The Daily Populous

The CIA's Bold Kidnapping of a Soviet Spacecraft

They photographed every part and documented every construction element, then perfectly reassembled the whole thing without leaving a trace.

On January 2, 1959, the Soviet Union kicked off its Luna program, sometimes called Lunik by the Western media, with the launch of Luna 1.

This first spacecraft missed the Moon, but the next hit the target and became the first spacecraft to impact the lunar surface in September of that year.

A month later on October 7, Luna 3 returned history's first ever pictures of the Moon’s farside.

It was a stunning year for the Soviets on the Moon, one in which the United States only racked up a handful of failed lunar missions.

The disparity between American technology and the perceived Soviet power led to an intelligence program run by the CIA.

Even educated guesses about Soviets plans would help the United States know where to concentrate its efforts to hopefully overtake the Soviet Union in space. »

Oklahoma Senate passes $447 million revenue package to fund teacher pay raise

Authored by kfor.com

OKLAHOMA CITY - In what initially seemed to be a repeat of previous votes on revenue raising measures, the senate narrowly approved a funding package to help pay for teacher pay raises in the state Wednesday evening.

On schedule for the evening: HB1010XX (teacher pay funding bill), HB1011XX (itemized deduction caps) and HB1023XX (teacher pay scale).

This pay raise propels Oklahoma to second in the region for average teacher pay. »

Cannabinoids are easier on the brain than booze, study finds

Authored by colorado.edu

Marijuana may not be as damaging to the brain as previously thought, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder and the CU Change Lab.

Yet scientists are still hesitant to say that cannabinoid usage, specifically as it pertains to marijuana and its associated products, is beneficial.

"Research is still very limited in terms of whether marijuana use is harmful, or beneficial, to the brain.". »

Undercover Detroit police attempt to arrest each other in 'embarassing' drug bust

Authored by upi.com

Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A group of undercover Detroit police posing as drug dealers tried to arrest another group of undercover police posing as drug buyers in a mishap that resulted in a brawl between more than two dozen armed officers.

The incident occurred on Nov. 9 when two officers from Detroit's 12th Precinct were posing as drug dealers in order to arrest buyers, according to WJBK-TV.

Two buyers did arrive to the drug house, but they were undercover police officers from Detroit's 11th district. »

ACLU urges cities to build public broadband to protect net neutrality

Authored by thehill.com

The ACLU is calling on cities across the country to build their own public municipal broadband networks to help preserve net neutrality after the Federal Communications Commission repealed the open internet rules.

Democratic governors and legislatures across the country have responded to the repeal by implementing their own state net neutrality protections.

Still, the ACLU argues that municipal networks are one of the few courses remaining for local leaders who believe in net neutrality. »