Bans porn ads
Google notifies Google Ad Words advertisers that they will no longer show ads that contain sexual imagery including, but not limited to, hardcore pornography; graphic sexual acts including sex acts such as masturbation; genital, anal, and oral sexual activity. The company says it’s made this decision to no longer allow porn ads:
as an effort to continually improve users’ experiences with AdWords.
Nuclear talks resume
Talks between Iran and world powers resume in Vienna in an effort to reach a permanent agreement regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, as the July 20, 2014 deadline for such an agreement nears. Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of nations — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany are involved in the agreement. Michael Mann, a spokesman for foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, tells reporters the six world powers are committed to reaching an agreement before the deadline. He describes the atmosphere at the talks as “very workmanlike, very serious, very determined” and said the negotiations would continue for “as long as it takes” for a deal to be forged. The deadline could potentially be extended.
Kidnapped drivers released
Turkey’s foreign minister says 32 drivers believed to have been kidnapped by ISIS militants last month are released in Iraq. The drivers were on their way to the airport in northern Iraq to board a flight back to Turkey when they went missing. Additionally, in June, the militants raided the Turkish Consulate in Mosul and abducted many staff members. There are still 40 staff members missing.
Doctor: Remember he is disabled
Dr. Wayne Derman tells the court a list of difficulties that double amputees deal with daily, as his defense team builds an argument that he behaved reasonably the day his girlfriend was shot and killed in their home:
The saddest thing I have learned through my six years of working with athletes with disability is that disability never sleeps. It’s there when you go to sleep at night and it’s there when you wake up in the morning. It affects nearly every aspect of your life.
Pistorius’ lawyer, Kenny Oldwadge says there are “two Oscars,” one of whom is a global sports star and one of whom is “vulnerable” and “scared.” Using a slang for ” in trouble,” he quoted his as saying:
I am stuffed without my legs on.
AllSeen Alliance
Microsoft joins the AllSeen Alliance, a group dedicated to building an open-source framework connecting things like cars, homes, and mobile devices from any manufacturer. Liat Ben-Zur, chairman of the AllSeen Alliancee, says in a press release:
No single company can accomplish the level of interoperability required to support the Internet of Everything in everyday, real-life scenarios. Microsoft’s strong presence in the home via computers, tablets, phones, gaming platforms and their strength in the consumer, enterprise, education, industrial automotive sectors, uniquely enables them to accelerate the adoption of the AllSeen Alliance’s AllJoyn open source code across a very wide swath of products and verticals.
Depressed and suicidal
The team of doctors who have been evaluating Pistorius’ mental health concludes that he is depressed, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and is suicidal. They also say he does not appear to have a history of abnormal aggression or psychopathic tendencies linked to “rage-type murders in intimate relations.”
Hagel: Thank you
Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, speaks briefly with U.S. men’s national team goalie, Timothy Howard, thanking him for:
defending the United States of America at the World Cup.
Howard set a World Cup record for saves in Tuesday’s match against Belgium. Hagel says Howard:
could someday become the real Secretary of Defense.
Tops worst president list
A survey released today by Quinnipiac University reveals that a national poll puts Obama as the worst president since World War ll. The survey also indicates that the country would be better off if Mitt Romney had won the 2012 presidential election. Thirty-three percent of people questioned in the poll say that Obama is the worst president since the Second World War, with 28% saying George W. Bush was the worst. Thirteen percent picked Richard Nixon, with 8% naming Jimmy Carter. Assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, Tim Malloy:
Over the span of 69 years of American history and 12 presidencies, President Barack Obama finds himself with President George W. Bush at the bottom of the popularity barrel.
Sandberg: No study apology
Facebook is not apologizing for performing a psychological study on nearly 690,000 of its users in 2012. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg explains:
This was part of ongoing research companies do to test different products, and that was what it was. It was poorly communicated. And for that communication we apologize. We never meant to upset you. We clearly communicated really badly about this, and that we really regret.
Executive actions: ‘sue me’
President Obama dares Republicans to follow through on their threats to bring a lawsuit against his administration over his use of executive action.
Middle-class families can’t wait for Republicans in Congress to do stuff. So sue me. As long as they’re doing nothing, I’m not going to apologize for trying to do something.
Diary of a Mad Diva
Rivers publishes Diary of a Mad Diva, a satirical rift on diary writing. She lambasts Anne Frank and Sylvia Plath, as well as celebrities and royalty. Based on the premise that her daughter gave her a diary for Christmas, Rivers wonders “who the hell does Melissa think she is? That fat pig, Bridget Jones?”
Woke up not feeling well. I spent the entire day online on WebMD. … I can say with 100 percent certainty that I have pleurisy, tuberculosis, brain stem cancer or an enlarged prostate. I found a great cure for whatever ails you. God bless the Internet! A coffee enema. … The only negative: I can never go back to Starbucks.
Denies FTC request
Amazon resists a request by the Federal Trade Commission to require a password for in-app purchases using their application store. They say they are willing to go to court over this issue. A FTC spokesperson says:
The commission is focused on ensuring that companies comply with the fundamental principle that consumers should not be made to pay for something they did not authorize.
However, Amazon claims in a letter to the FTC that they refund applications purchased accidentally:
When customers told us their kids had made purchases they didn’t want, we refunded those purchases.
Rep: not in rehab
LaBeouf’s representatives announce that actor is voluntarily receiving treatment for alcohol addiction, making it clear that he is not checked into a rehab facility contrary to previous reports.
He understands that these recent actions are a symptom of a larger health problem and he has taken the first of many necessary steps towards recovery.
TMZ believes that LaBeouf has selected a 12-step program, even obtaining photos of the actor carrying an Alcohol Anonymous book.
Beats Nadal
Kyrgios beats Nadal in four sets and reaches the quarter-finals on his Wimbledon debut. Commentator, John McEnroe::
We’re watching a young boy turn into a man. We have a new star on our hands in the tennis world.
Sales rise, despite recalls
The automaker says monthly sales rose 1% from a year earlier; it’s best performance for June sales since 2007.
Dead veteran gets doctor’s appointment
Two weeks ago, Suzanne Chase, of Acton, Massachusetts, receives a letter from the local VA hospital saying an appointment can be made for her husband. She had attempted to move her husband to that facility in 2012, but waited four months and received no reply. Her husband, Doug Chase, died in August, 2012. She says the department should have known he was dead because she applied for funeral benefits, and the request was denied. A spokesperson for the VA Department says:
We regret any distress our actions caused to the veteran’s widow and family.
Cease-fire agreement ends
President Poroshenko announces the cease-fire has ended in a television address. The agreement expires at midnight, and military operation in the east part of the country commence today.
Termination of ceasefire is our response to terrorists, insurgents, marauders … and (those who) deprive people of normal peaceful life.
Parliament delays session
After 90 members of parliament failed to return after a 30-minute break, Iraq’s new parliament postpones its first session due to a lack of quorum. The speaker of the Parliament says:
We are going to postpone because of an urgent matter.
He did not reveal what the matter is or what happened.
Protects transgender federal employees
President Obama is preparing an executive order to ban workplace discrimination against federal employees based on their gender identity. This announcement comes two weeks after Obama signaled plans to sign an executive order barring discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors. He has not announced when he will sign these orders.
300 US troops deployed
The Pentagon announces that the US has increased its presence in Iraq. Over the past few days, 200 troops arrived in the area to provide additional security for the US Embassy, the Baghdad airport and other locations. A written statement from Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby says the deployment includes:
a detachment of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, which will bolster airfield and travel route security.
The newly deployed troops are an addition to 300 U.S. advisers who will help train Iraq’s security forces. They will bring the total of American forces in Iraq to about 800 troops.