3/30/05

All of our chili suppliers report no accidents

To anyone who's worked in fast food...


"Business at Wendy's restaurants has reportedly dropped off sharply in the days since the gruesome finger discovery, particularly at the outlet where the incident occurred and throughout Northern California."

3/21/05

CDC: Rubella eliminated in U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Rubella, a virus that once caused tens of thousands of birth defects and deaths in a single outbreak, has been eliminated from the United States, health officials said on Monday.

But Americans still must vaccinate their children, and women who might get pregnant must still ensure they are immune because the disease exists elsewhere, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
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"During 1964 and 1965 a rubella epidemic in the United States caused an estimated 12.5 million cases of rubella and 20,000 cases of congenital rubella syndrome which led to more than 11,600 babies born deaf, 11,250 fetal deaths, 2,100 neonatal (newborn) deaths, 3,580 babies born blind and 1,800 babies born mentally retarded," the CDC said in a statement.

A vaccine was licensed in 1969 and since then the rubella virus has been included in the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR combined vaccine routinely given to babies and young children.


I remember getting the vaccine in grade school in 1969. All the kids in school lined up and went to the gymnasium for the shot. We all got a special metallic pin afterward.

3/18/05

Does Laura Bush promote abstinence?

Teens who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take chances with other kinds of sex that increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, a study of 12,000 adolescents suggests.
The report by Yale and Columbia University researchers could help explain their earlier findings that teens who pledged abstinence are just as likely to have STDs as their peers.
The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse. That behavior, however, "puts you at risk," said Hannah Brueckner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale and one of the study's authors.

3/17/05

Not your parents' Sea Monkeys

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) -- A military biologist has documented a new species of fairy shrimp in Idaho, one of only four species among hundreds that are longer than one inch (2.54 cm) and eat their relatives, officials said on Wednesday.

Dana Quinney, a biologist with the Idaho National Guard, said the new species most closely resembled "a feathery preying mantis with an attitude."

Unlike the vast majority of fairy shrimp, the new species is armed with spines and ready to rumble with its smaller counterparts, said Quinney, adding, "This guy is a carnivore, grabbing onto little guys and eating them."


Sounds like American Idol...

Author Andre Norton has died at 93.

Norton requested before her death that she not have a funeral service, but instead asked to be cremated along with a copy of her first and last novels.

Born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912, in Cleveland, she wrote more than 130 books in many genres during her career of nearly 70 years. She used a pen name -- which she made her legal name in 1934 -- because she expected to be writing mostly for young boys and thought a male name would help sales.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America recently created the Andre Norton Award for young adult novels, and the first award will be presented in 2006.

3/1/05

Get a pizza

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sony has built the ability to order pizza into its latest online multiplayer game. Type the command "/pizza" while playing Everquest II, a fantasy game with 330,000 active players, and get the Pizza Hut Web site, where you can place orders for delivery. Sony plans to integrate the pizza function more tightly into the game, so players can charge pizza to their monthly game subscription bill.


The next enhancement is "/life"...