figmedia.com

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/uber-at-the-center-of-another-unwelcome-publicity-storm/

Uber At The Center Of Another Unwelcome Publicity Storm

Uber At The Center Of Another Unwelcome Publicity Storm

Uber is at the center of another unwelcome publicity storm involving allegations of sexual assault against its drivers. Official figures, requested under British freedom of information laws, show that 32 allegations of sexual assault and rape were reported to London’s Metropolitan Police in the period between February 2015 and February 2016.

The figures were obtained by British newspaper the Sun. They come less than a year after Uber apologized for an incident in which a Delhi-based driver was found guilty of raping a 26-year-old female passenger. Meanwhile, in November 2015 a British Uber driver was jailed for eight months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a lone female passenger in his cab.

Allegations of sexual assault and harassment have long plagued the world’s biggest ride-sharing company. Uber, for its part, denies that its services are unsafe. A spokesperson has stated, “All drivers who use the Uber app in London are fully licensed by Transport for London and have undergone exactly the same enhanced DBS [criminal background] checks as black cab drivers, teachers, and care workers.

“We take any allegations of this nature very seriously—we work closely with the police on their inquiries and prevent drivers from using the app while investigations take place. Our GPS technology also means that every trip—more than one million in London each week—is electronically recorded.”

Broader questions are being asked about how Uber responds to allegations of sexual assault and harassment, and what systems they have in place for passengers to report issues. A Buzzfeed investigation from earlier this year found that the company received five rape claims and 170 allegations of sexual assault in the US between December 2012 and August 2015. At the time, Uber responded by emphasizing, “No means of transportation is 100 percent safe.”

But if your driver physically or verbally assaults you (or is just generally a Grade A creep), what can you do?

An Uber spokesperson stated that when such incidents are reported through the feedback function on the app, the company launches an internal investigation. “Our policy with any serious allegation is to speak to both the rider and partner-driver about the incident and prevent the driver from using our app while we investigate.

“If the rider feels that a crime has been committed, our team will encourage them to report it to the police and will support the authorities with their investigation.”

Disturbingly, Uber drivers who have been investigated by the police for rape or sexual assault could end up working for the service again. While all drivers are suspended during periods of active investigations, Uber confirmed that it makes the decision to reinstate a driver on a case by case basis if their case is dropped.

Given that only 28 percent of rape cases result in a prosecution (and that many undetected rapists are repeat offenders), the system is hardly watertight. It’s not inconceivable that an Uber driver with multiple allegations against their name could still end up taking you home.

In Uber’s defence, it’s worth pointing out women suffer sexual violence in every transport system and mode of transportation in the world, whether it’s sexual assaults on packed subway trains or London’s iconic double-decker buses. Today’s figures also show 122 allegations of rape or sexual assault against other London taxi drivers (including black cabs, which don’t exactly have a perfect record when it comes to sexual assault, either). According to Uber’s internal figures, over a million trips are taken in London each week, meaning that 32 allegations of sexual assault or rape represent a very small proportion of the overall whole.

London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “The MPS has a dedicated Cab Enforcement Unit, part of the Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC), which is responsible for enforcing the law relating to taxis and private hire vehicles in London. It works closely with the Safer Transport Teams and local borough police on joint operations to tackle touting and other cab related offences, with a specific focus on reducing sex offences in cabs through detection and deterrence activities.”

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/teams-proof-concept/

Teams Proof of concept

Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/bell-canada-hacked-1-9-million-accounts/

Bell Canada hacked over 1.9 million accounts

Bell is apologizing to its customers after 1.9 million email addresses and approximately 1,700 names and phone numbers were stolen from a company database.

The information appears to have been posted online, but the company could not confirm the leaked data was one and the same.

Bell, the country’s largest telecommunications company, attributed the incident to “an anonymous hacker,” and says it is working with the RCMP to investigate the breach.

“There is no indication that any financial, password or other sensitive personal information was accessed,” the company wrote in a statement. Bell said the incident was unrelated to the massive spike in ransomware infections that affected an estimated 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries late last week.

It is not clear when the breach occurred, how the data was accessed, or how long the attacker had access to Bell’s systems.

In 2014, the RCMP charged a Quebec youth after a Bell contractor was breached and 22,421 user names and passwords and five valid credit card numbers were posted online.

Attacker warns ‘more will leak’

A person or group alleging to be behind the attack wrote in a post online that they were “releasing a significant portion of Bell.ca’s data due to the fact that they have failed to cooperate with us.”

“This shows how Bell doesn’t care for its customers safety and they could have avoided this public announcement,” the post continues. “Bell, if you don’t cooperate more will leak :)”

The post links to a set of files containing a long list of email addresses and related customer information that appear similar in size and substance to Bell’s description of the stolen data — but also includes phone numbers, locations, job titles and other pieces of information about more than 150 supposed Bell contractors and employees.

When reached by phone, Bell’s director of communications Marc Choma told CBC News that he couldn’t comment on the incident or the apparent archive of leaked data because the investigation was continuing.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/hubble-space-telescope-captures-death-star-rotten-egg-nebula/

Hubble Space Telescope captures death of star in Rotten Egg Nebula

When our sun comes to the end of its roughly 10 billion-year life span, it will swell outward, swallowing Mercury, Venus and perhaps even Earth. A newly released image from NASA and the European Space Agency illustrates just what this might look like.

Astronomers pinpoint location of fast radio burst from faint galaxy The universe may contain 10 times as many galaxies as previously believed The Hubble Space Telescope recently captured the death of a sun-like star occurring roughly 5,000 light-years away in the Rotten Egg Nebula, which is also known by the kinder name the Calabash Nebula (the rotten egg name comes from the fact that it contains a lot of sulphur, which smells like a rotten egg when it’s combined with other elements).

Like our sun, the star contained at the centre of this nebula was a rather ordinary star. But it finally reached the end of its lifespan, exhausting its supply of hydrogen and helium. It swelled into a red giant, blowing its outer layer of gas and dust outward.

The gas that is being expelled in opposite directions by the star in the nebula is moving at an incredible one million kilometres per hour.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/fast-radio-burst-pinpointed-by-astronomers-distant-galaxy/

Fast Radio Burst pinpointed by Astronomers distant galaxy

Astronomers have located the source of a fast radio burst — a rare and distant release of cosmic radio waves that lasts mere milliseconds — in a galaxy more than three billion light-years from Earth.

Fast radio bursts were first discovered in 2007 using telescope data from 2001, and they still aren’t well understood. Initially, it wasn’t even clear if the bursts were coming from within our galaxy or outside it. To date only 18 fast radio bursts have been discovered.

Repeating mysterious radio bursts from deep space surprise scientists In March 2016, McGill University PhD student Paul Scholza found that a previously discovered fast radio burst was repeating, which was a first. This provided an opportunity for astronomers to further study them.

In 2016, a team of Canadian and American astronomers seeking to locate the source of FRB 121102 observed it for 83 hours over six months. They were able to catch FRB 121102 a total of nine times.

Determining the source was no easy feat: the astronomers used the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope to get a precise location in the sky. Using that data, astronomers then used the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii to get a visible-light image of the region. They found a faint galaxy right at the heart of the outbursts, three billion light-years away.

“Before we knew the distance to any FRBs, several proposed explanations for their origins said they could be coming from within or near our own Milky Way galaxy,” Shriharsh Tendulkar, a McGill University researcher and co-author of the paper said in a statement. “We now have ruled out those explanations, at least for this FRB.”

Another outburst

As well as pinpointing the location, astronomers also observed weaker bursts nearby. In order to get an even more precise location, a team used two other telescopes to conduct observations. What they found was that the two sources are within 100 light-years of one another. The scientists concluded that these bursts could be coming from the same object or that they are somehow physically associated with one another.

In order to release such energy, astronomers believe that fast radio bursts are caused by neutron stars — small, dense stars left over after a supernova.

Another possibility is that they occur with a magnetar, a type of star that is similar to a neutron star, but with extremely powerful magnetic fields. The astronomers believe that FRB 121102 could be coming from such a star.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/dogs-mannequin-challenge/

Dogs do mannequin challenge

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/one-billion-affected-yahoo-hack/

One billion users affected by Yahoo hack

Yahoo has said more than one billion users accounts may have been affected in a hacking attack dating back to 2013. The internet giant said it appeared separate from a 2014 breach disclosed in September, when Yahoo revealed 500 million accounts had been accessed. Yahoo said names, phone numbers, passwords and email addresses were stolen, but not bank and payment data. The company, which is being taken over by Verizon, said it was working closely with the police and authorities. Yahoo said it “believes an unauthorized third party, in August 2013, stole data associated with more than one billion user accounts”. The breach “is likely distinct from the incident the company disclosed on September 22, 2016”. However, the three-year-old hack was uncovered as part of continuing investigations by authorities and security experts into the 2014 breach, Yahoo said. Account users were urged to change their passwords and security questions. The California-based company has more than a billion monthly active users, although many people have multiple accounts. There are also many accounts that are little used or dormant. Vulnerability Cyber security expert Troy Hunt told the BBC: “This would be far and away the largest data breach we’ve ever seen. In fact, the 500 million they reported a few months ago would have been, and to see that number now double is unprecedented.” Yahoo said some of the breach could be linked to state-sponsored activity, as with the previous attack. Prof Peter Sommer, a specialist in digital forensics at Birmingham City University, told the BBC he could be persuaded it was a state-sponsored hack, “but at the moment I’m not”. “What on earth is a state going to do with one billion accounts of ordinary users? That’s the difficulty I have,” he said. In September, when Yahoo disclosed the 2014 data breach, the company said information had been “stolen by what we believe is a state-sponsored actor”, but it did not say which country it held responsible.

The latest disclosure raises fresh questions about Verizon’s $4.8bn proposed acquisition of Yahoo, and whether the US mobile carrier will try to modify or abandon its bid. ‘Pattern of serious failures’ If the hacks cause a user backlash against Yahoo, the company’s services would not be as valuable to Verizon.

Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer is negotiating the sale of Yahoo’s core business to Verizon Verizon said that it would evaluate the situation as Yahoo investigates and would review the “new development before reaching any final conclusions”. Mr Hunt said that Verizon allegedly cut its valuation of Yahoo by $1bn – almost 20% of the original bid’s value – after the news emerged of the 2014 attack. The latest revelations “will surely impact that valuation even further, not just because of the scale of it, but because it shows a pattern of serious failures on Yahoo’s behalf”, he said. It is a further embarrassment to a company that was once one of the biggest names of the internet but which has failed to keep up with rising stars such as Google and Facebook. Yahoo was once deemed to be worth $125bn during the dotcom boom. Various attempts to revive its fortunes have failed to stem its decline. Analysis: Dave Lee, North America technology reporter Good grief, can things get any worse for Yahoo? A complete disaster. Embarrassing. Negligent? We’ve come to accept that even the best systems get attacked by cyber criminals. But repeatedly? And in such great numbers? Something was seriously, seriously wrong. Looking to the future, this is yet more concern for Verizon, which agreed to buy Yahoo before all of these disasters were made public. It wanted the company because of its huge user-base and advertising reach. How many of those users are going to stick around when this kind of thing is going on? What’s in it for them? There’s talk of a discount on the $4.8bn Verizon agreed to pay out. It’s a game of how-low-can-you-go in the new year, you’d think.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/google-acquires-cronologics-smartwatch-os-startup/

Google acquires Cronologics smartwatch OS startup

Google acquires Cronologics smartwatch OS startup, founded by ex-employees

The next version of Android Wear won’t come out until early 2017, but Google is still doing what it can to improve its wearable OS in the meantime. The company just acquired Cronologics, a smartwatch OS startup that created the Amazon Alexa-equipped CoWatch. According to an announcement on Cronologics’ website, those at the company will join the Android Wear team at Google to “help grow the portfolio of watches” running the system.

Cronologics dates to 2014 when Lan Roche, Leor Stern, and John Lagerling started the company; all three had previously worked at Google. Cronologics’ first device was the CoWatch, which was billed as the first smartwatch to incorporate Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. CoWatch users could speak to the device on their wrist, asking it to do things like call an Uber, order pizza, and a number of other things you can do using Alexa on an Amazon device like the Echo. As of today, the CoWatch Indiegogo campaign has raised nearly $300,000—but with the company now under the Google umbrella, the fate of the CoWatch is up in the air.

The biggest thing to note about the CoWatch in the midst of this acquisition is that it runs a “brand new Cronologics OS”—not Android Wear—and is fully compatible with Android and iOS devices. Judging by the promotional videos on the campaign website, the OS looks like a mix of Google’s and Apple’s wearable operating systems: interchangeable watchfaces, some with small complication-esque buttons that provide easy access to onboard apps; activity tracking software including a built-in heart rate monitor; voice commands; and more.

Android Wear watches already respond to the “OK Google” voice command and can provide answers to questions that can be looked up via the search engine. It’s possible that Google wants to use Cronologics’ expertise in integrating voice commands into wearables to flesh out that feature in Android Wear. It’s also likely that Google wants to examine Cronologics’ wearable OS and maybe incorporate some of its features into Android Wear.

But Cronologics’ statement is interesting, as it says it’s excited to “help grow the portfolio” of Android Wear-powered devices. The CoWatch did have a few impressive hardware features, including 8GB of storage, a super AMOLED display, a stainless steel body, and a 300mAh battery that could supposedly last up to 32 hours on a single charge. It’s possible that Google may want to build another smartwatch of its own in addition to getting more OEMs to buy into Android Wear for their wearable devices.

The details of Google’s acquisition of Cronologics have not been disclosed.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/westjets-2016-christmas-video-fort-mcmurray-wildfire/

WestJet’s 2016 Christmas Miracle video Fort McMurray wildfire

This year’s WestJet Christmas Miracle video has an Alberta focus, as the company surprised Fort McMurray residents impacted by the May wildfires.

https://youtu.be/y7qZclJIjOM

In late November, the airline company put on a special Christmas party called the “Snowflake Soiree” for those affected by the wildfire and everyone in attendance was give given a free WestJet ticket.

The company said it wanted to give back to a community that’s had a difficult year.

https://youtu.be/sjOdmG93EtE

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/game-thrones-casts-mma-fighter-conor-mcgregor-mystery-role/

Game of Thrones Casts MMA Fighter Conor McGregor in Mystery Role

When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. Or, you open with an elbow strike, follow it with a spinning back-fist and finish your opponent with a ground-and-pound. Along those lines: Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor will appear in one of Game of Thrones‘ final two seasons, UFC president Dana White recently said during an interview on Fox Sports Live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaehn1aY8Ig&feature=youtu.be

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/new-steven-avery-attorney-filing-motion/

New Steven Avery Attorney Filing & Motion

Steven Avery current Department of Corrections photo.

The lawyer representing Making a Murderer‘s Steven Avery has filed motions with Wisconsin courts asking to conduct new scientific testing on Avery’s blood to determine whether it might have been planted by law enforcement officers.

In the new motion, Avery alleges his blood was planted in the victim’s car by law enforcement and wants the most scientific testing available to prove it. That was the theory advanced by his first defense team and rejected by a jury.

The motion does not reveal an alternative suspect by name but does refer to an “Individual A and B” as being present at key moments.

Read the motion here.

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals told Heavy that Avery’s Chicago-area attorney, Kathleen Zellner, had filed a motion in Avery’s case on August 26. In addition, Zellner is asking the state court to allowed her to conduct new DNA testing in the case that wasn’t available when Avery was first tried almost a decade ago, the appeals court filing says.

In the 45-page motion she filed with the state court, Avery is asking the courts to allow a variety of new tests, including body fluid testing and testing on evidence not done before, such as on the victim’s battery cable in her car, said ABC News. She also wants new testing that could shed light on the age of Avery’s blood found in the car of victim Teresa Halbach.

“Mr. Avery has already completed a series of tests that will conclusively establish his innocence,” Zellner said in the new motion, according to Newsweek. The news magazine said Zeller will “reveal her theory on the identity of the real killer once she has the results of the new tests she intends to conduct.”

“Because the results of the requested testing and any subsequent litigation could result in Mr. Avery’s conviction being overturned, it is appropriate to hold this appeal in abeyance pending the results of that testing and any subsequent litigation in the circuit court,” the motion filed in appeals court says.

The Wisconsin Appeals Court had given Zellner until August 29 to make a filing.

Avery is the Wisconsin man who drew international fame after the Netflix docuseries chronicled his wrongful conviction for a sexual assault and then his new conviction for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, who had come to his family’s junkyard in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin to photograph a van.

Reporters had gathered at the Manitowoc County Clerk of Courts office awaiting the detailed filing asking to conduct new DNA testing. Zellner kept those interested updated on Twitter of her arrival. She filed the motion asking for new testing in Manitowoc County and the motion asking for a stay of the appeal with the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in Madison, Wisconsin.

  1. Zellner Had Promised Big Revelations Previously & Said She Has an Alternate Suspect in Mind

Zellner has insisted she intends to prove Avery’s innocence, despite the complex forensic and circumstantial evidence against him. Newsweek says she watched the Netflix’ series in her 3,000-square-foot home theater and became angry because she felt Avery was treated as disposable due to his social class.

Zellner then took on the case as Avery’s lawyer. In Chicago, she has focused on overturning wrongful convictions to great acclaim.

Zellner told The New York Times: “There is evidence that already exists in the case that points to a different location and a different suspect. We’ve got a combination of forensic evidence and a tip from somebody that we’ve interviewed multiple times that we think is credible.”

She told The New York Times, “she has a different person in mind who she believes killed Ms. Halbach” without naming that person, adding that she will request new DNA testing of the evidence, including tests not available when Avery was tried.

Zellner’s website pledges, “Our goal is to vacate Mr. Avery’s 2007 conviction and sentence.” It also solicits donations for his legal defense.

Avery’s past appellate attorneys had filed a brief that listed four people they said were alternative suspects in the case. The trial court did not allow them to present those theories in court, saying they had not offered any concrete evidence tying those people to the crime (other than the fact they were on the property that day and some had unsavory pasts). The Wisconsin appellate court upheld that trial court decision previously. However, Zellner told the Times her suspect is someone new.

2. The Motion Asks to Test Bones Found in a Nearby Quarry Pit, Officers’ Fingerprints & Areas of Halbach’s Car

ABC News says that Avery’s filing asks for “new DNA testing on evidence that had not been screened before, including the battery cable, the interior hood release and the blinker light of the victim’s car.”

The defense team also wants advanced DNA analysis on items that were already tested, such as license plates form the car “and trace testing to determine if chemical solvents were used to remove DNA,” said ABC.

The motion also seeks “advanced testing of previously obtained fingerprints of two officers, as well as DNA testing of the alleged human pelvic bones recovered from the quarry,” said ABC. A state expert at Avery’s trial had testified that those bones might be human, however this was never proven. They did have burning consistent with other remains found behind Avery’s trailer. The two officers were members of the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department whom Avery’s first attorneys accused of trying to frame Avery by planting evidence, which they fervently deny.

On Twitter, Zellner has been passionately tweeting about the case, providing clues to her defense team’s approach. She also posts letters from Avery.

In one, he denied his former appellate attorneys’ accusations that some of his relatives might make plausible alternative suspects.

She has said on Twitter that she believes evidence was planted; that’s the case that Avery’s trial attorneys unsuccessful tried to make to the jury.

3. Zellner Has Said That Teresa Halbach’s Cell Phone Records Show She Left the Avery Property Before the Murder & Wants to Retest the Car Key & Hood Latch

Zellner also claimed that, “Halbach made two calls to a phone number that belonged to a man recently charged with sex crimes in Arizona,” said Newsweek.

In the new motion, Zellner seeks body fluids testing to restudy the DNA found on the victim’s car key – which was found in Avery’s bedroom – as well as under the hood latch of her car, which was found on his property.

That evidence was possibly touch DNA, not blood, a state expert testified, although that was never proven either way. The key was dubbed the “magic key” by Avery’s first defense team because it was unearthed in his bedroom after previous searches.

ABC News says Zellner’s motion seeks “body fluid source testing” that could determine whether the DNA was blood, sweat, saliva or something else, which was not available at the time Avery was tried. In addition, says ABC, Zellner wants radiocarbon testing, “which could definitively establish the age of Mr. Avery’s blood found in the victim’s vehicle and determine, based on the age, if the blood was planted,” the motion says.

During the trial, state experts testified that they found Avery’s in several places in the Halbach vehicle. Age of the blood could matter because it could help bolster a planting theory if it was old blood because Avery’s first defense team claimed law enforcement officers planted old Avery blood at the scene that was maintained in a vial at the courthouse from his earlier wrongful conviction case. Again, they deny planting anything. A state expert testified that Avery blood drops in the car appeared to be from an active bleeder.

4. Zellner Has Said She Wants New DNA Testing in the Case & Asked the Appeals Court to Suspend the Briefing Schedule

In the Court of Appeals motion she filed on August 26, Zellner moves the court for “an order to hold this appeal in abeyance and to suspend the briefing schedule pending the resolution and completion of

In 2009, Avery filed a direct post-conviction motion for a new trial but it was denied and is under appeal to the state appeals court. In 2013, Avery filed a motion for relief requesting an order vacating his conviction and sentences. It was denied in 2015, the motion says.

“Throughout his appeals, Mr. Avery has continued to assert his innocence,” says the new motion.

According to Fox 11, it’s not clear when the appellate court will decide Zellner’s motion.

5. Avery’s New Filing Comes After the Conviction of His Nephew Was Overturned

A federal magistrate judge based in Wisconsin stunned onlookers by overturning the conviction of Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, in August 2016. The magistrate raised concerns about interrogation techniques used against the then 16-year-old Dassey, who was interviewed by law enforcement without an attorney or parent present and who is cognitively challenged.

The magistrate gave prosecutors 90 days to appeal the decision or retry Dassey or he will be released from prison. Prosecutors have not yet signaled their intentions in the Dassey case.

The Dassey decision is separate from Avery’s. Avery’s appeal is in state court, not federal court.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/home-depot-pulling-scary-peeper-creeper-stores/

Home Depot pulling Scary Peeper Creeper from stores

Home Depot says it will pull the Scary Peeper Creeper from its shelves after a woman who saw the Halloween window decoration in a Markham, Ont., store complained it makes light of predatory behaviour against women.

Equipped with suction cups for mounting outside a window, the decoration costs $29 and features the full-sized head, face and hands of a creepy-looking, hooded man peering into a window. The decoration is made to look life-like, not cartoonish.

The intention is to scare anyone opening the blinds from inside the house on a dark night. A description on Home Depot’s website says the Scary Peeper Creeper is “perfect for scaring friends and family during Halloween or any other time of the year.”

A manufacturer’s website of what appears to be the same product (referred to as just Scary Peeper) features a video that shows how the decoration can be used as a prank to scare someone.

  A woman opens the blinds and is shocked to find the Creeper staring back at her.

“That’s fantastic,” a man says. “No, that’s scary,” the woman replies.

Makes light of a ‘serious crime’

After spotting the decoration in the store, Breanne Hunt-Wells contacted CBC News to complain, saying the Creeper is “inappropriate and makes light of a real-life, sinister issue that women face in our society.”

“I fail to see the humour in it,” Hunt-Wells said in an interview on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning show today. “It makes light of a very serious crime. Voyeurism is a crime in Canada.”

Hunt-Wells, a teacher and mother of two, said she has researched the issue since discovering the decoration, and said voyeurism can often escalate into sexual assaults, including rape. “This is not a harmless crime,” she said.

CBC raised the issue with Home Depot over the weekend and the store agreed it wasn’t appropriate.

“We agree that this is not in line with our core values, and when we heard, took immediate action and are currently in the process of removing this product from our assortment,” said Home Depot spokeswoman Emily DiCarlo

“We’ve reached out to advise the customer of our actions and apologize. We’re sorry for any offence that was caused.”

Woman applauds Home Depot’s decision

Hunt-Wells says Home Depot made the right decision, but the Scary Peeper Creeper should never have appeared on store shelves.

“I’m glad to see that Home Depot is responsive to change based on customer feedback,” she said.

Hunt-Wells also said the decoration shouldn’t be dismissed as a gag that’s in keeping with typical Halloween fun.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-3-whole-eggs-every-day/

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EAT 3 WHOLE EGGS EVERY DAY? YOU’LL BE SURPRISED

The seemingly simple eggs have a rich nutritional profile that can boost your overall health. Eating whole eggs is vital for your health – the yolk contains over 90% of the egg’s iron and calcium content, while the white contains half of the egg’s protein. Here are 10 reasons why you should eat eggs every day:

Eggs improve performance

Eggs are a highly satiating food – a single egg contains about 6 gr. of protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals although without vitamin C, which is why it’s recommended to drink fresh fruit juice along eggs and whole grain bread for breakfast.

Eggs can resolve your iron deficiency

People suffering from mild iron deficiency have reported symptoms of fatigue, headaches and irritability, but eggs can help you in this case due to their high heme iron content found in their yolk. Heme iron is the most absorbable and usable type of iron in food – it’s even more absorbable than iron supplements.

They improve the nutrient adequacy of the diet

Eggs are a valuable contributor to nutritious diets thanks to their nutrient density. According to a study, people who don’t consume eggs havea shortage of vitamins A, B12 and E. On the other hand, eggs have supplied 10-20% of folate and 20-30% of vitamins A, B12 and E in the diet of egg consumers. This study clearly shows the important role of eggs in your diet.

Eggs don’t increase the cholesterol levels

20 years ago, eggs were scrutinized due to their high cholesterol content, but, numerous recent studies have found no connection between consumption of eggs and coronary artery disease. Foods high in saturated fats and trans fats can raise your cholesterol levels and harm your health, but eggs are not in the same group – they are an excellent source of protein, which is not harmful to your body.

Eggs promote weight loss

Eating eggs and toast for breakfast have a 50% higher satiety index than a bowl of cereal. Many studies have shown that an egg for breakfast increases the satiety in overweight people and can stimulate weight loss.

Eggs promote brain health

Choline is an important nutrient that ensures proper brain development in fetuses and newborns. It can be found in high amounts in eggs – 1 egg a day can provide about 28% of a pregnant woman’s choline requirements.

This nutrient is very important during pregnancy and lactation, as its reserves in the body are depleted at that time. Animal studies have shown that the memory function of aged rats was determined by what their mothers ate during pregnancy, which shows how important eggs are during the 9-month period.

Eggs prevent cataract and protect your eyesight

Regular consumption of eggs, spinach and broccoli is related to cataract and age-related lens and retinal degeneration decrease, which is the main cause of blindness in older people. Eggs are an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants which protect your eyes from many diseases. Getting proper supply of them is crucial for proper eyesight.

Eggs are the best source of protein

Protein is one of the central elements in our diet, and it can be found in high amounts in eggs. Protein consists of certain amino acids which cannot be produced by the body and must be derived from our diet. A complete protein food contains all of the 9 essential amino acids which are used to build and repair tissues.

Although milk and meat are complete proteins, eggsare considered the best protein source. Compared to eggs, which have a 100 protein rating, milk is rated at 83 while meat is rated at 75. A single egg has the same protein content as 30 gr. of meat, fish or poultry, and it’s also the cheapest protein source among them.

Eggs protect our bones

Eggs are rich in vitamin D, one of the most important vitamins our body needs. We obtain some of our daily allowance of vitamin D from the sun, and the rest from our food. This vitamin is vital for calcium absorption and maintaining proper bone health, so eating eggs and dairy products regularly is crucial for protecting our bones from osteoporosis and similar bone diseases.

Eggs improve the quality of our hair and nails

Biochemical imbalances and shortages in the body are reflected in the hair, but eating eggs regularly can promote healthy hair due to their high content of Sulphur-containing amino acids. Many people have reported faster hair growth after incorporating eggs in their diet, especially if their previous diet didn’t include foods rich in zinc, Sulphur and vitamins A and B12.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/woman-mauled-death-tiger-china-animal-park/

Woman mauled to death by tiger in China animal park

(CNN)A woman was mauled to death by a Siberian tiger and her female companion was injured while on a safari-style tour in China, state-run media reported Monday.

Part of the horrific attack at the Badaling Wildlife World animal park near Beijing on Saturday was caught on a security camera and provided to CNN by China’s state television station CCTV. The park allows visitors to drive their vehicles through a tiger enclosure.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/usada-pulling-jon-jones-ufc-200/

USADA pulling Jon Jones from UFC 200

Jones pulled from UFC 200 due to potential doping violation

LAS VEGAS — UFC interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was notified of a potential doping violation Wednesday night, ruling him out of his bout with Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 200.

A grim-faced UFC President Dana White announced the dramatic change three days before the mixed martial arts promotion’s landmark show.

“He’s got the chance to prove himself innocent before being called guilty,” White said. “But if it’s true, obviously super disappointing.”

Jones tested positive for an unspecified banned substance in an out-of-competition sample taken June 16 by USADA, which administers the promotion’s anti-drug policy. While Jones is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, he has apparently failed drug tests around two of his past three scheduled fights.

Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight bout with Mark Hunt is UFC 200’s new main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lesnar’s much-anticipated return from a 4 1/2-year MMA absence was previously the penultimate bout on the star-studded pay-per-view card assembled by the UFC for its biggest event of the summer.

White said he doesn’t know what substance was detected in Jones’ test, but acknowledged that this violation could lead to a multiyear suspension for one of the UFC’s biggest stars.

After Jones beat Cormier by clear decision in their first meeting in January 2015, the UFC announced that Jones had tested positive for apparent cocaine use before the fight.

Jones’ behaviour outside the cage repeatedly has hampered his meteoric rise inside his sport. Shortly after his first positive drug test, he was hit with a suspension for several months in 2015 due to his involvement in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, where the upstate New York native lives and trains.

Jones’ UFC suspension was lifted in October 2015, and he returned to competition in April with a victory over Ovince Saint Preux. Jones was scheduled to meet Cormier in that bout, but Cormier pulled out with a foot injury.

White said he would attempt to book a last-minute replacement fight for Cormier, but isn’t sure the UFC could find a reasonable opponent on such short notice. Cormier likely was due to make millions for his share of the revenue from the UFC 200 card, which is likely to be one of the biggest sellers in MMA history.

“When you have the biggest, baddest fight card ever assembled, it doesn’t sting as bad when you lose a fight,” White said. “But it stings real bad for Daniel Cormier. It’s devastating to him in every possible way.”

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/tesla-driver-killed-using-praised-autopilot-system/

Tesla driver killed while using praised Autopilot system

Tesla driver killed while using Autopilot praised system

Joshua Brown was the first U.S. fatality in a crash involving a car in self-driving mode

CANTON, Ohio — Joshua Brown, the first U.S. fatality in a wreck involving a car in self-driving mode, had an adventurous streak with a “need for speed” but also was a brilliant innovator and beloved neighbour, say those who knew the Navy veteran.

The 40-year-old single man lived in Canton where he ran a wireless technology company. He bought his modest home four years ago for $40,000 — a little more than half the sticker price of a new Tesla Model S. Brown was “like a little kid” when he brought home his Tesla Model S sedan late last summer and always willing to take anyone for a ride, said Richard Tichenor, a neighbour.

Brown died May 7 in Williston, Florida, when his car’s cameras didn’t make a distinction between the white side of a turning tractor-trailer and the brightly lit sky while failing to automatically activate its brakes, according to statements by the government and the automaker.

Terri Lyn Reed, a friend and insurance agent in northeastern Ohio who insured Brown’s business, said he loved motorcycles and fast cars.“He had the need for speed,” she said. “Kind of a daredevil, loved the excitement.”

Brown nicknamed the car “Tessy” and praised its “Autopilot” system. He posted videos online touting its capabilities, saying in April it avoided a crash when a truck swerved into his lane. “Hands down the best car I have ever owned,” Brown said.

His driving record, obtained by The Associated Press, showed he had eight speeding tickets in a six-year span. The most recent ticket, in 2011, was for driving 64 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Stan Staneski III worked two years for Brown putting in wireless networks. His boss and friend liked to go fast, but “was always a very safe driver,” said Staneski, of Denver, Pennsylvania.

“I mean, I never once felt scared or threatened while riding with him,” he said.

A Navy SEAL for 11 years, Brown left the service in 2008. A lot of his innovations came out of what he learned in the military, Reed said, describing him as incredibly intelligent.

Brown founded his wireless company in April 2010, a couple of months before he was caught going 80 mph in a 55 mph zone. He built the business installing Wi-Fi networks at campgrounds and cruise line terminals from the ground up. He told a customer his company would be bigger than cable giant Comcast Corp.

“He wasn’t in it for the money,” Reed said. “He wanted to make things better for people.”

Brown took meticulous care of the Tesla and enjoyed seeing what it could do. But he also wanted to know its limitations and make sure it was safe, she said. He was on vacation in Florida with his parents when he was killed, she said.

New Post has been published on https://figmedia.com/boxychan-review-the-mystery-theme-box/

Boxychan Review: The Mystery Theme Box

Prepare to be surprised

By now if you have not heard about subscription boxes, and the convenience of a monthly subscription to your favorite products or services then you have lived under an internet rock. Our friends over at Boxychan have taken the subscription box service to a whole new level by providing outstanding monthly mystery themed boxes. What does this mean exactly? Well let us explain.

Boxychan provides 21 different themes available for subscription, each with it own mystery to the theme. You simply select the themes that are most interesting to you, and await your mystery delivery. That being said this is just a general overview, what we want to do now, is share our Boxychan experience with you, and what we received in our monthly box.

One could say I am a sucker for anything transformer related, and as you probably already noticed in the article image, I couldn’t help but indulge in a transformers themed box. We didn’t expect to receive as much merchandise as we did in this box. Lets check out what we got in this delivery!

                                                Each item in our mystery box, had an awesome twist of uniqueness, going into the review even before we received the subscription box, we had wondered how they would supply a diverse amount of products within only one theme, without being repetitive. But we believe, in this case, that Boxychan nailed it.

Lets begin with the hands on toys. We received a Lego figure of Optimus Prime; an awesome Bumblebee transformer that turns into a functional toy car; Transformers construct bots, we actually got Dead End, you build him from 47 pieces in two different modes.

Next we were happily surprised with some Transformers sweat bands with a cool Transformer purple logo on them, an Optimus Prime magnet, a stuffed Transformers character about 6 inches in height, and last but not least a Transformers mini comic book.

One thing we can say about Boxychan, is the value for what you pay is there, we have seen several subscription boxes that are often filled with useless materials, to make it look like you got your moneys worth. With Boxychan you literally get what you pay for, and the best part of it all is the element of surprise.

For the super fan, or even for a birthday gift, you can’t go wrong with any of these themed boxes. There is something for everyone, from Hello Kitty to Walking Dead, the themes that are available are not just for kids. There is guaranteed to be something that everyone will like.

Interested in trying out Boxychan?