Welcome to the Overnight News Digest (OND) for Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
OND is a regular
community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing near 12:00AM Eastern Time.
Creation and early water-bearing of the OND concept came from our very own Magnifico - proper respect is due.
---
This diary is named for its "Hump Point" video: Wishlist by Pearl Jam
News below Aunt Flossie's hairdo . . .
Please feel free to browse and add your own links, content or thoughts in the Comments section.
Any timestamps shown are relative to each publication.
---------------------------------------
|
|
Top News |
|
Did slaves harvest the palm oil that went into your cookie?
By Nathanael Johnson
|
Every major palm oil buyer has recently committed to end deforestation and human exploitation in the industry. Now that commitment is being put to the test. Cargill, Nestlé, and Procter & Gamble are all buying palm oil from a plantation in Malaysia that has trapped workers in slave-like conditions . . .
. . .
“They buy and sell us like cattle,” said one 25-year-old Bangladeshi, who said he had been shunted among three contractors for six months without receiving any pay.
Living in huts in the forest far from stores, the workers often must buy supplies from contractors, who they say set artificially high prices that put workers in debt. One man said his contractor deducted 30% from his weekly pay when he took an hour off to attend Friday Muslim prayers.
Being in Malaysia illegally, workers such as Mr. Rubel see little they can do to change matters, especially since workers said their employers took away their passports. “There is no escape,” said Muhi, a migrant who identified himself with just one name. “They bring policemen and threaten to send us to jail.”
. . .
. . .
The fact that big multinationals have pledged to clean up their act when it comes to palm oil is a huge step forward — but anyone who thinks that will solve the problems is kidding themselves. It will take activist industry leaders, watchdog NGOs, and journalism like this to end the practices that allow predatory operators to exploit workers and make fortunes.
|
Soon You Might Actually Be Able to Tell How Much Added Sugar Is in Your Food
By Maddie Oatman
|
. . .
For decades, researchers and doctors have been sounding the alarm about the negative health risks associated with a diet too rich in added sugars—from obesity, poor nutrition, diabetes, and even heart disease. But as I've written about in the past, even if you're concerned about your levels of added sugar intake, it's nearly impossible to tell how much you might be eating: Current food labels don't require added sugar to be listed. There's even indication that food companies have gone to great lengths to keep that information hidden from the public's eyes. The US Department of Agriculture used to list added sugars for popular products in online, but the database was removed in 2012 after companies claimed that added sugar amounts should be considered trade secrets.
. . .
The FDA has already received pushback from industry groups about the attempt to make added sugar quantities more transparent; the Corn Refiner's Association questioned the agency's "statutory authority to do so" and complained of a lack of "credible scientific evidence." Meanwhile, Kellogg argued that the proposal "to distinguish added sugars...may confuse consumers." Of course, Kellogg happens to be the world's "second largest producer of cookies, crackers, and savory snacks."
|
Tick populations booming due to climate change
By John Soltes
|
. . .
According to experts in the field, ticks have gone through some changes over the past few years.
“I think one of the biggest concerns that you see within the published literature for ticks is that ticks’ geographical regions are expanding,” said Dr. Janet Foley, a professor and researcher at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Foley, who studies the ecology and epidemiology of infectious diseases, also serves as co-director of the Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, an institution on the frontlines of tick and mite research.
. . .
Foley said many tropical areas around the world have “terrible problems” with ticks. In the US, she identified Oklahoma, Kansas and north Texas as especially susceptible. Dogs in these areas struggle. “It’s very difficult to find drugs that will protect a dog from ticks,” she said. “Sometimes you’ll see dogs coming into clinics with just thousands of ticks on them.”
. . .
“We’ve already identified at least five fairly common pathogens in these ticks,” Mather said. “And an individual tick can be infected [with] probably all five of those pathogens at the same time, so that’s a problem really. The infection rate for the different pathogens differs, but most of those pathogens that are transmitted by blacklegged ticks are not transmitted by any other tick. So what we try to stress [is] it’s kind of important to not just brush a tick off until you know what it is because you have no idea what disease risk you might be at without knowing the type of tick.”
. . .
Caution is probably better than fretful pandemonium. For example, having a tick crawling on one’s skin doesn’t mean the pathogen has spread. The tick would have to be “binding” in order to transmit, Mather said. The longer a tick is attached the more likely it has transmitted an infectious dose. The human immune system can diminish a small number of pathogens, the URI researcher added, but once the dose gets higher, transmission may occur.
|
Amazon proposes drones-only airspace to facilitate high-speed delivery
By Ed Pilkington
|
. . .
Amazon’s plan, unveiled on Tuesday at a Nasa UTM Convention at Nasa Ames in California, sets out an audacious model for the unleashing of robots above cities and towns across the globe. At the heart of the proposal is the idea that access to the new 200ft slice of airspace would only be granted to those drones equipped with technology that allowed them to fly safely and autonomously.
. . .
Under Amazon’s proposals, by contrast, hobbyists would only be allowed to fly within the new 200ft-400ft corridor if their vehicles were equipped with the latest hyper-sophisticated gadgetry for autonomous flight. Otherwise, they would have their activities confined to geographically demarcated airfields in relatively unpopulated areas that would be set aside specifically for the purpose.
Brendan Schulman, who has been building and flying drones as a hobbyist for 20 years and is now a senior executive at the drone manufacturer DJI, said that by far the greatest use of unmanned aerial vehicles today was by amateurs. “That’s currently by far the most common use of the technology, so before you disrupt their experience you want to think carefully about what slice of airspace would really be needed by these new technologies.”
Kimchi said that Amazon did not envisage much change in the way modelers operate under the new proposal. “They will have low-risk areas in more rural areas where they can continue to fly safely to their heart’s content.”
|
|
|
|
International |
|
Kurdish leader decries Turkey's 'safe zone' plan in Syria
By (BBC)
|
A "safe zone" Turkey and the US are creating in Syria is an attempt by Ankara to stop Kurds from forming their own territory, the leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish party has told the BBC.
. . .
There has been a recent series of clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).
. . .
Turkey considers both the PKK and IS terrorist organisations.
. . .
Previously a reluctant partner, it is now flying combat missions and making its airbases available to US jets.
|
Human trafficking: The lives bought and sold
By (BBC)
|
Millions of men, women and children around the world are currently victims of human trafficking - bought and sold as commodities into prostitution and forced labour.
This trade in people criss-crosses the globe - and it is a lucrative business. The International Labour Office estimates that forced labour generates $150bn (£96bn) in illegal profits every year. Two thirds ($99bn; £63bn) comes from sexual exploitation.
. . . traffickers scout for girls wanting to travel, enticing them with promises of work and education. The victims are offered false papers and told they will need to pay off the cost of their transit when they reach their destination country.
. . .
One female former trafficker in Benin City describes how traffickers take girls' clothes as well as hair from their head, armpit and pubic area and hand them over to a traditional preacher in a ceremony, as a pledge that they will pay back their debts.
. . .
It is a similar story in the United States, where tens of thousands of children are being trafficked into prostitution. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says child exploitation is at "near-epidemic levels".
|
|
|
|
USA Politics, Economy, Major Events |
|
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to the Lowest Level Since the 1960s
By Kathleen M Howley
|
The share of Americans who own their homes fell to the lowest level in almost five decades, extending a multiyear decline as families struggle to regain ground lost during the financial crisis and rentals gain favor.
. . .
“We’re still suffering the effects of the housing collapse and the financial crisis,” said Mark Vitner, senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We may have another percentage point to go before we see a bottom” in the homeownership rate, he said.
. . .
Demand for rentals is growing, fueling a surge in multifamily construction and sending leasing costs soaring. The number of renter-occupied units increased by about 2 million in the second quarter from a year earlier, the Census Bureau report showed.
|
US to release Israeli spy Pollard on parole
By (Al Jazeera)
|
A federal parole board has ruled that Jonathan Pollard, a former US navy intelligence officer convicted of spying for Israel, will be released in November after serving a 30-year prison sentence, according to his attorneys.
Pollard, 60, who has remained jailed for decades despite efforts by successive Israeli governments to secure his early release, will be required to remain in the US for five years under the terms of his parole, the attorneys said in a statement.
. . .
Even though Pollard will be barred from leaving the US for a five-year period, his lawyers said Obama could waive that parole requirement and allow him to go to Israel immediately after his release.
Pollard's supporters had said he was being punished too harshly since Israel is a US ally and much of the classified information he passed on caused no damage to the US and was intelligence that Israel previously had access to.
|
White House rejects petition to pardon Snowden
By (Al Jazeera)
|
The Obama administration has rejected a petition signed by almost 168,000 people calling on it to pardon former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden for leaking US government secrets.
. . .
The US administration has branded Snowden a hacker and a traitor who endangered lives by revealing the extent of the National Security Agency spying programme.
. . .
Snowden has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second year in a row and has received a string of international awards for free speech and civil liberties.
. . .
Earlier this year, Congress passed a law which requires the NSA to end bulk data collection. The administration said on Monday the NSA will stop accessing the records on November 29 and would destroy them as soon as possible.
|
|
Welcome to the "Hump Point" of this OND.
News can be sobering and engrossing - at this point in the diary, an offering of brief escapism:
Random notes related to this video:
. . .
"Wishlist" is about Vedder seeking fulfillment of wishes desired, but he resolves his wishlist with the line "I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me." When asked about the song, Vedder stated, "I thought I'd lighten up."[2] The line "I wish I was the full moon shining off your Camaro's hood" references the car that belonged to Beth Liebling, Vedder's wife at the time. When played live, the song mirrors its roots as an improv, with Vedder changing the lyrics depending on his mood.
. . .
In his review of Yield, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine said, "The gentle power-pop nugget "Wishlist", a silly love song that Vedder composed solo, might be the simplest song Pearl Jam have ever done. But it's also the most moving."
Live performances
. . . In concert, the song is often extended, softly played, with a thoughtful outro jam, and sometimes segueing into another song such as the Buzzcocks' "Why Can't I Touch It". . .
Back to what's happening:
|
|
Environment and Greening |
|
Oklahoma just recorded 40 earthquakes in a week
By Katie Herzog
|
. . . EcoWatch reports that Oklahoma has experienced 40 earthquakes in the past seven days. Just yesterday, five quakes measuring over 4.0 magnitude were felt in Oklahoma and surrounding states, which would seem shocking but the rate of earthquakes has increased so dramatically in recent years that they’re probably pretty used to it by now. Just how dramatic is this increase? Oklahoma reported 562 earthquakes of 3.0 or greater in 2014 — three times as many as California had and 600 times the historical averages. No big deal! Nothing to see here!
While some theorize that Oklahoma’s uptick in earthquakes is the land trying to belch out Sen. James Inhofe, the science is clear: It’s all fracking’s fault. Even Oklahoma’s notoriously science-averse government admitted this last spring, introducing the website Earthquakes in Oklahoma to provide information to residents.
|
Poll finds 60% believe carbon tax had little or no effect on electricity bills
By Lenore Taylor
|
More than 60% of voters think the former Labor government’s carbon price had no effect, or only a small effect, on electricity bills – as the Abbott government tries to rerun its cost of living argument against Labor’s pledge to reintroduce an emissions trading scheme.
Only 21% of voters (30% of Liberal/National voters and 15% of Labor and Green voters) believe the carbon price had a big impact on electricity prices, according to the latest poll by Essential Media.
. . .
“But either way they are both a cost. So, yes, you can call them both generically a tax but equally the renewable energy target is a cost. So all of these measures, there is no such thing as a cost-free way of reducing carbon emissions. That is to say, as long as emissions-intensive forms of generating energy are cheaper than the low-emission forms and, of course, that is starting to change, the technological developments with solar in particular.
|
|
|
|
Science and Health |
|
Melting Mummies Are on Thin Ice, Thanks to Climate Change
By Sabrina Imbler
|
The world’s greatest archeologist may not be human, but it is human-made. Global warming, the explorer in question, has melted glaciers that have preserved and hidden many past lives. From a celebrity mummy to graveyards of fish-lizards, ancient remnants have begun to spill out of the disappearing ice—faster, even, than researchers can recover them. And as the artifacts emerge, so has the science. The fledgling field of glacial archaeology seeks to find and recover these relics before the glaciers disappear, a time that may come all too soon. “It’s a race against time,” says Albert Hafner, director of the Institute of Archeological Science at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
. . .
Faced with this decay in a gargantuan expanse of glaciers, archaeologists must trek wisely. With some success, researchers have attempted to design data models in geographic information systems to identify specific features in glaciers more likely to hold artifacts. But accounting for the huge surface area, along with a slew of factors like megafauna distribution, elevation, slope and precipitation, makes these models expensive and time-consuming, Dixon says. Scientists have dabbled in various other detection tools, including aerial reconnaissance, satellite imagery and helicopter surveys. But once on-site, the researchers must simply walk, eyes peeled for what may be exposed. These surveys can only take place late in the summer, during the thaw. Summers, Lee says, that will only grow longer.
. . .
But the future aftermath of the melt will mean incalculable losses to scientists’ understanding of the past. People mistakenly perceive global warming as beneficial to archaeology, Dixon says. “For every artifact we find, we’re losing thousands. And we’re never going to be able to replace this data,” he adds. “As long as they’re frozen in ice, they’re preserved for the future.”
. . .
Thus, glacial archeologists find themselves at the start of an unprecedented but ephemeral run of discovery. “Now is the time to organize expeditions,” Hafner says. “We have 20—maybe 30—years, and then we will be finished.” The necessary funding, however, may never come. General archaeology already draws on such a small endowment that researchers struggle to ground in science a method that consists, more or less, of walking out in the snow to see what you can find. The future of glacial archaeology, Dixon says, depends on funding, logistics and the number of researchers in the field. So researchers continue to work against the clock, writing proposals and treading on ice that grows thinner each day.
|
Scientists discover link between common medications and serious falls in older men
By (ScienceDaily)
|
. . .
Many medicines which are commonly prescribed for older people for bladder problems, depression, psychosis, insomnia, and respiratory problems, have anti-cholinergic effects. The medications affect the brain by blocking a key chemical called acetylcholine which is involved in passing messages between nerve cells. This can lead to side effects including blurred vision, increased heart rate, sedation and confusion.
. . .
Speaking about the significance of these findings for prescribing practices in older people, lead author Dr Kathryn Richardson, a former PhD student at Trinity, who is now a Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia said: "Our findings indicate the importance for doctors, pharmacists and healthcare professionals to regularly review the appropriateness of medications taken by their older patients. It is however, important that people don't stop taking any medications before speaking with their GP. It is not fully clear why the same link was not found in women and further research is needed to explore this and the reasons behind the findings in men."
. . .
Dr Ian Maidment, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy at Aston University said: "After a fall, an older person may never regain the same quality of life. This research helps us to understand how medication is linked to falls. It is vital that doctors, nurses and pharmacists review medication if someone has suffered a recent fall."
|
|
|
|
Technology |
|
How age, other factors influence online health information searches
By (ScienceDaily)
|
Consumers have access to multiple Web sites to search for online health information and can be far more involved in managing their own medical issues than ever before. However, this wealth of resources can make finding accurate information difficult, especially because it is often spread across multiple sites. A new study published in the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making aims to evaluate the types of search strategies that Internet users adopt when trying to solve a complicated health problem.
. . .
The researchers found that younger participants and those who scored higher on the cognitive tests were more likely to use an analytical approach by manipulating key words in search engines until they achieved the desired results. Although older participants took longer to complete their tasks, their searches were more efficient and their responses were just as accurate as those of the younger respondents.
|
Adobe announces final Camera Raw update for CS6 owners
By (dpreview staff)
|
It's a sad day for owners of Adobe's Creative Suite 6, as the company announces its upcoming Camera Raw 9.1.1 update will be the final version available for the software. While Cloud subscribers will continue to receive Camera Raw updates, those who license CS6 must either make do with the cameras and lenses supported as of v9.1.1 or use DNG converter for support for Raw files from newer equipment.
It's always been a matter of time for CS6 users.
|
Meanwhile in the Future: Cross the Border Using Only Your Face as ID
By Rose Eveleth
|
. . .
Meyer recently covered a big blowup between industry representatives and privacy groups. The two sides had been in talks for a while, trying to set up some best practices, or guidelines for how companies could and should use facial recognition. But the talks totally broke down in June. Basically, the two sides simply could not agree on how to deal with this scenario: Let’s say you’re walking down the street, maybe in your neighborhood. A camera owned by a company you’ve never interacted with, never bought anything from, never even accidentally clicked on one of their ads online, captures an image of your face. Does that company need to get your consent before they use that image? Before they can connect it to your online profile?
. . .
There could be some positive outcomes. We could enter into a totally frictionless world—pay for your coffee using your face! Open doors with your face! Pass through borders with your face! Unlock your car with your face! That would be pretty convenient.
But there are also some negative outcomes. Your face is, perhaps, one of the most valuable things you own because you can’t really change it. Once someone can connect your face and your body to your digital profile, that connection is nearly impossible to shake. You can change credit card numbers, or even get a new social security number (it’s not easy, but it’s possible) but getting a new face is, literally, a major operation. Even if you wanted to use a pseudonym on something like a forum or a dating profile, once the computers know your face, they don’t need anything else.
|
Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking call for ban on “autonomous weapons”
By Xeni Jardin
|
Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, and hundreds of artificial intelligence researchers and experts have signed a letter calling for a worldwide ban on “autonomous weapons.” The signatories say this new era of robotic and AI-equipped killing machines could set off “the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.”
The letter was unveiled as researchers gathered at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires on Monday. . .
Autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention. They might include, for example, armed quadcopters that can search for and eliminate people meeting certain pre-defined criteria, but do not include cruise missiles or remotely piloted drones for which humans make all targeting decisions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has reached a point where the deployment of such systems is — practically if not legally — feasible within years, not decades, and the stakes are high: autonomous weapons have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.
. . .
In summary, we believe that AI has great potential to benefit humanity in many ways, and that the goal of the field should be to do so. Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea, and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.
|
|
|
|
Cultural |
|
Dutee Chand: I lost all my honour in landmark gender case
By (BBC)
|
Indian sprinter Dutee Chand says she is glad others will not face similar abuse to her after being cleared to compete following a landmark gender case.
. . .
Chand, who missed the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games during her suspension, has been the first athlete to challenge the regulations, introduced in the wake of the Caster Semenya affair in 2009.
. . .
In a statement, the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) said the new regulations had been adopted "following a lengthy and comprehensive consultation exercise" with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
. . .
Chand's initial suspension was applied by the Athletics Federation of India in line with the IAAF's guidelines on women testing for high levels of naturally occurring testosterone.
The Indian champion's legal team argued the ruling was discriminatory and flawed at a hearing in March.
|
Austria: Tattoo artist offers free anti-racism inkings
By (BBC)
|
An Austrian tattoo artist has offered to give people free body art - as long as the design has an anti-racism message.
Alex Smoltschnik, based in the southern city of Graz, says he received 500 enquiries after posting a message on Facebook offering the free tattoos to anyone who booked an appointment by 18 July. Two hundred people subsequently signed up to get inked, he tells the Kurier daily. Mr Smoltschnik, who owns the Pride and Glory tattoo studio, says his anti-racism campaign was motivated by an incident in Graz last month when an Austrian man of Bosnian descent drove his car into a crowd, killing three people. "Straight away a certain group of people were labelled as having negative characteristics," he tells the paper.
|
|
Meteor Blades is known to offer an enlightening Evening Open Diary - you might consider checking that out tonight if you haven't already. |