March 28, 2024

The Power Hour

Knowledge is Power

Today's News: July 25, 2018

World News
‘Armageddon’ fire in Greece kills at least 80, many missing
Reuters – The death toll from a fire which ripped through a Greek coastal town stood at 80 on Wednesday, with dozens of people unaccounted for, as Greece reeled from the horror of victims being burnt alive.
Hundreds of people were trapped in the eastern resort of Mati on Monday night as flames whipped around them. Many jumped into the sea to survive, but others died from suffocation either in their cars, or trapped on the edge of steep cliffs.
The Greek fire brigade said the death of a survivor in hospital had brought the toll up to 80. The service was also receiving dozens of calls reporting missing persons, but it was unclear if some of them were among those found dead, a spokesperson said.
Top cardinal demands Vatican get tough with bishops on sex abuse
Reuters – A leading Roman Catholic cardinal and key adviser to Pope Francis called on Tuesday for the Vatican to “swiftly and decisively” adopt strict policies for cases of sexual abuse involving bishops and top clergy.
Rattled by string of violent attacks, Toronto wonders if city is unraveling
The Guardian – Detectives in Canada are still seeking a motive for a mass shooting which left three dead – including the gunman – and injured more than a dozen others, as residents of Toronto grapple with the latest in a string of violent incidents to hit Canada’s biggest city in recent months.
Federal officials said on Tuesday that there was no terror link to Sunday’s attack in which the lone gunman opened fire along a bustling avenue in the city, seemingly shooting at random at pedestrians and into shops and restaurants.
“At this time, there is no national security nexus to the investigation,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Safety.
U.S. News
Trump’s Former Lawyer Michael Cohen Formed Delaware Company to Purchase Ex-Playboy Model’s Story
WSJ – President Donald Trump’s former attorney planned to use a Delaware shell company he created in September 2016 to buy the rights to a former Playboy model’s story of having an affair with Mr. Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Economy & Business
Southern California home sales crash, warning sign to nation
CNBC – Southern California home sales hit the brakes in June, falling to the lowest reading for the month in four years. Sales of both new and existing houses and condominiums dropped 11.8 percent year over year, as prices shot up to a record high, according to CoreLogic. The report covers Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties.
Energy & Environment
Deadly wildfires and killer heatwaves are ripping through the planet from Athens and Sweden to Los Angeles and Japan
The Sun – THE planet is ablaze as it was gripped by a mammoth killer heatwave which has left hundreds dead.
Across Europe, North America and Japan, searing heat and devastating wildfires have also left tens of thousands in hospital.
U.S. West power prices soar to all-time highs again in heat wave
Reuters – Power prices for Wednesday in some U.S. Western markets rose to all-time highs for a second day in a row as consumers kept air conditioners cranked up to escape a brutal heat wave.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO), operator of the state’s power grid, urged customers to conserve energy to reduce the risk of rotating power outages and other emergency measures, resulting from lower electricity imports, tight gas supplies in Southern California and high wildfire risk.
Science & Technology
Liquid water lake discovered on Mars
AFP – massive underground lake has been detected for the first time on Mars, raising the possibility that more water — and maybe even life — exists there, international astronomers said Wednesday.
Located under a layer of Martian ice, the lake is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) wide, said the report led by Italian researchers in the US journal Science.
NOAA’s Next-Gen Weather Satellite is Still Malfunctioning and May Not be Fixable
Nextgov – The second satellite in NOAA’s $11 billion GOES program continues to experience issues with its most important instrument and officials still aren’t sure what’s wrong.
Weaponized drones. Machines that attack on their own. ‘That day is going to come’
CNBC – The idea of a computer program learning by itself, growing in knowledge and becoming increasingly sophisticated may be a scary one. It’s even scarier when it’s learning to attack things.
It’s easy to dismiss artificial intelligence as yet another tech buzzword, but it’s already being used in everyday applications via algorithmic processes known as machine learning.
Far from the killer robots of “Blade Runner,” machine learning applications are designed to train a computer to fulfill a certain task on its own. Machines are essentially “taught” to complete that task by doing it over and over, learning the many obstacles that could inhibit them.
“Such attacks, which seem like science fiction today, might become reality in the next few years,” Guy Caspi, CEO of cybersecurity start-up Deep Instinct, told CNBC’s new podcast “Beyond the Valley.
Hackers Using Bot on Your Phone to Do Dirty Work
NBC – Hackers could be using your cellphone to commit crimes without your knowledge, a Virginia technology company has found.
Researchers at Distil Networks headquartered in Arlington estimate bots operate on 5.8 percent of cellphones and tablets.
“If you extrapolate that to the potential billions of mobile devices that are out there, that’s a pretty staggering number,” said Edward Roberts of Distil.
That’s perhaps 15 million infected devices in the U.S. alone.
Health
Superbugs in air: People breathing in antibiotic resistant genes around world
Daily Mail – Researchers found antibiotic resistant genes floating in the air of 19 global cities. They say the genes could be breathed in and spread to new bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is expected to kill millions of people in the coming decades. It causes infections which used to be treatable to become immune to antibiotic
Tick-borne disease soaring
Newsobserver – Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are increasing in North Carolina. Here are tips to avoid getting bit.
Farmed Salmon Contaminated With Toxic Flame Retardants
Mercola – Salmon is perhaps the most prominent example of how fish farming has led us astray. Food testing reveals farmed salmon is one of the most toxic foods in the world, having more in common with junk food than health food.1 Studies highlighting the seriousness of the problem include:
• A global assessment2 of farmed salmon published in 2004, which found 13 persistent organic pollutants in the flesh of the fish. On average, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in farmed salmon was eight times higher than in wild salmon, prompting the authors to conclude that “Risk analysis indicates that consumption of farmed Atlantic salmon may pose health risks that detract from the beneficial effects of fish consumption.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency classify PCBs as probably carcinogenic.
19 Natural Diuretics to Help Relieve Water Retention, Bloating & More
Dr. Axe – Whether you’re looking to flush out water weight or keep kidney stones at bay, including a few servings of natural diuretics in your diet may be just what you need. These healthy foods boast a long list of benefits, from reducing blood pressure to beating bloat, and can help sidestep many of the troublesome symptoms that often accompany over the counter medications.
So what are natural diuretics, what do they do and why should you consider adding them into your daily routine? Let’s dig in.
Natural Diuretic Herbs and Supplements
1. Green Tea
2. Black Tea
3. Parsley
4. Dandelion
5. Hibiscus
6. Hawthorn Berry
7. Horsetail
8. Juniper Berry
Natural Diuretic Foods
9. Celery
10. Lemons
11. Bell Peppers
12. Garlic
13. Onions
14. Watermelon
15. Cucumber
16. Grapes
17. Ginger
18. Berries
19. Asparagus

Social Share Buttons and Icons powered by Ultimatelysocial