A Promising Future in Hemp Cultivation For Native Americans

During the 1980’s, the casino industry brought billions of dollars in revenues in the tribal economies, thus diminishing the number of people living in poverty. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, the casino industry provided an estimated $30 billion of revenues last year. Experts hope that developing industrial hemp can also generate the same revenue for the Native American tribes.

Hemp is from the family of plants that produce marijuana. Cultivating hemp needs a permit from the US Drug Enforcement Administration since it can only be produced strictly for research. Nevertheless, in 2014, the Department of Justice gave leniency for hemp cultivation. This, with the provision that the tribes will set cannabis-related laws just like the states are able to do.

The largest federally recognized tribe, the Navajo Nation and the Native American-owned CannaNative LLC arranged final negotiations on developing industrial hemp.

The ‘gray area’ of hemp

Hemp contains less than 1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant. The federal law classifies hemp and other cannabis varieties as a dangerous drug with no positive medicinal importance. Nonetheless, it is widely used in the variety of products from food to construction materials.

A Very Hemp Business

The United States solely depends on hemp imports because there is no “large-scale commercial” hemp market in the country.

Based on the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) calculations, in the year 2013 alone, the entire US retail value of the product was at $581 million. However, Congressional Research Service disputed the report saying the numbers are “under-reported”. This is due to the report excluding the sales of L’Oreal SA’s The Body Shop and Whole Foods Market Inc. These are the two leading retailers of hemp-based products.

CannaNative and Medical Marijuana Inc., signed an agreement to produce the first hemp oil products for the at least 560 Native American tribes. Medical Marijuana Inc., is the leading cannabis products maker. The two companies discuss the deal with the Navajo Nation to initiate cultivating hemp in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

Al Henderson, the senior Navajo economic adviser said, “The industrial hemp project could probably overtake Indian gaming, not only in terms of employment but also in terms of revenue to the Navajo”. He pointed out the 360,000 constituents of the tribe had an unemployment rate of 40% to 50%.

The ‘other way’ around

Anthony Rivera, the CannaNative CEO justified that cultivating industrial hemp will help the aging Native American residents. They can treasure their culture by growing plant-based medicine and decrease the necessity in relying on the American taxpayer’s money.

He said in an interview with Reuters, “We can’t wait for the federal government … so we are working with tribes to pass their own laws in consultation with federal authorities to demonstrate that we are doing this legally and responsibly,

According to Chief Executive of Medical Marijuana Inc (MMI) Stu Titus, the affiliation with the Navajo Nation will help hemp cultivation in the country. Further, it will also lessen the cost up to 25%. He said, “Our goal is to plant our initial pilot program test crop in the spring of 2017 in the Navajo Nation”.

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US Vigilante Hacker ‘The Jester’ Attacks Russia Government Website

Last Friday, a notorious American Hacker known as “The Jester” hacked a Russian government ministry’s website as payback for attacking American targets.

‘The Jester’ left this message:

“Comrades!

We interrupt regular scheduled Russian Foreign Affairs Website programming to bring you the following important message,” he wrote. “Knock it off. You may be able to push around nations around you, but this is America. Nobody is impressed.”

His hacking activity includes a very weird and annoying sound that whenever people visits the site they hear an “attention-demanding” dial tone right after an American emergency broadcast alert message.

MID.ru is the official website of the Russian institution that is responsible for operations concerning the country’s international diplomacy. It is the Russian counterpart of the U.S. Department of State.

The U.S government accused Russia of interfering in American politics. Recently, US accused Russian intelligence agencies of being involved in hacking Democratic National Committee private information. These include emails and the sites of other Democratic Party-linked organizations. Moreover, they also leaked damning information to influence the election toward Donald Trump and away from Hilary Clinton.

Russia is also incriminated of publishing stolen emails to WikiLeaks. Russia and President Vladimir Putin however, has denied all the accusations.

The Jester said, “Let’s get real, I know it’s you, even if by proxy, and you know it’s you,” he wrote. “Now, get to your room. Before I lose my temper.”

‘The Jester’ is not new to hacktivism. He has taken down jihadist websites, hacking into communication forums, and identifying potential terrorist threats. Hence, ex-FBI agents have tagged him as “the Batman of the internet”.

Russia hacked out of frustration

The Jester said he chose to attack Russia out of frustration for the massive DNS cyber attack that knocked out a portion of the internet in the United States on Friday.

“I wanted to poke them in the eye and stop feeling like US is just taking it on the chin. Again,” he said. “I’m not gonna sit around watching these f—-rs laughing at us.”

The Jester used a simple hacking trick. He found a flaw in the website’s computer code and exploited his own code to gain access.

“It’s 4 a.m. in Moscow right now and a weekend. I’m hoping they can’t fix the hole til Monday,” he said.

As of 11 a.m. ET Saturday, the message was still online. The notorious hacker warns Russia to take his threats seriously. There are other American hackers with this kind of capability.

“Think of this as a professional courtesy,” his public warning states. “Or if you prefer a message from ‘USA with love.'”

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Myanmar Refugees Come Home After 30 Years

Tens of thousands of refugees settled in nine camps along Thailand’s Border with Myanmar can finally go home. On Tuesday, 68 Myanmar refugees from camps along the border are the first to receive an endorsement from the Thai and Myanmar governments.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called the undertaking as a “milestone”. Furthermore, the agency pointed out that the first voluntary repatriation will not lead to an “exodus”.

The movement to go back home was unfeasible for a very long time because of the political and economic turmoil in Myanmar. However, Aung San Suu Kyi changed all that when she ascended to power earlier this year. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Suu Kyi is the first woman to serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Myanmar.

The UNHCR’s senior field coordinator, Ian hall said that the repatriation will begin on Tuesday. One family will leave the camp on the western border province in Ratchaburi. Another group will follow on Wednesday from the Nupo Camp in the western Tak province of Thailand.

A Safe Return Home

In a phone interview with Reuters while in the border town of Mae Sot, located about 490 km (304 miles) of Bangkok, Hall said, “This particular movement is a milestone. But it won’t be the start of a large exodus”.

Hall added that refugees who chose to return home had information from their families in Myanmar, who told them it was safe to go back home. He said, “The Myanmar government came over and issued certificates of identification saying these people are their citizens”.

30 years of waiting

There are an estimated 103,000 refugees and internally displaced people inhabiting the nine camps along the border. Decades of military rule drove the refugees to flee and escape the persecution of the Myanmar army. 80% of the refugees are ethnic Karen from Western Myanmar. Most of them had been living in the camps for 30 years.

The senior official of the Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Re-settlements of Myanmar, Ko Ko Naing said they are prepared to accept the returnees. He said, “”These people want to return to Myanmar of their own volition’.

Previous Thailand administrations had planned efforts to permanently shut down the camp. Hall believed otherwise, he said this is not the right time to do so. “We’re not promoting return and we’ve made that clear with both governments. We don’t yet believe it is the time to return but of course, these people have the right to return if they want to”.

In the recent weeks, the country continues to endure erratic violence between the government and the Muslim Majority Rakhine state. Officials believed the Islamists greatly influenced the uprising.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Wishes He Could Run for President

Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California from 2003 until 2011 wished he could run for president this year.

In an interview with AdWeek, Schwarzenegger told them “If I’d been born in America, I would’ve run.”

“Because now? This was a very good time to get in the race,” he added.

Schwarzenegger was born in Austria, and it could have been interesting to see who have won between him and Donald Trump.

Judging by his comments, he would have given more fight than any other Republican candidates.

Republican Nominee, Donald Trump continued his fight against women who accused him of sexual assault.

Jessica Drake, a 42-year-old adult film star has accused him of “grabbing her” and kissed her without permission 10 years ago.

At a campaign rally in Florida, he responded to Drake’s allegation, “One said, ‘He grabbed me in the arm.’ And she’s a porn star,” before adding: “Oh, I’m sure she’s never been grabbed before.”

As Mr. Trump responded to all the allegations, he vowed to sue all his accusers after the elections.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton faces turmoil when her links to the FBI comes under scrutiny again.

On Monday, the wife of an FBI official, Jill McCabe received nearly $500,000 from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to help with her campaign.

Governor McAuliffe has been a long-time ally and fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton. The FBI official later helped oversee the investigation into Hillary’s email use.

Scandals linked to the Democratic nominee have been unclear and confusing on how she was involved. Nevertheless, it’s news she could do without.

Donald Trump, who have been facing so numerous scandal and allegations have been struggling to woo millennials. In one USA Today Poll shows millennials would vote more for Clinton over Trump. This gives her a 48% lead over the Republican.

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Man Dies from Flesh Eating Bacteria Infection

A man from Arizona, infected with a flesh eating bacteria, died after four days. His family described the experience was “like a horror movie.”

Michael Funk just returned home from his Ocean City, Maryland condominium after cleaning crab pots last September 11. Funk fell ill and was taken to a hospital, where a surgeon removed infected skin from his leg. Then he was taken to a trauma hospital in Baltimore to get his infected leg operated on and later, amputated, DelmarvaNow reported.

Michael’s wife Marcia Funk told DelmarvaNow, “It was very fast moving,”  she added, “He was in so much pain.”

Funk added that Ocean City failed to give an adequate warning about spreading Vibrio Vunificus bacteria.

“I really feel they kept it quiet because it’s a tourist resort,” she told DelmarvaNow. “It’s like something out of a horror movie.”

Ocean City spokeswoman Jessica Waters told DelmarvaNow that they have made outreach and education campaigns, but never about the bacteria. She added the bacteria, “has never been part of our awareness efforts, at least to my knowledge.”

In 2014, state officials issued an advisory about an outbreak of bacteria that infected 57 people in 2013.

Infected through wound

Vibrio Vunificus is a bacteria most commonly found in warm, brackish waters with low salinity. According to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, a person can be infected by either consuming raw or undercooked seafood, or in Funk’s case, from entering through a wound cut.

Funk’s widow told Delmarva now, “He loved the water, he loved boating, and he loved crabbing.”

 

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Manhunt Underway for Gunman Who Killed Two and Wounded Two Officers

In Oklahoma, a gunman is on the run after he killed two people and wounded four others. The casualties included two police officers, police said.

The suspect was identified as Michael D. Vance, 38-year-old, of Chandler, Oklahoma. He is believed to be driving a silver 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse sedan and armed with an AK-47.

Another suspect has been arrested, according to authorities.

Emergency officials in Lincoln County said that at about 7 p.m. local time Sunday, Vance shot and wounded two officers from the town of Wellston. The officers had responded to a reported shooting.

County Sheriff Charles Dougherty said that one officer was shot in the leg and the second, in the foot.

Vance was hit more than twice as the wounded officers returned fire, Dougherty said.

According to KOCO, Vance then commandeered a patrol car and drove to a nearby mobile park. There, he stole a Lincoln Town Car from a woman and then shot at her. The woman was hurt but not taken to the hospital, KOCO said.

Authorities, later, went to the residence of Vance’s uncle in neighboring Oklahoma County. At about 11 p.m. Sunday, they discovered the bodies of two people who had been shot, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities believe Vance switched vehicles again as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported a man meeting Vance’s description driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Furthermore, the report said that the man shot someone at a Flying J truck stop on Interstate 40 near Sayre at around 2:38 a.m. Monday.

http://pic.twitter.com/llIQbSqpMa

— Okla. Highway Patrol (@OHPtraffic) October 24, 2016

Suspect afflicted with infectious disease

Dougherty said that authorities have released a wanted flyer for Vance. He is described as a “heavy-set male” with a height of 5 foot 11 inches and weighs 212 pounds. The suspect has a medical condition and may attempt to spread disease, according to the flyer.

The medical condition was unclear, but sheriff’s public information officer Mark Opgrande said it is an infectious disease that can be transmitted by blood.

“It’s possible he may attempt to spread it to others if he is put in a situation where that would be possible,” Opgrande said.

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4 Dead in Dreamworld Theme Park Ride ‘Malfunction’

Officials confirmed, 4 people were killed due to a ride malfunction at Dreamworld Theme Park in the Gold Coast Metropolitan Area, Queensland.

The tragic accident happened about 2:20 p.m Tuesday at Thunder River Rapids Ride. Dreamworlds’s Chief Executive, Craig Davidson said.

According to Dreamworlds website, the ride description says “white water rafting” adventure. This is a ride that travels up to 28 miles an hour. Following the traumatic accident, the management said that the ride will be closed until November for ‘annual maintenance’.

In a statement released by Gavin Fuller, a spokesman for the Queensland Ambulance Service, there had been, “some sort of malfunction causing two people to be ejected” from the ride. Further, the two other victims were “caught inside the ride,” and two of the victims were men, and the other two were women.

Meanwhile, Queensland Police Officer said that they were called to the crime scene following reports that “a number of people had been injured by a conveyor belt.”

Mr. Fuller said the victims ranged in age from 32 to their early 40s. He said members of the park’s staff gave them first aid before paramedics arrived.

While Tod Reid, a Queensland police inspector, said that an investigation was underway and that he could not yet comment on who the victims were or whether they were related.

On the other hand, Mr. Davidson said that the park had been closed. Moreover, the company was working with the authorities to “establish the facts around the incident.”

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this, and our hearts and our thoughts go to the families involved and to their loved ones,” he added.

Dreamworld is about 35 miles south of Brisbane. It was described as the country’s most popular theme park.

‘Place for fun and happiness’

The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said, he is “very saddened” by the “tragic accident.”

“Theme parks are a place for family fun and happiness, not tragedy,” Mr. Turnbull said. “This is a very, very, sad, tragic event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives.”

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Explosion Detected On Alaska Volcano, Alert Level Raised

A monitoring website said an explosion was detected on an isolated Aleutian volcano. It was heard by residents of a small village about 45 miles (72 km) away, prompting scientists to raise the alert level for the mountain on Monday.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to orange from yellow for Cleveland Volcano. The mountain is a 5,676-foot (1,730-metre) peak on the deserted Chuginadak Island, about 940 miles (1,504 km) southwest of Anchorage.

The orange code is the second-highest on the scale. According to the observatory, the code is issued when a volcano “exhibits heightened/escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption”. A red code is issued when an eruption is imminent or under way.

The observatory disclosed that an explosion was detected on Cleveland by both seismic data and infrasound. It was also heard by residents of Nikolski, a community of not more than 50 people on Umnak Island about 45 miles (72 km) to the east.

Cloudy weather covered Cleveland’s summit in satellite images. However, no proof of an eruption cloud had been spotted at a height of 28,000 feet (8,534.4 meters), scientists said

Christened after U.S. President Grover Cleveland, the volcano is one of the most active of Alaska’s scores of volcanoes. Further, its ash cloud could present a risk to aircraft when it erupts.

The observatory said the volcano, which outlines the western portion of Chuginadak Island, has been recurrently producing explosions and small lava flows since 2001.

Alaska’s Aleutian archipelago, of which Chuginadak Island is part of, is a geologically active string of volcanic islands that is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This makes the island very disposed to earthquakes.

Mount Pavlof also displaying unrest

Earlier this year, Mount Pavlof on the Alaska Peninsula exploded with barely any advanced warning. The volcano ejected an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) high. The eruption prompted aviation warnings across the region.

According to the observatory, Pavlof is presently at yellow on the alert scale. This means that it is displaying signs of elevated unrest but not erupting.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

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Kipnis Nurses Injury As He Prepares For World Series

Cleveland Indians Jason Kipnis is nursing a sprained left ankle as he primes for Tuesday’s Game One of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

The second baseman suffered the injury in a bizarre incident when he hugged teammate Francisco Lindor in celebration after the Indians clinched a spot in the World Series by winning against Toronto in the American League Championship Series.

Lindor, the Indians’ shortstop, accidentally stepped on Kipnis’ ankle.

“I think I was getting too much of the spotlight so he (Lindor) tried to take me out,” Kipnis jokingly told reporters at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Kipnis said what happened was a freak accident. He just landed on it, rolled it. Hopefully, he’ll be good to go by tomorrow night.

Kipnis, who is in his sixth season in the majors, has played his entire career for the Indians. He was a childhood Cubs fan while he grew up in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook.

His family and several of his hometown friends still follow the Cubs. He was reminded of it on Saturday while watching Chicago beat the Dodgers win the National League Championship Series.

Family and friends are Cubs fans

Kipnis said it was weird seeing nothing but Cubs’ post on social media from all his friends from home. He’s happy for all his friends and family in Chicago cheering for the Cubs.

Kipnis added that he didn’t know how to really handle it. He couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad. He was emotional and choked up.

If Kipnis has his way, he would prefer that the Cubs, who last won the World Series in 1908, to wait at least 109 years to end their title drought.

“I think a Tribe World Series would set this city off,” he said of Cleveland. “It’s always been a great sports town.”

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WMO: Greenhouse Gas Volume Marked a Symbolic Threshold

According to U.N World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, the amount of Greenhouse gas spiked to the highest rate in 2015. This fuels climate change and make the planet more dangerous even if government limits man-made global warming.

WMO reports said, the total percentage of carbon dioxide worldwide, a potent greenhouse gas hit 400.0 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere. This is the first time on record and was 44 percent higher than pre-Industrial Revolution Levels.

The uncontrollable growth is in contrast with a recent Paris Agreement signed by 200 country leaders. The agreement is meant to regulate emissions, phase out fossil fuels, and expand renewable energy.

In a statement of WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taala, he said, “The year 2015 ushered in a new era of optimism and climate action with the Paris climate change agreement. But it will also make history as marking a new era of climate change reality with record high greenhouse gas concentrations,”

“The key issue here is to go from this kind of political will to concrete action,” he told a news conference in Geneva. “So far we haven’t seen a major change in the behavior.”

An observatory at Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the main measuring station with records back to 1958. It “predicts that carbon dioxide concentrations will stay above 400 ppm for the whole of 2016 and not dip below that level for many generations”, he added.

WMO’s atmospheric environment research chief Oksana Tarasova seconded the notion. He said, “Carbon dioxide levels will continue rising unless the world stops burning fossil fuels and starts planting trees, the technology is there. It’s just human will. If we want we can do it”. He recalls Europe’s successful efforts to combat acid rain by tackling sulfur and nitrogen emissions.

“You can bend the curve. If you take an action and you sign a treaty and everybody follows their commitments. It’s not magic.” She added.

Taalas said, “consequences of climate change, such as weather-related disasters, were set to continue even if emissions start to come down. We could see improvement in the 2060s if we start reducing emissions now.”

Man-made warming is blamed for causing heatwaves, downpours, droughts and rising ocean levels.

El-Niño boosts CO2 levels

The WMO said, the total level percentage of CO2 were at 400.0pm globally in 2015 while 2.3ppm from 2014.

El Niño warms the eastern pacific ocean. It is also the primary reason for the recent rapid increase of CO2 globally. Further, El Niño triggers droughts and wildfires in tropical regions. It reduces the ability of forests, vegetation and oceans to absorb carbon dioxide. This leaves more CO2 in the atmosphere.

A U.N. panel of climate scientists estimates that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are at their highest in at least 800,000 years.

“The real elephant in the room is carbon dioxide, which remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years,” Taalas said.

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Police Academy In Pakistan Attacked By Gunmen; 48 Dead, 75 Injured

Hospital officials said on Tuesday more than 48 people were killed and 75 injured when gunmen attacked a Pakistani police training academy in the city of Quetta,.

Officials said around 200 trainees were posted at the facility when the attack happened late on Monday. Some of the trainees were taken hostage during five hour incident.

Quetta’s Civil Hospital senior doctor Wasim Beg said that forty-eight bodies have been taken to the hospital.

Most of the dead were police cadets.

Baluchistan province home minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti had confirmed early Tuesday that five to six gunmen had assaulted a dormitory. The structure was within the training facility compound and the attack occurred as cadets rested and slept.

No group directly claimed responsibility for the attack. However, General Sher Afgun, one of the top military commanders in Baluchistan, told media that communications intercepted between the assailants and their handlers hinted they were from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a sectarian militant group.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi hails from the heartland Punjab province.

The militant group has a history of conducting sectarian attacks in Baluchistan, specifically against the minority Hazara Shias. It was not certain what purpose the group would have in storming the police academy, a home ministry official said.

The home ministry said military, police and paramilitary personnel arrived at the training center within 20 minutes of the attack. They launched a five-hour operation to find the perpetrators.

Monday night’s attack was the deadliest in Pakistan since a suicide bomber killed 70 people in an assault on mourners assembled at a hospital in Quetta in August.

The bomber attacked while a pack of mainly journalists and lawyers crowded into the emergency ward of the hospital to escort the body of a renowned lawyer who had been shot and killed in the city earlier in the day.

Well planned operation

Further, Monday night’s attack seemed well organized. Senior law enforcement agencies said that the attackers had fired at the police facility from five different points.

The assailants then stormed the center’s hostel where about 200 to 250 police recruits were resting, security officials said. Local media reported that there were more than three explosions at the scene.

Quetta has long been viewed as a base for the Afghan Taliban. Their leaders have regularly held meetings there in the past.

Until May this year, Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Afghan Taliban’s new leader, explicitly preached and taught at a mosque outside Quetta for 15 years. Mullah Akhtar Mansour, Akhundzada’s predecessor, was killed by a U.S. drone strike as he travelled to Quetta from the Pakistan-Iran border.

Baluchistan province has seen a lot of violence for nearly a decade now. Separatist fighters launch frequent strikes on security forces and the military hits back.

Militants, especially sectarian groups, have also been involved in campaigns of assassinations and suicide bombings of minority Shias.

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