days since President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for Afghanistan and the wider region, a strategy that demanded Pakistan do more to fight the Taliban, but Pakistan has yet to take significant action against the Taliban, according to the commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan.
Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/28/politics/nicholson-us-taliban-afghanistan/index.html?source=Snapzu

World Cup in Russia could be dangerous for homosexual fans, FIFA advisers warn

FIFA's anti-discrimination advisers are warning gay soccer fans going to the 2018 World Cup in Russia that displays of affection could be met with an aggressive response from intolerant locals. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay sentiment remains strong and intensified after a law was introduced in 2013 prohibiting dissemination to minors of "propaganda" legitimizing homosexuality.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2017/11/28/fifa-advisers-danger-for-gay-fans-at-world-cup-in-russia/108110476/?source=Snapzu

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Reactions pour in following Trump's anti-Islamic retweets

UK lawmakers are condemning the president's retweets of videos depicting anti-Islamic imagery
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reactions-pour-in-following-trumps-anti-islamic-retweets/?source=Snapzu

N.B. fisherman finds lobster with Pepsi can imprinted on claw

Karissa Lindstrand had already spent five hours banding lobster claws on a boat called Honour Bound, off Grand Manan, when a blue and red logo she knew well caught her eye. It was a Pepsi can image "tattooed on the lobster's claw," said Lindstrand. Being a huge Pepsi fan — she drinks 12 cans every day — this image would have caught her interest anywhere.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/lobster-with-pepsi-claw-1.4423596?source=Snapzu

Donald Trump state visit should be withdrawn 'immediately', MP demands

British Prime Minister Theresa May has condemned Donald Trump after the US president shared a series of anti-Muslim tweets from far-right extremist group Britain First, sparking condemnation for spreading its “deplorable” ideology to a global audience.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-live-updates-britain-first-video-twitter-us-president-uk-far-right-islamophobia-racist-a8082381.html?source=Snapzu

Strong Evidence that U.S. Special Operations Forces Massacred Civilians in Somalia

An investigation by The Daily Beast on the ground in Somalia appears to confirm that American soldiers were involved directly in the deaths of 10 innocent civilians.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/strong-evidence-that-us-special-operations-forces-massacred-civilians-in-somalia?source=Snapzu

Police shooting victim's girlfriend to receive $800K for emotional distress, arrest

The girlfriend of Philando Castile, Diamond Reynolds, will receive $800,000 under a settlement announced on Tuesday, more than one year after a Minnesota police officer shot and killed Castile in front of her and their 4-year-old daughter, according to city officials. Reynolds, who live-streamed the gruesome aftermath of the shooting in July 2016, would receive $675,000 from the city of St. Anthony, Minnesota, along with an additional $125,000 from the city of Roseville and the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust as a part of the agreement, officials said Tuesday.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/philando-castiles-girlfriend-receive-800000-settlement-emotional-distress/story?id=51453256?source=Snapzu

G.M. Unveils Its Driverless Cars, Aiming to Lead the Pack

Previously reluctant to show the autonomous vehicles it is developing, General Motors now wants to signal its progress in getting them to market.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/business/gm-driverless-cars.html?source=Snapzu

Man who inspired ALS Ice Bucket Challenge succumbs to the disease at age 46

Anthony Senerchia, whose struggle with the motor disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was an early inspiration for the viral “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” died November 25 after a 14-year long battle with the disease, according to an online obituary. He was 46. Senerchia, from Pelham, N.Y., was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, shortly after marrying his wife Jeanette Hane. He was given only a few years to live, but he powered through the disease for the next 14 years, his obituary reads.
Read more: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/nation-world/national/article187067048.html?source=Snapzu

Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

Mercedes-Benz, conducting the biggest test using drones to ship everyday items like ground coffee and cellphones, said the mini aircraft completed 100 drop-offs to strategically placed vans in Zurich with a perfect safety record and more deliveries are planned for next year.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/mercedes-plans-more-drone-deliveries-after-100-perfect-flights?source=Snapzu

Facebook’s New Test: 'Upload A Clear Photo of Your Face'

Facebook asks some users to upload a picture of their face to authenticate themselves in cases of "suspicious activity."
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-new-captcha-test-upload-a-clear-photo-of-your-face/?source=Snapzu

NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over Sexual Misconduct Allegation

The network’s news president, Andrew Lack, said in a memo, “We were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/business/media/nbc-matt-lauer.html?source=Snapzu

The 5 most ridiculous things the FCC says in its new net neutrality propaganda

The Federal Communications Commission put out a final proposal last week to end net neutrality. The proposal opens the door for internet service providers to create fast and slow lanes, to block websites, and to prioritize their own content. This isn’t speculation. It’s all there in the text. But a new “fact sheet” sent out by the FCC today asks: what if facts are flexible things that we can bend to our preferred reality? It lists a series of “myths” about the commission’s proposal, followed by “facts” that supposedly debunk them...
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/28/16710450/fcc-net-neutrality-fact-sheet-is-total-nonsense?source=Snapzu

Why do Texas prisons ban 'Freakonomics' but not Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'?

More than 10,000 books are banned from Texas prisons, but they might not be the ones you think. Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for fiction, is not allowed. Neither is Freakonomics, the 2005 bestseller that explained concepts such as cheating at school and parenting techniques using economic theory.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/11/27/texas-prisons-ban-freakonomics-big-book-angels-adolf-hitlers-mein-kampf?source=Snapzu

Angela Lansbury says women must 'sometimes take blame' for sexual harassment

Renowned actress Angela Lansbury is facing criticism after saying women "must sometimes take blame" for sexual harassment because of the way they dress. In an interview Monday with British entertainment media company RadioTimes, Lansbury said women "have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive. And unfortunately it has backfired on us... Although it's awful to say we can't make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/entertainment/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment-comments-trnd/index.html?source=Snapzu

Cosmonaut says space station bacteria 'come from outer space'

The bacteria turned up after swabbing of the space station's exterior. The question is, how did they get there?
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/alien-life-international-space-station-bacteria-nasa-space-walk/?source=Snapzu

Apps Can Cut Blue Light From Devices, But Do They Help You Sleep?

If you're losing sleep over the blue light coming from your phone, there's an app for that. In fact, there are now lots of apps that promise to improve sleep by filtering out the blue light produced by phones, tablets, computers and even televisions. But how well do these apps work?
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/11/27/561740031/apps-can-cut-blue-light-from-devices-but-do-they-help-you-sleep?source=Snapzu

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile in Latest Provocation

North Korea shattered a two-month period of relative quiet by test-firing a missile that analysts say may put the U.S. east coast in range. Japan said the intercontinental ballistic missile flew for 53 minutes on a lofted trajectory and may have reached an altitude of more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) before landing in waters about 250 kilometers from its northwest coast. U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that it flew higher than any previous North Korean launch.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-yonhap-reports-citing-south-korea-jcs?source=Snapzu

Air Force Failed to Report Dozens of Service Members to Gun Database

Dozens of Air Force service members charged with or convicted of serious crimes were never reported to the federal gun background-check database as required, Air Force officials said on Tuesday. The revelation came after the Air Force disclosed that it had failed to report the domestic violence conviction of Devin P. Kelley, the gunman who opened fire at a church in Texas this month. Under federal law, Mr. Kelley’s court-martial conviction for domestic assault should have prevented him from purchasing at a gun store the rifle he used in the attack, as well as other guns he acquired over the past four years.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/us/air-force-devin-kelley-gunman-texas.html?source=Snapzu

Trump donated to Project Veritas before organization tried to trick Washington Post

President Donald Trump donated to an agency with a history of trying to take down liberal organizations, an agency that is now accused of trying to dupe The Washington Post with a fake Roy Moore claim in an undercover operation. The newspaper found out that a woman was lying after contacting reporters with a false claim that she'd become pregnant after having sex with Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore when she was a teenage girl. She claimed he then took her to get an abortion.
Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/trump-donated-project-veritas-organization-tried-trick-washington-post-723888?source=Snapzu

Black Vegans Step Out, for Their Health and Other Causes

Aph Ko got tired of hearing that eating vegan was something only white people did. So in 2015, she created a list of 100 black vegans for a website. It included pioneering figures like Dick Gregory and Coretta Scott King and younger, less famous writers, filmmakers, cooks and activists. “When you say ‘vegan,’ a lot of people tend to only think of PETA, which doesn’t reflect the massive landscape of vegan activism,” said Ms. Ko, 28, a Floridian whose favorite dish at the moment is the spinach pie in “The Vegan Stoner Cookbook.” “The black vegan movement is one of the most diverse, decolonial, complex and creative movements.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/dining/black-vegan-cooking.html?source=Snapzu

Bitcoin just passed $10,000. It's officially one of the world's 30 largest currencies.

While Bitcoin has had its ups and downs this year, its surges and upward trends over the last months have seen the cryptocurrency hitting several historic “all-time highs.” On November 20th for example, it surged past $8,200, then topped out at $9,000 on November 26. But the meteoric rise didn’t stop there. Today, Nov. 28, Bitcoin’s value has officially hit $10,000. A year ago, Bitcoin had its sights set on reaching $1,000, still relatively new to success, and so this new milestone will leave many to reevaluate the future potential of the cryptocurrency.
Read more: https://futurism.com/bitcoin-value-10000/?source=Snapzu

Tuesday 28 November 2017

Internet should be open and free, and not cannibalised, says TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma

Trai issued the much-awaited recommendations on net neutrality and has sought to bar telecom service providers from any discriminatory practice on Internet access. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman R.S. Sharma called for Internet, an important platform for India, being kept open and free, and not cannibalised. “No one owns Internet... so, it should be open and accessible to everyone,” Mr. Sharma said, suggesting that service providers should not indulge in gate-keeping of this important platform.
Read more: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/internet-an-important-platform-should-be-open-and-free-r-s-sharma/article21039915.ece?homepage=true?source=Snapzu

If you've followed the War on Terror at all, you're almost certainly familiar with the US detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — a US prison that exists outside the realm of the US justice system.
Read more: https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-24/us-coast-guard-operating-floating-prisons-pacific-ocean-outside-us-legal?source=Snapzu