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Mosque fire in California was act of arson

December 12, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Mosque fire in California was act of arsonAuthorities now claim that a fire that damaged a Southern California mosque on Friday afternoon was an act of arson.

The Islamic Center of Palm Springs in Coachella, California was reported as being on fire shortly after noon on Friday, according to statements from the Riverside County Fire Department. This fire, however, was restricted to the mosque’s lobby and was quickly put out, with no reports of injuries. But as authorities draw closer to a conclusion, the Sheriff’s Department announced Friday night that the fire was an “intentional act” and that it would investigate the incident further. California fire investigators and the government’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and FBI are now involved in the investigation.

Witnesses at the scene related hearing a “loud boom” and seeing flames shortly thereafter. Acting imam Reymundo Nour, who was not present at the time of the blaze, said that the mosque was “firebombed.” No suspects have been shortlisted by local authorities, nor have they come up with more specifics on how the fire was set.

The mosque is curiously located just 75 miles from San Bernardino, where a couple, supposedly influenced by Islamist extremists, killed 14 people last week. Several Southern California Muslims have expressed fear for their safety and for acts of revenge following the recent killings.

Filed Under: World

First-ever dengue fever vaccine gets green light in Mexico

December 10, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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First-ever dengue fever vaccine gets green light in MexicoDengue fever is one of the deadliest virus on Earth, affecting 400 million people per year. But it’s only now that a company will be releasing a vaccine against the disease, after it was cleared for use in Mexico.

“It’s a very important moment in the history of public health,” said Sanofi vaccines division head Olivier Charmeil, who added that the French company’s drug Dengvaxia as the “innovation of the decade.” He believes that this vaccine could be a “blockbuster” and can create more than a billion dollars of revenue for the pharmaceutical company.

Sanofi has been working on the development of Dengvaxia since 1995, having spent more than €1.5 billion (US$1.6 billion) in the process. Dengue fever affects 50 to 100 million people a year, according to World Health Organization figures. Although the mortality rate for the disease is lower than some other viruses, at 2.5 percent, the virus can cause an Ebola-like disease called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which has a much higher mortality rate of 20 percent if left untreated.

“We are waiting for more registrations in Asia and Latin America in the coming weeks,” Charmeil confirmed, saying that Sanofi Pasteur has requested authorization to release the dengue vaccine in 20 nations. Currently, several million doses are scheduled to ship out, with a stockpile for the European Union due early next year and one for the United States in 2017. Production is expected to hit 100 million doses in about two years from now.

Based on clinical tests, Dengvaxia is capable of making about two-thirds of people aged nine and above immune to dengue, with that rate climbing to 93 percent for dengue hemorrhagic fever. Hospitalization risk was also shown to decline by 80 percent.

Filed Under: Health

LeSean McCoy says he’s not shaking Chip Kelly’s hand

December 10, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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LeSean McCoy says he’s not shaking Chip Kelly’s handThere doesn’t appear to be any love lost between Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy and his former coach, Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Speaking to Philadelphia media, reporters brought up the possibility that Kelly would shake McCoy’s hand ahead of the Bills vs Eagles game Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. “Naahh. He knows that ain’t going to happen,” said McCoy, who ranks as the Eagles’ all-time rushing leader. “Y’all know that ain’t going to happen. We ain’t shakin’ no hands.” This came after a separate interview, where McCoy said that “Chip ain’t shaking [profanity]” in reference to the same statement from Kelly, which was made Wednesday with Buffalo-area media.

“What for? What we shaking hands for?,” McCoy added to the Philly reporters. “We don’t have nothing to shake hands for. There’s some dudes I played with, I’m going to shake their hands. (Eagles owner Jeffrey) Lurie – probably going to talk to Lurie a little bit. Couple different coaches. A lot of players over there I’m still tight with. I’m gonna give Duce (Staley, Eagles running backs coach) a big hug.”

McCoy wasn’t done making controversial comments, reiterating that he wasn’t sorry for his statements last spring, where he suggested Kelly may be a racist. Strangely, he said that he is “OK” with Kelly, adding that it is possible to be OK with a person but not want to shake their hand.

The press conference also had McCoy comparing former coach Kelly with current coach Rex Ryan. “They’re way different. Way, way different ,” he said. “I think it’s the small things. Rex is more worried about playing football. The way you wear your hat or the way you wear your jeans, or the different socks you wear, he don’t care about that. As long as a player does his job, he don’t care about that type stuff. He wants to win games. The rules for the team are to play with respect and to constantly play for the logo on the helmet. And that’s all he cares about.”

Filed Under: Sports

Amazon Video introduces new feature for Prime members

December 8, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Amazon Video introduces new feature for Prime membersAmazon launched today a new feature for Prime members – its Streaming Partners Program which allows Prime customers to add television networks at a nominal monthly fee.

At first glance, this appears to be another one of those “skinny” packages wherein consumers only pay for the channels they want. And while the list of channels isn’t too extensive at the moment, any Prime member who’s interested in the new feature can pay $8.99 a month to add networks like Showtime and Starz, as well as about 20 other “streaming partners” such as the Lifetime Movie Club, Ring TV Boxing, and Comedy Central’s Standup+ Service.

“The way people watch TV is changing, and customers need an easier way to subscribe to and enjoy multiple streaming subscriptions,” said Amazon VP of digital video Michael Paull in a statement prepared for the launch. “With the Streaming Partners Program, we’re making it easy for video providers to reach highly engaged Prime members, many of whom are already frequent streamers, and we’re making it easier for viewers to watch their favorite shows and channels.”

Aside from Amazon, other companies are offering such a feature, which some industry experts are referring to as “rebundling.” Hulu, for example, has something similar, though the difference is that there’s only one network included – Showtime – where customers can pay a monthly fee to add the channel to their packages. Amazon will take care of the actual channel streaming framework, payment processing, and payment handling, though it’s not sure what the exact terms of the retailer’s agreements with streaming partners are.

Filed Under: Tech

Chipotle strikes again as 30 Boston College students fall ill

December 8, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Chipotle strikes again as 30 Boston College students fall ill

c/o Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Chipotle is in hot water again, but this time, it might not be because of the E. coli virus blamed for previous hospitalizations after eating at the restaurant chain’s outlets.

Earlier this week, a spokesman of the restaurant said that it “(does) not have any evidence” to suggest that the case of food poisoning that affected 30 Boston College students was connected to the controversial  E. coli outbreak that government health officials have linked to Chipotle. Prior to the Boston College incident, 52 people in nine states fell ill to E. coli, with 47 of them claiming they ate at the Mexican restaurant chain before becoming sick.

As of Monday, 30 Boston College students, including eight men’s basketball team players had fallen sick to gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at Chipotle, though newer reports put that total at 80, or almost 30 more people than the previous count from the E. coli outbreak. Chipotle has since closed its Cleveland Circle restaurant in Boston, and had subsequently elaborated that the students fell victim to an isolated norovirus case.

Chipotle shares slipped by 6.4 percent on Monday, and are still taking a beating in the stock market, having fallen another 2.31 percent to $540.92 as of 2:38 p.m. The company also expects to suffer its first quarterly decline in sales since going public in 2006.

Filed Under: Health

Carl Icahn offers to purchase auto parts giant Pep Boys

December 7, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Carl Icahn offers to purchase auto parts giant Pep Boys Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has done one better than Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone, as he has offered to buy auto parts company Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack for about $837 million, beating out Bridgestone’s bid of $810 million.

Icahn Enterprises’ offer of $15.50 per Pep Boys share in cash also edged out Bridgestone’s $15 per share in cash offer, as the company reported a 12.12 percent stake in the popular retailer. In addition, Icahn himself said in a statement that Pep Boys’ automotive parts retail business would be just right for Auto Plus, a competing company he happens to control.

“We are prepared to enter immediately into the exact same merger agreement that Pep Boys executed with Bridgestone Retail Operations LLC. In addition, we will enter into any reasonable further agreements that you may require in order to provide greater certainty of closing,” said Icahn Enterprises CEO Keith Cozza in a letter to Pep Boys management. “We believe our proposal is clearly superior to the $15.00 per share Bridgestone transaction and that our financial wherewithal to close expeditiously is indisputable. We are prepared to meet with you immediately to negotiate and document this transaction.” Neither Pep Boys nor Bridgestone were available for comment when pressed by media.

Interestingly, Pep Boys stock had cooled down, not long after it had traded above Icahn’s price; this is mainly because investors are wondering if there may be any further bids. “(Carl) Icahn buys and sells a lot of companies,” opined Robert Costello of Costello Asset Management in a Philly.com report. I don’t think he is going to stay in this business long-term; he’s trying to screw Bridgestone into paying more money.”

Earlier negotiations with Icahn had Pep Boys suspecting that the activist-investor may be “taking these actions to obtain negotiating leverage,” while also trying to stymie Bridgestone and its ability to resell the auto parts company’s assets at a higher price. Among other companies he controls, Icahn is a majority owner of firms like Apple, PayPal, and X-ray manufacturer Hologic.

Filed Under: Business

Report – Final Fantasy VII remake might be episodic

December 7, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Report - Final Fantasy VII remake might be episodicThe much talked-about remake of Final Fantasy VII is going to be episodic, and according to developer Square Enix, it’s more than just a remake. This game has been getting lots of hype due to all the nostalgia involved, and it goes without saying that gamers everywhere are excited for its eventual release.

“From the beginning, we thought a Final Fantasy VII remake would be bigger than a single release,” said director Yoshinori Kitase, who was interviewed by Dengeki Online and quoted in a recent Kotaku report.  He added that due to the intensity of some of the game’s areas, remaking everything from the original at newer, higher quality would make it impossible to get everything on a single release.

Kitase was seconded by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura, who said that a single release would require some things to be relegated to a “shortened” compilation.  “Since we thought there would be stuff we would probably have to pare down and supplemental things we probably couldn’t add, we decided to divide it up, concluding that we have to do a remake that’s fully packed with content,” Nomura added.

Kitase clarified that as the FFVII team won’t be dividing the game itself, the original story and its substance will remain, while Square Enix can work on a bona fide remake. This all lends credence to previous statements from Square Enix that suggested that the Final Fantasy VII remake will be similar to the original, but not exactly the same.

Filed Under: Tech

Former President Jimmy Carter says he’s cancer-free

December 6, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Former President Jimmy Carter says he's cancer-freeA report from the Associated Press states that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, no longer has any signs of the disease.

“We were very, very surprised,” said family friend and fellow Maranatha Baptist Church member Jill Stuckey. “This was just wonderful news out of the blue.” Carter made the announcement in front of a large Sunday school class earlier today, saying that he has “no signs of cancer,” based on a scan he had received the week before.

Carter posted another statement on the Carter Center website, saying that based on his most recent MRI brain scan, he “did not reveal any signs of the original cancer spots nor any new ones.” He promised, however, to keep receiving regular treatments for his melanoma. The 91-year-old former President had a small cancerous mass taken out from his liver on August 12, and has been in treatment due to four spots of melanoma that were found in his brain.

“From very beginning [of this], I’ve said that in any battle between cancer and Carter’s brain, Carter’s brain will win,” said former White House communications director and longtime Carter friend Gerald Rafshoon. “I’ve been up against that brain. It’s a tough opponent.”

Carter publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in August, saying that he had just received Keytruda, a drug that’s part of the pembrolizumab family and is designed to leverage the immune system against cancer cells. And while the drug is quite expensive at $150,000 a year, it has been proven to be capable of marked, evident results in patients suffering from different types of cancer. Making Carter’s recovery even more astonishing is that only one-third of malignant melanoma patients respond to Keytruda treatment.

Filed Under: World

Chipotle remains bullish on “diarrhea burrito” despite E. coli flap

December 5, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Chipotle remains bullish on “diarrhea burrito” despite E. coli flap

c/o Reuters/Andrew Kelly

Despite the massive press relations debacle Chipotle is facing following a series of E. coli outbreaks, the fast food chain has remained steadfast behind its so-called “diarrhea burrito.”

For the past few months, Chipotle has been under the radar, with federal authorities investigating a pathogenic E. coli strain, which has now affected 52 people across nine states, with 47 of these individuals saying they ate at Chipotle right before they fell sick. Affected states include California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, and as of this writing, the source of the E. coli outbreak has not yet been spotted.

Meanwhile, Chipotle shares have taken a huge hit in the stock market, losing almost 8 percent to $518 in extended Friday trading, after the company said that sales at established outlets may drop 8 to 11 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, thus marking its first such decline. Investigators have also cautioned that the outbreak may cover even more states, as local agencies continue working closely with the U.S. government.  Chipotle has pledged to tighten safety protocols, though the company, according to several reports, is still selling the “diarrhea burrito” despite its unpopularity among consumers.

Symptoms of E. coli infections include abdominal cramps, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, and in few cases, even death.

Filed Under: Health

Pink named UNICEF ambassador in fight vs child malnutrition

November 30, 2015 By Tim Sinclaire

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Pink named UNICEF ambassador in fight vs child malnutritionPop star Pink was named UNICEF ambassador for a new initiative that seeks to promote physical activity in young American children, while raising money for vitamin-rich and healthy peanut paste that would be sent to children suffering from malnutrition.

“I got to watch mommas learning how to feed it to their kids,” said Pink, whose birth name is Alecia Moore. “And within a week, you can see the difference in these children. It brings them back to life. It’s amazing.”

Pink is also the national spokeswoman for another UNICEF initiative – the Kid Power Band – which is a fitness band for children that promotes exercise by means of an interactive app. With the fitness band, children can garner points by doing healthy things like taking 12,000 steps a day or achieving a pre-set goal. UNICEF’s partner firms, such as Disney and Target, will send funds required to deliver the peanut paste packets to Haiti and other nations affected heavily by child malnutrition as the kids keep earning points.

According to Pink, her recent trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti was an eye-opening experience, one that had made her more passionate about UNICEF’s endeavors. And it was there where she saw previously malnourished children become healthier through the food packets.

“When you get to see it with your own eyes and you see that something works, then it’s a lot easier to get behind and advocate for it and try to make other people aware of it,” she said. “(UNICEF) found a brilliant way, and a fun way, to get kids here involved and empowered and motivated. And they are also turning them into global citizens and they get to be hands-on.”

Filed Under: Health

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Today

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  • China feels climate accord flawed, but satisfying
  • UFC 194 – Conor McGregor says he wants to be a two-weight champ
  • Mosque fire in California was act of arson
Mall Santa offers simple, yet touching message to autistic boy

Mall Santa offers simple, yet touching message to autistic boy

Scientists predict arthritis 16 years before the fact

Scientists predict arthritis 16 years before the fact

China feels climate accord flawed, but satisfying

China feels climate accord flawed, but satisfying

UFC 194 – Conor McGregor says he wants to be a two-weight champ

UFC 194 – Conor McGregor says he wants to be a two-weight champ

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