02.15.2018

17 Killed in Florida School Shooting.
A shooter opened fire at a southern Florida high school yesterday, killing at least 17 in the deadliest school shooting since Newtown, CT. The school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, is located in Parkland, an affluent suburb north of Fort Lauderdale (see diagram of how the shooting proceeded). The gunman - identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former student - was arrested an hour later in a neighboring city. Officials say Cruz used an AR-15 assault rifle and carried "countless magazines". One student kept the outside world updated via Twitter as the shooting unfolded. It is the 8th US school shooting resulting in injury or death in 2018, and the 18th overall. 

About one-quarter of US parents say they fear for their children's safety while at school. 

FDA Approves Concussion Blood Test.
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new method to detect concussion symptoms via blood tests. When the brain undergoes physical trauma, cells and tissue are stretched, compressed, or otherwise damaged - basically knocking free proteins and other organic matter, some of which enters the bloodstream (get nerdy with this review). The test, known as the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator, measures elevated levels of two of these proteins (known as UCH-L1 and GFAP). The test can help identify injuries more quickly and reduce the number of people exposed to radiation from CT scans in up to one-third of cases. There are about 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries each year in the US. 

Zuma Resigns.
Jacob Zuma stepped down as President of South Africa on Wednesday, ending a tumultuous and scandal-plagued nine-year run as head of state. Zuma rose to power as a popular anti-apartheid leader in the 1960's and was once imprisoned on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela (see history), culminating in his 2009 election. Corruption charges have followed Zuma for his entire political career - as well as a 2005 rape allegation - and enough political support had coalesced behind Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa that the governing African National Congress was set to issue a vote of no confidence. Under Zuma public debt had tripled, youth unemployment hit 68%, HIV cases increased by over 2 million, and the country's second largest city, Cape Town, is running out of water. 
 

> US loses to Slovenia in overtime to start Men's Hockey tourney at Olympics (More) | Medal count by country (More)
> Netflix nabs former FX producer Ryan Murphy in huge deal worth $300M (More)
> Scott Baio denies accusations of sexual misconduct by Charles in Charge co-stars (More)
 

> Scientists find gradually depleting a key enzyme prevents plaque formation, reverses Alzheimer's in mice (More)
> SpaceX to launch demo satellites to provide satellite-based internet service for US (More)
> Study identifies how anesthesia drug ketamine interacts with brain to treat depression, inhibits the 'anti-reward' center (More)
 

> US Consumer Price Index rose 0.5% in JAN vs projections of 0.3%, sparking fears of inflation (More)
> Total US household debt increases to all-time high of $13.1T in 2017 (More)
> Uber leaks financial information - Q4 net loss narrows to $1.1B while revenues grew 61% to $2.2B on $11B in total fares in Q4 (More)
 

> 1 officer injured, 3 in custody after unauthorized vehicle attempts to enter National Security Administration campus (More)
> Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin accused of improper gifts, use of taxpayer funds for travel (More)
> New bipartisan immigration bill emerges, protects DACA and funds border wall, visa lottery stays intact (More)

The Players Tribune | Geoff Cameron. A defender for Premier League team Stoke City and backup for the US Men's National Team minces no words about what led to the historically embarrassing loss that kept the US out of the 2018 World Cup. The problem? According to Cameron, a US system that looks down on players that leave the US to play in the elite leagues around the world. 
 

The Atlantic | William R. Black. In the 1930's the Federal Writers Project began interviewing thousands of former slaves as part of a New Deal program to preserve cultural heritage. Among these are at least 40 separate accounts of Abraham Lincoln visiting plantations incognito, promising that slaves would soon be free. True or myth, what matters is that the stories were believed by those who told them. 

This beautiful photo of a rescued gorilla hugging her caretaker won Wildlife Photo of the Year.

New York Times CEO says print journalism has "maybe" another 10 years.

A giant lava dome was discovered under a Japanese supervolcano. 

Kanye West spent Valentine's Day with a 7-hour Instagram-a-thon. 

McDonald's banishes cheeseburgers from Happy Meals. 

Photos of the most stunning libraries from around the globe.

UPS estimates it delivered 88 million flowers yesterday.

Despite help of Senator, IRS still considers Minnesota man dead.  

Clickbait: The Ikea challenge is the new Tide Pod challenge (don't do it). 

Historybook: HBD Galileo Galilei (1564); HBD Susan B. Anthony (1820); RIP Nat King Cole (1965); 30M people in 600 cities protest Iraq War (2003).

"INDEPENDENCE IS HAPPINESS."
- Susan B Anthony
 

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