HF News - 203

Kali Linux 1.0.8 - Supports UEFI
Kali Linux is a rolling release distribution with specialized tools for network and website security based on one of the most popular and stable Linux distributions, Debian. Kali Linux is not a considerably stable distribution and it is not meant to be installed as an everyday use operating system but rather one simply for testing security. For this reason, the developers purposely left out a beginner-friendly setup. Kali is one among many tools in almost every Hacker's toolbox. However, the developers of Kali Linux have, in an attempt to simplify the use of Kali and perhaps broaden the targetted , especially for those with newer hardware, incorporated support for UEFI.

Intel Solid State Drive Pro 2500 Encrypt Themselves!
Intel® has created a Solid State Drive (SSD) that provides reliable, high-speed storage and manageable, robust security. For those that don't know, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a disk with a magnetic coating that is written to with a laser. Solid State Drives uses arrays of flash chips that do not require power to save information. Though they are similar to Flash USB Thumb Drives, they differ in speed, type, and stability of memory. They are orders of magnitude faster, more stable/reliable, and robust than HDD's. This particular SSD is equipped with hardware-based 256-bin encryption. The reason for the encryption is an increased demand by customers.

Half Of The Most Famous Android Applications Are Vulnerable
According to the researchers who found the "Heartbleed" bug (Codenomicon company), half of the 50 most famous Android apps are still vulnerable, due to irresponsible library recycling. One of Codenomicon's study reported that many of the top-list applications are sending sensitive data to third parties, such as the phone's number, the IMEI code, the location of the phone etc. The most shocking part however, is the fact that this data is transmitted in plain text (!). The head of Codenomicon stated that those bugs occur in a broad spectrum, due to the reuse of libraries and the refusal of programmers to write new code for their applications.

Intel Announces Self-Encrypted Drives
Intel has announced the deployment of a new model of SSD drives, under the name "Drive Pro 2500" which will have the ability to encrypt itself. A fact that, according to Intel, will prevent data from being read by third parties. The new SSD series will be primarily addressed to companies and its capacity will be either 120, 180, 240, 360 Gigabytes. Intel assures that their new drive will provide random input/output functionality per second (IOPS) and the read/write speed will be 540/490 MBps.

SQL Injection Exploit For vBulletin 5.x
A Romanian hacktivist group named "Romanian Security Team", or RST in short, has released an exploit which targets vBulletin 5.x platform versions. For those who are not aware, vBulletin is one of the biggest forum engines and according to its company, the security it provides is very high. One of the team's members posted the exploit's code on their forums and has provided information on how to use it in order to gain access to the database of a vBulletin 5.x forum. The code was provided for free whereas, other hacking teams were asking for 2,000 USD in Bitcoins for the code. On the other side, vBulletin has released a patch and fixed the vulnerability, a day after the exploit was released.

Sense Sleep Monitors You While You Sleep, Wakes You Up At Best Time
A lot of times when people sleep, they often wake up feeling more tired than when they fell asleep. This feeling also comes with a feeling of crankiness, among other things. Sense aims to help with these feelings. Sense is a new device, which looks like a ball of rubber bands, which monitors your sleeping habits and environmental conditions. The device comes with a smaller device called a "Sleep Pill" which tracks your movements throughout the night, all from under your pillow. The devices collect the data throughout the night, and then relay that information to your phone, which gives you an in-depth look at how you slept. Sense is on Kickstarter at the moment, and have reached their goal of funding. If you hurry in you can get the device and one Sleep Pill by pledging $99 to the cause.

Data Cuisine Takes Culinary Exploration And Experimentation To A New Level
Experimenting with food is nothing new, seeing as most unique tastes come from experimenting with different flavors. We have seen some unusual food pairings before, courtesy of IBM's Watson, but now, Data Cuisine is taking this to a whole new level. Data Cuisine was made by Mortiz Stefaner, who is a data-visualization specialist, and Susanne Jashchko, who curates with him. Data Cuisine is an initiative to create recipes from a set of statistics, and then have those recipes made available. Data Cuisine takes many different statistics into account when making recipes, and each statistic makes up a different ingredient in the recipe, which then translates into a cohesive dish. For example, data used in Helsinki, such as fishing data, ethnic population stats, and crime rates were translated into an array of different recipes and dishes. The whole point behind this is that every culinary decision made has a statistical backing, and was chosen for a reason. Data Cuisine is looking to expand to more and more cities as time goes on.

IBM's Watson Gets A New Life - Reintroducing Soldiers To A Civilian Lifestyle
Watson has been used for many things in the past, from Jeopardy games to culinary experimentation, but now the supercomputer has a new and much more important job, reintroducing soldiers fresh out of combat to a more normal and civilian life. IBM has teamed up with USAA, who has been helping soldiers and their families for years, to create an application to answer veterans' questions about finances and other things along those lines. A simple example would be an ex-soldier asking the app what his insurance covers, what the GI Bill is about, or even how to get a job. Watson has had many different jobs over the years, but it was all commercial and industrialized. This is more consumer based than anything, and is a general good use for this supercomputer. The app itself pulls its data from over 3,000 documents that handle military transitions, with the hopes of helping the 150,000 plus soldiers retiring every year.

Microsoft To Shut Down Xbox Entertainment Studios
Last week, Microsoft announced that it will by laying off over 18,000 employees, the most in the history for the company. Included with this, Microsoft will be closing Xbox Entertainment Studios in the next few months. Xbox Entertainment Studios was responsible for bringing original programming and video content to the Xbox platforms, such as a planned "Halo" television show produced by Steven Spielberg and a reality TV show which launched last month, called "Every Street United." In a statement released by Phil Spencer, head of the 200-person Xbox Entertainment Studios and the Xbox division of Microsoft, stated that programs announced will still be produced as planned. Included with this is the TV show based on the "Halo" series, a documentary titled "Signal to Noise," and more. "Xbox will continue to support and deliver interactive sports content like 'NFL on Xbox,' and we will continue to enhance our entertainment offering on console by innovating the TV experience through the monthly console updates. Additionally, our app partnerships with world-class content providers bringing entertainment, sports and TV content to Xbox customers around the world are not impacted by this organizational change." This change may not come as a surprise as Microsoft made no announcements or even mentions about original programming at its E3 press conference this year, and recently announced a Kinect-less Xbox One, which may hint that the company will slowly drift away from original programming and TV experiences and features.

Nvidia Unveils Gaming Tablet to Spread Chips Into Devices
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), trying to prove the value of its chips in mobile devices by appealing to gamers, will begin selling a tablet computer under its Shield brand. The Shield Tablet, which comes in two models, an 8-inch screen, one with Wi-Fi only for $299 and one with a cellular connection that will retail for $399, the Santa Clara, California-based company said. It’s also offering a companion wireless controller for $59. The device will debut in the U.S. this month and Europe in August. Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jen-Hsun Huang is trying to reduce his company’s reliance on its core product of chips for add-in graphics cards in personal computers. Instead, he wants to spread the use of that kind of processing to other devices. Shield Tablet, based on the company’s K1 chip and Google Inc.’s Android operating system, is also designed to show Android can be the basis of high-end gaming machinery.

Bungie explains why Destiny will not support cross-platform play
In an interview this week with Bungie engineer Roger Wolfson, we have finally found an explanation into why Bungie will not allow cross-platform play on their new video game, Destiny. Roger Wolfson explained that Bungie will not allow cross-platform play for Destiny because they do not want players to feel like they are at a disadvantage when playing against someone on a next-gen console or against someone playing on the PC. In the interview with Digital Trends, he goes on to explain that cross-platform won't be allowed because some players will perceive an advantage during multiplayer matches when playing on more powerful hardware. “I’ll speak for the hypothetical player,” he said. “I have a disadvantage sniping across the map because [my opponent with a next-gen console] is only two pixels on my screen and I’m four pixels on his. You see that in the world of PC gaming, where people are always racing to the best video card to give themselves the advantage. Regardless of where the reality is, there’s definitely a perception among gamers that better hardware means you have an advantage,” he added. “We don’t want to have to enter that fray, so to create the best, most level playing field, both actually and perceptually, we separated it by platform.” Destiny is scheduled to be released on September 9, 2014 for the Play Station 3, Play Station 4, Xbox 360, and the Xbox One.

LittleBigPlanet 3 to begin in August
According to the community manager of the LittleBigPlanet fansite LBPCentral, A private beta for LittleBigPlanet 3 is planned to begin in August. In a statement he says: “A small number of LittleBigPlanet Central users have been hand-picked to be part of the upcoming beta. Those who are lucky enough to be chosen will be sent a private message to their LittleBigPlanet Central accounts with a code for the beta over the next couple of weeks.” He goes on to say, “Please be aware that space for this private beta is incredibly limited and only a small number of you will actually receive an invitation, however we thought it would be better than you hear about this private beta directly from us than just through the grapevine. So please don’t be discouraged if you didn’t get chosen this time around… We still have plenty of news to share with everyone between now and release. And we certainly won’t forget you all.” LittleBigPlanet 3 is scheduled to be released on the Play Station 3 and Play Station 4 in November of this year, and will be co-developed by Sony Xdev and Sumo Digital Studios.

Aorus Launches the Thunder M7 MMO Gaming Mouse
The newest addition to the roster of MMO gaming peripherals comes from Aorus that has announced its Aorus Thunder M7 gaming mouse that features 16 programmable buttons. According to Aorus, "The Aorus Thunder M7 is specifically designed for MMO gamers, who emphasize on emitting accurate and fast attack commends at the battlefield; therefore, Aorus developed the best allocation of the MMO hot-keys with great effort and time to bring the most ergonomically mouse for the gamers." Of the 16 programmable buttons, 11 of them are located on the sides. Eight of those buttons are located on the left side of the mouse. For those wishing to change the device’s DPI on the go there are two buttons assigned to change it from 800 DPI to 8200 DPI. If you are worried about the durability of the buttons then you should know that, according to Aorus, the Thunder M7 is equipped with Omron switches that are expected to last up to 20 million clicks. It also has the Aorus Macro Engine built-in that allows users to switch between five different gaming profiles.

GTA 4 Keeps Getting Better-Looking on PC
The creators of the iCEnhancer mod for Grand Theft Auto IV has released a new update (3.0 update). A wide variety of graphical improvements for GTA IV have been added or further refinded and a lot of other improvements came along with this also but we will be linking you to the changelog below along with a video which showcases the extent to which GTA IV's graphics are overhauled.The mod's official website has crashed due to the flood of traffic it's received in the wake of the update's release, but the mod can still be downloaded elsewhere in the meantime. For those suffering low frame rates, a post on the mod's Facebook page offers some advice--the mod, understandably, is more resource-intensive than the game, which is a system hog in its own right. It's suggested that players open the file "icenhancer_config.txt," where you can tweak options to improve performance. "By default, it's on high quality," the post explains. "Reduce the godray quality, mostly to medium or low."


Updated Steam Controller Prototype Includes a Thumbstick
Valve has updated their Steam controller once again, adding an analog stick on the left-hand side this time around. An image in the spoiler below was pulled from the latest beta for the Steam Client, courtesy of SteamDB (via Engadget), and shows that this new thumbstick will replace the four directional buttons that appears on previous designs of the controller. This may be a good change for users who are more used to a modern, traditional design of a game controller. If you haven't been keeping track, this isn't the first design of a Steam Controller. The original design featured two track pads on both sides of the controller, with likeness to a touch screen. The original design was scrapped back in January and reduced the size of the trackpads and added two sets of buttons to the face of the controller. At this point in time, it is not known if there will any more revisions of this controller, or if this will be the final design that will be released for sale in the future.


Release Dates for the Week of July 27, 2014:

• The Room - PC - July 28, 2014
  
• Firefall - PC - July 29, 2014
  
• Lego Ninjago: Nindroids - Nintendo 3DS, Play Station Vita - July 29, 2014
  
• Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds - Play Station Vita - July 29, 2014
  
• Rogue Legacy - Play Station Network, Play Station Vita, Play Station 4 - July 29, 2014
  
• The Last of Us Remastered - Play Station 4 - July 29, 2014
  
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - PC - July 29, 2014
  
• Pinball FX 2 - Xbox One - July 31, 2014
  

Supposedly Leaked Sapphire Display from iPhone 6 Stress Tested
MKBHD's video "iPhone 6 Sapphire Crystal Display!" gained a large amount of media attention as he was handling what he claimed is a display from the iPhone 6. He does several stress tests with knives and keys and the screen shows no scratches, even after he puts serious pressure on it. He then goes on to try to snap it with his hands and his feet, still with no result. As he got so much attention from worldwide newsgroups he then released another video titled "iPhone 6 Sapphire: Explained!" which covered the fact that it is not pure Sapphire crystal like the TouchID home button and that it can be scratched if you really want to scratch it. At the end of the second video he proves that it is indeed, not indestructible. The iPhone 6 will be released alongside iOS 8 around the usual mid September window.

iOS 8 Beta 4 Released
The 4th in line of Betas from Apple for their new version of iOS has been released. It is available for anyone who is currently on another Beta via OTA or for any Developer Account holders via iTunes and the Apple Dev Centre. It includes the usual small bug fixes that these releases always have but it also has some reasonable new additions. The 'Bug Reporter' app from Betas 1, 2, and 3 has been removed and a new stock app called 'Tips' has been added which details all of iOS' features in a neat and simple way for new users. Another big change is the design of Control Centre, the blurring and shading scheme is completely different in this beta and now seems inconsistent with other features' colours like the Notification Centre. We can only wait and see if they give other parts the same makeover.

Top Cydia Repositories ZodTT & MacCiti, InsanelyI, and BigBoss all hacked
After Saurik's recent blog post on Competition vs. Community and the upcoming Cydia competitor iMods some activists have taken it to themselves to 'promote competition'. The group behind all of this is going by the name of Kim-Jong Cracks and is posting all paid packages from BigBoss and ZodTT & MacCiti for free on their own repository. Their site is http://cracksby.kim/ and the sites specifically for the recent hacks are http://ripzodttd.com/ and http://ripbigboss.com/ . So far not much is known about the group at all and Saurik has not yet commented on the events but we are all sure he will soon have to face it.

Verizon to Now Throttle Data on Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans
Starting October 1st, whenever anyone on an Unlimited Data plan goes over 4.7GB in a month they will be throttled. People who have new, non-unlimited plans are not affected. It seems Verizon is trying to push people to their newer, more expensive plans that have less data. Verizon claim that this will only affect the 'top 5%' of data users but 4.7GB isn't exactly a lot when you have what they claim is 'Unlimited'. It's odd that a company with so little going for it would completely cripple the only reason a large amount of users stay with it. So if you are one of the few with good T-Mobile reception in your area, flock to them to keep your Netflix habit possible.

The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act passes through US House of Representatives Unanimously
With every single representative voting for it to go through, the The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act just needs to be signed by Obama to become active. This act states that users will be able to unlock the phone of their volition, unimpeded by wireless carriers, and connect to the mobile network of their choosing. It completely undoes the 2012 act which made unlocking a mobile device Copyright Infringement. Take note though that this new freedom only applies to you if you wholly own the phone and are in no legally binding contract with any carrier.

Fight For Libya Airport Leaves 50 Dead
France and Britain have ordered citizens to leave Libya after what some are describing as "the worst outbreak of violence since Gaddafi's ouster." For the last two weeks there has been a raging battle for Libya's airport Tripoli, which has left over a hundred dead and an estimated four hundred injured. The battle is being fought between Islamist militants who are trying to wrestle control of the airport from Zintan militia. Many embassies located in Libya are evacuating personnel, with the US evacuating over 150 staff with fighter planes, helicopters and armored vehicles protecting them.

Ebola Scare In Liberia
After news of a doctor working in Liberia helping the joint SIM/Samaritan's Purse team has contracted Ebola and died, news quickly followed of a second American aids worker testing positive. The Ebola virus is known to be highly infectious and with no current treatment specific to the virus, it is hard to combat. The best way to support a victim is to balance fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Health officials say the current outbreak of Ebola is the deadliest ever with over 1,000 people testing positive and a suspected 660 dying from it. The current outbreak is centralized in West Africa, mainly Liberia but is suspected to spread quickly if not quarantined.

Ten Die In Japanese Heat Wave
Ten people have died, and an estimated 1,400 were taken to hospital due to the temperatures soaring in Japan. The main cause of injury was heat stroke or heat exhaustion a report has shown. Twenty of those taken to hospital remain in serious condition according to the report, and many are still on high alert. The heat wave struck as a high-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean sent a blanket of warm air to Japan. The highest reported heat was in the city of Higashiomi in Shiga Prefecture, which reported a record breaking 38.8 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), and many other cities had record-breaking temperatures.

Walmart CEO Bill Simon Stepping Down
Walmart believes that changes need to be made. Fifty-four year old Bill Simon is stepping down from his CEO position. According to Walmart, Simon is not schooled in a way to run discount retail. The decision to let him go came from proof that sales momentum has slowed down because of the higher prices in back to school items. Walmart has already appointed a new CEO, Greg Foran. Foran is already experienced though; he became the president of Walmart China back in 2012. Next week is the height of the sales season for back to school items, and to encourage more sales some states have offered "tax holidays," an attempt to make more sales.

Boost in Gold Reserves
Central banks located in Russia, Mexico, and Kazakhstan have increased gold reserves because of Germany trimming its holdings. Five other countries have also had an increased number of gold reserves. The reason for the higher demand is because of the fighting going on in Ukraine, Israel, and Iraq. Reserves in Russia fell $39 billion to $472 billion in the month of June. According to the World Gold Council, this resource alone accounts for 9.3% of the country's reserves.

Fast Food Wage Campaign
Fast food workers from suburban Chicago have escalated their campaign for higher wages and union representation. Fast food workers were demonstrating civil disobedience as an attempt for fast food companies to meet their demands. In Villa Park, Illinois, over 1300 workers came out to support this cause. Fast food workers are demanding that they start earning fifteen dollars an hour, and they become part of a union. However, industry officials say that fifteen dollars and hour would only hurt job creation. Also, officials say that the solution to this problem is more job training and education. However, according to some workers at McDonalds, the minimum wage that workers are being paid is leaving them unable to afford a college education. Protests have occurred outside of this year's McDonald's shareholder meeting.

"Hashers United": the First Global Conference Dedicated to Cryptocurrency Mining
"Hashers United," the first global conference dedicated solely to cryptocurrency mining, is planned to be held on October 10-11, 2014 in Las Vegas. There will be many renown speakers attending, including (but not limited to): Charlie Lee (creator of Litecoin), Vitalik Buterin (founder of Ethereum), and Jordan Modell (CEO of Internet Archive Federal Credit Union). The conference's main focus will be on the issues that miners face, how to overcome them, and how to be a more cost-efficient miner period. The tickets are on a 5% sale for Early Bird purchases (discounted to $199), and can be purchased here if you are interested.

Dell Now Accepting Bitcoins
Dell, the third largest company in America, and a Fortune 500 company at that, has announced that is will start accepting Bitcoins through CoinBase. They have stated that they will start accepting Bitcoins on August 2nd, 2014. Whether or not they will stay true to this deadline is a mystery, but it will definitely come sometime in the near future. DISH Network was thought to be the biggest company to start accepting Bitcoins (and they were at the time), with their annual revenue being $11 billion. Now that Dell is on board, though, they beat DISH by more than 5 times over; Dell's annual revenue coming to about $57 billion. Hopefully Dell jumping on the hype train will bring even bigger players; only time will tell!

CoinBase Potentially Opening Shop in the U.K.
Some users have noticed something strange when adding or changing your billing address on CoinBase... they have an option for "United Kingdom" under "Country." Some people have speculated (and it is rather obvious if you ask me) that CoinBase will be expanding to the U.K. sometime in the very near future. One person contacted support about "United Kingdom" being able to be selected, and the agent responded with: "I understand. That is a bit of a mistake on our end. We might have incidentally given people a sneak peek on things to come. However, is not quite ready yet." Sounds like some good news for all the U.K. based people!

How to Easily Convert Carbon Dioxide to Methanol
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered new means of converting Carbon dioxide, an easily accessible element, into a more petroleum and industry wide usable substance. They unveiled that it was possible to convert Carbon Dioxide into methanol with greater yields than with previous methods. This is done through their newly discovered catalytic system. This is revolutionary for it is creating a popular key commodity in the industry. The benefit of this new system is that this catalytic system will make normally nonreactive carbon dioxide reactive.

Chili Peppers Prevent Tumor!
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that an active ingredient in red chili peppers, capsaicin,
that ultimately triggers receptors to aid in limiting the risk of colorectal tumors. The receptor called TRPV1was originally discovered inside sensory neurons, where it reacts to heat and acidity. This receptor stimulates the linings of the intestine tract and can help prevent tumors in this area. This is because capsaicin induces the same reaction that heat and acidic elements do because of the spice. This lining acts as an effective tumor suppressor.

Calorie Burning Catalyst in Brown Fat
Biologists at the Scripps Research Institute have identified a signaling pathway that switches on a powerful calorie-burning process in brown fat cells. These new fat cells have become of interest to scientists because they stimulate natural weight loss and prevent diabetes. Researchers say that the fat cells that humans who are obese typically have are white fat cells. They contain these cells in excess, which are maintained because of overeating and lack of exercise, tricking the body into thinking that the human is bingeing in case of famine. Other mammals, however have brown fat cells which burn energy rather than store. Researchers are now exploring ways to trigger this fat storing cell.

A Genetic Link to Schizophrenia
An important part of diagnosing and treating mental illnesses is trying to find their underlying causes. A collaborative group of more than 80 institutes has announced that they've made huge progress in identifying a possible cause for schizophrenia. By analyzing data from over 150 000 participants, the researchers were able to identify 108 gene sequences in the human genome that may be responsible for causing schizophrenia. The results were announced the same day philanthropist Ted Stanley donated $650 million to psychiatric research.

Gut Virus Found in over Half of the Population
Researchers from San Diego State University have found a virus they believe lives in the digestive systems of over half of the world's population. The virus, named crAssphage, is a type of virus known as a bacteriophage, which targets and infects bacteria. In this case, the common gut bacterium Bacteriodetes, which has connections to diabetes and obesity among other stomach-relative disorders, is the target. By isolating the virus, they hope to determine what role it plays in these debilitating diseases.

Understanding the Nervous System's Role in Asthma
Asthma, a common and debilitating breathing disorder, is responsible for over 250 000 deaths worldwide each year. It has been long understood to be a disorder of the immune system, but failure of treatments that target immune response hint that the immune system is only partially responsible. A research group led by Dmitri Tranker has discovered that sensory neurons containing a TRPV1 receptor play a role in controlling bronchial hyperactivity. By suppressing the activity of these neurons in the lungs, the researchers were able to decrease asthma symptoms. They believe that more work should be done into studying how these results may be used to treat asthma in the future.

A Human Symptoms-Disease Network
When we get sick, our physical symptoms are higher-level manifestations of a multitude of changes at the molecular level. This area is not well understood, but plans are being made to change this. A huge database of diseases known as the human symptoms-disease network (HSDN) is in the process of being made. It is a huge database of over 4000 diseases and their underlying symptoms, including mechanisms at the protein and genetic level. The goal of the database is to provide a new symptoms-level view of the diseases in hopes to provide better care and control in the future.

A Hard-to-Abuse Narcotic
With the rise of prescription drug abuse, intense pressure has been placed on the pharmaceutical industry to develop strong painkillers with limited abuse potential. Even in patients who have no intention of abuse, addiction can easily happen. The FDA has recently approved a new drug which hopes to curb that problem. It combines the powerful opiate oxycodone with naloxone, a drug that blocks the euphoria characteristic of opiate highs. The approval came after a successful trial on 600 patients, where the medication proved itself to be effective in reducing abuse.

Antibiotic Resistance in the Sewers
Wastewater treatment plants are hugely responsible for the ever-growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to researchers. The plants serve as a huge ecosystem where multiple types of bacteria come together. This allows them to exchange genetic information via horizontal gene transfer, which is how bacteria pass on resistance mechanisms. The researchers say they underestimated the role these plants play in the problem, which was recently promoted to epidemic status by the World Health Organization.

Running 5-10 minutes.
Adults were recommended, at their age, to run approximately 75 minutes weekly to stay in physical shape. A new study from Iowa State University shows that running at a slow speed, for 5-10 minutes a day could reduce mortality rate. Study also shows running more could do more harm than good. Ultimately, running could add up to three years to your life expectancy. During follow-up, 3,413 participants died from all-causes, while 1,217 died from cardiovascular causes. The scary side? 24% of these people maintained a weekly basis running cycle. The study also concluded that participants who engaged in running each week were 30% less likely to die from all-causes and 45% less likely to die from cardiovascular causes, compared with those who did not participate in running. At the end of the road, study suggests running more will make you live longer.

Inflammatory diseases cause more issues.
Senior citizens who suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica (causes pain and stiffness) are now more at risk for strokes and heart attacks. A study held in UK examined 3,249 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and 12,735 patients who did not have this condition. Both groups treated by state of the art physicians, none having history of vascular disease. After closely following these participants for 12 years, they have concluded: polymyalgia rheumatica patients had a higher risk of all vascular diseases, including angina, heart attack, atherosclerosis and stroke. Study also showed these were the highest within the first 6-12 months of diagnosis. There are no known differences between men and women.

Fist pumps more "hypogenic".
A UK study shows fish s are more are hygienic than shaking hands and should be used in public more often to help prevent the spread of germs. Results show fist pumps to spread 90% fewer germs than hand shaking. After dipping gloves inside E coli. broth, researchers exchanged handshakes and fist pumps back and forth and tested the gloves to see the amount of germs transferred with each handshake. Handshaking transmitted the highest amount of potential disease while a "high five" reduced this by 50%. The germ transfer during the first fist pump was 90% lower than a handshake. Ultimately, the team concluded the stronger the handshake, the more bacteria to be exchanged.

Trees are saving our lives.
Trees are also known to affect the quality of the air by directly removing air pollutants. Current research has showed urban trees in the US remove roughly 700,000 tons of pollution per year. Four pollutants were accessed in this study: nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter which showed less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter. In 2005, a US study showed PM2.5 was linked to an estimated 130,000 while 4,000 of those deaths were linked to the ozone layer itself. After various studies, researchers were able to conclude trees 'remove less than 1% pollution'. Even something so little has a giant impact on this environment in which we live. It has been estimated, per year, 850 human lives are saved as part of this air quality movement, and roughly 670,000 causes of respiratory symptoms are suppressed and or prevented. As following results, Michael T. Rains, director of the Forest Service's Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Laboratory, says:

Quote:"With more than 80% of Americans living in urban areas, this research underscores how truly essential urban forests are to people across the nation. Information and tools developed by Forest Service research are contributing to communities valuing and managing the 138 million acres of trees and forests that grace the nation's cities, towns and communities."

Texas Receivers and felonies
A coach’s worst nightmare has happened for Texas Longhorns coach Charlie Strong. Two University of Texas football players were arrested and charged Thursday with sexual assault after a female student said that she was raped last month. The alleged criminals are Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander. The two were held in custody at the university police station. You’ll never believe this, but the two texted each other earlier that day to “get their story straight”. How stupid are they? As of now they are both suspended. If convicted, the two can receive up to 20 years in prison. Strong didn't have much to say on the matter besides this, "We've been monitoring and addressing the situation with Kendall and Montrel since it was brought to our attention, it's been made clear to everyone on our team that treating women with respect is one of our core values, and I'm extremely disappointed that two young men in our program have been accused of not doing that."

Cavs too good for Wiggins
As you may know, the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the number 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins. His contract holds him at a four year deal with a starting salary of $5.5 million. Rumors are told that they have their eye on the Timberwolves’ Kevin Love. As good as Love is, I don’t think it would be a smart decision. Wiggins has superstar potential. Before even a verbal agreement can be committed to, the Cavs must wait until at least August 23rd due to league rules on rookie contracts. League rules do not say that they cannot have a mutual agreement with Minnesota, just no public announcements or verbal agreements. The Cavs face a nerve-racking 30 day period to see if they can snag up Love in the deal. So far they have nothing to worry about, the Timberwolves have said that they like the idea of acquiring Wiggins better than anything else that has been offered so far.

The Open
Rory McIlroy was announced as the winner of this year’s Open Championship. After he won you could see him walking off in a complete daze, with all of the greats on golf’s oldest trophy. Managing not to cry when his mother, Rosie, came onto the green with tears streaming down her face was almost impossible. McIlroy is going down in the record books this week as the youngest to win three major tournaments behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Going into the final round McIlroy had a six-shot lead on his opponents. He finished with a 1-under 71. McIlroy was also the first start-to-finish winner since Tiger Woods at St. Andrews all the way back in 2005. It seems that McIlroy’s decision to break up with his fiancé back in May wasn’t such a bad idea after all. His concentration seems so much more intense which has kept him on the right path to succeed in his career.

• Players to reach 3rd leg of career Grand Slam before 27th birthday
  • Age, Grand Slam, Career majors
    
• Jack Nicklaus 23 Yes 18
  
• Tiger Woods 24 Yes 14
  
• Rory McIlroy 25 ? 3
  
• Gary Player 26 Yes 9
  

• Youngest to win 3rd Major in Masters era (Since 1934)
  • Age, 3rd major
    
• Jack Nicklaus 23 1963 PGA Championship
  
• Tiger Woods 24 2000 U.S. Open
  
• Rory McIlroy 25 2014 Open Championship
  
• Seve Ballesteros 26 1983 Masters
  
• Gary Player 26 1962 PGA Championship
  
• Peter Thomson 26 1956 Open Championship
  

Restoring a 19th Century Sail Ship
After almost a century of sitting at the docks, the Charles W. Morgan is now ship-shape after a five year restoration process. This ship is now able to show the history of whaling at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. It is the second oldest ship in America only after the U.S.S. Constitution. Unlike many other Whaling ships, The Charles W. Morgan can be seen in its top form while other original Whaling ships must be studied from the sea floor as shipwrecks. Many take for granted the products of the oil that came from whales at the time. At one point, whale oil was the main source of illumination in lights and candles and nearly every home in the U.S. had some form of whale oil product. Looking at the ship now, it is almost like something out of a fairy tail, magnificent.

Violence Helping to Drive the U.S. Boarder Crisis
In Latin American, there is a great number of people that would risk anything to make it across the southern U.S. boarder. Interviews with some of these attempted immigrants reveal that they would rather risk the terrifying journey to the U.S. than stay and be killed, due to living in areas with high levels of gang violence. Some have even attempted the journey more than once unsuccessfully, many of these immigrants being unaccompanied minors. More than 55,000 have crossed this year alone, many from Honduras, specifically due to its recent high murder rates. Many U.S. politicians are currently trying to find a solution to this recently high influx of immigrants, especially for the children that have made the journey alone. One can only hope for the best.

Ramadan
This year, Ramadan has fallen in July. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calender, and during this month it is said that the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. During this month, most know that Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset. However, to them this is a small price to pay for the festivities that occur. It is said that the gates to heaven open during Ramadan and the gates to hell are closed. This holiday as a whole is about purifying oneself from malicious thoughts and thinking about God. The end of this month is celebrated through a three day Eid al-Fitr or "Festival of Fast-Breaking." As many Muslims would say, no religion brings so many people together in one place, and in a lot of ways, this is true.

Jeff Goldblum Engaged to Emilie Livingston
This July 8th, Jeff Goldblum, 61, proposed to 31-year-old Emilie Livingston after holding a relationship that began in 2012. Goldblum then flew Livingston out to a romantic trip in Maui. Emilie couldn’t resist the temptation of sharing her happiness on Twitter, saying "Jul 8 he proposed @ our fave #okstore. I was taken over by tears of joy n ecstasy! We picked the ring 2gether #inlove." This will be the Jurrasic Park star’s third marriage, for Goldblum had previously married actresses Patricia Gaul from 1980 to 1986 and Geena Davis from 1987 to 1990.

Sandra Bullock Comes Face-to-face with Stalker
Sandra Bullock came face-to-face with the man who broke into her home last month. The break-in allegedly occurred June 8th. Sandra heard a loud banging and found Joshua Corbett in the hallway, wearing dark clothing, and rushed to shut the door and call 911. Neither Bullock nor her son were injured in the incident. The source also claims Corbett was carrying handwritten notes, one of which said "I will forever be thinking of you and Louie, my son, as you are my wife by law, the law of God and you belong to me and me to you."

Chrissy Teignen States she Was Fired for Being Fat
Sports illustrated cover model Chrissy Teigen revealed in a video interview with DuJour magazine that she was fired from a Forever 21 shoot for being “fat”. She says, "I actually was fired from a job, Forever 21. They booked me directly when I was much younger and I showed up on set, they asked me if they could take a photo. And they shoot that photo off to my agency, who then calls me as I'm sitting in the makeup chair. And they say, 'You need to leave right now. They just said you are fat, and you need to come get your measurements taken," she recalled. "And I hate you, Forever 21. I hate you so much. Honestly you are the worst," Teigen added.

Adam Levine Marries Longtime Girlfriend
That's right. The Maroon 5 singer is officially tying the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Behati Prinsloo. The wedding is set to take place on July 19th, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The rest of the band is confirmed to make an appearance during the event, along with a performance from the singer Stevie Nicks. The 35 year old groom took to Facebook during the day of the ceremony to post, “Let's do this." Levine and his Victoria's Secret model girlfriend made it official in front of almost 300 people. Notable guests include Robert Downey Jr., Jonah Hill, and fellow model Candice Swanepoel.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are Back on the Big Screen
This famous Hollywood couple is returning to the scene with a new movie, By the Sea. Jolie will write and direct the film herself, whilst co-starring alongside her partner, Pitt. The last time the two starred in a movie together was the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which changed them from co-stars to couple. Jolie and Pitt have 6 children, who are also said to be making an appearance in the film, making it a family get together.

Maverick Star Dies at 86
James Garner, the star of the 1950's TV series Maverick, passed away in his Los Angeles home on Saturday. The 86 year old's career kicked off back in the early 50's with theater performances. One thing led to another, and he landed the role of Bret Maverick, acting in the show until 1960. His performances scored him a Golden Globe award for most promising male newcomer in 1958 and an Emmy nomination in 1959. After his passing, many celebrities paid tribute to the actor, including Piers Morgan, John Stamos, and Kaley Cuoco.

Lionel Ferbos Plays His Last Song
Lionel Ferbos, believed to be the oldest active musician in New Orleans, passed away after celebrating his 103rd birthday on Thursday. He began playing the trumpet in the early 1930's as a 15 year old, and continued his career until the time of his death. Despite having asthma as a child, he took up the trumpet and worked on perfecting his craft throughout the years. He performed as the lead trumpeter in several major orchestras and countless local gigs within his hometown, aka the birthplace of jazz. Ferbos also spent part of his life looking after the family's metalworking business, with some of his creations featured in museums.

Katy Perry Wishes to Join Illuminati
This week, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Katy Perry expressed an interest in joining the Illuminati, a secret organisation lead by prominent figures, destined to control the world and mastermind drastic schemes. Perry explained, "Listen. If the Illuminati exist, I would like to be invited! I see all that shit, and I'm like, 'Come on, let me in! I want to be in the club!' I have no idea what it is. It sounds crazy!". She went on to explain that many rumors exist regarding her involvement with the group, which she describes as 'crazy' and started by 'weird people'. This followed Perry appearing on a Rolling Stone cover alongside the 'all seeing eye'.

New Orleans Boy Given Replacement Trombone by Trombone Shorty
A 14 year old New Orleans boy, who was previously robbed at gunpoint for his trombone, has been given an engraved replacement by the musician Trombone Shorty. The boy was grabbed by the assailant, and told to relinquish his trombone. He dropped his instrument and fled the scene after hearing gunshots. Speaking about their meeting, Trombone Shorty said, "He was full of joy, thankful and happy. I think we were both very excited to speak to each other. He seems like a cool kid and I'm happy that after a situation like that, I can help to put a smile on his face." The identity of the boy involved has not been released due to security concerns.

iPhones Killed Autographs
According to Taylor Swift, iPhones are destroying the tradition of obtaining autographs from celebrities and musicians. Swift claimed that she hasn't been asked for an autograph since the advent of front-facing iPhone cameras. "All that kids these days want is a selfie", said Swift in interview. She went on to describe how mp3 technology has severely impacted album sales. Swift feels that nowadays, people only purchase physical CDs if they find an album particularly poignant or personal to them, presenting a new challenge for the artists of today.

Sam Raimi to Produce The Last Of Us
After months of speculation, it was revealed at Comic-Con that there would indeed be a big screen adaptation of the hit game, The Last of Us. Game creator Neil Druckmann had also revealed at Comic-Con that the actress Maisie Williams – best known for her role as Arya in Game Of Thrones - is in talks to play the role of Ellie. Druckmann made the announcement alongside Sam Raimi, who is set to produce the big-screen version of the PS3 horror hit. For those of you who have never played the game, it was released in 2013. The game is set in a zombie-ravaged US, which the young Ellie attempts to navigate with the aid of fellow survivalist Joel after most of the human population had been wiped out. Holding true to the game, a production date has not been set as the script is still in the works and under wraps, but is said to be written by those who also helped develop the storyline for the game. No release date has been set, but more information will be released at a later date.

Joaquin Phoenix in Early Talks for Doctor Strange
Since Scott Derrickson was officially confirmed as the director for the film, the big question swirling around Marvel’s latest big film adaptation, Doctor Strange, is who will become the Sorcerer Supreme. The question may have been answered to the tune of actor/director, Joaquin Phoenix. Several big names had been rumored to be up for the role. Names such as Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Justin Theroux and Jared Leto, but Phoenix clears to be closer to a deal to land the role then any of the aforementioned names. While this is not official as of yet, it is also quite strange considering that Phoenix is always hesitant to take on blockbuster roles and for Marvel’s reputation for having actors sign multi-role contracts. The character of Doctor Strange was originally conjured from the brains of Stan Lee and art genius Steve Ditko, and began life as a selfish New York surgeon (named Stephen Strange) who loses his professional skills in a car crash. After falling on hard times, he visits a healer in the Himalayas known as The Ancient One, and learns to tap into psychic powers. In recognition of his selfless efforts to thwart evil fellow disciple Baron Mordo, he’s taught the mystical arts and sets out to defeat other shady sorcerers and various villains. No release date has been announced, but the confirmation – plus Phoenix announcement or not – should come at the company’s July 26th San Diego Comic-Con panel.

Ant-Man Loses Patrick Wilson, Two More
After starting out a hot mess, it appears that Ant-Man's waters have still not calmed. Three more actors who were already confirmed for the project have reportedly exited the project, including the always dependable Patrick Wilson. Although most of this seems like onset drama, it isn't entirely so. Sources say that Patrick Wilson was forced to leave because of scheduling conflicts that were created when the production of Ant-Man got pushed back following director Edgar Wright’s departure earlier this summer. As for the other two, Matt Gerald and Kevin Weisman, they were allegedly written out of the script, which isn’t too much of a surprise given that the script underwent some overhaul when Adam McKay was hired to work on a new draft. More announcements are set to come about at the movies Comic-Con panel in San Deigo.

Mary-Louise Parker Joins The Blacklist
After Mary-Louise's hit show "Weeds", job offers have been knocking on her door like crazy. A day after landing a role in the NBC show "The Slap", Mary-Louise has boarded the network’s buzzy drama, "The Blacklist" in a recurring role, which will be Season 2. Announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Parker will debut in the September 22 season opener as Naomi Hyland, a woman keeping a secret from her husband and who is “completely tied to Reddington,” Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp said. IF you have not checked out this series I would deffiently suggest you giving "The Blacklist" a shot. You can watch "The Blacklist" during its Monday time slot starting September 22, then return from a 10-week hault with a post-Super Bowl showcase, before occupying its new show time, Thursdays at 9/8c.

The Simpsons and Family Guy?
Yes, that is correct. If you’ve always wondered what would happen if Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson were put into one show then you are in for a treat, Family Guy is about to knock you out of your chair. In the Sept. 28 season premiere, “The Simpsons Guy,” the albino Griffins wind up by accident in Springfield, where they are greeted by the hepatits-y Simpsons. But a fast friendship spiced with delicious doughnuts may be forever destroyed by an argument over Pawtucket Patriot Ale and Duff Beer, which leads to an awesome fight scene. The new season will feature Meg getting recruited to be a foot-fetish model, Stewie becoming pregnant with Brian’s baby, and much more but I dont want to ruin this epic showcase that is coming to your TV's.

Fifty Shades of Grey
If you have not seen it by now then you must go check out the new "Fifty Shades of Grey" trailer. What has been considered a "mommy porn" the popular book "Fifty Shades of Grey" releases its first glimpse at the upcoming movie, set to be released in early 2015. “Fifty Shades” author E. L. James knows her audience as she herself is a 51-year-old from England who looks like she would enjoy a nice romance. The trailer has almost 13 million hits, and is growing everyday. IF the hype for this movie wasn't strong before then i do not know what to call it now. Many people have found the trailer to be offensive and vulgar. By the looks of this trailer many report asking if they will start showing porn in movie theaters as well. I can see this being a very controversial matter, and look forward to see what happens. If you are young you better expect to have a form of Identification ready when about to buy a ticket to this movie.