After decades of pushing bachelor’s degrees, U.S. needs more tradespeople

At a steel factory dwarfed by the adjacent Auto Club Speedway, Fernando Esparza is working toward his next promotion. Esparza is a 46-year-old mechanic for Evolution Fresh, a subsidiary of Starbucks that makes juices and smoothies. He’s taking a class in industrial computing taught by a community college at a local manufacturing plant in the hope it will bump up his wages.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/decades-pushing-bachelors-degrees-u-s-needs-tradespeople?source=Snapzu

How Do You Make or Maintain Friends? Put in the Time.

Friendship takes time to develop. The more time two people spend together, the more likely they are to be friends. On the other hand, there are people we see regularly but don’t consider friends. So just how many hours of togetherness does it take for an acquaintance to become a friend? Or for a friend rise to the level of best friend? And does it matter what you spend all that time doing? For the first time, there are answers: 50 hours, more than 200 hours, and yes, it does matter.
Read more: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-waves/201803/how-do-you-make-or-maintain-friends-put-in-the-time?source=Snapzu

He applied to 20 of the best colleges and got a full ride to all of them

Micheal Brown stared at the acceptance letter in front of him: It said yes. So did the next one. And the one after that. The 17-year-old from Houston applied to 20 of the best universities in the US. He was admitted to every single one with a full ride and $260,000 in additional scholarship offers. "It's something I'm proud of because I see my hard work paying off, determination paying off, sacrifices paying off," the student told CNN.
Read more: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/03/30/health/teen-college-20-acceptances-trnd/index.html?__twitter_impression=true?source=Snapzu

Software turns knitting machines into 3D printers

Ordinarily, programming an industrial knitting machine to knit a certain type of item is quite a complex process. As a result, they're generally not used to create one-offs. That could change, though, thanks to new software that tells them how to knit custom 3D objects.
Read more: https://newatlas.com/knitting-machines-3d-objects/54032/?source=Snapzu

Artificial enzyme: Protein designed entirely from scratch functions in cells as a life-sustaining catalyst

A dawning field of research, artificial biology, is working toward creating a genuinely new organism. At Princeton, chemistry professor Michael Hecht and the researchers in his lab are designing and building proteins that can fold and mimic the chemical processes that sustain life. Their artificial proteins, encoded by synthetic genes, are approximately 100 amino acids long, using an endlessly varying arrangement of 20 amino acids.
Read more: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2018/01/18/artificial-enzyme-protein-designed-entirely-scratch-functions-cells-life-sustaining?source=Snapzu

North Korea will take Part in Next Two Olympics: IOC Chief Bach

North Korea will take part in the next two Olympic Games in Japan and China, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Saturday after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-ioc/north-korea-will-take-part-in-next-two-olympics-ioc-chief-bach-idUSKBN1H701Z?source=Snapzu

Hospital relaxes rules to let dying man see his dog one last time

A dying grandfather had his last wish granted when a hospital relaxed its normal infection controls so his dog could be bought to see him one last time. To stop the possible spread of infection, animals are allowed into hospitals only under very rare circumstances.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dying-man-dog-last-wish-peter-robson-shep-hospital-say-goodbye-pet-dundee-ninewells-mans-best-friend-a8281611.html?source=Snapzu

Japan whalers return from Antarctic hunt after killing 333 whales

Japanese whaling vessels returned to port on Saturday after catching more than 300 of the mammals in the Antarctic Ocean without facing any protests by anti-whaling groups, officials said.
Read more: https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/japan-whalers-return-antarctic-hunt-after-killing-333-whales-doc-13h2gq1?source=Snapzu

Clues to aging found in stem cells' genomes

Little hints of immortality are lurking in the stem cells of fruit flies. Stem cells that produce sperm use a genetic trick to stay perpetually young across generations, researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute have discovered. Certain sections of the fruit fly genome get shorter with age. But remarkably, some reproductive cells can repair the shrinkage, the researchers report in the journal eLife.
Read more: http://ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/videos/25415-clues-to-aging-found-in-stem-cells-genomes?source=Snapzu

Cannabinoids are easier on the brain than booze, study finds

Marijuana may not be as damaging to the brain as previously thought, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder and the CU Change Lab. The research, which was published in the journal Addiction, examined the brains of more than 1,000 participants of varying ages, and found that long-term alcohol use is much more damaging to the brain than marijuana, contradicting years of research into the effects of marijuana and other cannabinoid products on the brain.
Read more: https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2018/02/02/cannabinoids-are-easier-brain-booze-study-finds?source=Snapzu

People’s eyes are bleeding after they take synthetic ‘weed’ called spice, Illinois officials say

There’s a fake form of marijuana going around Illinois — and it’s making people bleed from their eyes and ears. The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a warning about synthetic “weed” known as “spice,” “K2” or “Mind Trip” on March 27. At that time, there were six people who reported “severe bleeding” after taking the fake pot since March 7, according to the state department.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article207459389.html?source=Snapzu

Laura Ingraham Takes a Week Off as Advertisers Drop Her Show

The Fox News host was criticized for saying that the Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg was whining about getting rejected from colleges. Fox News said her vacation was preplanned.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/business/media/laura-ingraham-david-hogg.html?source=Snapzu

Dutch concern over Scientology-style sect

Reports of a Scientology-style sect infiltrating schools have aroused concern in the Netherlands. A television investigation claimed to have found at least six private schools governed by "Avatar wizards" and guided by the principles of the Avatar ideology. So what is Avatar (besides a blockbuster movie)? And how influential is it?
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43584884?source=Snapzu

Texas woman sentenced to 5 years in prison for voting while on probation

"Who would — as a mother, as a provider — leave their kids over voting?” she asked.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/30/texas-woman-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison-for-voting-while-on-probation?source=Snapzu

Andrew Yang Wants You To Vote For A $1,000-A-Month Basic Income In 2020

Andrew Yang has a one word answer for why he’s running for president in 2020. It’s not Trump, or healthcare, or fame. It’s automation: the way in which machines are taking away jobs already and are set to take away many more in the future. “To me, this is an elephant in the room that’s stomping around and making a mess and everyone seems to be ignoring it,” he says.
Read more: https://www.fastcompany.com/40549433/andrew-yang-wants-you-to-vote-for-a-1000-a-month-basic-income-in-2020?source=Snapzu

IBM sees quantum computing going mainstream within five years

Quantum computing going mainstream. It may sound impossible, but IBM thinks it might be the future in the next five years. That is one of the five technological innovations that IBM predicts will change lives everywhere. The computers sold today, also known as classical computers, are limited in their capabilities to solve certain issues, generally when it comes to large-scale computations.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/30/ibm-sees-quantum-computing-going-mainstream-within-five-years.html?source=Snapzu

​SpaceX's Starlink takes a big step forward in delivering internet from the sky

The Federal Communications Commission has approved Elon Musk's SpaceX application to deliver broadband services from its Starlink Low Earth Orbit satellites.
Read more: http://www.zdnet.com/article/spacexs-starlink-takes-a-big-step-forward-in-delivering-internet-from-the-sky/?source=Snapzu

Facebook haunted by 'ugly truth' memo

A Facebook executive's memo that claimed the "ugly truth" was that anything it did to grow was justified has been made public, embarrassing the company. The 2016 post said that this applied even if it meant people might die as a result of bullying or terrorism. Both the author and the company's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, have denied they actually believe the sentiment.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43594959?source=Snapzu

Here are the internal Facebook posts of employees discussing today’s leaked memo

The publication of a June 2016 memo describing the consequences of Facebook’s growth-at-all-costs triggered an emotional conversation at the company today. An internal post reacting to the memo found employees angry and heartbroken that their teammates were sharing internal company discussions with the media. Many called on the company to step up its war on leakers and hire employees with more “integrity.”
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/30/17179100/facebook-memo-leaks-boz-andrew-bosworth?source=Snapzu

South Koreans Will Be Able to Pay in Cryptocurrency at Over 6,000 Stores

Bithumb is partnering with Korea Pay Services to let over 6,000 retail outlets accept cryptocurrency payments for goods and services.
Read more: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/south-koreans-will-be-able-pay-cryptocurrency-over-6000-stores/#1522259112?source=Snapzu

Couple donates $150M to UM cancer center

Years ago, Richard and Susan Rogel lost many of their family members to cancer. Richard Rogel’s father succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Susan Rogel lost her father to melanoma. Her mother also died from cancer during a time when people didn’t talk about it, so she doesn’t even know what kind of cancer.
Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/29/university-michigan-cancer-center-donation/33377653/?source=Snapzu

Rusty Staub, Durable Batter Who Won Pennant With Mets, Dies at 73

Nicknamed Le Grand Orange while playing for Montreal — he was 6-foot-2 and had curly red hair — Staub made six All-Star teams in his 23-year major league career.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/obituaries/rusty-staub-dead-baseball.html?source=Snapzu

Self-driving cars could kill hundreds but save tens of thousands, Toyota executive says

Self-driving cars could kill hundreds of people every year in the early going but save many more lives, a Toyota executive said Thursday at an event near the New York Auto Show. After a self-driving Uber car killed a pedestrian in Arizona earlier this month, concerns about the movement toward autonomous transportation have escalated. But Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz said Thursday that more deaths are coming as automakers and tech companies pursue self-driving vehicles.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/03/29/self-driving-cars-uber-crash-toyota/468804002/?source=Snapzu

Onion Inc. has unionized

We’ve decided to form a union here at Onion Inc., home of The A.V. Club and our sister sites The Onion and ClickHole. First, all of The A.V. Club staff, along with an overwhelming majority of Onion Inc. staff, signed cards signaling our desire to unionize. Then we made it official on Monday when we requested formal recognition from our management. The new union comprises all of the creative staffs at Onion Inc.: The A.V. Club, The Onion, ClickHole, The Takeout, Onion Labs, and Onion Inc.’s video and art departments.
Read more: https://news.avclub.com/onion-inc-has-unionized-1824163858?source=Snapzu

Snap is laying off around 100 more people, this time in sales

Snap is laying off about 100 people, primarily from the company’s sales side. It’s the third round of layoffs for Snap since the beginning of the year; the company also restructured its content teams in January and laid off around 120 engineers earlier this month. Imran Khan, the company’s chief strategy officer and the head of all its business operations, said in a statement that these layoffs were part of a planned downsizing that started late last year. Here’s his full statement:
Read more: https://www.recode.net/2018/3/29/17176230/snap-layoffs-sales-restructuring-imran-khan?source=Snapzu

Fox News host apologizes for mocking Florida school shooting survivor as uproar grows

Last month, Fox News host Laura Ingraham got into a very public feud with NBA superstar LeBron James. Now she has found herself in a Twitter clash with a survivor of the Parkland, Florida school shooting — prompting an uproar that led her to apologize as several sponsors announced plans to pull ads from her show.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lauren-hogg-school-shooting-survivor-clashes-with-fox-news-host-laura-ingraham/?source=Snapzu

Tesla issues its largest recall ever voluntarily over faulty Model S steering

Tesla said Thursday it was recalling a huge number of its Model S sedans around the world over a power steering issue. It told customers in an email that it was a proactive move and none of the company’s other vehicles were affected.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/29/17177888/tesla-recall-model-s-size-power-steering?source=Snapzu

The world’s largest desert has got even bigger because of climate change

The Sahara Desert has grown significantly over the past century, and climate change is largely to blame, according to a new study. Analysing data collected since 1923, a research team examined the different factors that contributed to changes in rainfall in the Sahara region. They found the desert, already around the size of the US, had expanded by about 10 per cent over the period covered by this data.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sahara-worlds-largest-desert-climate-change-growth-global-warming-sahel-a8280361.html?source=Snapzu

Facebook risks millions of dollars in FTC fines over data crisis

Former Federal Trade Commission officials say that Facebook Inc. appears to have breached a 2011 consent agreement to safeguard users’ personal information and may be facing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines. The agency could fine Facebook up to $40,000 per violation per day—which could add up quickly with millions of users involved—if it finds the social media giant broke its earlier promises to protect user data, they say. “If I had to bet, they will find violations,” said Jessica Rich, a former head of the FTC’s consumer protection bureau.
Read more: https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/6Bg51pYlke8o3ykpjyXJUJ/Facebook-risks-millions-of-dollars-in-FTC-fines-over-data-cr.html?source=Snapzu

Under Armour Says 150 Million MyFitnessPal Accounts Hacked

Under Armour Inc., joining a growing list of corporate victims of hacker attacks, said about 150 million user accounts tied to its MyFitnessPal nutrition-tracking app were breached earlier this year. An unauthorized party stole data from the accounts in late February, Under Armour said on Thursday. It became aware of the breach earlier this week and took steps to alert users about the incident, the company said.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-29/under-armour-says-data-security-issue-has-affected-150-million-users?source=Snapzu

New York Threatens To Sue If The Trump Administration Moves Forward With “Religious Protections” For Medical Workers

New York is likely to sue the Trump administration over a proposed rule intended to allow health care providers to decline to provide medical care — like abortion or sex reassignment surgery — for “religious, moral, ethical,” or other reasons.
Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/new-york-threatens-to-sue-if-the-trump-administration-moves?source=Snapzu

A Cruise self-driving car got a traffic ticket—GM says it did nothing wrong

Cruise says its car never came within 10 feet of a pedestrian.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/03/a-cruise-car-got-a-traffic-ticket-gm-says-it-did-nothing-wrong/?source=Snapzu

Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Just Raised Gobs of Money to Peddle Pseudoscience

There is good money in pseudoscience.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-just-raised-gobs-of-money-to-pedd-1824183669?source=Snapzu

A billionaire biotech investor says Facebook will be decimated by its disastrous data leak

Jim Mellon, the billionaire British investor, has predicted that Facebook faces "decimation" over the Cambridge Analytica data disaster. Speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box" after a tumultuous two weeks for Mark Zuckerberg's social-media company, Mellon said the fallout would be far-reaching after Facebook was plundered for the data of 50 million users. The scandal has wiped about $80 billion, or 57 billion British pounds, off Facebook's value, and Mellon said the firm's share price could halve over the next two years.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-will-be-decimated-by-data-scandal-says-jim-mellon-2018-3?source=Snapzu

Coffee must carry cancer warning, California judge rules

A judge sided with the nonprofit that brought the case against coffee companies because of a carcinogen, acrylamide, that is produced when coffee beans are roasted. Don't drink coffee in California, it causes cancer.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/03/29/coffee-must-carry-cancer-warning-california-judge-rules/?source=Snapzu

Yulia Skripal's condition is improving rapidly after Salisbury nerve agent attack

Yulia Skripal is no longer in a critical condition and is “improving rapidly” following a nerve agent attack in Salisbury. Doctors said her father, Sergei Skripal, remains in a critical but stable condition as the global impact of the attempted assassination continues to widen. Dr Christine Blanshard, the medical director for Salisbury District Hospital, said: “I'm pleased to be able to report an improvement in the condition of Ms Skripal.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/yulia-skripal-latest-nerve-agent-critical-condition-salisbvury-poisoning-russia-spy-a8279761.html?source=Snapzu

DMX Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison

DMX has been in and out of jail throughout his career. Only two months after being sent behind bars for violating bail conditions related to failed drug tests, X has just been sentenced to 1 year in prison.
Read more: https://hypebeast.com/2018/3/dmx-tax-fraud-sentencing-one-year?source=Snapzu

Rubber ducks may be haven for nasty germs

Scientists have the dirt on the rubber ducky: Those cute yellow bath-time toys are — as some parents have long suspected — a haven for nasty bugs. Swiss and American researchers counted the microbes swimming inside the toys and say the murky liquid released when ducks were squeezed contained "potentially pathogenic bacteria" in four out of the five toys studied.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rubber-ducks-may-be-haven-for-nasty-germs/?source=Snapzu

Appeals Court Upholds New Trial for Subject of 'Serial'

Annapolis, Md. (AP) -- A Maryland appeals court has upheld a ruling granting a new trial to a man whose conviction in the murder of his high school sweetheart became the subject of the popular podcast
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-29/appeals-court-upholds-new-trial-for-subject-of-serial?source=Snapzu

North and South Korea agree — their leaders will hold a summit meeting on April 27 in the DMZ

The third summit ever between the Koreas could prove significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over the North's nuclear program.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-koreas-talks-20180329-story.html?source=Snapzu

Forty-four countries sign historic African Union free trade agreement

Forty-four African countries have signed up to a historic trade agreement aimed at paving the way for a liberalized market for goods and services across the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an agreement cast in the mold of the European Union’s version was signed during the 10th Ordinary Session of African Union Heads of State summit held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
Read more: http://www.africanews.com/2018/03/21/forty-four-countries-sign-historic-africa-union-free-trade-agreement/?source=Snapzu

Amazon shares slump as Trump goes after the retail giant

President Donald Trump lashed out at Amazon in a tweet Thursday, a day after the company's stock tanked following a report that said he wants to "go after" the e-commerce giant for alleged antitrust violations.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/trump-goes-after-amazon-on-twitter-again.html?source=Snapzu

‘You’re a mother’: Laura Ingraham faces boycott for taunting Parkland teen over college rejections

At least one advertiser says it's removing ads after Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg called for a boycott of Ingraham's Fox News show.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/29/laura-ingraham-savaged-for-taunting-parkland-activist-over-college-rejections/?utm_term=.6db24b41fc20?source=Snapzu

Chinese facial recognition and AI sends fines to jaywalkers via text

Traffic police in Shenzhen City, south-east China, have asked Intellifusion to upgrade a system installed last April to detect jaywalkers to send texts and instant messages to offenders.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5554579/Facial-recognition-AI-used-China-send-FINES-jaywalkers-text-messages.html?source=Snapzu

A major oil company just agreed in court that humans cause climate change. It sets a new precedent.

Last week, a federal judge at the US District Court for the Northern District of California held a five-hour tutorial to lay the scientific foundation for two lawsuits against the five biggest oil companies in the world.
Read more: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/3/28/17152804/climate-change-federal-court-chevron?source=Snapzu

A Mathematical Proof That The Universe Could Have Formed Spontaneously From Nothing

One of the great theories of modern cosmology is that the universe began in a Big Bang. This is not just an idea but a scientific theory backed up by numerous lines of evidence. For a start, there is the cosmic microwave background, which is a kind of echo of the big bang; then there is the ongoing expansion of the cosmos, which when imagined backwards, hints at a Big Bang-type origin; and the abundance of the primordial elements, such as helium-4, helium-3, deuterium and so on, can all be calculated using the theory.
Read more: https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/a-mathematical-proof-that-the-universe-could-have-formed-spontaneously-from-nothing-ed7ed0f304a3?source=Snapzu

Eating out increases levels of phthalates in the body, study finds

Eating at restaurants and fast food chains may increase exposure to potentially harmful hormone-disrupting chemicals used to increase the flexibility and durability of plastic, a study has found. Researchers investigating levels of phthalates in the human body, which have been linked to asthma, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and fertility issues in the past few years, were found to be nearly 35% higher in participants who had eaten out the previous day compared with those who stayed at home.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/29/eating-out-increases-levels-of-phthalates-in-the-body-study-finds?source=Snapzu

Facebook will no longer allow third-party data for targeting ads

Facebook announced today that it’s disabling a form of advertising targeting called Partner Categories, which allowed prominent third-party data aggregators like Experian and Acxiom to provide clients with offline data like purchasing activity to inform ad targeting. The move comes amid the fallout from the ongoing Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, and it follows similar moves from the social network to curtail abusive ad practices.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17174854/facebook-shutting-down-partner-categories-ad-targeting-cambridge-analytica?source=Snapzu

Facebook severs relationship with third-party data brokers

In light of Facebook’s recent privacy woes, the company today pledged to take a meaningful step in righting past wrongs by shutting data brokers out of its multi-billion dollar ad platform. Facebook’s product marketing director Graham Mudd had this to say...
Read more: https://thenextweb.com/facebook/2018/03/29/facebook-to-block-data-brokers-from-its-ad-network/?source=Snapzu

Elon Musk 'may have fallen in love with the wrong thing' and it's hurting Tesla, Bernstein says

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is so focused on automating electric car manufacturing that it's hurting the company's ability to deliver on its Model 3 production goals, Bernstein said Wednesday. "When it comes to auto production, Elon may have fallen in love with the wrong thing. He's fallen in love with robots and automation," Max Warburton, European autos analyst at Bernstein, said in a Wednesday report.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/28/teslas-elon-musk-may-have-fallen-in-love-with-the-wrong-thing.html?source=Snapzu