Subway restaurants across the UK no longer serve bacon or ham, and will instead serve only halal-prepared meat -

Subway restaurants across the UK no longer serve bacon or ham, and will instead serve only halal-prepared meat - 



Subway restaurants across the United Kingdom no longer serve bacon or ham, and will instead serve only halal-prepared meat in an effort to “balance the values of many religious communities,” according to the Daily Mail.

Some 185 participating locations will replace the pork products with turkey versions, and notify customers of their compliance with the Islamic practice of preparing meat with signs reading, “All meats are Halal.”

A Subway spokeswoman told The Blaze that the menu option is part of an effort to “meet consumer demand in each location” and is not taking place in all of Subways in the U.K. (there are about 1,500 nationwide).

“The growing popularity of the Subway chain with the diverse multicultural population across the U.K. and Ireland means we have to balance the values of many religious communities with the overall aim of improving the health and welfare standards of animals,” she said.

The company has been changing its locations’ menus to comply with halal restrictions since 2007, the spokeswoman said, adding that getting rid of pork products at these restaurants was not a “sudden” change.

Halal preparations include requiring that the animal be slaughtered by someone who invokes the name of Allah before slitting the animal’s throat. All blood must be drained from its veins, among other requirements.

Read more - 

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/377003/daily-mail-uk-subways-drop-bacon-and-ham-menu-comply-halal-andrew-johnson

Human skin used to create sperm... -

Human skin used to create sperm... - 



Human skin from infertile men has been used to create sperm for the first time, in a scientific development which could offer hope to those who cannot have children.
British experts said the findings were "exciting" - raising the prospect that infertile men could become fathers after their sperm is grown in the lab.
They said the US research challenged a widely-held view that the "door is closed" on men who are genetically infertile.
Skin samples from three men were genetically engineered, turning back the developmental clock, so that they assumed the properties of embryonic stem cells - which can grow into virtually any kind of body tissue.
After being implanted into the testes of mice, the samples generated into early stage sperm cells, in the trials.
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Scientists said that although the “cell precursors” were insufficient to support conception, the breakthrough suggests that in future, the same method could be used to grow productive sperm from infertile men.
Infertility affects at least 10 per cent of couples, and in at least one third of cases, relates to male fertility problems, which are often genetic.
The most common defect is missing regions of male Y chromosomes, which is associated with the production of few or zero sperm.
The trials by Stanford University involved three men suffering from such defects.
When their tissue samples were genetically engineered, and then implanted into the testes of mice, cells were successfully generated.
The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, indicate that Y chromosome infertility occurs relatively late in the maturing process of sperm cells,
Lead researcher Dr Reijo Pera, from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine said: “Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development. It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm.”
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in reproduction and developmental medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: "The received wisdom is that if you have a Y chromosome defect like this you don't make sperm.
"Until I read this paper I would have said if you take skin cells from an infertile guy it won't work. But what this seems to suggest is that it could.
"Obviously the outcome is poorer than if you don't have the defect, but the fact that they could do this at all is quite exciting. At the moment the door is closed to these men."
However, Dr Pacey warned that any sons born via the process would inherit the increased risk of infertility.
In 2012, US scientists from the University of Pittsburgh found that it was possible to generate sperm cell precursors from skin tissue from fertile men.
However, the trials are the first time such methods have succeeded on men with fertility problems.
Researchers suggested the findings could bring hope to men who suffer from genetic infertility problems and from those who become infertile after treatment for diseases such as cancer.
Dr Reijo said: “Our studies suggest that the use of stem cells can serve as a starting material for diagnosing germ cell defects and potentially generating germ cells.
“This approach has great potential for treatment of individuals who have genetic/idiopathic (unknown) causes for sperm loss or for cancer survivors who have lost sperm production due to gonadotoxic treatments.”
Researchers suggested the study’s insights into the way male infertility works - with genetic problems related to the Y chromosome occurring relatively late in the production of sperm cells - could assist further research into treatments.

Read more - 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10802010/Human-skin-used-to-create-sperm.html

New Study Says Divorce Can Be Contagious -

New Study Says Divorce Can Be Contagious - 



Forget about the flu that has been going around – there is something else that is contagious and could put your marriage in jeopardy.
As CBS 2’s Tracee Carrasco reported, a study from Brown University suggested that divorce is contagious, and the divorce of a friend or loved-one increases your chances of getting divorced, too.
The study, conducted in Framingham, Mass., found that 75 percent of participants were more likely to get divorced if a friend was divorced, and 33 percent were more likely to end their marriage even if a friend of a friend got divorced.
Researchers called the phenomenon a “social contagion” – the spread of information, attitudes and behaviors through friends, family and social networks.
While psychotherapist Talia Filippelli does not necessarily agree that divorce itself is contagious, but she said emotions can be.
“Emotions are contagious, and if you have somebody really unhappy in their relationship around you all the time, you may start to be a little bit more critical of your own relationship,” Filippelli said.
Married people who spoke to CBS 2 were not so sure.
“If they ain’t making it as a couple, why should that influence me and my wife?” said Kim Yancey.
“I think it’s the maturity level based on whether or not you’re going to be influenced by your friends,” said Maria Corpuz.
Filippelli said there are ways to avoid catching the divorce bug.
“You don’t want to be associating your friends’ situation with yours too much and making too many connections, because more than likely, the connections are being imagined or created,” she said. “They may not necessarily be realistic.”
There was a little bit of good news with the study. The divorce of someone three degrees removed — a friend of a friend of a friend — will likely not have any significant impact on the likelihood that a couple will divorce.
The study collected data from thousands of people over three decades.

Read more - 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/04/30/new-study-says-divorce-can-be-contagious/

STUDY: Children who eat chicken on the bone are more aggressive... -

STUDY: Children who eat chicken on the bone are more aggressive... - 



Researchers at Cornell University conducted a study about biting versus chewing habits in children and found that kids who eat chicken on the bone are more likely to disobey adults and be aggressive.

The study, which was published in Eating Behaviors, found that children were "twice as likely to disobey adults and twice as aggressive toward other kids" when eating food they had to hold and bite.

Researches found that children were more docile when eating cut-up pieces of food, results which would seem to indicate that there is a connection between having to use teeth to eat and aggressive behavior.

Not everyone agrees with the study's findings.

"I think people have been eating chicken wings, chicken drumsticks for a millennia and I don't think it's made them any more aggressive than they otherwise would have been," clinical psychologist Dr. Brian Russell told Fox News.

The children that the researchers studied were between the ages of 6 and 10.

Read more - 

http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/upiUPI-20140430-130913-7085

Pill to switch off hunger possible as 'anti-appetite' molecule discovered -

Pill to switch off hunger possible as 'anti-appetite' molecule discovered - 



Dieters could soon benefit from a pill that switches off hunger after scientist found that fibre reacts with the gut to produce an 'anti-appetite' molecule

A pill that switches off hunger is on the horizon after scientists discovered an ‘anti-appetite’ molecule which tells the body to stop eating.
Researchers at Imperial College discovered that people feel full when eating fruit and vegetables because fibre releases acetate into the gut.
They believe that a pill derived from acetate could be created to help people cut down on food without experiencing any cravings.
One in four adults in England is obese and that figure is set to climb to 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women by 2050.
Obesity and diabetes already costs the UK over £5billion every year which is likely to rise to £50 billion in the next 36 years.

Large amounts of acetate are released when plants and vegetables are digested by bacteria in the colon. The scientists tracked the molecule and found that it eventually ended up in the hypothalamus region of the brain, which controls hunger.
The new study suggests obesity has become an epidemic because we have replaced the healthy diet of the past with processed food, which does not react with gut bacteria to produce acetate. So the brain does not receive a signal telling it to stop eating.
The average diet in Europe today contains about 15 g of fibre per day. In Stone Age times it was around 100g per day.
"Unfortunately our digestive system has not yet evolved to deal with this modern diet and this mismatch contributes to the current obesity epidemic,” said Professor Gary Frost, of Imperial College.
Although scientists say their research should encourage more people to eat more fruit and vegetables, they also believe it could pave the way for new drugs to help dieters.
Prof Frost added: "Our research has shown the release of acetate is central to how fibre suppresses our appetite and this could help scientists tackle overeating.
"The major challenge is to develop an approach that will deliver the amount of acetate needed to suppress appetite but in a form that is acceptable and safe for humans.
"Developing these approaches will be difficult but it is a good challenge to have and we are looking forward to researching possible ways of using acetate to address health issues around weight gain.”
The study analysed the effects of a form of dietary fibre called inulin which comes from chicory and sugar beets and is also added to cereal bars.
Experiments on mice found those fed on a high fat diet with added inulin ate less and gained less weight than animals given a lot of fat diet with no inulin.
They also noticed that the acetate acculmulates in the hypothalamus of the brain where it triggers a series of chemical events which fire neurons and suppress hunger.
The research also showed when acetate was injected into the bloodstream, the colon or the brain it reduced the amount of food eaten by the mice.
Prof Jimmy Bell, of the Medical Research Council, Cambridge, who collaborated in the research, said: "It is exciting we have started to really understand what lies behind fibre's natural ability to suppress our appetite and identified acetate as essential to the process.
"In the context of the growing rates of obesity in western countries, the findings of the research could inform potential methods to prevent weight gain."
Acetate is only active for a short amount of time in the body so an ‘acetate pill’ would need to be able to mimic the chemical’s slow release into the gut.
Prof David Lomas, chair of the MRC's population and systems medicine board, said it is becoming increasingly clear the interaction between the gut and the brain plays a key role in controlling how much food we eat.
He added: "Being able to influence this relationship, for example using acetate to suppress appetite, may in future lead to new, non surgical treatments for obesity."

Read more -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10796569/Pill-to-switch-off-hunger-possible-as-anti-appetite-molecule-discovered.html

Phone Cleaning Could Be The Best Kind Of Spring Cleaning You Do -

Phone Cleaning Could Be The Best Kind Of Spring Cleaning You Do - 



As the dust gets swept out of corners and the closets get cleared of clothes, it's probably your one most important material possession that's still in need of some spring cleaning — your phone, of course.

The virtual holder of all your information is a great spot for clutter to gather as well, and unless you've hit your memory max recently, you likely haven't bothered looking at half of what's on there.

Kulveer Taggar, the CEO of Agent, an app that helps make everyday tasks easier via your phone, says people can make their phones faster and more organized in very little time.

There's plenty of advice online, not to mention apps that can assist, that prompt you toward cleaning up your mobile device (and yes, that goes for tablets too). We've amassed it together for your spring cleaning pleasure, so take 20 minutes out of your weekend and trash some of the apps and contacts you've been hanging on to for way too long. Just because it's digital doesn't mean it can't weigh you down.

Clean Up Your Apps
Remember that game you tried and hated, and then immediately forgot about? It's still sitting there on your phone, taking up memory and waiting for your next bout of boredom. Don't let it win (because you certainly can't win it), and just delete it. Now. The same goes for that budget app you always "intended" to use and the travel guide to Madrid from your Spain trip four years ago. You can always download it again if you need it.

Change Location Permissions
Depending on your phone philosophy, you may or may not let apps access where you are at all times. But if you've distractedly pushed "allow" on a few too many, it can drag down your phone, and in some cases, invade your privacy. Go through the list of apps that use location services, and make sure you're OK with all of them.

Go Through Contacts
No, you don't need the phone number for your old roommate's ex-girlfriend — if you really want to get in touch her, that's what Facebook is for. Because many phones automatically save contacts when you, for example, email someone new, clearing out the list is a good way to pare down on the essentials. You can also create groups so that you only see certain numbers when you want them.

Check On Notification Settings
Like location permissions, push notifications can happen without you noticing them when you download apps. And maybe you've gotten lazy about getting rid of them, even if they're annoying. But it can be worth your while to stop the clutter of their pop-up messages, if only just for your mental health.

Delete And Back Up Pictures
No, you don't need the 10 takes it took before getting that perfect sunset shot. So this is actually a two-step process. First, go through your pictures and delete any extraneous shots that are still lingering there. Next, get to a computer and back up what's left. And then delete them all and start fresh (though if you want to hang onto a few sentimental shots of your kids/food/best night out ever, we understand).

Look For Background Refreshers — And Stop Them
For many apps on new phones, there's a setting called "background app refresh" or "background source refresh" that allows apps to keep pulling in new data (and using yours in the meantime) while they're open in the background. Check to make sure the ones that have permission to do that are ones you want.

Clear The Cache
Who knew? Your phone has a cache, just like your computer (which makes sense, given that you use an Internet browser for both). Androids have an app called, usefully, the App Cache Cleaner, which can get rid of the cached files and free up memory. Meanwhile, for iPhones, go to "Settings" for any browsers you use and hit "clear cache."

Do The Updates
Those software updates you're sent every once in a while (we're looking at you, iOS) aren't there just to annoy you with design changes. They can also (a) make your phone work better, and (b) make your phone more secure. So if you've been putting off downloading the new system, take a deep breath and dive in.

Optimize The Battery
There are many, many ways to drain your battery throughout the day, but there are also almost as many ways to optimize it. If you haven't already, change settings on things like brightness, and minimize your screen brightness to the shortest available time, advises PC World. Again, an app like Battery Optimizer for Android can help you, and other suggestions, like turning off Bluetooth unless you need it, can help. Check out PC World's full list here.

Get It Literally Clean
And while you're at it, it's probably a good idea to literally clean your phone on the outside too. Studies find that 2,700 to 4,200 units of bacteria are on your phone at any given time, according to Time, and yes, they can result in illness. How-To Geek describes how to do this quickly and easily using distilled water, cotton swabs and a microfibre cloth — just remember to take the case off too!

Read more - 

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/24/phone-cleaning_n_5193600.html?ref=topbar

Fukushima Didn’t Just Suffer 3 Meltdowns … It Also Suffered Melt-THROUGHS and Melt-OUTS -

Fukushima Didn’t Just Suffer 3 Meltdowns … It Also Suffered Melt-THROUGHS and Melt-OUTS - 



We reported in May 2011 that authorities knew – within days or weeks – that all 3 active Fukushima nuclear reactors had melted down, but covered up that fact for months.

The next month, we reported that Fukushima’s reactors had actually suffered something much worse: nuclear melt-throughs, where the nuclear fuel melted through the containment vessels and into the ground. At the time, this was described as:

The worst possibility in a nuclear accident.

But now, it turns out that some of the Fukushima reactors have suffered even a more extreme type of damage: melt-OUTS.

By way of background, we’ve noted periodically that scientists have no idea where the cores of the nuclear reactors are.

And that highly radioactive black “dirt” has been found all over Japan.

It turns out that the highly radioactive black substances are likely remnants of the core.

The Journals Environmental Science & Technology and Journal of Environmental Radioactivity both found (hat tip EneNews) that the highly radioactive black substances match fuel from the core of the Fukushima reactors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission agrees.

Indeed, “hot particles” with extremely high levels of radiation – 7 billion, 40 billion , and even 40 billion billion Bq/kg – have been found all over the Fukushima region, and hundreds of miles away … in Tokyo.

Let’s put this in perspective. The Atlantic notes:

Japanese regulations required nuclear waste with 100 or more bq/kg of Cesium to be monitored and disposed of in specialized containers.

***

The new government limit for material headed for landfills is 8000 bq/kg, 80 times the pre-Fukushima limit.

So the hottest hot particle found so far is 5 million billion times greater than the current government limits of what can be put in a landfill.

In other words, the core of at least one of the Fukushima reactors has finally been found … scattered all over Japan.

How did material from the cores get dispersed so far? Remember, there was a huge explosion at reactor number 1 , and an even bigger explosion at reactor number 3.

Read more - 

http://www.infowars.com/fukushima-didnt-just-suffer-3-meltdowns-it-also-suffered-melt-throughs-and-melt-outs/

The secret of longer life: eat raw fish and drink green tea -

The secret of longer life: eat raw fish and drink green tea - 



If you are searching for the key to a long and healthy life, it seems Japanese women may have the answer. 

A new study has revealed their diets rich in raw fish and green tea are helping them to live considerably longer than British women. 

Eschewing the Western staples of dairy and bread sees Japanese women live to the ripe old age of 86.4 years on average, much more than British women who live to just 82.7 years. 

Research by the Office for National statistics found that there could be 'potential for further increases' in life expectancy for women in the UK, if they adopted the lifestyle of their Asian counterparts, The Times reports. 

The Japanese diet is rich in wholegrains, vegetables and soy - and Japanese women consume around 25 per cent fewer calories than British women. 

They eat on average three servings of fish a week, with smaller, daintier portions. 

It is believed that using chopsticks also slows down the eating process, giving the body time to realise what has been consumed, and therefore eat less. 

According to the league table, Japanese men have an average life expectancy of 79.9 - not too dissimilar to that of British men, who live on average to 78.9. 

The figures were revealed in an international compendium of data published by the ONS. 

It compares figures on population, education and economy. 

Read more - 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2612822/Japanese-womens-diet-green-tea-raw-fish-key-healthy-long-life-British-women-look-East-want-live-longer-study-says.html

DOCTOR: Going To Gym DAILY Won't Erase Potentially Deadly Effects Of Sitting All Day... - Sitting the New Smoking? -

DOCTOR: Going To Gym DAILY Won't Erase Potentially Deadly Effects Of Sitting All Day... - Sitting the New Smoking? - 



The average worker spends over five hours and 40 minutes sitting at their job every day and a new study says it’s bad for your health, with some claiming the long-term effects of sitting can be as bad as smoking.
Dr. Michael Jensen, from the Mayo Clinic, joined KDKA Radio’s Larry Richert and John Shumway to talk about a study he and his colleagues conducted.
To find out whether the test subjects in the study were sitting or not, Dr. Jensen says one of his colleagues, Dr. James Levine, invented underwear that can “tell whether you’re sitting, standing, or lying down essentially every half second of the day.”
With the data they gathered and studied, they came to the conclusion that people need to move around more. Dr. Jensen says they found, “that people who are overweight tend to spend a lot more time sitting then people who have not gained weight.”
Dr. Jensen says that a trip to the gym for 30 minutes or an hour may not be enough to combat all the time spent sitting.
“It’s not going to prevent risk for disease and weight gain if that’s all you do is go to the gym for 30 minutes or an hour and spend all of the rest of your day sitting.”
According to Dr. Jensen, “sitting is independently associated with greater risk of dying of heart disease [and] diabetes, even when you try to account for exercise.”
What is the solution to this? Dr. Jensen and his colleagues say that standing at work at least part of the time has positive health benefits.
The doctor admits, “that there certainly are people that have trouble with their legs, and it’s not going to be practical for them to be standing up a lot.” But he adds, “thankfully, most people can spend more time standing and not suffer from it.”
There are studies that claim prolonged sitting is responsible for 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer in the United States. Those are startling numbers, but Dr. Jensen says you should take some of those studies, “with a grain of salt.”
He says, “unlike the [study we] did where we objectively measured sitting, standing and walking, many of [the other studies] are self-report.”
A self-report relies a lot of the test subjects own reports.
He adds that the information gathered in a self-report, “tends to be bias and [the subject] may overlook a number of things that go into [the cause]. For example, people who sit a lot may have a number of other unhealthy lifestyles that [makes] it impossible to take account for.”
The bottom line is that less time spent sitting at work may help you reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Read more -

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/04/22/is-sitting-for-long-hours-at-work-the-new-smoking/

What Google Autocomplete Tells Us About America

What Google Autocomplete Tells Us About America - 



“Why does Obama suck?”

If you’re not sure, ask Google. It seems that millions of Americans already have asked this question, along with:

“Why does the government want to kill us?”, and

“Can the government take your gold?”

These are among the jewels of Google autocomplete– instantly displaying results from the most popular searches.

Try it yourself. The results vary slightly based on geography, but if you type, for example, “Obama is “, I get the following:



Not exactly the hope and change he was looking for I suppose.

(Canadians and Brits, don’t feel left out. Google tells us that Stephen Harper is “the anti-christ” and David Cameron is “a lizard”.)

While I’m sure we can all appreciate the humor, the reason these searches show up instantly in Google is because so many people are looking.

For example, when I type “Is America”, Google completes it with the most popular hit– “Is America doomed”…



Typing in “Why does the government” conjures all sorts of interesting queries, ranging from:

- need to collect taxes?
- want to kill us?
- lie?
- restrict seditious speech?

Or, typing “Why does the Federal Reserve. . . “, Google asks, “still exist?” Good question.

On the topic of the dollar, Google tells us “the dollar is” collapsing, dead, crashing, dying, devalued, not backed by gold, losing value, etc.



Apparently more and more people are starting to question the value and worth of their currency.

They’re starting to have second thoughts about a system in which we award a tiny banking elite with totalitarian control of the money supply.

And they’re starting to realize that that their government is corrupt, far too powerful, and overrun with liars and thieves.

In fact, for proof, I typed “does homeland s”, and Google completes with:

“Does Homeland Security pay well?” – and -
“Does Homeland Security hire felons?”



So it seems that convicted felons are looking for highly paid government employment. Perfect.

This is rather fitting given that typing “Will Ob” (not even the full word) returns “Will Obama declare martial law?”



People are certainly wondering.

Getting to this point of mistrust has taken years of endless warfare. The embarrassing failures of Obamacare. NSA and IRS scandals. Constant stories of police brutality. Higher taxes. Higher consumer prices.

It didn’t happen overnight. But over time, people have lost confidence not only in individual politicians, but in the system itself.

The institution of government is now viewed as the problem, not the solution. And this represents a complete breakdown in the social contract.

From the Romans to the Ottoman Empire to the Venetians, history is full of examples which show that once societies lose confidence in the system, substantial change and turmoil often follows.

I suspect that if Google had been around in the mid-1780s, autocomplete would probably tell us things like “Why does the King Louis” suck? And, “Will France” collapse?

It did. And when the French stormed the Bastille in 1789, they entered a 26-year period of revolution, civil war, hyperinflation, and genocide.

I’m not suggesting that we’re in for exactly the same fate. But we would be foolish to presume that this lost confidence and mistrust is a consequence-free environment.

Read more - 

http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/check-out-what-google-autocomplete-tells-us-about-america-14243/