Thursday, June 30, 2011

Mosquitoes more attracted to beer drinkers

...And I always thought that alcohol in your bloodstream kept the mosquitoes from biting you.
Trash that idea, it's only a myth.

It might be nice enough to enjoy a pint outside in your part of Canada, but news that mosquitoes are likely to target people with beer in their systems might make you re-think enjoying your favorite patio.
Or at least apply some bug repellent before you head out.
A study, conducted by scientists at the IRD Research Centre in France, shows that insects are 15 per cent more likely to fly toward humans after they have consumed a pint.
The researchers write in Plos One that one possible explanation is, "Mosquitoes may have evolved preferences for people who recently consumed beer - possibly due to reduced host defensive behaviours or highly-nutritious blood-meals."
The team used 25 males from West Africa and had them drink a local brew called Dolo. Mosquitoes were then released into the air and had the option of flying toward open air or the odour of the participant. Before participants drank the beer, only 50 per cent of mosquitoes flew toward the participant's odour. After a beer, the number rose to 65 per cent.
"Beer consumption, as opposed to water consumption, significantly increased both the activation and orientation of An. gambiae," the authors write in Plos One. "We found that beer consumption not only enhanced the number of mosquitoes that engage in odour-mediated upwind flight (mosquito activation) but also enhanced the strength of their odour-mediated anemotactic response (mosquito orientation)."
Researchers also tried the same experiment with water finding that it was six per cent less likely for mosquitoes to fly toward the participants odour after consuming a glass.
They are hoping to use the findings to decrease cases of malaria, a disease that kills 780,000 people worldwide every year.
While malaria may not be a big problem in Canada, it is a good idea to lather on the bug screen when at the cottage enjoying beer.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Ford's absence at Pride ceremony elicits boos

Now I understand a bit why the mayor should show up to something like this, but this is a individual's decision to go and if it comes in the way of his family annual reunion at his cottage, then so be it, family is stronger than a job. At least it should be for most people. I think with or without the mayor there, the event won't change at all, it's not like he's the host of the parade anyways.
Toronto council speaker Frances Nunziata was greeted with boos at the flag-raising ceremony for Toronto's Pride Week as protesters demanded to know why Mayor Rob Ford was not present.
Nunziata was acting as Ford's representative at the noon ceremony at Nathan Phillips Square on Monday, in which she proclaimed Pride Week festivities were officially underway.
But she was drowned out by a handful of protesters at the ceremony who booed as she tried to read the proclamation.
"Where's the mayor?," they yelled. Some were carrying signs with slogans like "you can't hide from us 4eva," and "respect LGBTQ taxpayers."
Nunziata responded by saying those who didn't want to hear her speak "have the right to leave."
'Could have softened the blow'
She said after the meeting that Ford had a "prior commitment" and could not attend the ceremony.
"I don't think people should criticize because you can't be at all places at the same time," she said.
Ford said later that he skipped the flag ceremony for a "private" meeting at the Air Canada Centre with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke.
Last year Burke marched in the parade as a tribute to his son Brendan, who was killed in a car accident. This was just months after his son revealed he was gay. Since then Burke has been fighting homophobic attitudes.
When asked by reporters later on Monday if the meeting had changed his mind, Ford told reporters "One day at a time. Let's take it one day at a time."
Pride organizers say there are seven more days of events that the mayor could attend and add they would be happy if he even made a small appearance to show his support.
Ford's relationship with Pride Week has come under intense scrutiny in recent days after the mayor said he would skip this week's Pride Parade to spend that time with his family at his cottage.
Richard Warner, one of those who shouted down Nunziata, said Ford's decision to not attend the parade was not politically smart, given the size of the city's gay community and how much the event brings to the city's economy. He also lamented Ford's decision not to come to the flag raising ceremony.
"If he had shown up today...he could have softened the blow [of not attending the parade]," said Warner.
The mayor said he still may attend other Pride-related events, but first has to check his schedule.
The Pride Parade will be held on July 3 and is the culmination of the city's well-known Pride Week, a 10-day festival celebrating sexual diversity in downtown Toronto.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Family barbecue ends in stabbing

One woman is in custody and another woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries following a dispute at a family barbecue in Toronto early Sunday morning.
Police said they were called to an east-end home in the Pharmacy Avenue and Danforth Avenue area where there were reports of a stabbing.
Police said they found a woman suffering from at least six wounds to her head and neck. She was taken to hospital were she was treated and released.
The altercation was the result of an ongoing dispute between two sisters.
Meanwhile, the victim's sister has been charged with aggravated assault. Police have not released the names of the victim or of the accused.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sentencing begins in York Region officer's death

A man who struck and killed York Regional Police Det.-Const. Robert Plunkett with a car in 2007 appeared before a sentencing hearing on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, 23-year-old Nadeem Jiwa was convicted of manslaughter in Plunkett's death. Plunkett, a 22-year veteran of the force and a father of three, died in August 2007 while investigating air bag thefts.
Plunkett was trying to arrest Jiwa on a residential street in Markham, Ont. Jiwa, who was driving, reversed the car and pinned Plunkett between a tree and the car's open door.
The Crown has asked for a 12- to 14-year prison sentence for Jiwa, arguing this would reflect the level of community outrage at the death of an officer in the line of duty.
The defence argues a sentence of five to seven years better reflects a crime that was unintentional.
During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Plunkett's family said Jiwa has never shown remorse or sympathy.
"In fact, his family has taken steps to show disdain for the system and have seen him as the victim," said Plunkett's widow Sonja.
York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said the loss of Plunkett has been keenly felt on the force.
"This has been a very long ordeal, not only for the Plunkett family but for York Region Police," he told CBC News.
Jiwa's sentencing hearing will continue on June 29, when he will likely be sentenced.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

'Jackass' star Dunn dies

 "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn, who along with his cast mates made Americans cringe and snicker through vulgar stunts in their multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise, was killed early Monday in a fiery car crash. He was 34.
Dunn, a daredevil who gained notoriety for diving into a sewage tank and performing other unsavoury stunts, was driving his 2007 Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it careered off the road, flipped over a guardrail and crashed into the woods before bursting into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.
The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognizable except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not incinerated. A 100-foot-long tire skid marked where the car left the roadway.
Both Dunn and his passenger were severely burned. Police said they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair, but the identity of his passenger was still unknown.
Dunn appeared on MTV shows "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam" and the three "Jackass" big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, "Homewrecker," and just began hosting the new show "Proving Ground" on the G4 cable network.
G4 spokesman Dave Welch said "Proving Ground," which premiered June 11 with the second episode slated to air Tuesday, was being pulled for now until the network can discuss the show's future.
 "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn, who along with his cast mates made Americans cringe and snicker through vulgar stunts in their multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise, was killed early Monday in a fiery car crash. He was 34.
Dunn, a daredevil who gained notoriety for diving into a sewage tank and performing other unsavoury stunts, was driving his 2007 Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it careered off the road, flipped over a guardrail and crashed into the woods before bursting into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.
The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognizable except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not incinerated. A 100-foot-long tire skid marked where the car left the roadway.
Both Dunn and his passenger were severely burned. Police said they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair, but the identity of his passenger was still unknown.
Dunn appeared on MTV shows "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam" and the three "Jackass" big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, "Homewrecker," and just began hosting the new show "Proving Ground" on the G4 cable network.
G4 spokesman Dave Welch said "Proving Ground," which premiered June 11 with the second episode slated to air Tuesday, was being pulled for now until the network can discuss the show's future.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Car bomb near women's college kills 2 in southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan - Police say a car bomb exploded near a women's college in southwestern Pakistan, killing two people and wounding 12 others.
Police officer Hamid Shakil says the bomb appears to have been detonated Monday by a timing device. The car was parked near a women's college in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
Shakil did not say who is suspected of carrying out the attack or indicate the target.
Baluchistan has experienced frequent attacks by nationalists who demand a greater share of the province's natural resource wealth but car bomb attacks are rare.
The province, which borders Afghanistan, is also widely believed to be home for many Afghan Taliban militants, including the group's leader, Mullah Omar.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Downtown Vancouver ablaze after rioters run amok following Canuck Cup loss

The misery for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans continued with another near miss in their 40th season.
Moments after the 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the frustration and disappointment turned to anger and violence. Only a few blocks from Rogers Arena, cars were overturned, several fires were set, store windows were smashed and people clashed with police as a riot ensued in downtown Vancouver on Monday evening.
What was supposed to be a party in Vancouver turned into violent behaviour after the Canucks came up with another clunker in the seventh and deciding game. They were unable to continue the trend of the home team winning each game.
From the Bruins fourth line to their magnificent goalie, Conn Smythe-winner Tim Thomas, head coach Claude Julien had the better team on this night as Boston celebrated its first championship since 1972.
Thomas made 37 saves for his second shutout of the series and fourth of the postseason. He set a record for the most saves made in a playoffs at 798 and most shots faced at 849 for a .940 save percentage. In the seven-game final, the 37-year-old Thomas recorded a .967 save percentage. Not bad for a ninth-round pick who took almost a decade after he was drafted to make his first appearance in an NHL game.
"I know the game, and I know the way that it is," Thomas said. "Winning the Stanley Cup is huge. It's the biggest accomplishment of my career thus far. But everybody knows in this game that you have to continuously prove yourself.
"I'm sure if I were to, for example, start out the season bad next year that I probably, with the Cup, would have bought myself a little bit of leeway, but it won't last forever unless I turn my game around."
A stunned capacity crowd of 18,860 at Rogers Arena and hundreds of thousands more in the downtown streets watched their Presidents' Trophy-winning team slump offensively with only eight goals in seven games. The Canucks weren't going to become the first Canadian-based team since the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup with such little production.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Racial hoax causes PR headache for McDonald’s

An online hoax that falsely suggests McDonald's discriminates against African-American customers is causing a PR headache for the Golden Arches.
Over the weekend, the photograph above circulated widely on the internet. The image shows what looks like an official McDonald's notice in the window of a restaurant, telling customers that blacks will be charged $1.50 extra "as an insurance measure due in part to a recent string of robberies."
Many internet users retweeted the photo, using the words "Seriously McDonald's," to express their disapproval of the burger chain.
In response, McDonald's sent a tweet of its own on Saturday: "That pic is a senseless & ignorant hoax McD's values ALL our customers. Diversity runs deep in our culture on both sides of the counter."
But that clearly wasn't enough to clear things up, because Twitter users continued to send out the picture, with that same message of condemnation: "Seriously McDonald's." Indeed, so many people sent "Seriously McDonald's" Tweets that the phrase became a leading entry on Twitter's trend list.
That led to a second, blunter McTweet, on Sunday: "That Seriously McDonalds picture is a hoax."
The latest pushback effort seems to have helped keep the photo from spreading too much further--but there's no telling how many people out there still think the photo is for real.
This is hardly the only recent barrage of negative publicity for the burger behemoth--some of it more justified. McDonalds CEO Jim Skinner recently was forced to defend the company's renewed use of the Ronald McDonald mascot to appeal to children, after critics said the restaurant's fat-laden burgers and fries endanger kids' health.
But there's no doubt it's fake. As some Twitter users have pointed out, the toll-free number given at the bottom of the sign is actually the number for ... Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Man dies while raping elderly Texas woman

REFUGIO, Texas - Investigators say a man has died while in the act of raping an elderly South Texas woman.
The Refugio County Sheriff's Office identifies the man as 53-year-old Isabel Chavelo Gutierrez. Sheriff's Sgt. Gary Wright says the incident happened June 2 after he rode two miles by bicycle from his home to that of his 77-year-old victim in the tiny coastal community of Tivoli.
He says the man, weighing between 230 and 250 pounds, sneaked into the woman's house and raped her at knifepoint. During the attack, he said he wasn't feeling well, rolled over and died. His body was sent to the Nueces County medical examiner in Corpus Christi for autopsy.
Gutierrez was a registered sexual offender on parole from a sentence for aggravated sexual assault and indecency with a child.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Suspected Ontario E. coli case linked to Germany

An Ontario man who consumed local produce on a trip to Germany earlier this spring has Canada's first suspected case of E. coli linked to the deadly outbreak in Europe.
Initial testing has confirmed the presence of the toxin compatible with the E. coli outbreak overseas, but it will take a few more days for further lab tests to confirm the case of the super strain, Ontario's chief medical officer of health said Monday.
"This is an adult male who recently returned from Germany and who was clearly exposed to this infection while there," Dr. Arlene King said in an interview. "He's doing well, and the followup is continuing with him."
The man, who is from Peel Region west of Toronto, has been released from hospital, King said. She did not provide his age or any other details about him, citing privacy concerns.
King said the risk to the public is low and stressed that people should practise good hygiene, particularly after using the bathroom, handling animals and before preparing food or eating.
The European outbreak was initially attributed to Spanish cucumbers but officials later ruled them out. Suspicion was then cast on sprouts from Germany, but authorities backtracked again
Monday, though they stopped short of giving sprouts a clean bill of health.
The strain that is responsible for the German outbreak has never been detected before by researchers and has various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing.
The bug has killed 22 people and sickened some 2,330 others in Europe. More than 630 of the victims are hospitalized with a rare, serious complication that can lead to kidney failure, but there's no evidence the Canadian man suffered kidney damage, said King.
A Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said no other E. coli cases have been reported elsewhere in the country. The U.S. has reported four suspected case linked to the European outbreak.
King expected more cases could surface in Canada.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

1 man's success revives hope of curing AIDS, 30 years after first cases appeared in the US

Sunday marks 30 years since the first AIDS cases were reported in the United States. And this anniversary brings fresh hope for something many had come to think was impossible: finding a cure.
The example is Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco, the first person in the world apparently cured of AIDS. His treatment isn't practical for wide use, but there are encouraging signs that other approaches might someday lead to a cure, or at least allow some people to control HIV without needing medication every day.
"I want to pull out all the stops to go for it," though cure is still a very difficult goal, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
For now, the focus remains on preventing new infections. With recent progress on novel ways to do that and a partially effective vaccine, "we're starting to get the feel that we can really get our arms around this pandemic," Fauci said.
Nearly 30 million people have died of AIDS since the first five cases were recognized in Los Angeles in 1981.
About 34 million people have HIV now, including more than 1 million in the United States.
About 2 million people die of the disease each year, mostly in poor countries that lack treatment. In the U.S. though, newly diagnosed patients have a life expectancy only a few months shorter than people without HIV. Modern drugs are much easier to take, and many patients get by on a single pill a day.
But it wasn't that way in 1995, when Brown, an American working as a translator in Berlin, learned he had HIV. He went on and off medicines because of side effects but was holding his own until 2006, when he was diagnosed with leukemia, a problem unrelated to HIV. Chemotherapy left him so sick he had to be put into a coma to allow his body to recover.
"They didn't know if I'd survive that," Brown said.
Now 45, Brown needs no medicines, and his only health problems are from the mugging he suffered two years ago as he returned home one night in Berlin. Brown was knocked unconscious, required brain surgery and therapy to walk and talk again, and doesn't have full use of one arm. He moved back to the United States in December.
"He's now four years off his antiretroviral therapy and we have no evidence of HIV in any tissue or blood that we have tested," even places where the virus can lie dormant for many years, Huetter said.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Mexico charges 73 in Tamaulipas mass grave deaths

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government charged 73 suspects Wednesday in the killings of 183 people whose bodies were recovered during April in mass graves near the U.S. border, prosecutors said.
The defendants were booked in different jails in Mexico while waiting to see a federal judge, said Ricardo Najera, spokesman for federal Attorney General's Office.
The government had in the past weeks announced the detention of 74 people, including several police officers who allegedly protected gang members, but Najera said no one had been charged until Wednesday. He said more suspects were in custody of the federal government pending charges, but he didn't know the number.
It wasn't clear which specific crimes the 73 suspects were charged with, but officials said they were related to the grisly discovery of 183 corpses in San Fernando, a town 85 miles (137 kilometres) from the border at Brownsville, Texas.
The excavations in the border state of Tamaulipas shocked Mexicans around the country, who filed dozens of missing-person reports as the horrifying tale of the mass graves unfolded.
Federal officials said most of the victims were Mexicans looking to migrate to the United States in March, but who instead were kidnapped off passenger buses and killed. The government has identified only 12 victims so far — one a Guatemalan man, the rest Mexican.
Authorities blamed the Zetas gang, a vicious drug-trafficking organization suspected of forcefully recruiting migrants to fight the formerly allied Gulf cartel. Those who refused are killed.
Mass graves are a common method used by Mexican drug cartels to bury their victims.
In the northern state of Durango, authorities have unearthed 226 bodies since April 11 in residential neighbourhoods in the state capital, also called Durango. The latest three bodies were removed this week, Fernando Rios, spokesman for the state police, said Wednesday. Excavations continue.
The mass cases in Tamaulipas and Durango don't appear to be connected, officials have said.
A top federal police official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said recently that the killings in Durango stem from an internal bloody battle for power within the same gang — the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Durango borders the state of Sinaloa, the cartel's home base, and the gang keeps a strong presence in the vast region close to the Sierra Madre Mountains.
In another drug-related incident in the Sinaloa state capital, Culiacan, the Mexican army said Wednesday that soldiers found $500,000 in cash inside a sport utility vehicle that a drug suspect abandoned alongside a highway.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

[UPDATE] Stepmother charged in Brampton boy's death

The wife of a Brampton, Ont., man who is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of his 10-year-old son has now been charged with manslaughter.
Nichelle Rowe Boothe, 28, was formally charged on Tuesday morning in connection with the death of Shakeil Boothe, her stepson.
The boy's father, Garfield Boothe, 31, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in his son's death and also faces one count of failing to provide the necessities of life.
Nichelle Boothe appeared in court on Tuesday. Her bail hearing is set for June 8 and she is prohibited from having contact with her husband.
Garfield Boothe also made a court appearance on Tuesday. He was not granted bail and his next scheduled court appearance is set for June 14 via video link.
"Obviously he's upset, he's grieving the loss of his son," Boothe's lawyer Luc Leclaire said outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
The boy was found dead Friday in a house on Homeland Court, located in the Dixie Road and Howden Drive area of Brampton.
The investigation began Friday when police responded to a 911 call shortly after 5 p.m. and found the child unresponsive in the home.
The boy was declared dead at the scene. Police said an autopsy was conducted on Saturday. Results have not been released.
Police have been canvassing the neighbourhood where the couple lived as part of their investigation. The Boothes have an eight-month-old baby.
Staff at Hanover Public School, where Shakeil was a student, said the boy's father withdrew him from school in January.

100 Followers!!!

Wow!
I actually have 100 followers I didn't think this day would come. Now I'm more motivated than ever to keep this blog rolling on it's wheels. I just want to let you all and I hope you guys stick around because I'm not going anywhere. :)