2017年2月23日星期四

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


DNC chair candidates spar on future of party as race tightens

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:46 AM PST

DNC chair candidates spar on future of party as race tightensThe two most prominent candidates to lead the Democratic Party appeared to agree with each other on most of the issues in a CNN debate Wednesday night, while outsider candidates and the moderators needled them about how sharply the party should focus on President Donald Trump and whether sitting Democratic officeholders should be primaried in 2018.


Iowa pig farmer to Sen. Grassley: You’re going to create ‘one great big death panel’ by repealing Obamacare

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:34 AM PST

Iowa pig farmer to Sen. Grassley: You're going to create 'one great big death panel' by repealing ObamacareFarmer Chris Peterson pleads with Sen. Chuck Grassley in Iowa on Tuesday. Republican lawmakers returning home this week to host town halls are being greeted by overflow crowds filled with angry voters and protesters demonstrating against President Trump's polarizing policies.


Austria detains Ukraine tycoon after extradition ruling

Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:03 PM PST

Austria detains Ukraine tycoon after extradition rulingAustria arrested one of Ukraine's richest men, a fresh twist for the one-time ally of ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Gas magnate Dmytro Firtash was taken into custody over alleged links to organised crime in Spain, moments after a Vienna court ruled he could be extradited to the US on corruption charges. Firtash, 51, made money through connections with Russian gas giant Gazprom, and was at one time linked to a former campaign aide of US President Donald Trump.


The Latest: Some San Jose evacuees allowed to return home

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:01 PM PST

The Latest: Some San Jose evacuees allowed to return homeSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on storms in California (all times local):


The Russian Foreign Ministry Wants to Truth Squad ‘Fake News’

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:52 AM PST

The Russian Foreign Ministry Wants to Truth Squad 'Fake News'The article puts forward information that very much corresponds to reality.


You Won't Have To Work At Apple To Visit The New Apple Park

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:08 PM PST

You Won't Have To Work At Apple To Visit The New Apple ParkThe new Apple Park will have a visitors center, an apple store and a cafe for the public to enjoy. The new Apple campus' location is in Cupertino, Calif.


Hillary Clinton to Republicans ducking town halls: ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the ... Congress’

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:40 PM PST

Hillary Clinton to Republicans ducking town halls: 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the ... Congress'Hillary Clinton speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in December 2016. Hillary Clinton has a message for Republican members of Congress who are ducking angry constituents as they return to their home districts. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the…Congress," Clinton tweeted Wednesday, linking to an op-ed in the Kansas City Star about the growing wave of demonstrations seen at town halls across the country this week.


Kellyanne Conway at CPAC: ‘It’s difficult for me to call myself a feminist’

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:41 AM PST

Kellyanne Conway at CPAC: 'It's difficult for me to call myself a feminist'On Thursday, Feb. 23, President Trump's senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, spoke at CPAC and said, "It's difficult for me to call myself a feminist in the classic sense because it seems to be very anti-male and it certainly is very pro-abortion in this context, and I'm neither anti-male or pro-abortion."


Wonder-ful news: 13-year-old girl wins Supreme Court decision over service dog

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:01 PM PST

Wonder-ful news: 13-year-old girl wins Supreme Court decision over service dogYou may have seen photos of a young girl and her goldendoodle Wonder on the steps of the Supreme Court on social media, so who is she and why is she smiling? On Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with Fry, which may allow her to sue her local school board for damages for the emotional distress she said she suffered by being denied the assistance of her service dog. "The school district had decided that Wonder wasn't necessary," Stacy Fry, Ehlena's mother, told Yahoo News.


Last stand for Standing Rock

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:37 AM PST

Last stand for Standing RockProtesters opposed to the Dakota Access pipeline braced for a showdown with authorities as some vowed to defy Wednesday's deadline to abandon the camp they have occupied for months to halt the project. President Trump has pushed for the completion of the multibillion-dollar pipeline since he took office last month, despite objections from Native Americans and environmental activists who say it threatens the water resources and sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set a deadline of Wednesday afternoon for protesters to leave the Oceti Sakowin camp.


Seeing Double? Puppy Born in Shelter Has Bizarre Image of Herself on Left Ear

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:25 AM PST

Seeing Double? Puppy Born in Shelter Has Bizarre Image of Herself on Left Ear"We had put up a picture of her trying to get her adopted, and someone commented, 'Oh look, she's got a dog on her ear,'" said a shelter representative.


The Latest: Suspect in slaying may have been high on drugs

Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:44 PM PST

The Latest: Suspect in slaying may have been high on drugsLOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of two California police officers as they responded to a traffic accident (all times local):


Exoplanets 101: Looking for life beyond our Solar System

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:45 AM PST

Exoplanets 101: Looking for life beyond our Solar SystemParis (AFP) - Seven Earth-like planets orbiting a small star in our Galaxy called Trappist-1, revealed Wednesday, are the most recent -- and arguably the most spectacular -- in a string of exoplanet discoveries going back 20 years.


Texas Preschool Teacher Fired Over Anti-Jewish Tweet

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:16 PM PST

Texas Preschool Teacher Fired Over Anti-Jewish TweetNancy Salem, a preschool teacher in Arlington, Texas, was among 24 anti-Israeli activists at the University of Texas, Arlington. She was exposed by a campus watchdog group, Canary Mission.


Women in sports ad strikes nerve in Arab world

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:53 AM PST

Women in sports ad strikes nerve in Arab worldAn online commercial released by Nike this week that showed Arab women fencing, boxing and spinning on ice-skates has stirred controversy over its attempt to smash stereotypes about women leading home-bound lives in the conservative region. Maybe they'll say you exceeded all expectations." Within 48 hours the video was shared 75,000 times on Twitter and viewed almost 400,000 times on YouTube. "An ad (which) touches on the insecurities of women in a society digs deeper and becomes an empowerment tool rather than just a product," Sara al-Zawqari, a spokeswoman for the International Red Cross in Iraq, wrote on her Twitter page.


Norwegian Air launches $65 flights between the US and UK

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:24 AM PST

Norwegian Air launches $65 flights between the US and UKNew pair of shoes? Or transatlantic flight from the UK to the US? That's the new conundrum at travelers' disposal, with this week's launch of bottom-of-the-barrel fares by Norwegian Air, which is offering flights for as low as $65 USD one-way. 


The Latest: Wis. gov tells conservatives 'go big, go bold'

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:51 AM PST

The Latest: Wis. gov tells conservatives 'go big, go bold'OXON HILL, Maryland (AP) — The Latest on the Conservative Political Action Conference (all times local):


ISIS Can 'Threaten' Planes: US Military

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:50 PM PST

ISIS Can 'Threaten' Planes: US MilitaryThe Islamic State group has reportedly beefed up its arsenal.


Stranger Rescues 2 Little Girls From Dark Highway: 'We're Going to the Store!'

Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:58 PM PST

Stranger Rescues 2 Little Girls From Dark Highway: 'We're Going to the Store!'Two little girls, ages 5 and 6, were found on a busy highway late at night after they decided to go shopping.


Behold: This all-screen iPhone 8 with a Touch Bar looks like a game-changer

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:08 AM PST

Behold: This all-screen iPhone 8 with a Touch Bar looks like a game-changer

We're just days away from the start of the annual Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, where the world's top Android device makers will show off their latest and greatest creations. LG will reportedly unveil its next-generation LG G6 flagship phone, Samsung seemingly has a fresh new tablet to show off, and dozens of other companies will unveil hot next-generation Android phones as well. But despite all of the new announcements expected at MWC 2017 in just a few days, there's still one phone that continues to generate more hype and buzz than any other device... and we're still seven months away from seeing it unveiled.

That's right, it's the iPhone 8, and now Apple's hotly anticipated new iPhone has been imagined running iOS 11 with a Touch Bar. The results are so awesome, they need to be seen to be believed.

Despite the painfully long wait Apple fans still have to endure before the completely redesigned iPhone 8 finally becomes a reality, we already know plenty about the new phone. Reliable sources headed by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have revealed that the upcoming iPhone 8 will be the first in a new line of iPhones, and will be released separately from the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus Apple is seemingly still planning.

Even though it's early in the game, it's already a safe bet that the iPhone 8 will feature a new OLED display that occupies most of the phone's face. The home button will be removed to allow Apple to shrink down the bezel beneath the screen, and the top and side bezels will reportedly see significant size reductions as well. In fact, Apple's new iPhone 8 will supposedly fit a large 5.8-inch OLED screen into a phone that is roughly the same size as the iPhone 7, which sports a 4.7-inch display.

We've had no shortage of concept mockups that attempt to imagine what the new iPhone 8 will look like. Most recently, we saw a gorgeous all-screen iPhone 8 running iOS 11 and another iPhone 8 mockup that imagined a new "function area" where the home button used to be. Now, YouTube user AGVIDEOS has taken that concept a big step forward and imagined what it might be like to have an all-screen iPhone 8 with a dedicated Touch Bar region like the MacBook Pro.

There are a few glaring technical issues with the hardware imagined in this video — namely, the phone doesn't have an ear speaker or any front-facing cameras and sensors — but the iOS 11 software features mocked up by the video's creator look incredible. The new Touch Bar area makes multitasking a breeze, and the on-screen navigation gestures would be welcomed with open arms by all iOS devices users. There's also a next-generation AirDrop feature with a brilliant interface that we would love to see Apple take inspiration from.

Will any of these fantastic features actually make their way to the iPhone 8 or iOS 11? Only time will tell. But for now, at least we can enjoy the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVnot_tMEtc


Man convicted of throwing baby son off bridge to his death

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 02:36 PM PST

Man convicted of throwing baby son off bridge to his deathMIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — A man charged with throwing his baby son off a 90-foot-high bridge to his death was convicted of murder on Wednesday.


Here's what the Ice Age tells us about future sea level rise

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:00 PM PST

Here's what the Ice Age tells us about future sea level riseA new study on an ancient ice sheet may hold important clues about our planet's future. The research focuses on the Laurentide Ice Sheet, the massive expanse covering North America during the last Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. A team of scientists found that small spikes in the temperature of the ocean — not the air — likely caused periods of rapid melting and splintering of the ice. SEE ALSO: This 'GOT' star teamed up with Google to capture Greenland's melting ice Their findings add to a growing body of evidence that climate change could ultimately drive sea levels even higher than today's models predict, according to the study published Feb. 15 in the journal Nature. Glaciers in Greenland, Antarctica and other areas have been melting rapidly in recent years due in part to increasing ocean temperatures. "It is possible that modern-day glaciers ... are more sensitive to ocean warming than we previously thought," said Jeremy Bassis, the study's lead author and an associate professor of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan.  Ice floats near the coast of West Antarctica as viewed from a NASA research aircraft. Image: Mario Tama/Getty Images For the study, Bassis and his colleagues looked at so-called Heinrich events: the periods during which the Laurentide Ice Sheet would rapidly disintegrate.  Roughly every 8,000 years, the ice sheet's edges would break off, sending a vast armada of icebergs flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. The icebergs carried sediment from around Canada's Hudson Bay and deposited the dirt on the ocean floor. They also boosted sea levels by more than 6 feet over the course of hundreds of years. What triggered these Heinrich events has largely befuddled scientists.  The rapid melting periods occurred during the coldest times of the last Ice Age — exactly the opposite of what you'd expect during a major ice melt. Image: university of michigan  To determine why the ice melted despite the cold air temperatures during these times, the University of Michigan team focused on the role the oceans played, studying ice core and ocean-floor sediment records to estimate how temperatures varied over thousands of years. They also used Bassis' mathematical model for describing how ice reacts to air and ocean temperatures, and the implications for sea level rise. The scientists next created simulations of the timing and size of the massive Laurentide melting events. They found that even small changes in sub-surface ocean temperatures — of just 1 degrees Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — could lead to sea level-boosting Heinrich events. "Warm warm ocean water that's just tickling the edge of the ice sheets can trigger these catastrophic [ice] retreats that could last for centuries," Bassis said. The Nature study supports earlier findings that warmer North Atlantic water temperatures may have set the Heinrich events in motion.  Image: university of michigan A 2011 study led by Shaun Marcott of the University of Wisconsin proposed that, thousands of years ago, sub-surface warming likely destabilized the ice and caused ice shelves to collapse near the Hudson Strait, which links the Hudson Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. The Nature study also lends further credence to the idea that Heinrich events reflect what's happening today on the rapidly melting Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, said Richard Alley, a professor of geosciences at Penn State University, who was not involved in the new research. Alley co-authored a 2015 paper that concluded that — based on the Ice Age's events — changes in ocean temperatures could drive future sea level rise even before the air grows significantly warmer in Antarctica.  Unlike in the past, when air and ocean temperature shifts were natural in origin  today's oceans are warming largely due to human-driven climate change. More than half of the increase in global ocean heat content has occurred in the last two decades, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Image: U.S. environmental protection agency  "This new paper is a nice demonstration supporting earlier hypotheses that ice sheets are highly sensitive to warming in the surrounding water, as well as to warming in the air," Alley said.  It also shows "that predicting the future of the ice sheets will mean understanding the changes in the ocean and the air," he added. For Peter Clark, however, the fact that Wednesday's study only affirmed earlier conclusions meant the researchers didn't actually offer new evidence that future sea levels may be higher than we're predicting. "Current models may be underestimating future sea level rise, but the results of this new paper don't give us any reason to think that this is the case," said Clark, an earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences professor at Oregon State University. BONUS: Leonardo DiCaprio's new film 'Before the Flood' says we can fix global warming


Britain's top court backs government on immigration income test

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:29 AM PST

Britain's top court backs government on immigration income testBy Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top court backed a government attempt to limit immigration by ruling on Wednesday that an income test for those who want to bring their non-European spouses to the UK is acceptable and does not infringe human rights. Prime Minister Theresa May introduced a rule in 2012 when she was interior minister that Britons who wanted to bring spouses from outside the European Economic Area to the UK had to be earning at least 18,600 pounds ($23,170) a year. The Supreme Court said the minimum income requirement had caused significant hardship to many, but ruled that in principle it was not inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.


The Best Keyboards For Serious Typists

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:32 AM PST

The Best Keyboards For Serious Typists


Pope's Subtweets At Trump Anger Christians

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:11 AM PST

Pope's Subtweets At Trump Anger ChristiansOne Twitter user replied to the pope's tweet calling him "kinda a hypocrite when you have huge walls around the Vatican."


Life expectancy to keep rising; S. Korean women could hit 91

Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:30 PM PST

Life expectancy to keep rising; S. Korean women could hit 91LONDON (AP) — While most people born in rich countries will live longer by 2030 — with women in South Korea projected to reach nearly 91 — Americans will continue to have one of the lowest life expectancies of any developed country, a new study predicts.


One Android company wants to use smartphones to make PCs truly dead

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 08:08 PM PST

One Android company wants to use smartphones to make PCs truly dead

Android is an operating system that's supposed to power smartphones, tablets, cars, wearables, and other gadgets. But it's not an OS meant to take over your primary PC. Or is it? Recent reports indicate that Google has some great plans for Android, including turning the OS into a platform that can run on any device, laptops and desktops included. Even Samsung is heading in that direction on its own, as the Galaxy S8 is rumored to come with a special accessory that can be used to connect the smartphone to an external display.

But until any of these plans get official, there's an Android company based in China that's already doing novel things with Google's mobile OS. Jide Technologies, which makes its Android-based, Windows-like Remix OS, is ready for the next big thing: Turning Android smartphones into full-fledged computers.

We talked about Remix OS in the past, a free OS that lets you install Android on any Windows or Mac to offer you a Windows-like user interface and overall experience. The best part is that you still get to use the same apps you downloaded from Google Play on a bigger screen, complete with modified UI elements for the larger display real estate.

But Jide is ready to move forward with an even bolder plan. Rather than installing Remix on your desktop, you could install Remix OS on Mobile (ROM) on your smartphone, and then just connect it to a display or TV. That's Remix Singularity in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUbnref3kGM

That certainly sounds great, at least on paper. ROM will be "as close to stock Android as possible," Jide co-founder David Ko told The Verge in an interview. "But imagine when you get back to your office or study, you connect your phone, and it turns into a PC mode, just like a laptop or desktop."

Yes, that sounds amazing in theory. In practice. ROM will not ship with Google Play preloaded, so users will have to sideload the app to get their Play apps working on bigger screen. Furthermore, Jide needs partners to agree to have ROM installed on their devices, something that might not coincide with their contractual obligations to Google.

Finally, there's the hardware factor. You'd probably need a rather powerful mobile device to drive a great ROM experience on a monitor. But Jide is primarily targeting first-time Android users who won't all have the means to afford a powerful enough device.

That said, Remix Singularity definitely sounds exciting, so we'll just have to wait to see it in action.


DAPL protesters refuse to leave camp ground

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:56 AM PST

DAPL protesters refuse to leave camp groundABC News' Phillip Mena reports from the area where protesters are refusing to leave as they reach their deadline.


Leading critic of Philippine leader arrested on drug charges

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:22 PM PST

Leading critic of Philippine leader arrested on drug chargesMANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine opposition senator and leading critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly anti-drug crackdown was arrested Friday on drug charges but professed her innocence and vowed she would not be intimidated by a leader she called a "serial killer."


S. Africa budget throws light on fractured ANC

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 02:04 AM PST

S. Africa budget throws light on fractured ANCSouth Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivers the annual budget in parliament Wednesday as he battles to revive the economy and head off loyalists of the president who seek to oust him. Gordhan, a popular figure in South Africa and among international investors, is widely seen as being at loggerheads with President Jacob Zuma, who has shrugged off a series of recent corruption scandals. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been engulfed by friction between Zuma's plans for funding "radical economic transformation" and Gordhan's stand against graft and uncontrolled expenditure.


Emails show ties between new EPA head, energy firms: watchdog

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:52 PM PST

Emails show ties between new EPA head, energy firms: watchdogEmails released by the Oklahoma attorney general's office show a cozy relationship between energy companies and Scott Pruitt, who was the state's top prosecutor before being sworn in last week as the new chief U.S. environmental regulator, a media watchdog group said on Wednesday. The Center for Media and Democracy has sought the release of emails between energy companies and Pruitt for the past two years, saying they show energy companies drafted language that Pruitt's attorney general office then used in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the office he now heads, over regulations on energy operations.


San Jose mayor admits failures in flood evacuation order

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:42 PM PST

San Jose mayor admits failures in flood evacuation orderSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The mayor of San Jose acknowledged that the city failed to properly notify residents to evacuate during a flood emergency early Wednesday when some people said they got their first notice by seeing firefighters in boats in the neighborhood.


SpaceX’s Dragon cargo ship just had to abort its supply run mission

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:58 AM PST

SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship just had to abort its supply run mission

SpaceX made headlines earlier this week when its Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched and then performed a perfect vertical landing. Today's SpaceX news isn't nearly as cheerful, as the Dragon cargo ship that was placed into orbit by the rocket has been forced to make an emergency abort before it reached the International Space Station, delaying the delivery of supplies to astronauts aboard the craft.

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/834336113884012544

The Dragon capsule, which is unmanned and guided entirely by remote commands, experienced a software glitch that produced a faulty value in its navigation calculations. The Dragon was less than a mile from the ISS when the capsule's software cried foul and, according to a NASA spokesperson, the SpaceX craft "did exactly what it was designed to do" by breaking off its approach. According to both SpaceX and NASA, the crew of the ISS was never in any real danger, and the capsule itself is said to be "in excellent shape." SpaceX and NASA appear to be chalking up the erroneous data as a fluke.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/834346217853194243

The capsule is carrying 5,500lbs of supplies for the astronauts on board the International Space Station, and this is SpaceX's tenth cargo run in service of NASA. The supplies will still make it to their destination, however, as SpaceX is planning on making another attempt at delivery Thursday morning. The 24-hour delay in supply delivery won't spell doom for anyone on board the space station, and "will not adversely impact" any of the biological materials or experiments housed within the Dragon.


Russia Not Preparing Psychological File On Trump, Kremlin Says

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:44 AM PST

Russia Not Preparing Psychological File On Trump, Kremlin SaysA report Monday said that Russia is preparing a psychological dossier on the U.S. president to help Russian President Vladimir Putin plan a meeting with him.


New Volkswagen eGolf offers more power and more range

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:15 AM PST

New Volkswagen eGolf offers more power and more rangeVW has announced that the latest-generation plug-in electric Golf will come with an EPA-estimated range of 125 miles (200km) when it goes on sale in the US this spring. Despite a more potent motor, the car can go further on a single charge because of improved and more efficient battery chemistry.


The 2018 Range Rover Velar Is a Glass Roof With Some Car Attached

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:42 AM PST

The 2018 Range Rover Velar Is a Glass Roof With Some Car AttachedAnd it shares its name with the first Range Rover prototype.


Google Fiber Is Looking To Grow; And Your City Could Be Next

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:02 PM PST

Google Fiber Is Looking To Grow; And Your City Could Be NextGoogle Fiber is looking to provide recently purchased internet service "Webpass" to residents of Seattle.


Death in Mississippi: Man held in quadruple slaying

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:20 AM PST

Death in Mississippi: Man held in quadruple slayingMERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A man who lived in a rural home with his romantic partner, her young son, her mother and her sister was arrested on murder charges after all four were found shot to death, authorities said Wednesday.


Senior Yemeni general killed in Houthi missile attack

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:54 AM PST

Senior Yemeni general killed in Houthi missile attackBy Mohammed Mukhashaf ADEN (Reuters) - The second-in-command of the Yemeni army was killed on Wednesday when a missile fired by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement hit an army camp, a military source said, the most senior Yemeni officer killed in the country's civil war. Major General Ahmed Saif al-Yafei was killed outside the strategic Red Sea coastal city of al-Mokha, which the army captured from the Houthis last month. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's internationally-recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, has been trying to re-take the country from the Houthis for nearly two years.


US-born panda Bao Bao lands in China after leaving DC zoo

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:35 PM PST

US-born panda Bao Bao lands in China after leaving DC zooBEIJING (AP) — An American-born panda started settling into her new home Thursday in southwest China where she will eventually join a breeding program.


An inside look at the differences between life at NASA and SpaceX

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 04:00 PM PST

An inside look at the differences between life at NASA and SpaceX

When Elon Musk sets his sights on an industry, he does so with purpose and with the intention of completely turning said industry on its head. While most people are readily familiar with Musk's efforts at Tesla, the groundbreaking work being done by SpaceX, Musk's other company, has only recently started to attract attention from the mainstream.

To be sure, Elon Musk was bold for thinking that Tesla could revolutionize the auto industry. That said, Musk's plans to enter the aerospace industry with SpaceX and compete with and work alongside NASA wasn't just bold, it was downright crazy. And yet, both of Musk's ventures continue to amass greater success with each passing year.

Earlier this month, we stumbled across a thread on Quora asking if it's better for engineers to work at NASA or SpaceX. Of course, the question itself was a bit misleading because it's not as if one company is superior to the other. Without question, some of the smartest minds on the planet can be found at both. Still, there are a number of interesting differences between the work environment at NASA and SpaceX that are worth highlighting.

Tackling this issue, an engineer named Andre Lavoie -- who has spent significant time at both companies -- details a number of fascinating differences between life at NASA and SpaceX.

Not surprisingly, the fact that NASA is a government agency, as opposed to a private company like SpaceX, impacts the work environment in both positive and negative ways. While Lavoie points out that the work-life balance at NASA is a positive, the work there can sometimes be encumbered by "an institutional aversion to risk" and predictably slow-moving bureaucracy.

Projects can start with much fanfare and then be cancelled. Repeatedly. Maybe this is because there are many worthy things that should be studied but funds are always limited. It can be rewarding because you have more opportunity to really dig in and understand things and learn. Your job is very secure, even when budgets get cut or you yourself don't succeed.

As for life at SpaceX, the work environment there, not surprisingly sounds awfully similar to a forward-thinking start-up, albeit on steroids.

In contrast, Space X is a product company. It designs, builds, sells and launches rockets. Your job there is to make that happen no matter what. Nobody gives up. Failure is acceptable, to a point. Risk taking is expected, but stupidity and recklessness is punished unceremoniously. You just get fired. There is no job security. Schedule is critical because as a privately funded company if it fails to succeed before the money runs out then it's game over. The sense of urgency is huge. At Space X you can have plenty of responsibility even if you have little experience. This is great if you are energetic, resourceful and work obsessively. If not you will probably fall behind and then your days will be numbered.

Lavoie's full answer, along with the full thread is well worth digesting in its entirety. You can check it out over here.


Spicer says angry town halls are hybrid of upset people and professional protesters

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:58 AM PST

Spicer says angry town halls are hybrid of upset people and professional protestersIn the White House press briefing, Sean Spicer downplays increasing protests on health care at GOP town halls across the country.


Trump expected to revoke rules on transgender bathrooms: draft document

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:29 AM PST

Trump expected to revoke rules on transgender bathrooms: draft documentRepublican President Donald Trump's administration was expected to revoke landmark guidelines issued to public schools in defense of transgender student rights, according to a draft document seen on Wednesday by Reuters. The draft reverses former Democratic President Barack Obama's signature initiative on transgender rights, which instructed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms matching their gender identity.


Olathe Restaurant Shooting Suspect Arrested

Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:20 PM PST

Olathe Restaurant Shooting Suspect ArrestedA massive manhunt was launched by the Kansas police after a gunman yelling racial slurs in a restaurant shot three people.


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