Supporters held solidarity vigils in support of the imprisoned private Bradley Manning and the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, outside the U.S and Ecuador embassy in London on Monday, 16th July 2012. Organized by Veterans for peace in UK, rally started from Bond Street at 3pm and ended at Knightsbridge in front of Ecuadoran embassy at 4:30pm. From Australia to Germany to USA, these rallies have become sufficiently well organized and have given the Manning and Assange movement some momentum.

The message to the American government was clear and reinforced in blunt precision as protesters gathered outside the U.S embassy in Bond street to observe the silent vigil for Manning.

Former American soldier, 24 year old Bradley Manning appeared in US court in Ft. Meade, Maryland this week. Manning was arrested in Baghdad on 29th May 2010, for providing whistle blowing website Wikileaks with classified secret documents on US government. For the past two years, human rights organizations have been highlighting the plight of Manning in U.S. cells. UN Torture Chief Juan Mendez’s investigating report for UN special rapporteur on torture states that “I believe Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation he was put in during the eight months he was in Quantico.”

According to Manning’s Defense Lawyer David Coombs ‘aiding the enemy’ charge is stricter against US soldiers than it would be against terrorists. According to Coombs: “It defies all logic to think that a terrorist would fare better in an American court for aiding the enemy than a US soldier would.”

The peaceful protesters made their way across to Knightsbridge to the Ecuadorian Embassy, encouraging others to join in.

Born in Queensland, Australia, Assange has been at the centre of media firestorm for past several months now. Since last year, London has become a central hub for Assange campaigns and this movement has grown into an unstoppable force. Assange faces threat of extradition to the U.S. on the charges of espionage for publishing 250,000 classified diplomatic documents. After losing an appeal for asylum in UK Supreme Court, Assange has sought political asylum in an Ecuadoran embassy in London. Other problems also persist for Assange, Swedish authorities want him in Swedish court over sexual molestation and rape charges.

In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald the head of the US Senate’s intelligence oversight committee, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said, “I believe that Julian Assange has knowingly obtained and disseminated classified information which could cause injury to the United States … He has caused serious harm to US national security and should be prosecuted accordingly.”

Former SAS soldier Ben Griffin spoke exclusively to The Toonari Post about 16th July rally outside the Ecuadoran embassy.

Toonari Post (TP): What is the political and social message of today’s rally?

Ben Griffin (BG): So today, private Bradley Manning who is accused of leaking, and the information to wikileaks that reveals war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, today he is facing a pre motion hearing in the United States and every time that Manning has been taken before the court, we have held a silent vigil outside the U.S. embassy and in the meantime Julliane Assange has sought the asylum in the Ecuadoran embassy and we have been holding a daily vigil outside this embassy in support of the Ecuadorian people in the hope that they will grant him asylum and so today we combined the two things to have our silent vigil outside the embassy and a protest down here to also support Julliane Assange.

TP: Please tell us more about Veteran for Peace’s role in the mobilization process and the composition of today’s protest?

BG: well what we have here is a group of people who are all concerned about Bradley Manning and Julliane Assange and we have all come from different organizations. There are many other organizations represented here and it just so happens that on this specific occasion I have taken the lead through veterans for peace in organizing this but as i say we have Italian friends of Bradley manning, we have got the London Catholic worker, and we have got UK friends of wikileaks, so there is lots of other organization, so it just happens that veterans for peace just took the lead on this occasion, but it is a multi organization event.

TP: What message of support do you have for supporters and activists of Manning and Assange across the world?

BG: Right, I mean it is important that, even in the case of Manning its important, even though, he is being held in the United States, and we all can do small things in our country to get the awareness of his issue out in the public domain. So whether you are in London, in Australia, in Russia, in Africa, we can all go out on the streets, in solidarity for Manning on the days he’s in court in America. And as far as Assange is concerned, we could do similar things, we may not be able to go out on streets, there may not be something happening in your areas, but you can either go on internet, and spread information on internet, and so what we are looking for is people to do what they can, you may not be able to go out on streets, but you can do something on the internet.

TP: What is the current update on Assange?

BG: So Julianne Assange is still in the Ecuador embassy. He is still putting his application forward for asylum. He faces very serious threats to his life in the United States, there are numerous American politicians who are calling for his assassination, and execution, this process could take a long time and here is no rush and the Assange has got to put his case forward and Ecuadoran government has to decide whether it’s a case for asylum or not. In the meantime, we all will continue to come here and support Assange and Ecuadoran people.

Toonari post would like to thank Ben Griffin and Steve from Veterans for Peace for their cooperation.

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New York, U.S.A. – In the new issue of Philanthropy Management, a panel of experts from the philanthropic sector agreed that charitable giving is often hampered by misdirected government tax policies.

Sam MacDonald, charity taxation expert for Farrer & Co., a London-based law firm, told Philanthropy Management, “There’s a point where the logic of taxing charities falls down. Taxing the assets of a legitimate charity takes money from a public good and recycles it to deliver what is purportedly another public good. It can be difficult to see what benefit has been achieved.”

Government taxation of charities tends to reduce the philanthropic sector’s ability to address social needs that are often not covered by government, according to Richard Schwartz, Philanthropy Management‘s editor. “This calls into question the ability of tax authorities to assess the consequences of their policies,” he commented.

The panel considered the position shared by Stanford University’s Robert Reich that charitable giving is a form of consumption and should be taxed as such. Schwartz and other panelists questioned this thinking, noting that it equates consumption with activities that can contribute to, and strengthen, society.

Members of the panel observed that the US and UK have consistently enjoyed a high level of giving, according to a Charities’ Aid Foundation study. Perhaps not coincidentally, they also offer the most generous tax relief among developed nations. Germany was mentioned as an example of a country that offers minimal tax relief and has a much lower degree of giving as a percentage of GDP.

Panelist David Altschuler, chairman of the Board of the One to One Children’s Fund, suggested that government services and philanthropy are not mutually exclusive. “Somehow we need to find a way to work more closely together, whether fiscally or in partnership,” he said. Charles Keidan, director of the Pears Foundation, concurred that there is no reason why public-private partnerships shouldn’t exist, but cautioned that nonprofits should not undertake initiatives that are “the proper role of government.”

About Philanthropy Management

Philanthropy Management, an Asset International publication, focuses on the financial, operational and strategic services provided to foundations, endowments and other large-scale grant makers by banks, asset managers and other professional advisors. Edited by Richard Schwartz, it is distributed globally to more than 11,000 senior executives within the largest grant making entities in the Americas, Europe, Asiaand Middle East, including foundations and endowments, family foundations and family offices.

Philanthropy Management aims to provide philanthropic institutions with a broader and more refined range of tools, resources and research to measure their own success and the impact of the advisors they use. Please visit philanthropy-management.com.

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Berlin, Germany and San Francisco, U.S.A. — Solar power accounted for 10 percent of Germany’s total electricity production in May, an increase of 40 percent from the previous year, as reported by the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry. The significant jump stemmed from heightened capacity complemented by sunny days.

This surge in green power generation reveals that the nation is well on its way to expanding the proportion of renewables in the energy mix. The strong market is paving the way for new foreign investors such as bSolar, an Israel-based solar PV cell company. Solar industry experts from Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) will be at booth 7635 at the Intersolar North America Exhibition in San Francisco from July 10-12 to discuss opportunities within the sector.

“Germany’s decision to replace nuclear energy with other sources is proving to not only be possible, but is creating many valuable prospects for the renewables sector. The continued strength of the solar market has sparked greater investment from abroad,” stated Tobias Homann, photovoltaic industry expert from Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

With the support of GTAI, bSolar established a plant in Heilbronn that produces high-efficiency bifacial cells. Its decision to invest in Germany reflects the country’s longstanding status as the world’s key PV market. The rooftop cells have the ability to produce more electricity at lower costs.

“Germany is one of the largest producers of PV technology as well as the biggest consumer of per capita solar energy worldwide,” said Dr. Yossi Kofman, Co-founder and CEO of bSolar. “Strong demand partnered with a highly skilled workforce, intensive R&D and a political framework supportive of renewables make Germany an obvious point of investment,” Kofman continued.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

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Brussels, Belgium- A youth summit bringing together more than 60 young social entrepreneurs— aged between 18 and 25 years—from Africa and Europe came to an end on June 27, 2012 with the participants gaining hands on skills in project management. The Euro-Africa Youth Summit organized by the Global Changemakers (GCM) Organization in collaboration with British Council sought to introduce young people working as volunteers or owners of non governmental organizations to the environment that they work in and equip them with skills to effectively manage and run their projects.

Involving discussions and presentations from already established social entrepreneurs, the summit also explored the existing relations between Africa and Europe. Enlightening the participants on the Africa- Europe financial environments, Sean Cleary, Founder of the Future World Foundation said it is not about politicians but rather about individuals and how they behave that will shape the future. He urged the participants to take charge and affect the change they want to see in their communities.

Speaking on the kind of partnerships that Euro-Africa is engaged in, Ambassador Ajay Kumar Bramdeo noted that long gone are the days when partnerships were subjected to weighing scales and it was time to welcome participatory democracy. He lamented about the double standards currently applied by the European Union when they react to various issues happening in Europe and Africa.

“When Israel kicks out African immigrants no one says anything, yet when Africa speaks out about sexual orientation there is someone to say something,” Bramdeo quipped. The EU should not be selective when preaching about human rights.

In conclusion, he noted that it is cumbersome for Africa to carry out its regional mandate as a union as it only has had about ten years of evolving against the European Union’s 60 years of evolution.

“Give us time to find our way of evolution. Listen to us and treat us as equals,” Bramdeo implored.

To strengthen their understanding about legislation and the European Union’s policy on the youth, the 60 participants had a rare moment when they visited the European Economic and Social Committee parliament where they were further enlightened on how the EU carries out the legislation. They were also introduced to the world of campaigning for social causes by speakers drawn from various organizations including Oxfam, Climate Action Network, European Youth Press, Friends of the Earth among many other independent social entrepreneurs.

Did the participants have a new look at things?

They sure had learned a lot. And in his speech during the closing ceremony, Oliver Rieche, a Law student from Germany said:

“I’ve been to a few conferences, but for the first time I have met so many Africans at once, which has been one of the most genuine and sincere encounters thus far. I think it is not Africa that needs to learn a lot from Europe, as we Westerners often arrogantly believe, but it is us, Europeans, who need to rethink the way we run our societies and get rid of that elbow society which I experience back home in Germany.”  Thanking the British Council he further said, “You have given us the tools to become the leaders we want to be in the future, now it is time for us to grab those tools and make it happen.”

Global Changemakers is a British Council funded by the global youth network of social entrepreneurs and community activists from 126 countries worldwide. Its mission is to empower youth to catalyze positive social change, something which it achieves through learning and teaching, global and regional summits, community and personal capacity building, supported by free online curriculum.

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Las Vegas, U.S.A – For the 3rd annual World Swastika Rehabilitation Day, Raelians, together with representatives from the Buddhist and Hindu religions, are planning to carry out major events in cities throughout the Americas, Australia, and Africa on Saturday, June 23.

In Europe, Raelians from Germany and its surrounding countries have decided to use this opportunity to inform the German public about the swastika’s history, since most Germans completely ignore the swastika’s good standing as a very ancient symbol of peace for Buddhists and a symbol of good luck for numerous other cultures.

The city of Karlsruhe, where the event is to be held, has nevertheless banned Raelians from displaying any type of swastika except for the Raelian symbol, in which a swastika intertwines with a six-pointed star.

“According to an order issued by the Karlsruhe government on June 15, the display of swastikas would lead to ‘an immediate danger for the public safety and order” explained Thomas Kaenzig, coordinator of World Swastika Rehabilitation Day. “But how can a peaceful assembly explaining the religious and multicultural origin of this symbol be a threat to public safety? The attempt by the German government to bury the swastika under the pretext that it’s a symbol of violence and hatred only gives credit to the horrible Nazi ideology. On the contrary, the government should encourage our action, since by giving this symbol its true value, we finally allow the German people to turn the page.”

Kaenzig said that is exactly what 18 members of the European Parliament did in a letter to the European Commission dated February 21, 2005. “For Raelians, the swastika is one of the most prominent traces left by the extraterrestrial scientists who created us, who were mistaken for gods by our ancestors,” Kaenzig said.

“We can find this symbol in all ancient cultures: in Buddhist manuscripts, on Shinto temples in Japan, in traditional African and Native American artwork, absolutely everywhere. Even in Israel one can find numerous synagogues and other ancient sites displaying the swastika.And last but not least, the Bellevue castle of the German president in Berlin proudly displays swastikas without compromising public safety. The ban by the city of Karlsruhe is an insult not only for all Raelians, but also for all Buddhists, Hindus and Shintos who represent a majority of the world’s population. As a reminder, in 1988 the Munich appeals court has established that ‘use of the Raelian symbol obviously doesn’t contravene against the protection purposes of article 86a of the penal code and is hence not punishable under this statute.’”

Kaenzig said that despite the ban imposed by the city order, the group in favor of rehabilitating the swastika has decided to proceed with the event, which will start at 3 p.m. at the Kronenplatz in Karlsruhe.

He added that in the United States, demonstrations will take place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Miami starting at 3 p.m. local time, and that large swastika banners will be flown in the skies of the Los Angeles area and along the New Jersey coastline from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and in the New York City area from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

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In recent weeks Spain’s banking crisis has gone from bad to worse. Spain’s credit rating has recently been downgraded from an A to BBB+ by Standard & Poor’s because of the debt it will most likely take on from its banks and regional government failures. Spain is the fifth largest economy in the Eurozone, leaving many worrying about the ramifications of these recent developments on the rest of Europe.

Currently Spain’s deficit is too high for the Eurozone. The European Commission says that Spain can be given more time to reduce their deficit from the 8.9% of the GDP – as it stands currently – by 2013. However, the high deficit in Spain is causing fewer individuals and countries to risk investing in the country.

Bond yields in Spain are up to 6.7% meaning that they are high risk. Yields on bonds are higher when they are riskier because investors want a higher return if they are putting money into something that is unstable. In contrast the German and US bond yield is at 1.28% and 1.64% respectively. Therefore, instead of investing in Spain’s government bonds more people are investing in the US and Germany. However, this high bond yield also means that Spain will accumulate more debt and have to pay a higher interest when borrowing money.

Despite all recent efforts the Spanish economy is expected to shrink 1.8% this year alone and another 0.3% next year. However, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insists that Spain will not require a bailout like Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, and Greece have needed; Spanish banks, on the other hand, have already asked for bailout money.

Bankia, a recently formed banking group of seven banks, asked for a 19 billion Euro bailout. Bankia originally reported a 309 million Euro profit for the year of 2011 when it actually had lost 2.98 billion euros. It is unknown as of yet how Spain will get the bailout money when it is already struggling under its own deficit.

The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has suggested that they use the Eurozone’s new 500 billion euro stability mechanism to inject some capital into the banks, but Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has already rejected the plan. Another option is for Spain to give Bankia government bonds to then trade with the European Central Bank (ECB) for money.

Although it has been reported that the ECB has already rejected this plan a recent article by the BBC claims that these reports are false and that the solution is not yet off the table. The European Commission has also suggested creating a “banking union” to monitor all Eurozone banks in the future.

In addition to struggling with the mounting bank debts, Spain is also forced to rescue several regional governments who are no longer capable of borrowing money. Several regional governments have gone bankrupt and rating agencies, such as Standard & Poor’s, have put these regions at junk status. Most recently Catalonia, the wealthiest autonomous region in Spain, has asked for help from the central government; Catalonia accounts for one-fifth of the Spanish economy.

Spain is giving these regions government-backed bonds which they can then use to borrow money. However, as stated previously, these bonds are at a high yield which makes this solution temporary. A Spanish economy ministry spokesperson stated, “the goal is to reduce the pressure on the regions, which is often greater than the pressure on the state in general, with some regions not ale to borrow on the market.”

Regional banks have tried to strengthen each other through mergers. Ibercaja, Liberbank, and Caja3 merged in late May to become more resilient. This merger created the seventh biggest lender in Spain with 120 billion euros in assets. Liberbank and Caja3 were previously mergers of four and three regional banks respectively.

Spain’s unemployment as of April is at 24.3%, the worst in the Eurozone – even worse than Greece. It is expected to climb to 25.1% by 2013 even with the recent precautions taken by the newly elected center-right government. Prime Minister Rajoy has made several labor market cuts including cutting back on severance pay and restricting inflation-linked increases in salary; these decisions have been unpopular with unions and workers. Spain’s high unemployment also means that there are fewer people who are paying higher tax rates or even paying taxes.

Spain’s economy is heavily tied to the economy of Italy, the fourth largest economy in Europe. These close ties lead investors to worry that if there is a run on the Spanish banks there will also be a run on the Italian banks, throwing both countries into a deeper crisis. Italy is now borrowing at a rate over 5.66%; borrowing at a consistent 7% rate is considered unstable and has triggered the bailouts for Greece, Portugal, and the Republic of Ireland in the past.

The Spanish debt crisis was not caused by irresponsible government spending such as in Greece. Spain ran a balanced budget every year until the recession hit in 2008. The problems were planted when Spain joined the euro in 1999 and interest rates fell because Spain’s economy was good and other economies, such as the German economy, were not.

Investors wanted to invest in Spain which is what drove the interest rates lower. While the Spanish government resisted taking out more loans because of the cheaper interest rate the Spanish people did not. The country experienced a long housing boom that also affected the construction sector. When the recession hit, the housing and credit bubbles burst leaving many banks with toxic debt – debt that was unlikely to be repaid.

Image Courtesy of  Alberto Carrasco Casado

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The 57^th annual Eurovision song contest occurred earlier this month in Baku, Azerbaijan. Like every year, the 2012 competition was a predictably showy camp-fest that featured prominent artists from a host of European countries competing within the realm of song and dance. The elected winner was Swedish songstress Loreen whose capoeira inspired act brought Sweden the honor of hosting the competition next year.

Despite the escapist themes of many Eurovision submissions, however, the event does not take place in a vacuum. This year, the financial crisis of the European economy had a noticeable impact on the purely European song contest.

Rambo Amadeus, the Montenegrin entry and a popular musical satirist, brought the economic situation to the fore with his song “Euro Nero” whose chorus features lyrics such as “give me chance to refinance” and “monetary break dance.” While the middle-aged performer and his symbolic trojan horse did not make it to the final stage of the competition, his witty rapping hinted at some of the considerations that would constitute the majority of the scandal surrounding the show as a whole.

In its preamble to the broadcast of the annual show, the international media doggedly introduced and reintroduced the question of who, should they win, would be fiscally capable of hosting Eurovision next year and whether this would effect the quality of contestants. One of the greatest conspiracy theories leading up to the competition was the rumor that the Spanish contestant, Pastora Soler, had been instructed to lose. The Herald Sun reports that Soler allegedly said “I think it is not the moment, neither for Spain nor for the Spanish public, to win Eurovision.” This claim was later denied by the singer herself.

Many felt that the participation of Eleftheria Eleftheriou for Greece, the country that has perhaps been most affected by the devaluing of the Euro, demonstrated a lack of economic responsibility on the part of the country’s politicians. Others argued that this was a necessary boost to Greek moral. Still others felt that the voting aspect of Eurovision would be used as an opportunity for countries to ally themselves. In particular, many believed that Greece might use Eurovision to influence Germany’s decision to spearhead an economic bailout.

Post-Eurovision, it is clear that the motivation for individual country’s voting was vastly more complicated than had been suspected. While many countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy and Ireland, did vote along the lines of natural economic and political alliances, both Greece and Germany awarded each other zero points. Far from their original hypotheses of mutual understanding expressed through song approval, theorists now view the peculiar voting habits of this pair of countries as a kind of complicit revenge tactic or, as Charles Robinson explains in the Wall Street Journal, a form of “protest”.

Fortunately, Sweden, the eventual winner, appears to be fully capable of hosting Eurovision 2013 and has managed to escape relatively unscathed from the political furore that has surrounded some of its compatriot countries. What social changes might occur between then and now to reshape the complexion of this contest remains to be seen.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.eurovision.tv

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WASHINGTON and BERLIN – After over 20 years the USA (along with Somalia) is the only country in the world (193) where children human rights are NOT legally and internationally recognized through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). All children who are on U.S. soil loose their basic human rights that they have in 193 other countries. Now is the time to change this silent violation of children’s human rights before the 2012 Presidential elections.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Obama, February 2008

The Little Peace Ambassador, Ariana-Leilani, 9 years old, was destined to promote peace and children’s human rights worldwide. She was born a dual German – USA citizen with two nationalities, cultures, races, religions, and three languages.

“We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it’s easy, but when it is hard.” Obama, Nobel Lecture,December 2009

Before 5 years she had traveled to ten countries and volunteered to help orphaned children she called “friends.” The Little Peace Ambassador, met President George W. Bush, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Queen Noor at the United Nations in NY, and was named after the “Ariana” museum at the United Nations – Palais de Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, where she once ran the halls at the World Health Assembly. Yet, for such an unusual start in life, since the age of 5, the Little Peace Ambassador has been trapped in Washington, DC, USA now fighting for her life.

As a direct result of no UNCRC, Ariana-Leilani has suffered silently for 4 years in the USA with untreated life-threatening Severe Chronic Neutropenia only minutes from The White House, in the most powerful and internationally involved foreign policy and human rights defender governments in the world.

In Germany she would have the basic human right to live. In the USA, she is denied life-saving medicine (nupogen), free since she is on the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry (SCNIR); a full toxicology and expert medical care. A ”gopetition” to President Obama and Chancellor Merkel to “Save Ariana-Leilani” currently has signatures from 117 countries.

“All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.” Obama, speech, June 2009

Little Peace Ambassador, Ariana-Leilani, “Happy 9th Birthday.” May you live a long life and continue to educate and advocate for Children’s Human Rights in the USA and worldwide.

Links
Children’s Human Rights; www.Ariana-LeilaniFoundation.org
Petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-ariana-leilani.html
Save Ariana-Leilani: www.Ariana-Leilani.org

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Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A.- Researchers have rejuvenated aged hematopoietic stem cells to be functionally younger, offering intriguing clues into how medicine might one day fend off some of the ailments of old age.

Scientists at Cincinnati Children‘s Hospital Medical Center and the Ulm University Medicine in Germany report their findings online May 3 in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The paper brings new perspective to what has been a life science controversy – countering what used to be broad consensus that the aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was locked in by nature and not reversible by therapeutic intervention.

HSCs are stem cells that originate in the bone marrow and generate all of the body’s red and white blood cells and platelets. They are an essential support mechanism of blood cells and the immune system. As humans and other species age, HSCs become more numerous but less effective at regenerating blood cells and immune cells. This makes older people more susceptible to infections and disease, including leukemia.

Researchers in the current study determined a protein that regulates cell signaling – Cdc42 – also controls a molecular process that causes HSCs from mice to age. Pharmacologic inhibition of Cdc42 reversed HSC aging and restored function similar to that of younger stem cells, explained Hartmut Geiger, PhD, the study’s principal investigator and a researcher in the Division of Experimental Hematology/Cancer Biology at Cincinnati Children’s, and the Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, Ulm University Medicine.

“Aging is interesting, in part because we still don’t understand how we age,” Geiger said. “Our findings suggest a novel and important role for Cdc42 and identify its activity as a target for ameliorating natural HSC aging. We know the aging of HSCs reduces in part the response of the immune system response in older people, which contributes to diseases such as anemia, and may be the cause of tissue attrition in certain systems of the body.”

The findings are early and involve laboratory manipulation of mouse cells, so it remains to be seen what direct application they may have for humans. Still, the study expands what is known about the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging – a necessary step to one day designing rational approaches to aiding a healthy aging process.

One reason the research team focused on Cdc42 is that previous studies have reported elevated activity of the protein in various tissue types of older mice – which have a natural life span of around two years. Also, elevated expression of Cdc42 has been found in immune system white blood cells in older humans.

In the current study, researchers found elevated activity of Cdc42 in the HSCs of older mice. They also were able to induce premature aging of HSCs in mice by genetically increasing Cdc42 activity in the cells. The aged cells lost structural organization and polarity, resulting in improper placement and spacing of components inside the cells. This disorganization contributed to the cells’ decreased functional efficiency.

The researchers then analyzed HSCs from older mice to see if inhibition of Cdc42 would reverse the aging process. They used a specific dose (5uM) of a pharmacologic inhibitor of Cdc42, CASIN, to reduce the protein’s activity in the cells – processing them for 16 hours ex vivo in laboratory cultures. This improved structural organization, increased polarity and restored functionality in the older cells to levels found in young cells.

To test the rejuvenated cells, the researchers used a process known as serial competitive transplantation. This included extracting HSCs from young (2-4 months) and aged (20-26 months) mice and processing them in laboratory cultures. Young and rejuvenated cells were then engrafted into recipient mice. This allowed scientists to compare how well young and rejuvenated aged HSCs started to repopulate and transform into different types of blood cells. It also confirmed that HSCs rejuvenated by targeting Cdc42 do function similarly to young stem cells.

Researchers next plan to test the Cdc42 inhibitor, CASIN, in mice to see how HSCs and various tissues in the laboratory models respond. In particular, they are testing red blood cell production, endurance and immune response in the mice. The research team is also acquiring samples of human HSCs to see how those cells respond in laboratory tests to Cdc42 expression.

The first author on the study was Maria Carolina Florian, PhD, from the University of Ulm. Also collaborating were Karin Doerr, Anja Niebel, Deidre Daria, Hubert Schrezenmeier, MD, PhD, Markus Rojewski and Karin Sharffetter-Kochanek, all from the University of Ulm, and Yi Zheng, PhD, and Marie-Dominique Filippi, PhD, of Cincinnati Children’s.

Funding support for the research came from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the National Institutes of Health.

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Part two of our feature of players to watch at EURO 2012 takes us to Group B, the group of death. Denmark may have their fair share of talented young players coming through for this summer, but being put up against many people’s favorites (Germany, Holland, and Portugal) will make this group undoubtedly the most entertaining in the tournament. Here are eight possible players to keep an eye out for in Poland and Ukraine.

Kevin Strootman (PSV & Holland)

Kevin Strootman may already be 22, but that does not mean his potential is fulfilled already. The PSV midfielder has attracted the interest of top Premier League clubs and has had a meteoric rise since he left relegated Sparta Rotterdam 18 months ago. One season at Utrecht was enough to catch the eye of PSV, who took him on last season, and he has already made an impact in Holland.

Strootman broke into the Holland set-up last year and has made 11 appearances, making him almost certain to be going to the EUROs this summer. If Holland is to challenge for the tournament, nevermind making it out of a very tough group, Strootman in the midfield will be a key aspect of their side.

Ricky Van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Lisbon & Holland)

The brilliantly named Ricky Van Wolfswinkel is another of the boys from Utrecht who has carried on building their reputation before being linked with every top Premier League club. Van Wolfswinkel moved to Sporting Lisbon last summer and has scored nine goals since. Like Strootman, he has all but claimed his place at EURO 2012.

The striker has been strongly linked with Manchester United and Tottenham, and if he continues to impress on the big stage this summer, the likes of him and Strootman could be the new generation of Dutch stars that bring silverware back to their country.

Daniel Wass (Evian & Denmark)

This may be one you have not heard of before, but right-back Daniel Wass is progressing nicely through his career at the moment. After impressing at home in Denmark for Brondby, Wass had done enough to attract the interest of Benfica. The Portuguese side snapped him up last summer, but loaned him out immediately to French side Evian. Wass has made eighteen appearances for the Ligue 1 side so far and has scored three goals from his attacking full-back role.

He does not have a guaranteed place in the Danish squad for the summer and has only made four international appearances. However, his impressive performances in France and his growing reputation means we could see a bit more of the 22-year-old in Poland and Ukraine.

Christian Eriksen (Ajax & Denmark)

My next few names seem painfully obvious, but it would be rude not to mention them anyway. Another one of the young Danish contingents who is certain to go to EURO 2012 is Christian Eriksen. The Ajax superstar came to the front last year when he started to impress in Holland and began to make an impact on the international stage. He has already claimed 21 caps for Denmark and will be central to his country’s hopes of progressing from a tough group this summer.

Eriksen is linked with almost every major club in Europe at the moment. If he does have an impressive summer, it is hard to imagine the little play-maker will still be at Ajax come the start of the new season.

Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen & Germany)

All the talk in Germany at the moment surrounds the excitement of Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze and their future star Marco Reus, but one man who has been making great progress for Bayer Leverkusen is Andre Schurrle.

Starting his career at Mainz, Schurrle soon was the center of attention and got a move to Leverkusen last summer. He has made more progress with the German giants this season and broke onto the international scene impressively, scoring five goals in his mere twelve caps for Germany.

Despite that, Schurrle is not a likely starter for Germany this summer, but it would be a surprise if he was not included in the squad and given some sort of role in the tournament.

Marco Reus (Gladbach & Germany)

I say Gladbach, but Marco Reus will be joining the ever-impressive Borussia Dortmund in the summer to play alongside the other German star, Goetze. He has scored 34 goals for Gladbach at the age of 22 and is another who might not make the German XI, but will surely make the final squad. Dortmund will be happy they already have him signed and sealed for next season, as he is sure to attract a lot of attention this summer.

There are only four appearances for Germany, but Reus has a big future. EURO 2012 may be the opportunity for the attacker to make an impact with Germany looking to replace the likes of Miroslav Klose et al., sooner rather than later.

Mario Goetze

The final of the new German threesome who will shake up EURO 2012 this summer is Mario Goetze, and he may be the most impressive of the three. Already a first teamer at German champions Dortmund, Goetze will be the subject of much interest this summer and could find himself in the first XI in Poland and Ukraine.

Goetze may not be at Dortmund for very much longer, although with the German side about to seal another Bundesliga title, maybe they can convince Mario to put off the attractions of Europe’s finest for one more season. However, an impressive tournament may put into play any plans Dortmund had to hang onto the midfielder.

Nelson Oliveira (Benfica & Portugal)

There probably will not be an awful lot different about Portugal’s squad compared to that of the 2010 World Cup. Nelson Oliveira is not even guaranteed to get a spot in the squad, in all honesty, but he did finally get his international debut this year, so will definitely be in contention. He is not a prolific goalscorer, but a hard worker upfront and holds the ball up well.

He scored in the Champions League last month to put Benfica through to the Champions League Quarter-Finals, and we might see a bit more of Oliveira this summer if Portugal feels the need to take him.

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Two of Germany’s leading Turkish organisations are upset about the recent spate of criticism levelled against Azerbaijan by a magazine and by a member of the SPD.

The Verein zur Vorderung der Ideen Atatuerks (Ataturk Foundation) and Zentralrat der Tuerken in Deutschland (Committee of Turks in Germany) have written to SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel and to Der Spiegel to complain about a series of negative remarks made about Azerbaijan by a SPD Member of Parliament from Muenster.

In the letters, the two German Turkish groups described a recent Der Spiegel article entitled “Azerbaijan Seeks to Burnish Image Ahead of Eurovision” as “misleading, prejudiced, and close to libelous against the nation that represents the closest cultural brothers of the three million Germans of Turkish ethnic background.”

The article highlighted the negativity of SPD Bundestag member, Christoph Strasser, who is – according to the Turkish orgnisations – heavily biased.

The letter to Mr. Gabriel pointed out that millions of Turkish votes are at stake in Germany, and the groups asked him to examine the actions and rhetoric of Strasser, who has engaged in a long-running war of words with Azerbaijani officials over a visit to the country in his capacity as rapporteur for the Council of Europe.

Azerbaijan has said it is willing to consider inviting Mr. Strasser provided he agrees to come with an open mind and be fair and impartial. Strasser has repeatedly criticised the country and has publicly admitted he would write a negative report, even before visiting.

“For the past two years, a few SPD Bundestag members, together with Mr. Strasser, have been conducting a private war against Azerbaijan,” the letters said.

Addressing Sigmar Gabriel directly, the Turkish groups said “in writing this letter to you, we would ask you to see if you and the entire SPD agree with Mr. Strasser’s war against our brothers.”

“We do not know why Mr. Strasser, MP for SPD from Muenster, is conducting this private crusade against our Azeri brothers,” the letters to Gabriel said. “Neither do we understand why suddenly all these attacks are orchestrated from all these different directions. But we do wish to point out that this one-man war by Mr. Strasser and his anti-Azeri allies is deeply unfair and should stop.”

The letter to Mr Gabriel suggested he should listen to the concerns of the Turkish groups in Germany so that his party does not face a “noisy wake up call at the next federal elections in Germany.”

Image Courtesy of   Faraways / Shutterstock.com

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Late last week, German president Christian Wulff resigned in embarrassment and disgrace after his scandalous behavior came to light. The controversy caused the public to lose trust and faith in their president and turn on him.  Wulff, 52, had previously enjoyed high ratings. “The last few weeks have shown… my ability to be effective has suffered sustained damage,” said Wulff.

Although the German president is largely a ceremonial role, it is supposed to provide the people with a moral compass, and this scandal has greatly hurt the office. The news is a major blow to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who handpicked Wulff for the position in June 2010.

Allegations surfaced in December, when newspapers began to look into an improper home loan he received from a family friend before he became president. Wulff became increasingly irate over these investigations and left a voicemail for one of the editors of Germany’s best-selling tabloids, ‘Bild’, saying it would mean “war” if the paper published a story on his financial past. ‘Bild’ decided in favor of publishing the story, and Wulff apologized for his unruly behavior.

The media continued to scrutinize his past dealings in the wake of this incident, with news of him accepting free upgrades on planes and staying at various hotels and inns without charge during travels with his family. Last week, prosecutors asked Parliament to put a stop to Wulff’s legal immunity over claims that he had received favors. Trying to investigate a German president is without precedent, and the move had opponents calling for his departure from office.

Merkel had remained loyal and sympathetic to Wulff during the past months’ controversies. Both belong to the same political party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union. She said she regretted his decision, canceling a visit to Rome to quell the outrage in her homeland. Merkel’s popularity among the people has not been affected by the scandal, but the controversy has served as a diversion on which she and her party can focus.

Wulff is the second president to resign in two years. Horst Koehler, Wulff’s precursor, left office without warning in 2010 after receiving heat for remarks he had made about German military in Afghanistan. Merkel stated she would talk to her opposition over who would be the next candidate, unlike last time. Until a consensus is reached, Horst Seehofer, the governor of the state of Bavaria and leader of the upper house of Parliament, will fill the role of acting president.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/d_b_u/

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The European Union and the United States announced that beginning June 1, 2012, organic products certified in Europe or inthe United States may be sold as organic in either region. This partnership between the two largest organic-producers in the world will establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs and businesses on a global scale.

The organics sector in the United States and European Union is valued at roughly 40 billion euroscombined, and rising every year. Formal letters creating this partnership were signed on February 15, 2012, in Nuremberg, Germany, by Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; Kathleen Merrigan, U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary; and Ambassador Isi Siddiqui, U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator.

The signing took place at the BioFach World Organic Fair, the largest trade show for organic products in the world. ”This agreement comes with a double added value,” said EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos. “On the one hand, organic farmers and food producers will benefit from easier access, with less bureaucracy and less costs, to both the U.S. and the EU markets, strengthening the competitiveness of this sector.

In addition, it improves transparency on organic standards, and enhances consumers’ confidence and recognition of our organic food and products. This partnership marks an important step, taking EU-U.S. agricultural trade relations to a new level of cooperation.”

“This partnership connects organic farmers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic with a wide range of new market opportunities,” said U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “It is a win for the American economy and President Obama’s jobs strategy. This partnership will open new markets for American farmers and ranchers, create more opportunities for small businesses, and result in good jobs for Americans who package, ship, and market organic products.”

“This is a significant step in strengthening our bilateral trade relations,” added Ambassador Isi Siddiqui. “I am confident that this arrangement will facilitate and boost agriculture trade between the European Union and the United States – and lead to more jobs in this important sector for both America and Europe.”

Previously, growers and companies wanting to trade products on both sides of the Atlantic had to obtain separate certifications to two standards, which meant a double set of fees, inspections, and paperwork. This partnership eliminates significant barriers, especially for small and medium-sized organic producers. All products meeting the terms of the partnership can be traded and labeled as certified organic produce, meat, cereal, or wine.

Leading up to today’s historic announcement, both parties conducted thorough on-site audits to ensure that their programs’ regulations, quality control measures, certification requirements, and labeling practices were compatible. Although there are small differences between the U.S. and European Union organic standards, both parties individually determined that their programs were equivalent except for the prohibition on the use of antibiotics.

The USDA organic regulations prohibit the use of antibiotics except to control invasive bacterial infections (fire blight) in organic apple and pear orchards. The European Union organic regulations allow antibiotics only to treat infected animals. For all products traded under this partnership, certifying agents must verify that antibiotics were not used for any reason.

In addition, all products traded under the partnership must be shipped with an organic export certificate. This document will show the production location, identify the organization that certified the organic product, verify that prohibited substances and methods were not used, certify that the terms of the partnership were met, and allow traded products to be tracked.

Both parties are committed to ensuring that all traded organic products meet the terms of the partnership, retaining their organic integrity from farm to market. The European Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program—which oversees all U.S. organic products—will both take on key oversight roles.

The United States and the European Union will continue to have regular discussions and will review each other’s programs periodically to verify that the terms of the partnership are being met. The EU and U.S. will also begin to work on a series of cooperation initiatives to promote organic production and tackle important topics such as animal welfare and other issues.

Both programs will share technical information and best practices on an ongoing basis to further enhance the integrity of organic crops and livestock production systems. Currently, this agreement only covers products exported from and certified in the United States or the European Union.

For more information, please see:
USDA National Organic
http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOPTradeEuropeanUnion
European Commission Organic Farming
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/home_en
Speech by EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/12/98

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Germany recently passed the 20 percent mark for renewable energy in the electricity mix. And the federal KfW bank group has introduced a new plan to further accelerate this shift to renewables, with increases in multimillion euro business loans now available. As more renewable energy is generated, energy management and storage are also receiving increased focus.

Germany Trade & Invest, together with representatives of Germany’s six E-energy model regions, will be at this year’s E-world from February 7-9 in Essen to highlight opportunities for international companies in these growing market segments.

“With such a large share of renewable energy in the mix, it is becoming more urgent to implement smart grid and storage technologies to balance the fluctuating supply. Germany is making an exceptional team effort to achieve our ambitious goals, with businesses, banks, researchers and the government all working together” said Heiko Staubitz, renewable energy expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

The new KfW plan outlines efforts to ease the financial burden of a wide-ranging shift to renewable energy. Previously, loans were available to small businesses for their efforts to move to renewables, and these have been expanded to cover companies with annual revenue of up to 3 billion euro. At the same time, loans are available to support research and development of energy storage, transmission, production, and efficiency techniques with grants up to EUR 25 million, marking an increase.

In light of last year’s decision to phase out nuclear power, Germany is further ramping up investments in renewable energy. Already, Germany features the world’s strongest photovoltaic market, with nearly half of all global installations worldwide. In wind power, Germany leads Europe in total installations and is currently preparing for a major expansion in the offshore segment.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

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This year the world witnessed repercussions of the most disastrous and indecisive fiscal management in the Euro Zone that shattered one’s sense of security and disturbed the lives of millions of people.

The debt crisis of a hand-full of members of the Euro Zone has potentially inflicted a wound, that has possibly introduced a series of deathly rating downgrades across the region and exposed a lot of risky behavior, especially in the banking industry, credit markets and dithered global economic recovery.

The Contagion

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word contagion refers to a communication of disease from one person to another. In the world of finance and economics, it refers to the spread of economic crisis in one county’s bond or equity market to another.  In this case, there has been the communication or spread of fear, faithlessness, and inefficiency at the political level and, most tragically, the spread of an illogical attitude.

Greece was the first to be exposed to massive levels of debt and because of its inability to service its debt, apparently under a veil of ignorance and falsehood, became doomed and fear of default spread like a raging fire, putting into question the competency of these countries.

Crisis of Consensus

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Central Bank cannot be relied upon to resolve the crisis, since its statutory role is different from the Federal Reserve Bank or the bank of England. She further said that “no single stroke” will work and joint euro bonds are “unthinkable.”

On the other front, the occasion of the failure of the recent German bond issue, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin said that “it’s only got us closer to the end-game, either the break-up of the Euro or Euro bonds.”

The German Government had always been opposed to jointly-issued bonds, because it involves German taxpayers’ money for members of the bloc, it involves partial backing by German Government and, finally, it will contribute to a rise in cost of borrowing for Germany.

The Catastrophic Logic

In his book, “Back From The Brink,” Alistair Darling said he is gravely concerned that the coalition is repeating the mistakes made during the Great Depression in 1930’s in the United States.

The United States went into double-dip recession in 1937 because its government followed stiff fiscal tightening policies, andUK and debt-laden countries in the Euro-Zone today are following suit.

According to Keynesian school of thought, when effective demand is weak, expansionary fiscal policy should be followed, but under these circumstances, widening of authority of the ECB to finance state expenditure is quite undeniable rather than taking the hand away.

Greece has almost frozen its spending along with Italy to some extent, and it has strengthened the belief that the efforts should be in the reverse order to invite stability across the countries. Hopefully, the new proposal by Merkal to bring in radical changes in treaties will resurrect the rubble.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/europeancouncil/

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In Germany, Facebook has agreed to voluntarily sign a privacy code to protect users’ information. This agreement comes after Richard Allen, Facebook’s director of European public policy, met with Hans-Peter Friedrich, Germany’s Interior Minister.

Facebook has experienced widespread criticism in Germany for quite some time now about the company’s privacy policy. In early August, the German data protection authority asked Facebook to disable its’ facial recognition feature. The authorities argued that the feature allowed an unauthorized amount of data to be collected about individuals.

The problem started in August when Thilo Weichert, the privacy commissioner for the German state Schleswig-Holstein, announced that any website that featured Facebook’s “like” button on their website would be fined 50,000 Euros ($70,000). Weichert believes that the button violated German user data protection laws.

The exact code will be determined at a later date, however both sides agreed that the code will be sure to create a “stronger protection of users.” The code will go above and beyond the European Union code of law and create stronger protection for German citizens. Future talks about a privacy code will not only include Facebook but also other social networks.

For the time being, Facebook and the German Interior Ministry have been able to temporarily diffuse the situation. Weichert stated that “Right now we do not plan to prosecute a specific website owner.” He went on to say that the purpose of the fine was force Facebook to look into its privacy policy.

Facebook is not the first website to have data protection issues with the German government. In 2010, Google was forced by both German federal and state protection authorities to blue street-level images of people’s homes. Hundreds of thousands of German citizens have opted to have their houses blurred out.

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The remains of Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler’s one-time deputy were exhumed from his grave in the middle of the night and sprinkled into an unknown lake. Hess committed suicide back in 1987, after spending 46 years in prison. While Hess had already spent 23 years at his past burial site, the Lutheran Church no longer wished to continue the lease on the deputy’s plot.

Reasoning behind the discontinuation was due to the plot turning into a shrine for Neo-Nazis, said the Lutheran church. It had become a place for people to visit and use the Nazi salute. Hess’ death date had become a reason for a Neo-Nazi march, even though all related acts had been banned six years prior.

The family’s cooperation with Hess being removed is uncertain. While the family eventually agreed and made arrangements for Hess to be exhumed, Mail Online claims one of his granddaughters went to extremes trying to file a lawsuit against the church.

Hess was originally imprisoned by Hitler due to a conspiracy theory. During the Nuremberg Trials he was pardoned for crimes against humanity and war crimes, but was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against peace, and conspiracy to commit crimes against peace.

While some people have claimed conspiracy theories surrounding his death, it is widely known that Hess hung himself with an electrical cord.

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The United States Women’s Soccer team defeated France by a score of 3-1 in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup to move on to their first final’s appearance since their dominant 1999 victory.

In incredible fashion, which seems to be the way they like to do it, the Americans snatched the game away from France in the last minutes despite being dominated for much of the match.

The U.S. Had previously lost two consecutive semi-final matches in the World Cup, and weren’t going to go down this time without a serious fight.

On the heels of one of the best matches in World Cup history, the United States was forced to put their celebrations aside and prepare for a tough French team that had been playing well to this point in the tournament.

Though they have usually been a second-half team, the U.S.A. struck early in this one, taking a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. Heather O’Reilly made a quick move down the sideline past the French defense and launched a low cross to the feet of Lauren Cheyney who was able to make a beautiful touch, redirecting the ball to the far side of the net, just past the French goalkeeper.

Pia Sundhage seemed to have her team much more focused at the start of this match, playing with the same intensity that fans saw in the second half and overtime of the incredible quarter-final game against Brazil. Sometimes teams have a bit of a hangover after a match such as that, especially one which lasts a whopping 123 minutes plus penalty kicks. The U.S. looked like they were as fresh as ever, but the tides would soon turn.

The French saw their first realistic opportunity pass byjust after in the 29^th minute when Louisa Necib, the talented French midfielder, saw Hope Solo charge at her inside the box and deflect the shot out of play.

France was knocking on the door with serious momentum in the 32^nd minute when a short free kick ended up hitting the crossbar behind the American goalie. It seemed as though one goal would not be enough to hold down this inspired French team.

Finally in the 37^th minute the U.S. snatched back some momentum when Christie Rampone made a rare long run down the sideline, crossing a high ball toward Wambach on the far post who just missed, heading her own ball off the crossbar. It was only a matter of time til Wambach would get one on target.

All throughout the first half the French squad dictated the style of play and were able to fire countless shots from range against the United States defense, but the shots would need to come from much closer to get past the remarkable Solo.

It was an incredible half to watch from a fan’s standpoint with tons of shots and offensive opportunities. Though France surely outplayed the United States with regards to time of possession and shots on goal, the U.S. came away with the one goal advantage on the scoreboard, and had many scoring threats of their own in his back-and-forth match. This game was far from over.

The second half began with no immediate substitutions from either side and the incredibly play continued right from the whistle.

France immediately came out firing again, sending numbers at the Americans just about every time they touched the ball, but the American back line continued to be strong in front of their star goalie and seemed to sense that it would be on their shoulders to win this game for the United States.

After all of the legitimate chances France had, the 54^th minute brought about a broken play to finally breach the U.S. defense. France’s star left back Sonia Bompastor attempted to cross a curling ball in front of goal causing Hope Solo to pick up the forward trying to get on the end of the cross. Unfortunately for the Americans, the ball sailed over the hopeful forward and trickled into the net for an equalizing goal. No matter how, the score was now level.

Carli Lloyd was subbed out for the first time in this World Cup in the 64^th minute in favor of Megan Rapinoe with hopes of creating a spark for the U.S. attack in addition to getting some fresh legs into the game.

Rapinoe certainly had a positive impact on the squad forcing many balls into the middle and in the 78^th minute earned the U.S a corner with another one of her quick runs.

Abby Wambach came to the rescue once again for the Americans with her incredible strength and leaping ability. On that corner she was able to strike the ball with great pace into the back of the net. 2-1, advantage America.

Wambach had reportedly been bothered by a nagging right achilles injury causing her to miss some practice time throughout this World Cup tournament. Regardless, when she’s on the field, she will always be a key target on the offensive end with her incredible heading abilities. Coming into the game Wambach needed only one goal to tie the United States World Cup record of twelve held by Michelle Akers and with her second incredibly clutch moment of the tournament she had done so.

The French defense was quickly breaking down and speedy forward Alex Morgan was able to take advantage immediately after the Wambach goal. She was able to lift the ball just over the keeper’s fingertips, floating it into the net and putting the game away for the Americans after being dominated for so much of the match. The U.S. Was surely headed to Frankfurt.

As the final whistle blew jubilation came over the players and fans once again as they now knew they would be onto their third World Cup final.

One of the biggest pre-game stories was how U.S. defender Rachel Buehler, was replaced by Becky Sauerbrunn due to Buehler’s suspension thanks to a red card in the second half against Brazil. Buehler had struggled mightily to this point but coach Pia Sundhage was rolling the dice on Sauerbrunn who had been yet to make any touches in this years World Cup.

Sauerbrunn made her coach look so wise with her decision by playing up to her potential and beyond. The young defender showed that she could be the future replacement for captain Christie Rampone when she decides to retire. The question now will be who to start on the back line for the finals match-up.

Speaking of the captain, not nearly enough credit has been given to Christie Rampone throughout these matches. The 36 year old has played multiple spots on the defensive end for the United States and has been a rock along the back line. At her age she is still just as fast as she ever was, and might be playing the best soccer of anybody in the tournament. She will surely be a key component should the team want to come away from the finals victorious.

Hope Solo, who has recently become one of my more popular players in the world shined again in her 100^th international appearance. Remarkably in those 100 games she has had 55 shutouts with only 6 defeats to her name, proving why she is constantly referred to as the best goalkeeper in the world. This performance surely backed up her reputation, keeping countless French chances out of the net en route to another clutch U.S. Victory.

Fight, heart, determination and character. Not enough adjectives can be given to describe this United States team. It has been a fairy tale run to this point, qualifying last even as number one in the world. Notching incredible late victories in the knockout stages, and moving on to yet another World Cup final.

When you think you have the U.S.A. Down and out, they shine the brightest.

Coach Pia Sundhage was asked what made the difference in the match she replied simply with “a big heart.” They will surely come out with that same heart in the finals looking to win their first World Cup in 12 years.

The final battle for the cup will be played in the beautiful Frankfurt stadium on Sunday, July 17^th.

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Around the world, LGBT persons have committed suicide, got depressed, developed psychological and physiological problems because of rejection and stigmatization in the society.

As a result they are open to limited health care and employment opportunities. Although not so many of them likes being stigmatized and discriminated they still cannot avoid being LGBT persons because It isn’t their mind that’s pushing them to be looked down upon. Their mind is what is making them LGBT.

PSN Newsletter vol 5 (2010) Transgender Today reported from a Transgender interview that,” LGBT is not a fashion trend that anyone can follow it is a thing of the mind that they have absolutely no control over it and that while they physically look like men or women, in their heart they are more of the opposite sex”.

Haven lived in Thailand — a country with the highest number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people tolerated by society however, there is much more to it than being treated equally in the society.

Despite the fact that there has not been any physical assaults recorded or refusal of allowing same sex lovers living and doing things together, Thai LGBT cannot be civil servants, nurses, doctors, politicians nor can they serve in the military.

Many of The African countries like Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia to mention a few being LGBT are seldom mentioned let alone declared in public. To be LGBT here causes a double rejection by your own family and the society at large. Also the strong religious and cultural roots in many of the African countries like Kenya, Cameroun, Republic of Benin and the likes complicate the LGBT community.

While these countries are members of the United Nations they are not complying with U.N. Human Rights Law with regards to people of diverse sexual orientation, and gender identities which can be categorized as: “(a) non-discrimination (b) protection of privacy right and (c) the ensuring of other general human rights to all, regardless of sexual orientation, and gender identity.”

The LGBT communities in the aforementioned countries operate in secrecy for fear of rejection, losing their jobs and family conflict thus, making them fugitives in their own lands.

LGBT cases are crucial around the world. Even with civilization it still seems impossible to overcome however, some Countries and Organizations have come to accept LGBT communities, affording them human rights notable amongst them is the legalization of same sex marriage in Germany, New York City, Massachusetts of the United State and the U.N. Gay Rights Protection Resolution Passed recently.

We call on other countries to emulate New York Supreme court, the United Nations and adhere to the words of Barack Obama who spoke on behalf of LGBT persons worldwide on the July 24, 2011.

I sincerely believe that “No culture or religion, translated into prejudice by a government official, religious leaders or lay man, should supersede the basics of humanity and respect for diversity.”

And also the fact that LGBT are a small fraction of the World’s population does not mean that they are wrong at least the majority is not always right.

Zherui WU / Shutterstock.com

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Watching Japan face Germany yesterday showed me once again why soccer or Football as it is called around the world is such a great sport.  No, it was not the greatest soccer match I’ve seen nor was it the most anticipated, it didn’t include the biggest names of the sport; what we got to see was the same thing we see on the men’s side.  There is such skill involved in the sport, that the seamless transition from  watching the men play to watching the women is remarkable…you’re either good or you’re not , and the women are good.

There was such excitement and the underdog won-the underdog being the Japanese team 1-0 playing with heavy hearts against a stacked home team in Germany.

The most anticipated match of the knockout round or quarter finals is between Brazil and USA, two teams who are very familiar with one another.  Brazil beat the U.S team 4 years ago but has not had much success against the U.S with an overall record of 4-22.  Brazil shows up of course confident in what they do and the loose style in which they play…in fact they got off their bus singing  and playing Brazilian instruments that sort off resemble dancing on the field.  Indeed, a match worthy of a final.

For the U.S, Heather O’reilly is back after not being available and for Hope Solo this is a chance to let her play speak for her after the debacle 4 years ago in which she felt she belonged on the field.

At 11:30, the match was officially on the way and it didn’t take long for someone to strike…Yes an own goal, but a minute into the match the U.S goes up 1-0 in an unexpected eventful beginning.  The Brazilian defenders look very jittery early on and it cost them, the frustration starts early for the Brazil side but it has been an unorganized game for both sides during the first half of the match.  No one has been able to hold on to the ball and Marta continues to show frustration which eventually led to a yellow card for mouthing off.  The first half was played poorly by the Brazilians who didn’t get many shots on goal and their opponent didn’t seem to want to capitalize on the poor play.

The defense was good on the American side considering the talent level of the opponent but how long they will keep a zero on the Brazilian score sheet.

The second half starts and we see the play pick up and the Brazilians have made an effort to apply pressure which has led to many more opportunities already within the first few minutes of the half.

After the 60^th minute, things took a turn from bad to worse for the Americans…After a beautiful move by Marta reminiscent of Ronaldinho, another famous Brazilian player in which she was being guarded by two back defenders in the box; she was awarded a penalty kick.  A controversial red card was given to Rachel Buehler which left the American side with 10 players against a resurgent Brazil team.

The penalty kick taken was blocked but in another controversial twist, the referees determined that the kick would be taken again because a player encroached prior to the kick being taken.  Marta now was given the opportunity to finish the play she started, which she did with nice placement of the ball at the bottom right corner tying the game in the 68^th minute.

The U.S played very well given their lack of a full squad on the field but playing with 10 players in this humidity will be challenging.

A touch of brilliance again from the Brazilians which resulted in a goal from Marta in the 93rd minute, putting them up 2-1 early in over time…She being the best player in the world, placed the ball where Solo could not reach it.

With 2 minutes left in extended time, Abby Wambach saves the U.S for the time being and ties the game in the 120^th minute with a tremendous header.  After being quiet for the first 119 minutes, the lone striker came alive tying the game…and play continues.

So now we watch penalty kicks, the second in as many games in this tournament in what has turned out to be a great and exciting game.

This is by far the tensest situation in sports aside from bottom of the ninth, man on second with 2 outs in the World Series in Yankee stadium…yes it’s that tense.  But after the Brazilians missed their 3^rd penalty kick, it started to look bleak.  Then Wambach came and calmly placed the ball in the back of the net, it was pretty much over.

After playing 55 plus minutes with 10 men, now they must face France in a game that will have a hard time living up to this epic and classic game.

You just couldn’t write this any better for the U.S…we will see if there is a story book ending, after this game in the words of Wamback “we must win.”

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Who can forget the goal heard around the world that introduced us to the most famous sports bra ever? Brandi Chastain became an instant celebrity and so did her bra when she ripped off her jersey in dramatic fashion after clinching the World cup title in 1999. Chastain’s stripping goal act did not only win the United States the World Cup, but she brought attention to Women’s sports; an improbable task. 40 million Americans tuned in to watch Chastain and the US girls step into world soccer immortality that day; more viewers than the NBA finals. That was twelve years and three world cups ago. Today, the United States is the world’s number one team and has a good shot at winning this year’s World Cup; who knew?

The sixth ever, Women’s World Cup kicked off last week in Germany on June 26^th. An astronomical 18 million viewers in Germany tuned in to watch their beloved German women take on Canada in the Cups opening game. With all the success in host country Germany; maybe there would be improved interest in the United States right? Wrong. The US viewership of the opening game came in at just under one million viewers; pathetic. Women’s soccer has been unable to catch the eyes of American viewers since 1999. Clearly, we need more sports bra cameos.

Where is the allure of the Women’s World Cup? Where’s the American pride? It doesn’t make sense that that 15^th and average at best, men’s squad receives nationwide support. Yet, the US women, the world’s number one team, are treated as if they’re irrelevant. Something’s not right here.

Maybe it’s the slower speed of play from the Men’s game. Or maybe it’s the myth that women soccer players are less aggressive and intense. Either way, the last two World Cups (2003 and 2007) have been rating nightmares causing ESPN to swallow some pride. In search of a change (miracle), ESPN hired popular former US stars, Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brianna Scurry to commentate the cup. Every cup game will be aired on ESPN and broadcasted live on ESPN3.com. 2011 is supposed to be the year US women’s soccer relives its glory days of 1999; we’ll see about that.

Why you should watch:

• America.
  • It’s a world-wide phenomenon displaying if our country is better than theirs. If you’re a true American you’ll throw on the red, white and blue, eat some wings, and watch some soccer babes win one for the US of A. Go America

• The United States is the world’s number one team.
  • Listen, we actually have a shot at winning this thing. We’re number one because we’re really good and we have come in at least third the last three world cups. We can do this.

• The girls
  • Guys, in what men’s sport can you commentate on who has the nicer butt? Well in the World Cup you can do that in every single game. Did I mention US goalie, Hope Solo, is single?

• Women’s soccer is on the rise
  • This world cup is going to be extremely competitive. Hosting the tournament is reining back to back World Cup champions, Germany. The US is looking promising to win it all, while England has its deepest squad ever. Don’t look past Brazil, who has the world’s best player in Marta.

• What else is on TV?
  • Nothing interest is going on in sports right now besides the World Cup. The NFL and NBA are in a lockout, baseball is in its boring mid-season stage, and tennis, well who really watches tennis?

Cyril Hou / Shutterstock.com

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XXX news: “Student sex work (prostitution, escort, striptease and other sexual services) is gaining more and more public attention,” reported a group of four scholarship holders at the Studienkolleg zu Berlin (Berlin Centre of Studies) on May 18th at the Berlin Branden-burgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.

According to their international research project, called Nebenjob: Prostitution (Second job: prostitution), one out of three among the 3200 university students surveyed in Berlin would be seriously considering doing sex work. This is much more than those in Paris and in Kiev respectively by around 4 and 15 percentage points, although it is worth of remark that final figures will be available by the end of August 2011. Similar numbers have been published by the German tabloid Bild, which recently announced 5000 of the 140,000 Berlin students to be ‘XXX’ workers, with one in 27 (3.7%) of those living in the red-light district actually already engaged in the sex industry.

For the overall 3500 students who filled in the Studienkolleg’s questionnaire, main motivating factors to sell sexual services would be excessively high university fees and financial hardship in general. Prostitution is widely acknowledged as a ‘simple’ means for quick alluring incomes: “It’s possible that because educational reforms have increased student workloads, they have less time to earn money. Coupled with higher student fees, in this instance, leads students into prostitution” Eva Blumenschein, one of the survey’s authors, said. As a matter of the fact, 30% of those declared pro-sex workers appear to be already stricken by debts, almost double the percentage of those not willing; moreover only 50% of them get financial help from relatives, compared to 65% of the rest of the student population. Eventually, important but less immediate concerns for starting such a career seem to be the need for admiration and searching for adventure.

It is true that prostitution wages can reach £2000-5000 a week, but they entail severe health hazards such as sexually transmitted infections and violence, as well as social and psychological drawbacks, the study pointed out. In fact, even if it apparently seems to be an easy “job” to make money quickly, conversely it might become a dangerous threshold from which you might not bounce back in your life. And often even the so-called normal common people are most likely to be trapped in: open-mindedness, appeal or seriousness have amazingly revealed not to be trenchant distinctions at all, a psychological test linked to the present research carried out.

Another astonishing outcome of the German review concerns gender, since both men and women’s student prostitution rates were revealed to be almost the same: ‘we were expecting a higher female percentage’ therefore “we have prejudice as well”, admitted the Studienkolleg researcher Felix Betzler.

According to another study, the vast majority of those considering a sex job are 26-years-old, often in a steady relationship (52.3%), with heterosexuals as the largest group, accounting for 49% of the total, followed by bisexuals (37.8%) and homosexuals (19.3%); most of them mainly use internet to find their clients.

If you are tempted to relate these figures to the fact that prostitution in Berlin is legal, also being such a famous city for its red-light areas, you might be underrating that, conversely, it deals with a fast-growing very global trend. For example, much before the findings in question, an English 2007 pioneer research project called Sex work and students (Roberts et al) had provided extraordinary evidence of the association between students participation in sex work and pitting economic pressure related to university fees, carrying out over 10% of a 130 undergraduates sample in the south of England to be privy of other students involved in the sex industry in order to support themselves financially. Even not going so far, just a few days ago the University of Arkansas in US claimed to have found that more and more highly educated and affluent women are increasingly entering prostitution. They are not forced, rather choosing it ‘for many reasons that people enter the conventional job market – money, stability, autonomy and even job satisfaction’ said Jennifer Hafer, a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Business at that University.

It deals with numbers alarmingly ever more similar to those in some African countries such as Zimbawe, though with the fundamental difference that there, sadly, many do not have any real alternatives. Thus, once people decide to study in order not to be on the streets: now it seems to happen the exact contrary due to new unendurable educational policy. However, it could be also because today sex business appears far more close and ‘trendy’ than in the past. For example, being an ‘escort’ or a gigolo, and using a webcam while staying comfortably in your home maybe does not sound too much as prostitution. Anyway, it is an activity that is emerging as one of the distinctive choices of freedom made by the future ruling class of the so-called developed countries. What about you? Post your precious comments!

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Widely acknowledged as provocative and fairly enigmatic, Lars Von Trier was the first director to have officially been declared ‘persona non grata’ at the Festival de Cannes over its 64 years. The misplaced “playful” remark on being a Nazi was made by the Danish director, who has previously won the Palms for Dancer in the Dark in 2000, during the press conference about his apocalyptic movie Melancholia. According to the Board of the Directors, the banishment was related to “comments that are unacceptable, intolerable, and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity,” but what are we exactly talking about? In case you didn’t catch the comment in full, here is the uncut version of the offending speech the director made after being questioned about the influence of Nazi aesthetic, such as of the architect Albert Speer, on his film by one journalist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHKojTI-pNM

As it can be readily understood, regardless of his complete lack of humour and sensitivity,  what Von Trier may have been trying to say – without knowing ‘how to get out of this sentence’ – was that a man such as Hitler is not beyond our imagination. After all, concentration camps themselves speak volumes and volumes about our ‘rational’ and over-productive Occidental logos. Yes, man is evil, and, as written by Primo Levi in The Drowned and the Saved carrying it to the extreme, none of us, not even a concentration camp survivor, can be easily claimed innocent. Hence, although his attempt to escape from an impasse created by himself can be considered as failed without any doubt, Von Trier is very unlikely to be that anti-Semitic monster.

It also seems misconceived to call the director of the brilliant film about the Second World War Europa (1991) a ‘Nazi’. To think, in addition, that for all his life Trier has believed himself to be a Jewish as the son of Ulf Trier – only to discover, in a confession by his mother shortly before her death, that his real father was a German by the name of Fritz Michael Hartmann. “The Holocaust is the worst crime that ever happened. I have nothing against Jews. I have a Jewish name, and all my children have Jewish names,” the director also pointed out in a new press-conference with Danish journalists apologizing repeatedly.

Despite his Nazi jokes being quite rude, it remains a fact that during his now notorious commentary, Trier touched a problem of paramount importance: the complex relationship between arts and politics. Should we stop appreciating work made by incredible artists and thinkers such as Speer, Pound, Heiddeger, Nietzsche, Wagner, and so on, simply because of their wicked and abominable political convictions? Certainly their geniality triggers a big shame in all of us, as we remain wondering how it could be possible to produce beauty when having such devilish beliefs. Maybe Trier was provokingly trying to touch this sorely disquieting issue to make us think about it – even when we would prefer not to. Could it be that the viewer, ravished by the impressive and sentimental shoots of Melancholia – “whipped cream on top of whipped cream”, the director pointed out – forgets that behind the grandeur lies the dark planet of Nazism on collision course: is it the end of the world? Unfortunately, the Third Reich has fed, destroying and staining forever the great German Romanticism but something has left us with a contradicting tangle of emotions: can we peacefully love a cultural background which, notwithstanding its high value, is so compromised by history?

Luckily, the extreme clumsiness Von Trier tried to set an over-burning question up with, creating an outrage without precedent at Cannes, eventually did not cast a big shadow over the movie: in fact, on Sunday, Kirsten Dunst won the Cannes festival’s award for best actress for her terrific portrayal of a depressed bride in Melancholia. And maybe Kirsten herself had the final word about the banality of Trier’s evil: “He’s a great film-maker who, sometimes I feel should let his films speak for themselves”, the 29-year-old star has recently witty claimed to the Mail Online. How can we disagree with her?

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Authorities are still struggle to find the source of the infected vegetables while more people are getting sick. German scientists remain baffled over the origin of the particular strain of E. Coli bacteria currently being registered because of its particularly vicious symptoms. Normally, young children and elderly people are most vulnerable to the bacteria but the recent outbreak has hit predominantly young adult females – and the scientists don’t know why.

A new report by Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) for University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf has determined that the bacteria is a completely new and extremely infectious strain of E. Coli with no previously recorded outbreaks. However, there is a 93% convergence between the current European bacteria and the one that caused severe diarrhea in the Central African Republic according to Berlingske Tidende, a Danish Daily.

The research also suggest that the strain is difficult to treat with antibiotics but the team behind the report are still working on tangible ways of effectively treat the victims and stop the spread of the bacteria. Meanwhile, doctors and researchers are forced to conduct basic scientific detective work, which according to the BBC amounts to “simply asking all the surviving victims what they ate and when they ate it, and them comparing notes to find a pattern.”

Seventeen people have died so far, counting 16 Germans and a Swedish woman. Almost 370 new cases were reported Wednesday including two in the US who had returned from a trip to Hamburg, Germany. The northern city seems to be the capital of the outbreak.

German authorities have had to withdraw the claim that infected vegetables came from Spain after the suspected farmers have been cleared. They are now saying it could take months before the outbreak is under control because tracking down the real source will be close to impossible. “We may never know” said Reinhard Burger, president of the Robert Kock Institute to the BBC.

The allegation that the infected vegetables originated in Spain has hit their national export hard and loss of earnings is estimated at more than €200M per week for affected farmers. The Spanish government have stated they will seek compensation for Germany’s wrong accusations.

Meanwhile, Russia has banned the import of all fresh vegetables from the European Union as a result of E. Coli (EHEC) risk – a move which the EU has called “disproportionate.” According to European Commission spokesman Frediric Vincent, the Union will be lodging a protest. The BBC Moscow correspondent Daniel Sandford informs that Russia is the single biggest export market for European farmers which makes the ban detrimental. However, the head of Russia’s consumer protection agency Gennady Onishchenko has criticized the EU for their food safety standards, arguing that their “lauded health legislation” is ineffective.

Financially, a country which have been tainted with suspicion – such as Spain – could face a complete trade collapse. A professor in Psychology at the University of Copenhagen told Berlingske Tidende that “cucumber hysteria” could haunt consumers and sales for a long time – in many cases without real cause for concern.

Cases of infection have been reported in a total of nine European countries but virtually all the sick people either lived or recently travelled in Germany.

Why young women are most vulnerable to the outbreak, which has caused serious infections, diarrhea and affected blood, kidneys and the central nervous system, is still a mystery. One theory was that victims were more likely to choose healthier food options but the inclination of young females to eat salads was soon dismissed as too weak an explanation. Dr Ulf Goebel of the Charity university hospital in Berlin, Germany has argued that the bacterial strain might be genetically more ‘suitable’ for women in the same way other viruses are linked to ethnicity. However, Dr Dylis Morgan from the British Health Protection Agency has added: “It’s very unusual for adults to have Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome [an otherwise unusual complication of E. Coli]” but not for the victims of the recent outbreak.

The number of infected victims has officially passed 1500 across Europe.

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Since it has been discovered that Spanish and north German cucumbers have been infected by the dangerous E. Coli strain O104:H4, 14 people in Germany have died while 14 people have been diagnosed in Denmark. Another 17 people are under observation at Danish hospitals while the German authorities fear that over 1400 people could be infected without knowing.

According to the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende, 12 of the German victims so far were women. After having eaten the infected vegetable, people have experienced abnormal diarrhea, often bloody. Patients have since been diagnosed with hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a potentially deadly complication of an E. Coli infection which is characterized by the destruction of red blood cells and severe kidney failure.

The outbreak is believed to have started in Spain where cucumbers from two organic farms have been exported to Denmark and Germany. Local authorities in Hamburg were among the first to isolate the cause of the outbreak. How cucumbers from northern Germany became infected is still unknown but a Danish company is also under suspicion because they are believed to have sold to the restaurant in Germany where a number of the victims ate. According to the Danish authorities, all but one of the Danish victims had been to Germany prior to the outbreak. It is believe that more people around Europe have been affected as well by traveling through Germany at the time of the outbreak.

The Danish authorities have advised people not to buy or eat raw cucumbers from northern Germany or cucumbers, tomatoes and salads from Spain.

The suspicion that a Danish, as well as a Dutch export company has been distributing infected vegetables came from Germany and the result of the analysis will be published later today.

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European air traffic controllers have told the BBC that about 500 flights have been cancelled so far as a result of the ash from an Icelandic volcanic eruption on Saturday. Services out of the northern UK are expected to resume after thousands of passengers were affected yesterday.

The Grímsvötn volcano is situated in the southeast of Iceland and had been dormant since 2004. It started erupting on the eve of 21 May and quickly discontinued all air traffic in the country. Since then, the ash cloud has drifted over the Northern part of Europe and Germany has as of Wednesday closed its northern airspace – Berlin is due to cancel its traffic later today.

Memories of the chaos caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull have already made stranded passengers and carriers worried. The BBC reported that there was a strong possibility the ash would travel over part of Scandinavia on Wednesday, but the impact on flight is likely to be limited.

The tough stance by the German transport authority has created some unease since Germany’s rules on air traffic through volcanic ash seem to differ from the rest of Europe, the BBC reported. Calls have been for Europe-wide rules.

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano last year in April caused the largest closure of European airspace since The Second World War and meant losses of up to £2 billion. Experts have made clear that the case of Eyjafjallajoekull was unusual and the conditions of last year’s eruption created an unpredictable but explosive mix. A Danish/Icelandic scientific team ruled the decision to close the airspace as a consequence as the right choice, according to the BBC.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has said that although the Grímsvötn eruption was bigger, the likelihood of equal amounts of airspace disruptions is small. This is due to the ash plume being injected much higher into the atmosphere.

“Ground-based radar measurements in Iceland indicate that the ash reached heights of 12-17 km and is initially moving towards northern Scandinavia,” ESA explains on their website.

Furthermore, the particles from Grímsvötn eruption are larger and will fall down to Earth faster – which in combination with the current weather-conditions would mean that no substantial quantities of ash will drift into European airspace. Still, the BBC reports that the meteorological agencies will be ready if the weather situation changes.

This morning, a spokeswoman for the British National Air Traffic Service (NATS) told the BBC that there was no volcanic ash currently predicted for airspace of the UK at a density that would have an impact on flights.

In the UK, the ash has meant the US President Barack Obama has been forced to shorten his visit to Ireland. Elsewhere, football fans are watching the situation closely as the players of Barcelona FC are expected to play at Saturday’s Champions League Final against Manchester United at Wembley, London.

All passengers traveling on the affected routes in Europe are advised to keep in close contact with their travel agents or airlines for the latests status updates.

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This year Italy lands at Tribeca Film Festival of New York with the movie “A quiet life” – in Italian “Una vita tranquilla” – directed by Claudio Cupellini.

This movie come out in Italy in November 2010 and took part in the International Film Festival of Rome. At Tribeca Festival it was presented at the spotlight section and it was welcomed with the audience’s applause.

Rosario Russo is an Italian man immigrated to Germany, he lives in a small and quiet town with his German young wife Renate and his son Mathias. He owns a restaurant and hotel in a rural area leading a simple life and enjoying his fellow villagers’ esteem.

One day the arrival of two young Italian man from Naples , on a secret mission for a settling of scores, stirs his quiet life and his past emerges all in one go. Since that moment two lives, two faces and two worlds interlace for Rosario. His old and real identity comes back and he starts to be in torment with it.

For him past means camorra, and camorra, as it is shown in the movie, doesn’t stick in Naples, but goes beyond the Italian borders without losing its power and its rules.

The immigration of Rosario Russo to Germany is in fact the escape from a certain death of the camorrist Antonio Di Martino, whom left his first wife and son in Naples to take refuge abroad under false pretences.

A tangled mix between ties with past, family and camorra which leads to a short circuit of violence, pain and love developed with a slow and suspenseful rhythm.

The action has a minor importance in comparison with the characters, which being explored and studied, are the actual focus of the story. The antihero figure of Rosario, interpreted by Toni Servillo – the actor of Gomorrah and Il Divo -, plays a central role especially for his inner conflicts and his fixation for preserving the future and cheat the death.

This crime-drama movie, structured as a thriller, digs into an individual man’s soul to make emerge the two scourges that afflict Naples: camorra and garbage, which are indissolubly tied.

The linguistics choices are very careful, the alternation between Italian and German is useful to achieve the effect of separation among Rosario’s two worlds and two faces. Also the choice of the regional Napolitani marked Italian – perceptible by Italian native or high level speakers – appears to be appropriated for creating a sense of reality.

Director Claudio Cupellini makes sophisticated and careful choices succeeding in constructing a net of symbols, fine metaphors, significances and correspondences with a brilliant result in terms of a realistic representation of the human being and the world.

Toni Servillo’s performance is excellent in conveying Rosario’s strong inner conflicts, managing to express the constant tension between his double personality and double feelings, highlighting the discrepancy of the two different lives and the true human nature which broods over fear, individualism and violence.

Another Italian crime movie masterpiece.

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“I am 21 years old, I take advantage of being young in order to experience new things, and hope that I won’t change as time passes by.”

Rafael comes from Paris, and loves to travel and discover new cultures. In a personal interview he said, ” I spend four months in Sahara in Niger. I’ve also been to Laos and Panama. What I love the most about traveling is the free drinks you get on the airplane! (Joking) You discover so many things, you get to eat and try new food, eat in restaurants any time, you get to see new girls in bikini, which is always nice for a man! I guess. But the most important thing is that every time I travel I have the opportunity to feel alive, because I am always learning and discovering new things. For me, if I’m traveling its like I have more chance that something will happen to my life, sometimes something great, sometimes something bad.

What is it for you being part of ToonariPost? ” I always saw this like a bright light. I just think this is an interesting experience, cause you get to know about other cultures. You are just discovering, and when you discover you make your own hypothesis and theories. It’s like being a scientist but without the boring part!”

When you write you are making sociological comparisons within cultures. How did you come up with this idea? “Well, I don’t believe in politics anymore. They are always the same thing; the economics don’t grab my interest. It’s always about capitalism and liberalism. The only thing that will, and keeps changing, is the culture. The culture is what makes something different, and there is much more to talk about when you are talking about culture.

What things do you take into consideration when you write? “Anything is funny, and you can even explain why the German, for example, behave this way and not that way…why the Panamanian behave this way and not the Ecuadorian’s way. With this aspect you are able to understand why this man is acting in a certain manner, I’m not taking this like a criticism cause nothing is wrong. You just get to learn the culture of the other. If something is normal for others and different for me, I have to accept it and mainly understand why they do or belief so. I just try to understand; most of the people offend cultures without any purpose, and they do this just because they don’t know about the other culture really.”

What is a message you want to give to your readers? “Well I would end this interview with two quotes of Shakespeare, that I think when both are connected they intend to sell a very interesting message.

“‘Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed”. When you are doing something, just do it 100 percent of yourself, go for it, and don’t mind what other people say. “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below, Words without thoughts never in Heaven go”. Body and mind have to be connected 100 percent, if you just are sure 99% about something don’t do it, cause this little one percent can change anything.”

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A new longitudinal study, published on March 1 in BMJ,  suggests that early use of marijuana may trigger psychotic symptoms and prolonged use could increase the risk for psychotic disorders in later life.  There has been a well documented correlation between marijuana use and psychosis; it has been unclear if smoking marijuana preceded psychotic symptoms.

“There are indications that especially people who start using cannabis at an early age (<16 years) are likely to become chronic users and thereby increase their risk for mental health problems, such as psychotic symptoms,” Rebecca Kuepper, research psychologist and PhD student at Maastricht University in the Netherlands said.

This study was uniquely designed to look specifically at the sequential association between incident cannabis use and incident psychotic symptoms.  For 10 years, the researchers tracked 1,923 individuals from the general population of Germany, aged 14 to 24 years at baseline, who had no history of psychotic symptoms or cannabis use at the beginning of the study.  They found that those who started smoking cannabis during the study had nearly twice the chance of reporting psychotic symptoms during follow-up as those who remained cannabis free.  This was true even after accounting for potentially confounding factors, such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, use of other drugs, and other psychiatric diagnoses.  In addition, cannabis users who reported psychotic symptoms and continued to use cannabis were more apt to have their symptoms linger than those who stopped smoking it. The continued use of marijuana increased the risk for psychotic symptoms more than two-fold.

These results suggest that incident cannabis use increases the risk for the onset of psychotic symptoms “and, if used continuously, increases the risk that those symptoms will persist,” Ms. Kuepper said.  Wayne Hall, PhD, of University of Queensland, Australia, and coauthor of a linked commentary, stated that the pattern of results “makes it unlikely that cannabis use is a form of self-medication of psychotic symptoms and more likely to be a contributory cause of psychotic symptoms.” In the study, psychotic experiences did not predict later cannabis use. Given the current findings and those of earlier studies, “it is likely that cannabis use precipitates schizophrenia in people who are vulnerable because of a personal or family history of schizophrenia,” Dr. Hall and Dr. Louisa Degenhardt, co-authors of the commentary, note.

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Mainz, Germany – Everyone that thought that the German people are serious should experience once in their lives one of the biggest festivities in Germany to change their minds. Well it is nothing more than the carnival season. The carnival is one of the main events that occur in the city of Mainz, which is located in the Rheineland-Palatinade State of Germany, close to Frankfurt. The city is known for its history and being the home place of Johannes Gutenberg.

Normally Mainz is a calm city offering a peaceful atmosphere to its more or less 200,000 habitants. But it all gives a 360 turn when the Carnival time arrives. The city transforms, the streets turn lively and the fusion of colors, music, and parades inundate every corner.  Every year the carnival starts on a Thursday and ends up on a Wednesday. This year, it all started the 3rd of March, at 11:11 am, where all the people was gathered at the SchillerPlatz, that is a square located close to the city’s center. The city was decorated with music stages for the live concerts, food stands that offered the traditional German food, and a miscellaneous variety of costumes.

The first need you need to make sure you count with for the Carnival, is a disguise. It is amazing to see how everyone puts a lot of effort in dressing up and having the most original and amazing costumes. Ages do not matter, you see all kind of people and all kinds of ages enjoying and disguising.

Nevertheless, the most important day of carnival is known as Rosenmontag. Compared to the previous days of the carnival, on Monday the celebrations expand throughout the entire city, and the whole Mainz is covered in parades, and music. This day is the most celebrated in the Carnival since all the people are on the streets looking at the floats that circulate across the city. The people wave at the people that are on the floats, and yell Helau! Helau! Throwing to the spectators, all kinds of things mainly sweets, cookies, chocolates. The parade lasts for around 3 ½ hours, and counts with around 200 floats and 9000 people involved in the parade. Dancers, clowns, marching bands, horses; cheerleaders are all part of the procession.

Mainz Eassenacht Shrove Monday parade is the second largest one in Germany. Cologne and Düsseldorf are also recognized for their carnival. Every year the carnival season leaves a good taste in the mouth, and their citizens are always expecting the next year to arrive, since it never stops surprising. It is amazing to see how traditions are being maintained, and it is a time where the world stops for Mainz, and it is time to celebrate and have a good time.

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