Arizona Science and Innovation – by Nicholas Gerbis

Whether mathematicians or marathoners, those who chase mastery often run into a wall that blocks further progress. Now, eight U.S. Department Of Defense brain studies, one at Arizona State University, aim to help soldiers break through that barrier.

The research, called Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) joins a range of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programs related to the White House BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative.  Continue reading “U.S. Department Of Defense Brain Study Seeks To Boost Learning In Soldiers”

NPR

The deaths of 10 migrants in a sweltering 18-wheeler in a San Antonio has raised a lot of questions. One of them: why transport people in the back of a tractor-trailer, especially after they have already crossed the border?

One reason, experts say, is that entering the United States from Mexico illegally involves “two crossings.” You must first cross U.S./Mexico border, then one of the many border patrol checkpoints that exist farther into the United States.

That double crossing “has increased the incentives for smugglers to operate in different ways, and on different sides of the border,” says Correa Cabrera, who researches immigration and border security at UT Rio Grand Valley.   Continue reading “Why Are Undocumented Immigrants Smuggled By Truck?”

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) provides pro bono legal representation to immigrants detained in the southeastern United States. By ensuring that skilled attorneys are available, at no charge, to protect the due process rights of detained immigrants, SIFI endeavors to win every meritorious deportation defense case arising out of recent and anticipated immigration enforcement actions.

The project is led by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  It will begin at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, in collaboration with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Council, the Innovation Law Lab and the American Immigration Representation Project. It will then be expanded to other immigrant detention centers throughout the Southeast.    Continue reading “Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative”

The Guardian

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal) is excellent; it is far better and more extensive than I ever expected (Don’t upset the balance of power in the Middle East, 23 June). If followed by all parties, it blocks all avenues for Iran to develop nuclear explosives. To be sure, it is vehemently opposed by Israel’s prime minister Netanyahu and Republicans in Congress.  Continue reading “Iran nuclear deal must be allowed to thrive”

RT

An 18-year-old man has died and at least seven other people aged 13 to 41 are injured, some critically, following a disaster aboard the Fire Ball “thrill ride” at the Ohio State Fair.

As many as five of the injured are in critical condition, according to local media. Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin confirmed that the deceased victim was thrown from the ride, Fox News reported. He was 18 years old and died on impact 50 feet from the ride after being thrown into the air at about 7:20pm Eastern on Wednesday, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The fire department confirmed that an 18-year-old was killed, WTTE reported.
Continue reading “1 killed, 7 injured after Ohio State Fair ride malfunctions”

Mail.com

DENVER (AP) — For decades, a well-funded conservative group has helped state lawmakers across the U.S. write legislation to rein in unions, expand charter schools and lower taxes. Now, it’s expanding to the final frontier: normally nonpartisan city halls and county governments, which have become a bastion of liberal resistance to President Donald Trump.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is one of the country’s most prominent conservative groups, and its annual convention in Denver last week drew thousands of state legislators and lobbyists for panels on school choice and marijuana legalization, as well as speeches from conservative luminaries like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and former Senator James DeMint.  Continue reading “US conservatism expands to final frontier: City Hall”

Mail.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal authorities planned to announce charges Thursday in what was described as a domestic dispute aboard a cruise ship in U.S. waters off Alaska that led to the death of a 39-year-old Utah woman.

A suspect was taken into custody, the FBI in Anchorage said late Wednesday. Princess Cruises said the woman died Tuesday night on the Emerald Princess, which was carrying 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members on a weeklong trip that left Sunday from Seattle. The ship docked in Juneau, Alaska, on Wednesday morning.  Continue reading “Federal authorities to announce charges in cruise ship death”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — They couldn’t pass a repeal of “Obamacare,” or find the votes for a White House-backed replacement. So now Senate Republicans are lowering their sights and trying to unite behind a so-called “skinny repeal” that would merely undo just a few of the most unpopular elements of Barack Obama’s law.

The “skinny bill” is an admittedly lowest-common-denominator approach, and it may not even have the votes to pass, either. But as Republicans search for how to keep their years-long effort to repeal and replace “Obamacare” alive, they’re coming to believe that the “skinny bill” may be the only option left.  Continue reading “GOP eyes narrow bill to advance goal on “Obamacare” repeal”

Governing

Becoming a law enforcement officer in South Carolina will require psychological testing under a new requirement aimed at weeding out people not suitable for the job.

The board that oversees the state’s Criminal Justice Academy voted unanimously last week to mandate the screening for all aspiring officers. Starting Jan. 1, all law enforcement agencies’ potential new hires must bring proof of the testing to enroll for training.

“In the environment we’re policing in today, with the scrutiny of law enforcement, obviously this is more important than ever,” said State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, chairman of the Law Enforcement Training Council.   Continue reading “Psychological Tests Now Part of Police Interviews in South Carolina”

Wired – by Libby Plummer

Google’s DeepMind is developing an AI capable of ‘imagination’, enabling machines to see the consequences of their actions before they make them.

In two new research papers, the British AI firm, which was acquired by Google in 2014, describes new developments for “imagination-based planning” to AI.

Its attempt to create algorithms that simulate the distinctly human ability to construct a plan could eventually help to produce software and hardware capable of solving complex tasks more efficiently.  Continue reading “Google’s DeepMind creates an AI with ‘imagination’”

MassPrivateI

According to EdVenture Partners, college students are being paid to create DHS propaganda videos, games and much more.

“University students develop and execute campaigns and social media strategies against extremism that are credible,authentic, and believable to their peers and resonate within their communities in partnership with Homeland Security.”

Two weeks ago, the University of Maryland won this year’s DHS competition by creating a video game and social media campaign that ‘helps’ people recognize radicalization.   Continue reading “DHS is paying college students to create extremist propaganda games and videos”

World Events and the Bible

WEB Notes: So if it were up to Trump he would have said Iran was non-compliant 180 days ago, even though they are compliant. If that does not tell you something is rotten, nothing will.

President Trump is obliged by law to certify every 90 days whether Iran is complying with the nuclear deal negotiated and championed by his predecessor, but in an interview this week he said that he “personally” expects to find Iran in violation of its commitments the next time.   Continue reading “Trump: Iran May Be Declared Non-Compliant With Nuclear Deal Next Time”

ABC News

People who used e-cigarettes were more likely to kick the habit than those who didn’t, a new study found.

Nicotine patches, gums and medications are known to aid smoking cessation, but there’s no consensus on whether vaping devices can help anti-smoking efforts. The U.S. research is the largest look yet at electronic cigarette users and it found e-cigarettes played a role in helping people quit.   Continue reading “Blowing smoke? E-cigarettes might help smokers quit”

Fox 10 News

McLEAN, Va. – There is a new trend that is taking socializing and surgery to the next level – a brosectomy. That is when two guys get to bond while getting a vasectomy at the same time. Now, there is a clinic in Virginia where they welcoming men in luxury and style.

Obsidian Men’s Health in the Tysons Corner area is a luxury medical office that specializes in vasectomies. It is attracting patients from around the world and is helping bringing guys together.  Continue reading “A CUT ABOVE: Men’s health clinic in Virginia offering luxury brosectomies”

The Organic Prepper

Would the new bill that the Senate has quietly passed actually remove executive powers from the President and start a war with Russia?

Our US Congress is filled with criminals, liars, people with serious health problems that could impair their judgment, and lifers with all the signs of advancing dementia, and yet these people are making decisions that could mean the difference between life and death for the rest of us while completely circumventing the checks and balances put in place by the Constitution.  Continue reading “Congress Wants to Start a War with Russia Using Senate Bill 722”

Haaretz – by Ido Efrati

The Agriculture Ministry will launch a pilot project to grow hemp, a strain of cannabis, for industrial use after the Justice Ministry this week removed hemp from the list of substances with the legal status of dangerous drugs.

This will not be the first time hemp has been officially cultivated in Israel – in November 1942 Davar newspaper carried a report on the cannabis harvest in Kibbutz Dafna.  Continue reading “No Longer Illegal, Hemp Is Back in Israel After 75 Years”

NPR – by Richard Gonzales

Human rights groups have complained for months that border agents are wrongfully turning away people seeking asylum in the U.S. Many are fleeing gang violence and persecution in Mexico and Central America.

Border officials say they are following policy. But activists say the problem has gotten worse under President Trump. They recently sued, alleging violations of U.S. and international law.   Continue reading “Advocates Say Agents Are Unlawfully Turning Away Asylum Seekers At The Border”

NPR – by John Ydstie

After a two-day meeting in Washington, D.C., Federal Reserve policymakers say they’ll keep their benchmark rate in a range between 1 percent and 1.25 percent for the time being.

Fed officials said “job gains have been solid” and the U.S. “labor market continues to strengthen” in the statement after a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.

The officials described economic activity as “rising moderately.” They noted that unemployment rate has declined since the beginning of the year. The Fed is close to meeting its mandate to maximize employment.  Continue reading “Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady”

Tech Dirt – by Tim Cushing

The Government Accountability Office has taken a run at the TSA’s Behavioral Detection program in the past. Its findings were far from complimentary. Specially-trained “Behavior Detection Officers” (BDOs) were basically human coin flips. Deciding whether or not someone was a threat came down to a lot of subjective readings of human behavior, rather than proven principles.

In response to this report, the TSA started trimming back the number of BDOs it deployed, converting about 500 of them back into regular TSA officers. But the TSA still believed there was something to its pseudoscience patchwork, so it’s still sending out 2,600 BDOs to covertly stare at travelers’ throats and eyes (no, really) until terrorism reveals itself.  Continue reading “There Is Simply No Scientific Backing For TSA’s Behavioral Detection Program”