March 6, 2016

You’ve Been Warned

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: MARCH 6TH- TAKE TWO AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING

This Day In History: March 6, 1899

On March 6, 1899, the mainstay of medicine cabinets around the globe, acetylsalicylic acid, was patented by The Friedrich Bayer & Co. under the trade name Aspirin at the Imperial patent office in Berlin. After well over a century, it’s still one of the most effective, versatile, and commonly used medications world-wide.

Although Aspirin’s existence only dates back over a hundred years or so, its active ingredient, salicin, had been used for many centuries to alleviate pain and fever. Hippocrates is known to have used it, and it had been used in modern medicine since the 19th century. As effective as it was, willow bark and salicin were used sparingly because the taste was vile and, more importantly, its use had a tendency to cause a severe upset stomach, and in extreme cases could even damage it. …

Flint residents hope city’s Democratic debate will spur action amid water crisis

As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders make lead contamination crisis central to their campaigns, residents are wary of politics – but ‘it’s still a good thing’

On a recent frigid morning in Flint, Michigan, as another winter storm barreled through town, residents were filing through a water resource center to stock up on bottled water.

“Here we are in a winter advisory, not supposed to be driving on the roads, and you’ve got to drive out to get water,” said Kortney Porteous as she picked up a case of water.

This is the new state of normalcy in the city of 100,000, which has been grappling with a lead-contamination crisis that has left many residents living on bottled water, unsure of the long-term health effects of high levels of lead in their water, and deeply mistrustful of government. …

Water utilities serving American cities use tests that downplay contamination

Guardian analysis reveals millions of customers were asked to used testing method condemned by the EPA which may flush out detectable lead content

Water utilities in some of the largest cities in the US that collectively serve some 12 million people have used tests that downplay the amount of lead contamination found in drinking water for more than a decade, a Guardian analysis of testing protocols reveals.

In the tests, utilities ask customers who sample their home’s water for lead to remove the faucet’s aerator screen and to flush lines hours before tests, potentially flushing out detectable lead contamination. The distorted tests, condemned by the Environmental Protection Agency, have taken place in cities including Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio. The improper screening could decrease the chance of detecting potentially dangerous levels of lead in water, the EPA has said.

The analysis comes on the heels of an EPA letter, which repeated earlier warnings to utilities not to use such methods, and Guardian reporting that revealed water customers in “every major US city east of the Mississippi” could be drinking water tested using questionable methods. …

10 Hidden Images Discovered Beneath Famous Classic Paintings

Some classic paintings have surprised us with their “secrets”—forgotten paintings and images concealed for centuries until restoration techniques or new technologies revealed them. Surreal but true, these discoveries have left the art world breathless.

10. La Republique Figure ~ The Wood Sawyers

Using infrared reflectography, an image of a head was exposed above the left shoulder of one of the men in Jean-Francois Millet’s The Wood Sawyers. With further assessments and thorough scanning, the other parts of the hidden image were completely revealed. It was the figure of the famous French statue La Republique.

Alfred Sensier, the artist’s biographer, later confirmed that this image was originally created as an entry for a certain state competition. Unfortunately, it didn’t earn a prize in that contest. So Millet painted The Wood Sawyers over the original picture. He reused the same canvas simply to save money. …

 The Trump Obsession Neglects (and Obscures) What Is Really Happening in 2016

 There are real issues and real trends in play that are bigger than one man.

Who  would have thought that a handful of caucuses and a Louisiana primary would make a Saturday in March “super”?

But so it has.

The intensity of the 2016 race—or, at the very least, the determination of major media outlets to make every twist and turn on Donald Trump’s campaign trail into an epic pivot—is such that media outlets followed their March 1 “Super Tuesday” coverage by encouraging viewers to tune in for coverage of a March 5 “Super Saturday” that will include Democratic caucuses in Kansas and Nebraska and Republican caucuses in Kansas, Kentucky, and Maine. Louisianans of both partisanships will cast the only primary votes. And, as “Super Saturday” gives way to what will surely be a very fine Sunday, Maine Democrats weigh in.

Should we bemoan the hype? …

My Brother’s Keeper

“All I had to give them was an ear, a bunch of campaign material, and my pledge that I would try to do something if elected.”

^{Cory Booker}

The small basement room of the Willie T. Wright Apartments in Newark’s Central Ward was standing-room only, packed with men of all ages, from guys barely in their 20s to men in their 50s and 60s. I scanned their faces and saw looks of hope and humility. A few seemed beaten down by circumstance but definitely not broken. If they’d been broken, they wouldn’t have been there.

As they walked in, some eagerly shook my hand. Men older than me called me “Sir” or “Councilman,” treating me with a level of deference that made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t want any man to elevate me in even the slightest way—and especially not under these circumstances. I owed them humility and respect. What’s more, I felt an uneasiness bordering on shame about the circumstances of our meeting. But here we were, a bunch of men in a basement, hoping to defy the odds in a fixed game.

I loosened my tie, took it and my jacket off, rolled up my sleeves. …

10 Historical Challenges With Big Prizes That Spurred Great Innovations

Money has been the driving factor behind some of history’s greatest innovations. Whether tinkering away in labs or risking their lives in a new flying contraption, people can become extremely motivated to solve difficult problems when they know there’s a big prize at the end.

10. Flax-Spinning Prize

If there was one man who understood that cold, hard cash is a powerful incentive, it was Napoleon. Throughout his reign, he promoted several contests to bolster France’s economy and reduce the country’s dependence on European imports. He awarded 12,000 francs to Nicolas Appert for developing a method of canning food that preserved it longer.

Napoleon reserved his most substantial award for a flax-spinning machine. In 1810, he announced a prize of 1 million francs to the person who could devise a method of spinning yarn from flax fiber. This was a prize with no time restriction that could have been won by anyone regardless of their country of origin.

The contest lasted until 1813 and received around 80 submissions. Although inventor Philippe de Girard came closest to a working model, he was never officially awarded the prize. In financial trouble, Girard went to Austria where he hoped to gain support and develop a working spinning mill. …

Google maps aims to let you walk the North Downs – without leaving your sofa

Some of the most beautiful walks in England and Wales will be appearing on Google Street View from 17 March

If “the Google effect”on Britain is anything like “the Wild effect” in the US, there will soon be unprecedented numbers of people walking the national trails that traverse some of the most beautiful countryside in England and Wales.

Wild was the name of a book in 2012 and, two years later, a film about writer Cheryl Strayed’s life-affirming journey along the Pacific Crest Trail, the longest walking route in the world, stretching more than 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada. Before Wild, only a few hundred hiking permits were issued for the trail every year. Last year it was more than 4,500 – and the number who walked the whole route quadrupled.

Clearly, a bit of publicity goes a long way. There is no book, no starring role by Reese Witherspoon and no Nick Hornby screenplay – as there was for Wild – to promote the 15 national trails of England and Wales. There is, instead, a project for rangers and volunteers to take on the role of “cyborgs” by carrying futuristic equipment that will showcase the spectacular scenery of the trails on computers around the world. …

Scientists Discover ‘Remarkable Little Octopod,’ Possibly New Species

In the ocean near Hawaii, more than 2 1/2 miles underwater, scientists have discovered a small, delicate-looking and ghostlike little octopod — possibly a new species.

The animal was discovered by Deep Discoverer, a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV — picture a small, unmanned submarine equipped with cameras and a robotic arm — that was working to collect geological samples

Michael Vecchione, of the National Marine Fisheries Service, described the Feb. 27 discovery on the NOAA website:

“As the ROV was traversing a flat area of rock interspersed with sediment at 4,290 meters, it came across a remarkable little octopod sitting on a flat rock dusted with a light coat of sediment. The appearance of this animal was unlike any published records and was the deepest observation ever for this type of cephalopod.”

…

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: MARCH 6TH- ROSENBERG TRIAL

Today in History: March 6, 1951

On this day in 1951, the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began in New York Southern District Federal Court. The couple was accused of conspiracy to commit espionage by providing information about the atomic bomb to the USSR during WWII. A co-defendant, Morton Sedell, also faced the same charges.

Julius Rosenberg, a member of the American Communist Party at the height of the Red Scare, was fired from his government job when his political affiliation became known. David Greenglass, Ethel’s brother, was employed at Los Alamos, where the A-bomb was developed. He later testified that Julius asked him to pass along highly-classified information on atomic weaponry to the Soviets. …

When Falling In Love Can Put Your Life In Danger

While photographer Robin Hammond was on assignment with National Geographic Magazine in Nigeria in 2014, he heard about five young men in Lagos who were arrested and facing the death penalty — just because they were gay.

A few days later, he tracked them down. By that time, the case had been dismissed, but the men had been ostracized by their families, were homeless and in hiding, and faced an uncertain future.

Hammond was deeply moved by their stories. He took their photos and asked them to write their own accounts of what had happened.

“Their personal testimonies connected me in a way that statistics or stories in newspapers couldn’t,” he says.

Hammond wanted to hear more stories. Over the next few months, he traveled to countries with anti-gay laws like Cameroon, South Africa and Uganda to interview and photograph people who’d been discriminated against for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. …

Russia ‘stoking refugee unrest in Germany to topple Angela Merkel’

Analysts at Nato centre claim to have found evidence of ‘information war’ over migration crisis with links to Vladimir Putin

Russia is trying to topple Angela Merkel by waging an information war designed to stir up anger in Germany over refugees, Nato’s most senior expert on strategic communications has claimed.

The attempt to provoke the removal of the German leader, who has been a strong supporter of sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime, is said to have been identified by Nato analysts.

Jānis Sārts, director of Nato’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, based in Riga, Latvia, told the Observer that Russia had a track record of funding extremist forces in Europe, and that he believed there was now evidence of Russia agitating in Germany against Merkel. …

5 Awesome Loopholes You Won’t Believe Are Legal

Loopholes are like buttholes — everyone is pretty well aware that they exist, and some people don’t use them often enough (and some people use them a little bit too excessively). We’ve told you before about some great examples of people gaming the system in ridiculously circuitous ways. Here are some more schemes that drive a metaphorical monster truck over the fine print.

#5. A Starbucks Customer Uses Their Free Drink Policy To Get A $50 Coffee

Starbucks has completely moved out of the realm of “hipster gathering space” and become corporate enough that people are comfortable fucking with them. Our hero Andrew didn’t know that he wanted to drink enough coffee to kill a horse until he saw this video:

In 2013, that YouTube video of a guy ordering a 40-shot espresso went viral. The total cost of the drink was $47.30, because it also included bananas, strawberry, matcha powder, and pumpkin spice. If you think that sounds absolutely disgusting, you are not alone. Andrew knew there must be a way to get an even more expensive but still tolerable drink. …

The Future of Wi-Fi Is 10,000 Times More Energy Efficient

Get ready to send a thank-you note to students at the University of Washington, where a group of electrical engineers is trying to solve the eternal struggle of Wi-Fi battery drain. It’s a problem that’s rapidly getting worse as more and more devices require access to the cloud, not to mention the constant strain of searching for a good signal or boosting a weak one.

The student researchers invented a new type of hardware that uses 10,000 times less power than traditional Wi-Fi networking equipment. It’s called Passive Wi-Fi, (you can read their paper here) and it works just like a home router, just more efficiently. To give some perspective, the state of the art in low power Wi-Fi transmissions today consume 100s of milliwatts of power, whereas the technology the student researchers developed consume only 10-50 microwatts—10,000 times lower power. …

Saldana As Simone Resurfaces A Debate Beyond Black And White

Last week it was all about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. That was about racism.

This week, social media erupted over something that has long been an issue within the black community. Colorism — the idea that your skin tone and not only your race determines your opportunities.

Actress Zoe Saldana faced a firestorm over her portrayal of music and civil rights icon Nina Simone.

Simone’s identity and work is closely linked to the fact that she was a powerful black woman with dark skin and African features. In one of her diary entries, she wrote, “I’m the kind of colored girl who looks like everything white people despise or have been taught to despise.” But she was defiantly proud of her appearance and she fought to change perceptions of what was beautiful. …

Top 10 Haunted Parks In The USA

When it comes to beauty, it’s hard to compete with Mother Nature. Nothing beats kicking back on a sunny afternoon, drink in hand, reading a book while cozied up in the middle of a welcoming park.

However, not all land is created equal. Some parks were doomed for a dark existence from the moment they were officially created.

10. Griffith Park ~ Los Angeles, California

Griffith Park is a Los Angeles institution, boasting a world-famous observatory, a renowned zoo, and the famous “Hollywood” sign. However, Griffith Park has a dark history and an extremely active spiritual presence. In fact, so many spirits have reportedly been found at Griffith Park that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all.

The most significant one is the ghost of Don Antonio Feliz, the original owner of the land. His niece Dona Petranilla was left poverty-stricken after being cheated out of an inheritance upon her uncle’s death. Supposedly, she placed a curse on the land, which reportedly affected each successive owner in one way or another. …

A Plagiarism Scandal Is Unfolding In The Crossword World

A group of eagle-eyed puzzlers, using digital tools, has uncovered a pattern of copying in the professional crossword-puzzle world that has led to accusations of plagiarism and false identity.

Since 1999, Timothy Parker, editor of one of the nation’s most widely syndicated crosswords, has edited more than 60 individual puzzles that copy elements from New York Times puzzles, often with pseudonyms for bylines, a new database has helped reveal. The puzzles in question repeated themes, answers, grids and clues from Times puzzles published years earlier. Hundreds more of the puzzles edited by Parker are nearly verbatim copies of previous puzzles that Parker also edited. Most of those have been republished under fake author names.

Nearly all this replication was found in two crosswords series edited by Parker: the USA Today Crossword and the syndicated Universal Crossword. (The copyright to both puzzles is held by Universal Uclick, which grew out of the former Universal Press Syndicate and calls itself “the leading distributor of daily puzzle and word games.”) USA Today is one of the country’s highest-circulation newspapers, and the Universal Crossword is syndicated to hundreds of newspapers and websites. …

Do Psychedelic Drug Laws Violate Human Rights?

The prohibition of MDMA and hallucinogenic mushrooms restricts “cognitive liberty,” according to some activists.

By the time drug-policy lawyer Charlotte Walsh took to the stage on the final day of the recent Horizons Psychedelic Conference, we had already heard several persuasive talks on the benefits of psychedelic substances. Rick Doblin had spoken about the successful treatment of PTSD with MDMA, Draulio Barros de Araujo described his work combatting depression with ayahuasca, and Stephen Ross discussed his study administering psilocybin to cancer patients.

I had met Ross two years prior, while covering his psychedelic research. The psychiatrist had spent years and a small fortune obtaining the government’s permission to run an extremely limited study. The stakes were high. Without exemptions from the DEA and other agencies, Ross and his NYU team could have faced punishments as severe as life imprisonment. But the risk was worth it: The researchers were able to critically reduce end-of-life anxiety in the vast majority of their patients with targeted therapy aided by a single dose of psilocybin. …

Top 10 Surprising Foods You Can Make in Your Waffle Iron

It’s time to dust off that neglected waffle maker and waffle all the things. Here are 10+ unusual foods that are perfect for cooking in the waffle maker (that aren’t waffles).

You can make almost anything in the waffle maker, from snacks to desserts. The dual heating element lets you effortlessly make crispy tofu; turn old french fries into waffle fries; cook crispy, less messy bacon; and cook packaged cinnamon rolls. While the possibilities are almost endless, the foods below are in some ways better made in a waffle maker than they are made traditionally.

10. Homemade “Mozzarella Sticks”

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WHY ONE BAD APPLE SPOILS A BUNCH

This isn’t just a popular metaphor, it’s actually true. One bad apple will absolutely quickly spoil an entire box of apples. The obvious way this can happen is simply if one of the apples is infested with some fungi or critters that reproduce and spread throughout all the apples in a box, ruining them as they go.

The less obvious, but perhaps even more common, way this can happen has to do with a hydrocarbon chemical known as ethylene. Ethylene is a hormone produced and released into the air by most plants, including from the fruit of certain plants, such as apples, bananas, pears, etc.

So what does this have to do with one “bad” apple …

Video Goodnesses
(and not-so-goodnesses)

I can hit golf ball 275 yds. Therefore I have huge hands. Ergo I have a huge penis. If you're still confused go to my website. I have charts

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaIdTromp) March 6, 2016

What a fucking asshole…….