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Food Shortages In Venezuela Are Leading To Looting And A Thriving Black Market For Basic Produce

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Food Shortages In Venezuela Are Leading To Looting And A Thriving Black Market For Basic Produce

As Venezuela fights an economic disaster, food shortages mean looters are robbing supermarkets while regular customers deal with long lines and limited supplies.

Shoppers in the country are now spending hours lining up to buy staples including flour and laundry soap, turning queues into scenes of shoving competitions and increasingly frequent attempts to steal from shops.

The disaster has hit President Nicolas Maduro’s approval ratings and raised suspicion levels in the country.

56 incidences of looting and 76 attempted thefts occurred in the first half of this year, according to Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, a local NGO, which based the statistics on media reports and statements of observers countrywide.

On Sunday, a small group in the city of San Cristobal forced its way into the state-run Bicentenario supermarket to steal products after it had been shut, leaving workers scratched and hurt.

Speaking to Reuters, store manager Edward Perez said, “As we were closing, a group of 20 people unexpectedly started shouting insults at the government and the workers.”

Several thieves were apprehended after the fracas, which the president blamed on “ultra-right-wing sectors of the opposition” seeking to stir violence.

Last Friday, 60 people were arrested in Ciudad Guayana, in southern Venezuela, and one man was killed after shops were burglarized.

More regular than these serious phenomena are small melees that arise when delivery vehicles arrive at stores with expensive products such as milk and chicken.

The mixture of exaggerated rumors and limited formal communication often makes it difficult to differentiate between the two and thus fully understand how widespread the issue is.

Queues have been longer since early this year, and have been particularly edgy since last Friday’s occurrence in Ciudad Guayana.

The challenges, however, have not spurred a bigger wave of demonstrations like those organized by the opposition early last year, which left 43 people dead.

Supporters of the Socialist Party say that the network of state-funded grocery stores established by the late president Hugo Chavez, and supported by oil revenue, helped lessen poverty and food shortages during his 1999-2013 reign.

But the mixture of dysfunctional money controls, which have reduced Venezuela’s ability to import, and the end of a 10 year-long oil boom has left Maduro’s administration strapped for currency and fighting to maintain the charity.

Lines are noticeably filled with looters who buy subsidized items and resell them at a higher price on the informal market or in adjacent Colombia, generating suspicion between the resellers and those endeavoring to stock their own kitchens.

California Eyes Sweeping New Drone Regulations That Threaten The Fast Growing Industry

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California Eyes Sweeping New Drone Regulations That Threaten The Fast Growing Industry

A new bill making its way through the California legislature may sharply curb the burgeoning commercial drone market by banning many of the ways that drones are currently used.

The new law would restrict the flight of the devices below 350 feet without permission of the property owners or legal entities. Senate Bill 142 has already passed the California Assembly by a wide margin and will now head to the state senate.

Yet advocates for the technology say such moves could kill a blossoming industry and put the country behind others in advancing drone technology.

Potential uses for unmanned vehicles go beyond the recreational hobbyist to include delivery services and emergency response to remote locations.

Amazon and Google have are both developing the technology and logistics for such delivery services, but have failed to comment on any pending legislation. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) estimates that the state could lose up to $14 billion over the next 10 years if the bill passes.

Proponents of the new bill have defended it as a privacy issue, and the bill’s text specifies that operation of drones over private property will require “express permission” of the property owner. Because most drones operate between 200 and 500 feet, supporters of the bill say operating a drone delivery service would not be affected, as the drones could merely fly above the 350 foot limit until they arrived at their destination.

Regardless, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may supersede the authority of a California bill as it moves to issue national regulations on drones next month.

The FAA is looking to answer the push for national regulations, with 46 states already having considered drone bills this year, and increasing pressure from industry lobby groups.

There are FAA guidelines currently in place for recreational use, including a 400 foot maximum altitude limit and maintenance of line of sight, but commercial use is only allowed with express permission from the FAA.

With industry giants like Amazon and Google holding back their drone ventures pending such legislation, there will be a frenzy of activity in the industry once rules are finally passed.

As School Approaches, Teachers Remain Sharply Divided On The Use Of Technology In The Classroom

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As School Approaches, Teachers Remain Sharply Divided On The Use Of Technology In The Classroom

While it’s natural to assume that the use of laptop computers, smartphones and tablets in classroom settings is fairly universally accepted, given some schools are even supplying laptops for a small fee to students, this is not necessarily the case, especially in higher education.

There is strong debate amongst academics over whether to embrace and accept digital tools in lecture halls or get rid of them altogether.

Those who want to ban laptops from their classes say they want to put a halt to the distractions caused by the increasing levels of technology in the classroom. They say the temptation to post on and check social media is too much for many students. They cite studies that show students who take notes on devices with keyboards retain less information than those who write notes by hand.

But the academics that support use of technology by students say it’s not laptops that are the problem, but boring, traditional teaching methods. They argue that to engage students, the way teachers and lecturers think, use and talk about modern day technology has to change.

Dr. Mark Morton, senior instructional developer of educational technologies at the University of Waterloo, in Canada, believes that although traditional, lecture-style classes work for many academics, there needs to be an integration of these traditional teaching methods and technology being used as both teaching and learning tools.  He says technology can foster a more inclusive teaching environment.

“Consistently lecturing, that’s very, very difficult for students to stay attentive throughout a 75-minute lecture,” said Morton. “Or at least, it advantages some students who have that kind of attention and disadvantages others. Trying to create different kinds of learning activities can benefit everybody.”

McGill University’s associate professor of natural resource sciences Chris Buddle says student distraction presented an opportunity for teachers to rethink their approach to teaching.  McGill believe a distracted student, regardless of having a laptop or not, indicated a larger problem.

“We need to adjust. The profs I know who do adjust, and do have more active learning environments, don’t complain about technology in their classroom.” he said

Dr. Buddle cited cases where students checking facts on the Internet during class,  often created spontaneous discussions on the subject being taught. Buddle integrates Twitter, using a lesson hashtag to share information and ask questions, and using a blackboard and chalk.

Assistant professor at York University in Toronto Sean Kheraj, says he hasn’t found banning laptops to be effective in getting the attention of students.  He asks students who are easily tempted to use laptops for things other than note taking to sit in the back row, as a way of accommodating those students who say they are easily distracted by other people’s screens which he says is a common complaint.

Kheraj says the use of technology in classrooms should not be banned or disapproved of because  it is a part of  the daily lives of students and something which follow them into the workplace .

“I don’t think compulsion is the best way to win students’ attention. It’s the best way to reflect on your teaching, the content of your course,” he said. “It’s a better experience to be drawn to the material than held hostage.”

Adaptive educational technologist at the University of Waterloo’s Access- Ability Services Department Susan Shifflett, says some students with disabilities need laptops, so banning them from classrooms was not an option. These disabilities, says Shifflett, are often “invisible,” so even asking students if they needed to laptops as a way of setting no laptop policy, even in individual classroom situations, rather than overall policy, was not going to work.  She say it was an individual’s right whether to disclose the disability to others or not.

ISIS Is Now Routinely Using Chemical Weapons In The Battle For Syria

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ISIS Is Now Routinely Using Chemical Weapons In The Battle For Syria

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have been confirmed to have used chemical weapons in an assault on an urban center in northern Syria on Friday.

On Tuesday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it had taken care of four members of a family who experienced breathing complications and developed skin burns after a mortar hit their compound in Marea.

The Syrian American Medical Society has also said that it has received 50 patients presenting signs and symptoms of exposure to chemicals.

Frontline militia in the region say the shells were fired from a village held by ISIS to the east.

A spokesperson for one militia, the Shami Front, said that 50 percent of the artillery rounds and 50 mortars which hit Marea contained sulphur mustard.

The strong irritant and blistering substance, which is regularly known as “mustard gas” but is liquid at room temperature, causes harsh skin damage, and irritation to the eyes and respiratory system.

MSF said the four victims, a couple and their five-day-old and three-year-old daughters, reported to one of its facilities an hour after the Friday evening assault in Aleppo province, experiencing respiratory difficulties, red eyes, inflamed skin and conjunctivitis. In about three hours they had blisters and their breathing difficulties got worse.

Personnel treated their signs and provided them with oxygen before referring them to another hospital for specialized treatment.

According to Pablo Marco, MSF’s program manager in Syria, “MSF has no laboratory evidence to confirm the cause of these symptoms”. He added, “However, the patients’ clinical symptoms, the way these symptoms changed over time, and the patients’ testimony about the circumstances of the poisoning all point to exposure to a chemical agent.”

On Monday, the Syrian American Medical Society stated that its hospital in Marea had admitted at least 50 civilians who presented similar signs. About 30 citizens had skin blisters, with medical personnel identified the agent to be sulphur mustard.

The medical organization stated that the samples had been taken from the clothing, hair and blood of patients as well from the shelling scene, to be examined.

Earlier in the month, the U.S. armed forces said they suspected ISIS of having utilized chemical substances in an assault on Kurdish troops in northern Syria. Reports of a chemical assault on Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga militants in Iraq are also being evaluated.

U.S. officers recently argued that ISIS might have acquired the sulphur mustard from Syria, despite the administration announcing that all of its supplies had been destroyed as part of a disarmament agreement that came following a lethal sarin nerve agent attack in the periphery of Damascus on August 21st 2013.

Yemeni Rebels Launch Scud Missile Into Saudi Arabia In Retaliation For Over 100 Saudi Air Strikes

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On Wednesday, Yemeni military units associated with the Houthi militia launched a ballistic missile toward southern Saudi Arabia, the faction’s TV channel reported, as fighting between the Iran-allied group and the kingdom increased.

“The Yemeni army fired a Scud ballistic missile toward Jizan,” Houthi-run Al Maseera TV stated on its official page on Twitter.

Inhabitants in the capital Sanaa claimed hearing a loud sound as the Scud was launched from a place in the city’s vicinity. The launch was closely followed by Saudi-led airstrikes on a military depot for rockets and a government palace.

Saudi Arabia has led an Arab intercession against the Houthis beginning on March 26th of this year with the goal of reinstating the Yemeni administration. The government was overthrown by the Houthi militia, a Shi’ite Muslim group whose main supporter is Iran.

The Houthis claim their rise to authority is a rebellion against corrupt officers beholden to the West and Saudi Arabia.

A large weapon commonly used in the Cold War-era, the Scud had been launched by Yemeni forces at Saudi Arabia two times before during the five-month battle but was destroyed by American Patriot missile batteries both times.

A brigadier general and two Saudi military personnel were killed this week in boundary battles along the kingdom’s long border with northern Yemen, which is the epicenter of the Houthis.

Yemeni national news agency Saba, which is owned by the Houthis, reported that Saudi-led fighter planes launched over 100 air strikes against the faction’s major base of support in Saada province on Tuesday alone.

The statement could not be instantaneously verified.

According to the Human Rights Watch, months of air assaults have hit homes and markets, killing dozens of Yemeni residents and potentially violating the laws of armed conflict.

Thailand Publicly Burns More Than Two Tons Of Illegal Ivory

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Thailand Publicly Burns More Than Two Tons Of Illegal Ivory

In a public ceremony lauded by animal conservation groups, government officials in Thailand incinerated more than two tons of seized and smuggled ivory. The ceremony, presided over by Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, is the latest move by officials to avoid possible sanctions over a failure to combat the illicit trade of ivory.

Chan-ocha stated to the crowd observing the ceremony that, “This is to show the Thai government’s strong determination to oppose ivory trafficking and that Thailand will comply with international rules.”

Animal rights groups have long complained that Thailand’s lax regulations regarding the ivory trade have led to an increase in the poaching of elephants. The groups have pushed Thailand to destroy its ivory stockpile in order to send a message to poachers everywhere and to prevent pieces of ivory from finding their way back to the black market. In fact, several wildlife conservation groups audited the huge collection before it was destroyed.

Thailand has long been a major traffic hub and final destination for smuggled tusks – the majority of which are taken from wild African elephants. Loopholes in recent Thai laws allow ivory from domesticated elephants to be made into ornaments and sold. This has allowed for the illicit trade to thrive. However, in 2013, the organization that fights illegal ivory trade, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (“CITES”), put the pressure on Thailand to close the loopholes or face economic sanctions.

The Thai government hopes that the ivory burning ceremony appeases CITES. While many acknowledge that the work of stopping the illegal trade is not yet done, World Wildlife Federation (“WWF”) spokesman Janpai Ongsiriwittaya stated that, “Thailand’s ivory destruction is more than just a symbolic event since it follows a series of important steps that the country has taken to tackle illegal ivory trade in the past year. For too long Thailand has been exploited by wildlife criminals as both a gateway and marketplace for ivory poached in Africa and Asia. This event aligns the commitment of the Thai government and the will of the Thai people with the global priority of stopping the illegal ivory trade.”

European Weapons Makers Attend Russian Arms Show Despite Strict Sanctions

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European Weapons Makers Attend Russian Arms Show Despite Strict Sanctions

Ignoring the existing western sanctions against Russia, many aircraft makers from Europe gladly accepted an invite to participate in the MAKS-2015 global air show that launched in Moscow on Tuesday and will continue through Sunday.

Its opening three days are deemed to be business days for security industry executives, and the show opens to the common public on Friday.

Although MAKS is conventionally used by local and foreign civilian helicopter and airplane makers to market their products to possible buyers, one of the clear functions of the show is to exhibit the full power of Russia’s air force, in addition to those of its rivals.

Over 150 organizations from 25 nations, including France, Germany, Belgium, the UK and Austria are participating in the weeklong event, despite sanctions that limit business they can legally conduct.

Russia’s Rostec state conglomerate, which supports production, development and export of technical industrial products for public and security sectors, intends to hold a series of business discussions with partners from Italy, the U.S., France, India, Malaysia and China.

Russia will roll out an extraordinary list advanced airplanes, including the Kamov Ka-52K helicopter meant for use with the Mistral amphibious war ships, an export edition of the Mil-28NE “Night Hunter” and VIP editions of the Mil-38 and Ansat choppers.

The Russian exhibition will also have the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, Be-200ChS amphibious plane and the all-new Yak-152 trainer.

In another first, guests will have an opportunity to view the new Il-76MDK plane customized for zero-gravity spaceflight tutoring programs.

And, lastly, in the show’s major attraction, at least 80 helicopters and planes will execute a series of aerobatic acts, including Russia’s original fifth-generation covert fighter, the Sukhoi T-5, which will be making its initial public appearance since the MAKS air show of 2013.

Guests will also be fortunate to watch a succession of roaring flybys by Russia’s top-of-the-line Su-34 and Su-35 fighter planes.

Inspector General’s Report Finds Caroline Kennedy Used Personal Email To Conduct State Department Business

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Inspector General’s Report Finds Caroline Kennedy Used Personal Email To Conduct State Department Business

According to a new State Department report, Caroline Kennedy, the United States ambassador to Japan, used a personal email account to conduct official business, just as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did.

The revelations raise fresh questions about Clinton’s handling of the department and a top down attitude within the agency of lax information security.

Many State Department personnel were found to have used their personal accounts to both send and receive official messages, the State Department’s inspector general established in an investigation of Kennedy’s office in Tokyo.

In the report, released on Tuesday, investigators wrote that “Senior embassy staff, including the ambassador, used personal email accounts to send and receive messages containing official business.” The report added, “In addition, (investigators) identified instances where emails labeled sensitive but unclassified were sent from, or received by, personal email accounts.”

The report said that Kennedy’s deeds were against State Department policy and put the office at risk. But State Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that there was “absolutely no indication” that she had gone against the department’s policies

“In accordance with department policy, the mission requires the use of official email accounts to conduct official business whenever possible,” Kirby said, adding, “There’s absolutely no indication that (Kennedy) violated department policy.”

Except for that pesky little report.

Clinton, who was the secretary of state during President Barack Obama’s first term in office, has had her political campaign’s first months dogged by inquiries for similar personal email use.

Republicans have argued that Clinton violated the law, but her campaign team maintains that Clinton has not done anything wrong.

Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, has returned to the limelight since Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump began questioning her credentials for the ambassadorial job, which he claims she got due to goodwill from the White House.

In an interview, Trump told CNN’s Chris Cuomo, “I mean, she’s a very nice person, my daughter likes her … Caroline Kennedy. OK, in Japan. She didn’t even know how she got the job.”

Japanese Gadget Maker Sony Is Now Building Commercial Drones

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Japanese Gadget Maker Sony Is Now Building Commercial Drones

Sony, once known for the Walkman and its iconic televisions, is now entering the rapidly growing commercial drone market. The company this week launched a camera drone, in the shape of an airplane, which can land and take off vertically and move at speeds up to 106 mph.

Aerosense, the maker of the aircraft, is a joint enterprise controlled by Sony and Japanese robotics company ZMP, which is specialized in autopilot know-how.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has the capacity to fly faster and further than conventional drones, partly because it moves like a plane. The drone also utilizes rotors arranged in quadcopter design to take off upwards like a helicopter.

The UAV can carry a maximum of 25 pounds and move without stopping for 22 hours at a velocity of 106 miles per hour.

But if you were thinking about snagging one of the innovative drones, don’t get your hopes up. They’re designed for businesses looking to conduct airborne reconnaissance and surveillance missions, as well as “measuring, surveying, observing, and inspecting.”

Aerosense is also looking to offer organizations services such as examining old infrastructure and assessing land that is hard to access. The gadgets would be piloted mechanically, following input from users specifying which areas they wanted assessed.

Hisashi Taniguchi, chief executive of Aerosense and ZMP said, “By making them automated, drones will be considerably safer because many of accidents today are caused by human error.”

It’s all good news for technology and internet companies, including Google and Amazon, which are presently studying drones for parcel delivery. More competition in the market means more innovative solutions and lower prices for the would-be drone delivery companies.

Taniguchi said that ZMP is targeting $82.6 million in profits by 2020.

Though the drone is indeed striking, it’s not the first revolutionary idea to be suggested for UAVs. U.S. planemaker Boeing, seemingly left out of the drone market thus far, has just copyrighted a drone that would be able to turn into a submarine.

The relatively small size and lack of a human to interfere with operations opens up exciting possibilities for all sorts of shapes, sizes and functions. Just as the early 20th century ushered in the ‘Golden Age of Aviation’, it appears the 21st century is the Golden Age of Drones.

South Korea Invades Iran With Large Trade Delegation As Sanctions Rollback Leads To Huge Business Opportunities

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South Korea Invades Iran With Large Trade Delegation As Sanctions Rollback Leads To Huge Business Opportunities

South Korean government officials, flanked by public and private companies, have travelled to Iran to seek oil and gas deals in the wake of the lifting of sanctions against the fourth largest oil producing country in the world.

Through the talks, South Korea, once one of Iran’ chief trade partners, will resurrect trade deals with the emerging Iranian republic.

Officials from South Korea, who include the country’s deputy minister in charge of trade Woo Tae-hee, are in Tehran to discuss a wide variety of possible trade deals between the two countries. A statement from the South Korean government said the minister, together with officials from various oil, gas and construction companies, had travelled to the Islamic country on Sunday and Monday.

South Korea’s minister for Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yoo Il-ho, has already visited Iran. The increased delegation of South Korean officials in the country has caused interest from both political and business circles by sheer regard of the magnitude of trade deals that could be signed.

Iran, an OPEC member, has the largest gas reserves in the world and is the fourth largest in terms of oil reserves in the world. Government officials have stated they are committing to gas and oil projects worth $185 billion by 2020.

A statement from the South Korean ministry of trade stated, “We plan to highlight the capability of our firms for major projects with which the Iranian government seeks to rebuild infrastructure, diversify industries and develop energy fields in the post-sanctions era.”

After negotiations with six of the world’s major powers including the U.S., Russia, Britain, Germany, France and China, that ended on July 14th, it was announced that crippling sanctions on Iran were ending in return for the country limiting their nuclear program.

In addition, billions of dollars in economic relief would be granted to the country and multi-million dollar trade partnerships renewed. Nuclear inspectors must, however, inspect the country’s nuclear program and confirm that they are complying with the terms of deal.

Sanctions against the country will be officially end next year.

Officials from South Korea’s ministry of energy said of the talks, “The delegation will discuss possible deals and continue talks in the second half of this year, as we need to prepare for actual business deals to be made next year.”

Following the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the country is set to bounce back into the oil and gas international market in a grand manner. Through new trade deals with foreign partners fostering increased investment in the country’s infrastructure, Iran’s full potential can be reached and its people more fulfilled.

Feds Bust World’s Largest Male Prostitution Website Despite Obvious Benefits To World’s Oldest Profession

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Feds Bust World’s Largest Male Prostitution Website Despite Obvious Benefits To World’s Oldest Profession

Manhattan authorities raided the offices of Rentboy.com, one of the world’s largest male escort services, on allegations that the site was offering illegal prostitution services in the guise of companionship. The site that allows its users to post pictures and physical descriptions of themselves in search of ‘companionship’ has been brought down since with the chief executive and six other workers booked in court.

Rentboy.com Chief executive Jeffrey Hurant, together with six workers were arrested during the raid on Rentboy.com’s Manhattan offices on Tuesday afternoon. They were charged with “conspiring to violate the Travel Act by promoting prostitution” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Eastern New York.

U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Currie said, “As alleged, Rentboy.com attempted to present a veneer of legality, when in fact this Internet brothel made millions of dollars from the promotion of illegal prostitution.”

Rentboy.com was founded in 1996 and prides itself of being “the original and world’s largest male escort site.” The site has almost 10,500 members spread out in 2,100 cities across the world, according to the company’s website. The company also has an active Twitter account where it enjoys some 11,000 followers.

Subscribers to the site pay a “minimum monthly fee of $59.95 and up to several hundred dollars more to advertise their service” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Acting Special agent in charge of Homeland Security Glenn Sorge said of the arrest, “The facilitation and promotion of prostitution offenses across state lines and international borders is a federal crime made even more egregious when it’s blatantly advertised by a global criminal enterprise.”

After being arraigned in a Brooklyn court, Hurant, 50, told journalists at the scene he did not believe they were conducting illegal activities. He said, “I don’t think that we do anything to promote prostitution. I think we do good things for good people, and we bring good people together.”

The company allegedly raked in some $10 million between 2010 and 2015.

During the crackdown, authorities seized $1.4 million of alleged criminal money from six bank accounts, while also restricting the domain name Rentboy.com.

Should Hurant and the six others be convicted, they could face up to five years jail time together with fines of up to $250,000.

The war on prostitution has been frustrated with the morphing of the vice in various forms over the last couple of years. Veneers such as ‘companionship’ and ‘escort services’ have made it difficult for authorities to see beyond these veils and expose the rotting underbelly beneath. Backpage.com, a service which accepts U.S. credit card payments and offers very similar services, remains unaffected.

The logic behind the raids is questionable to say the least. Online prostitution services have been shown by both the United Nations and numerous academics to reduce the incidence of violence against providers and have been shown to improve health outcomes for all involved.

Trump, The Man And The Machine, Shows Iowa He Is Deadly Serious About Being In Office

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Trump, The Man And The Machine, Shows Iowa He Is Deadly Serious About Being In Office

Thousands of residents turned up in an events center near the Mississippi on Tuesday evening to hear a speech from Donald Trump. Trump’s bombastic larger than life appeal has been taunted to be the reason he is able to attract thousands of people to his events. However, can he convince gawkers into loyal supporters enough to register as Republicans and vote for him in the oncoming caucuses next year?

Judging by tonight’s presentation, the answer could well be a resounding ‘yes.’

Trump’s surging presidential campaign is rooted more on his star power and name recognizability than his conservative ideologies, a factor that has served his presidential ambitions well in terms of the numbers he is pulling.

Trump’s top Iowa organizer, Chuck Laudner, said “I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s drawing crowds that most candidates only get in the weeks before the general election.”

Trump’s star power has overwhelmingly wowed traditional Iowan voters, completely upending the retail politics the state is known for. When Trump landed in a helicopter at the beginning of the month at the Iowa State Fair, he was immediately mobbed by thousands of fans. Last week when he was in Mobile, Alabama, he almost filled a sports gymnasium.

Laudner said, “His reach is just so far beyond what the rest of these guys can do combined. It’s all new territory.”

When these residents come to the Grand River Center on Tuesday to listen to the Donald, they will be recruited by Trump’s staff into precinct captains, staff, organizers and volunteers. All of whom will help in building the Trump brand ahead of the caucuses next year.

Recent winners in Iowa were either candidates with superior resources and very strong organizations such as George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 or conservatives who appeal to the state’s many evangelicals like Mike Huckabee in 2012.

Trump could easily use his vast resources to create momentum in the state. His next well funded Republican competition Jeb Bush is not very popular in the state.

Trump is also set to use the same resources to build a formidable ground organization in the state, to reach the grass roots, starting with Laudner and his recruits at the events places.

An Iowan Republican consultant said of Laudner, “Chuck Laudner is a deity among conservative activists. Chuck is somebody who values grassroots mobilization. This is a guy who eats and breathes organizational structure.”

Trump has structured his team under ten full time paid workers who will run state affairs and he looks poised to add more. A more recent tactic he is using is to send a large tour bus with his Trump logo embossed on it around the state from county to county, drawing crowds even though only one or two staff are present inside, not Trump himself. The bus even has a Facebook page.

John Hulzier, Trump’s coordinator for the northern part of Iowa state said, “We want to make sure we hit every county in the state of Iowa.”

A majority of voters in the state are union workers aggrieved by the loss of jobs to foreigners. Trump’s staff is largely convinced that Trump could be the candidate to convince the so called Reagan Democrats to vote for him during the elections. Laudner added that in Trump, the aggrieved will find an empathetic friend.

So far, it seems to be working very well.

Trump continued to draw large crowds this evening in Dubuque, Iowa and looked every bit the GOP, and presidential, front-runner. After briefly having his security remove Univision journalist Jorge Ramos for heckling, Trump allowed him back and engaged him at length on the issue of immigration, putting on a masterful performance of controlling the dialog and looking like a born leader.

Trump was then introduced to a crowd of several thousand by right wing commentator Ann Coulter, in a ceremony that may as well have been his GOP coronation.

But beyond the flash, Trump looked savvy, with his team running a traditional Iowan campaign; handing out hats, buttons and t-shirts as they registered voters and assigned staunch supporters key roles.

When Donald Trump told the crowd “I wish the election was tomorrow!” he wasn’t kidding. He’s ready and his political machine appears to be too.

Favorable Environment And Generous Tax Credits Are Leading Texas To Dominate The Solar Energy Industry

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Favorable Environment And Generous Tax Credits Are Leading Texas To Dominate The Solar Energy Industry

Texas may soon be just as well known for solar energy as it is for oil wells, with multiple solar firms having recently invested around $1 billion in the state. Contractors from OCI Solar Power LLC, First Solar Inc., Recurrent Energy, and SunEdison Inc. are all pursuing projects there, where projections for installed solar power by the year 2029 are estimated at between 10,000 and 12,500 megawatts.

For perspective, this is equivalent to the total installed solar capacity in the U.S. today.

The recent move to Texas by solar firms is partly due to the falling price of the technology. According to Warren Lasher of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), “Solar is going to become one of the most cost-effective sources of electricity on the grid.”

The abundance of cheap and flat real estate in West Texas, coupled with good sun exposure is making the decision a natural one.

Texas has also recently completed construction of $6.9 billion of new electric transmission lines, which connect West Texas to large metropolitan areas. The lines have allowed Texas to become the nation’s largest wind producer. Solar energy should make a nice complement to the state’s wind farms, as wind power generation typically lulls during the middle of the day, which is the time best suited for solar production.

A major player in the solar market is Recurrent Energy, which currently has 2 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in North America. Their contract with Austin Energy to build a 150 megawatt solar facility in Pecos County will make it one of the largest in the nation. Amazingly, the price at which the facility will be selling its power will be $0.05/kilowatt hour, very close to the current rate for West Texas of $0.04/kilowatt hour.

Much of the investment in solar energy is due to the passage of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2005. Following passage of the ITC, installed solar capacity grew by a factor of 40, from 500 megawatts in 2004, to 20,000 megawatts in 2014. These solar firms are trying to complete the various projects they have underway before the commercial solar ITC drops in 2016 from 30% to 10%.

Analysts project that after the expiration, yearly addition of solar capacity will drop from a peak of 10,000 megawatts in 2016, to around 1,500 megawatts in 2017, dropping off in subsequent years. It remains to be seen whether industry lobbyists will succeed in getting an extension for the credit but in any case it appears that what Texas was to oil is very like what the state will mean to the solar industry.

Trump Declines Fox News Chairman Ailes’ Demands For Apology Over Twitter Comments

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Trump Declines Fox News Chairman Ailes’ Demands For Apology Over Twitter Comments

Donald Trump may have gone too far with Fox News, far enough for powerful Chairman Roger Ailes to demand an apology from the Republican frontrunner for his endless attack on Fox reporter Megyn Kelly.

Trump, sticking to his guns, maintains he does not think Kelly is a ‘quality’ journalist deserving of a station such as Fox News.

Ailes said in a statement that Trump should apologize for his attacking tweets, issued late Monday night, aimed at Kelly.

Ailes said, “Donald Trump’s surprise and unprovoked attack on Megyn Kelly during her show last night is as unacceptable as it is disturbing. Megyn Kelly represents the very best of American journalism and all of us at Fox News Channel reject the crude and irresponsible attempts to suggest otherwise.”

Trump immediately responded saying he did not think Kelly was a ‘quality journalist’ based on her tough questioning of his record during the first Republican Presidential debate.

Trump said, “I totally disagree with the FOX statement. I do not think Megyn Kelly is a quality journalist. I think her questioning of me, despite all of the polls saying I won the debate, was very unfair.”

Ailes proceeded to shower Kelly with praise for her professional handling of the situation despite Trump’s unwarranted remarks. He reiterated his stand that Trump should apologize to the news anchor.

Trump flared Twitter on Monday night with several tweets aimed at Kelly, who had just returned from a vacation. One of his tweets said he “liked The Kelly File much better without @megynkelly. Perhaps she could take another eleven day unscheduled vacation!”

Another tweet described Kelly as being “really off her game” while another even called her a “bimbo.”

Fox presenters came on to Kelly’s defense soon afterwards. Host Bret Baier, who hosted the GOP debate alongside Kelly tweeted, “It’s been 19 days since the debate – @realDonaldTrump has made his feelings clear. But THIS needs to stop #letitgo.”

Sean Hannity, who had one of the very first interviews with the Republican frontrunner after the debate tweeted, “My friend @realdonaldtrump has captured the imagination of many. Focus on Hillary, Putin, border, jobs, Iran China & leave @megynkelly alone.”

Trump’s beef with Kelly began after the presidential debate when Kelly questioned Trump on his previous remarks against women. Later, Trump blasted Kelly on an interview with CNN’s Don Lennon saying, “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her — wherever.”

Trump rarely apologizes and it appears unlikely in this case he well, despite Ailes being a highly influential GOP member. He remains the GOP frontrunner, continuing to dominate polls despite his loose tongue.

Desperate Libyan Government Calls For Airstrikes And Arms To Prevent ISIS Takeover

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The arms embargo placed on Libya has been allowing Islamic militants to increase their hold within the country says Mohamed al-Dayri, Libya’s foreign minister who has called for international air strikes against the terrorists.

“The situation is extremely serious.” he said in Paris, where he is trying to get more support for his Tobruk based, internationally-recognised government’s fight against Islamic State forces.

“People are dying, are crucified, are disinterred from their graves, are burned alive. Libyans don’t understand why the international community doesn’t wake up to these dangers.” he said.

Ever since the international community helped oust Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, the country has been in a state of civil war with two rival governments, one of which Dayri is a minister, and which controls most of the country’s eastern regions. The other, which controls the rest of the country and the former capital Tripoli, is made up of a coalition of Islamists and militants.

According to Dayri, Islamic State (IS) groups are controlling the towns of Benghazi, Sabratha and Derna Sirte.

“They have not yet seized oil fields, but we fear they might come to control several wells,” he said. “On Saturday, there was a call from their leaders in Iraq and Syria to reinforce their ranks in Libya. They want to make Libya a rear base.”

He said currently ISIS has limited support within Libya and was opposed by Al-Qaeda and other splinter Islamic extremist groups, but that if there was no international help for his Government, the situation would change quickly. Calling on the United Nations to lift its 2011 imposed arms embargo, he said once Gaddafi and his Government had been eliminated “Libya was abandoned to its fate”.

“We are not talking about sophisticated military equipment, but we need the minimum to fight terrorism in an adequate manner,” he said. “We also hope for an international intervention as soon as possible because the danger is growing. But not troops on the ground. We are hoping for aerial support for the Libyan armed forces on the ground. The international community waited for Mosul to fall before intervening in Iraq. We don’t want to see Tripoli or Misrata fall.”

China Announces Mass Prison Pardons To Those Who Fought In World War Two

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China Announces Mass Prison Pardons To Those Who Fought In World War Two

Chinese inmates who fought during the Second World War will be released from prison as the country prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.

Through the amnesty, China seeks to grant solace to those who sacrificed their lives for the service of the nation during the conflict. However, analysts have seen the move as mere political rhetoric with no legislative goal in mind.

China’s legislature announced that four categories of prisoners who were sentenced before January 1 would be released. These include those who fought against both the Japanese and the Kuomintang, those who fought in wars after 1949 to “protect the country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”, those who are older than 75 and are physically disabled and those who were under 18 when they committed their crimes.

However, a statement from Li Shishi, head of the National People’s Congress Standing Committees legislative affairs, said that the amnesty would not be granted for inmates who were accused of serious crimes that include murder, bribery, rape, corruption, terror offences and organized crime.

According to Shishi, the exceptions to the amnesty were because of the ongoing crackdown by the nation on corruption, and also to maintain public security and safety.

This is China’s seventh amnesty since 1949. The last one occurred in 1975.

The Standing Committee will make their final decision regarding the proposal by Saturday. Afterwards, it will be up to the country’s high profile courts and intermediate people’s courts to determine who will qualify for the amnesty.

Analysts, however, have termed the move as mere “rhetoric” that is based solely on politics and not legal issues. Patrick Poon, Amnesty International Chinese researcher said, “We can’t see any rationale for maintaining the Chinese government’s call for promoting the rule of law.[The amnesty] is more political than legal.”
The move toward leniency has led many to ask whether high profile inmates such as Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, would be released.

Zhang Lifan, a Beijing based political analyst said, “That’s very unlikely, or impossible. There’s leniency on the surface, but only a small number of prisoners will benefit.”

As China marks 70 years since the end of World War II on September 3, the amnesty shown to prisoners will set it apart as a country increasingly becoming humane. It will move closer toward shedding its image as an elitist government with tough laws for small fish and more toward an equal society before the law guided by law and moral obligation. Or at least that’s the plan, which can often differ from the hard realities of the sprawling country.

Planting Just 10 Trees Per City Block Improves Health As Much As Making An Extra $10,000

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Planting Just 10 Trees Per City Block Improves Health As Much As Making An Extra $10,000

A study conducted on the city of Toronto reveals that planting just 10 trees on a city block makes the population healthier — to the same extent as increasing their household income by an incredible $10,000 per year.

The University of Chicago researchers who conducted the study established long ago that wealthy people enjoy better health than those in poorer neighborhoods.

But their keen look at Toronto revealed that greening up a neighborhood can be just as effective as giving them more money.

Marc Berman, who led the study, is an American psychologist who did postdoctoral studies in Toronto, and returned there because it has a number of data sets for the same areas, on which he was able to conduct his research.

Toronto has satellite photos and comprehensive maps of the “urban forest.” It also has maps indicating household revenue by area and crucially  there is an ongoing Ontario Health Study about population health within these mapped areas.

That study contains the replies from 31,000 residents in at least 3,000 neighborhoods, which they could superimpose on the tree maps. The study included data on diabetes, stroke, cancer, obesity, heart disease, addiction and depression. It also asked the participants to evaluate their own general state of health.

All these health measures got better in communities with full-grown trees.

Adding 10 trees on a city block “has equivalent health benefits to increasing the income of every household in that city block by more than $10,200 and having all of those households be moved to a neighbourhood that was $10,000 wealthier,” says Omid Kardan, Berman’s lead student on the project.

The result was two times as strong — like increasing household income by $20,000— for cardio-metabolic anomalies (including diabetes and heart disease.)

People in underprivileged neighborhoods with many trees reported health that closely matched the wealthy residents, they established. Likewise, rich people who lived in neighborhoods without mature trees had health reports similar to those of people in underprivileged communities.

And there’s another peculiarity: Trees planted along the street are more useful than trees in gardens.

While the results speak for themselves, the research panel only has well-informed guesses on why exactly this occurs.

Some of these are that trees cool the summer air, lessen air contamination and have a hard-to-measure stress-relieving capacity.

There’s also a clue in the research that evergreen trees may be more helpful than deciduous plants, but the panel isn’t totally sure.

For the city of Toronto, planting 10 more trees per block in tree-deprived neighborhoods would boost Toronto’s total number of trees by approximately four percent.

That, according to the researchers, is a totally attainable target.

The complete findings are available in the journal Scientific Reports.

Hidden Trove Of Ancient Bones Shows Neanderthals Hunting Extinct Cave Lions

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Hidden Trove Of Ancient Bones Shows Neanderthals Hunting Extinct Cave Lions

Ancient artifacts found in an Immanai cave in Russia have revealed what could be the largest ever find of supersize cave lions in history. The find has caused plenty of excitement among archaeologists worldwide as they can now delve into more research on the rare creature that went extinct some 30,000 years ago.

In the Russian republic of Bashkiria, deep in the Immanai caves, archaeologists have found a trove of 500 cave lion bones. They also found the remains of a cave bear with a spear made from ancient material rooted deep into its skull. However, they found no sign of prehistoric people living in the cave.

Senior Researcher Pavel Kosintsev, from the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology said, “We found about 500 bones and fragments of bones of the giant cave lion. But there could be more, after we finish with sorting the collection.

‘Such a large quantity of giant cave lion bones at one site is really unique, the only one in the world so far discovered.”

The experts reported finding and sorting the remains of up to six cave lions. They also added that the remains were found peculiarly deep in the caves, which was unlike cave lion tendencies.

Kosintsev said, ”Surprisingly, the bones were found in the depths of the cave, about 100 metres from the entrance. Usually lions did not go so deep into the cave, it is not typical for them.”
Cave lions, unlike their names, did not live inside caves. They would hunt cave bears and steal their cubs from inside the caves.

The giant cave lions lived in about the same period as Neanderthals, and were up to 25 per cent bigger than the African lions. The mammoth beasts were wiped out by a Quarternary extinction event.

Finding no signs of human life in the caves, scientists believe the caves were ancient religious places for sacrificing to ancient gods.

Kosintsev said the cave was “an ancient sanctuary – and those lions could have been brought to the cave by ancient people. ‘There are other findings that can indicate it was a sanctuary. We also found the skull of a cave bear pierced with the spear, yet there were no evidence that ancient people hunted cave bears, at least not in the Urals.”

The materials have not been dated but finds collected in the upper layers were said to have been from as far back as 30,000 years ago. According to Kosintsev, “The recent findings, from the lower layers, can be older, up to 60,000 years ago. If we will get older data, it could be the world’s most ancient sanctuary of this type. But of course we must wait for the exact data.”

The new findings are one of the greatest discoveries of the giant animals in history. As archaeologists dig deeper, only time will tell what other historical mysteries they will uncover.

Migrants Swarm Italian City Of Milan Protesting Poor Living Conditions, Lack Of Work Permits

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Migrants Swarm Italian City Of Milan Protesting Poor Living Conditions, Lack Of Work Permits

Hundreds of migrants collided with law enforcement officers in the Italian city of Milan on Tuesday after paralyzing a major highway in protest of pitiable living conditions at a Red Cross immigrant center.

The migrants were also upset over their lack of ability to get work permits.

About 300 protesting immigrants made their way along a street connecting Sesto San Giovanni to Milan and temporarily obstructed traffic, while holding up placards of cardboard stating “We’re tired, we want our documents” and chanting “documents, documents.”

The refugees, mostly from Africa, are compelled to live in tents sheltering up to eight people at an immigrant center that remains swamped after last week’s intense rain, local paper Corriere della Sera reported.

Riot police arrived at the scene to deal with the spontaneous demonstration.

According to data from Italy’s Interior Ministry, this year alone, at least 100,000 immigrants and refugees have found themselves in Italy by sea.

The unparalleled arrival of migrants has caused amplified tensions between the main political parties in the country, with some maintaining it’s time to assume a harsher stance on the matter.

“Protests? Go home immediately!” Matteo Salvini , the head of the rightist Northern League party, posted on his Facebook page.

According to the Italian version of the Local, Paolo Gentiloni, the country’s Foreign Minister, said on Sunday that the growing migrant disaster is threatening to tear the “soul” out of the European Union.

“On immigration, Europe is in danger of displaying the worst of itself: selfishness, haphazard decision-making and rows between member states,” Gentiloni explained.

It is time for the whole European Union to stop sitting on its hands and take tough procedures, in Gentiloni’s view.

According to Corriere della Sera most of the immigrants are desperate refugees from the poverty-stricken states of northwest Africa.

As we covered yesterday, more immigration is needed within Europe to steam a wave of low birth rates, particularly in the south. As populations decline Europe is facing a crisis of not too many, but too few workers to care for an ageing population.

Apple Drops $99 Tech Classes, Will Start Teaching All Users For Free

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Apple Drops $99 Tech Classes, Will Start Teaching All Users For Free

Apple is supposedly planning to end its “One to One” teaching plan for iOS and Mac users.

According to Mac Rumors, quoting an unspecified source, the organization plans on dropping the $99 plan in favor of open and free workshops, which the organization already offers.

While this sounds like a win for consumers, who pay nothing instead of $100, there are fears it would put deeper stress on the open workshops already offered as Apple pushes toward reorganizing its retail stores.

Rumor has it that, once the change is implemented, Apple will endeavor to focus on free workshops around such themes as “Discover,” and “Create” and feature them more significantly on its official site.

Offering many free of charge in-store programs will not only offer new users the chances to familiarize themselves with the organization’s wares, but bring considerable foot traffic through the company’s retail stores.

The company’s One to One plan, which offers about 90 minutes of deep training, is unparalleled in the tech industry.

You can go into a Verizon or Best Buy to ask workers about a mobile phone, but they may not know the pros and cons of a product.

Apple personnel characteristically have the facts to get customers, particularly those who aren’t very familiar with the tech space, acquainted with the little ins and outs of an Apple product.

If you do are a One to One member, Apple will supposedly honor your membership until it ends, but no new members will be registered in the future.

While some will miss the comprehensive one to one guidance, the free tutoring might still be adequate for that family member who cannot quite understand how to work their Christmas day iPad.

Florida Research Team Discovers Biological ‘Off Switch’ For Cancer Cells

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Florida Research Team Discovers Biological ‘Off Switch’ For Cancer Cells

A team of scientific researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Florida have successfully reversed the development of cancer by “reprogramming” its cells, in a stunning breakthrough that thwarts further tumor growth.

The new method effectively “turns off” the lethal disease by reinstating the function which stops cells from multiplying and growing wildly. The research findings were published in Nature Cell Biology.

According to Panos Anastasiadis, Ph.D., and chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, “We have found a new mechanism by which normal cells undergo transition to become tumorigenic.”

In their ordinary state, cells are prevented from an unrestrained growth by a unique “glue” which binds them. This glue is managed by biological microprocessors known as microRNAs.

MicroRNA utilizes a unique protein PLEKHA7 as a mechanism of regulation.

The researchers discovered that the elimination of that mechanism triggers cancer development and the mechanism can be reinstated by exposing cancer cells to MicroRNA molecules, reversing the disease’s spread.

“These [cancer] cells are already missing PLEKHA7. Restoring either PLEKHA7 levels or the levels of miRNAs in these cells turns them back to a benign state,” Anastasiadis said.

The scientists also explained that the special glue, which mainly consists of a couple of proteins – p120 catenin and E-cadherin –, actually encourages cancer when it is deprived of PLEKHA7.

That implies that some particles have “two faces” – a “good one” when they have a constructive role under regular circumstances and a “bad one” when they become dangerous because of deviations.

“I think for therapy it is very important because it shows the way we can turn cancerous cells back to a more normal state,” Anastasiadis explained.

Specialists highlight the significance of the research, but have reservations about the possible efficiency of such treatment.

Henry Scowcroft, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager, said, “This important study solves a long-standing biological mystery, but we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves.”

He added, “There’s a long way to go before we know whether these findings, in cells grown in a laboratory, will help treat people with cancer. But it’s a significant step forward in understanding how certain cells in our body know when to grow, and when to stop.”

Dr. Chris Bakal from the Institute for Cancer Research in London concluded, “I think in reality it is unlikely that you could reverse tumors by reversing just one mechanism, but it’s a very interesting finding.”

100 Hamas Militants Pledge Allegiance To ISIS In What Could Provoke All Out War In Gaza

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100 Hamas Militants Pledge Allegiance To ISIS In What Could Provoke All Out War In Gaza

In a move that could have severe consequence for the whole Middle East, a fresh report states that 100 Hamas militants have dedicated themselves to the Islamic State (ISIS) in Gaza after pledging loyalty to its head, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

According to a reliable Salafist source inside Gaza, the “covenants” were done privately by the new supporters and the decision is a “serious step” towards launching the Caliphate in Gaza.

Recently, there has been increasing tensions between Hamas and ISIS.

In July, ISIS sent a video message, in which, it openly threatened to wipe out Hamas in Gaza as its principles were becoming “too weak”.

Wielding AK-47 rifles, three ISIS members from Palestine addressed the “tyrants of Hamas”. “You are nothing in our reckoning. You, Fatah and all the secularists, we count you as nothing. Allah willing, we shall uproot the State of the Jews. You are nothing but froth that will be gone as we move in. Allah willing, Gaza will be governed by Shariah despite you,” a Gazan, Abu Azzam Al-Ghazzawim, stated in the video.

Another major ISIS associate, Abu Qatadah Al-Filistini, urged authentic Muslims in Gaza to “join the convoy of the Mujahideen and to join the State of the Caliphate”.

In June, the terrorists assassinated a chief Hamas commander by bombing his vehicle. Afterward, Hamas executed an ISIS leader, and in revenge, the Islamic State members fired two rockets into the southern part of Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The false flag attack prompted instant retaliatory bombing by Israel, who looks for any opportunity to wage all-out war on what it perceives as a terrorist group.

Recently, ISIS seized four Hamas fighters in Egypt while traveling to Iran for special training.

After Over 100 Years The BBC Won’t Get Its Weather Forecasts From Britain And The Country Is Freaking Out

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After Over 100 Years The BBC Won’t Get Its Weather Forecasts From Britain And The Country Is Freaking Out

The Met Office, the iconic British weather forecaster, has lost the deal it has held for about a century to supply public broadcaster the BBC with weather forecasts, marking the end one of the longest partnerships in British media.

The BBC said it was lawfully required to open up the deal to external competition in order to secure the greatest value for those paying license fees.

The meteorological department said it was dissatisfied by the BBC’s choice to put out to tender the deal, which has been in existence since the organization’s first radio weather conditions report on 14 November 1922. Operations and customer services director at the Met Office, Steve Noyes, said: “Nobody knows Britain’s weather better and, during our long relationship with the BBC, we’ve revolutionized weather communication to make it an integral part of British daily life. Met Office and BBC belong together.”

He added, “This is disappointing news, but we will be working to make sure that vital Met Office advice continues to be a part of BBC output. Ranked number one in the world for forecast accuracy, people trust our forecasts and warnings.”

New Zealand and Dutch organizations are said to be in the contest for the contract, which is said to make up a significant share of the £32.5m the Met Office earns yearly from commercial companies.

Regarding the plan, Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said, “Everybody understands the BBC has to cut costs. But the public will need to be convinced the new forecaster can accurately predict the fickleness of the British weather, especially if it’s a foreign provider.”

Ben Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist and a retired culture secretary, called for government intercession in a number of tweets.

Last year, the Met Office publicized plans to spend £97m on a new-fangled supercomputer. The service has been significantly criticized, most particularly the “barbecue summer’’ projection in 2009 that preceded a failure and led to the company ending its long-standing outlooks.

BBC weather broadcasters have long been targeted by critics. Tomasz Schafernaker stuck his middle finger up at BBC journalist Simon McCoy live on air in 2010. Speaking in the BBC newsroom, McCoy stated: “Now we will have the weather forecast in a minute and of course it will be 100% accurate and provide all the detail you can possibly want. I’ve just seen Tom Schafernaker preparing for it.” The camera then cut to the presenter who, actually uninformed that he was on air, made the finger sign. Realizing his fault, he raised his finger to his face in an effort to conceal it, before the camera went back to McCoy, who stated: “There’s always one mistake. That was it.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Our viewers get the highest standard of weather service, and that won’t change. We are legally required to go through an open-tender process and take forward the strongest bids to make sure we secure both the best possible service and value for money for the license fee payer.”

Russia Just Unveiled Its Plans For A New Reusable Space Plane

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Russia Just Unveiled Its Plans For A New Reusable Space Plane

The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, a spacecraft and rocket maker based in Moscow, intends to restore the former Soviet Union’s winged space shuttle program, referred to as Buran.

Established in 1974, Buran was a government reusable spacecraft initiative undertaken as a reaction to NASA’s Space Shuttle program.

According to a statement released via state sponsored Sputnik News, the rejuvenated edition of the project, known as the Reusable Space Rocket System, will be funded from 2021 through 2025. It will be expanded under the Russian Federal Space Program and will cost more than $185 million.

The news comes at a time when the United States is once again running a reusable space program, via the Air Force’s X-37B ‘Orbital Test Vehicle’. While still under a test designation the plane has flown at least four times and boasts the ability to dramatically change orbits, making it well suited to capturing or destroying enemy satellites.

The Russian MRKS, as the program is called, is scheduled to be established from the Vostochny Cosmodrome Russia’s Far East and will see a partly reusable launch vehicle (MRKS-1) outfitted with a winged booster stage.

The reusable booster, after ferrying the second, dispensable stage of the MRKS vehicle into the stratosphere, would disconnect and come back to Earth to be equipped for its next mission.

The vehicle has an airplane design and is able to return to the launch location for a flat landing. It also includes detachable second stages and higher stages. The winged lower stage is fueld with liquid-propellant in tanks that are re-usable.

The MRKS-1 will have the capacity to send a variety of payloads into space, up to 35 metric tons in total. This could considerably lessen the cost of setting up satellites and other spaceships into orbit.

The Buran program was a Soviet and afterward Russian reusable spacecraft scheme that began in 1974 at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute and was officially stopped in 1993. It was the biggest and the priciest project in the history of Soviet space study and very similar to the U.S. Space Shuttle program.

A Buran-class orbiter, known as Orbiter OK-1K1, went to space just once, in 1988 and is still the only Soviet reusable spaceship to be launched into space. The launch was done on Nov. 15, 1988 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft orbited the Earth two times in 206 minutes of air travel. On its arrival, it performed a computerized landing on the runway at Baikonur.

Because there were exceptional visual resemblances between NASA’s Space Shuttle and Buran, it was contemplated that spying may have played a principal role in the creation of the Soviet spaceship.

But despite exterior similarities, much dissimilarity existed, like the lack of the major rocket engines on the Buran craft. It implies that, if intelligence had played a part in Buran’s development, it would possibly have been in the form of outside photography or initial airframe designs.

The termination of the Buran mission left Russia without any reusable spaceship. The end of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in 2011 left the United States without any space transport system which can send astronauts into orbit, a problem NASA is seeking to address with the upcoming Space Launch System.

Google Just Launched An All Out Assault On Yelp With Auto-Tagging Of Restaurant Photos

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A new feature by Google will give its users a bigger role in the reviewing of restaurants and simultaneously attack Yelp’s dominance of the restaurant search segment.

With restaurant eating becoming more and more convenient in North America thanks to prevailing economic conditions that leave consumers with little time to prepare a meal, Google has resorted to innovative features to ensure it is at the helm of the restaurant review business.

The new feature allows Google to recognize when a user snaps a photo of their food at a restaurant. Immediately this is recognized and the user will get a request from Google for permission to share the picture taken on Google maps. Once permission is granted, the app will allow anyone to check out the pictures on Google maps.

At the moment, the feature is only available to Google Maps Local Guides on level three and upwards.

Becoming a Local Guide is open to anyone. However, one will have to write reviews for restaurants, shops and a host of other locations so as to go up the levels ladder. Level three Local guides are required to write up to 50 reviews.

The move by Google is seen as an attempt to maintain dominance of local listings where it has been receiving hefty competition from rival search engines.

Last year, Microsoft acquired Foursquare and integrated its check-in service with its search engine Bing. Closely following the Microsoft acquisition, Yahoo partnered with Yelp to have the latter’s restaurant reviews featured on Yahoo’s search results.

Google is leading the pack in the search market with a market share of 67.3 percent. Bing is second with 18.8 percent while Yahoo trails the pack with 10 percent.

Google has had it out for Yelp for awhile. The search engine pushes its own data on restaurants and even got into trouble for allegedly stealing content from other smaller listing rivals including Amazon. The new feature will offer Google an opportunity to compete aggressively in the restaurant review business while offering its users the best possible search experience.

For One Day In September, Paris Will Return The City To Pedestrians And Ban All Cars

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Picture any big city anywhere on earth without traffic, just for one day. Now, if that city were Paris, visualize further the picturesque possibilities, not to mention the auditory, olfactory and visual potential.

Visualize no more because on September 27th, that’s just what is going to happen in Paris: “Une Journée Sans Voiture” – A Day without Car, in what will be a very exceptional day in history of the city.

City Hall refers to it as “a crazy gamble, but achievable.” No power-driven vehicle, with a few exceptions such as ambulances, will be permitted to drive in the streets.

In March, Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that: “Paris will be completely transformed for a day. This is an opportunity for Parisians and tourists to enjoy the city without noise, pollution and therefore without stress.”

According to the city’s plan for September 27th, “All the most popular tourist spots, usually crowded, will be fully dedicated to pedestrians who will be able to discover a new Paris.”

The places without traffic are the 1st, 2nd, 3th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th neighborhoods, the Place de la Bastille, Place de la Republique, the area around the Eiffel Tower, the Left Bank, the Champs Élysées, Place Stalingrad and the Bois de Vincennes and Boulogne.

The Day without Car is a component of the city’s crusade against contamination and is along the lines of the European Mobility Week that will come to pass in Paris from September 16 to 22 as well as the key United Nations meeting on the climate (COP 21) also in Paris towards November.

Court Rules FTC Can Take Action Against Companies For Shoddy Cybersecurity Practices

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Court Rules FTC Can Take Action Against Companies For Shoddy Cybersecurity Practices

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has the authority to bring down the hammer on companies that do not protect customer information, a court of appeal ruled on Monday.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit defended the FTC’s 2012 court case against Wyndham Worldwide, a restaurant and timeshare operator.

The FTC recorded a grievance against Wyndham for three information breaches in 2008 and 2009 that saw at least US $10.6 million in deceptive charges accrued on customer credit cards lost in the breach.

The court of appeal ruling, supporting a 2014 district court judgment, says the FTC can hold organizations responsible for failing to apply sensible security practices.

Wyndham was one of two organizations that had opposed the FTC’s power to implement cybersecurity standards under the FTC Act’s deceptive and unfair practices provisions.

Opponents have said the agency has no noticeably defined cybersecurity principles for companies to adhere to.

Wyndham said it was upset by the judgment, but noted that the resolution was founded on its motion to do away with the case, requiring the court of appeal to take the FTC’s claims at “face value.”

Wyndham’s confrontation of the FTC will go on in court, the corporation said.

In a formal statement, the company said, “We continue to contend the FTC lacks the authority to pursue this type of case against American businesses, and has failed to publish any regulations that would give such businesses fair notice of any proposed standards for data security.” It went further to explain, “With the dramatic increase in the number and severity of cyber attacks on both public and private institutions, we believe consumers will be best served by the government and businesses working together collaboratively rather than as adversaries.”

The FTC said it was comfortable with the ruling of the court.

Edith Ramirez, agency Chairwoman, said that the court judgment “reaffirms the FTC’s authority to hold companies accountable for failing to safeguard consumer data.” She added, “It is not only appropriate, but critical, that the FTC has the ability to take action on behalf of consumers when companies fail to take reasonable steps to secure sensitive consumer information.”

The FTC blamed the hotel operator of sticking to cybersecurity practices that “unreasonably and unnecessarily exposed consumers’ personal data to unauthorized access and theft.”

The organization’s hotels kept payment card data in plain, legible text, and it used effortlessly guessed passwords to reach its property supervision systems, the FTC said. The organization also failed to apply “readily available security measures” like firewalls to restrict access between the organization’s property management systems, the Internet and its corporate network the FTC alleged.

Wyndham’s confidentiality policy said the corporation protects customer data “using industry-standard practices,” the FTC claimed.

On appeal, Wyndham argued that its demeanor was not in line with the congressional description in the FTC Act of “unfair.” The corporation argued that its deeds were not unjust because it was the prey of criminals.

After Worst Day For Stocks In 8 Years, China Cuts Rates Again In Desperate Bid To Jolt Economy

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China has resorted to cutting its interest rates for the fifth time since November in order to spur economic growth. The Chinese market experienced its worst day in eight years yesterday and has had a stiff couple of months.

A clear financial crisis is taking shape, eroding its stock market and mopping up liquidity. The Chinese authorities are now resorting to extreme measures to contain the damage and revive the ailing economy.

Already facing the biggest market glut since 1996, China’s one year lending rates will effectively drop by 25 basis points to 4.6 per cent beginning Wednesday. A statement from the People’s Bank Of China (PBOC) confirmed the drop in interest rates while also announcing the lowering of required reserve ratios by 50 basis points. One year deposit rates will fall by a quarter to 1.75 per cent.

Through lowering the bank interest rates, the PBOC seeks to effectively grant citizens easier terms to borrow from banks. This borrowing, they hope, will result in more spending in the economy thus stimulating growth. The lowering of reserve ratios will compound this as banks lend more capital to businesses and individuals in a bid to stir the economy.

The acceleration of monetary easing evidences premier Li Keqiang’s goal for growth by about 7 per cent this year. However, analysts have predicted that the goal may not materialize with the prevailing economic conditions in Asia’s largest economy.

China devalued its currency on Aug. 11, risking huge capital outflows and tighter liquidity.

Economic readings are weaker than forecasted while the stock market has in the past four days plunged by 22 percentage points. Monetary easing may be the only hope for China at this moment and the latest round of interest rate lowering may not be its last.

Lu Ting, Chief economist at Huatai Securities Company said, “The government has stopped using unconventional intervention in the stock market and decided to use more traditional and more market-based methods to boost market momentum and help the real economy,”

Mark Williams, Chief Asia economist at Capital Economics Limited said, “The move may halt the market slide but we suspect the primary motivation is to shore up confidence in the state of the wider economy.”

The interest rate cuts caused a domino effect on other international markets. In London, the FTSE 100 jumped 3.3 percent while in Germany, the DAX went up 4.4 per cent and in Paris, the CAC rose by 4.6 per cent. Other European markets in Lisbon, Milan and Madrid also went up sharply.

China’s lowering of interest rates follows closely the rebasing of their currency to allow for a harsher fall. Through these policies that are largely market oriented, the conservative nationalist government seeks to halt the bleeding economy and allow for a more flexible recovery.

Researchers Create Crystal Clear Smartphone Display Millions Of Times More Vivid Than Apple’s Amazing Retina

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A scientific breakthrough in rare earth metal display technology could increase the resolution of smartphones by a factor of a million. Screen resolution is a major deal with consumers when purchasing smartphones and computers. An increase in resolution capacity will mean better gaming experience, better videos, pinpoint accurate selfies and 3D displays that change the way we interact with our devices.

Chinese scientists led the research by putting six rare earth elements into a nanocapsule and beaming powerful lasers onto it. Through the experiment, the scientists were able to uncover. for the first ever, the full spectrum of light.

The research was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. It detailed that through the exploitation of the rare earth metals, displays could reach over 850 million Pixels Per Inch (PPI). Currently, the retina displays used on iPads, iPhones and Macbooks only use about 300 PPI, a huge contrast.

The groundbreaking new research has ushered in a new age of device displays.

However, according to Zhang Zhongping, a science professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and author of the study, it may take long before the breakthrough is materialized on smartphone displays worldwide.

Zhongping said, “Pixels are only one part of display technology. When pixels go down in size, it requires laser beams to become extremely fine as well. To generate and control laser beams at a nanoscale [level] is a problem that has not been solved.”

Current display technologies including light-emitting diode technology (LED) and plasma technology produce different colors by mixing three primary colors: red, blue and yellow.

The rare earth elements are different in that they have round structures that contain six layers of elements such as Erbium and Thulium. Through varying the laser beam wavelengths, they are able to produce different colors.

The team has spent a remarkable three years on the project. After many attempts and failures, they finally came up with a formula that could be mass produced in chemical plants.

According to Zhongping, “The biggest challenge is to find the right rare earth elements and control their precise composition.

“A wrong element or slight disproportion will make it impossible to obtain pure white light, which is the benchmark from which to evaluate the performance of a display technology.”

Though the technology will cause a seismic shift in how consumers view display capabilities on their devices, the added capabilities do come at additional costs, especially since they use rare earth metals.

However, with the technology rapidly evolving, it is safe to say that in the coming future, conventional LED displays will be a thing of the past.

Another Death In IndyCar Raises Tough Questions About The Business Of Dangerous Motorsports

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Another Death In IndyCar Raises Tough Questions About The Business Of Dangerous Motorsports

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died yesterday from severe injuries sustained after a crash on Sunday. The crash left Wilson unconscious and ultimately led to his untimely death.

The IndyCar champion’s passing is the second since 2011 and leaves behind the controversial topic of whether the open cockpits in IndyCars should be closed for the safety of the drivers. It also raises pressing questions about whether the series is doing enough to ensure driver safety.

Wilson was hit by the nose cone from driver Sage Karam’s car. Karam crashed on lap 21 of the ABC Supply 500, leaving debris all over the track. One piece, the nose cone, bounced off the track and hit Wilson on the head.

The impact from the hit left Wilson unconscious, causing his vehicle to veer off track and crash into the adjacent inside wall.

Wilson was airlifted to the Lehigh Valley Hospital, where he fell into a coma.

The news of Wilson’s death was made at exactly 9PM ET on Monday. In a statement by IndyCar Chief Executive Mark Miles, “This is a monumentally sad day for IndyCar and the motorsports community as a whole. Justin’s elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility – which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock.”

A statement from Andretti Autosport, Wilson’s race team read, “it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family. His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none.”

Wilson died by his family. He leaves behind his wife Julia, two daughters, his parents and brother Stephan. A statement from the family read in part, “Justin was a loving father and devoted husband, as well as a highly competitive racing driver who was respected by his peers.”

Wilson was a Sheffield, England native with seven major U.S. open wheel championships, including three IndyCar series. Earlier in the year, he was part of the winning team at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Wilson is the first driver to die from injuries sustained on the track since Dan Wheldon in 2011. Wheldon died after suffering a severe head injury in a wild car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Wilson’s crash has been attributed to his open cockpit, a long standing tradition in IndyCar racing. In contrast, Nascar racing cockpits are closed, leaving drivers less exposed.

The topic on open cockpits will definitely follow IndyCar racing management in the days following Wilson’s demise. Wilson’s death is a harsh reminder of the risks involved when the safety of race car drivers is not put first.

Its also a reminder that in the IndyCar series profits seems to be taking a back seat to meaningful safety reforms.

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