How to Controls Your Kids' Technology Use

Smartphones, video game consoles and Internet browsers can be great devices for kids to learn and play with, but their internet-connected nature can make it difficult for parents to keep control over their use.

From accessing inappropriate content to using the device too much to racking up huge unexpected bills, unsupervised use of these devices can cause serious issues.

To address this issue, many communications carriers have created technology that gives parents control over their kids’ use of their devices and services. “Parental control technology” describes a wide variety of software and hardware solutions that parents and caregivers can use to restrict the content their children can access and the people they can communicate with.

The challenge is that, depending on the technology, medium, and service provider, parental control options vary quite a bit, so finding the most effective way to protect your children from adult content you’d rather not let them access can be tough.

To address this, this articles to help consumers navigate the landscape of parental control technology and find the options that are best for their families.

Best Practices

Parents often worry that, compared to their tech-savvy teens and pre-teens, they have little hope of keeping up with their use of technology. The truth is you don’t have to be a computer or technical expert to prevent your young ones from accessing content that you deem inappropriate. Here are some basic rules of the road to keep your kids safe online.

Talk to your children so they know what is acceptable, what sites you want them to stay away from, and who they are allowed to text, for example. This will help both you and your and children start a dialogue about safe use of technology.

Find out where they’re hanging out online. Get familiar with the Web sites your child or teen visits. Have them show you their favorite sites and discuss what they like about them.

Make sure your children understand that they should never give out identifying information about themselves, friends, or family members. This includes names, addresses, phone numbers, where you work, email addresses, passwords, social security numbers, and credit card numbers.

Create a technology “inventory.” Parents should know what technologies their children are using and what those devices are capable of. For example, does the families’ cable television service include on-demand content (potentially with access to adult programming)? Do the children’s cell phones include an Internet browsing capability? Are parental controls on the Internet browser’s software enabled?

Set up your computer in a central, open location, like the living room or kitchen, so Internet use can be supervised.

Create a family agreement for Internet use that includes items such as hours of use, what sites can be accessed, and what sites are off-limits.

Tell your children that if someone they are talking to online harasses, bullies, or makes them uncomfortable in any way, they should talk to a parent, teacher, or an adult they trust.

Every family is unique. We all have our own set of criteria for what we are comfortable with. Not all of these suggestions will apply to your family situation, and they are not intended to be a complete list of all available options. Hopefully, this can at least serve as a starting point to begin a conversation about safe practices for going online, watching TV, and connecting with others.

Parental Controls Phones and Tablets

If your child is getting their own iPhone, iPad or Android device, it's a good idea to set them up with their own Apple ID or Google account so you can keep their digital life and yours separate. Thankfully, you can do this without letting them loose to do whatever they want with their new device.

For Apple families, you'll need to use your own device to turn on Family Sharing for your own account, and then you can add the Apple ID of any family members to be part of your group. Children under 13 can't make their own Apple ID, so you'll have to do it for them.

If you'd prefer certain aspects of the device to be off-limits entirely, for example Safari or the App Store, you can do this on your child's device by accessing 'Restrictions' in the general settings. This is also how you can restrict the device's use of location services or access to adult-rated apps, music, movies and websites.

When your kids' accounts are connected to yours with Family Sharing, they will get access to any iTunes and App store purchases you make. If you'd like to give them the autonomy to buy their own things, you can activate "Ask to Buy", which sends a request directly to your phone when a child would like to use your credit card to buy something.

The process is much the same for Android families, with parental controls that limit apps, music and movies by classification on the device itself (you'll find it in the "settings" of any Google Play branded app).

Android devices don't usually come with the ability to block certain aspects of the phone entirely, or limit the kinds of websites you can access, although there are many parental control apps you can use to do this.

Anyone over 13 can sign up for a Google account, and if you add your kids to your Family Library group you can allow them to use your money for purchases by entering your PIN on their device.

Parental Controls Game Consoles

On both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, parents should sign in and create an account for themselves first, and then make one for their kids (this is called a child account on Xbox, or a sub account on PlayStation).

Though the systems work a little differently depending on which console you get, each allows the parent to decide what classification level is appropriate for each child, regulate their spending and limit their online activities.

As the holiday season approaches, Xbox's Jeremy Hinton says it's important for parents to be prepared to walk through game console rules with kids from the moment the machine is unwrapped.

"There are a lot of consoles and devices that will be sitting under Christmas trees right now to be opened on Christmas day", Hinton says. "And of course the kids will want to jump right in, but there really are a number of features that we think benefit the family considerably if they're done right at that first stage".

When you set up a child's account, the console will ask you to set appropriate rules and restrictions, so going through this process with the kids present can set ground rules from the get go.

On most platforms, content such as games, movies and apps are classified using a mix of official ratings and those determined by an independent body. Regardless of the platform, each child's account can be set to an appropriate level, from G to R.

"What we really want is for parents to have a level of confidence", Hinton says, "that you're child's not accidentally going to wander into some content that might not be appropriate for them".

On Xbox and PlayStation, parents can grant a temporary exception to these rules by inputting their passcode, for example if the child tries to watch a movie rated higher than what the parental controls allow, but the parent is present and says it's OK. For this reason, it's important to have a strong password or code associated with the parent's account.

Parents can also set an allowance that lets their children buy games or spend money on in-game transactions without giving them unlimited access to the family credit card. Furthermore, they can choose to restrict access to websites through the console, and decide how children can interact with friends or strangers online.

Xbox One also offers a "screen time" feature that can let parents determine when and for how long the console can be played.

Managing where they are surfing

The Internet is a powerful learning tool. It provides a world of information that is instantly available 24/7. However, the wide-ranging and anonymous nature of the Internet brings with it risks—from explicit or inappropriate content to predators lurking in chat rooms and using instant messaging services. Due to the Web’s potential dangers, many service providers offer free tools and software to help restrict certain types of content and features to keep young Web users safe.

Internet service providers (ISPs)

Web providers like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast offer such free parental control features as the ability to:

• Get a Web activity report that shows you all the Web sites your children visit or attempt to visit. You can check out the sites your kids have visited and block specific sites or types of sites you don’t want them going back to.

• Create unique profiles for different family members with individualized online usage limits. This can be useful if you have children of different ages. One master account can be used to manage the settings of several “subordinate” account users.

• Block access to certain Web tools such as instant messaging, gaming, chat rooms, and message boards, allowing parents to keep better track of what their children are saying and to whom.

• Remotely manage your account with the ability to change parental control settings from any computer with Web access, whether in or outside the home.

• View your child’s online activities as they happen with real-time Web tracking features

• Allow young Web users to request permission to visit unauthorized Web sites for an adult to approve.

• Receive a tamper controls alert if someone other than you tries to change the control settings.

• Set up a timer that limits the amount of time users can spend online.

• View search monitoring results that track the words and phrases your children search for online to help learn about what they are interested in. This way you can find out if they are trying to seek out blocked or inappropriate content.

To get more detailed information about exactly what controls are available to you, and what the system requirements are, the best bet is to contact your service provider directly. To lean more about the different Internet provider options, visit the Safe Families site here.


Parental Controls Internet Browsers and Search Engines

While Internet service providers offer a variety of great parental control options, you can also set up similar controls on the Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, etc.) level. Most browsers let you restrict access to certain sites or pre-approve a list of sites your child has the ability to access. For example:

Safari users can create child user accounts that let you choose between three levels of Internet access:

• give your children unrestricted access to all sites
• a setting that only blocks access to certain restricted sites
• an option that only lets children access sites you that you have pre-selected. Email and chat features can be set up so that young users can only chat and email with contacts you know and trust. Weekday and weekend computer time limits can be put in place as well.

Firefox and Chrome have no built-in parental control features. But, if your computer uses one of these browsers, you can download extensions such as ProCon (which blocks accidental visits to adult sites), LeechBlock (which sets up time limits for different users), and FoxFilter (which blocks content based on user-defined criteria). To learn more about different extension options, click here.

Search engines like Google and Bing have “safe search” settings that screens for sites that contain explicit sexual content and deletes them from your search results. This can be a great option since kids often stumble upon inappropriate content by accident when searching seemingly innocent terms.

This is not an exhaustive list of the available browser and search options, but is intended to give you an idea of the types of useful features that are available. At the very least, almost all browsers will give you the option of blocking access to restricted sites, whether it’s a feature that’s available out of the box, or if it’s an extension you have to download.

Apple Wants Everyone Seeing RED For World AIDS Day

Apple fans, get ready to see red: Apple is using its ubiquitous presence to raise awareness and money for the AIDS awareness campaign Red on World AIDS Day.

Expanding on the growing attention the company has paid to charitable events under chief executive Tim Cook, the company on Thursday will release several products to raise money for the AIDS awareness project co-founded by U2 frontman Bono.

The goal? To achieve a generation that is AIDS-free at birth, by ending cases where mothers transmit the disease to their children. Deb Dugan, chief executive of Red, said she believes that goal could be accomplished by 2020.

Apple has planned some new ways to raise money this year.

“We’ve deeply thought through every single way our customers touch us. And we’ve tried to make it really simple for them to participate in eradicating this disease,” Cook said.

These include working with outside app developers to raise money for the charity, special red versions of product cases and an appropriately hued Beats wireless speaker and headphones. The company will turn the logos red at more than 400 of its stores. It is making a documentary about Red, “The Lazarus Effect,” free to all iTunes users. And it has worked with the band The Killers to release a special track on iTunes — a rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” — and will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Red.

Apple will also donate to Red $1 from every purchase made through Apple Pay at any of its stores (online or not) up to $1 million; Bank of America will match that donation for Apple Pay payments made with its cards from Dec. 1-7.

Being able to inspire broad participation, Cook said, is Apple's most important charitable responsibility.

“That has much more value to it, I think, then just merely writing a check,” he said. “This is about getting an enormous amount of people, and trying to be the ripple in the pond.”

The companywide effort is the largest Apple has undertaken for a cause — even under Cook, who has raised Apple’s philanthropic profile and used his position to speak out on social issues.

Cook declined to comment on whether he thinks Apple — which has championed issues such as LGBT rights and environmental protection — will find itself at odds with the incoming administration. But he rejected the idea that Apple’s decision to take a stand on issues such as eradicating AIDS should be viewed through a political lens.

“We think … corporations should have values like people do — and do their part in leaving things better than we found it,” Cook said. “I view all of this stuff as being as far away as you can get from politics as possible, to be honest.”

This year’s efforts take a decade of Apple participation with Red to a new level, Cook said. Apple was a founding partner of the charity Project Red — often stylized (RED) — after Bono and philanthropist Bobby Shriver founded it in 2006. The first Apple product for Project Red was a special red iPod nano. It was so popular that Apple had to reissue a second model within four weeks, said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS product marketing.

This year, it has moved its efforts far beyond the iPod — although you still will be able to buy red iPods to support the cause. The company worked with the developers of several games including Angry Birds, Best Fiends, SimCity BuildIt, Candy Crush Jelly Saga, and Clash of Clans to create special in-app purchases. All of the proceeds from those purchases will go to Red.

Red has raised $360 million to fight AIDS over the past decade. What many may not realize, however, is that Apple has raised one-third of that: $120 million.

“For us it’s been a game-changer, quite frankly,” Dugan said. Although AIDS may not be viewed as quite the crisis that it was in the 1990s, she said it's still the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age and the second-leading cause of death among teens. And, she said, the world is at a crucial moment in the fight to eventually wipe it out. “We can eliminate mother-child transmission of HIV — which for an infectious disease is a tipping point,” Dugan said.

That Shopping App You Downloaded Might Be Fake

Fake news isn't the only thing that smartphone users should be cautious about these days.

As the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, a slew of fake retail apps are appearing in smartphone app stores. These apps, which usually look like official shopping apps from retail brands, install malware on the phones of unsuspecting customers once downloaded. From there, identity and credit card information can be stolen, or downloaded ransomware can remotely lock a user's phone until they pay up.

Last week, researchers at cyber security company Risk IQ released a report estimating that one in 10 apps advertising Black Friday deals was fraudulent.

"This problem has been worse this year than any of the previous years," said Ian Cowger, security researcher at RiskIQ. "Malicious authors targeting app stores have become much more adept at targeting holidays and other events that can net them users."

As shopping increasingly moves online, the holiday season has become a traffic boon to shopping apps and websites. This past Black Friday, phone and tablet app shopping hit a record US$3.34 billion revenue, an increase of 33 per cent from last year, according to an estimate by software and analytics company Adobe. Meanwhile, the number of brick-and-mortar Black Friday shoppers has dropped.

In an interview with CBS News, fashion blogger Michelle Madhok cited the ease of price shopping on mobile platforms. "It's a click to see what the other prices are," she said. "Before, you had to drive from store to store to compare prices or go through tons of inserts in your newspaper."

The RiskIQ report said that five popular US shopping brands were the biggest targets for counterfeit apps. The report did not detail which brands were most affected for fear of causing customer confusion or panic, but the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, which issued a similar warning last week, cited stores such as FootLocker, Nordstrom, Zappos.com and Christian Dior as common targets.

The report, compiled by monitoring about 180 app stores worldwide, pointed to Google Play, AppChina and Baidu as the app stores with the highest number of counterfeit apps.

When asked for comment, Google supplied information on their prevention process for fraudulent apps, which includes automated scanning for spam-like code and the presence of malware, a team of experts who review apps for potential violations, and a user/developer community flagging function. "We take security seriously," a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

But smartphone users need to stay vigilant. Jocelyn Baird, an editor at consumer safety website NextAdvisor.com, recommends downloading apps from official store websites whenever possible to avoid counterfeits. She said that an app purchase that shows up under an unrelated company name on a credit card statement is another typical warning sign. Baird also suggested reading the app name and description carefully for subtle distinctions from an official brand.

"When in doubt, you can do some web searching to verify the full name a company uses," she said. "Be on the lookout for misspellings or poor grammar, which you're unlikely to see in the description for a real app."

Cowger also recommended ignoring app reviews as an indicator since these can be forged. He noted that apps that ask for strange permissions, such as access to text messages, credit card information or passwords, should be approached with caution.

And last but not least: "If it seems too good to be true," he said, "it oftentimes isn't true."

Which Is The Best Battery Life Smartphone?

Apple said at the launch of the iPhone 7 that the smartphone would have better battery life. But that doesn’t mean it can top Android competitors, according to new data.

The firm's testing sought to determine exactly how long each phone's battery would last while making voice calls and while browsing the web, both using 3G.

If we compared the iPhone 7’s battery life, when making calls and browsing the web, to those of three top Android competitors: the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and LG G5, and the results were staggering.

Image: Smartphone battery life: The results. source via Which?

The iPhone 7 only managed 712 minutes (nearly 12 hours) with a single charge. On the other hand, the rival Samsung Galaxy S7 lasted twice as long.

The HTC 10 lasted an incredible 1,859 minutes (that’s almost 31 hours)!

As for Internet surfing, the iPhone 7 still came in last against its rivals although the differences weren't that major.

The differences seen when web-browsing using mobile data weren’t dramatic. The HTC 10 performed best, managing 790 minutes of continuous use. The iPhone 7 was worst, at 615 minutes, but not hugely lower than LG’s G5 which managed 640 minutes and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 at 677 minutes.


Why does the iPhone 7 battery fare so poorly?

So just why does the iPhone 7 have such a poor battery life? It may sound obvious, but the majority of the fault lies in its comparatively tiny cell. Smartphone batteries are measured in milliampere hours (mAh). The iPhone 7 has a 1,960mAh battery, whilst the HTC 10 has a 3,000mAh battery: it should hardly be surprising that one battery nearly half the size of another offers roughly half as much charge.

Don't Do This When Someone Is Having A Heart Attack

Did you know that heart attack is the leading cause of death. According to  American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.3 million deaths per year, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.

A heart attack happens when your heart muscle is starved of oxygen-rich blood. This causes damage to your heart muscle.

Like all other tissues and organs in the body, the heart needs a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood. Without this supply, heart muscles may be damaged and begin to die. If this is not treated, heart muscles will experience irreversible damage.

If a large portion of the heart is damaged in this way, the heart will stop beating (known as a cardiac arrest), resulting in death.

How do you know if someone has a heart attack?

The most common symptom is chest pain. But that's only part of the story. Sometimes people can have other symptoms not limited to chest pain, including:

- Any type of chest discomfort or pressure, such as squeezing or achiness
- Feeling queasy or throwing up
- Looking very pale
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Feelings of dread
- Pain, or achiness in your back, shoulders, arms, neck or jaw
- Dizziness or passing out
- Weakness or feeling unusually tired
- Difficulty breathing


Heart attacks can happen out of the blue and it is important to know certain things that you shouldn’t do when someone near you is having one:

1. Don't delay calling the emergency hotline

Every minute of delay in treating a heart attack increases the chance of permanent heart damage and death. Call immediately, stay calm, and describe everything you see to the operator.

A Swedish study suggests that half of heart attack patients who are not attended to instantly are at risk of worsening their survival odds.


2. Don't attempt to drive the person to the hospital

Why? You will get the fastest possible treatment by calling the emergency hotline because response teams will start treatment as soon as they arrive at the door. What's equally important, first responders know, in real time, which nearby emergency room is best prepared to handle the situation.


3. Don't hesitate to conduct CPR especially when the person has stopped breathing.

Cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential when the person falls unconscious and has stopped breathing, a condition known as cardiac arrest.

If this happens, CPR will keep the blood circulating while you wait for the ambulance or for someone to get a defibrillator. If you don't know how to conduct CPR, call up the emergency hotline immediately and the responder should be able to guide you through the steps.


4. Don't lay the person flat on the floor

Laying down flat on the floor makes it harder to breathe.

A half-sitting position with their knees bent and head and shoulders supported is the best. The position also helps to ease the pressure on the heart and stop the person from hurting if they collapses.


5. Don't forget to loosen any tight clothing

When the symptoms of heart attack are clearly visible, immediately remove the shoes of the person and loosen their clothing. Tight clothing becomes a constraint to proper blood flow and can increase the chances of a cardiac arrest.


6. Don't give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medication (such as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.

Do not feed the person anything including water because it might add to the blood volume, making it increase. This, in turn, will increase the pressure of blood on the arterial wall which might be deadly for them.

Instead, give nitroglycerin if it is prescribed to the person. Nitroglycerin is a controlled drug that helps ease chest pain by opening up the blood vessels.


7. Lastly, don't allow the person to deny the symptoms and convince you not to call for emergency help. Better safe than sorry.

As mentioned in #1, the sooner the person gets to the emergency room, the better the chance of survival. Prompt medical treatment reduces the amount of heart damage. It could be nothing but a normal chest pain, but heading to the hospital could uncover a serious underlying problem.

Prevention is better than cure, don't delay and act immediately.

Thankfully, we can reduce the risk of heart attacks by eating healthy, exercise regularly, reduce alcohol intake, and cut down on smoking.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 And Lithium-Ion Batteries

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 will be "considered a forbidden hazardous material under the Federal Hazardous Material Regulations."

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone devices will be banned from aircraft in the United States starting on Saturday at noon EDT (1600 GMT) under an emergency order, regulators said on Friday after numerous reports of the devices catching fire.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on Tuesday because of incidents where the phones began smoking or caught fire, dealing a huge blow to its reputation. The decision came after reports of fires in replacement devices prompted a new round of warnings from regulators, phone carriers and airlines.

Lithium-ion batteries show up in all sort of tech these days, from your phone and laptop to airplanes and electric vehicles. But a voluntary recall of some 2.5 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after reports of battery explosions is raising new concerns about their safety.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) warned passengers not to turn on or charge the devices during flights — or even put them in checked baggage. Some international airlines have placed similar restrictions on travelling with the smartphone. And the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advised consumers “to stop charging or using the device.”

Here’s what you need to know about the lithium batteries that probably power a lot of your tech — and why they sometimes catch fire.

Lithium-ion batteries are a bit different from the basic AA’s you use to power your TV remote. They’re rechargeable, often built directly into devices and rely on the chemical lithium as their primary fuel.

Lithium-ion batteries are especially popular in devices such as laptops and phones, because they store energy super efficiently and are slow to lose their charge.

“You get a lot of oomph relative to older technologies that were the same size — often two to four times the voltage,” explained Stephen Hackney, a professor of materials science and engineering at Michigan Tech University.

Like pretty much all batteries, lithium-ion batteries work by storing energy and releasing it through controlled chemical reactions. A lithium-ion battery has two electrodes — places where electricity can enter or leave the battery — on opposite sides. One electrode, called the anode, is filled with negatively charged ions. The other electrode, called a cathode, contains positively charged ions and lithium. You can think of the anode and the cathodes like the plus and minus signs you often see on batteries.

When you use a battery, the lithium moves over from the cathode to the anode — and when you charge it, the lithium moves back over to the cathode. There’s a separator inside that keeps the anode and the cathode from touching because that can trigger mishaps such as fires and explosions.

The reason you can shove so much power into lithium-ion batteries is that lithium basically “wants to react to almost anything” — which can lead to explosive results, Hackney said.

But one of the most common reasons the batteries can explode is because of mistakes in the charging process, he said. Inside the devices that rely on the batteries there is software that tells them exactly how much the batteries should be charged and how fast. If those protocols are set incorrectly, it can destabilize some chemicals inside the battery and cause a chain reaction that researchers call a “thermal runaway” that may lead to fire or explosions.

Overheating can also cause explosions, which is why your phone probably pops up with an alert about needing to cool down when it gets too hot.

Another reason could be shoddy manufacturing or rough user treatment. If unwanted materials, like scraps of metal, accidentally end up inside the battery when it’s being made, they can short a cell of the battery and set off a thermal runaway. So could dropping a device if the impact causes a break in the separator between the anode and cathode.

What happened with the Galaxy Note 7?

It seems like a manufacturing problem. The company reports at least 35 cases where the batteries combusted due to “a very rare manufacturing process error” in which the anode and cathode touched, the company said in a statement on its U.K. website.

The company decided to temporarily pull the phone off the market just two weeks after it was released and is offering replacements to people who already purchased the device.

The good news, according to Hackney, is that these types of problems are pretty uncommon, especially among high-end devices, when manufacturers keep a close eye on production quality.

But there have been plenty of high-profile cases. For instance, back in 2006, Dell recalled more than 4 million laptop battery packs over combustion issues. In 2013, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was grounded by the FAA after reports of fires related to the lithium-ion batteries used in the planes. And half a million hoverboards, one of the hottest gifts of the last holiday season, were recalled this summer because of lithium-ion battery explosions.

The government and international organizations already regulate lithium-ion batteries in a lot of ways, which is probably one of the reasons we don’t see more explosions. For example, the Department of Transportation has rules for how to safely ship the batteries.

Other U.S. regulations also call for batteries that end up in consumer goods to go through various safety tests, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has overseen a lot of recalls involving products with lithium-ion batteries that were deemed hazardous. The agency is working with Samsung on a formal Galaxy Note 7 recall in the United States.

Mysterious Disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle

The area referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, covers about 500,000 square miles of ocean off the southeastern tip of Florida. Bermuda Triangle also known as the Devil’s Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle is believed to be the devil’s lair as most of the unusual disappearances in the triangle had no records of human error, equipment failures or natural disasters.



Christopher Columbus’ UFO?

Bermuda Triangle. Accounts of weird activity in the area were already being recorded way back during the days of exploration and early travel. In fact, Christopher Columbus wrote about a large fireball dropping from the sky and into the ocean during one of his journeys in the region in 1492. Columbus claimed what he saw caused his compass to malfunction. He wrote about erratic compass readings, perhaps because at that time a sliver of the Bermuda Triangle was one of the few places on Earth where true north and magnetic north lined up.



Mysterious Disappearance on the Rosalie, 1840

A large French ship sailing from Hamburg to Havana was discovered  intact, but with all its cargo, but nobody on board, except for a canary, a cat and some fowl. Whatever happened to the crew remains a mystery…



Carroll A. Deering, Piracy or Mystery?

The mysteries when the Deering was found aground off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in 1921 with its entire crew missing. The ships log and navigation equipment were gone, the crew’s personal effects and lifeboats had also disappeared, leaving investigators completely baffled.
Read The Legend Of The Ghost Ship: Carroll A. Deering



Flight 19’s Strange Disappearance

Five ill fated avenger bomber planes disappeared without a trace on December 5, 1945 while on a training mission. Frequent communication had taken place between the trainees and their flight leader, Charles Taylor during the mission. The planes are said to have gotten lost, ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea, but their remains are yet to be found.
Read The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19



Bruce Gernon

While flying over the Bermuda Triangle in 1970, American pilot Bruce Gernon experiencing something that he can’t quite logically explain. As he was flying, he flew through mysterious donut shaped hole that formed into a swirling cloud tunnel. At the end of the tunnel the pilot witnessed what he could only describe as an electronic fog, which caused his aeronautical instruments to malfunction. Had he just gone through some sort of time portal?



Strange Lights

on March 12, 2009, passengers aboard a flight spotted strange lights in the skies over what looked like a vortex in the sea. The unexplained sighting was even photographed by naval cameras who claimed the object floated above water for an hour before disappearing.



2015 Vortex

Another vortex was spotted as recently as December 2015. This photographs appears to show a huge pyramid which emerged out of the ocean. Witnesses to the even claim to have seen a UFO fly past as the vortex mysteriously appeared.



Mass UFO Sighting

A couple of UFOs were spotted on the horizons of the Bermuda Triangle back in 2014 by passengers aboard a cruise ship. The ship was headed to Nassau, Bahamas. The UFOs were described as being bright orange, with lights that gradually dimmed and disappeared after a few moments.

The Star Tiger, 1948

On January 30, 1948, the Star Tiger left Santa Maria, Azores with 25 passengers on board. It was meant to arrive in Bermuda at 5 a.m, but at some point just before its arrival, the radio operator lost contact with the pilot. Hours later, the plane has disappeared out of sight. There was a massive rescue operation launched by the USAAF personnel with 26 aircraft flying for 882 hours to search for the Star Tiger. The operation lasted for 5 days. But they found no trace of it or its passengers and the crew.
Read The mystery of the Star Tiger.



Missing Flight DC-3, 1948

During the same year as the Star Tiger’s mysterious disappearance, a Douglas Dakota DC-3 flight took off from Puerto Rico, heading for Miami, Florida. Twenty minutes before landing, the weather was normal. Repeated radio signals from the control towers did not get any response. The flight DC-3 had suddenly disappeared with all its passengers and crew. . Two more cases very similar cases have occurred since. Read 1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 (DST) disappearance



USS John F. Kennedy’s UFO Sighting, 1971

Six men aboard the USS John F. Kennedy witnessed a UFO sighting while the vessel was returning to Norfolk, Virgina after a two weak readiness exercise in the Caribbean. Their reports claim that a large, glowing sphere hovered above their ship. All communication was lost during the twenty minute period in which the mysterious craft hovered above them.
Read UFO Hovers Over The USS John F. Kennedy



Cary Gordon Trantham’s Close Call, 1995

Cary Gordon Trantham was flying home after spending time with her daughter in Florida when she experienced something very strange. While flying over the open water at night, she suddenly flew through a thick bed of fog, which left her flying in pitch darkness. She claims not to have been able to navigate herself as her plane’s instruments went haywire. Lucky escape!



Mary Celeste, 1874

The most famous Bermuda Triangle mystery would have to be the story of the Mary Celeste. Also known as the Ghost Ship, it was found in full sail on December 4, 1872 without a single passenger on board. Could Bermuda Triangle ghosts have been navigating the ship?
Read Abandoned Ship: The Mary Celeste



SS El Faro

The SS L El Faro was an American cargo ship that was lost at sea on October 1, 2015. Experts claim the disappearance of the ship was due to Hurricane Joaquin, but many believe it had something to do with the Bermuda Triangle. The ship was discovered to be 15,000 feet below surface when found.
Read In memory of the crew of El Faro.



The Great Isaac Lighthouse Incident, 1969

Two lighthouse keepers mysteriously disappeared from the Great Isaac Lighthouse in Bimini, Bahamas in 1969 after a hurricane passed through. Their bodies were never found…



Flight 441 Disappearance

Flight 441 was one of the most successful US military carrier aircraft of all time.  On October 30, 1954, Flight 441 took off with 42 passengers making their way to Lajes in the Azores Islands. The plane was about 400 miles off the coast line when contact was lost. Flight 441 never arrived at its destination and disappeared without a trace.



Frank and Romina Leone

Newlyweds Frank and Romina Leone went finishing off the coast of Boynton Beach, Florida in their new boat on June 18, 2003. When the couple failed to turn up for work the next day, family and friends began to worry. U.S coastguards were sent out to search the waters of Miami, but neither their boat or bodies were ever found.



Witchcraft

The Witchcraft was a luxury cabin boat owned by hotel mogul, Dan Burack. On December 22, 1967, Burack and a friend set out about a mile out of the Miami Coastline to view the Christmas lights when the coast guard received a distress call from him. When the coast guard arrived at the site, no boat was to be found.



Ellen Austen Disappearance, 1981

The Ellen Austin was an American schooner, a large multi-masted ship weighing over 1800 tons and was 210 feet long. This ship had run numerous trips between New York and London, when suddenly in 1981, it mysteriously disappeared. Its crew had actually discovered another empty boat within the Bermuda Triangle, which they decided to drive back to shore. Both boats were lost during a storm and were never to be found again.



Irving Rivers’ Eastern Caribbean Airways Disappearance

On November 3, 1978, Irving Rivers’ Eastern Caribbean Airways plane disappeared from radars just moments after controllers at the airport in Saint Thomas cleared it for landing. The plane was less than two miles from the airport when it disappeared.



The Tragic Loss of the USS Cyclops

The disappearance of the USS Cyclops and its 306 man crew back in 1910 is one of the Bermuda Triangle’s most mysterious incidents. There was no distress call. No debris, wreckage or any evidence of the ship’s demise was ever found. Its disappearance is the single largest loss of life in U.S Naval history not directly related to combat.
Read The USS Cyclops Disappearance



The American Bombers

In 1945 5 American T.B.M. Avenger Bombers were supposedly lost in the area without a trace. To make the situation even weirder, the five rescue craft sent after them also disappeared. Here in this photo is a portrait of the lost squadron of Flight 19.



The Spray

Joshua Slocum was dubbed as the ery first man to sail solo around the world in 1895. Although he was considered as one of the best sailors of his time, Joshua Slocum apparently disappeared from the face of the earth in 1909 after allegedly passing through the Devil’s Triangle. He sailed with his old fishing boat called “The Spray.”



The Crewless Yacht

An in-tact yacht, missing all of its crew was found in 1955. It had survived all of three hurricanes but the crew had completely vanished. Theorists suggest an alien abduction, but then theorists always do.

The Siesta Is Beneficial For Our Spirit

The biological need for an afternoon nap improves both our physical and our spiritual health say new studies.

US researchers looked at 32 people aged 55-85 years to determine the effects of nap in their intellectual abilities.

The participants slept for 80 minutes at lunchtime and after their experts examined specific test to see their mental skills.

So they noticed that their mental performance was much better when they sleep at noon. While, as mentioned the fact that they slept at noon not disrupt their bedtime, only takes about 6 minutes more than before to fall asleep at night.

As noted by experts, the biological need of the people for a sleep during the day is not random as the human brain and the whole body work better when refreshed.

Scientists recommend the siesta between 2pm and 4pm, but not after 5pm.
Some even note that the sleep duration should be up to 60 minutes but there is a reply proposed by 30-120 minutes nap.

However, as they say, even half bedtime noon offers the human body seriously benefits.

They note that a siesta in old age is recommended to fill the lack of night sleep as well as we all know, in old age happens routinely sleep a person for fewer hours per night than sleeping at younger ages.

Pick The Right Mosquito Repellent

Tests have found the Zika virus in mosquitoes from Miami, the first detected on continental United States, confirming local transmission of the disease, the Florida authorities said.

Three mosquitoes were taken from the tourist hotspot Miami Beach, where cases of locally transmitted Zika were previously reported.

"This is disappointing but not surprising," Florida agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement Thursday.

"Florida is among the best (states) in the nation when it comes to mosquito surveillance and control, and this detection enables us to continue to effectively target our resources," he added.

Health officials reported the first cases of locally transmitted Zika in Miami Beach in mid-August.

The virus, which causes birth defects, was detected in a neighborhood north of downtown called Wynwood earlier in July. It has also been found in the Florida counties of Palm Beach, north of Miami, and Pinellas, near Tampa.

Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people. But in pregnant women, it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.

The disease has also been linked to a potentially fatal disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can lead to nervous system problems such as weakness and paralysis.

Zika is spread by mosquitoes and sexual contact.

The authorities have issued an advisory for pregnant women warning of travel to designated active transmission zones in Florida.

The state has so far identified 49 cases of people who contracted the virus locally, the Florida health department says. It reported another 656 cases brought in by people infected while traveling abroad, mainly areas of Latin America where the virus is spreading.

Those numbers include a total of 80 pregnant women affected so far in Florida.



Pick the right mosquito repellent

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends products with active ingredients like DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus, piracaridin, or IR 3535

Apply the repellent correctly

Remember to apply sunscreen first before the bug repellent so the cream won’t mask its effectivity.

Always remember to spray your feet and ankles too. Mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus are usually attracted to feet.


Repel with your clothes

Long pants, long sleeves are the go-to clothes. Permethrin products are effective and safe for pregnant women and children.” Baggy clothes offer better protection than tight ones. Also protect the head with hat and sunglasses.


Prep your home

When temperatures reach 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, mosquitoes remain active even during the day and fly into the house for shade. Don’t leave water sources open.

Just one tablespoon of water serve as breeding ground for mosquitos which can produce up to 300 larvae.


Vanilla

Add vanilla extract to either of the above recipes, or just rub on the skin. You can also mix vanilla with witch hazel and water for a spray version.


Lavender Flowers

Plant insect repelling herbs in your yard. I grow lavender, thyme, mint and citronella near our patio and we use these fresh plants as bug repellent in a pinch. Rub lavender flowers or lavender oil on your skin, especially on hot parts of body (neck, underarms, behind ears, etc.) to repel insects.


Apple vinegar

Similarly, orange peel and vanilla, apple vinegar has a flavor that is not preferred by mosquitoes. You can drip down onto a damp cloth and place it in the inner corners suspected mosquito breeding.


Lemongrass

Lemongrass is not only used as a spice in cooking, but grass also can repel or citronella to repel mosquitoes because contain substances sironelal. Place the lemon grass in the breeding of mosquitoes or mix it with water to be liquid floor cleaner.


Exercise indoors

The body naturally emits carbon dioxide and heat, and a lot more especially when you sweat during workouts. This attracts mosquitoes.


Avoid sex with strangers

Zika can be passed through sex from a person with Zika to his or her partners. Sex includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex and the sharing of sex toys. Zika can be passed through sex, even if the person does not have symptoms at the time. It can be passed from a person with Zika before their symptoms start, while they have symptoms, and after their symptoms end. Though not well documented, the virus may also be passed by a person who carries the virus but never develops symptoms. How to protect yourself during sex

Travel smart

Avoiding affected areas is the best way to avoid Zika virus.

Regularly check the list of countries and territories with active Zika virus transmission. If you must travel into one of the affected countries, stay in air-conditioned areas, sleep under bed nets, and use mosquito repellent vigilantly.

Mauritius - Lost in paradise

The tropical island of Mauritius, once a haunt for pirates, is now best known for luxury hotels on white sand beaches with volcanic mountain backdrops. It is an island for exploring, with Indian temples, colonial houses, botanical gardens, and opportunities to spot rare birds among soaring ebony trees, walk with lions or swim with dolphins. Mauritians, a fusion of French, Indian, Creole and Chinese peoples, are renowned for their hospitality and visitors to the islands generally rave about the service.

Just 20 degrees south of the equator, Mauritius promotes itself as a year-round destination, although most people associate it with winter sun. The island's peak season extends from October to April, which is hot, humid and rainy, with a slight risk of cyclones January to March. The island's winter, from May to September, is warm and dry, with fewer mosquitoes and rates that drop by 30-50 per cent.

With its cerulean blue waters, white sandy beaches, set against a backdrop of beautiful green landscapes, the island is the epitome of tranquillity and serenity. Spend your vacation with the attractive beaches of Mauritius and make it memorable for your whole life. Pleasant Mauritius’ weather, finger licking street food, and local markets are the few things that make it a perfect destination for all types of travelers. Be prepared for an unforgettable getaway in Mauritius, often dubbed as the paradise on earth.

Grand Bay

Get your dose of Vitamin Sea at the most popular beach on the island, where you can do ample amounts of swimming, sailing, windsurfing and water skiing. Lined with restaurants, bars and discos, it is also a shopping and leisure hotspot where the locals would head to for a fun-filled night out.



Trou d’Argent Beach

This stunning beach is located on Rodrigues Island and offers visitors a stunning spot for an intimate picnic or for you to just relax on the white sandy beaches, surrounded by the clear waters. The rocky coastline is the perfect backdrop for a secluded and more private beachside experience.



Peyerbere Beach

Don’t be fooled by its small size – this beach is packed with activities. Be one with the underwater life by going for a snorkelling session, or go on a well-deserved retail therapy session at some of the shopping outlets near the beach. Then, unwind at some of the restaurants and pubs while watching the sunset overlooking the beach. Pereybere Beach is a fun destination, offering a great location for organizing further adventures, or relaxing on the beach with family and friends to enjoy a bit of sun worship and easy swimming. Lifelong memories in an earth-bound Eden are no further away than Mauritius.



La Cuvette Beach

Perhaps you prefer a more intimate setting? Located within walking distance from Grand Bay, this beach is clear of rocks and corals. Complete with amenities such as ample parking space, local snack shacks, changing room and shower facilities, you’re in for a great time with your loved one on this island. The beauty of La Cuvette is the open space, the many hideaway mini beaches, rocks and cliffs, and above all – the quiet tranquil surroundings. There are plenty of grass to play football on, plenty of benches to while away an afternoon at and plenty of manicured pathways around it all.



Belle Mare

A visit to Belle Mare and you’ll be welcomed by a 10km-long beach with pristine, velvet-like sand. What makes this beach so unique is the combination of its colours. The waters of the blue lagoon changes from a dark turquoise colour at the deep end, to crystal clear with a hint of turquoise at the shallow end. The white sandy beach presents a stark yet stunning contrast.



Flic-en-Flac

Swimmers, rejoice! If you’re looking to clock in some swimming time minus the strong sea currents, Flic-en-Flac is the perfect place for you. Fringed with filaos or casuarina trees, it is located between the villages of Albion and Tamarin, and its blue waters provide the best setting for beach lovers. Belle Mare Beach can get a little crowded on weekends. But during the week, you may have this beauty of a beach almost all to your self.



Blue Bay

If you’re looking to explore the wonderful underwater life, look no further than Blue Bay. Be prepared for an exhilarating time as you swim alongside turtles during a diving escapade or opt for a glass-bottomed boat cruise to see the sea life of Mauritius. At the Marine Park, you can decide to see the underwater world onboard the boat through its glass bottom, or to jump into the water for some swimming and snorkeling.


Le Morne Beach

Le Morne is located on the southwest coast of Mauritius and is a small village overshadowed by a small mountain called Morne. It has a very pleasant public beach that attracts surfers, paragliders and kite surfers, it is slightly windy and this place is an ideal location for these sports. The beach there, has a beautiful view of the mountain and the village is very relaxing and accommodating. This tropical beach is flanked by the 550m-high Le Morne Brabant Mountain, listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Its windy beach is suitable for kite surfing. For history buffs, the beach also provides a deep insight into the history and culture of Maldives.

How To Detox Smokers Lungs

Healthy lungs are pink. A smoker's lung is black. By now, most of us know what health problem arise form smoking, with lung cancer and heart disease being the most life threatening. Despite graphic warnings, however, many continue to smoke, and many more start smoking.

The good news: You can quit and regain healthy lung if you are willing to stay the course. The sobering truth is that once lung tissues are damaged, totally reversing it is highly improbable.

However, even with grim prognosis, there is still hope. In the past, it was believed that black lung have no chance of rejuvenating, but medicine has grown in leaps and bounds since.

Modern discoveries point to remedies, both herbal and traditional, that could stave off total lung damage due to cigarette smoke. Although the process could take years, you can take immediate steps to achieve immediate relief.


Here's how to detox smokers lungs after you quit smoking.

1. Eat raw honey every day

Anecdotal evidence abounds that a teaspoon of raw honey a day keeps lung cancer away. Even with years of smoking, people who consume raw honey daily report that they start coughing up tar after only a week of honey therapy. They also enjoy increased vigor that leads to a more physically vigor that leads to a more physically active life.

Honey brims with antibacterial and antiseptic properties, so starting your post-smoking rehabilitation program with it yields encouraging results. Honey is also rich in minerals that promote tissue repair.
- Read 50 Benefits Of Honey


2. Avoid mucus-forming foods

Processed meat, dried and frozen convenience foods, fast foods, and dairy and non-dairy confections trigger mucus production. Even starchy vegetables and fruits along with fatty oils from avocado, corn, and canola stimulate the mild production of mucus, so eliminate the former types in your diet and consume the latter in small amounts.

Instead, eat more alkaline of foods like root vegetables, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemon, and raisins, which are the top foods in this category.


3.  Consume chlorophyll-rich foods

Juiced wheatgrass, spirulina, chlorella, blue-green algae, and sprouted seeds and nuts not only cleanse but also, more importantly, increase the body's oxygen uptake by producing more blood.

Smokers often suffer from bluish lips and fingernails that result from lack of oxygen or poor circulation of oxygen-deprived blood.

Row foods, as this food group is often called, also cleanses the blood, organs, and tissues from debris, so you get a two-fold benefit by eating more raw foods.


4. Breathe deep

Smoking damages the lung's air sacs. These tiny bags that inflate and deflate as gases are exchanged take the most toll from cigarette smoke. When they are irritated, the walls collapse so they become bigger, making it difficult for the smoker to take deep breaths, which eventually results to breathlessness as air sac damage advances.

Emphysema, which happens when the air sacs are destroyed, is irreversible, so it's important to quit smoking before that condition sets in.

To exercise the lungs, you need to inhale slowly and deeply so the tissues oxygenate well.


5. Get a massage

Massage distributes lymph evenly throughout the body. Lymph is the clear fluid that travels through blood vessels and moves within tissues to keep the body clean. Massage also promotes deep breathing, which is essential to exercise your lungs. Afterward, drink plenty of warm water to drain toxins.


6. Cleanse more effectively using herbs

Silibinin also known as silybin

Milk thistle has been found to be the most promising cure for lung cancer. Thistle contains an agent called silibinin, which halts the progress of cancer by rehabilitating damaged lung tissues. Drink two cups a day for healthier lungs and healthier liver.

Those who wonder how to detox smokers lungs in the hope of reversing the damage can see from the suggestions given here that doing it is easy. What's challenging is sticking with the regimen, but the rewards of improved breathing and overall better health are well worth the effort.