Chinese government rolls out coronavirus ‘close contact detector’ app

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China has rolled out an app that lets people check whether they have been in close contact with someone infected by the coronavirus.

The “close contact detector,” as BBC puts it, notifies users if they have had exchanges with any individuals who have been confirmed or suspected of carrying the virus. All users need to do is scan a QR code with an app like Alipay or WeChat. People at risk are then advised to stay at home or inform local health authorities.

Once their phone number is linked, users are asked to fill in their name and ID number. The app can then be used to check the status of up to three ID numbers. The app, which was developed in cooperation by the government and the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, relies on data from from the health and transport authorities.

Although the invasiveness of the software certainly raises questions about the obtrusive surveillance practices within the country, experts believe citizens won’t see the new app as controversial, considering the extent of the epidemic.

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The aftermath of BP oil spill: mutant seafood

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Signs of the impact on the regional ecosystem are ominous: mutated shrimp, fish with oozing sores, underdeveloped blue crabs lacking claws, eyeless crabs and shrimp – and scientists and fishermen point fingers towards BP’s oil as being the cause.

Two years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishermen are finding deformed fish and mutant shrimp in their seafood catch…

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How your pillow is an ideal breeding ground for undesirable pests and diseases

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Pillows are ideal breeding grounds for undesirables ranging from the superbugs MRSA and C.diff to flu, chicken pox and even leprosy.

a study has found that up to a third of the weight of your pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin, dust mites and their feces.

 

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Living Within 100 Yards of Gas Stations Can be Bad for Your Health

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Experts say that a ‘minimum’ distance of 50 yards should be maintained between petrol stations and housing.

Living within 100 yards of petrol stations can damage your health, according to a new study. Researchers found that air in the immediate vicinity of garages is often polluted and can harm local residents.

Monsanto Wins Big and Consumers Again Get Screwed

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What a great time to become a vegan!

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has officially approved the unregulated planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa. In a move that will undoubtedly set a precedent for what comes next (namely, the question of whether or not to deregulate GE sugarbeets) Vilsack did nothing more, and nothing less than obliterate our choice as organic consumers to be assured that we are avoiding genetically modified organisms in our food…

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Voice and Motion Activated Telephone – Completely Handsfree Telephone System

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Telephones including cellphones, are one of the biggest collectors and spreaders of germs.

Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase:  The Handsfree Sani-PhoneTM is a completely handsfree telephone system that operates through motion sensor(s) and voice activated features and is adaptable to a variety of different environments. Features include voice activated dialing, voice activated volume control, connected call duration, a camera and screen, microphones, and dual speakers.

 

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Mystery Surrounds the Deaths of a Majority of Animals in the Gulf

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Determining what’s killing all of the animals in the Gulf – a majority show no sign of oil contamination

The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle lay belly-up on the metal autopsy table, as pallid as split-pea soup but for the bright orange X spray-painted on its shell, proof that it had been counted as part of the Gulf of Mexico’s continuing “unusual mortality event.”

 

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What the Frack? GASLAND Exposes the Natural Gas Industry

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Burning tap water

In 2008, Josh Fox received a letter from a natural gas company. They were interested in leasing land owned by his family to do natural gas drilling. The offer was for $100,000, but instead of taking the money, Josh decided to do some research on the natural gas industry and ended up making a documentary called GASLAND. It focuses on the impact that modern natural gas extraction, which primarly uses hydraulic fracturing( aka “fracking”), has on communities and the environment. Check out the trailer below, it’s pretty good. (video and pics)

 

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Are Regulators Dropping The Ball On Biocrops?

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Biotech on the Rampage!

Robert Kremer, a U.S. government microbiologist who studies Midwestern farm soil, has spent two decades analyzing the rich dirt that yields billions of bushels of food each year and helps the United States retain its title as breadbasket of the world.

Kremer’s lab is housed at the University of Missouri and is literally in the shadow of Monsanto Auditorium, named after the $11.8 billion-a-year agricultural giant Monsanto Co.. Based in Creve Coeur, Missouri, the company has accumulated vast wealth and power creating chemicals and genetically altered seeds for farmers worldwide.

But recent findings by Kremer and other agricultural scientists are raising fresh concerns about Monsanto’s products and the Washington agencies that oversee them. The same seeds and chemicals spread across millions of acres of U.S. farmland could be creating unforeseen problems in the plants and soil, this body of research shows.

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.