Modern life may be going to your head.

It's not clear why--medicine? cars? supermarkets?--but the skulls of white Americans, and perhaps of other races and nationalities, have become slightly taller and roomier, according to new forensic research.

(See more health news.)

New measurements of hundreds of skulls of white Americans born between 1825 and 1985 suggest that their typical noggin height has grown by about a third of an inch (eight millimeters).

It may not sound like much, but the growth translates to roughly a tennis ball's worth of new brain room.

"I can't guess the implications of this jump in cranial size, but other research shows a bigger cranium doesn't necessarily mean more intellect," said University of Tennessee biological anthropologist Richard Jantz, who presented the findings with colleagues at an American Association for Physical Anthropology meeting in April.

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those

A Yemeni man working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed by an air strike in Abyan province on Wednesday while carrying out humanitarian work, the agency said.

Yemeni troops last week retook several towns in the southern province of Abyan that Islamist militants allied to al Qaeda had seized last year. The troops are backed by the United States, which has also been using drones to kill suspected militants on what it sees as a front line in its own war against al Qaeda.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply shocked and dismayed by the death of one of its staff members, Hussein Saleh, who was killed this morning while on duty in the north of Abyan governorate," the ICRC said in a statement.

"It was an air strike. We have no additional details whatsoever," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said in Geneva.

On Tuesday, U.N. human rights investigator Christof Heyns called on the Obama administration to justify its policy of assassinating rather than capturing al Qaeda or Taliban suspects, increasingly with the use of unmanned drone aircraft that also kill civilians.

Saleh, who was 35, and three other staff members had been assessing the humanitarian situation in Abyan, which has been severely affected by the recent fighting.

Eric Marclay, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said Saleh's wife was expecting their fifth child. . . .

Our study shows that the 302 reported drone strikes in northwest Pakistan, including 24 in 2012, from 2004 to the present have killed approximately between 1,851 and 2,843 individuals, of whom around 1,558 to 2,372 were described as militants in reliable press accounts. Thus, the true non-militant fatality rate since 2004 according to our analysis is approximately 17 percent. In 2011, it was more like eleven percent.

Predictions that multitudes of unmanned aircraft could be flying here within a decade are raising the specter of a "surveillance society" in which no home or backyard would be off limits to prying eyes overhead. Law enforcement, oil companies, farmers, real estate agents and many others have seen the technology that was pioneered on battlefields, and they are eager to put it to use.

It's not just talk: The government is in the early stages of devising rules for the unmanned aircraft.

So far, civilian use of drones is fairly limited. The Federal Aviation Administration had issued fewer than 300 permits for drones by the end of last year.

Public worries about drones began mostly on the political margins, but there are signs that they're going mainstream.

Jeff Landry, a freshman Republican congressman from Louisiana's coastal bayou country, says constituents have stopped him while shopping at Walmart to talk about their concerns.

"There is a distrust amongst the people who have come and discussed this issue with me about our government," Landry said. "It's raising an alarm with the American public."

According to Michael Maness, Knight's vice president for journalism and innovation, grants from the fund will be up to $50,000 and cover a period between 60 to 120 days. The foundation has already awarded two projects: the University of Nebraska's drone journalism experiment and a sentiment analysis research tool from the Jefferson Institute.

An Internet-born character called "Pedobear," which mocks pedophiles or is their mascot, depending on which website you believe, is at the Centre County courthouse this morning, outside the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse trial.

The trial is winding down. The defense is expected to finish its case today. Ex-Penn State coach Sandusky denies allegations that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years, all of whom he met through his Second Mile children's charity.

The bear character, meanwhile, was interviewed by some media. Its website is vague about what the bear does exactly, but does point out that it's not for the easily offended.

DSM-IV-TR

The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM IV-TR, defines histrionic personality disorder (in Cluster B) as:[2]

A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention

interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior

displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions

consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self

has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail

shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion

is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances

considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are

Issa pressed ahead with the vote Wednesday despite an eleventh-hour move by President Obama to assert executive privilege over the Fast and Furious documents at the heart of the dispute.-

Preceding the vote late Wednesday afternoon was a caustic debate before the committee that spanned six hours, as Democrats accused Issa of prosecuting a "political witch hunt" and Republicans stepped up their criticism of Holder's "stonewalling" over the Fast and Furious probe. Even for Washington, the tone at the hearing was decidedly bitter and accusatory.-

Because if left unchecked Europe will likely talk the algos trading the market with flashing read headlines to 36,000, here comes Findland to put some things in order

FINNISH PM KATAINEN REJECTS PROPOSAL TO USE ESM AND EFSF MONEY TO BUY GOVT BONDS

Yes, the same Finland who ten days ago made it perfectly clear that the EFSF is also subordinating, when they demanded collateral from Spanish banks courtesy of negative pledge language.

Finland will demand collateral for its share of emergency loans to shore up the Spanish banking system should the money come from the euro-region's temporary bailout fund, Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen said.

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"It remains undecided whether the bailout will be granted via the temporary facility, in which case Finland will require collateral," Urpilainen told reporters in Kokkola, Finland, yesterday. The other alternative is to grant the loan through the European Stability Mechanism, the "permanent crisis mechanism, which will provide better security for taxpayers" and won't result in demands for extra guarantees, Urpilainen said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Finland, Latvia, and Russia from June 27-June 30. In Helsinki, Finland, Secretary Clinton will hold bilateral meetings with senior Finnish officials to discuss a number of shared foreign policy priorities, including the European economy, Syria, Iran and climate change. She will highlight Finland's commitment and leadership in Afghanistan, specifically on development and women's issues. She will also meet with leaders in innovation, entrepreneurship and civil society.

'LONDON (Standard & Poor's) June 18, 2012--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that its sovereign credit ratings and outlook on the Hellenic Republic (Greece; CCC/Stable/C) are not affected by the outcome of yesterday's general elections.

Thousands took to the streets of Lisbon Saturday in a protest against the centre-right government's austerity policies imposed as part of an EU-IMF bailout to rein in Portugal's public debt.

Trade unions had expected a much larger turnout after a rally in the northern city of Oporto a week ago drew about 30,000 protesters, according to their own count.

"If the government continues on this path Portugal will go under," said Joao Cruz, a 43-year-old rail worker, who was paid 2,000 euros less in a year since the adoption of budget cuts.

The Troika is considering making big changes to the terms of Ireland's bailout as part of a concerted effort to organise the country's return to the markets, RTÉ News has learned.

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The changes would focus on extending the repayment schedule of Ireland's bailout loans.

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At present Ireland's loans to the EU are an average of 15 years long.

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The Troika believes the country has been sticking to its bailout targets and its cost of borrowing would be lower were it not for the worsening of the euro zone crisis.

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In an effort to secure a return of Ireland to the markets, sources say the Troika is considering adjusting the terms of the country's repayments. Instead of paying back EU loans over an average of 15 years it is considering extending them to 30 years.

Spain is back on the front line of the eurozone debt crisis as its long-term borrowing rate shot above seven percent, despite initial relief after a pro-bailout victory in Greek parliament elections.

On Monday, the rate of return investors demanded to hold 10-year Spanish bonds jumped to 7.061 percent, the highest level since the birth of the euro in 1999, which is widely viewed as unsustainable.

De prioriteit ligt nu bij de banken', zei Van Rompuy over de plannen om de muntunie te versterken. 'Daar kunnen we, sneller dan bij andere onderwerpen, een akkoord bereiken over een centraler toezicht.'

De afgelopen maanden klinkt er in Europa steeds luider een roep om een gezamenlijk beleid ten opzichte van de banken. Dat moet voorkomen dat zwakke banken de financiële toekomst van een land op het spel kunnen zetten, zoals de afgelopen tijd in Spanje is gebeurd.

Het Stedelijk Museum blijft na de heropening in september elke maandag gesloten. Dat meldt de Volkskrant vandaag. Door op maandag de deuren gesloten te houden, ontloopt het museum heel wat onkosten.

De maatregel van de maandagsluiting wordt eveneens door het Tropenmuseum in Oost gehandhaafd. Het Rijksmuseum en het Van Gogh Museum blijven echter gewoon open aan het begin van de week. Hierdoor wijken de openingstijden van het Stedelijk enigszins af van andere belangrijke trekpleisters op en rondom het Museumplein.

The Troika is considering making big changes to the terms of Ireland's bailout as part of a concerted effort to organise the country's return to the markets, RTÉ News has learned.

-

The changes would focus on extending the repayment schedule of Ireland's bailout loans.

-

At present Ireland's loans to the EU are an average of 15 years long.

-

The Troika believes the country has been sticking to its bailout targets and its cost of borrowing would be lower were it not for the worsening of the euro zone crisis.

-

In an effort to secure a return of Ireland to the markets, sources say the Troika is considering adjusting the terms of the country's repayments. Instead of paying back EU loans over an average of 15 years it is considering extending them to 30 years.

It is the first strike by doctors in almost 40 years. In a ballot of 104,000 members of the British Medical Association, the majority voted for a strike.

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Published on May 22, 2012 by UngerRoberto

In the Beyond series, thinker and politician

Unger has taught at the Harvard Law School for all of his adult life. He became the youngest tenured faculty at the law school in 1976, and has since instructed many of the world elite, including Barack Obama, who took "Jurisprudence" and "Reinventing Democracy" with Unger.

Face.com's technology is designed not only -to-identify individuals but also their gender and age.

Syrian Producer

Black Knight Ara has fam there

Sir Thomas

Dont Do It!

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has donated $100,000 to aid Syrian refugees, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday.

The Oscar-winning actress is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and made the donation on World Refugee Day.

In a statement marking the occasion Jolie said the solutions to the world's growing number of displaced people were political as well as humanitarian.

"The international community should rededicate itself to preventing conflict, addressing it when it erupts, and solving it more quickly," she said.

"For that is the only way to create durable solutions for the refugees whose strength inspires us on this World Refugee Day."

Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled their country amid a bloody crackdown on dissent by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, with most going to Turkey and Lebanon.

Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the agency since 2001, was promoted to special envoy earlier this year.

Middle East military tensions around Syria shot up again Monday, June 18, with the-news reported by the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars that a joint Russian-Chinese-Iranian exercise is to take place in Syria.

It was described as "the biggest of its kind ever staged in the Middle East" with 90,000 personnel, 400 air planes and 900 tanks taking part.

Russia has denied reports in media that it allegedly planned joint military exercises with China and Iran on Syrian territory.

'This is absurd', Mr. Igor Dygalo, aide to Russia's Navy commander said.

Earlier this week the Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV channel reported that Russia, China and Iran were planning joint exercises, the largest in the Middle East, comprising some 90,000 ground, naval and air forces, as well as 400 aircrafts, 1,000 tanks and Russian submarines, destroyers and an aircraft carrier.

The report said that Egypt had allowed 12 Chinese navy ships to go through the Suez Canal to arrive in Syria.

This false report also claimed that Syria was going to test its anti-ship missiles and air defense system

The current version of the Senate bill cuts deeply into the largest food assistance program, trimming $4.5 billion over ten years from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), the program that provides food benefits to one in seven Americans. Sen. Karen Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,

Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio, the linkage of sustainable development to economic growth requires profound rethinking. It has not offered a convincing solution to one of the most dramatic crises in history: how to avert ecological collapse while enhancing social justice and improving life?s prospects. In advance of Rio plus 20, our Conference seeks to challenge and move beyond the sustainable development agenda. A degrowth perspective will help us visualize and build towards a truly prosperous world.

Drawing from previous degrowth conferences in Paris and Barcelona in 2008 and 2010 respectively, the Montreal conference will focus on the particular situations and dynamics of the Americas. What does degrowth mean for our Hemisphere with its rich geographical, cultural, social and economic diversity? How can degrowth models apply to different contexts from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego? What does degrowth mean for the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their aspirations for their lands and peoples? How can degrowth concepts be made audible, understandable and acceptable to rich North Americans?

This gathering will bring together academics, activists, environmentalists and indigenous peoples to discuss our needs and hopes for diverse and more equitable societies in the Americas, on a post-growth healing earth.

KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, BYLINE: It's a sad irony that Rodney King - who'd been an excellent swimmer since childhood - drowned in the pool he so loved. When I spoke with him in April, just before his memoir was published, he said he was aware many black folks were not water-safe.

RODNEY KING: That's one of the reasons why I got into swimming, because I know a lot of black people don't swim, and I know a lot of them go out to the water and don't make it back.

Off the pristine beaches of Africa's Indian Ocean coast, multinationals have struck gas -- well upon well upon well.

Planned investments worth tens of billions exceed the gross domestic products of some host countries, which range from regional power Kenya to impoverished Mozambique.

East Africa's coastal region, stretching out to Seychelles holds 441.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the US Geological Survey. That's about 50 percent more than in Saudi Arabia.

"The gas discoveries offshore in Mozambique and Tanzania are large and world-class, with potential for more to come, including prospects for an oil leg," said Duncan Clarke, CEO of oil consulting company Global Pacific.

"These finds will lead to LNG (liquefied natural gas) plants ... and will make the zone akin to the Northwest Shelf in Australia," which can produce 23 billion cubic meters a year, he told AFP.

Houston-based Anadarko in June announced new finds in northern Mozambique which brought its estimated recoverable resources to up to 60 trillion cubic feet.

The company has proposed $15 billion in investments to set up LNG facilities. Mozambique's GDP last year was $12 billion.

The land bridge traverses more than 10,000 km through China, Central Asia and Eastern Europe before arriving at European trading hubs like Rotterdam and Antwerp in about two weeks. The route is expected to benefit more than 40 countries and regions by taking less than half the time and enjoying a similar reduction in costs compared with transporting goods by sea.

Other routes under the Eurasian Land Bridge concept include an earlier one that consists of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Russian seaport of Vladivostok. Yet another rail link considers connecting the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen with Rotterdam, through a 15,000-km route across 17 countries and regions - via Guangdong and Yunnan provinces as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in China - before entering Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey toward its western destination.

U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad is receiving new military assistance from Belarus, a tiny nation which appears willing to flout the international effort to isolate the dictator and force him from power.

Western officials and outside analysts say that Belarus is providing Damascus with technology that would improve the capabilities of Assad's surface-to-surface missiles, one of the Syrian military's primary weapons during its brutal ongoing crackdown on rebels throughout the country.

The technology would increase the accuracy of the missiles, making it easier for Assad's forces to target and destroy even well-entrenched and well-hidden rebel positions.

Mr Ross, who is regarded as Mrs Clinton's most high-profile advisor on technology and innovation-related issues, said some US politicians had found themselves confronted by young family members over the Sopa bill.

"There is a massive shift in geopolitical power," Mr Ross added. "It's from hierarchies, including government and big media. There's a shift in power to citizens and networks of citizens.

"This shifting power is being enabled by connecting technologies.

"The biggest threat to your ability to innovate comes from government, and I say that from Hillary Clinton's office in the US State Department.

Speaking of recent revolutions in Tunisia and Libya, he said that while it was becoming easier for revolutions to start and grow rapidly, social network-driven uprisings resulted in countries being left without a clear successor.

"There's nobody's face you're going to put on a t-shirt," he said.

"Instead of a single, charismatic figure inspiring the masses from on high, leadership in these revolutions looks like a web."

As a result, many US politicians changed their stance and chose to oppose Sopa.

He warned the conference attendees, made up mostly of developers and other technology innovators, that those in power would start to get "up in your face all the more" as a result of the Sopa fall-out.

Governments would begin "seeking to control your networks, seeking to take away your internet freedom", he said.

Despite a veto threat, President Obama will sign the contentious Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), according to the bill's lead co-sponsor, Rep. Mike Rogers. That is, if it even makes it to his desk.

Call it wishful thinking or a sage prediction: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) co-sponsor Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) believes President Obama will sign the controversial cybersecurity legislation -- if it ever gets to his desk -- despite the fact that his office threatened a veto.

On November 2, 2010, the state of California voted on Proposition 19, which entailed legalizing marijuana for personal uses, growing or cultivating it, as well as sale and taxation of it. The Proposition lost by 500,000 votes out of the near 7 million votes cast. "Californians recognized that legalizing marijuana will not make our citizens healthier, solve California's budget crisis or reduce drug related violence in Mexico," said Gil Kerlikowske.[20]

Gov. Mitch Daniels talked about career change, higher education and even his lack of academic experience -- but he didn't say a word about Purdue University during an appearance in Fishers this morning.

Reporters were told in advance that Daniels wouldn't discuss reports of his selection as the next president of Purdue, expected during a trustee's meeting on Thursday morning.

Che beats port

German beats greece (JCD says greece wins)

Spain beats france

Italy beats UK (JCD says UK wins)

After an investigation lasting two years, Melbourne-based CSL has admitted that its Fluvax injections overstimulated the immune systems of some children under five years of age.

This reaction caused them to have fevers so high it led to convulsions in up to seven out of 1000 young children given the shots.

In a paper presented at a medical conference in Darwin today, CSL admitted that unlike flu vaccines made by other drug companies, theirs caused an over-stimulation of the immune system in some toddlers.

Star Local News > News Update > City discovers West Nile Virus in mosquitoes

"We have what we call the 'four D's,'" Heinicke said. "When you go outside, you want to make sure you use some sort of insect repellant that contains DEET. You want to avoid going outside between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. You also want to make sure you dress appropriately with long sleeves and long pants. The final 'D' is to drain any standing water you have in your yard."

and

" Heinicke said spraying typically occurs between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m., times when most people are not outside their homes."

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Naturally I didn't know what DEET was, so again, book of knowledge, according to the ATSDR or Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, DEET AKA N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide has some pretty nasty side effects when applied often including, cases of altered mental state and parasthesias and on individual even "developed grandiose delusions and became verbally aggressive, irritable and belligerent."

I probably sound pretty crack potty right now, but my theory is that it is just another part of agenda 21 to dumb us down and keep us scared. We get to beg them to poison us because some mosquitos had west nile, possibly.

I was thinking you might appreciate this more than anyone else I know, so I hope I am not wasting your time!

-Future Knight, Josh.

Late last summer, presidential hopefuls Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann propelled the HPV vaccine into the headlines as they sparred over requiring the shot for adolescent girls. Their tussle revived battles between public health advocates and abstinence-until-marriage evangelists over whether it was a potentially life-saving medical precaution or an invitation to promiscuity.

Meanwhile, I had a completely different thought: Hey, what about me?

The human papillomavirus vaccine is FDA-approved only through age 26, with the thinking that by that time women (and men) have had enough sex that they're probably already exposed to the virus and won't benefit. I was 32 then. But I wondered: what if, by luck of the draw, I happen to be an exception? And even if it's a long shot, wouldn't it be worth it for the chance to prevent cervical cancer, just in case?

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Published on May 22, 2012 by UngerRoberto

In the Beyond series, thinker and politician

Issa pressed ahead with the vote Wednesday despite an eleventh-hour move by President Obama to assert executive privilege over the Fast and Furious documents at the heart of the dispute.-

Preceding the vote late Wednesday afternoon was a caustic debate before the committee that spanned six hours, as Democrats accused Issa of prosecuting a "political witch hunt" and Republicans stepped up their criticism of Holder's "stonewalling" over the Fast and Furious probe. Even for Washington, the tone at the hearing was decidedly bitter and accusatory.-