THE GUARDIAN: Critics raise transparency fears over plan to turn all smart home devices into ‘mesh network’
Amazon customers have one week to opt out of a plan that would turn every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the US into a shared wireless network, as part of the company’s plan to fix connection problems for its smart home devices.
The proposal, called Amazon Sidewalk, involves the company’s devices being used as a springboard to build city-wide “mesh networks” that help simplify the process of setting up new devices, keep them online even if they’re out of range of home wifi, and extend the range of tracking devices such as those made by Tile. » | Alex Hern, Technology editor | Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Tuesday, June 01, 2021
Homosexuality: It's about Survival - Not Sex | James O'Keefe | TEDxTallaght
This passionate talk from Dr. James O'Keefe MD gives us a deeply personal and fascinating insight into why homosexuality is indeed a necessary and extraordinarily useful cog in nature's wheel of perfection.
James H O'Keefe MD, is a Board Certified Cardiologist and Director of both the Charles & Barbara Duboc Cardio Health & Wellness Center and the Preventive Cardiology service at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His postgraduate training included a cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr O’Keefe is board-certified in Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiac CT Imaging. He is consistently ranked among the ‘Top Doctor’ lists regionally and nationally as one of America’s Top Rated Physicians in Cardiology. He has been named as one of USA Today’s Most Influential Doctors. Dr O’Keefe has contributed more than 300 articles to the medical literature and has authored best-selling cardiovascular books for health professionals including: The Complete Guide to ECGs (which is used for Cardiology Board Certification), Dyslipidemia Essentials, and Diabetes Essential.
James H O'Keefe MD, is a Board Certified Cardiologist and Director of both the Charles & Barbara Duboc Cardio Health & Wellness Center and the Preventive Cardiology service at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His postgraduate training included a cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr O’Keefe is board-certified in Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiac CT Imaging. He is consistently ranked among the ‘Top Doctor’ lists regionally and nationally as one of America’s Top Rated Physicians in Cardiology. He has been named as one of USA Today’s Most Influential Doctors. Dr O’Keefe has contributed more than 300 articles to the medical literature and has authored best-selling cardiovascular books for health professionals including: The Complete Guide to ECGs (which is used for Cardiology Board Certification), Dyslipidemia Essentials, and Diabetes Essential.
Seven European Countries Begin Issuing a Digital Covid Certificate for Travel
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A digital Covid certificate system that will facilitate travel within the European Union became operational in seven countries on Tuesday — ahead of schedule — previewing what could become a standard for post-pandemic global mobility.
The document, known as a digital green certificate, records whether people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, recovered from the virus or tested negative within 72 hours. Travelers can move freely if at least one of those three criteria is met.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland made the certificates available to their citizens as of Tuesday and are accepting them for visitors. The European Commission, the bloc’s administrative branch, said the system would be used in all 27 E.U. countries as of July 1. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Tuesday, June 1, 2021
The document, known as a digital green certificate, records whether people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, recovered from the virus or tested negative within 72 hours. Travelers can move freely if at least one of those three criteria is met.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland made the certificates available to their citizens as of Tuesday and are accepting them for visitors. The European Commission, the bloc’s administrative branch, said the system would be used in all 27 E.U. countries as of July 1. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Ein sehr interessantes Gespräch über die Gesundheit! Rechnet nach 30 Jahren als Arzt mit seinem Berufsstand ab | Gerd Reuther | Radiologe | SWR1 Leute
Monday, May 31, 2021
BJ Thomas Obituary
In 1969, BJ Thomas, who has died of complications from lung cancer aged 78, spent four weeks at the top of the US chart with Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, from the soundtrack of the popular film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is the song he will always be synonymous with, but he nearly didn’t get to sing it. » | Adam Sweeting | Monday, May 21, 2021
'Hooked on a Feeling' singer B.J. Thomas dies at 78 »
Macron and Merkel Demand Explanations over US-Denmark Spy Claim
India Covid Variant Spreading across England, Data Shows
THE GUARDIAN: Scientists say geographical spread ‘entirely predictable’ and window of opportunity has been missed
The coronavirus variant of concern first detected in India is continuing to spread acrossEngland, with cases emerging beyond “hotspot” areas, data suggests.
The variant, known as B.1.617.2, is thought to be driving a rise in Covid cases in parts of the UK and is believed to be both more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent, which previously dominated, and somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose.
At present up to three-quarters of new Covid cases in the UK are thought to be caused by the India variant. There have also been signs of a slight rise in hospitalisations.
The situation has led some scientists to warn that the country is now in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus which, despite the vaccination programme, modelling suggests could lead to a rise in hospitalisations and deaths, and that full easing of restrictions in England on 21 June should be reconsidered. » | Nicola Davis, Science correspondent | Monday, May 31, 2021
The coronavirus variant of concern first detected in India is continuing to spread across
The variant, known as B.1.617.2, is thought to be driving a rise in Covid cases in parts of the UK and is believed to be both more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent, which previously dominated, and somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose.
At present up to three-quarters of new Covid cases in the UK are thought to be caused by the India variant. There have also been signs of a slight rise in hospitalisations.
The situation has led some scientists to warn that the country is now in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus which, despite the vaccination programme, modelling suggests could lead to a rise in hospitalisations and deaths, and that full easing of restrictions in England on 21 June should be reconsidered. » | Nicola Davis, Science correspondent | Monday, May 31, 2021
Israeli Opposition Parties Unite in Bid to Oust Netanyahu | DW News
Political opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are joining forces - with little in common besides a desire to oust him.
A former Netanyahu aide and right-wing hardliner, Naftali Bennett, says he's looking to form a diverse minority government and avoid another round of elections in Israel and put an end to the Netanyahu era.
Netanyahu has been on the defensive for some time. Israel's longest serving prime minister has been able to brush off public outrage over corruption charges. But after failing to form a majority government after the fourth election in two years, Netanyahu's hold on power had become tenuous.
Former TV Host Yair Lapid is determined to pull together parties from the far right to the left, including Arab-Israeli parties. The commitment by Bennett, who leads the right-wing, pro-settler Yamina party, is crucial to the proposed alliance.
Netanyahu responded by painting the broad coalition as a threat to national security. But he knows that the biggest threat posed by the new government is to current prime minister himself.
A former Netanyahu aide and right-wing hardliner, Naftali Bennett, says he's looking to form a diverse minority government and avoid another round of elections in Israel and put an end to the Netanyahu era.
Netanyahu has been on the defensive for some time. Israel's longest serving prime minister has been able to brush off public outrage over corruption charges. But after failing to form a majority government after the fourth election in two years, Netanyahu's hold on power had become tenuous.
Former TV Host Yair Lapid is determined to pull together parties from the far right to the left, including Arab-Israeli parties. The commitment by Bennett, who leads the right-wing, pro-settler Yamina party, is crucial to the proposed alliance.
Netanyahu responded by painting the broad coalition as a threat to national security. But he knows that the biggest threat posed by the new government is to current prime minister himself.
Trump Org Was ‘Rotten to Its Core’ Says Deputy Assistant AG
‘Chronic Corruption’ & Neoliberal Capitalism’s Role in Boris Johnson’s Britain’s COVID Disaster
China's Competition for Living Space | DW Documentary
More than 60 percent of China's population of 1.4 billion currently lives in cities. Within a decade, the share of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 75 percent. Construction is booming and competition for residential land is fierce.
But the right to live in a city in China is conditional. Authorities want their modern cities to be peopled with well-educated, highly-qualified or politically well-connected residents. As a result, certain standards have to be met to be eligible for a modern, urban home. Only members of China's political classes and the financially successful have a hope of qualifying. Yet more than half of the people who live in cities are so-called "migrant workers." They come from rural communities and have no official rights to settle in cities. They are there to work. With no proper rights, they are merely tolerated while they serve as merchants, servants, waitstaff, cleaners, construction workers and tradespeople. But while they are indispensible to daily life in the cities, they are unable to afford their exorbitant rents. This documentary looks at how and where these workers live, and asks whether middle and working class Chinese even figure in the official vision of shiny, high-tech cities. The filmmakers also look at what happens to those who oppose official plans, or stand in the way of the building boom.
But the right to live in a city in China is conditional. Authorities want their modern cities to be peopled with well-educated, highly-qualified or politically well-connected residents. As a result, certain standards have to be met to be eligible for a modern, urban home. Only members of China's political classes and the financially successful have a hope of qualifying. Yet more than half of the people who live in cities are so-called "migrant workers." They come from rural communities and have no official rights to settle in cities. They are there to work. With no proper rights, they are merely tolerated while they serve as merchants, servants, waitstaff, cleaners, construction workers and tradespeople. But while they are indispensible to daily life in the cities, they are unable to afford their exorbitant rents. This documentary looks at how and where these workers live, and asks whether middle and working class Chinese even figure in the official vision of shiny, high-tech cities. The filmmakers also look at what happens to those who oppose official plans, or stand in the way of the building boom.
New Report Says Denmark Helped US NSA Spy on German Politicians | DW News
New details have come to light in the scandal over the US National Security Agency's surveillance of top European politicians.
Revelations that emerged in 2013 showed that the US intelligence agency had tapped the phones of several leaders – including Germany's Angela Merkel.
Now, a new multi-national media investigation says a Danish military intelligence unit supported the US wiretapping operation. Danish intelligence reportedly worked with the US National Security Agency from here - to eavesdrop on European politicians.
A joint investigation by several European media outlets shows former German chancellor candidate, Peer Steinbrück, was among the espionage targets.
A major problem is that the Danish government didn't inform their German neighbors, though they apparently knew about the eavesdropping as early as 2015. The German government said it only found out about the spying after press inquiries.
Spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden and a parliamentary inquiry. It did not reveal that a close European ally was involved.
The NSA, the Danish intelligence service and the Danish government refused to comment on the latest revelations.
Revelations that emerged in 2013 showed that the US intelligence agency had tapped the phones of several leaders – including Germany's Angela Merkel.
Now, a new multi-national media investigation says a Danish military intelligence unit supported the US wiretapping operation. Danish intelligence reportedly worked with the US National Security Agency from here - to eavesdrop on European politicians.
A joint investigation by several European media outlets shows former German chancellor candidate, Peer Steinbrück, was among the espionage targets.
A major problem is that the Danish government didn't inform their German neighbors, though they apparently knew about the eavesdropping as early as 2015. The German government said it only found out about the spying after press inquiries.
Spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden and a parliamentary inquiry. It did not reveal that a close European ally was involved.
The NSA, the Danish intelligence service and the Danish government refused to comment on the latest revelations.
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Why I Believe In UFOs, and You Should Too... | Ben Mezrich | TEDxBeaconStreet (2016)
Ben discuses the UFO highway located at the 37th Parallel, and the strange phenomenon of cattle mutilations.
Ben Mezrich is the author of 18 books including Bringing Down The House that was made into the movie 21, and Accidental Billionaires that was made into the movie The Social Network.
Robert Bigelow »
Ben Mezrich is the author of 18 books including Bringing Down The House that was made into the movie 21, and Accidental Billionaires that was made into the movie The Social Network.
Robert Bigelow »
Stelter: Right-wing Propaganda Is Taking the Place of Reality
Warum Ex-Raucher zunehmen
DW: Wer mit dem Rauchen aufhört, wird dicker. Es wurde viel spekuliert, woran das liegen könnte - jetzt scheint die Ursache des Dilemmas geklärt zu sein. Und die hat nichts mit zu viel Schokolade oder Eis zu tun.
Rauchen ist ungesund. Punkt. Das ist so - ohne wenn und aber. Logische Konsequenz? Aufhören. Würden viele Raucher auch gerne, ist aber gar nicht so einfach. Ein Grund für viele, weiterzuqualmen ist die Angst, zuzunehmen. Und die scheint durchaus berechtigt zu sein. Etwa 80 Prozent der Raucher, die sich entschließen aufzuhören, nehmen danach durchschnittlich sieben Kilo zu. Das ist viel und vor allem frustrierend, da es nicht an zu viel Kompensations-Schokolade liegt. Auch Ex-Raucher, die gleichviel oder sogar weniger Kalorien als vor dem Rauchstopp zu sich nehmen, legen an Gewicht zu. » | Judith Harti | Donnerstag, 29. August 2013
Viel Schall um Rauch »
Rauchen gestattet: Wieso die Zigarette zum Film gehört »
Rauchen ist ungesund. Punkt. Das ist so - ohne wenn und aber. Logische Konsequenz? Aufhören. Würden viele Raucher auch gerne, ist aber gar nicht so einfach. Ein Grund für viele, weiterzuqualmen ist die Angst, zuzunehmen. Und die scheint durchaus berechtigt zu sein. Etwa 80 Prozent der Raucher, die sich entschließen aufzuhören, nehmen danach durchschnittlich sieben Kilo zu. Das ist viel und vor allem frustrierend, da es nicht an zu viel Kompensations-Schokolade liegt. Auch Ex-Raucher, die gleichviel oder sogar weniger Kalorien als vor dem Rauchstopp zu sich nehmen, legen an Gewicht zu. » | Judith Harti | Donnerstag, 29. August 2013
Viel Schall um Rauch »
Rauchen gestattet: Wieso die Zigarette zum Film gehört »
Dollars vs Decency: Is China Taking Over New Zealand? | 60 Minutes Australia
Dairy Milk May Lower Cholesterol and Reduce Coronary Heart Disease Risk
MEDICAL NEWS TODAY: A new study suggests that drinking dairy milk may lower cholesterol levels. / The study consists of a meta-analysis of three surveys involving over 400,000 individuals. / The scientists found that even though drinking milk leads to higher body mass index (BMI) and body fat, it still lowers the risk of coronary heart disease.
Dairy milk is a complex substance. For example, it contains 18 out of 20 essential proteins and amino acids, but it also contains saturated fats.
Perhaps this is why attempts to definitively identify its role in cardiometabolic diseases and its effect on cholesterol levels have produced conflicting results.
A newly published study from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom attempts to resolve such contradictions. The study is based on a meta-analysis of three existing large population studies.
The authors conclude that people who consume dairy milk have lower levels of both types of cholesterol and a lower risk of coronary heart disease than people who do not drink milk. » | Robby Berman | Friday, May 28, 2021
Dairy milk is a complex substance. For example, it contains 18 out of 20 essential proteins and amino acids, but it also contains saturated fats.
Perhaps this is why attempts to definitively identify its role in cardiometabolic diseases and its effect on cholesterol levels have produced conflicting results.
A newly published study from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom attempts to resolve such contradictions. The study is based on a meta-analysis of three existing large population studies.
The authors conclude that people who consume dairy milk have lower levels of both types of cholesterol and a lower risk of coronary heart disease than people who do not drink milk. » | Robby Berman | Friday, May 28, 2021
An Arms Race in America: Gun Buying Spiked During the Pandemic. It’s Still Up.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Preliminary research data show that about a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time gun owners. Sales usually spike around elections, but the sheer volume is notable.
WASHINGTON — It was another week with another horrific mass shooting. In cities across the country, gun homicides were climbing. Democrats and Republicans argued over the causes. President Biden said enough.
But beneath the timeworn political cycle on guns in the United States, the country’s appetite for firearms has only been increasing, with more being bought by more Americans than ever before.
While gun sales have been climbing for decades — they often spike in election years and after high-profile crimes — Americans have been on an unusual, prolonged buying spree fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, the protests last summer and the fears they both stoked.
In March last year, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998. And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks. » | Sabrina Tavernise | Saturday, May 29, 2021
Americans are stuck on stupid! Unfortunately, you can't fix stupid. – © Mark
WASHINGTON — It was another week with another horrific mass shooting. In cities across the country, gun homicides were climbing. Democrats and Republicans argued over the causes. President Biden said enough.
But beneath the timeworn political cycle on guns in the United States, the country’s appetite for firearms has only been increasing, with more being bought by more Americans than ever before.
While gun sales have been climbing for decades — they often spike in election years and after high-profile crimes — Americans have been on an unusual, prolonged buying spree fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, the protests last summer and the fears they both stoked.
In March last year, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998. And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks. » | Sabrina Tavernise | Saturday, May 29, 2021
Americans are stuck on stupid! Unfortunately, you can't fix stupid. – © Mark
Phone Intercepts Shine More Light on Jordanian Prince’s Alleged Coup Attempt
THE GUARDIAN: Discussions took place before Prince Hamzah was put under house arrest
Aides to the former Jordanian heir Prince Hamzah sought pledges of allegiance on his behalf from tribal leaders and former military officers in the weeks before he was detained, conversations caught on phone intercepts and listening devices suggest.
The recordings are key pieces of evidence in the Jordanian government’s case against two men accused of acting as proxies for Hamzah in a failed attempt to oust his half-brother, King Abdullah, as monarch. Both men – Bassem Awadallah, a former envoy to Saudi Arabia, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a cousin of the king – are expected to stand trial in Amman starting on Monday.
The calls and intercepts, which have been heard by the Guardian, took place over three weeks in March, a period in which officials say Hamzah tried to rally support from figures who could elevate what officials describe as a seditious plot into a serious challenge to Abdullah’s reign. » | Martin Chulov and Michael Safi | Sunday, May 30, 2021
Aides to the former Jordanian heir Prince Hamzah sought pledges of allegiance on his behalf from tribal leaders and former military officers in the weeks before he was detained, conversations caught on phone intercepts and listening devices suggest.
The recordings are key pieces of evidence in the Jordanian government’s case against two men accused of acting as proxies for Hamzah in a failed attempt to oust his half-brother, King Abdullah, as monarch. Both men – Bassem Awadallah, a former envoy to Saudi Arabia, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a cousin of the king – are expected to stand trial in Amman starting on Monday.
The calls and intercepts, which have been heard by the Guardian, took place over three weeks in March, a period in which officials say Hamzah tried to rally support from figures who could elevate what officials describe as a seditious plot into a serious challenge to Abdullah’s reign. » | Martin Chulov and Michael Safi | Sunday, May 30, 2021
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds Marry in Secret Ceremony
Boris Johnson has married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral in a ceremony planned in strict secrecy, according to newspapers.
The pair exchanged vows in front of a small group of close friends and family on Saturday, the Mail on Sunday and the Sun newspaper reported.
The ceremony had been planned for six months and a handful of church officials were involved in the preparation, according to the Sun.
The 30 guests invited, the maximum number under current lockdown restrictions, were said to have been informed only at the last minute. » | Nadeem Badshah | Saturday, May 29, 2021
Mail on Sunday: Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds wed in secret ceremony at Catholic Westminster Cathedral in front of 30 guests – the first Prime Minister to marry while in office for 199 years »
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds marry in secret ceremony »
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