Posts - Americans

Two Leaders Of CIA Interrogation Programs Are Being Sued By Former Detainees

News

Prisoners of the CIA who were detained and tortured at America’s infamous “black sites” are now trying to receive compensation for their suffering. The detainees have sued two psychologists who designed and helped to oversee the interrogation programs.

The two psychologists are James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen. Mitchell and Jessen are two former trainers of the United States Air Force who specialized in training military personnel how to resist interrogations if they are captured in combat. Their company, Mitchell Jessen & Associates worked heavily with military organizations.

The CIA paid the company $81 million in exchange for helping the CIA run their interrogation program on suspected terrorists.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington State. It was filed on behalf of the family of Gul Rahman, an Afghan man who passed away while being detained by the CIA, Suleiman Abdullah Salim, a Tanzanian man who was detained in Afghanistan for five years, and Mohammed Ahmed Ben Soud, a Libyan man who was detained in Afghanistan for two years before being sent to Libya where he was imprisoned until 2011.

The lawsuit is accusing Mitchell Jessen & Associates of violations of human rights through torture, cruel and inhumane treatment and crimes of war. It was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

While the CIA has admitted that interrogation techniques used in the past were a mistake, the agency has maintained its stance that its program was helpful in protecting the United States.

Many American leaders have stated that the interrogation methods used by the CIA were utterly barbaric in nature.

Mitchell has previously referred to reports accusing him of criminal activity as a “partisan pile of crap”. He says that he only reluctantly agreed to some of the harshest aspects of the program because of pressure from CIA officials.

Mitchell said, “I’m perfectly willing to be responsible for everything I’ve done. I don’t want to be held responsible for anything I haven’t done. I went through my ethical obligations, and decided for me, the least worst choice was to help save American lives.”

Meanwhile, Jessen has not commented on the situation.

The CIA is paying for the legal defense of Mitchell and Jessen based on the terms of the contract.

Reports indicate that Rahman most likely died from hypothermia. He reportedly had to sit on a concrete floor while naked. His body was never returned to his family.

Salim survived techniques including prolonged sleep deprivation, being exposed to cold water while naked and being confined to extremely small areas.

Salim said, “The terrible torture I suffered at the hands of the CIA still haunts me. I still have flashbacks. This lawsuit is about achieving justice. No person should ever have to endure the horrors that these two men inflicted.”

Ben Soud says that he is also still suffering from psychological illnesses while he was detained and tortured by the CIA. According to Soud, Mitchell was present at some of the interrogation sessions.

The United States Justice Department has previously investigated the harsh interrogation program of the CIA on three separate occasions, but representatives always decided that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.

Twitter Suspends Accounts Of Two Major Sports Websites After NFL Complaints

News

The Twitter accounts of two popular sports websites were suspended on Monday after the National Football League along with other groups filed several complaints in regard to copyright laws. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is also reportedly involved in the matter at hand.

The NFL and the accompanying groups sent the complaints to Twitter. They claimed that certain tweets by accounts belonging to the sports websites of Deadspin and SB Nation were in violation of copyright laws according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The groups requested that the tweets in violation be removed from Twitter.

The internet copyright monitoring company NetResult filed the 33 pages of notices on the behalf of the NFL.

NFL Spokesperson Brian McCarthy stated, “The NFL sent routine notices as part of its copyright enforcement program requesting that Twitter disable links to more than a dozen pirated NFL game videos and highlights that violate the NFL’s copyrights.”

The Twitter account for Deadspin was later reinstated, but clicking on certain tweets led users to an error message, stating that the tweets were being withheld because of a report from the copyright holder.

Meanwhile, the Twitter account for SB Nation is still suspended.

Spokesperson for Twitter Nu Wexler declined to comment on the situation.

SB Nation is a network of sports-related media that was launched in 2005. The network maintains more than 300 sports websites and blogs across the internet. Time Magazine named it the most influential sports website on the internet in 2011. SB Nation has partnerships with Yahoo, CBS, USA Today, Comcast and the National Hockey League.

Deadspin is a sports website that was also launched in 2005. It is owned by Gawker Media, and was founded by Will Leitch, who was later replaced by AJ Daulerio. The website focuses on the daily news that comes out of the sporting world.

Palestenian ‘Day Of Rage’ Leads To Three More Deaths In Israel

Entertainment News

On a day declared by Palestinians as the “Day of Rage,” at least three people were killed and several others were wounded by Palestinian men. The attacks occurred in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv earlier on Tuesday.

The unrest of Palestinians in Israel is continuing to grow and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of his cabinet to determine what police should do in the situation. Officials said that Israel was seriously considering whether to seal off Eastern Jerusalem Palestinian districts from the rest of the city.

Unlike Palestinians located in the West Bank, East Jerusalem Palestinians are allowed to travel freely throughout Israel.

The Israeli army has been on constant alert, fighting and deterring Palestinian aggressors.

So far, seven Israelis and 29 Palestinians, including eight children, have been killed in the recent surge of violence. The Obama administration voiced its concern and State Department spokesman John Kirby stated that, “The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens.” He added that the U.S. urges both sides “to prevent actions that would further escalate tensions.”

Adding to Palestinian unrest is the fact that a growing number of Jews are visiting the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites in the world. The ancient relic also houses two sacred Jewish temples. The conflict never ends.

In response to the unrest over al-Aqsa, Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue to ban non-Muslim prayer at the site but that Jews are still allowed to visit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas disavows the current violence but also calls for al-Aqsa to be “defended” from Israel. His administration has also spread on social media allegations that some Palestinians killed by Israeli police were executed.

Netanyahu demanded that Abbas “Stop lying. Stop inciting. If the situation deteriorates as a result of this incitement . . . you will bear responsibility.”

In the meantime, Israel’s Jews remain afraid. Avi Shemesh, a witness to the one attack, told reporters that, “We don’t know what to do, or where to walk. They are Israel-haters and they need to be eliminated.”

Turkey Warns US And Russia That Kurdish Forces In Syria Must Stop Their Advances

Entertainment News

Turkey has informed the United States and Russia that it will not tolerate additional territorial gains by military groups represented by Kurdish people, as the Kurds in northwest Syria have been further advancing toward the Turkish border.

The Syrian Kurdish militia is currently on the verge of crossing the Euphrates River to advance even closer to the border of Turkey.

Officials in Turkey are taking the possibility of the Kurds reaching their territory very seriously.

“This is clear cut for us and there is no joking about it,” said one official.

Turkey is fearful that if the Kurdish YPG Militia of Syria enters into its territory, it could reignite separatist movements among its own population of Kurdish people. The Kurds have long fought for a country of their own, which would effectively be called “Kurdistan”.

The United States has supported the YPG Militia as a way of combating forces of the Islamic State.

Turkish officials stated, “The (YPG) has been getting closer with both the United States and Russia of late. We view the (the militia) as a terrorist group and we want all countries to consider the consequences of their cooperation.”

Leaders in Turkey also suspect that Russia has been supporting the YPG group. They believe that the YPG militia has been attempting to capture territory west of the Euphrates River.

Turkey has not stated what action it plans to take if YPG forces crossed over the Euphrates River. Meanwhile, the YPG militia has stated that it has joined forces with Arab rebels in order to combat forces of ISIS. Their effort against ISIS has been supported by the United States, as America has promised to supply them with weapons.

Meanwhile, the YPG has been accused of committing war crimes by Amnesty International for allegedly forcing thousands of non-Kurds from their homes.

Kurdish rebel groups have become the most capable partner of the United States in the campaign against ISIS. The Kurds have denied accusations that they are war criminals, and they have stated that non-Kurds who left the area are welcome to return. Kurdish militia leaders have also said that they have not forced any civilians out of their homes, but rather they left voluntarily.

In Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Kurdish uprisings since 1984. Turkish security forces and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party have been involved in disagreements for decades.

Oil Companies Start To Recognize That Concern Over Global Warming Will Affect Their Bottom Lines

Finance

It is becoming more apparent that governmental policy geared towards fighting climate change is only going to get more restrictive over time. And oil companies are finally taking notice. Oil company BP recently admitted that the international concern regarding climate change and its negative effects is leading to the reality that the world’s natural oil resources are unlikely to ever be fully tapped.

BP’s chief economist, Spencer Dale, said that some oil, gas and coal will have to remain in the ground in order to avoid global warming. Dale stated in a recent speech in London that, “Oil is not likely to be exhausted. What has changed in recent years is the growing recognition [of] concerns about carbon emissions and climate change.”

Scientists have warned for some time that most existing fossil fuels known to exist or yet to be discovered must stay in the ground in order to avoid “catastrophic global warming.” Surprisingly, Dale accepted this reality. “Existing reserves of fossil fuels . . . if used in their entirety would generate somewhere in excess of [tons] of CO2, well in excess of the [amounts that the] scientific community consider is consistent with limiting the rise in global mean temperatures to no more than 2 [degrees Celsius.]”

“And this takes no account of the new discoveries which are being made all the time or of the vast resources of fossil fuels not yet booked as reserves.”

Dale emphasized that what all this means is that a “new economics of oil” is needed. “Importantly, it suggests that there is no longer a strong reason to expect the relative price of oil to increase over time.” He said this referring to the year-long slump in oil prices leading to the cancellation of billions of dollars of investments.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney recently discussed how policy related to global climate change will do much more than hurt oil companies. He described the scenario in which policy changes will leave coal miners and oil drillers with stranded reserves and assets that have little value. This will happen because regulations aimed at fighting climate change will require that these resources are left in the ground rather than be harvested.

Carney emphasized that, “A wholesale reassessment of prospects, especially if it were to occur suddenly, could potentially destabilize markets, spark a pro-cyclical crystallization of losses and a persistent tightening of financial conditions. The speed at which such re-pricing occurs is uncertain and could be decisive for financial stability.”

Anthony Hobley, CEO of CTI, points out that, “As BP now recognizes, there is a substantial risk in the system of ‘peak [oil] demand.’ This arises from a perfect storm of factors including ever cheaper clean energy, ever more efficient use of energy, rising fossil fuel costs and climate policy. These are key factors the industry has repeatedly underestimated.”

Future Of Crab Industry Is Murky As Companies Face Shortages And Lack Of Workers

News

Some people in the crab industry are fearful that their livelihood will eventually fall apart, as more young people are hesitant to get involved in processing crabs.

The trade is largely family oriented, with parents passing down the reins of their crab operations to their children. However, some descendants want no part of it.

Third generation crab processor Morgan Tolley says, “It’s passed down from generation to generation, that’s how you learn to become a waterman. Not everybody knows how to fish a trotline or bait a crab pot.”

The crab industry is known for its unpredictable pay. A bad crab season can lead to empty wallets. Many young people in line to take over crab processing companies recognize this, and they leave their small rural shore towns that are known for crabbing in search of other opportunities.

The result is that the crab industry has a murky future.

The possibility of a shrunken workforce is just one problem facing the industry, as environmental concerns are also a threat to career crabbers.

Additionally, crab farms are threatening crab processors who operate in the shores, looking for wild crabs.

Blue crabs are found all along the east coast of North America. However, they are most common in eastern portions of the United States, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay.

However, due to population crashes in the 1990s and early 2000s, some crab processing companies had to start importing crabs from Asia.

Regulators have tried to prevent crashes by limiting the number of female crabs that can be legally harvested. Additionally, crabs that are harvested are required to be of a minimum size, so that young crabs are able to reach sexual maturity.

These restrictions have somewhat hurt the crab industry in the United States. Other factors such as climate change and pollution are making matters worse.

Last year, workers harvested just 35 million pounds of crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. This was the lowest amount captured in 25 years. In the mid-90s, workers were able to harvest up to 120 million pounds annually.

To cut costs, many crab processing companies have hired immigrants to do their dirty work. Meanwhile, local citizens are opting to find jobs elsewhere instead of getting involved in the weakened industry.

This Company Sued For Patent Infringement And Ended Up Being Fined $1.4M In Legal Fees

Finance

The top patent court in the United States has approved a fine of $1.4 million in legal fees against the Acacia Research Corporation. The court referred to the corporation as the largest publicly traded “non-practicing entity”. Acacia will have to pay the fine as a result of making frivolous lawsuits.

United States District Judge Gregory Sleet made the ruling of fining Acacia one year ago. The case was one of the first to be decided based on the new Octane Fitness case law. The new case law makes it easier for defendants to have their legal fees covered in frivolous patent lawsuits.

Last week Judge Sleet’s decision was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals. No further comment was made on the matter.

The lawsuit initiated in 2010 when a subsidiary of Acacia, Summit Data Systems LLC, asserted that NetApp was in infringement of a pair of its patents. However, it turned out that Acacia had already sold these patents. Acacia eventually tried to drop the case, but NetApp pursued legal fees for its trouble.

Judge Sleet reviewed the case and ruled that Acacia and Summit Data Systems had completely wasted the time of everyone involved. He went above and beyond in penalizing Acacia, as he forced the company to pay for everything from legal fees to other costs such as expert fees.

Sleet wrote, “Summit pursued an action against NetApp without any basis for infringement, delayed disclosing the existence of the Licensing Agreement for 18 months, extracted settlements from co-defendants worth a fraction of what it would actually cost them to defend the lawsuit, and then voluntarily dismissed its claims with prejudice prior to the court issuing a ruling on the merits.”

Acacia tried to appeal the ruling by saying that it was being unfairly fined, but the company was not successful in its appeal. NetApp responded by saying that Acacia was well-known for its widespread patent-licensing. Acacia has earned millions of dollars selling patents in the past.

The recent ruling is making non-practicing entities like Acacia more hesitant to bring similar cases to court, as they fear that their cases will not only be dismissed, but they may also be responsible for legal fees and other court costs.

The appeal counsel for NetApp Ed Reines said, “Acacia’s assertion of frivolous claims was only thwarted by NetApp’s courage in taking the risk its fees would not be reimbursed. Judge Sleet intended this sanction to deter ‘wasteful and reckless’ patent litigation, and hopefully it does.”

WikiLeaks Report Indicates United States May Have Supported Overthrow Of Bolivian President

News

In 2010, United States Army “whistleblower” Chelsea Manning leaked a massive “data dump” to WikiLeaks that included classified and sensitive military documents. Part of the information she unlawfully leaked included a number of military cables that allegedly reveal an apparent plot by the U.S. government to destroy the Bolivian government – either by assisting a coup or by assassinating Bolivian President Evo Morales.

These particular cables were published late this summer in “The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire.” Several journalists contributed to the publication including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The publication presented analysis of the cables leaked in 2010.

Part of the book discusses the “the day-to-day mechanics of Washington’s political intervention in Latin America.” Also discussed is the alleged United States plot to create a coup or simply assassinate Morales. The plan by the U.S. was supposedly developed after years of Morales’ resistance to the United States’ “Latin American agenda.”

TeleSUR, a Latin American television network, reported last week that the Bolivian government is conducting an investigation into the claims despite statements by United States to the contrary. “In a strongly worded statement the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia said, ‘The government of the United States was not involved in any conspiracy, attempt to overthrow the government of Bolivia or assassinate President Morales. This kind of unfounded allegations does not contribute to improving bilateral relations.”

Contrary to these denials, the WikiLeaks cables supposedly illustrate that the United States applied pressure to the Morales administration to allow the U.S. to conduct its activities in the country. Morales resisted strong suggestions by the U.S. and he continued to nationalize the fossil fuels industry thereby reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil and international loans.

The cables go so far as to suggest that beginning in 2007, The United States government began providing assistance to the country’s rebel organization, “Media Luna.” “A USAID report from 2007 stated that its Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) ‘ha[d] approved 101 grants for $4,066,131 to help departmental governments operate more strategically.’ Funds also went to local indigenous groups that were ‘opposed to Evo Morales’ vision for indigenous communities.’”

One year later, the Media Luna residents rebelled against the Morales administration in fights that led to 20 deaths. A coup seemed likely and the rebels had the support of the United States. “[T]he United States was in regular communication with the leaders of the separatist opposition movement, even as they spoke openly of ‘blow[ing] up gas lines’ and ‘violence as a probability to force the government to . . . take seriously any dialogue.”

The United States supported Morales in public but the cables seem to indicate otherwise. TeleSur noted that, “Relations between the U.S. and Bolivia have been strained since 2009, when President Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador from the country for supporting [an] opposition-led conspiracy against him.”

Swedish Beard Lovers Mistaken For ISIS During Members’ Photo Shoot

Entertainment News

A group of Swedish men who have bonded and formed an organization through and because of their love for beards, have been mistaken by authorities as an ISIS terror cell. The group also sports a logo and flag similar to that of ISIS.

A photo shot at a ruined castle for the Swedish chapter of Bearded Villains, an ” international brotherhood of elite bearded men” was raided by authorities after a passing motorist mistook the innocent gathering as an ISIS training exercise and rang police rang.

Braehus Castle in Granna is 174 miles southwest of the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Police say the motorist had seen the 30 Bearded Villains’ black-and-white flag surrounded by a group of heavily bearded men, a scene he had seen many times in news reports of ISIS activities in Syria.

A posting on the Bearded Villains website by Andreas Fransson, says armed police had cautiously approached the group but as soon as the confusion was cleared up, the Villains were free to continue with their hirsute photo shoot and merry making.

Local police told the media that the flag did bear a passing resemblance to the ISIS banner, largely due to its black and white color scheme, but on observing the group of bearded individuals who were “hugging and laughing,” in front of a camera, they quickly ascertained the group was just a bunch of men proud of their beards, and not terrorists.

“In the middle of the shoot, two cops show up, telling us they got a call from someone saying that they drove past and saw about 30 terrorists waving a ISIS flag. We had a good laugh with the cops, who had to respond to the call, but quickly saw that we weren’t terrorists, out in the middle of nowhere, dressed in formal wear, hugging and laughing,” reads Fransson’s post.

A review of the Bearded Villains website shows their could not be further from the aims of ISIS. It reads the group is “devoted to loyalty, honor and respect toward all people, dedicated to the betterment of mankind through fraternity, charity and kindness.”

German Citizens Are Growing Increasingly Tired Of Immigrants As Protests Turn Violent

Entertainment News

German citizens are starting to get fed up with the country’s massive influx of refugees from the Middle East, as protesters have started lashing out against the situation.

Recently, German protesters demonstrated in the city of Dresden, complaining about Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel. Photos of the scene resulted in national outrage on social media websites.

The demonstration was a part of the “Pegida” protest rally movement, which recently managed to attract over 9,000 protesters. The protest has taken place every Monday for the previous year.

The protesters set up symbolic gallows that demonstrators claimed were for Chancellor Merkel and Vice Chancellor Gabriel. It is unclear whether or not the gallows were created with the help of the leadership of Pegida. Gabriel’s name was intentionally misspelled by protesters.

Additionally, speeches from the demonstrators show that the movement is quickly becoming more radical in nature. Founder of the movement, Lutz Bachmann, recently referred to the chancellor’s government as a “Berlin dictatorship”. Earlier this year, Bachmann temporarily left his position as leader of the movement after pictures of him posing as Adolf Hitler were posted on the internet.

Meanwhile, some protesters made direct threats against German politicians. They said that the leaders of their country were traitors, while others made hateful comments against Muslim immigrants.

Some leaders of the Pegida movement have expressed regret over their involvement. One former leader, Lathrin Oertel, made an apology video to Muslims in April.

Oertel said in the video, “I feel partially responsible for a campaign of hatred we caused. I want to apologize and the only thing I can do is to help resolve those tensions. Those (who are) still belonging to the Pegida movement need to understand that they are advocating for the wrong cause.”

However, as the war in Syria continues to escalate thanks to Russia’s involvement, European countries should continue to expect an influx of immigrants. The situation does not look like it will improve any time soon, and the protests are only likely to increase in hostility and intensity.

Pentagon Seeks To Develop Vampire Drone That Dies In The Sun

News

Every day, it seems like technology is more science fiction than reality. The Pentagon’s newest idea is one example. The United States government wants to develop a drone that dissolves by the light of morning – or within four hours after it delivers its payload – whichever happens first.

The government seeks to develop this technology after opposing forces have intercepted some drones sent to deliver various items to coalition forces and refugees needing equipment.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (“DARPA”) hopes to solve this problem and other issues associated with bringing equipment home after a completed mission. The agency is funding a new research project initiative to develop drone aircraft that can “fully vanish within four hours of payload delivery or within 30 minutes of morning civil twilight (assuming a night drop), whichever is earlier.” This mission statement was posted on the agency’s website earlier today.

The agency has titled the program Inbound, Controlled, Air-Releasable, Unrecoverable Systems, or ICARUS, after the Greek mythical boy who flew too close to the sun thereby melting his wings. The mission for DARPA’s ICARUS is not to fly too close to the sun, but rather dissolve after one-way trips.

DARPA officials wrote in an announcement that the agency wishes to address a “capability gap in eliminating the leave-behind of air vehicles used to deliver supplies to personnel on the ground without requiring pack-out. Such pack-out of these systems is cumbersome, time-consuming, and adds significant weight to the individuals’ loads.” The program is expected to last about 26 months and cost about $8 million to fund.

The agency set the goal after it experienced some early success with their Vanishing Programmable Resources, or VAPR, program. Essentially, DARPA has had success with the passage of a substance directly from its solid form into a gas. Poof! Up in smoke!

The aircraft they seek to build will be able to travel approximately 93 miles, drop a payload of about three pounds within 10 yards of its set destination, and be no larger than about three yards in length.

DARPA acknowledges that, “Achieving appropriate transience rates without degrading the structural properties may pose a significant technical challenge when engineering existing transient materials, for example sublimating polymers.”

In other words – it will be difficult to create a vampire drone.

Singapore Airline Will Offer The World’s Longest Non-Stop Flight Service Of 19 Hours

Finance

Singapore Airlines is planning to offer the world’s longest nonstop flight, as the airline will offer service from Singapore to New York City. The company has not announced when service for the flight will begin.

The nonstop flight will take 19 hours and travel more than 9,300 miles. The flight is longer than the upcoming flight from Emirates that plans on traveling from Dubai to Panama. Service for that flight is set to begin in February.

Singapore Airlines will use an ultra-long range version of the A350 from Airbus to conduct the service.

Founder of Endau Analytics Shukor Yusof said, “This will be the right equipment for Singapore Airlines to make the numbers work for them for the nonstop flights. Singapore has the reservoir of business travelers around the region to make this work. This will help Singapore Airlines strengthen its U.S. market, where it was lagging.”

The world’s current longest flight is offered by Qantas Airways, which offers service from Australia to Dallas.

There is a trend in the airline industry to take on longer ranges of flights. Airline companies believe that they are more profitable due to the decline of fuel prices and innovative new technologies that make airplanes more fuel-efficient than ever before.

CEO of Singapore Airlines Goh Choon Phong said, “Our customers have been asking us to re-start nonstop Singapore-U.S. flights. We are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner.”

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines will also restart its service from Singapore to Los Angeles, while services to other cities in the United States are also under consideration. The airline had previously cancelled services to the United States due to a lack of profitability from using old planes, which utilized four engines.

The newer planes, which only have two engines, are more efficient for extremely long distance flights. The planes also include a modified fuel system that maximizes fuel efficiency.

Singapore Airlines plans to obtain seven new planes that are capable of flying up to 19 hours.

These College Students Created A Solar House That Snaps Together Like A 3D Puzzle

News

Students from Clemson University have created an impressive new type of house that can be snapped together, much like a jigsaw puzzle. The house is being called Indigo Pine.

The house is powered using solar panels on its rooftop. It is constructed from a special type of plywood that allows an average person to piece together their own home.

Indigo Pine has been submitted as Clemson University’s first United States Solar Decathlon entry. The project stands out from competitors due to its innovative method of construction, which allows for an incredibly simple building process. It uses over 500 pieces of standardized sheets of plywood, which are transformed into smaller, interlocking pieces.

Each piece of plywood is individually numbered before they are packed and shipped to the building site. The pieces lock together in order to support the weight load. No fasteners are needed other than some stainless steel bands which provide stability and a few token screws.

The house is 970 square feet, and contains three bedrooms and one and a half baths.

Other amenities include a living room and front porch. The house sits on top of concrete, which provides a foundation and helps to regulate temperature. The plywood frame contains space for insulation, and a zip-system shields the house from moisture.

The solar panels on the roof provide ample electricity for the house, and they are also able to heat water.

The Clemson University Solar Decathlon team is extremely enthusiastic about the project.

The team said, “Indigo Pine has global application. Because the house exists largely as a set of digital files, the plans can be sent anywhere in the world, constructed using local materials, adapted to the site, and influenced by local culture.”

So far, two houses have been built. One is located at Clemson University to serve as a research base. The other is in Irvine to compete in the Solar Decathlon.

A Union For Counterfeit Merchandisers Is Established In Barcelona And Mayor Supports It

Entertainment News

In Barcelona, Spain, illegal street vendors have established a union in order to negotiate with the officials of the city. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau has supported the move.

The union is being called the Popular Union for Street Vendors. The union says that its purpose is to fight against discrimination, racism and violence from the police.

The illegal street vendors have largely been known for selling counterfeit merchandise, such as knock-off purses and sunglasses. The counterfeit industry is huge worldwide, as other cities like Los Angeles add hundreds of millions of dollars every year to their local economies from the sale of such merchandise.

The densely packed tourist areas of Barcelona have made the city an ideal area for illegal street vendors to operate. The majority of these counterfeit goods sellers are from countries in West Africa. They operate on city corners, with access to quick escape routes when authorities approach them.

However, the government of the city is taking a new approach to the problem. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau believes that the cause of this trend is a poor policy on immigration. Therefore, Colau has largely accepted the establishment of a union for illegal vendors.

The union began its operations by establishing some policies. Members have been told never to engage with police officers, and they have been asked to record acts of violence by the police.

Colau came into office last April. Her administration quickly launched a five-month study to better understand the illegal vendor situation. The resulting report concluded that a social response was needed in the situation instead of law enforcement. Because immigrants are largely excluded from mainstream society, they often end up working in the underground counterfeiting market.

Barcelona’s deputy mayor for social rights Laia Ortiz stated, “These are immigrants in an irregular situation who do not have a regulated alternative means to earn a living.”

Estimates show that roughly 400 illegal vendors operate in the city.

The city has tried various means of combating the illegal vendor problem in the past. One such method involved handing out pamphlets in tourist areas which explained the problem to tourists.

Another campaign was launched in 2012 in order raise public awareness of the economic harm that comes from the sale of counterfeit goods.

Officials from Barcelona say that the city will continue to work on addressing the problem. However, they realize that societal changes might be necessary.

Research Shows That Students Who Change Schools Frequently Have Poorer Math And Behavior Skills

Health & Wellness

Open enrollment allows parents a choice of schools for their children, but it is not the cure to fixing academic outcomes, according to a new study released by the American Psychological Association.

The study, involving children enrolled in the Chicago public school system, shows that low income students who are able to change schools frequently are at a higher risk of flunking mathematics and having a harder time controlling their classroom behavior, compared to similar students who remain in the same school.

“Simply stated, frequently changing schools is a major risk factor for low-income children’s school success,” says Allison Friedman-Krauss, PhD, of New York University, the study’s lead author.

She says children who experienced fewer school changes over a five year period also demonstrated greater cognitive skills, relative to their counterparts who changed schools frequently.

Open enrollment was created with the best of intentions: to give students in underperforming, underfunded schools a shot at a better education.

The study used data of 381 students who were predominantly black and Hispanic, and all from low-income families. Friedman-Kraus says the study found that the more a student moved, the more their academic achievement and cognitive skills suffered.

The study report reads “frequently changing schools (3 or 4 school changes over the same time period) was positively associated with teacher-reported cognitive dysregulation in third grade and negatively associated with children’s math achievement in fourth grade.

Friedman-Kraus says “cognitive dysregulation” includes issues with behavioral self-control, attention span, memory and problem solving, which if not mastered can compromise a child’s ability to learn math in particular.

The findings support another recent study that found that 15 percent of low-income Chicago students who attended high schools away from their neighborhood wound up at an institution of higher learning that was objectively worse than their local option.

Chocolate Producers Share Key Information To Help Combat Climate Change Side Effects

Finance

One of the world’s largest chocolate companies is making some key secrets about chocolate public in order to protect the world’s supply of chocolate that is being threatened by climate change.

Companies such as Mars Inc. and Hershey’s Chocolate have experienced shortages of the cocoa plant in recent years. The cocoa plant is the primary ingredient that is used to make chocolate. In response to this problem, the companies quickly got to work at trying to uncover the mysteries of the plant’s genetic code.

Now, as a means of finding a solution, Mars is releasing its findings to both the public and its competitors. By sharing this data, Mars is hoping that genomic data about the plant will be able to be obtained more easily. Such data might show how particular strains of the cocoa plant resist disease and work towards surviving climate change.

Food companies have adopted similar “pre-competitive” research tactics in the past. For instance, Nestlé and Kellogg teamed up in 2011 in order to study microbes that affect the stomach. Mars also recently worked with dozens of competing companies to establish a food safety center in China. The food safety center opened last month.

Chief science officer of Mars Harold Schmitz said, “It is our belief that it is in everyone’s best interest for the market to be safe.”

Food companies are recognizing that preventing a potential crisis is more important than maintaining an edge over their competition. Therefore, the companies are willing to put their differences aside in order to prevent consumer backlash against their respective industries. By making the entire industry safer, companies will be able to maintain the trust of the public.

Ultimately, it comes down to money. However, the trend of food companies working together for the purpose of safety is good for consumers as well. In the case of Mars, it means that the world is less likely to experience a shortage of chocolate.

Belarusian Dictator Names His 11 Year Old Son Successor Of Europe’s Last Dictatorship

Entertainment News

President Obama is the latest world leader used by Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko to promote his plans for his regime to become a North-Korean style dynasty, with his 11-year-old son Nikolai being his chosen heir.

Lukashenko has ruled his country with an iron fist for 21 years, imprisoning and sanctioning the murder of opponents. He began grooming Nikolai in 2008, when the then four-year-old appeared alongside his father in military uniform to review an Independence Day parade in the capital city Minsk.

Since then, the Belarus president-in-waiting has joined his father on diplomatic missions where foreign leaders have been obliged to treat the young boy as an official guest. Last week Nikolai accompanied his father when he met with US President Barack Obama at the United Nations General Assembly. The Belarusian government released a photograph, which was published not only in Belarus but worldwide, of Lukashenko and Nikolai alongside Barack and Michelle Obama.

Experts say the photo is an over the top promotion of dynastic heritage, and has drawn a mixture of utter disgust and pity. Andrei Sannikov, Former Belarus opposition presidential candidate now living in exile says, “When I see this young kid being used to humiliate foreign leaders, I just feel sorry for him. I don’t understand why they put up with it.”

The experts say it is not only President Obama who has been used as a pawn in raising Nikolai’s profile. He has met Pope Benedict XVI, Venezuela’s former president, Hugo Chavez, and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who gave him a golden pistol as a present. He has been photographed at military exercises with the golden sidearm on the belt of his camouflage uniform. Photographs of Nikolai high-fiving Hugo Chavez in 2012, show his suit jacket slipped back, revealing a holstered pistol.

Lukashenko has not disclosed the identity of Nikolai’s mother, but it is believed she is Irina Abelskaya, Lukashenko’s former personal doctor and his second known mistress since he became president. Lukashenko also has two adult sons by his estranged wife.

Experts say not only is Lukashenko showing who will be the next President, but he is sending a clear message to opponents that he intends on sticking around for a long while. They say the Belarus constitution has 35 as the minimum age for a president, meaning Lukashenko will have to “serve” another 25 years to guarantee succession.

Andrew Wilson, of the European Council for Foreign Relations says, “Dynastic succession is a long-term possibility. But Nikolai is very young, and that is deliberate: It sends the message; ‘I may be grooming my son for power, but you won’t be rid of me any time soon’. ”

Renovations At The University Of Virginia Uncover America’s First Chemistry Lab

News

Renovations taking place at the Rotunda of the University of Virginia led to an amazing discovery: the nation’s oldest surviving chemistry lab designed by Thomas Jefferson himself. The find is quite astonishing, given that the building is one of the most-studied buildings in the country. The building is so renowned, in fact, that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Researchers and construction specialists did not expect surprises – but they sure found one.

Architect and construction workers were tapping into the lower levels of the Rotunda when they opened up a wall and found an elaborate chemical hearth that was designed for laboratory experiments. The structure was very complex, with multiple means and sources of controlling heat. It also contained vents.

The room was hidden away when it was sealed into the wall in the mid-1800s. It was therefore protected by the fire that destroyed most of the interior of the building in 1895.

Jefferson designed the structure and architecture of the university to fit his vision for the education that he felt so strongly about. Space for chemistry experiments was built into the building at the head of the Lawn. Jody Lahendro, a supervisory historic preservation architect for the University of Virginia, noted that Jefferson chose to put a library in the Rotunda rather than a chapel that was common in most universities of the time. He stated that, “It really is the beginning of the teaching of science. The Enlightenment, changing the viewpoint of the world.”

The university will display the historic discovery for visitors and students. The history of the site will also be displayed. Part of this exhibit will describe some of the people involved at the time, including information about the enslaved individuals who looked after and tended to the classroom and laboratory.

The restoration will also allow for more classroom space for the university’s current students – just across the hall from the historic chemical laboratory. Adding classrooms to the Rotunda would make Jefferson proud, as his primary goal was to make the building an active learning center for students.

Google Announces That Street View Will Be Arriving For Virtual Reality On Google Cardboard

Finance

Google’s Street View program will soon be available as a virtual reality app for its virtual reality headset, Google Cardboard. This latest news, along with sales figures recently unveiled by Google, suggests that the budget headset could be a serious threat to the more expensive headsets that are offered by other companies.

Virtual reality analysts are saying that Google’s Street View is a perfect fit for the company’s headset.

Analyst from the research firm HIS Piers Harding-Rolls said, “Google has lots of information and services on the market and some of it will be relevant for VR. Street View is 360-degree videos so it is one of the easiest things to get on VR.”

Additionally, Google announced that it has an increasing number of officially certified viewers being made compatible with its virtual reality technology. Some of these viewers include the Mattel Viewmaster and the Zeiss VR One GX. These viewers are more durable than the original Google cardboard viewer.

Google has also been working to update its software development kit in order to put an end to some problems that have been reported by users.

The company said in a blogpost, “This update includes a major overhaul of the sensor fusion algorithm that integrates the signals from the gyroscope and the accelerometer. Google Cardboard is bringing virtual reality worldwide.”

Users who access Street View using Google Cardboard will not be treated to true virtual reality, since the images will not be in 3D. However, users will be able to access street images with a 360-degree view. This will provide users with a new way to explore cities and notable landmarks from around the world.

Google Cardboard is currently available in over 100 countries worldwide, and apps have been installed by users more than 15 million times. It is supported on both Android and iOS systems.

Last month, Google announced its Expeditions app for Google Cardboard. The app will allow teachers to create virtual school trips for their students. Google is working in conjunction with organizations such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian to create virtual reality experiences for thousands of schools. Google says that it wants virtual reality to be an educational tool, in addition to its use as an entertainment device.

Google has not announced any plans to create a more durable headset as an upgrade to its Cardboard.

Volvo To Accept Responsibility For Any Crashes Involving Its Driverless Vehicles

Finance

In order to plan for any possible crashes involving its driverless vehicles, Volvo has announced that they will accept full liability in the event of an incident. The announcement was made by CEO of Volvo Håkan Samuelsson as he made a speech in Washington D.C. on Thursday.

Driverless vehicles expert Ben Gardner said that Volvo is trying make a complicated issue more transparent.

Gardner stated, “Volvo wants to remove the uncertainty of who would be responsible in the event of a crash. At the moment it could be the manufacturer of the technology, the driver, a maker of a component in a car… the party causing an accident is responsible once all of the circumstances of the particular case have been examined. But moving to a strict manufacturer liability approach would remove the need to consider who is responsible for the collision.”

Meanwhile, Samuelsson put pressure on lawmakers in the United States to establish a new framework in order to better regulate autonomous vehicles.

Samuelsson said, “The absence of one set of rules means car makers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 US states,” Samuelsson said. “If we are to ensure a smooth transition to autonomous mobility then together we must create the necessary framework that will support this,”

According to Samuelsson, Europe is a poor area for testing and developing driverless vehicles because of the unclear rules and regulations.

In the United Kingdom, the British government established a code of practice for companies testing driverless vehicles on the country’s public roads. The guidelines mentioned a number of issues that are relevant to the practice. They include matters such as vehicle requirements, insurance requirements, data protection and issues in security.

According to Gardner, the code requires that a test driver be present and ready to take over the vehicle if something goes wrong. Also, the vehicle must be able to follow all traffic laws.

While some barriers to testing autonomous vehicles on public roads still remain, government agencies are starting to acknowledge the technology and establish laws to help the innovative vehicles get on the road.

Leonardo Dicaprio Signs On For Hollywood’s VW Emissions Scandal Movie

News

The Volkswagen scandal only hit newsstands a few weeks ago. Yet, a Hollywood A-lister has already acquired the rights to make the movie about the debacle that has rocked the entire automotive industry.

Leonardo DiCaprio and his production company, Appian Way, are collaborating with Paramount Pictures to make a movie about the Volkswagen diesel-emissions cheating scandal, according to the studio.

The scandal erupted when it was discovered that VW utilized “defeat device” software to fool United States emissions tests on diesel cars into believing they met certain environmental standards. The defeat devices made sure that the actual emission levels, which were in some cases 40 times the level legally permitted in the United States, were hidden. This hidden software, which switches a vehicle’s engine to a much cleaner mode during testing, may have been installed in over 11 million cars worldwide. Investigations from several governments are underway and lawsuits abound.

With respect to the allegations, former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said that he acknowledged responsibility for “irregularities found in diesel engines” but claims he did not know anything about the alleged engine manipulation. He stated that, “I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.” He resigned in light of the scandal.

Paramount Pictures is part of Viacom Inc. and acquired – with DiCaprio’s company – the movie rights to a proposed book on the scandal being written by Jack Ewing. The trade publication, Variety, reported on the actor’s involvement earlier Monday. According to the magazine, acting and directing decisions have not yet been made.

The quickness in acquiring the rights to the VW story follows a current trend in Hollywood. Studios have been looking to seize on business scandals and are aggressively competing for book rights. For example, next year, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. will release “Deepwater Horizon,” a story about the BP offshore oil platform that exploded in 2010. The film stars Mark Wahlberg. Additionally, Paramount plans to release the film, “The Big Short,” which is based on Michael Lewis’ book about the collapse of the housing market.

Malaysia Airplane Shot Down In 2014 Over Ukraine Was Hit By A Missile Made In Russia

Entertainment News

The mystery of how Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed has somewhat been solved, as the Dutch Safety Board has determined that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile that was made in Russia.

The airplane, which was a Boeing 777 aircraft, crashed in July of last year, killing all 298 people that were on board. It was shot down while flying over eastern Ukraine. It is unknown who was responsible for bringing the plane down, though Russia is an obvious suspect.

Head of the Dutch Safety Board Tjibbe Joustra said, “A 9n314m warhead detonated outside the aeroplane to the left side of the cockpit. This fits the kind of warhead installed in the Buk surface-to-air missile system.”

Joustra held a meeting with the families of the victims in order to give them a better understanding of what happened. He said that the passengers who were not killed because of the impact of the missile were certainly rendered unconscious immediately due to the sudden decompression of the aircraft, as well as the lack of oxygen at 33,000 feet in the sky.

The meeting was held at the Filze-Rijen military base. At the base, sections of the aircraft were assembled from the wreckage that was brought back from Ukraine.

Additionally, the Dutch Safety Board also determined that Ukraine had reason to shut down airspace that was located above the conflict zone. The board also warned the 61 airlines that continued to fly planes there should have identified the possibility of danger. They sent a recommendation to international aviation policymakers to change aviation policies so that operators must be more open about their choice of routes.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was the second flight from Malaysia Airlines to crash in 2014. The other was Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 which crashed in March of that year. It is believed that the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, but the wreckage was never found.

Google Says Their Broadband Balloon Initiative Project Loon Is Nearly Perfect

Finance

Google says it is all systems go for its Project Loon balloon-broadband initiative and that it soon hopes to announce its first African operating partners, with India and rural US waiting in the wings.

Project Loon will provide internet access to people in rural and remote areas, and bring people back online after disasters.The high-altitude balloons are placed at an altitude of 20 miles, providing an aerial wireless network with speeds up to 3G.

Google X’s regional business lead Wael Fakharany says the company has “almost perfected” the Loon technology and as soon as it manages to cut through Government red tape and finalize partners it will be able to roll.

He says turning the project from its experimental stage into a live service, requires access to cellular spectrum and on-ground customers, which Google is working on with service operators in the countries it wants to “blanket”.

“The operators control the distribution, marketing … the customer relationship is with the telcos. We are just the infrastructure provider,” says Fakharany.

He says a permanent commercial service also requires “a lot of government-level negotiation” to obtain “overflight permissions”. In July, Sri Lanka’s communications minister Mangala Samaraweera announced that they would be working with Google to bring Project Loon to his country.

Fakharany says Project Loon has been a very steep learning curve for Google – going from first conceiving the idea to actually getting it operating. He says through this process Google X has learned “something of the realpolitik of telecommunications”.

Experts say two thirds of the world’s population do not have Internet access which, in theory, the Google X Project Loon should be able to cut into substantially.

Project Loon began with a pilot test in June 2013, when thirty balloons were launched from New Zealand’s South Island and beamed Internet to a small group of pilot testers.

Owners Of Electric Vehicles Are Behaving Badly Due To Shortage Of Charging Spots

News

While electric vehicles may be good for the environment, they aren’t necessarily good for the behavior of people, as some electric vehicle owners are demonstrating rudeness when it comes to finding a charging station.

Unlike gas stations, electric vehicle charging stations are not available in as great of supply. This has led to behavior that many people would consider to be impolite. People in need of a charge have been known to unplug the vehicles of others, insult people and conduct deals and trades on the spot in order to obtain a coveted charging spot.

The problem is not unlike having a lack of power outlets at airports for people to charge their phones or laptops. However, the need can be more pressing with electric vehicles. It could be disastrous to be stranded without enough power to get home.

Owners of electric vehicles have taken their frustrations to social media, and some experts are starting to take notice.

The director of a non-profit electric vehicle organization Maureen Blanc said, “It’s high time for somebody to tackle the electric-vehicle etiquette problem.”

Meanwhile, companies are trying to make a quick buck off of the problem. Google computer Manager Jack Brown created electric vehicle etiquette packs. The packs include hand tags that ask other drivers to not unplug their vehicles. The packs sell for $15.99.

However, the long term solution is to create more public chargers. Nearly half of the 330,000 electric vehicles in the United States are registered in California. By 2025, California Governor Jerry Brown hopes to increase that number to 1.5 million. Brown has promised to provide the state with a substantial increase in electric vehicle charging stations. Current estimates show that there is only one public charger for every ten registered electric vehicles, although this only includes official public charging stations.

While most people charge their vehicles at home, some people are dependent upon public charges due to the limited driving range of their electric vehicles. Some chargers can power up a car completely in just 30 minutes, while others can take more than four hours. Also, some public chargers are free, but others can cost money, often $1 per hour.

Additionally, electric vehicle owners are also upset with owners of traditional gas-powered vehicles that take desirable charging spots. Brown’s etiquette survival kit also has includes a message for owners of non-electric vehicles that taking a desirable charging spot from an electric vehicle owner is inconsiderate.

The competition for electric vehicle charging spots has led to the establishment of an unofficial “hierarchy” to determine who needs a charging station the most. Owners of pure electric vehicles with a limited range and no back-up plan believe that they are the most entitled to a charging station. Next are the plug-in hybrid cars that are able to utilize gasoline when their charge runs out. Then comes Tesla cars, which cost significantly more than most electric cars and supposedly have such an impressive driving range that they don’t need the spots. Finally, at the bottom, are the old-fashioned regular cars that have no need for an electric charging station at all.

At workplaces, some companies have established sign-up sheets for the parking spots with charging stations. Other workers have asked secretaries to inform them if someone is trying to tamper with the charging of their vehicle. Some employees have traded spots to their friends or in exchange for perks at work.

The problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. As more people make the switch to electric vehicles, the demand for spots is only going to grow larger over time. But luckily, more electric vehicle charging spots will be established as well. Once the trend catches on further and more charging locations are created, this behavior will most likely be a funny memory for the most part.

Flight From US To China Ran Out Of Fuel And Had To Turn Around

News

A flight that was travelling from San Francisco to Hong Kong had to turn around and head back to the United States because of a shortage of fuel. The United Airlines flight, known as UA Flight 869, was delayed over a day.

The flight left San Francisco at 8:37pm local time on Saturday. However, it had to turn around once it reached the Gulf of Alaska. At 12:57am in San Francisco, four hours and twenty minutes after it had departed, the plane was right back to where it had started.

The plane left the airport again at 3:08pm on Sunday. It arrived in Hong Kong at a local time of 8:36pm, more than a day after the time that it was supposed to arrive.

Hundreds of passengers had to suffer through the ordeal. Many fliers reportedly transferred to a different flight. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the process.

United Airlines has not commented on the incident. The plane was reportedly a Boeing aircraft.

According to passenger Marcelo Figueroa, the pilots informed passengers that there was a fuel problem with the aircraft.

Figueroa said, “Apparently the plane was using more fuel than usual and they were not sure if we were going to make it all the way to Hong Kong, so they decided to go back.”

Pictures posted on Twitter showed that passengers were only provided with a packet of Oreo cookies and a $20 food voucher to help get them through the lengthy delay. The passengers were not provided with a hotel.

Some of the passengers were in the United States on travel visas, and they were going to be in the United States illegally if they did not return to China soon.

Meanwhile, airplane experts find it particularly confusing that a plane was going to run out of fuel just a few hours into a 14 hour long flight. Some suspect that there might have been a fuel leak or problems with the fuel detection system.

16 People Arrested In China For Allegedly Smuggling 1,770 Pounds Of Illegal Ivory

Entertainment News

Authorities in China have arrested 16 suspected members of an ivory smuggling operation, while also seizing hundreds of pounds of ivory. Also obtained from the operation were rhinoceros horns and bear paws.

Police in Beijing stated that the arrests come as a result of an investigation concerning the illicit trade and transport of wildlife products that took place from May to August of this year. Along with the arrests, police obtained 1,770 pounds of ivory, 24 pounds of rhino horns and 35 bear paws.

Estimates show that the total value of these animal goods is more than $3.8 million.

According to reports, ivory was illegally smuggled from Japan to mainland China, which is the largest market in the world for illegal ivory. The illegal trade has been largely able to exist, as criminals often claim that they are trading legal ivory, which is allowed in China.

Japan has been selling legally owned ivory and rhino horns since before the 1980s. However, the popularity of ivory in Japan has been in decline.

The country says that it is taking action to fight against ivory trafficking and put a stop to illegal ivory sales. The thriving ivory trade in China has put the African elephant in serious danger of becoming extinct. Earlier this year in February, the country placed a one-year ban on the import of ivory. Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised last month to eventually put a stop to the commercial sale of ivory.

The 16 suspects who were arrested were detained by Chinese forest police, which investigates crimes regarding wildlife in the areas of Beijing, Hebei, Guangdong, Shandong and other places in China.

The news of the arrests comes after authorities in Tanzania recently arrested Yang Feng Clan, a 66 year old Chinese woman who has been accused of leading an operation that had smuggled nearly 2 tons of ivory between 200 and 2014.

Yang Feng Clan is often referred to by her nickname, the “Queen of Ivory”.

Barack Obama Says That He Doesn’t Believe Donald Trump Could Be Elected President

News

While many Americans are starting to take GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump seriously, President Barack Obama is not one of them.

President Obama said, “He is a great publicity-seeker, and at a time when the Republican Party hasn’t really figured out what it’s for, as opposed to what it’s against… (But) I don’t think he’ll end up being president of the United States.”

President Obama made the statement during an interview on “60 Minutes” on CBS.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to lead Republican candidates in terms of opinion polls.

Trump’s campaign has been filled with controversy. The billionaire real estate tycoon and reality television star has promised to build a wall on the Mexican border and to deport 11 million immigrants who are currently in the United States.

Obama believes that Trump is saying what he needs to in order to win over Republican voters, a large portion of who are firmly against immigration.

Obama said, “He is, you know, the classic reality TV character.”

When asked if he had a legitimate chance of becoming the next leader of the country, the President replied, “I’ll leave it up to the pundits to make that determination.”

President Obama also discussed Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton’s usage of a private email server while she was in office as the Secretary of the State. He says that he does not believe it was a problem of national security.

“She made a mistake. She has acknowledged it. I do think that the way it’s been ginned up is in part because of politics. And I think she’d be the first to acknowledge that maybe she could have handled the original decision better and the disclosures more quickly,” he said.

Also on topic was the possibility of Vice President Joe Biden entering into the race. Obama referred to Biden as one of the finest Vice Presidents in the history of the United States.

“If you’re sitting right next to the president in every meeting and wrestling with these issues, I’m sure that for him he’s saying to himself: ‘I could do a really good job,'” he stated.

Obama also mentioned that, if he could, he would run for a third term as president. And he expects that he would win.

Fantasy Sports Websites Remain Incredibly Successful Amid Rumors Of Cheating

News

Despite reports of cheating, the two largest fantasy sports companies, DraftKings and FanDuel had a record number of participants last weekend. The two websites combined to attract 7.1 million entries into their guaranteed prize pool tournaments. In the process, they generated $43.6 million in contest entry fees.

The companies have been aggressively marketing their guaranteed prize pool games. These games work by having participants draft a team of real-life athletes on a weekly basis, and if the athletes do well, the participants do well. This is particularly popular for fans of the National Football League (NFL).

Many of the top prizes for these games reach millions of dollars.

The cheating allegations come from a report that an employee of DraftKings had been participating in and winning hundreds of thousands of dollars on games on FanDuel. There was no direct evidence found that the employee in question used insider information for personal profit. However, it raised speculation that employees of the websites have an unfair advantage over the general public.

While people who work for fantasy sports websites are not allowed to participate in games on the site that they work for, they have been known to enter the contests on competing websites. This has supposedly caused public distrust against DraftKings and FanDuel, though it does not show in their revenues or the number of entries into their contests.

Major fantasy players plan to stay involved. The world’s top-ranked fantasy participant Saahil Sud stated that the controversy is not a big deal.

Sud said, “I don’t think that anyone feels directly cheated, but there’s a concern that someone could do it.”

Sud went on to acknowledge that if the top players exited fantasy sports, it could cause a decline of confidence in the public and it might threaten their livelihoods, as some people try to make a living off of fantasy sports.

However, some smaller customers are more concerned. Occasional fantasy enthusiast Bryan McWethy said that he closed his fantasy accounts because of the possibility of unfair play. He went on to say that he feels as though he is at a disadvantage to big-time players who spend more time and money on fantasy sports. He said that he no longer believes that he has a realistic chance to win on the websites.

Meanwhile, the fantasy websites want to do everything in their power to keep participation at a high. The websites lose money if they don’t fill tournaments, and they are more attractive to hosting websites if they can attract large crowds.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel are valued at more than $1 billion each. Both have spent massive amounts of money on advertising, as daily fantasy advertisements have been virtually inescapable on television since the start of the NFL season just five weeks ago.

But despite the controversy at hand, the fantasy websites are going strong, and they don’t appear to be slowing down.

Ferrari Is Set To Make Its IPO And Its Owners Will Become More Ridiculously Rich

Finance

The famous luxurious sports car producer Ferrari is set to make its initial public offering. Top executives of the company will become even richer than they already were, with some of them reaching billionaire status.

Ferrari is legendary in the automotive industry, as nine of the ten most valuable automobiles ever sold in a public auction feature the Ferrari name.

In its IPO, Ferrari is going to offer 17.2 million shares for $48 to $52 each. This represents roughly 9% of the company. According to these values, the luxury car manufacturer is valued at nearly $10 billion.

Founder of brand valuation company Brand Finance David Haigh says, “The market is valuing it as a luxury-goods maker. There are very few companies this successful with that scale and capacity to become truly global luxury brands.”

However, some analysts believe that the valuation of the IPO is too high for Ferrari.

The head of automotive research at Commerzbank AG Sascha Gommel said, “It will be interesting to see what happens to the valuation over the longer term. Yes, it is a very strong brand, but I think it might be overestimated a bit. But I guess the market is just too excited.”

With the IPO, Piero Ferrari, the son of the company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari, is set to become a billionaire. Meanwhile, Agnelli, the owner of Fiat Chrysler, is going to become the largest shareholder of Ferrari with a 24% stake in the company. The holding company of Fiat Chrysler, Exor Spa, will possess more than 30% of Ferrari’s voting power, while Piero Ferrari will control about 15%.

The Ferrari brand has maintained loyalty throughout the years. Only 7,255 Ferraris were produced in 2014. Of those vehicles, 60% of them were purchased by existing Ferrari owners.

Ferrari has also experienced tremendous success in the racing world. The company has 16 world championships in Formula One, making it the most successful auto manufacturer in the series.

Dell To Purchase Data Storage Company EMC In Largest Tech Corporate Takeover

Finance

Major computer company Dell has agreed to purchase EMC for nearly $67 billion, in what will become the largest technology takeover of all time. With the transaction, Dell will look to use the dominance of EMC in creating storage devices in order to gain an edge over the competition.

Dell will pay EMC shareholders $24.05 per share, as well as tracking stock in EMC’s holding of VMware Inc., which has a value of $9.15 per share of EMC. This brings the total purchase price to $33.15 per EMC share. EMC is the majority owner of VMware.

In order to complete the purchase, Dell will add nearly $50 billion to its debt load. The computer company already has over $11 billion in debt.

By purchasing EMC, Dell will expand its product lineup in order to keep up with its primary rival of Hewlett-Packard. Dell has also experienced competition from technology upstarts such as Nutanix Inc.

Analysts are particularly excited about the deal for EMC.

Analyst at Macquarie Group Ltd. Rajesh Ghia said, “From EMC’s perspective, this is a great deal. They couldn’t have worked it out better. Eventually, big customers are going to want to buy from fewer suppliers, and if you have everything under the same roof, you have a better chance.”

Meanwhile, portfolio manager Jesse Cohn stated, “EMC’s board and management really delivered for shareholders. This is all you can ask for. They were relentless and creative in getting to the best possible answer for the company’s owners.”

The combination of Dell and EMC will be run by Dell CEO Michael Dell, who is financing the takeover with help from the investment companies of Silver Lake and Temasek Holdings. Dell will also make use of VMware stock and his own personal cash.

The deal will allow EMC’s expertise in data storage devices and Dell’s number two position in computer servers to join forces.

EMC has been publicly traded since 1986. The company had been searching for a strategic way to increase its share price. The company had somewhat been in decline as its storage devices continue to age, while still remaining fairly pricey. EMC had been trying to increase sales by speeding up its methods of data retrieval. The revenue of EMC is expected to increase by just 3% this year, which is its lowest rate since its revenue experienced a decline in 2009.

Meanwhile, Dell has been trying to increase its involvement in data centers. EMC held 21% of the data storage industry last year, which is twice as much as Dell’s market share in the industry. Dell has experienced a decline in demand for its personal computers, as overall shipments declined by 7.7% in the third quarter of this year. Despite this, Dell was still able to experience a 0.5% gain during the quarter.

In the coming years, Dell plans to work towards paying down its debt using revenue gains from the purchase.