What's up? News of the world....

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Even scarier.

Was a shock when I found out I can tell you.

One of my websites got a write up in the WSJ. "This kind of site makes up for all the porn on the web."

[Angrboda]

Violent storms lashed the length of Italy early this week, leaving at least 11 people dead.

In Venice, locals and tourists tottered on raised walkways throughout the city, while others waded through thigh-high water and even took a swim in historic St. Mark’s Square.

Ferocious winds drove the high tide there to more than five feet above average sea level, one of the highest levels ever recorded.

[purplepurpose]

Old news but still....

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Pakistan Drops Blasphemy Case

Pakistan's top court on Wednesday acquitted a Christian woman who was sentenced to death under the country's controversial blasphemy law, a landmark ruling that sparked protests by hard-line Islamists and raised fears of violence.

Boru

[Angrboda]

How do you move a bookstore? Teamwork!



When October Books, a small radical bookshop in Southampton, England, was moving to a new location down the street, it faced a problem. How could it move its entire stock to the new spot without spending a lot of money or closing down for long? Volunteers showed up, formed a line 500 feet long to make a human conveyor belt and moved more than 2,000 books in an hour. The new, permanent location of October Books has its grand opening on Saturday.

(NPR)

[Angrboda]

Nearly 30 Percent Of Anti-Semitic Online Attacks Are Bots

Anti-Semitism and hate crimes have surged in the U.S. over the past couple of years, and almost 30 percent of accounts repeatedly tweeting against Jews on Twitter appear to be bots, according to a recently released study from the Anti-Defamation League.

Researchers at the ADL analyzed 7.5 million Twitter messages between Aug. 31 and Sept. 17. Billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, was a leading subject of anti-Semitic tweets, according to the researchers.

The study reports that while human users still account for the majority of derogatory Twitter traffic in the lead-up to the midterm elections, "political bots—which explicitly focus on political communication online—are playing a significant role in artificially amplifying derogatory content over Twitter about Jewish people."

The individuals behind the automated bots remain a mystery. "The facelessness of the people who are targeting the Jewish population is a major problem," said Sam Woolley, an author of the study and director of the Digital Intelligence Lab at the Institute for the Future. "It's something that has to be addressed, because it makes it impossible to either stop or report."

[The Valkyrie]

Nearly 30 Percent Of Anti-Semitic Online Attacks Are Bots

Anti-Semitism and hate crimes have surged in the U.S. over the past couple of years, and almost 30 percent of accounts repeatedly tweeting against Jews on Twitter appear to be bots, according to a recently released study from the Anti-Defamation League.

Researchers at the ADL analyzed 7.5 million Twitter messages between Aug. 31 and Sept. 17. Billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, was a leading subject of anti-Semitic tweets, according to the researchers.

The study reports that while human users still account for the majority of derogatory Twitter traffic in the lead-up to the midterm elections, "political bots—which explicitly focus on political communication online—are playing a significant role in artificially amplifying derogatory content over Twitter about Jewish people."

The individuals behind the automated bots remain a mystery. "The facelessness of the people who are targeting the Jewish population is a major problem," said Sam Woolley, an author of the study and director of the Digital Intelligence Lab at the Institute for the Future. "It's something that has to be addressed, because it makes it impossible to either stop or report."

Anonymous cowards hiding behind keyboards...

[WinterHold]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/20/us/po...itter.html

Related to the last headline

Saudis’ Image Makers: A Troll Army and a Twitter Insider

Online attackers who targeted Jamal Khashoggi were part of a broad effort ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his close advisers to silence Saudi critics.CreditCreditChris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images

[Angrboda]

India puts the finishing touches on its ‘Iron Man,’ a statue four times as big Lady Liberty

India’s new Statue of Unity, which will be formally unveiled Wednesday, depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an independence-era leader credited with uniting the fledgling nation in the 1940s when he served as India’s first home minister.

But the homage to Patel has far deeper symbolism.

Patel, known as India’s “Iron Man,” has become a right-wing icon for Hindu nationalists. And the statue is located in the western state of Gujarat, which has been the site of some of the fiercest clashes between Hindus and Muslims in past decades.

Modi inaugurates world's tallest statue in India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a ceremony Oct. 31 to unveil the world's tallest statue, which is nearly 600 feet tall and valued at $408 million. (Reuters)

The $408 million gold-colored colossus also spills over into ­present-day politics. It is considered a trifecta for Prime Minister Narendra Modi: a nod to his Hindu political base, a landmark site in his home state, and a showcase of the nation’s growing prosperity and status as a rising global power.

[Angrboda]

How A Dog Could Stop The Global Spread Of Disease

Several years ago, British entomologist Steve Lindsay landed at an American airport and was immediately struck by all the furry creatures walking around the baggage claim area.

"I was astounded to see sniffer dogs, looking for fruits and vegetables," says Lindsay, who studies malaria at Durham University in the U.K.

Recent studies have found that people carrying malaria release a signature scent. "So I thought, 'Well, if a dog can smell fruits and vegetables in luggage, could they smell malaria in a person?' " Lindsay says.

So he set out to create the ultimate disease watchdogs — canines that can smell parasites living inside people.

Then, as people hop off international flights, these watchdogs could take a few sniffs at each person's skin and paw at the people who might be carrying a parasite. "The person can be taken aside and possibly tested for the disease with a blood test," Lindsay explains.

Sound far-fetched? Well, it might not be as far from reality as you would think.

At a scientific conference on Monday, Lindsay presented preliminary evidence that dogs can detect whether a person is carrying the malaria parasite in their blood by just sniffing their odor — or more specifically, sniffing a small piece of their sock. The researchers trained the dogs by rewarding them with a snack when they correctly identified and sat next to a malaria-tainted sock.