11 New York infants infected with herpes through ritual in Jewish circumcision - called "oral-genital suction" -

11 New York infants infected with herpes through ritual in Jewish circumcision - called "oral-genital suction" - 




The practice of "oral-genital suction" performed during some Orthodox Jewish circumcision ceremonies could leave the infant with a potentially fatal herpes virus infection, health officials warn.
New York City and federal health authorities issued a public advisory Thursday cautioning against the sucking practice because it has been linked to 11 infants becoming infected with the herpes simplex virus type 1 since 2000. Ten of the infected newborns were hospitalized, two developed brain damage and two died, the health officials said.
A newborn can become infected when the adult performing the circumcision places his mouth on the circumcision wound to siphon blood away from the cut. The ritual is only embraced by a handful of sects within the Orthodox Jewish community, according to New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley.
"There is no safe way to perform oral suction on any open wound in a newborn," Farley said in a news release. "Parents considering ritual Jewish circumcision need to know that circumcision should only be performed under sterile conditions, like any other procedures that create open cuts, whether by mohelim [the circumciser] or medical professionals."
A report on the infections also appears in the June 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Almost 80 percent of adults carry the herpes simplex virus type 1, which is usually spread orally through common activities and is different from the sexually transmitted type 2 version of the virus. The common cold sore is a typical sign of infection with the herpes simplex virus type 1, but most people don't know they are infected because they have no history of symptoms, officials said.
In six of the 11 circumcision cases, health care providers confirmed that the suction ritual had taken place, although there was evidence of a connection in the other five cases. The ritual more than tripled the risk of infection among newborns getting circumcised, the CDC report stated.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/08/11-new-york-infants-infected-with-herpes-through-ritual-in-jewish-circumcision/

Shocking figures show one U.S. soldier commits suicide EVERY DAY -

Shocking figures show one U.S. soldier commits suicide EVERY DAY - 




Suicides are surging among America’s troops, averaging nearly one a day this year – the fastest pace in the nation’s decade of war.
The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year far outdistance the U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan – about 50 per cent more – according to Pentagon statistics obtained by The Associated Press.
The numbers reflect a military burdened with wartime demands from Iraq and Afghanistan that have taken a greater toll than foreseen a decade ago. The military also is struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and other misbehavior.
Because suicides had leveled off in 2010 and 2011, this year’s upswing has caught some officials by surprise.


Read more -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156250/Suicides-U-S-troops-hit-DAY.html

The $4,000 Bulletproof Polo Shirt - For the man who lives dangerously -

The $4,000 Bulletproof Polo Shirt - For the man who lives dangerously - 



































For the man who lives dangerously -- but still wants to look devil-may-care -- Colombian designer Miguel Caballero offers a polo shirt with a little something extra up its sleeve: It's bulletproof. The 4-pound shirt's antiballistic panels promise to shield the wearer from a range of weaponry, though a version designed to withstand an Uzi costs a bit more than the one made to fend off a 9mm (prices range from $3,000 to $4,000 a shirt). The company, which calls itself the "Armani of bulletproof clothing," says its clothes are proven to work. In fact, most of its employees have been shot at while wearing the garments -- it's part of the orientation process. Don't worry. A spokesperson assures us there have been no work-related casualties.


No doubt even those in the highest-risk professions appreciate casual Fridays, but experts say Caballero wearers are paying dearly for the sartorial flair: Other companies sell vests offering the same level of protection for less than a third of the price. Plus, we can't help but wonder, who wants to spend weekends kicking back in a 4-pound T-shirt? (Caballero says bodyguards, heads of state and other VIPs are its primary market.) Still, even though the company's website declares, "Yes, it's bulletproof," there is a fine distinction here. The National Institute of Justice, which rates body-armor products, actually approves it for protection against some firearms -- but not heavy-duty guns like rifles or AK-47s. A company general manager says, "Bullet-resistant is more accurate."


Read more -
http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/dumbmoney/the-4000-bulletproof-polo-shirt-1337188343468/

Have lasers located Lost City of Gold sought by conquistadors in 1500s? -

Have lasers located Lost City of Gold sought by conquistadors in 1500s? - 






Underneath the thick, virgin rainforest cover in the Mosquitia region of Honduras, archaeologists have discovered ruins they think may be the lost city of Ciudad Blanca. 


Legends say the "White City" is full of gold, which is why conquistador Hernando Cortes was among the first Ciudad Blanca seekers in the 1500s. But the method the modern researchers used was a little different from previous explorers' techniques. The modern-day researchers flew over the area in a small plane and shot billions of laser pulses at the ground, creating a 3D digital map of the topology underneath the trees.


This is one of the first times this technique, called light detection and ranging (LiDAR), has been used to map ancient ruins. Beyond archaeology, LiDAR researchers at the National Science Foundation are looking to develop the technology for mapping disasters using drones, for military spying and for tracking erosion under rivers and shallow parts of the ocean.


Before LiDAR improved enough for their work, archaeologists discovered ruins the old-fashioned way — by hacking through forests using machetes. LiDAR is faster and cheaper. It's been gaining ground since 2009, when a U.S. archaeology team working on Mayan ruins first used the technology to peer beneath 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) of forest canopy in Belize. After four days of laser scanning, team members discovered buildings and agricultural fields they hadn't found in 25 years of study. The team was supported by the then-newly-created National Science Foundation organization for LiDAR science, the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. [10 Modern Tools for Indiana Jones]


Airborne LiDAR works by sending more than 100,000 short laser pulses to the ground every second while a plane flies over the area of interest. The laser light hits the ground, then returns to the aircraft. The time it takes for the light to make the back-and-forth trip tells researchers the altitude of points on the ground.


The technology is able to detect height differences of less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) and maps to GPS coordinates within 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters). "It's within a step, in many cases," said Bill Carter, University of Houston engineer who develops LiDAR systems for the National Science Foundation.


The Belize archaeology work and the new Honduras findings both used the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping's LiDAR system. There was one major difference between the two projects, however. At the Belize site, researchers thought it was likely there would be new ruins there. They used the LiDAR to scan regions surrounding structures they had already uncovered. On the other hand, in the new study in Honduras, researchers were running on just a hunch — and plenty of private funding.


Cinematographer Steven Elkins has been fascinated with the Ciudad Blanca stories for more than a decade. He previously analyzed satellite imagery of the Mosquitia forest, looking for signs of the city. As LiDAR improved, he gathered private investors to pay for the National Science Foundation's laser mapping center to analyze three areas he thought were especially promising. Elkins had originally approached the Honduran government with his idea, but government officials said they knew the forest well and there wasn't anything there, Carter said.


Over several days, National Science Foundation engineers flew over about 60 square miles (160 square kilometers) of forest for Elkins in their dual-engine Cessna planes. At the end of every day, they sent the data to Carter, who was working out of West Virginia. Carter found the first signs of what appeared to be human-made structures within five minutes of analyzing the data, he said. [Archaeology's Tech Revolution Since Indiana Jones]


"I'm the only person right now on the planet that knows that there's these ruins," Carter recalled thinking when he saw what he said were straight lines and right angles that don't normally appear in nature. "My wife walked in and looked over my shoulder and she was the second person to know."


Carter sent his analysis back to the archaeologists in Honduras, who agreed the structures were man-made. Now, Elkins, along with a team of Honduran scientists, will visit the structures in person and determine what they are and how old they are. The LiDAR coordinates will help them pinpoint exactly where to look in the thick jungle.


Carter said he found his involvement in discovering the Honduras ruins exciting, but the National Science Foundation's LiDAR center is looking to do much more with the technology.


So far, center researchers have used LiDAR to map to the ground to assess flooding risk and to find new fault lines in California. They've pinged Floridian citrus groves with lasers to check on the trees' health. Healthy tree leaves reflect a different quality of light back to LiDAR sensors than do sick trees, Carter explained.


The science agency also recently developed a laser that uses green light, which is able to map features underneath shallow water. Biologists want to use this technology to investigate fish spawning grounds, Carter said, while land managers may use a water-LiDAR to keep an eye on erosion.


In the future, the center hopes to develop smaller, lighter, less expensive LiDAR that is able to ride in unmanned robotic aircraft. The drones could spy for the military, go on a tough Arctic mapping expedition or assess conditions after disasters, such as earthquakes or hurricanes.


"As we look in the future, we see the ability to use these types of systems to map the entire Earth," Carter told InnovationNewsDaily. "Certainly all the land areas and shallow coasts."






Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/06/08/lasers-help-discover-lost-city-gold-sought-by-conquistadors-in-1500s/?intcmp=features

Swanky UK retailer's new ads show models wetting themselves -

Swanky UK retailer's new ads show models wetting themselves - 




Swanky British retailer Harvey Nichols provoked controversy Friday by using models who look like they have wet themselves for its latest advertising campaign. 


The ads, which are officially launched Monday, feature smartly-dressed, stony-faced men and women with wet patches on their clothing, along with the advice, "Try to contain your excitement." 


Users of the social networking site Twitter are already describing the annual sale campaign as "absolutely disgusting" and "crazy", or simply asking "WTF?!"  


Others see less of a problem. "I don't know what people are complaining about," one wrote. 


Julia Bowe, marketing director for the store, played down the reaction to the ads, describing them as merely a "humorous reaction to the often-irrational excitement sale time engenders."


Read more - 
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/18738995/swanky-uk-retailers-new-ads-show-models-wetting-themselves

Zombie Bullets In High Demand Following Flesh-Eating Attacks -

Zombie Bullets In High Demand Following Flesh-Eating Attacks - 




Talk about zombies and a possible zombie apocalypse has increased due to recent gory accounts of drug-induced, flesh-eating attacks in the news.


Stores across the U.S., including in Metro Detroit, are getting in on the undead action by selling Zombie Bullets, made by Hornady Manufacturing.


In promoting the product on their website, Hornady suggests, “Be PREPARED – supply yourself for the Zombie Apocalypse with Zombie Max ammunition from Hornady! Loaded with PROVEN Z-Max bullets… MAKE DEAD PERMANENT!”


So, will this ammunition actually defend against the things that go bump in the night?


WWJ Newsradio 950′s Zahra Huber spoke with company spokesman, Everett Deger, who said, while the bullets are real, they’re only meant to be used on targets and not on people (or zombies).


Deger said company president Steve Hornady came up with the idea for Zombie Max bullets because of his love for zombie movies and shows.


“After it gained some acceptance among some of us here in the company got on board with the idea we decided just to have some fun with a marketing plan that would allow us to create some ammunition designed for that … fictional world,” Deger said.


He said the Zombie Max and Z-Max bullets are Hornady’s most successful products.

Read more -
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/06/07/zombie-bullets-in-high-demand-following-flesh-eating-attacks/

What Could Turn YOU Into A Drug Crazed Flesh Eater? Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Bath Salts -

What Could Turn YOU Into A Drug Crazed Flesh Eater? Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Bath Salts - 


The term “bath salts” has gotten constant buzz ever since a Miami man was reportedly on the mysterious drug last month when he turned into a flesh-eating zombie and ripped off a homeless man’s face.


Despite the intense investigation and media outrage over the attack, many people are still in the dark over what bath salts really are, so RadarOnline.com has compiled an essential guide to the dangerous drug that is sweeping the country.


PHOTOS: Stars Who OD'd


7. Don’t let the name deceive you, these “salts” have nothing to do with bathing, sweet-smelling bubbles or pampering. Bath salts is a term made up by drug dealers as a cover to make their deadly cocktail sound safe and innocent, other similar products are dubbed with a wide variety of pseudonyms including Plant Food, Ivory Wave, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Scarface and Hurricane Charlie.
6. Known as synthetic cathinones, the drugs are made up of three main chemicals -  methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MPDV), mephedrone and pyrovalerone - which were all temporarily banned by the Drug Enforcement Agency last October due to the alarming number of ER visits and criminal acts related to the narcotics. But while the chemicals are banned, the actual drugs they are made into aren’t because the formulas are changed so quickly, and many of the little white packages are stamped with the warning, “not for human consumption,” as a way to side–step legal regulations.


5. While you won't find this kind of bath salts at Bed, Bath & Beyond or CVS, they are readily and alarmingly available at liquor stores, gas stations, head shops and even mini-marts like 7-11, and can be purchased as easily as beer, cigarettes or energy drinks.


4. Rudy Eugene’s startling transformation from a loving Bible-reading boyfriend to a crazed cannibal is the most extreme example of the drug, but the most common side effects are equally as disturbing and include agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, chest pain, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis. It is common for users – like Eugene who was found naked - to strip off because the chemical cocktail increases their body temperature and makes them feel like their internal organs are literally boiling.


3. Along with the gruesome attack on Ronald Poppo, bath salts have been connected to a number of violent acts, including a murder-suicide in Blue Springs, Missouri last month that left two adults and two children dead. Described by some victims as like “sniffing demons up your nose,” the drug causes increased super human strength and the urge to take the lives of others and often your own, and there has been incidences of suicide even days after their use.


2. Unlike meth or cocaine, which they are often compared to, it is not yet known if bath salts are chemically addictive long-term, but they do cause cravings and acute toxicity when snorted, injected, or mixed with food and drink.


1. Google it! The Internet age has made the job of drug dealers and traffickers much easier, DEA spokesperson Barbara Carreno told RadarOnline.com, and that of narcotics enforcers much harder. “Many of these new designer drugs are made here in the U.S. in towns and cities across the country as all the formulas and ingredients are readily available online,” she revealed.


Read more - 
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/06/bath-salts-what-are-zombie-flesh-eater-designer-drug

Obese woman's body fat causes Austrian crematorium to burn down -

Obese woman's body fat causes Austrian crematorium to burn down - 


A devastating fire which gutted a crematorium in southern Austria was caused by an obese woman's excessive body fat blocking an air filter, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.
The fire occurred at the facility in the city of Graz in mid-April. Firefighters had trouble extinguishing the blaze due to a thick layer of insulation lining the crematorium's walls.
Austrian officials investigating the fire found that it was caused by the burning body of the 440-pound woman. The obese corpse reportedly led to overheating in the crematorium's filter system, triggering the blaze.
Other recent fires caused by the burning of obese bodies were reported in Germany and Switzerland.
Former Graz city fire chief Otto Widetschek said special crematoria for obese people should be set up in Austria to deal with the potential dangers of cremating obese bodies.
"In Switzerland, there is now a special crematorium for XXL-bodies," he told ORF earlier this week.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/06/obese-woman-body-fat-causes-austrian-crematorium-to-burn-down/?intcmp=obnetwork

When the Chinese Central Bank cut interest rates... It's Time to Worry -

When the Chinese Central Bank cut interest rates... It's Time to Worry - 






The surprise decision by China’s central bank to cut interest rates on June 7 shows increasing nervousness about the state of the economy. While most economists were predicting a rate reduction sometime this year, the suddenness of this latest move reveals just how antsy China’s officials are getting.


“As the first rate cut since Dec 2008, the surprise move sends a strong signal that the government will be more active in supporting demand and stabilizing growth,” wrote Citi Investment Research & Analysis Hong Kong analysts Shuang Ding, Minggao Shen, and Serena Wang in a June 7 note. “We see this as a shift of monetary policy tone that would help lower borrowing costs and improve confidence, increasing the chance for the economy to bottom in Q2 and rebound in Q3.” (Citi Investment Research & Analysis is part of Citigroup Global Markets.)


The People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, announced it was cutting its benchmark interest rates by 25 basis points, with 12-month lending rates falling from 6.56 percent to 6.31 percent and deposit rates dropping from 3.5 percent to 3.25 percent. Although reserve ratio requirements for Chinese banks have already been reduced three times since last November, today’s cut is the first time China has moved interest rates since raising them (also by 25 basis points) last July.


“The interest rate cut came in as a surprise to the market. Most people were expecting more [bank reserve ratio] cuts” before a move on interest rates, wrote Shanghai-based Standard Chartered economist Wei Li in a June 7 note. “Economic growth and new loan extension data (due this Saturday) must have remained very weak in May, triggering the PBoC to front-load interest rate cuts.”


And while before banks were allowed to lend at a 10 percent discount to the benchmark rate, now they will be able to offer a 20 percent discount. Banks now can also offer savers up to 1.1 times the benchmark savings rate. “The symmetric cuts to both lending and saving benchmark interest rates indicate that the authorities still care to protect banks’ profitability,” wrote Wei Li. “However, the increased flexibilities for banks to decide on actual rates they offer to customers suggest that the PBoC wants to make a step forward toward a more market-oriented interest rate system.”


Don’t expect today’s surprise move to be the last interest rate action. Despite recent announcements that Beijing intends to boost the economy by subsidizing consumer purchases of energy-efficient appliances and speeding up approval of infrastructure projects in steel, energy, water treatment, and other areas, most economists predict more moves by China’s central bank later this year.


Read more - 
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-07/when-the-chinese-cut-rates-its-time-to-worry

Can You Answer 25 Difficult Questions That The Mainstream Media Does Not Seem To Have Answers To? -

Can You Answer 25 Difficult Questions That The Mainstream Media Does Not Seem To Have Answers To? - 




The mainstream news just seems to get sillier and shallower with each passing day.  Our world is becoming incredibly unstable, corruption is everywhere, we are on the verge of another massive economic crisis, government debt is absolutely exploding, war could erupt in the Middle East at any time and signs of deep social decay are everywhere and yet the mainstream media seems absolutely obsessed with reporting on celebrities and scandals.  It would be nice if the mainstream media would do a lot more true investigative reporting and would actually try to answer some of the difficult questions that we are being faced with.  Unfortunately, most of what passes for “news” these days is essentially just “infotainment”.  That is one of the reasons why we have seen such a surge in the popularity of alternative news outlets in recent years.  People are searching for the truth, and they know that they are not getting much of it from the mainstream media these days.


One thing that I enjoy doing is pointing out some of the really silly stories that pass for “news” these days.  Let’s take a quick look at some of the headlines on the front pages of some of the biggest news sites on the Internet right now….


CNN


“Is this baby doll really saying b****?”


“Toddler accidentally served vodka”


“Elton John frets over Gaga”


MSNBC


“Zimmerman stocks up on Cheetos in jail”


“Axl Rose robbed of $200,000 worth of jewelry”


“Taco Bell may take on Chipotle with ‘Cantina’ menu”


Fox News


“Custom Car Builder Claims Hot Wheels Stole His Truck”


“Lighter Side of ‘Tanning Mom’”


“Nudist expo bares all in naked tourist industry”


It must be a slow news day, right?


Wrong.


Our world is changing faster than ever before and bombshell stories are breaking at a pace that is really hard to keep up with.


Sadly, the mainstream media in the United States is pretty much a total joke at this point.


But that doesn’t mean that the rest of us can’t ask the important questions and search for the important answers.


Can you answer these 25 questions that the mainstream media in the United States does not seem to have answers to?….


1 – What in the world was Mitt Romney doing at the Bilderberg Group conference?  Reporter Charlie Skelton claims that he has four different eyewitnesses that saw Romney there….


Four eyewitnesses on the hotel staff told me Willard Mitt Romney was here at Bilderberg 2012. My four eyewitnesses place him inside. That’s one more than Woodward and Bernstein used. Romney’s office initially refused to confirm or deny his attendance as Bilderberg is “not public”. They later said it was not him.


2 – Is the financial crisis in Europe ultimately going to result in the creation of a new “European superstate” dominated by Germany?


3 – Shouldn’t we be alarmed that a thousand tons of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is being poured into the Pacific Ocean every single day?


4 – Why is the mainstream media in the United States so silent about the grave threat that Fukushima reactor number 4poses to the entire northern hemisphere?


5 – Why are radiation levels in the rain falling in southern California five times above normal?


6 – The CDC is located in Atlanta, Georgia.  A number of people down in Georgia have recently been attacked by flesh-eating bacteria.  Is there any connection?


7 – Why is the EPA now using drones to spy on farmers in Nebraska and Iowa?


8 – Is the Obama administration actually going to take military action against Syria before the November election?


9 – Are we on the verge of seeing World War III erupt in the Middle East?


10 – Why has Citigroup been put in charge of issuing “digital-identity badges” to individuals that work for Defense Department contractors?


11 – Why are “pre-crime” cameras being installed in mass transit locations all over the United States? Just check out the following example….


A new breed of security cameras can supposedly detect terrorism and crime without a human judgment call–and mass transit agencies are shelling out big bucks for the product. San Francisco’s Municipal Transit Authority, which oversees the city’s MUNI trains, has signed a contract with security firm BRS Labs to deploy cameras to 12 subway stations that use algorithms and machine learning techniques to spot anomalous behavior.


12 – Why is the Department of Homeland Security monitoring the use of hundreds of different keywords on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter?


13 – Why are smart meters being aggressively pushed down the throats of American consumers when most people don’t want them in their homes?


14 – What does the fact that “organized shoplifting” is rapidly rising in America say about the level of social decay in our nation?


15 – Why has the U.S. Congress been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on printing costs related to meaningless declarations?  The following is from a recent Daily Caller article….


The U.S. Senate has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on printing costs associated with passing simple resolutions declaring observances such as “National Chess Day,” “National Safe Digging Month” and the “Year of Water.”


16 – Why was the U.S. government spending 20 million dollars to develop a Pakistani version of Sesame Street?


17 – Why aren’t Americans being warned that the share of the U.S. national debt per person is on pace to triple by the year 2037?


18 – Why are parents being arrested for cheering at high school graduation ceremonies?


19 – Why did swarms of large spiders suddenly attack large numbers of people attending a religious festival in one town in India recently?….


It may sound like a B-grade horror movie, but residents of the town of Sadiya, in Assam state, say that on the evening of May 8 as they were celebrating a Hindu festival swarms of spiders suddenly appeared and attacked them, The Times of India reported.


Over the next few days two people — a man, Purnakanta Buragohain, and an unnamed school boy — died after being bitten by the spiders. Scores more turned up at the town’s hospital with spider bites.


20 – Why have there been so many “cannibalism incidents” in the United States lately?


21 – Why does the United Nations want to govern the Internet?  Why aren’t more people getting upset about their attempted power grab?


22 – Why has Planned Parenthood been allowed to set up a clinic inside a high school in Los Angeles?


23 – Why is the U.S. military developing a plan to implant microchips into our soldiers?


24 – Why are some schools in Texas planning to use RFID tracking chips to monitor the movement of their students?  Just check out what one school district down in the San Antonio area has planned….


Northside Independent School District plans to track students next year on two of its campuses using technology implanted in their student identification cards in a trial that could eventually include all 112 of its schools and all of its nearly 100,000 students.


25 – Why have TSA agents been caught committing so many crimes?  The following is what one member of Congressrecently had to say about a new report detailing dozens of serious crimes that TSA agents have committed in recent years….


“TSA needs to immediately remove themselves from the human resource business. This report details highly disturbing cases where pedophiles and child pornographers wearing federal law enforcement uniforms are not only patting down unsuspecting travelers, but in many cases stealing valuables from their bags. Enough is enough. It’s time for Congress to step in and demand accountability from Administrator Pistole”


Do you have any other difficult questions that should be added to this list?


Please leave a comment with your feedback below….


Read more - 
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Can_You_Answer_25_Difficult_Questions_That_The_Mainstream_Media_Does_Not_Seem_To_Have_Answers_To%3F_/19849/0/0/0/Y/M.html