It is clear that the median price of existing homes has been increasing over the past few months, while the number of new existing home sales has been generally decreasing. This trend can be attributed to affordability issues facing potential homebuyers. With limited disposable income, many Americans are unable to allocate a significant portion of their budget towards monthly mortgage payments. As a result, the demand for existing homes has decreased, leading to a decline in sales. This trend may continue unless there is a significant increase in disposable income or a decrease in housing prices.
Recent trends in the housing market have shown that the median price of existing homes has increased significantly over the past few months, while the number of new existing home sales has decreased. This can be attributed to affordability issues faced by potential homebuyers. In some cases, monthly payments for a similar-priced home have increased by 50% compared to those purchased roughly 8 to 12 months ago.
Housing is a leading economic indicator and plays a significant role in the overall health of the economy. For most Americans, their home represents their largest investment, and housing wealth accounts for around half of their total household net worth. When housing prices decline, it can have a ripple effect on the economy. Consumers may spend less due to feeling poorer, tax revenues may decrease, homebuilders may scale back on building projects, construction workers may lose their jobs, and unemployment levels may rise.
A recent survey conducted by consultancy PwC showed that 50% of companies are planning to reduce their overall headcount, while 46% are dropping or reducing signing bonuses and 44% are rescinding job offers. These trends indicate that wage inflation, which was previously a concern, may now be shifting towards wage deflation. This could mean that Americans may need to continue working later in life rather than retiring at a certain age.
However, these trends also present opportunities for contrarian investors to look for deals in the housing market. When the market appears uncertain, it may be a good time to start looking for bargains. Experts often make the most noise at or near market bottoms, and it is likely that the market will bottom once the Federal Reserve takes action to support the economy and the stock market. Risk-takers can start looking for deals in what is now a buyers’ market, but it is important to take the time to find the best possible deal rather than rushing into a purchase.
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Let us take the huge headlines that the media is attempting to push that coronavirus instances have jeopardized in NY. Off course they’ve spiked; what exactly do you anticipate should you examine more individuals. That’s a false story; the media should concentrate on the facts. Though the Coronavirus mortality rate is trending upward, it comes nowhere near matching the damage brought on by smoking, cancer and a plethora of other diseases that kill more people than COVID. Among other matters, they discovered that the pupils’ resistance went every year under the easy strain of this exam period.
The way the deaths are listed in Italy leaves a great deal to be desired. Anyone going into the hospital using a coronavirus identification is deemed to have expired as a consequence of the coronavirus. Preexisting conditions aren’t taken under account. Bear in Mind an already weakened immune system today must cope with two or three problems, and so to suppose the departure was due to this coronavirus is again nothing short of voodoo science.
COVID mortality rate across all age groups
Based on Dr Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization, speaking in a digital press conference on Friday, the movement to use “physical distancing” stems from a desire to emphasize”maintaining the physical space from individuals so that we could stop the virus from moving to another” Continuing stress makes us vulnerable to disease and illness since the mind sends chemical signs to the endocrine system, which releases a range of hormones which not only makes us prepared for crisis situations but seriously depresses our immunity in precisely the exact same moment. Some specialists assert that anxiety is responsible for up to 90 percent of ailments and ailments, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
How it does this is by simply activating chemical reactions and flood your system with cortisol which, among other items, reduces inflammation, reduces white blood cells and NK cells (particular cells which kill cancer), raises tumour growth and growth and increases the speed of disease and tissue damage. https://bit.ly/2U9yNOw These findings opened the floodgates of study. Their meta-analysis discerned fascinating patterns. Laboratory studies that stressed individuals for a couple of minutes discovered a burst of a single kind of”first responder” action mixed with different indications of weakening.
For anxiety of any substantial length — from a few days to a couple of months or years, as occurs in real life — all facets of resistance went downhill. “So basically the age distribution of our patients is wired into older age and this is significant in raising the lethality.” A study in JAMA this week discovered that nearly 40 percent of ailments and 87 percent of deaths from the country happen to be in patients over 70 years past. And based on modelling, most the age group are very likely to want critical hospital maintenance — for example 80 percent of 80-somethings — placing immense pressure on the medical system. https://bit.ly/3aacIoG
The disinformation campaign is indeed rampant; I believed this something that I had to research straight to provide Tactical Investors a much better look at what’s really going. So, I chose to take the danger and fly to Asia without declaring it. I wished to see for myself when the US and the West, generally, was overreacting and when Asia had been doing a better job about the emotional frontier.
Thus far, I’ve seen Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia and that I can honestly say they are doing a far better job of controlling the anxiety factor then we’re performing in the united states. Folks aren’t draining shelves left, right and centre that the only thing that appears to be selling like hotcakes are face masks. The comparison in how the Asians are coping with this scenario from a mental standpoint of opinion is humungous. The researchers noticed that insufficient social support was reported from the study for a risk factor for depression, and insight amplified in a 2005 analysis of school students.
COVID mortality rate in Italy
The entire health impact of anxiety, however, might not be completely revealed until the effects of ageing are more broadly appreciated. https://bit.ly/2QyZqdw And viola which looks like the case, so rather than attempting to calm the people, the authorities in the West do their very best to pressure out the elderly people which are facing other trying difficulties. By way of instance, pensions which don’t pay the price of living or insufficient medical assistance, etc..
High-stress levels can also lead to anxiety and depression, again resulting in high degrees of inflammation. From the long term, sustained, elevated levels of inflammation stage to an underactive, over-tired immune system which can not properly protect you. https://cle.clinic/3bct0xx If the leaders of the West but specifically, the US could behave in precisely the exact same way to instil calm in the people, the response could be different. Stress increases strain and anxiety, interrupts the immune system.
The extensive data recorded below clearly suggests that anxiety can be fatal, particularly to the older who in many cases have some type of preexisting disorder and extra pressure puts an excess burden on the already weakened immune system.
What stands out is the Coronavirus mortality rate across all age classes drops to 0.9percent once the people don’t have any preexisting ailments. Again, this is something which needs to be broadcasted rather than being buried. So, age is not a variable, era and preexisting conditions are the principal elements. And viola which looks like the case, so rather than attempting to calm the people, the authorities in the
West do their very best to pressure out the elderly people which are facing other trying difficulties. By way of instance, pensions which don’t pay the price of living or insufficient medical assistance, etc..
Though the amount of sufferers has jeopardized the Coronavirus mortality rate across all types has barely changed. If stress suppresses the immune systems of healthy people, then the consequences on those who often dread more and most of which have some inherent condition (particularly if they’re on a modern-day diet) should be more conspicuous. And maybe deadly in case they must take care of a virus or bacteria that’s more powerful than normal. As an instance, Jakarta is going to announce a state of crisis, and people aren’t running around in fear.
Malaysia is shutting down its own boundaries, and also the most important response was that Malaysians working in Singapore hurried back home to pack extra supplies and then led back to Singapore, where they’ll stay for a protracted period. If the boundary is closed, then they won’t have the ability to return, so they desired to ensure they had sufficient clothes etc. because of their long stay in Singapore. During severe stress lasting a couple of minutes, particular types of cells are mobilised to the blood, possibly preparing your system for trauma or disease during”flight or fight” [1]. Persistent stress lasting from days to many years, such as intense anxiety, is associated with high degrees of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but with possibly different health effects [3].
Another result of chronic pressure is that the activation of latent viruses. Latent virus detection may signify the reduction of immunological control within the virus, and regular activation may cause wear-and-tear on the immune system [5]. https://bit.ly/2U8Kjdi After deaths in the virus reached over 2,500, using a 150 percent rise in the previous week, health authorities have been combing through statistics to provide clues to help fight the spread of this disease. https://bloom.bg/2J6TG6I Ageing is associated with a natural drop in immune function. Immunosenescence is found in several aspects of innate and adaptive immunity. By way of instance, older folks have a weaker natural killer cell (NK) reaction to stimulatory cytokines than younger people [1]. Ageing is also related to diminished activation and proliferation of both T- and B-lymphocytes [2]. Additional the B-lymphocytes of older individuals produce less antibody than those of younger people [3].
Additionally, higher production of specific inflammatory mediators is discovered during aging [4]. These immunological changes render elderly people more vulnerable to a plethora of age-related ailments. But, immunosenescence seems to put older people at higher risk when coupled with collecting chronic disorders, repeated infections, or other outside variables [5]. Chronic stress could be among those variables leaving older people more vulnerable to age-related diseases [6,7]. https://bit.ly/33y4pRg Additionally, stress reduces the body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells which help fight infection. The lower your lymphocyte degree, the more at risk you are for germs, including the frequent cold and cold sores.
Once more, one catches a glimpse of the way the media goes out of its way to frighten the people into believing the world is all about to finish. 99 percent of those that expired already had a present condition and most of the deaths are happening in a few of the most polluted regions of Italy. If you factor the ones that don’t have any prerequisite disorders/conditions, the death rate drops to 0.8 percent. Why is the media not highlighting this matter, why would they insist on panicking the older, the most exposed people in the populace?
Are they trying to hide something or will be the Doctor’s only too overworked to do the excess work? “Physicians in Italy have not been dealing with a couple of patients in care… but around 1,200,” says Dr Mike Ryan, wellness crises programme executive director in the World Health Organization. “The fact they are saving a lot of is a little miracle in itself.” https://bit.ly/3aacIoG “On re-evaluation from the National Institute of Health, just 12 percent of death certificates have proven a direct causality by a coronavirus, while 88 percent of individuals that have died have a minimum of one pre-morbidity — several had two or even three,” he states.
However there are different elements which might have led to Italy’s fatality prices, experts state. This includes a higher rate of pollution and smoking — the vast majority of deaths have been from the northern area Lombardy area, which is notorious for poor air quality. Among other matters, they discovered that the pupils’ resistance went every year under the easy strain of this exam period.
The information above clearly highlights why Italy has this abnormally large death rate and also this article (obviously ) affirms what all studies have confirmed those with already compromised immune systems are the most in danger. The meta-analysis also demonstrated that individuals who are elderly or sick are more inclined to stress-related resistant alterations. People who have chronic mild depression had poorer lymphocyte-T cellular responses to two mitogens, which version the way the body reacts to viruses and germs.
The immune reaction was down 18 months later, and resistance diminished with age. In accord with this 2004 meta-analysis, it seemed that the primary immune variable was the length, not seriousness, of melancholy. And in the instance of the elderly professionals, their melancholy and era intended a double-whammy for immunity. To top it, all specialists have produced this expression social distancing that’s perplexing many, and thus they’ve opted to develop another expression called Physical Action. Hysteria has gripped everybody, particularly in America and its feeding itself and if you put in stupidity and ineptitude from the elected officials, what ought to happen to be a moderate situation become a nightmare kind situation.
We’re supposedly the most advanced country in the world, but following the present debacle, an individual will be hard-pressed to phone the US innovative at least when it concerns the health sector. Had the US taken the exact same position as South Korea, the economies could have fared better and people would’ve panicked less since they’d have believed the problem was under control? The delay in testing is exactly what turned into a nervous audience to some hysterical mob.
With dismay, we see that the USA respond in unbecoming manners, rather than adding stability to the scenario the assortment of different commands and orders from several governors, bureaus, etc.. fostered even more dread in lieu of a feeling of hope. The economies are pulling back because of inherent economic conditions, but since folks feel as nobody knows what they’re doing.
Why devise all these phrases? Why don’t you simply say, hey you know to get just a little time that it will be better for those who do not get too near your relatives since they will be the most exposed and this really is but a temporary step?
This new expression adds more stress to an already worried out-group (the older ). The most vulnerable become more vulnerable because their immune systems are slowed as anxiety was demonstrated to decrease immunity. More than 99 percent of Italy’s coronavirus deaths were individuals who endured from past health problems, according to research by the nation’s federal health authority. Ageing is associated with a natural drop in immune function. Immunosenescence is found in several aspects of innate and adaptive immunity. By way of instance, older folks have a weaker natural killer cell (NK) reaction to stimulatory cytokines than younger people [1]. Ageing is also related to diminished activation and proliferation of both T- and B-lymphocytes [2].
Additional the B-lymphocytes of older individuals produce less antibody than those of younger people [3]. Additionally, higher production of specific inflammatory mediators is discovered during ageing [4]. These immunological changes leave elderly people more vulnerable to a plethora of age-related ailments. But, immunosenescence seems to put older people at higher risk when coupled with collecting chronic disorders, repeated infections, or other outside variables [5].
Chronic stress could be among those variables leaving older people more vulnerable to age-related diseases [6,7]. https://bit.ly/33y4pRg These findings opened the floodgates of study. Their meta-analysis discerned fascinating patterns. Laboratory studies that stressed individuals for a couple of minutes discovered a burst of a single kind of”first responder” action mixed with different indications of weakening. For anxiety of any substantial length — from a few days to a couple of months or years, as occurs in real life — all facets of resistance went downhill.
For you to figure out the death rate, it ends up to 1.28 percent, but rather than focusing on that, they will attempt to twist the spike into coronavirus is something of a jolt. More testing is helpful since it is going to lower the death rate as a bigger group of individuals will be analyzed rather than only those demonstrating the symptoms. On the other hand, the media concentrates on the negative facet or attempts to earn a manageable position seem to be completely out of control and nowhere else is that more obvious than in Italy. We’ll cover Italy soon.
COVID mortality rate analysis
The meta-analysis also demonstrated that individuals who are elderly or sick are more inclined to stress-related resistant alterations. People who have chronic mild depression had poorer lymphocyte-T cellular responses to two mitogens, which version the way the body reacts to viruses and germs. The immune reaction was down 18 months later, and resistance diminished with age. In accord with this 2004 meta-analysis, it seemed that the primary immune variable was the length, not seriousness, of melancholy. And in the instance of the elderly professionals, their melancholy and era intended a double-whammy for immunity.
If stress suppresses the immune systems of healthy people, then the consequences on those who often dread more and most of which have some inherent condition (particularly if they’re on a modern-day diet) should be more conspicuous. And maybe deadly in case they must take care of a virus or bacteria that’s more powerful than normal.
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The Coronavirus issue is going to be blown out of all proportions and it will be made to look like the mother of all pandemics. In fact, we are seeing individuals that are not qualified to make projections on the rate this virus will spread, stating that millions upon millions will be affected. This could be true, but most of the experts making these proclamations have no background in biology or virology; their main qualification is that they have a PhD in BS.
We feel this is a test by the big players that control most of the media outlets to see how far the truth can be stretched and so far it’s working marvellously. It is estimated that eight corporations control the bulk of the media in the US.
Now people are being checked with thermometers to see if their temp is above normal and an above-normal temperature has now become the litmus test for the Coronavirus; voodoo science at its best. This is one of the most retarded medical tests of all time, but no one seems to notice; a real-life depiction of “Pluto’s Allegory of the cave”.
Statistics from the CDC
CDC estimates that the burden of illness during the 2018–2019 season included an estimated 35.5 million people getting sick with influenza, 16.5 million people going to a health care provider for their illness, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths from influenza (Table 1). The number of influenza-associated illnesses that occurred last season was similar to the estimated number of influenza-associated illnesses during the 2012–2013 influenza season when an estimated 34 million people had symptomatic influenza illness6.http://bit.ly/2UMJjMG
In comparison to the flu virus, the Coronavirus has caused a minimal amount of damage yet it has received 100X more coverage than the flu virus, which resulted in 34.200 deaths (and only US data is being used); the current death toll of the Coronavirus stands at 1113 (based on the latest data). It’s no laughing matter, but it still pales in comparison to those caused by the flu.
Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 7 million deaths per year.2 If the pattern of smoking all over the globe doesn’t change, more than 8 million people a year will die from diseases related to tobacco use by 2030. http://bit.ly/2wcEl1s
Many of the masks that individuals are wearing are not that useful against viruses and even the masks that might provide protection need to be worn correctly. http://bit.ly/2HklQKB. Other experts state that masks are useless as the virus is spread through the eyes. http://bit.ly/2SCjfkw
Coronavirus and the boy who cried wolf
We feel the technique being used here is the one that comes from the story “the boy who cried wolf” from Aesop’s Fables. The idea here we think is to push the crowd to the edge over a situation that while troublesome is not as bad as it is being made out to be. When the masses discover this, they won’t be too happy so the next time it happens, they won’t react in the same manner as the assumption will be “this is a big fuss over nothing” and that is precisely when things will run amok. For the record, we hope we are wrong.
At some point in time, something is bound to occur as humans are destroying this planet at an unprecedented rate. If any other creature took the same path, it would be labelled a virus, but “humans” are the so-called chosen ones so they can do whatever they see fit to do.
The equation must balance, and it always does; it just a question of time. However, time is also the only teacher that kills all its students without fail. This discussion is beyond the scope of this publication, so we will stop here.
The markets were extremely overbought
Hence we feel that everyone, including individuals we once thought based their ideas on logic, are pushing out information with one goal in mind; they want to create a stampede, and they succeeded as the masses always fall for the same ploy. The mass mindset refuses to look at the data in a cool manner after the seeds of doubt are implanted; it’s just a matter of time before the crowd cracks and gives in to far-fetched scenarios
There is always one backbreaking correction before the end of the bull market as this bull market is extremely unusual in terms of its duration, it will likely experience two such events before dying of old age. The current correction could fall under the backbreaking category. The coronavirus is just the trigger for such an event. If it were not the coronavirus, some other event would have been found to justify the correction.
What’s going to happen now is that the masses will panic and regret it when the markets recoup. However, they will then falsely assume that the next mega correction will follow the same path, and when its time to bail out, they will continue to buy, and we all know what happens after that. At a certain point, buy the dip does not work, and that point is reached when the masses turn euphoria.
Bull Markets and Corrections
Backbreaking corrections are always painful; hence the term backbreaking; however, unlike the old days, one can’t tell which correction will turn into the backbreaking event. Look at how many times the market conned the bears over the past ten years into shorting and 90% of those shorts turned to massive losses as the market reversed course just as fast.
Even if you have one big home run, it will not cover the 90% lose rate, and more importantly, we doubt that most of the bears had the staying power to hang in there until their bets paid off. The markets are controlled by machines now, and these machines are programmed to start selling when specific targets are hit, and one selloff selling triggers another set of selling until the cycle ends. The cycle will end, and the markets will rise for no bull market has ended on a note of uncertainty. However, keep in mind these machines are programmed by humans; hence, the only difference now is that instead of humans pressing the sell button, machines are doing it.
The media will push massive stories now talking about the upcoming bear market, ignore this noise and focus on one event; the masses were not euphoric when the markets started selling off.
Now try to spot the great depression, Black Monday.etc. Every one of this end of the world events proved to be a buying opportunity, and that includes the notorious crash of 2008, which proved to the mother of all buying opportunities. If you look at all those “end of the world” events closely, they are blips in an otherwise massive upward trend.
There are always going to be days, weeks and sometimes months when the markets are down, but ultimately the market has trended in one direction and that is “up”. Massive fortunes were made by viewing these disaster type events through a bullish lens. We also have Mass Psychology and the Trend Indicator on our side, both of which indicate that this downtrend at most could turn out be the backbreaking correction we spoke of recently. Every Bull Market experiences at least one and 90% of the traders falsely assume that this event marks the beginning of an extended bearish trend.
The markets always return to the mean and hence the saying the greater the deviation from the mean the better the opportunity. History clearly illustrates that ultimately, the market trends in one direction only (up).
Don’t Fall For This Rubbish
The guys predicting the demise of the world will have to crawl under the rock they emerged from when this incident passes away as has been the case with all the previous end of the world scenarios. The current pullback/crash should be viewed through a bullish lens for the long term trader.
This could prove to be a fantastic buying opportunity for traders willing to take a risk. Don’t focus on the short term but on the long term, history indicates that the markets have an uncanny ability to trend upwards. Bears that have been beating the markets will crash have a dismal long term record. Markets trend upwards once the dust settles and this time will prove to be no different
Take a look at how many people die a day from other causes and the flu http://bit.ly/32wVaQA
Courtesy of Tactical Investor
Stocks Surge as Central Banks Vow to Act on Coronavirus
Stocks surged in the final minutes of trading on Monday, snapping back from one of the worst weeks for global markets since the 2008 financial crisis as investors seized on promises that the world’s governments would step in to help if the global economy was slammed by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The S&P 500 jumped 4.6 percent, the biggest single-day leap since late December 2018. The rally followed news that central bankers from the world’s biggest economies would join a conference call with Group of 7 finance ministers on Tuesday to discuss a response to the outbreak, fueling expectations among investors that governments might lower interest rates in tandem.
“It has already stoked expectations of a coordinated cut,” Roberto Perli, a former Fed researcher who is now an economist at Cornerstone Macro, said in an email. “If it doesn’t happen, it will only add to market volatility.”
But Mr. Perli did not see it as a sign that a simultaneous cut with other global central banks was necessarily coming. Nor did Seth Carpenter, another former Fed researcher, now at UBS. “The rally in equities today has perversely probably made it easier for the Fed to sit back and wait to see what happens,” he said in an email. Full Story
The Stock Market Might Not Reflect the Full Impact of Coronavirus
Although China said last Friday that half of major industrial firms in Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shanghai were back to work after the coronavirus quarantine, Gavekal Research analyst Andrew Batson notes few are operating at capacity. Batson examined traffic congestion in China’s largest wealthiest cities, coal use at six major power producers, and property sales volumes across 30 major Chinese cities. While each measure has stabilized after plummeting since mid-January, all remain significantly depressed.
Batson’s findings suggest the impact of the coronavirus outbreak is far from priced into financial markets, meaning stocks could have further to fall after Monday’s brutal selloff.
So far this week the S&P 500 has tumbled 4.4%, erasing this year’s gains and leaving the index down 1.2% on the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, has dropped 4.4% and is down 3% this year. The turmoil began Monday following news over the weekend that the virus is spreading beyond China. A surge of cases were reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. The World Health Organization said in its latest update Monday that outside of China, there were 2074 cases of coronavirus and 23 deaths in 28 countries.
The economy as a whole still looks to be operating at less than half of normal capacity, Batson says, adding that although those figures should continue to pick up, “a full return to normal still awaits a definitive all-clear signal.” Full Story
Financial markets around the globe slumped on Monday as news of the Italian coronavirus outbreak wiped £62bn off the value of the FTSE 100 and shares on Wall Street tumbled.
Shares came under heavy selling pressure in key markets as analysts warned that the threat of tougher quarantine measures outside China to prevent the spread of the disease would hit company profits by hitting supply chains and consumer demand. Investors rushed to buy “safe haven” investments such as gold to protect against steep losses on the stock markets, sending the price of the precious metal to a seven-year high of $1,683 (£1,303) an ounce.
US stock markets had their worst day in two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by over 1,000 points, or about 3%, in New York as investors in the world’s largest economy priced in the possibility of a deeper global economic shock.
In a note to investors Goldman Sachs cut its US growth forecast from 1.4% to just 1.2% for the first quarter. “An increasing amount of companies [are] suggesting potential production cuts should supply chain disruptions persist into Q2 or later,” wrote Jan Hatzius, Goldman’s chief US economist
The FTSE 100 index in London lost 247 points to 7,156.83, a 3.3% drop and its worst worst percentage fall since January 2016. Among the worst-hit stocks on the list of the UK’s biggest public companies was the budget airline easyJet, which lost £1bn in value as the stock fell by more than 16%. Full Story
Mcdonalds menu: McDonald’s boss Steve Easterbrook fired after dating employee
McDonald’s has fired its chief executive Steve Easterbrook after he had a relationship with an employee.
The US fast food giant said the relationship was consensual, but Mr Easterbrook had “violated company policy” and shown “poor judgement”.
In an email to staff, the British businessman acknowledged the relationship and said it was a mistake.
“Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on,” he said.
Mr Easterbrook, 52, who is divorced, first worked for McDonald’s in 1993 as a manager in London before working his way up the company.
He left in 2011 to become boss of Pizza Express and then Asian food chain Wagamama, before returning to McDonald’s in 2013, eventually becoming its head in the UK and northern Europe.
He was appointed chief executive of McDonald’s in 2015.
Mr Easterbrook is widely credited with revitalising the firm’s menus and restaurants by remodelling stores and using better ingredients. The value of its shares more than doubled during his tenure in the US.
Under his leadership, Mcdonald’s menu also expanded its delivery and mobile payment options to emphasise convenience.
The fast food giant’s board voted on Watford-born Mr Easterbrook’s departure on Friday after a review.
He has also stepped down as McDonald’s president and member of the board. Full Story
Is this the world’s scariest island?
Stromboli is the most remote of Italy’s seven Aeolian Islands. This summer, two major explosions shook the island, killing an Italian hiker and causing 70 people to be evacuated. Still, 300 residents chose to live directly under one of the world’s most active volcanoes and love this magnetic island. Full Story
Uncovering the pyramid of Polynesia consumed by the jungle
The Pulemelei Mound is one of the most important archaeological sites in Polynesia. Mostly referred to as a pyramid, the reasons for its construction remain unknown. Full Story
Will Bitcoin Crash or Backbreaking Correction? (Bitcoin Crash Chart) The dot.com insanity experienced a backbreaking amendment before the market launched ...
Tulsi Gabbard 2020 presidential Campaign: Release documents related to Saudis and 9/11
NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard says federal authorities must release the findings of their investigation into the Saudi government’s role in the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Hawaii congresswoman said Tuesday in New York City that families who lost loved ones in the attacks “want the truth, and they deserve the truth.”
Gabbard was joined by victims’ relatives who have filed a federal lawsuit seeking the release of documents that they believe link the attackers to Saudi government officials.
She told family members gathered at a museum near the World Trade Center that it’s time to hold U.S. leaders accountable “for withholding the truth from the American people.”
Messages seeking comment were left with the U.S. Department of Justice and with an attorney for the Saudi government. Full Story
Hillary Clinton’s attacks on Tulsi Gabbard are embarrassing
Hillary Clinton has kept a relatively low profile since her embarrassing 2016 election defeat, popping up only occasionally to make out-of-touch elitist comments that confirm why she lost. So it was somewhat surprising to hear her weigh in on the 2020 Democratic primary with a truly bizarre comment about (of all people) Tulsi Gabbard.
Clinton accused the Hawaii congresswoman of being groomed by outside forces, saying: “I think they’ve got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate … She’s the favorite of the Russians.” There is some dispute about whether Clinton meant it was the Russians or Republicans who were pushing a third-party Gabbard candidacy, but a Clinton spokesman asked about the comments replied “if the nesting doll fits”, clearly implying it was dastardly Russians.
Gabbard immediately hit back hard, calling Clinton (accurately) “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic party for so long”. While hosts of The View backed up Clinton, calling Gabbard a “useful idiot”, others such as the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend’s mayor, Pete Buttigieg, suggested that Clinton ought to have had some evidence before implying something so outrageous about a Democratic elected official.
But it was typical Clinton. Paranoia about Russian influence has been ubiquitous among the Clinton set since 2016, in part because it helps to explain how the loss to Donald Trump wasn’t really Clinton’s fault. Full Story
Who is Tulsi Gabbard? The progressive 2020 hopeful praised by Bannon and the right
Gabbard’s unorthodox positions and conflicts with fellow Democrats could emerge as stumbling blocks in her campaignTom McCarthy in New YorkPresidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard addresses an audience during a meet and greet, 17 February 2019, in North Hampton, New Hampshire.
Presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard addresses an audience during a meet and greet, on 17 February 2019, in North Hampton, New Hampshire. Photograph: Steven Senne/AP
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is not afraid to take a stand.
For a promising young Democrat in 2015, one of the seemingly worst places to be was on the wrong side of Hillary Clinton, who – barring some bizarre twist – was on her way to becoming America’s next president.
Yet Gabbard, then a 34-year-old second-term congresswoman from Hawaii with both combat experience and a radiant smile, had the temerity to cross Clinton by calling for additional debates between Clinton and her opponent in the Democratic primary race, Bernie Sanders. Full Story
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Nobel Prize 2019: Three scientists who discovered how cells sense and adapt to oxygen levels.
Sir Peter Ratcliffe, of the University of Oxford and Francis Crick Institute, William Kaelin, of Harvard, and Gregg Semenza, of Johns Hopkins University share the physiology or medicine prize.
Their work is leading to new treatments for anaemia and even cancer.
The role of oxygen-sensing is also being investigated in diseases from heart failure to chronic lung disease.
The Swedish Academy, which awards the prize, said: “The fundamental importance of oxygen has been understood for centuries, but how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen has long been unknown.”
Oxygen levels vary in the body, particularly:
during exercise
at high altitude
after a wound disrupts the blood supply
And when they drop, cells rapidly have to adapt their metabolism.
Why does this matter? The oxygen-sensing ability of the body has a role in the immune system and the earliest stages of development inside the womb.
If oxygen levels are low, it can trigger the production of red blood cells or the construction of blood vessels to remedy this.
More red blood cells mean the body is able to carry more oxygen and is why athletes train at altitude.
So, drugs that mimic it may be an effective treatment for anaemia. Full STory
‘Sex for grades’: Undercover in West African universities
Academic institutions in West Africa have increasingly been facing allegations of sexual harassment by lecturers. This type of abuse is said to be endemic, but it’s almost never proven.
After gathering dozens of testimonies, BBC Africa Eye sent undercover journalists posing as students inside the University of Lagos and the University of Ghana. Full Story
What Japan can teach us about cleanliness?
The students sit with their satchels on their desks, eager to get home after another long day of seven 50-minute classes. They listen patiently as their teacher makes a few announcements about tomorrow’s timetable. Then, as every day, the teacher’s final words: “OK everybody, today’s cleaning roster. Lines one and two will clean the classroom. Lines three and four, the corridor and stairs. And line five will clean the toilets.” Full Story
Retail Shrink’s Clandestine Onslaught: Neutralizing the Stealthy Erosion of Profit Introduction: Encountering the Covert Antagonist In the intricate tapestry of ...
