As commodity prices have soared, thefts of said commodities have, too.

Church roofs have gone missing as the price of lead hit all-time highs, used fryer grease has disappeared from behind fast food restaurants and resold for biofuel, and thieves have robbed beauty salons, making off with -- not cash -- but tens, sometimes hundreds, of thousands of dollars worth of hair extensions.

Now, an entire bridge has been stolen for scrap -- only the folks who stole it didn't time the market particularly well.

The 50-foot bridge, made of corrugated steel and formerly located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, was valued at "about $100,000," according to the Associated Press.

Pervasive, persistent optimism is one of those uniquely human traits/flaws - we tend to believe things are better than they really are, or that negative consequences won't befall us, even if they befall others. It stands to reason that people would adjust their expectations when confronted with harsh reality, yet they don't. Our brains are to blame, according to a new study - we're wired to have a positive outlook.

Neuroscientists have been searching for the physiological underpinnings for this sanguineness, because there are actual harms that can come from an "it-can't-happen-to-me" or "it'll-get-better-this-year" attitude. People might make reckless decisions or have unrealistic expectations, in everything from personal health to finance. Researchers have thought this rose-colored outlook is mediated in the brain centers involved in error processing, so a team from England and Germany set about studying this using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

To study optimism, they examined how people under-estimated the impact or possibility of future negative events, because this "it-can't-happen-to-me" feeling has implications for how people protect themselves. The research team gave participants a list of 80 different negative life events, including getting Alzheimer's disease, being fired, being cheated on by a spouse, and so on. They were asked to rate how likely they were to experience these events, and then they were told their actual probability for experiencing the events. Then they were asked to estimate their own likelihoods of experience again. The scientists monitored brain activity during these tests.

The Washington County school system in Florida believes it has come up with the best way to take attendance. Ditching the typical roll call, the school system will use fingerprint scanners that log everyone as they step off the bus.

The school system already uses scanners inside the school, but their location makes its difficult to keep track of every student. Soon, the school will begin installing the scanners on select buses. If this initial trial goes as well as expected, the scanners will be installed on the school's entire fleet of vehicles. School officials hope this system will improve attendance.

But you have to wonder, are school officials opening a Pandora's box filed with privacy issues and money concerns? Each scanner is pricey, costing the school district a hefty $30 per student per year. The scanner also captures your fingerprint which is a unique, identifiable piece of information, stores it in a database, and links it to a name.

Yes, parents can opt-out and request their children be tallied the traditional way. But still, it seems kinda Orwellian that the school wants you to flash your fingerprint before you can learn your reading, writing and arithmetic.

Source: WJHG via PopSci

There's a growing protest movement against corporate greed and government inaction. It's called Occupy Wall Street, and it's spreading to Western states, including Arizona.

There was an event Thursday in Flagstaff and there is another one Saturday in Tempe. An even bigger protest is planned next week in Phoenix.

Officials in Phoenix are watching other cities across the U.S. as they prepare for the Occupy Phoenix protests, which are scheduled to begin October 15.

Protests were held in several major cities around the country last week, the largest being in Portland, Oregon. Protesters started gathering just after noon on Thursday at Portland's Waterfront Park beneath the Burnside Bridge. At around 2:30 p.m., thousands walked city streets to Pioneer Courthouse Square, which they occupied for about an hour before marching through city streets to two city parks.

"The corporations have taken our futures away from us and we're just not going to stand by and let that happen," one protester told a reporter from KGW.

"We are not the problem," another man said. "The problems are the bankers on Wall Street that destroyed this economy."

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Boston -- Hundreds of students from 10 area colleges marched through downtown Boston on Monday as part of the national Occupy Wall Street movement.

The protesters gathered on Boston Common and marched in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse carrying signs that read "Apathy isn't working, Raise your voice," and chanting slogans like "Fund education, not corporations" and "We got sold out. Rich got bailed out."

Francis Rick, a sophomore at Framingham State University, said many of her friends are struggling to pay for their education even while holding down part time jobs.



"A lot of us are already in debt and we haven't graduated yet. A lot of my friends, even though they work 20 hours a week, that is not enough to cover their expenses," said Rick, 19, a psychology major. "A lot of us can't even afford to get sick."

The protestors met on Boston Common at about 1:30 p.m. A half hour later they began their march and looped around the Common, passing by the Statehouse before heading toward Dewey Square in downtown Boston, the focal point of the Occupy Wall Street protests in the city.

Hardly has London regained peace and quiet from the recent protests that it should brace itself for further unrest as the Occupy Wall Street Movement seems to have inspired the country's youth.

Is the Wall Street Movement creeping into Britain? Or is what is unfolding in England and other parts of Europe the continuation of the same uprising that started in North Africa and the Middle East? It is certain that a movement the size and proportion of the Occupy Wall Street movement which gradually engulfed the whole USA will be too much of a shock for the British government, which is still convalescing from the horror of its recent riots.

Reports say that 'Occupy London', a group inspired by the American uprising, will pitch tents in London's financial district starting Oct. 15 in a symbolic move to show that most of the working people can't really afford to live comfortably. Chiefly composed of activists, the group is planning to protest the social inequalities, iniquities and injustice rife in the country. Kai Wargalla, the creator of the Occupy London group on Facebook, has stated that it is now time to start the revolution in London and that people should step up and voice their anger at the top of their lungs.

Protesters clashed with security staff when they tried to enter a museum in Washington on Saturday, prompting one guard to use pepper spray and leading to at least one arrest, a spokeswoman said.

The incident occurred at The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum around 3:15 pm (1915 GMT), after hundreds of activists had marched from Freedom Plaza, near the White House, along the National Mall towards the US Capitol.

Some of those in the demonstration were affiliated with the Occupy DC protest group that sprung up earlier this week as a spin-off of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, angered at "corporate greed."

Martha Halim, 13, suffers from a strange affliction that makes her nod vigorously at the sight of food.

Her parents have tried everything from witch doctors to anti-epilepsy drugs, but the disease has experts and officials worldwide baffled.

The affliction is loosely termed 'nodding disease' by its victims in Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, where it is currently contained.

Named after its primary symptom of pathological nodding, it has a peculiar set of symptoms, reportedly affecting only children below 15 years of age.

The seizures are triggered by the food and low temperatures, but is strangely not present when victims are given unfamiliar food, said a World Health Organization (WHO) report.

The seizures stop once the child stops eating or feels warm again.

A young woman spray-paints the final letter on a floral-patterned sheet. Unfurled it reads: "Occupy London, 15 Oct, occupylsx.org."

The small group of assembled activists applaud its look. "I love the kitschiness of it. It's so 'Laura Ashley' English - perfect for a protest," one says, namechecking the British brand known for its prim-and-proper fashions.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests on the other side of the Atlantic, demonstrators plan to establish a tent city in London's City financial district next weekend.