Danny Nickerson is a 5-year-old brain cancer patient from Foxboro, Massachusetts, who only wants one thing for his birthday: birthday cards. Danny, whose inoperable condition, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, gives him a 10 percent chance of surviving more than 18 months, loves getting mail. His mother Carley, made flyers asking strangers to send Danny birthday cards for his 6th birthday on July 25. Since Danny can’t go to school, he […]

“Time is short and options for McLaughlin Ridge will run out soon if the corporation continues to cut out the heart of its ancient forest,” said Ancient Forest Alliance executive director Ken Wu.  The Council of Canadians, Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union and various environmental organizations have signed a joint statement calling on Island Timberlands to halt logging the endangered old-growth forests of McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni, […]

Apple’s reportedly put in its biggest order yet for new iPhones, says The Wall Street Journal. While numerous reports have said production of Apple’s next iPhone models is set for August, The Journal now says it’s going to the largest ever, with somewhere between 70 to 80 million units. That number will be split up between two models, the report claims — a 4.7-inch model, as well as a 5.5-inch […]

Geologists have discovered the secret that gives dramatic natural sandstone monuments their shape: gravity. By studying cubes of sand in the lab, they showed that areas squeezed by vertical stress are protected from erosion, while others wash away. The process had proved difficult to study, because natural slabs of sandstone erode over millions of years. The key to the experiments, published in Nature Geoscience, was an unusual “locked sand” dug […]

A giant yellow rubber duck floating on Nanming River in China’s south-west Guizhou Province has reportedly been swept away by floodwaters just months after it exploded on display in Taiwan. The 18m (59ft) sculpture by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman disappeared around 19:00 local time on Wednesday, after the city saw days of heavy rainfall, the Taiwan-based Want China Times reports. Even though the duck weighs 1 tonne, and was sitting […]

“I will never apologize for the United States. Ever. I don’t care what the facts are.” – Presidential candidate George H.W. Bush in 1988, on the shooting down of Iran Air 655. Despite the fact that investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 has just begun, and that the US has released no concrete evidence, America’s mainstream media machine is in a frenzy to blame Russia for this […]

About 2.1 million Indian people are infected with the HIV disease, the third highest number in the world, according to a UN report released on Thursday. The report by the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS said that around 19 million out of the 35 million people infected with HIV across the world are unaware of their HIV+ status. The report said that the plan to end the AIDS epidemic by […]

A daily serving of nuts can slash risk of life-threatening heart problems Health benefits includes lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation Latest research confirms previous studies showing health benefits of nuts A daily serving of nuts can slash the risk of heart disease by nearly a third, new research shows. Snacking on peanuts, cashews and Brazil nuts instead of sugary or fatty treats cut the chances of life-threatening heart problems by […]

In case there was any doubt, the Satya Nadella era has arrived at Microsoft. Nadella announced Thursday that Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) will cut 18,000 jobs within the next year, part of his push to slim down the company and narrow its focus. Analysts see this strategy shift as long-overdue. Microsoft dominated the tech industry when Nadella’s predecessor, Steve Ballmer, took over from founder Bill Gates in 2000. But in the […]

Malaysian Airlines passenger jet shot down over Ukrainian/ Russian border The jet had 295 passengers on board and was travelling at 33,000 feet A Malaysian Airlines passenger plane has been shot down on the Russian-Ukraine border, killing all 295 people on board, according to a Ukrainian interior ministry official.   Flight MH17, which was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew, was flying between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpar after taking off […]