Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

The European Union Times


Posted: 21 Oct 2014 03:31 AM PDT

The regular consumption of fizzy drinks accelerates cellular aging of tissues, according to a new study by American scientists. People who enjoy daily carbonated sodas experience DNA changes, aging their cells by four years.
After studying over 5,300 “healthy adults” in the US, aged between 20 and 65 years old, who had no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the researchers found that the biological age of those who have been drinking fizzy drinks daily was increased, thus potentially shortening their lifespan.
Cell aging, prompted by sugary soft drinks including cola, is similar to the aging caused by excessive smoking, says the report, which was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Scientists from the University of California in San Francisco based their study on the examination of telomeres, a part of chromosomes, previously linked with human lifespan.
Each habitual can of soda makes telomeres physically shorter, scientists say, not only decreasing a life cycle, but also possibly causing the development of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
The researchers say only sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks cause cell changes. Telomeres were not affected by diet soda, and those who drank fruit juices actually lengthened their telomeres.
The over-consumption of soft drinks has long been linked to obesity and other health problems. In September, Russia’s Public Chamber came up with an initiative to ban selling sodas to children under 14 years of age. The proposition has been sent for government review.
Energy drinks are now in the spotlight too. Said to have bad effects on health, especially in children and teenagers, Lithuania voted to make the sale of energy drinks to minors illegal earlier this year. Parliament voted to prohibit highly caffeinated beverages to people under the age of 18, making Lithuania the first EU country to enact such a ban.
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Posted: 21 Oct 2014 03:24 AM PDT

The magic that President Obama once enjoyed at political rallies appears to have vanished into thin air, as a crowd of spectators walked out on the president during a speech for Democrats Sunday in Maryland.
During an appearance for Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, who is running for governor of Maryland, “early departures of crowd members while he spoke underscored his continuing unpopularity,” reported Reuters.
“A steady stream of people walked out of the auditorium while he spoke,” the wire service noted, “and a heckler interrupted his remarks.”
“You’ve got to vote,” Obama repeated numerous times at the rally in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, not far from the nation’s capital.
“There are no excuses. The future is up to us,” Obama said. “Go find your friends to vote. Get your cousin to vote. Get your uncle to vote.”
The heckler was a pro-immigration-reform protester holding a handwritten sign reading “#Not1More.”
“The problem is, I’m actually for immigration reform,” Obama asserted. “Of course, he should be protesting the folks who are blocking it, but that’s OK.”
“Maryland, we have made progress,” Obama said, as he listed his prize achievements of his presidency, such as Obamacare. “Don’t let folks say otherwise.”
But Obama also admitted: “Tonight we’re here because we know there is more work to do,” which he said included battling terrorism and infectious diseases, his sole reference to Ebola in his address.
“When you cast that vote you’ve got a choice to make,” Obama said, between “two very different visions for America.”
“I believe that Republicans are patriots, that they love their country, but they are a broken record,” he said.
He also urged the crowd to select hope over cynicism.
“Hope is a better choice and we’re selling hope.”
The most recent poll from the Baltimore Sun showed Brown leading Republican Larry Hogan 49 percent to 42 percent.
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Posted: 21 Oct 2014 03:06 AM PDT

A survey conducted by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) has found that 72% of Norwegians surveyed believe immigrants cause more crime than native Norwegians, with just 11% disagreeing.
However, 50% agreed with the statement “immigrants improve society with their ideas and cultures”, and only 22% disagreed.
A similar survey from 2000 found that 50% believed immigrants caused more crime that native Norwegians.
And another survey from 2005 found that while 71% agreed that immigrants contribute to Norway, 41% said immigrants cause problems for society, and 33% would feel uncomfortable if their children married an immigrant.
In the 2005 survey, the publisher admitted that the results may have turned out less positive if only native Norwegians were surveyed. 5.5% of Norway was from a “non-Western immigrant population” back then.
Immigration has been increasing and the latest statistics from 2012 found that non-European population made about 7% of the total population in Norway.
Crime is the least of Norway’s worries if mass non-European immigration continues. Due to idiotic “diversity” programs in Norway, Norwegian children are predicted to become a minority as soon as 2021.
        
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Posted: 21 Oct 2014 02:40 AM PDT

Georgia says it will allow the opening of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) training center on its soil despite pressure from Russia, Press TV reports.
Georgia’s Defense Minister Irakli Alasania said opposition from Moscow would not alter its plans to increase ties with Western countries.
“This center will be jointly operated by NATO and Georgia and it’s going to be an additional layer of security and defensive capability for Georgia,” Alasania said. “It will be a Georgia-owned facility, but planning will be jointly done with NATO.”
The minister added that NATO advisers would help set up a separate logistical center to facilitate the training center. NATO member states are also expected to cover most of the expenses for the construction of the center and the training as well.
Alasania also warned that although Georgia needed stability, a confrontation with Russia must be avoided.
This comes shortly after Russia announced its plans to sign an agreement on integration with the disputed region of Abkhazia. Tbilisi has also warned Moscow against signing the agreement with Georgia’s breakaway region.
Earlier this week, Abkhazia submitted the draft agreement to its local parliament. Under the agreement, a common defense infrastructure and combined Russian and Abkhazian armed forces would be created.
Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008 after Tbilisi launched a major offensive against the independence-seeking republic of South Ossetia in a bid to retake control of the region.
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Posted: 21 Oct 2014 02:06 AM PDT

To infiltrate foreign networks and gain access to sensitive systems, the NSA has been using the tactics of “physical subversion” – deploying undercover agents in Chinese, German, South Korean and possibly even American companies, The Intercept reports.
Past reports on the National Security Agency (NSA) have typically depicted a government organ that hacks other systems or works with private corporations to bypass their own encryption protections, but the latest report based on files leaked by Edward Snowden suggests the agency could be embedding operatives into foreign, as well as domestic, “commercial entities.”
In a 13-page document published by The Intercept, the NSA describes six different programs that it considers to be “core secrets,” all of which are filed under the banner of “Sentry Eagle.” The document warns that any disclosure of the “secrets” will cause “exceptionally grave damage to US national security” and should not be done without an authorization from a senior intelligence official.
These programs, some of which were ongoing as of 2012, are composed of the following:
Sentry Hawk: Which involves cooperation between the NSA as well as foreign and domestic companies to exploit computer networks.
Sentry Falcon: Which includes the defense of computer networks.
Sentry Osprey: Which involves the NSA cooperating with the CIA, FBI and Pentagon to employ human operatives that can help give the agency access to networks.
Sentry Raven: Which describes the NSA’s negotiations with American companies to weaken their encryption in order to give the agency easier access.
Sentry Condor: Which includes offensive network attacks that can destroy or weaken computer systems.
Sentry Owl: Which involves the NSA working with foreign companies to make their products susceptible to NSA data gathering.
One of the biggest revelations is that under Sentry Osprey, undercover agents – human intelligence assets, or “HUMINT” – have been embedded to help the NSA successfully conduct signals intelligence operations (SIGINT), which involve the interception of communications and electronic signals. Whether these agents are impersonating employees, outside businessmen, or some other type of personnel is unknown. Foreign companies as well as domestic companies could be targeted.
This “target exploitation” group – labeled “TAREX” – reportedly has a presence in South Korea, Germany, and China, with a domestic presence in Georgia, Hawaii, and Texas.
Already, the American Civil Liberties Union told The Intercept that it has had discussions with domestic tech executives over the possibility that the NSA is physically infiltrating their companies.
Meanwhile, the report noted that the US intelligence agency isn’t the only one that would want the data that tech companies are holding, pointing to groups in China that are suspected to want such information just as badly.
The new documents also show that the NSA is or was cooperating significantly with foreign companies under Sentry Owl, particularly when it comes to manufacturing products it can easily exploit. Coverage exposing the breadth of the NSA’s access to data held by American firms has already sparked concern for the US economy – tech executives recently warned the surveillance could “break” the internet – but now there’s indication that even foreign companies have been affected.
Not only does that make it harder for consumers to obtain protected communications hardware, but if foreign governments are not aware that their own companies are working with intelligence agency, former NSA cryptographer William Binney said the news could spark backlash and investigations overseas.
For its part, the NSA declined to clarify details to The Intercept. It released a statement saying, “It should come as no surprise that NSA conducts targeted operations to counter increasingly agile adversaries.”
At the same time, the agency said it “takes into account the globalization of trade, investment and information flows, and the commitment to an open, interoperable, and secure global Internet.”
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 16:35