Society's ChildS


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The 150 things the world's smartest people are afraid of

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Every year, the online magazine Edge--the so-called smartest website in the world, helmed by science impresario John Brockman--asks top scientists, technologists, writers, and academics to weigh in on a single question. This year, that query was "What Should We Be Worried About?", and the idea was to identify new problems arising in science, tech, and culture that haven't yet been widely recognized.

This year's respondents include former presidents of the Royal Society, Nobel prize-winners, famous sci-fi authors, Nassem Nicholas Taleb, Brian Eno, and a bunch of top theoretical physicists, psychologists, and biologists. And the list is long. Like, book-length long. There are some 150 different things that worry 151 of the planet's biggest brains. And I read about them all, so you don't have to: here's the Buzzfeedized version, with the money quote, title, or summary of the fear pulled out of each essay. Obviously, go read the rest if any of the below get you fretting too.

What keeps the smartest folks in the world awake at night? Here goes:

1. The proliferation of Chinese eugenics. - Geoffrey Miller, evolutionary psychologist.

2. Black swan events, and the fact that we continue to rely on models that have been proven fraudulent. - Nassem Nicholas Taleb

3. That we will be unable to defeat viruses by learning to push them beyond the error catastrophe threshold. - William McEwan, molecular biology researcher

4. That pseudoscience will gain ground. - Helena Cronin, author, philospher

5. That the age of accelerating technology will overwhelm us with opportunities to be worried. - Dan Sperber, social and cognitive scientist

6. Genuine apocalyptic events. The growing number of low-probability events that could lead to the total devastation of human society. - Martin Rees, former president of the Royal Society

7. The decline in science coverage in newspapers. - Barbara Strauch, New York Times science editor

Windsock

Recession out of the picture as Fermanagh puts on a brave face for G8 leaders

County's makeover plan branded 'a big lie' as reality of recession is hidden
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© Bryan O’BrienStickers applied to the windows of a former butcher’s shop in Belcoo, Co Fermanagh, give the premises the superficial appearance of a thriving business
Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on a Fermanagh facelift as the county prepares for the G8 summit in just under three weeks' time, but locals complain the work paid for by the local council and the Stormont Executive is little more than skin deep.

More than 100 properties within range of the sumptuous Lough Erne resort which hosts the world's wealthiest leaders, have been tidied up, painted or power-hosed.

However, locals say the makeover only serves to hide a deeper malaise which US president Barack Obama, German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president François Hollande and others will not get to see.

Two shops in Belcoo, right on the border with Blacklion, Co Cavan, have been painted over to appear as thriving businesses. The reality, as in other parts of the county, is rather more stark.

Just a few weeks ago, Flanagan's - a former butcher's and vegetable shop in the neat village - was cleaned and repainted with bespoke images of a thriving business placed in the windows. Any G8 delegate passing on the way to discuss global capitalism would easily be fooled into thinking that all is well with the free-market system in Fermanagh. But, the facts are different.

Comment: Remember Potemkin villages?


Che Guevara

Valedictorian rips up preapproved speech, recites prayer instead


My high school graduation was so long ago (13 years to be exact) that I cannot recall one word that our valedictorian said in his speech. I'm sure some inspirational words were said, and we were told to go and make our way in the world. As well thought-out as the speech likely was, it did not become a news story.

Info

Unbearable: Chinese drugmaker pulls IPO over bear bile protests

Bear Bile
© Pharmalot
A highly controversial initial public offering by a Chinese drugmaker, which uses bile from captive black bears to make medicines for treating the liver and eye, has been scrapped after more than two years of sustained protests from animal-rights activists, according to The South China Morning Post.

The Fujian Guizhentang Pharmaceutical stock sale was one of nearly 270 that were pulled amid increased scrutiny of IPOs by the China Securities Regulatory Commission. But an explanation was not offered and local media were reporting the drugmaker plans to fund expansion through other means.

"This is a victory for animal welfare activists but already the media are reporting that Guizhentang will enlarge the scale of its business and may return to the idea of flotation at an opportune time in the future," says Toby Zhang of AnimalsAsia, an activist group, in a statement.

As we noted last year, the drugmaker has nearly 500 captive bears on its farm and planned to use the proceeds to increase that number to about 1,200 (back story). Although its safety and effectiveness has been questioned, bear bile is used in traditional medicine in Asia to clean livers and improving vision. Three decades ago, captive breeding replaced the original method of killing wild black bears to obtain their bile.

Arrow Down

Fake shark warning signs posted at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz

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© KSBW.comThis "Shark Warning" sign was posted early Thursday morning. Surfers still surfed.
Eight shark warning signs were posted around Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz early Thursday morning telling surfers to stay out of the water.

A fake public notice dated 6/6/2013 read "Shark Warning Water Advisory," and said three great white shark attacks happened on Wednesday at three popular surf spots: Capitola Beach, Privates, and Rockview.

"Due to the highly aggressive nature of these encounters, it is strongly advised to stay out of the water for 48 hours or surf Cowells instead," the advisory read.

Cowells is on Santa Cruz's west side, Pleasure Point is on the east side, and the two sides have a longtime rivalry. They share one thing in common: their waves are crowded.

Question

Chinese passenger aircraft has high altitude collision with "unknown object"

CA4307
© WhoForted?
A Chinese flight was cut short earlier this week when the passenger aircraft had a high altitude collision with an "unknown object", putting a heck of a dent in the hood and grounding the plane. Did a commercial aircraft get into a fender bender with a UFO?

On June 4th, Air China flight CA4307 took off towards Guangzhou, but just 40 minutes later, a mid-air collision with a mysterious foreign object resulted in "worsened performance", and sent the flight back to its departure point.

When the aircraft landed, and the passengers were safely escorted off, maintenance crews noticed a huge dent in the nose of the plane, prompting an internal investigation into the incident that remains ongoing.

Dollars

Flashback Food supply shock - $10 corn coming

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Few people know more about commodities than top hedge fund manager Renee Haugerud. And what she sees happening in 'the softs' has her very worried.

Of greatest concern to her is the price of corn, which has surged in recent months due to sizzling hot temperatures scorching most of the growing region.

And although temperatures are starting to ebb lower, Haugerud says it's too late. "The corn crop for this year is gone," she says. "We can't improve it."

Haugerud tells us that the ripple will be substantial. Corn is used in a wide range of products from candy and ice cream to aspirin and toothpaste.

And considering the harvest is much smaller than expected, "We need to do something about the renewable fuel standard mandate," says Haugerud. If we don't, related prices could surge.

Gift

'Sometimes it's better to be patient than right': Woman who let Powerball winner go ahead of her has no regrets


When Gloria C. Mackenzie claimed her $590.5 million Powerball jackpot, she released a statement revealing that another woman "was kind enough" to allow her to cut in line when she purchased the winning ticket.

That woman, Mindy Crandell, 34, is not upset that her charitable gesture likely cost her an enormous fortune and says "things are meant to be for a reason."

Crandell, of Zephyrhills, Fla., was in line to purchase lottery tickets in Publix on May 18 while tending to one of her two daughters when Mackenzie, 84, stepped in front of her.

"My 10-year-old said, 'Mom, There's a lady in front of us.' I noticed that the lady was there. Didn't pay a lot of mind to it," Crandall said

Newspaper

'Every citizen can be a reporter': Matt Drudge was right

Say the words "Matt Drudge" to any political junkie and you will get one of two responses.

Matt Drudge
© UnknownMatt Drudge
The first will be strong disdain for Drudge's eponymously-named news site and its tilt toward outrageous headlines and conservative viewpoints.

The second will be sheer awe for Drudge's continued ability to pull in massive amounts of web traffic using a site that any teenager with an affinity for the Internet could make in under 15 minutes.

No one - and we mean no one - lacks an opinion when it comes to Drudge and the Drudge Report. The combination of the controversy surrounding Drudge and his legendary reclusiveness makes it difficult to have a conversation about his influence on the culture of web journalism that doesn't devolve into a shouting match within seconds.

But, Drudge did - and does - have an impact. So, it's worth going back 15 years this week to a speech Drudge gave at the National Press Club in which he outlined his vision of the future of journalism.

Turns out, Drudge was right about where journalism was heading.

"We have entered an era vibrating with the din of small voices," he said in the speech. "Every citizen can be a reporter." Later, he added: "The Net gives as much voice to a 13 year old computer geek like me as to a CEO or Speaker of the House. We all become equal. And you would be amazed what the ordinary guy knows."

A look back at the last two presidential elections proves Drudge's point. The biggest story of the 2008 campaign was Barack Obama's comments about rural voters' tendency to "cling to guns or religion", which was broken by Mayhill Fowler, a Democratic donor and a part of Huffington Post's citizen journalism program. The biggest story of the 2012 campaign was Mitt Romney's comments about the "47 percent", remarks that were recorded by a bartender at the event for high-dollar donors.

Newspaper

GetEqual defends heckling the First Lady: 'We are treating her as a Democrat leader'

Michele Obama
© AFP
The co-director of Get Equal, the LGBT group affiliated with the 56-year-old woman who interrupted a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday told The Raw Story that while the group did not mean to be disrespectful toward her, the protest stood in line with its goal of holding politicians accountable for protecting their community's rights.

"She was the one who went to New York City, stood on a stage and said, 'Max out, max out, max out,'" Felipe Sousa-Rodríguez said on Wednesday, referring to a previous fundraising appearance by the First Lady on May 29, 2013. "Since she's the one going to Democratic party fundraisers, we are treating her as a Democrat leader."

According to MSNBC, Obama said during her previous speech, "We need you to keep on writing those checks!' And if you haven't maxed out, you know, what's my motto? Max out! Let's say it again, max out! And if you've maxed out, get your friends to max out."