By Lauren Weber
Friday January 16th, 2015
TOP STORIES
BELGIAN POLICE ARREST 13, KILL TWO IN ANTI-TERROR RAID "Belgian police said they had arrested 13 people throughout the country suspected of plotting to kill policemen in an alleged attack that authorities said was potentially hours away from being committed. Two other people involved in the alleged plot were killed in a firefight in the eastern city of Verviers on Thursday evening, authorities said in a news conference on Friday. Two Belgians were also arrested in France for taking part in the suspected plot." And across Europe, counterterrorism agencies are scouring the continent for sleeper cells. [WSJ]
FREE SPEECH PARADOX? "The French authorities are moving aggressively to rein in speech supporting terrorism, employing a new law to mete out tough prison sentences in a crackdown that is stoking a free-speech debate after last week's attacks in Paris." [NYT]
CUBA TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS BEGIN TO LIFT You can now travel to Cuba for "religious, educational or other approved purposes" and bring back up to $400 worth of Cuban goods, only $100 of which can be alcohol and tobacco. [WaPo]
FLU SHOT BASICALLY USELESS THIS YEAR It's only 23% effective due to the current virus's mutation. [USA Today]
FINDING A HACKER FOR HIRE "The business of hacking is no longer just the domain of intelligence agencies, international criminal gangs, shadowy political operatives and disgruntled 'hacktivists' taking aim at big targets. Rather, it is an increasingly personal enterprise. At a time when huge stealth attacks on companies like Sony Pictures, JPMorgan Chase and Home Depot attract attention, less noticed is a growing cottage industry of ordinary people hiring hackers for much smaller acts of espionage." [NYT]
OCEAN LIFE FACING 'MASS EXTINCTION' The latest research suggests humans are causing irreparable, accelerating damage to the sea and its inhabitants. [NYT]
DUKE UNIVERSITY NO LONGER TO SOUND MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER From the campus chapel bell tower on Fridays. [CNN]
WHAT'S BREWING
SO MANY OSCAR SNUBS From "Selma" to Jennifer Aniston, yesterday's Oscar noms list had everyone scratching their heads. And these will be the "whitest Oscars" since 1998. [HuffPost]
BILL COSBY'S LATEST TAKE ON HIS CAREER "Hey, hey -- I'm far from finished." [Page Six]
INTRODUCING SKINNYGIRL MARIJUANA Bethenny Frankel will be hawking a strain in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington that won't give you the munchies. [US Magazine]
THE SNEAKERHEAD LIFE "For me, it's never been about the hype; it's always been about the story. The Kyrie 1s bear his late mother's name, dates of birth and death on the sole. The baritone, an instrument he played growing up, is not only on the box, but depicted on the insole, too. The letter 'H' -- for 'Hungry and Humble' -- can only be seen if you look at the shoe from the most precise of angles." [Medium]
REVIEWS OF ALL THE AMAZON PILOTS What to hit and skip. [Vulture]
DOMINO'S: INDIA'S FAVORITE PIZZA "Domino's is doing more. It has cleverly reimagined everything about itself, right down to its flour, to nail the balance between serving local needs and retaining a patina of Western cool. That's what has made it India's largest international foreign-food chain, with 806 stores across 170 cities, more than twice as many as McDonald's -- and Domino's says it nets 20% higher revenue. The chain sells more pizza in India than anywhere outside the U.S." [Fast Company]
WE KNOW IT'S HARD But let go of that grudge. [HuffPost]
ON THE BLOG
THERE IS NO BACK AND FORTH ON THE INTERNET "If you're in the habit of paying attention both to people who agree with you and people who disagree with you, you almost certainly know it too. You've noticed that we're getting more polarized, not less polarized. The screaming from both sides -- both sides of the political aisle, and both sides of any particular issue you care to select -- has gotten louder, and the collective fingers have grown more firmly implanted in the collective ears." [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
~ Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are engaged!
~ Mariah Carey made her Vegas residency official.
~ When you date your Dad (warning: this is not a cute little girl's first date video, this is as described).
~ Listen to Jay Z's pre-"Reasonable Doubt" demo tape.
~ Kate Middleton and Prince William joined Twitter and Instagram Wednesday.
~ You can no longer buy Google Glass -- we know you're bummed.
~ Jennifer Aniston rocked a topless red pantsuit.
~ Snapchat wants $750,000 for brands to advertise.
~ And a new app gives everybody the chance to help the blind to see.
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