Author Archives

In short, I review clinical research on an almost daily basis. What I post tends to be articles that are relevant to the readers in addition to some curiosities that have intriguing potential.

As a hobby, I truly enjoy the puzzle-solving play that statistics and programming as in the python language bring to the table. I just do not enjoy problem-solving, I love problem-solving and the childlike inspiration and exploration of that innocent exhilaration of discovering something new.

Enjoy ;-)

• Junk Food Lobby Forced to Disclose Secret Donors in Campaign to Stop GMO Labeling

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013

  By Michele Simon  Just a few weeks ago, attorneys for the No on 522 campaign were feeling rather smug when a lawsuit filed against them by a group called “Moms for Labeling” was dismissed. As I wrote last week [3], consumer… Read More ›

• Queen of England issues Royal Charter to Control the free press / The Monarchy comes to life

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013

  Press regulation royal charter given go-ahead by the Queen Government’s plan receives royal seal of approval after court of appeal rejects attempt by newspapers to block charter Patrick Wintour The Guardian,              Wednesday 30 October 2013 14.34 EDT   The… Read More ›

• Belgium considers granting euthanasia for children

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013

    Belgium government, which has already legalized euthanasia for adults is now envisaging extension of this procedure to children. Should the bill be approved, Belgium will be the first country to adopt such measure. The same project also includes granting… Read More ›

• Chinese military researchers state the U.S. is its Enemy ? China PLA video claims Washington uses military programmes to try to brainwash future leaders

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013 • ( 2 )

  EEV: Currently Searching for the actual video / 3:17 U.S. is implied to be China’s enemy US accused of using military exchanges with PLA to disrupt China PUBLISHED : Thursday, 31 October, 2013, 3:52am UPDATED : Thursday, 31 October, 2013, 3:52am Minnie Chan minnie.chan@scmp.com… Read More ›

• U.S.A. Warns ‘Homeland Stupidity’ Parodist / “The NSA: The only part of government that actually listens.”

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013

    By ELIZABETH WARMERDAM ShareThis BALTIMORE (CN) – The Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency threatened to sue a novelty store owner who sells “Department of Homeland Stupidity” coffee cups and T-shirts with the slogan: “The NSA: The… Read More ›

• Obamacare website security at ‘high risk’ before launch -memo / ” sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates that could be used by criminals “

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 31, 2013

  Source: Reuters – Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:02 PM Author: Reuters By Jim Finkle BOSTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) – The security of the Obama administration’s healthcare website was at “high risk” because of lack of testing before it opened for… Read More ›

• Teachers less qualified than McDonald’s staff, say Labour ( U.K. )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013 • ( 3 )

  Teachers need fewer qualifications than burger bar employees thanks to   Government education reforms, Labour claimed. “Under David Cameron, we have this situation where you now need more qualifications to work as a shift manager at McDonald’s than to become a… Read More ›

• Did the NSA even spy on the POPE? U.S. spies accused of intercepting phone calls during conclave as he was elected head of Catholic church

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013

  US security services ‘targeted Francis in  run up to and during conclave’ Claims NSA intercepted phone calls made  to and from priests’ residence Other leading bishops and cardinals ‘also  being monitored by US spies’ By  Hannah Roberts PUBLISHED: 14:58 EST,… Read More ›

• NSA ‘broke into Yahoo and Google data centers to obtain millions of records every day’… and leaked doodle shows how spy agency did it with a smiley face

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013 • ( 1 )

  The Washington Post cites documents  leaked by Edward Snowden In 30 days, the NSA gleaned 180 million  new records including text, audio and video – and who sent it to whom and when  they sent it NSA: Claims that we… Read More ›

• Number of Secret Inventions Grew Last Year / Gov’t can take whatever technology it wants from a U.S. company and hide it

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013

    There were 139 new “secrecy orders” granted on patent applications during Fiscal Year 2013, according to new data released under the Freedom of Information Act by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951,… Read More ›

• Are you of the Pemberley Darcys? Same ‘elite’ surnames have been at Oxbridge since the Norman Conquest /”social mobility is not much better than it was in medieval times”

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013

  Names like Darcy, Mandeville and Neville have attended elite universities for 27 generations Tom Mendelsohn Wednesday, 30 October 2013 The same elite names have dominated Oxbridge as far back as the Norman Conquest– and there’s no sign that they’re about… Read More ›

• Spain colluded in NSA spying on its citizens, Spanish newspaper reports

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 30, 2013 • ( 1 )

  El Mundo says it has document detailing collaboration between US intelligence agency and foreign countries  Paul Hamilos in Madrid theguardian.com,              Wednesday 30 October 2013 07.41 EDT A man protests against NSA spying outside the foreign ministry in Madrid. Photograph:… Read More ›

• Britney Spears’ music proves to be the best weapon against raging pirates

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

    Collage “Voice of Russia” Britney Spears’ music proved to be a powerful weapon against attacks from Somali pirates as Rachel Owens, a merchant navy officer on huge super tankers, said in interview with Breitbart TV. “Her songs have been… Read More ›

• Russian report says Chinese appliances hide Wifi slurping spam-spreaders

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  DON’T BREW THAT CUPPA! Your kettle could be a SPAMBOT   By Simon Sharwood Posted in Security,   29th October 2013 07:03 GMT Russian authorities have claimed that household appliances imported from China contain tiny computers that seek out open WiFi networks… Read More ›

• Food giants pour millions into defeating Washington GMO label measure

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  Source: Reuters – Tue, 29 Oct 2013 10:16 PM Author: Reuters By Eric M. Johnson and Carey Gillam SEATTLE/KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct 29 (Reuters) – Major U.S. food and chemical companies are pouring millions of dollars into efforts to block… Read More ›

• Spain and France’s intelligence agencies carried out collection of phone records and shared them with NSA, agency says

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  NSA spy row: France and Spain ‘shared phone data’ with US By Raf Sanchez, Peter Foster in Washington 8:35PM GMT 29 Oct 2013 European intelligence agencies and not American spies were responsible for the   mass collection of phone records which… Read More ›

• Undercover police to be banned from having sexual relationships with targets (U.K.)

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  New rules will stop undercover officers having intimate relationships with   people they are investigating, following concern over series of cases Mark Kennedy, a former Scotland Yard officer, is alleged to have slept with a number of women whose activities he… Read More ›

• Obama administration knew millions could not keep their health insurance / “40 to 67 percent” of customers will not be able to keep their policy”

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  News networks buzzed late on Friday as they discovered  what NBC had found: evidence that the Obama administration has known for three  years that the president’s promise simply couldn’t be kept. This example, from  July 19, 2010, hit the Internet… Read More ›

• Phone chargers given to world leaders by G20 Russian hosts ‘were able to capture data for the Kremlin’

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

  The revelation came after Germany’s  secret service investigated the devices It warned that they were ‘trojan horses’  capable of fishing for information Warnings have gone out to every  government that received them By  Hannah Roberts In Rome PUBLISHED: 08:53 EST,… Read More ›

• Ukrainian thugs scam State Dept, highlighting flaws in ‘diversity visa’ program

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013 • ( 1 )

  Posted By Brendan Bordelon On 8:48 AM  10/29/2013 In  | No Comments Ukrainian fraudsters are duping the State Department’s diversity visa program to extort cash from Ukrainian citizens and gain access to American Social Security numbers, a new report by… Read More ›

• Health Research Report 28 OCT 2013 ( Video )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 29, 2013

    Topics: Walking Corpse trigger found ( Cotard’s Syndrome ) It’s a Cold Sore Cream * Journal of the Neurological Sciences Oct 2013 Compound derived from vegetables shields from lethal radiation doses * Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences… Read More ›

• Satire: Saudi sings “No Woman – No Drive”

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  EEV: Where are all those self righteous celebrities, when it comes to equal gender rights?  Oh yea I forgot, partying in Dubai.     Monday, 28 October 2013 What you’re about to see is a perfect rendition of “No Woman No… Read More ›

• Genomics pioneer Craig Venter warns about biohacker boo-boos (i.e. Doomsday Virus )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Alan Boyle, Science Editor         NBC News Oct. 24, 2013 at 11:01 AM ET Hyungwon Kang / Reuters file Biologist J. Craig Venter testifies at a congressional hearing in 2010. In his latest book, genetic guru J. Craig Venter envisions a… Read More ›

• Confident China unveils its secretive nuclear submarine fleet for the first time in four decades

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Nuclear submarine fleet is one of China’s most  secretive military programs Revealed  for first time in four decades as sign of country’s  confidence By  Sophie Jane Evans PUBLISHED: 16:32 EST, 28  October 2013 |  UPDATED: 18:32 EST, 28 October 2013… Read More ›

• Virtually numbed: Immersive video gaming alters real-life experience

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Role-playing video games can alter our experience of reality and numb us to important real-life experiences, study finds Spending time immersed as a virtual character or avatar in a role-playing video game can numb you to realizing important body signals… Read More ›

• Libya gunmen steal $54 mn in bank van attack

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Photo: EPA Gunmen attacked a central bank van in the Libyan city of Sirte on Monday, stealing $54 million in different currencies, the official Lana news agency reported.  The report said “10 heavily armed men” had made off with the… Read More ›

• Mexican vigilantes take on drug cartels – and worry authorities / Fear ‘undeclared civil war’

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013 • ( 1 )

  Militias spring up across Mexico to defend communities but authorities fear ‘rebel force’ and an ‘undeclared civil war’   Jo Tuckman in Tixtla The Guardian,  Monday 28 October 2013 15.43 EDT Self-defence forces gather near Buenavista in Michoacan, Mexico, part of… Read More ›

• Your pain, my gain: Feeling pleasure over the misfortune of those you envy is biological

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Contact: B. Rose Huber brhuber@princeton.edu 609-258-0157 Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs PRINCETON, NJ—Mina Cikara found her thesis when she wore a Boston Red Sox hat to a New York Yankees baseball game. Nicknames and vulgarities… Read More ›

• Scientists discover ‘Lost World’ of unknown creatures in Australia

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013 • ( 2 )

  Monday, 28 October 2013 On the second day of a four-day trek to Cape Melville a team led by Dr Conrad Hoskin, from James Cook University, and Dr Tim Laman, from Harvard University, discovered a “bizarre” looking leaf-tailed gecko, a… Read More ›

• Patna bombings: outlawed Islamist group blamed for fatal blasts

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Suspect told police that Indian Mujahideen told him to carry out bombings that killed seven and wounded 83   Associated Press in Patna theguardian.com,  Monday 28 October 2013 07.08 EDT Indian security agency officials examine debris as they search for… Read More ›

• Britain must say ‘no’ to eastern European immigrants, says Cameron

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013 • ( 1 )

  The Prime Minister says young Brits cannot “fully” compete with hard-working   immigrants from Eastern Europe By Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent 12:38PM GMT 28 Oct 2013 British youths are not “fully capable” of competing with hard working   immigrants from Eastern… Read More ›

• There’ll Be Revolution Alright Russell – And It’ll Be Thanks to the Internet ( A possible scenario ) ( U.K. )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

  Hannah Lippitt Journalist who works in digital media Posted: 28/10/2013 15:41 As the world and his dog are by now well aware, multimillionaire comedian Russell Brand has called for “revolution” and for the disempowered everywhere to rise up against “elites” (governments… Read More ›

• Briton Held Over US Government Hacking Claims

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 28, 2013

          4:04pm 28th October 2013 A British man has been charged by US authorities over the alleged hacking of government computer systems, including US Army and Nasa networks. Lauri Love, of Stradishall, England, and his partners allegedly stole information about… Read More ›

• China coastguard ups pressure in row over islands / As China officially mentions ” War ” if one of its drones is shot down

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

  PUBLISHED : Monday, 28 October, 2013, 1:22pm UPDATED : Monday, 28 October, 2013, 1:23pm Agence France-Presse in Tokyo A China Coast Guard vessel (front) sails near a Japan Coast Guard vessel near the disputed islands, known as Diaoyus in China…. Read More ›

• Obama ‘gave the go-ahead for Merkel phone tapping’ as he wanted to ‘know everything’ about world’s most powerful woman, German newspaper claims

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013 • ( 2 )

  Bild  newspaper in Germany called US denials of eavesdropping ‘diplomatic lies’ as new  documents emerge They quote  a secret source which claims Obama not only sanctioned the operation against Mrs  Merkel but extended it By  Allan Hall In Berlin PUBLISHED:… Read More ›

• Europe should be grateful for spying, say U.S. lawmakers

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013 • ( 1 )

  World Oct. 28, 2013 – 07:00AM JST WASHINGTON — Europeans should be grateful for U.S. spying operations because they keep them safe, U.S. lawmakers said Sunday, urging allies to improve their own intelligence and oversight efforts. House Intelligence Committee Chairman… Read More ›

• Mystery of the world’s largest bell continues to lure treasure hunters and Burma’s elite

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

  Having lain underwater for 400 years, artefact may be out of sight, but it is not out of mind Andrew Buncombe, Swan Pyae Win Naing Sunday, 27 October 2013 For more than 400 years the Dhammazedi bell bell has supposedly… Read More ›

• Is your favorite skin remedy BAD for you? How petroleum jelly can ‘suffocate pores, aggravate acne and cause pneumonia’

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

  By  Sadie Whitelocks PUBLISHED: 08:20 EST, 25  October 2013 |  UPDATED: 17:19 EST, 25 October 2013   Petroleum jelly is widely considered a  bathroom cabinet essential for its skin-soothing properties, but one New York  dermatologist warns that it could be… Read More ›

• The NSA’s Secret Spy Hub in Berlin / SCS agents may have been compromised

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

    By SPIEGEL Staff According to SPIEGEL research, United States intelligence agencies have not only targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone, but they have also used the American Embassy in Berlin as a listening station. The revelations now pose a… Read More ›

• The Bank of America Keyword list is confirmed ( Hundreds of Classified Project Titles )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013 • ( 1 )

  Engineering Evil Commentary on the code word list: The original release of the Keyword list was 28 FEB 2013. Since then the URL of the hacking group has been taken down. The hypothesis behind the confirmation is due to that… Read More ›

• “National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010.”

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

  Obama aware of Merkel spying since 2010: German report 27   Oct   2013 Berlin (AFP) US President Barack Obama was personally informed of mobile phone tapping against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may have begun as early as 2002, German media reported… Read More ›

• Japan’s PM warns China on use of force as jets scrambled

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 27, 2013

  By AFP | AFP – 8 hours ago   AFP/AFP – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) delivers a speech next to Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera (L) during military review at the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Asaka training ground, on October 27, …more  2013  less … Read More ›

• Support rallies for soldier who faces disciplinary hearing for sending classified information from his personal email which could have saved three lives

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013

  By  Ashley Collman PUBLISHED: 23:32 EST, 26  October 2013 |  UPDATED: 23:34 EST, 26 October 2013   A well-intentioned honest mistake could cost  Major Jason Brezler his position as a Marine reservist. Maj Brezler found himself in hot water last … Read More ›

• NSA asked Japan to tap regionwide fiber-optic cables in 2011

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013 • ( 1 )

  Kyodo Oct 27, 2013 Article history Online: Oct 27, 2013 Print: Oct 27, 2013 Last Modified: Oct 27, 2013 The U.S. National Security Agency sought the Japanese government’s cooperation in 2011 over wiretapping fiber-optic cables carrying phone and Internet data… Read More ›

• Chinese Company Falling Short of Goal for California Jobs / Company Claims Chinese workers here on legal work visas are not subject to state labor laws, including the minimum wage

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times An electric-powered bus built by China’s B.Y.D. By  JENNIFER MEDINA Published: October 25, 2013 LOS ANGELES — At the height of the recession, Los Angeles officials spent a year and a half wooing a Chinese… Read More ›

• Police buy eBay data to target criminals

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013

  New snooping software is helping forces all over the country to unmask gangs selling stolen property on the internet Sam Masters, Paul Peachey Sunday, 27 October 2013 Police forces are paying private sector companies tens of thousands of pounds for… Read More ›

• Abe says he is ready to be more assertive against China / “If Japan does resort to enforcement measures like shooting down aircraft, that is a serious provocation to us, an act of war.” China’s Defense Ministry

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013

  Politics Oct. 27, 2013 – 06:00AM JST ( 12 ) TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in an interview published on Saturday, said Japan was ready to be more assertive towards China as Beijing threatened to strike back if provoked…. Read More ›

• Prince Harry ‘drugs slur’ puts BBC in the line of fire

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013

  BBC faces pressure to apologise after Jo Brand insinuated on Have I Got News   For You that Prince Harry took cocaine Prince Harry is a captain with the Army Air Corps and has served on two tours of duty in… Read More ›

• Thousands of protesters demand answers on HKTV decision

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013 • ( 1 )

  Leung declines to address rally on government decision to reject HKTV PUBLISHED : Friday, 25 October, 2013, 9:45pm UPDATED : Saturday, 26 October, 2013, 3:34am Vivienne Chow, Amy Nip and Tanna Chong Black-clad protesters at government HQ last night. Photo:… Read More ›

• VIDEO: Man dashes back into burning home – to rescue BEER from the fridge

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 26, 2013 • ( 1 )

  26 Oct 2013 17:44 Walter Serpit made sure his family were safe and well, before returning to  the inferno to rescue his prized case of Bud Light     A man fought his way back into a burning house to… Read More ›