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Tag: U.K.

  • Google’s AI Beats Humans At Diagnosing Breast Cancer

    Google’s AI Beats Humans At Diagnosing Breast Cancer

    Google just achieved a breakthrough in its efforts to use AI for medical purposes, beating humans at diagnosing breast cancer.

    According to a blog post on the company’s site, Google worked with Deep Mind, Northwestern University, Cancer Research UK Imperial Centre and Royal Surrey County Hospital to see if AI could improve the odds of an accurate diagnoses.

    The researchers used a de-identified pool of mammograms from over 76,000 women in the U.K. and more than 15,000 women from the U.S. to help train the AI, before having it analyze another set of mammograms from 25,000 U.K. women and 3,000 U.S. women.

    “In this evaluation, our system produced a 5.7 percent reduction of false positives in the U.S, and a 1.2 percent reduction in the U.K,” according to the post. “It produced a 9.4 percent reduction in false negatives in the U.S., and a 2.7 percent reduction in the U.K.

    “We also wanted to see if the model could generalize to other healthcare systems. To do this, we trained the model only on the data from the women in the U.K. and then evaluated it on the data set from women in the U.S. In this separate experiment, there was a 3.5 percent reduction in false positives and an 8.1 percent reduction in false negatives, showing the model’s potential to generalize to new clinical settings while still performing at a higher level than experts.”

    While AI still has a long way to go before it replaces doctors, this is a significant step toward AI having a prominent role in the medical community.

  • Ashley Judd Pens Powerful Essay Against Twitter Trolls, Sharing Her Experiences of Rape and Incest

    Ashley Judd drew the line in the sand this week after having had enough of Twitter trolls.

    In retaliation for offensive tweets directed at the Ashley Judd after she posted her own tweet during the SEC Basketball Championship, in which her beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats were playing and won, the actress penned a powerful essay about violence against women, in which she talks about her personal experience with rape and incest.

    Ashley Judd entitled the essay, Forget Your Team: Your Online Violence Toward Girls and Women Is What Can Kiss My Ass. She felt compelled to write the essay after she tweeted a post criticizing the U.K.’s opponent in the game, Arkansas, and subsequently received a barrage of graphic tweets in response.

    Please note the language in Judd’s essay is graphic and may offend some.

    In the essay, Ashley Judd writes:

    “Tweets rolled in, calling me a c-t, a whore or a bitch, or telling me to suck a two-inch d-k. Some even threatened rape, or ‘anal anal anal.’

    “I deleted my original tweet after the game, before all hell broke loose, to make amends for any genuine offense I may have committed by describing play as ‘dirty.’ (Of course, other people, including my uncle who is a chaplain, also expressed fear that the athletes would be hurt badly. But my uncle wasn’t told he was a smelly p–y. He wasn’t spared because of his profession; being a male sports fan is his immunity from abuse.)…”, she wrote.

    “What happened to me is the devastating social norm experienced by millions of girls and women on the Internet. Online harassers use the slightest excuse (or no excuse at all) to dismember our personhood. My tweet was simply the convenient delivery system for a rage toward women that lurks perpetually. I know this experience is universal, though I’ll describe specifically what happened to me.

    “I read in vivid language the various ways, humiliating and violent, in which my genitals, vaginal and anal, should be violated, shamed, exploited and dominated. Either the writer was going to do these things to me, or they were what I deserved. My intellect was insulted: I was called stupid, an idiot. My age, appearance and body were attacked. Even my family was thrown into the mix: Someone wrote that my ‘grandmother is creepy…’

    “I am a survivor of sexual assault, rape and incest. I am greatly blessed that in 2006, other thriving survivors introduced me to recovery. I seized it. My own willingness, partnered with a simple kit of tools, has empowered me to take the essential odyssey from undefended and vulnerable victim to empowered survivor. Today, nine years into my recovery, I can go farther and say my ‘story” is not ‘my story.’ It is something a Higher Power (spirituality, for me, has been vital in this healing) uses to allow me the grace and privilege of helping others who are still hurting, and perhaps to offer a piece of education, awareness and action to our world,” Ashley Judd concluded.

  • Mary Soames, Daughter of Winston Churchill, Dies

    Mary Soames, the youngest daughter of former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Has died. According to a BBC News report, Soames died on Saturday May 31 after suffering from a short illness. Soames was 91 years old.

    Soames was born Mary Spencer-Churchill on September 15, 1922. She was the youngest child of Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine Churchill, born while Churchill served the role of Secretary of State for the Colonies.

    Soames’ death has resulted in an outpouring of sympathy for Soames’ family, as well as many recollections of Soames and her father. Prime minister David Cameron released a statement this weekend, calling on people to remember Soames’ service during World War II.

    “I am saddened to hear that Mary Soames, Winston Churchill’s last surviving child, has died,” said Cameron. “She was a wonderful, warm-hearted woman who could always put others at ease. She was very kind to Samantha and me and we felt privileged to know her.

    “My thoughts are with her family, who can take pride in her distinguished life.”

    As her father continued to climb the ranks of the Conservative Party, Soames began her lifetime of public service, working with the Red Cross and the Women’s voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941. When World War II began in Britain, Soames joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, manning anti-aircraft batteries.

    After rising to the rank of Junior Commander during the war, Soames was knighted for her accomplishments. Continuing her career in public service over the next decades, she would go on to be knighted Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1980. Throughout her life Soames served with the Church Army and Churchill Houses; was a patron of the International Churchill Society and the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged; and was chair of the board of trustees for the Royal National Theatre.

    In 1947 Soames married Arthur Christopher John Soames, a Conservative Party colleague of her father’s. Christopher Soames would become a Member of Parliament in 1950 and later hold the titles of Secretary of State for War, Shadow Foreign Secretary, and the British Ambassador to France. Mary Soames accompanied her husband in 1979 when he was appointed Governor of Southern Rhodesia. Christopher Soames was granted the life peer title of Baron Soames in 1978 and died in 1987.

    Image via Philip Allfrey/Wikimedia Commons

  • Prince William & Prince Charles Make Wildlife Plea

    Prince William and Prince Charles have teamed up to publicize the devastating effects of the illegal wildlife trade in a video they released today, in an effort to stop the trade and killing of the world’s wildlife species.

    The duo’s plea included urging people to show their support for organizations working to stop the exchange of illegal wildlife around the world.

    “We have come together, as father and son, to lend our voices to the growing global effort to combat the illegal wildlife trade,” the 65-year-old royal says in the approximately 9-minute clip. “A trade that has reached such unprecedented levels of killing and related violence that it now poses a grave threat not only to the survival of some of the world’s most treasured species, but also to economic and political stability in many areas around the world.”

    They explain, in some detail, how endangered species are killed in astonishingly high numbers, and reveal the political and economic effects of the illegal wildlife trade.

    “Despite the terrible crisis that we now face, we both continue to be optimistic that the tide can be reversed,” Prince William continued, “We have to be the generation that stopped the illegal wildlife trade, and secured the future of these magnificent animals, and their habitats, for if we fail, it will be too late.”

    The father-son duo are following through with their message in action as well, as William will be attending the United for Wildlife Symposium at the Zoological Society London, and a reception at the Natural History Museum, on Wednesday, which is hosted by the U.K. government on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

    Then on Thursday, they both are showing their support and participation in attending the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, where leaders from across the globe will meet to discuss a more permanent solution to protecting the world’s endangered species.

    William, 31, says in the video, “Despite the terrible crisis that we now face, we both continue to be optimistic that the tide can be reversed.”

    The video ends with the two royals saying the phrase “Let’s unite for wildlife!” in several different languages.

    Image via World Wildlife Fund

  • Two Million in UK Could Use Weight Loss Surgery

    It’s well-known that millions of Americans are overweight or obese. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has even classified obesity as an epidemic within the country and the American Medical Association now considers obesity a disease. Now it appears that obesity is becoming a larger problem in the UK as well.

    A new study recently published in JRSM Open has found that two million UK citizens are now eligible for bariatric weight loss surgery. The number has surprised the study’s authors, as it is much higher than previous estimates for eligibility. The new figure also puts current weight loss surgeries in perspective, showing that very few of those eligible for such procedures actually undergo them.

    “Despite clear guidelines outlining who can undergo such surgery with the NHS, and evidence that these procedures are cost-effective in the long run, less than one per cent of those eligible have weight loss surgery each year,” said Dr. Sonia Saxena, a co-author of the study and a researcher at Imperial College London. “This raises questions about why more procedures are not currently being carried out.”

    The study found that those who qualify for bariatric surgery are likely to be retired women with lower socioeconomic and education statuses. This could mean that those most in need of weight loss surgery are part of the same demographics that use medical services at a lower rate. Also, the study’s authors believe that cutbacks in required pre-surgery weight loss programs could be contributing to low surgery rates among those who qualify.

  • The Ultimate Piracy Deterrent: Britney Spears Music?

    The Daily Mirror reports that merchant sea captains who sail off the coast of Africa repeatedly deal with pirate attacks and have found solace in the most unlikely of weapons: Britney Spears’ early catalog.

    The effects of the music are witnessed almost instantly. As Somali raiders armed with assault rifles approach a merchant ship, the crew blasts “… Baby One More Time” or “Oops! I Did It Again.”

    Rachel Owens, a 34-year-old merchant navy officer from Aberfoyle, Scotland who works on valuable supertankers that travel around the horn of Africa, said Britney Spears music seems to be the most effective method yet of deterring pirates.

    “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most,” she said. “These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”

    The security staff simply points the speakers at the pirates, cranks the volume, and presses play. “They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns – as soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can,” Rachel said.

    (image)
    [Google Maps]

    Because of the proximity of important maritime commerce routes around the Horn of Africa relevant to Somalia, pirates often target huge tankers to try and ransom both the crew and the cargo for amounts in the £multi-million range. 2011 saw 176 attacks by pirates on ships travelling around the Horn of Africa, but only 25 of those attacks resulted in any kidnapping.

    The Somali pirate armada has reached such a threat level that the Royal Navy has reportedly dispatched 1500 sailors aboard 14 warships to patrol the area around-the-clock.

    Steven Jones, an official from the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, noted that the U.S. police and military were the first to use music as a way to calm a situation down, and that the adoption of the tactic by cruise ships and merchant vessels seems effective. “I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention,” he joked.

    [Image via BritneySpears.com]

  • Identical Triplets Beat the Odds

    One baby is a miracle. Two is a surprise. And three? Well, three is just simply amazing.

    Karen and Ian Gilbert already had one beautiful child, Faye, and when they found out that Karen was pregnant again they were very excited.

    They assumed that they would only be having one baby, and the thought never crossed their minds that they would be having three. However, eight weeks into the pregnancy, Karen started experiencing intense pains in her stomach. She believed that she was experiencing a miscarriage. That was not the case. The three tiny babies were fighting for space in the womb, causing her pain.

    Karen said that they could not believe what they had heard, when they were told that they were pregnant with not only one child, but three.

    “We were just very shocked,” she said. “The lady doing the scan had to call somebody else into the room to check what she was seeing was right. We pretty much left the hospital laughing, crying, laughing, crying… But we were over the moon”

    After the discovery that they would be having triplets, the doctors gave the Gilberts the option to abort the pregnancy. The doctors were fearful because the babies all came from one egg and shared the same placenta. They proposed an abortion because there was a chance that, because the babies shared fluids and space, they could accidentally kill each other.

    “The risks were so high to me and the babies because they shared a placenta,” said Karen. “There was the chance of twin to twin syndrome, where one baby can starve the other two babies of food and other fluids. But we just couldn’t do it. The babies are ours.”

    They continued their pregnancy and now have three precious, and identical, daughters to show for it. Ffion weighed 3lb 8oz, Maddison was 3lb 5oz and Paige weighed 3lb 4oz. They are now eight weeks old and are happy and healthy.

    “It’s been crazy,” she said. “Their personalities are already starting to shine through and I can’t wait to get to know them better.”

    “At first they didn’t look real and you could pick them up with one hand. It was a bit of a shock,” said Ian. “Now we’ve got them home we are coming to terms with it. They are starting to feel like our own.”

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Smoking Could be Banned in UK Prisons

    A smoking ban has been proposed for prisons in the U.K., and several prisons in the U.K. will participate in a pilot program to see how inmates respond to such a ban. The U.K. Ministry of Justice announced the program on Friday that will ban smoking and all other tobacco products from selected jails. The proposal comes after non-smokers have complained about secondhand smoke.

    “We are considering banning smoking across the prison estate and as part of this are looking at possible sites as early adopters,” said a spokesperson at the Ministry of Justice. Approximately 80 percent of prisoners smoke, and there is a fear of legal action on the behalf of non-smokers if something isn’t done. If officials are pleased with how the smoking ban works at the selected prisons, all prisons in the U.K. could be under the smoking ban within the year.

    The smoking ban comes at a cost to the taxpayers, though. The prisons will provide nicotine patches for those who have to quit smoking, which will cost the taxpayers an estimated £11 million. According to Daily Mail, officials are afraid of a lawsuit if they don’t offer assistance in quitting smoking. Drug-addicted prisoners were awarded £11,400 each in 2008 after they were forced to go cold turkey without any help.

    Prison guards are concerned that a smoking ban will cause riots, which would make their jobs even more dangerous. Officials have acknowledged that the ban “could cause disturbances,” but haven’t yet mentioned how they plan to deal with that. Many Twitter users think that a smoking ban in prisons will only lead to trouble. What do you think about a prison smoking ban? Respond below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sarin Found in Syria Clothing Samples, Says Cameron

    As the U.S. Congress debates the merits of bombing Syria, the British Prime Minister is also pushing the case for intervention in the Syrian Civil War. Speaking at the G20 summit today in Saint Petersburg, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron asserted that new tests have turned up positive for sarin gas in Syria.

    According to The Gurardian, Cameron stated that the new tests confirm sarin was part of an attack in eastern Damascus back in late August. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to deride the House of Commons, insinuating that Labor Party members chose to play politics instead of choosing what he called the “right” path. Cameron’s motion to involve the British military in a response to chemical weapon use in Syria was rejected by the House of Commons one week ago.

    Sarin has been classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. The chemical is a nerve agent that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, acting as a sort of pesticide for humans. It causes complete loss of muscle control, including those used to breathe.

    One of the issues at hand is whether the Syrian government, rebel forces, or both have used Sarin as a chemical weapon. According to the Guardian report, Cameron stated that he is “confident” that the Assad regime is behind the chemical attacks. This sentiment is rejected by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who maintains that Syrian rebel forces could have also been behind Sarin attacks. Russia, a member of the U.N. Security Council, is a close ally to the Assad regime.

    This is not the first time positive tests for Sarin gas have come out of Syria. As far back as early June, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced that sarin gas had been detected in urine and blood samples smuggled out of Syria by French journalists.

    (Image courtesy Harry Metcalfe via Wikimedia Commons)

    (via The Guardian)

  • Google’s Subscription Music Service Lands in Europe

    Google’s Subscription Music Service Lands in Europe

    Nearly three months after it went live in the U.S. and a few weeks after it came to Australia and New Zealand, Google has just launched its Play Music All Access subscription-based streaming service in a bunch of European countries.

    A new international availability page shows that Music All Access is now available in 12 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Google’s Spotify rival allows users to stream millions of tracks for a set monthly price, and all of the music appears alongside their already-purchased (or uploaded) music in their libraries. Google Play Music All Access also offers curated playlists, recommendations, and a radio feature. For more on the service, check out our walkthrough.

    Pricing is similar to what you find in the U.S. and Australia, with monthly fees totaling £9.99 in the U.K. and €9.99 elsewhere. Google is running a similar promotion to the one they ran when the service first launched in the U.S. – sign up before September 15th and your monthly price is cut to £7.99 (and €7.99).

    As Google Play Music All Access launches in these 9 new areas, it might spur the company to get moving on an iOS app. Google suggested back in May that an iOS Play Music app was imminent (a couple of weeks away), but they’ve yet to launch it.

    [Google Play via Android Police]

  • Twitter Looks to Make It Easier to Report Abusive Behavior in Wake of Controversy

    Last month, we all got to see just how brutal online abuse can be when a feminist activist was subjected to some pretty serious threats due to her outspoken position on women on English currency (or the lack thereof). Of course, we know that people on the internet can be pretty nasty to one another – but this was something different. This abuse was deeply rooted in anti-women views and included a multitude of rape threats. There was even an arrest made in connection to it. Basically, this went much further than your average “people being mean online” scenario.

    The story of Caroline Criado-Perez and her Twitter abuse went viral, and the response from much of the Twitter community was to ask the company to improve their abuse reporting mechanisms – at least make it easier to do so on the site. An online petition garnered over 125,000 signatures and Twitter execs mentioned that they would look into making some changes.

    Well, they have.

    The first major success for the petitioners is the commitment to a new report abuse button that will launch on Android and Twitter.com next month. Until now, reporting abuse on those platforms has been a bit muddled – with users having to fill out a form on another part of the site. Now, there will be a report button inside every tweet. Twitter just enabled that functionality on Twitter mobile and iOS last month – so this is just an expansion of that which has been hastened along by all of this controversy.

    “Over the past week, we’ve been listening to your feedback on how we can improve our service. You told us that we need to make our rules clearer, simplify our abuse reporting process, and promote the responsible use of Twitter…We are committed to making Twitter a safe place for our users. We are adding additional staff to the teams that handle abuse reports and are exploring new ways of using technology to improve everyone’s experience on Twitter. We’re here, and we’re listening to you,” said Twitter in a blog post.

    Twitter has also committed to expanding resources for victims of abuse and to amend the Twitter Rules to be more clear about the service’s no-tolerance policy on abusive behavior.

    Right out of the gate, Twitter UK GM Tony Wang found himself in the middle of this controversy. Along with posting the update on the Twitter UK blog, Wang took to the service to publicly apologize to those who felt abused in the past:

    For the next day or so, Wang spent hours responding to dozens and dozens of Twitter users personally. Many accused him of singling out women as the only group victimized by Twitter abuse.

    “Thanks for the understanding as I was referring to events this past week, of course rules apply to all,” said Wang.

    It looks like Twitter’s doing what they can here in the face of a substantial amount of outrage. It’s not just hard, it’s downright impossible to prevent all sorts of bullying, threatening, and general abuse on the internet. But social media sites can do more to protect users from much of the abuse with better tools for reporting said abuse – and that’s exactly what Twitter is doing.

  • Google Glass to Be Banned for Drivers in the U.K.?

    Google has yet to offer its new wearable tech, Google Glass, in the U.K. – but the Department of Transport has already decided to set in motion a ban of the device for drivers.

    Here’s what a Department of Transport spokesperson told Stuff:

    We are aware of the impending rollout of Google Glass and are in discussion with the Police to ensure that individuals do not use this technology while driving. It is important that drivers give their full attention to the road when they are behind the wheel and do not behave in a way that stops them from observing what is happening on the road.

    A range of offenses and penalties already exist to tackle those drivers who do not pay proper attention to the road including careless driving which will become a fixed penalty offense later this year.

    In the U.K., using a hand-held phone while operating a motor vehicle is also illegal.

    A Google spokesperson had this to say:

    “We are thinking very carefully about how we design Glass because new technology always raises new issues. Our Glass Explorer program, currently only launched in the US, reaches people from all walks of life and will ensure that our users become active participants in shaping the future of this technology.”

    Which doesn’t really respond to how the company will react to the ban – and any future bans in other areas. In an place like the U.K., where the Transportation Department is taking such a proactive stance on banning the technology, there’s probably not a lot that Google can do to change their minds. No matter the tweaks they make to Glass, it’ll always involve wearing a computer on your face. And to many officials, that screams distracted driving.

    The U.K. is not alone in this. The product isn’t even available to the U.S. public (other than a handful of Google Glass Explorers, and just recently, their friends), and one state is already looking to ban its use by drivers. West Virginia has already introduced house bill 3057, which would amend the current code to ban the use of “a wearable computer with head mounted display.”

    “I actually like the idea of the product and I believe it is the future, but last legislature we worked long and hard on a no-texting-and-driving law. It is mostly the young that are the tech-savvy that try new things,” said Gary Howell, one of the bill’s authors. “They are also our most vulnerable and underskilled drivers. We heard of many crashes caused by texting and driving, most involving our youngest drivers. I see the Google Glass as an extension.”

  • Activist’s Twitter Rape Threats Lead to Arrest, May Result in New Abuse Reporting Mechanism

    Late last week, The Bank of England announced that the face of author Jane Austen would adorn the country’s new 10-pound notes – some time in 2017. Austen will replace Charles Darwin, who has been the face of the bill.

    The move came in response to criticisms that women were being ignored and excluded from appearing on England’s currency. And one of the leading voices of that criticism came from journalist and feminist activist Caroline Criado-Perez, who has faced a series of abusive tweets from disgruntled Twitter users and trolls. According to Criado-Perez, shortly after the announcement of the new currency, she was receiving upwards of 50 rape threats an hour.

    And now, one man has been arrested in connection with one of these rape threats. Sky News reports that a 21-year-old man has been booked on charges of harassment.

    “It was really really disturbing to find that something as small as asking for one woman on a banknote could result in such a barrage of threats of sexual violence. It’s just not acceptable and more than that it’s actually a crime and Twitter needs to take it seriously and the police need to take it seriously,” said Criado-Perez.

    She’s definitely not alone in feeling that Twitter needs to step up and make it easier to report abusive tweets. Shortly after she began receiving the threats, a petition went up on change.org and quickly gained steam.

    You can report accounts for violation via Twitter’s support forms, but the petitioners want Twitter to implement a “report abuse” button that will be available on every single tweet.

    “We need Twitter to recognise that it’s current reporting system is below required standards. It currently requires users to search for details on how to report someone for abuse; A feature that should be available on each user’s page,” says the petition, which is up to nearly 60,000 signatures. “The report abuse button needs to be accompanied by Twitter reviewing the T&C on abusive behaviour to reflect an awareness of the complexity of violence against women, and the multiple oppressions women face…it’s time Twitter started protecting its users.”

    And it appears that Twitter is listening. Twitter UK General Manager Tony Wang said that the company is testing new simple reporting features:

    Adding a new report button to all tweets would undoubtedly make it easier for Twitter to remove offending accounts at a faster clip – and that’s really all you can hope for. There’s no way that Twitter will be able to eliminate trolling or legitimate threats on the site – there is simply too many users and too much information being exchanged at any given moment. But when speech turns into threats, there’s really no downside in having clearer tools to report them.

    All over this. Get a grip, people:

  • Gay Marriage to Be Recognized in Official OED Definition

    In light of Britain’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage, the publishers of the largest dictionary of the English language say that they will amend the definition of marriage to include that of the same-sex variety.

    “We continually monitor the words in our dictionaries, paying particular to those words whose usage is shifting, so yes, this will happen with marriage,” said a spokesperson for the Oxford University Press. “We are constantly monitoring usage in this area in order to consider what revisions and updates we may need to make. It’s worth pointing out that, as the OED is distinct from other dictionaries in being a historical record of the language, meanings of the past will remain, even while language changes and new ones are added.”

    As it stands, the Oxford Dictionary defines marriage as…

    the formal union of a man and a woman, typically as recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife

    A secondary definition adds that “(in some jurisdictions) a union between partners of the same sex.”

    According to Gay Star News, gay rights activists have been lobbying to change the wording to include same-sex unions in the primary definition – as they claim that relegating it to a secondary description is discriminatory.

    Other dictionaries like the Larousse in France and the Canada Space Dictionary already primarily define marriage to include same sex unions.

    It remains to be seen whether the OED will amend the definitions to specifically include same-sex unions, or simply take gender out of the definition altogether – something like “a legal union between two people.”

    [Gay Star News via Gawker]

  • Breaking Bad Will Stream on Netflix UK the Day After Original Broadcast

    Breaking Bad Will Stream on Netflix UK the Day After Original Broadcast

    Good news for Breaking Bad fans…in the U.K.

    Netflix has just announced that it will stream episodes from the show’s final season exactly one day after they air in the U.S. Every Monday, Netflix user in the U.K. will have access to the newest episode – so that means the first one (technically season 5, episode 9) will pop up on Netflix on August 12th, the day following the Sunday, August 11th premiere on AMC in the States.

    This is great news for fans in the U.K., who otherwise would have probably had to resort to piracy to see the new episodes of Breaking Bad in any sort of a timely fashion.

    For users in the U.S., they will have to wait for the normal post-broadcast window to open up.

    This isn’t the first time that Netflix has done this across the pond – and it’s not the first time they’ve done it with an AMC show either. Back in June, Netflix U.K. started streaming new episodes of The Killing exactly one day after they aired in the U.S.

    Get ready for the mid-season 5 premiere with this 9-minute refresher of the first 5 seasons of the show:

  • Facebook Threats to Kill Schoolchildren Land Self-Described Troll in Jail

    Less than three months after admitting to making threats to shoot over 200 schoolchildren, a 24-year-old British man has been sentenced to 28 months in jail.

    Back in April, Reece Elliot admitting to making the following comments on Facebook. They appeared on a tribute page for an American girl that was killed in a car crash back in October of last year:

    I’m glad the fat bitch is dead. Let’s drink to drink driving. No one gives a shit that she’s dead, get over it. If I was there now I would rape you.

    My father has three guns. I’m planning on killing him first and putting him in a dumpster. Then I’m taking the motor and I’m going in fast. I’m gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself. So you want to tell the deputy, I’m on my way.

    I’m killing 200 people minimum at school. I will be on CNN.

    The threats were taken even more seriously than normal considering the timeframe – Elliot made the posts shortly after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut made global headlines. Officials were forced to suspend school for nearly 3,000 students.

    When confronted, Elliot claimed that he was just trollin’ – saying those offensive things just to get a rise.

    Elliot plead guilty to making a threat to kill as well as eight counts of “sending grossly offensive messages.” This isn’t his first run in with the law – he already has 17 convictions for 28 different offenses, according to the AFP.

    Trolling or not, it looks like he’ll have plenty of time to refine his skills in prison.

  • Dexter, Star Trek Coming to Amazon’s LoveFilm Streaming

    LoveFilm, a streaming service owned by Amazon, today announced that members from the U.K. and Germany can now stream a variety of CBS programming, including some Showtime original series.

    “We’re excited to partner with LoveFilm and their terrific subscription service on an agreement that will bring their U.K. and German subscribers a range of CBS content that audiences around the world are very passionate about,” said Armando Nuñez, CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group. This is another example of the growing licensing opportunities available for CBS’s world class content in a dynamic global marketplace.”

    The new Showtime shows available include Dexter, Nurse Jackie, and Californication. CBS network shows such as The Good Wife and Blue Bloods are also available, as are classic CBS properties such as the original Star Trek series and Star Trek: Voyager. The shows are available to stream starting today.

    Only the first one or two seasons are available for many of the new shows, though the entirety of the original Star Trek series is available. Only the first two seasons of Dexter are available, which isn’t quite enough to catch up to the eighth and final season, which premieres on Showtime this coming Sunday.

  • E-Cigarettes to Get New Regulations in the U.K.

    The U.K.‘s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) this week clarified that nicotine-containing products (NCPs) such as electronic cigarettes will soon be regulated as medicines. The agency states that the move will help to make the products safer and “more effective.”

    E-cigarettes are personal vaporizers that take a liquid solution that contains nicotine and heat it into a vapor to simulate smoking. The process allows smokers to ingest nicotine through their lungs via water vapor, rather than through tobacco smoke. The devices are, compared to cigarettes, very new, and few studies have been published on possible side effects of their use. As such, the burgeoning e-cigarette industry is currently unregulated in much of the world. The MHRAs announcement means the devices will join other NCPs, such as nicotine gum, patches, and mouth sprays.

    The MHRA said in a statement that it believes making e-cigarettes “safe and effective” could help smokers cut down or quit real tobacco, potentially saving some of the estimated 80,000 smokers who die in England each year.

    “Reducing the harms of smoking to smokers and those around them is a key Government health priority,” said Jeremy Mean, MHRA group manager of Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines. “Our research has shown that existing electronic cigarettes and other nicotine containing products on the market are not good enough to meet this public health priority.

    “Some NCPs are already licensed and the Government’s decision to work towards medicines licensing for all these products is designed to deliver quality products that will support smokers to cut down and to quit.

    “The decision announced today provides a framework that will enable good quality products to be widely available. It’s not about banning products that some people find useful, it’s about making sure that smokers have an effective alternative that they can rely on to meet their needs.”

    The MHRA made its decision following a public consultation on e-cigarette regulation, which it says revealed “widespread support for medicines regulation from the public health community.” The U.K. government expects the European Commission to adopt new legislation on NCPs in 2014, and for the requirement for medicine licenses to begin in 2016. The MHRA is encouraging current e-cigarette manufacturers to apply for a medicine license.

    The agency emphasized that a major part of its decision came down to ensuring that e-cigarette quality and reliability. The possible marketing of the devices to children was also a concern, as there is currently no ban on doing so.

    “Smokers are harmed by the deadly tar and toxins in tobacco smoke, not the nicotine,” said Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England. “While it’s best to quit completely, I realise that not every smoker can and it is much better to get nicotine from safer sources such as nicotine replacement therapy.

    “More and more people are using e-cigarettes, so it’s only right these products are properly regulated to be safe and work effectively.”

  • Check Out This Heart Attack-Inducing Anti-Drunk Driving Ad

    A terrifying new anti-drunk driving ad from Leo Burnett Worldwide is turning heads. The ad features “unsuspecting” men grooming themselves in a public bathroom, only to be greeted by a face crashing through the mirror – complete with blood and all.

    The ad is part of U.K. Department of Transportation’s THINK! campaign against drunk driving, which will also put out radio ads, posters inside bars and pubs.

    Check it out:

    “Drink driving is a menace and drivers should be clear that if you get behind the wheel over the limit this summer, you will lose your licence, get a criminal record, and face a fine – you could even end up in jail. Nobody wants to spend their summer in a prison cell so whether you are drinking in the pub or at a friend’s barbeque, make sure you do not drink and drive – it could have devastating consequences for you and for others,” says Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.

    That stern message, coupled with this absolutely heart attack-inducing advert is sure to make people think twice about getting behind the wheel after a few too many.

  • Pamela Anderson Ad Banned in the U.K., Deemed ‘Sexist and Degrading to Women’

    An ad for a web hosting company featuring Pamela Anderson has been banned by the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority after is was deemed “sexist and degrading to women.”

    The Dreamscape Networks ad features Anderson and another woman, clad in bikinis, frolicking in cream. The interlude is set up as the fantasy of a male employee during a meeting.

    Dreamscape Networks argued that the ad was not degrading, as it portrayed the female lead as the head of the business and the fantasy sequence was limited to the male employee’s imagination.

    “The story line was a parody of office stereotypes and poked fun at a mundane business meeting. They said the role of sex and sexuality in the ad was part of the overall joke which drew attention to the advertised service and brand name.”

    The ASA didn’t buy it. Here’s what they had to say about the ad in their ruling:

    The ASA understood that the ad was intended as a parody of a mundane business meeting and was intended to be humorous and light-hearted. Whilst we noted Dreamscape Networks’ and Clearcast’s comments about the female characters being portrayed as strong, confident business women, we considered that they were also portrayed sexually throughout the ad, not just during the fantasy sequence. We noted that even though they were wearing business attire, their shirts were buttoned down so that they were exposing their bras and cleavages.

    Furthermore, during the fantasy sequence, they were seen dancing and writhing around in cream whilst wearing bikinis. Although the fantasy scene, which we considered was sexually suggestive, was limited to Adam’s imagination, we considered it gave the impression that he viewed his female colleagues as sexual objects to be lusted after. Because of that, we considered the ad was likely to cause serious offence to some viewers on the basis that it was sexist and degrading to women.

    Here’s the ad:

    What do you think?

  • Mayor Terry Buckle Rams Car Into Store

    Mayor Terry Buckle Rams Car Into Store

    According to a report from the East Anglian Daily Times, Bury St Edmunds Mayor Terry Buckle drove his car through the front of a Tesco Express on Tuesday. The 73-year-old Buckle had only been mayor of the town for five days when the incident occurred. Bury St Edmunds is a small town located in Suffolk, England.

    Buckle reportedly drove the care from a parking spot into the front door of a Tesco Express shop. Buckle was uninjured, but was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, and had X-rays taken of his neck. Though sore from the accident, he was then taken home to rest. No other serious injuries were reported.

    Despite the nature of the accident, the damage caused was reportedly minimal. The side mirrors on Buckle’s car were damaged, and the doors and security equipment near the entrance to the Tesco were also damaged.