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Showing posts from November, 2017

Researchers discover aluminum foil actually does improve your wireless speed

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Researchers at Dartmouth University have found that a 3D printed shape covered in aluminum foil can improve wireless range and increase Wi-Fi security. The project, which appeared on Eurekalert, involves placing a reflector on and around a Wi-Fi router’s antennae to shape the beam, increasing range and preventing it from passing through to unwanted spaces. “With a simple investment of about $35 and specifying coverage requirements, a wireless reflector can be custom-built to outperform antennae that cost thousands of dollars,” said Xia Zhou, a Dartmouth assistant professor. In their paper, Zhou and his colleagues tested multiple styles of directional antennas and also tested an “anecdotal” solution that involved sticking a soda can behind a router to shape the radio waves towards a target. After a few iterations, they were able to create specific shapes to increase Wi-Fi reception in specific rooms. They then created a program called WiPrint that 3D prints the exact shape needed to

Federal Subpoenas Seek Info on Carl Icahn’s Role as Trump Adviser

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Prosecutors are investigating whether billionaire businessman Carl Icahn pushed for a federal policy change that would have benefited one of his investments while he was serving as an adviser to President Donald Trump. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan has issued subpoenas to Icahn's company and another company, CVR Energy, in which he has an 82 percent stake, both firms disclosed in regulatory filings. CVR is a publicly traded company that specializes in refining. The companies said they are cooperating with the subpoenas, which were first reported by Bloomberg. "The U.S. Attorney's office has not made any claims or allegations against us or Mr. Icahn," Icahn Enterprises L.P. said in its filing. Icahn, who backed Trump during the campaign, was named a special adviser on regulation last December. He quit in August to avoid what he called "partisan bickering" about his position in the administration. His resignation followed an investigati

Astronomers just spotted a planet so huge they aren’t even sure it’s really a planet

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Even if you have only cursory knowledge of the planets in our Solar System, you know that Earth is on the smaller end of the spectrum in terms of mass. Mercury and Mars are even smaller, but Saturn and the mighty Jupiter, of course, are on the other end of the spectrum. But in the grand scheme of things, Jupiter isn’t actually all that mighty at all, and a new discovery of an absolutely massive planet residing in our galaxy’s “bulge” has scientists struggling to explain how it can even be a planet at all. The new planet, which was discovered using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, is named OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, but what it lacks in a flashy name it more than makes up for in sheer size. The planet is estimated to be over 13 times the mass of Jupiter, which is so huge that astronomers are considering the possibility that it’s not actually a planet. Now before you go dreaming of some sort of Star Wars-esque mega space station, you should know that’s not the kind of thing scientists ar

Trump nominee: ‘Insane’ that civilians can buy assault rifles

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President Donald Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. Dean Winslow, said Tuesday it is "insane" that a civilian can buy a semi-automatic weapon like the gun that Devin Kelley used in the Texas church shooting. Winslow made the comments in his confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I may get in trouble with other members of the committee, just say how insane it is that in the United States of America a civilian can go out and buy a semi-automatic assault rifle like an AR-15, which apparently was the weapon that was used," Winslow said. Trump has resisted any action on gun laws in response to the deadly mass shootings that have occurred during his time in office. On Tuesday, Trump said that "there would have been no difference" in the deadly Texas shooting if an extreme vetting policy for gun ownership had been in place. "If you did what you're suggesting there would have bee

Trump cracks down on U.S. business and travel to Cuba

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President Trump cracked down on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel and do business with Cuba on Wednesday, a major step toward rolling back another Obama-era policy. Under new regulations that take effect Thursday, the Trump administration is banning Americans from doing business with dozens of entities with links to Cuba’s military. The move affects stores, hotels, tourist agencies and even two rum makers. President Obama's administration ended more than 50 years of diplomatic isolation with its Cold War foe, reestablishing embassies in Havana and Washington and making it easier for Americans to visit their long-isolated Caribbean neighbors. Trump repeatedly questioned this easing of hostilities. He claimed during a speech in Miami in June that the U.S. gave away too much in exchange for too little. The White House has also blamed Cuba for a series of unexplained attacks against U.S. diplomats on the island, prompting the U.S. to cut back its staff in Havana and halt

GOP tax bill would add $1.7 trillion to debt: CBO

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The GOP’s tax bill would add $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the course of a decade, and increase the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio by 5.9 percentage points, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO analysis found that the bill would cut revenues by $1.4 trillion, which falls within the level Republicans allowed themselves in their budget resolution, but the additional cost of debt servicing would mean that the overall debt would increase by $1.7 trillion. CBO also found that the nation’s debt-to-GDP ration, or debt burden, would rise to 97.1 percent of GDP by 2027, 5.9 points higher than the current projection of 91.2 percent. The deficit effects have been a major issue for Senate Republicans, in particular. Trump administration officials have argued, variously, that GDP growth would eliminate some to all of the deficits produced by the tax plan.

Casket maker provides free coffins for Texas shooting victims

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When Trey Ganem heard about the shootings in Sutherland Springs, he jumped in his car and drove 100 miles to the mourning town. The 46 year-old businessman didn't come just to bear condolences. He had something more tangible to offer: coffins. Ganem runs a casket design company in Edna, Texas, another small town east of Sutherland Springs. His seven employees build personalized coffins that usually sell for about $3,500. He is offering to provide free custom-made coffins for the people slain Sunday at First Baptist Church. So far, he's gotten requests to make 15 caskets. "When I first started five years ago, children burned in a fire in Edna, Texas. I donated caskets to the family. I knew the kids" he told CNN. "It was the most emotional time in my life." The tragic news out of Sutherland Springs stirred up the same emotions for Ganem. "Immediately my heart opened up and I was like 'yes, we can do this,'" he said. "It's a s

Dionatan Teixeira: Stoke's former defender dies at the age of 25

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He joined Stoke 2014 after being tested for several Premier League clubs including Manchester City. But the Brazilian player did not succeed in England because he was suffering from injuries. He played only two games in Stoke, as a new power in three years Stoke. Teixeira was Brazil when he died and died on Sunday, according to his club who was playing for the FC Sheriff, in Moldova, which played a small European club, Europa League this season. The club won the league in the country with a league cup. FC Sheriff has said: "He will always stay in our hearts."

Andrea Pirlo: Italian star announces retirement football

The 38-year-old made a 116-minute Italian match and helped them win the World Cup in 2006. Pirlo started his career in Brescia and played Inter, AC Milan and Juventus before joining the North American Football League (MLS) two years ago. "It's not just that my time in New York has reached the limit but also my journey as soccer player has come to the finish," he said. In a statement on his Twitter account, Pirlo also thanked "every team I got to play with" and "every player I've had to play with. His former club Juventus has described him as "a real jagger". New York City manager Patrick Vieira said Pirlo "changed the football forever". As well as helping Azur to be world champions, Pirlo won his soccer match in his 22-year soccer match. He was in the Milan squad victory over the two Serie A trophy, two Champions League Championships and the World Cup Club between 2003 and 2011, and then contributed greatly to the four

David Moyes is the new coach of West Ham

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Moyes has been unemployed since May when he resigned as a Sunderland trainer after the club was knocked down. West Ham coach David Sullivan said the 54-year-old Scottish citizen was the right to inherit the position. He added: We need an experienced person, a British league discovery and his players and we believe David can strengthen the players. He is a respected person in football and will bring new motivations and ideas. He confirmed with Everton that he has the power and we think West Ham is a club that will give David Moyes a chance to show his ability. Moyes's first match will be against Watford in the British league in November 19.

Queen Elizabeth has investments in offshore havens

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Newly leaked papers reveal that Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has invested some of her private money in offshore tax havens. According to documents obtained by the International Consortium of Journalists, the queen's investment managers placed roughly 10 million pounds ($13 million) in offshore portfolios in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. The investments were made by the Duchy of Lancaster, which handles the queen's finances. There is no suggestion the investments are illegal. The documents about Elizabeth's financial holdings are part of a tranche of some 13.4 million records of offshore accounts leaked to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the International Consortium of Journalists and a network of more than 380 journalists in 67 countries. The queen has vast financial assets, including real estate, works of art and jewelry.

Florida State University bans Greek life after student death

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Florida State University President John Thrasher has announced a ban on all fraternities and sororities following the death of a student after a house party Friday. "I want to send a serious message, I really do," said Thrasher. "We've got a serious problem." FSU student, 20-year-old Andrew Coffey of Pompano Beach was found unresponsive at about 10:25 a.m. Friday, the morning after a house party about a mile from campus. Coffey, a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity pledge, was given medical treatment but died on the scene. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family and friends,” said Pi Kappa Phi Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Timmes in a statement provided to the Tallahassee Democrat. “We appreciate the partnership and support from the Division of Student Affairs during this difficult time.” Of the FSU undergraduates, 22% belong to a Greek organization, that’s 7,588 students for the 2017-2018 school year. All fraternity and sorority chapters are pro

Kansas man he put racist graffiti on own car

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A black Kansas man has admitted he put racist graffiti on his own car as a Halloween prank that got out of hand. The Riley County Police Department said in a news release Monday that no criminal charges would be filed against 21-year-old Dauntarius Williams for filing a false report. Authorities concluded filing charges would not be in the best interests of the citizens of Manhattan. His vehicle was parked Wednesday near Kansas State University and the incident fueled racial tensions at the university and in the community. The FBI subsequently opened a civil rights investigation. Police say Williams made a mistake and is now doing his best to own up to it. Williams apologized to the community in a statement for "the pain and news" he brought.

Lyft COO Rex Tibbens steps down

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Rex Tibbens is stepping down as chief operating officer of Lyft by year-end, Axios has learned from multiple sources. Tibbens, who joined the ride-hail company in 2015 after four years at Amazon and over a decade at Dell, has not yet decided on his future plans. Why it matters: Lyft wants to go public next year, but first will need to fill this new hole in its senior executive team. Below is an email sent on Monday evening by Lyft to company employees, following Axios' inquiries: Team, We wanted to share a note of thanks to Rex and provide a leadership team update. After 2+ years with Lyft, helping grow the business over 10x, Rex has decided that at the end of the year he will move on from his role as COO. In the new year, he'll spend time advising companies, reacquainting himself with his family, and figuring out what's next for TRex. He's been an incredible partner helping bring Lyft to every state, and launching strategic initiatives like Express Drive and

At least 49 killed in Vietnam flooding days ahead of Trump’s visit

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Dozens of people in Vietnam have been killed in flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Damrey, just days before US President Donald Trump is set to visit the country. As of Monday, at least 49 had been killed and another 22 were missing, the European Union's humanitarian aid agency said citing local media. In the provinces of Khan Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Phu Yen, nearly 80,000 houses were damaged and some 35,000 people were evacuated. Khanh Phan with the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority told CNN that his agency would post updated figures to their website later Tuesday, as authorities are still in the process of collecting information. President Trump is scheduled to visit the coastal city of Da Nang for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum as part of a two-week trip across the Asia-Pacific region. He'll also travel to the capital, Hanoi, for an official state visit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang. Trump arrives in South Korea Tuesday

iPhone X Costs an Estimated $357.50 to Make(Juli Clover)

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Apple's new iPhone X costs $357.50 to make, according to estimates sourced from TechInsights and shared today by Reuters. At an estimated $357.50 to produce with a price tag of $999, the iPhone X has a gross margin of 64 percent, higher than the iPhone 8's gross margin of 59 percent. Several of the components in the iPhone X are more expensive than their iPhone 8 counterparts, according to TechInsights. The 5.8-inch edge-to-edge display, for example, costs an estimated $65.50, compared to $36 for the 4.7-inch display of the iPhone 8. The stainless steel chassis of the iPhone X costs an estimated $36, a significant premium over the $21.50 Apple shells out for the iPhone 8. Following the launch of the iPhone 8, estimates suggested its raw component cost came in at $247.51, with the cost for the iPhone 8 Plus estimated at $288.08. Those estimates were sourced from IHS iMarkit, a research firm, while today's come from TechInsights, a company that does device teardowns and

West Ham trainer is raped

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Moyes has been unemployed since May when he resigned as a Sunderland trainer after the club was knocked down. West Ham coach David Sullivan said the 54-year-old Scottish citizen was the right to inherit the position. He added: We need an experienced person, a British league discovery and his players and we believe David can strengthen the players. He is a respected person in football and will bring new motivations and ideas. He confirmed with Everton that he has the power and we think West Ham is a club that will give David Moyes a chance to show his ability. Moyes's first match will be against Watford in the British league in November 19.

JFK files link MLK Jr. to multiple affairs, say he possibly fathered child out of wedlock

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A dossier released as part of the JFK files says the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had affairs with multiple women, according to published reports. (Associated Press) A dossier on Martin Luther King Jr. claims the civil rights leader possibly fathered a child out of wedlock, and had an affinity for orgies. The data, part of the JFK files recently released by the National Archives, also includes the assertion that singer Joan Baez was amog the multiple women with whom King allegedly had affairs, the New York Daily News reported. Described in the 20-page report is a "two-day drunken sex orgy in Washington, D.C." that was linked to an event that King attended, the Washington Examiner reported. The dossier cites information obtained from “a responsible Los Angeles individual,” who was said to be a relative of King’s alleged lover -- who was described as the wife of a prominent black dentist. The source said King may have fathered a baby girl with the woman, the Daily

If you see this coat hook in the bathroom, get out and call police

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Authorities are telling people to keep an eye out if you see these coat hooks in a bathroom. It has a pinhole-sized lens that could be recording you. If you see a coat hook on the back of a bathroom door, you probably don't think anything of it. But according to police, you should give it a second thought. It may look like a regular coat hook but it has a tiny pin-hole in the plastic that could be recording footage of things you don't want recorded. While it could help catch a thief in some cases, Florida authoritiesare warning people they could be hidden in bathrooms. If you see one like the one in the pictures, leave the place and contact authorities to report it.

LavaLava: despite disturbance and beauty at present he is single

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The singer said that being in a relationship was caused by failure to understand what was right because many are following the popularity they are currently experiencing. Lavalava "Very much, do you know why ?, before I did not give up I had lost my partner after giving a song there are many women coming but all who are coming is because you are Lava Lava" Lava Lava has told Radio Free Africa. So far under the management of the WCB label LavaLava has been able to offer two drums that are Dede and Tuachane which are the official.

Santi Cazorla: The Arsenal player's leg was rotten

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The 32-year-old player from Spain played last week in October 2016. He was surgery on his left foot leg two months later. But despite eight surgeries, his ulcer did not get it and instead he got sick. Cazorla told Marca newspaper that the disease had "eaten" the tip of his right leg. "A half-inch [8 cm] thick was missing," he says. Despite a number of successful treatments, there was still worry that the former Villarreal and Malaga player would lose his leg due to infections in his blood. The last time he was surgery was 29 May. At that time the doctors transplanted the skirt from his left hand - which has a sharp edge on his right leg. Since then, Cazorla has been participating in the exercise and said he expects to be a good player at the party.

Jeff Bezos Sells $1.1 Billion Amazon Shares With Stock at Record

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Jeff Bezos sold a million Amazon.com Inc.shares this week for $1.1 billion, according to a U.S. securities filing on Friday. The sale represented 1.3 percent of his holding and leaves Bezos with a 16.4 percent stake in the retailer.. The world’s richest man said in April he would sell $1 billion a year in Amazon stock to fund Blue Origin LLC, the rocket company fueling his dream of sending people into space. He had already sold another batch of a million shares in May.

Cruelty as U.S. Policy

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There is no conceivable explanation, save one, for the chain of events that has landed 10-year-old Rosa Maria Hernandez in a Texas detention center, away from her family, while she recovers from emergency gallbladder surgery. The only explanation is cruelty. Rosa Maria, who has cerebral palsy, was en route last week from Laredo, Texas, where her family lives, to a hospital in Corpus Christi when her ambulance was stopped at an immigration enforcement checkpoint. Rather than wave the ambulance through and resume their search for the “bad hombres” who President Donald Trump promised would be the focus of his administration’s immigration enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents first sought to persuade Rosa Maria’s guardian to take her to a hospital in Mexico. When that failed, they followed the ambulance to Corpus Christi, a distance of some 80 miles. At the hospital, agents were on guard outside Rosa Maria’s room. When Rosa Maria was fit to travel, U.S. agents then

US rate for gun deaths increases for second straight year

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The U.S. rate for gun deaths has increased for the second straight year, following 15 years of no real change, a government report shows. Roughly two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides and those have been increasing for about 10 years. Until recently, that has been offset by a decline in people shot dead by others. But there's been a recent upswing in those gun-related homicides, too, some experts said. Overall, the firearm death rate rose to 12 deaths per 100,000 people last year, up from 11 in 2015, according to the report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before that, the rate had hovered just above 10 — a level it had fallen to in the late 1990s. In the early 90s, it was as high as 15 per 100,000 people. In the past two years, sharp homicide increases in Chicago and other places that have been large enough to elevate the national statistics. According to the FBI's raw numbers, the tally of U.S. homicides involving guns rose to nearl

Shooting in Starbucks kills man, wounds another and boy, 12

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A man was killed and two others, including a 12-year-old boy, were injured in a shooting in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Authorities say the shooting occurred at a Starbucks, where a man's body could be seen late Thursday through the shop's window. Police say the 12-year-old and a man were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. CBS Chicago reports the incident began nearby with a drug deal between the gunman and one of the victims, who then ran into the Starbucks. The shooter followed him inside and fired shots, fatally wounding him and hitting another man and the boy. A witness told the station he heard gunfire and saw a suspect wearing a ski mask fleeing the scene. The shooting took place in a bustling area on the city's North Side that contains several music venues, including the famed Green Mill Cocktail Lounge and the Aragon Ballroom

White House lockdown lifted

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A lockdown at the White House has been lifted and one person is in custody Friday morning after reports of "suspicious activity" along the North fence line of the 18-acre complex. The U.S. Secret Service tweeted: "Subject is in custody." Pennsylvania Ave. and Lafayette Park are also closed to pedestrians near the White House. Reporters and staffers were instructed not to leave the White House while the investigation is ongoing, but are now being allowed to exit. The incident came just minutes after President Donald Trump departed the White House on Marine One to begin his trip to Asia. A Secret Service spokesperson is not immediately responding to a request for additional information.