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The Military Is Betting On Self Destructing Computer Chips To Keep Secrets Safe On The Battlefield

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The Military Is Betting On Self Destructing Computer Chips To Keep Secrets Safe On The Battlefield

It seems like something out of a Mission Impossible movie: a new chip built on glass that can shatter completely when triggered remotely. Unlike the one in Mission Impossible, this newly developed chip cannot self destruct within five seconds – the United States Army will have to make due with 10 seconds.

The chip was developed Xerox PARC for the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (“DARPA”) as part of their pursuit of “vanishing electronics.” Basically the chip will self destruct when directed to do so in order to keep secured data out of the hands of unauthorized and unwanted users. One practical use of the chip is so that certain technology cannot be reverse engineered by enemies of the United States.

Xerox PARC engineers created the chip on Corning Gorilla Glass, the material used in the display screens of several smartphones. However, the glass is strained, making it more susceptible to heat, and thus destruction. A circuit triggered by laser activates a resistor that warms up the chip to the point where it shatters into thousands of tiny fragments.

The creation of the chip came as part of DARPA’s Vanishing Programmable Resources initiative (“VARP”). DARPA’s mission for this program is stated as follows: “The VARP Program seeks electronic systems capable of physically disappearing in a controlled, triggerable manner. These transient electronics should have performance comparable to commercial-off-the-shelf electronics, but with limited device persistence that can be programmed, adjusted in real-time, triggered, and/or be sensitive to the deployment environment.”

The recent self destructing chip demonstration resulted as a laser-triggering photo diode switched on the self-destruct circuit.

In addition to the obvious military and data security uses, such a self-destructing chip can have health and medical applications. John Rogers, a materials science professor at the University of Illinois, has created a variety of biodegradable sensors and electronics that are compatible with both body organs and human skin.

Another benefit of self-destructing electronics is hopefully reducing the physical waste created by the dumping of broken and used electronics. This most likely would be accomplished by slowly dissolving as opposed to rapidly triggered self destruction.

While many of these initiatives might be realized by DARPA, it is clear that the immediate goal is to create a deliberately controlled self-destructing chip for military and data security purposes.

Post-Ebay Paypal Is Quietly Getting Back Into The Online Gambling Business

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Paypal is getting back into the online gaming business after a 12 year long hiatus. Its long awaited re-entry, in an industry it controlled a decade ago, was expected to be insanely hyped out. The payments company has, however, gotten back into the industry rather quietly with not so much as a press release.

Paypal has slowly, almost discretely, gotten back into the lucrative yet legally questionable industry. The company’s ads popped up in popular gaming sites such as WSOP.com and Derby games. Paypal is widely available in foreign gaming sites but was unavailable for local online gamblers largely due to a partnership the company entered into with Ebay back in 2003.

The merger with Ebay compelled the company to let go of business sources bearing a high risk of financial fraud. Online gaming has the second highest figures for fraud attempts, only behind online adult entertainment.

Before the merger, Paypal was an independent company with a dominant foot in the gaming industry but also close to bankruptcy. According to Howard Madison, a financial analyst with SSR, “PayPal nearly went out of business when it was first formed, because of fraud. They’ve invested significantly in fraud risk management.”

The company has grown since the merger to a strong brand with over $4 billion in reserves and zero debt, giving it huge room for growth.

After the much publicized fall out between Paypal and Ebay in February this year, the company set its sight on a field it was once king of. Analysts have predicted the company will reap big from their re-entrance into the online gaming business, which a 2014 Morgan Stanley report indicated would be a $20 billion industry by 2020. But why the quiet entrance?

According to Andy Frankenberger, a decorated poker player and former Wall Street broker, “My thinking is PayPal may not want attention because there is a perception that online gaming is a gray area. Perhaps PayPal doesn’t want to jeopardize their market status in states that oppose online gaming.”

Currently, online gaming is only legal in a handful of U.S. states. Even daily fantasy is not legal in all states. However, the numbers do indicate huge potential. New Jersey’s online gaming revenue for July was $12 million while online horse betting across the U.S. raked in $2.6 billion in revenues.

Frankenberger said, “There is huge upside if online gaming would be allowed in some of the larger states, like California and New York. Right now it’s a fraction of what it could be. To the extent PayPal can participate, it would seem to be a great opportunity.”

Gamers will be the biggest beneficiaries from Paypal’s entry into online gaming as they won’t have to wait days before their checks are mailed to them. Now they will have the money instantly credited to their accounts. In short, online gaming just got a lot more convenient.

Explosions, Heavy Machine Gun Fire Heard As Saudis Raid More Homegrown Terror Cells

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In what appears to be another case of Saudi home-grown terrorism, Saudi police conducted raids earlier this week on two suspected terror cells. The incident raises many security concerns as thousands of visitors are pouring into the country in advance of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Saudi officials recently received tips about the suspicious behavior of two men living in the eastern Riyadh neighborhood of Mounsiya.

During one raid, security forces surrounded the apartment of two Saudi brothers, identified as 21 year-old Ahmed Saeed Jaber al-Zahrani, and 19 year-old Mohammed Saeed Jaber al-Zahrani. Rather than peacefully surrender, the brothers fired guns and threw grenades at the Saudi authorities. Luckily, officials were able to evacuate nearby homes prior to the raid. The battle ultimately ended in the brothers’ surrender.

At the first site, authorities seized thousands of dollars, machine guns with ammunition, several fully-equipped machine gun magazines, ten revolver magazines, weapon cleaning bags, mobile phones, counterfeiting paraphernalia, three pistols, five generates and several other items.

During a raid conducted simultaneously with the first raid, authorities gathered in the central village of Dhurma to surround another suspected terrorist cell. After a brief battle, the group of terror suspects escaped and police, at this time, are still pursuing the men. The suspects fled the area in a pickup truck with Omani license plates.

At this site, officials seized an explosive belt located in a car. It was defused. Also found was a laboratory used for manufacturing explosives.

The raids come as Saudi authorities continue to crack down against homegrown extremists. Just recently, the Sunni extremist group, ISIS, claimed responsibility for a recent spate of bombings in the eastern part of the country. ISIS actively has been working to recruit the Saudi youth into carrying out attacks on their home soil.

In July alone, Saudi authorities stated that they arrested 431 suspects connected to ISIS, their largest arrest to date. They also stopped numerous attempted suicide attacks in Riyadh and the eastern part of the country.

The United Kingdom Is Looking To Boost Their Economy By Selling Weapons To The World

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The United Kingdom Is Looking To Boost Their Economy By Selling Weapons To The World

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has given a huge incentive to UK-based military equipment firms to produce weapons that can be sold overseas by saying his Government would support their marketing and sales efforts.

Speaking at the Defence Security International Exposition he said if UK defense firms wanted to raise their bottom line, they had to make sure they could sell their products overseas, and in return the Government would “lead on key, strategic export campaigns” globally.

“As a government, boosting our export successes in what is an increasingly competitive marketplace has to now be the priority,” he said, citing the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet and other “complex weapons” as projects the British government would promote.

“These are areas where my department is best placed to offer unique benefits, such as the exchanges, advice, doctrine and training that can enhance the long-term capabilities of our partners and increase the interoperability that they are seeking.”

Fallon said British security and defense exports earned $18.5 billion last year, urging companies to think export markets.

“In the past, we at MoD have contracted for highly bespoke products at great expense,” he said. “But we’ve then found that such high specifications have proved a hard sell in the international marketplace. Only later, perhaps too late, have we considered how such capabilities could meet the requirements.

He also said modularity and open systems should be first priority in future planning.

“This crossover from defense to the civil sector needs to become more commonplace,” he said.

The minister also announced his ministry had completed a deal for a $450 million contract with MBDA UK for a new Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles for its fighter jets to be built in Britain, adding 400 high tech jobs for the country.

“These weapons will allow the pilot to engage multiple targets with several missiles simultaneously,” he said.

Parliament Session Marred By Wrong Speech And Death Threats Leaves Observers Wondering What’s Next For Zimbabwe

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Parliament Session Marred By Wrong Speech And Death Threats Leaves Observers Wondering What’s Next For Zimbabwe

Speculation that Zimbabwe’s 91-year-old President Robert Mugabe was no longer healthy or alert enough to lead the African nation were given weight on Tuesday when at the opening of a new session of parliament, Mugabe read the same speech he gave to the legislature in August.

Mugabe read the 25-minute-long speech right to the end, with no signs at any time that he was aware he was delivering the same speech he gave during his state of the nation address in the legislature.

Earlier this year Mugabe, who is Africa’s oldest leader, fell down podium steps, and although unhurt, the video of the fall went viral, leading to speculation about the president’s health.

Today Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba said “There has been a mix-up of speeches resulting in a situation where… the president delivered the wrong speech. The mix-up happened in his secretarial office. The error is sincerely regretted and corrective measures are being considered.”

Charamba did not elaborate on what the“corrective measures” would be although some Mugabe opponents fear it could be directed at Mugabe secretarial staffers.

Along with the bizarre incident of a repeated speech, today’s opening of parliament was also tainted by opposition legislator claims they had received death threats warning them against booing during Mugabe’s address. Last month, Mugabe had been heckled and booed during the very same speech he repeated today.

Innocent Gonese, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party’s chief whip, told reporters after Mugabe’s repeated speech today, that seven opposition members had received SMS text messages warning them against disrupting Mugabe’s address.

“The message is coming from a number which is not reflecting but it’s titled ‘death’,” Gonese said. “It warns the members concerned to know that immunity ends at parliament and once they step out of parliament that parliamentary immunity does not operate.”

All Navy And Marine Corps Jobs To Become Open To Females

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In a positive move towards gender equality, the Secretary of the United States Navy has made it clear that he will not request any exceptions to the recent Pentagon regulation that all United States military jobs be opened to women. The decision by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus comes over one month before his deadline to make such a request. The decision will affect jobs in the Navy as well as the Marines.

Mabus stated earlier this week that, “Nobody’s asking for an exemption in the Navy. And I’ve been pretty clear about this for a while – I’m not going to ask for an exemption for the Marines.”

Mabus recently reviewed a study published by the Marine Corps that suggested combat units with male and female members were slower, less efficient and resulted in more injuries than combat units with just male members. The study reported that, “In the all-volunteer study, the men consistently outperformed the women in speed and accuracy, while female Marines were injured at more than double the rate of their male counterparts.”

Mabus acknowledged the results of the study but pointed out that the study used averages in making its findings. He said that averages are not relevant to the issue at hand.

“At the end they came out – and I’ve read the study pretty carefully a couple of times – in a different place than I do because they talk about averages. And the average woman is slower. The average woman can’t carry as much. The average woman isn’t quite as quick on some jobs or some tasks. The other way to look at it is we’re not looking for average.”

Mabus pointed out that only qualified individuals, whether male or female, should and would be allowed to do a specific job. He stated that, “Our notion is set standards, make sure those standards have something to do with the job, and then, if you meet it, you meet it.”

He stressed that in the study, many women met those standards. “There were women that met this standard, and a lot of the things there that women fell a little short in can be remedied by two things: training and leadership.”

Mabus also emphasized that male-female troops and missions will be held to the high expectations required from members of the Navy and Marines. Opening previously restricted jobs to women “is not going to make them any less fighting effective. I think they will be a stronger force because a more diverse force is a stronger force.”

Apple Working On 3D Technology To Close The Maps Gap To Arch Rival Google

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Apple Working On 3D Technology To Close The Maps Gap To Arch Rival Google

Apple, behind rival Google in advanced software offerings, is working hard to develop its own 3D mapping technologies at a mysterious technology facility in Sweden.

The facility is located in Lund, in the southern portion of Sweden, just across the water from Copenhagen. C3 Technologies, a company that Apple purchased in 2011, runs the operation.

Apple has been expanding the Swedish office, which it claims is only temporary but appears anything but. The company has reportedly been hiring heavily in the area.

The main activity at the outpost is the development of 3D models. These models are developed by taking pictures using multiple moving cameras at different angles and constructing 3D models of the images that are produced.

This technology is notably important to Apple, as the company is attempting to relaunch its poorly received Apple Maps app. The initial launch did not go very well, as it was slammed by critics for its shoddy geography and lack of useful local landmarks.

However, Apple Maps has been improving lately. Apple has developed its own version of Google’s popular “Street View”. This allows users to see a real world view of actual areas, down at the street level.

Developing better 3D modelling technology will greatly assist Apple in competing with Google when it comes to mapping, a key smartphone device selection criteria due to the apps being very widely used. As one of the most useful apps on a phone it’s also one that’s used almost daily. Get maps wrong and consumers will switch to whole new devices.

The new mapping technology will be extremely useful for Apple, as the company is reportedly trying to develop its own self-driving vehicle, again in direct competition with Google. Having a reliable mapping system is critical for such technology.

Tonight’s GOP Debate Winners Will Receive Massive Donations. The Losers Will Get Nothing Thanks To Looming Deadline

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Republican Presidential candidates will soon be searching heavily for donors, as the critical quarterly fundraising deadline of September 30th nears ever closer. The debate on Wednesday night will be of utmost importance for candidates, as it could mean the difference between having ample money to spend on the campaign or the alternative of running out of funds down the stretch.

Fundraisers for the candidates are currently preparing call lists of undecided voters and potential donors.

Fundraiser Hal Lambert, who is working for candidate Ted Cruz, said, “There are always people you have in mind that you’re going to call right after the debate.”

The specific goals are different for each candidate.

Ted Cruz seeks to increase the amount of funds he has amasses so far in 2015. He has had a strong performance in terms of donations this year, trailing only Jeb Bush among Republicans. The upcoming quarter is chance for Cruz to gain ground.

Jeb Bush, who has sunk in the polls, is expected to rely upon the record-setting $120 million that he acquired from donors in the first half of the year. Bush hopes to demonstrate the depth and perseverance of his fundraising network to maintain his cash advantage this quarter.

Fundraiser Fred Zeidman, who is supporting Jeb Bush, says that a strong performance by Bush in the debate will enable him to expand his list of potential donors. He says that the best time to request money is when people are excited.

Even if the candidate of a fundraiser has a poor showing in the debate, the fundraiser will probably still be calling people looking for money. They will sell the debate as a good one, even if it wasn’t.

However, not every fundraiser is that bold. One fundraiser who is representing a Republican candidate who performed poorly in the initial debate said that a list of “on the fence” donors was never utilized.

Most candidates realize that there is simply not sufficient cash to supply the 16 person field and that some candidates will most certainly falter when it comes to funding.

The campaign of Marco Rubio emailed supporters this week, stating, “Long story short, we absolutely need to raise as much money as we can for Marco’s campaign this month.”

One candidate, Donald Trump, is particularly unfazed by the upcoming deadline. The current leading GOP candidate has been self-funding his campaign, reportedly without the help of major donations

For candidates Scott Walker, Chris Christie, and John Kasich, the deadline will represent the first time that they will disclose to the public how much money they have raised.

Candidates floundering near the bottom of the polls will most likely see the debate as a last-ditch effort to salvage their campaigns. A candidate with few supporters and little funding has virtually no chance.

Making things more difficult for candidates is the presence of Donald Trump, whose prolonged dominance in early polls have made donors more reluctant to send money to candidates who they believe have little chance of winning the Republican Party nomination.

Another issue concerns the actual logistics of the post-debate donate outreach. Much of the potential donor community is older and goes to bed early. Since the debate will end late at night, requests for funding are often put off until the next morning.

Campaign manager and daughter of Mike Huckabee Sarah Huckabee said, “We try not to wake them up in the middle of the night. They probably wouldn’t appreciate that.”

However, the hours immediately after a debate are critical, as the best time to receive large donations is while emotions are high.

To win over donors, campaigns often package debate highlight reels featuring their candidate’s jabs at other challengers and the praise offered to them by the media. These highlight reels are typically sent to contributors.

The results indicate that the post-debate fever is when a significant amount of money is raised. After the first debate, the campaign of Ted Cruz announced that it had raised more than $1 million in the span of 100 hours.

Another trend is that campaigns will look to cut spending on perks in order to save money for when they need it most.

After the debate is over, candidates will travel throughout the country to seek out more donors. Bush will travel to California on Thursday. Walker plans to make his way to New York next week for a big-dollar event is being hosted by the Ricketts family. Senator Marco Rubio plants to travel to Texas for a fundraising dinner.

New Israeli Rock Throwing Law Would See Even More Children Put In Prison

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Rock-throwing attacks in Israel are making the news again as such an attack led to the death of Alexander Levlovitz over the weekend. Levlovitz and two passengers were traveling in a car in Jerusalem on Sunday night when the vehicle came under attack by rock-throwers. The car ran into a ditch, hit a pole, and Levlovitz died from his injuries.

The incident brought renewed vows by Israeli politicians to crack down on rock-throwers, and Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, will consider fast-tracking legislation that would introduce mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of throwing stones and firebombs.

A problem arises, however, in that several of these rock-throwers are children, and they often do not know the consequences of their actions.

Confrontations between Palestinian youths and Israeli police oftentimes degenerate into large, violent clashes. In fact, stone-throwing has been a symbol of Palestinian resistance since the first Palestinian uprising against Israel in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The issue was recently raised in late November 2014 when Netanyahu stated that, “Israel is taking vigorous action against terrorists and those who throw stones, firebombs and fireworks. We will also pass stronger legislation on the issue. All of this is in order to restore quiet and security throughout Jerusalem.I have ordered massive reinforcements be brought into Jerusalem and that additional means to used in order to ensure law and order in Israel’s capital.”

At that time, Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, an organization that advocates on behalf of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, said the new law was “racist.” He stated that, “This law is hateful and contradicts the most basic rule that the punishment fit the offense.”

Barak Medina, professor of law at Hebrew University, said increased and harsher sentences imposed upon stone-throwers would be ineffective. “Many young people who throw stones are unaware of the law and are not often rational about their actions. I don’t think the justice system should be giving up on the rights of the accused just because of panic and concern.”

Despite these concerns, Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid proclaimed that, “[Israel] must act forcefully against these rock-throwers and against any terror activity that threatens the citizens of the State of Israel. The government should do everything to fight terrorism and we will give full support to any action that will restore security for the residents of the State of Israel.”

Tzipi Livni, a justice minister in the previous Netanyahu government, also supported the anticipated legislation aimed at increasing punishments for those caught throwing stones at vehicles. She stated that attacks “must be stopped” and that “we must act against the stone terror, like against any terror, with a heavy and uncompromising hand.”

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, “The prime minister sees incidents of rock-throwing and firebomb attacks against Israeli citizens as very severe and intends to fight this phenomenon with every available measure including stiffening punishments [for such crimes.]”

What the office did not state is how it would deal with young children who are unaware of such laws, a concern that continues to surface time and again for Israel.

Despite Well Documented Atrocities Russia Opposes Sanctions Against Sudan’s Leaders

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Just a few weeks after a peace treaty was signed between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, the brutal fighting in the country has continued. And, in a new development, officials from Russia, Angola and Venezuela have expressed their opposition to the United States’ proposal to place a travel ban and asset freeze on South Sudanese army chief Paul Malong and rebel general Johnson Olony.

The signed peace treaty came 20 months after civil war erupted in South Sudan. President Kiir accused his then former deputy Machar of trying to stage a coup. Machar denied the accusations but then mobilized and led rebel forces to fight the government. The fighting has resulted in thousands dead and has displaced over 2.2 million people from their homes.

In the past, at least seven ceasefires have been agreed to by both sides – but then fell apart. Therefore, the United States wants to impose pressure on Kiir and Machar to ensure the newest treaty succeeds.

The United States proposed the travel ban and asset freeze measures to the United Nations Security Council as American officials believe Malong and Olony are continuing to fuel conflict in the country, despite the peace treaty.

However, not every country feels the United States’ approach is the correct one. Russia’s United Nations ambassador Vitaly Churkin believes sanctions are not appropriate at this time. He stated that, “The United States, very often they just say: ‘Sanctions, sanctions, sanctions,’ and in some cases it severely aggravates the situation.”

Venezuela and Angola did not want to reject the American proposals but wishes them to placed on hold as diplomats wish to give the parties more time to implement the peace deal. As a result, the United Nations will not consider the proposals right away.

Earlier this week, Kiir reiterated his many concerns with the conditions of the peace deal but ultimately pledged his commitment to the treaty and to bringing peace to the country.

Mega Merger Brewing In The Global Beer Market As Anheuser-Busch Eyes SABMiller

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Mega Merger Brewing In The Global Beer Market As Anheuser-Busch Eyes SABMiller

The beer industry might soon receive a major shake-up, as the world’s two largest beer producers, Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light, and SABMiller, owner of the Miller Brewing Company, could possibly become united under the same corporation in the near future.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has stated that it intends to make an offer to acquire SABMiller in a corporate takeover. With all of their brands under one global umbrella, the potential acquisition would result in the company controlling roughly half of the beer industry’s profits worldwide.

No offer has been made at this time.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has said that it wants to cooperate with the board of SABMiller.

If the acquisition were to take place, it would be the largest ever in the history of the industry, while bringing an end to the longtime rivalry between the two conglomerates.

A combination of the two beer producers makes sense, as they maintain little geographical overlap, and they are not controlled by a family foundation.

With the news, shares of SABMiller stock have been skyrocketing. The stock had been performing poorly during the past year, which has made the potential acquisition more affordable for Anheuser-Busch.

The beer industry has been seeing a trend of companies combining their efforts in recent years. Beer companies are fighting to avoid a slowdown in the industry, as more drinkers are switching to craft beers, wine, and spirits, while others are simply consuming less alcohol.

One example can be seen in MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller and the Molson Coors Brewing Company. The joint venture was announced in 2007.

Based on takeover rules within the United Kingdom, AB InBev has until 5 pm London time on October 14 either make an offer to SABMiller or to walk away from the transaction.

Any deal that takes place would mandate the backing of Altria Group Inc., which is the largest shareholder of SABMiller with a 27% stake in the company. Meanwhile, AB InBev would need to convince the group of Alejandro Santo Domingo to accept the deal as well. The group maintains a 14% stake in SABMiller.

However, there are some significant hurdles that must be overcome in order for the deal to occur.

Industry analysts believe that SABMiller would have to leave its joint venture with Coors, putting an end to MillerCoors. Not doing so would likely have the acquisition seen as an attempt to form a monopoly.

Additionally, AB InBev would most likely be required to sell SABMiller’s 49% stake in CR Snow, the Chinese brewery partner of SABMiller.

However, if the merger does take place, it would likely be seen as the triumphant finale of major global beer mergers, as the resulting company would be the dominant force in the beer industry.

On Eve Of GOP Debate Wall Street Is Nervous Trump Is The Real Deal

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Donald Trump is the current favorite to win the Republican nomination for president, and Wall Street doesn’t appear to be happy about it.

Trump is continuing to lead the Republican polls, only facing real competition from former neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Meanwhile, investors on Wall Street are becoming increasingly worried that the billionaire will actually be able to pull off a win. What was once viewed by many as a laughable pipe dream, has developed into a legitimately possible reality.

Wall Street statesman Byron Wien said, “I held four lunches for investors in August, and at the first one everyone assumed Trump would implode. By the fourth one everyone was taking him very seriously. He taps into frustrations that are very real and he is a master manipulator of the media.”

Many people in the financial industry believe that something will eventually knock Trump off, and voters will flock toward a more establishment candidate. However, that belief is losing ground, as followers of the election are unable to say what exactly could put a dent into Trump’s appeal to voters. The situation is becoming more of a reality with each passing day.

The CEO of a large company who refused to be identified said, “I don’t know anyone who is a Donald Trump supporter. I don’t know anyone who knows anyone who is a Donald Trump supporter. They are like this huge mystery group. So it’s a combination of shock and bewilderment. No one really knows why this is happening. But my own belief is that the laws of gravity will apply and those who are prepared to run the marathon will benefit when Trump drops out at mile 22. Right now people think Trump is pretty hilarious but the longer it goes on the more frightening it gets.”

Wall Street experienced a scare on Sunday, as Trump participated in Face the Nation on CBS. On the show, the presidential candidate claimed that the executive pay of America is “a complete joke”, and he promised to increase taxes on hedge fund managers.

Trump’s comments about Wall Street paled in comparison to his rant concerning illegal immigrants. Trump says that he will deport 11 million undocumented immigrants in the timespan of two years. He also has plans to build a giant wall to border Mexico.

The presidential candidate also made headlines for bashing the looks of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Trump said they make her unelectable.

Meanwhile, financial executives on Wall Street are becoming increasingly concerned with Trump’s lasting power, as he currently sits at over 30% in the polls. Despite these concerns, there is not yet an organized effort by Wall Street to stop Trump.

One possible reason that executives on Wall Street are afraid to attack Trump is that they are afraid that doing so will only increase his numbers in the polls. Big banks are still often viewed as unfavorable in America following the financial crisis from a few years ago.

However, Trump does have some support from Wall Street.

The Republican candidate has praised Carl Icahn on multiple occasions. Trump has stated that he would offer the billionaire investor the opportunity to be his first Treasury secretary. Icahn has stated on Twitter that he would accept the post.

Wall Street is also frustrated by Hilary Clinton’s decline in the polls. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is rapidly gaining ground. Sanders is a self-described socialist and critic of Wall Street.

The typical view from Wall Street early in the election cycle was that Jeb Bush would win, and even if he didn’t, another favorable candidate such as Clinton would instead. However, this is looking increasingly unrealistic as more time has passed.

While Bush and Clinton have promised tax increases on wealthy investors, they are both friendly toward large establishments Furthermore, they both offer policies on trade, immigration, and other issues that are congruent with typical Wall Street opinion.

One Wall Street Democrat said, “Neither of them (Clinton and Bush) are doing very well right now. Both Trump and Sanders have done a pretty great job tapping into this sense of frustration not just with Wall Street, but with all of the establishments.”

The Air Traffic Control Tower Of The Future Doesn’t Include Humans

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Sweden is trying to make flying safer by testing an unmanned control tower that will remove some of the human element out of guiding airplanes.

At the Ornskoldsvik Airport, one control tower has nobody inside. However, the tower continues to perform its job of guiding planes to the ground safely. The person who controls the landing is in another complex, roughly 90 miles away. That individual has access to cameras which reportedly function better than the average human eye.

The system was developed by Saab, best known for its sporty cars and even sportier fighter planes.

Experts in the industry are thrilled about the recent technology upgrade. Searidge Technologies representative Pat Urbanke says, “There is a lot of good camera technology that can do things that the human eye can’t.”

This camera technology can supposedly see better than humans in troubling conditions, such as in the dark and in fog.

There are still legal hurdles that must be crossed before this technology can be fully put into place. However, the Ornskoldsvik Airport is serving as a useful testing ground.

Utilizing this technology is expensive, as it costs an average of $175,000 per year for one controller. It would cost six times this amount to put it to use full-time at Ornskoldsvik, which still mostly uses traditional manned control towers. After the initial cost the operating expenses are minimal relative to their human counterparts.

The 80 foot tall unmanned tower at the airport houses 14 high-definition cameras. Video from the cameras is transmitted to Sunvsal Airport, where a controller guides the planes.

Potential future plans include grouping every airport controller together at distant facilities in order to save costs of running multiple air traffic control towers.

According to experts at the LVF Group, computers are quicker than humans at recognizing differences in the transmission by about one second, a critical amount of time in the high stakes world of passenger aviation. Saab representative Niclas Gustavsson thinks that “eventually there will be no (manned) towers built at all.”

The cameras include microphones which transmit the sound of the airplane yet air traffic controllers testing the equipment are still getting used to the lack of real airplane sounds at the distant facility.

High-pressure wind is pumped over the lenses of the cameras in order to keep them clean of debris, such as insects and dust. The cameras are able to withstand extreme temperature shifts as well.

Saab, the company responsible for this technology, says that the company plans to expand this program beyond Sweden, eyeing Norway and Australia next. The United States will also become a testing ground, as Leesburg in Virginia already has an unmanned tower in place. Trial runs at Leesburg began early last month.

Meanwhile, Searidge Technologies, a rival of Saab, has goals of building an unmanned tower for Hungary’s main airport in Budapest. This airport has around 8.5 million customers on an annual basis. Searidge hopes to have the tower constructed and operating by 2017.

Colombian Military Assassins Have Reportedly Been Sent To Mexico To Kill Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman

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Colombian Military Assassins Have Reportedly Been Sent To Mexico To Kill Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman

Colombian soldiers are reportedly in Mexico with the goal of killing the world’s most powerful drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

So far the manhunt launched by the Mexican government to recapture Guzman has not produced any results. Guzman is believed to be hiding within the mountains of Mexico’s Sinaloa state where he enjoys widespread support.

Now Colombian soldiers are supposedly coming after the cartel leader, who escaped from a maximum security prison in Toluca. Guzman was widely rumored to receive help from the Mexican government, including Mexican president Peña Nieto, in an epic scandal of corruption.

An individual with ties to the cartel who was going under the name of Julio “El Tio” Martinez said, “Why would he risk his liberty going elsewhere? Here in Sinaloa he enjoys massive protection by state and federal security forces. He has all of them on his payroll. He controls the whole mountain range from Jesus Maria all the way up to Badiraguato, where he was born.”

Guzman, along with his partner Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, reportedly controls the entire drug trade within in Jesus Maria. Both men have families in the region.

One of Guzman’s sons recently tweeted from Costa Rica that he was with his father and that the two were at a local restaurant.

Meanwhile Guzman’s lawyer, Juan Pablo Badillo, stated that Columbia soldiers have traveled to Mexico in order to assassinate his client. Badillo said, “This is a critical moment for him. He’s living under the sword of Damocles.”

Badillo has reportedly filed two judicial requests, suggesting that the government should stop looking for Guzman. Badillo is fearful for the life of his client, and he wants the government to make efforts to protect Guzman.

Right before Guzman’s prison escape, his defense team was able to receive an injunction from the court which protects Guzman from being extradited, tortured, or killed. According to this injunction, even if Guzman is found, they would be unable to kill, torture, or extradite him. This injunction was signed by three Mexican federal judges.

Product Announcements And Financials Point To Snapchat Becoming Tech’s Biggest Unicorn Blowup

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The popular messaging app Snapchat is rolling out its first in-app purchase—“Snap” replays which will sell at $0.99 for three. Following the company’s introduction of advertising last fall, the new option to purchase replays may indicate that ad revenue is not meeting expectations and that the business is not nearly as healthy as previously thought.

The appeal of Snapchat lies partially in the ability for users to post one-time pictures and videos to their fellow users, ignoring the fact that there are simple workarounds that one can obtain to sneakily screen capture those messages without alerting the sender.

The new option to purchase Snap replays defeats that feature, and could potentially drive away users by allowing users to replay a racy Snap they received for all their friends within earshot.

As part of the update that introduced the for-pay replays, a set of new face-altering lenses was also included, which may ease the blow to users from the company’s first paid feature. Users were previously allotted one free replay per day.

The company currently has 100 million recurring users, and was bestowed with a $16 billion valuation earlier this year, but its poor financials from the previous year will need to be corrected before that valuation makes sense.

In 2014 the company lost over $120 million in 11 months between January and October, and brought in revenue of only $3 million. Because ads were only introduced in October of 2014, that number only represents one and a half months of ad revenue, but if one extrapolates that over the 11 month period, it comes to $22 million. Additionally, the losses included a one-time expense of $48 million which was due to payments for a data loss event and a litigation settlement with one of the cofounders.

The trend on the rates Snapchat charges to advertisers had dropped from a high of $100 per 1,000 views in January, to $20 per 1,000 views in May. Incidentally, the $100 rate was 50% higher than rates charged by Youtube. Advertisers have been wary of spending money with the company due to its mostly teen demographic as well as its unproven track record, but more companies may make the leap with the new lower rates.

New York City Announces Plans To Ensure Computer Science Taught To Every Student

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Within the next ten years, every New York City (NYC) public school will have to offer all students computer science courses under regulations announced today by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The Mayor said the requirement will present every child in the city’s public school system a head start to learning the skills necessary to work in New York’s rapidly growing technology sector.

Experts say the initiative, although a necessary one in today’s technology driven world, will present the city’s Department of Education a major challenge.

They say at present less than ten percent of NYC schools offer computer science education and there is no state computer science teacher certification, with no “pipeline” of teachers qualified in computer science coming out of colleges. City officials say 5000 teachers will have to be trained to meet the pledge.

However de Blasio and supporters of the initiative are determined the program will work with the Mayor saying the goal is for all students, even those in the poorest neighborhoods, to have access to some form of computer science, be it basic programing skills or learning to build robots.

Education experts say some of NYC’s “elite” public schools have offered computer science courses for years, but budget constraints and lack of qualified teachers have prevented most public schools from introducing the subject.

The city plans to spend $81 million over 10 years on the initiative, with half of it coming from private sources, which it hopes will include technology giants like Microsoft, Google, Facebook Zynga and Salesforce, which have supported similar initiatives in Chicago and San Francisco.

NYC officials say there has already been financial support pledged from the Robin Hood Foundation, the AOL Charitable Foundation, and venture capitalist couple Fred and Joanne Wilson who are the financial backers of the Academy For Software Engineering, NYC’s first computer science focused high school.

Citing figures which show that between 2007 and 2014, technology jobs in NYC grew 57 percent, the director of the city’s Office of Strategic Partnerships Gabrielle Fialkoff said “I think there is acknowledgment that we need our students better prepared for these jobs and to address equity and diversity within the sector, as well.”

As Zimbabwe’s Farms Falter New Land Owners Are Secretly Reaching Out To White Farmers For Help

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As Zimbabwe’s Farms Falter New Land Owners Are Secretly Reaching Out To White Farmers For Help

In a country where extreme racial tensions are a state-embraced part of the culture, a new wrinkle has emerged breaking down some of those racial barriers. In Zimbabwe, land ownership, particularly ownership of farmland, has been a major issue in the country’s race wars. In what it called retribution for white settlers stealing the land from black inhabitants, the government recently redistributed land ownership across the African nation.

Specifically, 15 years ago, the government started seizing farmland from thousands of white farmers – without compensation – and giving it to blacks as “recompense for the abuses of colonial rule.” However, the black landowners are now struggling to keep the farms functioning as they lack the knowledge and expertise of how to do so. As a result, they are quietly reaching out to white farmers to serve as managers or consultants on the farms with the hopes that the crops and land will be saved.

Despite the fact that black landowners are willingly reaching out to white farmers for their help, the Zimbabwe government does not support the tactic. President Robert Mugabe believes that creating partnerships with farmers is a step backward. He stated last month that, “We can’t have another war to liberate a country we have already liberated.”

Mugabe has long fought against white minority rule and in 1980, he helped Zimbabwe break away from that rule. He has stated that, “If white settlers just took the land from us without paying for it, we can, in a similar way, just take it from them without paying for it.”

The two racial groups viewed the property redistribution very differently. Whites believed it was pure theft. Blacks who received the land believed it simply was justice after a period of time where a small group of British land settlers and their sons and daughters controlled the African nation. So far, it has been quite difficult to bridge that divide.

But, Zimbabwe’s economy is spiralling downward – and much worse than in 1997 when the country’s economy was one of the strongest on the African continent. Between 2000 and 2009, revenue from agriculture declined by $12 billion. The country who was once referred to as “the breadbasket of Africa” now relies on international assistance to feed 25% of its population.

Hence, the conflict that arises when black landowners seek help from white farmers. To some Zimbabwean citizens, asking for such help is tantamount to failure. Savior Kasukuwere, the minister of local government describes this tension as, “The whites had their turn. It’s time for our people to have a chance.”

The white farmers who still remain in the country (about 300 down from 6,000 in 1980) also have issue with the requests for help. Peter Steyl, head of Zimbabwe’s commercial farmers’ union pointed out that, “There’s no one who disagrees with social justice, but instead we watched as land reform was used as a tool of political patronage.”

Despite the tensions, many whites and blacks are working together to get crops up and running again. One black landowner aptly pointed out that, “The problem now is that [blacks] have the land, but [whites] have the experience. We need to help each other.”

Temba Mliswa, a former member of parliament who received his farm under the land-reform program describes the situation as follows: “There’s a recognition among black farmers that there’s a lack of capacity even if the government doesn’t want to acknowledge it.”

China’s Internet Companies Are About To Be Big Players In Streaming TV

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U.S television shows and films are the latest hot commodity in the Chinese entertainment market with the country’s three leading internet companies announcing they had secured partnerships with major U.S filmmakers and production companies.

While the trend is a boon to major Hollywood film studios it highlights the stiff competition facing Netflix, Apple and other major U.S. tech firms in the video streaming market.

Tencent announced it had signed deals with 20th Century Fox and Disney for exclusive rights to distribute the upcoming Star Wars sequels, while one of China’s biggest video streaming sites, Youku Tudou, announced a partnership with Paramount Pictures to stream 100 movies in China, including the block busters Shrek, Star Trek and Transformers.

Youku Tudou Chairman Victor Koo said “The consumer-driven demand for premium online services in China is growing rapidly. With top-branded content such as Paramount Picture’s array of films, our commitment to enhancing our subscription services to create a premium experience and drive consumer-based revenue continues in earnest.”

The Tencent and Youku Tudou announcements came hot on the heel of China’s leading e-commerce company Alibaba, announcing it was launching a Netflix-type streaming service.

Alibaba head of digital entertainment Patrick Liu said “Our mission, the mission of all of Alibaba, is to redefine home entertainment. Our goal is to become like HBO in the United States, to become like Netflix in the United States.”

Entertainment experts say the three companies will make their money from charging monthly fees varying between $3 and $8 for access for premium content and overseas movies and films, which considering China’s huge population, will net them billions of dollars.

They say for foreign film and TV production companies, a partnership with a Chinese distributor gives them opportunities to both create legitimate distribution channels in a country renowned for piracy, and, avoid the Chinese government imposed limits on non-locally produced films being screened in the country.

In the past film production companies had skirted the non-locally produced rules by entering into co-production partnerships with Chinese filmmakers similar to the deal Paramount signed with Alibaba’s production company Alibaba Film for its latest Mission Impossible movie.

Bomb Shelter Housing Is The Hot New Trend In Conflict Prone Areas

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Bomb Shelter Housing Is The Hot New Trend In Conflict Prone Areas

As Russia pursues its latest foreign policy move with a military deployment to Syria, defense company Terramil in Russia’s neighboring Estonia has developed a product that answers the anxieties faced by people in the region with a next-generation bomb shelter. The modular design of interlocking tubes is also seeing interest buyers within Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, and Pakistan.

Titled the Sub Safe U1, installation requires simply digging a trench and dropping in the tube. If installed to the design’s specifications with six feet of earth above the shelter’s roof, it is capable of withstanding an impact from a 155 millimeter artillery shell. Mainly geared towards military buyers, the company’s product catalog listed the shelter alongside machine gun nests and anti-tank mines. Unique to the polyethylene shelter is its 100% waterproof rating, which is not possible with shelters built of concrete or steel.

Grate floors line the bottom of the tubes, and a basic shelter that sleeps 12 is currently priced at $20,000. For $40,000 there is a shower unit option. Drawings of a more functional underground city model included kitchen, storage, and refrigeration modules. Per Terramil’s website, the shelter is usable in temperatures ranging from -176 up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and can be installed within ninety minutes per module.

In the U.S., a niche of survivalists who foresee a future resembling the film Mad Max are often referred to as “doomsday preppers,” but it looks as if the phenomenon will only continue to grow as world events worsen. It can be hoped that as in the aftermath of the Cold War, these shelters will instead be turned into wine cellars and storage areas, having seen no action in their intended role.

Terramil has already completed testing of the shelter against artillery, and plans for further testing in collaboration with the Tapa military base for its performance as an air-raid shelter.

Mexican Conservation Officials Are Now Using Drones To Stop Turtle Poachers

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Mexican Conservation Officials Are Now Using Drones To Stop Turtle Poachers

In a new effort to curb and eliminate altogether the act of poaching turtle eggs, Mexican officials are taking extreme measures. They have begun using drones to monitor the beaches where the Olive Ridley turtles lay their eggs. The ever-increasing practice of poaching the turtles’ eggs have led to the implementation of these flying deterrents.

Specifically, the Olive Ridley turtle lives and thrives in several areas of the world. However, the females return every year to one of a few beaches to lay their eggs and bury them in the sand. On the Pacific Coast of Mexico, they are an endangered species.

They are considered endangered due to heavy, illegal poaching. In fact, prior to 1950, about 10 million female Olive Ridley turtles travelled to the beaches of Mexico to nest and lay their eggs. However, in the 60s, aggressive poaching practices of both the females and their eggs led to a drastic decline in the population in the area. Some nesting beaches disappeared entirely.

Although the sale of turtle eggs and turtle meat has been illegal in the country for several years, the trade is alive and well – and vicious. Poachers dig on the beaches – oftentimes in broad daylight – and collect turtle eggs. They then turn around and sell them for about $1.00 an egg. During breeding season, these beaches contain hundreds of thousands of eggs.

In a sobering account, Mexican officials reported that about 80% of the species’ eggs were stolen in early 2015 when Marines guarding the beaches were called away from the area for just one night.

As a result of the turtles’ plight, Mexican officials have decided to deploy drones around the area hoping to deter poachers as well as determine where poachers are most likely to access the beach from the road. Edgar Ferrusquilla, Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection has stated that, “From the air, it’s easy to identify the paths. When someone walks, they leave a track and, when many people start to walk along that track, we start to see paths. So this equipment helps us identify who has that kind of access.”

Officials hope that these new efforts will keep more and more turtle eggs safe until they hatch and the baby turtles can return to the sea.

Wildfires Continue To Sweep California, Over 600 Homes Now Destroyed

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Wildfires are continuing to devastate Northern California, as now more than 600 homes have been destroyed in the Valley Fire, while another 9,000 homes remain in serious danger.

This is double from the 300 that we had previously reported.

So far, the only victim has been a 72 year old woman who was unable to escape her house.

Roughly 62,000 acres have been destroyed by the Valley Fire up to this point. Fire crews are continuing to make progress at stopping the fire, but their effort is slow. Currently, containment is at 10%.

California residents have been devastated by the fire.

Local Resident of Middletown, CA Bob Cummensky said, “It’s such a beautiful area and it’s changed forever.”

Tammy Moore’s home of 15 years was completely obliterated by the fire
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“It is so much worse than I thought it would be. Even though I expected it to be bad, I didn’t expect to see everything gone,” said Moore.

According to California emergency services director Mark Ghilarducci, about 13,000 people have lost their homes in the fire. Meanwhile, another 11,000 people in the counties of Amador and Calaveras have had to evacuate.

In addition to the Valley Fire, the state is also dealing with the Butte Fire. This fire has destroyed more than 71,000 acres of land and scorched 170 homes. One-third of the fire is contained.

Other fires such as the Lumpkin Fire of Butte Country have resulted in orders of evacuation.

Wildfires have been a serious issue for California in recent years. Fire season used to be confined to specific periods of the year, but it is now a problem throughout the year because of a massive drought which has provided an abundance of dry fodder to spread flames.

Director of CalFire Chief Ken Pimlott said, “We don’t see an end in fire season for months to come. We’re in this for the long haul.”

Hungary Seals Borders Amid Influx Of Migrants

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Hungary Seals Borders Amid Influx Of Migrants

Thousands of migrants are being locked out of EU nations as block parties toughen their laws on border controls, part of which involve building high razor fences. The European migrant crisis is becoming more severe by the day. The huge influx of refugees coupled with the unwillingness by some EU member states to allow refugees into their countries has complicated Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis since the Cold War.

Hungary sealed its borders on Tuesday with a three meter high barbed fence, locking out thousands of migrants looking to enter Europe. The ex-communist’s right wing government hailed Tuesday’s measures a “new era” effectively closing the entrance to the EU.

Chaotic scenes mired the better part of the day at a crossing in Roszke, Hungary as authorities opened a tiny office to process refugee’s documents. Close to two dozen migrants squeezed themselves into the small office as thousands more waited outside. Another group of refugees blocked the main highway between Serbia and Hungary, refusing to allow food and supplies until they were let into Hungary.

Buoyed by the increasing number of migrants stranded at their border, Hungary’s government declared a state of emergency in two south east borders, a move that allows it to deploy its military to fend off migrants.

The announcement of a state of emergency came hot on the heels of tougher laws enacted to prevent asylum seekers from crossing into the EU state. The laws strictly prohibit any attempts at breaching the barbed fence along its border with Serbia while authorizing police to search homes believed to be shielding migrants.

Hungary is not the only EU country exercising the right to reject incoming migrants. On Sunday, Germany restored border controls along its orders to facilitate the checking of migrants coming into the country. The move resulted in a domino effect with Germany’s neighbors also imposing checks along their borders for the first time in decades.

EU countries had been operating under the Schengen agreement that allowed for a border free Europe in line with EU’s integration agenda. The policy was one of the fundamental tenets of integration, along with the adoption of a common currency, the Euro. Through the policy, 26 European nations issued common visas along with leaving their inter borders open and unmanned. The migrant crisis now offers the biggest test for one of the EU’s integration successes.

Hungary’s foreign ministry revealed plans to build a similar barbed fence along its border with Romania while Croatia stationed more than 6,000 police along its borders. The Schengen system is well on its way to becoming old news.

Europe’s migrant crisis has tested the continent’s mettle and tolerance to accommodate those without the same opportunities as themselves. Through closing their borders, the continent is choosing to disregard its duty towards other human beings , possibly condemning thousands to starvation, homelessness and even death.

Computer Models Show Just What Would Happen If We Burned All The World’s Fossil Fuels

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Scientists conducted a study to determine what exactly would happen in the catastrophic event that all the remaining fossil fuels on Earth were to burn up at the exact same time.

According to the results, the event would be devastating. Sea levels would supposedly rise by more than 160 feet, while the ice sheet covering Antarctica would disappear entirely.

The study utilized a model of how ice sheets flow and move in order to uncover what would take place with an input of 10,000 gigatons of carbon. Such an amount of carbon represents an estimate of currently attainable carbon fuel resources.

The scientists conducting the study stated that such an input of carbon would be enough to eliminate the Antarctic Ice Sheet. However, the scientists warn that it would only take a much smaller amount to threaten large portions of the sheet.

While it would take thousands of years in order to destroy the entire ice sheet permanently, the scientists hypothesize that the burning all of Earth’s fossil fuels that currently takes place could lead to a 100 foot rise in sea level within the next 1,000 years, starting about 100 years from now.

Scientists also remarked that a major thaw could destroy the ice sheet of Greenland. Such an event would flood cities from New York to Shanghai. As a result, the map of the world would change, and much of the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Florida would be underwater.

Although the study is more of an experiment rather than a real prediction, it does serve as a reminder of the long term consequences that could come about from the short term decisions of humans.

Whether or not the Earth’s current fossil fuels could melt the entire ice sheet has been a question on the minds of the study’s authors for a long time. Study co-author Ken Caldeira says, “It was a great pleasure to finally get to address this question.”

While answering the question may have been pleasurable, the results are decidedly troubling for a world enamoured with fossil fuels.

Are ‘Anchor Babies’ A Problem? The Numbers Say Not At All

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The number of U.S. anchor babies is actually decreasing and is way lower than the figure given by Republican Donald Trump. In the run up to the 2016 primaries, immigration has taken center stage. Through fielding wrong estimates for the number of immigrant anchor babies, the Republicans are gaining leverage based on misinformation and blatant misrepresentation of facts.

“Anchor babies” is a derogatory term used by GOP candidate Trump to refer to babies born by undocumented persons so that their children can be U.S. citizens. Through these babies, the non-citizen parents can proceed to live off U.S. government and eventually attain their own citizenship.

Donald Trump recently said that the number of these anchor babies was increasing. Trump’s campaign chief Corey Lewandowski even went ahead to state in an interview with CNN this August, “If you think of the term anchor baby, which is those individuals coming to our country and having children here so that their children can be U.S. citizens, there’s 400,000 of those taking place on a yearly basis. To put that in perspective, that is the equivalent of the population of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 47th largest city in our country.”

However, the number fronted by the billionaire candidate’s team is actually incorrect. The number of U.S. anchor babies is reducing, according to a research by Pew Researchers. The research estimated the number of undocumented parent births to 295,000 in 2013, way lower than the 370,000 figure recorded in 2007, indicating their number was reducing. Trump’s figure of 400,000 is actually lower than any figure of these anchor babies recorded in the last two decades.

Though the anchor babies are intended to be used by undocumented immigrants as a tool to gain U.S. citizenship, their birth often does not automatically hand their parents U.S. citizenship, neither do they qualify the parents for government benefits. In many cases, they are actually deported.

According to Washington Post journalist Janell Ross, “For illegal immigrant parents, being the parent of a U.S. citizen child almost never forms the core of a successful defense in an immigration court. In short, if the undocumented parent of a U.S.-born child is caught in the United States, he or she legally faces the very same risk of deportation as any other immigrant.”

According to the Huffington Post, 70,000 undocumented immigrant parents were deported in 2013.

Trump recently sent tongues wagging when he said he would deport the estimated 11 million immigrants out of the U.S. if he became president. That was not all, he also stated he would end automatic citizenship for these anchor babies, build a border along the U.S.-Mexico border and end the green card program.

Trump’s policies have seen him become an “enemy number one” for the U.S. migrant population and a favorite for Americans skeptical of the U.S.’s accommodation of migrants. Colorfully exaggerating their figure, however, may serve to bring his polling figures down rather than build his brand.

Human Rights Watch Sues Spy Agencies To See Just What Data They Collect

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Human Rights Watch Sues Spy Agencies To See Just What Data They Collect

Civil rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has announced it is taking U.S and UK spying organizations to court to find out just how much they work together sharing information.

The group wants to find how much information was passed between the US National Security Agency (NSA) and UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

In a released statement HRW said “Given the mass surveillance capabilities of the NSA and GCHQ, a huge number of people could have been affected by the unlawful spying.”

HRW’s general counsel, Dinah PoKempner said that although a recent ruling by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) on charges brought by ten international human rights groups, found the actions of the two intelligence services were illegal up to December 2014, it did not reveal the full extent of intelligence sharing. The human rights group that brought the action included Amnesty International, Bytes for All, and Privacy International,

“We are bringing this case because those who work to protect human rights and expose abuses and war crimes depend on confidentiality of communications,” said PoKempner.

Although HRW was not satisfied with the IPT’s earlier ruling, it has had to lodge their new court action with the organization because it is the only British court authorized to investigate intelligence agencies.

PoKempner said the HRW complaint, for now, would focus on the intelligence services which handle the most sensitive information, concentrating firstly on allegations that the GCHQ spied on Amnesty International.

Initially HRW had filed a legal challenge on behalf of itself and an unnamed investigative journalist, a lawyer and a security research expert, but the IPT rejected the challenge, ruling that anyone who was concerned they had been the victim of spying had to submit individual complaints.

As a result HRW filed four individual complaints and has announced it will assist any other individuals who have complaints they want to raise through the IPT with preparing and submitting the required paperwork.

Amazon Billionaire Bezos Makes Major Rocket Investment In Florida

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Amazon Billionaire Bezos Makes Major Rocket Investment In Florida

The private space travel company Blue Origin, backed by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, will reportedly invest $200 million in Florida in order to make the state the basis of its operations. The expansion by the upstart rocketry company is estimated to create 330 new jobs in the state.

The company, which was founded in 2000, plans to launch rockets from Cape Canaveral, FL. The site, known as Complex 36, has been sitting unused since 2005 after the retirement of the space shuttle. The facility saw 145 rocket launches over 43 years of service.

Bezos commented on the news by stating that “We’re not just launching here, we’re building here. Our ultimate vision is millions of people living and working in space.”

Jeff Bezos is one of several tremendously successful entrepreneurs who believe that space travel is the next big investment opportunity. Others include Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk of SpaceX. Branson wants to offer space trips for thrill-seekers while Musk dreams about transporting people to Mars.

Blue Origin plans to establish a production facility that will be located in Exploration Park. The facility will produce the company’s reusable fleet of orbital launchers and will also prepare them for repeated flights. By placing the assembly facility near the launch site, the challenge of processing and transporting rockets will be reduced.

The company states that it will begin testing launches from Florida later this decade. At the present time, the company plans to test its BE-4 engine at Complex 36. The BE-4 engine, which was made in America, is slated to power the Vulcan Rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA). ULA is a joint venture between industry heavyweights Lockheed Martin Corporation and Boeing.

The process of developing economically efficient methods of transporting people to space is still extremely expensive and highly time-consuming. Another American upstart rocket company, SpaceX, experienced a major setback in June when an unmanned cargo rocket exploded just minutes after launch. The event reminded everyone that space exploration is a very difficult task despite numerous advancements in technology since the days of the moon missions.

There have also been failed attempts by both Blue Origin and SpaceX to retrieve rocket components that typically burn up during the flight. Retaining these parts would greatly lessen the expenses associated with space travel and open new commercial opportunities.

Blue Origin’s economic investment in Florida is a breath of fresh air for the local economy that had been devastated with NASA ended its shuttle program in 2011. SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have also made use of the old launch sites, which date back to NASA’s glory years.

The World’s Proudest Democracy Is Relying On Ancient Voting Machines For The 2016 Elections

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The World’s Proudest Democracy Is Relying On Ancient Voting Machines For The 2016 Elections

The voting machines used in American elections are aging fast, in what could quickly develop into a serious problem for voters. In the upcoming 2016 elections, 43 states will make use of electronic voting machines that are over 10 years old. This is extremely close to expected lifespans of most of these machines.

Using old voting equipment creates the risk of failures and crashes. These events could result in long lines and lost votes on Election Day. The problems will only become more concerning the longer that no action is taken.

The bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) issued a warning about the widespread ageing of voting machines in January of 2014.

Yet jurisdictions lack funds to purchase new machines, while legal constraints prevent the development of new ones.

The machines in use today were not designed to last for decades. Many were designed and engineered during the 1990s and most have a lifespan between 10 and 20 years.

The voting machines used in most states are dangerously within this critical period.

Making matters worse is that some machines are no longer manufactured, and election officials are struggling to locate replacement parts. Some older machines are also plagued by security issues, making votes accessible through wireless features. Hackers could potentially record voting data or inject malicious data. A voter could also select the name of one candidate, but the machine would register it as another.

While the security issues have been highlighted in the past and are generally well known little has been done to address them.

Election jurisdictions representing at least 31 states want to buy new voting equipment within the next five years but at least 22 of these states are not sure where the money will come from.

Estimates show that the initial cost of replacing equipment nationwide could total more than $1 billion.

A troubling issue is that wealthier counties will likely be better able to replace ageing machines than poorer counties. This could lead to poorer counties using aged voting machines far longer than recommended causing a skew in elections that favors the rich.

While the findings are troubling, technology is improving, and there is hope that these machines could have increased reliability with decreased costs in the future. However, the immediate need to replace these machines is a major issue in the short run and will be a hot button issue heading into the 2016 election cycle.

Florida Sees Serious New Push To Regulate And Tax Marijuana

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Florida is on its way to legalizing marijuana if a new petition by lawyer Michael Minardi gets its way. Though previous attempts to legalize the drug, including through an election, have been unsuccessful, Minardi’s petition could just get marijuana in every retail store in Florida permanently.

Minardi, a prominent West Palm Beach lawyer who recently won a landmark case that allowed the use of medical marijuana as a defense, has a plan to get marijuana legalized in Florida. He has teamed up with fellow lawyer Bill Wohlsifer and prominent marijuana activist Karen Goldstein to start a corporation Sensible Florida and its associate organization, Regulate Florida.

The group has initiated a proposed amendment to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult persons.

Their amendment, the “Florida Cannabis Act” proposes the legalization of pot and its regulation just like alcohol. The amendment outlines regulations allowing any person over 21 to possess up to an ounce of the plant. It also allows licensed adults to grow up to six of the plants at home.

The act, however, is not a blanket approval of all forms of marijuana usage.

It has checks and balances which Minardi explained, “It doesn’t allow for driving while on cannabis; it limits the age to 21 — much like the way alcohol is sold and regulated. It creates a licenses-regulated system of distribution to make sure we have the safety of the products and safety for consumers as a priority, much like they do in Colorado. Whenever any kind of product is regulated, it makes sure people are getting a safe product.”

Over the summer, Florida’s Division of Elections gave Minardi and his team the go ahead to collect 683,149 verified signatures belonging to Florida voters, which are needed to have the petition placed in the November 2016 ballot.

Previous attempts to have cannabis legalized in the state have fallen flat.

Last year, a popular initiative by United for Care fell short of a majority by only two percentage points. Earlier in the year, Miami Sen. Dwight Bullard attempted to file a bill allowing Floridians 21 or older to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of pot, yet it flopped before getting anywhere.

In acknowledging the work ahead, Minardi said, “We’ve got a lot of things in the works to get this thing done.”

Attempts to legalize marijuana in the state have been faced with heavy backlash by conservatives keen on ensuring children do not get exposed to the drug too early. But with other states such as Colorado legalizing the plant and with the right strategy, Minardi may succeed where other have failed.

New Supplement Looks Set To Provide Game Changing Benefits To Alzheimer’s Patients

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In a major breakthrough, scientists have discovered an inexpensive new supplement that drastically reduces the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The new, yet simple, drug appears set to deliver affordable healthcare for patients of Alzheimer’s and could potentially see years of the disease’s effects wiped away from the body.

The supplement discovered, resveratrol, occurs naturally in plants such as red grapes and raspberries along with red wine and dark chocolate.

In the study, scientists took a sample of 119 patients suffering from mid-level to high level Alzheimer’s. The participants were each given 1g of pure resveratrol in a controlled dosage of twice a day for a period of 12 months. A control group received a placebo.

In all Alzheimer’s cases, as the disease progresses, the level of a protein called Abeta40 gradually decreases in the blood. For the participants taking regular doses of resveratrol, there was no alteration in the level of Abeta40, suggesting that the disease had stabilized. The group on the supplement was even shown to have improved in their dressing, cooking and use of public modes of transport.

For the control group taking the placebo, levels of Abeta40 continued to decline with the disease’s progression. They ultimately recorded no improvement in overall cognitive abilities.

According to Dr. Scott Turner, director of the memory disorders program at Georgetown University Medical Center, “Number one, we found that resveratrol was safe in older people with Alzheimer’s disease and number two, it looked like it may have had a beneficial effect on biomarkers and disease progression.”

The researchers reported that they chose resveratrol because it activated proteins called sirtuins, which were incidentally also turned on by calorie restriction. Scientists have previously shown that age-related diseases such as dementia can actually be delayed or even prevented altogether by the cutting of calories to below two thirds the recommended level.

Though the study proved successful, researchers said they could not approve the supplement as the trial was too small to amount to a recommendation.

Director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, Dr Doug Brown, said, “While this is an interesting study, it did not investigate whether resveratrol has any effect on memory or improving other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Before we can say this has potential as a treatment option we need to see larger and longer trials in people that specifically look at whether it can improve the lives of those with the condition.”

Naturally occurring supplements such as resveratrol may be the key to ending age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Through more study, researchers look set to continually improve medical care for patients and while at the same time making it affordable for a majority of price sensitive Americans.

As Robotic Sex Dolls Become More Human Serious Ethical Debate Rages

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As Robotic Sex Dolls Become More Human Serious Ethical Debate Rages

There is increasing debate about the ethics of using robots for sex, with one ethicist going so far as to start a campaign to ban the development of robots designed to be used for sex.

Dr. Kathleen Richardson, a senior research fellow at De Montfort University, is leading the campaign and she contends that sex droids have the potential to strongly contribute to the continuing troubles of prostituted women and children.

Interestingly, Richardson’s background is not in engineering or robotics but rather anthropology.

She studies the ethics of robots and her early research led her to believe that the creation of sex-bots recreated what she claims is the “prostitute-john” relationship.

Richardson stated that, “I started thinking, ‘Oh, no, something needs to be said about this. This is not right.” Her findings were explained in a paper, “The Asymmetrical ‘Relationship’: Parallels Between Prostitution and the Development of Sex Robots,” presented earlier this month.

She further stated that “I propose that extending relations of prostitution into machines is neither ethical, nor is it safe. If anything the development of sex robots will further reinforce relations of power that do not recognize both parties as human subjects.” But when one party is an object – it is not a human subject, right?

She claims she is not anti-sex, but she does object to what she perceives as the unequal power relationship that is part of sex work between humans. She believes this may be replicated in human-robot encounters – that will then be reinforced in human-human encounters, creating a vicious circle.

“Technology is not neutral. It’s informed by class, race and gender. Political power informs the development of technology. That’s why we can do something about it. These robots will contribute to more sexual exploitation.”

While an interesting line of reasoning, Richardson does not seem to address the obvious issue of whether the increased use of sex-bots will actually diminish human-human prostitution.

When confronted with the notion that sex-bots were more akin to sex toys as opposed to prostitutes, Richardson stated that, “To call them toys is to understate the issue. It’s not as if it’s a Barbie. The better term is ‘sex object.”

Similarly, when questioned whether objectification was worthy of debate or concern because actual objects are involved as opposed to people being treated like objects, Richardson simply stated that that sex toys and sex-bots exist because of prostitution. She said, “We must abolish prostitution.”

Richardson is less worried about the robots that exist today but rather what will exist in the presumably near future. “There are companies . . . that don’t have animatronics but rely on the same idea. It’s a new and emerging technology, but let’s nip it in the bud.”

In contrast to Richardson’s philosophy, the current sex-bot industry defended its evolving technology. True Companion’s chief executive, Douglas Hines, stated that, “We are not supplanting the wife or trying to replace a girlfriend. This is a solution for people who are between relationships or someone who has lost a spouse . . . People can find happiness and fulfillment other than via human interaction.”

Richardson points out that, “It’s important that we have a debate about this. Einstein’s theory of relativity – it didn’t have to turn into the atom bomb, right?”

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