June 8, 2013

4-year-old boy accidentally shoots and kills his father while visiting a Prescott Valley home

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. —Authorities in northern Arizona say a 4-year-old boy has accidentally shot and killed his father at a Prescott Valley home.

Prescott Valley police say the shooting occurred just after noon Friday.

The 35-year-old man and his young son were visiting from Phoenix and were at a friend’s house.

Police say the boy somehow found a gun in the home’s living room and accidentally fired it and a bullet hit his father, who was rushed to a hospital where he died. Police identified the man as Justin Stanfield Thomas.

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June 8, 2013

Equipment operator to be charged in Pa. collapse

Source: AP

PHILADELPHIA — A felon who was allegedly high while operating demolition equipment when a downtown building collapsed and killed six people will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a top city official said Friday.

Sean Benschop, 42, faces six manslaughter counts along with six counts of risking a catastrophe, six counts of reckless endangerment and other charges, Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told The Associated Press.

Authorities believe Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when what was left of the four-story building gave way and fell on top of a neighboring Salvation Army thrift store, killing two employees and four customers, and injuring 13 others.

A toxicology report showed "evidence that he was high" on marijuana, Gillison said. That finding, combined with witness statements and evidence from the scene, led to the decision Friday to raid his North Philadelphia home and later seek an arrest warrant, he said.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/07/equipment-operator-charged-pa-collapse/2402341/

June 6, 2013

Scientists Develop Invisibility 'Time Cloak' to Hide Data

Researchers have developed an invisibility 'time cloak' which makes it possible to hide data in a continuous stream of light, reported the journal Nature.

The 'cloak' manipulates the speed of light in optical fibers in such a way that it acts as a pocket in time through which data can pass and leave no trace -- that is, the event is entirely obliterated from history.

The 'invisibility cloak' idea is nothing new. In the recent years there has been several announcements of rudimentary invisibility cloak technology that relies on bending light around an object. The temporal cloak idea is built on the same principles, but in this case light waves are pulled apart then compressed to generate time pockets that cloak events.

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June 6, 2013

North Florida county to allow atheist monument

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A North Florida county will soon be home to an atheist monument.

Bradford County has reached a deal to allow American Atheists to install a 1,500-pound granite bench near the county courthouse. The bench will feature quotes from Thomas Jefferson and Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

It will also include a list of punishments for violating the Ten Commandments, including stoning.

The placement of the monument in late June ends a lawsuit between American Atheists and the county. The national organization filed its lawsuit after Bradford County allowed a local group to install a monument that lists the Ten Commandments.

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June 6, 2013

Elizabeth Warren Insurance Deregulation Amendment Raises Federal Standard For Agents

WASHINGTON-- TheSenate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee onThursday approved new bipartisan legislation to deregulate the insuranceindustry, but not before Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) snagged a small victory for consumers.

Thederegulation bill, authored by Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mike Johanns(R-Neb.), will create a new federal licensing programfor insurance agentsthat would replace the current state-by-statesystem.

Warren'samendment, her first in the banking committee, would strengthen consumer safeguardsby raising federal standardsfor the new insuranceagent license. The amendment'slanguage requires anyone who serveson the board responsiblefor establishingthe new federal licensing standardsto have "demonstrated expertise" in life insurance, health insurance, or property and casualty insurance beforebeinggranted a 50-state license. The amendment was approved with theunanimous consent of the committee.

No floor vote hasyet been scheduled for the bill.

TheConsumer Federation of America hasobjected to the proposed federal licensing on the groundsthat it would lower qualificationscurrently set by individual states. Instead of serving as a basic minimum floor for aptitude, CFA worries, thebill would create an inappropriately low ceiling: Different states have different risks, and a robust knowledge of property insurance rulesin Iowa doesnot automatically translateinto expertisein Florida hurricanesor California earthquakes. Thenew bill, however, would allow anyone licensed to sell insurancein one state to qualify automatically for a license in all 50 states, provided they meet the new federal guidelines.

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June 5, 2013

Are the Obamas hated by the right more than the Clintons were in the 90s?

I remember a pretty intense loathing off Hillary.

June 4, 2013

Justin Bieber Booed At Billboard Music Awards, Claims He's An Artist (VIDEO)

Justin Bieber was booed at the Billboard Music Awards, despite winning two awards and performing twice.

The"Beauty and the Beat" singer was accepting the Milestone Award when the crowd seemed to erupt in boos. Looking a bit confused, Bieber went onto assert that he thinks only the"craft" and his music should be considered, arguing that "none of the other bull" mattered. While it's unclear what Bieber was referencing, he has had a number of bad public relations moments as of late, having lost his temper with the paparazzi in London and being caught smoking marijuana.

"This is not a gimmick," Bieber said. "I’m an artist and I should be taken seriously.”

Bieber beat out a number of other artists, including Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift for the award. The Milestone Award was actually Bieber’s second trophy of the night. He also took home “Top Male Artist.”

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June 3, 2013

10 signs for spotting a sociopath

#1) Sociopaths are charming. Sociopaths have high charisma and tend to attract a following just because people want to be around them. They have a "glow" about them that attracts people who typically seek guidance or direction. They often appear to be sexy or have a strong sexual attraction. Not all sexy people are sociopaths, obviously, but watch out for over-the-top sexual appetites and weird fetishes.

#2) Sociopaths are more spontaneous and intense than other people. They tend to do bizarre, sometimes erratic things that most regular people wouldn't do. They are unbound by normal social contracts. Their behavior often seems irrational or extremely risky.

#3) Sociopaths are incapable of feeling shame, guilt or remorse. Their brains simply lack the circuitry to process such emotions. This allows them to betray people, threaten people or harm people without giving it a second thought. They pursue any action that serves their own self interest even if it seriously harms others. This is why you will find many very "successful" sociopaths in high levels of government, in any nation.

#4) Sociopaths invent outrageous lies about their experiences. They wildly exaggerate things to the point of absurdity, but when they describe it to you in a storytelling format, for some reason it sounds believable at the time.

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June 2, 2013

Edith tries to hide picture from Archie