According to the French daily Le Monde, France’s foreign intelligence service intercepts computer and telephone data on a vast scale, like the controversial US Prism programme.
The data is stored on a supercomputer at the headquarters of the DGSE intelligence service, the paper says.
The operation is “outside the law, and beyond any proper supervision”, Le Monde says.
Other French intelligence agencies allegedly access the data secretly.
France’s foreign intelligence service intercepts computer and telephone data on a vast scale, like the controversial US Prism programme
It is not clear however whether the DGSE surveillance goes as far as Prism. So far French officials have not commented on Le Monde‘s allegations.
The DGSE allegedly analyses the “metadata” – not the contents of e-mails and other communications, but the data revealing who is speaking to whom, when and where.
Connections inside France and between France and other countries are all monitored, Le Monde reports.
The paper alleges the data is being stored on three basement floors of the DGSE building in Paris.
The operation is designed, say experts, to uncover terrorist cells. But the scale of it means that “anyone can be spied on, any time”, Le Monde says.
There is a continuing international furor over revelations that the US has been systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.
The French government has sharply criticized the US spying, which allegedly included eavesdropping on official EU communications.
The scale of surveillance by America’s National Security Agency (NSA) emerged from classified intelligence documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Ohio driver Pamela Knox had to be rescued from her vehicle after it plunged into a 10-feet deep sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the road.
Pamela Knox didn’t appear hurt but was shaken up by the freak incident. When emergency services arrived she then had to climb out from the hole using a ladder.
The giant hole opened up in a road in Toledo, north west Ohio.
Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan says a water main break beneath the road may have caused the sinkhole on Wednesday.
Sgt. Joe Heffernan says Pamela Knox saw the vehicle in front of her start to slip into the hole but managed to drive beyond it.
Ohio driver Pamela Knox had to be rescued from her vehicle after it plunged into a 10-feet deep sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the road
However, Pamela Knox couldn’t avoid it being swallowed up by it, he said. Once rescued she was taken to a hospital as a precaution
Officials used a crane to pull the car from the hole. Repairs to the road are expected to take days.
Sink holes are caused by the dissolution of soluble bedrock and the frequency and likelihood of such changes occurring depends on a number of natural factors like the type of rock present and the weather conditions in the area.
They often occur after heavy rain and floods, or following earthquakes, and can open up suddenly without any warning.
One of the largest sinkholes in the U.S. is in rural Louisiana, a vast and growing hole which last year was recorded to be 526-feet wide.
Cheeseburgers with bacon, onion and melted cheese for a tasty 4th of July celebration.
Ingredients:
4 slices Bacon
1 onion
½ cup Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese
1 lb. ground beef
4 Singles
4 hamburger buns
Cheeseburgers with bacon, onion and melted cheese for a tasty 4th of July celebration
Directions:
HEAT grill to medium-high heat.
COOK bacon in small skillet until crisp. Meanwhile, cut 4 thin slices from center of onion; finely chop remaining onion.
REMOVE bacon from skillet, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add chopped onions to reserved drippings; cook on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
CRUMBLE bacon; mix with cooked onions and cheese. Shape meat into 8 thin patties. Top 4 patties with bacon mixture; cover with remaining patties. Pinch edges together to seal.
GRILL 6 to 7 min. on each side or until done (160ºF); top with Singles. Fill buns with burgers and sliced onions.
Egypt stock exchange has leapt higher after the ousting of Mohamed Morsi as the country’s president.
Stocks in Cairo rose by 7% on Thursday, their largest one-day percentage gain in over a year.
Traders are hoping that Egypt’s prospects will improve in the absence of Mohamed Morsi, even though the country’s battered economy remains in crisis.
Some analysts said a long-stalled loan from the IMF may now be possible, although others remained skeptical.
Egypt stock exchange has leapt higher after the ousting of Mohamed Morsi as the country’s president
“The technocrats will know how to deal with institutions – they will help the country financially because they have a clear agenda,” said Sebastien Henin, portfolio manager at The National Investor, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm.
“There will be a definitive change to the business environment for international and domestic investors,” he added.
However, for Dina Ahmad, a strategist at BNP Paribas, the initial optimism shouldn’t be overplayed.
“While essentially this takes Egypt back to square one and delays any chance of economic progress and an IMF deal even further, we think that ultimately it creates a window of opportunity for a more stable government to be put in place,” she said.
This window of opportunity brought about by the protests that saw Mohamed Morsi removed from office has, at least in part, been created by the Egypt’s dire economic performance over the past two years.
Miley Cyrus ditched make-up and clothes on her holiday in the Bahamas as it shown in an Instagram photo.
Miley Cyrus, 20, has been in Hope Town on the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas since the weekend and posted the picture on Wednesday on her private Instagram account showing she has certainly got used to the island lifestyle.
Miley Cyrus ditched make-up and clothes on her holiday in the Bahamas
In the image, taken by a friend, Miley Cyrus shows off her slender figure while sitting on a sun lounger in a black and white striped bandeau bikini.
She shunned make-up for the day at the beach but still spiked up her blonde cropped hair.
She did not forgo her manicure though, as the singer showed off some fierce red nails as she used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.
The singer accessorized her look with a baseball cap from her brother Trace Cyrus’ clothing label Southern Made Hollywood Paid.
One accessory that was missing of course was her fiancé Liam Hemsworth.
According to Radaronline.com, Miley Cyrus is holidaying with friends, a woman and a “guy named Stephen and a girl”.
Twitter users confirmed that Miley Cyrus rented a cottage in the tropical paradise.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which launched an informal price survey this year looking at the cost of hot dogs, cheeseburgers and other Independence Day fare, 2013 Fourth of July picnic costs $6 per person.
A typical summertime picnic averages $57.20 for 10 people, or $5.72 per person, according to the group, which puts out a similar estimate for Thanksgiving.
“Five dollars a person for a special event cookout is affordable for most people,” said John Anderson, chief deputy economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“We certainly know that there are people who struggle with affording food and other necessities, but in general, we’re blessed with very affordable food in this country.”
Sixty volunteer shoppers in 22 states checked retail prices for summer picnic foods for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s survey.
The group puts together a similar annual informal price survey about Thanksgiving dinner fare. Last year, the group said a turkey dinner with all the trimmings would cost about $49.48 for 10, or just under $5 per person.
Fourth of July 2103 picnic costs less than $6 per person, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey
However, since this year marks the group’s first Fourth of July price survey, John Anderson said the group doesn’t have concrete numbers to compare with the 2013 figures.
“We expect the general level of prices to go up around 2 per cent a year,” John Anderson said.
“That’s kind of normal price inflation, and… I certainly think that we’re in the ballpark of those normal price changes over the past year.”
Aside from burgers and hot dogs, the farm group’s picnic menu includes pork spare ribs, potato salad, lemonade, baked beans, watermelon, corn chips, chocolate milk, ketchup and mustard.
That list doesn’t include beer, which some Americans are shelling out a bit more for this year.
“More people are trading up to premium, more expensive beer,” said John Davie, president and CEO of Boston-based Consolidated Concepts, which works with thousands of food and restaurant outlets to help them save money on food and other supplies.
John Davie also said the price of chicken breast has increased since this time last year.
Shopper Debra Graham agrees with that.
“It’s almost as cheap to buy steaks as to do chicken or burgers,” she said outside a Little Rock grocery store where she bought catfish for a Fourth of July fish fry.
But Debra Graham, 52, said other prices seemed about as high as they usually are.
“If you want it, you’ve got to pay for it,” she said.
Lindsay Lohan was her own worst critic on her birthday during an Internet session allowed from her rehab facility.
Lindsay Lohan turned 27 on Tuesday and exchanged messages with fans on Twitter, including one who asked for a tweet by mentioning Lindsay’s widely panned 2007 psychological horror I Know Who Killed Me.
Ashly wrote: “@lindsaylohan can you tweet me I seriously watched I know who killed me twice last night.”
Lindsay Lohan responded: “two times too many!”
Lindsay Lohan panned her 2007 horror movie I Know Who Killed Me during birthday Twitter session from rehab
The star portrayed twins I Know Who Killed Me for the second time since 1998’s remake of The Parent Trap.
Lindsay Lohan in the film portrays a pianist and aspiring writer named Aubrey Fleming and a stripper named Dakota Moss.
There’s a kidnapping, pole dancing, a case of mistaken identity and an eventual reunion for the long lost twins.
Lindsay Lohan was denied a request to have a low key party at her rehab facility with family and friends.
Her lawyer Shawn Holley drove out to the recovery centre to keep her client company.
Lindsay Lohan has been in an addiction treatment program at Cliffside Malibu after transferring from the Betty Ford Clinic last month.
She was ordered to serve 90 days in rehab in lieu of jail time earlier this year after being found guilty of lying to the police about a car crash which occurred last summer.
Lindsay Lohan claimed she wasn’t driving during the incident, but authorities determined she was indeed behind the wheel.
South Korea has proposed working-level talks with North Korea on reopening the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex.
Seoul made the proposal a day after Pyongyang said South Korean officials could visit the closed complex to inspect and maintain equipment.
Work at the factory park, which was a rare symbol of North-South co-operation, was halted in April amid high regional tensions.
Attempts to hold high-level talks last month failed on procedural grounds.
“The government wants talks to be held at the truce village of Panmunjom,” South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said in a statement.
“Seoul’s stance remains consistent and centres on government authorities resolving all outstanding issues through dialogue.”
It said the offer of talks was made via a North-South hotline that was cut by Pyongyang in June but has now been restored.
North Korea has yet to respond to the offer.
South Korea has proposed working-level talks with North Korea on reopening the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex
South Korea proposed that the talks take place on Saturday.
Prior to operations being suspended, there were around 120 South Korean businesses in the factory park, which had provided the North with a source of much-needed hard currency.
On Wednesday, North Korea said it would allow South Korean companies to enter the complex, which is located just inside the communist country, to protect their equipment from damage in the rainy season.
The offer came after some South Korean firms threatened to abandon the zone entirely and relocate their equipment.
A spokesman representing electronic and machinery makers in Kaesong had said: “Kaesong must be reopened or [the factories] have to move elsewhere.”
Pyongyang withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex in April, apparently angered by tightened UN sanctions in the wake of its nuclear test in February, and annual South Korea-US military drills.
North Korea also prevented South Korean workers from entering the joint commercial zone.
The last South Korean workers left the zone on May 3.
In June, officials from North and South Korea agreed to hold their first high-level government meeting since 2007, focused on resuming operations at Kaesong industrial park.
However, the planned talks were suspended after the two sides disagreed on the composition of the delegations.
North Korea then proposed high-level talks with the US.
However, both Washington and Seoul responded coolly to the offer, with the US saying that Pyongyang would be judged “by its actions and not its words”.
Meanwhile, South Korea said that it would increase its cyber-security budget from 5 trillion won ($4.38 billion) to 10 trillion won ($8.76 billion), and train 5,000 cyber security experts.
North Korea has been blamed for previous cyber attacks on South Korea, including an attack on six South Korean banks and broadcasters in March that affected 32,000 computers.
Kaesong Industrial Zone:
Launched in 2003, largely financed by the South to increase co-operation
More than 120 factories employ North Koreans in manufacturing industries, with goods exported to the South
Complex as a whole produced $470 million worth of goods in 2012 – the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade
South Korean companies pay more than $80 million a year in wages to North Korean workers
Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, has died at the age of 88.
Doug Engelbart developed the tool in the 1960s as a wooden shell covering two metal wheels, patenting it long before the mouse’s widespread use.
He also worked on early incarnations of email, word processing and video teleconferences at a California research institute.
The state’s Computer History Museum was notified of his death by his daughter, Christina, in an email.
Her father had been in poor health and died peacefully on Tuesday night in his sleep, she said.
Douglas Engelbart was born on 30 January 1925 in Portland, Oregon, to a radio repairman father and a housewife mother.
He studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and served as a radar technician during World War II.
Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, has died at the age of 88
Doug Engelbart then worked at NASA’s predecessor, NACA, as an electrical engineer, but soon left to pursue a doctorate at University of California, Berkeley.
His interest in how computers could be used to aid human cognition eventually led him to Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and then his own laboratory, the Augmentation Research Center.
His laboratory helped develop ARPANet, the government research network that led to the internet.
Douglas Engelbart’s ideas were way ahead of their time in an era when computers took up entire rooms and data was fed into the hulking machines on punch cards.
At a now legendary presentation that became known as the “mother of all demos” in San Francisco in 1968, he made the first public demonstration of the mouse.
At the same event, he held the first video teleconference and explained his theory of text-based links, which would form the architecture of the internet.
He did not make much money from the mouse because its patent ran out in 1987, before the device became widely used.
SRI licensed the technology in 1983 for $40,000 to Apple.
At least one billion computer mouses have been sold.
Doug Engelbart had considered other designs for his most famous invention, including a device that could be fixed underneath a table and operated by the knee.
He was said to have been driven by the belief that computers could be used to augment human intellect.
Doug Engelbart was awarded the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize in 1997 and the National Medal of Technology for “creating the foundations of personal computing” in 2000.
Since 2005, he had been a fellow at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
Douglas Engelbart is survived by his second wife, Karen O’Leary Engelbart, and four children.
Mariah Carey tweeted a star-spangled bikini snapshot on Wednesday to promote her performance on Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular.
“Gotta be Pon de water for the Fourth of July! Can’t wait for the NBC special, it’s going to be festivity!” Mariah Carey, 43, tweeted to her 11.6 million followers.
Mariah Carey’s 32-year-old beau Nick Cannon then shared several Instagrams of their twin toddlers, Monroe and Moroccan, affectionately known as “Dem Babies”.
“Family time. Next bedtime stories!” Nick Cannon captioned a crowded portrait of the merry foursome.
He also shared an adorable picture of his two-year-old daughter Monroe pretending to sing her famous mother’s new single, #Beautiful.
Mariah Carey tweeted a star-spangled bikini snapshot to promote her performance on Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
The Grammy winner with the five-octave vocal range was accused of lip-synching the track at the BET Awards alongside R&B star Miguel and rapper Young Jeezy.
Mariah Carey’s vocal and mouth clearly did not match up during the live telecast.
“My wife is a perfectionist and clearly because she’s done it right all her life. So she actually puts a lot of work into these performances,” Nick Cannon told E! Online hours before the incident.
“There’s no management helping make decisions. Everything you see is all her, whether it’s a collaboration when the lights hit, how she enters, she’s doing all of that.”
Mariah Carey previously denied miming her medley on last month’s American Idol finale.
It’s probably even less likely that she sang live for her pre-taped holiday concert airing live on NBC Thursday night.
Mariah Carey performed #Beautiful again with Miguel, America The Beautiful, and Hero on June 27 at Liberty State Park.
The 37th annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular will also air with performances from Nick Cannon, Cher, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw.
A clump of Mick Jagger’s hair has fetched £4,000 ($6,300) at Bonhams auction in London – more than four times the £900 ($1,400) raised by a clump of bandmate Keith Richards’s mop.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger’s curls were snipped by his first girlfriend Chrissie Shrimpton nearly 50 years ago.
His heirloom had been expected to fetch between £1,500 and £2,000 but sparked a bidding frenzy at the Bonhams sale in central London.
There had been speculation that Mick Jagger himself would instruct a telephone bidder on his behalf.
Access to his hair by interested parties could determine DNA and Mick Jagger guards his privacy jealously after being hit with several paternity suits in the past.
Bonhams would only say that the hair went to a UK-based private collector for £4,000, including the buyer’s premium.
Mick Jagger had his hair – which, along with his pout, was already one of his trademark features – cut when the couple were staying at Chrissie Shrimpton’s family home, Rose Hill Farm.
Unbeknown to Chrissie Shrimpton, her grandmother kept a lock of it for the rest of her life.
Mick Jagger’s hair fetches $6,300 at Bonhams auction in London
On her death, it passed to Chrissie Shrimpton’s aunt and when she died the hair was handed to Shrimpton, now 67, by a cousin taking care of personal effects.
All proceeds from today’s sale will be donated to charity Changing Faces, which supports people with facial disfigurements.
The clump of Keith Richards’s hair was cut from his head by 16-year-old fan Maggie Richardson in the Stones’ dressing room in Preston, Lancashire, in 1964.
It went for £900 at a recent auction.
Chrissie Shrimpton was a Covent Garden secretary whose sister Jean became a 1960s supermodel.
Mick Jagger started dating Chrissie Shrimpton while he was a student at the London School of Economics and on the brink of stardom.
When they met, Mick Jagger was sharing a squalid flat in Kilburn, north London with Keith Richards.
The romance lasted three turbulent years, during which Mick Jagger became one of the world’s biggest music stars with a legion of adoring groupies.
Although the couple became engaged and moved into a flat in Regent’s Park, the relationship ended in 1966.
The Stones’ songs Under My Thumb and Stupid Girl are said to have been inspired by Mick Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton’s relationship.
Scarlett Johansson’s Los Angeles bachelorette pad has been sold for $470,000.
On June 17, Scarlett Johansson closed her condo for $470,000, according to Celebuzz.
Though, her move to NYC doesn’t come as a complete surprise.
Scarlett Johansson, 28, has been painting the town red with her French boyfriend of seven month, Romain Dauriac, as of late.
Scarlett Johansson’s Los Angeles bachelorette pad has been sold for $470,000
And the decision to change her scenery wasn’t made on a whim, as the place was originally listed in 2010, and removed a couple times until this point.
The property records indicate that the star purchased the pad in 2003 for $372K.
The modernized abode includes one bedroom and two bathrooms, some of its highlights being sparkling hardwood floors and chic marble countertops.
And the condo was perfect for everyday pampering, including a custom-made vanity and spacious bathroom.
Stone and wood-paneled walls also spruce up the bachelorette pad that features amenities such as a large outdoor pool, fitness center, recreational room, and valet service.
Plus, the property as top notch security, with a 24-hour doorman on stand by.
Views include the Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, the Griffith Observatory, and the Downtown LA skyline.
Adly Mansour, top judge of Egypt’s Constitutional Court, is to be sworn in as interim leader, hours after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi and put him under house arrest.
Army chief General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced the move on Wednesday, in what Mohamed Morsi said was a military coup.
General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected leader, had “failed to meet the demands of the people”.
The move comes after days of mass rallies against the Islamist president.
Protesters accused him and the Muslim Brotherhood of pursuing an Islamist agenda for the country and of failing to tackle Egypt’s economic problems.
The president had appeared to protesters to be economically out of his depth, and had not given them the reassurances they wanted that he could address rampant poverty.
Mohamed Morsi’s opponents celebrated through the night in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, as the army announced it had suspended the constitution and pledged to hold new elections.
But clashes erupted overnight between Mohamed Morsi supporters and the security forces in Cairo and Alexandria, leaving seven protestors dead. A further 10 deaths have been reported in confrontations in other parts of the country.
Gehad el-Haddad, a spokesman for Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, said the ousted leader had been put under house arrest and the “entire presidential team” was in detention.
His father, senior Morsi aide Essam el-Haddad, and Saad al-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood’s political wing, are among those held.
The state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported that arrest warrants had been issued for 300 leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Adly Mansour, top judge of Egypt’s Constitutional Court, was sworn in as interim leader
US President Barack Obama has said he is “deeply concerned” by the latest turn of events and called for a swift return to civilian rule.
The removal of the president followed four days of mass protests against Mohamed Morsi and an ultimatum issued by the military, which expired on Wednesday afternoon.
In his televised speech, General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said the armed forces could ignore the call of the Egyptian masses.
He spoke of a new roadmap for the future, and said Adly Mansour would be given the task of “running the country’s affairs during the transitional period until the election of a new president”.
Adly Mansour, currently chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court, is scheduled to be sworn in as head of state at around 10:00.
The army moved quickly after General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ‘s speech, with military vehicles seen fanning out across the capital.
TV stations belonging to the Brotherhood went off air and state news agency Mena said managers at the movement’s Misr25 channel had been arrested.
A notice on Mohamed Morsi’s Facebook page condemned the “military coup”.
The statement asked Egyptian citizens to “abide by the constitution and the law and not to respond to this coup”.
Mohamed Morsi, who had pledged his life to defend constitutional legitimacy, accused the army of “taking only one side”.
In Tahrir Square thousands of anti-Morsi protesters celebrated with fireworks and honking car horns.
One protester, Omar Sherif, told AFP news agency: “It’s a new historical moment. We got rid of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.”
After General Sisi’s address, both Pope Tawadros II – the head of the Coptic Church – and leading opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei made short televised speeches about the new roadmap for Egypt’s future which they had agreed with the army.
Mohammed ElBaradei said the roadmap aimed for national reconciliation and represented a fresh start to the January 2011 revolution.
“This roadmap has been drafted by honorable people who seek the interests, first and foremost, of the country,” added Pope Tawadros.
Opposition leader and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa told AFP that consultations for a government and reconciliation “will start from now”.
Mohamed Morsi became Egypt’s first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair following the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
However his term in office was marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.
The mass protests at the weekend that led to the army’s intervention were called by the Tamarod (Rebel) movement, in response to worsening social and economic conditions.
But there has been a growing sense of discontent since last November, when Mohamed Morsi issued a controversial constitutional declaration granting himself extensive powers.
Mohamed Morsi’s moves to entrench Islamic laws and concentrate power in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood also alienated liberals and secularists.
A tasty version of whole barbecued chicken features a delicious barbecue sauce glaze, flavored with lemon juice and Italian seasoning, for the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients:
2 whole chickens (3 lb. each)
2 small lemons, cut in half
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Whole barbecued chicken for 4th of July celebration
Directions:
HEAT grill for indirect grilling: Light one side of grill, leaving other side unlit. Close lid; heat grill to 350ºF.
TRIM and discard excess fat from chickens. Squeeze lemon juice into small bowl; reserve lemon halves. Add barbecue sauce and seasoning to juice; mix well. Place 2 each lemon halves and garlic cloves inside each chicken cavity.
PLACE chickens, breast-sides up, on grate over unlit area; cover. Grill 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until chicken is done (165°F), turning and brushing occasionally with sauce for the last 20 min. Remove and discard lemon halves and garlic from chickens before serving.
Cola’s color comes in part from 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI or 4-Mel), a chemical that forms in the production of caramel food coloring.
Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other manufacturers insist it is safe at the low doses found in drinks.
Cola’s color comes in part from 4-methylimidazole, a chemical that forms in the production of caramel food coloring
But studies have shown that long-term exposure to the chemical causes lung cancer in rats, and health officials in California ruled that products with more than 29mcg must carry a health warning.
When research by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a campaign group, found cans contained nearly 140 mcg, all Cola companies across the U.S. were forced to cut levels.
Food campaigners say daily consumption of 4-MI at 30 mcg would cause cancer in one in 100,000 people over their lifetimes.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that someone would need to drink more than 1,000 cans of cola every day to reach the levels that caused cancer in lab rats.
An environmental group has revealed that the caramel coloring used in Pepsi, 4-methylimidazole, still contains a concerning level of a carcinogen, even after the company said it would change its formula.
In March, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. said they would adjust their formulas across the U.S. after California passed a law ruling drinks with a certain level of carcinogens display a cancer warning.
Chemical 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI or 4-Mel) can form during the cooking process and may subsequently be found in trace amounts in many foods.
Watchdog group The Center for Environmental Health found that while Coke products no longer test positive for the chemical, Pepsi products sold outside of California still do.
Pepsi said its caramel coloring suppliers are changing their manufacturing process to cut the amount of 4-MEI in its caramel. That process is complete in California and will be finished in February 2014 in the rest of the country. Pepsi said it will also be taken out globally, but did not indicate a timeline.
Meanwhile, the company said the FDA and other regulatory agencies around the world consider Pepsi’s caramel coloring safe.
Environmental group finds high levels of carcinogen in Pepsi drinks, even though company promised to change its formula
Coca-Cola said it has transitioned to using a modified caramel in U.S. markets beyond California that does not contain 4-MEI, so it wouldn’t have to have separate inventory of products for different locations. It also said all of its products, whether they have the modified caramel or not, are safe.
The watchdog group Center for Environmental Health said it commissioned Eurofins Analystical laboratory in Metairie, Louisiana, to test Coke and Pepsi products from California in May and from across the country in June.
The lab did not find the chemical in California products. And it found no 4-MEI in nine out of 10 Coke products outside of the state.
But it found levels of 4-MEI that are 4 to 8 times higher than California safety levels in all 10 Pepsi products purchased outside California, according to the Center for Environmental Health.
Trace amounts of 4-MEI have not been linked to cancer in humans.
The American Beverage Association said that California added the coloring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans.
It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.
The Food and Drug Administration has also said that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for almost 90% of the soda market, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest.
Supermodel Kate Moss has long made blonde locks her signature look but she has gone back to her hair and fashion roots with a new brunette look as she smolders in Versace’s Autumn/Winter 13 campaign.
Kate Moss, a long-time Versace favorite, was unveiled as the face of the brand last week and now a new set of images have been unveiled.
Kate Moss turns brunette for Versace Autumn/Winter 13 campaign
With strikingly dark hair, the usually blonde mother-of-one, 39, stares open-mouthed at the camera in an array of tight-fitting dresses.
Donatella Versace describes Versace’s new Autumn/Winter 2013 campaign as “stripped back to the raw power of the clothes and the models”.
She says there is “no set, no distraction”, and judging by Kate Moss’ look, there aren’t many clothes either.
Kate Moss shows off her perfectly toned figure as she poses in a series of lunges in the new images.
General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s army, has given a TV address, announcing that President Mohamed Morsi is no longer in office.
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said the constitution had been suspended and the chief justice of the constitutional court would take on Mohamed Morsi’s powers.
Flanked by religious and opposition leaders, General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said Mohamed Morsi had “failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people”.
Anti-Morsi protesters in Cairo gave a huge cheer in response to the speech.
The army’s move to depose the president follows four days of mass street demonstrations against Mohamed Morsi, and an ultimatum issued by the military which expired on Wednesday afternoon.
TV stations belonging to Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood went off air at the end of the speech.
Minutes later, a notice went up on Mohamed Morsi’s Facebook page denouncing the army move as a “military coup”.
The statement asked Egyptian citizens – both civilians and military – to “abide by the constitution and the law and not to respond to this coup”.
The ousted leader’s current whereabouts are unclear.
General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s army, has given a TV address, announcing that President Mohamed Morsi is no longer in office
General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said on state TV that the armed forces could not stay silent and blind to the call of the Egyptian masses.
He spoke of a new roadmap for the future, and said that the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, would be given the task of “running the country’s affairs during the transitional period until the election of a new president”.
After General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s address, both Pope Tawadros II – the head of the Coptic Church – and leading opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei made short televised speeches about the new roadmap for Egypt’s future which they had agreed with the army.
Mohammed ElBaradei said the roadmap aimed for national reconciliation and represented a fresh start to the January 2011 revolution.
“This roadmap has been drafted by honorable people who seek the interests, first and foremost, of the country,” added Pope Tawadros.
The army is currently involved in a show of force, fanning out across Cairo and taking control of the capital.
The tens of thousands of anti-Morsi protesters on the streets of Cairo are now celebrating, with fireworks lighting up the night sky and car drivers honking their horns in excitement.
But Mohamed Morsi supporters elsewhere in the city are reported to have shouted: “No to military rule.”
In a new interview with V Magazine, legendary Prince hints that he does not have a cell phone.
When asked whether he owned a highly coveted iPhone, Prince scoffed.
“Are you serious? Hell, no,” Prince, 54, says, before mimicking a high-voiced woman.
“Where is my phone? Can you call my phone? Oh, I can’t find it.”
In fact Prince reveals that he hardly communicates with others much at all, just a select few in his team.
“This organization is different than most, in the sense that we don’t take directions from the outside world,” the singer explains.
“It’s like a galaxy. The sun is in the center giving off energy, and everything revolves around it … Nobody really talks to me. Nobody talks to me a lot.”
Prince says he mostly communicates directly with his devoted assistant Ramadan.
“I talk to her. She talks to you. She talks to Richard. And so on and so forth. If I trust her, then you can trust her,” the singer explains.
In his interview, featured in the August edition of V Magazine, Prince also slams lip-synching, telling the publication that he would not dare to cheat his fans like that.
In a new interview with V Magazine, legendary Prince hints that he does not have a cell phone
“People come to see us fifty times. Well, that’s not just going to see a concert – that’s some other mess going on,” he explains.
“This music changes you. These people are not being satisfied elsewhere by musicians, you feel what I’m saying?
“It’s no disrespect to anyone else, because we’re not checking for them. But we don’t lip synch. We ain’t got time for it. Ain’t no tape up there.”
And when it comes to his large catalog of hits, Prince says he does not have a favorite, referring to his songs as “babies”.
“Which one of your children do you like the best?” he says.
“Music comes from the same source. It’s all the same thing.”
In his photo shoot for the magazine, Prince, who has had a hit-making career spanning over three decades, sports a large Afro that compliments his retro look.
Prince is dressed like a 1970’s super-villain with a wild silver and tapestry-style jacket.
Adorning his eyes is his signature guy-liner along with a coating of makeup.
Prince, who’s produced 10 platinum albums and 30 Top 40 singles, has altered his look many times over the years – while always maintaining a gender neutral theme.
Prince’s androgynous look and “Minnesota sound” has been inspired by soul stars and rockers like James Brown, Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix.
“You learn from the best,” Prince has said of both his musical and fashion influences.
V Magazine’s August issue hits newsstands on July 18th.
20 maraschino cherries with stems, well drained, patted dry
Fourth of July JELL-O Firecrackers
Directions:
Add 2/3 cup boiling water to berry gelatin mix in small bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Repeat with cherry gelatin mix. Cool.
Meanwhile, sprinkle unflavored gelatine over 1/4 cup milk in medium bowl; let stand 5 min. Bring remaining milk to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Add to plain gelatine mixture; stir until gelatine is completely dissolved. Cool 10 min.
Spoon berry gelatin into 20 (1-oz.) plastic shot glasses sprayed lightly with cooking spray, adding about 2 tsp. to each. Refrigerate 15 min. or until set but not firm.
Top with unflavored gelatine mixture, adding about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 10 min. Insert cherry, stem end up, into white gelatine layer in each cup. Refrigerate 2 min.
Cover with cherry gelatin, adding about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Remove from cups before serving.
It’s time to don your artsy beret and direct your masterpiece. You don’t need all the fancy high-end equipment of professional studies to produce high-quality video. Really, all you need is a great smartphone and a few accessories.
Is it time to upgrade and you want to search for a phone to fill your video-making needs? Of course, you might already have a great phone for videography in your pocket. iPhones are capable of shooting high-quality 1080p HD video. They also feature software for image stabilization, so people who view your videos won’t be left wondering if an earthquake was happening.
There are also attachments available for iPhones that are not typically available for other models, including a variety of external lenses.
If you prefer to use a device with the Android operating system, consider the 2013 HTC phones, which feature spectacular HD cameras. Like iPhones, HTC phones have image stabilization software, which the HTC website says makes for videos that are “stable and a joy to watch.” You can also watch your videos in slow motion, so you don’t miss one beat of the action.
2. The Right Lighting
No matter how good the camera on your phone is, a video is generally only as good as the lighting in which the shooting took place. You know the basic principles of lighting. You need enough light, and not too much light behind your subject. When you are indoors, you can manipulate those things. When your shooting happens outside, the sun presents a new challenge. The Golden Light app will let you know the time of day that is best for shooting.
Lighting Designer is an iPad app for those truly serious about their mobile movie production. It serves as a tool for you to design lighting for your production. Choose the types of lights and their positions, create a floor plan, and communicate the set up to the crew who is helping with your video-making.
3. Tools for Editing
You need reliable apps to refine your videos. Videolicious lets you apply different filters and add music, and it includes basic video editing functions. It also lets you put your logo at the end and beginning of a film. You can even add voice-overs and narration to your productions. The product is a professional-looking video you will be proud of.
Clesh is another nifty video-editing tool. It is a cloud-based program, so it goes beyond your mobile device and lets you make easy use of the power and larger screen of a desktop computer. This Android-based app will delight anyone who wants to produce quality videos at an efficient pace.
The Pinnacle Studio for iPad app does more than help you edit. It is with you through the entire movie-making process. Start a project with a storyboard and build your project from there.
If you are putting together some videos for work, like to tell stories, or just want a fun video to share at your next family reunion, the right accessories will turn your mobile device into a movie-making powerhouse.
Baby back barbecue ribs recipe to celebrate 4th of July.
Ingredients:
3 lb. pork baby back ribs
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup water
1 cup BULL’S-EYE or KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
Baby back barbecue ribs to celebrate 4th of July
Directions:
HEAT grill to medium heat.
PLACE half the ribs in single layer on large sheet heavy-duty foil. Mix sugar and seasonings; rub half evenly onto both sides of ribs. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and one end to seal packet. Add 1/4 cup water to packet through open end. Double fold remaining end, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make second packet.
GRILL 45 minutes to 1 hour or until ribs are done. Remove ribs from foil; discard foil.
RETURN ribs to grill; brush with barbecue sauce. Grill 15 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.
Heat oven to 450°F. Assemble foil packets as directed; place on baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until ribs are done. Remove ribs from foil; discard foil. Place ribs on rack of broiler pan. Heat broiler. Broil ribs, 6 inches from heat, 10 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with sauce.
James Gandolfini’s newly-filed will reveals the actor has left the bulk of his estimated $70 million estate to his 13-year-old son Michael and 8-month-old daughter Liliana.
James Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack while on vacation in Italy last month, also left millions to his wife, his two older sisters and friends – including his personal secretary and assistant.
James Gandolfini will reveals he left bulk of his $70 million estate to his children
James Gandolfini’s newly-filed will reveals the actor has left the bulk of his estimated $70 million estate to his 13-year-old son Michael and 8-month-old daughter Liliana.
James Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack while on vacation in Italy last month, also left millions to his wife, his two older sisters and friends – including his personal secretary and assistant.
The will, which was seen by the New York Post, was signed on December 19 last year and filed in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court on Tuesday.
It shows that James Gandolfini’s teenage son Michael by his first wife is to get the largest chunk of his father’s estate through a trust set aside for him until he turns 21.
Through the trust, Michael Gandolfini will also be able to buy his father’s lavish home and parking space in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.
Michael Gandolfini will split his father’s Italian property with his half-sister, Liliana, when she turns 25.
James Gandolfini asked in the documents that they “keep it in our family for as long as possible”.
James Gandolfini’s newly-filed will reveals the actor has left the bulk of his estimated $70 million estate to his 13-year-old son Michael and 8-month-old daughter Liliana
His other properties – a $1.1 million home in Califon, New Jersey, and a $7 million penthouse in Tribeca, Manhattan – are not specifically mentioned in the will but it notes they can be sold.
Michael Gandolfini also gets his father’s clothing and jewelry.
The remainder of James Gandolfini’s estate will be split among his wife, Deborah Lin, his sisters, Johanna Antonacci and Leta Gandolfini, and his baby daughter Liliana.
Johanna Antonacci and Leta Gandolfini each get 30% of the leftover estate, while Deborah Lin and little Liliana will each receive 20%. He also left $500,000 to each of his two nieces, the daughters of Johanna.
James Gandolfini left $200,000 each to his personal assistant and friend, Thomas Richardson, and secretary, Trixie Flynn Bourne, and amounts of $100,000 and $50,000 to other select friends.
The actor was estimated to be worth up to $70 million when he died of a sudden heart attack on June 19 when he was just 51.
James Gandolfini was found suffering a heart attack by his son Michael and was pronounced dead in hospital. A funeral for the beloved actor was held in Manhattan last week.
His family joined more than 1,000 mourners including Edith “Edie” Falco, Gandolfini’s on-screen wife, for the two-hour ceremony, which was described as a “wonderful” tribute to the star.
Friend Thomas Richardson, who was named in the will, described how every day with James Gandolfini was an adventure, whether it was sharing sushi on set or helping New Jersey residents recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
“He really made the most of every day,” he said.
“In his passing, he is forever with us. Amen.”
The will is the first and primary filing of James Gandolfini’s estate; more documents are expected to be filed.
