Mainstream News

First-ever cyberattack on US election points to broad vulnerabilities

"The fake requests for ballots targeted the Aug. 14 statewide primary and included requests for Democratic ballots in one congressional district and Republican ballots in two state House districts, according to a recent Miami Herald report. The fake requests were done so clumsily that they were red-flagged and did not foul up the election. In any case, they would not have been enough to change the outcome. But now confirmed as the first cyberattack aimed at election fraud, the incident is further evidence that the vote-counting process is vulnerable, particularly as elections become more reliant on the Internet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFirst-ever cyberattack on US election points to broad vulnerabilities

Trouble on U.S. farms as growers seek workers and crops rot

"Here’s a mess with no easy fix: American crops going unpicked — it’s backbreaking work Americans won’t touch — and poor migrants in need of work shying from it for fear of being abused. Creating a program for temporary farm workers from Mexico and other countries to work the land, sow seeds or reap harvests is one of the touchiest aspects of the immigration reform that Congress is working on. Some 61 percent of growers in California report shortages of laborers, especially in labor intensive crops like grapes and vegetables, said Rayne Pegg of the California Farm Bureau Federation. So some crops are left to rot." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrouble on U.S. farms as growers seek workers and crops rot

Extra! Extra! New daily papers arrive as Myanmar lifts press monopoly

"Privately owned daily newspapers hit Myanmar’s streets for the first time in decades on Monday under new freedoms that represent a revolution for a media shackled under military rule. Four Burmese-language titles — The Voice, The Golden Fresh Land, The Union and The Standard Time — made the transition from weekly as new rules came into effect that swept away state media’s long monopoly on daily printing. The country’s military rulers seized control of private daily papers in 1964, according to veteran journalist Thiha Saw of Open News weekly." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExtra! Extra! New daily papers arrive as Myanmar lifts press monopoly

Amazon asks for laxer online shopping rules in India

"US online retail giant Amazon said Tuesday it had asked New Delhi to consider relaxing a law that stops its Indian subsidiary from selling directly to customers. The topic was raised when Paul Misener, Amazon’s global vice president, met Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma in New Delhi. Last year the Indian government eased legislation to allow foreign retailers such as US supermarket giant Wal-Mart to set up shop in India and sell directly to Indian consumers but online retailers were left out." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmazon asks for laxer online shopping rules in India

Shakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

"Hoarder, moneylender, tax dodger - it's not how we usually think of William Shakespeare. But we should, according to a group of academics who say the Bard was a ruthless businessman who grew wealthy dealing in grain during a time of famine. Researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales argue we can't fully understand Shakespeare unless we study his often-overlooked business savvy. One said that oversight is the product of 'a willful ignorance on behalf of critics and scholars who I think - perhaps through snobbery - cannot countenance the idea of a creative genius also being motivated by self-interest'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

Shakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

"Hoarder, moneylender, tax dodger - it's not how we usually think of William Shakespeare. But we should, according to a group of academics who say the Bard was a ruthless businessman who grew wealthy dealing in grain during a time of famine. Researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales argue we can't fully understand Shakespeare unless we study his often-overlooked business savvy. One said that oversight is the product of 'a willful ignorance on behalf of critics and scholars who I think - perhaps through snobbery - cannot countenance the idea of a creative genius also being motivated by self-interest'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

World landmarks go dark for Earth Hour

"The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin—along with a slew of other landmarks around the world—went dark to draw attention to climate change. In a symbolic show of support for the planet, people across the continents switched off their lights for 60 minutes—all at 8:30 pm local time—to make 'Earth Hour.' In bustling New York, that's exactly what happened when the Empire State Building pulled the plug on its nighttime brilliance. In Paris, the city of light, the Eiffel Tower turned off its illumination—but only for five minutes due to security reasons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld landmarks go dark for Earth Hour

Sun Storm Forecast: Tiny Chance of Havoc

"It was the biggest geomagnetic storm in recorded history. The Sun hurled billions of tons of electrons and protons whizzing toward Earth, and when those particles slammed into the planet’s magnetic field they created spectacular auroras of red, green and purple in the night skies — along with powerful currents of electricity that flowed out of the ground into the wires, overloading the circuits. Scientists say it is impossible to predict when the next monster solar storm will erupt and whether Earth will lie in its path. What they do know is that with more sunspots come more storms, and this fall the Sun is set to reach the crest of its 11-year sunspot cycle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSun Storm Forecast: Tiny Chance of Havoc

Ecuador announces plans to launch first two satellites into space

"Ecuador will launch its first satellite into space from China in two weeks, President Rafael Correa announced Saturday. 'It’s not a satellite bought in another country, it’s a satellite made in Ecuador,' Correa said proudly during his weekly address of the homegrown engineering team. The 'Pegaso' (pegasus) nanosatellite will be launched from China aboard an unmanned rocket at 0513 GMT on April 26. Measuring just 10 by 10 by 75 centimeters (four by four by 30 inches), and weighing 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds), Pegaso will beam live video images back to Earth from an onboard camera. The Ecuadoran Space Agency plans a second satellite launch in July." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEcuador announces plans to launch first two satellites into space

Swiss Space Systems aims for low-cost satellite service

"A new Swiss-based company said Thursday it would offer low-cost satellite launches which it claims could be a quarter of current market rates. Swiss Space Systems-S3 said its goal was to offer launches for 10 million Swiss francs (8.1 million euros, $10.5 million) using unmanned suborbital spaceplanes that could carry satellites weighing up to 250 kilos (550 pounds). The company said it planned to open such a spaceport by 2015 at the Payerne airfield in western Switzerland, which has already been used by the Solar Pulse sun-powered aircraft of Swiss astronaut Bertrand Piccard." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss Space Systems aims for low-cost satellite service