Today's News: September 25, 2018

World News

Panic on Indian flight as first-time flyer mistakes exit door for toilet
RT – A man sparked “pandemonium” on a plane from India’s capital New Delhi as he attempted to open the plane’s exit door after mistaking it for… the toilet.
Passengers on board the GoAir Flight last Sunday, from New Delhi to Patna in northeast India, started yelling when they saw the man, a first-time flyer in his late twenties, trying to open the rear exit of the plane.
According to police, the man told passengers trying to stop him that “he needed to use the washroom urgently and kept tugging at the exit door.”
Fortunately for some 150 passengers on board, the man was unable to open the door because of air pressure. He did, however, manage to unlock it, according to CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel.
The passenger was tackled by the crew and later handed to airport security. According to the Times of India, he works in a leading private bank in Ajmer, a city in the northern state of Rajasthan.

Battle of Britain? Fearing Knife Killings, Parents Buying Kids Stab-proof Vests
The New American – First there were anti-rape shorts created in Germany due to a migrant-driven sexual-assault epidemic. Now knife crime is so bad in Britain that some parents are buying their sons stab-proof vests. It’s what happens when loose immigration policy meets lenient punishment of criminals.
It was reported earlier this year that London surpassed NYC in homicides for the first time in two centuries. And it appears that the U.K.’s capital city may retain this distinction at least for the near future. As the Daily Star reports, referencing the anti-stab-vest phenomenon.

Trump at UNGA: OPEC nations to contribute substantially to military protection from now on
RT – US President Donald Trump has taken another hit at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He has demanded that member states should ‘contribute substantially’ for military protection provided by the US.
Trump’s comments at the UN General Assembly come as oil hit a four-year high of $82 per barrel on Tuesday. Earlier, he repeatedly accused OPEC of “pushing for higher” crude prices despite the military protection provided by the US. The US president is against high oil prices, since they result in higher gasoline prices in America.
Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said that OPEC members were “as usual ripping off the rest of the world.”
“I don’t like it and nobody should like it. We defend many of these nations for nothing and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices… We want them to start lowering prices… we are not going to put up with it, these horrible prices, much longer,” he said.
“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. Much Higher Than Previous Estimates
The New American – According to a study by two Yale professors and an MIT instructor, there are approximately 22.1 million illegal aliens living in the United States, more than twice previous estimates. This underscores the enormity of the illegal-immigration crisis.
Ironically, the researchers had actually set out to disprove the 11.3 million figure that is often used when referring to the number of illegal immigrants living in the United States. They admit to being shocked by their findings, which showed the figure to be significantly higher.

Second Kavanaugh Accuser Had Help “Remembering” Alleged Incident
The New American – Unable to derail Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s rise to the U.S. Supreme Court with an accusation of attempted rape, enemies of the judge stepped forward on Sunday with a new accuser.
But this one too had memory problems about the night in question. Because she was drunk.
Meanwhile, Kavanaugh (shown) delivered a letter today to Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and his leftist co-chairman, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), saying that false allegations will not force him out of the confirmation process.
>> Related: Over 120 Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters Arrested On Capitol Hill As “Resistance” Activates

Fourth Veritas Video Reveals IRS Still Targeting Conservatives
The Liberty Beacon – Deep State Unmasked, IRS Officials – “You Should Give Increased Scrutiny” to Conservative Groups, “… I don’t give a s**t if that is a crime”
Project Veritas just released part four in a series exposing the corruption and bias in the ‘deep state’. This report features two Internal Revenue Service officials who candidly discuss the IRS’s unfair treatment of conservative non-profit groups.
The two officials in the report are Thomas Sheehy, an IRS tax examiner and member of the Austin Democratic Socialists of America in Texas, and Jerry Semasek, an IRS attorney in Washington, DC.

Trump at UN: Elites may laugh but Americans can see through the globaloney
Fox – President Trump put Iran on notice Tuesday at the U.N., and illustrated his vision for a world marked by sovereign nation states peacefully pursuing their own national interests.
In this his second speech at the U.N., Trump continued to put his approach in stark relief to that of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, who often waxed poetic about “a rules-based international order” – a phrase of globaloney that simply doesn’t reflect the real world.
The globalists who comprise most of the U.N. audience laughed when Trump listed solid domestic economic accomplishments that have global implications, especially rapid economic growth, full employment for minorities and women, and record-high stocks. But grateful Americans and those around the world who wish their leaders who follow Trump’s example aren’t laughing.
Trump also showed how the United States is pursuing a foreign policy that is not interventionist, but actively pursues critical national interests just as other sovereign nations do.
For example, Trump continued to evolve our policy toward the expansionist Islamist theocracy that runs Iran from the disaster he inherited.

Colorado Children’s Hospital Dumps Gender from Wristbands to Satisfy Liberal Activists
Breitbart – Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, announced that it is taking markings of gender off patient wristbands in order to satisfy politically correct, transgender activists.
The hospital said the male and female designations were removed to support kids who claim to be transgender and to support their “unique gender identity.”
“We are seeing more and more patients who have diverse gender identities,” Children’s Hospital Colorado spokesperson Dr. Natalie Nokoff told WLTX-TV 19. “I think that’s true of programs all across the United States.”

Seattle judges throw out 15 years of marijuana convictions
BBC – Judges in Seattle have decided to quash convictions for marijuana possession for anyone prosecuted in the city between 1996 and 2010.
City Attorney Pete Homes asked the court to take the step “to right the injustices of a drug war that has primarily targeted people of colour.”
Possession of marijuana became legal in the state of Washington in 2012.
Officials estimate that more than 542 people could have their convictions dismissed by mid-November.

Economy & Business

Last U.S. Flatware Maker Expects Boost From Trump Tariffs
The New American – Thanks to the Trump tariffs on Chinese goods, the CEO of America’s last remaining manufacturer of flatware expressed optimism that his business would benefit greatly.

US Will Almost Certainly Miss NAFTA Deadline
NAFTA – President Donald Trump’s administration will almost certainly fail to meet this weekend’s deadline for including Canada in a new North American trade agreement, The Washington Post reports.

Argentina’s central bank chief resigns amid IMF bailout talks
Al Jazeera – Luis Caputo’s resignation comes as President Mauricio Macri is negotiating additional IMF funding.

Energy & Environment

Seals Getting Shot for the Sake of Disease-Ridden Salmon
Newsmax – One of the largely unknown casualties of industrial fish farms are seals, which may be legally shot by fish farmers and fishermen “when necessary” under the U.K.’s Conservation of Seals Act.
Nearly a decade ago, The Guardian revealed that seal numbers were falling by 25 to 50 percent in the U.K., to the extent that in 2007 marine scientists counted only 23,000 of the animals — “equivalent to the species stopping breeding for five or six years.”1
Fish is a mainstay of seals’ diets, so the resourceful creatures are understandably tempted by fish farm cages that present an ever-ready buffet of their favorite food. But attempting to break into the cages or netting puts their lives at risk, and despite calls from animal rights and conservation groups to stop the killings, seals are still targeted by fish farmers.
According to Andy Ottaway, campaign director with the Seal Protection Action Group (SPAG), about 1,600 seals were shot in Scotland alone over the last six years, primarily by industrial fish farmers like Marine Harvest Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms. The former supplies the popular supermarket chains Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, the latter of which touts itself as being a particularly ethical and “green” company.
Some fish farms have taken steps to deter seals using nonfatal means, such as the use of acoustic devices to scare seals away and removing dead fish from the cages to avoid luring the animals’ in. Still, grey seal populations have dwindled to 400,000 individuals worldwide, one-quarter of which live in U.K. waters.

Science & Technology

Sprayable antennas turn surfaces into ultra-thin, transparent transmitters
News Atlas – If a device connects wirelessly to other things, chances are high that it has an antenna in it. But as crucial as these components are, the rigid metals they’re made of can limit what devices they can be built into. To help with that, researchers at Drexel University have developed a new kind of antenna that can be sprayed onto just about any surface.
The antenna is made up of an incredibly thin, metallic material known as “MXene” (pronounced “Maxine”). This stuff is a two-dimensional form of titanium carbide that’s highly conductive, which allows it to transmit and direct radio waves.
Previously, we have seen MXene put to work in experimental batteries that recharge in seconds. In this case, the Drexel team created a powdered form that can be dissolved in water to form an ink or paint. That can then be sprayed onto a surface, effectively turning it into a 2D antenna in whatever shape is needed.

Facebook now caught allowing cops’ fake profiles
WND – Facebook now has been caught allowing police officers to post fake profiles on its software while they chase criminals – even though that violates the company’s policies.
And private organizations are calling out Facebook officials regarding the issue.
Dave Maass and the Electronic Frontier Foundation explain the organization long has been critical of Facebook over its practices.
“Facebook has a problem: an infestation of undercover cops. Despite the social platform’s explicit rules that the use of fake profiles by anyone – police included – is a violation of terms of service, the issue proliferates,” the report Monday said.
“While the scope is difficult to measure, EFF has identified scores of agencies who maintain policies that explicitly flaunt these rules.”
He said one good sign is a new warning the social media giant has dispatched to the Memphis police.
Facebook’s letter to Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings, dated just days ago, said the department must “cease all activities on Facebook that involve the use of fake accounts.”
The company told police that people come to the website to interact with “authentic identities.”
“Our authenticity policies are intended to create a safe environment where people can trust and hold one another accountable. Operating fake accounts violates the terms and policies that govern the Facebook service.”
It said law enforcement also is subject to the policies.

Paralyzed patients take first steps after implant, intense rehab
Fox – Three people whose legs were paralyzed for years can stand and take steps again thanks to an electrical implant that zaps the injured spinal cord — along with months of intense rehab, researchers reported Monday.
The milestone, reported by two teams of scientists working separately, isn’t a cure. The patients walk only with assistance — holding onto a rolling walker or with other help to keep their balance. Switch off the spinal stimulator and they no longer can voluntarily move their legs.

Malaria ‘breakthrough’: Disease-carrying mosquitoes wiped out in major lab experiment
Fox – Scientists in the U.K. have eliminated malaria-carrying mosquitoes in lab experiments touted as a breakthrough in the battle against the killer disease.

Plants have sophisticated defense systems: They can share proteins, bait and trap pathogens
NaturalNews – New research has revealed that specific plant proteins can identify signals linked to disease-causing agents using “baits” and trap them before they can affect a plant. The study, published in Genome Biology, looked at how “bait genes” are distributed in various wild and domestic grasses, as well as how they respond to protect the plant against a pathogen attack.
Scientists from the Earlham Institute and The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich Park, U.K. identified the distribution of these “bait genes” using phylogenetics, that is, the study of how organisms are ancestrally related. These included essential crop plants such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice.
The team focused on nucleotide binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins in the study. In particular, NLR proteins provide plants with much-needed immunity to fend off rapidly evolving pathogens. Moreover, recent studies have also identified NLR proteins to be responsible for identifying pathogens in flowering plants, with particular regions in the protein (referred to as domain) acting as “baits” that mimic host targets.
As the team studied the genetic history of the plants, they discovered groups that led to novel fusions with plant receptors. They identified this to be NLRs with integrated domains (NLR-IDs), with the most diverse fusions identified in the wheat crop. According to researchers, NLR-IDs have an effect on plant responses, mainly those caused by stress and defending against a pathogen. (Related: Plants “adapt or die” too: Study finds botanical defense mechanisms evolve based on herbivores’ immunity to chemical toxins.)

Health

Another cancer-causing ingredient found in popular blood pressure drug
Nj.com – f you take high blood pressure medication, you may want to check the label on your prescription.
The federal government last week said it discovered another suspected carcinogen in valsartan, the popular active ingredient already under recall that is used in several generic drugs to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.
The suspected carcinogen, N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which is found in tobacco smoke, was discovered in three lots of valsartan drugs made by Torrent Pharmaceuticals, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA said it also found NDEA in several batches of Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals’ valsartan active ingredient.
Valsartan was voluntarily recalled in July after a different, potentially cancer-causing ingredient, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), had been found, the FDA said.
NDMA is a human carcinogen found in liquid rocket fuels, additives for lubricants and softeners and other processes.

Researchers develop ‘world’s first’ Alzheimer’s treatment, study claims
The Sun – Their work could lead to tests on new drug treatments by 2020.
Experts at Cambridge University and from Sweden have identified these particles as the prime cause of Alzheimer’s and worked out a formula for targeting them.
Until now, drugs have tackled Alzheimer’s symptoms and attempts to discover medicines to prevent or slow it have failed.
But in findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cambridge researcher Prof Michele Vendruscolo says: “We’ve devised the first strategy to go after the cause. “The hope is that new drugs can be developed.”

Do you have short-term memory loss? Some lifestyle habits that may be causing forgetfulness
NaturalNews – If you’re always forgetting where you left your car key seconds after putting it in your bag, you may have short-term memory loss.Findings from more recent studies have determined that the new “magic number” is lower than seven. Newer studies show that it’s “more likely that only three to five pieces of information can normally be held in working memory at any one time.”
Short-term memory loss is often used to describe forgetting recent events. However, the scientifically accepted definition of short-term memory is “the process that involves remembering bits of data for just a few seconds.” Almost all of the memories that go through the short-term memory process are filtered out and forgotten.
Short-term memory loss is either a minor or major symptom of various health conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, brain injuries, and diseases, or stress-related disorders.
Some drugs can also cause short-term memory loss. A lot of prescription drugs can cause short-term memory loss as a side effect. Anticholinergics are a group of drugs that may trigger short-term memory loss by blocking the action of acetylcholine, the main brain chemical associated with learning and memory. Acetylcholine is also crucial for turning short-term memories into long-term ones.
Two of the worst drugs for short-term memory loss are anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines) and narcotic painkillers/opioid analgesics. Lastly, recreational drugs (e.g., cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine) may cause short-term memory loss.
Short-term memory loss may also occur due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The good thing is, you can still prevent forgetfulness by making healthier life choices.
To a certain extent, all lifestyle factors affect general brain function. But the three worst offenders, which specifically affect short-term memory, are lack of sleep, stress, and sugar consumption.
You need to get enough sleep every night to keep your brain healthy. When you’re sleep-deprived, your brain has to work harder. Sleep deprivation also affects both your long-term and short-term memories. (Related: Fight brain decay with a good night’s rest: Age-related memory loss may be caused by SLEEP issues, new study finds.)
On a normal day, you won’t have trouble remembering at least four to seven bits of information. When you’re sleep-deprived, this number can go down to one or two.
Stress also affects your memory because high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, make the brain shrink and age prematurely. This will eventually cause short-term memory loss.

Antioxidant-rich papaya helps reduce brain damage caused by heavy metal exposure
NaturalNews – Scientists warn that cadmium poisoning is an underreported and little-known global health problem, causing a massive number of deaths annually and contributing to a lot of illnesses, not the least of which is cancer. The long-term exposure to the heavy metal has been documented to dramatically increase one’s risk of various skeletal, reproductive, cardiovascular, and urinary conditions. Of note is cadmium’s ability to damage the brain by increasing the amount of oxidative stress found in the nervous system. Patients with a cadmium toxicity are noted to have a higher likelihood of developing neurodegenerative diseases.
This is a serious threat to human life, but one that can be prevented and even reversed using food.
A recent study published in the European Journal of Medicinal Plants concluded that papaya extract can prevent cadmium-induced brain damage.
For the purposes of this study, 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups of five animals each. All groups were treated intraperitoneally with a single dose of 3.5 mg/kg body weight of cadmium sulfate. Two of the six groups were treated with high and low doses of papaya extract at 250 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg body weight respectively for four weeks. The groups that received either dose of papaya extract showed a significant reduction of neurotoxicity risk. It was concluded that papaya could be used as a safe and effective alternative treatment for brain damage caused by cadmium exposure.

Good News

U.S. Marines Rush in to Save Seniors Stuck in Burning Building, All 190 Residents Are Successfully Rescued
The Good News Network -The soldiers were not ordered to help in the rescue effort – they simply jumped into action.
The post U.S. Marines Rush in to Save Seniors Stuck in Burning Building, All 190 Residents Are Successfully Rescued appeared first on Good News Network.

Entertainment

Bill Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years for drugging, raping Andrea Constand
Fox – Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby will serve three to 10 years in state prison, Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill ruled on Tuesday. The former television superstar, who traded on a squeaky clean, fatherly image, was sentenced after being found guilty of three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault in April in one of the most widely publicized trials in modern history.

Cottage in France made entirely of chocolate available to book for a limited time
Fox – Chocolate lovers will soon have the chance to fulfill their sweet tooth in a whole new way by spending the night in a cottage made entirely of their favorite treat.
Booking.com announced the delicious new venue over the weekend, which will be open to reservations for a limited time.