World News
Russia accuses Google, Facebook of election interference
Mashable – A new country says Google and Facebook may have interfered in its elections — just maybe not the one you’d expect.
Officials in Russia have said that Google and Facebook published election-related ads in violation of the country’s laws, Reuters reported.
After Trump Calls Off Talks, Afghanistan Braces for Violence
NY Times – President Trump’s decision to break off peace talks with the Taliban, at least for now, left Afghanistan bracing for a bloody prelude to national elections this month, while the administration declined on Sunday to rule out a withdrawal of American troops without a peace accord.
In a round of television interviews, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed an attack by the Taliban for the cancellation of talks at Camp David this weekend that the administration had expected would lead to the signing of a peace agreement.
Mr. Pompeo said that the Taliban had “tried to gain negotiating advantage by conducting terror attacks inside the country,’’ resulting in the death of an American soldier in Kabul. “We’re going to walk away from a deal if others try to use violence to achieve better ends in a negotiation,’’ he said.
But after abruptly scrapping a diplomatic process that appeared to be inching toward a conclusion, it was unclear where Mr. Trump would go from here.
The administration continued to face questions about what led to Mr. Trump’s sudden renunciation of the talks, including whether a sticking point was his desire to seal the deal himself in a dramatic summit meeting at Camp David and why he chose to go public with the decision to withdraw the secret invitation to the Taliban.
Mr. Pompeo and other administration officials left open the door to a resumption of negotiations, and so did the Taliban. But any new talks may not happen for several months, with each side feeling that an agreement that seemed within reach was sabotaged by the other, Afghan officials said.
Marchers ask Trump to ‘liberate’ Hong Kong, as clashes erupt
AP – Thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong urged President Donald Trump to “liberate” the semiautonomous Chinese territory during a peaceful march to the U.S. Consulate on Sunday, but violence broke out later in the business and retail district as police fired tear gas after protesters vandalized subway stations, set fires and blocked traffic.
Demonstrators flooded a park in central Hong Kong, chanting “Resist Beijing, Liberate Hong Kong” and “Stand with Hong Kong, fight for freedom.” Many of them, clad in black shirts and wearing masks, waved American flags and carried posters that read “President Trump, please liberate Hong Kong” as they marched to the U.S. Consulate nearby.
Australia Deploys World’s First Law To Fight Online Extremism
Zerohedge – In the first application of a controversial new law passed in the wake of the March terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, Australian authorities have ordered five websites to remove extremist content or face prosecution, according to the Financial Times.
The material includes video taken by the Christchurch attacker, as well as videos showing the beheading of a Scandinavian tourist in Morocco. All five sites are based outside Australia, according to the country’s eSafety Commission, which was granted the power to investigate and order the removal of extremist content back in April.
Under the new law, social media companies, websites and even ISPs can be fined up to 10% of their annual revenue, or see their chief executives sent to prison, if they fail to remove ‘abhorrent’ or ‘extremist’ material.
Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, said on Monday that three of the five websites Canberra was targeting had taken down the offensive material, and no prosecutions had yet been initiated. She said the decision by the three sites showed the potential of threats of prosecution and fines.
“These are fringe websites that revel in gore and hatred. All of them are based overseas,” Inman Grant said.
In a separate move, Canberra ordered Australian ISPs to block access to eight other websites that continued to allow access to the video of the Christchurch attacks or the shooter’s manifesto.
Inman Grant said that while there were jurisdictional challenges involved in overseas prosecutions, “I expect in the next five years we will see a proliferation of similar regulators seeking to do the same thing.”
However, critics of the law say Australia’s ability to enforce the law is limited.
“A lot of these rogue websites are Mickey Mouse operations with little or no revenue and so it’s very hard to hold them to account,” said Fergus Hanson, a cyber security expert at the Australian Security Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think-tank.
Greece’s PM rejects Turkey’s refugee ‘threats,’ urges talks
DW – Greece’s prime minister has criticized Ankara for its threat to reopen its borders to refugees. More than 300 people arrived on Greek islands over the weekend, prompting Athens to ask EU nations to share the burden.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sent a strong warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, telling him not to threaten Greece and Europe in order to secure more money from the European Union.
Mitsotakis’ comments came after Erdogan on Thursday said Ankara would open the borders for refugees if Turkey did not receive more international aid to manage the migrant situation.
Speaking in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday, Mitsotakis said Erdogan was welcome to discuss any renegotiation of the agreement with the EU, but “not with threats.”
Mitsotakis also called out other EU countries for not doing enough to address the current increase in refugees.
“It can’t be possible for a country to refuse to take in 50 or 100 children,” he said. “Some states want all the benefits of freedom of movement afforded by the Schengen agreement, but refuse to share burdens.”
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Guns, Government Funding And Calls For Impeachment — Congress Returns To Crowded Agenda
Washington Post – Lawmakers are searching for common ground on lowering prescription drug prices, an issue that has broad bipartisan support and even backing from Trump. Aides to Pelosi and a select group of House Democrats have been working largely behind closed doors on a prescription drug plan — one that would allow the federal government to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies. They face a difficult task crafting a plan that both passes muster with House liberals who want to take an aggressive approach and also allows for potential compromise with Republicans.
Former South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford Launches GOP Primary Challenge Against President Trump
Time – Mark Sanford, a former governor and congressman from South Carolina, announced on Sunday that he will mount a primary challenge to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race.
“I’m here to tell you now that I am going to get in,” Sanford said on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, after weeks of speculation regarding whether he will enter the race.
Republicans in three states cancel presidential nominating contests for 2020
CBS -The Republican parties in South Carolina and Nevada announced Saturday that they would not be holding their presidential nominating contests in 2020, and all Republican delegates will be committed to President Trump. They join the Kansas Republican Party, which confirmed on Friday that it will not hold its caucuses in 2020.
States have until October to submit their delegate selection rules to the Republican National Committee, and several more state Republican parties could vote to cancel their nominating contests before the deadline.
The move is not unprecedented for incumbent parties. In 2004, ten states cancelled their nominating contests to support President George W. Bush.
House Judiciary Committee Set to Finally Formalize Impeachment Investigation
Slate – The House Judiciary Committee is getting ready to vote as early as Wednesday to formalize the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. The resolution that will be up for a vote is set to lay out the procedures that will be used in the investigation with the goal of deciding by the end of the year whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the full House of Representatives. Although the probe has really been ongoing, the vote this coming week would set to increase the “officialness” of the investigation, a source tells Politico. At the very least, the vote would clear up the confusion in Democratic circles about whether the impeachment proceeding has actually been launched.
Democrats make renewed push for election security
The Hill – Congressional Democrats are shining the spotlight back on election security as they struggle to push various bills across the finish line in the face of Republican opposition.
Democrats in both the House and Senate are renewing efforts to force the GOP-controlled Senate to allow votes on election security measures that have been stalled due to Republican concerns about federalizing elections and re-litigating the 2016 election interference by Russia.
Both House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday sent letters to colleagues detailing their goals around election security for the fall.
“We must continue our push to protect our elections at the federal, state, and local levels, especially in the upcoming Senate appropriations process,” Schumer wrote, while criticizing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not allowing any votes on the topic.
Hoyer wrote that “the House may take up additional legislation to strengthen election security.”
Dem Rep. Clyburn: The Bill of Rights Wouldn’t Pass in Today’s Climate Infowars – “I run into people every day who would like to see so much of those guarantees uprooted.”
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said that the Bill of Rights would not pass in today’s climate because there are so many people who want to completely uproot the freedoms it protects.
Appearing on MSNBC, the Democrat said that based on regular conversations he had with people, there would be “strong support against the Bill of Rights.”
“I really believe sincerely – the climate that we’re in today – if the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments of the United States Constitution, were put before the public today, I’m not too sure that we would hold onto the Bill of Rights,” said Clyburn.
“Especially when I see what people are doing with the Second Amendment and no telling what they would do with the First Amendment,” he added.
When asked by a surprised David Gura, “You really believe that? That’s a startling statement. You believe that?” Clyburn doubled down.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “There would be a strong support against the Bill of Rights. Go through the Bill of Rights and I’ll tell you I run into people every day who would like to see so much of those guarantees uprooted.”
A 2018 poll found that only just over a quarter of Americans knew how many amendments made up the bill of rights (10).
Another poll found that 37 per cent of Americans can’t name any of the rights guaranteed by First Amendment.
De Blasio panel on public education: It’s “racist” to have gifted programs for smart kids; everyone must be equally dumbed down in the name of social justice
NaturalNews – NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed a panel to determine whether public schools should get rid of “gifted” programs. These programs challenge and stimulate the minds of talented students who are ahead of their class. The mayor’s panel recommends that gifted programs be eliminated from all public schools because they are filled “mostly with white and Asian children.”
New York Times reporter Eliza Shapiro blasted the panel for “alienating tens of thousands of mostly white and Asian families whose children are enrolled in the gifted programs and selective schools.” It turns out that if you’re smart and want to succeed in life, you can be shamed, mocked, or held back, all based on the color of your skin. If Bill de Blasio goes forward with this, he’s telling children – if your skin is white or your ancestors are from Asia, then you must dumb yourself down or else you are racist in your pursuit.
End child marriage in the U.S.? You might be surprised at who’s opposed
NBC – A bill that would have ended child marriage in Idaho — which has no minimum age for couples who want to wed — died in the Statehouse this year.
Republican lawmakers, who control the Legislature, opposed it, including state Rep. Bryan Zollinger, who said it “went too far.”
“Obviously, I’m against child marriage,” the GOP lawmaker told NBC News. “But basically marriage is a contract between people that shouldn’t require government permission.”
Even as more states take action to end child marriage, concerns about government overreach, along with scant data about the extent of the problem, have driven skepticism to reform across the country. The divide has sometimes created unlikely alliances between conservative politicians and liberal-leaning groups, including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.
In California and Louisiana, opponents of change have argued that raising the minimum marriage age is an ineffective solution since other child welfare laws already can prevent young girls from being exploited.And other states, such as Massachusetts, have raised doubts about the extent of the problem, even as experts note that survivors are often reluctant to come forward.
Top MIT official resigns in wake of explosive report on donations facilitated by Jeffrey Epstein
CNN – Joi Ito, the director of the Media Lab at MIT, resigned Saturday and the university is calling for an independent investigation following explosive allegations that he and at least one other person at the lab made efforts to make sure Jeffrey Epstein’s name was not associated with donations he made or helped solicit.
Internal communications and documents obtained by CNN — first reported by the New Yorker — show Epstein was integral to incoming donations from major donors, including $2 million from Bill Gates and at least $5 million from Leon Black, the founder of private equity firm Apollo Global Management.
Ito submitted his resignation Saturday as lab director and as a professor, according to a statement from MIT President L. Rafael Reif.
His statement referenced the New Yorker piece, saying “because the accusations in the story are extremely serious, they demand an immediate, thorough and independent investigation.”
He asked MIT’s general counsel to “engage a prominent law firm to design and conduct this process.”
Internal email exchanges show Ito was in direct contact with Epstein about the late financier’s donations, which documents show at one point were earmarked for a research scientist.
As discussions continued about the funding for the researcher, the Director of Development and Strategy, Peter Cohen, sent an email to an undisclosed recipient, saying “Jeffrey money, needs to be anonymous.” CNN has reached out to Cohen for comment.
The internal communications dating back to 2014 include several references to Epstein being allowed to make small donations anonymously.
MASCOT MADNESS: School spirit symbols on the chopping block nationwide
Campus Reform – Colleges and universities across the country are axing “offensive” mascots.
From Washington, D.C. to Maine and from to Illinois to California, more and more mascots are falling prey to political correctness.
Despite the school being named after an actual colonial, students at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. have launched a campaign to replace the “Colonial” mascot with one without so “deep a connection to colonization.”
Although the university has not officially responded to the student vote to remove the mascot that they say “glorifies the act of systemic oppression,” it recently renamed a building called Colonial Center the Student Services Hub.
After failed attempts to replace retired mascot “Denver Boone,” the University of Denver now has no official mascot. Until recently, the school’s “Pioneer” nickname was the only remaining official unifying symbol for students. Amid controversy, the school has begun quietly removing the word “pioneer” from student ID cards and other official university documents and communication, despite insisting that it still embraces the nickname.
California State University, Long Beach’s long-standing “Prospector Pete” mascot was relieved of his duties in 2018 because he represented the California Gold Rush, or as the university president put it, “a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence, and threats of genocide.”
In summer 2019, a University of Illinois commission advised the “public retirement” of the Native American mascot after critics deemed him to be offensive to indigenous peoples. Others characterized the change as an “attempt to purge” Native representation at the university.
California State University, Long Beach’s long-standing “Prospector Pete” mascot was relieved of his duties in 2018 because he represented the California Gold Rush, or as the university president put it, “a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence, and threats of genocide.”
In summer 2019, a University of Illinois commission advised the “public retirement” of the Native American mascot after critics deemed him to be offensive to indigenous peoples. Others characterized the change as an “attempt to purge” Native representation at the university.
In 2018, two dozen professors banded together to demand that the University of Wyoming cease the use of its marketing campaign slogan “the world needs more cowboys,” because, as one professor put it, “the word ‘cowboy’ invokes a white, macho, male, able-bodied, heterosexual, U.S.-born person.” The university stood its ground and continued use of the slogan, which turned out to be a success, generating a $38,000 increase in royalties over the previous year.
The entire state of Maine has placed an outright ban on any mascot that “depicts or refers to a Native American tribe, individual, custom or tradition.” Democrat Gov.Janet Mills called such mascots a “source of pain and anguish” for Native communities.
Video: Hellbound For Destruction! Abortionists Admit In Court To Keeping Babies Alive To Later Harvest Their Organs
Infowars – If America and the West don’t change course now, history shows that our fiery collapse will shake the world’s foundations — watch live and spread this link!
>>Flashback- Washington Times (2015) Planned Parenthood kept aborted babies alive to harvest organs, ex-technician says Pro-life group releases 7th undercover video
In an undercover video released Wednesday, a former technician for a tissue-harvesting company details how an aborted baby was kept alive so that its heart could be harvested at a California Planned Parenthood facility, raising more legal questions about the group’s practices.
Holly O’Donnell, a former blood and tissue procurement technician for the biotech startup StemExpress, also said she was asked to harvest an intact brain from the late-term, male fetus whose heart was still beating after the abortion.
Economy & Business
Silicon Valley’s final frontier for mobile payments — ‘the neoliberal takeover of the human body’
Market Watch – Biometric mobile wallets — payment technologies using our faces, fingerprints or retinas — already exist. Notable technology companies including Apple AAPL, +1.15% and Amazon AMZN, +0.63% await a day when a critical mass of consumers is sufficiently comfortable walking into a store and paying for goods without a card or device, according to Sinnreich, author of “The Essential Guide to Intellectual Property.”
Removing the last physical barrier — smartphones, watches, smart glasses and credit cards — between our bodies and corporate America is the final frontier in mobile payments. “The deeper the tie between the human body and the financial networks, the fewer intimate spaces will be left unconnected to those networks,” Sinnreich said.
Companies are refining biometric services
After a slow start, the global mobile-payment market is expected to record a compound annual growth rate of 33%, reaching $457 billion in 2026, according to market-research firm IT Intelligence Markets. As payments move from cash to credit cards to smartphones, financial-technology companies, known as fintechs, have been honing their biometric services.
Biometric technology, meanwhile, is infiltrating every other aspect of our digital lives. Juniper Research forecasts that mobile biometrics will authenticate $2 trillion in in-store and remote mobile-payments transactions in 2023, 17 times more than the estimated $124 billion in such transactions last year.
120 Million Workers Need To Be Reskilled Due To A.I., Says IBM Study
Zerohedge – Over the next three years, 120 million workers in the world’s 12 biggest economies may need to be retrained as a result of widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in the workplace, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study.
Only 41% of CEOs surveyed have the resources in place to close the skills gap brought on by new emerging technologies. That means 59% of the CEOs surveyed have no skills development strategies in place for their employees in the early 2020s.
“Organizations are facing mounting concerns over the widening skills gap and tightened labor markets with the potential to impact their futures as well as worldwide economies,” said Amy Wright, Managing Partner, IBM Talent & Transformation, IBM.
“Yet while executives recognize the severity of the problem, half of those surveyed admit that they do not have any skills development strategies in place to address their largest gaps. And the tactics the study found were most likely to close the skills gap the fastest are the tactics companies are using the least. New strategies are emerging to help companies reskill their people and build the culture of continuous learning required to succeed in the era of AI.”
The IBV study, “The Enterprise Guide to Closing the Skills Gap,” includes input from 5,670 CEOs located in 48 countries, points to challenges that companies will face in the early 2020s with managing their workforce through the technological shift.
Energy & Environment
Thousands of Dorian survivors desperate to evacuate wrecked Bahamas as death toll climbs to 44
ABC – As hundreds of people waited anxiously to be evacuated at the port in Marsh Harbour, a Bahamian island community wrecked by Hurricane Dorian, Senior Lt. William Sturrup of the Royal Bahamian Defense Force pleaded for patience and cooperation.
A cargo ship that just dropped off supplies became a lifeboat for many who lost everything but their lives and were desperate to board the vessel and escape the devastation.
“This boat is here to take you to Nassau,” Sturrup told the crowd of distressed evacuees on Saturday, many holding backpacks and garbage bags stuffed with the few belongings they have left.
Bahamian Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands told ABC News on Sunday that the death toll in the Bahamas is now up to 44 and that it is possible some victims were washed out to sea and may never be found while many other bodies are feared buried in the rubble.
Left with nothing by Dorian, survivors hope to catch ride to South Florida
Miami Herald – The Bahamas and South Florida lie just 180 miles or so apart and ties run deep. Almost everyone on Abaco seems to have a connection across the straits. And after Dorian raked the island as a Category 5 monster almost a week ago, many have dreams of starting over there.
Bahamians are allowed to travel to the United States on the basis of a clean criminal record. But some U.S. politicians have been asking for Washington to extend Temporary Protected Status to Dorian refugees and broaden the criteria for entry.
Dorian did so much deep and lasting damage that it’s easy to see why an exodus is underway. There’s no power and no water. The island’s only radio station is off the air. The businesses that drove the economy — the hotels, the harbors, the restaurants — are gone. So is most of the housing.
For those staying behind, aid is coming in. Ships, boats and aircraft are bringing in water, food and other critical supplies. Helicopters buzz the sky moving the injured and elderly.
While crews are starting to clear road debris, the process is excruciatingly slow for many.
As a group of people at the dock complained that they hadn’t seen work crews trying to repair the splintered power poles and tangled cables, a man chimed in.
Temperatures In The Pacific Ocean Have Shot Up To Dangerous Levels, And Scientists Are Blaming A “Strange Anomaly”
Michael Snyder – t is being called “the Pacific marine heatwave of 2019”, and officials are warning that it could have very frightening implications if it does not dissipate soon. Right now, there is a vast expanse of water stretching from northern Alaska all the way to southern California where the water temperatures have rapidly risen to very dangerous levels. In fact, in some spots the water temperature is already “as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit above normal”, and there is a tremendous amount of concern about what will happen if the water continues to become even warmer. At this point things are already so bad that we are being warned that this strange anomaly could “ravage marine life and decimate commercial fishing” all along the west coast. The following comes from NPR…
A huge new marine heat wave has gripped the waters off the U.S. West Coast, threatening to ravage marine life and decimate commercial fishing over an expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
We are being told that this new anomaly is probably similar to another “marine heatwave” known as “the Blob” that made global headlines when it struck the region in 2014.
And if that is true, then things will definitely get very uncomfortable for marine life, but conditions will eventually go back to normal. Although for the near future we are being warned that this anomaly is “on a trajectory to be as strong as the prior event”…
“It’s on a trajectory to be as strong as the prior event,” said Andrew Leising, a research scientist at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. About five years ago, sea temperatures peaked at close to 7 degrees Fahrenheit above average. This year’s heat wave already is almost as large and almost as warm, with temperatures as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit above normal over a very large area. The size and intensity of the heat wave are ominous signs of its potential danger to marine life.
Science & Technology
Map shows the cities where deadly 5G cell towers are being rolled out… do you live in one of these?
NaturalNews – Ultra-high speed 5G is being rolled out all across the country, despite serious reservations about its potential impact on people’s health. If you’re wondering if this unwelcome development is coming to a city near you, All News Pipeline has created a map that shows all the places where 5G has already been installed or will be in the near future.
Not surprisingly, major cities like Los Angeles and New York City appear on the list, but what’s really disconcerting is the sheer number of cities that are marked as either having 5G now or getting it soon.
In the western part of the country, cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Phoenix and Las Vegas are all on the map, while eastern cities with 5G include Boston, Washington D.C., Orlando, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Providence and Raleigh. In the middle of the country, cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Des Moines, Oklahoma City, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Little Rock, Memphis and Indianapolis all have the dubious distinction of being 5G cities.
It’s a pretty long list for something that has already been shown to be dangerous to human health in the very few studies that are available. Some of the problems it’s being linked to include various types of cancer, mass wildlife die-offs including animals as well as plants, heart problems, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, headaches, and DNA damage to humans, animals and plants alike.
DW reports that several controlled scientific studies have linked 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies to problems like sperm damage, neuropsychiatric effects, calcium overload, cellular DNA damage and stress. It’s particularly dangerous for children, whose smaller and thinner skulls make their brains more vulnerable to radiation and electromagnetic fields.
Researchers Producing Human Pancreas inside Animal Body
IFPNews – Iranian researchers are trying to produce the human pancreas inside animals’ body first as part of a project to produce body organs.
The project is undertaken by researchers at Royan Research Institute, a reproductive biomedicine and stem cell research centre.
“The project to produce body members is a long project with several different phases,” said Mehdi Hajian, the head of the institute’s Biotechnology Research Centre.
He further commented on the phases of producing body organs at Royan Research Institute.
“In the first phase, we intend to produce these organs inside animals’ bodies; so, first it would be necessary to have an animal which does not have this organ, and that’s why we are planning to produce the human pancreas inside a goat’s body,” he said.
He noted the cells necessary to produce pancreas are ready now and are going to enter the simulation process.
The scientist said these stages should be conducted first before researchers get to the stage of producing organs inside the human body.
Google’s got a new face-tracking camera for your home. We’ve got questions
Cnet – Google Home and Nest Hub gadgets already feature microphones that are always listening for the words that wake up the Assistant (“OK, Google” or “Hey, Google”). Now, the search giant’s newest gadget for your home, the Nest Hub Max smart display, adds in a camera that’s always watching for a familiar face.
Google calls the feature Face Match, and it uses facial recognition technology to remember what you look like. After that, you can tap on the screen to see personalized bits of data like calendar appointments and Google Duo messages whenever it recognizes you.
The Nest Hub Max isn’t the first product to bring facial recognition technology — and the legal and ethical considerations that come with it — into people’s homes. Smart phones have been using the technology to let us unlock our devices and authorize purchases for years, and a growing number of smart home gadgets that use cameras are putting it to use, too, including Google’s own Nest Hello video doorbell.
Still, it’s a product that seeks to give Google a wider window into our lives at a time when the company is already facing questions about the way it handles our personal data. I wanted to take a closer look at how those privacy standards apply when you add always-watching cameras into the mix.
A cyborg magician explains why she implanted 26 microchips and magnets in her body
Stat – LAS VEGAS — At a biohacker conference convened here the other day, panelists took to the stage, settled into their chairs, and launched into their slide decks. Not Anastasia Synn.
With Frank Sinatra crooning “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” over the loudspeakers, Synn pulled out a giant needle and twisted it deeper and deeper into her left forearm as the music played on. It was only after finishing her routine, capped off by loud applause from the crowd of biohackers, that Synn sat down for a fireside chat about her work as a “cyborg magician.”
Synn has 26 microchips and magnets implanted throughout her body. Unlike many biohackers who experiment purely out of personal interest, Synn does it for her magic career. These days, she’s doing less performing on stage and spending more time designing bodily implants for other magicians.
Stellar flare on Jupiter-sized star 10 times more explosive than any event on the Sun, reveals expert
NaturalNews – Many stars out in space are much smaller and colder than the sun. But these small celestial bodies may still unleash stellar flares that dwarf the mightiest solar flares known to man.
Researchers have recently detected a white-light superflare from a star around the size of Jupiter. It is the coolest and smallest one that ever released such a rare and massive type of stellar flare.
Flares originate from an abrupt surge of magnetic energy deep inside the star. The activity releases charged particles that kindle the plasma on the stellar surface, thereby unleashing enormous amounts of radiation.
“The activity of low mass stars decreases as you go to lower and lower masses and we expect the chromosphere (a region of the star which support flares) to get cooler or weaker,” explained the University of Warwick researcher James Jackman, who authored the study. “The fact that we’ve observed this incredibly low mass star, where the chromosphere should be almost at its weakest, but we have a white-light flare occurring shows that strong magnetic activity can still persist down to this level.”
Health
New York governor urges halt to all vaping amid lung disease outbreak
NBC – “Our health guidance is no one should be using vaping products, period, until we know what it is,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of the mystery ailment Saturday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked the state’s Department of Health to issue guidance that will urge people to stop vaping amid concerns over a lung disease linked to electronic cigarettes that’s left hundreds ill around the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the number of vaping-related illnesses jumped to at least 450 cases in 33 states and cautioned people against using e-cigarettes, especially those bought off the street. At least five deaths linked to the vaping-related respiratory illness have been reported.
Most patients experience shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. All said they’d recently vaped THC, nicotine, or a combination of the two.
“There is an investigation ongoing,” Cuomo said Saturday. “Nobody knows exactly what it is. There is some suggestion that is linked to Vitamin E, et cetera. Our health guidance is no one should be using vaping products, period, until we know what it is.”
World’s largest research centre to look into surprising health benefits of psychedelic drugs
Telegraph – he world’s largest pyschedelics research centre has been launched to examine whether the drugs can treat conditions such as depression and opioid addiction, after tech entrepreneurs helped fuel a renaissance of interest in the field.
Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine announced the launch of the new Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research this week, made possible by a $17 million donation from a group of private donors which include the founder of WordPress and a popular podcast host.
It comes amid a surge in interest in psychedelic compounds and their potential to treat a range of complex mental health disorders. The field has been largely neglected since Harvard psychologist Timothy Leary began to investigate how cognitive processes and emotions are affected by mind-altering substances in the 1960s.
LSD and other psychedelics have been illegal in the US for several decades but studies suggesting they may be effective in medical treatments has contributed to a growing cultural shift in how psychedelic substances are perceived. Earlier this year Denver became the first US city to decriminalise magic mushrooms, in the wake of research which suggests some of its compounds can be beneficial for treating depression and anxiety among cancer patients.
Psilocybin is currently listed as a Tier 1 illegal drug in the US, the equivalent classification to a Class A substance in the UK, and has not yet been approved as a medical treatment. However researchers hope that the new centre may contribute to a sea change in medical approaches.
The new funding is the largest ever single-donation to the field and will fund a five-year research programme to examine whether psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, can treat alcoholism, post traumatic stress disorder and several other complex conditions.
Is a Dark Ages disease the new American plague threat?
The Hill – Diseases are reemerging in some parts of America, including Los Angeles County, that we haven’t commonly seen since the Middle Ages. One of those is typhus, a disease carried by fleas that feed on rats, which in turn feed on the garbage and sewage that is prominent in people-packed “typhus zones.” Although typhus can be treated with antibiotics, the challenge is to identify and treat the disease in resistant, hard-to-access populations, such as the homeless or the extremely poor in developing countries.
I also believe that homeless areas are at risk for the reemergence of another deadly ancient disease — leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease. Leprosy involves a mycobacteria (tuberculosis is another mycobacteria) that is very difficult to transmit and very easy to treat with a cocktail of three antibiotics.
Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 200,000 new cases of leprosy reported in the world every year, with two-thirds of them in India, home to one-third of the world’s poor. The poor are disproportionately affected by this disease because close quarters, poor sanitation, and lack of prompt diagnosis or treatment easily can convert a disease that should be rare to one that is more common.
Do you drink enough water to balance your blood sodium?
NaturalNews – The amount of water consumed by a person affects the amount of sodium in his body. Drinking too much water leads to hyponatremia while skimping on hydration causes hypernatremia. Since both conditions are harmful, people must strive to get the right amount of water each day.
The sodium dissolved in the blood acts as an electrolyte, a mineral that transports electrical charges through a liquid medium. Usually found outside of cells, sodium helps water pass through the cellular membrane as it enters or exits cells.
If a person experiences changes in his fluid balance and blood sodium levels, he may develop either hyponatremia or hypernatremia. This is decided by the amount of water he drinks.
Experts define hyponatremia and hypernatremia as disorders of water metabolism. They affect the natural processes in the body that involve water.
Patients develop hyponatremia when they drink far more water than is needed. Their blood sodium levels go down since the amount of water in their bodies is much higher than the amount of sodium.
In comparison, patients with hypernatremia need water. Understandably, their blood sodium concentrations skyrocket since there’s too little water in their bodies to balance it.
Pet News
Turmeric for Dogs: Top 5 Turmeric Benefits for Dogs
Dr. Axe – Have you ever thought about what you can do naturally to boost your dog’s health? Something you may want to strongly consider is turmeric for dogs. Is turmeric good for dogs? Generally speaking, it can be very good for dogs. Turmeric benefits are extremely impressive for humans so it’s not really that surprising that this golden-colored root could also be quite magical for pets as well.
In general, the active component of turmeric known as curcumin displays powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and chemopreventive abilities. If you’re wondering, can I give my dog turmeric for pain? Yes, pain is actually one of the top reasons why pet owners supplement with turmeric. It’s not hard at all to incorporate it into your dog’s diet. You can mix a turmeric paste for dogs into their food, give it to them in homemade turmeric dog treats, or buy pre-made treats or supplements.
Top 5 Turmeric Benefits for Dogs
What does turmeric cure? It can help naturally treat and improve a wide arrange of health concerns, especially ones related to inflammation. Turmeric benefits for dogs include:
- Turmeric for Dogs With Cancer
Holistic vets often recommend using turmeric as a form of natural cancer treatment for dogs. According to Dogs Naturally Magazine, half of adult dogs today will get cancer, and turmeric is “a great way to protect your dog from inflammation and cancer.” The main active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which research studies have shown can kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing.
- Turmeric for Dogs Arthritis
You can also try using turmeric for arthritis in dogs. As with human arthritis, dog arthritis is a chronic condition with inflammation at its root. As a potent anti-inflammatory agent, turmeric is a top natural remedy for arthritis to consider. A study published in 2014 looked at the effects of turmeric on human osteoarthritis patients. The study results reveal that supplementing with turmeric extract was just as effective as ibuprofen but with less unwanted gastrointestinal effects.
- Turmeric for Dogs Cysts
Later in this article, there is a recipe for turmeric paste for internal use, but you can also use turmeric paste for dog cysts topically. Check with your vet first, but internal and/or external use of turmeric may likely help reduce the inflammation associated with a cysts. It’s also a great natural antiseptic. Dogs can experience sebaceous cysts, which are small, slow-growing, noncancerous bumps beneath the skin. A mix of turmeric powder, coconut oil and witch hazel can be applied topically to naturally treat sebaceous cysts.
- Turmeric for Dog Wounds
You can apply turmeric paste topically for minor wounds like cuts and scrapes. Turmeric has antimicrobial properties so it can help kill bacteria and disinfect a wound. It’s also great for reducing inflammation. Research shows that turmeric’s active component, curcumin, is a natural analgesic, so applying it topically can help decrease pain too. Just beware that turmeric’s vibrant coloring can stain your dog’s coat/skin with a yellowish tint temporarily.
- Turmeric for Dogs UTI
In dogs, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the result of an invasion of bacteria. They can occur in the lower urinary tract (below the bladder), in the bladder or above the bladder (in the kidneys). Some pet owners are concerned about antibiotic resistance for themselves as well as their four-legged friends and are looking for natural remedies for canine UTIs. Turmeric’s combined abilities to kill bacteria, lower inflammation and reduce pain make it one of several options dog owners often consider as a natural UTI remedy.
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