Kim Jong Nam killing organised by North Korean ministries, says Seoul

South Korean intelligence believes suspects wanted for the murder of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader included several officials who worked for the reclusive state’s foreign and security ministries, according to lawmakers in Seoul. Kim Jong Nam was killed earlier this month at a Malaysian airport by assassins using VX nerve agent, a chemical capable of killing in minutes and listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.
Read more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/kim-jong-nam-killing-organised-by-north-korean-ministries-says-seoul/story-DCM4VMCziya6PJMdrr7GLP.html?source=Snapzu

Cooking oil dumped in Lakewood pond kills more than 30 ducks, geese

More than 30 ducks and geese died after someone dumped cooking oil in a retention pond in Lakewood. Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking the public to help them track down the people involved. The Estes Park Trail Gazette published a statement from the FSW about the incident.
Read more: http://kdvr.com/2017/02/28/cooking-oil-dumped-in-lakewood-pond-kills-more-than-30-ducks-geese/?source=Snapzu

The Hugely Ambitious, Mostly Illegal Plan to Take Down Potentially Dangerous Drones

This track-and-jam system could neutralize terrorist attacks. But it's against US law.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/2017/02/sky-net-illegal-drone-plan/?mbid=synd_digg?source=Snapzu

Sean Spicer Launches Witch Hunt Over The 'Secure' App He Just Said Was No Big Deal

So here's a story that goes from weird to bizarre in record time. A few weeks ago, Axios was among the first to report that White House staffers were using an app called "Confide" to make use of its disappearing message feature...
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170227/17580836804/sean-spicer-launches-witch-hunt-over-secure-app-he-just-said-was-no-big-deal.shtml?source=Snapzu

Donald Trump to ‘sign new Muslim ban this week’

Donald Trump is expected to sign a new travel ban on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. A senior administration official told the news agency of the plans to roll out the fresh refugee and immigration executive order this week, but spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to discuss the plans publicly. The fresh travel ban was expected to be signed last week, but White House spokesman Sean Spicer claimed the President had delayed the order “to make sure that we execute this, it’s done in a manner that’s flawless”.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-refugee-immigration-travel-executive-order-us-president-white-house-oval-office-a7601311.html?source=Snapzu

Theresa May to cut school funding for first time since 1990s, IFS warns

The Government is to cut school funding per pupil for the first time since the mid 1990s, a new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has determined. The respected think-tank calculated that real-terms terms spending on school pupils would drop by 6.5 per cent over the course of this parliament, with further education funding also set for significant decreases. The IFS said schools funding had been well protected for the last two decades but that further education has already been squeezed.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/school-funding-cuts-tories-theresa-may-education-1990s-budget-2017-a7601366.html?source=Snapzu

Family Values

Mapping the spread of antigay ideology. By Masha Gessen.
Read more: http://harpers.org/archive/2017/03/family-values-3/?single=1?source=Snapzu

The Democrats Have Chosen Defeat

It’s official. After a contentious election, the Democratic National Committee has chosen its next chairman, former Obama Labor Secretary Tom Perez. With Perez, the Democrats indicated they will be abandoning their extreme left-wing base and, in so doing, relegating themselves to being the party of entrenched, wealthy special interests and preferred minority groups… By Brandon J. Weichert.
Read more: https://amgreatness.com/2017/02/26/democrats-chosen-defeat/?source=Snapzu

The High Cost of Cheap Labor

There’s a crisis brewing in our [U.S.] fields, and it’s about to get much, much worse. By Brian Barth.
Read more: http://modernfarmer.com/2017/02/migrant-farm-workers-the-high-cost-of-cheap-labor/?source=Snapzu

Inside the final days of the Standing Rock protest

“Those small victories were always difficult to claim at Standing Rock because the terms of the protests were absolute — either the pipeline was built or it wasn’t — and I imagine that as people return to their homes or ship off to the next fight, they will have to find a more personal justification for the months they spent there.” By Jay Caspian Kang. (Feb. 21, 2017)
Read more: https://news.vice.com/story/inside-the-last-days-of-the-standing-rock-protest?source=Snapzu

Powerful Letters From Former Slaves To Their Old Masters

Moving messages of both anger and forgiveness.
Read more: http://all-that-is-interesting.com/former-slave-letters?source=Snapzu

China sees sharp decline in ivory smuggling in 2016

Liu Dongsheng, deputy head of the SFA, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a wildlife protection campaign, without specifying detailed numbers. China will stop commercial processing and sales of ivory by the end of this year. Last year, it imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants. The number of illegal wildlife trade cases has been on the decline since last year, said Liu.
Read more: http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/27/china-sees-sharp-decline-in-ivory-smuggling-in-2016/?source=Snapzu

Being gay in Latin America: Legal but deadly

On a February night in 2008, Luis Alberto Rojas Marin says, his life changed forever. At 26 years old, the Peruvian gay man was arrested by police officers while heading home shortly after midnight. Throughout the six hours he was in police custody, he says, he was stripped, raped with a baton and verbally abused by police officers before being let go. All of this, he says, because of his sexuality.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/26/americas/lgbt-rights-in-the-americas/index.html?source=Snapzu

In 1959, British Scientists Carefully Perfected the Pickled Onion

It was all for the "notoriously fickle pickle-fancying public."
Read more: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pickled-onion-video?source=Snapzu

OJ Simpson could walk free from prison in months as a multi-millionaire

OJ Simpson could walk free from jail in a few months after serving less than a third of his sentence before cashing in on his multi-million dollar NFL pension. The former American football star could be released exactly nine years into his 33-year sentence after he was jailed for a string of crimes including armed robbery and kidnapping in 2008. A parole board hearing on 3 July is expected to recommend the 69-year-old’s release based on good behaviour.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oj-simpson-free-prison-nfl-pension-multi-millionaire-release-a7600051.html?source=Snapzu

Can Customs and Border Protection Agents Demand to See Your ID on a Domestic Trip?

Passengers on a flight deplaning in New York were asked for their identification—a request that raises thorny constitutional questions.
Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/papers-please/517887/?utm_source=twb?source=Snapzu

Storm Chasers Unite to Give Bill Paxton an Epic Tribute

Storm chasers combined forces this afternoon to pay tribute to a man who put them on the map by literally putting his initials on their maps. Hundreds of professionals and enthusiasts are checking in to form the letters “BP” with their GPS coordinates. Paxton reportedly died on Saturday due to complications following heart surgery. He was just 61-years-old.
Read more: http://gizmodo.com/storm-chasers-unite-to-give-bill-paxton-an-epic-tribute-1792765560?source=Snapzu

The Body Orifice Security Scanner is why the rectally smuggled phone is called "Beat the BOSS"

When I saw that the cell phone designed for rectal smuggling was called "Beat the Boss," I assumed "The Boss" was a synonym for "The Man," but it turns out it's a reference to a specific product: Xeku's Body Orifice Security Scanner (BOSS), a "hygienic cavity search" chair that scans prisoners for rectal contraband.
Read more: http://boingboing.net/2017/02/27/im-about-to-go-into-a-tunnel.html?source=Snapzu

N.J. woman uses couponing to feed 30,000 people in need.

A woman in New Jersey is using couponing in a big way to feed people in her community who are in need. Lauren Puryear, 29, is a mental health clinician and has been spending years helping to feed the hungry. Her ultimate goal? Deliver 30,000 meals to people in need by her 30th birthday. It all began four years ago after the death of her grandmother, who had strongly instilled the importance of helping others.
Read more: http://www.vidmero.com/2017/02/nj-woman-uses-couponing-to-feed-30000_27.html?source=Snapzu

410 Year History of Legal and Illegal Immigration to the United States

From the Beginning of Colonial Immigration; English Settlers Arrive in America in 1607 ... to... 2017 - President Trump Signs Immigration Executive Order Suspending Entry of People
Read more: http://immigration.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000023?source=Snapzu

Theresa May poised to announce end of free movement for new EU migrants next month

Theresa May is next month poised to announce the end of free movement for new EU migrants on the same day that she formally triggers Brexit negotiations. The Prime Minister is expected to say that EU citizens who travel to Britain after she triggers Article 50 will no longer have the automatic right to stay in the UK permanently. They will instead be subject to migration curbs after Britain leaves the European Union, which could include a new visa regime and restricted access to benefits.
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/26/theresa-may-poised-announce-end-free-movement-new-eu-migrants/?source=Snapzu

Deported gay Afghans told to ‘pretend to be straight’

Gay Afghans can be deported to their home country, where homosexuality is illegal and “wholly taboo” and they must pretend to be straight, under new British government guidelines for handling asylum applications. The new guidance for a country where not a single citizen lives an openly gay life has been denounced by human rights groups as a violation of international law, and criticised by the Home Office’s own Afghanistan unit.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/25/afghanistan-gay-asylum-seekers-home-office-illegal-homosexuality?source=Snapzu

The Real "Ma" and "Pa": ... What The People From ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Really Looked Like

The Little House on the Prairie books series is a children’s literature classic that’s not only entertaining, but provides a unique snapshot of life in the Midwestern United States at a time when that area was rapidly changing.
Read more: http://www.vintag.es/2017/02/the-real-ma-and-pa-20-rare-and-amazing.html#more?source=Snapzu

Father of Navy Seal killed in Yemen calls for investigation into 'stupid mission'

The father of a Navy Seal killed in a raid in Yemen last month has demanded an investigation into the planning and timing of what he called a “stupid mission”. Bill Owens also told the Miami Herald he refused to meet Donald Trump when he and the president went to Dover air force base in Delaware to receive the casket carrying his son, William “Ryan” Owens. “My conscience wouldn’t let me talk to him,” he said.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/26/father-navy-seal-yemen-trump-investigation-stupid-mission?source=Snapzu

SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission. Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow.
Read more: http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year?source=Snapzu

Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media

With links to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage, the rightwing American computer scientist is at the heart of a multimillion-dollar propaganda network
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/robert-mercer-breitbart-war-on-media-steve-bannon-donald-trump-nigel-farage?CMP=share_btn_link?source=Snapzu

Trump: 'Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated'

President Trump said Monday that "nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated," as Republicans have been slow to unite around a replacement plan for ObamaCare.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/321318-trump-nobody-knew-that-healthcare-could-be-so-complicated?source=Snapzu

Canadian school boards question trips to U.S. amid travel ban debate

Schools across Canada are grappling with the uncertainty of U.S. travel restrictions and how that affects upcoming student trips across the border. A travel ban instituted by President Donald Trump on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries and Syrian refugees may be on hold as it works its way through the U.S. justice system, but Canadian schools remain concerned with how foreign-born students will be treated at the border.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-school-boards-question-trips-to-u-s-amid-travel-ban-debate-1.3301706?source=Snapzu

Man who shot controversial pipeline with rifle killed by cops after chase, authorities say

A man accused of using a high-powered rifle to shoot at the controversial Sabal Pipeline Sunday was killed after a car chase and confrontation with authorities, according to Marion County officials. The incident started about 9 a.m. when deputies were called about a man using a rifle to shoot at the under-construction pipeline and nearby equipment in Dennellon. When deputies responded, the suspect fled.
Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-shooting-suspect-killed-after-firing-at-fhp-trooper-and-deputies-20170226-story.html?source=Snapzu

How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

Ikea's humble bookcase epitomises a relentless pursuit of lower costs and acceptable functionality.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38747485?source=Snapzu

Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War

What lay behind Russia’s interference in the 2016 election—and what lies ahead?
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trump-putin-and-the-new-cold-war?source=Snapzu

The New York Times Is Running A 'Truth Is Hard' Ad During Oscars

“The truth is hard to find. The truth is hard to know. The truth is more important now than ever.”
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ny-times-truth-ad_us_58b2813ee4b0a8a9b782eba0?source=Snapzu

Decoding the ancient tale of mass suicide in the Judaean desert

Have archaeologists proven the ancient tale of mass suicide in the Judaean desert or twisted science for political end?
Read more: https://aeon.co/essays/decoding-the-ancient-tale-of-mass-suicide-in-the-judaean-desert?source=Snapzu

CloudBleed bug compromises millions of sites, change your passwords now

A new bug may have compromised user data on millions of websites. Change your passwords now.
Read more: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/02/24/cloudbleed-bug-compromises-millions-of-sites-change-your-passwords-now/?source=Snapzu

Russian diplomats keep dying unexpectedly

And there was another high profile death in December 2016 and another in November 2015.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/four-russian-diplomats-died-in-the-last-three-months-2281281560.html?source=Snapzu

Israel to Amazon: Stop selling Holocaust-denying literature

Israel's official Holocaust memorial has asked Amazon to stop selling literature on its site that denies the genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II and otherwise promotes anti-Semitism. Yad Vashem's director of libraries Robert Rozett says he has dispatched a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos offering his assistance to "curb the spread of hatred." Rozett says Sunday that Yad Vashem has approached Amazon before on the subject but the internet retailing giant insisted it would not halt sales of offensive...
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-amazon-stop-selling-holocaust-denying-literature-45746218?source=Snapzu

Vice Video: 24 things nobody does better than Trump (according to Trump)

Here are some things that President Trump says he's the best at.
Read more: https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/24-things-nobody-does-better-than-trump-according-to-trump/58a766ff8c0157477a35a726?latest=1?source=Snapzu

Epic Oscars Mistake: Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty Announce Wrong Best Picture Winner

“Moonlight” walked away with best picture honors at the end of Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony in Hollywood. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the best actress award envelope. A confused Beatty saw Emma Stone’s name and “La La Land,” and handed the envelope to Dunaway, who then announced the musical as the Best Picture winner.
Read more: http://variety.com/2017/film/in-contention/oscars-mistake-warren-beatty-announces-wrong-winner-la-la-land-moonlight-1201995099/?source=Snapzu

Legalizing Marijuana Would Hurt Mexican Drug Cartels More Than Trump's Border Wall

A crucial part of President Donald Trump's rationale for building a wall along the United State's border with Mexico is that it would help to stop the trade of illegal drugs, including marijuana. "I want to build the wall. We need the wall," Trump said at one of the presidential debates last year. "We stop the drugs. We shore up the border."
Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2017/02/03/legalizing-marijuana-could-hurt-mexican?source=Snapzu

If automation is already messing with our economy and our politics, just wait until self-driving trucks arrive

Tractor-trailers without a human at the wheel will soon barrel onto highways near you. What will this mean for the nation’s 1.7 million truck drivers?
Read more: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603493/10-breakthrough-technologies-2017-self-driving-trucks/?source=Snapzu

Virginia Security Guard Shot, Killed 60-Year-Old Man Playing Pokémon Go, Attorney Says

A game that takes most of its players on a fun adventure may have lead one Virginia man to his death. According to a local attorney, 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen of Chesapeake was playing Pokémon Go on Thursday when he was shot and killed by a neighborhood security guard, KTLA sister station WTKR reported. “I did not want the public to misunderstand Mr. Chen,” said the attorney Greg Sandler, who believes the incident escalated partially because of a language barrier.
Read more: http://ktla.com/2017/01/31/virginia-security-guard-shot-killed-60-year-old-man-playing-pokemon-go-attorney-says/?source=Snapzu

White Helmet to miss Oscars because Syria cancelled passport

A Syrian cameraman and rescue worker whose documentary about the civil defence group known as the White Helmets has been nominated for an Oscar will not attend the awards ceremony because Damascus has cancelled his passport, the group said on Sunday. The White Helmets operate a rescue service in rebel-held parts of Syria, which have been subjected to fierce bombardment by the government and Russia’s air force during the country’s civil war that has levelled whole city districts.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/26/white-helmet-to-miss-oscars-because-syria-cancelled-passport?source=Snapzu

Sean Spicer targets own staff in leak crackdown

The push includes random phone checks overseen by White House lawyers.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/sean-spicer-targets-own-staff-in-leak-crackdown-235413?source=Snapzu

Pakistan airline admits taking extra passengers in aisle

Pakistan International Airlines is investigating how seven extra passengers were allowed to stand in the aisles on a flight to Saudi Arabia, a spokesman told the BBC. The passengers were allowed on the 20 January flight to Medina despite every seat being filled, the airline said. Details of the flight have only emerged now because of extensive investigations by Dawn newspaper. Staff had issued additional handwritten boarding passes, the paper reported.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39081476?source=Snapzu

Emmy-Winning Actor Bill Paxton Dead at 61 Due to Complications from Surgery

Emmy-winning actor Bill Paxton died due to complications from surgery, PEOPLE confirms. “It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” a family representative said in a statement. “A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable.
Read more: http://people.com/movies/bill-paxton-dead-complications-surgery-age-61/?source=Snapzu

Revealed: how US billionaire helped to back Brexit

Robert Mercer, who bankrolled Donald Trump, played key role with ‘sinister’ advice on using Facebook data
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/us-billionaire-mercer-helped-back-brexit?source=Snapzu

German intel agency notes dramatic increase in Islamic extremism

The domestic intelligence service has announced an uptick of hundreds in a matter of months. At least one cause of the worrying trend is the ease with which young people can become radicalized online, authorities said. Deutschland Kundgebung von Salafisten und Gegendemonstration in Bremen (picture alliance/dpa/C. Jaspersen) Germany's domestic security and intelligance agency (the BfV) said on Wednesday that the radical Islamist scene in the country had grown considerably, from only about 100 people in 2013 to some 1,600 today. Indeed, according to BfV chief Hans-Georg Maassen, the number had jumped by several hundred in a matter of months.
Read more: http://www.dw.com/en/german-intel-agency-notes-dramatic-increase-in-islamic-extremism/a-37667354?source=Snapzu

Trump administration withdrew memo that found 'ample legal justification' to halt Dakota Access pipeline

Two days before the Trump administration approved an easement for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross a reservoir near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation, the U.S. Department of the Interior withdrew a legal opinion that concluded there was “ample legal justification” to deny it. The withdrawal of the opinion was revealed in court documents filed this week by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the same agency that requested the review late last year.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-administration-withdraws-legal-memo-found-ample-legal/story?id=45696135?source=Snapzu

Siberia's 'doorway to the Underworld' Is Getting So Big It's Uncovering Ancient Forests

It's no secret that Siberia's permafrost has been on thin ice lately. Conditions are varying so much that huge holes are appearing out of nowhere , and, in some places, tundra is quite literally bubbling underneath people's feet .
Read more: http://www.sciencealert.com/siberia-s-huge-doorway-to-the-underworld-is-getting-so-big-it-s-uncovering-millennia-old-forests-and-carcasses?source=Snapzu

Galloway Viking Hoard Campaign launched

A new campaign has been launched to keep the Galloway Viking Hoard for exhibition in the county where it was found. Buried in the 10th century, the hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist in field near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, in September of 2014. Archaeologists excavated the hoard and found more than 100 silver and gold pieces, from ingots to jewelry to fragments of Byzantine silk to an extremely rare Carolingian pot stuffed with more treasure. The Galloway Viking Hoard is the largest Viking treasure found in Scotland since 1891.
Read more: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/46111?source=Snapzu