Europe

#GMO and #Monsanto: #Glyphosate Weed Killer Found in Human Urine Across Europe @GRTVnews

LONDON -- Before I decide whether to buy a company's shares, I always like to look at two core financial ratios -- return on equity and net gearing. These two ratios provide an indication of how successful a company is at generating profits using shareholders' funds and debt, and they have a strong influence on dividend payments and share price growth. Today, I'm going to take a look at Vodafone  , to see how attractive it looks on these two measures. Vodafone's returnsThe return a company generates on its shareholders' funds is known as return on equity, or ROE. Return on equity can be calculated by dividing a company's annual profits by its equity (i.e., the difference between its total assets and its total liabilities) and is expressed as a percentage. Vodafone has outperformed the FTSE 100 over the last five years, delivering an average dividend yield of 5.5% and a share price gain of 26% -- so how has Vodafone's ROE changed during that time?   2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average ROE 3.7% 9.8% 9.0% 8.5% 0.6% 6.3% Revenue from Vodafone's Southern Europe operations fell by 16.7% last year, prompting a 7.7 billion pounds writedown on the value of its Italian and Spanish operations, and crushing its ROE. What about debt?One weakness of ROE is that it doesn't show how much debt a company is using to boost its returns. A good way of assessing a company's debt levels is by looking at its net gearing -- the ratio of net debt to equity. In the table below, I've listed Vodafone's net gearing and ROE alongside those of one of its European peers, Telefonica: Company Net Gearing 5-Year Average ROE Vodafone 39.8% 6.3% Telefonica 259% 33.3% Vodafone's ROE may be lower than investors would like, but one look at Telefonica's debt levels suggests to me that the British company may be a safer investment. Is Vodafone a buy?In its most recent results, Vodafone said that it's committed to maintaining the current dividend -- in other words, any increases are unlikely in the near future. Given the pressure on the firm's cash flow from dividends, falling profits in Southern Europe, and capital investment, this isn't surprising. The sale of Vodafone's 45% stake in Verizon Wireless might address the firm's cash flow squeeze, but it is not yet certain how or if this will happen. I think that the next few years may be a transitional period for Vodafone and rate it as a hold, despite the appeal of its 5.4% dividend yield. Finding market-beating returnsFinding shares that can beat the market over a long period is hard, but if you already hold Vodafone stock, then you might be interested in learning about five star shares that have been identified by the Fool's team of analysts as "5 Shares To Retire On." I own three of the shares featured in this free report, and I don't mind admitting they are among the most successful investments I've ever made. To find out the identity of these five com

Ever since Neanderthals were discovered to have been a separate human race, anthropologists have been asking where they went. Now we know there were a couple other ancient non-Homo sapien human species, and they’re gone as well. So what the hell happened? Did Homo sapiens come out of Africa fighting or did modern Homo sapiens come about as the product of interbreeding between us and other hominid species? Turns out, it was a little of both. n 1987, it seemed that we’d gotten our answer. Biochemist Rebecca Cann and her colleagues published the results of an exhaustive study of human genetics and evolution. They had examined small pieces of DNA called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which live outside the cell nucleus, and are passed down directly from mothers to their children unchanged. What they discovered was incredible: All humans on Earth could trace their mtDNA back to one woman in Africa, who lived about 200,000 years ago, long after the ancestors of Neanderthals had left Africa. This seemed to settle the “out of Africa” vs. “multi-regional” debate once and for all. If everybody had this mtDNA, then clearly we all came from this one specific group of Homo sapiens who left Africa around 80 thousand years ago. This compelling piece of evidence complemented a modern version of the out of Africa theory known as the “recent African replacement theory,” which is a nice way of saying that African Homo sapiens destroyed other humans as they took over the world. They “replaced” their extinct human rivals. That’s why everybody can trace their genetic heritage back to a person the media dubbed Mitochondrial Eve. But in the last ten years, we’ve gotten a whole new round of genetic evidence that has made the multi-regional theory relevant again — and has put Mitochondrial Eve into a much more complicated relationship with her human counterparts in Europe and Asia. Anthropologist Milford Wolpoff, one of the originators of the multi-regional theory, published a paper in the early 1980s where he argued that “modern populations evolved in different geographic areas from already differentiated ancestral groups of archaic Homo sapiens (or Homo erectus).” But he wouldn’t have genetic evidence to bolster this idea until a new millennium had begun. In the early 2000s, scientists completed a massive project to sequence the human genome, a massive chunk of DNA separate from mtDNA, which represents genetic material inherited from both parents. Then, in the mid-2000s, scientists developed techniques for sequencing genomes taken from fossils up to 40 thousand years old. Within the last few years, we’ve sequenced the genomes of Neanderthals and Denisovans. And guess what? It turns out that people hailing from regions outside Africa have Neanderthal DNA in their human genomes. Many Asian groups have Denisovan DNA. Suddenly, that whole African replacement theory got a lot weirder. It seems that Homo sapiens didn’t replace other humans — instead, we had children with them. Many humans on Earth are the result of hybridization. Maybe instead of replacing other humans, our ancestors assimilated them. These recent genetic studies lend credence to the multi-regional theory because they suggest that the people in Europe and Asia were already humans when Homo sapiens left Africa. They may not have looked exactly like African early humans, but they could interbreed with them. So humans were evolving outside Africa, after all. Via

Dear Shaded Viewers and Diane, I've very recently become a fan of Imran Qureshi, though it seems I'm a little late on the uptake as he was recently awarded the Deutsche Bank Artist of the Year, and commissioned to do an instillation for the rooftop of the MET. Nevertheless, Qureshi is a Pakistani artist who blends his training in traditional miniaturist technique with his affinity for abstraction to create his distinct image of the flux between beauty and violence. For his first show in Europe, a collection of Qureshi's works is showing at KunstHalle in Berlin, where his latest series of modern-miniatures are on display. The most striking pieces, however, are the gorgeous round paintings where delicate flowers have been intricately painted into red splatters. When this is then placed on a huge gold canvas, the sense of opulent bloodshed is only intensified. The second room houses a huge site-specific instillation and they still seek traces of blood, where Qureshi used hundreds of pieces of red flower-painted paper scattered in a mound of carnage. Happy Tuesday, - Sophie

Robert Pattinson spotted hardcore kissing a new girl in new Dior Fragrance ad,new pic. Wow! So, according to Hollywood Life this is a new pic for Dior Homme's new fragrance ad, featuring former Twilight Saga main man, Robert Pattinson, hardcore making out with some new chick,and he definitely looks into it. Meanwhile, Rob's former chick, Kristen Stewart, has been on some weird road trip all up the central and east coast,showing up in Amarillo,TX and Tennessee. As previously reported, Rob was officially announced the new face of Dior Homme back on June 12th,so that basically means, he's getting another fat paycheck to add to his collection. In their official statement, the Dior folks said, "The House of Dior is delighted to announce that actor Robert Pattinson is to be the new face of Dior Homme fragrance." Since then, Rob has posed in a couple of solo pics for the company,but now, it appears that they wanted to spice things up a bit to say the least. The full campaign and fragrance will be released in Europe and Asia in September 2013. The campaign was photographed by American artist ,Nan Goldin, and filmed by French director ,Romain Gavras.

Dance Hits Vol. 297 (2013) Dance, Hands Up | Arkadiusz 192-320 kbps | MP3 | unmixed | 15-06-2013 | 01:28: 57 | 201 Mb Tracklist:1. Dj Jump & Jenny Dee – Always On My Mind (Radio Edit) (3:56) 2. Lolita Jolie – Moi Lolita (Candynoize & D-Vine Bootleg) (4:54) 3. Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth (D-MAIN Remix) (5:50) 4. Rico E. – Magician (Raindropz Remix) (4:50) 5. Comis – Turn Around (Extended Mix) (4:41) 6. Jinpachi Futushimo Feat. Kate Lesing – If I Could Be You (Original Mix) (4:43) 7. DJ Fait – Go Your Own Way (Original Mix Edit) (3:29) 8. Italobrothers – Stamp On The Ground (Alex Ch Remix 2k13) (3:13) 9. Gunther – Ding Dong Song (Voldo Remix Edit) (4:07) 10. Europe – The Final Countdown (NANO! Remix) (4:17) 11. Lau El Flakito – Di Shala (Radio Edit) (3:49) 12. Bambi – Leyla (Original Radio Edit) (3:04) 13. Frisco Disco feat. Amanda Lear & Ski – Queen Of Chinatown (Extended Mix) (5:35) 14. Pink – Try (BassDropz Bootleg Cover) (4:34) 15. Deepcentral – O Stea (Killing Time Remix) (4:17) 16. Jai Matt feat. L.A.R.5 & Nicco – Jump This Party (DJ Gollum feat. DJ Cap Remix) (5:00) 17. EvvE – Asia Or America (Original Radio Edit) (3:41) 18. Sophia Cruz – This Fire Of Yours (Josh Harris Radio Mix) (3:24) 19. D!scosound vs. Blondie – One Way Or Another 2013 (Hard Dance Mix) (5:42) 20. Lian Ross & Alan Alvarez – Around The World (5:40)Short preview: ( Lower quality – 64 kbps )mp3 download links:uploaded.net VA-Dance Hits Vol. 297 (2013)

You may be the type to constantly push yourself to stay on the cutting edge. You work out your mind and body everyday so you can get more from life and stay in the zone. But, with everything you do there’s still a little something missing. You may not know exactly know what “it” is, but you can feel it: The spark, the zest, the quick wit. You probably know people who can flip the script of life on a moments notice. Now it’s time to cultivate these skills for yourself. To some, cleverness means manipulation. Instead, we’re gonna reframe that expired meaning to mental flexibility and gut instinct. The little known story of Frank Zappa Frank Zappa was a musical genius and constant innovator of his craft. A little known trait of his, however, was his quick, intuitive thinking. One day a stranger showed up on Frank’s doorstep, waving a revolver and a bloody bag. As Frank reached for the bag, the man aimed a revolver at his chest. Without hesitation, and fueled by a brilliant impulse, he rallied everyone in the house to head outside to the lake, including the armed stranger. When they were all standing by the shore, he suggested that everyone start throwing things into the lake. The stranger threw his gun. The secret to his success was his lightening-fast mental reflex; a muscle he had built up over many years. A deeper dive into his mental life Zappa’s success had to do with the way he perceived the world. As a naturally creative mind, he allowed his creative processing to seep into his life. Most people would see this situation and immediately react, either cowering in fear or reacting with anger; instead, Zappa saw the situation from multiple angles. Disarming the stranger would be his ultimate goal. Through building your own creative muscle you can learn to process the world in this open ended manner. It takes time, but the exercises are simple and can potentially save your life. Zappa also had a unique bond with his gut instinct that many of us take for granted. Granted as an innovative musician he had built up the ability to trust his gut, leading him towards new musical avenues. This connection with his intuition proved vital. It allowed him to turn his creative thinking into reality with lightening speed, bringing the situation under his control and saving his life. When you build a connection to your own intuitive muscle it might feel strange. After all you’re simply trusting in a feeling or a hunch, but over time you’ll become a master. Couple this intuitive trust with creative thinking and you’ll have lightening fast mental control over your life. The Zappa Equation: Intuition + Creative Vision To infuse your life with cleverness two elements need to be present: 1. Creative Vision Having a creative view of the world is the ability to perceive multiple realities in one situation. It’s easier if you prep ahead of time, so you’re ready when life deals you a tough hand. To cultivate this gift try the following exercise: Whenever an event just happened in your life, pause for reflection: maybe it’s a conversation with your boss, or a decision to take a trip to Europe. Use your imagination to come up with alternative ways it could have gone. Use the golden phrase “what if”. Get playful with it, this should be fun. You’re awakening your imagination with your creative juices. By playing with different realities of a situation your brain will become used to applying this kind of daydream like thinking to everyday situations. For some it helps to keep a journal with you so you can jot down events and how they could have gone differently. After a while you’ll start to program your mind to see the world this way. 2. Intuition A lot of us have an unhappy relationship with our intuition. Either it’s weakened to the point of decay or we confuse the feelings of our gut with anxiety or indigestion. We need to cultivate this bond wit

More and more evidence has been cropping up concerning the health risk that foods containing GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, poise to consumer health. Now, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) is ready to take a stand, and that includes labeling all of its foods that contain GMOs, and setting a goal to eventually eliminate GMOs from all of its ingredients. The term, GMO, has been tossed around the health world for a while now, and while many vow that they would never eat such a thing, many others simply don’t understand what the term means, and how prevalent it is in the food that consumers eat every day. According to the Non GMO Project, GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are plants or animals whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. This technology combines DNA from different species, and creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. It is still up for debate whether GMOs in food are environmentally safe and safe for human consumption in the long-term. Thus, now, many food companies are working to label their foods containing GMOs and resurrect goals that involve the complete elimination of GMOs in ingredients, in an attempt to appeal to consumers who are becoming increasingly informed and weary of the prevalence of these organisms in their food. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Chipotle is the first U.S. restaurant to do so, and it now outlines on its website which of its foods contain GMOs. This include barbacoa, chicken, fajita vegetables, rice, steak, and tortillas. Whole Foods Market (NYSE:WM), too, will mark a first when it becomes the first U.S. retailer to require labeling on all of the genetically modified food it sells — a decision the company announced on March 8 and is expected to take effect within five years. And state governments are also exhibiting increased attention to the GMO issue. Connecticut passed a bill on June 3 that requires label for foods made from GMOs; however, it will not take effect until four other states, one which much borders Connecticut, passes similar legislation. The state hopes that the trend will soon catch on and force others to pass similar bills. Even the popular Ben & Jerry’s, Homemade is doing its part and vowing to eventually eliminate GMOs from all its products, explaining, “Here’s our status: currently, in the United States and Canada, 80% of Ben & Jerry’s ingredients by volume are sourced non-GMO. We commit to sourcing non-GMO ingredients for all our products everywhere by year-end 2013. In fact all our products made in Europe are already non-GMO.” NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Though it is undoubtedly difficult for restaurants and companies to find alternatives for the components derived from genetically modified organisms, as consumer awareness increases, it is likely that more and more will be simply unwilling to subject themselves to the health risks that GMOs poise. Don’t Miss: United: Can it Soar Back After a Forgettable 2012? Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

This month, General Motors (NYSE:GE) informed several automotive research firms that it would no longer publicly disclose its monthly production numbers, concerning industry analysts and economists who gauge the company’s health off those figures and creating problems for suppliers that rely on the data for their production plans. Instead, GM will provide only the number of wholesale deliveries to dealerships. GM, and nearly all other major automakers, reported the number of cars and trucks manufactured at their North American plants, broken out by nameplate, for decades. The numbers were then incorporated into numerous economic indicators, including those published by the Federal Reserve, and used as a benchmark for industry experts to forecast the automaker’s future production. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! The company has argued that because of the way it now records its financial results for its vehicles, the data is less relevant. Last quarter, GM began assigning the profit or loss on a specific vehicle to the country in which it was sold rather than where it was manufactured. For example, a Chevrolet Malibu manufactured in Detroit but sold in China will be included in the results of GM’s Chinese operations not its North American results. Company spokesman Jim Cain said the change will give it a clearer representation of its profitability across regions. “Production gives you an incomplete data set to look at,” he told Automotive News. Still, the change will also leave a big hole in the data set that informs analysts about the health of the automotive industry and GM itself. While the company no longer has the 50 percent market share it once did, it is still the largest automaker in the United States, and as such, a bellwether of the overall economy. Cain said that GM will continue to provide production numbers to the Federal Reserve for its monthly report on economic output. Suppliers, who rely on figures calculated by research firms to for their own estimates will now have to rely on estimates. “Suppliers depend heavily on forecasting services to build their production schedules,” Plante Moran automotive analyst Craig Fitzgerald told the publication. “If GM’s decision gets in the way of the accuracy of the forecasts, it’ll be a major problem for the supply base.” Forecasters have said they will have to work harder to calculate production estimates that ultimately will not be as accurate as before. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Analysts are worried that other automakers may follow GM’s lead and stop disclosing their own production numbers. In the late 1990s, GM and other manufacturers ended the practice of distributing detailed weekly production figures, which were used to judge the pace of sales, and after its 2009 bankruptcy, the company also stopped releasing its projected production schedule. However, Ford (NYSE:F) and other automakers continue providing that information. Follow Meghan on Twitter @MFoley_WSCS Don’t Miss: Ford Has Applied Crisis Restructuring to Europe With Success. Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Boeing has received commitments for 102 of its 787-10 Dreamliners, the company announced today at the Paris Air Show. Those commitments come from five customers in Europe, Asia, and North America. Air Lease Corp. will buy 30 of the airplanes. GE Capital Aviation Services is in line to buy 10; International Airlines Group/British Airways, 12 (subject to shareholder approval); Singapore Airlines, 30; and United Airlines , 20 planes. Air Lease Chairman and CEO Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, whose company will also be purchasing three 787-9s from Boeing, said "Both of these airplanes possess ... the ideal size, capabilities and economical operating costs for their medium to long-haul markets." The United Airlines commitment increases its on-order and already-delivered 787s to 65. United is the only U.S. airline to currently fly 787s. Its fleet includes six first-generation 787-8 Dreamliners. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner says the 787-10 Dreamliner "will be the most-efficient jetliner in history ... [It] is 25 percent more efficient than airplanes of its size today and more than 10 percent better than anything being offered by the competition in the future." The 787-10, engineered to cover up to 7,000 nautical miles, with seating for 300-330 passengers, is the third generation of the Dreamliner family, but is still on the drawing board. Flight tests for the 787-10 won't begin until 2017, and the first deliveries are not expected until 2018. The second-generation Dreamliner, the 787-9, is set to have its first flights later this year. The original 787 can seat between 210 and 250 passengers while the 787-9 will be able to seat between 250 and 290 passengers. The new 787-10 lists at $290 million, making the deals announced today worth nearly $30 billion at full price, although customers often negotiate deep discounts. -- Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. link