Ukraine crisis starts to hit European firms

The economic meltdown fueled by Ukraine crisis is going to hurt big industries of the European continent. It is said that from small enterprises to big industries, the sale of the companies have been massively hit in the entire Europe. International Monetary Fund says that the ongoing conflict with Russia and Ukraine has forced the investors to flee from the market.

It is said that the economic sanctions on Russia embarked by EU and United States has created troublesome situation for the Russian authorities.  Experts opine that the demand and supply of the beers producing companies is slowly and steadily lessening down in the Russian market. They forecast that if Russia would not change its position on Ukraine issue, the economic condition of the country will be really gruesome.

Besides, CEO of Siemens Joe Kaeser said that “we are really concerned about the situation; it will massively affect people, economy and the industries”. Sources claim that Joe Kaeser had met with the President of Russia to discuss the matter but he seems to be hopeless on economic ground.

Last but not the least, there are many other industries which have cut the sale in the Russian market. Economists say that Russian market will face serious problems if Putin would not change his position on the Ukraine issue.

Washington DC Tour Guides Take License Fight to Court of Appeals, Citing First Amendment Violations

The Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a First Amendment case brought before it by a group of city tour guides today. Bill Main and Tonia Edwards, owners of Segs in the City, a D.C.-based tour service that specializes in historical and cultural tours of the capital region, say that D.C. city regulations requiring all tour guides be licensed in order to work legally run directly against the ideals of freedom of speech put forth in the First Amendment. “We are being told that we have to have a license to speak,” Main commented in an interview with local news service WTOP.

The case was first brought before the U.S. District Court in 2010. However, after that body upheld D.C.’s licensing regulations, Main and Edwards, along with attorney Robert McNamara, pushed the fight before the Court of Appeals. In addition to arguing the legislation is unconstitutional, they’ll also point out the inconsistency in licensing, given that city bus drivers, who the group argues are tour guides, require no such licensing.

Not the First Time Licensing Has Been Allowed to Stand in the Way of American Civil Liberties

This certainly isn’t the first time a cry of unconstitutionality has been brought before the American legal system. Increasingly staunch regulations over when and how Americans can protest, yet another right guaranteed by the First Amendment, has raised questions over abridgment in recent years. More specifically, fees and the need to seek permits before highly controversial events, from the G8 summit to presidential debates, is seen by law professionals and ordinary American citizens as a similar barrier to their being able to fully exercise their First Amendment rights. Unfortunately, these fees and licenses have been held up as perfectly constitutional when brought before the courts.

Could Arguing Under Employment Protections of Free Speech Be the Way to Go?

Given that challenges to licensing have been struck down so unceremoniously before, it admittedly does not look good for Washington D.C.’s tour guide community. However, there is another tactic they could try. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that public employees speaking in the interest of public good were exercising a protected action guaranteed to them by the First Amendment. In this, neither employers nor government could punish or otherwise limit speech. While Segs in the City is a private organization, taking the angle of offering a service invaluable to the public good could help sway the courts in their favor. Whether or not this tactic and others employed in the suit will amount to anything will be made clear as the case is decided this summer.

Oregon State fires Michelle Obama’s brother as basketball coach

Oregon State University has fired Craig Robinson -brother in law of Obama- as a basketball coach. Though, the decision has not been publicly made yet sources confirmed to media reporters that he has been removed.

Besides, the brother of first lady Michelle Obama, Craig Robinson said on Monday that “The decision is in the interest of school and I accept it”.  On the contrary, athletic Director Bob De Carolis said that we have begun with the process of appointing a new coach. We are trying our best to appoint best coach for Weavers.

Apart from this, sources said that Bob De Carolis was not happy from the performance of Robinson and it was already expected that this is going to happen. Lastly, Bryan Fischer tweeted the move as “Strange timing by Oregon State and letting Robinson go”.

 

 

Human Ken Doll Appears in England, Raising Questions About Cosmetic Surgery Among Men

The human Barbie doll can stop searching — it appears she’s found her perfect match.

As the New York Daily News reports, a British flight attendant named Rodrigo Alves has spent over 100,000 pounds (about $168,850) on cosmetic surgery procedures to become the human Ken doll: in other words, Barbie’s plastic mate. Alves has now undergone 20 different procedures, including a nose job, Botox injections, pectoral implants, abdominal implants, calf shaping and other various liposuction jobs, to become the living embodiment of the popular child’s play toy.

As he told the Daily News, “Of course I’d like to look like him. He’s perfect!” Alves then called the Ken doll the “ideal man.” He would know.

What’s shocking is that in his pursuit of becoming as ideal as the molded plastic figure that’s sold worldwide as the Ken doll, Alves almost lost his life. Earlier this year, a cosmetic surgeon injected Alves’ arms with a special gel, which caused him to acquire a bacterial infection. The illness left him in a Brazilian hospital for thee weeks, and doctors began talking about the possibility of amputation. Miraculously, he recovered.

Since then, Alves has seen an English therapist who’s informed him he likely has what’s called body dysmorphia, a psychological disorder that makes the person feel as if his own appearance isn’t good enough and leads to a general feeling of physical imperfection of the self. Alves hopes to work through his problems because his numerous surgeries and procedures are painful, he admits.

Though it tends to be much more common among females, plastic surgery procedures are also undergone by men all across the world. According to Business Insider, the top surgical choice among men is nose reshaping, with eyelid surgery and liposuction coming in at the number-two and number-three spots, respectively.

Another popular choice among men is the process of gynecomastia, also called the male mastectomy surgery, which corrects enlarged breast tissue. It’s a genetic condition that affects older men as well as pubescent adolescents and even newborns. Of course, a good cosmetic surgeon will only recommend what is necessary to be performed, not the procedures that border on excessive or those that are in any way unhealthy or hazardous to the body.

As always, no cosmetic procedures should be performed at all unless they’re performed by board-certified surgeons. For more information, it’s always best to go right to the source — your doctor.

Wind-driven Okla. wildfire kills homeowner, destroys several houses

The wildfire that has set ablaze Oklahoma is creating very troublesome situation for the firefighters. It is said the fire has forced more than 1000 people to leave their home and the situation is turning out to be more gruesome. A private news agency correspondent Anna Werner claims that “there are plenty of firefighting departments that are trying their best to control the fire”.

On the other hand, officials of firefighting department said to the media reporters that “the fire has destroyed more than 20 homes and it has grossly affected the buildings and community parks”. Besides, Eric Harlow the Chief Guthrie Fire Department said in an interview to a private news agency that the fire has burnt six square miles of land and it has also affected many other places.

He further said that a person was not allowing the authorities to evacuate him however when the fire blaze passed by his home, he got burnt alive and died.  Besides, weather experts opined that “this fire has been fueled by strong winds and it is going to be very dangerous for Oklahoma”. They further said that the temperature in the region will be in 90s and the fire fighters must come up with new techniques to contain the fire.

 

Studies Indicate Adults Not the Only Victims of Back Pain

Too many adults find themselves victims of the notorious “desk hunch,” a poor sitting posture taken all day at work that causes a milieu of musculoskeletal problems, but few ever consider the back pains that children may have. A recent study found that as many as 50% of kids complain that their packs are putting undue stress on their backs, causing them significant aches and pains.

While adults can easily change their habits or buy items such as back pillows to lessen the static posture and ease back pains, these poor kids are unable to do anything about their own circumstances.

More than 79 million U.S. students nowadays have to use backpacks, which are filled with textbooks that are heavier than ever before. Since these books can weigh up to seven pounds apiece, children have to take home 14 or 21 pounds of material. It doesn’t sound like too much, but when you consider that a grade schooler only weighs about 60 pounds, you realize that their backpacks weigh 23% of their body weight. For an adult who weighs 170 pounds, it’s the equivalent of carrying almost 40 pounds to and from work.

These overladen packs can be detrimental to kids, causing them to develop musculoskeletal issues at an early age. One particularly study measure the response of healthy children’s lumbar portion of the spine in response to school pack loads. The study naturally found that the heavier the backpack, the more significantly compressed their lumbar discs, which are their bodies’ “shock absorbers,” were. The study also found that the heavier the pack, the more asymmetrical the lumbar was.

Thankfully, parents can help their children buy buying the right kind of pack. It’s crucial that the backpack be a proper backpack, and not a messenger back. This ensures that the weight is distributed evenly on the body. Secondly, the pack itself needs to be lightweight, with padding in the back and wide straps. The lack of padding can make the load worse to carry, and narrow straps can dig into the shoulders.

Wheeled bags may seem like a convenient option, but they’re not nearly as practical and mobility becomes a serious issue. If you’re concerned about your child’s load, make sure that they have the right backpack, or else their problems may worsen over time.

Are Braces Covered Under the ACA?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a boon for children’s teeth. Early estimates put the number of newly-insured young smiles at somewhere around 1.7 million.

But is there any hope for coverage for adult smiles?

While pediatric dentistry was included under the “Essential Health Benefits” section of the ACA, adult dental insurance is not required, notably with regards to orthodontia. This could be due, in part, to the lingering stigma of orthodontic correction as a “cosmetic” procedure.

Common sense tells us this is a silly distinction: straight teeth don’t wear down unevenly, they help us eat a much wider variety of foods, they’re easier to keep clean (thus helping to avoid decay and gum disease), and they provide us the emotional confidence to show our smile.

While the ACA does include provisions for “medically necessary” orthodontic correction (due to injury, extreme illness, etc.), it does not yet include orthodontia across the board, not even for children.

This lack of inclusion comes at an inopportune time for adult patients who want to take advantage of the newer orthodontic technologies. This includes adults who have been living with uneven smiles and maloccluded bite patterns for most of their lives, who were hesitant to get the traditional (read: highly visible) metal braces.

The lack of required coverage leaves many adults paying for their braces out of pocket. Luckily, the very technology that makes getting braces more appealing is also making them more affordable and easier to endure.

For example, traditional braces require adjustment every four-to-six weeks. Invisalign trays are instead swapped out every two weeks, dramatically shortening the overall time a patient is being corrected.

More general dentists are also being trained in the use, application, and fitting of corrective trays like Invisalign, making them a “one-stop shop” for their usual patients who may also be interested in orthodontic correction.

Will adult dental coverage (orthodontia in particular) be included in future modifications of the ACA? Only time will tell. But perhaps further technological advances and breakthroughs will render the question moot.

State Department Trolling Social Media for Terrorist Activity

The boom of social media has provided millions of people will real time ways to communicate with one another. With the explosion of smartphones and mobile devices, users are more connected than ever before, and more than 6 billion people worldwide own a mobile device.

The fact that 1.8 billion people use social media globally should be cause for an international celebration of worldwide media success, but in recent years, it is becoming a glaring concern, particularly for Homeland Security and national defense sectors.

Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being utilized by the U.S. State Department to reach out to potential jihadists to dissuade them from joining Islamic extremists. Various extremists have taken to the social media waves to appeal to global citizens, asking them to join in their efforts. These posts often include propaganda photographs and gruesome images of fellow combatants wounded or killed in battle.

The Syrian war has taken center stage of late, with extremists reaching out expatriates and the larger diaspora of Muslims who may be sympathetic to the Syrian cause. A recent study showed that of the 11,000 Western Muslims who have joined rebels in Syria, roughly a quarter of them were recruited by radical Western supporters who used social media to further their plight. These fanatics recently lured a British teenager into the country using Twitter, who silently left the U.K. to join the fight. While he was killed shortly after reaching Syria, other convert extremists have tweeted missing the luxuries of home back in the U.K.

In California, social media patrolling helped to quell fears of an individual terrorist within U.S. borders last month. Nicolas Teausant, a 20-year-old college student, used his Facebook, Tumblr, and Google + accounts to post phrases and pictures that caught the attention of online users and local authorities. He publicized his conversion to Islam, and his continued search for the “The Mujahid’s Handbook,” a guide to becoming a “lone wolf terrorist,” according to the FBI.

Teausant is only one potential terrorist in a long line of online suspects that the FBI has traced. He and hundreds of other radical social media users have been detained and questioned by the FBI, leaving some people questioning the actual threat these boisterous extremist-supporters pose to the nation. Teausant did not have any formal ties to jihadists in Syria, and was caught in an FBI sting operation, trying to cross the border into Canada.

Even with these doubts, the FBI is not taking any chances. Coordinator of the State Department’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, Alberto Fernandez claims that the social media push helps combat the propaganda barrage of terrorist regimes, like Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri has publicly announced that he uses media as a call to arms for Muslims around the world.

While there have been no clear markers as to the success of social media communications in reducing extremist converts, or ending America’s “War on Terror,” Twitter, Facebook, Google +, YouTube, and other social outlets will likely be an important part of tracing potential threats to the nation as jihadists continue sharing their beliefs and feelings using these media channels.

First Geothermal Energy Plant in New Mexico Begins Production of Green Energy

New Mexico’s first geothermal plant is up and running.

The plant taps into a readily available heat source — geothermal energy — to produce up to four megawatts of energy, or enough to power over 4,000 homes. By next year, they hope to increase output to 10,000 megawatts.

How does it work? The more pressure something is under, the hotter it gets. Layers of the Earth’s crust get progressively warmer the deeper you go, and this difference in temperature can be used to heat water, which can then create the steam needed to generate electricity.

This process works not only works well for large-scale production like the New Mexico plant, but can also be successfully applied to individual homes. Even just six feet underground, the temperature differential can provide enough energy to provide hot water for an entire household, eliminating the need for a hot water heater.

How does geothermal compare to other renewable resources? While solar and wind energy have been getting a lot of press, they do have their limitations — namely, cloudy days or days without wind.

But the heat of the Earth never shuts off. Geothermal energy can be utilized 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption. At just six feet below the surface, energy prospectors find an excellent source of heat, which radiates constantly between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

And the water sent through the underground pipes is not wasted. Once the heated water has done its job and dispersed its energy, it can be sent down again for reheating.

Is geothermal energy the reliable, renewable source we’ve been waiting for? At the very least, it may end up being a key component.

But the future of residential green energy may not come from only one source. A combination of solar, wind, and geothermal energy may be the perfect answer to home energy consumption. Government incentives exist for homeowners who “green” up their homes, and some areas actually allow owners who produce more energy than their home uses to sell that energy back to the grid, creating a more direct financial incentive.

Gender Equality and Cosmetic Dentistry

What does gender equality really look like?

By now everyone has seen the stat proclaiming that women make “77 cents on the dollar” compared to men. While the issue may not be as apples-to-apples as that, a gap does exist, and women have been struggling against it for a long time.

Ironically, one of the ways women have been trying to battle against lower earnings is with higher spending. Research by the American Association of Cosmetic Dentistry shows that the majority of cosmetic dentistry patients are women.

But more and more men are jumping on the cosmetic dentistry train.

“It’s competition — 100 percent,” said Dr. Bruce Hartley of the Peninsula Center of Cosmetic Dentistry. “You have five or six guys vying for the same job and one looks handsome, has a nice smile, dresses well and looks sharp — he’s going to have an edge.”

Many experts cite the “tech boom” as a driving factor. In an age where profile pics, YouTube, and ceiling-high keynote presentation screens are becoming the norm, appearance may matter more than ever.

Dr. Hartley elaborates: “I have a lot of the CEO types that say, ‘Hey, I’m up on a big 30-foot-screen or on television now. The last time I saw myself on the business channel, I didn’t like my smile.’ They’re seeing that, and realize a new smile will make a difference.”

Questions of the overall social appropriateness of placing such a high value on appearance are, for the moment, moot. Simply put, our society values attractiveness. We notice and respond favorably to a healthy, white smile.

As our appearances pop up in more and more places, it will be interesting to see whether the cosmetic dentistry gender statistics realign and balance. Because equality advances don’t always make things easier for the struggling side. Sometimes they just spread out the struggle.