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Global Study Finds Netflix, Spotify Are Dominating The Media Streaming Industry

Finance

According to a study about media habits in France, French customers prefer to stand by good old fashioned live television rather than innovative digital streaming services such as Netflix.

According to the study – performed by Futuresource Consulting – 75 per cent of French participants said live TV is still their main viewing choice. In comparison the United Kingdom has seen that figure go down to 59 per cent.

In the UK that slack has been picked up by over the top (OTT) services, such as Netflix. At least 20 per cent of UK participants said they use Netflix, while 10 per cent stick to Amazon Prime Instant Video.

The research, which has been running for seven years now, examined the watching behaviors of people in Germany, Australia, Canada, France, the U.S and the UK.

While cost is still the primary reason for people abandoning pay-TV services in all nations, at least a third of pay-TV viewers shell out for an additional premium movie package, while at least 40 per cent opt for a sports service. In the United States, 57 per cent of viewers add on the live sports services.

Connected TV is ever more trendy, with the report indicating that at least 30 per cent opted for such a service, while 69 per cent received video or music entertainment services more than once a week, up from the previous report’s 63 per cent.

According to the findings of Futuresource, paid-for streaming videos and music is also becoming popular with the number of consumers having roughly doubled in all nations in the last year. In streaming music, Spotify remains the clear worldwide winner.

According to the report, “The evidence presented suggests that paid-for users are driving the overall streaming base higher. Germany is the one country which has ‘broken out’; as those listening to any streaming service hit 31 per cent, up from 21 per cent.”

It went on to say, “Finally all types of music consumption above have shown growth, apart from music downloading, which was stagnant in all countries apart from the U.S.”

Tianjin Is Now A Wasteland Covered In Acid Rain And Toxic Slime

Entertainment News

Journalists and residents around the Tianjin blast site in China were affected by skin burns after heavy rains hit the Binhai New Area on Tuesday.

Officials asked residents to keep away from the area, amid fears that the water could trigger chemical reactions with toxic substances at the site, particularly the several tons of poisonous sodium cyanide that cover the grounds.

As the rains hit the area, strange white foam appeared on highways near the site of the explosion. A Caixin journalist reported experiencing burns on the arms and lips after exposing himself to the rain.

A volunteer aid worker posted on Weibo that exposing herself to the rain caused a stinging feeling on her skin, which also turned her arms red.

According to Tencent’s news website, similar symptoms were reported by other volunteers and journalists. Rinsing with water relieved the pain and stinging.

Despite the reports of acid rain environmental authorities of Tianjin said that air and water were still at safe levels.

More than 3,000 tons of chemicals, including 700 tons of the highly toxic sodium cyanide were in the warehouse where the two explosions took place last Wednesday.

The director of Tianjin’s environmental monitoring centre, Deng Xiaowen, said there had been no flux in the quality of air at 17 observation spots after the rain.

According to Deng, the ‘strange’ foam was “a normal phenomenon when rain falls, and similar things have occurred before.”

Fears persisted over the 700 tons of the toxic sodium cyanide that were at the center of the explosion site. The chemical reacts violently with water producing a highly toxic gas known as hydrogen cyanide gas.

According to Bao Jingling, chief engineer of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, sewage treatment had been enhanced in the region, and only properly treated water would be distributed.

There would be special treatment for any cyanide contamination, he said, and the quality of air would be strictly scrutinized with the public informed immediately if the pollution went above the acceptable levels.

He was quoted by Caijing magazine saying that “the best way is to stay far away from the site, there is no other way.”

Residents are now becoming more vocal about the disaster and living in a toxic wasteland yet remain strangely positive.

A property holder whose house was destroyed in the explosion took part in an outdoor demonstration in the rain, demanding reimbursement. “Our homes have been destroyed, what more should we fear?” asked property owner.

Iran Is Getting Advanced Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile Systems After Years Of Legal Wrangling

Entertainment News

Tehran and Moscow have finalized a deal to deliver the powerful S-300 long distance surface-to-air missile system. according to Russian assistant foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Only small procedural issues are left to be formalized.

Speaking on Wednesday, Bogdanov, who is also a special presidential representative for the Middle East and Africa, said “As things stand now, this topic is closed. We have reached full understanding on the matter together with our Iranian partners. The question has been fundamentally solved. The rest is just technical details.”

Russia will provide Iran with the S-300 system later in the year. A prominent source in Russia’s Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti that the precise number of air defense systems has been put in writing in an already sealed contract.

“There will be as many as mentioned in the contract,” he added, replying to the question whether the country will really provide Iran with four S-300 allotments instead of three, as the Sputnik agency formerly reported, citing a prominent source in Iran’s Ministry of Defense.

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin revoked the prohibition, introduced in 2010 by former President Dmitry Medvedev, banning the supply of S-300 missile defense equipments to Iran.

Commenting on the resolution, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said that Moscow’s deliberate restriction on S-300 deliveries was not necessary due to the developments in nuclear discussions happening in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The contract for delivering S-300 missile systems to Iran was proposed in 2007. Three years later the agreement was postponed due to the UN’s decision to impose sanctions on Iran.

Iran retaliated, filing an approximately $4 billion court case against Russia’s Rosoboronexport arms dealer with a Geneva adjudication panel. The parties are presently in talks on abandonment of the proceedings.

S-300 systems have been operational in several nations, including Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Algeria, Belarus, Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The last time Russia sent S-300 systems overseas was in 2010, when China received 15 squadrons. Since then manufacture of S-300 systems has been temporarily stopped, because the chief producer of the Russian missile air defenses, Almaz-Antey, has established the manufacture of the new model systems, S-400.

The delivery means that Iran will now has a sophisticated anti-aircraft missile system capable of downing some of the top fighter jets in the world including U.S. F-15, F-16, F-18 and B-52 bombers.

Every Cheater Who Used Ashley Madison Just Had Their Name Published On The Web

Finance

Hackers who attacked the website AshleyMadison.com last month finally followed through on their threat to release a huge amount of customer data. Yesterday, hackers published 9.7 gigabytes of data on the “dark web” that is only accessible using a special browser.

Already, however, the data has made its way onto the regular Internet.

The data dump came after the owner of Ashley Madison, Avid Life Media, failed to adhere to the hackers’ demands to remove AshleyMadison.com and EstablishedMen.com from the web.

The information published by the hackers, who refer to themselves as the Impact Team, include various account details for approximately 32 million users of the dating site whose slogan is “Life is Short. Have an Affair.”

Seven years of credit card and payment transactions are included in the data dump including names, addresses, email addresses and amounts paid by the user. While it does not include credit card numbers, it does include four digits for each purchase which may or may not be the last four digits of a user’s credit card.

It is unclear if users provided legitimate details when they signed up for the website, but it is likely that the names and addresses are real when related to the credit card transactions.

AshleyMadison.com touts on its website that, “Ashley Madison is the most famous name in infidelity and married dating. Have an Affair today on Ashley Madison. Thousands of cheating wives and cheating husbands sign up everyday looking for an affair . . . With Our affair guarantee package we guarantee you will find the perfect affair partner.”

The Impact Team warned last month, after it hacked into the system and stole the data, that it would do this exact type of data dump if Avid Life Media did not take down two of its websites. Avid Life Media refused, and the data release occurred. Following the initial breach, the hackers stated clearly that, “Avid Life Media has been instructed to take Ashley Madison and Established Men offline permanently in all forms, or we will release all customer records, including profiles with all the customers’ secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails.” To prove they were serious, they released snippets of information in July.

The hackers appeared to target the company on moral grounds and the belief that the company was engaged in unfair business practices.They pointed out, “Too bad for those men, they’re cheating dirtbags and deserve no such discretion . . . Too bad for [Avid Life Media], you promised secrecy but didn’t deliver.”

Following the initial breach, Avid Life Media assured customers that they had things under control and that they instituted new security measures. They also refused to take down the websites. Unfortunately, that was too little too late for those whose data had already been stolen. Avid Life Media apparently took a gamble and lost. Badly.

Navy Announces It Will Allow Women Into Its Elite SEAL Units

News

The Navy’s chief operations officer has revealed that the United States Navy is planning to admit women into its elite SEAL teams.

“Why shouldn’t anybody who can meet these (standards) be accepted? And the answer is, there is no reason,” Adm. Jon Greenert said. “So we’re on a track to say, ‘Hey look, anybody who can meet the gender non-specific standards, then you can become a SEAL,’” he added.

According to Greenert, if female applicants can pass the SEAL’s tough training requirements, they will be allowed to join the elite unit. The military chiefs did not specify when they intend to allow women to participate in the competition for the highly coveted spots.

Speaking to CNN, Commander William Marks with Navy Public affairs confirmed Greenert’s statement, which was made earlier to Defense News.

The statement by the Navy comes ahead of Friday’s Ranger graduation, which will see two women pass the Army’s Ranger School and becoming the first females to hold the highly coveted positions.

The Pentagon describes the Army’s Ranger School as “the Army’s premier combat leadership course, teaching Ranger students how to overcome fatigue, hunger, and stress to lead Soldiers during small unit combat operations.”

The present class began in April with 19 women and 381 men. The trainees were forced to learn under tough conditions with little sleep and minimal food and had to gain knowledge of how to maneuver in swamplands, woods and mountains.

The trainees also had to undertake a physical fitness test that included 59 sit-ups, a 5-mile run completed in 40 minutes, 49 pushups, six chin-ups, a 12-mile foot march completed in three hours, a land navigation test, many obstacle courses, three parachute jumps, four days of military mountaineering, four air assaults on military helicopters, a swim test, and mock combat patrols completed in 27 days.

After the training, which lasted 62 days, only two women and 94 men met the military’s requirements.

Clinton Investigators Have Found Over 300 Emails So Far That Could Contain Classified Information

News

According to a statement filed with a federal judge, intelligence officials assigned to review emails from Hillary Clinton’s private email account for classified information have as far as this point suggested that 305 files be referred to special investigators for advanced evaluation.

In court documents filed with U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras, the State Department revised its document total. It reported that as of last Friday, the Intelligence Community assessors had completed a groundwork screening and established that “out of a sample of approximately 20% of the Clinton emails,” the assessors have “recommended 305 documents — approximately 5.1% — for referral to their agencies for consultation.”

In the filed papers, the administration emphasized that the entire process uses assessors performing “a preliminary screenings step” and establishing whether an email should be taken back to a special agency for further evaluation.

Government legal advisors had said that after officers from the large U.S. intelligence community were included in the assessment procedure in July, the investigation expected to fall somewhat behind its initial timetable, but that it thought the slowdown was short-term.

After inspectors general for the intelligence community and the State Department expressed concern about the message of the email correspondences, the State Department allowed the intelligence personnel to lend a hand in the process.

The volume of email and the detailed nature of its content has made understanding its classification level difficult, requiring multiple agents in multiple agencies to perform the tedious task.

Jason Leopold, a member of the press who has brought a Freedom of Information lawsuit against the State Department, has shown concern that the administration has fallen back in its production agenda — ordered in May by U.S. District Court Judge Contreras – and provided no comprehensive arrangement on how it plans to catch up.

Leopold requested the Court to demand more detailed information mainly since it has expanded the assessment to include the additional intelligence personnel.

Publishing Giant Uncovers Fake Peer Review Scandal Affecting Hundreds Of Journal Articles

News

In the effort to sell an idea or product, companies have gone so far as to submit fake research to peer reviewed journals, according to new findings.

Heavyweight international science publisher Springer has recently retracted 64 articles from its journals following the discovery of fake emails that were connected to article reviews.

The number of papers retracted for using fake reviews over the past three years totals 230 according to the blog Reaction Watch, which tracks plagiarism and other bad behavior in academic publishing.

Although the offending papers make up only a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands published each year, Reaction Watch co-founder Ivan Oransky says the practice is new to the firm, stating, “What’s not clear is, are we better at finding it? Or is it actually a new phenomenon?”

Some cases involve researchers writing their own peer reviews using fake emails, or pay-to-play schemes where fees are paid in exchange for positive reviews.

BioMed Central began an investigation into the problem in November of 2014 in collaboration with publisher Hindawi, and found that there was no independent verification of peer reviewers selected by article editors.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) explained the strategy of the fraudulent reviewers, “Some of these peer reviewer accounts have the names of seemingly real researchers but with email addresses that differ from those from their institutions or associated with their previous publications, others appear to be completely fictitious.”

Some publishers are beginning to implement policies that prevent access to their systems by suspect reviewers. Others have disallowed authors to suggest reviewers for their articles, which is a common practice.

However, what also became clear was that many of the retracted papers likely would have been approved by a legitimate reviewer, just not as quickly as they were with the fraudulent reviewers.

In scientific fields there is a strong motivation to get published in order to advance one’s career, and COPE suggests that changes must be made to the oversight of the rewards systems in place that are associated with article publication.

Oransky stated about the practice that “this almost seems like more of an insurance policy than making the difference between rejection and getting accepted…Publishing papers is the coin of the realm when it comes to academic advancement.”

Indonesia Sinks Foreign Fishing Vessels Caught Poaching In Its Waters

Entertainment News

In a show of its seriousness to protect its territorial water, Indonesia sunk 38 foreign fishing vessels on Tuesday which it seized within its territorial waters.

Commentators say it was no coincidence that the sinkings, which were carried out in various parts of the country, took place on the 70th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day.

The fishing vessels were from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s Minister for Maritime and Fisheries, said maritime sovereignty was a key factor in ensuring Indonesia’s unity.

She said as Indonesia was an archipelago, with two-thirds of its territory comprising of water, it was necessary to have sovereignty over its territorial waters.

“We have to be able to show that we can be triumphant on the sea because the sea is the future of our nation,” she said.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo who is leading the campaign against illegal fishing said it costs his country billions of dollars in lost revenue every year.

The foreign fishing boats, which had been seized after being caught fishing without permission in Indonesian water and had undergone due judicial process, were blown up or scuttled.

So as to not completely destroy the boats and cause pollution and floating waste, low explosives were used to sink five of the vessels, while the others were scuttled at several locations across the Indonesia archipelago, which is made up of more than 17,000 islands.

The decision to scuttle most of the vessels was made after concerns were voiced by green groups about the environmental impact of blowing up vessels, which had been the government’s preferred method in the past for seized fishing boats.

Asep Burhanudin, a senior official at the maritime affairs ministry said the hulls of the vessels would become a habitat for fish and would contribute to “enriching Indonesia’s seas.”

Israel Resumes Building Controversial Wall That Annexes Palestinian Land

Entertainment News

Israel has recommenced building its contentious wall in the Cremisan Valley, despite a court’s attempts to rule against the development in April.

The wall is meant to separate the village of Walaja and the settlement of Har Gilo from the West Bank City of Beit Jala. Opponents say the true function of the wall is not to enhance security but for settlement expansion.

In a bid to break ground on the wall, earth movers have began the process of uprooting olive trees in the area. The intended path runs through the Cremisan valley, an area owned by 58 Christian families from Palestine, near a monastery and its related convent and school.

Both the Vatican and the local Christian clergy have opposed the construction of the wall. In April, it seemed the development of the barrier had been stopped when the high court of Israel directed the ministry of defense to reconsider the intended route. However, a subsequent ruling in July gave it a go-ahead.

Property owners from Palestine argue that the construction will stand as a barrier between themselves and their land. The original plan would have created a barrier between the Salesian monastery and its related convent and school.

The revamped construction is just the most recent part of the wall, whose construction Israel began in 2002. It claims its role is to curb terrorism. Critics from Palestine argue that the wall allows for the effectual seizure of Palestinian land.

For some time, it has been clear that the defense ministry of Israel had planned to pursue their original plans. After the April ruling, the ministry sent a letter to an attorney representing the property owners indicating that it had the intentions to continue with the construction, while maintaining a gap around the monasteries.

Speaking to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Giat Nasser, an attorney representing the Beit Jala municipality and the property owners, said, “They apparently haven’t reconciled themselves to the ruling. What they’re doing is ‘feeding’ the court, stage by stage. After they build the fence they’ll say it’s already up, and then they’ll ask to build the loops around the monasteries, because there won’t be any choice.”

Starbucks Will Start Selling Wine & Beer In Billion Dollar Move To Own The Evening

Finance

Starbucks, long known for its pricey coffee, is now officially selling beer, wine and other stiffer beverages. After years of testing the viability of selling alcohol in its locations, the coffee maker has officially decided to pursue the new line aggressively.

On Wednesday, Starbucks will officially start selling beer, special wines, small plates of truffle mac ‘n cheese and bacon wrapped dates. The new program will be launched at two dozen locations across the U.S.

The initial locations are just the first wave in the initiative as the coffee giant has submitted hundreds of liquor licence applications for locations across the U.S. The coffee maker intends to have those locations actively selling beer and wine in the evenings by the end of the year.

Rachel Antalek, Starbucks’ Vice President of concept innovations, said “We learned resoundingly that our customers want to come to Starbucks and have a glass of wine or a craft beer. There aren’t that many places to go in the evening where you can go very relaxed, very casual. It’s not loud. You can actually have a small group and hear yourself talk.”

By end of this week, Starbucks will have more than 70 of its locations selling beer and wine. Starbucks boasts of over 12000 stores in the U.S. By the end of the year, it intends to have the “evenings’ concept live in over 2000 of its locations. Company executives predict that the concept will rake in $1 billion in annual sales by 2019.

The program will begin launching in Denver, Orlando, Miami and North California.

The company first began testing the new concept in 2010. It began with selling wine, craft beer and the unique small plates at a select few local stores where business slowed down after 4 p.m.

These stores were in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oregon and Washington States.

After five years of testing, Starbucks has revealed that it would proceed full throttle with the concept, convinced it is on to something.

Starbucks is not the first service restaurant to move towards alcohol. Burger King laid down the path with the BK Whopper Bar five years ago. Burger chain Sonic has tested selling beer to patrons and Taco Bell announced it would be testing beer, spiked freezes and wine at locations in San Francisco and Chicago.

Taco bell chief executive Brian Niccol said, “There’s consumer demand, but we’ll see how it goes for us. I am very interested to see how it goes for Starbucks. For us, it’s got to be something that goes great with our food.”

Though critics have showed concern over the sale of beer by the coffee retailer, executives are convinced the concept will be profitable. Diversification into the beverage industry may mark a turning point for the country’s most popular coffee maker. The question remains, will consumers prefer to grab their morning cup of cappuccino the same place they taste their evening wine?

In Just 15 Years The World’s Population Will Grow By Over One Billion People

Culture

Another billion people will be added to the world’s population within the next 15 years according to new estimates released by the United Nations (UN).

That means the total population will be 8.5 billion in 2030, compared to today’s 7.3 billion. This will grow to 9.7 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100.

The UN figures show that at present Asia holds the most people with 60 percent of the world’s population while on the other end of the scale only five percent reside in North America and Oceania. In between is Africa with 16 percent, Europe with 10 percent, and 9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. India and China are the most populated countries, with almost 40 percent of the world population.

But according to World Bank data compiled from the UN figures by scientist Tarig Khokhar, those above numbers won’t stay that way for long. He said the world as we know it is set to change in “surprising ways”.

The figures show that although the world’s population is growing substantially, it is growing at a slower and slower pace. Presently it grows at about 83 million people per year (the population of Germany) but growth overall has slowed to 1.18 percent per year compared to 1.24 percent a decade ago, with the UN expecting growth to gradually level off. Although global population is expected to rise in the short term, the UN said there was a 1 in 4 chance that before 2100, the world’s population will stabilize or fall.

Asked how accurate the UN predictions are, Khokar said the organization had a good track record with population forecasting. He cited its 1948 projection of the world population being around 6 billion in 2000, which was less than five percent off from what it was.

The UN’s predictions for Africa are dramatic with population expected to double by 2100. At present Africa contains 16 percent of the world’s population, with the UN expecting that to rise to 25 percent in 2050 and 49 percent before 2100. Reason given are that the continent is so young, and because fertility rates are high with 50 percent of the continent’s population under the age of 24 in 2015 with many of these having children in the next few decades. Nigeria is expected to have a bigger population than America by about 2050 at which stage it would become the third largest country in the world, population wise.

In contrast, the data shows Asia’s population to peak and then begin to fall, since it has an aging populations. Figures for Europe, Latin America, Northern America and Oceania are predicted to stay fairly constant.

The UN figures predict that half of the world’s population growth will occur before 2050 and will be concentrated in nine countries: Nigeria India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Pakistan, Indonesia and USA..

India is on track to edge out China and become the world’s most populated country. China currently has 1.38 billion people, and India 1.31 billion in India. By 2022, both nations will see their populations increase to 1.4 billion, after which time China’s aging population will level off, but India’s population will continue growing to 1.5 billion in 2030 and in 2050 to 1.7 billion.

With a quarter of Europe’s population being 60 or over there will be little growth with the proportion of the 60 plus group rising to a third in 2050 and 2100.

Outside of Africa, the world’s population is set to age and by 2050, a quarter or more of the population will be 60 and older. Populations in countries including Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Japan, Romania Republic of Moldova, Serbia, and will fall by over 15 percent by 2050.

The UN figures show that the median age of the world’s population is now 29.6 years, and will rise to 36 in 2050 and in 2100 it will be 42.

Anonymous Essay Details Shocking Abuses By Doctors In The Operating Room

Health & Wellness

An anonymous essay published in a medical journal has revealed just how unprofessional and intrusive some doctors act while patients are under anesthesia.

The anonymous essay detailed horrific incidences that happened in the operating room on separate occasions, stirring a hot debate on what amounts to inappropriate behavior and whether such behavior needs to be reported to safeguard the medical profession.

The anonymous essay is entitled “Our Family Secret.” It details two separate incidences where doctors operated on patients under despicable undertones of sexual assault, misogyny and racism. The authors published the article as anonymous to safeguard the identities of parties, specifically the victims.

The events occurred when the doctor author was teaching a medical course to senior med students. He asked the class “Do any of you have someone to forgive from your clinical experiences? Did anything ever happen that you need to forgive or perhaps still can’t forgive?”

That was when one of the students responded by recounting an incident he witnessed while a patient was being treated under general anesthesia for a condition referred to as vaginal hysterectomy.

The student said that while the surgeon operating was prepping the patient’s vaginal area, he turned to the student and quipped, ‘I bet she’s enjoying this,’ while laughing and winking.

The med student called the doctor a “dirtball” and was still clearly affected by the incident he said he should have stood up against but only laughed because he did not know what to do.

The other documented incident was told by the lecturing doctor to the class about an indecent event he witnessed when he was a medical student.

During the delivery of a baby, the doctor narrated, something went wrong and the operating surgeon had to put the patient under anesthesia. To stop the patient from excessive bleeding, the resident doctor performed an internal bimanual uterine massage that involved pressing his fist on the patient’s uterus.

The bleeding did stop. But as it subsided, the doctor said something to the tune of, “Atta girl. That’s what I like. A nice, tight uterus.”

The essay then narrates how the doctor pulled out his hands, waved them in the air and started singing, “La Cucaracha.”

In the accompanying editorial, editor in chief Dr. Christie Laine said she decided to publish it to raise debate about the habits of doctors acting unprofessionally in the work place.

Laine said, “It’s important to acknowledge that these kinds of things happen, even if they happen rarely, because that’s too often. And we should always be prepared so that the next time we find ourselves in these situations, we can hopefully be more like the anesthesiologist in the story and cut the behavior immediately.”

While the practice of medicine is known to herald the highest standards of discretion and professionalism, some doctors have been known to act in the exact opposite manner.

Through daring to speak publicly and openly about the topic, Dr. Laine intends on ensuring incidents such as these become extinct.

National Hurricane Center Warns Of First Possible Storm Of The Season

Culture

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is closely monitoring an area of low pressure in the Atlantic Ocean that could turn into a tropical cyclone within the next five days.

NHC forecasters said the “disturbance which is located several hundred miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands is likely to form into with “tropical depression” by mid week.

They have issued an alert which said the shower activity with the low pressure area “continues to show signs of organization. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development during the next few days”.

The system was moving “west or west-northwestward” at a speed of 15 mph, with a 50 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression within 48 hours and a chance of 70 percent of developing within five days.

However according to Weather Underground blog writer Bob Henson, the system will face some obstacles before it can become a cyclone. “El Nino and a huge area of dry air and Saharan dust will weaken the storm as it approaches the Leeward and Windward Islands by the weekend” he wrote.

If it does becomes a tropical storm, the fourth tropical depression for the current Atlantic Hurricane Season which has formed more than 1,000 miles east of the Windward Islands, it will be named Danny.

In early May a tropical storm made landfall in South Carolina, after bringing extra wet weather conditions into Central Florida; Tropical Storm Bill formed in June hitting Texas, and Tropical Storm Claudette formed in July, before bringing heavy rain to Newfoundland and its environs before breaking down.

The series of storms comes not long after the Hurricane Center updated its 2015 season outlook, which increased the likelihood of a below-average year to 90 percent from 70 percent. This was the strongest prediction of a below-average season in the center’s prediction history.

The average season has 12 named storms, with six being hurricanes and experts for this season are now predicting six and 10 named storms, with four possibly being hurricanes.

Video Shows Google Is Working On Game Changing Human Inspired Robots

Finance

Atlas, “an agile, anthropomorphic robot” designed by Boston Dynamics was recently taken out of the lab and tested in the real world. The video is nothing short of amazing.

One part fascinating, one part scary, the video of the human-like robot stumbling through the woods is a fascinating glimpse into the not so distant future.

The Atlas is the company’s successor to two previous models which mimicked a dog and cheetah respectively.

Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert said that the test run in the woods was an opportunity to evaluate the humanoid’s balance and ability to respond to a unique environment. “Out in the world is just a totally different challenge than in the lab,” Raibert said at the Fab 11 conference earlier this month in Cambridge, Mass.

The video of Atlas gained popularity after being revealed for the first time by Boston Dynamics at the conference. The company had shared videos of their quadruped robots before, but never of their humanoids.

Making the video scary, aside from the human look, is that the majority of the funding received for these projects comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research arm of the U.S. military.

This agency’s goal is to develop robots that can replace humans for dangerous projects in disaster or war-like situations.

Although the robot isn’t fit for fieldwork yet, the results and progress are promising. In the video, Atlas is still seen connected to a power source by a large cord. During the conference, Raibert admitted there is still much to be accomplished, but reassured people that “you can imagine if we keep pushing, we’ll get there.”

The whole purpose of creating humanoid robots is to use them in place of humans for tasks that are either too monotonous or too dangerous. Atlas may not seem like much, but each humanoid is one critical step closer to reaching this future.

Skip to about the 40 second mark for the in-forest action!

Scientists Discover That The World’s First Flower Appeared About 130 Million Years Ago

Culture

Scientists in the U.S. have discovered what could be the world’s first flower. The fossilized underwater plant has stunned botanists worldwide as it includes no noticeable flower parts and grew deep in the lakes of modern day Europe.

Botanists have studied more than 1000 fossils of the species Montsechia Vidalii, a well known species among scientists. The studies revealed that the flowering plants grew deep in the lakes of modern day Spain approximately 125-130 million years ago.

The team of scientists from Indiana University led by David Dilcher, a paleobotanist, noted that, “were first discovered more than 100 years ago in the limestone deposits of the Iberian Range in central Spain and in the Montsec Range of the Pyrenees, near the country’s border with France.”
However, they reported that the species were “poorly understood and even misinterpreted.”

This was because the plants possessed no plainly noticeable or obvious flower parts. Dilcher reported that the Montsechia Vidalii, “possesses no obvious ‘flower parts’, such as petals or nectar-producing structures for attract.”

To clear the air on the species, the scientists resorted to coaxing stems and leaves from the ancient rock using hydrochloric acid while bleaching the pant’s cuticles using a mixture of nitric acid and potassium chlorate.

Microscopic details revealed that the species was indeed an angiosperm, more ancient than the previously discovered Archaefructus sinensis in China.

The report from Indiana University elaborates further on the plant by stating that the plant contained a single seed, in true semblance to an angiosperm.

“A ‘first flower’ is technically a myth, like the ‘first human’,” Dilcher said in the report published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists now plan to study the Montsechia deeper to understand when precisely other species of angiosperms branched off from their ancient forefathers.

Dilcher said there was so much that was still unknown about the underwater flower, including whether the enormous seed bearing plants gave rise to the plants that now populate the earth.

The discovery of the Montsechia is the first step in figuring out the history of plant life on the planet. While man’s roots have been traced to evolution, plants’ beginnings are yet to be pinned down. The discovery could be the first step in doing just that.

Chinese Police Arrest Over 15,000 People In Massive Internet Censorship Operation

Entertainment News

Chinese police have apprehended over 15,000 suspects for offenses that “jeopardized Internet security,” as part of the government’s efforts to tighten internet security.

Since he became the president of the People’s Republic of China in 2013, Xi Jinping has maintained a ruthless crackdown on the country’s Internet, which the Communist Party considers of great significance as it seeks to contain researchers and dissidents.

In a formal statement on its official website, the country’s Ministry Of Public Security said the police have carefully looked into 7400 cases of ‘internet crime.’ The statement was not clear on the period over which the arrests were executed, but made reference to a cybercrime case dating back to December of 2014.

Last month, the government of China established a six-month program with the code name “Cleaning the Internet.”

In an official statement, the ministry said, “For the next step, the public security organs will continue to increase their investigation and crackdown on cyber crimes.”

The ministry added that the ‘internet cleansing’ campaign would also focus on cracking noteworthy cases and completely destroying internet-based criminal gangs.

The primary targets of the sweep were those websites publishing “illegal and harmful information” and advertising such social ills as gambling, firearms, pornography and explosives.

According to reliable reports, the police had investigated about 66,000 websites.

China’s online censorship systems, commonly referred to as the Great Firewall, are among the most sophisticated restriction mechanisms in the world. Censors are extremely keen on what cannot be published, specifically any material that could possibly destabilize the power of the ruling Communist Party.

In February, China’s online supervisory body announced that it would disallow all online accounts that masquerade as organizations or people with effect from March 1st, and put into effect the requirement for people to use their actual names when signing up for any online accounts.

Scientific Study Shows Uber Leads To Significantly Less Drunk Driving

Finance

At a time when Uber is embroiled in all sorts of controversies including drivers in China being arrested for failing to have proper insurance, government officials raiding Uber offices in major cities around the world and constant fights with regulators everywhere over appropriate tax levels, the ride hailing app finally received some good press.

A recent study published by Temple University’s Brad Greenwood and Sunil Wattal indicates that inexpensive “taxi-like options” make it simpler for people who have had too much to drink to make the good and safe decision to hail an Uber rather than get behind the wheel themselves. The results: a reduction in DUI deaths.

Uber’s introduction of UberX, a low cost ride hailing service, reduces drunk driving deaths in cities where it is offered. The researchers concluded in their study that, “Economically, results indicate that the entrance of UberX results in a 3.6%-5.6% decrease in the rate of motor vehicle homicides per quarter in the state of California. With more than 13 [thousand] deaths occurring nationally each year due to alcohol related car crashes at a cost of $37 billion, results indicate that a complete implementation of UberX would create a public welfare net of over $1.3 billion to American taxpayers and save roughly 500 lives annually.”

These promising statistics make it a little harder for local government officials to aggressively go after Uber for failing to abide by regulations imposed upon traditional taxi companies and for failure to pay the same taxes. As Uber battles stiff competition in China and taxi drivers across the globe, it apparently also is battling against dangerous drunk drivers.

The recent study, funded by the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (“MADD”), is more conclusive than previous studies because it was an independent study that relied on sophisticated statistical analysis. The state of California was important to the study because the state has seen UberX since its rollout in 2012. That means researchers could study exactly what happened when Uber hired enough drivers in a particular city so that it changed consumer behavior. Researchers examined approximately 12,500 motor vehicle collisions that occurred from 2009 to 2014 across 540 townships in California.

They compared DUI fatality rates before and after the introduction of UberX. The study concluded that potential drunk drivers look to inexpensive price and availability of cars for hire when deciding whether or not to drive their own cars. Because UberX makes it cheaper and easier to hire a car, offering a safe alternative to drunk driving, a small but significant percentage of people will choose UberX.

A study of last New Year’s Eve in San Francisco revealed that there were so many Uber cars out there that users did not have to pay increased “surge pricing,” which in the past meant that users could pay upwards of $100 for a short ride home. With so many cheap alternatives, there was simply no excuse for intoxicated drivers to get behind the wheel.

National Polls Show Trump Is The Clear Republican Presidential Frontrunner

News

According to the latest poll results released by CNN today, Donald Trump continues to be the clear front runner for the Republican party presidential nomination, having won the party’s trust on most “top issues.”

The survey shows Trump with 24 percent support of registered Republican voters, with his closest competitor, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a distant 11 points behind with 13 percent support.

Bush is followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 9 percent, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tied at eight percent, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul at six percent, former tech CEO Carly Fiorina and Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich at five percent, with former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee trailing the field with four percent support.

Of the top ten Republican nominees,Trump recorded the biggest gain in the poll, coming in six points better than he did in the first nationwide CNN poll taken in July.

He also rated higher among Republicans, getting 58 percent approval compared to 50 percent in the July survey.

The nationwide poll results echo recent polling in the key early states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

Bush, who was the frontrunner in most CNN polls between Fall 2014 and when Trump threw his hat into the presidential ring in June, has experienced a significant fall in his favorability ratings, with 56 percent of all those polled holding an unfavorable view of him and 42 percent of Republican voters having a negative view of the former Florida Governor – up from 34 percent.

Curiously, while the latest poll shows Trump in front of the overall popularity contest, the majority of Republicans, 58 percent, believe the party would have a better shot at winning the 2016 presidential race with someone other than Trump on the ticket.

On the issues, the latest poll shows that Trump holds 45 percent of the trust of Republican voters on the economy – up 25 points since June, 44 percent on immigration – up 30 points since June – and 32 percent on how to handle the ISIS scourge.

None of the other candidates even came close to polling high on trust worthiness on these issues.

Trump also rates the highest on trust on social issues, taking 19 percent with Bush the closest at 15 percent.

In gender support Trump polled at 27% among Republican men and 20% among women, with Bush following with 17% among women but far behind among men with only 10 percent.

One interesting fact, the poll shows is that in the education divide, Republican voters who do not have college degrees are more likely to vote for Trump, than college graduates – 28 percent non-college graduates versus 16 percent college graduates.

According to the latest poll there are very few other demographic divides in Republican preferences other than Rand Paul polling best with voters under age 50, and Tea Party supporters being more likely to vote for Ted Cruz.

Google’s Project Sunroof Tells You If Your Home Is Right For Solar Panels

Culture

Google, the world’s most popular search engine, now lets you evaluate your house to establish if it makes sense to put up a solar panel installation.

Project Sunroof, created in the spare time of the company’s chief engineer Car Elkin, helps you appreciate the amount of solar energy the roof of your house can generate through the information it has about your residence and data from Google maps.

The software takes into consideration the orientation of your roof and the degree of shade that falls on it from neighboring buildings and trees as well as the weather of your locality to produce a recommendation about the solar potential of your home.

Elkin said in a blog post that “The new tool uses high-resolution aerial mapping (the same used by Google Earth) to help you calculate your roof’s solar energy potential, without having to climb up any ladders.”

For the moment this innovation is only functional in Boston, the San Francisco Bay region and Fresno but the company hopes to roll it out to other areas in the coming weeks.

To get started, users enter their physical address and some fundamental information about the amount they pay for electricity and the service will calculate the appropriate solar installation size and the cost needed to buy or lease the hardware.

In the event that you wish to go ahead with the solar panel installation, the service will enable you to communicate with locally available solar providers. According to Google, the listings are subsidized, so Google will profit when users decide to buy a particular solar installation.

Researchers Discover Premature Births Can Be Predicted By Certain Bacteria Levels

Health & Wellness

American scientists have established a unique way to tell if an expectant woman is at risk of giving birth prematurely. By analyzing the community of bacteria living in the reproductive tract of the mother, scientists are able to determine the risk of a premature birth. Previously the relationship between bacteria and premature babies was unknown.

Trillions of microorganisms live on or in our bodies – the skin, the mouth, the vagina or the gut – in what researchers call our microbiome. Most of these microbes play fundamental roles in such important functions as robust immunity and good digestion, but they can contribute to health challenges if they get disrupted.

Scientists at Stanford University observed some of those microorganisms’ in various specific regions of the body on a weekly basis through 49 pregnancies of healthy women and established that those that went into premature labor had different patterns of vaginal microbes than other expectant mothers.

It is still unclear why, but the study provides a clue: the women at risk had fewer lactobacillus bacteria, a class of microbes long believed to be instrumental in maintaining vaginal health.

“We may have a new hook, a new angle to pursue against preterm birth”, said Dr David Relman, a microbiology expert who led the study at Stanford. “It’s possible that your microbiome could contribute to this pretty common and devastating condition,” he added.

Wider studies are necessary, in more diversified populations of expectant women, to verify the supposed link.

Dr Catherine Spong, a maternal-fetal medical expert t at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development noted that another fundamental question is whether the challenge is the lack of apparently defensive bugs or whatever microbes took their place.

According to Spong, the finding “is very compelling.” It is in line with some previous proof that “what our normal host flora is might be important in whether or not you’re at risk for certain conditions.”

Dr Joe Leigh Simpson, March of Dimes senior vice president, argues that if the study pans out, it may raise the likelihood of using probiotics to alter microbial environments in expectant women thought to be at risk.

The research, which was partially financed by the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Stanford, is available in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Many factors contribute to premature birth. Risk factors include pregnancy in women below the age of 17 years or above 40, expecting twins or more, and the woman’s own physical condition, such as being overweight or underweight, being diabetic or hypertensive, and whether she is a smoker.

Part of the latest development in U.S. premature birth statistics came from cutting down optional deliveries ahead of the mother’s due date, causing a notable drop in “late preemies,” or children born some weeks early.

Brazilian Oil Company Petrobras Will Be Hit With Record Breaking Corruption Penalties

Finance

Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) could be facing penalties of $1.6 billion to settle corruption charges uncovered during U.S. civil and criminal investigations.

According to an unidentified official source who has been briefed on the situation the penalties are the largest ever levied by U.S. authorities in a corporate corruption investigation.

The previous largest corporate corruption charge settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was in 2008 Germany’s Siemens AG, where the German industrial giant settled bribery charges for $800 million.

Two other sources with direct knowledge of the case, although not revealing settlement figures, described them as being “large”.

All three sources said Petrobras hasn’t yet begun official settlement talks with U.S. authorities.

Whatever the final settlement figure, it would be a major financial burden to Petrobras, whose market value has dropped to $40 billion from $300 billion just seven years ago.

Last November, a SEC subpoena was sent to Petrobras requesting information about corruption investigations against major private contractors, senior Brazilian politicians and top company officials. According to the sources the DOJ, is also likely to lay criminal charges following completion of its own investigations.

Although lawyers for Petrobras claim the company was a victim of corruption and bid-rigging by engineering firms and other suppliers, former employees who allegedly arranged bribes, and Brazilian politicians who received kickbacks from the suppliers, confirmed the U.S. investigation would very likely show Petrobras itself broke U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and securities laws.

Two senior Petrobras executives are among a dozen people who have already been convicted in Brazil for offences such as money laundering and racketeering.

Petrobras comes under U.S. jurisdiction because company shares are traded in the United States – recently being the largest foreign owned company on the New York Stock Exchange.

The unidentified sources claim Petrobras had been warned that if money related to the case moved within the U.S. banking system, the company could be prosecuted and that Brazilian prosecutors have found that some of the illegal payments had been arranged on U.S. soil.

In December, Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot said his prosecutors were cooperating with the SEC and the DOJ to see if the corruption scheme had hurt U.S. investor interests in Petrobras shares listed in New York.

Petrobras has declined to comment directly on the investigations or any estimates of case settlement figures.

The company has been working to limit damage and in November hired U.S. law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Brazilian law firm Trench, Rossi e Watanabe to carry out an internal investigation, promising to hand over findings to authorities.

Legal experts said cooperation with ongoing investigations by the U.S. authorities may reduce the amount of penalties.

NFL Players Reject Settlement With League Over Concussion Risk Disclosure

Health & Wellness

On Monday, ten former NFL football players filed appeals with the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia asking that the settlement reached between the players and the NFL regarding concussions be thrown out.

The settlement was approved by United States District Court Judge Anita Brody on April 22nd.

The ten players who filed the appeals represent about 1% of the total players involved in the class action against the NFL and about 99% of the class support the settlement reached earlier this year.

The lawsuit was brought by former NFL players who allege that the NFL did not provide them with sufficient warnings regarding the seriousness and lasting effects of multiple concussions. The settlement as it stands provides payments of up to $5 million to players suffering from serious medical conditions associated with multiple concussions.

The basis for the appeal of the settlement is premised upon disparate treatment among players who currently have diseases related to head trauma and those who have yet to suffer from the same diseases. Specifically, the appealing players claim that the settlement unfairly favors currently injured retired players over those simply exposed to head trauma. The appealing players also have issue with how eligibility for payments is calculated.

The settlement potentially leaves 19,000 players who have yet to be diagnosed with neurological conditions and diseases without a remedy. John Pentz, a lawyer representing the objecting players, stated that, “It is the height of hypocrisy for the parties to defend a settlement that offers nothing for [chronic traumatic encephalopathy (“CTE”)] to the vast majority of class members by arguing that those claims could not prevail at trial because the science is too new.”

In one of the pleadings filed yesterday with the court, it stated that, “no settlement at all” was better than a settlement offering nothing for the “vast majority” of former players, who “will probably die with evidence of CTE in their brains.”

Despite the good intentions not all members of the class action are happy that some members filed appeals.

Chris Seeger, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, stated that, “These appeals are heartbreaking news for injured retired NFL players who will now be forced to wait many months longer for the care and financial support they desperately need. In fact, no payments will be submitted to players until all appeals are exhausted. Seeger reiterated the fact that greater than 99% of the retired players endorsed and supported the settlement agreement.

Both the NFL and attorneys for the former players who support the agreement have one month to file their objection to the appeals. After that, the appellants will have two weeks to file their rebuttal arguments. A panel of three 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals judges will hear oral arguments by both sides possibly in October. The panel does not have a set time period to rule on the matter, however the judges may push the parties towards mediation in an effort to resolve the matter in a way that all sides compromise.

Thai Police Release Images Of Suspect In Deadly Bomb Attack On Bangkok Shrine

Entertainment News

Law enforcement officials in Thailand reported earlier this morning that they have video of a suspect in the bombing that took place yesterday at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. Footage from a surveillance security video camera shows a man in a yellow t-shirt wearing a backpack sitting on a bench at the bustling shrine.

The footage then shows the man removing the backpack, leaving it behind and immediately walking away from the shrine. Police Lieutenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters this morning that, “The yellow shirt guy is not just the suspect. He is the bomber.”

The bomb killed 22 people from several different countries and injured 123 others. The explosive was apparently a pipe bomb packed with shrapnel to maximize the impact. One witness stated that, “The impact was so strong it sucked us forward and then pushed us back.” As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Thai government claimed that the attack during Monday’s rush hour (alleged as the worst in Thailand’s history) was aimed at destroying Thailand’s economy. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha stated that, “It is apparent that there are active individuals or groups that harbor the intention to damage Thailand [by] damaging the economy and tourism.”

Finance Minister Sommai Phasee told reporters that, “This will have an impact on tourism. But it’s difficult to estimate the impact on [the country’s gross domestic product] because we are in the off-season now. We will have to wait until October for a clearer impact. We are praying that tourists will forget about this incident by then.”

Police have not ruled out any potential suspects in the blast, which came at a difficult time for the Thai government. Some say the blast could be related to the Muslim conflict in the south of Thailand, but the political violence previously caused by the group has been restricted to the southern provinces and has never targeted the country’s capital.

Others have suggested that the Muslim Uighur minority in China could be involved as they are upset that Thailand recently forcibly deported Uighur refugees back to China. Still others feel the bombing could be related to a faction’s unhappiness with the Thai military government. Last May, the military took over the country in a coup, removing an elected government and some groups have voiced their opposition to the scheme.

The Erawan shrine honors the Hindu god Brahma. It is visited by thousands of tourists every day and is situated in the middle of a busy intersection, sitting between a luxury hotel and popular shopping center. Officials state that Monday’s bomb was “clearly placed to cause maximum casualties.” The Prime Minister vowed in a televised address to bring those responsible for the “heinous” crime to justice.

A few hours after the bombing took place, a second explosive device was thrown from a bridge into a river in the Thai capital. It is unclear if the two bombings are related.

The Pentagon Is About To Massively Expand The U.S. Drone Program

News

Faced with increasing hostility from China and Russia, the Pentagon intends to enhance its use of drones by about 50 per cent over the coming several years, using civilian contractors and the U.S. military to bolster flights operated by the Air Force.

The decision to include more civilian and military-operated missions in the mix was sparked because the U.S Air Force, which had been undertaking about 65 air patrol operations a day, requested to decrease the number to 60 because of overwhelming stress on the force.

Yet 60 operations per day is nowhere close to meeting the needs of U.S. armed forces chiefs as they look to meet ever-growing security hazards around the globe.

Leaders of the armed forces, including General Joseph Dunford, the inward bound chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, singled out Russia as the U.S’s most notable security threat.

Additionally, China’s growing military supremacy and island-construction program in the South China Sea added to the tensions and provoked a bigger demand for U.S. intelligence and surveillance across the Pacific.

One leading defense officer said Pentagon chiefs are seriously considering the security challenges as they make a decision on how both unarmed and armed drones will be employed across the Pacific and Europe.

The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity as they did not have the authority to talk about the issue in the public domain.

Pentagon chiefs have been fighting the issue for quite some time, as the need for more air raids and intelligence gathering by drones over Syria and Iraq to combat the ISIS offsets a decline in pilotless flights over Afghanistan as the battle there comes to an end.

Under the arrangement tabled by senior defense chiefs, the Air Force would keep on providing 60 drone missions on a daily basis, while US Special Operations Command and non-military contractors would execute up to 10 each and other military branches would perform about 16.

Speaking at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Air Force Major General and vice-commander of Air Combat Command J.D. Harris said, “It’s the combatant commanders, they need more. They’re tasked to do our nation’s business overseas so they feel that stress on them, and it’s not getting better.” He added, “There’s just not enough of the Air Force to go around.”

The non-military contractors would operate surveillance flights, not armed aircraft. However, senior defense chiefs announced that they need at least a little contractor involvement in order to accomplish the total of 90 war related air patrols daily.

The expansion raises questions about how the Pentagon will fund the extra patrols and how the various branches of the military will sort out and evaluate the rising torrent of statistics flowing in from the missions.

Two Female Soldiers Just Graduated From Ranger School And The Implications Are Huge

News

Two female soldiers look set to become the first females to pass the Army’s elite Ranger School, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The military has not officially announced their names, but the two are both graduates of West Point and will appear before the media ahead of this Friday’s graduation.

Nineteen females started the Ranger course which is composed of 62 days of unvarying mental and physical pressure of little sleep and minimal food.

Together with 94 male counterparts, they survived a week of thorough testing at Georgia’s Fort Benning before going through swamp training in Florida and strenuous mountain training in Georgia.

Women and men were all subjected to the same metrics, and it was often difficult to differentiate them in the few scenes that the Army permitted cameras to record.

On the day of graduation, the women and men will each be presented the Ranger tab to put on on their uniform but, unlike their male counterparts, the ladies will not be able to serve in the special Ranger units.

Travis West, U.S. Army Ranger Association president, said, “One of the key things that the students learn is that the limit that they believe exists probably doesn’t, and that they’re capable of doing much more under very difficult circumstances.”

Admitting women into Ranger School was part of the Military’s testing to establish if women could endure the tough life of the infantry, operating in rough terrain every day and carrying heavy packs.

According to West, “For those women who are able to complete the course, it will probably help them in some ways in their careers.”

The armed forces are under directives to open up all military jobs to female applicants by the end of this year.

One of the chief officers of the Ranger training compared the graduation of the first females to breaking the four-minute mile. Once the obstacle is eliminated, others will swiftly follow.

The fact that duo has now successfully completed the course does not automatically ensure that females will be admitted to serve in the military’s elite infantry, but it is a key step on that path.

Trump Calls Out Facebook Billionaire Zuckerberg Over H1-B Visa Abuse

News

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is the latest target for Donald Trump’s war of words on U.S. immigration policies.

Zuckerberg is one of the most important tech executives who have called for a more accommodative immigration strategy. In particular, he has been loudly pushing to make more H-1B visas accessible for tech organizations so they can hire experienced foreign workers.

Trump announced that he intends to ask organization to pay H-1B employees much more in salaries, which he believes would put off companies from employing them and improve employment opportunities for American citizens.

He also intends to have tech jobs given to jobless American citizens before they can be taken by employees with H-1B visas.

Writing in his immigration plan, Trump said, “This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg’s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities.”

Rubio is also in pursuit of the Republican selection for president.

Zuckerberg launched a lobby group, Fwd.us, to fight for relaxed immigration policies that would benefit Silicon Valley companies yet likely disadvantage American workers.

The Facebook billionaire is lobbying along with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Neither Fwd.us nor Facebook would comment on Trump’s condemnation of Zuckerberg.

Trump believes that there are a lot of graduates holding university degrees in technology, science, math and engineering, known as STEM, to fill the relevant tech jobs. That means that organizations do not need H-1B visas to take up the jobs, and are using them as an alternative to keep salaries low.

Organizations are expected to pay a market rate wage to anybody employed under H-1B visa.

Yet studies have found that employees on these visas are normally paid 20 to 45% less than the American workers who they are regularly replacing, said a Howard University public policy professor, Ron Hira, who has widely researched the visa’s pay scale.

Speaking on the matter, Hira said, “I don’t think you should eliminate the H1-B program. The problem is it’s being abused and it’s a source of very cheap labor.”

According to the Census Bureau 74% of people with a STEM university degrees have are holding jobs outside of those areas.

Many of them are employed in other better rewarding areas, such as accounting, law, finance, and health care. College graduates holding a STEM qualification earn a median salary of between $69,700 and $92,900, varying according to their field of specialization. Other college graduates fall between $51,000 and $70,300. The report given by Census Bureau worked with the most current data available – 2012 figures.

According to the Census report, the joblessness rate for STEM degree holders was about 3% in 2012 – the year when the general joblessness rate was 8%.

Ten Executives Arrested For Their Role In Deadly Chinese Chemical Explosion

Entertainment News

One week after explosions rocked a warehouse in the Chinese city of Tianjin killing at least 114 people, the Chinese government has detained ten executives of the company that owned the warehouse.

Those detained include Li Liang, the president of Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Company; vice president of the company, Cao Haijun; and Song Qi, the company’s chief financial officer. Additionally, Yang Dongliang, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, was suspected of “severe violation of discipline and law” – a phrase often used when describing corruption cases.

Beijing pledged to identify and punish the top officials connected to the disaster – which is the single deadliest incident for firefighters since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. In addition to the confirmed deaths of 114 people, 70 people are still missing, including 64 firefighters and five policemen. 31 of the 114 bodies have yet to be identified.

The blown up warehouse temporarily stored chemicals and other materials after they arrived at the port but before they were transported to their final destination. Because the stored chemicals were essentially in transit, it made it very difficult to identify and track the contents of the barrels of chemicals.

It is known however that at the time of the explosion, several hundred tons of sodium cyanide were stored at the facility. The chemical is highly toxic and rapidly kills humans once it comes into contact with water.

Questions are now being raised regarding whether the rescue crews were trained properly and sufficiently equipped to deal with an emergency at a chemical storage warehouse. The People’s Daily reported that, “Many are questioning about the number of people killed in the blasts, the emergency assistance provided, and the handling of the aftermath. Some are even suspicious, with rumors circling.” The newspaper further reported that, “In the face of an accident that has caused heavy losses of life and property, the central government’s attitude is clear and resolute: a thorough investigation and severe punishment are beyond any doubt.”

Beijing is pointing the blame directly at the company’s executives and local officials rather than possible failures in the Chinese system of chemical storage and crisis management.

Local officials have yet to provide definite answers on the cause of the fire and resulting explosions. Chemical industry experts have opined that the blast was likely triggered by a flammable substance. Others have proffered that extremely hot summer temperatures may have contributed to the volatile situation in addition to a possible chemical reaction initiated once firefighters sprayed water on the chemicals.

Zhong Shengjun, a social scientist studying industrial safety at Northeastern University in Shenyang stated that, “we can’t rule it out that when firefighters tried to cool down the area, they sprayed some water on some alkali metals that should not be in contact with water. It’s partly because the firefighters couldn’t contact the executives of the warehouse in time so as to know exactly where different chemicals were placed. . . This disaster has exposed several problems, such as the poor management of dangerous chemicals. In theory, they should be stored by category and have clear signs placed on their containers indicating their basic features.”

‘Miracle’ Food Replacement Found To Contain Dangerously High Levels Of Lead, Cadmium

Health & Wellness

Workaholics who don’t have the time for three squares a day have turned to the meal replacement supplement Soylent, a supposed wonder-food that claims to provide all the nourishment of a meal in a simple powdered drink.

But recent tests have revealed possible violations by the company of California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (SDWTE).

In two separate test results commissioned by the environmental non-profit As You Sow (AYS), it was found that one serving of Soylent was found to contain lead concentrations, “12 to 25 times above California’s Safe Harbor level for reproductive health, and a concentration of cadmium that is at least 4 times greater than the Safe Harbor level.”

AYS recently filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the supplement company for its failure to provide sufficient warning to consumers.

Soylent has defended its product with claims that it was never intended to totally replace a regular diet and that its manufacturing facilities are FDA-approved, but there are reports of Silicon Valley workers running on three servings a day of the product.

A quick read through the preparation instructions for powdered food slurry actually describes how to slowly increase the percentage of Soylent in the diet to more than 60%.

The convenience and simplicity of Soylent have turned it into something of a success, having just raised $20 million in funding in January.

For some, it simply removes one more chore from their already busy days. Others struggle with their relationship with food and have resorted to using Soylent as a means to improve their health.

Any exposure to lead is associated with an increased health risk, and AYS has been a leading enforcer of California’s SDWTE resulting in the removal of lead from children’s toys and baby powder, but whether or not Soylent will take action regarding the test results by AYS remains to be seen.

Breakthrough Russian Sensor Provides Early Warning Of Cancer, HIV And Hepatitis

Health & Wellness

Russian researchers have made a major breakthrough in detecting cancerous tumors using a highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor.

Produced at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology’s Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics, the ultra compact sensor allows doctors to identify tumor markers which signal the emergence and growth of cancerous tumors. The method can detect cancerous tumors long before all current conventional methods.

If early results prove to be correct, the sensor could also help diagnose other diseases like hepatitis, HIV and herpes long before they could be detected by any other method currently available and would pave the way for new-generation diagnostics.

Researchers’ calculations showed the new nanomechanical sensor combines high sensitivity along with comparative ease of production. Another advantage is its miniature size which would allow it to be used in portable devices like wearable electronics and smartphones with one chip, only a few millimeters in size, being able to hold several thousand sensors, all configured to detect different molecules or particles.

Because of the simplicity of its design, the devices which would contain the sensors would be much cheaper than any detection device currently available.

Being able to predict a cancer before it can start to spread or grow aggressively from its original location, would be a game-changer in cancer detection and treatment, allowing for an early warning system which would allow doctors to prescribe and administer drugs more accurately and sooner.

Experts say that earlier detection of cancer markers could be more effective in controlling cancer than actually finding a cure for the many forms of cancer which exist.

Daniel Roxbury, a research fellow at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York, who has also been researching and experimenting with nanomechanical sensors for cancer detection has said detecting biomarkers in the blood at a super low concentration, would save many lives as detecting cancer in later stages cuts the options for treatment.

As for his own work Roxbury has high hopes. He said “with the current treatments we have, I am pretty sure we can cure most cancers by detecting them early.”

Citigroup Fined Again, This Time For Lying To Hedge Fund Investors

Finance

Two Citigroup Inc. associates will pay $179.5 million to determine federal regulators’ charges of confusing investors in hedge funds that collapsed.

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission publicly declared the resolution with Citigroup Alternative Investments, a branch of the bank, and Citigroup Global Markets, an associated organization. The sum they are remitting, $139.9 million plus interest amounting to $39.6 million, will be refunded to investors in two hedge funds run by the firms.

The two organizations neither denied nor admitted misconduct but did agree to abstain from future contravention of laws governing securities. The organizations also were reprimanded, bringing the likelihood of an unbendable sanction if the misdeeds are repeated.

According to the SEC, the organizations sold securities in two hedge funds between 2002 and 2007, raising close to $3 billion from mostly well-to-do investors and institutions. The agency says the finance managers wrongly told potential financiers they were low-risk and comparable to bonds.

The hedge funds cratered in 2008 during the global financial crunch, resulting in billions of dollars in losses.

According to the SEC, in talking to potential financiers, the finance managers failed to reveal the “very real risks” of the hedge funds. According to the agency, a number of the managers’ oral statements to financiers conflicted with the exposés in finance marketing resources.

In a statement, SEC Enforcement Director Andrew Ceresney said the finance managers “falsely assured them they were making safe investments even when the funds were on the brink of disaster.”

In a formal statement, New York-based Citigroup announced that it was delighted to have determined the matter. Citigroup has announced before that the principal legal representatives of New York and Massachusetts also have looked into the marketing and management of the funds.