Whole Foods CEO dismisses plant-based meat as ‘super-highly processed foods’

It may be good for the environment, he told CNBC, but maybe not for our bodies.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/whole-foods-ceo-says-plant-based-meat-is-unhealthy/?source=Snapzu

Amazon's doorbell camera Ring is working with police – and controlling what they say

Ring shapes communications of police agencies it works with. Critics fear it’s building up a for-profit private surveillance network.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/aug/29/ring-amazon-police-partnership-social-media-neighbor?source=Snapzu

Senators ask Jeff Bezos to crack down on thousands of unsafe products on Amazon

Three Senate Democrats sent a letter to Amazon urging the company to do something about the thousands of unsafe or banned products listed on the e-commerce site. In a letter sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., asked him to take action to stop the sale of unsafe products on Amazon.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/29/senators-ask-jeff-bezos-to-crack-down-on-unsafe-products-on-amazon.html?source=Snapzu

The original anti-vaxxers

Jenner’s earliest and most vocal opponents had been men of the church, who reasoned that smallpox was a God-given fact of life and death. If the Almighty had decided that someone would be smitten by smallpox, then any attempt to subvert this divine intention was blasphemy.
Read more: https://www.1843magazine.com/features/rewind/the-original-antivaxxers?source=Snapzu

The camp that makes future millionaires

In a rented room in a church in an upmarket Toronto suburb, Hasina Lookman is running through various stock market indices at a rapid clip. “Tell me about volume,” she asks, then follows up with an explanation of market capitalisation. Her listeners, clearly engaged, appear eager to weigh-in on what might cause a stock’s value to fluctuate.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190827-the-camp-that-makes-future-millionaires?source=Snapzu

North Korea changes constitution to solidify Kim Jong Un’s rule

North Korea's parliament has approved changes to the country's constit...
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-north-korea-constitution/north-korea-changes-constitution-to-solidify-kim-jong-uns-rule-idUSKCN1VJ1JQ?source=Snapzu

Compasses to point true north for first time in 360 years

Over the past few hundred years in the UK all compass needles have pointed west of true north
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/30/compasses-to-point-true-north-for-first-time-in-360-years?source=Snapzu

'This ain't your mother's marijuana,' surgeon general warns on drug's danger

The warning comes as legal marijuana has grown into a $US10 billion ($14.8 billion) industry in the US with nearly two-thirds of states legalising it, mainly for medical uses.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/this-ain-t-your-mother-s-marijuana-surgeon-general-warns-on-drug-s-danger-20190830-p52m98.html?source=Snapzu

7-year-old boy chooses to meet his bone marrow donor over going to Disney World

Six years after surviving a bone marrow transplant, 7-year-old Gabriel Smith had a choice. He could either go to Disney World for the first time or meet the stranger who saved his life.
Read more: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/year-boy-chooses-meet-bone-marrow-donor-germany-65236998?source=Snapzu

Samsung Galaxy Fold launch date mooted, and it's literally a week away

Samsung previously said its long-delayed Galaxy Fold device is launching in September, and we might just have a firm release date after all. According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency (h/t: Android Central), Samsung and three mobile operators are discussing a September 6 launch date in the country.
Read more: https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-fold-launch-date-1024065/?source=Snapzu

Unix at 50: How the OS that powered smartphones started from failure

Today, Unix powers iOS and Android—its legend begins with a gator and a trio of researchers.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/08/unix-at-50-it-starts-with-a-mainframe-a-gator-and-three-dedicated-researchers/?source=Snapzu

Mexico bar attack leaves 25 dead

The bar was peppered with gunfire and Molotov cocktails were thrown inside, Mexican media report.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49494019?source=Snapzu

Parts of America may already be facing recession

Slowdowns in housing construction and manufacturing are ominous
Read more: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/08/31/parts-of-america-may-already-be-facing-recession?source=Snapzu

Uber proposes policy that would pay drivers a minimum wage of $21 per hour

On the heels of a driver-led protest outside Uber’s San Francisco headquarters, where drivers showed their support for gig worker protections legislation (via Assembly Bill 5) and demanded a union, Uber is circulating a petition urging people to “protect ridesharing in California.” In the petition, Uber advocates for a policy that would offer drivers a minimum of $21 per hour while on a trip,* paid time off, sick leave and compensation if they are injured while driving, as well as a collective voice and “the ability to influence decisions about their work.”
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/28/uber-proposes-policy-that-would-pay-drivers-a-minimum-wage-of-21-per-hour/?source=Snapzu

India’s Biggest Online Retailer Will Stop Using Throwaway Plastic Packaging

India's biggest online retailer is giving itself less than two years to stop using single-use plastic when shipping its products. Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce company owned by Walmart, said Thursday it would eliminate single-use plastic in packaging by March 2021. It also committed to "move towards 100% recycled plastic consumption" in its supply chain by the same date.
Read more: https://ktla.com/2019/08/29/indias-biggest-online-retailer-will-stop-using-throwaway-plastic-packaging/?source=Snapzu

Florida declares emergency as state braces for Hurricane Dorian

President Trump declared a state of emergency in Florida on Friday, preemptively easing federal recovery efforts expected for Hurricane Dorian.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/30/hurricane-dorian-donald-trump-declares-state-emergency-florida/2164177001/?source=Snapzu

Meet the Unruly Clan That Once Ruled the Hill Country

Austin native Ken Roberts’ book tells the story of the cedar choppers of Central Texas, who clashed with townsfolk in the mid-20th century.
Read more: https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/cedar-choppers-once-ruled-texas-hill-country/?source=Snapzu

Russia pushing 'unsuitable' nuclear power in Africa, critics claim

Moscow aiming to win influence by wooing African states with nuclear energy
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/28/russia-pushing-unsuitable-nuclear-power-in-africa-critics-claim?source=Snapzu

Feds ordered Google location dragnet to solve Wisconsin bank robbery

Another reverse location search warrant
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/28/20836855/reverse-location-search-warrant-dragnet-bank-robbery-fbi?source=Snapzu

Alex Trebek announces return to ‘Jeopardy!’: ‘It’s going to be a good year’

Trebek was diagnosed with cancer back in March, but has since said his doctors told him he's "in near remission."
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/5831709/alex-trebek-return-jeopardy/?source=Snapzu

Mystery of a Victorian-era wreck in Arctic waters

Researchers in Canada have been exploring the wreck of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-49490400/franklin-expedition-new-footage-of-wreck-of-hms-terror?source=Snapzu

Fake-branded bars slip dirty gold into world markets

A forgery crisis is quietly roiling the world's gold industry.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gold-swiss-fakes-exclusive/exclusive-fake-branded-bars-slip-dirty-gold-into-world-markets-idUSKCN1VI0DD?source=Snapzu

'I will not endorse that': The CEO of Whole Foods says eating plant-based 'meats' is unhealthy

Beyond Meat has been the biggest success story of the plant-based "meat" craze. Its stock has surged more than 500% since the company's IPO.
Read more: https://www.insider.com/whole-foods-ceo-john-mackey-plant-based-meat-products-unhealthy-2019-8?source=Snapzu

Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance reach

The home-security firm has made it easier than ever for local police to request homeowners' video. “If the police demanded every citizen put a camera at their door and give officers access to it, we might all recoil,” one legal expert said.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/28/doorbell-camera-firm-ring-has-partnered-with-police-forces-extending-surveillance-reach/?source=Snapzu

Senate Democrats raise 'serious concerns' about Ticketmaster, Live Nation fees

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Wednesday called for a federal investigation of the online ticketing industry, citing a report that Ticketmaster-Live Nation has defied a 2010 consent decree.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/459140-senate-democrats-raise-serious-concerns-about-ticketmaster-live-nation-fees?source=Snapzu

The New American Homeless

Last August, Cokethia Goodman returned home from work to discover a typed letter from her landlord in the mailbox. She felt a familiar panic as she began to read it. For nearly a year, Goodman and her six children—two of them adopted after being abandoned at birth—had been living in a derelict but functional three-bedroom house in the historically black Peoplestown neighborhood of Atlanta.
Read more: https://newrepublic.com/article/154618/new-american-homeless-housing-insecurity-richest-cities?source=Snapzu

The Dark Side of History: Edmund Kemper

The story I am about to tell is about murder and mutilation. It happened in Aptos … Seacliff to be specific. The exact address of the crime scene is not confidential but I will not disclose it in this article. If you do find the address, don’t disclose it and don’t bother the current residents. They may not know this history and may not want to know. As I mentioned in my last article, the “dark side of history” these events are definitely not feel-good stories but nevertheless are part of our history and as a historian, I feel they are to be told and remembered.
Read more: http://www.tpgonlinedaily.com/dark-side-history-edmund-kemper/?source=Snapzu

Why chmod 777 is internet advice from hell

666 might be the number of the beast, but 777 is raising the bar. The internet is full of more or less good advice. Whether it be about how to make the best miso soup, upgrading your flight to first class, or even being a better lover. There is, however, an issue that I feel can not be stressed enough: chmod()ing a complete directory on your server is most certainly never a good idea. Let’s dig into why that is.
Read more: https://medium.com/@oliver_66380/why-chmod-777-is-internet-advice-from-hell-2fb4049f1137?source=Snapzu

Unfit to Lead? A Universal Standard for Leader Competence

Even those of us without legal or psychiatric expertise have a right to assess our leaders’ competence. It seems that more people than usual are asking whether President Trump is unfit for command – they are saying, definitively, no he is not, or yes he is. Let’s leave the law to the lawyers and the psychiatric assessments to the psychiatrists. Instead, let’s work with some fundamentals that we all can use to appraise the competence of any leader in any sector.
Read more: https://www.psychreg.org/leader-competence/?source=Snapzu

Jessi Combs killed in jet-powered car crash

Racer Jessi Combs was killed in a crash in Oregon while attempting to break her own land speed record, according to reports. Combs, 36, was driving her jet-powered car Tuesday.
Read more: https://nypost.com/2019/08/28/jessi-combs-killed-in-jet-powered-car-crash/?source=Snapzu

Leonardo DiCaprio's Earth Alliance just pledged $7 million to preserve the Amazon

The Earth Alliance environmental foundation, backed by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has pledged more than $7 million in aid to help repair the fire-ravaged Amazon.
Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/leonardo-dicaprio-s-earth-alliance-just-pledged-7-million-to-preserve-the-amazon?source=Snapzu

Bernie Sanders Proposes Huge Renewables Build-Out and Publicly Owned Power

Senator Bernie Sanders, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidacy, on Thursday released his long-awaited climate platform. The document adopts the "Green New Deal" moniker and calls for a climate and justice-centered revolution “from the Oval Office to the streets.”
Read more: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/bernie-sanders-proposes-renewables-buildout-and-public-electricity?source=Snapzu

All eyes are on the Amazon fires in Brazil, but Bolivia is burning too

All eyes are on Brazil, as the fires in the Amazon continue to burn. But Bolivia is on fire too — and one activist tells us it has left 1.5 million hectares in tatters, 500 animal species in trouble, and firefighters stretched for resources.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5260023/all-eyes-are-on-the-amazon-fires-in-brazil-but-bolivia-is-burning-too-1.5260213?source=Snapzu

Click, whir, ping: the lost sounds of loading video games

From the Apple II to the ZX Spectrum, the aural experience of loading a game from a cassette, disc or cartridge was all part of the fun
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/aug/27/click-whir-ping-lost-sounds-of-loading-video-games?source=Snapzu

Indonesia picks site for new capital as Jakarta sinks

A jungle-covered area on the east of Borneo island is set to be transformed into Indonesia's new capital city. Concerns over the sustainability of the congested and rapidly sinking political center of Jakarta prompted the need for a new capital. The relocation was announced Monday by President Joko Widodo.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/indonesia-new-capital-borneo-jakarta-scli-intl/index.html?source=Snapzu

Canada will ban 'harmful' single-use plastics as early as 2021

Justin Trudeau said his government is drawing inspiration from EU in planning ban on water bottles, plastic bags and straws
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/10/canada-ban-single-use-plastics-bags-bottles-straws-2021?source=Snapzu

From Animal Farm to Catch-22: the most regrettable rejections in the history of publishing

Faber is being urged to make amends for turning down George Orwell’s novella in 1944. But it is far from the only publisher to miss out on a future bestseller
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2019/aug/26/animal-farm-catch-22-most-regrettable-rejections-history-publishing?source=Snapzu

Indonesia picks site for new capital as Jakarta sinks

A jungle-covered area on the east of Borneo island is set to be transformed into Indonesia's new capital city, the country's President Joko Widodo has announced.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/indonesia-new-capital-borneo-jakarta-scli-intl/?source=Snapzu

‘Luxury beliefs’ are the latest status symbol for rich Americans

A former classmate from Yale recently told me “monogamy is kind of outdated” and not good for society. So I asked her what her background is and if she planned to marry. She said she comes from an affluent family and works at a well-known technology company. Yes, she personally intends to have a monogamous marriage — but quickly added that marriage shouldn’t have to be for everyone.
Read more: https://nypost.com/2019/08/17/luxury-beliefs-are-the-latest-status-symbol-for-rich-americans/?source=Snapzu

Nestlé plan to take 1.1m gallons of water a day from natural springs sparks outcry

Opponents fighting to stop the project say the fragile river cannot sustain such a large draw
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/26/nestle-suwannee-river-ginnie-springs-plan-permit?source=Snapzu

USPS Leaving International Mail Union Set to Disrupt U.S. Elections

USPS leaving the UPU in October which may raise postage to $60 for absentee ballots mailed from overseas. Technology vendors may need to find a quick electronic alternative.
Read more: https://www.channelfutures.com/security/usps-leaving-international-mail-union-set-to-disrupt-u-s-elections?source=Snapzu

Water Cannons and a Gun Shot: Hong Kong Protest Violence Intensifies

Hong Kong police deployed water cannons for the first time Sunday in a show of force as pro-democracy protests turned violent following nearly two weeks of relative calm.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-police-battle-protesters-threatening-to-escalate-force-11566731458?source=Snapzu

What Netflix’s ‘Great Hack’ Gets Wrong About Cambridge Analytica

The British consulting firm didn’t steal the 2016 election, and it couldn’t have if it tried.
Read more: https://www.thenation.com/article/cambridge-analytica-facebook-hack/?source=Snapzu

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572M for fuelling Oklahoma's opioid crisis

An Oklahoma judge has found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state's opioid drug crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay $572 million US to help address the problem.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/johnson-johnson-opioid-oklahoma-1.5260479?source=Snapzu

Joe Biden plunges 13 points in new national poll. He's now just behind Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

The latest 2020 national poll from Monmouth University doesn't look good for former Vice President Joe Biden. Monmouth's poll released on Monday shows Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tied at 20 percent, with Biden behind them at 19 percent. Given the poll's margin of error, that means the three candidates are effectively tied thanks to Biden taking a serious dive since a previous poll released by Monmouth in June.
Read more: https://theweek.com/speedreads/861230/joe-biden-plunges-13-points-new-national-poll-hes-now-just-behind-elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders?source=Snapzu

Children Raised Without Religion Are Kinder And More Empathetic, Study Finds

According to a study published in Current Biology in 2015, children raised without religion tend to be kinder than children brought up in very religious households. The study was a collaborative effort between numerous academics from seven different universities that are spread out all over the world.
Read more: https://www.anonews.co/children-raised-religion/?source=Snapzu

Africa set to be declared polio free as Nigeria marks three years without the disease

Nigeria is set to mark three years since it saw its last case of polio on Wednesday – an important landmark on the road to official eradication of this deadly childhood disease.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/africa-set-declared-polio-free-nigeria-marks-three-years-without/?source=Snapzu

OpenAI Said Its Code Was Risky. Two Grads Recreated It Anyway

IN FEBRUARY, AN artificial intelligence lab cofounded by Elon Musk informed the world that its latest breakthrough was too risky to release to the public. OpenAI claimed it had made language software so fluent at generating text that it might be adapted to crank out fake news or spam. Thursday, two recent masters graduates in computer science released what they say is a recreation of OpenAI’s withheld software onto the internet for anyone to download and use.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/dangerous-ai-open-source/?source=Snapzu

Trump admits to having 'second thoughts' on his trade war with China

Donald Trump has admitted to having "second thoughts" on his ongoing trade war with China. Speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, the president was asked whether he had thought twice about his decision to impose tariffs. "Sure. Why not?" he replied, adding that "I have second thoughts about everything." However, he insisted that he had pushed ahead due to China's "outrageous" behaviour.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-admits-having-second-thoughts-on-china-trade-war-2019-8?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=referral?source=Snapzu

Apple’s Watch Is Smarter, but My Casio Keeps Getting the Job Done

Casio’s basic watches have barely changed in decades, a rare achievement as planned obsolescence is elevated to a corporate art form, our columnist says.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/business/apple-watch-iphone-casio.html?source=Snapzu