Radioactive Device Stolen

A. G. Wassenaar Inc. of Denver is offering a reward for the return of a Troxler 3430 Surface Moisture Density Gauge.

The device was stolen sometime between July 30 and August 2.

It was located inside a bright yellow hard plastic storage box about the size of a common ice cooler.

They are fairly common, however this particular is holding radioactive material.

As long as it is not opened, there is no threat to health, however if opened it could be lethal.

If found, the Colorado state health department is asking that they be contacted at 303-877-9757.

Canary Islands Burning

Fires on the Canary Islands have burnt nearly ten thousand acres.

La Gomera and La Palma islands have been the hardest hit.

Firefighters have mostly contained the fires, but doing so was extremely difficult due to deep ravines on the islands.

Garajonay National Park on La Gomera is home to species of plants and animals that can not be found anywhere else in the world.

Officials are investigating that fire as they believe it to have been the work of an arsonist.

The islands are part of Spain, and the entire country saw it's driest winter in seventy years.

Over the summer, fires have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres, many buildings and homes, and killed at least four.

Massachusetts Governor Signs Health Care Containment

Governor Deval Patrick, of Massachusetts, signed the Health Care Containment Bill, on Monday morning.

The goal of the bill is to keep health care costs low, as the costs of the state funded healthcare is higher than the state's income.

Opponents say that the bill will just limit the amount and quality of care that will be available.

Some say that parts in the new bill will actually raise costs to the individual.

Massachusetts is the only state in the US which requires every resident to have health insurance.

Parts of the controversial national Obamacare was based off of it.

Arvada Sees Chain of Car Break Ins

Arvada, Colorado has recently seen a chain of at least a dozen break ins.

Thieves have been focusing on day cares, parks, and gyms.

Police are warning area residents to not leave valuables, purses, or backpacks in their vehicles.

Authorities believe that the break ins are the work of the Felony Lane Gang.

The gang steals checks and identification from vehicles, then uses them to cash the checks at banks.

FLG is known for hitting an area for a time, then moving on to another state.

Their movements have made it difficult for police to catch them.

Lately arrests of the group have been made in Connecticut, Alabama, and Nebraska.

Syrian Prime Minister Defects

Riyad Hijab, Prime Minister of Syria defected on Monday, becoming the highest ranking person to do so.

Hijab was appointed in June, and is currently in Jordan, but expected to make his new home in Qatar.

"I announce today my defection from the killing and terrorist regime and I announce that I have joined the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution. I announce that I am from today a soldier in this blessed revolution," Hijab said in a written statement read by el-Etri on Al Jazeera.

Syrian officials responded by stating that he had been fired before hand, and that that is why he left the country.

This is but the latest blow to the regime, which has seen several high ranking people defect, to various neighboring countries.

Murhpy Declared a Hero

Lieutenant Brian Murphy, 51, a twenty-one year police veteran, is being called a hero after the shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Park, Wisconsin.

He was the first officer on the scene, and engaged the shooter, who had already killed six people.

Murphy was shot eight times, before the shooter was shot and killed by another officer.

But because of Murphy's actions, the shooter was kept outside the building, and from shooting even more of the attendees.

Despite Murphy's wounds, he still told his fellow officers to help the other victims, before he would let them help him.

After two surgeries at Froedtert Hospital he remains in critical condition, but is expected to survive.

Two other men are in the hospital as well, both of whom are in critical condition too.

Sikh's for Justice, out of New York, has pledged ten thousand dollars to Murphy's medical bills, as a thank you for his efforts.

Greece Detains Six Thousand Immigrants

Police in Greece are rounding up thousands of suspected illegal immigrants, throughout the country.

At least six thousand were detained over the weekend, and 1,600 of those were arrested for being in the country illegally.

Officers focused on stopping people of African or Asian descent, and demanding papers.

It is estimated that around a hundred thousand illegal immigrants slip into and through Greece every year.

Up to a million illegal immigrants live in Greece, which only has an official population of ten million.

Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias has compared the influx to invasions of the country, which happened thousands of years ago.

Dendias said that immigrants who are arrested will be held at police academy buildings in northern Greece, which are closed for the summer, and at a detention center just outside Athens.

Mt. Tongariro Erupts in New Zealand

Just before midnight, on Monday, Mt. Tongariro erupted in New Zealand.

Witnesses reported seeing smoke, super heated rocks, and bright flashes as they heard loud explosions.

The eruption seems to be centered at the Te Mari Craters area of the mountain.

Some residents have voluntarily evacuated the area, but no official ones have been called for.

By Tuesday, the eruption had calmed down, vulcanologists warn that it could start up again at any time.

Small earthquakes had been recorded in the area, for the last couple weeks, but it is unusual for a volcano to go from dormant to active, so quickly.

Authorities are warning people to be wary of the spreading ash cloud, especially if they have any breathing issues.

NASA Employs Curiosity

The latest Mars Science Laboratory project has officially kicked off. The rover, codenamed Curiosity, landed in the early hours of August 6th. (2232 5 AUG 12 Pacific time, 0032 6 AUG 12 Central, 0132 Eastern) Within two hours, the rover began sending images from the Mars surface. Over the duration of the mission, you will be able to track images and progress at the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission pages at NASA's website.

The primary mission of Curiosity and the project are to determine if Mars ever held life or will be capable of sustaining life in the future. Scientists postulate any evidence will exist closest to any found liquid water.

Gale Crater on Mars

Curiosity is set to explore, record, image, and sample the planet's surface for the next 98 weeks. Its capabilities include 10 precision scientific instruments and 17 total cameras:  Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, Chemistry and Camera, Chemistry and Mineralogy, Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, Mars Descent Imager, Mars Hand Lens Imager, Mast Camera, Radiation Assessment Detector, Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, and Sample Analysis at Mars Launch.

98 weeks is also the length of a single Martian year. The mission is set to last just 6 weeks short of two Earth years. That is one week less than current federal laws grant unemployment handouts to those who lost their jobs.

The landing was an act of remote-controlled precision, setting the lander down near the base of Mount Sharp, just inside Gale Crater. It was lowered into position using a remote controlled sky crane, that lowered the rover, then flew away.

The cost of the project, so far, has been $2.5 Billion, $1.8 for just the development and deployment of the spacecraft.

More facts, figures, numbers, data, and mission information is available in .pdf format.

Here is NASA's official video of the landing and deployment:

Original Article on Mental Aikido