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Marvel executive says emphasis on diversity may have alienated readers

Marvel’s vice president of sales has blamed declining comic-book sales on the studio’s efforts to increase diversity and female characters, saying that readers “were turning their noses up” at diversity and “didn’t want female characters out there”. Over recent years, Marvel has made efforts to include more diverse and more female characters, introducing new iterations of fan favourites including a female Thor; Riri Williams, a black teenager who took over the Iron Man storyline as Ironheart; Miles Morales, a biracial Spider-Man and Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenage girl who is the current Ms Marvel. But speaking at the Marvel retailer summit about the studio’s falling comic sales since October, David Gabriel told ICv2 that retailers had told him that fans were sticking to old favourites. “What we heard was that people didn’t want any more diversity,” he said. “They didn’t want female characters out there. That’s what we heard, whether we believe that or not.” Published by : theguardian.

Edmonton military veteran frustrated he has to annually fill out form to say his legs are still missing

Retired Master Cpl. Paul Franklin lost both of his legs from just above knee when a bomb hit the vehicle he was driving during a Canadian Forces tour in Afghanistan in January 2006. Ten years later, he is getting ready to fill out yet another set of forms to tell the Canadian government that, in fact, his legs are still missing. “It’s insane,” Franklin said. “My problem with all this is if you have someone who has post-traumatic stress disorder or some sort of brain injury, or you have a combination of the two and they’re on street drugs or alcohol or whatever, the chance of them filling out the forms correctly is minimal at best.” When a veteran wants to fill out disability and pension forms, it can sometimes involve multiple applications to several bodies, including insurance companies, even for permanent injuries like Franklin’s. He said veterans should deal only with Veterans Affairs and the process should be far more simple. If medical status has changed, he said, a doctor’s note

House Repeals FCC Broadband Privacy Rules

In a victory for ISPs, advertisers and tech companies that had opposed the new FCC's broadband privacy rules, the House has voted along purely party lines to repeal those rules, with only the President's signature needed to make it official. The vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution Tuesday (March 28) came after heated and sometimes loud debate, mostly on the Democratic side, over the issue and even extended to talk about underwear size after Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) said that ISPs should not be able to sell information on what size of underwear he buys to garment companies. The Senate approved the CRA resolution March 23 by a party line vote of 50 to 48. The resolution removes the rules, approved on a party line vote Oct. 27, from the congressional record and prevents the FCC from adopting substantially similar rules in the future. Published by : multichannel.com

US students are fleeing law schools and pouring into engineering

As part of its annual US graduate school rankings, US News has released data that tracks enrollment and tuition growth for the schools it ranks. Despite substantially higher costs across the board, most disciplines have seen rising (rapidly, in the case of engineering) or steady enrollment. A notable exception is law school, for which enrollment is declining. Despite the tough climate for American law school graduates, tuition has continued to increase for the past decade. At private schools, tuition has risen by 66% since 2005. For public schools, it has more than doubled: Read Full Content : qz.com

TIL only 18% of americans can drive a stick

Report: Only 18 Percent Of Americans Can Drive Manual MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A new report shows fewer Americans own a car with manual transmission let alone know how to operate one. And there appear to be a number of reasons for it. The report from U.S. News and World Report show only 18 percent of U.S. drivers know how to operate a stick shift. It says that because of advancements in automatic transmissions and fuel economy, only about 5 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. today come with a stick shift. That’s down from 25 percent of cars in 1987. The third pedal is also bad for re-sale value, on average selling for $2,000 less than cars with automatic transmissions. Read Full Content : minnesota.cbslocal.com

Donald Trump speaks on the Congressional heaings of Hillary Staff members involved in the deletion of her emails on Sep. 13 in Clive, lowa

Donald Trump is setting America up for failure with his newly proposed budget plan. As Trump has previously shared his naive disbelief in climate change, it should come as no surprise that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the largest government agency to be cut. Trump's negligence to believe in proven science is deplorable and unacceptable behavior from a leader. Statements from the White House argue the EPA's impending budget cut is due to it being a "waste of money," reflecting the popular Republican belief that global warming isn't an issue. The 31 percent budget cut to the EPA will mean more than 3,000 people will lose their jobs. Therefore, this is not simply a loss for the environment but a loss for job production as well. The area that will be most drastically impacted by the EPA's budget cuts will come to the environment, and the research and promotion of cleaner air, water and power initiatives. Read Full Content : iowastatedaily.com &qu

Over 40M people of Irish descent are in the United States, 8x more than the population of Ireland

The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or Na hÉireannaigh) are a nation and ethnic group native to the island of Ireland, who share a common Irish ancestry, identity and culture. Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years according to archaeological studies (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people (see Gaelic Ireland). Anglo-Normans conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century (re)conquest and colonization of Ireland brought a large number of English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island, especially the north. Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland (an independent state), and the smaller Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom). The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities; including Irish, Northern Irish, British, or some combination thereof. The Irish have their own customs, language, music, dance, sports, cuisine,

British reality show contestants finally leave after a year in the wilderness - only to find out the show was axed after four eps over 7 months ago

Now the remaining cast of a TV show have finally left their remote home – to virtual anonymity. Instead of being crowned reality TV celebrities and fought over by agents, the 10 who made it through the 12 months have learned that only four episodes have been shown – the last seven months ago. The remaining 13 contestants quit earlier in the show – with many saying they couldn’t handle the relentless Scottish midges. Eden, the ground-breaking Channel 4 project, saw 23 strangers cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves in a corner of the West Highlands. Intended as a combination of reality TV and sociology experiment, the participants were challenged to create a new model of society. But just as in the Biblical Eden, temptation proved too strong on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Read Full Content : pressandjournal.co.uk

Are Fidget Toys Bad For You?

Trump Lies on Twitter During a Congressional Hearing on His Twitter Lies: The Daily Show

Comey: FBI investigating possible collusion between Russia, Trump

FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed that the bureau is investigating Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election — including any links or coordination between members of Donald Trump's campaign and Moscow. The bombshell revelation puts an end to months of roiling speculation and frustration on the part of Democrats, who saw the director’s silence as a double-standard after Comey’s repeated disclosures in the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server. In a dramatic moment at the beginning of a hotly anticipated House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference in the U.S. election, Comey announced that he had been authorized by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to break bureau policy and publicly disclose the probe. “As you know our practice is not to confirm the existence of an ongoing investigation,” he said. “But in usual circumstances where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so.” A palpab

New Evidence Of Match Fixing In Semi-Professional Counter-Strike

Although many are confident that, in the aftermath of the life time bans issued to the former iBUYPOWER Counter-Strike players, match-fixing has been stamped out at the highest level of professional play, it is suspected that it continues in semi-professional matches. While we continue to be vigilant about this, with the advent of esports cash betting and so many small tournaments finding their way on to the sites that provide it, match fixing seems to be flourishing again. A little over two weeks ago we were provided with information that pointed to match fixing across several small tournaments and we interviewed a match-fixer who claimed to have earned $20,000 in two months from arranging fixed matches for a betting ring. The matter was first brought to our attention when Stefan “ioswitch” Heesters, the owner of the small esports organisation Team Paria, contacted us. His team was due to play in the sixth season of the King of Nordic online cup where they would be representing Icela

TIL 70% of millionaires do not consider themselves "wealthy"

Are all millionaires wealthy? Not if you ask them. A whopping 70% of those with at least $1 million in assets that are invested or available to invest, excluding home values, don't consider themselves to be wealthy, according to a survey of 4,500 affluent investors by UBS. Rather, it's only when they hit the $5 million mark that millionaires begin to feel "wealthy." Why $5 million? Apparently, that's the level at which most rich people feel they have "no constraints on activities," according to the survey. In addition to feeling like money is no object, most wealthy people also find it important to hold a substantial amount of their fortune in cash because it helps them feel more secure. "Holding a significant amount of cash is is a critical component of investor confidence, as investors believe these are assets they won't lose," the survey said. "Investors aren't quick to forget the significant losses they endured in 2008."

Troll Daddy Burned in the Sun Funny Story New Episode Finger Family Nursery Rhymes

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TIL we have reached "peak child" some years ago. The number of children in the world is not increasing anymore and global fertility is trending downwards

Many people don't know about the enormous progress most countries have made in recent decades - or maybe the media hasn't told them. But with the following five facts everyone can upgrade their world view. 1. Fast population growth is coming to an end It's a largely untold story - gradually, steadily the demographic forces that drove the global population growth in the 20th Century have shifted. Fifty years ago the world average fertility rate - the number of babies born per woman - was five. Since then, this most important number in demography has dropped to 2.5 - something unprecedented in human history - and fertility is still trending downwards. It's all thanks to a powerful combination of female education, access to contraceptives and abortion, and increased child survival. The demographic consequences are amazing. In the last decade the global total number of children aged 0-14 has levelled off at around two billion, and UN population experts predict that it is go

Despicable Me 3 - In Theaters June 30 - Official Trailer #2 (HD)

Coco Official US Teaser Trailer

The legend of the three kingdoms (joke)

There were three kingdoms , each bordering on the same lake. For centuries, these kingdoms had fought over an island in the middle of that lake. One day, they decided to have it out, once and for all. The first kingdom was quite rich, and sent an army of 25 knights, each with three squires. The night before the battle, the knights jousted and cavorted as their squires polished armor, cooked food, and sharpened weapons. The second kingdom was not so wealthy, and sent only 10 knights, each with 2 squires. The night before the battle, the knights cavorted and sharpened their weapons as the squires polished armor and prepared dinner. The third kingdom was very poor, and only sent one elderly knight with his sole squire. The night before the battle, the knight sharpened his weapon, while the squire, using a noosed rope, slung a pot high over the fire to cook while he prepared the knight's armor. The next day, the battle began. All the knights of the first two kingdoms had cavorted a

Beauty and the beast is a fairly common theme in art. Honest Trailers - Beauty and the Beast (1991)

TIL that in 2006, 75% of Chinese didn't know that sharks were killed to make shark fin soup. But now, 91% of Chinese support a nationwide ban, thanks to activism work by Yao Ming and others

FOR YAO MING, SAVING SHARKS IS A SLAM DUNK SHARK POPULATIONS across the globe have been in decline for decades, with approximately 100 million sharks removed from the oceans each year. Demand for shark fin soup drives such relentless fishing, accounting for 73% of sharks harvested from the seas, and as a result 1 in 4 shark species are now endangered. Despite such dire projections, there may be some hope for sharks yet, and it comes from the unlikeliest of sources. Yao Ming, the eight-time NBA all-star who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011, is a conservation all-star in his own right. Through a partnership with the conservation organization WildAid, Ming has become the face of the movement to end the consumption of shark fins in China. Shark fin soup has been a popular delicacy among the Chinese elite for generations. While shark fins contain little meat, sharks are often sought purely for their expensive fins to fuel demand for soup. Dismembered sharks are often to

TIL In 1833, Britain used 40% of its national budget to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 (citation 3 & 4 Will. IV c. 73) was an 1833 Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire (with the exceptions "of the Territories in the Possession of the East India Company", Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, and Saint Helena; the exceptions were eliminated in 1843). The Act was repealed in 1998 as part of a wider rationalisation of English statute law, but later anti-slavery legislation remains in force. Background In May 1772, Lord Mansfield's judgement in the Somersett's Case emancipated a slave in England, which helped launch the movement to abolish slavery. The case ruled that slavery was unsupported by law in England and no authority could be exercised on slaves entering English or Scottish soil. In 1785, English poet William Cowper wrote: We have no slaves at home – Then why abroad? Slaves cannot breathe in England; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment t

There have been no beehive losses in Cuba. Unable to import pesticides due to the embargo, the island now exports valuable organic honey

When the Caribbean state was no longer able to afford pesticides – which have been linked with declining bee populations – it made a virtue out of a necessity Long known for its cigars and rum, Cuba has added organic honey to its list of key agricultural exports, creating a buzz among farmers as pesticide use has been linked to declining bee populations elsewhere. Organic honey has become Cuba’s fourth most valuable agricultural export behind fish products, tobacco and drinks, but ahead of the Caribbean island’s more famous sugar and coffee, said Theodor Friedrich, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) representative for Cuba. “All of [Cuba’s] honey can be certified as organic,” Friedrich told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Its honey has a very specific, typical taste; in monetary value, it’s a high-ranking product.“ After the collapse in 1991 of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s main trading partner, the island was unable to afford pesticides due to a lack of foreign currency, c

The average single male changes his sheets just four times a year.

It’s a discovery no woman wants to hear – the average single male changes his sheets just four times a year. While they strip their beds every 3.1 months on average, unattached women change their linen every two-and-a-half weeks – or 26 times a year – a survey found. The grubbiest group for keeping sheets fresh are those aged 18 to 25, with more than half claiming to change the bed every three months or less. Those who washed their sheets once a week were mostly aged between 35 and 50. People in relationships change their bedclothes most frequently – averaging a change once every 2.3 weeks. But men still don’t seem to modify their bad habits once in a relationship, as women still end up changing the sheets in 81 per cent of partnerships. ‘We were quite alarmed at the apparent lack of basic hygiene from some respondents,’ said Jed MacEwan, managing director of Ergoflex UK which conducted the survey. Published By : metro.co.uk

TIL that a holocaust denial group offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove that gas chambers were used to intentionally kill people at Auschwitz. They were forced by a judge to pay that money, and an additional $40,000, to Auschwitz survivor Mel Mermelstein who provided proof of that very fact

Institute for Historical Review The Institute for Historical Review (IHR), founded in 1978, is an organization primarily devoted to publishing and promoting pseudo-historical books and essays concerning the Nazi genocide of Jews. It is considered by many scholars as the center of the international Holocaust denial movement. IHR is widely regarded as antisemitic and as having links to neo-Nazi organizations. The Institute published the Journal of Historical Review until 2002, but now disseminates its materials through its website and via email. The Institute is affiliated with the Legion for the Survival of Freedom and Noontide Press. History The IHR was founded in 1978 by David McCalden (also known as Lewis Brandon), a former member of the British National Front, and Willis Carto, the head of the now-defunct Liberty Lobby. Liberty Lobby was an antisemitic organization best known for publishing The Spotlight, now reorganized as the American Free Press. Austin App, a La Salle University

TIL of 'The World' a cruise ship where residents can permanently live as it travels around the globe

MS The World The World is the largest privately owned residential yacht. The residents, from about 45 countries, live on board as the ship travels, staying in most ports several days. A few residents live on board full-time while most visit periodically throughout the year. It is operated by ROW Management, Ltd., headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It has 165 residences (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship's residents. Average occupancy is 150 - 200 residents and guests. The World (IMO ship identification number: 9219331) flies the flag of The Bahamas and has a gross tonnage of 43,524 tons. It is 196.35 metres (644 ft 2 in) long, 29.8 metres (98 ft) wide, and has a 6.7-metre (22 ft) draft, 12 decks, and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph). The crew numbers approximately 280. Original concept and construction The ship was the idea of Knut U. Kloster, whose family had a long history in the marine industry.

TIL the term "genuine leather" isn't reassuring you that the item is made of real leather, it as an actual distinct grade of leather and is the second worst type of leather there is.

An Overview Guide to Leather Grades In the world of heritage/reproduction products with a focus on quality and sustainability, leather is right up there as one of the most commonly seen materials. Brands like Tanner Goods and Corter Leather champion hand-made goods that should last years and years. However, anyone looking to buy should be aware of what they’re paying for when it comes to leather products, and that means knowing at least a handful of the different grades of leather. We’d like to set it straight for those confused by all the options out there. Although the below list does not include every last kind of leathers, it features the different quality grades every consumer should know before making a purchase. Read Full Content : heddels.com

TIL 82% of black women in the US are overweight with 56.6% being obese

Obesity Rates & Trends Overview After decades of increasing, the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off and the rise in obesity among adults is beginning to slow. This is progress, but rates are alarmingly higher than they were a generation ago as demonstrated by this report, which looks at data over the past 25 years. Obesity remains one of the biggest threats to the health of our children and our country, putting millions of Americans at increased risk for a range of chronic diseases and contributing to more than $147 billion to $210 billion dollars in preventable healthcare spending.1 Some of the most concerning trends include: Children and Youth Nationally, childhood obesity rates have remained stable for the past decade — at around 17 percent [ages 2 to 19, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011-2014 data].2 Rates are declining among 2- to 5-year-olds, stable among 6- to 11-year-olds, and increasing among 12- to 19-year-olds. Read Full Orignal

TIL: On his second day in office, President Jimmy Carter pardoned all evaders of the Vietnam War drafts

This article is about the 39th President of the United States. For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). "James Earl Carter" redirects here. For his father, see James Earl Carter Sr. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Carter Center. Carter was a Democrat who was raised in rural Georgia. He was a peanut farmer who served two terms as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967, and one as the Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He was elected President in 1976, defeating incumbent President Gerald Ford in a relatively close election; the Electoral College margin of 57 votes was the closest at that time since 1916. On his second day in office, Carter pardoned all evaders of the Vietnam War drafts. During Carter's term as President, two new cabinet-level departments, the Dep

TIL that in 2013, after more than 20 years of soda being America's number one beverage, water has taken over as Americans' favorite drink

NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn't too long ago that America had a love affair with soda. Now, an old flame has the country's heart. As New York City's ban on the sale of large cups of soda and other sugary drinks at some businesses starts on Tuesday, one thing is clear: soda's run as the nation's beverage of choice has fizzled. In its place? A favorite for much of history: Plain old H2O water. For more than two decades, soda was the No. 1 drink in the U.S. with consumption peaking in 1998 at 54 gallons a year, according industry tracker Beverage Digest. Americans drank just 42 gallons a year of water at the time. But over the years, as soda increasingly came under fire for fueling the nation's rising obesity rates, water quietly rose to knock it off the top spot. Americans now drink an average of 44 gallons of soda a year, a 17 percent drop from the peak in 1998. Over the same time, the average amount of water people drink has increased 38 percent to about 58 gallons

TIL taking magic mushrooms, just once ,can permanently change a person's personality, even as an adult

'Magic Mushrooms' May Permanently Alter Personality By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor Just one strong dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms can alter a person's personality for more than a year and perhaps permanently, a new study finds. People given psilocybin, the compound in "magic mushrooms" that causes hallucinations and feelings of transcendence, demonstrated a more "open" personality after their experience, an effect that persisted for at least 14 months. Openness is a psychological term referring to an appreciation for new experiences. People who are more open tend to have broad imaginations and value emotion, art and curiosity. This personality warp is unusual, said study researcher Katherine MacLean, because personality rarely changes much after the age of 25 or 30. ( In fact, one recent study found that by first grade our personalities are set pretty much for life. ) "This is one of the first studies to show that you actually can

TIL Tic tacs are almost pure sugar but due to their weight are allowed to be labeled as zero sugar per serving.

Tic Tac (officially styled as "tic tac") is a brand of small, hard mints, consisting of 94.5% sugar, manufactured by the Italian confectioner Ferrero , and are available in a variety of flavors in over 100 countries. Tic Tacs were first produced in 1969. They are usually sold in small transparent plastic boxes with a flip-action living hinge lid. Originally, Tic Tacs were dyed specific colors for different flavors, although in many countries the transparent plastic boxes are colored but the actual Tic Tacs are white. History Tic Tacs were first introduced by Ferrero in 1969, under the name "Refreshing Mints". In 1970, the name was changed to Tic Tacs , after the distinctive sound of the mints rattling in their container. Besides the original "Orange" and Fresh Mint flavors, several new varieties were added, including aniseed, cinnamon (or "Winter Warmer"), an orange and grape mix (in 1976), spearmint, peppermint, Powermint, sour apple, mandar

TIL the first animal to ask an existential question was from a parrot named Alex. He asked what color he was, and learned that it was "grey".

Alex (1976 – 6 September 2007) was an African grey parrot and the subject of a thirty-year (1977–2007) experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard University and Brandeis University. When Alex was about one year old, Pepperberg bought him at a pet shop. The name "Alex" was a backronym for avian language experiment, or avian learning experiment. Before Pepperberg's work with Alex, it was widely believed in the scientific community that a large primate brain was needed to handle complex problems related to language and understanding; birds were not considered to be intelligent, as their only common use of communication was mimicking and repeating sounds to interact with each other. However, Alex's accomplishments supported the idea that birds may be able to reason on a basic level and use words creatively. Pepperberg wrote that Alex's intelligence was on a level similar to dolphins and great apes. S

TIL the Hawaiian Pizza was invented in Canada, and is the most popular pizza in Australia, accounting for 15% of pizza sales.

Pineapple as a pizza topping divides opinion: Hawaiian was the most popular pizza in Australia in 1999, accounting for 15% of pizza sales, and a 2015 review of independent UK takeaways operating through Just Eat found the Hawaiian pizza to be the most commonly available.  A 2016 survey of US adults had pineapple in the top three least favourite pizza toppings, behind anchovies and mushrooms. History In February 2017, the president of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, reportedly told a group of high school students during a Q&A that he was fundamentally opposed to pineapple on pizza. He added that, if he could, he would ban pineapple as a pizza topping. His off-the-cuff remark generated a flurry of media coverage and inspired lovers and haters of Hawaiian pizza to express their opinions on social media. Panopoulis, long retired from the restaurant business was called upon by some media outlets to defend his creation.  Jóhannesson later clarified in a Facebook post that he did not have

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