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"The debt is not payable. There is no other option. I would love to have an easier option. This is not politics, this is math." Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro García Padilla, said this to the New York Times in a shocking interview just last week where he revealed that the U.S. territory is so far into debt, it may have to default. The island nation, which has a mere 3.6 million people living within its borders, is over $72 billion in debt at the moment, and it's reliance on municipal bonds (which typically fund public projects like road construction and maintenance) has caused government spending to skyrocket. The real problem is that Puerto Rico isn't bringing in enough revenue to pay back its creditors, who happen to be sitting right on Wall Street. According to a report from Busi...

Chances are if you’ve watched the news at any point in the past few years, you’ve seen something about medical marijuana. Previously a taboo subject because of its hallucinogenic properties, marijuana is now being altered for medical use. Another taboo treatment being studied at the moment is Methotrexate (MTX), which has been used as a cancer treatment in the past. However, there recently has been success with using it for rheumatoid arthritis. In the United States alone, 51.2 million people have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, or some form of arthritis by their doctors. Many of those people could be saved from a lot of pain by using new methods of treatment such as MTX and medical marijuana. That is precisely what two studies are attempting to illust...

Natural gas has long been considered a more environmentally friendly fossil fuel than oil, coal and gasoline. However, a new study shows there is enough natural gas leaking across the globe to completely negate its climate benefits. The report, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund and carried out by environmental consulting group ICF International, looked at the amount of natural gas leaking from production sites on federal and tribal land throughout the U.S. It also examined phenomena like venting and flaring, processes in which natural gas producers purposely let gas leak into the atmosphere. According to the UK Guardian, the EDF found that a stunning 65 billion cubic feet had leaked into the air throughout 2013 -- amounting to $360 million in lost gas. “That’s a big waste ...

The shipping industry has always been complicated and expensive, especially when there’s big cargo involved. If you’re shipping a car, for example, you’re going to pay about 60% more just to transport your vehicle in an enclosed carrier rather than an open carrier. Many consumers are willing to take this in stride and either pay the extra money or settle for less vehicle protection on the road -- but one Canadian company took a different approach to the shipping industry, and instead asked how the odious task of shipping big cargo can be simplified so that consumer costs can be cut. Introducing the SL-tainer, a shipping container that has four hydraulic legs and can actually lift itself over five feet high, using pop-out legs, making it easier for loading crews to bring the container ont...

A recently divorced German man has chosen the scorched earth approach after a recent divorce ruling. Many men and women have been ordered by a judge to divide up their assets 50/50, but this disgruntled former husband decided to take that rule a little too literally. A viral video shows an anonymous German man using power tools to cut all of his possessions right down the middle. The video has already racked up two million views and counting in just three days. Hoping to profit off his post-divorce stunt, the bitter ex even posted the items on eBay under the name "Der Juli." Pictures and videos show the man destroying furniture, a flat-screen television, an iPhone, a teddy bear, and even a car. According to a translation, the caption on the YouTube video reads, "Thank you for 12 'beauti...

Rates of sleeping disorders in Australia are at an all-time high, and sleep deprivation is becoming an increasingly alarming issue in our developed world. In a society where being busy or having no time to sleep is the mark of a successful or influential person, it is hard to get people to understand just how important sleep is for their bodies. In 2012 to 2013, some 75,000 people left a hospital with the diagnosis of a sleep disorder, and that’s really just the base of the issues associated with it. Not sleeping is almost as bad for you as smoking cigarettes, and it leads to Alzheimer’s, obesity, poor concentration at work or school, and a host of other issues It also costs $36.4 billion each year in Australia alone. People believe that if they “catch up” on sleep on the weekends, it do...

Many people sit down each year and map out a fitness plan, before falling off the wagon a month or so later and giving up. In the case of one Maryland woman, an attempt to look fit actually cost her her life. Kelly Mayhew passed away after going into cardiac arrest. News reports say this came after she had received silicone injections to her butt in the basement of a home in Rockaway. After the injections, she started struggling to breathe and gurgling. Her mother asked the so-called "doctor" who performed the procedure to call the police, but the phony surgeon instead made a run for it, speeding off in a gray SUV. Mayhew's mother called the police and performed CPR, but Kelly later died at an area hospital. These injections are more common than one would think. In fact, in 2013 alone, s...

If you’re driving through San Francisco any time soon, you’ll likely see at least one billboard reading “WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” Additionally, thanks to the newest legislation approved by city supervisors, soft drink advertisements are now required to warn consumers that too much soda pop could be hazardous to their health, much like the warnings on cigarette boxes. The bill was controversial from the start, according to Bloomberg and Entrepreneur, even though it likely couldn’t have passed in any state other than health-conscious California. The regulations exempt certain sugar-laden drinks, like most coffee beverages, but a new concern has popped up: Starbucks’s infamous Frappucinos, which are realistically mor...

In San Jose, CA, a teenager has been charged with orchestrating a burglary with three known gang members. The twist, however, is that the 17-year-old planned for the others to rob his own home. Simerjeet Singh knew the three gang members from school and is accused of "masterminding" a home invasion. Singh helped Moses Perez Herrera, 17, Alvaro Valdivia, 16, and Moses Noel Torres, 22, get into his home to steal from his father, Bikram Jeet Singh, and other family members. But the family home contained several high-definition surveillance cameras, which caught the burglary on video. Three family members were also home at the time of the robbery. Simerjeet Singh's grandmother, mother and 14-month-old half-sister were in the house when the burglars got in. One of the women heard noises dow...

It's unfortunately a familiar story for many homeowners: they hire a contractor to make home improvements and pay a deposit, but then the contractor never shows. Such was the case for customers in Atlantic County, NJ, who hired ShorePro Contractors. At the beginning of June, a judge ordered the company to pay back $940,000 to customers who paid for work that was never completed. Owner Christopher Molosso, Sr., allegedly demanded $2,000 from one customer for a home renovation permit, even though the fee for the permit had been waived because the home had suffered damage during Hurricane Sandy. In all, ShorePro had violated New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act, the Home Improvement Contractor’s Registration Act, and other regulations a total of 84 times. Many victims, like the homeowner who wa...