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Scientists Discover a Boiling River - Amazonian Legend

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 13:25:00 -0800

Deep in the heart of the Amazon, legends tell of a river so hot that it boils from below. As a geoscientist, Andrés Ruzo’s training told him the stories couldn’t be true. But that was before he saw the river with his own eyes.

It’s incredible to think there are natural wonders on this planet not yet known to science, but such was the case for the river at Mayantuyacu, publicized for the first time in The Boiling River: Adventure and Discovery in the Amazon. The book is an engrossing, true story of discovery, adventure, science, and mysticism, told by a man who was driven to explain something impossible, and is now on a quest to preserve it.

When he was twelve years old growing up in Peru, Ruzo’s grandfather told him a strange story. After Spanish conquistadors killed the last Inca emperor, they headed deep into the Amazon rainforest in search of gold. Few of these men would ever return, but those who did spoke of a waking nightmare—poisoned water, man-eating snakes, starvation, disease, and a river that boils from below, as if lit by a great fire.

“The planet’s gotten small, and natural wonders like this are few and far between “

The image of that boiling river seared itself into Ruzo’s mind. But it wasn’t until years later, as a PhD student in geophysics at Southern Methodist University, that he started to wonder if the legend could be true. This wasn’t just idle curiosity: Ruzo’s thesis project was initially focused on creating the first detailed geothermal map of Peru, including parts of the Amazon. If a boiling river existed, it would surely merit recognition.

But his senior colleagues dismissed the idea as preposterous. It would take a tremendous amount of geothermal heat to boil even a small section of a river—and the Amazon basin lies hundreds of miles from any active volcanoes. One advisor even suggested that Ruzo stop asking “stupid questions” if he wanted to finish his PhD.

But Ruzo didn’t stop asking. And eventually, he found someone who took his questions about a boiling river seriously: his aunt. That’s because she’d been to one.

The river turned out to be no legend at all, but the sacred geothermal healing site of Mayantuyacu, nestled deep in the Peruvian rainforest and protected by a powerful shaman. Ruzo couldn’t quite believe it until he saw it for himself, but once he did, his life changed.

Up to 82 feet (25 meters) wide and 20 feet (six meters) deep, the river surges for nearly 4 miles at temperatures hot enough to brew tea or cook any animals unfortunate enough to fall in. And yes, a small portion of it is so hot that it actually boils. There are documented hot springs in the Amazon, but nothing nearly as large as this river.

“You’re surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest,” Ruzo told Gizmodo. “You feel this water surging past you and plumes of vapor coming up. It’s truly a spectacular place.”

Mayantuyacu is visited each year by a handful of tourists, who come to experience the traditional medicinal practices of the Asháninka people. Save several obscure references in petroleum journals from the 1930s, scientific documentation of the river is non-existent. Somehow, this natural wonder has managed to elude widespread notice for over seventy five years.

Many of us turn to fiction to escape the mundanity of the real world. But as The Boiling River so poignantly illustrates, fantastical discoveries are lurking all around us. It takes a special type of persistence, and a little bit of crazy, to pull the clues out of the white noise of everyday routine. When Ruzo did, he was rewarded with the biggest adventure of his life.

And it’s an adventure that’s just beginning. Having forged a strong relationship with the local community, Ruzo is now conducting detailed geothermal studies of the boiling river, attempting to place it in the context of the Amazon basin. He’s also collaborating with microbial ecologists to investigate the extremophile organisms living in its scalding waters. Anything that survives here could offer insights into how life got its start billions of years ago, when the Earth was a much harsher planet.

But most importantly, Ruzo’s trying to save the boiling river. “In the middle of my PhD, I realized, this river is a natural wonder,” Ruzo said. “And it’s not going to be around unless we do something about it.”

Since Ruzo first visited Mayantuyacu in 2011, the surrounding forest has been decimated by illegal logging. If action isn’t taken, the site—held sacred by generations of Asháninka cultural practitioners—could soon vanish.

Ruzo hopes that by putting a spotlight on the boiling river, he can garner the public interest and financial support needed to ensure its long-term survival. While Mayantuyacu faces many threats, from loggers to would-be energy developers, the coalition to protect its unique natural and cultural heritage grows stronger every day.

Ruzo recently received a grant from National Geographic, part of which will go toward using technology—drones, satellites, and the like—to learn which regions of the surrounding forest are the most vulnerable. To strengthen the conservation effort on the ground, he’s teamed up with Peruvian environmental organizations, and local community leaders.

Ultimately, if the boiling river is to survive, it’ll be because people came together and recognized its intrinsic value. After reading Ruzo’s captivating, real-life adventure story, you might be inclined to agree.

“I don’t like the concept of one person leading this charge—I think it’s about building a community on an international scale,” Ruzo said. “The planet’s gotten small, and natural wonders like this are few and far between.”

To Be Cast In Baywatch - Priyanka Chopra

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 12:57:00 -0800

Looks like Priyanka Chopra is the new Bollywood face that has taken a permanent place in Hollywood. The star has recently been confirmed to grab a role in the upcoming Baywatch movie.

Dwayne The Rock Johnson just posted a video on Instagram with Piggy Chops and was proud to announce his excitement on working with the actress on the new Baywatch movie.

Three women travelled 5000 km across 14 states - How ?

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 9 Oct 2015 08:48:00 -0700

A broken camera flash, getting caught in city traffic and being escorted by army convoys are just some of the thrills three women Sunita Dugar, Parneet Sandhu and Neetha Jegan (pictured below) experienced enroute their road trip across India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 10 days.

What was the purpose of this journey? Who are these women? Find out

Life, they say, is all about the journey, not the destination.

Three adventurous women from Chennai decided to taste a slice of life by journeying from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, a distance of over 5,000 kilometres, covering 14 states across the length of the country.

The mission was to celebrate Independence Day in Kashmir.

Well into their 30s, they are neither childhood friends nor college mates.

They bonded over a trekking trip organised by the Chennai Trekking Club about five years ago.

Since then, despite their hectic professional and family life, the trio managed to keep in touch, meeting occasionally for a cup of coffee or lunch.

Sunita Dugar, who spearheaded the trip, is an amateur photographer and entrepreneur, running her own boutique, Kalakruti Sarees at Vepery, Chennai.

Parneet Sandhu works online for an IT company based in the US, while Neetha Jegan heads one of the Regus Business Centres at Chennai.

The trio talk about everything from learning how to change the tyre, getting lost in Bangalore city, understanding navigation apps, crossing the Pench National Park after dark, several breakdowns and the grand finale, being escorted by Indian army convoys into Kashmir.

The seed for this trip was sown almost a year ago, when I read about the daring account of Roshni Sharma, who travelled solo on her bike from Kanyakumari to Leh," says 37-year-old Sunitha.

"I am one of those impulsive types, who loves to challenge life. I have been driving for over 15 years on Chennai roads and felt more than equipped to handle this journey.

"In April this year, I bought a Ford Ecosport and the dream became even more real," she adds.

Sunitha convinced her close friend Parneet Sandhu to join her and duo took a short trip to Wayanad and back travelling a distance of about 1,400 km to reassure themselves.

"I have always had this desire to travel from one end of our country to another. Unfortunately, this remained a dream until I met my dear friend Sunitha.

"Sunitha is a go-getter, if she has something on her mind, she will do it. And with her taking the lead, this trip was destined to happen," says Parneet.

Sightseeing at Dal Lake. Photograph Courtesy: The Travelling Divas

For Neetha, however, it was a last minute decision.

"Getting away from work and family for a road trip with friends for a whole week seemed almost impossible. But things worked out, I managed to convince my office and on the home front, my husband came to my rescue. He encouraged me to take the trip and exactly two days before the journey I informed my friends that I would be joining them."

Talking about preparing for the journey, Sunitha says, "We contacted Mr H V Kumar of the HiVayKing Club, who agreed to support us every step of the way. Besides help us navigate, he also promised to mobilise help in case of a breakdown and handle the hotel bookings.

"I read through my car manual trying to understand its mechanics and we also learnt to change the tyre by ourselves. The date was fixed for June 18.

"Unfortunately, we had to cancel due to the incessant rains in Central India during that time. We were disappointed, but decided to wait out the rainy season."

The trio finally set out on the morning of August 8 from Chennai to Kanyakumari.

The plan was to take some shots of the spectacular sunset and start the journey from the southernmost tip of the country.

Though the journey from Kanyakumari to Dindigul on Day One, was uneventful, Parneet narrates an incident that she says upset them all.

"Sunitha is an avid photographer and one of the reasons she planned this journey was to capture it all on camera.

"She had even purchased a high-end Nikon camera costing about two lakh.

"She set it on self-timer mode on a tripod on a raised ledge at the beach trying to get us all in against the backdrop of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. But it was very windy, and suddenly the tripod toppled, dropping the camera 10 feet down.

"The flash was in pieces and the lens was damaged. This at the very beginning of our journey was quite upsetting.

"In fact, the journey started on a sad and silent note.

We were all feeling a little low, but the fantastic road to Madurai, the breathtaking sights, the huge windmills against the background of setting sun accompanied by our favourite playlist soon got us excited again."

But the road ahead was not without its challenges.

Their plan was to travel via Bangalore to Hyderabad on Day Two covering a distance of about 1000 km.

"Unfortunately, one wrong turn took us deeper into Bangalore city," says Sunitha.

"Traffic was a nightmare and by the time, we got back on track with the help of Mr Kumar, we had lost more than two hours.

"It was midnight, when we reached our hotel in Hyderabad. We had travelled almost non-stop for 11 hours and 40 minutes.

"I got up with sore back the next day, and we managed to leave Hyderabad only past seven.

The trio spent a few days in Kashmir before ending their journey. Photograph Courtesy: The Travelling Divas

"We had strict instructions from Mr Kumar, who had meticulously mapped out the route for us.

"However, to our greatest embarrassment and no thanks to Google Voice, which was kind enough to assist us with voice navigation, we found ourselves lost again inside the city.

"We tried to find our way back without informing Mr Kumar of our predicament, but we just found ourselves deeper and deeper into the city.

"Reluctantly, we contacted him with our location and he guided us out, but not before sending us a very embarrassing message asking us to follow the blue line he drew for us on the map.

"It was really upsetting, but in our defense, we have never really had an opportunity or the need to use navigation tools or maps in the past. But after this goof up, we decided to use the map only as a marker and our GPS tracker as a guide to know if we are following the marked line in the map."

The next part of the journey was both scary and fun, admits Neeta.

"The roads before Nagpur got really bad. We were behind schedule and forced to cross the Pench National Park (the tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh) after dark.

"It was almost eight in the evening, when we started our journey after a light dinner in a dhaba on the way.

"A distance of almost 120 km in complete darkness with just our headlights to guide us in a two-lane highway peppered with potholes, making the drive even more backbreaking.

"The journey took almost 3 hours and the entire time we discussed ghosts and planned on what we would do if a tiger crossed our path. But we had no such luck," she says with a laugh.

By Day Four, however, their journey was plagued by car troubles.

Parneet talks of being frustrated by the car service centers along the way.

"They had no clue what was wrong with the car, but pretended to work on it.

"The first time, the car stopped just before Gwalior and we waited nearly three hours for the Ford Service Station to fix it.

"They claimed everything was fine, but just after crossing Delhi, the next day, it stalled again.

"This time they asked us to replace the battery, which we did.

"However, at Pathankot in Punjab, we faced the same problem.

"After getting it fixed, we proceeded to Jammu. We were finally on our way to Leh via Sonmarg, when the car once again refused to budge.

"It was then that we realised that the car was in no shape to go forward, especially on the dangerous ghat roads of Leh-Ladakh.

"After much thought, we decided to abort the last leg of our journey and stay for a few days in Kashmir. It was really frustrating," she complained.

But the journey was not all about getting lost or having their car break down, The Travelling Divas, as they call themselves, have some wonderful memories to share as well.

Sunitha talks of the changing landscape, the incredible sights, taking pictures at the Taj Mahal, the delicious parathas at a dhaba in Haryana, Pesarattu in Hyderabad, pani puri at Pathankot, not forgetting some of the interesting people they met on the journey.

She fondly remembers the two sisters -- Shailaja and Swathi -- they dropped on their way to Adilabad.

"We were just past Nizamabad, when it started to rain heavily. We noticed two women with a child, waiting by the side of the road.

"We stopped to ask if we could drop them somewhere. At first, they refused, but when they realised it was an all-women crew they happily joined us.

"It was fun talking to them; we asked them being Hindus how they felt living in a Muslim-populated area. But they said religion never mattered to them, during Diwali they welcomed them into their homes, and for Id they enjoyed the delicious biriyani of their Muslim neighbours. It was heartening to see such a living example of communal harmony."


A view of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Photograph Courtesy: The Travelling Divas

Neeta, however, was thrilled with the escort by the army convoy to Kashmir.

"A few kilometers from Kashmir, we encountered a major traffic jam caused by a landslide.

"We were at a tail end of traffic, which had not moved for more than four hours.

"We got to talking to some people from Jammu, who noticed our Tamil Nadu registration.

"When we told them about our trip from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, the news spread like fire and soon a senior policemen came to enquire.

"When he noticed that we were just three women doing the trip, he allowed us to move ahead overtaking all the stranded cars.

"We were then asked to leave along with a few vans carrying Amarnath Yatris, who were being escorted by army convoys.

"Thus our trip ended in plenty of style with one vehicle behind and one ahead of us, full of soldiers carrying guns."

For Parneet, being together was the best part of the journey.

We met five years ago and have been really close, but this beautiful journey has strengthened our bond. There was so much to talk and to share. We laughed, we joked, pulled each other's legs, and shared our thoughts, feelings and deepest desires.

We are planning another journey, this time it would be travelling the breadth of the country, from the East to the West, hopefully We did not take this journey to prove anything to anyone, it was something we wanted to do for ourselves and it brought us a lot of joy and satisfaction," she concludes with a happy smile.

All photographs: Kind Courtesy The Traveling Divas

Only Ship Left in America's Fleet That Actually Sunk an Enemy Ship Is 200 Years Old

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 7 Oct 2015 05:15:00 -0700

U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Matthew R. Fairchild

USS Constitution beat the British in the War of 1812, but hasn't seen much action since

The only active ship in the United States Navy to sink another enemy ship in combat is more than 200 years old. The title falls to the wooden frigate Constitution, as the USS Simpson, a guided missile frigate just thirty years old, has been retired from the fleet.

One of the very first ships of the young U.S. Navy, Constitution was launched in 1797 and saw action in the First Barbary War, when the United States went to war against North African pirates. Constitution's squadron sank several pirate gunboats and took the guns of Tripoli harbor under fire.

Later in the War of 1812, Constitution defeated six Royal Navy ships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. Today she is the oldest ship on active duty with the U.S. Navy, a floating museum and parade ship.

Commissioned in 1985, the USS Simpson was a guided missile frigate, a jack-of-all-trades capable of anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine warfare missions. In 1988 as part of a three-ship flotilla, Simpson helped destroy several Iranian facilities tied to Iran's effort to mine the Persian Gulf. An Iranian fast attack boat, the Joshan, counterattacked the American force and was sunk by a combination of missiles and gunfire.


U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David R. Krigbaum

Built 190 years apart, Constitution and Simpson (pictured above) could not be more different. Constitution was a wooden-hulled ship, 304 feet long, displacing 2,000 tons, with a crew of 350. Simpson was a steel-hulled ship, 450 feet long, displacing 4,100 tons, with a crew of just 205.

The Constitution was only as fast as the wind in her sails, averaging only 13 knots. Simpson, on the other hand, was powered by two General Electric gas turbine engines that generated a combined 41,000-shipboard horsepower.

Constitution was a 44-gun frigate. Her armament included thirty two 24-pounder guns and twenty 32-pounder guns, both of which could fire once every two minutes. Simpson had only one gun, a 76-millimeter OTO-Melera multi-purpose gun. She also had a missile launcher that could launch forty SM-1 and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Despite having only one gun, the Simpson would have torn apart the Constitution—just one Harpoon missile would reduce a wooden warship to toothpicks. And her single gun could fire 85 times a minute, doing more damage than all of Constitution's 52 guns combined.

The retirement of the Simpson leaves America without any frigates at all, a rarity for the U.S. Navy. The Navy is eyeing a future frigate class built around the controversial Littoral Combat ship, bulked up with over the horizon anti-ship missiles, 25-millimeter guns from the Bradley fighting vehicle, a towed sonar, and the SeaRAM missile defense system.

U.S. Navy PO2 Kathryn Macdonald

Xiaomi To Launch Laptops Soon

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 5 Oct 2015 09:37:00 -0700

If you love your Xiaomi phone then you are going to love this news even more. Xioami is all set to launch its first laptop to Indian and Chinese markets by 2016. According to a report in Taipei Times, the company is currently working on the project and will probably launch the first model of their laptop by the first half of 2016.

The company has also approached Taiwan-based manufacturer Inventec to assemble the computers produced by Xiaomi. Xiaomi Chairman Richar Lee told the media that he was super excited about the outlook of Xiaomi’s notebook computers and also reported that the company has a strong presence in the markets of India, Brazil and Africa form where the company is likely to receive a good response.

The company’s strategy of offering users a high quality device at low budget has been a successful selling USP for the company and is likely to benefit them further in the coming years.

12 Best Fat Burning Foods

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 5 Oct 2015 03:48:00 -0700

These 10 foods will start narrowing your waist the minute they leave your fork and enter your mouth! Make sure these are added to your shopping list on your next trip.

Grapefruit

Vitamin C helps with the proper metabolism of fat, foods rich in it make great choices for burning fat. Eating half a grapefruit for breakfast or about thirty minutes before eating meals will help you feel more full and prevent overeating.

Black Pepper

Piperine, the important substance in Black Pepper, has shown signs of reducing the formation of fat cells in your body. Black pepper also helps to increase your metabolism. This is great news for those Ssck of eating bland food and looking for an easy way to shed some pounds!

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is known to lower blood sugar levels; this can help in suppressing monster appetites. Adding cinnamon to teas, coffee, and yogurt (plain!!) are some easy ways to get it in your system.

Note:Try your best to purchase Ceylon cinnamon; the ingredient Coumarin, found in high amounts in Cassia Cinnamon, is known to have harmful effects on the liver.

Eggs

The beauty of eggs is that they are low in calorie and contain 7 grams of protein, as well as other beneficial nutrients. Studies have shown that eating eggs for breakfast will significantly lower the amount of calories you may want to consume later in the day. Although the yolk is high in cholesterol, it does hold its benefits – consuming inmoderation is advised.

Apples (and of course fruits in general)

Fruits are your friends when it comes to losing weight; they offer countless benefits and still satisfy your tastes buds. The beauty of fruit is that it’ll satisfy your sweet tooth and does not harm the body the same way processed sugars do (sugar is the reason people accumulate fat). Apples, when eaten with skin, hold a good amount of fiber and water and help you feel full.

Green Tea

The importance of green tea in battling body fat could not be stressed enough; the phytochemical catechins, found in green tea, is known to speed metabolisms. It is better to consume green tea hot because it will help you lengthen the experience and increase the benefits. Adding honey and lemon to your green tea will not only add to the health factor, but will make the tea incredibly delicious.

Blueberries

If you have been getting your blueberry intake through muffins and pancaks, then you’ve been doing blueberries wrong. Not only are blueberries high in insoluble fiber, antioxidants, and tasty goodness, a half cup worth of them are only worth 40 calories. For something different try blueberries on salads or in smoothies.

Almonds

Although nuts in general will aid in body fat loss, almonds are the best for your wallet. They are packed with protein, fiber, and heart healthy fats. One serving of almonds (about 23) will help you stay full. The best thing about almonds is they’re portable. A serving is easy to carry with you wherever you go so incorporating them in your routine should be easy.

Chilies

You’ll be looking hot after eating some hot peppers! They contain the ingredient capsaicin, which is known to suppress appetite. Cayenne peppers, habaneros, and jalapenos are some mainstream choices.

Coffee

Yes, the world’s most beloved beverage is also on the list as studies show that coffee (mainly caffeine) speeds the metabolism. However, this is the case when it is taken without fattening add-ins like sugar and cream. Also, please be aware that too much caffeine can have very harmful effects on the body; so keep your intake to 1-3 cups a day.

Quinoa

One of the biggest misconceptions about carbs is that is that they cause you to gain weight. Its actually not the carbs that make you gain weight but the type of carbs that do.. Quinoa is high in fiber and protein which will make you feel full. Unlike other grains, it is low on the glycemic index; this means that it doesn’t raise your blood sugar which in turn keeps you from craving sugar and carbs.

Vegetables

If you thought you are going to shed fat without vegetables, you’re wrong. Vegetables are packed with amazing nutrition and fiber to keep you full. It is suggested that you eat at least 2-3 cups of vegetables every day. For those who turn away from eating vegetables, perhaps you will find its benefits by blending them into a smoothie (remember “blend” not” juice”).

Shahid Kapoor was nervous before meeting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for ‘Taal’

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 3 Oct 2015 11:05:00 -0700

Shahid Kapoor shared about the time when as a young boy he was a dancer for the film ‘Taal’.

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who is currently seen as a judge on dance reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded”, got a chance to walk down memory lane to talk
about the 1999 film “Taal”, in which he was seen as a background dancer.

Shahid was said to be “nervous” before meeting the film’s actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded”, Shahid is often seen speaking his mind and sharing secrets with the audience. While talking about his childhood, host Manish Paul decided to reveal a photograph of Shahid from his younger days, where he could be seen dancing with ace choreographer Shiamak Davar.

While discussing about the “Haider” actor’s experiences as a backup dancer, Manish introduced an image of Shahid dancing behind Aishwarya in the song “Kahin aag lage lag jaaye” from “Taal”. The image showed Shahid beside Aishwarya holding her dupatta in his hand.

“Shahid shared about the time when as a young boy he was a dancer for the film ‘Taal’. He was nervous for the film since it meant dancing alongside Aishwarya,” a source said.

“When Manish showed the next image of Shahid Kapoor in costume, Shahid began to talk about childhood memories as he went down memory lane and even asked contestant Mohit Malik’s choreographer Marischa who also was part of the same dance company to explain the costume for all. Marischa said that they always had to wear costumes like these while attending dance classes,” the source added.

The Colors show also features Malaika Arora Khan, Ganesh Hegde and Lauren Gottlieb as judges.

10 Ways Your Movie Going Experience Will Change

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 3 Oct 2015 10:40:00 -0700

The digital revolution is transforming the entertainment industry in fantastic and agonizing ways. For consumers, there's probably never been a better time to explore all sorts of music and shows. For the businesses that rely on consistent patronage to stay afloat — such as movie theaters — the flooded marketplace is a finicky and frightening place.

It's not that movie tickets sales are plummeting in a panicky way. Ticket statistics actually show that movies still draw crowds, as box office numbers increased by about 4 percent in 2013 [Source: MPAA]. Part of the increase is due to rising ticket prices (as any movie fanatic will groan about), but the fact remains that fewer people are buying fewer tickets, particularly in America [Source: LA Times].

Theater owners feel the pressure of competing with a fractured audience. Streaming media is an enormous challenge to theaters. In years gone by, the movie theater was the place to be on weekends. Nowadays, consumers have personal control of on-demand movies and TV shows right in their own homes.

And other industry observers are sounding a death knell of sorts for traditional in-theater movie experiences. They say rude, cell-phone obsessed people, the dubious appeal of 3-D movies, wallet-scorching concession prices and a flaccid economy are likely to keep people at home for the foreseeable future.

The smartest theater owners aren't waiting to see if their audiences will stick around. Instead, they're thinking ahead for the newest ways to draw in viewers and keep them coming back. Some of their ideas might be frivolous; others are fantastic and weird and wonderful. Keep reading and you'll see why movie going might never again be the same.

Artisan Chicken Sandwich Eater's Dilemma

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 3 Oct 2015 10:27:00 -0700

In his review of David Chang’s fried chicken joint, which has expanded to two locations within two months of launching, Ryan Sutton notes, for context:

Chang isn’t the only high-end chef to try his hand out in the fine-casual space – the Danny Meyer term for elevated fast food. Del Posto’s Mark Ladner has his gluten-free Pasta Flyer and Brooks Headley has his vegetarian Superiority Burger.

Part of the lure is surely the desire to become the next billion dollar empire, the next Shake Shack. And that’s not a bad thing. Why not displace commodity chains in suburban America with more creative and noble-minded institutions? Why not convince entry-level eaters to pay a little bit more for their food, with prices that are higher than Wendy’s yet cheaper than Applebee’s, with meats sourced from humanely raised animals, and with happier employees who (let’s hope) work better better schedules for better pay?

The reasoning behind eating this kind of fast food is seductive: You are not merely choosing to eat an eight-dollar chicken sandwich or a six-dollar hamburger because you have the good taste to fully appreciate why it is a better culinary experience than a three-dollar chicken sandwich or a one-dollar hamburger (and they really are, if you can afford them!), but you are making a moral and ethical choice that is superior to someone who eats a Southern Style Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich from McDonald’s or a Whopper from Burger King, products of the vast animal protein industrial complex.

Fast food that the affluent can eat while simultaneously absolving their various levels of guilt over eating it—and that can be used to loudly point to their conscientiousness and guiltlessness—allows it to at last be smoothly folded into the grand tradition of the middle class and the rich shaming the poor for making ethically compromised choices: They don’t merely eat too much fast food, polluting their bodies; they’re eating “inhumane” fast food that is harmful to animals and the environment, even though there are now perfectly good and humane and moral and healthy(ish) options are available. This seems like an extreme reading for a values judgment that is largely implicit (for now). But the throughline from Alice Waters admonishing the poor to “make a sacrifice on the cellphone or the third pair of Nike shoes” and Michael Pollan suggesting that, in the context of his dictum to “pay more, eat less,” while “eight dollars for a dozen eggs sounds outrageous,” it’s “really not that much when we think of how we waste money in our lives” is relatively short—particularly when you consider that much of the rhetoric around this type of high-end fast food is grounded in a logic of wide accessibility. (Even though it, by definition, necessitates many of the industrial processes that its progenitors previously shunned, which is perhaps why they’re so insistent on how humane it is, really? Hmm.)

But the ethical quilt of eating an animal that was “humanely raised” (whatever that means!) before your desire to eat a burger got it killed was always threadbare—if you believe thoroughly enough in a pig’s agency to feel that it deserves a good life, and care that it does, why do you still eat bacon?— more completely unravels when placed inside of the capitalist logic of fast-food chains that are designed to scale ad infinitum, because “sustainable meat” simply doesn’t. (Expect many, many more of these Volkswagen-like stories of “humanely raised” meat that it turns out is not really!) Moreover, if the absolution people feel about eating feel-good meat drives people to ultimately consume more of it—because they can afford it!—ecologically it’s a net loss.

This all just to say that it’s okay to eat an eight-dollar chicken sandwich simply because it tastes really good. But don’t mistake the delicious burn in your mouth for the taste of selflessness.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Was launched With Fingerprint Sensor

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 2 Oct 2015 22:45:00 -0700

Samsung the most thin phone ‘Galaxy A8′ India removed. Rs 32,500 only 5.9 mm thickness of the Samsung Galaxy A8, but it can not be said of the thinnest in the market.
Gionee Elife S7, Oppo R5 and Vivo X5Max respectively 5.5 mm, 4.85 mm and 4.75 mm thick. The Samsung smartphone, black, white and gold colors available.

Samsung Galaxy A8 review

Android-based Samsung Galaxy A8 5.1.1 lollipop is the TouchWiz UI on top. The present two nano-SIM slots MicroSD card slot as one of the works. This MicroSD card storage without users MicroSD card support with dual SIM support or will support single SIM.

Galaxy A8 Galaxy A7 larger than the display, better camera and larger battery. This device is the 5.7-inch full HD (1080×1920 pixels) Super Amoled display is equipped with Rejyolusn. It also 2GB RAM, Oktakor Samsung Exynos 5430 SoC (1.3 GHz four-core, four cores and 1.8GHz) is.Samsung Galaxy A8 Features & Specification

In India, the smartphone comes with 32GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB with the help of MicroSD card. Besides the optical image Stablaijeshn, Elidi flash and f / 1.9, 16 megapixel autofocus rear camera with Arpcr. Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Galaxy A8 like home button twice to press the camera will be active. It also has a 5 megapixel front camera.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Connectivity

For connectivity it has Bluetooth 4.1, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, GPS, Glonass and with Band 40 LTE (2300MHz) and Band 3 (1800MHz) support, thereby obviously India will also work with the 4G network.158×76.8×5.9 mm measuring Samsung’s new device is a battery of 3050mAh.

Forbes 400: Richest Americans getting younger and newer!

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 2 Oct 2015 22:36:00 -0700

Bill Gates tops it again! Yes, he is the richest according to the 34th Annual list of Richest Americans
released by Forbes 400. The threshold for admission into the list this time was higher than ever. With a staggering $150 million up from last year, the minimum bar this year was at $1.7 billion. Something, which 145 U.S. billionaires failed to crack. However, the list did witness 25 new names.

While Bill Gates was at number one, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and Larry Ellison of Oracle followed next. Everyone’s favourite, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was not far behind, shining brightly at number seven. Apart from the Facebook CEO, many of the newcomers are among the youngest. Evan Spiegel of Snapchat, is one of them too.

The crown of the richest women according to Forbes was capped by Alice Walton and Christy Walton both from Wal-Mart, standing at number twelve and fourteen respectively. Not far behind them, Jacqueline Mars from Candy stood at number eighteen as the third richest woman.

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 2 Oct 2015 22:30:00 -0700

NASA scientists are working on plans to build a giant robot that can assist missions to Mars and
other space programs. NASA Composites Technology Center located in Alabama, 40-foot tall robot being built robotic be supported in the head 16 of composite fiber tape are Spuls.

In order to maintain the overall structure of the robot must pass through several track and in the end it will be handed to the nearly 21-feet tall. The arm can be bent in all directions.

Marshall’s Engineering Directorate deputy director, said in a statement about the new robotic system is used in the construction of modern technology to create a large rocket cost structures and high-speed manufacturing processes used.

He further said that if the test is found to be correct, then we’ll build the robot will also prove useful in our mission Marsh.

China’s Future Public Transport - Giant Bus That Drives Over Cars

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 14:17:00 -0700

The Chinese are getting ambitious about their plans for future transportation. In the pipeline is a massive project to develop a solar-powered giant
bus that is as wide as two road lanes, as high as 18ft and able to carry at least 1200 passengers.

The aim of the project is to reduce the traffic congestion in China’s overcrowded roads and being solar powered it would cut down fuel consumption in a country that is already topping the carbon emission and pollution charts.

The straddling bus concept, developed by Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Company, is speculated to reduce traffic jams by 30 per cent and its cheap building costs mean that if the pilot project is successful, we could see it expand to other countries as well in the near future.

The carrier buses will function similar to the subway except they roll above the road traffic. For the implementation of the system, the current roads will have to be redesigned – either with rails for the bus to run on or simple painted lines that an automated system can use as guides.

While the safety of cars and passengers underneath the bus is a concern, China has already given the green light for the pilot project due soon.

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Kiev says cannot withdraw heavy weapons as attacks persist

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:39:00 -0800

(Reuters) - Kiev accused pro-Russian rebels of opening fire with rockets and artillery at villages in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, all but burying a week-old European-brokered ceasefire deal.

The Ukrainian military said it could not pull weapons from the front as required under the tenuous truce, as long as its troops were still under attack.

Ukraine's currency, nearly in freefall this month, fell a further 10 percent on Monday on fears that the truce could collapse. The central bank said it would tighten currency rules to sustain the hryvnia. The value of Ukrainian debt also fell, with bonds now trading at 40 cents in the dollar.

The reported shooting came closer to killing off the truce, intended to end fighting that has killed more than 5,600 people, which rebels ignored last week to capture the strategic town of Debaltseve in a punishing defeat for Kiev.

Kiev and its Western allies say they fear the rebels, backed by reinforcements of Russian troops, are planning to advance deeper into territory the Kremlin calls "New Russia". Moscow denies aiding the rebels.

Fighting has diminished since Kiev's forces abandoned Debaltseve in defeat last Wednesday, and there were hopeful signs for the truce over the weekend, with an overnight exchange of around 200 prisoners late on Saturday and an agreement on Sunday to begin pulling back artillery from the front.

But Kiev said on Monday that two of its soldiers had been killed and 10 wounded in overnight fighting.

"Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there cannot yet be any talk of pulling back weapons," spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said.

Dmytro Chaly, spokesman for the Ukrainian military in the port of Mariupol, a city of 500,000 people which Kiev fears will be the next target, said rebels opened fire in the afternoon with Grad rockets, artillery and tanks on villages nearby.

Anatoly Stelmakh, another military spokesman, said rebel forces had attacked the village of Shyrokyne on the coast road towards Mariupol overnight.

"The fighters have not stopped their attempts to storm our positions in Shyrokyne, in the direction of Mariupol. At midnight armed groups again attempted unsuccessfully to attack our soldiers. The battle lasted half an hour."

Rebel commander Eduard Basurin denied rebel fighters had launched any such attack, and said the situation was calm. "At the moment all is quiet, there is no shelling," he told Reuters.

The head of the Kiev-controlled Donetsk regional police, Vyacheslav Abroskin, said one police officer was killed and two wounded in Mariupol in a shootout when they stopped a militant "reconnaissance group" carrying explosives in a car. One of the rebels was also killed.

UNJUSTIFIABLE AND ILLEGAL

Western countries still hope the truce can be salvaged if the rebels halt, now that they achieved their objective at Debaltseve last week. The foreign ministers of France, Germany,Russia and Ukraine will meet on Tuesday in Paris to try to get the peace deal back on track, a French diplomatic source said.

But Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel was the driving force behind the peace deal, said in unusually strong terms that it was now clear that the ceasefire was not being implemented.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said any further attempt to expand rebel territory would be met with fresh Western sanctions on Moscow: "Far from changing course, Russia’s totally unjustifiable and illegal actions in eastern Ukraine have reached a new level with the separatists’ blatant breach of the ceasefire," he told parliament.

Nevertheless, the U.S. ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute said it was still too early to "give up hope on the ceasefire" and Russian President Vladimir Putin told state television the deal was the right way to resolve the crisis.

There were signs, however, that a deal reached late last year to ensure Ukraine receives gas from Russia was also in jeopardy. Last week, Kiev cut back supplies of gas to rebel-held areas and Moscow said it would supply some gas to the rebels directly. On Monday, Ukraine's gas company said Russia had failed to deliver some supplies Kiev had paid for in advance.

In Debaltseve, now under rebel control, thousands of civilians who were trapped through the storming of the town are still living in cellars in the ruins. No one has tallied the civilian dead from last week's assault.

Nina Shono, 80, one of eight people sheltering in a basement beneath the ruins of their five-storey apartment building, made soup and baked bread on a homemade wood-burning stove in the darkness while a rat scampered in a corner.

"When we were bombed, we were praying and I was crossing myself, everything was collapsing. One explosion. The second explosion, the third. But we are still sitting here," she said.

In the biggest rebel stronghold Donetsk, occasional artillery fire could be heard through the night and on Monday morning, although it was not clear who was firing and it was far less intense than before the truce.

The separatist press service DAN reported two homes destroyed by shelling on the city's outskirts overnight.

Nearly a million people have been driven from their homes by the war between pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine and government forces. Rebels say they launched their advance because previous battle lines had left their civilians vulnerable to government shelling.

Donetsk resident Sergei, 52 said he could do no more than hope that the truce would work out. "No one knows what will happen with the way the sides are behaving," he said.

Kiev fears unrest could spread to other parts of the mainly Russian-speaking east, where its troops are in control and most residents are loyal but violent separatist demonstrations have occasionally flared in the past year.

Two people were killed on Sunday in Kharkiv, 200 km (125 miles) from the war zone, in a blast at a pro-Ukrainian rally. Kiev said it had arrested four suspects who had received weapons and instructions in Russia.

Facebook's Internet.org project brings free web access to users in India

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 08:32:00 -0800

Less than a month after Facebook launched its Internet.org initiative to give folks in Colombia free web access, the company is expanding its efforts to India.
Reliance Communications subscribers in six states (Tamil Nadu, Mahararashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Telangana) can browse things like news, weather, government info and job listings with the Internet.org Android app. What's more, the bulk of the options are available in seven languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Marathi. If you'll recall, the Internet.org app is also available in Kenya and Zambia, connecting users in those areas with basic services and local info, too.

'Behind The Curve' - Climate Risk

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 08:19:00 -0800

A handful of listed businesses are showing all the signs of being well ‘behind the curve’ when it comes to their response
to investor and stakeholder concerns on issues surrounding sustainability and climate change.

In the last year global oil, gas and coal companies have expanded their reported reserves, even though 80% of existing reserves cannot be used in order to avert the most damaging effects of climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The top five ranked oil and gas companies – Gazprom , Rosneft , PetroChina , ExxonMobil and Lukoil – account for over 50% of overall oil and gas list emissions and much of the emissions growth.

Today, ahead of #GlobalDivestmentDay, The Carbon Underground 2015: The World’s Top 200 Public Companies Ranked by the Carbon Content of Their Fossil FOSL -0.31% Fuel Reserves, a report by Fossil Free Indexes (FFI), finds that the potential carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the reported reserves of the top 200 public oil, coal and gas companies have increased to 555 gigatons (Gt) from 546 Gt last year and 504 Gt in 2010.

This amount is almost five times more than can be burned through the year 2050 for the world to have an 80% chance of limiting global temperature rise to two degrees celsius -the amount likely to prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change, according to the report.

“The report’s primary finding, that reserves-based emissions of the Carbon Underground 200 continue to grow as the carbon budget gets smaller – shows the stakes are rising” says Stuart Braman, FFI founder and CEO. Its fossil free US large-cap index FFIUS – which is based on the S&P 500, outperformed it by 1.5% in 2014. While he doesn’t claim potential outperformance every year, the results “illustrate both the value of a carbon-aware investment strategy and the potential cost of ignoring the risk of stranded assets”, he says.

Ben van Buerden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell , is making a speech in London tonight at International Petroleum Week. According to the Financial Times, he is expected to say that the industry must make the case that the world’s energy needs will underpin the use of fossil fuels for decades to come, so instead of ruling them out there should be a focus on lowering carbon emissions.

Indian Police - Detain Hundreds Protesting Attacks on Churches

bestnewsbox@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 5 Feb 2015 01:53:00 -0800

Police detained hundreds of protesters Thursday after they tried to march into a high-security New Delhi neighborhood, accusing the
government of failing to investigate a recent spate of church attacks and vandalism incidents.

Police said the protesters were detained as they marched toward the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a high-security area where protests are banned.

"The protesters have no permission to protest on the road. They can't just march to the home minister's residence. We have to protect the homes of VIPs," a senior police officer, Mukesh Kumar Meena, told New Delhi Television network.

Carrying placards that read "Enough is Enough, What are police doing?" the protesters assembled outside the city's main Sacred Heart Cathedral in central New Delhi.

Police say they have provided security to all 225 churches in the Indian capital. The protest comes after a mysterious fire gutted a church in New Delhi and several other incidents of vandalism at churches across the city.

The protesters blame the attacks on Hindu hardliners.

On Monday, a church was vandalized in New Delhi when unidentified people broke in and desecrated holy objects kept in the church, the fifth such attack on a Christian church since December.

Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto condemned the vandalism and expressed his concern about the string of attacks.

"A clear pattern of orchestrated attacks is emerging as more churches are targeted, vandalized and set on fire," Couto told reporters.

On Thursday, Christians had gathered outside the cathedral, when hundreds of policemen swooped down and dragged them into buses. Several priests and nuns were among those detained by police.

Police usually release protesters they detain in cases such as this by sundown.

Church leaders are demanding that a special panel be set up to investigate the attacks on the churches that have left India's Christian community scared.

"We don't trust the police to conduct an impartial inquiry. We want a panel headed by a high court judge to investigate these attacks," said John Dayal, a church official. "Our demand is for justice and security for the Christian community."

Christians make up about 2.3 percent of India's population of 1.26 billion. They say attacks on churches have increased since Modi's Hindu fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party won with an overwhelming majority in national elections last May.