Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Visiting India? According to the country's tourism minister, foreign women shouldn't wear short dresses or skirts while there

They also shouldn't walk alone at night. Both of those tips are included in the safety advice given to women in a welcome kit tourists receive when they enter the country, Mahesh Sharma said recently, explaining that "Indian culture is different from the western" when it comes to things like clothing. The comments come amid a slew of sexual assaults and attacks on both locals and female tourists in India, and caused a bit of an outcry. The irresponsible remarks illustrate the syndrome of blaming women for assaults, says one gender equality advocate.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Authorities say that they have charged a black man in connection with the murder of two nuns who were found dead in their home in Mississippi

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, has been charged with two counts of capital murder, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Sanders, of Kosciusko, is charged in connection with the killings of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68, who were found dead in their home in the rural town of Durant, the bureau said. "Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation," MBI Director Lt. Colonel Jimmy Jordan said in a statement. "With the cooperation of the Durant and Kosciusko Police Departments, Holmes County Sheriff's Department and the Attorney General Office this heinous crime has been resolved." The killings were discovered when the nuns didn't show up for work at the Lexington Medical Clinic, where they both worked as nurses caring for people who couldn't afford medical care, authorities said. A car missing from their home was found about a mile away, police said. Police have not released as cause of death in the killings. Rev. Greg Plata, who oversees the small church the nuns attended, said that police told him they were stabbed.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Jewish neocon says he might vote for Hillary Clinton

Former Bush administration official Paul Wolfowitz said that he is considering voting for Hillary Clinton in an interview in which he lambasted Donald Trump as dangerous. Wolfowitz, who was the deputy secretary of defense for President George W. Bush in the lead-up to and start of the Iraq War, said in an interview that while he isn't enthused about it, he may be forced to vote for Clinton. "I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for," Wolfowitz said. "I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her."

The 2016 presidential election will be the election where the Democrats say goodbye to the Scots-Irish vote

It will be the end of almost two centuries of ties that bind, but there is little doubt that Trump will sweep the Scots-Irish vote this election and the Democrats will fare worse than ever with them. From the time of Andrew Jackson in the early 19th century, the Scots-Irish had followed the Democratic Party. They found their hero in Jackson, founder of the party, a North Carolina native who was born just two years after his family arrived in the New World from County Antrim. The Scots Irish were descended from Ulster planters who had been sent to Ireland from Scotland for the plantation of Ulster in 1609. Many struggled in the harsh environment of Ulster and with the Catholic hatred of those who had taken their lands. America was opening up at the time and some 250,000 Scots-Irish planters and workers took the opportunity to reach the New World. Most arrived in Pennsylvania but later spread down through the Shenandoah Valley and all over the unpopulated south. Many took to the backwoods and became known as Hillbillies after their love for King William, who won the Battle of the Boyne. The great split began in the 1960s with the JFK/Lyndon Johnson Civil Rights laws which saw southerners deeply impacted by the leftward move of the party. Along came Richard Nixon to further feed the trend of conservative Scots-Irish moving away, and the South suddenly saw long-time Democratic senators like Strom Thurmond begin changing parties. As The Washington Post recently reported, “Today, the Scots-Irish form the cultural core of the white, Southern Republican vote that is being heavily courted by GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump – and energized by anger at the government and support for conservative stances on guns, abortion and immigration.” Even though Bill Clinton managed to win their vote, he was likely the last Democratic president who ever will. “It’s my culture,” former Virginia senator Jim Webb told the Post. “Few key Democrats seem even to know that the Scots-Irish exist, as this culture is so .... individualistic that it will never overtly form into one of the many interest groups that dominate Democratic Party politics,” Webb wrote. “The Republicans understand them.” Trump will win them over in huge numbers it seems certain, and the Democrats will likely bid farewell to a core group that once stood by them. Such is American politics in 2016.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

What are the 10 least livable cities in the world?

The 10 worst cities to live in are Damascus, Syria; Tripoli, Libya; Lagos, Nigeria; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Algiers, Algeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Harare, Zimbabwe; Douala, Cameroon; and Kiev, Ukraine.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Nelson Mandela's grandson has been charged with raping a 15-year-old in a toilet in South Africa

Mbuso Mandela, 24, has appeared at a Johannesburg court and will be held in police custody until he returns for a bail hearing, a police spokesperson said. He grabbed the girl as she entered a toilet at a restaurant in Greenside. After the attack, Nelson Mandela's second wife Winnie sent a bodyguard - who posed as a police officer - to the family's home to intimidate them. Another one of Nelson Mandela's grandchildren, Mandla, was convicted of assaulting a 40-year-old motorist during a road-rage incident earlier in 2016.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

From 2005 to 2015, there were 1,070 homicides in the city of Milwaukee, with blacks being the victims 78% of the time and suspects in 82% of the murders

Hispanics were the victims 11% of the time and suspects in 10% of the murders; and whites were victims 9% of the time and suspects in 6% of the murders. Between the years 2006 and 2015, there were 5,122 nonfatal shootings in the city of Milwaukee, with blacks victims in 87% of the nonfatal shootings and also suspects in 87% of the cases. Hispanics were victims in 8% of the nonfatal shootings and suspects in 9% of the cases, and white people were victims in 5% of the nonfatal shootings and suspects in 2% of the cases. In the city of 597,867 people, Milwaukee is 40% black, 17% Latino and 37% white.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Based on the Obama Administration’s own latest available statistics, black Americans are worse off today than they were on Inauguration Day 2009

Real, inflation adjusted, median income among black households sank from $35,954 in 2009 to $35,398 in 2014 — a fall of 1.5%. Even more striking: blacks were the only group whose median household income fell over this period. Hispanics saw a 1.2% rise (from $41,973 to $42,491), Asians went from $72,340 to $74,297 (up 2.8%), and even non-Hispanic whites eked out a minimal 0.3% rise, going from $60,094 to $60,256. But black median income actually fell. In addition, poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics are considerably above those of whites and Asians. Black and Hispanic poverty rates moved in different directions during the Obama Years: 2009-2014. The Hispanic poverty rate declined from 25.3% to 23.6%, while the black American poverty rate rose from 25.8% to 26.2% in 2014 — up 1.6%. Interestingly, the white poverty rate also increased over this period – from 9.4% to 10.1%. Increased poverty among low-income working class whites undoubtedly fuels much of their enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s campaign. To the extent that Hispanic immigrants are displacing black Americans in the work force, a Trump Administration would do a better job of lowering black poverty than one headed by Hilary Clinton, who proposes to rush through “comprehensive immigration reform” — an Amnesty/Immigration Surge. In June 2016 the unemployment rate for black adult males was more than twice that of whites, and nearly twice that of Hispanics.

Finns are now genetically considered an independent population instead of a part of the European population, thanks to a recent study

A large team of scientists analyzed the genetic codes of more than 60,000 people from five continents in order to provide the biggest data set of its kind to the scientific community. The details of this study are already providing interesting insights, including the genetic difference of the Finnish population to the rest of the European population. The study analyzed mutations in the protein coding regions in the DNA, called exome regions. Different populations display different mutations on some of these genes. Limited genetic diversity within the Finnish population has been a previous fascination for scientists. The categorizing of Finns as an independent genetic population has broad implications for various branches of science. Genetic variations allow scientists to study and understand the functions of different genes. Medical biology and epidemiology (the study of health and disease in defined populations) especially rely on the study of genetics. Finns are an ideal population for gene mapping due to their genetic lack of diversity, called homogeneity. Gene mapping needs to be completed prior to specialized studies on specific genes. Population genetics are directly related to the study of history and evolution.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Chicago's per capita homicide rate climbed over the last decade, and the chances of an African-American being killed in the city spiked drastically, according to a new report

From 2005 to 2015, the city went from 17.3 homicides per 100,000 residents to a rate of about 18.8, according to a report from the Injury Prevention and Research Center at the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. But the report held particularly troubling news for African-Americans. The rate for blacks in Chicago jumped from 36.1 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 46.5 a decade later. Other studies have shown steep drops in the city's African-American population in recent years, but crime figures remain stubbornly high in many largely black neighborhoods. Many see the uptick in gun violence as the result of police reducing their activity in the face of public criticism. The study found that homicide rates for white people have decreased in the past decade, from 4.4 homicides per 100,000 in 2005 to 2.7 in 2015. For Latinos, the number went from 10.5 per 100,000 in 2005 to 11.3 last year.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Race and rape in America

Steve Sailer looks at interracial rape in U.S. colleges.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Lesbian regrets publishing a review of Sausage Party

Is this article sincere or is it a parody? I am still not quite sure.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Black people in Britain are more than twice as likely to be murdered as white people, and three times as likely to be prosecuted and sentenced, according to a new report, which will claim that the life chances of young ethnic minority people in Britain have collapsed in the past five years and are now at their worst level for generations

One of the things that the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found is that since 2010 there has been a 49% increase in long-term unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds from ethnic minority communities, compared with a 2% fall among young white people.

Jewish Power: Denounce "anti-Semitic" posts or we’ll threaten your funding, Jewish group tells University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) has tried to play down years of incendiary comments by members and leaders of campus Muslim organizations that were recently brought to light, citing their right to free expression. But it may have to respond more forcefully if a Jewish "civil rights" group, led by a former civil rights chief at the Department of Education, follows through on its suggestion that UTK’s federal funding is at risk for tacitly enabling a “hostile environment” against Jewish students. UTK “should look upon the situation as a teachable moment and … act as educators to remind their community about their shared values,” Kenneth Marcus, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said. “[W]e are litigators,” and though a lawsuit isn’t the group’s first choice of action, it’s “always a possibility” should the university not take steps to quell "anti-Semitism" on campus, Marcus said. Canary Mission, a secretive watchdog group that compiles dossiers on students and academics it accuses of "anti-Semitism", claimed in two releases recently that it found dozens of problematic social media posts by current and former members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at UTK. Some of those posts incited or personally threatened violence, it has claimed. In response to the administration’s subsequent denials that the campus is infested with rampant anti-Semitism, Canary Mission and Jewish campus groups doubled down, demanding stronger denunciations of the “cesspool” created by the Muslim student groups. Canary Mission said that it found a “disturbing trend” of "anti-Semitic" behavior reflected in social media posts by SJP and MSA members, naming six in particular.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Pinchas Braver and Abraham Winkler, two Hasidic men involved in the 2013 unlawful imprisonment and vicious beating of Taj Patterson, a then-22-year-old gay black man, are now attempting to shirk their sentence

Braver and Winkler, who pled guilty to unlawful imprisonment in a plea bargain, were sentenced to only three years probation, a $1400 restitution payment and 150 hours of community service. As a condition of the plea bargain, the prosecutor recommended that their community service take place in a “culturally diverse neighborhood.” Instead, Braver and Winkler have told the court they want to do their community service at Chai Lifeline, an organization that exclusively serves the Jewish community. The beating, which took place in December of 2013, was particularly brutal. Five Hasidic men, some of whom were associated with the Shomrim “security patrol”, attacked Patterson as he was walking down a street in Williamsburg. They forced him to his knees, screaming anti-gay slurs, and threw him to the ground, where they stomped and kicked him until the driver of a B57 bus saw the attack and pulled over. The bus driver took pictures of the fresh wounds, which included a broken eye-socket and torn retina that left Patterson permanently blind in his right eye. The bus driver recalls Patterson writhing in pain, repeating “I can’t see…I can’t breathe.” Finally, he lost consciousness. In April 2014, police finally arrested Abraham Winkler, 39; Aharon Hollender, 28; Mayer Herskovic, 21; Joseph Fried, 25; and Pinchas Braver, 19, all of whom either were members of or had ties to the Williamsburg Shomrim. They were indicted on felony gang assault charges; the Brooklyn D.A. ultimately did not charge any of the five with hate crimes. Throughout the course of the investigation, two of the five — Hollender in 2014, and Fried in 2015 — had the charges against them dropped. In both cases, it was because a key witness decided not to testify. The remaining arrestees were offered a plea deal, and two of them took it. The deal leaves them with a much gentler fate than what they would face if they went to trial: up to 25 years in prison for their felony charges.

Kenyan hacked off wife's hands over his infertility

Domestic violence is a troubling issue in Kenya, and Jackline Mwende has recently become the very public face of it. The 27-year-old from Machakos, a village not far from Nairobi, says that her husband came at her in a rage with a machete and not only slashed her head and face, but also cut off her hands — all because their seven years together hadn't resulted in any children. Mwende says that her marriage to Stephen Ngila, who's said to be either 34 or 35, started out well but soon soured after they were unable to conceive. Those ill feelings only worsened when the couple visited a fertility clinic in 2014 and discovered that the reproductive problem rested with Ngila, not Mwende. It's then, Mwende says, that Ngila started drinking to excess and physically abusing her, yet local clergy encouraged her to "persevere" and stick by her husband. Ngila, arrested the day after the attack and in police custody until his trial on attempted murder charges, "threatened to shut [Mwende's] mouth for good" right before attacking her, her father said. Kenyan women in physically or sexually abusive relationships — 45% of those between the ages of 15 and 49, per Nairobi's Gender Violence Recovery Center — are often victims of impoverished lifestyles and an extreme traditional culture where everyone looks the other way if men get physical with their wives. Despite her ordeal, which has also left her deaf in one ear, Mwende is glad to be alive. "He thought he had killed me, but God is great," she said.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

A health expert has warned that he expects one in four people in Puerto Rico to be infected with the Zika virus before the end of 2016

The virus is thought to cause serious birth defects including shrunken heads in babies.

African Americans are five times more likely than whites to be incarcerated

And yet the Guardian seems to think it racist that so many businesses are reluctant to hire blacks.

Britain: Police too scared to stop vote rigging in Muslim areas, damning report finds

The study, headed by Eric Pickles, found that authorities are not doing enough to stamp out bullying and religious intimidation among South Asian authorities during the lead up to elections. The report has even called for a dramatic overhaul of the electoral system, warning that the integrity of democracy is at stake. The Electoral Commission also came under fire for making the situation worse by encouraging the use of foreign language, with Pickles saying that it leaves the door open to fraud. Pickles was chosen by David Cameron to head-up the electoral fraud commission following the voting scandal in Tower Hamlets, East London. Former mayor of Tower Hamlets Luftur Rahman was relieved of his position after he was found guilty of corrupt and illegal practises. The report found that police were unwilling to step in because of a supposed fear of claims of discrimination despite one voter being told that he would burn in hell if he voted for the wrong candidate. Pickles, a Government anti-corruption champion, said that police did not act on tip-offs as they were too concerned about being pro-active on some issues because of potential allegations of discrimination.

Friday, August 12, 2016

What are the 10 unfriendliest cities in the United States?

The 10 unfriendliest cities in the United States are Newark, New Jersey; Oakland, California; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; Hartford, Connecticut; New Haven, Connecticut; Dover, Delaware; Wilmington, Delaware; Los Angeles, California; and Baltimore, Maryland. Interestingly, many of these cities are known for their diversity and most are quite liberal.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

There are no successful black nations

Nigeria, the most populous black nation on Earth, is on the brink of collapse. The machineries that make a nation exist, let alone succeed, have all eroded. A culture of incompetence, endemic corruption, dignified ineptitude, and, chief among all, destructive selfishness and greed has played a major role in its unraveling. The same, sadly, can be said for most other African nations. States like Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea are farcical democracies ruled by men who exclusively cater to their interests and those of their clipped circles. Thus, it is no surprise that in the absence of any healthy black nation – in the midst of chaos, senseless wars, corrupted religiosity, violence, and economic collapse – African and Caribbean people leave home en masse. They beg on the streets of Greece, prostitute in the red-light zones of the Netherlands, and make up 40% of the migrants flocking to Europe. Be assured, the indignity will continue. Black activists across the world have adopted a culture of verbal tyranny in which they shut down any effort to reason or criticize blacks or black-majority nations by labeling such attempts as “racism” or “hate speech.” Thus, one can be certain that any suggestions that the black race may indeed need to do something to remedy their situation will not be aired — not by the terrified people of other races. And anyone within the black race who makes such a suggestion will be deemed weak and pandering or a sellout. Thus, no one will talk about the painful fact that most African and Caribbean nations have either failed or are about to collapse.

Black Lives Matter and Israel

A war of words has erupted between groups affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement and pro-Israel commentators over the characterization of Israel in their policy document released recently. The policy platform titled A Vision for Black Lives, is a wide-spanning document that was drafted by more than 50 organizations known as the Movement for Black Lives. It goes beyond criminal justice and touches on many issues including education and economics. In the Invest/Divest section of the platform, the group criticizes the US government for providing military aid to Israel. “The US justifies and advances the global war on terror via its alliance with Israel and is complicit in the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people,” the platform says. “Israel is an apartheid state with over 50 laws on the books that sanction discrimination against the Palestinian people.” This characterization drew ire from pro-Israel commentators, and in the time since its release many have penned op-eds and statements condemning the movement. On his personal Medium page, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt wrote that, while he agreed with the majority of the document, he called the treatment of Israel “one-sided” and “unfair”. “We categorically reject the document’s criticism of the United States and Israel,” he wrote. “It’s repellent and completely inaccurate to label Israel’s policy as ‘genocide’.” Other groups such as the T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and the Boston chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council expressed “dismay” over the platform. The JCRC said that it could no longer support Black Lives Matter while T’ruah said that it will “insist on standing up for the dignity and safety of both Israelis and Palestinians”. Dream Defenders, one of the groups that wrote the Invest/Divest section, wrote a rebuttal to some of the criticism in which they stood by the platform. Several other pro-Palestinian groups have also come out in support. The description of Israel as an apartheid state is particularly contentious. Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine country director for Human Rights Watch said that while apartheid does not have a specific legal definition, there are definitely laws that discriminate between Palestinians and Israelis in Israel. This is most prevalent in the West Bank. “The problem is that you have completely distinct systems of law that apply to Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Palestinian residents,” Bashi said. “Israeli settlers have a whole host of rights and privileges that Palestinian residents in the West Bank do not have.” Bashi said that, among other things, Palestinians are subject to military law in the West Bank while Israelis are subject to civil law, which is far more forgiving. The platform also drew criticism for its support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. It called for an end to anti-BDS legislation being passed in a number of states. “This type of legislation not only harms the movement to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine, but is a threat to the constitutional right to free speech and protest,” the platform said. BDS is a movement started in 2005 that was inspired by the boycott of South Africa for its apartheid policies. It calls for supporters to boycott Israel in various ways, this includes businesses, academics, artists and more. Activists also call on universities to divest stocks and funds from corporations that are involved in selling weapons or profiting from the conflict. The movement has gained traction on college campuses in the United States, leading to many critics to decry the organization as antisemitic, and linked to radical Islam. A campaign was started to outlaw BDS, with several legislators putting forth anti-BDS bills, with the backing of prominent lobbyist such as Sheldon Anderson. Anti-BDS legislation has now been passed in more than 20 states. Rabbi Dan Dorsch, of Atlanta, outlined his disapproval for the movement in a piece for Haaretz. “The mainstream Jewish community – not to mention the leaders of the Palestinian government – reject the BDS movement as harmful to progress, discriminatory and antisemitic,” Dorsch said. The rabbi added that claiming the oppression of black people in America is linked to the struggle of Palestinians is “unquestionably shortsighted and will only undermine the credibility of the movement and the important cause of civil rights in America”.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

According to a report published by the Institute for Policy Studies, the wealth gap between white and black Americans is $571,000

In other words, it would take a typical black family 228 years to amass $656,000 - the average net worth of a white family in 2013. That's nearly three lifetimes. For Latino families, the gap is slightly smaller at 85 years.

Polygamy must become a civil right in Italy similar to same-sex civil unions, which the country allowed earlier in 2016, a prominent Muslim representative has said

“There’s no reason for Italy not to accept polygamous marriages of consenting persons,” Hamza Piccardo, founder of the Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations (UCOII), wrote in a controversial Facebook post. “When it comes to civil rights here, then polygamy is a civil right. Muslims don’t agree with homosexual partnership and still they have to accept a system that allows it,” he stressed.

Orlando gunman's dad spotted at Clinton rally - he says that Trump has no solutions

The mustachioed man in a red ball cap standing behind Hillary Clinton at a recent rally in Florida might have seemed ordinary, but his appearance is getting quite a lot of attention. That's because the man, Seddique Mateen, is the father of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen. The elder Mateen, who once praised the Afghan Taliban on his own TV show, says that he attended the rally in Kissimmee as a member of the Democratic Party and feels that "Hillary Clinton is good for the United States versus Donald Trump, who has no solutions."

Sunday, August 7, 2016

South Africa’s white minority has been warned that they face an “uprising” if they fail to make urgent economic reforms, ruling black politicians have said

South Africa is on a knife edge with 13 politicians murdered recently and the national broadcaster refusing to show images of violence fearing it will incite more attacks. One radical party has called for a Zimbabwe-style land grab of the estimated 80% white-owned land. There are also fears among the 1.6 million British community who have emigrated to South Africa for cheap living that they could be forced home. Following heavy defeats in the recent municipal elections politicians from the ruling African National Congress have spoken out against what they call “economic apartheid.” They are threatening to nationalize the mines and other radical reforms to win back the black vote. The ANC, which under Nelson Mandela was responsible for winning black people the vote and ending apartheid, have dominated elections since 1994.

Gays are destroying the Catholic Church in Ireland

Niall O'Dowd looks at the gay crisis plaguing the Irish Catholic Church in their main seminary at Maynooth:
There is evidence of gay dating sites being widely used, of cover ups reaching the higher echelons, of straight novices being shunned if they report any such incidents, of a heterosexual student fired when he reported two seminarians having sex in bed – the list goes on and on. There has been a gay culture predominant in Maynooth seminary for decades according to experts who know. Now Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has called it into the open. He stated about Maynooth seminary that there is an atmosphere of strange goings-on there. “It seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around. I don’t think this is a good place for students,” Archbishop Martin said. As a result Martin has pulled his Dublin archdiocese seminarians out and sent them to the Irish College in Rome to continue their clerical studies.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

A machete-wielding man shouting "Allahu Akbar" was shot and killed after wounding two police officers in the Belgian city of Charleroi

The assault occurred outside a police station in the center of Charleroi, which is about 30 miles south of Brussels. The armed man penetrated a secure zone and wounded the officers, who suffered deep cuts around their faces. One officer was transported to a hospital, the other was less seriously wounded. The attacker was shot by a third officer on the scene and died later at a hospital. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, said that he was closely monitoring the situation: "I condemn strongly the attack in Charleroi. My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and police officers." A security perimeter was set up around boulevard Pierre Mayence. The Belgian capital has been on high alert after terror attacks killed 31 people in March 2016. Two bombs exploded at the Brussels Airport, and a third went off at a metro station. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings, which also wounded 300 people.

A new study has found significant associations between certain genes and depression – the first time such an association has been reported in individuals of European descent

“We’ve seen previous findings from this type of approach in an Asian population, but not in a European one,” said Ashley Winslow, a geneticist with the University of Pennsylvania and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The researchers compared whole genomes of individuals who had either reported a previous clinical diagnosis of depression or were currently under treatment for it, with those of individuals with no history of depressive disorders. The analysis revealed the existence of 15 regions in the genome that were altered in individuals reporting depression. The alterations were found in genes known to participate in the normal functioning of the nervous system or in its development. Some of these genes had previously been associated with other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, but never with depression. The study obtained the samples from customers of the genomic company 23andMe. Previous studies of this nature used samples from patients with a clinical confirmation of diagnosis, but in this case the individuals self-reported their links with depression, said Dr Winslow. This allowed them to collect a lot more samples. But too ensure that the results were valid, they only analysed samples from individuals reporting having been diagnosed with depression or being under treatment for it. For further confirmation, the results were tested in other clinically collected samples, with similar results.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Morocco's Hassan Saada was set to square off in the boxing ring against a Turkish competitor at the Olympics, but instead he'll be in a Rio jail

The 22-year-old athlete was arrested at the Olympic Village on charges that he sexually assaulted two maids (some reports have them listed as waitresses). The chief investigator in the case told reporters the women filed a report that he restrained and fondled them after asking them to come to his room. Saada is accused of shoving one woman against the wall and trying to kiss her; he's alleged to have groped the breast of the second woman and made obscene hand gestures. Police say that he lured them over by asking them to pose for a picture with him. Brazilian law allows a suspect to be held "for a long period" during a crime investigation.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

The American Bar Association is considering a new bar-passage standard that some law school deans believe contradicts an existing clause on diversity and inclusion

The ABA will make a final decision in February 2017 on Standard 316, which requires all law schools “to prove that at least 75 percent of students in each class have passed a bar examination within two years of graduation.” Opponents of the proposed policy, however, argue that it conflicts with Standard 206, which states that accredited law schools must “demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion.” The Deans of several historically black law schools claim that the 75% bar passage standard threatens their very existence because “minority law graduates, whether at predominantly white law schools or [historically black colleges and universities], tend to have a lower bar passage rate than their white counterparts.” As such, they say, the new standard effectively punishes HBCUs, which have a higher concentration of minority students.

Add another problem to the catastrophe gripping Venezuela: women opting to sterilize themselves rather than bring a new life into the chaos

No government statistics on sterilization are available, but a social worker says that she sees up to five women a day who seek to undergo a tubal ligation. One health program's 40-slot "sterilization days" historically wasn't at capacity; now the waiting list is 500-strong. The skyrocketing cost of hard-to-find contraceptives is at the root. In a March 2016 report on the country's severe food shortages, it is explained that there are "two prices for everything" in the country: the government price (which requires hours of waiting in line, and no guarantee it'll be in stock) and the black market price, which is often 10 times higher. Contraceptives started getting tough to find in December 2014. A reporter went to a dozen pharmacies and found no condoms; women say that birth control pills are similarly absent, even on the black market. When a pharmacy has a 3-pack of condoms in stock, it costs roughly 600 bolivars; the current monthly minimum wage (a combination of money and a food ticket) is about 33,000 bolivars. For ordinary Venezuelans, those prices are out of reach, and with abortion illegal except to save a mother's life, there are few options. A 38-year-old mother says that a pregnancy announcement used to be joyous news. "Now when a woman says 'I'm pregnant', everyone scolds you. It makes me sad for young women."

In a retrospective study analysing patients' medical records, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital found that patients' race significantly affected their longevity by increasing the likelihood of death after receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)

ADT was used to reduce the size of the prostate to make a patient eligible for prostate brachytherapy. Konstantin Kovtun, MD, a resident at BWH, Anthony D'Amico, MD, PhD, chief of Genitourinary Radiation Oncology at BWH, and colleagues, analyzed the medical records of over 7000 men from the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center who had low or favorable-intermediate risk prostate cancer, 20% of whom were treated with ADT in order to reduce the size of their prostate gland to make them eligible for brachytherapy. They found that African-American men who were treated with ADT had a 77% higher risk of death when compared to non-African American men, the causes of which were not due to prostate cancer. "When African-American men were exposed to an average of only four months of hormone therapy, primarily used to make the prostate small enough for brachytherapy, they suffered from higher mortality rates due to causes other than prostate cancer than non-African American men," Kovtun explained. "This leads us to believe that there may be something intrinsic to the biology of African-American men that predisposes them to this increased risk of death and that this deserves further study." ADT is an antihormone treatment that lowers a man's testosterone level, and been used to reduce the size of the prostate and in turn make the subsequent brachytherapy treatment possible. This team of BWH researchers is the first to observe the negative effects of ADT in the context of racial differences, specifically comparing African-American men to non-African American men after adjusting for age, comorbidities such as heart disease and established prostate cancer prognostic factors.

Black woman becomes first female most wanted gangster

The newest most-wanted gangster in Houston is a black woman who stands barely five feet tall. Tangelyn Cavitt is the first woman named as Houston's most-wanted gang fugitive as part of a law enforcement effort that began four years ago to spotlight dozens of suspected criminals. Cavitt, 27, is a member of the 52 Hoover Crips. She will be featured on stophoustongangs.org, a website coordinated by local, state and federal agencies. Her face will be plastered on the web as well as on digital billboards surrounding Houston as part of an appeal to the public to share her whereabouts via tips, which can be anonymous and yield rewards. Cavitt is wanted for aggravated assault. Court papers on file at the Harris County District Clerk's office contend that Cavitt attacked her mother in late July 2016 over a custody dispute after showing up uninvited to a family function in Houston. Cavitt is accused of not only hitting her mother in the face, but of grabbing two kitchen knives and charging at her while yelling that she was going to kill her. "While she may be the first female we're featuring on the Stop Houston Gangs fugitive list, unfortunately, it is not uncommon for women or young girls to associate with gangs or become involved in criminal gang activity," said Special Agent Shauna Dunlap, of the FBI Houston Division. The gang is known for using blue or blue and orange belts and bandanas, according to law enforcement. It also uses the Roman numerals V and II as well as a six-point star, a three-point crown and a pitch fork pointing up. So far, 79 persons named to the Houston's Top Ten Most Wanted Gang Fugitives List have been captured.

An American woman was killed and five other people injured in a stabbing attack in London’s Russell Square by a Somali man who was arrested after the incident, authorities said

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that the woman who died was a 60-year-old American, and the five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian. Two remain in a hospital, while three others have been discharged. The suspect migrated to the United Kingdom in 2002 at about five years old. Police put more officers on London streets after the incident, which came just days after authorities had warned the public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics — a third of all murders. In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaida-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January 2016, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it "for Syria." The Russell Square incident came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets. The idea was to sustain public confidence following attacks by Islamic State-inspired groups in Europe.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Police arrest 900 Syrians in England and Wales for crimes including rape and child abuse

Shocking police figures released for England and Wales have shown that nearly 900 Syrians have been arrested in just one year. And officials say that the migrants were accused of sickening crimes including rape and child abuse. Now critics are concerned that the thousands of Syrians entering Britain each year under resettlement schemes are being allowed to enter the country unchecked. Among those arrested are four Syrian immigrants have been charged after two 14-year-old girls were sexually assaulted - just yards from Newcastle United's stadium. The British Government is working to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees in Britain by the end of the Parliament in 2020, under its Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement scheme. Official statistics show that 1,602 people had been resettled in Britain under the scheme by the end of March 2016. According to Parliamentary research paper it is possible for Syrians to claim asylum upon arrival or after-entry to Britain.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Black people are more likely to die from the most deadly type of skin cancer, scientists claim

Although white people have a higher chance of developing skin cancer, patients with dark skin are less likely to survive. Patients of African-American descent were more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma once it had spread - making it harder to treat, researchers found. But experts said that this didn't explain their findings, as they also had the worst survival rates for every stage of the disease. Melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - can appear anywhere on the body. It often spreads to other organs in the body, making it more deadly. Researchers studied nearly 97,000 patients diagnosed with melanoma between 1992 and 2009. Although white people had the highest incidence rates, they also had the best survival rates. Hispanic patients were second most likely to survive the deadly disease, followed by Asian Americans, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Britain: A drunk black woman went on a furious rampage through a convenience store where she threw stock on the ground and racially abused staff

The suspect, described by police as a large black woman in her twenties, became angry when shop workers at the Fresh Go in Bethnal Green, east London, said that she was too drunk too be served. CCTV footage of the incident saw the woman launching a tirade at the Asian staff members. After swearing and shouting racial abuse, the woman blocked the door preventing customers entering and leaving the store and demanded to be served spirits. When staff still to refused her booze, she continued to verbally abuse the employees and threw stock at them as they were taking a delivery, wrecking the carefully-stacked pallets before walking off.

A case in Afghanistan has pitted a religious figure against the outraged parents of a 6-year-old girl, underscoring the ongoing problems surrounding child marriages there

Sayed Mohammad Karim, a mullah in the Ghor province said to be in his 50s, has been arrested and charged with stealing the young girl away and marrying her — allegations he denies. "The girl was given to me as a gift and we were married so I could raise her," says Karim, who notes the girl's parents attended their wedding ceremony. But that's not what the parents are saying, per the deputy police commander of Ghor. "We spoke to her parents and they strongly deny they attended the wedding," he says. "[They] told me their daughter was kidnapped." Complicating things are the sticky rules governing child marriage in Afghanistan: The country's civil law says a girl has to be 16 to be legally married, but citizens may also follow Sharia law, which has been interpreted to allow children to be wed. These early marriages can pose dangerous health hazards for young girls: Human Rights Watch — which cites a 2010 mortality survey that says 53% of Afghan women ages 25 to 49 were wed by the age of 18 — notes that early marriage means early pregnancies, which can cause injury and even death if their bodies aren't ready for childbirth or if they're in rural areas with sub-par medical care. But such "gifts" are common in the country's remotest regions — not only girls, but also cash, property, and livestock — to curry favor with local religious leaders. Perhaps the only bright spot in this story: Karim insists that he didn't have sexual intercourse with the little girl, which a local doctor says appears to be true. But despite the doctor's assertion that the "examination showed that the girl had endured no physical or psychological harm," the head of the Ghor women's affairs department says: "This girl does not speak, but only repeats one thing: 'I am afraid of this man.'"

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef says that according to Jewish law some non-Jews should be forbidden to live in Israel

“According to Jewish law, it’s forbidden for a non-Jew to live in the Land of Israel – unless he has accepted the seven Noahide laws,” Rabbi Yosef said. Non-Jews who fail to live by the seven Noahide laws should be expelled to Saudi Arabia, he added. If a non-Jew stays in Israel, he has to serve the Jews, the Rabbi said. “Who will be the servers? Who will be our assistants? Therefore, we leave them here in the land,” he said.