The hidden frontline of Europe's migration crisis

(Telegraph.co.uk) June 30 2015 - Dressed only in a thin white polo shirt and jeans, Ashraf, a 17-year-old from Damascus, shivers in the rain next to the dense Serbo-Hungarian forest where he has lived without food and water for three days. His exhausted father holds up a handful of grass: “For three days now we’ve had nothing else to eat but this.”

Ashraf, who set out from Syria with his father in November, has just been caught after crossing into Hungary from Serbia, with the aim of reaching Germany. He and around 60 compatriots, including families with babies and a dozen children under 10, were captured by Hungarian police and rounded up between a forest and an industrial estate.

“We are good people, my father is an electrician. I want to be a dentist. Germany needs us, we are good people,” Ashraf says.

He and his father, like thousands of others, passed through Turkey, Greece and Macedonia. They walked for seven hours a day, for seven months.

According to government statistics, they were among at least 61,000 migrants who have entered Hungary this year, up sharply from 43,000 in all of 2014. This is more refugees per capita than any other EU country apart from Sweden. Around 95 per cent of them cross from Serbia, which is not a member of the EU but has started accession talks.

As a gateway to both the EU and the Schengen passport-free zone, Hungary has become the hidden front line of Europe’s migration crisis. Its government wants to ensure that Ashraf is among the last to enter the country via this route. Hungary – the first nation to dismantle its borders before the collapse of Communism in 1989 – is planning to erect a 110-mile long, 13ft-high barbed wire fence along its border with Serbia. The plan has outraged the United Nations and the EU. Natasha Bertaud, a European Commission spokesman, said last week: “We have only just torn down walls in Europe: we should not be putting them up.” Full Story

Drinking Too Much Water Can Kill You: Study

(universityherald.com) - Drinking too much water can be life-threatening and should only be consumed when an individual is thirsty, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Loyola University Health System revealed that a condition called exercise-associated hyponatremia, which results from drinking too much water or sports drinks, has killed at least 14 athletes, including marathon runners and football players.

But new guidelines from an international expert panel shows that there's an easy way to prevent hyponatremia: Simply put, drink only when you're thirsty.

"Using the innate thirst mechanism to guide fluid consumption is a strategy that should limit drinking in excess and developing hyponatremia while providing sufficient fluid to prevent excessive dehydration," according to the guidelines, published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

Exercise-associated hyponatremia occurs when drinking too much fluid overwhelms the ability of the kidneys to excrete the excess water load. Sodium in the body becomes diluted. This leads to swelling in cells, which can be life-threatening.

Symptoms of this condition include lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, puffiness and gaining weight during an athletic event. Severe symptoms include vomiting, headache, altered mental status (confusion, agitation, delirium, etc.), seizure and coma.

Researchers said that Athletes often are mistakenly advised to "push fluids" or drink more than their thirst dictates by, for example, drinking until their urine is clear or drinking to a prescribed schedule. But excessive fluid intake does not prevent fatigue, muscle cramps or heat stroke.

"Muscle cramps and heatstroke are not related to dehydration," James Winger, sports medicine physician at Loyola University Medical Center, said in a statement. "You get heat stroke because you're producing too much heat."

The guidelines say Exercise-associated hyponatremia can be treated by administering a concentrated saline solution that is 3 percent sodium -- about three times higher than the concentration in normal saline solution.

Read more: HERE. .

Greek Exit from Euro appears Imminent

(WND) June 28 2015 NEW YORK – Greece is on the verge of default having failed to reach a refinancing agreement with the EU in a series of EuroSummit negotiations last week that broke off Saturday without conclusion.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced banks and the stock exchange in Greece will be closed on Monday in a “bank holiday” that the governing council of ministers has recommended be extended through next week to calm down a panicked run of citizens who withdrew €1.3 billion in cash from ATMs over the weekend.

The European Central Bank decided over the weekend not to increase the €89 billion ($100 billion) in Emergency Liquidity Assistance the European Central Bank has reserved to provide Eurozone central banks, including the central bank in Greece, with the liquidity needed to keep ATMs and banks open during a financial crisis like that currently experienced in Greece.

Tsipras is pushing a national referendum on Friday, July 5, calling for a “yes” or “no” vote regarding whether to accept the new austerity measures demanded by the international creditors including the International Monetary Fund, but the vote could turn out to be moot with the European Union threatening to withdraw the current refinancing deal and cut off emergency funds on Tuesday, June 30, if Greece defaults, as appears likely, on a €1.3 billion payment to the IMF scheduled due that day.

“I’m making an appeal for calm,” Tsipras said in an appeal to the nation on Sunday. “Your bank deposits are safe.”

Meanwhile, financial markets around the world are preparing for the likelihood of what in Europe is being called a “Grexit,” the exit of Greece from the euro, given that without a refinancing agreement from the international creditors including the European Union Central Bank and the IMF, Greece has no prospect of meeting the interest and principal payments scheduled on the nation’s huge €300 billion euro debt.

Solutions to Greek debt crisis have stalemated as EU bankers have grown tired of lending Greece the money needed to make scheduled interest payments on the outstanding debt, realizing that promises by Greek politicians to raise additional government funds by raising taxes and cutting pensions are unlikely to work in a nation where additional austerity measures are likely only to depress further an already depressed Greek economy.

The “elephant in the room” turns out to be Deutsche Bank with a $75 trillion exposure in derivatives, an amount 20 times the gross domestic product, GDP, of Germany, that could go south should the bank’s complex bets on the Greek debt crisis collapse, causing a failure reminiscent of the derivatives collapse that caused Lehman Brothers to collapse in bankruptcy in 2008, as the bank’s highly leveraged derivative position in the collateralized mortgage market.

On Sunday, Citigroup economist Ebrahim Rahbari, the economist who coined the term “Grexit” in February 2012, advised clients in a research note that he expects the Greek referendum July 5 will result in a comfortable majority for the “yes” camp, eliminating the chance Greece will withdraw from the euro this ear and reducing the likelihood of a Grexit in subsequent years.

Bloomberg reported Sunday that a majority of Greeks support retaining the euro, although in a country with a 25 percent unemployment rate and an economy that has contracted by a quarter since 2010, there is not a majority to support the further tax increases and government spending cuts EU creditors may demand

A decision by Greece to exit the euro would not necessarily mean a decision by Greece to exit the European Union.

Still, the financial disruption a Greek exit from the euro would cause throughout the EU is likely to be sufficient to cause European stock markets to decline precipitously after opening on Monday morning, with the prospect of an EU stock-market collapse causing jitters worldwide.

Read more at HERE.

U.S. gasoline prices dip for first time in more than two months -survey

(ReutersAfrica) - NEW YORK, June 28 (Reuters) - The average price of regular grade gasoline fell by nearly 2 cents over the last two weeks, the first nationwide price decline at the pumps after more than two months of steady increases, according to the Lundberg survey released on Sunday.

Drivers paid an average of $2.85 a gallon, 86 cents below the average price paid at this time last year. Strong U.S. gas supplies and steady crude oil prices point to likely further declines in the coming weeks, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the survey.

"In the absence of any significant rise in crude oil prices, which have been quite stable over more than two months, the flush supply and high refining capacity utilization in the U.S. has offset the impact of our robustly growing gasoline demand," she said.

The lowest average-price gasoline in the survey of cities in the lower 48 states was found in Jackson, Mississippi, at $2.44 a gallon. The most expensive was San Diego, at $3.52 a gallon.

Related: Oil hits three-week lows as Greek crisis worsens; eyes on Iran

US: Millennials now outnumber Boomers, Census Bureau says

(USAToday.com) - It's finally happened: Millennials are taking over the Union.

Millennials, or those born from 1982 through 2000, now make up more than one quarter of the U.S. population (83.1 million), exceeding the 75.4 million Baby Boomers who were born from 1946 through 1964, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.

They're also more diverse than any generation before them – 44.2% of American Millennials are part of a minority race or ethnic group, according to the estimates.

In fact, the whole U.S. population is more racially and ethnically diverse. A total of 37.9% of Americans identified as minorities in 2014, up from 32.9% in 2004.

Another milestone: In 2014, those younger than 5 years old "became majority-minority for the first time, with 50.2% being part of a minority race or ethnic group," according to the estimates.

"Majority-minority" refers to when less than half of a population are non-Hispanic, single-race Whites.

The U.S. as a whole is expected to become majority-minority by 2044, according to another report from the Census Bureau.

"These latest population estimates examine changes among groups by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin nationally, as well as in all states and counties, between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2014," the report said.

PR China presses US to invest more in its own economy

(YahooNews) June 23/2015 Washington (AFP) - Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei called Tuesday on the United States to boost its domestic savings and investment to strengthen growth, including spending to improve infrastructure.

Speaking during the first day of the annual Strategic and Economic dialogue between the rival political and economic powers, Lou countered US pressure for China to stop relying on investment to power growth.

He pointed out that China's contribution to global growth is 30 percent, while the US, the largest economy in the world, added only 10 percent.

To enhance the world economy, he said, the United States should save more and turn that into productive investment, especially in infrastructure.

"We also hope that the United States accelerates its structural reform process and develops effective processes to increase labor force participation and then enhancing the savings rate," he said in a press conference, speaking through an interpreter.

"The United States should have a proper mechanism to mobilize more savings to direct to investment. At the same time we would suggest that the US could use the opportunities of greater fiscal space to increase the investment in infrastructure."

By giving investment a "greater role" in growth, the United States could make a "great contribution to world economic development," he added. Full Story

Nebraska: More consumers shopping local as bird flu drives up egg prices

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. —As a result of the bird flu, many people are looking at other options to buy eggs, even going local.

One Nebraska farmer said she can't produce them fast enough.

All of the birds at Nebraska Freedom Farms are healthy, but the impacts of bird flu can still be felt.

When Lisa Burkey-Jeeves started selling the farm fresh eggs produced by her healthy Nebraska City flock, she heard from skeptics who told her that her price was too high.

"They thought I was a little crazy at $4 a dozen for eggs," Burkey-Jeeves said.

However, when birds started dying by the millions at big farms, she started hearing something different.

"I'm hearing, 'Can I get some?'" Burkey-Jeeves said.

The prices for a dozen eggs got a lot more competitive.

"When you look in the store now, the regular eggs have shot up," Burkey-Jeeves said. "Just regular eggs are $3.29."

Her chickens can't keep up with demand and it's hard for her to expand the flock. All poultry events in Nebraska have been cancelled until at least January.

"We're going to attempt next year to hatch our own," Burkey-Jeeves said. "So the more self-sustaining you are, the better things are."

The bird flu hasn't made for an easy spring for any farmers, but Burkey-Jeeves said she believes it has made consumers more aware of what they're eating.

"That's kind of what our farm is about, is to help people reconnect with where their food comes from -- whether its a plant or eggs or whatever we're doing," Burkey-Jeeves said.

The farm hopes to keep up with demand for fresh eggs by this fall, but with prices increasing at the grocery story, it's hard to predict.

According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, about 4.9 million birds have been impacted by the avian flu in the state. All of those cases have been in Dixon County Read More via ketv.com

Earth is on the brink of a sixth mass extinction, scientists say … and it’s humans’ fault

(nationalpost.com [CA] June 22,2015 - A vast chunk of space rock crashes into the Yucatan Peninsula, darkening the sky with debris and condemning three quarters of Earth’s species to extinction. A convergence of continents disrupts the circulation of the oceans, rendering them stagnant and toxic to everything that lives there. Vast volcanic plateaus erupt, filling the air with poison gas. Glaciers subsume the land and lock up the oceans in acres of ice.

Five times in the past, the Earth has been struck by these kinds of cataclysmic events, ones so severe and swift (in geological terms) they obliterated most kinds of living things before they ever had a chance to adapt.

Now, scientists say, the Earth is on the brink of a sixth such “mass extinction event.” Only this time, the culprit isn’t a massive asteroid impact or volcanic explosions or the inexorable drifting of continents. It’s us.

“We are now moving into another one of these events that could easily, easily ruin the lives of everybody on the planet,” Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich said in a video created by the school.

In a study published Friday in the journal Science Advances, biologists found that the Earth is losing mammal species 20 to 100 times the rate of the past. Extinctions are happening so fast, they could rival the event that killed the dinosaurs in as little as 250 years. Given the timing, the unprecedented speed of the losses and decades of research on the effects of pollution, hunting and habitat loss, they assert that human activity is responsible.

“The smoking gun in these extinctions is very obvious, and it’s in our hands,” co-author Todd Palmer, a biologist at the University of Florida, wrote in an e-mail to The Washington Post.

Since 1900 alone, 69 mammal species are believed to have gone extinct, along with about 400 other types of vertebrates. Evidence for species lost among nonvertebrate animals and other kinds of living things is much more difficult to come by, the researchers say, but there’s little reason to believe that the rest of life on Earth is faring any better.

This rapid species loss is alarming enough, according to the study’s authors, but it could be just the beginning. Full Story

Google expands on unprecedented ‘censorship’ policy on "Revenge Porn"

unprecedented?

(nypost.com) - June. 21. 2015. SAN FRANCISCO — Google plans to censor unauthorized nude photos from its influential Internet search engine in a policy change aimed at cracking down on a malicious practice known as “revenge porn.”

The new rules announced Friday will allow people whose naked pictures have been posted on a website without their permission to ask Google to prevent links to the image from appearing in its search results. A form for submitting the censorship requests to Google should be available within the next few weeks.

Google traditionally has resisted efforts to erase online content from its Internet search engine, maintaining that its judgments about information and images should be limited to how relevant the material is to each person’s query. That libertarian approach helped establish Google as the world’s most dominant search engine, processing roughly two-thirds of all online requests for information.

The Mountain View, California, company decided to make an exception with the unauthorized sharing of nude photos because those images are often posted by ex-spouses, partners in a broken romance or extortionists demanding ransoms to take down the pictures.

“Revenge porn images are intensely personal and emotionally damaging, and serve only to degrade the victims – predominantly women,” Amit Singhal, Google’s senior vice president of search, wrote in a Friday blog post.

Laws against revenge porn already have been passed in at least 17 states and a federal ban is expected to be introduced in Congress this year.

Google’s stand against revenge porn won’t necessarily purge it because not even the Internet’s most powerful company has the authority to order other sites to remove offensive or even illegal content. But Google is hoping revenge porn will prove less mortifying to its intended victims by making it more difficult to find.

Other heavily trafficked sites, including Twitter and the social forum Reddit, have embraced policies banning nude photos from being posted without the subject’s permission. Earlier this year, Google tried to prohibit sexually explicit material from the publicly accessible sites in its Blogger service only to reverse itself within a few days amid cries of unwarranted censorship among Blogger’s users.

This isn’t the first time Google has excised sensitive content from its search index. In most instances, the company has been forced to do so under laws imposed in various countries where it operates. While its search engine operated in mainland China from 2006 through 2010, Google blocked information that the country’s Communist government deemed to be inappropriate and the company has been scrubbing humiliating information from people’s pasts in Europe for the past year.

Austria: Man kills 3 driving into crowd -- on purpose, authorities say

(CNN) Three people have died and dozens more are injured after a man drove into a crowd -- on purpose, the local government says -- Saturday in the Austrian city of Graz.

The 26-year-old male driver intentionally used his vehicle as a weapon, the Graz City Council said in a statement.

Roman Sommershsacher, a spokesman for the Austrian city's government, said the man drove through Graz's inner city -- including into a place where cars are not normally allowed -- trying to hit people.

One of the three fatalities is a child. At least 34 more people suffered injuries, Sommershsacher said, including ten seriously and one in critical condition.

The driver -- described as an Austrian citizen with Serbian roots -- has been arrested, officials said at a Saturday afternoon press conference.

The officials added that they don't know the man's motive but do not believe it has anything to do with terrorism.

Photos from the scene showed a mangled bike and what appeared to be a body draped by a white sheet.

Located in Styria province in southeastern Austria, Graz is that country's second-most populous city.

North Korea claims it has discovered cure for Aids, Ebola, Mers & Sars

Drug developed by North Korean scientists from ginseng and other ingredients touted as panacea for some of world's deadliest diseases

(Telegraph.co.uk) 19/June/15 - North Korea said it has succeeded where the greatest minds in science have failed.

The authoritarian, impoverished nation – better known for pursuing a nuclear programme despite global criticism – announced on Friday a drug that it said can prevent and cure Aids, Ebola, Mers and Sars.

The secretive state did not provide proof, and the claim is likely to provoke widespread scepticism.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said scientists developed Kumdang-2 from ginseng grown from fertiliser mixed with rare-earth elements.

According to the pro-North Korea website Minjok Tongshin, the drug was originally produced in 1996.

"Malicious virus infections like Sars, Ebola and Mers are diseases that are related to immune systems, so they can be easily treated by Kumdang-2 injection drug, which is a strong immune reviver," KCNA said.

North Korea trumpeted the same drug during deadly bird flu outbreaks in 2006 and 2013.

The North's claim comes as rival South Korea fights an outbreak of Mersthat has killed two dozen people and infected more than 160 since last month. There is no vaccine for the disease.

• Mers virus: everything you need to know

(SOURCE)

Move over, Hamilton! Treasury to put woman on $10 bill

(USAToday) - 06/17/15 - WASHINGTON — A woman will appear on the $10 bill beginning in 2020, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

Just which woman is up to you.

Legally, the decision belongs to Jack Lew, but the Treasury secretary said he's seeking public input on which female historical figure should appear on U.S. paper currency for the first time in 119 years.

"We're going to spend a lot of time this summer listening to people," Lew said. A decision could come this fall.

But even then, it will take nearly five years for the new bill to see circulation. That's because of the intricate planning for a redesign that will incorporate new anti-counterfeit measures and tactile features for the blind.

Even then, Alexander Hamilton isn't going away. The first Treasury secretary played a leading role in developing the nation's financial system, and has been on the $10 since 1928. And there he'll remain, either on the reverse side or in a separate series of bills. Also, the 1.9 billion $10 bills now in circulation will likely last another 10 years.

The move spares Andrew Jackson, the 19th century Democrat who occupies the $20 bill. An online petition earlier this year urged the administration to replace Jackson with abolitionist Harriet Tubman by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. But Lew said the primary consideration was the security of the currency — and the $10 bill was next in line for an upgrade.

Lew said the planning began even before he arrived at Treasury in 2013. President Obama endorsed the idea for a woman on paper currency last year, calling it "a pretty good idea,"

No woman has appeared on new currency since Martha Washington on a $1 silver note until 1896. Pocahontas was first, gracing a $20 note beginning in 1865.

By law, no living person may appear on a bill, and George Washington must always remain on the $1. Full Story

- Related (Satire): Treasury Department Honors Women With First Female Currency

Advocacy Group Accuses Wal-Mart of Using Offshore Tax Havens

Americans for Tax Fairness tracked the retailer’s international subsidiaries; Wal-Mart says the report is ‘designed to mislead’

(wallstreetjournal) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. uses a network of offshore tax havens to shelter profit from its overseas operations, according to a union-supported report that detailed the structures Wednesday.

The bulk of the retail giant’s international businesses are owned by entities set up in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, where the company has no stores, according to the report, which says its authors tracked down the subsidiaries by reviewing financial records around the world.

According to the report, Wal-Mart’s Luxembourg subsidiaries from 2010 to 2013 reported paying only $2.4 million in tax to the country on $1.3 billion in profit.

Wal-Mart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the report includes “incomplete, erroneous information designed to mislead readers.”

“This is the same union-supported group that regularly issues similar, flawed reports on Wal-Mart to promote their agenda rather than the facts,” Mr. Hargrove said. Wal-Mart paid $6.2 billion in U.S. federal corporate income tax last year, he said. The company reported $16.2 billion in profit in the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31.

The report was produced by Americans for Tax Fairness, a liberal-leaning advocacy group, with research help from the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, which supports a group advocating for increased wages and other issues for Wal-Mart workers. Wal-Mart, the country’s largest private employer, has fought a long-running battle with the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has tried unsuccessfully for years to organize the company’s workers.

A number of companies use subsidiaries in countries such as Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to aggregate and shelter profit from overseas operations. The U.S. taxes its companies’ profits wherever they are earned around the world, but the payments are only due once the money is repatriated to the U.S. parent. Full Story
 ****
Related: Wal-Mart to impose charges on suppliers as its costs mount

Avocado compound holds promise for treating leukemia

They are responsible for one of our favorite Mexican dips and can brighten up any salad, but a new study finds there may be much more to avocados; a compound found in the fruit could help tackle acute myeloid leukemia.

(medicalnewstoday.com) 06/16/15 -  Prof. Paul Spagnuolo, of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues publish their findings in the journalCancer Research.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that begins in thebone marrow, where blood stem cells (immature cells) turn into mature blood cells. In AML, the blood stem cells in the bone marrow become abnormal myeloblasts - a form of white blood cell - red blood cells or platelets.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with AML this year, and more than 10,000 people will die from the cancer.

Most common among people aged 65 and older, AML has a poor survival rate, with around 90% of seniors with the cancer dying within 5 years of diagnosis.

But according to Prof. Spagnuolo and colleagues, there is a compound in avocados - called avocatin B - that holds promise for a new treatment for AML.

Celebrating Magna Carta’s 800th Birthday

(Time.com) 06/15/15 Eight hundred years ago on this day, June 15, King John signed a document that changed the course of history. The Magna Carta limited his own powers and set forth the rights of the people, forming the backbone of English common law.

The anniversary celebration has been going on for months. The British Library is soliciting suggestions for a Magna Carta “for the digital age.” The National Archives of the United States is exhibiting a 13th-century copy of the document, and is even planning to print an image of it onto a birthday cake. There are online quizzes and think pieces and in-depth analyses. There’s even an embroidery version that was created for the occasion.

Which should be no surprise. After all, when Magna Carta turned 750 in 1965, the world went similarly all-out. As TIME reported, “scores of bewigged and berobed British judges” and “dignitaries of foreign lands” made pilgrimage to London to honor the document. Among those dignitaries were some from the U.S., which was cause for the magazine to remind readers of the many links between Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution:

Modern historians dismiss most of Magna Carta as something of a relic of 13th century feudalism, and most schoolboys read of it but never in it. Yet the remarkable thing about that venerable document is that it enunciated many of the brilliant first principles that give vitality to the U.S. Constitution and thus life to the law that affects and protects the great and the humble alike.

Chapter 12 of Magna Carta, for example, heralded the principle of “taxation through representation,” indirectly inspired the American Revolution by providing that the King should levy no taxes except by “general consent” of the kingdom. Chapters 17 through 19 laid to rest the practice of meting out justice only through the King’s traveling court, led to permanently based courts (Common Pleas, King’s Bench, Chancery and Exchequer) set up to deal with everything from debts to divorces.

Other modern principles of law that could be traced to Magna Carta included just compensation and due process. Even though most of the actual provisions of Magna Carta have since been struck from the British books (for example: the testimony of a woman could only be used to imprison a man for murder if the victim were her husband) those big ideas are still valuable today. But just because those constitutional principles stand firm 800 years later doesn’t mean nothing has changed: some in Britain are advocating that it’s time for them to have a written constitution, too. Full Story

Pornhub is seeking $3.4 million to make a porno in space

(nationalmonitor) - Pornhub has launched a campaign through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo seeking $3.4 million to film an adult video in space for the first time ever.

So far, the campaign has fallen flat: it's only raised $18,000 in three days, even though the site is offering perks ranging from T-shirts to props to a spacesuit worn by an actor for those that donate large sums, according to a Denver Post report.

The money would be needed to train and outfit the crew, consult with specialists, customize film equipment, and fund using a shuttle that will send them into space.

The film would star Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins. It will be called "Sexplorations" and would be released in late 2016, assuming the funding campaign actually is successful.

Pornhub admitted it's unexplored territory having sex in zero gravity, but their research suggested it is perfectly physically possible.

Pornhub said they would be teaming up with adult studio Digital Playground in "joining the ranks of Armstrong and Gagarin by pioneering a one of a kind mission to defy gravity, make history, and push the boundaries of intergalactic ‘Sexploration’ by filming the first ever sextape in space,” the company said according to aWashington Post report.

Pornhub insists that it's not just a publicity stunt, and the company really is serious about the endeavor, according to the Post.

Pornhub is the largest pornography site on the Internet. It is headquartered in Montreal and has been in operation since 2007. It has servers around the United States and in London.

US: FDA Poised To Ban Trans Fats

TRANSPHOBIA!

(WND) 06/11/15 - The Food and Drug Administration is poised to announce new bans on artificial trans-fats, and regulatory watchdogs are warning: The nanny state is alive and thriving.

“Hold onto your salt-shaker,” said Jeff Stier, director of Risk Analysis with the National Centre for Public Policy Research, in a written statement. “There’s more to come from this administration. … [This is] a horrible idea.”

Stier also slammed a 2013 FDA claim that reducing the level of trans-fats in Americans’ diets could stop 20,000 or so heart attacks and 7,000 deaths per year, calling those figures “preposterous back then” and even more egregiously false now.

“They are even more far removed from reality today, as markets responded to consumer demand and have already lowered the amount of trans-fat in food,” he said in his statement. “The FDA’s scary assumptions are based on wobbly models piled on top of wishful thinking and doused with junk science.”

The FDA originally brought forth its trans-fat phaseout idea in late 2013 but is expected to finalize its regulatory curbs as soon as Monday. The agency is expected to boot trans-fats from its “generally recognized as safe” category, which will require any company that wants to use them to first petition the for FDA approval, the Associated Press reported.

Among the foods containing trans-fats: Commercially baked goods, microwave pizza and fried foods.

Stier said the little trans-fats that are used nowadays, like in microwave popcorn, ice cream sprinkles and some restaurant biscuits, “are there because they serve a specific function.”

He went on: “For instance, trans-fats are stable for a longer period of time, so a ban on even the most narrow uses of trans-fats will undoubtedly lead to more expensive food and more food waste.”
Read more HERE
* * * * *
Update:
FDA orders food manufacturers to stop using trans fat within three years

CNN) - 06/16/15- Artificial trans fat will have to disappear from the American diet, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA on Tuesday ruled that trans fat is not “generally recognized as safe” for use in human food.

The department gave food manufacturers three years to remove the partially hydrogenated oils, or PHOs, from their products. The companies can petition the FDA for a special permit to use it, but no PHOs can be added to human food unless otherwise approved by the FDA.
Read the full story ›

Via: http://www.wnd.com/2015/06/obama-bans-trans-fats/#vcp1L6GSKHmfSZrL.99

Feisty Red-Breasted Robin crowned Britian's National bird

(countyrliving.co.uk) 06/11/15 - As a nation of wildlife lovers, Britain’s National Bird vote was bound to ruffle feathers and now – following months of voting – we can finally reveal the winner.

Almost 225,000 votes have been cast since the ten finalists were announced in mid-March but with an overwhelming and not altogether unexpected majority of 34% – more than 75,000 votes and almost three times as many as the bird in second place – the feisty, red-breasted robin has emerged victorious.

A consistent visitor to our gardens, a year-round songster and popular enough to have earned itself the moniker of ‘the gardeners’ friend’, this plucky, unmistakable bird with its bright red breast, stout shape and long spindly legs is often referred to as Britain’s most familiar. Fitting then that birders and nature lovers across the country put pen to paper and finger to keyboard to vote for it in their droves.

Second and third place in the vote – cast via a website, postal votes and ballot boxes in schools across the UK – became a closely fought battle between the barn owl (above) and the blackbird. The nation’s favourite owl claimed 12% of the final tally coming in with an impressive 24,870 votes, narrowly beating the beady-eyed blackbird’s 11% or 23,369 votes.

The tiny, flitting wren or ‘Jenny wren’ claimed fourth spot with 9% of the total votes cast. Results for the remaining six birds were incredibly close with the relatively recently reintroduced red kite – a conservation success story – earning 6% in fifth position and the iconic but less often spotted puffin a shock entry in last place, garnering only 5% of the final count – full results of which are shown below.

Britain’s National Bird results

Robin 34% (75,623)
Barn owl 12% (26,191)
Blackbird 11% (25,369)
Wren 9% (19,609)
Red kite 6% (14,057)
Kingfisher 6% (13,922)
Mute swan 6% (13,480)
Blue tit 6% (13,123)
Hen harrier 5% (12,390)
Puffin 5% (10,674)

Voting began back in the autumn of 2014 when a list of 60 British birds was released by birder and campaign organiser David Lindo. This round of proceedings saw the skylark, cuckoo and nightingale eliminated and – perhaps less surprisingly – also ended any hopes of success for the ring-necked parakeet, the pheasant and the feral pigeon. Read the rest

'Nudist' photo sparks controversy in Malaysia

(BBC) - Four Western tourists accused of being part of a group who posed nude at the top of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu remain in custody after an earlier court appearance.

Authorities said the two Canadians, a Briton and a Dutchman may be charged with causing public nuisance.

Mt Kinabalu was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake last Friday which left 18 people dead, including children.

A senior minister last week said the tourists had angered the spirits of the mountain, which is considered sacred.

Read more
Arrested Mount Kinabalu 'nudist' admits 'stupidity'

Vatican: Pope urges Putin to make 'sincere, great effort' for Ukraine peace

(Reuters) 6/10/15 = A stern Pope Francis urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to make a "sincere and great effort" to achieve peace in the Ukraine.

The two met for about 50 minutes and agreed on the need to recreate a climate of dialogue in Ukraine and to implement a peace deal designed to end fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels, the Vatican said.

The meeting underlined how Francis has been increasingly using his role for diplomatic ends - particularly following the deal he brokered last year between Cuba and the United States to resume diplomatic relations after more than half a century.

Putin, who has been shunned by the Group of Seven nations over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last year, was received with full honors and regalia at the Vatican, including a ceremonial Swiss Guard welcome.

But the Argentine pope, who is usually chatty with world leaders when they enter his study, seemed stiff and exceptionally formal when he greeted Putin with a curt "willkommen" (welcome) in German. Both men remained silent until reporters were ushered out.

The tone of the Vatican statement after Wednesday's meeting also suggested Francis had been blunt with Putin behind closed doors. The word "cordial," which is used in nearly every Vatican statement about the pope's talks with a world leader, did not appear.

Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Ken Hackett, urged it to criticize Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict more forcefully.

"It does seem that Russia is supporting the insurgents and does seem that there are Russian troops inside Ukraine," Hackett said.

Moscow has dismissed Western accusations that it is arming the separatists in eastern Ukraine and sending its own soldiers to join the fight.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Hackett's words were an "unacceptable" attempt to influence the sovereignty of other countries.

The Vatican said the pope told Putin that it was essential to resolve the "grave humanitarian situation" in Ukraine, allow aid into conflict areas, and work for "progressive detente in the region".

Francis warmed up a bit during a picture-taking and gift exchange session after their private talks, speaking to Putin within earshot of reporters of the need for a "peace that overcomes all wars" and "solidarity among peoples".

Putin met the pope after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Milan where the Italian leader showed little sign of breaking ranks over European Union sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's role in the Ukraine.

Kmart's sales have fallen off a gigantic cliff

(cnnmoney) - The magnitude of Kmart's downfall is stunning.

Once one of America's leading discount retailers, Kmart raked in $37 billion in sales in its 2000 fiscal year. Last year Kmart registered only $12.1 billion in sales.

That's a dramatic 67% sales plunge in a little more than a decade. Americans have likely noticed the decline in their towns. Kmart had 2,165 stores in 2000. Now it has only 979.

Compare that with Target (TGT), one of the biggest beneficiaries of Kmart's crumble. During the same period, Target's sales nearly doubled to $72.6 billion. Even Kmart's sister brand Sears looks slightly better, with its revenue falling "only" 54% to $17 billion last fiscal year.

So what went so wrong at Kmart?

* * * *

KMart has been in decline for many years, I wouldn't say their downfall is "stunning" 

Sales for many retailers  have also been in decline with the recent economy. As long as the economy improves retail sales will improve, but for KMart who knows.

Australia: Google Street View heads to the Barrier Reef

(brisbanetimes.com.au) - Google's Street View has visited the Great Barrier Reef.

Street View is notorious for capturing unexpected moments that are weird and wonderful. But in this case life under the sea appears colourful, leisurely and peaceful for its inhabitants.

The underwater Google tool provides users the ability to explore in 360-degree surrounds among fish and coral at 20 different spots in the Great Barrier Reef.

The Google project was completed to mark World Oceans Day on June 8.

They also captured images of other ocean locations, including spots in Bali, the Bahamas, the Maldives and at an Indonesian shipwreck.

The images were collected in collaboration with and in partnership with the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, the US Government's National Marine Sanctuaries and the Chagos Conservation Trust.

Staff from Google's Ocean Program said they were planning on documenting new underwater areas.

"We hope the release of this imagery inspires people to learn more about this precious natural resource," they said.

"As the ocean changes we must change with it by creating new technologies to help document the state of the ocean today and how it changes in years to come."

Google has also released a Street View featuring some of the world's most remote islands.

Full Story with pics

Scattered violence as Mexico holds midterm elections

(Yahoonews.com) MEXICO CITY (AP) — Protesters burned ballot boxes in several restive states of southern Mexico on Sunday in an attempt to disrupt elections seen as a litmus test for President Enrique Pena Nieto's government, while officials said the vote was proceeding satisfactorily despite "isolated incidents."

Thousands of soldiers and federal police were guarding polling stations where violence and calls for boycotts threatened to mar elections for 500 seats in the lower house of Congress, nine of 31 governorships and hundreds of mayors and local officials.

Midterm elections usually draw light turnout, but attention was unusually high this time as a loose coalition of radical teachers' unions and activists vowed to block the vote.

They attacked the offices of political parties in Chiapas and Guerrero states and burned ballots in Oaxaca ahead of the vote.

The teachers' demands include huge wage hikes, an end to teacher testing and the safe return of 42 missing students from a radical teachers' college. Those students disappeared in September, and prosecutors say they were killed and incinerated by a drug gang. One student's remains were identified by DNA testing.

Protesters burned at least seven ballot boxes and election materials in Tixtla, the Guerrero state town where the teachers' college is located.

"We want the children to be found first, and then there can be elections," said Martina de la Cruz, the mother of one of the missing students.

Soon after, there was an exchange of rock-throwing between protesters and hundreds of people who said they intended to defend their right to vote. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Full Story

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Pope Francis visits Sarajevo for historic visit, urges peace

(Telegraph.co.uk) [June 6 2015] - Pope Francis on Saturday attacked "the atmosphere of war" currently besetting the world as he urged Bosnia to pursue reconciliation efforts, 20 years after a conflict that ripped the country apart.

Many conflicts across the planet amount to "a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war," the pontiff said in a mass at Sarajevo's Olympic Stadium during a one-day visit to the Bosnian capital.

"Some wish to incite and foment this atmosphere deliberately," he added, attacking those who want to foster division for political ends or profit from war through arms dealing.

"But war means children, women and the elderly in refugee camps, it means forced displacement, destroyed houses, streets and factories: above all countless shattered lives.

"You know this well having experienced it here."

The Pontiff had earlier referred to Sarajevo, with its synagogues, churches and mosques side by side, as a "European Jerusalem", a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions which required "the building of new bridges while maintaining and restoring older ones."

In a reference to the legacy of the war, which left Bosnia permanently divided along ethnic lines, he urged the country's Muslim, Serb and Croat communities to reach out to each other.

"In so doing, even the deep wounds of the recent past will be set aside," Francis said in a meeting with officials of the rotating presidency.

The 78-year-old then headed in his popemobile to the stadium, where he was given a rapturous reception by the 65,000-strong crowd.

"I am here because I want peace across the whole world and an end to war and hate," said Branimir Vujca, 50, a doctor from Kiseljac in central Bosnia, who had come with his wife and three children.

Katarina Dzrek, a Bosnian Croat who was also in the crowd, added: "Bosnia is in need of the message of peace the pope will send because there is still a lack of trust between."

Around 20,000 visitors from neighbouring Croatia, which is predominately Catholic, were amongst an estimated total of 100,000 people who had turned out for the occasion in the stadium and on the streets.
Francis told reporters on his flight from Rome that Sarajevo was "a city that has suffered much in its history but is now on a beautiful path of peace.

"That is why I am making this trip, as a sign of peace and a prayer for peace."

While the Vatican has played down security concerns surrounding the trip, local media have made much of a video published this week by a group of Islamists claiming to be members of the Islamic State (IS) who called for jihad in the Balkans.

More than a third of Bosnia's mostly Catholic Croats have left Bosnia since the war and the country of 3.8 million people is divided in two between a Bosnian Serb republic and a Croat-Muslim federation.

Sarajevo, once a beacon of multiculturalism, is also now largely split along ethnic lines.

Against that backdrop, Vatican officials believe Francis can have a positive impact by promoting the kind of inter-faith dialogue he holds dear.

The trip is Francis's eighth abroad in just over two years as the leader of the world's Catholics.

* * * * 

Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence on March 3 1992 & received international recognition the following month on April 6, 1992. The country soon plunged into a violent race war soon after. Bosnia is made up of the following ethnic groups: Bosnian 48% Serbian 33%  Croatian 15% & Other 4% (2013 estimate) Yugoslavia formally dissolved in 2006 with the independence of Montenegro that resulted from a democratic vote. 

U.S: Court rejects American Samoans' bid for full citizenship rights

(Reuters) 6-5-15 - A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled against a group of American Samoans who had argued that those born in the U.S. territory in the South Pacific should be eligible for U.S. citizenship at birth.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, noting that both the U.S. government and the government in American Samoa opposed the campaign, rejected the legal challenge made by named plaintiff Leneuoti Fiafia Tuaua and seven others.

Writing on behalf of a three-judge panel, Judge Janice Rogers Brown said the court was sympathetic to the claim, but reluctant to “impose citizenship by judicial fiat - where doing so requires us to override the democratic prerogatives of the American Samoan people themselves.”

The court held that the so-called citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment does not extend to unincorporated U.S. territories.

The clause says that "all persons born ... in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

Citizenship would have made the plaintiffs eligible for full U.S. passports and such rights as being able to vote while residing in a state. Currently, Samoans can obtain U.S. passports with an imprint describing them as noncitizen U.S. nationals.

American Samoa, a U.S. territory since 1900, is unique as the only U.S. territory where those born there are not automatically U.S. citizens, the Samoans’ lawsuit said.

Those born in the territory can claim citizenship if, at birth, they had a parent who was a citizen. They can also pursue U.S. naturalization, but the lawsuit said they should not need to go through that "lengthy, costly and burdensome" process.

The case is Leneuoti Tuaua v. USA, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 13-5272. (Source)

Michigan: No Cellphone for 2 years for Driver in Fatal Bicycle Crash

ST. JOHNS, Mich. (AP) -- A woman accused of being distracted by her cellphone when her car struck and killed a bicyclist has been barred from using any portable communication device for two years.

"I don't think she has a right to have a cellphone," Clinton County District Judge Stewart McDonald said. "I think it's a privilege."

Police said Mitzi Nelson was distracted by her phone last fall when she hit Jill Byelich, 35, who was riding a bike near DeWitt, north of Lansing. Nelson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge.

Nelson, 23, will spend at least 90 days in jail over staggered periods and must speak to new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, the judge said Wednesday.

Byelich's husband, Jordan Byelich, suggested the cellphone ban. He hugged Nelson in court before she was taken to jail.

Defense attorney Mike Nichols said he doubts he will challenge the sentence and phone ban.

"Mitzi may be just fine with that," he told the Lansing State Journal (http://on.freep.com/1H3PfmX ).

Nichols praised Jordan Byelich's compassion after witnessing the hug.

"That's what it's all about," he said. Source

* * * *

Since when is having a cell phone a "right"? I think Michigan needs a motor vehicle registry.. 

Wal-Mart relaxing dress code in bid to address worker concerns

[Reuters] - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) said it was relaxing its dress code and raising the temperature at its stores as part of an effort to improve working conditions at its 4,555 U.S. locations.

Executives at the world's largest retailer made the announcement at a gathering of 3,000 workers brought to Arkansas this week before the company's annual shareholders' meeting due to be held on Friday.

The effort, which includes a new training program and upgraded handheld terminals for department managers, is being billed as a sign that management was listening to some one million hourly workers it employs in the United States.

Wal-Mart has long faced criticism over pay and hours for many of its employees.

"My job is to make your life easier," Greg Foran, head of the retailer's U.S. operations, told the workers at the Bud Walton Arena in Fayetville, Arkansas.

Under a new dress code due in July, store workers will be allowed to wear black and khaki denim pants in addition to khaki trousers permitted by the existing code. Workers with physically demanding jobs will be allowed to wear blue denim and T-shirts.

Wal-Mart said it would raise the temperature in its stores to address worker complaints that they are too cold. The retailer controls temperatures centrally at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Foran presented examples of store workers taking initiative to find and promote hit products as behavior to be rewarded. The company wants to rev up U.S. sales, which were below market expectations in the latest quarter.

He encouraged employees to greet and help shoppers find what they need, and vowed that U.S. stores would be "clean, fast, friendly and in stock" by the crucial year-end holiday shopping season. Full Story

Related: Walmart to boost staff morale by playing less Celine Dion

Conservationists warn: Elephants are vanishing

The wildlife group TRAFFIC says the number of elephants in Tanzania dropped by more than 65,000 in 5 years. Poaching is blamed

(DetroitFreePress) June 2, 2015 - NAIROBI, Kenya — The sharp decline of the elephant population in Tanzania, most likely the result of poaching, is catastrophic, a wildlife conservation group said Tuesday.

The Tanzanian government estimated Monday that 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years. The report showed the number of Tanzanian elephants plummeting from about 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014.

Steve Broad, the executive directors of the wildlife conservation group TRAFFIC, said it is incredible that poaching on such an industrial scale had not been identified and addressed. The statistics back TRAFFIC's concerns in a 2013 report that said the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar have become main exit points for vast amounts of ivory, the group said in a statement.

According to the conservation group, at least 45 tons of ivory have flowed from Tanzania to international markets in Asia since 2009. In February, China imposed a one-year ban on ivory imports that took immediate effect amid criticism that its citizens' huge appetite for ivory has fueled poaching that threatens the existence of African elephants.

And in the U.S., California lawmakers are seeking to close a loophole in the state's ban on importing, buying or selling elephant ivory or rhinoceros horn that allows old ivory to be sold. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins said Tuesday that California is a top market for ivory and civil and criminal penalties could reduce sales.

TRAFFIC said a breakdown across the country showed some smaller elephant populations had increased, notably in the famed Serengeti region, where populations rose from 3,068 to 6,087 animals. However, beyond the most heavily visited tourist locations, elephant numbers were significantly down.

Of particular concern is the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem, where only 8,272 elephants remained in 2014, compared to 34,664 in 2009, according to government figures.

"Tanzania has been hemorrhaging ivory with Ruaha-Rungwa the apparent epicenter, and nobody seems to have raised the alarm," Broad said. He urged the government to take action to bring the situation under control.

The Tanzanian government says it has added 1,000 rangers to protect wildlife, but Broad said "there is a real risk that it could be a case of too little too late for some elephant populations." Full Story

Senior US diplomat visits Taiwan, meets President Ma

(chinapost.com.tw) 6/2/15 - TAIPEI, Taiwan -- President Ma Ying-jeou received U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin at the Presidential Office on Monday, making him the highest-level serving American official to visit Taiwan in recent years in a sign of improved relations between the two countries.

Rivkin strongly affirmed current U.S.-Taiwan relations, calling Taiwan an important ally, while emphasizing that both countries are key trading partners of one another.

In their morning meeting in the capital, Ma and Rivkin discussed a number of issues, including cross-strait relations, where Rivkin expressed his appreciation on behalf of the U.S. for Taiwan's role in the marked improvement of relations with China. He also expressed continued support for Taiwan's efforts to engage China, which have reduced tension in the region to the benefit of the U.S.

The bulk of the discussion, however, was devoted to key economic agreements that Taiwan is eliciting support for, including membership of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) led by China, and the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Rivkin reiterated that the U.S. is not opposed to Taiwan joining the AIIB.

A number of bilateral agreements between Taiwan and the U.S., including the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Select USA and the Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) were also discussed. Taiwan is currently the 10th largest trading partner of the U.S., with bilateral trade amounting to US$67.4 billion in 2014, surpassing U.S trade with Saudi Arabia and India. The 12 current members of the TPP comprise 35 percent of Taiwan's total trade.

Ma voiced his wish that U.S.-Taiwan ties could take the next step forward, with the resumption of negotiations over TIFA, which serves as a stepping stone for a possible free trade agreement between both sides. He also remarked that Taiwan was taking the necessary steps in liberalization and deregulating its economy in order to meet the high standards of TPP membership.

Rivkin is the first U.S. ambassador and former CEO to lead the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. State Department since 2012, while he also served as the U.S. ambassador to France from 2009 to 2013. The Bureau is charged with managing trade negotiations, investment treaties, economic sanctions, international finance, development-related issues and intellectual property rights protection, among other issues. Full Story