Posts - Americans

These Wolves Are Running On The World’s Largest Treadmill For Scientific Research

Entertainment News

Scientists at the Wolf Science Center in Austria are having wolves run on a giant treadmill in order to better understand their behavior. The treadmill is 7 feet wide and 30 feet long, and it has been used since 2011.

In order to make the wolves comfortable with the treadmill, researchers started the wolves on extremely low speeds before letting them work their way up to faster paces.

It was a slow process of making sure that the wolves were comfortable with the treadmill, but now the wolves are running on the treadmill at full speeds.

Dogs have also been running on the treadmill as a way to better understand their interactions and relationships with humans.

The treadmill project was led by University of Vienna Professor Kurt Kotrschal.

Professor Kotrschal often has multiple wolves running on the treadmill at once in order to see how they interact with each other.

Kotrschal and his team are trying to learn how running affects the willingness of the wolves to share food and how well wolves are willing to work together with certain members of their pack.

The researchers eventually want to use the treadmill to study the heart rates of the wolves. They will also be able to better understand how the process of domestication has impacted the evolution of dogs over time.

In the near future, they hope to have humans and dogs running on the treadmill at the same time in order to learn more about the human and dog relationship.

The researchers say that forcing the animals to run in order to achieve their goals puts the wolves into a more natural scenario.

In the wild, wolves have to run in order to catch their prey. Having them run on a treadmill is a good simulation for this, and it allows scientists to study the wolves in a better simulated natural environment.

The scientists say that this is an improvement over traditional animal studies, in which the animals were not required to run in order to achieve their goals.

And while the scientists are able to study the wolves in more natural simulations, the giant treadmill is also a novel concept in itself.

Walmart To Make Its Online Platform Code Public To Increase Competition For Amazon

Finance

Walmart is making its online shopping platform computing code open to everyone, in the hopes that more companies will develop their own e-commerce platforms instead of forcing companies to essentially rely on Amazon, which has become a serious threat to the massive retail store.

Walmart has been performing dreadfully in the market since the company announced that growth for the company would be slow over the next few years. Walmart CFO Charles Holley blamed this on rising wages and the increased cost of employee training. Shares for Walmart fell by 10% this week.

Meanwhile, Amazon is performing exceptionally well, as its shares have increased by more than 75% this year. Amazon now has a larger market value than Walmart, as the online retailer has a market value of $254.8 billion compared to Walmart’s value of $213.9 billion.

By making its computer code open source, Walmart says that competition will increase between online vendors. Using Walmart’s tools, more companies will be more likely to develop cloud platforms for online shopping.

Basically, Walmart wants to slow down Amazon by giving it more potential competitors.

Chief Technology Officer of Walmart Jeremy King said, “We’re enabling any organization to achieve the same cloud portability and developer benefits that Walmart has enjoyed.”

Additionally, by making the code open source, online retailers will be more likely to compete against other retailers based on innovation, customer service and price. The move should also improve Walmart’s reputation in the technology industry.

Previously, online vendors were often dependent upon others for such technology, often relying on Amazon to do the dirty work for them. This move will reduce that effect, allowing some merchants to break free from Amazon.

However, there are some doubts that this plan will work. Many merchants enjoy working with Amazon. Even if they have to pay the company a fee, having their products on Amazon helps to expose their brands to the public. Amazon is a very big name, and it is extremely unlikely to disappear any time soon. Even if Amazon faces more competition, its name alone should keep it ahead of the pack.

Still, Walmart had to do something to try and put a stop to the rampant success of the massive online retailer.

Walmart plans to release its code to the public by the end of this year.

Hungary Shuts Borders Starting At Midnight To Halt Migrants From Croatia

Entertainment News

Earlier today, Hungarian officials said it would close its border with Croatia at midnight in an effort to “crackdown” on the flow of refugee migrants into the country. Europe still does not know what to do with the migrants or how to handle the situation. Hungary’s move comes one month after its government shut down its border with Serbia to hundreds of thousands of migrants – many of them Syrian war refugees.

In an effort to secure the borders of Europe from mostly Muslim migrants who supposedly pose a threat to security, prosperity and Europe’s “Christian values,” Hungary has erected a steel fence almost the entire length of the southern region.

On Friday, the flow of migrants continue without stoppage over the borders of Croatia and Hungary. On some days, between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants are picked up by busses on the Hungarian side of the border and driven north to Austria. Many of the migrants are trying to reach Germany.

A spokesman for the Croatian government stated that, “Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic is in contact with his Slovenian counterpart Miro Cerar. The Croatian government already has a plan agreed with Slovenia. In the event of Hungary shutting the border, Croatia will start implementing that plan in coordination with Slovenia.”

One migrant who has two young children told reporters that, “We are the last refugees. Winter is coming, so we will together arrive in Germany before that, Inshallah.”

The European Union has reached a deal – resisted by some of its member countries in eastern Europe – to “share” 120,000 refugees, which only represent a small percentage of the approximately 700,000 people expected to migrate to Europe this year alone.

In Hungary, those migrants who try to breach the steel fence are rounded up, put on trial and in expelled from the country.

The Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar warned that Slovenia would move to reinforce its own borders if other countries, including Austria, tried to stem the flow of migrants. He told reporters that, “We cannot allow Slovenia to be flooded by an uncontrolled number of refugees or migrants.”

The crisis continues.

Court Rules In Favor Of Google Scanning Copyrighted Books After Nearly Decade Long Battle

Finance

The United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit has ruled that scanning books is legal, even if the person or company that is scanning the books does not own the copyright.

The ruling is in favor of Google, which was sued by the Authors’ Guild. They made the claim in court that showing search results featuring images of scanned books was an infringement on the copyright protections of the publishers.

Google typically only showed small portions of the books in its search results.

The Authors’ Guild said that the book search results that are provided by Google are not transformative works, but rather the sampling that Google provides is an illegal free substitute for their work.

However, the panel of three judges rejected all of the claims made by the Authors’ Guild. The decision should lead to a broadened view of fair use in today’s digital age. Google will be able to continue to scan books without obtaining permission from the publishers.

The ruling could also lead to other large-scale digitization projects in the long run.

The judges determined that copyright protections that are provided to authors do not include the exclusive right to supply information. Google was found to have simply been supplying people with information, which is not protected under the law.

Google’s book-scanning project began in 2004. The company has worked with major academic libraries in order make more than 20 million books readable online. The majority of these books are works of nonfiction that are no longer in print. Depending upon Google’s relationship with the book’s publisher, the book is either posted in its entirety, or small samples of the book are posted.

The court ruled that Google’s work was transformative, due to the ability of users to search the scanned books for selected words. Additionally, Google was protected by the fact that it does not reveal entire books, but rather just limited important information, through what Google refers to as “snippet view”. The size of the “snippets” was also taken into consideration, and the judges found that they were too small to be overly-revealing.

However, the most important factor for Google was the fact that the judges decided that revealing very small portions of the books would not affect the sales of the books. The judges determined that viewers accessing the snippets of the books online would not be any less likely to actually purchase the book or read it in its entirety at a library. Being able to access small samples would not reduce the demand for the books.

Furthermore, even if small samples did lead to the loss of some sales, which the judges said they wouldn’t, the judges also ruled that the samples were not an appropriate substitute for entire books.

The Authors’ guild says that it plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

Technology That Would Allow Vehicles To Communicate With Streets Could Be Targeted By Hackers

News

As computers inside vehicles become more and more developed, their potential for becoming the targets of hackers is also increasing. The problem could soon be affecting the streets themselves, as streets will soon be connected to the internet as well.

Networks known as V2I, or “vehicle-to-infrastructure”, will be connecting streets to the internet in the near future. While this will provide major benefits in transportation and safety, it will also make streets open to possible attacks from hackers.

Obviously, serious protections will be put into place in order to prevent this from occurring, but it’s always a possibility.

Experts have said that making sure that V2I networks are secure is the greatest challenge of this upcoming technology. In fact, more than half of the leading experts in the industry do not believe that making secure V2I networks is even possible.

The United States Department of Transportation even admits that it does not yet have an answer to ensuring the security of these networks.

However, putting major security concerns aside, the possible technology here is quite incredible.

Vehicles will reportedly communicate wirelessly with traffic lights and offer reminders to drivers not to run red lights. Cars will be able to automatically detect road conditions to warn drivers of potential hazards. Traffic levels will be analyzed to inform drivers of the optimal driving speed to maximize efficiency and safety.

Of course, none of this will be possible unless network security is put into place.

The United States government is currently working with the transportation industry to develop the Security Credential Management System (SCMS). The project will work to ensure that road safety messages are coming from devices that are authorized.

Still, many experts are not confident in the development of the SCMS. It is also unclear whether the automotive industry or the government would run the system.

The vehicles of the auto industry would contain the technology to allow for such communication, so it makes sense that the car companies should be in control. However, the streets are owned by the government, so the Transportation Department will argue that it should run the system.

Meanwhile, maintaining the privacy of V2I networks will be extremely important. It is likely that data will only be provided to academic institutions, government agencies and private companies for purposes exclusively relating to research. But making sure that this actually happens is another story.

Additionally, the data is unlikely to identify any specific information about the driver or the vehicle identification numbers and license plates of their vehicles.

If and when such a V2I network debuts in the United States, America will not be the first country to operate such a system. Japan already has and uses such technology on its roads. The Japanese have not claimed to have any issues using the technology.

In the United States, the Department of Transportation plans to spend up to $100 million over the next five years to deploy V2I technology. The Department hopes to have 20% of all intersections in the United States feature V2I technology by 2025. By 2040, the goal is to have the network at 80% of all intersections.

Samsung Reportedly Loses Major Deal With Apple In Producing Processors For iPhones

Finance

A recent report coming out of China is claiming that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will supposedly supply 100% of the mobile chip processors that will be used to power Apple’s latest iPhone, the iPhone 7.

The news comes as a major blow to Samsung, as the company produces a large amount of these processors, and Samsung makes a lot of money from working with Apple.

The processors for the current model of iPhone, the iPhone 6, are currently produced by both TSMC and Samsung. However, reports have indicated that the processors made by Samsung have been inferior to those that were produced by TSMC. The Samsung processors have been shown to offer substantially less battery life than the TSMC processors.

However, Apple has denied any claims that there exists a difference between the processors from Samsung and TSMC, and independent research studies have supported Apple’s statements.

Regardless of whether or not there is a difference between the processors, these rumors may have played a big role in causing Samsung to lose on its most lucrative business opportunities. Working with Apple has been a major part of Samsung’s involvement in the smartphone market.

Samsung has also had a large amount of success in producing its own smartphones, particularly its line “Galaxy” devices, which make use of Google’s Android platform. Android devices are often considered to be the biggest rival of Apple’s iPhones.

Of course, there’s no way to know for sure if Samsung has lost out on its deal with Apple, as the iPhone maker might eventually come back to Samsung asking for more. This probably won’t be known until the iPhone 7 hits the market.

Little is known about the next iPhone, but much like previous models, there have been widespread rumors on the internet. Some reports have indicated that the iPhone 7 will feature a non-metal design that will be resistant to water damage.

The iPhone 7 is unlikely to arrive until at least September of 2016.

Malaysian Authorities Arrest Kosovan Hacker For Sharing Americans’ Personal Information With ISIS

Entertainment News

An alleged Kosovan hacker was arrested after Malaysian authorities received a tip from the United States that he is a cyberterrorist helping ISIS.

The hacker’s name is Ardit Ferizi, and he is accused of using the hacker handle, “Th3Dir3ctorY.” According to an unsealed criminal complaint, Ferizi is suspected of being the leader of a Kosovan hacking group known as Kosova Hacker’s Security (KHS).

It is alleged that KHS contains a hacker group “which is responsible for compromising government private websites in Israel, Serbia, Greece, the Ukraine and elsewhere.”

In an interview with CNN, Malaysian law enforcement authorities said that Ferizi entered Malaysia on a student visa to complete studies in computer science and computer forensics at a college in Kuala Lumpur. He is currently being held in custody on a provisional warrant ahead of his extradition hearing.

Included in the criminal complaint are allegations that Ferizi accessed the server of an Internet company responsible for maintaining the website of a United States retailer. The complaint claims this occurred in June 2015. From inside the retailer’s network, Ferizi is said to have located and accessed personally identifiable information (“PII”) of “approximately 100,000 people.”

Ferizi then “provided the PII of approximately 1,351 U.S. military and other government personnel” to ISIS, with the intentions that the information would be used to target these individuals for attacks.

Specifically, the data collected by Ferizi was provided to British passport holders who were members of ISIS including Tariq Hamayun, a mechanic from the West Midlands and Junaid Hussein, a jihadi “hacktivist” who was recently killed in a United States drone attack.

The company that was attacked did not report the problem to the FBI until late summer, when the federal agency initiated its investigation. Shortly after the breach was reported and damage control had begun, it is claimed that Ferizi tried to extort two Bitcoin (then worth approximately $500) from the hacked retail company.

He reportedly wrote the company that, “I will make full report for server and method . . . i will protect and remove al bug on your shop!”

United States assistant attorney general John Carlin stated that, “As alleged, Ardit Ferizi is a terrorist hacker who provided material support to [ISIS] by stealing the personally identifiable information of U.S. service members and federal employees and providing it to [ISIS] for use against those employees.”

Carlin continued that, “This case is a first of its kind and, with these charges, we seek to hold Ferizi accountable for his theft of this information and his role in [ISIS’] targeting of U.S. government employees. This arrest demonstrates our resolve to confront and disrupt [ISIS’] efforts to target Americans, in whatever form and wherever they occur.”

If Ferizi is convicted on charges of “providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” computer hacking related to the theft and distribution of United States military and federal employees’ personal information, he could face a prison sentence of up to 35 years.

Rent In San Francisco Is So High That Some People Are Commuting From Las Vegas

News

Rent in San Francisco is so high that some people would rather live elsewhere and take planes to the Bay Area several times a week than to pay the outrageous city rents. Some people have been known to live in Las Vegas and take round-trip flights to San Francisco up to four times a week.

According to some people, their calculated average total monthly cost of a two-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas, four round-trip flights from Las Vegas to San Francisco per week and public transportation in San Francisco is often less than that of monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco.

The savings become even greater when one compares the cost of living in San Francisco to that of Las Vegas.

However, there are some downsides to this commute. Flying from Las Vegas to San Francisco takes about 90 minutes. Add in just 30 minutes of ground transportation, and commuters are looking at spending about four hours per day traveling. Plus, airline delays can prove to be disastrous for commuters.

Additionally, scientific research shows that commuting long distances on a daily basis is terrible for maintaining good health. The daily stress of driving, flying and relying on public transportation quickly adds up for any commuter.

Furthermore, if something goes wrong with the job in San Francisco, the opportunities for networking in Las Vegas are not as good as they are in the Bay Area.

People who take on this arduous task of commuting are required to own a vehicle in Las Vegas, whereas they might be able to rely solely on public transportation in San Francisco. This can quickly eat into any savings.

As a result of these downsides, very few people take on such a commute. Recent data from the United States census shows that less than 1% of Americans commute more than 90 minutes and live more than 50 miles from work.

However, long commutes might be on the rise. In Dallas and Houston, it is estimated that up to 13% of workers have to deal with such a commute.

Meanwhile, people in Europe have also been known to take on heavy duty commutes, as some people have reportedly commuted daily from Barcelona, Spain to London, England in order to avoid paying high rents in London.

Regardless, it’s safe to assume that very few people would want such a commute, even if it means saving some money.

Chinese Cyber Attacks Crash Computer Systems During South China Sea Hearing

Entertainment News

China is being accused of hacking into the computer system of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in the midst of a hearing on a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The computer system crashed during the hearing.

Cyber security experts at U.S. security company ThreatConnect Inc., say an analysis of the software and infrastructure used on the site shows it was infected with malware by someone in China. The hack occurred in July as the Philippines were challenging China’s claim to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea,which Manila says encroaches on its exclusive economic zone.

The director of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, Tobias Feakin says, “Whenever you see island-dispute issues flare up you also see cyber activities spike as well. If it is being used in coordination with the prodding that the Chinese do in a physical way, it surely shows you see a strategic advantage in the use of that power.”

Along with the increase in coastguard and military ships and planes, cyber espionage is emerging as a new weapon in disputes over the South China Sea, which is a strategically important seaway for global trade between the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Cyber experts say the hackers most probably intended to access documents and other information which China’s territory opponents were using in the legal case to determine ownership, and the crash of the computer system was not necessarily deliberate. They say it could have been a result of a security system shutting it down after it noticed an intruder.

China watchers say that over the last year and a half, China has started building what could be considered military aided structures on reefs in the area, which Vietnam and the Philippines, also lay claims to. The disputes have pulled in the U.S. has been pulled into the territorial disputes, with its warships patrolling the waters in the name of navigational freedom.

CNBC Changes The Format Of Upcoming GOP Debate After Trump And Carson Complain

News

CNBC has accepted the demands made by leading Republican presidential candidates in its upcoming Republican presidential debate.

GOP frontrunners Donald Trump and Ben Carson had threatened to pull out of the debate if the debate wasn’t limited to two hours and if they weren’t provided the opportunity to make opening and closing statements. Losing the leading candidates would have been devastating for ratings.

However, with commercial breaks also being considered into this two hour time limit, the actual debate will last less than 90 minutes. With more than ten GOP candidates set to appear on stage, their air time will most likely be extremely limited. And with much of the time being spent on opening and closing statements, the moderator will undoubtedly have a very difficult time asking every desired question.

Needless to say, there will be a very short time window for an actual debate to take place. That being said, there was little that CNBC could do, as the presidential candidates hold all the power in the situation. If they don’t participate, the debate is essentially worthless.

The previous debate ran for more than three hours, leading to some candidates looking visibly exhausted during the later stages of the debate. Additionally, the candidates felt that it was difficult for them to get their primary messages across without opening or closing statements.

However, unlike Trump and Carson, GOP candidate Carly Fiorina was perfectly fine with the original structure of the debate.

Fiorina said, “Well, I think apparently they’re worried about answering questions for three hours. For heaven sakes, we have ten candidates on stage. I don’t think three hours is a long time.”

The campaigns for the two candidates still need to approve the new format of the debate.

Spokesperson for the Republican National Convention Sean Spicer said, “We are having an ongoing conversation with CNBC and the candidates.”

The final format should be determined by the network in the coming days. The debate will take place in Boulder, CO.

CNBC has declined to comment on the matter.

ISIS Has Been Trying To Hack America’s Energy Grid But Are Failing Terribly

News

The Islamic State is attacking the energy grid of the United States, but thankfully for Americans, they aren’t doing a very good job.

Law enforcement officials in the United States revealed on Wednesday that ISIS has been attempting to hack into the country’s energy grid. Officials have not revealed any details or evidence of the attempted attacks, other than the fact that ISIS has been largely unsuccessful.

The terrorist organization does not possess sophisticated hacking tools or techniques, making their goal of breaking into computer systems of the United States and shutting down key equipment a virtually impossible task. While their intent is lofty, their capability is low.

However, there is concern among United States officials that ISIS can simply buy better technology or manpower. Hacking software is regularly available on the black market.

If ISIS does manage to obtain better malicious software, it could prove disastrous to the flow of energy for American homes and businesses.

The threat also extends beyond ISIS, as domestic terrorists and various hate groups could also commit similar actions. Even more threatening is the possibility of cyber attacks from other countries. Russia has already shown its malicious capabilities.

However, the likelihood of an attack taking out the entire energy grid of the United States is remarkably low. The grid consists of a patchwork of smaller grids that are connected with different types of machines and software.

Basically, it is not just one giant uniform grid. A hacking group would have to understand each individual component of the layout in order for a successful attack to take place. Even then, they would probably only be able to affect the energy supply to a small portion of land before the United States caught on.

Still, with the technology becoming more and more readily available, it never hurts to be cautious. But so far, security agencies in the United States have had a lot of success in protecting the country from potentially devastating attacks.

Chinese Scientists Discover Teeth of Modern Humans Dating Back 80,000-120,000 Years

Entertainment News

Chinese scientists have discovered human teeth dating back at least 80,000 years. This discovery shows that modern humans left Africa to migrate to the rest of the world at least 20,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Scientists discovered the 47 teeth in a cave in Daoxian, located in China’s Hunan province. It is the strongest proof discovered to date that shows modern humans first left Africa and travelled to Asia at least 80,000 – 120,000 years ago. The study was published in the journal, Nature.

Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist from the University of Oxford in England, who did not participate in the study, stated that, “This is stunning, it’s major league. It’s one of the most important finds coming out of Asia in the last decade.”

The theory of modern human migration, referred to as “Out of Africa,” has been widely accepted. It is based on scientific evidence that indicates the species of modern humans originated in Africa and made their first successful travels to the rest of the world between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago.

The discovery of these teeth challenge that theory, relating to both the timing of the first migration and whether a separate group of modern humans developed and evolved in Asia.

One of the study’s lead researchers, Liu Wu, from China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), stated that, “The fossils reveal that 80,000 years ago, the first modern humans appeared somewhere in southern China. We believe that southern China probably was a central area for modern evolution.”

Maria Martinón-Torres, a researcher at University College London and one of the co-leads of the study, said the discovery poses so many questions. “What does this mean? What is the origin of this population (of people in China)? And what is their fate? Some people really now have to reconsider models. Maybe there’s not only one (migration) out of Africa, (maybe) there are several out of Africa.” She further added that, “And also we have to understand what happened in Asia. These populations, did they really evolve also for a while outside Africa?”

Liu said the research scientists plans to extract DNA from the teeth to hopefully provide more information on the origins of the Daoxian people.

Along with the discovery of the teeth, researchers found the remains of mammals, including extinct hyenas, elephants and a giant panda. Since stone tools were not recovered, researchers believe that the humans did not live there, but were rather left there by predators.

Liu noted that, “The teeth are basically the same as yours and mine.”

Violence In The West Bank Grows As An Important Jewish Holy Site Is Set On Fire

Entertainment News

As tensions between Israelis and Palestinians continue to escalate, the Palestinians have destroyed a Jewish holy site located in the West Bank City of Nablus.

Palestinian rioters torched the holy site known as Joseph’s Tomb. Jewish people regularly visit the site to pray under the protection of the Israeli military.

The tomb was badly damaged in the attack, which came just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded Palestinians to stop their attacks.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was disappointed in his followers for committing the act, and he has said that the site would be repaired. He stated that the illegal attack was an offense to the religion, culture and values of his people.

Meanwhile, in a separate area of the West Bank, an Israeli soldier was stabbed and wounded by a Palestinian that was disguised as a news photographer.

Violence between the two groups has grown considerably after several incidents of stabbing took place earlier this month.

So far in the unrest, at least seven Israelis and at least 30 Palestinians have been killed.

Joseph’s Tomb is treasured by Jews and Muslims for supposedly being the burial location of Joseph, a prominent biblical figure who is said to be the son of Jacob. It is located in the city of Nablus, which has been under the control of the Palestinians since 1995. The tomb was previously attacked by Palestinian rioters in 2000.

The incident took place at night, as dozens of Palestinians attacked the tomb with petrol bombs. The crowed was broken-up by Palestinian police forces, while firefighters worked to combat the fire.

Military spokesperson Lt. Colonel Peter Lerner said, “(The attack is) a blatant violation of the basic value of freedom of worship. (Israel will) bring perpetrators to justice and restore the site.”

Meanwhile, Israel is stepping up its security efforts in order to prevent attacks by the Palestinians from taking place. Officials have set up roadblocks in the Palestinian areas of east Jerusalem. Extra troops will also be deployed in the area.

The United Nations Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the increase of violence in the region.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry also plans to travel to the region sometime in the next few days in order to meet with leaders.

New Study Suggests That Our Ancestors Slept Less Than Modern Humans Due To Temperatures

Health & Wellness

In a new study conducted by American researchers, the results show that our hunter-gatherer ancestors likely had less sleep than we do today.

To conduct their research, the scientists studied members of traditional societies in South America and Africa whose lifestyles resemble the ancient hunter-gatherers. 98 people were monitored for 1,165 nights and it was found that they slept for an average of six hours and 25 minutes per night.

By comparison, the scientists noted that most Americans sleep on average about seven hours a night.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, also determined that the outside temperature played a larger role than natural light in forming sleep patterns.

Professor Jerome Siegel, from the University of California, Los Angeles, stated that, “The issue is: what is the data on how sleep has changed? And it occurred to me that these groups, which are rapidly disappearing, give the last opportunity to really know what human sleep was like before we all created our various civilizations. What is absolutely clear is that they don’t sleep more than we do.”

In today’s world, we are all inundated with artificial lights, late-night television and the glow of mobile devices. These conditions are often blamed for disrupting or ruining our sleep.

To test this theory, the researchers studied members from the Hadza of Tanzania, the Tsimane of Bolivia and the San of Namibia. The volunteers were fitted with wristwatches that monitor sleep.

Siegel noted that, “All three groups have pretty much the same sleep duration and pretty much the same timing of sleep. This gives me reasonable confidence that they reflect the common human biology and they are not a function of their particular situations, which are different.”

In addition to determining that the average night of sleep lasted about 6.5 hours, they also found that the volunteers rarely took naps and that natural light did not have much of an affect on sleep that they thought it would.

While people fell asleep a little over three hours after sunset, temperature often determined when the subjects woke up. Siegel stated that, “What we saw was quite striking – that sleep is occurring during this period of falling temperature and when the temperature hits bottom, they wake up. This is quite surprising.”

After reviewing the research study, Professor Derk-Jan Dijk from the Surrey Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey said that while the study was important, he did not necessarily agree that our ancestors slept less than us.

“There are people in our society who don’t get enough sleep, there is no doubt about it. The question of whether we sleep that much less than so many years ago has been unanswered in ways – we need to be careful in interpreting the data.”

One thing Dijk did point out was that, regardless of studies, “we need to re-evaluate the timing of our social schedules, including work, relative to the natural environment. Our social environment has an impact on when we decide to go to sleep and wake up. Also, if we look at our environmental variables in the light-dark cycle in our homes and the temperature, I hope this paper will make us see how relevant they are for the timing of our behavior.”

Global Leaders Meet At World Fair In Italy To Discuss Widespread Hunger

Entertainment News

In an effort to combat world hunger, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visited the Milan Expo World’s Fair in Italy on Friday, which was international World Food Day. The fair is focusing on worldwide food security and nutrition. The United Nations says that it has a goal of completely eradicating world hunger by the year 2030.

The Secretary General called for a pledge to achieve food security for people across the globe and to construct a global movement to end hunger. He says that he wants the movement to go hand in hand with other goals of achieving worldwide economic development, healthy living and social inclusion.

Nearly 800 million people in the world face problems in making sure that they have enough food to eat. Hunger and malnutrition is a major problem in the world, and it is a problem that the United Nations General Assembly hopes to soon solve. One of the 17 sustainable goals of the United Nations is to eliminate poverty and hunger within the next 15 years.

Many experts also believe that the issue of hunger is one of the driving factors in the migrant crisis currently taking place in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Milan Charter, which was drafted by Italy, hopes to secure food and water for the growing population of the world. The document should boost awareness of sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

However, some have criticized the charter for lacking concrete agreements, while also leaving out major food-related concerns such as genetically modified crops, climate change, land grabs, desertification and the loss of biodiversity in the wild.

Still, speakers at the World’s Fair emphasized the need to combat hunger, stating that it would only be possible if individual actors took initiative. They said that most progress needs to be made in the local communities themselves.

While world governments and leaders can do their part, it is ordinary people who need to fight against hunger in order to achieve success.

Marijuana Defendant Claims That Pesticide Lawsuit Was Encouraged By Anti-Marijuana Factors

News

The owner of Denver marijuana dispensary LivWell claims lawsuits filed against his business for allegedly selling a product containing an unhealthy pesticide have been encouraged by anti-marijuana factions.

The lawsuits are the first marijuana product liability claim in the U.S since the legalization of marijuana. They were filed on behalf of two marijuana users, including a cancer patient, who allege that LivWell used Eagle 20 EW, a fungicide often used on grapes and hops, on their marijuana plants. The chemical, used to kill mildew, mites and other pests, contains myclobutanil, which produces toxic hydrogen cyanide gas when burned. Horticulturists say there is no “official” research that shows if the fungicide is safe to use on marijuana that will be eaten.

The state of Colorado has a list of pesticides approved for use on food and tobacco crops, but it doesn’t specifically ban Eagle 20 or other pesticides.

Dean Heizer, chief legal strategist for LivWell, says “We believe that the people behind this effort do not want the commercial cannabis industry to succeed and that LivWell was targeted because of its success. We value the health and safety of our customers and patients and have no interest in compromising on that.”

Last April, Denver city officials seized 60,000 plants produced by LivWell claiming they were concerned with the fungicides being used. However, the plants passed residue tests carried out by an independent lab and were handed back to LivWell to be sold.

The lawsuit alleges residue tests are for vegetation, and should not apply to marijuana, tobacco or other plants that are heated before inhalation.

Legal experts says the case highlights disagreement over what chemicals should be allowed in the cultivation of marijuana.

In June the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates pesticides, told Colorado and Washington state authorities they could apply to have some cannabis-related chemicals approved through a special local need registration.

The Most Valuable Biotech Unicorn Could Be A Huge Bust

Health & Wellness

Startup medical company Theranos is voluntarily limiting its latest blood testing technology to only one out of every 200 tests offered by the company because of reports that the company has overstated the accuracy of its tests.

The company’s CEO Elizabeth Holmes made the announcement during an interview.

Theranos once said that it could perform accurate tests using only a few drops of blood using its latest technologies, but now the company is starting to backtrack on this claim.

Theranos needs approval from the FDA before its latest technology can be used more frequently. Until that occurs, the company has started voluntarily limiting its offerings of finger-sticking tests that only need “a few drops of blood”.

The company has been criticized by the media for reportedly overstating the accuracy of its technology. They say that the claim made by Theranos that it only required “a few drops of blood” was not accurate.

However, Theranos has defended its practices and its claims. That being said, the company did remove of the claim of only needing “a few drops of blood” from its website.

Reports also indicate that the FDA has been examining the practices of Theranos more closely following the reports by the media.

The startup currently has a valuation of about $10 billion, and it has major partners in the healthcare industry.

Theranos says that it is doing everything it can to be compliant with standards mandated by the FDA. The company is reportedly using traditional vein draws for blood sampling, which requires more blood than the company’s new finger-sticking tests.

Their latest technology requiring less blood is reportedly only being used for one type of test.

Additionally, many tests that are being conducted in labs ran by Theranos are not making use of devices produced by Theranos.

CEO Holmes said, “We do two things, we have the Theranos system, our proprietary devices, and then we use conventional, FDA-cleared devices that are used in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions to run the test.”

Right now, Theranos has 130 tests that need clearance from the FDA before they are allowed to be practiced. The company says that it will transition these tests to finger-sticking technology that requires a smaller amount of blood than traditional vein draws on a case by case basis.

Holmes is confident that the blood tests offered by Theranos can eventually all make this transition.

She says, “Every time you do something innovative, people want to knock you down because they built you up. They say it’s crazy, it could never be done, and eventually you change the world.”

However, the company will first need approval from the FDA. Until then, its testing technology will remain limited.

Michael Jordan And Nike To Start Targeting Women For Sneaker Sales In Latest Marketing Efforts

Finance

The Jordan brand of athletic shoes from Nike will finally start marketing towards women, as the company hopes that expanding its offerings to women will help increase sales.

There are also plans for the brand to start focusing beyond basketball, as Jordan will soon start offering running shoes in addition to its iconic basketball sneakers.

The brand says that it has the goal of doubling its sales to $4.5 billion by the year 2020.

While the brand has largely been known for focusing exclusively on basketball shoes for males, CEO of Nike Mark Parker is hoping to change that.

Parker said, “It is a great brand and has been one-dimensional: largely footwear, largely male and U.S.-based. The opportunity is to give the consumer more choice in that brand, carefully.”

Nike is once again hoping that the marketing power of Jordan, along with its reputation as a footwear juggernaut, will lead to success in the market. However, many experts believe that the company is taking a major risk that could possibly ruin the Jordan brand by destroying its association with basketball.

Still, it’s a risk that could pay off.

Analyst Matt Powell said, “It’s doable, but it will really take some thoughtful design work, and the product has to be right also. If they can harness the strength of the brand, it can work.”

While Nike already has a big market share in women’s athletic shoes, Jordan has virtually none.

There is reason to believe that women who play basketball would flock to Jordan-branded basketball shoes for women. Some women have even been known to wear Jordan basketball shoes that were designed for men. Currently, Jordan offerings for women are limited to accessories such as socks and hats.

However, the brand might have a difficult challenge in marketing towards younger women, since many up and coming basketball stars weren’t even alive to see Michael Jordan play during his prime years.

President of the marketing-strategy company Ries & Ries, Laura Ries says, “Jordan is one of the most iconic and successful brands, and it very much aligns with young men. Once you start diluting it, it doesn’t have the credibility and authenticity it once had, and the guys might not want it anymore.”

Jordan is still very popular, even years after his retirement. A recent study showed that his name is recognized by 97% of women in the United States. Women view him as the 7th most influential celebrity, while he is 11th for men.

Meanwhile, the Nike brand as a whole is predicting that its current annual sales of $30.6 billion will blossom to $50 billion by 2020. The adjustment of the Jordan brand is expected to contribute to this.

Police Chief Network Hopes To Reform Policing Across The Country In Response To Growing Concerns

News

Several weeks ago, police chiefs from some of the nation’s largest police departments convened in Baltimore to offer advice and counsel to the then-head of the Baltimore Police Department, Anthony Batts. At the time, Baltimore citizens were angry over the murder of Freddie Gray, which occurred while in police custody. The city’s murder rate had dramatically increased. The police union was furious with Batts over his firing of dozens of officers for misconduct. And, his police force of about 3,100 officers had basically stopped making arrests. It was a bad time for the chief.

So, he reached out to police leaders from Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Denver. Batts later said that, “There are certain things that you can talk to normal people about, and then there are certain things that you can only talk to chiefs about.”

This network of police leaders describe themselves as reformers or “change agents.” This network has certainly changed and modernized policing over the past few decades. They experiment with policing philosophies and techniques in the hopes of improving policing throughout the country – particularly in light of the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore.

In the wake of the growing concern of how police treat African Americans, the network has been working feverishly to create reforms. Their goal is to steer the profession towards a more community-friendly force rather than act as “warriors.”

The response to the plans have been mixed. Robert Sampson, a Harvard sociologist, notes that, “I don’t think this is necessarily a change of heart. The emphasis on de-escalation only came about because of resistance on the part of the public.”

The network tries to apply somewhat uniform police policies and strategies across the big cities. As of now, there are no uniform set of standards that apply to the country’s 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.

The network leaders are all well-educated, media-savvy and articulate. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton states that, “The most creative minds in American policing, we all happen to be friends with each other. We’re the entity that is leading American policing in the 21st century.”

In fact, it is not unusual for a police chief who belongs to the network to have spent time at universities earning Ph.Ds or law degrees, as well as to have run three or more major police forces. Chuck Wexler, the longtime executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (“PERF”) noted that, “What keeps Chuck Ramsey up at night, or Bill Bratton up at night, is fundamentally different than what keeps a chief up at night in an agency of, let’s say, 20 officers. It’s not this little good-ole-boy network of people who are chummy. These are people who committed themselves to professional policing.”

Dutch Design Team Builds 23 Feet High Air Purifier For Cleaning Up City Air

Entertainment News

A Dutch team of designers and engineers have built a 23 feet tall air purifier they say is being considered for commercial use in China, whose major cities have massive air pollution and smog problems.

The tower, simply called the Smog Free Tower, sucks in and cleans 1 million cubic feet of polluted air an hour, while using as much electricity as an ordinary household water boiler. The tower is currently being tested in a popular park in Rotterdam.

Team leader and owner of Rotterdam design firm Studio Roosegaarde, Daan Roosegaarde says he began working on outdoor air purification after a “particularly smoggy” 2013 trip to China.

“I think everybody on planet earth should have the right to clear air. It’s weird that we accept pollution as standard,” he says.

Dutch manufacturer Environmental Nano Solutions Europe and researcher Bob Ursem helped develop the tower. Roosegaarde says he’s invested the cash equivalent of a high-end BMW to build the tower, along with about $130,000 from Kickstarter backers.

Air is sucked into the prototype tower, inside which an internal electrode puts out ions that impart a positive charge to fine dust particles. A negatively charged counter-electrode draws in the dust particle. He says tests show that air within 80 feet of the tower is 75 percent cleaner that in the rest of the city.

Roosegaarde says he is currently in talks with possible commercial partners, some in China, but professor of global and environmental health at Duke University,Jim Zhang, says the intended outside use for Smog Free Tower may not be what the commercial target should be.

He says the idea is novel and the principle sound, but that, aside from questions of cost, the tower could be impractical in less-than-ideal weather. “It will probably only work when the outdoor air is very steady,” Zhang says. “If it’s windy, it’s going to be diluted very quickly.”

Zhang instead suggested that use in temporary inside buildings like pop up shops or large tents may be a possible market.

President Obama’s Legacy As Peacemaker Is Lost After He Prolongs War Efforts

News

President Barack Obama has largely failed in his promises to pull troops out of the Middle East, and many historians are likely to hold that against his presidential legacy.

The President recently took back his guarantee of taking all combat forces out of Afghanistan by the end of next year. Additionally, the United States is still in Iraq, as thousands of troops are fighting against the Islamic State in the country.

Much of Obama’s presidential campaign revolved around his promises to end wars, but the President has largely been unable to escape conflict.

Obama previously managed to get American troops out of Iraq, but the Middle East country quickly returned to disarray after they left. The President reportedly wants to avoid a similar situation in Afghanistan.

Some experts believe that Obama has realized that quickly ending wars is not as critical as defending the global system.

Former national security adviser James Jeffrey says, “Obama seems belatedly to be getting that the biggest international problem is not ‘America’s wars’. ’Ending wars’ is no longer as important as defending the global system. And he is recognizing that bit by bit.”

Peacemaking has been a major goal of Obama’s presidency, but it is one that he has largely failed to achieve. America has returned to Iraq, bombed Syria, increased its drone efforts in Pakistan and Yemen and supported a military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The country has also failed to maintain peace between Israel and Palestine.

The result is that many historians will likely view Obama’s foreign policy legacy as a failure.

Obama has achieved some successes, such as stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and achieving diplomatic success with Cuba. But many believe that it isn’t enough.

The President did follow through on his promise to cripple Al Qaeda, and he was in office when Osama Bin Laden was killed. And while American troops are still in Afghanistan, they have largely taken a supporting role.

However, the recent attack by the United States on the MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan will undoubtedly also hurt Obama’s legacy.

It all comes down to the possibility that Obama might have some regrets when he eventually looks back on his years as President of the United States.

Outbreak Of Dark Waterspouts Over Great Lakes Forecasted This Weekend

News

People living near the northern Great Lakes have had the pleasure of watching the amazing phenomenon known as dark waterspouts spinning out over the waves. They resemble small tornadoes that appear to be drilling into the water’s surface.

In fact, several waterspouts were seen yesterday forming over Lake Superior near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Munising and Marquette. Moreover, a storm near Northern Michigan University was so close to the shore and appeared to be powerful enough that the National Weather Service located in Marquette issued a tornado warning in case the waterspout wafted over land. Fortunately, that never happened.

Lake Superior water temperatures near the town of Marquette were about 55 degrees on Thursday afternoon and the air temperature was in the high 40s.

The current temperatures of the water and the air mean that an “outbreak” of waterspouts could last for several days. So far, much of the waterspout activity has centered in the region of Northern Michigan in Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Waterspouts are likely to appear in all of the Great Lakes on Friday.

Cold air mixed with warm water temperatures and then combined with spinning air from a current storm system presents the perfect conditions for the formation of waterspouts.

Although they can be difficult to predict, they tend to form where the coldest air is right above the warmest water. Waterspouts typically mean that fall is right around the corner – but in this case they are happening right in the middle of fall.

When waterspouts are forming, it is generally a good idea to be out of the water. They typically form in thunderstorms – which makes lightning a real possibility. Additionally, the winds from the waterspouts can be severe and cause unsafe conditions. Also, waterspouts usually dissipate into the air when they reach the shore, so observing the phenomenon from a ways offshore is safe. Although- be careful about that lightning!

Rising Ocean Temperatures Lead To More Methane Being Released Into Atmosphere

Culture

A new study shows that warming ocean temperatures at about one-third of a mile beneath the surface may be affecting frozen pockets of methane ice which are found at that depth. The methane ice transitions from a solid to a greenhouse gas, which has a negative effect on the environment. Rising ocean temperatures could be the cause for more methane gas to bubble up and be released into the atmosphere, particularly off the coast of Oregon and Washington.

Researchers observed that 168 bubble plumes took place within the past ten years – which is more than usual. H.Paul Johnson, the lead author of the study and a professor of oceanography at the University of Washington, noted that, “We see an unusually high number of bubble plumes at the depth where methane hydrate would decompose if seawater has warmed. So it is not likely to be just emitted from the sediments; this appears to be coming from the decomposition of methane that has been frozen for thousands of years.”

Recent studies have also reported methane emissions in the Arctic permafrost have occurred as a result of the warming ocean temperatures.

Essentially, if methane bubbles reach the surface, they enter the atmosphere, acting as a strong greenhouse gas. Johnson said that, “Current environmental changes in Washington and Oregon are already impacting local biology and fisheries, and these changes would be amplified by the further release of methane.” He also pointed out that another potential consequence of the warmer ocean temperatures could lead to the destabilization of the seafloor slopes where the frozen methane acts as a type of glue that holds the steep slopes in place.

A study conducted in 2014 calculated that with the ocean’s temperature increasing as it has been, the hydrate decomposition could release about 220 million pounds of methane per year into the ocean sediments near the Washington coast – about the same amount released during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout.

Johnson said that, “What we’re seeing is possible confirmation of what we predicted from the water temperatures: Methane hydrate appears to be decomposing and releasing a lot of gas. If you look systematically, the location on the margin where you’re getting the largest number of methane plumes per square meter, it is right at that critical depth of [one-third of a mile.]”

The research was funded by the United States Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Fantasy Sports Sites FanDuel and DraftKings Ordered To Close Down in Nevada

Finance

The State of gambling and home to Las Vegas has closed down daily fantasy sports sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, claiming they cannot operate in the State unless they have gambling licenses.

The Nevada decision comes hot on the heels of recent criticism by lawmakers across the country following media reports of employees often playing on competing sites, raising concerns they are using insider trading information to win.

Experts say the fact that Nevada governs the country’s major gambling hub, could make lawmakers elsewhere in the U.S follow suit in closing down the unregulated sites.

Fantasy sport participants pay an entry fee to compete in games involving college and professional sports. Participants try to assemble teams that earn the most points based on real-life statistics in a given period. DraftKings’ entry fees range from 25 cents to $5,000. Some winning prizes are in excess of $1 million.

The experts say that on first read, Nevada’s decision won’t affect season-long fantasy sports.

FanDuel and DraftKings have been arguing that they are protected by the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, as it contains a specific exemption allowing fantasy sports, and that they provide games of skill and not chance.

The head of Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, A.G. Burnett, says no daily fantasy sports sites are
licensed in Nevada, but he welcomed DraftKings and other sites to apply for licenses.
“If you’re licensed in Nevada, you’re good to go,” he says.

The sites have to stop offering their contests to Nevada residents as from today. If they do not stop, their operators face fines and 10 years in prison.

There has been no word from Las Vegas or book makers elsewhere on what the odds are that FanDuel and DraftKings will launch a legal appeal against the decision.

Pepsi To Release A Smartphone In China But Most People Consider It To Be A Gimmick

Finance

Food and beverage company Pepsi is planning to release a Pepsi-branded smartphone in China. The smartphone will be called the “Pepsi P1”, and it will reportedly have price tag of $205. It is expected to be released in the coming months, possibly before the end of 2015.

So far, Pepsi has not released any images of the smartphone, but several mock designs on the internet have been created.

Pepsi says that the smartphone fits within its brand’s image.

The company stated, “Pepsi has always moved at the speed of culture, and today technology is a key cultural pillar at the heart of consumer interaction.”

Representatives from Pepsi said that the company is developing the Pepsi P1 with the help of an outside technology company, but they would not say who the company was.

Pepsi also did not indicate whether the smartphone would be a one-time thing or if Pepsi plans to produce more smartphones in the future.

Reports indicate that the smartphone will include a 5.5 inch display, a 1.7GHz processor and 16GB of internal storage. These specs are considered to be about mid-range for the industry.

Pepsi insists that while it is creating a smartphone, it still plans to keep soft drinks as its primary focus.

Pepsi has been known to make accessories for smartphones in the past, including cases. The company has also launched various apps and websites.

The soft drink company will have an uphill battle breaking into the smartphone market. Most analysts predict that Pepsi will possess less than 1% of the smartphone market in China by the end of next year.

Most people are considering the move by Pepsi to be a mere promotional exercise. Other large companies have already experienced failures in creating smartphones.

Facebook worked with HTC in 2013 to develop a “Facebook Phone”. It was widely recognized as a failure. Amazon also experienced a similar lack of success with its “Fire Phone”.

While it’s probably just going to be a gimmick, Pepsi is reportedly hoping that it will be able to achieve some level of success.

There have been no reports about the smartphone from Pepsi coming to the United States.

General Motors Is Quietly But Aggressively Moving Into Self Driving Vehicle Market

Finance

General Motors (GM) is planning to introduce a self driving Cadillac to the market in 2016, according to the company’s CEO Mary Barra. She says the car will feature “Super Cruise” a semi-autonomous feature that will let a vehicle handle itself on the freeway.

Barra said this is just one aspect of autonomous vehicle technology which General Motors has been immersed in behind the scenes. Other companies like Telsa Motors, Google, Audi and Mercedes Benz have been taking to the PR highway with their plans for the technology.

Although not revealing target dates for the introduction of self driving technology other than Super Cruise, Barra says, “we’re gonna move aggressively.”

The company’s virtual silence on autonomous technology belies the fact that GM began exploring it nearly ten years ago in a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University.This partnership should see a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Volts roaming its Detroit campus in 2016. The robo-Volts, will have engineers in them ready to take the wheel in case of problems.

Barra says the center in suburban Detroit has “many of the variables autonomous vehicles would encounter in an urban area” – roundabouts, intersections,cyclists and pedestrians. “We’ll leverage that,” Barra says. “There’s so much you learn by actually doing.”

The center is also headquarters to the U.S’s biggest battery lab, where GM tests and develops the lithium-ion batteries that power the Volt. It will also power the Bolt, which the company plans to introduce to the market in 2017. The car will have a battery life of 200 miles.

“You need embedded connectivity to make autonomous work. And that’s where General Motors has a lead.” Barra says adding GM is not going to rely on “the traditional owner-driver model” to keep and grow its market share. She says GM will “absolutely” make cars for an age when human driving is defunct. “We are disrupting ourselves.”

This Teen Programmer Created New Software To Help Cyberbullies Think Twice Before Being Cruel

Health & Wellness

A teenager from suburban Chicago has created a new program that makes potential cyberbullies think twice before posting content on social media that could be considered hurtful.

Teen programmer Trisha Parbhu first came up with the idea in 2013 when she was just 13 years old. The idea came to her when she heard about an 11 year old girl who killed herself after experiencing repeated cyberbullying attacks.

Now at 15 years old, Parbhu has finished her innovative program, which is called ReThink. The program functions by scanning messages on social media that might be considered hurtful to others. If hurtful content is detected, a notification will pop up, giving the writer a second chance before they post the message. It can be installed on any computer, whether it is at home or at school.

Parbhu was also a victim of cyberbullying when she was younger. It was an experience that she wishes she hadn’t gone through. She created the program so that she can help other teens who might be going through something similar experiences which she had lived through.

Studies show that 43% of teens have been victims of cyberbullying at some point in time. Teens that experience cyberbullying are nine times more likely to consider committing suicide than teens who haven’t been bullied on social media.

Prabhu has been widely applauded for her program. She made it to the global finals of the Google Science Fair, and she received the opportunity to present her program at the White House Science Fair. She also received an award from Auburn University. Additionally, many teenagers and parents who have experienced cyberbullying firsthand have thanked Prabhu.

ReThink is available on all types of computers, and it can also be installed on smartphones through an app. Prabhu is leading the effort to have the program installed on school computers across the United States.

Prabhu says that the program functions pretty well, but it isn’t perfect. Tests show that ReThink will catch most offensive messages, but some hurtful comments still manage to slip through.

Still, ReThink is extremely helpful in combating cyberbullying. Statistics have shown that teenagers using the program have changed their minds 93% of the time before posting hurtful comments.

Sometimes a person just needs a helpful reminder that words can be hurtful in order to stop from saying something that they might later regret.

No Evidence Supporting That NHS Depression Apps Actually Help

Health & Wellness

Depression sufferers in England may have another reason not to get out of bed tomorrow, after a new report shows that depression treatment apps endorsed by the National Health Service (NHS) have not actually been proven to work. The report was published in Evidence Based Mental Health and covered all fourteen of the NHS-endorsed depression apps.

These apps can offer symptom monitoring features, educational information and coping strategies to consumers. The concept itself is very attractive from a patient’s perspective because depression sufferers often deal with a lack of motivation. Having 24/7 access to a depression app, versus the limited access to a medical professional, could make the difference between failing to make the trip to a doctor’s office and receiving no treatment, or opening an app and taking one step towards fighting the illness.

The paper’s author, Simon Leigh, commented on the questionable quality of many of the NHS apps, “I think it was rather dangerous of the NHS to endorse them without having the information.” Only two of the fourteen apps available had undergone any clinical validation procedures. This lack of verification has also been observed in treatment apps for other diseases including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Northwestern University clinical psychologist Stephen Schueller reinforced the need for more rigor in the testing of these apps, “The last time I looked at the literature, there were five or six randomized controlled trials of an app for depression, and none of those apps were available on a public app store, and none ran on an iPhone or Android operating system. So anything that I would want to touch as a consumer has not been validated in a randomized controlled trial”

Research has repeatedly shown that SSRI medication is actually no better than placebo for cases of mild to moderate depression and can sometimes worsen a patient’s condition. Given that, it would be wise to refrain from tossing out the potential value of app-based treatments, particularly when they do not require altering the patient’s brain chemistry through medication.

According to a report published this September, there are currently over 165,000 mobile health apps available to consumers, a 100% increase from two years ago. Reports like those from Mr. Leigh should serve as a call to increase the rigor with which these apps are officially verified.

Protests Continue As Opposition Unleashes Tear Gas On Kosovo Parliament For The Second Time

Entertainment News

The Parliament of Kosovo was disrupted for the second time in recent weeks by tear gas, as lawmakers from the Self-Determination party continued their resistance against deals backed by the EU. The proposed deals would delegate more power to Kosovo’s Serb-dominated regions in addition to altering the country’s border with Montenegro.

The opposition lawmakers fear a loss of sovereignty and threats to border security if the deals go through. Even though Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, it still considers Kosovo as one of its provinces. The lawmakers have stated that protests will continue until these policies are withdrawn from consideration.

Parliament Speaker Kadri Veselli called for an end to the tactic, saying that the tear gas incidents were, “an irresponsible behavior not in line with any ethic, moral and practical democratic code.”

Within Kosovo, there exists a minority of Serb citizens who are mostly opposed to the country’s independence from Serbia. Serbia and Kosovo were able to set aside their disagreements over the sovereignty issue in 2013 to grant the Kosovar Serb minority access to their own police force and court of appeals.

Whether these disagreements between the two nations increase in intensity or die out remains to be seen, but the Kosovo war between the Serbian military and the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo was only 16 years ago. Lawmakers would still have fresh memories of the war crimes committed during the conflict, which included mass rapes of Kosovar Albanians as a means of ethnic cleansing.

In light of this, it doesn’t seem likely that the opposition lawmakers would abandon such a relatively harmless tactic. This is especially true considering the fact that animosity between the two countries was so high following the war that Kosovar Albanians engaged in the rape of Serbian women as a retaliation for the same practice by Serbs.

Mexican Drug Lord “El Chapo” Guzmán Escaped From Prison And Boarded A Private Airplane

Entertainment News

New evidence shows that Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán boarded a private plane in his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.

Many people believe that his escape was possible thanks to the extremely corrupt Mexican government.

Mexican Attorney General Arely Gómez recently admitted that Guzmán made his escape using air travel. Investigators made the discovery by listening to phone calls that were made on public phones.

One person that was arrested for their involvement in the escape is allegedly a pilot by trade. So far, 24 people have been arrested for their suspected involvement.

Reports indicate that Guzmán made his escape through a tunnel. He then boarded a van in the Mexican town of Almoloya de Juárez and traveled to the state of Querétaro, where he got on an airplane.

Gómez has been awed by the detailed nature of the escape plan.

He said, “We already have all the mapping of those who participated. It will be interesting for you to learn it (since) it is something truly amazing.”

Based on footage, prison guards were either completely foolish about Guzmán’s escape, or they simply didn’t care, most likely because they were bribed.

Security camera footage showed that there was a thirty minute delay between the time when Guzmán disappeared from his cell and the time when prison guards noticed that he was missing.

During this thirty minute period, prison guards played solitaire and disregarded the sounds of drilling coming from Guzmán’s prison cell.

It took more than three hours for the staff of the prison to activate a “code red”, indicating that an inmate had gone missing.

The escape wasn’t a complete surprise, as one survey showed that 71.2% of Mexican citizens say that they have “little” or “no” confidence in the integrity of the prisons in their country.

Meanwhile the hunt for Guzmán has continue since his escape. Reports indicate that he has returned to his native state of Sinaloa in Mexico. The Mexican government is looking for him there.

However, much of the public isn’t helping in the search because many people in the community appreciate the things that Guzmán did for them in the past, using the money from his drug empire. Members of the public might even be helping Guzmán stay undetected.

Additionally, the search for Guzmán has angered much of the Mexican public. Local residents have stated that the searches have damaged property and violated their human rights.

Mexican marines have been looking for Guzmán in 14 different communities in an area known as the “Golden Triangle”, which covers the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Durango.

Guzmán previously escaped from prison in 2001. It took authorities 13 years to recapture him.

The fact that he managed to escape again points to obvious signs of corruption.