Beware & Protect Yourself 03 (Sep 10 - Dec 14)

[winston]

Tapioca pearls in bubble tea contain carcinogens: German study

German health authorities and researchers have come out swinging recently against the Taiwanese drink bubble tea, warning that the popular dessert beverage presents a choking hazard to children and may contain cancer-causing chemicals.

The warnings, released separately, come as Europe, and Germany in particular, begin to catch on to the bubble tea trend which has already swept major urban centers in North America to become a popular dessert beverage.

After analyzing the tapioca balls which make up the ‘bubbles' in the drink, researchers from the University Hospital Aachen, for instance, found that the pearls contained polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs such as styrene, acetophenone, and brominated substances, chemicals that shouldn't be in food at all, researchers told German paper The Local.

Samples were taken from an unnamed chain in Mönchengladbach, in northwest Germany and the tapioca balls were made in Taiwan.

The study comes on the heels of a public health warning from the country's German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment earlier this month, which warned that the tapioca balls also present a choking risk to children.

"Especially with children aged up to four years, there is a risk of foreign objects accidentally entering the lungs," said Dr. Andreas Hensel in a statement. "And that is precisely what can happen when the bubbles are sucked up through a straw."

Meanwhile, the institute says no bubble tea-related accidents have yet been reported.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/tapioca-pearls ... 58555.html

[winston]

Be wary of deadly spiders

Three women in KL turned up at hospitals over a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms - fever, chills, vomiting, followed by muscular collapse, paralysis and finally,death.

There were no outward signs of trauma. Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know each other, and seemed to have nothing in common.

It was discovered, however, that they had all visited a same restaurant along Jalan Kuchai Lama within days of their deaths. The health department descended on the restaurant, shutting it down. The food, water and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.

The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check. She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom.

That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove up to the restaurant, went into the restroom and lifted the toilet seat. Under the seat, out of normal view, was a small spider. The spider was captured and brought back to the lab,where it was determined to be the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its reddened flesh color.

This spider's venom is extremely toxic but can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

Several days later, a lawyer from JB showed up at a hospital emergency room.. Before his death, he told the doctor that he had been away on business, had taken a flight from Indonesia , changing planes in Singapore , before returning home.

He did not visit the restaurant while there. He did, as did all of the other victims, have what was determined to be a puncture wound, on his right buttock.

Investigators discovered that the flight he was on had originated in India .. The Civilian Aeronautics Board (CAB) ordered an immediate inspection of the toilets of all flights from India , and discovered the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata) spider's nests on four different planes!

It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the region. So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for spiders.

[winston]

Photocopy the content of your wallet and save time later!

Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine.

Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc., so you will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call to cancel.

Keep the photocopy in a safe place. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed using your name, address, SS#, credit, etc. To limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.

As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call.

Keep those where you can find them easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

Source: www.wisdomtips.com

[winston]

Amazing Mind Reader Reveals His Secret

A Belgian mind reader shocked random participants with his dead-on readings of their most personal information.

Things got even crazier when he revealed the secret behind his gift.

http://www.mindbendingvideos.com/amazin ... is-secret/

[winston]

UK nitrogen cocktail drinker has stomach removed

LONDON (Reuters) - British surgeons removed a teenager's stomach to save her life after she drank a cocktail made with liquid nitrogen during a night out with friends, police said.

The 18-year-old woman, named by newspapers as Gaby Scanlon, complained of breathlessness and gastric pain before being rushed to a hospital in the northern English city of Lancaster on Thursday where she was diagnosed with a perforated stomach.

Scanlon is currently in serious but stable condition, local police said in a statement over the weekend.

"Medical opinion is that this would have proved fatal had the operation not been carried out urgently," police said.

When exposed to air, liquid nitrogen creates a dense fog and is used by bartenders and chefs to add an element of visual drama to dishes or to freeze things quickly, such as ice cream.

It is also used for removing warts and has industrial uses. Contact with flesh can cause cryogenic burn or "frostbite".

Professor of food physics at Leeds University Malcolm Povey said liquid nitrogen should not be consumed while still liquid, as it turns into a gas inside the body and causes the stomach to swell and burst.

"The liquid nitrogen would rapidly change into gas and blow the stomach up like a balloon... the idea that people put this stuff in drinks is just unbelievable," Povey told Reuters.

The bar which served the drink has stopped selling all liquid nitrogen drinks, said police, who are investigating the incident.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/uk-nitrogen-co ... ector.html

[winston]

Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen and William Bi

“The manure the Chinese use to feed fish is frequently contaminated with microbes like salmonella,” says Doyle, who has studied foodborne diseases in China.

Yang Shuiquan, chairman of a government-sponsored tilapia aquaculture association in Lianjiang, 200 kilometers from Yangjiang, says he discourages using feces as food because it contaminates water and makes fish more susceptible to diseases.

He says a growing number of Guangdong farmers adopt that practice anyway because of fierce competition.

“Many farmers have switched to feces and have stopped using commercial feed,” he says.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-1 ... umers.html

[winston]

Pulled Over By The Police?

Being pulled over by a police officer can be as stressful for the officer as it is for the motorist.

Although the majority of people are law-abiding citizens, a police officer must still be overly cautious during all traffic stops. Here are a few tips to follow when being stopped by the police.

1. Pull off of the road as far to the right as safely possible.

2. Stay in your vehicle unless asked to get out.

3. Turn on the interior light if the stop occurs at night.

4. Keep both hands on the steering wheel and do not make sudden movements.

5. If you are carrying a firearm, advise the officer of the weapon and its location.

6. Advise the officer if you need to reach for your license or registration.

7. If you are being stopped at night and you are driving alone, simply acknowledge the officer by turning on your flashers and driving at a reduced rate of speed to the nearest well lit area.

Following these simple tips will make traffic stop less stressful for everyone involved.


Source: www.wisdomtips.com

[winston]

When Your Home Security Company Becomes the Greatest Security Risk

If you are nevertheless (understandably) concerned about protecting your family, valuables and your property, I suggest you consider the dangers associated with home security systems and service providers, as well as any potential benefits.

You might be surprised to learn, as I did, that the greatest threat to the security of your home may be the very people you have selected to install or monitor your home’s security.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsiedl ... rity-risk/

[winston]

How to Use a Flashlight in a Tactical Situation by Brett & Kate McKay

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/11/07/ho ... lashlight/

[winston]

How Dangerous Is Genetically Modified Food? by Alex Daley

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/h ... 020ED1112A