Experts say most people only use 10% of their brain's
potential. What if there was a pill that could unlock the other 90% ?
Clinical Trials have shown that the ingredients in this pill can boost
your brain power, sharpen your mind, and sky-rocket your energy levels.
Welcome To The Future -
The use of a Legal Study Drug known as Adderin has skyrocketed on
college campuses, Silicon Valley and Wall Street, since coming back on
the market in April. Specifically, men and women between the ages of
19-48 benefited the most as the effects were amplified due to the
ingredients' reaction to the gene called NRXN3 in the human brain. It's being touted as an Adderall replacement, and many people are taking full advantage of its availability to buy online without a prescription.
There has been much controversy around this memory-enhancing pill,
not only on college campuses, but also in the media. Sales of Adderin
have been tripling overnight as students, athletes, entrepreneurs, and business executives all want to get their hands on this powerful brain enhancer.
Adderin, which has no recorded side effects in any clinical trials,
was soon the target of critics who claimed it was too powerful to be
sold without a prescription. Other people in academic circles insisted
that Adderin provided an artificial edge for its users and was unfair to
those who weren't taking it. This led to it being banned from quiz
shows and at many top universities as well. Facing outside pressure, the
creators of Adderin were eventually forced to halt production of the brain-enhancing pills.
Fortunately, after 3 years of litigation and clinical studies showing
its safety, the online ban was finally lifted and the creators of
Adderin were allowed to resume selling from their website (http://adderin.com/).
Its reappearance has thrilled users around the world - people who
genuinely suffered during its absence. "My ability to think and focus
more than doubled when I was able to buy Adderin again. The pill's
return prevented me from dropping out of college," a premed student told
us.
We tested it ourselves - is it all hype?
With so much praise from the media and countless reviews from people experiencing success with Adderin,
we at Secret Brain wanted to verify whether this was all hype.
Practically everyone in our building volunteered to test it out, but we
chose our Health & Science Editor, Warren Carter. Below is his
account of using Adderin over a 4 week period.
Buying a
bottle of Adderin proved to be tougher than I ever imagined. It was
SOLD OUT on their website almost immediately after coming back on the
market. Some Ebay sellers were asking $300 for just 1 Bottle! That's too
rich for me. I finally secured a few bottles at their regular price
after waiting 2 long weeks for them to restock.
About
30 minutes after taking my first pill, I felt the effects kick in. It
started with a pleasant wave of calmness that washed over my entire body
like a warm blanket. The mental fog and stress I'd been carrying around
vanished instantly. Soon, I reached a level of alertness and
concentration I'd never experienced before. Sounds didn't even register.
It was like walking around on a winter day after it just snowed. It
became easy for me to ignore distractions and outside noises. Best of
all, there weren't any of the negative side effects like I get when
taking Adderall.
Week Two
I was a bit concerned that Adderin
would stop working for me after one week. Not so. I am feeling even more
focused and energized than before. After a 10-hour work day my energy
levels were still high, and I was focused and determined to finish all
tasks for the day. Adderin improved my ability to focus and function,
and I made absolutely no change to my diet, exercise or work schedule.
My results came from only taking Adderin.
Week Three
The effect's of Adderin are still
with me, and I was pleased at how many items on my to-do list were
crossed off. Previously, I had problems starting and completing tasks.
Adderin has me laser-focused on the job at hand, and I am suddenly able
to get things done before I move on. I noticed throughout the week I was
hardly ever stressed, and I was able to control my emotions without
losing focus. I expected to run out of steam around the third week due
to my body getting used to the ingredients. But my energy levels haven't
dipped at all. They remain steady throughout the day.
Week Four
I was given the nickname "Superman"
at the office, as I've become most productive member of the staff. I
give all the credit to Adderin. The drug worked as well this week as it
had in previous weeks. My mind is crystal clear and I'm able to recall
stored memories with near perfect accuracy. It's unbelievable how much
has changed in just 4 short weeks. It's not like I became a genius
overnight after taking Adderin, but it's definitely improved my memory
and the speed at which I process new information.
In conclusion: Over the past 4 weeks, I found myself
bouncing out of bed, sometimes even before my alarm went off because I
couldn't wait to take Adderin. Things that used to annoy me were no
longer an issue. I hardly got stressed and when I did, I was able to
control my emotions and get back into peak performance mode. One thing I
didn't expect was the euphoric feeling I got while doing work on Adderin.
As a result, I've enjoyed my work so much more and my mood has greatly
improved. In fact, my co-workers keep making fun of me for walking
around with a permanent grin on my face.
I've tried modafinil and countless other smart drugs,
but this is by far the closest thing to feeling like you are the guy
from the hollywood blockbuster brain-enhancing movie. Don't just take my
word for it though; this is something you need to experience for
yourself. For your convenience, I've provided a link below for
discounted bottles of Adderin.
WARNING: Adderin was specifically created
for anyone looking to drastically increase their focus - you will
experience an extreme boost in energy and memory recall as well as the
ability to focus like never before - use as directed if you think you
can handle these effects.*
Note: As of Tuesday, September 29, 2015, Adderin is currently IN STOCK, BUT it's selling out fast!
It's no surprise that celebrities like dogs as much as we do. Paris
Hilton started the trend of "purse dogs" for crying out loud.
But if you were rich and famous, what kind of dog would you get?
Surprisingly, many celebrities have literally plucked lonely pups right
off the street. Some in this list have less-than-perfect dogs, and one
celeb saw a dog featured on a story on TV and called immediately to
adopt them.
If you're rich, you can do that. You can also afford someone to
follow the pooch around with a pooper-scooper, so you don't have to.
Dead dogs inspired her new album.
In recent years, she has adopted Mary Jane (a black and white mutt),
Happy, (a Rottweiler-Beagle mix), Penny Lane (a tiny mix), Ziggy (an
English Bulldog), Lila, (a Yorkie mix), Emu (a Sheepdog), and Floyd (an
Alaskan Klee Kai) who died when a coyote killed it in 2014.
The most recent stunt of Miley Cyrus was that at then end of this
year's VMA awards show, that she hosted, she announced that she was
releasing her new album for free. The odd title of the record is Miley
Cyrus and "Her Dead Petz", inspired by her pup's tragic deaths. Sounds
like a depressing record.
Ryan and George – BFFs forever.
In an interview with The Independent, Ryan Gosling shared about his "great love" of his life - his mixed breed dog fashioned with a mohawk haircut.
"George is way more interesting than I am. I'd much rather talk about
him...Normally, I take him everywhere. I have special paperwork so he
can travel with me wherever I go. Can we just talk about George?"
Gosling and George have been an item for about 11 years now. Peoplemagazine
recently did a feature about the pair and how George was photographed
by Hama Sanders, who said, “This is my handsome friend George and some
actor.”
You get a dog and you get a dog...
Oprah has always been a lover of dogs, and she pretty much has always
had one by her side through her life's ups and downs. On January 29,
2010, Oprah's birthday, she bought herself a birthday gift. Make that
two gifts: two Springer Spaniels, Sunny & Lauren.
She said on her website that she
contacted the Chicago-based no-kill shelter, PAWS, and asked if they
would contact her when one came in. Oprah said, "I thought that I was
going to name my next dog Lauren," she says. "So when I heard this dog
was Lauren, I thought it was fate." Oprah also owns two golden
retrievers (Luke and Layla) and a Cocker spaniel (Sadie).
She gave her dog and daughter same name.
Actress Drew Barrymore has had a love affair with dogs her whole
life. In fact, her first acting job was for a dog food commercial.
Barrymore owned Flossie, a Chow and Yellow Lab mix for 16 years. In
2010, she and then-boyfriend Justin Long adopted Douglas, a blond
fox-like dog. In 2012, she and fiance, Will Kopelman, adopted Oliver, a
Shepherd mix just before the birth of their daughter, Olive. (Yes, she
has a pet and a dog with basically the same name. What's more, in 1999
Barrymore voiced a dog for a Christmas TV special - "Olive and the Other
Reindeer.")
In 2014, a second daughter, Frankie, was added to the family. Looks like it might be time to adopt another dog!
Prefers older … dogs.
Kaley Cuoco (from "Big Bang Theory") and husband Ryan Sweeting, own
two rescue dogs, Norm (a blond Pit Bull) and Ruby (a blond furry little
thing she saw on E-News and quickly adopted).
Cuoco understands that adopting adult dogs can be difficult, but Ruby has been great.
“…if you can, rescue a slightly older dog! They get the short end of
the stick and end up living out their older days in shelters. Ruby is a
dream. Calm, quiet and sweeter than candy," the actress said in Dogtipper.com.
Welcomed pregnant mother into his home.
Somerhalder had adopted the dog when he spotted her in the middle of
traffic near "The Vampire Diaries" set. He was unaware that she was
pregnant. The star got some help in 2013 when his dog Nietzche went into
labor, when an ex-girlfriend, Nina Dobrev came over to help deliver the
pups.
When it was time for the puppies to arrive, he was right there by her
side along with Dobrev there to help. He posted, "Make no mistake about
it-Ladies rule...Women of every species blow my mind...Incredible what
mamas go through! Love to you mamas-all over the world. Jeez."
Even his dog is on Facebook.
According to his wife, Priscilla, Beast is Mark Zuckerberg's second priority after Facebook.
Beast looks like a walking mop head. How do we know? By looking at his Facebook page of course (Beast Zuckerberg - Mark and Priscilla Zuckerbergs Dog).
His about page says, "Hi, my name is Beast. I am a Puli, which is a
type of Hungarian Sheepdog. I live in Palo Alto with Mark and Cilla. I
like cuddling and herding things." His page is just shy of 5,000 likes.
He as a way to go before he reaches the over 34,000,000 followers that
his owner has.
Changes channel to her own ASPCA commercial.
If Sarah McLachlan actually owns a dog, we weren't able to find any
information about it. But we do know that she is a true lover of
animals.
She's the voice you hear late at night when the sad ASPCA TV
commercial comes on asking you to adopt a furry friend. "I change the
channel. I can't take it," McLachlan said during an interview with Huffington Post.. "I can't even look at it. It's just so depressing."
She also said that she is proud that the ads have generated more than
$30 million for the charity, but she wants to be known for her love of
children and music. She also mentioned how she enjoyed playing a bit bat
in the 2014 Audio commercial where she is seen asking for help for the
Doberman/Chihuahua mix dog that was a disaster to own.
In
the year since beloved comedian and actor Robin Williams took his own
life, his daughter, Zelda, has occasionally posted to Instagram to share
her feelings about depression and hope.
Zelda and Robin Williams attend a premiere in 2009.
"I
spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of
stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful," wrote the 26-year-old
Williams on Saturday, posting a picture of a moon rising over a lake.
"Avoiding fear, sadness or anger is not the same thing as being happy. I
live my sadness every day, but I don't resent it anymore."
"And
for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that
tunnel can feel," wrote Williams. "But if happiness seems impossible to
find, please hold on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be.
Because I promise you, there're enough nights under the same yellow
moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way
there."
Williams has shared tributes to her late
father on Instagram over the past year. In October 2014, she got a
hummingbird tattoo on her right hand in honor of him.
"For poppo," she wrote. "I'll always put my hand out to shake with a smile."
Robin Williams won an Oscar for best
supporting actor in in "Good Will Hunting." He also starred in movies
such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Good Morning, Vietnam." His television
show, "Mork and Mindy," premiered in 1978 and made him a star.
His three children and his widow, who is the children's stepmother, have been fighting over the terms of his will.
If
you or someone you know is suffering from depression, you can call the
National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK.
There would appear to be no hard feelings years after Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber broke up.
In an interview with the New York Times,
the actress and singer avoided speaking her ex-boyfriend's name but did
seem happy for Bieber, who is garnering lots of positive press with his
new single "What Do You Mean."
"While people were writing that I was stupid for being in it, this is what I always saw in him," she said. "I'm like, duh!"
The pair were off and on for a few years, and Bieber went through some hard times, which included scrapes with the law.
But
he seems to have turned over a new leaf, and coincidentally, he and
Gomez appear to be on similar career paths with upcoming albums (her
"Revival" releases on October 9, and his as-yet-untitled album drops
November 13).
The 23-year-old is also in a different stage in her life, though she acknowledges that fans are still very aware of her past.
"It's
all part of my story," she told the Times. "I'm growing and changing. I
was in a relationship, and I was being managed by my parents, and I was
still under Hollywood and Disney, and I was being held to this
expectation of being the good girl."
In her "Dear Fat People" video, comedian Nicole Arbour took to YouTube to rant about how fat people are killing themselves.
"If
we offend you so much that you lose weight, I'm OK with that," Arbour
said in a six-minute rant exhorting overweight people to lose weight.
"I'll sleep at night."
Never heard of
her till now? The Canadian comedian, who has been posting videos on
YouTube for five months without much fanfare, picked a good topic to
blow up the Internet.
The
video has gotten more than 20 million views on her Facebook page and 1
million YouTube views since she posted it Thursday. It has sparked many
response videos from people disagreeing with her, including from "My Big
Fat Fabulous Life" reality star Whitney Way Thore.
Will
a controversial YouTube video translate into anything more than her
allotted 15 minutes of Internet fame? Will casting agents and Comedy
Central come calling? That's yet to be determined.
What's
clear is that people who want to become famous no longer have to be
approved by a modern-day Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett or a small cabal
of Hollywood studios and agents. Great jokes, music or dance moves may
garner attention, but generating controversy is a surefire way to get
noticed.
Sex tapes can have the same impact.
It's
not clear whether reality star and heiress Paris Hilton's sex tape with
her then-boyfriend was for private enjoyment or something more. What we
do know is that the tape was shared online in 2003, and her reality show "The Simple Life," co-starring Nicole Richie, launched the same year.
Then-unknown Kim Kardashian's sex tape with singer Ray J was released in 2007, and fame and fortune followed.
Whether it's an offensive rant or a private moment gone viral, shocking the public is now a tried and true path to fame.
The social media spotlight isn't always positive.
Sometimes,
asking for social media attention can backfire, especially for those
who don't know the current mood or moods of the "Internet."
Controversial celebrity chef Paula Deen
wasn't looking for negative attention when her social media staff
tweeted out a picture of her son wearing "brownface" in July.
Her
fans didn't seem to be upset, but many others decried the picture. They
asked what the popular chef was thinking, given that she was fired from
the Food Network for using a racial slur.
But the tweet didn't stop "Dancing With the Stars" from casting the lightning-rod chef on its upcoming season 21.
We expect her tweets and other social media to be vetted by Disney/ABC public relations during her appearance on the show.
Singers gotta sing -- and court controversy.
Happily,
YouTube and other Internet sharing sites allow the young Justin Biebers
of the world to show off their talent and moves without a filter, and
sometimes that gets them noticed. But some stars like Bieber can stay in
the spotlight with their antics.
Vine star Curtis Lepore got famous with his short online videos and was even included in Rainn Wilson's upcoming half-hour comedy show starring five famous Vine users.
He lost the gig after being charged with the rape of his ex-girlfriend.
He pleaded guilty to assault and still proclaims his innocence online.
Will 'fat acceptance' stars get a bump?
Though
"My Big Fat Fabulous Life" star Thore didn't start the debate with
Arbour over fat-shaming, she responded via YouTube on Saturday.
"The
next time you see a fat person, you don't know whether that person has a
medical condition that caused them to gain weight," said Thore, who
attributed her own weight gain to polycystic ovarian syndrome.
"You
don't know if their mother just died. You don't know if they're
depressed or suicidal or if they just lost 100 pounds. You don't know."
Thore's heartfelt response generated more than 13 million views on her Facebook page and more than 150,000 YouTube views.
And the timing of the debate couldn't be better. Season two of TLC's "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" premieres Wednesday.
When it comes to building fame, riding a wave of controversy can be smart for the offender as well as the offended.
Priyanka Chopra is the first Bollywood movie star to headline an American TV series
Chopra is the star of ABC's upcoming drama "Quantico"
(CNN)She's a megastar from Mumbai, India, home to the world's most prolific film industry.
She's
an award-winning actress, a former Miss World, a singer and a dancer.
She serves as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and as a United Nations Girl
Up Champion, and she is involved in efforts to promote the education of
girls in India.
She's a social media queen, with more than 10 million followers on Twitter.
Priyanka
Chopra has international cachet and a global fan base. But her star
power has been relatively lackluster in the United States.
That may be about to change. Chopra is the star of "Quantico," a drama premiering September 27 on ABC. In recent weeks, her face has been splashed across billboards and buses from Los Angeles to Toronto to New York.
Priyanka Chopra as FBI recruit Alex Parrish in ABC's "Quantico."
Chopra,
33, has thrived in the Indian film industry for more than a decade. But
as she gets ready for her close-up on American television, she feels
like a complete newcomer.
"I'm excited
about making a new foray, but I'm also very nervous," Chopra said. "I
feel like a debutante, like how I felt when my first movie was releasing
in 2003. Every time I see a billboard, every time I see my face on a
bus or a magazine, I'm just like, 'It's a new culture, a new country.' I
hope that I'm accepted as an actor."
'An empowered woman'
In
the series, Chopra plays Alex Parrish, one of a diverse group of new
FBI recruits, each with a mysterious past. As the show cuts between the
present and the past, Parrish becomes the prime suspect in a devastating
terrorist attack in New York.
Chopra describes her character as a "Jason Bourne in a female form."
"She's
smart, she's sexy, she's intelligent, she kicks ass, and she's not
afraid to take her life in her own hands. But the beauty of Alex is,
she's not macho. She's very feminine, and she's vulnerable," Chopra
said. "I love that she's a celebration of the modern woman. She's not
just an ass-kicking, feeling-less robot."
"Quantico"
has been described as "Homeland" meets "Grey's Anatomy." Its cast
includes Aunjanue Ellis as the assistant director of the FBI academy and
Jake McLaughlin as a fellow FBI recruit and love interest, but Chopra's
character has the central role.
"This
is an idea that no one has explored: taking a global actor, a global
talent, and launching them in the American market," Chopra said. "It's
new for all of us -- ABC, me, everyone -- it's the new prototype. I
guess we'll find out what happens."
Chopra,
who lived in the U.S. for four years as a teenager, credits the show's
producers and ABC for taking a chance on her. She believes that such
diverse casting could be a precursor of entertainment's future as the
world shrinks.
"I think the globe has
become a really small place now, and we are all global citizens, at
least I think I am," she said. "The girl next door's face has changed.
She does not come from a particular place. ... She can be anyone from
anywhere."
Indian actors on American TV
In
recent years, an increasing number of actors of Indian origin have made
an impact on American TV: Kunal Nayyar of "The Big Bang Theory," Mindy
Kaling of "The Mindy Project," Archie Punjabi of "The Good Wife," Dev
Patel of "Newsroom," Nimrat Kaur of "Homeland," Aziz Ansari of "Parks
and Recreation," Aasif Mandvi of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and
"The Brink," and Kal Penn of "House" and "Battle Creek."
Veteran
Indian actor Anil Kapoor ("Slumdog Millionaire") is the first major
Bollywood star to get a meaty role on U.S. television, as the president
of a fictional Middle Eastern country on the eighth season of "24."
The
"Slumdog Millionaire" cast -- from left, Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal,
Freida Pinto, Irrfan Khan and Anil Kapoor -- at the 2009 Academy Awards.
The film won Best Picture.
But
he was not the lead character. That distinction goes to Chopra, the
first bona-fide star from India to headline an American series.
"It's
certainly unprecedented for an A-list Bollywood actor, male or female,
to land a major role on a major American network series," said Gitesh
Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com and an entertainment analyst who follows the Indian film industry.
"This
could be huge for the years ahead, not only for Priyanka but for other
stars out of Bollywood, because Hollywood does have a copycat
mentality," Pandya said. "So when something works, competitors want to
do the same thing."
Breaking stereotypes
In
"Quantico," Chopra does not come across as a Bollywood actress, said
Matt Roush, senior television critic for TV Guide. Alex Parrish's dad is
white, and her mother is Indian. Even the character's name does not
sound Indian, he said.
"This kind of
colorblind casting is a step in the right direction," Roush said. "What I
like about this kind of casting is that the character could be played
by an Asian; she could be played by an African- American; she could be
played by a Swede. It doesn't really matter."
It is a part that any actor would love, and this drew her to the role, Chopra said.
"I
don't want to be the stereotype of an Indian girl, because I see a lot
of Indian talent being put into that box," Chopra said. "I like to break
barriers."
Chopra has refused roles
that called for her to change accents and act more Indian, said her U.S.
manager, Anjula Acharia-Bath, who herself faced prejudice as an Indian
girl growing up in England.
Chopra was
cast in "Quantico" after Acharia-Bath met with Keli Lee, executive vice
president of casting for ABC, and compared notes about growing up in a
television culture that did not reflect the diversity of the real world.
Lee has helped discover some of the
most famous faces in television, including Sandra Oh in "Grey's
Anatomy," Sofia Vergara in "Modern Family" and Kerry Washington in
"Scandal." She flew to Mumbai to meet Chopra last year, and the actress
signed a talent deal with ABC studios.
Priyanka Chopra, right, is among a group of new recruits at the FBI's training base in "Quantico."
Chopra said she owed it to her fans to settle for nothing less than a stellar, starring role.
"I
have a certain belief in myself, and I wouldn't want to do anything
less than I'm used to," she said. "I feel ABC recognized that, and they
gave me 'Quantico' on my terms, which is why I've taken this leap."
Power of Indian cinema
Even before its pilot airs, "Quantico" has been sold to dozens of countries around the world, Chopra said.
"That
just goes to show the power of Hindi cinema," she said. "It's amazing
the kind of reach we have in countries where people don't even speak
English. Hindi transcends language and borders. We're just stories about
life."
Although the Indian film
industry is commonly identified with Bollywood -- the Hindi-language
film industry based in Mumbai -- regional movie centers across the
country churn out hundreds of films every year in other languages,
including Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.
The
scale of the industry is staggering. India's film board estimates that
more than 1,250 feature films are produced every year. Most of the
movies follow a predictable pattern: gorgeous heroines, dashing heroes,
implausible plot lines and much dancing and singing -- a formula that
has captivated Indians for a century.
With
48 movies and counting, Chopra is one of Hindi cinema's highest-paid
actresses. She began her movie career shortly after being crowned Miss
World in 2000 and has appeared in hit Indian films playing a variety of
roles, from an autistic girl (in "Barfi," India's 2012 Oscar entry) to a
world boxing champion (in "Mary Kom") to a serial killer. In one movie,
she played 12 distinct characters.
But
until now, Chopra may have been best known to American audiences for
her music. Her debut single, "In My City," featuring entertainer
will.i.am, was a theme song for the NFL's "Thursday Night Football."
Manager
Acharia-Bath said people often underestimate the strength of Chopra's
following, which reaches from Sydney to Dubai, Berlin to Cape Town. She
recalled an episode last year in which the actress, as a model for
Guess, visited the brand's flagship store in London. As word of
Chopra's presence spread on social media, fans mobbed the store and
police had to shut down Regent Street.
'A different beast'
It's
been crazy-busy lately for the "Quantico" cast and crew, who've been
shooting 16-hour days in Montreal and New York to get the 13 episodes
ready for this season.
"I've only done movies in my life. Television is a different beast," Chopra said.
Chopra's "Quantico" character becomes an unlikely suspect in a terrorist attack on New York.
She
got unexpected insight into the medium from an unlikely source: actor
Kevin Spacey, whom she met at the International Indian Film Academy
awards last year. The two conducted a film workshop class together and
exchanged notes about acting.
"He
happened to mention that TV was most exciting medium of almost
everything, because he has no idea what his character (Frank Underwood
in 'House of Cards') is going to do, and I find that so true," said
Chopra, who admits to being mostly in the dark about "Quantico's" plot
line. Audiences will learn the identity of the terrorist by the end of
season 1, she said.
Early reviews for
Chopra in "Quantico" have been positive. Entertainment Tonight named her
one of three breakout stars for the fall TV season, while The Hollywood
Reporter called her "one of the most formidable talents hitting TV this fall."
Roush
said Chopra was the only "Quantico" actress to appear at the Television
Critics Association's press tour in Los Angeles in August. "It's
unusual during the press tour with a cast of that size to present only
one actor, so it's clear they see a big star in her," he said.
For
now, Chopra's plan is to straddle two performing careers: one in the
U.S. and the other in India. Next, she's working on an Indian epic
historical drama about an 18th-century Indian warrior.
"For
me, success means achieving something people did not expect you to
achieve," said Chopra, who is extremely close to her family and still
feels the absence of her father, who died in 2013.
"My
dad always told me -- and I always follow this," she said. "As a girl,
you should not be someone who tries to fit into a glass slipper. You
should shatter the glass ceiling, and that's what I'm trying to do."
On
Tuesday, President Obama meets in New York with world leaders to
discuss how the campaign against ISIS is going and how it might be
improved.
Peter Bergen
Earlier
this month, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen.
Martin Dempsey, said that the war is "tactically stalemated" and there
are no "dramatic gains on either side."
Here are some ideas about how to move forward:
1. Enlist defectors from ISIS
to tell their stories publicly. Nothing is more powerful than hearing
from former members of the group that ISIS is not creating an Islamist
utopia in the areas it controls, but a hell on earth. The flow of
"foreign fighters" to ISIS from around the Muslim world is estimated to
be about 1,000 a month. Reducing that flow is a key to reducing ISIS'
manpower.
2. Amplify voices such as that of the ISIS opposition group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently,
which routinely posts photos online of bread lines in Raqqa, the de
facto capital of ISIS in northern Syria, and writes about electricity
shortages in the city. This will help to undercut ISIS propaganda that
it is a truly functioning state.
3. Amplify the work of former jihadists like the Canadian Mubin Shaikh, who intervenes directly with young people online who he sees are being recruited virtually by ISIS.
4. Support the work of clerics such as Imam Mohamed Magid
of northern Virginia, who has personally convinced a number of American
Muslims seduced by ISIS that what the group is doing is against Islam.
5.
Keep up pressure on social media companies such as Twitter to enforce
their own Terms of Use to take down any ISIS material that encourages
violence. Earlier this year, Twitter quietly took down
2,000 accounts used by ISIS supporters, but the group continues to use
Twitter and other social media platforms to propagate its message.
6.
Keep up the military campaign against ISIS. The less the ISIS
"caliphate" exists as a physical entity, the less the group can claim it
is the "Islamic State" that it purports to be.
7.
Applaud the work that the Turks have already done to tamp down the
foreign fighter flow through their country to ISIS in neighboring Syria,
and get them to do more.
8. Provide
"off ramps" to young ISIS recruits with no history of violence, so that
instead of serving long prison terms for attempting to join ISIS -- as
they presently do in the United States -- they would instead serve long
periods of supervised probation.
56 photos:The ISIS terror threat
This
will help families that presently face a hard choice: If they suspect a
young family member is radicalizing and they go to the FBI, that person
can end up in prison for up to 15 years on charges of attempting to
support ISIS; but if they don't go to the authorities and their child
ends up traveling to Syria, he or she may well end up being killed
there. Providing off ramps would offer families a way out of this almost
impossible choice.
Three of Shafi and
Zarine Khan's teenaged children were arrested by the FBI last year at
Chicago's O'Hare Airport as they attempted to join ISIS. The Khans say
they would have intervened effectively with their children if they had
known they were radicalizing, but now their oldest son, Hamzah,
faces 15 years in prison, despite the fact he has no history of
violence nor does the government allege he was a planning a violent act.
9. Educate Muslim parents about the seductive messages that ISIS is propagating online.
10.
Relentlessly hammer home the message that ISIS positions itself as the
defender of Muslims, but its victims are overwhelmingly fellow Muslims.
The hard hitting billboard sign was positioned alongside a busy highway in Sheffield, northern England.
Partner
cheating on you? Well, you could talk it through. Or send him packing.
Or how about dumping him with a giant billboard sign that he -- and
everyone else -- just can't miss on his usual commute?
A woman called "Lisa" did just that.
The
sign -- strategically positioned alongside a busy highway in Sheffield,
a city in northern England -- read: "To my cheating husband Paul. You
deserve each other. When you get home I won't be there. Enjoy your drive
to work! Lisa."
Mark Catterall of Kong
Outdoor, the advertising company that sold Lisa the space for the sign,
said she ordered it two weeks ago and "it was obviously planned in
advance, she obviously had a date in mind," he told CNN.
The
sign measures a significant 18.4 feet (5.6 meters) wide and 8.5 feet
(2.6 meters) high, and was up during rush hour between 6 - 9am Wednesday
morning, Catterall confirmed.
"It's
the busiest road in the city of Sheffield, with most of the traffic
traveling to the city center," said Catterall. "It's one of the most
prominent billboard locations in the city." Lisa also opted for a
digital screen "so she could deliver the message at the right time", he
said.
"She paid three figures for it,"
Catterall confirmed; a sign for a week would normally cost £400 ($611).
He also had suggestions for how the advertising method could continue to
be used by members of the public.
"It's
something that's unfortunate for one of the parties involved but it has
been used as marriage proposals. Might be a bit nicer in the future."
Catterall asserts that Lisa was a private consumer who had not paid for
advertisements in the past.
Twitter
users waded in with their thoughts on the matter. "Breaking up...
Sheffield style with just a 'small' sign on the Parkway!" tweeted Peter
Spencer.
Some expressed concern. "Oh
dear, anyone in the Sheffield area passed this sign today?
#Sheffieldissuper," wrote Northgate Careers.
Others gave Lisa a virtual pat on the back. "Saw the sign on the #sheffieldparkway on my way to work! Good for you Lisa!"
The
terror of the ordeal she -- and so many like her -- had endured was
imprinted on the face of a young girl dressed in purple, as she sat
opposite me on a mercy dash away from Mount Sinjar.
Aziza
Hamad, then 14, was one of more than 30 desperate civilians who made a
mad scramble to get onto an Iraqi military helicopter -- with a CNN team
on board -- in August 2014. Their dramatic journey was captured on camera.
Thousands
of civilians from Iraq's Yazidi religious minority had fled to higher
ground to escape the murderous advance of ISIS militants.
Families
like Aziza's had spent more than a week trapped on the barren heights
of Mount Sinjar, under siege by the fighters, and with little access to
food or water.
The
helicopter that hovered briefly overhead offered them a vital chance of
escape; missing it could have meant their family was separated, perhaps
forever.
Fortunately for the Hamads,
Aziza and eight of her relatives managed to clamber on board, crouching
for shelter, clinging together for comfort and crying as the Iraqi air
crew opened fire with machine guns on suspected ISIS targets during
their flight to safety.
More than a
year after their chaotic escape, CNN tracked down Aziza and her family
to the refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan where they now live.
7 photos:Yazidi girl recalls helicopter escape from ISIS
"The
year passed and we're all safe, thank god," says Dunya, Aziza's
18-year-old sister. "But if we went home it would be better."
The
pre-fabricated, two-room containers that the Hamad family now calls
home are a dramatic improvement from the conditions they were living in
not long ago.
For the first seven
months after their escape, the family had little choice but to squat
amid the bare concrete in an unfinished construction site.
"We
used cardboard and plastic sheets for shelter," Aziza recalls. "There
was a lot of smoke ... because we didn't have gas for heat and there
wasn't enough electricity. In the camp it's much better."
Aziza
and Dunya had smiled broadly as we arrived to visit them, but it did
not take long for the trauma of their past year to surface.
In
the middle of a conversation, Aziza's eyes suddenly well up with tears.
"When I see you," she explains, "I remember what happened."
In
the year since they fled their home, the mental and physical health of
Aziza and Dunya's father has deteriorated significantly. He is no longer
able to walk.
During our hour-long
meeting with the family, he sits and stares silently at a wall; the only
time he engages with others is at the mention of his two adult sons,
Fahed and Wahed.
Former ISIS captives get chance for a new life03:13
The two men are believed to have been captured by ISIS back in August 2014. They haven't been heard from since.
"We
don't have time to think about the future right now," says Dunya. "All
we're thinking about now is when my dad will stand up on his feet again,
and when my two brothers will return to us."
A
third brother, Karem, 23, left Iraq shortly after the family's flight
from Mount Sinjar to follow the migrant trail from Turkey into Europe,
paying traffickers to help smuggle him across dangerous seas and
international borders.
The
journey cost his family thousands of dollars and took months, but he
made it to safety eventually; Karem now lives in Hanover, Germany.
In
a video call with CNN, he explains that he spends his days in school
learning German, before working for several hours a night on an assembly
line in a factory.
Asked whether he
misses Iraq and his family home in Sinjar, Karem does not hesitate: "No,
that's gone for me. I lost Iraq and Sinjar."
Instead,
he explains: "I want to build something for myself and my future. I
wasn't able to do anything in Iraq. I'm not going to let this
opportunity go away."
Much of the
responsibility for leading the Hamad clan now falls on the shoulders of
another brother, Thabit, who has a wife and three small children of his
own to care for.
Yazidi woman describes captivity by 'American jihadi'08:36
Squinting
from beneath a blue baseball cap, he says he is grateful to have found
work as a car mechanic in a town just outside the refugee camp.
But he admits he has little hope of moving the family back to their house in Sinjar any time soon.
"Even
if the Peshmerga liberate Sinjar," he says, referring to the Kurdish
military forces, "our return would be very difficult because there is no
electricity, no running water and no services there.
"I think we're going to stay here for at least a year."
Despite
the competing demands on his time, Thabit takes a moment to watch CNN's
footage of his family's flight from Mount Sinjar on board the
helicopter. The images -- and the memories they spark -- leave him
weeping.
"I just want to start a new life," Thabit explains, wiping away tears. "And I want my family to stay safe and to stay together."
Aziza
is now 15 and a little taller than her older sister. More than a year
after her family's escape, she is still haunted by the past.
One
of the few times she truly looked happy during our conversation was
when asked what she would like to do to the men from ISIS who attacked
her family.
"I would stomp on their
heads and kill them," she said with a smile, repeating insistently: "I
would stomp on their heads and kill them."
(Billboard)A Whitney Houston
hologram is coming in 2016 thanks to Pat Houston, President of the
Whitney Houston Estate, and Greek billionaire Alki David, the CEO of
Hologram USA.
The holographic
representation of Whitney Houston will perform in "a major U.S. venue"
for a show that will be beamed to TVs and computers around the world via
David's FilmOn.com, according to a press release. The announcement even
promises a posthumous international tour after the show's U.S. debut.
Pat
Houston had this to say about the partnership that will -- in the words
of the press release -- "bring back" Whitney Houston. "It's a great
opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated
female artists in history and to continue a legacy of performances that
will not be forgotten in years to come. I look forward to the
partnership."
David's
Hologram USA will design the Whitney hologram in partnership with her
estate. Alki David recently made headlines for teaming up with
controversial rapper Chief Keef for his series of attempted holographic concerts.
When
asked about a Whitney hologram in late 2014, Pat Houston expressed
mixed feelings. "I don't know how I would feel about [a hologram] and
certainly I've been approached to do a project of that magnitude, and I
said, 'No.' But who knows what the future holds," she said at the time.
"I mean, it's just been only two and half years. Maybe down the road."
With so much praise from the media and countless reviews from people experiencing success with Adderin,
we at Secret Brain wanted to verify whether this was all hype.
Practically everyone in our building volunteered to test it out, but we
chose our Health & Science Editor, Warren Carter. Below is his
account of using Adderin over a 4 week period.
Ryan and George – BFFs forever.
