Karachi, Pakistan Nuclear plants at risk: Pakistani activists are seeking to block the construction of two nuclear power plants in an earthquake-prone, coastal area that is vulnerable to tsunamis. The Chinese are building the two reactors—using an experimental design—less than 20 miles from the sprawling city of Karachi, where 20 million people would be at risk should a reactor meltdown […]
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A year ago, 37-year-old Australian truck driver Bill Morgan was crushed in a car accident and came close to dying. When his luck finally changed after winning a car on a scratch-off lottery ticket, the local media wanted to air his story. Well, it was during that reenactment that he got another surprise. The ticket he was scratching was yet […]
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■ Alec Baldwin has vowed to retreat from public life in a new article in which he denounces his gay critics, and calls former colleagues at MSNBC “boring” and “full of s—.” In an “as told to” screed in New York magazine, the actor insists he “never wanted” to host the ill-fated MSNBC show Up Late With Alec Baldwin, which […]
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the blood test for concussions. The handheld device is used to detect concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries in place of a CT SCAN. Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator is used to diagnose brain lesions, but the lesions are not common in most concussions. The tests are very encouraging but […]
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NASA’s InSight Steers Toward Mars. The InSight lander has made its first course correction towards Mars. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is the first mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars. The lander is currently encapsulated in a protective aeroshell, which launched on top of an Atlas V 401 rocket on […]
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Budapest Power grab: In the face of mass protests and international condemnation, the Hungarian parliament has overwhelmingly passed 15 pages of amendments to the country’s 1-year-old constitution that practically abolish all judicial checks on the government. The amendments retroactively restore a number of controversial laws that were passed by the right-wing Fidesz government but subsequently ruled unconstitutional by the courts. […]
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By Evo Morales, President of Bolivia – Jan 24, 2013 Sisters, brothers: The world is being hit by a world-wide multiple crisis that is manifested in a climate, financial, food, institutional, cultural, ethical and spiritual crisis. This crisis indicates to us that we are living in the final days of capitalism and unbridled consumerism; that is, of a model […]
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Meet “Pepper,” said Richard Lawler in Engadget.com. Japanese telecom firm SoftBank unveiled a new, robot last week that it claims “can recognize human emotion” thanks to technology that allows it to “communicate through emotion, speech, or body language.” Pepper is also equipped with microphones and proximity sensors, and will feature upgradable software, allowing users to install apps and updates to […]
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Thomas Moore a fifth grader from Maryland decided that he wanted to help cancer patients by donating his hair. It took him two years to get it long enough to donate. The longer his hair grew he had to keep it in cornrows to help it stay nice and tame. After a while the braids started to hurt his head, […]
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Awe-inspiring experiences, such as viewing works of art or overlooking a scenic vista, may have physical as well as mental health benefits, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that the positive emotions triggered by these encounters can have an immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory effect that helps protect the body from heart disease, depression, autoimmune conditions, […]
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