Show Notes 03-19-2015

Thursday show 03-19-15

Iron Man star Downey presents  boy with bionic arm
Just like Tony "Iron Man" Stark, Robert Downey Jr. is a part-time superhero — at least in the eyes of one seven-year-old boy. In a video posted online Thursday, the actor, dressed as Stark, who becomes Iron Man in the movies, presents a working bionic prosthesis to seven-year-old Alex, who was born with a partially developed right arm.
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Cough Medicine Ingredient May Aid Diabetes Fight
An ingredient in many over-the-counter cough suppressants seems to improve the release of insulin in humans, a discovery that may lead to new treatments for Type 2 diabetes.
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Major solar storm hits Earth
A severe solar storm smacked Earth with a surprisingly big geomagnetic jolt Tuesday, potentially affecting power grids and GPS tracking while pushing the colorful northern lights farther south, federal forecasters said.
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Powdered Alcohol Is Now Legal — But Is It Safe?
A powdered form of alcohol called Palcohol is now approved for sale in the United States, but how safe is this product? Some health experts say they are concerned that powered alcohol could be abused by minors, or could be more easily more easily hidden and consumed in places where people are not allowed to have alcohol. But others argue that there is no reason the drug would be more hazardous than liquid alcohol.
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House Republicans propose capping FCC universal service fund
House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) released draft legislation Tuesday that would cap the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund (USF) at $9 billion per year, decreasing it by more than 25 percent from its current level of $12.1 billion.
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Lawsuit accuses Feds of closing forest
In a dispute over access to publicly owned property that could ripple across dozens of states, a lawsuit has been filed in California challenging a federal bureaucracy move essentially to shut down a national forest and lock the door.
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New Jersey man seeks pardon after legally owned gun makes him convicted felon
When Steffon Josey-Davis was pulled over by police along a New Jersey road two years ago, the young security guard never imagined his legally owned gun would be confiscated -- and the incident would make him a convicted felon.
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NJ prosecutor drops gun charge against retired teach over centuries old gun
A New Jersey prosecutor Wednesday dropped the felony gun charge against a retired schoolteacher who was arrested last year when authorities discovered an unloaded, 300-year-old flintlock pistol wrapped in his car's glove compartment.
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