25 August 2015

George RR Martin: No Gay Sex in "Game of Thrones"

There are several gory scenes, ruthlessness and violent acts in George RR Martin’s novels, and lots and lots of sex as well. However, what is phenomenal with the story is that it did not contain any explicit gay sex at all.

In 2014, the question was asked as Martin addressed an audience at the Edinburgh international book festival – why do his "A Song of Ice and Fire” novels only hint at the subject?

24 August 2015

IUDs Are Effective A Year After Approved Use

A recent publication has found that long-acting forms of birth control may work one year longer than their approved duration of use, and researchers are studying whether they may be effective another two years beyond that.

"This research is important because extended use of these devices will reduce cost to both the individual and insurer and improve convenience for women, who can delay removal and re-insertion," study author Colleen McNicholas, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University, said in a news release.

23 August 2015

The Affordable and Portable Water Filter System

(This story was first published by Olivia Ho for The Straits Times, Singapore. This is a solutions-based story that can inspire change on a global level.)

It weighs no more than 300g, fits easily into a backpack and looks like any other plastic bag, but the simple device is a life-saver for people who have no access to clean, drinking water.

The bag, called Fieldtrate Lite, filters dirty water, such as river water, through a membrane and turns it into potable water in the same time it would take to run it from the tap.

22 August 2015

An Illegal Filipino Is Not Paying His American Taxes

Illegal Vargas Not Paying Taxes
Somebody is not practicing what they were bragging about and that person is no other than Filipino illegal alien in the United States, Jose Antonio Vargas.

Vargas was a high-profile personality who admitted that he is an illegal immigrant who works as a journalist and appeared in several legislative hearings defending his misguided right. He even argued that illegal workers, like him, contribute to the tax base, but apparently this is not true in his case.

Vargas was recently hit with a tax lien in January for almost US$ 42,000 in unpaid taxes, Red Alert Politics reports.

21 August 2015

Donald Trump Continue To Surge in the Ratings

Trump and Hillary
A new poll out Wednesday found that real-estate mogul Donald Trump is only 6 points behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a theoretical general-election match-up.

According to the CNN/ORC survey, the Democratic front-runner leads Trump just 51 percent to 45 percent among registered voters.

20 August 2015

"Polite" Way Of Protecting Health in Public Pools

Polite Way
Tired of seeing inconsiderate parents use public facilities to disgust everyone around them? One hotel in England found a polite way to deal with these nuisance by posting notices ordering parents to keep infants off of benches in the changing area of the resort's pool.

The sign was labeled a "Polite notice," and many clients praised the hotel management for appropriately putting rude parents in their proper place.