After 8 centuries, rats exonerated in spread of Black Death. Gerbils implicated. – The Washington Post

A gerbil (Rodrique Ngowi/AP) After nearly eight centuries of accusing the black rat for spreading the bubonic plague, scientists say they have compelling evidence to exonerate the much-maligned rodent. In the process, they’ve identified a new culprit: gerbils. It’s always the cute ones you have to watch out for, isn’t it? According to a study published in the…

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Rules Eased for Startups Benefit Established Firms Too – WSJ

Federal lawmakers eased decades-old U.S. securities regulations in 2012 in the name of eliminating red tape for young startups. But now another breed of business is angling to take advantage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act: publicly traded companies, some of which have been in business for many years. Salon Media Group Inc., a 19-year-old…

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7 reasons it’s time to shut down the Department of Homeland Security

Congressional Republicans are once again holding the government hostage against a budget authorization bill, this time threatening to put the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into furlough. Maybe it’s time to call them on their bluff and go one step further: Let’s shut down the DHS. The agency is no longer relevant in an age where cyberterrorism may be the new normal,…

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