1.2.2018

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1.2.2018

NEED TO KNOW.

Iran Protests Move Into Sixth Day.
At least 20 have been killed and 450 arrested as protests against the Iranian government entered their sixth day. The protests, coordinated in major cities across the country, are the largest grassroots movement since the 2009 'Green Movement'. Unlike the previous protests - which looked for modest reforms - the current uprising is largely led by the lower class over rising prices for everyday goods and allegations of corruption throughout the local and central governments. Though the Iranian Guard threatened harsh retaliation, president Hassan Rouhani struck a softer note, saying authorities "must pay attention" to the protesters' demands. In a memo reportedly leaked to Fox News, Iranian religious authorities plan to activate the country's religious institutions to plead for an end to the demonstrations.

Police Deputy Killed, 4 Wounded in CO Shooting.
A gunman killed one deputy and wounded six others - four officers and two civilians - in what authorities describe as an ambush-style attack. Police, responding to a New Year's Eve domestic disturbance call in a Denver suburb, were met with over 100 rounds fired from inside a barricaded bedroom. Officials said the call was placed over a noise complaint by a neighbor, but that the shooter - 37-year-old Army veteran Matthew Riehl, knew the police were en route. Authorities were previously aware of Riehl after he posted anti-police material online (though none explicitly called for violence). The deputy killed, 29-year-old Zackari Parrish, had only worked for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for seven months.

Alabama Will Face Georgia For Championship.
Two Southeastern Conference teams will face off in the College Football National Championship after both won their semifinal playoff games. Georgia beat Oklahoma (see box score), led by Oklahoma QB and Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, 54-48 after blocking an Oklahoma field goal in overtime (see top moments from the thriller). In the second game, Alabama avenged last year's national championship loss to Clemson (box score), beating the Tigers 24-6. Across bowl season, the Big Ten had one the best postseasons in its history at 7-1, while the Pac-12 had the worst bowl record in modern college football history, finishing 1-8. The championship will be played next Monday (8pm, ESPN) with Alabama opening as a 4-point favorite.

Full speed ahead into 2018.
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IN THE KNOW.

Sports, Entertainment & Culture.

> Star Wars: The Last Jedi surpasses $1B at worldwide box office (More)
> NFL regular season concludes; previews for all 12 playoff teams (More)
> Time's Up: 300 women in entertainment industry start initiative to fight sexual misconduct (More)

Science & Technology.

> Type II diabetes drug found to 'significantly reverse' memory loss from Alzheimer's in mice (More)
> First ever sample-to-sequence identification of unknown microbe on board the International Space Station (More)
> Archaeologists find 2,700-year-old "governor of Jerusalem" seal (More)

Business & Markets.

> Minimum wage increases begin in 18 states (More)
> Stock market closes 2017 up 20% - first time in history the S&P500 Index ended every month with a gain (More)
> Warren Buffett wins $1M 2007 bet that S&P500 (7.1%) would outperform a basket of hedge funds (2.2%) over 10 years, donates to Omaha girls charity (More)

Politics & World Affairs.

> Legalized, recreational marijuana now on sale in California (More)
> North Korea leader Kim Jong Un delivers New Year's Day speech, says will only use nuclear force "if threatened" (More)
> China ends legal ivory trade, closing world's largest market for ivory products (More)

IN DEPTH.

Inside a Business Where Human Bodies were Butchered, Packaged and Sold.

Staff | Reuters. Part Seven of Reuters' look at the booming - and loosely regulated - business of human cadavers goes inside an Arizona processing company. After convincing people to donate their bodies to science after death, these 'body brokers' disassemble each corpse, turning the different pieces into high-price commodities.

The Future of Weed Science is a Van in Colorado.

Wired | Robbie Gonzalez. Even in states where marijuana is legal, scientists still are only allowed to perform studies using government-grown weed - which is far different from the potent, diverse strains that are predominately in circulation. Because of this, researchers have had a tricky time obtaining useful data. But the University of Colorado Boulder has a new tool that could change the way we research pot, and it’s called the CannaVan.

ETCETERA.

The 50 biggest fake news stories of the past year.

19 of the top 25 most competitive neighborhoods for homebuyers are in Seattle, WA.

Republicans are much more hopeful about the year ahead than Democrats.

It was so cold in Canada over the weekend, the King Penguins had to come indoors.

Buffalo Bills fans donate to Bengals QB Andy Dalton's charity for helping them make the playoffs.

Hispanics tend to lose Hispanic identity across generations (data from Pew).

Los Angeles libraries will let kids read off their late fees.

Cars keep getting stuck in Toronto's rail car tunnels (drivers blame GPS).

Clickbait: New Zealanders build sand castle island to avoid drinking ban on New Year's Eve.

Historybook: Reconquista completed (1492); Viet Cong get first major victory of Vietnam War (1963); Reagan sworn in as CA governor (1967); President Carter ends US-Russia detente (1980).

"THE FUTURE DOESN'T BELONG TO THE FAINTHEARTED."
-Ronald Reagan

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