Keeping Our Human Edge In A Machine-Dominated World – Forbes Middle East

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Annet Aris

Am I alone in thinking that it is a shame we can fix fewer things by ourselves these days? Personally, I always drew great satisfaction from fixing a broken piece of equipment. I enjoyed opening it against the manufacturers warnings to discover how it actually worked, and then fix it using superglue or a paperclip.

We are increasingly denied this feeling of being in control. It started with simple, loose parts being replaced by horrendously expensive integrated parts. The shift from mechanical to mostly-machine and electronic parts was even more drastic. Now car engines are largely computer-controlled and a spanner often does more harm than good.

Technology has become a sort of black box opaque, unknowable whilst being ever-present.

As computers control more and more everyday objects, our own inventiveness is increasingly being replaced by electronic intelligence.

In mathematics, the abacus and a sliding rule were first supplanted by the calculator (I still have one), then by the PC, and now by our telephones. Our paper maps first gave way to GPS navigation devices, now our phones (again) and, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, self-driving cars.

Even in our personal lives artificial intelligence is taking over.

Recent research by David Stillwell (Cambridge) and Michal Kosinski (Stanford) shows that Facebook is better able to describe someones personality (based on his or her likes) than even the persons best friends.

The shift to artificial intelligence is thus undeniably underway. Within this shift, there are two possible outcomes, as described in Walter Isaacsons book The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution.

One scenario describes machines that will become more intelligent than people. Consider IBMs supercomputers Deep Blue and Watson, which respectively beat the top players at chess and the American gameshow Jeopardy!

Augmentation instead of automation

The other possibility is for artificial intelligence to be more like an extension of our brains, making them more agile and effective, just as cars make us more mobile than our legs, and pistols, deadlier than our fists.

Beyond ethical questions surrounding automation and AI, we must ask ourselves: What will the added value of people be in the future? What will we still do ourselves and what will we delegate to machines based on them being quicker, more logical and increasingly objective?

Rationally, it might be hard for us to win a place in a world of machines.

An interesting question is what role our irrational side will play in the future: Is it simply a useless remnant of prehistoric times, or rather something which will determine our unique value?

Humans make many illogical decisions every day. For example, we pick a job that the job test advises us not to take. We fall in love with the wrong person. We put our own interests aside to help others and gain nothing from it.

These irrational decisions can, of course, cause us a great deal of trouble, but oftentimes they also lead to unforeseen progress and add color to our existence.

The more brilliant machines become, the more we humans should allow ourselves to become playful and experimental. In this sense, both possible futures seen by Isaacson are incorrect.

Intelligent machines may (in the broadest sense) replace us or enable us to perform tasks more effectively. Instead of being characterized by an increasing dependency on computers, the role of humans will be to critically review the insights of the algorithms and sometimes wholeheartedly ignore them.

We will still need to reach for the screwdriver and, against the intention of the manufacturer, open things up and discover what lies within.

Annet Aris is an Adjunct Professor of Strategy at INSEAD business school. She was named one of the 50 most inspirational women in the European technology sector for 2016.

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Keeping Our Human Edge In A Machine-Dominated World - Forbes Middle East

Its time to decide how quantum computing will help your …

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If you're not ready to start using quantum computing in your enterprise, you should at least be planning how to do so.

Researchers say companies may be less than five to 10 years away from turning to quantum computing to solve big business problems.

David Schatsky, managing director, Deloitte LLP

"Quantum computing has the potential to not just do things faster but to allow companies to do things entirely differently," said David Schatsky, managing director of Deloitte LLP, a global consulting and financial advisory company. "If they have certain analytical workloads that could take them weeks to run and they could do it almost instantaneously, how would that change the way they make decisions, or the risks they're willing to take or what products and services they can offer customers?"

That means corporate execs and IT heads should be thinking now about the strategic and operational implications of having quantum computers in their tech toolbox.

There is much buzz around quantum computers because they are expected to surpass even the most powerful classic supercomputers in certain calculations -- especially handling problems that involve sifting through massive amounts of data. Quantum computers, for example, might be able to find distant habitable planets, the cure for cancer and Alzheimer's disease or revamp complex airline flight schedules.

Quantum machines offer a different kind of computing power because instead of relying on ones and zeros - or bits - they use qubits, which can be both ones and zeros.

One of the rules of quantum mechanics is that a quantum system can be in more than one state at the same time, meaning it's not known what a qubit is until it begins to interact with -- or entangle -- other qubits. Unlike classic computers that operate in a linear or orderly fashion, quantum computers gain their power from qubits working with each other, allowing them to calculate all possibilities at the same time, instead of one by one.

"It's an incredibly promising new paradigm in computing," said William Martin, a math professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. "We have examples of things a quantum computer can do that we don't know how to do with a normal computer. It's going to be a game-changing phenomenon, if we can actually build it."

WPI professor William Martin

In a report released late last month, Deloitte noted that quantum computing is close to realizing its promise and having an enormous impact on fields from healthcare to pharmaceuticals, space exploration and manufacturing. As researchers continue work on building powerful, fully functional quantum machines, interest is growing.

The field has attracted $147 million in venture capital in the last three years and $2.2 billion in government funding globally, according to Deloitte.

A little over a year ago, the European Commission announced a $1.13 billion project to develop quantum technologies over the next decade. And the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced last month that it is working to build a quantum computer in the next several years.

The U.S. is considered to be a major investor in quantum computing research, as well as home to quantum-focused companies like IBM, Google and Microsoft. . Google, for instance, is working on quantum processes it can make available to companies over the cloud, while Microsoft said last fall it was ready to go from "research to engineering with its quantum work."

There also are quantum computing startups like Rigetti Computing, 1Qbit, and Cambridge Quantum Computing, that are getting a lot of attention.

They're not all building a large quantum computer. Some are working on software, while others focus on hardware components or quantum-resistant cryptography.

One company now building what its executives say is the first quantum computer is D-Wave Systems, based in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Although many question whether it's a true quantum computer, D-Wave's system is still being tested by the likes of NASA, Google, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lockheed Martin. That level of interest in testing the D-Wave system - whether it's a true quantum computer or not -- shows how high expectations have gotten around this technology.

Rupak Biswas, director of exploration technology at NASA Ames Research Center, said he oversees 700 employees -- 10 to 12 of whom are now working on quantum computing. Those efforts include testing the D-Wave system.

About $3 million of the agency's research-and-development budget goes to quantum computing.

While NASA is not yet trying to solve real problems - like massive air traffic management issues or scheduling astronaut time on the International Space Station - scientists there are working to figure out the best way to use a quantum computer and understand the underlying physics, as well as the programming that will be needed for it.

Even if the D-Wave system is better at computational-heavy calculations, it's not big enough to handle real problems for NASA. Something that large could be five to 10 years away, Biswas said.

In addition to testing the D-Wave system, NASA is also working with U.C. Berkeley, Google, U.C. Santa Barbara, Rigetti Computing, and Sandia National Labs - all of which are doing quantum research.

"Our focus is how do we use available technology to accelerate our main mission," said Biswas. "Quantum computing is an enabling technology. We're looking now at what it will let us do."

That plan follows the advice Deloitte's Schatsky is giving to large enterprises.

"I'd expect to see some meaningful commercial use in the next 10 years," said Schatsky. "We're not saying that companies will be buying quantum computers in the next 'n' years, but this is a real phenomenon that is progressing rapidly.... Companies should pay attention and should start to think about the strategic and operational implications of having this.

"I don't think it's worth a huge amount of time in the C-suite, but if [a company] is innovative and forward looking, they should be tracking this phenomenon, and if they have an R&D budget, they should allocate a slice of it to this domain," said Schatsky, noting that some banks have invested a few million dollars in quantum R&D. "I think interest is going to grow."

Dario Gil, vice president of Science and Solutions at IBM Research, has been working on quantum computing there for the last five years, though the company itself has been researching it since the 1970s.

A year ago, IBM announced it not only had a 5-qubit processor but was making it available to customers in the cloud.

According to Gil, IBM has had about 45,000 universities and companies running more than 300,000 experiments on the cloud-based quantum system. Those efforts are not designed to solve production problems but to learn how to work with a quantum machine.

"I absolutely agree that now is the right time to start thinking about quantum," said Gil. "Companies already are and they are engaging very seriously on this topic. I think quantum, for any serious company that relies on computing for their business, can't just be something that is out there on the horizon. At least one person in your organization should be thinking about what is this and what does it mean for this organization?"

He added that IBM is focused on trying to make quantum machines that can be, or routinely are, used on real-world problems in the enterprise within the next three to five years.

"We're already in that window of quantum emerging as a technology that has commercial value," said Gil. "If you were thinking about the web in the early 1990s or mobile in the early 2000s, this is analogous. Nobody would look back and say, 'I wish I had slowed down in my thinking about those technolgies. You have to start understanding about what it is and what it can do."

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What Is Quantum Mechanics? – livescience.com

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Quantum mechanics is the body of scientific laws that describe the wacky behavior of photons, electrons and the other particles that make up the universe.

Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics relating to the very small.

It results in what may appear to be some very strange conclusions about the physical world. At the scale of atoms and electrons, many of the equations ofclassical mechanics, which describe how things move at everyday sizes and speeds, cease to be useful. In classical mechanics, objects exist in a specific place at a specific time. However, in quantum mechanics, objects instead exist in a haze of probability; they have a certain chance of being at point A, another chance of being at point B and so on.

Quantum mechanics (QM) developed over many decades, beginning as a set of controversial mathematical explanations of experiments that the math of classical mechanics could not explain. It began at the turn of the 20th century, around the same time that Albert Einstein published histheory of relativity, a separate mathematical revolution in physics that describes the motion of things at high speeds. Unlike relativity, however, the origins of QM cannot be attributed to any one scientist. Rather, multiple scientists contributed to a foundation of three revolutionary principles that gradually gained acceptance and experimental verification between 1900 and 1930. They are:

Quantized properties: Certain properties, such as position, speed and color, can sometimes only occur in specific, set amounts, much like a dial that "clicks" from number to number. This challenged a fundamental assumption of classical mechanics, which said that such properties should exist on a smooth, continuous spectrum. To describe the idea that some properties "clicked" like a dial with specific settings, scientists coined the word "quantized."

Particles of light: Light can sometimes behave as a particle. This was initially met with harsh criticism, as it ran contrary to 200 years of experiments showing that light behaved as a wave; much like ripples on the surface of a calm lake. Light behaves similarly in that it bounces off walls and bends around corners, and that the crests and troughs of the wave can add up or cancel out. Added wave crests result in brighter light, while waves that cancel out produce darkness. A light source can be thought of as a ball on a stick beingrhythmically dipped in the center of a lake. The color emitted corresponds to the distance between the crests, which is determined by the speed of the ball's rhythm.

Waves of matter: Matter can also behave as a wave. This ran counter to the roughly 30 years of experiments showing that matter (such as electrons) exists as particles.

In 1900, German physicist Max Planck sought to explain the distribution of colors emitted over the spectrum in the glow of red-hot and white-hot objects, such as light-bulb filaments. When making physical sense of the equation he had derived to describe this distribution, Planck realized it implied that combinations of only certaincolors(albeit a great number of them) were emitted, specifically those that were whole-number multiples of some base value. Somehow, colors were quantized! This was unexpected because light was understood to act as a wave, meaning that values of color should be a continuous spectrum. What could be forbiddingatomsfrom producing the colors between these whole-number multiples? This seemed so strange that Planck regarded quantization as nothing more than a mathematical trick. According to Helge Kragh in his 2000 article in Physics World magazine, "Max Planck, the Reluctant Revolutionary," "If a revolution occurred in physics in December 1900, nobody seemed to notice it. Planck was no exception "

Planck's equation also contained a number that would later become very important to future development of QM; today, it's known as "Planck's Constant."

Quantization helped to explain other mysteries of physics. In 1907, Einstein used Planck's hypothesis of quantization to explain why the temperature of a solid changed by different amounts if you put the same amount of heat into the material but changed the starting temperature.

Since the early 1800s, the science ofspectroscopyhad shown that different elements emit and absorb specific colors of light called "spectral lines." Though spectroscopy was a reliable method for determining the elements contained in objects such as distant stars, scientists were puzzled aboutwhyeach element gave off those specific lines in the first place. In 1888, Johannes Rydberg derived an equation that described the spectral lines emitted by hydrogen, though nobody could explain why the equation worked. This changed in 1913 whenNiels Bohrapplied Planck's hypothesis of quantization to Ernest Rutherford's 1911 "planetary" model of the atom, which postulated that electrons orbited the nucleus the same way that planets orbit the sun. According toPhysics 2000(a site from the University of Colorado), Bohr proposed that electrons were restricted to "special" orbits around an atom's nucleus. They could "jump" between special orbits, and the energy produced by the jump caused specific colors of light, observed as spectral lines. Though quantized properties were invented as but a mere mathematical trick, they explained so much that they became the founding principle of QM.

In 1905, Einstein published a paper, "Concerning an Heuristic Point of View Toward the Emission and Transformation of Light," in which he envisioned light traveling not as a wave, but as some manner of "energy quanta." This packet of energy, Einstein suggested, could "be absorbed or generated only as a whole," specifically when an atom "jumps" between quantized vibration rates. This would also apply, as would be shown a few years later, when an electron "jumps" between quantized orbits. Under this model, Einstein's "energy quanta" contained the energy difference of the jump; when divided by Plancks constant, that energy difference determined the color of light carried by those quanta.

With this new way to envision light, Einstein offered insights into the behavior of nine different phenomena, including the specific colors that Planck described being emitted from a light-bulb filament. It also explained how certain colors of light could eject electrons off metal surfaces, a phenomenon known as the "photoelectric effect." However, Einstein wasn't wholly justified in taking this leap, said Stephen Klassen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Winnipeg. In a 2008 paper, "The Photoelectric Effect: Rehabilitating the Story for the Physics Classroom," Klassen states that Einstein's energy quanta aren't necessary for explaining all of those nine phenomena. Certain mathematical treatments of light as a wave are still capable of describing both the specific colors that Planck described being emitted from a light-bulb filament and the photoelectric effect. Indeed, in Einstein's controversial winning of the 1921Nobel Prize, the Nobel committee only acknowledged "his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect," which specifically did not rely on the notion of energy quanta.

Roughly two decades after Einstein's paper, the term "photon" was popularized for describing energy quanta, thanks to the 1923 work of Arthur Compton, who showed that light scattered by an electron beam changed in color. This showed that particles of light (photons) were indeed colliding with particles of matter (electrons), thus confirming Einstein's hypothesis. By now, it was clear that light could behave both as a wave and a particle, placing light's "wave-particle duality" into the foundation of QM.

Since the discovery of the electron in 1896, evidence that all matter existed in the form of particles was slowly building. Still, the demonstration of light's wave-particle duality made scientists question whether matter was limited to actingonlyas particles. Perhaps wave-particle duality could ring true for matter as well? The first scientist to make substantial headway with this reasoning was a French physicist named Louis de Broglie. In 1924, de Broglie used the equations of Einstein'stheory of special relativityto show that particles can exhibit wave-like characteristics, and that waves can exhibit particle-like characteristics. Then in 1925, two scientists, working independently and using separate lines of mathematical thinking, applied de Broglie's reasoning to explain how electrons whizzed around in atoms (a phenomenon that was unexplainable using the equations ofclassical mechanics). In Germany, physicist Werner Heisenberg (teaming with Max Born and Pascual Jordan) accomplished this by developing "matrix mechanics." Austrian physicist ErwinSchrdingerdeveloped a similar theory called "wave mechanics." Schrdinger showed in 1926 that these two approaches were equivalent (though Swiss physicist Wolfgang Pauli sent anunpublished resultto Jordan showing that matrix mechanics was more complete).

The Heisenberg-Schrdinger model of the atom, in which each electron acts as a wave (sometimes referred to as a "cloud") around the nucleus of an atom replaced the Rutherford-Bohr model. One stipulation of the new model was that the ends of the wave that forms an electron must meet. In "Quantum Mechanics in Chemistry, 3rd Ed." (W.A. Benjamin, 1981), Melvin Hanna writes, "The imposition of the boundary conditions has restricted the energy to discrete values." A consequence of this stipulation is that only whole numbers of crests and troughs are allowed, which explains why some properties are quantized. In the Heisenberg-Schrdinger model of the atom, electrons obey a "wave function" and occupy "orbitals" rather than orbits. Unlike the circular orbits of the Rutherford-Bohr model, atomic orbitals have a variety of shapes ranging from spheres to dumbbells to daisies.

In 1927, Walter Heitler and Fritz London further developed wave mechanics to show how atomic orbitals could combine to form molecular orbitals, effectively showing why atoms bond to one another to formmolecules. This was yet another problem that had been unsolvable using the math of classical mechanics. These insights gave rise to the field of "quantum chemistry."

Also in 1927, Heisenberg made another major contribution to quantum physics. He reasoned that since matter acts as waves, some properties, such as an electron's position and speed, are "complementary," meaning there's a limit (related to Planck's constant) to how well the precision of each property can be known. Under what would come to be called "Heisenberg'suncertainty principle," it was reasoned that the more precisely an electron's position is known, the less precisely its speed can be known, and vice versa. This uncertainty principle applies to everyday-size objects as well, but is not noticeable because the lack of precision is extraordinarily tiny. According to Dave Slaven of Morningside College (Sioux City, IA), if a baseball's speed is known to within aprecision of 0.1 mph, the maximum precision to which it is possible to know the ball's position is 0.000000000000000000000000000008 millimeters.

The principles of quantization, wave-particle duality and the uncertainty principle ushered in a new era for QM. In 1927, Paul Dirac applied a quantum understanding of electric and magnetic fields to give rise to the study of "quantum field theory" (QFT), which treated particles (such as photons and electrons) as excited states of an underlying physical field. Work in QFT continued for a decade until scientists hit a roadblock: Many equations in QFT stopped making physical sense because they produced results of infinity. After a decade of stagnation, Hans Bethe made a breakthrough in 1947 using a technique called "renormalization." Here, Bethe realized that all infinite results related to two phenomena (specifically "electron self-energy" and "vacuum polarization") such that the observed values of electron mass and electron charge could be used to make all the infinities disappear.

Since the breakthrough of renormalization, QFT has served as the foundation for developing quantum theories about the four fundamental forces of nature: 1) electromagnetism, 2) the weak nuclear force, 3) the strong nuclear force and 4) gravity. The first insight provided by QFT was a quantum description of electromagnetism through "quantum electrodynamics" (QED), which made strides in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Next was a quantum description of the weak nuclear force, which was unified with electromagnetism to build "electroweak theory" (EWT) throughout the 1960s. Finally came a quantum treatment of the strong nuclear force using "quantum chromodynamics" (QCD) in the 1960s and 1970s. The theories of QED, EWT and QCD together form the basis of theStandard Modelof particle physics. Unfortunately, QFT has yet to produce a quantum theory of gravity. That quest continues today in the studies of string theory and loop quantum gravity.

Robert Coolman is a graduate researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, finishing up his Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He writes about math, science and how they interact with history. Follow Robert@PrimeViridian. Followus@LiveScience,Facebook&Google+.

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A quantum step to a great wall for encryption – The Hindu

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The Hindu
A quantum step to a great wall for encryption
The Hindu
Quantum mechanics (QM) is the dark arts of physics. Though physics in the Newtonian mould tells us how every object will precisely behave when pushed and hurled, QM deals with the invisible world of subatomic particles, where counter-intuitive ...
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A quantum step to a great wall for encryption - The Hindu

Barack Obama’s Father’s Day Message Was A Little Different From Donald Trump’s – Newsweek

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Barack Obama has taken to Twitter to share a heartfelt Fathers Day message to his two daughters.

The Democrat former president wrote on social media on Sunday: Of all that I've done in my life, I'm most proud to be Sasha and Malia's dad. To all those lucky enough to be a dad, Happy Father's Day!

Along with the Fathers Day wishes, Obama also posted a picture of his daughters and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her own message to her husband.

The Democrat has previously spoken of his admiration forSasha and Malia, who grew up in the spotlight, having turned 16and 18respectively while their father was in the White House.

In his final press conference as president, Obama says in comments carried by Today: "Every parent brags on their daughters or their sons, but man, my daughters are something. And they just surprise and enchant and impress me more and more every single day.

His social media message differed somewhat from that of his predecessor President Donald Trump, who used social media to celebrate his approval rating going up and complain that he was the victim of a witch-hunt.

The new Rasmussen Poll, one of the most accurate in the 2016 Election, just out with a Trump 50% Approval Rating. That's higher than O's #'s!, he wrote on Sunday morning.

And in an earlier tweet, the president had said: The MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN agenda is doing very well despite the distraction of the Witch Hunt. Many new jobs, high business enthusiasm.

However, Trumps children did remember to send their president father well-wishes, with Eric sharing a picture of the whole family and Donald Jr. writing: Happy Father's Day dad. Thanks for everything you've taught us and for fighting everyday to #maga. We love you. #fathersday.

Trump Jr. also shared a message from his father written in 2013, in which the Republican had said: Happy Father's Day to all, even the haters and losers!

However Trumps daughter Ivanka shared a Fathers Day message to her husband Jared, the father of her three children, but failed to mention the president.

She wrote: Happy Father's Day! Thank you, Jared, for loving, encouraging and teaching our kids (and me!) everyday. We love you very much! #fathersday.

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Barack Obama's Father's Day Message Was A Little Different From Donald Trump's - Newsweek

Business Is Good For President Donald Trump — Mostly – Forbes

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Business Is Good For President Donald Trump -- Mostly
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President Donald Trump's expansive business empire brought in nearly $600 million in revenue since January 2016, according to a financial disclosure report released late Friday. The documents, which Trump was required to file with the Office of ...
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Business Is Good For President Donald Trump -- Mostly - Forbes

Teacher Took ‘Sassy’ Picture With Donald Trump To Highlight Gay Pride Because Trump Won’t – Newsweek

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Rhode Islands teacher of the year saw his face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump go viral after taking a sassy picture with the president.

Nikos Giannopoulos, 29, visited the White House after being named the states teacher of the year, and whipped out a lace fan to strike a pose during his photo opportunity.

Despite the president failing to acknowledge June as Pride month in the United States, and picking a vice-president with a dubious record on LGBTQ rights, Giannopoulos managed to make his picture with Trump as gay friendly as possible.

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The teacher of the year sported a rainbow pin during his visit, which he said was intended to represent my gratitude for the LGBTQ community, and paired it with a gold necklace and the fan, which he said was to celebrate the joy and freedom of gender nonconformity, in a post on his Facebook page.

Asked how Trump reacted to the fan, Giannopoulos told NPR: Oh, he loved it!

He added: I popped it open when I walked into the office because Im a very sassy person. And Trump complimented it right away. He said, I love the fan! And he told me I had great style. Then, when I was ushered in for my private photo with the president and Melania, I was told I should put it away. So I just folded it up and held it at my side. But when it came time for the photo, I just asked the president, Do you mind if I use the fan for the photo? He said, Absolutely go for it. So I popped my fan and did my pose.

Its not often that a citizen manages to steal the limelight from the president in a single photo, but Giannopoulos picture proves its possibleand has been widely shared on the internet.

Explaining the thinking behind his perfect picture, Giannopoulos said on Facebook: For my trip to the White House, I wore a rainbow pin to represent my gratitude for the LGBTQ community that has taught me to be proud, bold, and empowered by my identityeven when circumstances make that difficult.

He added: When I think back to my time in the White House, I will not remember the person seated at the desk."

The teacher also said he would have spoken to Trump about LGBTQ rights had he been given the opportunity to do so.

Writing on Facebook, he said: "In previous years, state teachers of the year were given the opportunity to speak to the president for a few minutes each. Had I been given the opportunity, I would have told him that the pride I feel as an American comes from my freedom to be open and honest about who I am and who I love. I would have told him that queer lives matter and anti-LGBTQ policies have a body count."

He added: "Taking pride in queer identity means rejecting the shame imposed upon us by a harsh society. It means opening yourself up to a lifetime of criticism and misunderstanding, but knowing that its worth it to be able to live authentically."

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Teacher Took 'Sassy' Picture With Donald Trump To Highlight Gay Pride Because Trump Won't - Newsweek

It’s a Lie: Carla Bruni Says She Never Had an Affair with Trump and Subtly Shades Melania – PEOPLE.com

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Carla Bruni is setting the record straight about Donald Trump again.

The singer and former first lady of France made headlines in 1991 when Bruni then known as an internationally famous supermodel was named as the reason Trump was splitting from second wife Marla Maples. The rumor was further fanned after Trump reportedly confirmed the story to the press himself.

However, in a new interview with The Daily Beast, Bruni once again swats away the story as bogus.

Actually, the whole situation was very vague and just did not exist, she said. So I was very surprised when he went to the press.

Bruni, 49, found herself at the center of a media maelstrom after the New York Post ran a front-page headline declaring Trumps relationship with Maples over because of her. PEOPLE reported on the split at the time, and when a reporter called his office a publicist named John Miller who sounded an awful lot like Trump himself confirmed everything in detail.

Then-PEOPLE reporter Sue Carswell interviewed Miller, later playing the tape for Maples. Maples identified the voice to Carswell as Trumps.

In response, Trump told PEOPLE that Miller was a joke gone awry, explaining, What I did became a good time at Marlas expense, and Im very sorry.

RELATED VIDEO:Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Attack

Bruni, meanwhile, told The Daily Beast shes heard stories about Trump posing as his own PR man.

Ah, I heard about that! she says of the story. Theres not much I can say. What I can say is that I think democracy is better than dictatorships, and democracy is about elections. So we respect democracy.

She also answered sternly when asked whether it bothers her that her alleged association with Trump is one of the first things that comes up in a Google search of her name.

Thats because it was a lie, she says sternly. Maybe its American Google, because if its French Google, other things come up mostly my man, my work, my younger pictures. But Im glad theres not much about my children. Ive been able to protect them.

Bruni has been married to Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, since 2008. They share daughter Giulia, 5. Bruni also shares a 15-year-old son,Aurlien, with French philosopher Raphal Enthoven.

Frances former first lady who releases her latest album, French Touch, later this year also subtly shaded another political wife during the interview: Melania Trump.

In 2008, shortly after she wed Sarkozy, a nude photo of Bruni taken by a French fashion photographer in 1993 was sold at auction and caused a mild tabloid frenzy. Last July, Melania found herself in a similar situation when nude photos appeared in the New York Post that were snapped during the time the Slovenian native worked as a model.

Bruni, however, says the circumstances arent quite the same.

It was very different because I had quite a bit of fame from my modeling and my first album, she said.

And dont think Bruni was ashamed by that photo because shes not.

Im from France and Italy, so to me, making artistic naked pictures wasnt a problem, she said. I was not ashamed at all. And the picture was from when I was 20 years old, before I had children, so I thought, Well, I look good.

She adds, comparing her nude shots to Melanias photos, They were more artistic nudes made by great photographers.

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It's a Lie: Carla Bruni Says She Never Had an Affair with Trump and Subtly Shades Melania - PEOPLE.com

‘The Daily Show’ celebrates the tweets of Donald Trump in new exhibit – Engadget

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Every President since FDR has had a presidential library but, as Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper pointed out, Trump "communicates totally different than any president we've seen before." We don't know how much paperwork the president is generating, but we do see the tweets he sends out unedited and unfiltered. The library focuses on collecting those into a space where visitors can look at them as part of a larger whole.

The museum's content was collected by the Daily Show's digital department, which had to read every single one of Trump's tweets as part of the show's "Third Month Mania" event back in March. They picked out the ones they found most interesting and threw them into a tournament bracket, letting viewer vote on the best tweets in each round. The voters eventually settled on his "gross incompetence" tweet as the top post.

While it's easy to dismiss this current project as a gag, given that it is a temporary exhibit put on by a cable show on a comedy network, the library takes its subject somewhat seriously. For the most part it refrains from pointed commentary, treating its subject to the same sort of organization and context you'd see for artworks in a museum gallery. A few choice tweets are printed out and framed, like the infamous taco bowl tweet and the more recent convfefe typo, with labels that give you the time, date and medium -- "Twitter for Android," of course. The cards also contain the sort of overwrought copy you often find on works of modern art talking about influences, like the taco bowl's "oblique symbolism" that "embodies Trump's trademark patriotism," or comparing convfefe to Gilbert Stuart's "Unfinished Portrait" of George Washington.

Daily Show host Trevor Noah said the museum is about "giving context to the tweets; not absorbing them one bite at a time, but looking at them as a body of work." So the exhibit organizes and displays Trump's tweets by subject, with comments on movies and TV shows grouped as "Constructive Criticism." A entire pillar is dedicated to "Concern for the Integrity of the American Presidency," featuring tweets from his period as a vocal birther.

Another wall in the library drilled down to more specific points of interest -- like Trump's commentary on the dissolution of Kristen Stewart's and Robert Pattinson's relationship. The tweets on this wall are presented as together as a narrative, a sort of physical version of Storify, focused on such ephemeral things as Diet Coke. A few of the president's Twitter targets have their portraits on display as well, accompanied by the relevant tweet and a sound bite from them.

Despite all this attention to replicating a traditional museum layout, The Daily Show still had a little fun with the concept. There was a giant Magnetic Poetry-esque display where you could rearrange typical Trump words into a tweet. A Trump nickname generator gave me the moniker "Sleepy Kris," which honestly isn't that inaccurate. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a stage replica of the Oval Office. But instead of sitting behind the Resolute desk, attendees were asked to put on a robe and sit on a golden toilet to compose a presidential tweet in 30 seconds. Noah said this is how they imagine Trump does most of his Twittering, no different from many of us. It's not intended as an insult: Noah referred to him as the "millennial President," with some of the same problems, like a fear of losing our job because of something we posted online.

But the similarities should end there -- most of our tweets don't have the power to affect the economy or foreign relations. The speed at which these presidential missives come is changing how the media reacts to the news, even a program like The Daily Show. Klepper explained that with so much information coming out, it's more to pick and choose what they cover, drilling down into specific topics rather than trying to keep up with each new development.

The Daily Show does consider Trump's Twitter official statements by the President, regardless of whether they're being posted on a personal account. "He's speaking for America," Klepper said, especially since he doesn't have a lot of press conferences and his tweets have the ability to affect policy. When I asked Klepper if he thought this could be the end of the prepared statement he said, "God, I hope not. It's okay to get some unfiltered thoughts, but I do miss the days when people thought about what they were going to say and the consequences they have."

This Twitter gallery is meant to be a living work, with a screen displaying Trump's live feed that sounds an alarm whenever it's updated. But like a deleted tweet the library is also ephemeral: It's only open this weekend in New York, closing its doors on Sunday. That doesn't preclude the Daily Show from doing it again, or taking it on the road to other cities. The library is even looking for sponsors, though Noah joked that an unnamed resort in Florida they contacted never got back to them.

Photos and additional reporting by Cherlynn Low.

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'The Daily Show' celebrates the tweets of Donald Trump in new exhibit - Engadget

Trump can still correct US Cuba policy – Washington Times

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Every single day citizens have their civil rights violated. Innocent people are in prisons festering people no one seems to know about! Cuba is still run by a murderous regime. Talk about the need to fight terrorism the Castro regime is composed of ruthless terrorist leaders! And Barack Obama for the sake of his legacy wanted to normalize relationships with them? Cuba is not a normal government you cant normalize a relationship with a brutal dictator! The only one who benefited from Obamas policies is the monstrous government.

Such were the passionate words of my Cuban-born friend, Carlos, when I spoke with him this weekend about President Trumps order to rescind most of President Obamas Cuba policies.

Carlos was only 14 months old when his father, mother, two toddler brothers and grandfather boarded a plane for America on Christmas Day in 1960. They left under the guise of visiting a family member who lived in New Jersey with only the permitted $20 for the entire family. Although they held round-trip tickets in order to fool the government into believing they would soon return to Havana, this family and so many like them never returned.

But they did and still do look back.

Carlos father, Jose, is now 91 years old, and some 58 years later, he is still too fearful of the Castro regime to allow me to use his full name for this column. The memories of the brutality his friends and neighbors suffered are still too vivid. The hellish reality that life is for those who live in Cuba today is too real.

Jose is right: Cuba is still a boiling cauldron of brutal persecution. Nearly 10,000 Cuban dissidents have been arrested since 2016, and some 1,900 just since Jan. 1 of this year. And every Sunday, The Ladies in White moms, wives, sisters and daughters of political prisoners dress in white clothes and peacefully pray and call for the release of political prisoners. These brave women and girls are regularly beaten and jailed by the government thugs. When was the last time you heard Barack Obama, Beyonce or Michael Moore who just seem to love the Castro regime talk about any of that?

Despite the darkness and continuing brutality, for the first time in 58 long years, Jose feels hopeful for his former country and for the people left behind.

Jose, Carlos and their family are proud and thankful Americans who treasure their freedom and their Cuban heritage and they have never forgotten those who enjoy neither. But Jose and Carlos now have a new hope for Cuba and that hope lies in one man: President Trump.

Cubans have the right to be free. They have the right to make something of themselves. And if its ever going to happen, its going to happen under Donald Trump, Carlos said. Finally, we have a president who realizes the human suffering. President Trump is a courageous man of truth and strength, and he has demonstrated that he truly cares about people and about freedom. Last week President Trump showed the world that the United States should and can play a role in spreading freedom in our hemisphere, starting with the little island next door.

Jose lives with the sad reality that six dark decades of communist horror strangled the very life out of his generation. So his prayers and hope are for the younger generations of his people who have never tasted freedom, who never knew the beauty of the pearl of the Caribbean, as Cuba was once called.

As Jose remembers and cherishes the country he enjoyed and loved as a child and as a successful young businessman, his thoughts also go to the future and to what he believes that Mr. Trump can help make a reality. Its a dream that he and his son, Carlos, who never knew the Cuba of his forefathers, both hold close to their hearts: that all Cuban people, no matter where they reside, will know the joy and dignity that comes from being free.

Rebecca Hagelin can be reached at rebecca@rebeccahagelin.com.

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Trump can still correct US Cuba policy - Washington Times

Mode Media Assets Acquired by Wedding Ad Network BrideClick in Bankruptcy Deal – Variety

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The assets of Mode Media, a once high-flying womens lifestyle digital media company that crashed into bankruptcy oblivion last year, have been acquired by BrideClick, an ad network catering to the wedding industry.

Terms of the deal, negotiated through a blind auction conducted by a firm representing Mode Medias creditors, were not disclosed.

New York-based BrideClick plans to merge Modes assets including some of the 100,000 archived pieces of content from Mode.com into a new company, to be renamed Glam Inc.

BrideClick has a passionate team with a track record of building long-term partnerships with bridal bloggers, social-media influencers and advertisers, said chairman Henry Chamberlain. Glam.com provides us with the opportunity to launch into other content areas and cater to a wider audience.

Mode Media abruptly shut its doors and laid off its entire staff last September after failing to secure additional capital. The company, founded in 2004 as Glam Media, had raised roughly $225 million and was valued at one point at around $1 billion as the company geared up for an IPO that never happened.

The intellectual property acquired by BrideClick includes the domain names Glam.com, Mode.com, Foodie.com, Bliss.com, Brash.com and Tend.com, along with videos and other content and Modes property ad-serving technology. The deal did not include Mode Media Japan, which relaunched earlier this year under the auspices of a new investment group and leadership team that includes Samir Arora, founder and ex-CEO of Mode Media.

As Glam Inc., the company will expand its scope into new categories including fashion, beauty, food, parenting, and health and wellness, according to Chamberlain. BrideClick currently has 10 employees and plans to double headcount by the end of 2017 as it relaunches Glam.com this fall, director of operations Marisol Perez said. The company is searching for an editor-in-chief to run Glam.com, and plans to hire other editorial, sales and technology staff.

BrideClick was founded in 2010 by former media buyer Manny Ben-Or and has worked with clients including Kleinfeld Bridal, Allure Bridals, Mens Warehouse, Apple Vacations, Cayman Islands, Shutterfly, and Crate and Barrel. The companys consumer-facing brand, BridalPulse, aggregate feeds of content contributors.

U.K. native Chamberlain, prior to leading the financing for BrideClick, had launched wedding-planning site OurWeddingDay.com, which he subsequently sold to bridal-apparel chain Davids Bridal. BrideClick is backed by individual investors and hasnt received any venture-capital or private-equity funding. The company is profitable, Chamberlain said, and isnt looking for additional financing as it prepares to relaunch as Glam Inc.

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Surveyor dealing with fine, bankruptcy – Muncie Star Press

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Spraying pesticides for hire requires a license.(Photo: fotokostic, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

MUNCIE, Ind. Delaware County Surveyor Tom Borchers this month started paying off a $3,000 fine related to his former pesticide application business.

Borchers, a Republican who was elected as surveyor last November, was cited in 2016 for intentionally altering his pesticide application license and for 12 counts of falsely professing to have a pesticide business license, according to a report released by the Office of Indiana State Chemist recently.

The state chemist launched an investigation of Borchers after his firm, Shideler Spray Service, Eaton, submitted bids to the Vanderburgh County Surveyor to apply pesticides along ditch banks.

Borchers' and a Shideler employee's pesticide applicator licenses indicated expiration dates of 12/31/2016, but the expiration dates were typed with an unusual font.

When confronted by compliance officers for the state chemist, Borchers explained that as the bidding deadline approached, he realized he had not renewed his pesticide business license or the pesticide applicator licenses for himself and the employee.

The applicator licenses had expired in 2015, about three months before Shideler Spray bid to spray 12 ditches in Vanderburgh County.

"Mr. Borchers admitted he signed and submitted the bid packet prior to becoming licensed for 2016," compliance officer George Saxton wrote in a report. "He indicated he recently sent the (license) renewal and the fees to the OISC. Mr. Borchers later provided a typed statement indicating he 'included a false license' in submitting the bid packet."

In addition, Borchers' license indicated he also was certified to apply pesticides on agricultural crops, when in fact, that certification had expired in 2012, according to the state chemist.

As a result,, Borchers' pesticide certification was revoked.

"To apply pesticides for hire, you must be certified and work for a licensed business," Saxton told The Star Press. "Revocation means you cannot apply pesticides for hire. Revocation is for five years and then an individual can start the certification process again."

Borchers, who did not return telephone and email messages from The Star Press, arranged to pay the $3,000 fine in monthly installment of $100, the first of which he made on June 12, according to Saxton.

Shideler Spray, which had been in business since the 1980s, began facing lawsuits starting in September of 2016 from Crop Production Services and Star Financial Bank for non-payment on an account and on promissory notes totalingmore than $90,000.

This past May 9, Borchers filed a petition for bankruptcy, two weeks before the Indiana attorney general brought a lawsuit against Shideler Spray for non-payment of $15,000 in unemployment insurance taxes.

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.

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Clock is Ticking on India’s Bad Bank Debts Under Bankruptcy Laws – Bloomberg

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June 18, 2017, 6:00 PM EDT

Indias central bank plans to use insolvency laws against more corporate defaulters to speed up resolution of the countrys bad loans that have swelled to $180 billion.

The clocks already ticking -- some cases are already before the National Company Law Tribune," said Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic adviser to the finance ministry. "More lists will be out in the next few months." Cleaning up Indias stressed loans is the biggest priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, Sanyal said in an interview in New Delhi.

The Reserve Bank of India last week notified 12 large debtors against whom it had ordered banks to use bankruptcy lawsto resolve 2 trillion rupees ($31 billion) or almost a fourth of the countrys bad debts. The process in these cases will be completed within a period of 90 days compared with 180 days in other cases, the government said.

Read more: Indias RBI Said to Order Lenders to Take 12 Debtors to Court

For Modi, getting rid of the bad loans is crucial to reviving investments in Asias third-largest economy to meet his election pledge of adding jobs before the 2019 elections.

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As concerns about slowing growth grow louder, India needs to resolve its debts mess and strengthen its lenders. Last month, the government gave the RBI new powers by amending the Banking Regulation Act. That enabled the central bank to order lenders to initiate insolvency proceedings against defaulters and create committees to advise banks on recovering nonperforming loans. Using the bankruptcy law will ensure company founders and lenders renegotiate terms to resolve stressed loans within 180 days.

Resolving troubled loans will help the government plan capital infusion into state-owned lenders, Sanyal said. India plans to inject at least 100 billion rupees of capital into state-controlled lenders in the year ending March 2018 as it seeks to ratchet up credit growth.

State banks will require about 800 billion rupees in equity capital over the next two years to support credit growth and to comply with global Basel III norms, ICRA Ltd., the local unit of Moodys Investors Service said in February.

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Clock is Ticking on India's Bad Bank Debts Under Bankruptcy Laws - Bloomberg

Pawnbroker A-OK cites embezzlement in multimillion-dollar bankruptcy – Wichita Eagle

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Wichita Eagle
Pawnbroker A-OK cites embezzlement in multimillion-dollar bankruptcy
Wichita Eagle
Wichita's largest pawnbroker, A-OK, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because of embezzlement, said owner Bruce Harris. In the bankruptcy filing last week, A-OK says that it has about $9.5 million in assets and $11 million in liabilities $4 ...

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Pawnbroker A-OK cites embezzlement in multimillion-dollar bankruptcy - Wichita Eagle

Mesothelioma Symptoms – Identify Early Warning Signs

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Symptoms of mesothelioma can often be confused with the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, it is important to know the potential signs of mesothelioma, especially if you have a history of being exposed to asbestos. By recognizing symptoms right away, mesothelioma patients have a better chance of receiving an early diagnosis, which can improve overall prognosis and life expectancy.

Mesothelioma can take a long time to develop, and the symptoms of the disease often do not present themselves until the cancer has progressed to later stages. Early signs of mesothelioma can be easily mistaken for common, everyday ailments, and as a result, early symptoms are often ignored, dismissed, or misdiagnosed.

Symptoms can also vary significantly based on the type of mesothelioma a person has. The table below provides an overview of the most common signs and symptoms of late-stage mesothelioma based on the location of the tumors.

Not all of the symptoms listed here will manifest for each type of mesothelioma. However, they can be used as a guide to help doctors find the right diagnosis, or at least know where to begin looking.

While a few symptoms are common to all types of the disease, mesothelioma symptoms are strongly tied to the location of the mesothelioma tumors in the body.

The most common form of mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma develops in the linings of the lungs and accounts for approximately 75 percent of all cases of the disease. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma often affect breathing and the thoracic cavity(chest), and they can often be taken for problems related to other diseases, such as pneumonia, flu, or even lung cancer.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

The lining of the abdomen is known as the peritoneum, and this is where peritoneal mesothelioma develops, accounting for approximately one quarter of mesothelioma cases. Because the abdomen contains many different organs, symptoms can vary significantly, depending where within the abdomen tumors occur and which organs may be affected. Symptoms such as loss of appetite, swelling, and abdominal pain can often be confused for diseases related to specific organs or systemic problems, rather than mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include:

Fewer than 1 percent of mesothelioma cases affect the lining of the heart (the pericardium), and unfortunately in many cases the disease is not diagnosed until after the patient dies. As with other forms of the disease, symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma can often mimic other conditions, such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, or pericarditis (an inflammation of the pericardium).

Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include:

The latency period for mesothelioma can last for many years, usually decades. This provides a long timeframe during which symptoms can develop, and in many cases they may be confused for symptoms of another condition even after the symptoms begin to occur.

In general, the early stages of the disease present fewer and milder symptoms than the later stages. This is one reason why mesothelioma is so hard to diagnose in the early stages, and why developing early detection techniques is an important area of research.

Stage 1

The tumor is found only in the lining of the lung, abdomen, or heart, and it has not spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body. Most people experience no or very mild symptoms at this stage.

Stage 2

The cancer has grown beyond its initial point of origin, and it may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. Certain symptoms such as shortness of breath, weight loss, or chronic coughing are likely to occur, but may still be relatively mild and misdiagnosed.

Stage 3

This advanced stage of mesothelioma is where most diagnoses occur, and where symptoms tend to be taken seriously. Symptoms tend to include chest pain or difficulty breathing(pleural mesothelioma) or abdominal pain and discomfort(peritoneal mesothelioma).

Stage 4

In the most advanced stage, symptoms are severe and can affect many areas of the body. They include pain, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and systemic problems. Treatment for Stage 4 mesothelioma is limited to palliative care to reduce pain.

Once mesothelioma has metastasized that is, spread to other parts of the body well beyond where the first tumor originated symptoms will often include systemic problems, such as:

Whenever your body is showing signs of sickness, it is best not to ignore it, regardless of whether you have a rare disease, such as mesothelioma, or a common sickness like the flu. This is especially true if you are experiencing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, or chest pain, which could point to mesothelioma or another severe condition.

The best thing to do in such cases is to start by talking with your family doctor. Explain to your doctor in as much detail as possible the symptoms you are experiencing, without leaving anything out. The more information your doctor has, the better he or she can diagnose the problem or refer you to a specialist.

If your doctor believes you may have mesothelioma, they will typically refer you to an oncologist, a type of doctor who specializes in cancer diagnosis and treatment. (Since most mesothelioma cases affect the linings of the lungs, this is usually a thoracic oncologist.) Your oncologist will perform a series of diagnostic tests, which may include imaging scans, blood tests, or biopsies, to determine whether you mesothelioma or another form of cancer. Once a diagnosis is confirmed, the oncologist will work with you and your family doctor to develop a treatment plan.

The most important thing, however, is not to ignore any symptoms you may be experiencing. Mesothelioma has a very poor prognosis, and the best thing you can do to improve that prognosis is to catch it early. Telling your doctor about any symptoms as soon as you start experiencing them is the only way to do that.

Several factors influence when and how symptoms of mesothelioma develop. Some of the most important factors are a persons occupation, the duration of asbestos exposure, and the type of asbestos they were exposed to.

Duration: Individuals who are exposed to asbestos over extended periods of time, such as at a workplace, could develop symptoms sooner than those who are not exposed to the substance on a regular basis.

Amount: Those who experience asbestos exposure in large quantities may be more likely to develop symptoms more quickly than those who are exposed to low levels of asbestos.

Type of Asbestos: In general, crocidolite is considered more hazardous to your health than other forms of asbestos. Crocidolite exposure may lead to mesothelioma symptoms sooner than other asbestos types.

Stage: Different symptoms may show up depending on the stage of the disease. Patients with earlier stages of mesothelioma will often have milder symptoms than those who are diagnosed at a later stage.

Other factors, such as cell type, metastasis(spreading), and duration of exposure to asbestos can affect which symptoms appear and when.

Ahmed, Ishtiaq, Salman Ahmed Tipu, and Sundas Ishtiaq. "Malignant Mesothelioma." Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences 29.6 (2013). National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 04 May 0006. Web. 17 June 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905399/.

Algn, Mustafa Cem, Faik Yaylak, Zlf Bayhan, Figen Aslan, and Nilfer Araz. "Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Clinicopathological Characteristics of Two Cases." Case Reports in Surgery 2014. Hindawi Publishing Corporation. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cris/2014/748469/.

Boyum, James, BA, and Neil Wasserman, MD. "Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis: A Case Illustrating Doppler Color Flow Imaging and Its Potential for Preoperative Diagnosis." Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine 27 (2008). Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. Web. http://www.jultrasoundmed.org/content/27/8/1249.short#cited-by.

Cedrs, Susana, Lorena Farias, Neda Stejpanovic, Pablo Martinez, Alex Martinez, Esther Zamora, Maria Angeles Montero, and Enriqueta Felip. "Bone Metastases with Nerve Root Compression as a Late Complication in Patient with Epithelial Pleural Mesothelioma." Journal of Thoracic Disease 5.2 (2013). PubMed. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621936/.

Godar, Mohit, Jianhua Liu, Pengguo Zhang, Yang Xia, and Qinghai Yuan. "Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma: A Rare Entity." Case Reports in Oncological Medicine 2013 (2013): 1-4. Hindawi Publishing Corporation. Web. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crionm/2013/283601/.

Goel, Ashish, Akansha Agrawal, Rajiv Gupta, Smriti Hari, and A. B. Dey. "Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis of the Testis without Exposure to Asbestos." Cases Journal 1.1 (2008): 310. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.casesjournal.com/content/1/1/310.

"Malignant Mesothelioma." American Cancer Society. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003119-pdf.pdf.

"Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment (PDQ)." National Cancer Institute. 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 June 2014. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/malignantmesothelioma/patient/page2.

"Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma." National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/mpm.pdf.

"Mesothelioma." Mayo Clinic. 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mesothelioma/basics/definition/CON-20026157?p=1.

Suman, S. "Primary Pericardial Mesothelioma Presenting as Pericardial Constriction: A Case Report." Heart 90.1 (2004): 4e-4. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1767997/.

"Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment." American Lung Association. Web. 18 June 2014. http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/mesothelioma/symptoms-diagnosis.html.

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New Trial Finds VEGF-Inhibitor May Safely Boost Mesothelioma … – Benzinga

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Researchers say cediranib has "tolerable toxicity" and "promising efficacy" in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) June 18, 2017

A new clinical trial of the VEGF-inhibitor cediranib suggests that, at the right dose, the drug might safely be used to improve the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy for pleural mesothelioma. Surviving Mesothelioma has published a new article on the trial. Click here to read it now.

For the Phase I trial, doctors at several US cancer centers helped test a mesothelioma treatment combination including the oral cancer drug cediranib the the standard mesothelioma chemotherapy drugs pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin.

"Cediranib combined with cisplatin-pemetrexed has a reasonable toxicity profile and preliminary promising efficacy," writes oncologist Anne Tsao, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

The study, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, determined that 20 milligrams of cediranib, taken during each chemotherapy cycle for six cycles, produced a disease control rate of 90 percent and a median overall survival of 16.2 months.

"Although previous studies of cediranib have produced some severe side effects, this study of the drug at a smaller dose suggests that it may still have a role to play in mesothelioma treatment," says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor for Surviving Mesothelioma.

For the complete details of the new cediranib study, as well as background on the drug, see Cediranib May be Safe Supplement to Mesothelioma Treatment, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.

Tsao, AS, et al, "Phase I Trial of Cediranib in combination with cisplatin and pemetrexed in chemo naive patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (SWOG S0905)", June 6, 2017, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Epub ahead of print, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155608641730429X

For more than a decade, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/06/prweb14436904.htm

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New Trial Finds VEGF-Inhibitor May Safely Boost Mesothelioma ... - Benzinga

The downgrade and retirement funds: what does it mean? – African Independent

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Since Fitchs decision to downgrade South Africas long-term foreign currency and local currency rating to sub-investment grade and S&Ps similar move on the sovereigns foreign currency rating in April, there has been much speculation about the impact of the downgrade on citizens and the broader economy.

With Fitch now reaffirming that rating, S&P set to announce its decision on reviewing its local currency rating of South Africa this week and Moodys announcing the sovereign rating after review for possible downgrade early in June, the outlook remains largely uncertain.

S&Ps review is particularly critical in the short term due to its impact on holdings of South African government bonds on global indices. Research suggests that the downgrade to sub-investment grade of the local currency rating by two or more agencies will trigger billions in capital outflows as foreign investors in local bonds are forced out of sub-IG debt by mandate restrictions and/or benchmark rules.

The worst case scenario, which is looking increasingly likely, is S&P and Moodys joining Fitch in downgrading the local currency to sub-IG. South Africa would, in that case, be removed from the World Government Bond Index (WGBI), which would result in the estimated selling of $8.8 billion or approximately R114.4 billion, as well as fall out of the JP Morgan Treasury Index which would lead to the forced selling of $4 to 5 billion (around R52 to 65 billion).

Regardless of the final outcome, the impact is considerable and will affect the balance of supply-demand in the local bond market resulting in upward pressure in yields. The returns on South Africa's retirement fund investments, which are long-term holders of South African government bonds, will be adversely impacted by these developments in the short- to medium- term because we expect real bond and nominal bond yields to come under pressure; the exchange rate of the rand to be weaker in the short-term owing to outflows and generally negative sentiment around downgrade, weakened growth outlook and increasingly volatile political backdrop. However, it is critical to evaluate the historical backdrop leading to the countrys downgrade and how it compares to other countries that have been downgraded to sub-IG worldwide in order to formulate risk mitigation steps and techniques for retirement fund managers, principal officers and trustees to protect their clients investments as effectively as possible.

Broadly, South Africa enjoyed its best rating between 2008 and 2010 and the countrys position and performance has been deteriorating since then as fiscal ratios indicate a weakening state of affairs due to a combination of low growth, slowing GDP per capita growth, rising government debt, increasing political uncertainty, rising socio-economic pressures and overall inequality.

A downgrade in light of these factors may therefore seem a logical next step, and South Africa is by no means the first or only country to have been downgraded, even though there are not a wealth of case studies on local currency downgrades to take key learnings from.

The World Bank recently conducted a global study of 20 countries that were downgraded to sub-investment grade between 1998 and 2015, and found that asset allocation shifted markedly as a result of financial instruments being excluded from indices such as WGBI or the JP Morgan Treasury Index, for instance. Added to increased risk premiums and borrowing costs and a curtailed ability to borrow for the downgraded countrys firms, there is a markedly decided cap on growth and returns on investments.

Because the cost of investing is higher and the returns are lower, many fund managers make the choice to disinvest in local assets and countries struggle to grow out of the downgrade. On average, it takes seven years to win back investment-grade status and that is after intensive tightening up of fiscal and monetary policies in the country but there are a few exceptions.

A country that serves as a beacon of hope in being able to beat the downgrade curve is Latvia. It was downgraded in 2009 after a consumer credit and investment boom that followed its inclusion into the Eurozone collapsed in 2007. The collapse was further escalated by the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Together, these events led to sharp falls in GDP and the deterioration of fiscal accounts. A resolute government, eager to maintain the currency peg to the euro, allowed for internal devaluation to take place resulting in cuts in government expenditure and investments, reduction in government employees, increased emigration, and a drastic rise in unemployment. The economy rebalanced through tighter fiscal austerity measures and monetary tightening which gave confidence back to investors and this in turn attracted capital investments back into the country. Private sector employment rose and was much higher than government, export sector was growing due to increased productivity of existing labor and the general optimism induced local demand. Notable improvements in budget balance, growth and short-term rates were evident barely three years after the boom-bust and the country was consequently upgraded back to investment grade in 2012.

What this indicates is that there is the potential for South Africa to regain its investment grade with concerted efforts in tightening up and implementing policies that will stabilise the socio-economic and political volatility that led to the downgrade.

Nevertheless, we can reasonably assume that the impact of South Africas downgrade to sub-investment grade and expected forthcoming downgrade will continue to make itself felt for the medium-term at the least, especially in the pension and retirement sphere as it is a long-term savings vehicle and typically sees investment in either nominal or inflation-adjusted bonds and equities.

The investment case for nominal bonds is relatively stronger than inflation-linked bonds, as we expect real yields to price higher in an environment of increased uncertainty, lower inflation and growth outlook. A weaker Rand outlook increases the case for offshore diversification and/or increased exposure to rand-hedge versus cyclical stocks in a defensive equity positioning; but overall equity exposure ought to remain underweight as we do not expect double digit returns in the next twelve months from the asset class under these economic conditions. However, equities post downgrades have not shown too much sensitivity on the downside but mild aberrations and below par growth rates. Looking ahead, equities are expected to hold but fund managers should not expect double digit growth and on a risk-adjusted basis nominal bonds will be relatively better investments. The fact remains that the downgrade has introduced real risks that have led to negative impacts on varying classes of investment, including equity and bond prices. This has widely led to, and will continue to result in, defensive and offshore pension and retirement fund asset allocation, with subdued return expectations.

As such, caution remains the most advisable course of action in the retirement and pension space. It is necessary for fund managers, principal officers and trustees alike to pay close attention to risks and opportunities alike in the ever evolving investment landscape in order to best mitigate risks and manage returns.

Ntobeko Stampu works at Barclays Africa Wealth, Investment Management and Insurance

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The downgrade and retirement funds: what does it mean? - African Independent

We’ll pass on the Liberal Lollapalooza – Net Newsledger

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In July of 1764 near what the Anishinabek called the crooked place Niagara Falls Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for British North America, met with some 2500 Chiefs and headmen to create an alliance that would be key to they creation of Canada. illustration by Charles Hebert

By Maurice Switzer

THUNDER BAY OPINION So, if you had a neighbour who kept stealing stuff from your yard, and constantly screamed obscenities at your kids, would you attend his birthday party if you got an invitation in your mailbox?

How about if you had a neighbour who stole your yard and kidnapped your kids?

Now you have some idea of how First Nations people feel about all the fuss being made over Canadas 150th birthday.

In the first place, 150 years isnt very long to people whove been around for thousands of years it leaves one with the same feeling you get when you see some wet-behind-the-ears pup like Justin Bieber publishing an autobiography TOO SOON!

People need to understand that those 150 years just happen to represent the worst period in history for the first peoples to inhabit these lands. Dont expect any July 1st fireworks displays in the 100 First Nations who live under boil-water advisories some for over a decade.

The $500 million being spent by the federal government on Canadas sesquicentennial bash is triple the amount it was ordered by a human rights tribunal to provide equal funding for First Nations child welfare agencies. This discriminatory gap is literally costing Native kids their lives.

This is the first of a series of four columns that will list 150 reasons Indigenous peoples have to feel less than enthusiastic about participating in the Liberal Lollapalooza. There are many more, but we just want to offer enough information to rain a little on the parade, not entirely engulf it.

3-4. The two sons of Chief Donnacona are kidnapped by Jacques Cartier in 1534 on the French explorers first trip up the St. Lawrence River, where he is greeted with great hospitality at the Iroquoian village of Stadacona. Cartier whisks them off to show as trophies to the King of France in what undoubtedly qualifies as the worst example of making a good first impression in the history of European diplomacy.

5-6. Two Mohawk chiefs are killed by the same musket-ball fired by Samuel de Champlain during a 1609 sortie into what is now New York State in which the celebrated Father of New France accompanies Huron fur-trading partners. This alliance results in the Iroquois virtually annihilating the Huron Nation within the next 50 years.

7-13. Seven years is the length of the apprenticeship the Hudson Bay Company requires applicants with any Indian heritage to serve if they hope to get jobs with the greedy multinational fur merchant. At the same time, raw European recruits qualify immediately for employment.

14-17. Four months how long it takes King George III to whip together the Royal Proclamation after Odawa chief Pontiac and a couple of hundred warriors capture nine British forts on what is the western frontier of Canada. Pontiac is not impressed with the arrogant English, who have defeated the French in the Seven Years War and experimented in germ warfare by distributing smallpox-infected blankets among the Natives. The Royal Proclamation says the Indian tribes of North America are nations, who are not to be molested in their own lands.

18-41. The largest gathering of Indigenous peoples in the history of the North American continent 3,000 chiefs representing 24 Nations of peoples living around the Great Lakes convene at Fort Niagara in July, 1764. They hear the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for British North America Sir William Johnston pitch the first major treaty on the continent. In exchange for the rights to create settlements and share existing Indian territories, the Kings representative offers an estimated 35,000 gifts, the cash equivalent in todays terms of $20 million, a huge swath of the centre of North America to be set aside as exclusive Indian territory, and a sacred promise to the assembled chiefs that Your people will never be poor; they will never want for the necessities of life..as long as the sun shines, as long as the grass grows, as long as the rivers run, and as long as the British wear red coats.

On July 1st, 2017, the sun will be shining over Parliament Hill, the grass will be growing even if temporarily trampled by thousands of Canadians watching performers on a huge stage and waiting for the fireworks to start and the Ottawa River will be roaring over the Chaudiere Falls. Tourists will be asking to pose for photos beside Mounties wearing their scarlet Red Serge tunics.

The half-billion-dollar party will be taking place on land that has never been legally acquired by the Government of Canada, and will be watched on television by thousands of people, some of whom live in homes without a safe source of drinking water, and whose children experience the highest degrees of poverty, disease, and youth suicide in the Western world.

To be, unfortunately, continued.

Maurice Switzer is a citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation. He operates Nimkii Communications, a public education practice with a focus on the Treaty Relationship between First Nations and Canada.

This is part one of a series stay tuned for the next part on Monday, June 18/17

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We'll pass on the Liberal Lollapalooza - Net Newsledger

5 requirements for America’s survival – WND.com

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Its 2017 in America. Instead of peaceful protests when there is disagreement, we riot. When we dislike a person, a party or a president, violent demonstrations ensue. We reject our laws. Police officers are murdered in cold blood. And now, there are near assassinations of our government representatives.

Have we forgotten what the idea of America is all about?!

Four-hundred years ago, people came to this continent fleeing monarchies, persecution and oppressive governments. Untold misery and loss, with small gains, are the backbone of the founding of this great country.

The very uniqueness of the American way of life lies in the toil, sweat and tears it took to establish a fellowship of citizens who could live together in harmony, respecting the rights of the individual and the value of the group, and give birth to a freedom that would eventually surpass anything the world has ever seen.

Our Founding Fathers understood the weaknesses inherent in the nature of man. They knew the history of the rise and fall of former great nations. They were willing to pay the price to safeguard all that had been accomplished, by all who had gone before, by fighting for a system of governance that would be founded upon key concepts: 1) a self-governed citizenry; 2) limited government; 3) sovereignty of the people; 4) adherence to agreed-upon law; 5) a national commitment to the basic principles required to live in a free society (too numerous to list here) and all of this was to be respected and defended in the foundational documents of this radical new society.

The Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, established the Constitution and amended it with the Bill of Rights, all to ensure that this society of sovereign individuals, designed by God to be free and self-directed, would never again live under the heel of master or tyrant. They clearly understood that our rights do not come from a constitution or a government.

Rights come expressly from the Creator of the universe only. We then become the stewards of these rights.

While we have broken free from dictatorships and oppression, we have drifted away from an understanding of the origin, and foundation, of our very freedoms and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness we claim.

As I was watching the news coverage recently of a series of demonstrations by college students (one primarily by blacks), another by a homosexual group and still another by a mixed group of political agitators, I was troubled to see how tragically unaware we have become of the reason for the lawlessness in our nation. We are willfully abandoning all of the aforementioned principles and concepts that once made America a light unto the world.

We cannot survive if: 1) we are not self-governed; 2) our government becomes bloated and oppressive; 3) we do not understand, and cherish, the awesome privilege and responsibility that comes with being a sovereign citizen; 4) any of us starts defying the rule of law and living as a law unto ourselves, casting off the contract weve made with our fellow citizens; and 5) willingly abandon belief in God and His best for us as sovereign beings made in His image.

This is not a game. This is our survival our nations survival. We have come so far and have been so blessed by our Creator with abundance and approbation. We must once again commit to those founding principles that made America the great nation it has become.

We must turn back. We must turn back to God. We must turn back to each other. We must turn back to our country. Otherwise, we will, indeed, live under the heel of a master and tyrant of our own making.

Have you ever wondered what African-Americans want, and why they vote Democratic?Do you know how slavery actually began in America?Ben Kinchlows best-selling book Black Yellowdogs breaks race and politics down in black and white. Get your copy today!

Media wishing to interview Ben Kinchlow, please contact media@wnd.com.

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5 requirements for America's survival - WND.com

Joey Barton claims that gambling and match-fixing in English … – The Independent

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Joey Barton has claimed that match-fixing is rife in English football but that the Football Association is ill-equipped to deal with the growing problem.

In April, Barton was banned from football for 18 months after admitting an FA charge in relation to betting.

The 34-year-old was also fined 30,000 and warned about his future conduct. Barton, who suffers from addiction to gambling, claims that the length of the ban has effectively ended his professional career.

And now, in an interview with the Sunday Times, Barton has claimed that match-fixing rather than players gambling is the real enemy, and that the FA is failing to properly deal with the growing problem.

There is no doubt about it, said Barton when asked if match-fixing occurs in English football.

You hear the results and youre, like, Yeah. Its what happens if you allow people not getting paid and clubs going into administration. All of a sudden people get desperate. [Fixing] is an evil the FA are oblivious to.

We only know about the games that have been highlighted, where someone couldnt keep their mouth shut, but how many more are there?

They didnt know about me and I was betting in plain view for 12 years. So, Id have to ask are they equipped to know? And do they want to know?

Barton has claimed betting is rife in the English game(Getty)

Barton has also claimed that he is far from the only professional footballer to bet on football matches something in breach of the FAs new betting laws.

In 2014, the FA brought in new rules banning players and staff at clubs down to as far as the eighth tier of the English men's football pyramid, as well as at clubs in the Women's Super League, from betting on any global football match or competition.

But Barton has said these rules are flouted on a regular basis.

Professional footballers are not allowed to bet under FA rules (Getty)

Oh yeah there are players in every dressing room. One thing footballers have in common is they love betting. Because theyre competitors, he said.

It happens on a huge scale. Are the FA going to investigate? No, because if they do theyre going to have to give all these players 18 months.

I was an outlier on volume [of bets] but therell be outliers on wagers staked. Ive been in dressing rooms with players, where theyve a hundred grand staked on mad stuff. On one bet. Scary. A lot bet massive figures.

Ive seen players whove played in World Cups go out on the pitch and not get anywhere near as much of a buzz from that, or scoring goals, as from betting on the horses.

Barton is currently in the midst of appealing his 18-month suspension from football for betting on matches.

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Joey Barton claims that gambling and match-fixing in English ... - The Independent