steve2470
steve2470's JournalU.S. Lawmakers Draft ‘CECIL Act’ to Curb Trophy Hunters
http://time.com/3981032/cecil-lion-bill-trophy-hunters/U.S. lawmakers joined the chorus of outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion on Friday, announcing a bill that would stop people from importing “trophies” gleaned from hunting potentially endangered animals.
The bill, Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act, would make it illegal for trophy hunters to bring back parts of any species proposed or listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
“Let’s not be cowardly lions when it comes to trophy killings,” Senator Bob Menendez said in a public statement, adding that the legislation is “a necessary and prudent step that creates a disincentive for these senseless trophy killings and advances our commitment in leading the fight to combat global wildlife trafficking.”
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal and Ben Cardin.
Where in the World Is Tips for Jesus? (the person who has left a total of $130K in tips for servers)
http://www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/where-the-world-tips-jesusThe most inscrutable rich person in San Francisco has surprisingly pedestrian taste in coffee. We’re talking utilitarian, non–name brand, get-in-get-out java at a downtown coffee shop with acceptable but not outstanding Yelp reviews. In this Blue Bottle–or–bust town, you’d expect something fancier. Especially because the man who picked out this humble rendezvous has become internationally famous as the nameless mastermind of a syndicate that’s left nearly $130,000 in ultra-outsize tips—all accompanied by the cryptic insignia “Tips for Jesus”—at restaurants and bars in more than a dozen cities in the United States and Mexico over the last six months. Globe-trotting mega-benefactors: They're just like us.
Sitting at an outside table, the tipper—who would speak to me only in exchange for complete anonymity—explains that it all started back in September, at a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after a college football game. He has, as he says, "been fortunate" in life, and he and his friends have long been tipping generously. But for some reason—he doesn't actually remember all the details now, he says, mild sheepishness spreading across his face—they decided that afternoon to give their server a $3,000 tip on an $87.98 check and, crucially, to post a photo of the receipt to Instagram.
We know what happened next: Over the ensuing months, tip after exorbitant tip was left in cities across the continent, all for absurd amounts and all with “Tips for Jesus” scribbled ebulliently on the check—in pen at the start, and then later via a custom rubber stamp. By late November, the tipper or tippers had given away $50,000, the Tips for Jesus Instagram account had racked up tens of thousands of followers (71,296 at press time), and the whole thing had become a bona fide Internet phenomenon.
The religious press seized on Tips for Jesus as an example of Christian generosity. (It’s not. “The movement we have started is intended to be agnostic," the tipper emphasizes.) College football fans speculated about the tippers' apparent Notre Dame, USC, and Stanford allegiances. Servers across the country began pleading with the tippers over Instagram to stop by Harmony Tea Room in Westwood, New Jersey, or the Hooters in Aurora, Colorado. A multitude of media outlets posited theories—some of which, I can now confirm, are accurate—about the identity of the Tips for Jesus ringleader. Every time a new tip came along, a flurry of news stories and blog posts would emerge, all undoubtedly fueled by the fact that the operation—if you can call it that—is completely and maddeningly bizarre.
more at link
I think President Obama is genuinely concerned about the Iran deal passing
When I listened to him on the phone, it came through that way for me. He explicitly asked us (the listeners on the call and really everyone) to call our Congresscritters and voice our support for the deal.
My impression is that 99.999% of DU is for the deal. I've only seen one post (not thread) against the deal. I'm calling my Senators and Representative tomorrow. That's how concerned I think he is, and therefore how concerned I am. I want the deal to pass.
Exclusive: Secret NSA Map Shows China Cyber Attacks on US Targets
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/exclusive-secret-nsa-map-shows-china-cyber-attacks-us-targets-n401211A secret NSA map obtained exclusively by NBC News shows the Chinese government's massive cyber assault on all sectors of the U.S economy, including major firms like Google and Lockheed Martin, as well as the U.S. government and military.
The map uses red dots to mark more than 600 corporate, private or government "Victims of Chinese Cyber Espionage" that were attacked over a five-year period, with clusters in America's industrial centers. The entire Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston is blanketed in red, as is California's Silicon Valley, with other concentrations in Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, L.A. and Detroit. The highest number of attacks was in California, which had almost 50.
Each dot represents a successful Chinese attempt to steal corporate and military secrets and data about America's critical infrastructure, particularly the electrical power and telecommunications and internet backbone. And the prizes that China pilfered during its "intrusions" included everything from specifications for hybrid cars to formulas for pharmaceutical products to details about U.S. military and civilian air traffic control systems, according to intelligence sources.
The map was part of an NSA briefing prepared by the NSA Threat Operations Center (NTOC) in February 2014, an intelligence source told NBC News. The briefing highlighted China's interest in Google and defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, and in air traffic control systems. It catalogued the documents and data Chinese government hackers have "exfiltrated" -- stolen -- from U.S. corporate, government and military networks, and also listed the number and origin of China's "exploitations and attacks."
map at link
potus online now! nt
official Iran deal call-in-to-President-Obama thread
More info here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027027706
White House email invite to group phone call about Iran deal (xpost from GD)
Jump on a call with the President:
The Iran deal is an historic one. After about two years of tough and intensive negotiations, the U.S. and our international partners reached a deal that will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
We refused to take a bad deal, instead taking the time to press for a deal that met every one of our bottom lines. And that’s exactly what we got.
But, as we've seen time and again, that won't stop politicians and pundits from spreading misinformation and falsehoods about the Iran deal.
That's why President Obama is hopping on the phone tonight to explain the deal and its importance to the country and the international community. And he wants you to join the call.
So tonight, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, call 1-866-254-5934 and enter the passcode 365802.
You'll find the President on the other end, explaining exactly what you need to know about the Iran deal and what it means for the security of our country and that of our allies.
There's limited space for this opportunity, so set a reminder for 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and jump on a call to learn everything you need to know about the Iran deal, straight from President Obama.
Until then, dig a little deeper into the details of this historic deal here: WhiteHouse.gov/Iran-Deal
Thank you,
The White House Team
White House email invite to group phone call about Iran deal
Jump on a call with the President:
The Iran deal is an historic one. After about two years of tough and intensive negotiations, the U.S. and our international partners reached a deal that will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
We refused to take a bad deal, instead taking the time to press for a deal that met every one of our bottom lines. And that’s exactly what we got.
But, as we've seen time and again, that won't stop politicians and pundits from spreading misinformation and falsehoods about the Iran deal.
That's why President Obama is hopping on the phone tonight to explain the deal and its importance to the country and the international community. And he wants you to join the call.
So tonight, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, call 1-866-254-5934 and enter the passcode 365802.
You'll find the President on the other end, explaining exactly what you need to know about the Iran deal and what it means for the security of our country and that of our allies.
There's limited space for this opportunity, so set a reminder for 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and jump on a call to learn everything you need to know about the Iran deal, straight from President Obama.
Until then, dig a little deeper into the details of this historic deal here: WhiteHouse.gov/Iran-Deal
Thank you,
The White House Team
Zimbabwean officials: American man wanted in killing of Cecil the lion
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/28/africa/zimbabwe-lion-killed/An American man is being sought in connection with a case that has drawn international attention -- the killing of Cecil the lion -- Zimbabwean officials said Tuesday.
The man suspected in Cecil's death is Walter James Palmer of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, according to Johnny Rodrigues, head of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.
Cecil, who was 13, was a prized lion in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, where visitors reportedly sighted him frequently. A video of the animal, regal, indifferent and sleepy-eyed, has been widely disseminated.
He was a participant in a study that Oxford University in Britain was conducting, and he had been outfitted with a GPS collar.
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