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Judge Slaps Down Nestle’s Bid To Throw Out Child Slavery Suit

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Judge Slaps Down Nestle’s Bid To Throw Out Child Slavery Suit

The lawsuit against Nestle regarding its support of child slavery in Ivory Coast will move forward as planned. On Monday, the United States Supreme Court rejected a proposal by Nestle, along with two other companies, to discard a lawsuit that will hold them accountable for their unethical practices. Nestle is being sued for supporting child labor by purchasing cocoa that is harvested in Ivory Coast where slaves were used.

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling from December of 2014 that was made by the 9th United States Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. With the decision, Nestle, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and Cargill Inc. will have to defend themselves in court.

The plaintiffs are originally from Mali, and they are accusing the three companies of human rights violations by actively purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast. According to the plaintiffs, the companies were aware of the child slavery issue, and they offered both financial and technical assistance to local Ivory Coast farmers in order to secure the cheapest source of cocoa possible.

In their decision to move forward with the lawsuit, the Supreme Court Justices focused on a 2013 SCOTUS ruling that made it more difficult for plaintiffs to sue American corporations for abuses that occurred overseas. In 2013, the High Court ruled in the Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum case that the lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell would be thrown out. Royal Dutch Shell had been accused of supporting state-sponsored torture and murder in Nigeria. The lawsuit was thrown out because it was determined to not concern United States territory.

Since then, American companies facing similar lawsuits have largely been able to get themselves out of trouble by citing the ruling from 2013. However, judges have interpreted in the ruling in different ways. This time, the tactic did not work for Nestle.

The appeals court in the Nestle case ruled that the plaintiffs could revise their lawsuit in order to see if they meet the requirements under the Supreme Court ruling. The United States Chamber of Commerce and several business groups have urged the court to take on the case.

First Genome Project Gives Hope To Two Little Girls

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First Genome Project Gives Hope To Two Little Girls

Two four year old girls with developmental disorders are the first people to benefit from the 100,000 Genomes Project in the United Kingdom. The project was launched in 2014 for the purpose of improving the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic disorders. Thanks to the project, these two young girls have finally received proper diagnoses to their mystifying medical conditions.

The two girls both received diagnoses last month, putting an end to the years of uncertainty for them and their families. Without the 100,000 Genomes Project, this would not have been possible. The project cost more than $432 million, and it was launched by British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2014. Now, more people with unknown conditions are hopeful that the project can be used to identify more puzzling genetic disorders.

In the two groundbreaking cases, researchers working on the project to compare the DNA from the two girls and their parents in order to discover that they both had a fault in a single gene. By identifying the genetic defects in question, doctors will now be able to conduct tests in other children who display similar traits.

Clinical geneticist at Great Ormond Street Maria Bitner-Glindzicz said, “We’ve got a long way to go before we really understand rare diseases and cancer, but we feel very hopeful that this is the beginning of something powerful and helpful.”

She continued, “People often are concerned about research, they are hesitant about getting involved. But the aim of research is to move forwards and be able to offer better diagnoses and better treatments. We don’t want to be where we are now in 20 years’ time. We want to be further on.”

Thanks to the firm diagnoses, the families affected will be able to receive much needed support through health insurance and special education services. The parents are also now certain that the genetic defects in question were not inherited, but rather developed through a rare mutation. This will give the parents confidence should they decide to try to produce more children.

With the two diagnoses, it is likely that other children with the same mutations will be able to be identified in the near future. For now, the 100,000 Genomes Project will continue to collect blood samples so that it can identify more genetic disorders in the future. It is clear that this project will further work to offer some much-needed answers to many distressed families.

Governor Cuomo Eyes Penn Station Revamp

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Governor Cuomo Eyes Penn Station Revamp

The largely outdated Penn Station in New York City might soon receive a much needed update. If the plan goes through, the much-hated train station would be transformed into a modern complex that would be pleasing to the eye and offer more room for commuters. However, such a transformation will be easier said than done.

The updated station would be named the Empire Station Complex, and the renovation project consists of three parts. The first part would be to redevelop the main shell of Penn Station, including removing the theater at Madison Square Garden and constructing a grand entrance along 8th Avenue. The second part would involve finishing the conversion of the adjacent Farley Post Office into a spacious new Amtrak center called Moynihan Station. The final step would be linking Penn and Moynihan through underground concourses.

Planners are hoping to move fast. It is said that officials expect private developers to pitch their plans within the next 90 days and that overall construction will be completed within three years. The winning bidder to move forward with the plans would be responsible for virtually all of the cost, which is estimated to be about $3 billion. In exchange, the developer would receive retail revenue generated from the commercial options of the new station.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said of the plan, “It’s going to have this state moving toward mass transit in a way it hasn’t been for decades. Transportation is what made this state 100 years ago. It’s what’s going to make this state for the next 100 years.”

However, with Cuomo’s reluctance to put city funds into the massive project, it is unknown if any developers will want to pony up such a large amount of private cash. This could put the project on halt before it even gets started. So far, the project looks like a good idea, but there isn’t a whole lot of substance.

Additionally, there’s more to the project than initially meets the eye. The station platforms desperately need to be widened so that travelers can board trains more quickly. This could lead to fewer train tracks, which could be a serious detriment to logistics. These are problems that won’t be solved by merely constructing expensive new passenger halls and tunnels.

For now, the project looks like nothing more than a pipe dream. Still, New Yorkers who desperately want an update to their dinosaur train station can dream big.

ISIS Most Likely Behind Deadly Blast In Turkey

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ISIS Most Likely Behind Deadly Blast In Turkey

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed that a Syrian suicide bomber is likely responsible for an explosion near one of the largest tourist spots in Istanbul which killed 10 people. Most of those killed were German. In addressing the tragedy, Erdogan said, “I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul, assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin. Unfortunately we have 10 dead, including foreigners and Turkish nationals . . . There are also 15 wounded.”

Erdogan’s comments strongly imply that ISIS was the perpetrator of Tuesday morning’s attack. As of this moment, no individual or group has claimed responsibility. However, senior Turkish security officials told the press that there was a “high probability” ISIS was the culprit. An investigation is underway.

The blast occurred in the Sultanahmet district, which is often full of tourists visiting local monuments. A citizen named Ramadan, a jewelry shop owner in the immediate area of the blast said that, “This is really bad – the situation was already bad, but this will only make things worse for tourism. I didn’t lose any friends, but all of the people of Istanbul are our friends and it is very sad to see this happening.”

Metin Gürcan, a security analyst, believe that all signs point to ISIS: “The choice of the location, the targeted nationalities, the way the attack was carried out and the government’s immediate effort to stop the dissemination of any information all point to Isis as the primary suspect. One of the tough questions for Turkey in the coming days is how to allocate security and intelligence capacities to fight more efficiently against ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks.”

Gürcan criticised Turkish intelligence agencies for failing to destroy the ISIS networks believed responsible for recent suicide attacks in Turkey despite the government’s knowledge of the existence of said networks.

He also noted that it was imperative that ISIS members and networks in Turkey were properly labeled as terrorists and terrorist organizations. He opined that, “The definition [of ISIS] needs to be very clear, and security forces need to be able to conduct more stringent operations against such cells, the tracking and hunting down of sleeper cells needs to be dramatically improved.”

President Erdogan verbally attacked foreign writers and academics for criticizing the Turkish government. He defiantly told them to, “Pick a side. You are either on the side of the Turkish government, or you’re on the side of the terrorists.”

Turkey borders Syria and is presently the home of more than 2 million Syrian refugees. Turkey was also recently a transit “station” for ISIS militants.

Alcohol Guidelines Updated For First Time Since 1995

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Alcohol Guidelines Updated For First Time Since 1995

The United States government has updated its recommendations on alcohol consumption for the first time since 1995. These updated recommendations advise drinking less per sitting and drinking alcohol fewer times per week.

Since the last update more than 20 years ago, the harms of alcohol consumption have become better understood. According to the latest research, previous alcohol guidelines both underestimated the harms and overestimated the benefits of drinking.

Newer studies have shown that alcohol increases the risk of developing certain cancers. It has also been discovered that alcohol’s benefit on heart health is not as strong as it had once been perceived. The new guidelines suggest that there is no real safe level of alcohol consumption. Basically, alcohol is just another routine risk that many Americans are going to continue to take.

Exceeding the new recommended limit of 14 drinks per week can lead to an increased risk of both bowel and breast cancers. Scientists determined the recommended 14 drinks per week limit because it reportedly represents just under a 1% lifetime risk of death due to alcohol consumption.

Prior studies have shown that small amounts of alcohol consumption can reduce one’s risk of developing certain heart conditions. However, it is now believed that this was a misconception caused by other factors. In particular, those who can afford to drink small amounts of alcohol are likely to have healthier hearts than those who cannot afford to drink at all. If there is any sort of health benefit from alcohol consumption, it only occurs at very small amounts of about one drink per day.

It’s important to remember that these are just mere guidelines and that they should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s not like slightly exceeding the advised 14 drinks per week limit will suddenly lead to serious health conditions or anything. That being said, drinkers should monitor their consumption and understand the risks involved. More drinks mean a greater risk, and it is as simple as that.

Uber Upping Public Transportation With New App

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Uber Upping Public Transportation With New App

Uber has formed a partnership with transportation company TransLoc. The partnership marks a significant advancement in Uber’s efforts to align itself with public transit services.

TransLoc is best known for building products for public transit companies. The company will integrate Uber into the TransLoc Rider app, which offers real-time bus tracking and route planning.

By integrating Uber into the app, passengers will be able to plan their trips using both public transportation and Uber. The idea is that riders will be able to use Uber to get to their needed transit stop and possibly to their ultimate destinations.

President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association Michael Melaniphy said of the deal, “Such partnerships will enhance the attractiveness of public transportation.”

Uber, along with its competitor Lyft, have been working hard to find allies in the public transportation industry. The ride-requesting companies recognize that public transportation is cheaper than their services. In order to make Uber a viable cheaper alternative to car ownership, public transportation must be incorporated into their offerings.

According to a transportation study, completing 85% of trips on public transit services and 15% on Uber is about equal to the cost of maintaining a personal vehicle.

Both Uber and Lyft have been making progress in joining forces with public transit companies. Uber has already formed partnerships with public transit services in Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Lyft is also working with the service in Dallas, and the company has recently launched its “Friends with Transit” campaign to further push the concept.

According to the director of transportation policy at Lyft Emily Castor, the company is currently in discussions with multiple transportation agencies about forming partnerships. Most notably, Lyft is talking with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in hopes of forming a paratransit service.

However, both Uber and Lyft have received criticism for not providing their data to cities and for not offering transportation companies with critical information that would assist officials in gauging the impact on transportation from their services.

The integration between TransLoc and Uber is set to debut as a pilot program in February. The service will be tested in Memphis, TN and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Savills Is Predicting A Global Market Slowdown

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Savills Is Predicting A Global Market Slowdown

In a trading update that was released on Monday, global property company Savills stated that while business is good right now, things could be murkier in the near future. Savills conducts various property services, such as valuation, planning and consultancy.

The company finished 2015 on a strong note, thanks to a significant property sale in Berlin that occurred earlier than expected. Despite the questionable future, Savills says that its 2015 results should be ahead of its earlier forecasts. But things might not be so good for 2016.

With heightened uncertainty regarding the global economy and rising interest rates, the company is expecting a disturbance in the strong recent transaction volumes. The predicted slowdown should affect some markets more than others. However, the company has not yet changed its expectations for 2016.

Over the past few years, the global property market has been booming. Property prices have been steadily increasing, and there have been a large amount of market activity. This has been particularly true in Great Britain, where housing prices have been very high as of late and sales have been flourishing. Newly-built skyscrapers in London have certainly helped matters. That being said, Savills thinks this boom is about to conclude.

With the meltdown in Chinese markets, there will certainly be global repercussions. There is widespread fear that the growth in the property industry is not sustainable. It is questioned whether or not new markets can emerge under these conditions. Additionally, the price of oil is continuing to decline rapidly, suggesting more market downturns.

The decisions from central banks aren’t expected to help matters for Savills. In December, the Federal Reserve in the United States increased the American interest rate for the first time in nine years. Other central banks throughout the world are expected to take similar actions in the near future. This will make it harder for people to invest in new properties.

However, Savills also says that market fundamentals are still solid. Ultimately, Savills does not believe there will be a total market crash, but a slowdown is very possible.

El Chapo Likely To Be Extradited To United States Sooner Than Later

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El Chapo Likely To Be Extradited To United States Sooner Than Later

Following the highly publicized recapture of escaped drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman over the weekend, Mexico is formally commencing extradition proceedings – a major sign that the country plans to ship him off to the United States.

After a months-long manhunt, Guzman, the notorious leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel and the most prominent drug trafficker on the planet, was arrested in the northwestern region of Mexico on Friday.

On Sunday, the Interpol agency served two extradition warrants to the Mexican attorney general. This move triggered the latest efforts to force Guzman to face the United States justice system for the hundreds of tons of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine that he brought into the country over the years.

While Mexico typically extradites leading drug traffickers to the United States, Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto resisted turning over Guzman after his February 2014 arrest as a matter of national pride.

However, his position quickly changed after Guzman escaped from one of Mexico’s maximum security prison this summer – for the second time – by scurrying away through a mile-long tunnel that popped up in his prison cell.

Interestingly, Guzman was transported to the same facility over the weekend but, so as to avoid any further humiliation, Mexico plans to turn Guzman over to the United States as soon as practically possible. Not surprisingly, Guzman’s attorneys are trying to block the extradition.

The U.S. government wants to try Guzman – who is suspected to be 58 years old – on many charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping and murder. He faces federal indictments in seven U.S. federal jurisdictions.

Chicago, IL and Brooklyn, NY are the most likely jurisdictions to conduct one of most high profile criminal trials in years.

In 2013, Chicago called Guzman its “first Public Enemy No.1 since Al Capone,” and has had multiple indictments against him.

Former United States Drug Enforcement Administration agent Robert Mazur noted that, “It will be a fight between each jurisdiction but logic would say that Chicago is the way to go.” Mazur spent five years undercover infiltrating Colombia’s drug cartels.

Mexico could extradite Guzman by mid-2016 but depending on what Guzman’s attorneys file, a United States trial may not take place for a year or even longer.

In a strange twist to the already incredible story, Guzman actually met with American actor Sean Penn late in 2015. Apparently the Mexican government was aware of the meeting and tracked Penn so that they could locate Guzman. Penn’s interview with Guzman was published in Rolling Stone magazine over the weekend.

Swedish Police Covered Up Sexual Assault By Refugees At Music Festival

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Swedish Police Covered Up Sexual Assault By Refugees At Music Festival

Reports indicate that police in Sweden have been covering up a series of sexual assaults that were committed at a music festival by refugees. According to the claims, the refugees in question were mostly youths from Afghanistan, and they allegedly molested girls as young as 11 years old at the annual “We Are Stockholm” Festival.

A leaked police report read, “The problem of young men rubbing themselves up against young girls returned as in previous years. These are so-called refugee youths mostly from Afghanistan. The group was also responsible for several fights during the evening.”

Stockholm police eventually made a public statement on the matter, saying that there were “relatively few crimes”. Now, many are saying that the police covered up the incidents. Some people believe that the police didn’t want to expose the incident because it would provide fuel for Swedish politicians who are against Sweden’s open border policy.

Officer Peter Argen said, “We sometimes dare not to say how it is because we think it might play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats.”

However, other law enforcement officials are displeased that such serious incidents were not properly reported.

The head of communications for the Stockholm Police Varg Gyllander stated, “As the person responsible for communications in Stockholm, I am self-critical, we should have communicated that. I actually do not know why it did not happen. I actually do not know why it did not happen. The problem is probably not the police work as such, but that we have failed to communicate what has been done and what has happened.”

Sweden Democrats Parliament Member Bjorn Soder said, “It is a scandal without equal. This must be investigated immediately. Could this be something that happened at several locations in the country that they do not bother to tell you certain things because it could play into the hands of a particular party?”

According to some of the young victims, groups of boys reportedly encircled and molested them on multiple occasions at the event. In most cases, the guards at the festival merely spoke with the offenders, and they would try to relocate them to a different area of the crowed. However, this did not stop the offenders from returning to the same spot. The girls reported that they were touched “everywhere”.

So far, no offenders have been charged for any crimes. However, National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson has stated that the actions of the officers will be reviewed following the incident. An investigation has also been demanded by Police Union President Även Lena Nitz.

Similar incidents have occurred at the same festival in prior years. Guards, volunteers and police officers supervising the event were told to be very alert and intervene as soon as they saw any signs of trouble.

The “We Are Stockholm” Music Festival takes place every year, usually attracting around 200,000 visitors. Most of the attendees are between the ages of 13 and 19.

Largest Manmade Fracking Earthquake Just Felt In BC

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Largest Manmade Fracking Earthquake Just Felt In BC

After an investigation lasting three months, it has been confirmed that a new world record was set for the largest and most intense earthquake ever to happen triggered by “fracking.” The August 2015 magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit near the Progress Energy facility in British Columbia.

After the “manmade” disaster, Progress Energy temporarily halted its hydraulic fracturing operations – otherwise known as fracking. The thorough investigation conducted by British Columbia’s energy commission confirmed the belief that the company caused the quake.

Following the earthquake, seismologists and scientists with Natural Resources Canada and Geoscience BC joined forces with the Oil and Gas Commission to examine and analyze all of the relevant data. Scientists noted that the epicenter of the earthquake was just about two miles from Progress Energy’s fracking operations site.

Fracking is the process that energy companies use to extract natural gas from rock deep underground. According to Progress Energy’s website, the seismic activity that may happen as a result of the operations occur deep below the earth’s surface, and is very rarely felt above ground and does not pose any risk to the environment or to the public’s safety.

But according to the local media, many residents felt the quake, which was described by seismologists as “significant.”

Officials first believed that the earthquake measured magnitude 4.4, but after reviewing the latest data analysis, determined it was 4.6 in magnitude.

This man-made phenomenon is called “induced seismicity.” And according to various studies, fracking has caused earthquakes in Oklahoma, British Columbia and in the U.K.

Alan Clay, spokesman for the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, said the earthquake was “likely induced by hydraulic fracturing.” However, he later said that the commission had yet to fully determine the cause of the quake and is conducting more research. That investigation is now finished.

Between late summer 2013 and the fall of 2014, almost 230 seismic “events” in the Montney area were connected to gas and oil activity. Out of those, eleven were felt at the surface.

White House Seeking To Enlist Facebook And Rest Of Silicon Valley To ‘Disrupt Radicalization’

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White House Seeking To Enlist Facebook And Rest Of Silicon Valley To ‘Disrupt Radicalization’

The Obama administration is seeking some help in trying to fight against online recruiting techniques that are used by terrorist groups. Government officials are reaching out to receive assistance from the major technology firms of Silicon Valley in order to better combat extremism. Reports indicate that White House officials will meet with representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft, YouTube and other companies.

The meeting will be attended by Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration Denis McDonough, Chairman of the National Security Agency Admiral Mike Rogers, leading spy James Clapper and FBI director James Comey. The discussion is set to take place in a government building in San Jose, CA.

A message sent to the companies from the White House read, “In what ways can we use technology to help disrupt paths to radicalization to violence, identify recruitment patterns, and provide metrics to help measure our efforts to counter radicalization to violence? How can we make it harder for terrorists to use the internet to mobilize, facilitate, and operationalize attacks, and make it easier for law enforcement and the intelligence community to identify terrorist operatives and prevent attacks?”

Many American officials have criticized the technology companies for not doing enough to stop communication between terrorists and potential recruits. Although some technology companies have expressed willingness to assist in the efforts, they are largely nervous about being viewed as too eager to provide the government with access to personal user information. As such, technology companies have been working to increase the security of encryption, much to the displeasure of the government.

Last month, President Barack Obama stated that one of his goals for his final year in office is to work more closely with technology firms to ensure national security.

The President said, “We’re going to have to continue to balance our needs for security with people’s legitimate concerns about privacy.”

The issue is extremely delicate for the technology firms, as free speech is protected by the United States Constitution. It’s only when a concise and present threat is involved that they can get involved. Indeed, the line between protected free speech and the instigation of violence is still very unclear.

FBI Used Hacking Techniques To Bust 1,500 Pedophiles

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FBI Used Hacking Techniques To Bust 1,500 Pedophiles

The FBI recently made a major child pornography bust on the dark net. By using a hacking method to trace IP addresses, the bureau was able to shut down Playpen, which was the largest known hidden child pornography service in the world. Playpen was originally launched in August of 2014, and it functioned as a message bulletin board for pedophiles. The dark net website attracted about 11,000 unique visitors on a weekly basis, and it had more than 215,000 individual accounts.

The process undertaken by the FBI was actually quite unique. The server running Playpen was first seized by the FBI in February of 2015. However, the FBI waited to shutdown the server. From February 20 until March 4, the FBI ran the child pornography website using its own servers. During this time, the FBI used a hacking tool known as a network investigative technique (NIT). By using this tool, the FBI was able to identify more than 1,300 IP addresses that belonged to visitors of Playpen.

A public defender representing one of the defendants accused of frequenting the notorious message board stated, “Basically, if you visited the homepage and started to sign up for a membership, or started to log in, the warrant authorized deployment of the NIT.”

The public defender went on to say that it is expected that more than 1,500 court cases will stem from the investigation.

He continued, “It’s an extraordinary expansion of government surveillance and its use of illegal search methods on a massive scale.”

The FBI is well known for using hacking techniques. The bureau has been known to exploit zero-day security holes, and it is heavily interested in making busts over the dark net. It is unknown as to whether or not the Playpen NIT targeted a zero-day flaw or some other sort of exploit. Either way, it’s fair to expect the FBI to use its powers to make other busts over the dark net in the future.

Apple Just Made Surprisingly Emotional Company Purchase

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Apple Just Made Surprisingly Emotional Company Purchase

Technology firm Apple has just made an interesting purchase with technology company Emotient. An intriguing startup company, Emotient is known for creating technology that is able to analyze the facial expressions of people in order to gauge their reactions to an event or situation. The technology from Emotient is able to be applied to both single individuals and large groups of people.

At the present time, Apple has not stated their reasoning behind acquiring Emotient. That being said, Emotient maintains a diverse patent portfolio that allows its unique technology to mine several various media situations and content relating to human emotions. Needless to say, Apple could very well use the technology of Emotient to have its products better correspond to the current emotions of its users.

For instance, there are obvious applications in commercial situations that are particularly dependent on human reactions, such as Hollywood test screenings. Furthermore, the technology could easily be used in medical applications, in which expressions can determine a person’s response to any given diagnosis or treatment.

The motto of Emotient is in line with this vision, reading, “Attention, engagement, emotion. This is the currency of revenue growth and customer satisfaction, because emotions drive spending. These quantities have been measured only as guesses and indirect inferences. Until now.”

Emotient offers the promise that it can use direct emotional responses in order to provide customer insights. This is the primary selling-point of Emotient.

Recently, Apple has also made two other artificial intelligence acquisitions. These include Perceptio, which Apple will use to increase its search for talented hires and VocallQ, which will be used to improve the function of Apple’s interactive personal assistant tool Siri.

Apple is well-known for purchasing smaller technology companies and then incorporating their technologies into their own. Apple generally refrains from initially revealing their purposes or plans for such acquisitions. However, Apple’s purchase of Emotient should become more clear over time.

Goldman Sachs Rethinks Market Valuation Over Event That Hasn’t Happened In 48 Years

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Goldman Sachs Rethinks Market Valuation Over Event That Hasn’t Happened In 48 Years

Goldman Sachs has lowered its stock market estimates for 2016, as oil prices have still not shown any signs of recovery from their long-running slump. The continuing poor performance of oil and other commodities is causing many market analysts to hit the panic button.

Goldman Sachs representative David Kostin said, “We lowered our S&P 500 earnings per share forecast by $3 to $106, $117, and $126 for 2015, 2016, and 2017, reflecting annual growth of -7%, +11% and +8%, respectively. Energy is the leading driver of our reduced profit outlook.”

Goldman Sachs isn’t the first investment bank to issue such an alert. Representatives from Deutsche Bank and RBC Capital have already provided such warnings to their clients.

Representative of Deutsche Bank David Bianco originally believed that oil prices would recover in 2016, but now he isn’t so sure. At one point, Bianco predicted that oil prices would average $55 per barrel in 2016.

“This seemed reasonable several weeks ago. But now it doesn’t,” he said.

The warnings issued by the major banks highlight the challenges associated with forecasting markets, particularly in the energy sector. Analysts have said that they haven’t seen such a downturn in oil markets in at least five decades.

Kostin stated, “We expect Energy will post a $2 per share loss in 2015 EPS, the first time that the last-twelve month Energy EPS has been negative since our data series began in 1967. The write-down in Energy company assets has exacerbated the earnings hit from the 35% fall in Brent crude oil prices in 2015 following a 48% plunge in the commodity price in 2014.”

Just one month ago, oil was valued at about $40 per barrel. As a result many market analysts had a positive outlook regarding 2016. Now, a barrel of oil is trading in the low $30s. This downturns suggests that 2016 could be an even worse year for energy stocks than the lackluster 2015.

We Might Have Neanderthals To Thank For Our Modern Day Allergies

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We Might Have Neanderthals To Thank For Our Modern Day Allergies

Scientists suspect that modern day allergies in humans might be the result of interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals thousands of years ago. To this day, virtually everyone maintains a very small amount of Neanderthal DNA.

It is suspected that three allergy-related genes cross into modern humans following some sexual encounters between Neanderthals and modern day humans which took place more than 40,000 years ago.

These genes are believed to strengthen the immune system against serious pathogens, but they also make the immune system overly-sensitive. This results in the non-serious allergic reactions that many humans experience to this day. It has also been shown that carriers of these three genes are more likely to have asthma, hay fever and other allergies.

Neanderthals likely developed the genes in order to adapt to the cold European and Asian climate in which they resided. Modern day humans who arrived from Africa eventually encountered and mated with the Neanderthals.

Lead researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig Janet Kelso stated, “A small group of modern humans leaving Africa would not carry much genetic variation. You can adapt through mutations, but if you interbreed with the local population who are already there, you can get some of these adaptations for free.”

Kelso and her team scanned the genomes of modern day humans in order to search for evidence of Neanderthal genes. In the end, there were three genes that particularly stood out. The findings suggest that modern humans inherited the genes upon encountering the Neanderthals. The genes were so beneficial to humans back then that they remain in our genomes to this very day.

Kelso stated, “Interbreeding with archaic humans does indeed have functional implications for modern humans. The most obvious consequences have been in shaping our adaptation to our environment and improving how we resist pathogens and metabolize novel foods.”

This theory is supported by a study that took place at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. During the Paris study, Geneticist Lluis Quintana-Murci located the same three genes as Kelso and her team.

Deaths Caused By Cancer Has Dropped 23% Since 1991

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Deaths Caused By Cancer Has Dropped 23% Since 1991

Reports have indicated that cancer rates in the United States are continuing to decline. Since 1991, deaths caused by cancer have declined by 23%. However, the disease is still the second leading cause of death in America, only behind heart disease.

Health experts believe that the decline in cancer deaths is the result of improved screenings and the decline in smoking rates. It is estimated that 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2016. Nearly 600,000 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year.

Currently, the most common cancer diagnosis is thyroid cancer. This is because highly advanced imaging technologies have allowed doctors to locate small thyroid cancers that pose no real medical threats. Some doctors have said that about 10% to 15% of the population has some form of thyroid cancer.

Attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Dr. Michael Tuttle said, “There is no question, the data is the data, we’re making more diagnoses. But most of those diagnoses are very small thyroid cancer and many of us are questioning the clinical significance of that thyroid cancer.”

While the overall picture suggests a steady decline of cancer, there still exist major disparities regarding who is able to access cancer screenings and treatments. It has been shown that black males have the highest overall rates of cancer, and they are two and a half times more likely to pass away from prostate or stomach cancer than white males.

CEO and president of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention Dr. Gina Villani said, “We do know that minorities in general have access to lower-quality cancer care to begin with and lower volume of specialists, so that has an impact on your survival.”

Additionally, while black women and white women are diagnosed with breast cancer at the same rate, black women are more likely to die from the disease.

Epidemiologist and CEO of Black Women’s Health Imperative Linda Goler said, “The gap between black women and white women has gotten wider over time and that reflects who gets access to quality treatment.”

Recently, experts have called into question the validity of cancer screenings.

American Workforce Experiences A Surge, But Pay Remains Roughly The Same

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American Workforce Experiences A Surge, But Pay Remains Roughly The Same

The American job market has been performing tremendously lately, as the United States added about 292,000 new jobs in December and 252,000 new jobs in November. These figures greatly exceeded expectations offered by the Department of Labor. Overall, 2015 was the second strongest year for American workers since 1999.

That being said, the news wasn’t all good, as wages in 2015 did not increase as much as expected. Also, unemployment has continued to hover around 5%. But still, the influx in the job market does support the Fed’s recent decision to increase interest rates. The Fed has stated that interest rates will continue to be gradually increased.

However, these figures do not reflect recent global market downturns stemming from the stock market crashes in China. Nevertheless, it appears that the American economy is moving forward.

Former Federal Reserve economist and current executive at JPMorgan Chase Michael Feroli stated, “Job creation was solid in December. This should calm some fears about the US economy losing growth momentum. It’s reassuring in the backdrop of some recent economic reports that were weak.”

Analysts believe that the job gains in December were supported by mild winter weather across the United States. The leading industries for job gains were temporary assistance services, healthcare, transportation and construction.

Although employers have been rapidly adding workers, rates of pay haven’t shown much of an increase. Average hourly earnings have not had any major increases in the past couple of months. Over the past year, average hourly earnings have increased by 2.5%, which is ahead of the current inflation rate.

The Federal Reserve has spoken positively of the labor market in recent months. In December, Fed officials stated that the improvement in labor market conditions was “substantial”.

A release from the Fed stated, “Members agreed that a range of recent labor market indicators, including ongoing job gains and declining unemployment, showed further improvement and confirmed that underutilization of labor resources had diminished appreciably since early this year.”

L.A. Community Goes Into State Of Emergency As Gas Leak Cannot Be Contained

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L.A. Community Goes Into State Of Emergency As Gas Leak Cannot Be Contained

The underground methane gas leak in Los Angeles has reached critical levels, prompting a state of emergency to be declared. The leak has reportedly released an amount of pollution that is equivalent to 4.5 million vehicles on a daily basis since it originally started in October of last year.

When humans are exposed to certain added chemicals within the methane gas, they experience temporary health ailments. So far, the leak has forced more than 2,000 families to relocate from their homes. The effects from the leak were first reported in the affluent Porter Ranch neighborhood on the outskirts of Los Angeles on October 23. Many of these families were forced to spend their holidays in a hotel.

People working on the situation have stated that measures of repairing the damaged pipeline and stopping the leak have been underway for quite some time. So far, methods of stopping the leak have proven to be unsuccessful. According to officials from Southern California Gas, the company should fix the leak sometime in February or March.

Residents located within a few miles of the leak have been largely complaining of headaches, nausea, and respiratory issues. The symptoms are not caused by the methane gas itself, but rather mercaptans which have been added to the gas. Mercaptans are what give the methane gas its distinct smell so that officials can detect when a leak has occurred. Health officials have stated that there are no known long-term health effects from exposure to mercaptans.

But while the gas leak isn’t causing any permanent damage to humans, the same cannot be said for the environment. Current estimates show that the methane from the leak now represents roughly a quarter of the entire state’s total emissions of methane. So far, the climate equivalent has been compared to burning 700 million gallons of gasoline.

Residents who have been forced to relocate have been compensated for their inconvenience. Officials from South California Gas have stated that the company has taken total responsibility for the incident and that they intend on fully cooperating with state and local officials, as well as regulatory agencies.

Cancer Screenings Might Prove More Harmful Than Beneficial

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Cancer Screenings Might Prove More Harmful Than Beneficial

Although cancer screening tests have been praised for saving lives, some experts believe that the benefit is non-existent. Experts in America and Germany have stepped forward, saying that cancer screenings do not save lives and that there is no benefit to the practice.

According to the experts, cancer screening causes psychological and medical harm to the patients. They say that cancer screening tests lead to over-diagnoses, which results in patients going through extremely debilitating treatments that aren’t necessary.

An analysis from cancer expert at the Oregon Health and Science University Vinay Prasad shows that cancer screening tests could be providing “false positive” results. This means that patients are told they have cancerous abnormalities that aren’t even present. In other cases, the cancer that is located is of a harmless variety that would have been better left untreated.

Prasad has stated that healthcare providers should be open and honest about the limitations of cancer screening. While the harms of cancer screening are largely certain, the benefits in overall mortality have not fully been proven. In the end, many people might ultimately be better off by opting out of cancer screenings.

Cancer expert from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin Gerd Gigerenzer said, “Rather than pouring resources into ‘mega-trials’ with a small chance of detecting a minimal overall mortality reduction, at the additional cost of harming large numbers of patients, we should invest in transparent information in the first place. It is time to change communication about cancer screening from dodgy persuasion into something straightforward.”

Screening for prostate cancer has been found to be particularly unreliable. Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have a greater likelihood of having a heart attack, committing suicide, or dying from the cancer treatment itself than becoming a victim to the actual disease.

Many doctors believe that cancer screening is only beneficial for certain types of cancers. Last summer, a group of epidemiologists in the United Kingdom stated that the benefits of checks for breast cancer have been largely exaggerated. However, the group would not make the same claim about checking for bowel and cervical cancers.

Of course, a large number of doctors still support the practice. One such doctor is Dr. Anne Mackie, who serves as the the director of screening at Public Health in England.

Dr. Mackie said, “Cancer screening and follow-up treatment does prevent or can at least delay some people dying from cancer. There is clear and robust evidence of the benefits of bowel cancer screening and falls in deaths from cervical cancer. The independent Marmot review into breast screening in 2012 concluded that screening reduces breast cancer mortality by 20%.”

She added, “There needs to be some potential benefit for the individual being offered screening and that the benefits for the population outweigh the harms and should be cost-effective.”

Meanwhile, the head of health and patient information for Cancer Research UK Julie Sharp spoke of the benefits of checking for breast, bowel and cervical cancers.

Sharp stated, “In the UK, there’s no screening program for prostate or lung cancer because there isn’t good evidence that, overall, the benefits are likely to outweigh the harms. It’s vital that everyone is given clear, unbiased information on how the harms and benefits of screening stack up so they can make an informed choice about whether to accept their screening invitation.”

Saudis Consider IPO For World’s Biggest Oil Producer

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Saudis Consider IPO For World’s Biggest Oil Producer

Saudi Arabia is considering taking its state-owned oil behemoth public. According to deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the IPO for Saudi Aramco could take place in the coming months. By selling shares, Saudi Arabia and Aramco would be able to better raise funds, promote transparency and fight against corruption.

The oil production of Saudi Aramco is roughly twice the amount of its closest competitor, representing more than 10% of the world’s output of oil. A slump in crude oil prices has brought oil to a 12 year low. This has had a serious impact on the revenue of Saudi Arabia, as the country has been forced to take steps to reduce public spending. Salman has stated that he hopes to reduce the country’s dependence on oil.

The massive size of the company would result in any public offering being a major event. Some market analysts have said that about 5% of the company could be offered initially, while more shares could be sold at a later date. Either way, it appears that Saudi Arabia will maintain the overwhelming majority control of the oil company. But giving up any portion of the company would cause Saudi Arabia to lose some control over the lucrative global oil market.

Even with falling oil prices, Salman has stated that the Saudi economy is in decent shape. The country has reportedly increased its non-oil revenues by 29%.

On Wednesday, the price of crude oil sold by members of OPEC fell below $30 a barrel. This represents the lowest price in nearly 12 years. Because of the slump, OPEC members lost around $500 billion in revenue last year.

Aramco produced 10.25 million barrels per day in December. The company is responsible for the entirety of crude oil production in Saudi Arabia. By comparison, OAO Rosneft of Russia produces about 5 million barrels per day, while Exxon Mobil produces 4 million barrels per day.

Armed Man Killed In Paris On Charlie Hebdo Anniversary

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Armed Man Killed In Paris On Charlie Hebdo Anniversary

On Thursday, police in Paris shot and killed a knife-wielding man who tried to enter a police station. The man was shouting “Allahu Akbar”, which translates into “God is great”, at the time of the incident. He was also wearing a phony suicide belt. The attacker has not yet been identified.

The incident occurred on the one year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Just minutes prior to the most recent attack, French President Francois Hollande had given a speech in a separate part of Paris to mark the anniversary. In the attacks last January, shootings at the Charlie Hebdo office and a Jewish supermarket led to the deaths of 17 people.

France has been on high alert since last November, when 130 people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks in Paris. Coordinated shootings and suicide bombings targeted several areas in the capital, including a music hall, a soccer stadium and several bars and restaurants. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

During the most recent incident, the man tried to force his way into a police station located in the 18th district of northern Paris. ISIS reportedly planned to attack this area as part of the attacks in November.

An official of the Alternative Police Union in Paris stated, “According to our colleagues, he wanted to blow himself up. He shouted Allahu Akbar and had wires protruding from his clothes. That’s why the police officer opened fire.”

Bomb experts were immediately deployed to the scene to handle the situation. Witnesses have reported seeing a bomb-disposal robot working next to the deceased man’s body. During the incident, the man reportedly charged at the police before he was shot.

During his speech, President Hollande stated that he would work to better equip police officers in order to prevent future militant attacks. Additionally, the French President also spoke positively of the intense security measures that have been implemented since November. Many people have attacked these security measures, comparing them to the Patriot Act that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Since the November attacks, France has stepped up its efforts in Syria and Iraq. French forces have been launching a series of airstrikes against jihadist groups in the Middle East. The country is now the second largest contributor to the American-led coalition against ISIS.

China Stock Market Closes Down After Only 15 Minutes Of Trade

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China Stock Market Closes Down After Only 15 Minutes Of Trade

In a desperate attempt to put a stop to rapidly falling stock prices, China once again prematurely closed its shares trading market via a “circuit breaker” closure. This was the second time this week that the Chinese market has had to take such a drastic action. As a result of the frequent market shutdowns, China has suspended its new circuit breaker policy until further notice.

When the Chinese market opened on Thursday, shares quickly plummeted by 5%. This prompted a circuit breaker closure that lasted for 15 minutes.

But things got even worse when the markets reopened, as the benchmark CSI300 fell past 7%. This resulted in an automatic trading shutdown for the remainder of the day. In total, trading in China on Thursday only lasted about 15 minutes.

Under the recently suspended rules, Chinese markets have been automatically shut down using “circuit-breakers” whenever stock prices started drastically falling. This was to prevent people from panicking and rapidly selling their holdings. It is unknown when or if this policy will resume.

Many experts believe that the new circuit breaker rules have been ineffective and that they will need to be adjusted before they are put in place. Before the suspension, it seemed that any loss could have triggered a circuit-breaker incident. When stock prices fall, people tend to panic and sell. Despite the share-buying efforts from state-owned financial institutions, China could not prevent such crashes when stock prices started to tumble.

Chief markets strategist at IG Markets in Melbourne Chris Weston stated, “The distance between the initial 5% circuit break and the full halt of the market at 7% is just way too narrow. When the market hits 3.5% to 4% we see everyone panic and put in their sell orders. When the 15 minute window ceases the market shoots through to 7% straight off the bat.”

Weston believes that widening the 15 minute window could help solve the problem.

He continued, “The distance between the two needs to be wider otherwise we are going to see this happen time and time again. I would look at a full halt at 9-10% and sufficient breathing room that the national team can convince people to buy after 5%. Failing that they can remove the breakers and allow the market to fall to a level that many feel reflects economic reality.”

With the awful market in China, expect markets throughout the world to have a poor showing on Thursday. These new circuit-breaker policies have only highlighted China’s terrible start to 2016.

Judge Rules That Animals Cannot Own Their Own Photos In Famous Monkey Selfie Case

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Judge Rules That Animals Cannot Own Their Own Photos In Famous Monkey Selfie Case

The United States Copyright Act was written in order to cover many situations, but a federal judge has now ruled that it was not drafted to protect the rights of animals who happen to take famous photographs. More specifically, a federal judge in California has ruled that a macaque monkey, who took an adorable, now-famous selfie, cannot legally be considered the copyright owner of such photo.

While United States District Judge William Orrick noted that the president and Congress can legally extend the protections of certain laws to animals, there is no language in or legislative history of the Copyright Act that indicates any intention to do so. The court determined that there was no apparent attempt to extend the Copyright Act to animals.

The lawsuit was initiated last year by the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA.) In the suit, PETA requested a court order allowing the animal rights group to use all proceeds generated from the photos for the benefit of the 6-year old monkey, named Naruto.

A number of photographs, including the famous selfie, were taken in 2011 when British nature photographer David Slater took a trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia. Slater intervened in the lawsuit and asked the court to dismiss PETA’s case. He argued that the British copyright for the photos were obtained by his company, Wildlife Personalities Ltd., and those copyrights should be honored worldwide.

However, the photos have since been distributed just about everywhere, including on Wikipedia’s website. Wikipedia contends that no one owns the copyright to the photographs because they were taken not by a person – but by an animal.

In response to this particular situation, the United States Copyright Office issued an update to some of its policies last year. This included adding a section stating that the office would only register copyrights for works produced by humans. It specifically stated that the works produced by any animals, including photographs taken by a monkey, would not qualify for copyright protection.

Time Warner Cable Issues Warning That Up To 320,00 Users’ Data Has Been Compromised

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Time Warner Cable Issues Warning That Up To 320,00 Users’ Data Has Been Compromised

The most recent victim of yet another major cyber attack is United States company, Time Warner Cable. The cable television giant has advised that 320,000 of its customers to access their accounts and change their email passwords as the company believes that the cyber hackers may gained access..

In a statement, Time Warner said it was notified by the FBI that, “some of our customers’ email addresses, including account passwords, may have been compromised.”

The company also stated in an email to its customers that, “Our understanding is that the compromise had nothing to do with [Time Warner’s] systems or processes. [The company] has found no evidence of a breach in its systems that operate and secure email accounts for our customers.”

A spokesperson for Time Warner, Nathalie Burgos, said only the customers with Roadrunner email addresses are possibly affected. Roadrunner email addresses are those that include the letters “rr” in the domain name.

Burgos said that Time Warner has not yet determined just how its customers’ email addresses and passwords were obtained. However, she did note that the information may have been stolen by malware that was downloaded during phishing attacks. It may have also been stolen indirectly via data breaches of other entities and companies that stored the information of Time Warner Cable customers – including email addresses and passwords.

Phishing attacks happen when ill-willed people send emails to other people directing them to click on a link so that they can “update” their personal information such as credit card accounts and email passwords. The embedded links then direct the unsuspecting users to bogus websites that resemble the sites of legitimate companies. And when people access such a website, two things can happen: either the victims “update” their information, thereby giving the thieves direct access to their personal data; or simply clicking on the link triggers the download of malware directly onto their personal computers, which can then collect all sorts of personal information.

Time Warner’s customers across the country were notified this week and were strongly advised to change their passwords by going to the website http://twc.com/emailpassword and following the directions.

Customers with any questions may call the company at 1-844-899-8913. Additionally, Time Warner Cable Business Class customers may call 1-866-892-4249.T

Oculus Rift To Hit Shelves In March, But Analysts Aren’t Expecting A Boom

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Oculus Rift To Hit Shelves In March, But Analysts Aren’t Expecting A Boom

After much anticipation, buyers are finally able to pre-order the long-awaited Oculus Rift virtual reality headset from Facebook. The device is expected to be shipped to stores on March 28. However, it’s unlikely that the innovative new headsets will fly off of store shelves when it is available for sale in April.

While some people are predicting that the headset will bring about a new era of virtual reality computing, investors on Wall Street don’t expect magic to happen overnight. In fact, most market analysts believe that the transition to virtual reality headsets will happen very slowly.

Few experts believe that sales for the Oculus Rift will exceed one million in 2016. Many have said that Facebook would be lucky to reach half that amount this year. With sale figures that low, Facebook will likely experience losses in profit from the long-awaited project. Instead, the company is probably going to be left waiting for virtual reality technology to fully catch on. Many analysts have even stated that the device is not a very big deal for Facebook at this time.

However, this is not very concerning to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The billionaire has made many comparisons between virtual reality technology and smartphones. When smartphones were originally introduced, sales were extremely lackluster. But over time, they caught on and became massively popular. Zuckerberg believes a similar situation will take place with virtual reality devices.

A major problem with the device is that the vast majority of current computers do not have the graphic capabilities to support the headset. Many customers will be forced to upgrade their computers before using the device. This can cost hundreds of dollars. Thus, it might be a few more years before virtual reality technology really becomes the norm.

The Oculus Rift will sell at a retail price of $599. Facebook has stated that it will send out its initial shipment on March 28. The device will include two complementary virtual reality games, and it should be available for purchase by general consumers sometime in April.

Netflix Closes The Global Borders As It Spreads To 130 New Countries

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Netflix Closes The Global Borders As It Spreads To 130 New Countries

Netflix has announced a major expansion, as the video streaming service is now available in 130 new countries. With the move, virtually every single country in the world is now able to access Netflix. The company maintains the goal of becoming the world’s first fully global online streaming service.

As part of the expansion, Netflix is now available in India, Russia, Poland, Singapore, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Vietnam, Azerbaijan and hundreds of other countries. However, the streaming service will still be unavailable in China. Since the announcement of the expansion, Netflix stock has soared.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the expansion was the “birth of a global TV network.” Hastings made the bold comment while speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Netflix already operated in 60 world countries, mostly in the Americas and in Europe. The expansion includes virtually all of Asia, with China as the most notable exception. Netflix made its initial debut in Asia in September of 2015.

The company says that it is continuing to explore options for providing service in China. Still, this will be easier said than done. Media content in China is heavily censored, with popular websites such as Google and Facebook remaining blocked in the country. China has largely compensated for its absence of Netflix by offering its own streaming services that are sponsored by the state.

While China still remains the single largest gap for the surging streaming company, the country will not be alone in not offering Netflix. Other regions joining China include Crimea, North Korea and Syria.

Additionally, Netflix is planning to produce original series in languages other than English. Next year, the company will start featuring original program in the languages of French, Italian and Portuguese. Netflix currently supports 16 world languages, and it is planning on adding Arabic, Korean and both simplified and traditional Chinese in the near future.

Faraday Future’s ‘Tesla Killer’ Boasts 1,000-Horsepower Electric Car

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Faraday Future’s ‘Tesla Killer’ Boasts 1,000-Horsepower Electric Car

With its unveiling of the FFZero1 fully-electric high-performance sports car, Faraday Future is hoping to put a serious dent into Tesla’s dominance of the luxury electric car market. The FFZero1 is a sleek ride that some have dubbed a cross between a Corvette and the Batmobile. The car was unveiled at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and many are nicknaming it the “Tesla Killer”.

The FFZero1 features 1,000 horsepower under the hood, and can go from zero to 60mph in under three seconds. The top speed of the FFZero1 exceeds 200mph. For a vehicle that is battery-powered, these are amazing figures. The car also includes a helmet, which provides the driver with oxygen and water. According to senior vice president of research and development for Faraday Future Nick Sampson, a variation of the car is expected to enter into production in just two years.

Faraday Future, which is located just outside of Los Angeles in Gardena, CA, has been recruiting experts from rival luxury car companies Tesla and BMW. The 18 month old company currently boasts a force of more than 550 employees. Additionally, the auto manufacturer is soon planning to construct a $1 billion production plant near Las Vegas. However, it hasn’t all been a smooth ride, as the company lost its chief battery architect after he had only been working for 15 months.

While the idea of electric vehicles is exciting to many, most Americans are still driving traditional gasoline-powered cars. In fact, electric vehicles still only represent about 1% of the car market in the United States. Representatives from Faraday Future have said that they will target luxury car buyers in hopes of expanding the electric vehicle market.

As for funding, Faraday Future has been heavily supported by Chinese billionaire investor Jia Yueting, who takes major influence from the deceased Steve Jobs. Yueting is the founder and CEO of Faraday Future’s holding company LeTV, and he has a net worth of about $7 billion.

Yueting said, “We plan to revolutionize the automobile industry by creating an integrated, intelligent mobility system that protects the earth and improves the living environment of mankind.”

Still, Faraday Future has a large amount of work ahead. It is starting behind Tesla, and traditional car manufacturers have also started to get into the electric vehicle scene. Needless to say, Faraday Future has a large amount of catching up to do. Additionally, traditional cars are currently receiving a boost thanks to low oil prices. The time for a major electric vehicle boom has not happened quite yet. But with electric cars and clean energy being the way of the future, Faraday Future is doing the right thing by getting started as early as possible.

Police Shot And Killed 986 People In 2015

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Police Shot And Killed 986 People In 2015

Data from the FBI has revealed that police officers in the United States killed a total of 984 people in 2015. The final killing occurred during the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, when Las Vegas police officers shot and killed 23 year old African American Keith Childress. Police thought that Childress had a firearm in his hand, but it was actually only a mobile phone.

Throughout the nation, people have been enraged over the unjust killings of unarmed African American males. Although black males only represent about 6% of the American population, this group accounted for more than 40% of the individuals who were shot and killed by the police while they were unarmed. When adjusted for population differences, black people were three times more likely to be killed by the police in 2015.

Interestingly, the state of Rhode Island had no fatal police shootings whatsoever.

To be fair, many situations put officers in extremely difficult spots. The police officers are often dealing with people who have a history that suggests a capacity for violence. A large portion of those who are killed by the police have demonstrated a history of mental illness. When suspects like that refuse to obey the commands of officers, the police often feel they have no choice but to pull the trigger, even if it turns out that the suspect was unarmed.

That being said, police officers are typically trained and warned to only use a lethal weapon as method of last resort. To have nearly three fatal shootings per day is beyond excessive.

Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that this trend is very likely to continue into 2016. Already, nine people have been fatally shot by the police in this early stage of the year.

Luckily, technology is allowing for such instances to be better reviewed thanks to the introduction of body cameras which are being worn by police officers. Many police departments across the country have adopted this useful technology, and officers have said it makes them think twice before shooting. Now, police departments must strongly enforce their policies of requiring officers to turn the cameras on when they are on duty.

Lumosity To Shell Out $2M For Bogus Brain Claims

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Lumosity To Shell Out $2M For Bogus Brain Claims

It turns out that the promise from brain training website Lumosity that one could become smarter simply by playing “brain games” was a complete hoax. Now the website is on the hook for $2 million that will be paid to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for deceptive trade practices.

The brain training website promised its users that they could delay and reverse the mental effects of aging, while keeping their minds sharp just by playing some online games. Users were also promised that they could perform better in school and at work by playing the games. But without the scientific evidence to support these claims, Lumosity is now going to pay dearly.

FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich said in a statement, “Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease. But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.”

All users who joined the auto-renewal program of Lumosity between 2009 and 2014 are being notified about the action from the FTC. Each user will be provided with a simple way to exit the program in order to avoid future billing.

The Lumosity program consists of 40 different online games that are supposedly designed to target and improve certain areas of the brain. Lumosity stated that playing these games for just 10 to 15 minutes per day only three or four times a week would allow users to “achieve their full potential in every aspect of life.” Users are able to purchase monthly subscriptions for $14.95 or a lifetime subscription for $299.95.

Lumosity has been heavily promoted both on television and satellite radio. The website also made use of Google AdWords in order to drive traffic. Lumosity has been known for purchasing hundreds of keywords associated with memory, cognition, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The complaint from the FTC also mentioned that many of the consumer testimonials that were featured on the Lumosity website were not accurate, but rather they were solicited through contests that promised prizes such as a free iPad, a trip to San Francisco and a lifetime Lumosity subscription.

Germany To Open Super Bike Highway That Would Take 50,000 Cars Off The Road

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Germany To Open Super Bike Highway That Would Take 50,000 Cars Off The Road

Cities around the world that constantly struggle with traffic congestion and air pollution are always looking for ways to reduce both. In some cities, there are rules in place that keep cars and trucks off certain roads. Moreover, people are strongly encouraged to walk or bike to school or work.

And, biking to work should be a great idea. Except many bicyclists find themselves in multiple near misses with buses, cars and trucks driving ever so close. In addition to trying to arrive to work in one piece, arriving as a sweaty mess is also not very appealing.

Germany now plans to take stronger measures to keep the country’s bicyclists safe and to make long-distance commutes easier to navigate. In 2016, Germany opened a three-mile stretch of the Radschnellweg, a new bike expressway.

Builders and pavers constructed the Radschnellweg as a “dedicated multi-lane highway for two-wheeled transport” to provide bicyclists with an alternative to dodging fierce traffic on main roads. The bike lanes are approximately 13 feet wide and are lit in the evening and at night. In the winter, plows will clear the bike highway just like any motor vehicle roadway.

A representative of the regional development firm RVR, Martin Toennes, said that almost two million people live within one mile of the Radschnellweg. And, one of RVR’s studies found that the bike expressway has the potential to result in 50,000 fewer cars daily on the region’s roads.

Given the large amount of carbon dioxide that is pumped into the atmosphere by just one passenger vehicle’s exhaust pipe, a significant reduction of car usage in Germany could noticeably reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently, the Radschnellweg primarily runs alongside out-of-use train tracks. It will eventually expand to about 62 miles long and will connect four universities and 10 cities throughout the Ruhr district in northern Germany.

The planned expansion does have some hiccups, however. Since local governments typically build and maintain their own bike routes, there is the hotly contested question of who will pay for the expansion’s $200 million price tag. Yikes!

For the first segment of the bike expressway, the European Union paid for half of the cost and RVR and the German government split the other half. Toennes noted that, “Without [state] support, the project would have no chance.”

As a result, some politicians suggest that the roadway could be funded by selling advertising space in the form of billboards. If America came up with a cyclist highway plan would try it out?

Author: Brian Speed.

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