Daily avocado diet may cut cholesterol

A diet containing a moderate amount of fat and one avocado may help lower “bad” cholesterol. This, in turn, could reduce the risk of heart disease, say researchers.
Avocados are known to be a nutrient-dense food, high in monounsaturated fatty acids. Previous studies have suggested that avocados are a cholesterol-lowering food, but this study looks at the health implications of avocados beyond monounsaturated fatty acids.
“Including one avocado each day as part of a moderate-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet compared to a comparable moderate-fat diet without an avocado provides additional LDL (low-density lipoproteins) lowering effects, which benefit CVD risk,” says Penny M. Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition at Penn State.

Comparing three diets

Kris-Etherton and colleagues tested three different diets, all designed to lower cholesterol: a lower-fat diet, consisting of 24 percent fat, and two moderate fat diets, with 34 percent fat.
The moderate fat diets were nearly identical, however one diet incorporated one Hass avocado every day while the other used a comparable amount of high oleic acid oils—such as olive oil—to match the fatty acid content of one avocado.
The researchers tested the diets with 45 healthy, overweight adults between the ages of 21 and 70. Compared to the participants’ baseline measurements, all three diets significantly lowered LDL—also known as “bad” cholesterol—as well as total cholesterol.
However, participants experienced an even greater reduction in LDL and total cholesterol while on the avocado diet, compared to the other two diets, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The avocado diet was linked to a decrease in “bad” cholesterol of 13.5 mg/dL, while LDL decreased by 8.3 mg/dL on the moderate-fat diet, and by 7.4 mg/dL on the low-fat diet.
All participants followed each of the three diets for five weeks. They were given a two-week break in between each diet. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of each study period. Subjects were randomly assigned the order in which they received each diet.
“This was a controlled feeding study, but that is not the real world—so it is more of a proof-of-concept investigation,” says Kris-Etherton. “We need to focus on getting people to eat a healthy diet that includes avocados and other food sources of better fats.”

Beyond guacamole

Kris-Etherton points out that many people in the US don’t know how to use or prepare avocados, with the exception of guacamole. However, guacamole is usually eaten with corn chips, which are high in both sodium and calories.

Salty snack lovers live in a neon food world

“People should start thinking about eating avocados in new ways,” says Kris-Etherton. “I think using it as a condiment is a great way to incorporate avocados into meals—for instance, putting a slice or two on a sandwich or using chopped avocado in a salad or to season vegetables.”
Kris-Etherton and colleagues note that further research will need to be conducted with a larger and more diverse study sample and to explore further how high-density lipoproteins—”good” cholesterol—might be affected by a diet that includes avocados.
Additional researchers from Penn State and the University of South Australia worked on the study, which the Hass Avocado Board, the National Center for Research Resources, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences supported.
Source: Penn State

 

Why gratitude comes with a sweet tooth

Most of us think of gratitude as a sweet emotion, but researchers say there’s a downside to being thankful: it can make us crave sugary treats.
“Gratitude has sweet side effects,” says Ann Schlosser, professor of marketing at the University of Washington. “This study finds evidence that feeling grateful for the helpful—or metaphorically ‘sweet’—actions of others increases preference for and consumption of sweets.”
And the more we feel connected to others, the more tempted we are to indulge in sweet things.

Sweet and savory

Around the world, people use flavor classifications as easy metaphors for emotions. While salty, sour, and bitter often evoke more negative connotations, sweet is almost universally associated with positive emotions: empathy, generosity, and kindness.
But beyond the metaphorical connection, is there an actual connection between kindness and sweetness?
To find out, Schlosser designed a series of studies triggering feelings of gratitude and other emotions in participants, then measured their tendencies to select and consume sweet or savory indulgences, or nothing at all. Through different variations on this simple design, she found that gratitude elevates one’s preference for sweets.
In contrast, gratitude has the opposite effect when it comes to wanting to eat other kinds of foods—decreasing preference for anything that tastes sour, salty, or bitter.

Feeling connected

“Because gratitude involves acknowledging benefits received from the kind—or metaphorically sweet—actions of another, individuals may infer that they must be deserving of sweetness,” Schlosser says. “As a result, they prefer foods with a congruent sweet taste.”
Published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the study also demonstrates that the positive feeling of pride does not yield the same yearning for sweets as gratitude does because it does not carry the same “sweet” associations.
The effect of gratitude on sweet preferences is strongest for those who feel connected to others. When feeling psychologically separate, people value independence and tend to view others individually. When feeling psychologically connected, people see more similarities between themselves and others and view people more interdependently.
“Psychologically connected individuals are typically more accepting of help and more likely to see themselves as playing a role in the kind act,” Schlosser said. “When they feel gratitude, they feel like they deserve this kind act, this sweetness. Psychologically separate individuals don’t make as strong a gratitude connection.”

Holidays can be double trouble

“Increased sugar consumption causes many serious health consequences,” Schlosser says. “And prior research tells us that people are largely unaware of the factors that drive their consumption.”
Because they are both occasions for gratitude and times when people feel connected to others, holidays can be times of temptation for overdoing it on sweets, Schlosser says.
“These are times when gratitude is being expressed, and we’re likely to be with a group and feeling especially interdependent. Being conscious of how these occasions might make you more likely to overconsume—especially sweet foods—can help you resist at least some of the temptation.”
Source: University of Washington.

 

       

"Revealing" Dress That Got Student Kicked Out of Prom Has The Internet Outraged

Last Friday, Muskegon High School senior Mireya Briceno arrived at prom wearing the pretty mermaid-style blue-and-white polka dot dress above — and was forced to leave an hour later by the administration.
School officials reportedly said her floor-length gown was too revealing and in violation of the dress code. Even though Mireya didn't agree, she said she didn't put up a fight and left the prom because she didn't want to cry in front of everyone else.
Muskegan High's strict dress code states that "when you look at yourself in the mirror, there should be no skin showing around the midriff area." Looking at this picture of Mireya, it's hard to understand why she was in violation. Apparently, it's the back of the dress that violates the school's strict dress code.



Even though Mireya's mom Connie says that the sides of her daughter's dress may be close to revealing the midriff, when Mireya's arms are down, her midriff isn't visible. Mireya's mom also says that other girls with similarly cut dresses were not sent home from the school dance. Now, Connie wants an explanation for why Mireya got kicked out of prom when she's positive her daughter's dress met the dress-code standards.

But Muskegan High's vice principal, Brad Perkins, is standing by the administration's decision — and claims that Mireya knew her dress was in violation
.
Perkins says that on the night of the prom, Mireya admitted that she entered the prom wearing her boyfriend's jacket because she knew her dress was problematic. Connie says her daughter wore the jacket because it was chilly outside.

According to Perkins, two other girls were sent home for dress code violations, but unlike Mireya, they returned later wearing different dresses. In the end, Mireya's mother knows what's done is done, but she still wants an explanation as to why her daughter was treated differently than the many other girls who wore similar gowns (which Perkins refused to give comment on according to FOX17). "There's only so much you can do, but it's her senior prom," Connie said. "She'll never get that night back."

The key to investing in internet-based tech start-ups

Investing in tech start-ups is one of the most exciting investment opportunity sets available at present. But the mesmerising potential investment rewards require a combination of many highly specialist skills, says Alexander Selegenev, executive director of TMT Investments.

   

Skills to analyses opportunities range from a complex assessment of company founders' abilities, to a deep understanding of core technology, alongside the standard assessments of market size, growth potential, uniqueness and scalability.

Whatever the stage, potential investors will need to get comfortable with the following key elements of any investment proposition: people, market, product and money.

    

People

The types of earlier-stage, fast-growing start-ups that we target operate in extremely competitive and fast-changing environments. This is we look for in an outstanding founder with the ability to grow their start-up into a viable and sustainable business. And this is probably the single most important part of the "magic formula" for success.

The key lessons from Silicon Valley's tech companies

Perhaps surprisingly, even a detailed understanding of the product in these early stages is sometimes irrelevant. There are many examples of how initial products evolve based on monetisation strategies or even "pivot" into something totally different from the original idea.

The market is so fast-changing that a potential crowdfunder in a start-up needs to have detailed knowledge of what is happening in many different industries.

That's when it all comes down to people. For early-stage companies, the difference between success and failure almost always lies with the quality of the founders. That's why the "founders test" is the most critical part of our due diligence.

Unfortunately, this is also where smaller, inexperienced crowdfunding investors are disadvantaged. For example, it is not unusual for crowdfunding companies to offer meetings with founders only to those investing larger amounts (for example, more than £5,000).

We want to see entrepreneurs who have done their homework and done it rigorously. For example, the CEO of a subscription-based e-commerce company in which we recently invested presented such a complete picture of her business (and with such clarity) that we were really able to make our decision to invest within just a few minutes of our initial meeting.

Our decision proved correct: the company is experiencing tremendous growth and other venture capital funds followed in our tracks a few months later at a much higher valuation.

One of the biggest pitfalls is probably relying on one's own experience and preferences when assessing the merits of any particular idea.

Market

Due to the lack of relevant information and the much faster-changing environments in which start-ups operate, the knowledge and expertise required when assessing an investment are often much more demanding than those required for public equity investing (i.e. investing in companies listed on a stock exchange).

What is relevant at this stage is highly sensitive monthly user/revenue data, although it is not surprising that most companies refuse to share that information publicly as part of their pitch.

The market is so fast-changing that a potential crowdfunder in a start-up needs to have detailed knowledge of what is happening in many different industries.

For example, whether the "disruptive approach" being proposed has worked or failed in other markets, what competitors are doing, and whether their alternative strategies are likely to be more successful.  

This is a task well beyond the abilities of an accidental crowdfunder who will not have the time, resources or expertise to do this continuously. And even as a professional investor, unless you specialise in a sector, you are very unlikely to be able to identify winners consistently.

The types of earlier-stage, fast-growing start-ups that we target operate in extremely competitive and fast-changing environments. This is we look for in an outstanding founder.

Product

One of the biggest pitfalls is probably relying on one's own experience and preferences when assessing the merits of any particular idea.

"What a crazy idea, I never heard of it! And I don't see why I would ever want to use this product! I have never had this problem, so the problem does not exist!"

But what you personally like should not be relevant when investing. One needs to apply objective criteria, and to do so consistently in order to build a credible portfolio with a higher chance of investment success.

Many people are surprised at how many other people or businesses are ready to pay for services that may be totally irrelevant to them personally.

The other side of the same pitfall is the herd mentality or hype. An inexperienced investor is easily drawn to investment opportunities that happen to be 'hot' at the time (heavily written about, financed by famous people, raising big rounds of financing, and so on). This is not the same as having the best business prospects.

  Whatever the stage, potential investors will need to get comfortable with the following key elements of any investment proposition: people, market, product and money.

Money

Valuation is a function of investor demand. We all know fair valuations or "air valuation multiples" is a fluid concept. The task is even more challenging for start-ups, when often there are no revenue (let along any profit) figures to which to apply those multiples.

An experienced start-up investor (who sees dozens of cases every month) almost immediately knows if a particular offering is over-valued based on its stage of development and other factors. Inexperienced investors do not have the luxury of that knowledge.

•  

What do investors need to be aware of in 2016?

Along with slowing growth in China and the continued weakness in commodities, the focus is turning to higher discount rates in 2016, at least in the US, says Columbia Threadneedle's Chris Kinder.

   

The current economic backdrop in the UK seems to be neither too hot nor too cold to cause much of a worry for domestically-exposed companies for the moment. Consumer confidence is increasing and unemployment is falling, which has led to wage growth moving ahead of inflation.
However, there are some clear warning signs ahead. Along with slowing growth in China and the continued weakness in commodities, the focus is turning to higher discount rates in 2016, at least in the US.

 

   

In addition, the UK's current-account deficit remains elevated, and inward investment in the UK has not been strong enough to act as a counterbalance.
This is not yet causing a problem for sterling, but it may well weaken in 2016 when the European Central Bank's quantitative-easing programme could finish and the UK moves closer to its referendum on EU membership.
We would also note the strong UK economic recovery has not gone unnoticed by markets, with strong performance from the domestically-exposed stocks.
As naturally contrarian investors, this makes us extremely uncomfortable, and having been major beneficiaries of much of this performance through our holdings in property companies, housebuilders, media and others, we have been reducing exposure when the bottom-up conditions of valuation, sentiment and performance are appropriate.
The M&A boom remains firmly intact, aided by the relative ease with which deals can be done in the UK. We expect M&A to continue as there are many excellent UK businesses where the value available to an acquirer is meaningfully in excess of the value being attributed to them in the market.
Figures from Deloitte highlight that UK companies contributed some £186bn to the global M&A total for the first three quarters of 2015, representing an increase of 58% on the same period last year.
The outlook is challenging, but importantly, markets have stabilised since the gyrations seen in late August.
Chris Kinder is manager of the Threadneedle UK fund

Bull Points

• M&A boom is ongoing and the UK is open for business
• Volatility has eased since the gyrations seen in markets in August

Bear Points

• UK economic growth remains lopsided with large current account balance, and Brexit talk is building
• Valuations of some domestic stocks are elevated

How many multi-manager funds could be in danger of liquidation?

The number of multi-asset fund launches has accelerated this year, following the introduction of pension freedoms, begging the question: how many vehicles in the burgeoning sector can thrive or even survive in the longer term?

  

J.P. Morgan Asset Management has been one of the few groups so far to admit defeat in trying to drum up assets for small funds in this space.

It recently announced plans to close Tony Lanning's £54m multi-manager Fusion Funds range, saying it has failed to gain traction in the market after launching in March 2013, despite the manager being well-known to retail investors.

   

But the funds are part of a relatively long list of multi-asset products below £10m in size, according to figures compiled by Scopic Research for Investment Week.

Its data shows that around 12% of all multi-asset funds of funds from a universe of 600 have assets below £10m (as at 30 September, according to FE Trustnet figures), while a further 16% have AUM between £10m and £25m.

The largest portfolio in JPMAM's Fusion range was its Balanced fund at £23m, so there is no reason why other funds under £25m could not be vulnerable to potential closures – in other words, 28% of the universe.

Multi-asset managers: How we are positioned ahead of Fed rate rise

These types of products remain popular with investors, with funds of funds seeing £1bn in net retail sales in Q3, and £1.2bn the previous quarter, according to The Investment Association.

However, as with many parts of the retail industry, flows still gravitate towards some of the bigger players in the sector, which are also better placed to weather outflows at different points in their cycle.

As Paul Ilott, managing director at the research firm, points out: "A large outflow from a very large fund may only reduce its size by a small percentage amount. While the Jupiter Merlin portfolios saw the largest combined outflows for a multi-asset fund range over the year to the end of September, this will have had little impact on how the funds have been managed.

"In contrast, a large outflow from a relatively small fund will have a significantly greater impact in percentage terms that could, potentially, impact its ongoing viability."

Pension freedoms have given a valuable boost to the multi-asset sector, but differentiating rival propositions appears harder than ever. Strong risk-adjusted performance may not be enough to guarantee survival and a long tail of small funds look particularly vulnerable.

 

•  

Current volatility represents the best entry point into Asia

 

Looking beyond the current volatility, investors should be thinking where will the world be in three, five and ten years' time? Which markets will see the most significant changes and developments, and therefore the most growth?

The slowdown in China's economy has undoubtedly caused fears about a slowdown in global growth. In September, however, developed markets such as Japan fell more than Asia, which also outperformed other emerging markets. South Korea and India were among the stronger markets for the month.
We are aware of the macro volatility and the risks, and investors should not ignore these. But the long-term growth drivers win out over the short-term noise.

 

   

Indeed, the current volatility represents an interesting entry point into the growth markets of Asia for bottom-up, conviction-led stockpickers. In particular, we are finding lots of undiscovered growth in small and mid caps.
The development of a consumer culture in south Asia – for instance in India, where you are seeing large parts of Indian society coming into the consumer environment for the first time – is driving trends in sectors such as travel, healthcare, consumption, consumer goods and discretionary spend.
Travel and tourism by Chinese consumers is one significant development in our view.
There are more people with the money and inclination to travel around Asia and this is having a strongly positive impact on many new and established companies.
Airports of Thailand, for instance, is in the middle of this change and we are happy to participate here.
Lower commodity prices have been beneficial in terms of lifting household disposable income and at the same time keeping inflationary pressures at bay.
While short-term perceived risk factors such as a stronger US dollar could cause further volatility, Asia has its own internal growth drivers, including favourable demographics, rising consumption, and needed infrastructure investments.
This makes for a promising environment for stock selection.
HyungJin Lee is manager of the Baring Eastern trust  

Bull Points

• Long-term growth story in Asia is intact
• Key areas of interest include North Asian companies with global competitiveness

Bear Points

• Ongoing market volatility could escalate, particularly with regards to China
• US rate rise could negatively impact sentiment towards Asia

How to exploit emerging market panic and energy weakness

   

 

Over the past couple of months, Oyster's Claire Shaw has actively increased the fund's exposure to emerging markets as it is one of the most out of favour themes in the market right now.

    

We look to exploit short-term fear in certain sectors and geographies to buy solid companies at the point of maximum pessimism.
One such example is UK-based Ashmore Group, an asset management firm specialising in emerging market debt. Due to souring emerging market sentiment, Ashmore's share price has been hit hard.

 

   

The company's attractions include strong performance across all its funds over three years, strong management, £365m in cash on the balance sheet, and it is trading on a very cheap price – it is currently on a double digit free cashflow yield, and 7% dividend yield.
I believe Ashmore is being punished on sentiment as opposed to fundamentals. The market is not appreciating the fact that 80% of the firm's client base is institutional, which is a stickier investor base, as well as the long-term structural growth potential in emerging markets as an asset class.
The second company is UK-based Aggreko, a supplier of temporary power generating equipment that derives more than 50% of revenues from emerging markets.
Companies in developing markets use Aggreko's equipment because domestic electricity grids are often inadequate. However, emerging markets' economic growth has been weak, so the need for temporary power is down.
As a result, the company's share price has fallen over 50% compared to two years ago. However, this is a very high quality business – Aggreko has a 40% global market share, is the lowest-cost manufacturer in the industry, and as a result makes very high margins and returns.
Combined with a solid balance sheet, it is currently a very attractive opportunity given the substantial free cashflow Aggreko generates.
Claire Shaw is a manager on the OYSTER European Mid & Small Cap Opportunities fund

Bull Points

• Mid and small caps more geared into domestic European recovery
• Pricing power in the mid-cap space will continue to be a significant long-term driver of profit growth

Bear Point

• Fears around the Chinese slowdown will continue to weigh on investor sentiment as well emerging market weakness and Brexit

The new BP? Volkswagen 'shocker' rocks autos but managers avoid knee-jerk reaction

Fund managers anticipate the Volkswagen emissions scandal will have immediate implications for the global auto sector, but many are uncertain on the longer-term impact and are maintaining current positions.

It was revealed last week the German car manufacturer had manipulated diesel emissions tests in the US and Europe, prompting its share price to collapse by 34% since scandal first emerged, to its current value of €107.
VW's CEO Martin Winterkorn announced his resignation amid the unfolding scandal, and is now under investigation by the German prosecutors. Meanwhile, the company set aside €6.5bn in legal provisions, a figure considered inadequate by many sector experts.

Related articles

• Invesco Perpetual's Anness buys into scandal-hit Volkswagen
• Fidelity's Wright: My 'well-timed' sale of Volkswagen
• Business ethics: The spare wheel in the auto industry?
• Lang: Why we went short on autos before emissions scandal erupted
• Which fund saw $12bn wiped off after VW and Glencore tumbled?

Mark Holman, CEO of TwentyFour Asset Management, compared the scandal to the BP oil spill disaster in the US, which cost the oil giant $18bn in damages, saying the provision VW has set aside is "nowhere near enough".
"The newsflow has only just begun and there is a lot more to follow on this story," he said.
"There are likely to be law suits, criminal actions, board level firings, rating agency downgrades, stock price revisions, maybe even selling restrictions on the company, brand damage, increased financing costs, and removal from SRI indices."

Death to diesel

Schroders' head of UK and European equities Rory Bateman described the scandal as "the death knell of diesel in the US", and expects both the US and Europe to begin moving to alternative powertrain technologies.
"Sadly, legal issues are not new to the auto industry and [they] cast a long shadow over share price performance," he said. "Whether we look at Toyota or Porsche, underperformance tends to persist for years not days, partly because legal issues take years, not days, to resolve."

Three factors causing a storm for European equities

Kevin Lilley, a European equities manager at Old Mutual Global Investors, also expects the scandal to affect the wider automotive industry, but believes the impact will be short-lived. He continues to hold 2.8% in Renault in the top ten holdings of his £80m European Equity (ex-UK) fund.
He said: "Auto sector valuations are looking attractive, particularly as the recent Frankfurt auto show calmed fears on this year's outlook.
"The Volkswagen scandal, however, is a real shocker and will dent confidence in the sector in the short term. This will not stop customers buying cars however, with VW's deserved likely loss of market share being to the benefit of other sector players."

Too soon to judge

Hermes' credit co-head Fraser Lundie is also retaining his position in VW's short-end senior debt in his Multi-Strategy Credit and Absolute Return Credit funds.
He said: "Maintaining a strong investment-grade rating is important for the financing arm of the business. We would expect rating agencies to wait until more details on the size of fines are confirmed, the timing of the fines, and industry data about potential market share losses before acting. Our base case is a one-notch downgrade with a lower chance of two notches.
"Additional levers that VW can pull to support its liquidity position and credit rating include cutting dividends, selling assets and reducing capital expenditure."

Eye of the storm

Dino Fuschillo, manager of the Sanlam FOUR Active European ex UK Equity fund, which has 2% in Volkswagen, also thinks it is too early to judge the wider impact of the scandal.
"We had 2% in Volkswagen and we are still holding this. We are still in the eye of the storm and it would be rash to make quick decisions," he said.
"The shares have discounted a lot, and I cannot say with confidence there is not more to come which would cause volatility; we could yet see swings of 10% either way."
However, he is not convinced the issue will dramatically affect the wider automotive industry outside of short-term share price volatility, saying: "We will have to see whether it is a commonplace issue in the industry. There will be fines, but they will not be so severe that it results in the demise of any one company."

The White House insists it has a plan to fight Islamic State and that it’s working

To its critics, President Obama’s strategy to combat the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is weak and incoherent. Even some of the staunchest U.S. allies and partners in the fight worry that the time for what they see as the administration’s incremental approach has long since passed.
The White House maintains that its strategy is comprehensive and that it’s working. Sharp increases in airstrikes and Obama’s recent decision to deploy Special Operations troops, officials say, are part of a fundamental change in the military’s mission developed this fall, along with a new diplomatic push to end the distraction of Syria’s civil war.
In his Sunday-night address to the nation following last week’s San Bernardino, Calif., shooting, Obama outlined the elements of the strategy, assuring Americans that there is a viable plan underway to decimate the Islamic State where it lives. “We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us,” he said, using an alternative name for the militants.
But the White House is clearly frustrated by its failure to communicate the elements of that plan and what it believes has been accomplished.
“Yes, there is a strategy,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry snapped in a speech Saturday. “I know the criticism. We all hear them. . . . But that doesn’t mean it’s wisdom.”
The administration’s insistence that its prudence and patience will pay off — vs. charges of too little, too late — have been the two opposing narratives of the 18-month battle against the Islamic State and the four-year Syrian war it has now overshadowed.
An examination of the recent course of events on the military and diplomatic fronts and interviews with a broad range of stakeholders and experts provide fuel for both arguments.
For more than a year after the Islamic State blitzkrieg swept across Syria and through Iraq to the Baghdad suburbs in the early summer of 2014, U.S. military operations, including airstrikes and training of local ground troops, were in what a coalition spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, called “crisis mode, just trying to keep the barbarians off the gate.”
The Iraqi army had fallen apart. In Syria, as civil war raged in the west, the militants consolidated their control over the north-central and eastern areas of the country, with virtually free access to Syria’s border with Turkey to infiltrate tens of thousands of foreign fighters and equipment.
Airstrikes begun by the United States and its coalition partners — Europeans in Iraq and Arab states in Syria — were tactical, focused on targets of opportunity and the need to prevent collapse. While domestic critics and allies in the region called for more strikes, more support for Syrian rebels, more U.S. boots on the ground and no-fly zones, the administration demurred.
In a broad assessment in August, the Pentagon determined it had succeeded in its initial goals of stopping further Islamic State expansion and reestablishing the foundations of a viable Iraqi military. Amid repeated failures in Syria to organize and arm a rebel force to fight against the militants in Syria, it found hope in the establishment of a Syrian Kurdish and Arab force that has driven the militants from much of the Turkish border.
Adoption of what the military says is its first real operational strategy, following the chaos of the initial year, was marked by September’s change of command of the Baghdad-based headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. “You have done what was necessary,” U.S. Central Command Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III told departing Lt. Gen. James L. Terry.
The new commander, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, was charged with “operationalizing” the mission, Warren said.
“We always wanted to get into a position where we could apply multiple points of pressure at once, across the whole battle space,” said a senior administration official. “We’re now in position to actually do it. It’s not going to be perfect, it’s not going to be linear, it’s going to be extremely hard.”
Military and administration officials, most speaking on the condition of anonymity about internal decision-making, listed the elements of the comprehensive offensive against “core ISIL” on the ground in both Syria and Iraq.
In Iraq, the focus has been on cutting Islamic State supply lines into Mosul, the militant bastion in the northwest, in preparation for an eventual ground assault, and applying simultaneous pressure along militant front lines stretching south to the city of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad. “These are not blitzkrieg gains,” Warren said, “but painstaking, incremental work against a dug-in enemy” now made more effective with the ability to integrate airstrikes with a more organized and robust ground force.
Obama has authorized a new, Iraq-based Special Operations task force to conduct ground raids against Islamic State leadership targets in both Iraq and Syria. Administration officials have described a snowballing cycle in which more raids will take more leaders off the battlefield and provide more intelligence to plan still more raids. But it is unclear when the force, initially to number about 100, will be deployed.
Syria, with its separate wars against the Islamic State and between forces of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking to unseat him, is far more complicated.
Regional allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, who once flew strike missions along with U.S. warplanes, have largely dropped out, an absence the United States hopes to make up with new agreements with France and Britain.
The “whole battle space” concept includes simultaneous airstrikes along the eastern border with Iraq to further cut militant supply lines, on Islamic State-controlled oil fields, and in the north-central area, where Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces who have captured a wide swath of territory along the border from the militants are organizing to attack the de facto militant capital of Raqqa.
Obama has authorized the deployment of 50 Special Operations troops, the first official U.S. boots on the ground in Syria, to join those forces to assess their readiness and help develop tactical plans, although the Americans are not expected to arrive for several months, defense officials said.
In southern Syria, anti-Assad rebels have met with significant success against government forces, but the Islamic State, sensing an opening, has begun moving into the area. The United States is sending more money and equipment, including heavy, long-range artillery, to Jordan, both to protect its own border and to engage militant targets inside Syria.
But given the new threat to the homeland, the administration’s claims of incremental success have left scornful critics asking why it does not do more. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday what he hoped to hear in Obama’s speech, presidential hopeful Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) replied: “That he’s going to change his strategy and come up with a regional army to go in destroy the caliphate in Raqqa. . . . The president doesn’t have a strategy.”
Mutual frustration has also been ongoing between the United States, as coalition leader, and regional allies, with some calling for a more aggressive U.S. policy. The United Arab Emirates said last week that it was willing to send ground forces into Syria — something Obama has consistently refused — if others would do the same as part of an international force.
But the region’s governments, including Turkey, are also deeply divided among themselves, leaving the administration as both whipping boy for their complaints and mediator for their disagreements as it tries to implement a broad strategy. In recent weeks, as Kerry has launched a diplomatic effort to bring the civil war to an end in order to shift attention to the counterterrorism fight, Obama himself has intervened in a series of conversations with regional leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman.
Nowhere is the dissention more acute than in northwest Syria, where rebel groups separately backed by the United States and Europe, the Persian Gulf Arab states and Turkey are locked in a melange of battles, often beside forces of al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, against Assad’s military.
The entry of Russian warplanes and Iranian troops on Assad’s side in western Syria has further complicated the situation, increasing the conundrum of how to take back the nearby, remaining 60-mile strip of the Syria-Turkey border in Islamic State hands.
The coalition has said it is ready to launch an all-out air offensive to drive the militants out of the area, located north of Aleppo, Syria’s most-populous city, but not until there are opposition forces on the ground ready to occupy the terrain. And the more the rebels are engaged in the Russian-aided fight against Assad, the less willing they are to switch their attention to the border.
U.S. officials say that a small force of opposition fighters in the area, including about 130 Syrians trained by the Americans in Jordan who are in direct communication with U.S. forces, have had some success. But their operations are still rudimentary. To delineate their lines from those of the Islamic State and avoid their own casualties from coalition airstrikes, they light tires on fire and warn pilots to avoid the smoke.

Plane Carrying Morgan Freeman Crash Lands in Mississippi

A plane carrying actor Morgan Freeman crash landed in Mississipi on Saturday after a tire blew out. The actor was not injured, but the plane was badly damaged.

"I was on my plane on the way to Texas to shoot a segment for The Story of God," Freeman said in a statement to TheWrap. "Sometimes things don't go as planned and a tire blew on take-off which caused other problems. But thanks to my excellent pilot Jimmy Hobson we landed safely without a scratch. I cannot say the same about my plane."

No injuries were reported to either Freeman or his pilot.

The plane, apparently owned by the veteran actor, was heading to Houston, Texas, from Clarksdale, Mississippi. The crash landing was at the Tunica Airport.

Victims of San Bernardino mass shooting named

Daniel Larry Kaufman, 42, ran the coffee shop inside the Inland Regional Center's building 3.





Sierra Clayborn had been a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with Sand Bernardino County since January 2013.


Robert Adams, 40, (cradling his 20-month-old daughter) had worked as an environmental health technical and specialist for the San Bernardino County Department of Health for several years.

More victims

Tin Nguyen, 31, was born in Vietnam but grew up in Santa Ana, California. She worked as a food inspector for the San Bernardino county health department.





Nicholas Thalasinos (standing with his wife) was an environmental health specialist for San Bernardino county.





Damian Meins, 58(seen in a photo with his family) was an employee with San Bernardino County of Environmental Health Services.

Victims of San Bernardino mass shooting named

14 people were on Wednesday, November 2, killed when a heavily armed couple later identified as Syed Farook, 28, and Tasfeen Malik, 27,burst into a holiday party in San Bernardino, California and sprayed bullets into the room.

 

The San Bernardino County Coroner released the names of the 14 victims yesterday. See some of their photos and named after the cut...

The victims were identified as:

Shannon Johnson, 45

Bennetta Betbadal, 46

Aurora Godoy, 26

Isaac Amanios, 60

Larry Kaufman, 42

Harry Bowman, 46

Yvette Velasco, 27

Sierra Clayborn, 27

Robert Adams, 40

Nicholas Thalasinos, 52

Tin Nguyen, 31

Juan Espinoza, 50

Damian Meins, 58

Michael Wetzel, 37

Some photos of some of the victims.

 

 

 

Michael Wetzel(pictured with wife and 6 children) was a father of six and worked as a county environmental health specialist.

 

Wife of Nigerian Ebola survivor delivers baby

Wife of one of the Doctors at First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, Dr Adewale Adejoro, gave birth to an Ebola-free baby girl on Tuesday December 1st, a month after another Ebola survivor, Dr Ada Igonoh gave birth to a baby girl in the US. Dr Adewale was the first doctor to have come in contact with the first case of Ebola in Nigeria, Patrick Sawyerr.





Dr Adewale had gone into Patrick Sawyerr's hospital room to fix a drip on him when he shook hands with the Liberian and then contracted the deadly virus that caused an epidemic in Nigeria last year.