Syria
In Syria's Aleppo, divided locals share fear of total siege foxnews
As government forces mount attacks to close the only road to the opposition-held areas in the east of the city, rebels outside Aleppo are slowly constricting the passage to the western, government-held side. International relief organizations have warned that the city of Aleppo is "effectively cut off from humanitarian aid.
Also see Russia says 48-hour truce reached in Syria's Aleppo
Brexit
Switzerland withdraws longstanding application to join EU rt
Thomas Minder, counsellor for the state of Schaffhausen and an active promoter of the concept of “Swissness,” said he was eager to “close the topic fast and painlessly” as only “a few lunatics” may want to join the EU now, he told the newspaper.
Also see Switzerland Withdraw Dormant EU Application (Why Now?)
Bank of England: economy will be hit hard if Britain leaves EU theguardian
Against the backdrop of jittery financial markets, the Bank also revealed its top policymakers had been briefed by staff on contingency planning for the referendum as it readies measures to prevent markets seizing up in the event of a leave vote next week.
Space
NASA conducts largest fire experiment in space engadget v
As part of its efforts to ensure the safety of spacefarers, NASA set a 16x37-inch block of cotton-fiberglass material on fire aboard a spacecraft that's making its way back home. Since the largest material NASA ever burned in space before this was the size of an index card, this is now officially the biggest fire experiment conducted outside our planet. The Spacecraft Fire Experiment or Saffire-I, as it's officially called, happened aboard the Cygnus spacecraft that ferried the ISS' largest delivery back in March.
NASA'S MARS RECRUITMENT POSTERS CALL FOR EXPLORERS, FARMERS AND TEACHERS newsweek p
“Have you ever asked the question, what is out there? So have we!” one poster caption reads. “That curiosity leads us to explore new places like Mars and its moons, Phobos and Deimos. Just what lies beyond the next valley, canyon, crater or hill is something we want to discover with rovers and with humans one day too.”
3D Printing
Scott Hudson is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. He developed the felting printer with backing from Disney Research Pittsburgh. The printer works similarly to a regular 3D printer, except it uses yarn instead of plastic spools to create the layers. A felting needle pushes through the yarn, attaching it together. It’s a lot like what would happen if you were to cross-breed a 3D printer with a sewing machine.
Genetics
Are Genetically Engineered Mice The Answer To Combating Lyme Disease? npr.org w!
I was shocked to read [40 percent of the residents of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts] in The New York Times last week — and fascinated, too, to learn that MIT evolutionary biologist Kevin Esvelt suggests that letting thousands of genetically engineered white-footed mice loose on the island might provide a solution.
Coming from the view, in part, of the moral rights of animals inherent in the evolutionary world view (when taken out to logical ends).
Research
Eye-tracking system uses ordinary cellphone camera phys.org
Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the University of Georgia [created] software that can turn any smartphone into an eye-tracking device. They describe their new system in a paper they're presenting on June 28 at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference.
Frankenstein
Doctor’s Plan for Full-Body Transplants Raises Doubts Even in Daring China nytimes
The orthopedic surgeon proposing the operation, Dr. Ren Xiaoping of Harbin Medical University, who assisted in the first hand transplant in the United States in 1999, said he would not be deterred. In an interview, Dr. Ren said that he was building a team, that research was underway and that the operation would take place “when we are ready.”
Abortion
Abortion Drone Will Fly Dangerous Abortion Pills to Northern Ireland to Violate Its Pro-Life Laws lifenews
The coalition includes the notorious Women on Waves abortion group, along with the Alliance for Choice, Rosa and Labour Alternative. They plan to hold a protest in Belfast after flying the drone. Northern Ireland prohibits abortions and recognizes unborn babies’ right to life.
Though I get the point of the main article, unfortunately it focuses more on how 'dangerous' the pills are and that abortion is 'illegal' in N Ireland - rather than the core point of the immorality of killing one's child and the horrid promotion of it by Women on Waves. See also Drone carrying abortion pills to be flown into Northern Ireland
Society
[OPINION] The Orlando Shooting Launches a War on Christianity nationalreview v
We are now fully through the looking glass. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 men and women, most of them gay or lesbian. He paused in the middle of his massacre to call 911 and a local television station, making clear that he wanted the world to know he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. There are no dog whistles here. This is a textbook example of jihadism in action, plain and simple. Yet somehow, Omar Mateen’s massacre has put American Christians on the defensive.
How this author defines Christian might be a little loose, but his overall point is still one to consider. Also the always sarcastic apologist David Wood: Understanding the Ramadan Massacre at a Gay Nightclub in Orlando v
Other...
No comments :
Post a Comment