One of the scariest stories to emerge late last year was the attempted suppression of two studies done on bird flu, which basically amounted to research done by two teams in the US and the Netherlands that essentially could have led to very dangerous, weaponized strains of the worrying pathogen.

Another interesting bit of this story is that this time, the censorship wasn’t the scary part. In late November, news emerged that government agencies including the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) were urging two scientific journals, Science and Nature, not to publish research that detailed how bird flu strains could be more efficiently spread- basically a scenario that totally ends in a disaster movie. The journals complied, and noted that the pressure was not “strong arming” to prevent the research from being published and that reasonable concern existed to keep the information under wraps.

It’s interesting that all parties involved are in agreement about how to handle the bird flu studies, and all refer to the results of the research as presenting unprecedented risk. After the requests from federal security and science agencies that the studies be handled differently, Science released a statement explaining the decision, as did Nature.

In Nature’s statement, the journal explains:

At the same time, these scientific results also represent a grave concern for global biosecurity, biosafety and public health. Could this knowledge, in the hands of malevolent individuals, organizations or governments, allow construction of a genetically altered influenza virus capable of causing a pandemic with mortality exceeding that of the ‘Spanish flu’ epidemic of 1918?

The statement continues:

The research teams that performed this work did so in a well-intended effort to discover evolutionary routes by which avian influenza A/H5N1 viruses might adapt to humans. Such knowledge may be valuable for improving the public-health response to a looming natural threat. And, to their credit and that of the peer reviewers selected by the journals Science and Nature, the journals themselves, as well as the US government, it was recognized before their publication that these experiments had dual use of concern potential.

Do you worry about the weaponization of viruses like bird flu?

Bird Flu Censorship Defended by Panel is a post from: The Inquisitr

Earlier this week, more research was published about the link between oral sex and mouth and throat cancers, totally wet blanketing the next BJ you give or get- and more research into human papillomavirus (HPV) has revealed that the infection is more common orally in males than females.

Until somewhat recently, human papillomavirus was referred to more often as one of its symptoms, genital warts. But over the past few years, study into the virus has intensified due to the growing body of research linking it to the development of certain cancers in those infected. And new research that is the first of its kind in scale and scope indicates that men are far more likely to develop oral human papillomavirus (HPV) than women. Certain known risk factors- number of sexual partners and whether or not a person smokes cigarettes- were included in the study.

Last year, researchers made a scary discovery- that oral cancers linked to oral HPV had tripled in the past two decades. However, an unknown factor was the number of people carrying the often symptomless virus, and it was determined that around one in 15 Americans is infected with HPV overall. Further, 6.9 percent of Americans were found to be infected with oral human papillomavirus on average. But while those numbers may sound intimidating, the researchers indicated that only one percent of the population is infected with HPV 16, the strain linked to development of oral cancers. And only 10,000 cases of oral cancers linked to HPV are diagnosed at all in the US each year- so while it’s a concern, it’s not at massive epidemic level just yet.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and senior author Dr. Maura Gillison noted that researchers were surprised to find smoking emerge so strongly as a risk factor for HPV. She told the New York Times:

“I didn’t really anticipate smoking being so strong and so clearly independent of sexual behavior as a risk factor,” she said. “There might be something about smoking that’s changing the susceptibility of the epithelium to infection.”

Do the new studies into human papillomavirus (HPV) concern you?

[Image: Shutterstock]

Oral Human Papillomavirus More Common in Males, Research Finds is a post from: The Inquisitr

Although it only came to prominence in the past decade or so- and was only properly named (by a housewife) in 2002- Morgellons disease, or simply Morgellons, has confounded doctors, patients and researchers for some time.

In fact, people have reported the strange set of symptoms associated with Morgellons for at least several centuries. The disease is basically marked by an insinuation that fibers or parasites are crawling on or under the skin, creating lesions, discomfort, stinging and burning sensations, and frustration that everyone who you tell about the disease thinks you are crazy.

The back and forth over whether Morgellons was actually a disease or a form of a well-known psychological condition known as delusional parasitosis or delusions of parasitosis is at the heart of researching the condition- and in fact, basically defines whether Morgellons is likely to exist in its own right or not. To wit- on one side, you have doctors who say “this is not a skin condition, it is a psychological disorder.” And then you have patients that are like, “I’m not crazy, things are crawling all over me! Can’t you see them?” So it is those patients that have been pushing for more research into the phenomenon of Morgellons.

The Centers for Disease Control kindly began researching the condition to determine whether it is the former or the latter, isolating about 100 patients out of hundreds of thousands in North Carolina. The 115 patients- whether self-identifying as having Morgellons or not- reported symptoms consistent with the illness. The patients consented to extensive testing over the course of several days, in which doctors took samples from skin and blood and urine and searched for a single common biological reason- like a fungus, or a bacterial cause for Morgellons.

Researchers weren’t able to isolate anything, and say the disease is not infectious. Likely, the CDC says, Morgellons is a psychiatric condition. But study author Mark Eberhard, the CDC’s director of the division of parasitic diseases and malaria, humored Morgellons patients when commenting on the study.

“We believe that these people have something and their quality of life [has] in some instances been very seriously impacted… We’re not saying this is made up. There could be a constellation of factors.”

Researchers found that the disease seemed to manifest largely in middle-aged white women, and a history of drug use was a common thread.

Morgellons Disease Likely Psychological, CDC Finds is a post from: The Inquisitr

There are two camps of people, it seems, by and large, when it comes to oral sex- one that vocally demonstrates their love for and technique regarding oral sex and the other, largely silent and perhaps populated by abstainers.

In and of itself, oral sex is a controversial act, mainly because it can range so vastly from “not getting it” to partner or recipient reluctance to “oh my God, it’s better than going on a waterslide!” and thusly, going downtown is fraught with emotion and intrigue. Also, it’s possibly fraught with cancer.

This is not news. I seem to recall news of an oral sex and cancer link back when we all accessed the interwebs via AOL and the main news stories of the day popped up after “You’ve Got Mail!” But it seems at least once a year, this story rears its ugly head, ensuring your next blow job will be not only hard on your knees, but it will also stress you out to all get out when you remember the existence of this research. You’re welcome.

Medical oncologist at Georgetown’s Lombardi Cancer Center Dr. John Deeken spoke with The Atlantic about the findings, and indicates that while the data indicates something, it’s a bit tricky to discern exactly what:

“Like investigators elsewhere, we’re seeing an increased incidence of oropharyngeal cancer… This may be why we’re seeing the virus in tumors in those parts of the oropharynx, while the incidence of lip, larynx, and vocal cord cancers is not going up… The epidemiology is perplexing. The assumption, when we noticed the trend eight or nine years ago, was that this was a sexually transmitted disease due to more oral sex.”

Deeken continues:

“But at least at Georgetown, we have patients in their 80s with this kind of cancer. That raises questions about the sexual habits of Americans who are older, or about HPV.”

Researchers indicate that while research is ongoing, vaccination for HPV is the best way to prevent oral cancers that may stem from oral sex.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Oral Sex Again in the Hot Seat For Possibly Giving You Mouth Cancer is a post from: The Inquisitr

This morning (January 18th), the world woke up to a partially blacked-out internet. As SOPA and PIPA loom in the distance, many web companies have gone offline for a day in protest.

Today it’s one day. If SOPA and PIPA pass, it’s forever. Want a quick intro to how SOPA and PIPA threaten your internet? Watch the clip below. Contact your Congressman. Contact your Senator. Do everything you can to prevent the passage of SOPA and PIPA!

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

SOPA & PIPA Break the Internet, Here’s How [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sandy, Utah- A Utah woman has been rescued from a harrowing hostage situation after police say friends were alerted to the situation following a Facebook status update.

The woman, who has not been named, posted to the social network that she and her baby son, also unnamed, would be “dead by Christmas.” The two were held for five days, and the captive woman managed to sneak a laptop- evading the notice of her assailant- into a closet to post her plea for help to the site.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the woman along with suspect Troy Critchfield, 33, and their toddler son. The woman is also reportedly the mother of a disabled Iraqi war veteran, but it is unclear whether he was present at the Sandy residence. The victim appeared visibly battered, with bruises of varying age on her face. Police say that each time she attempted to flee with her son, Critchfield would choke and assault her, preventing her from leaving the home.

Sandy Police Department Sgt. Jon Arnold says:

“You could see the dating of the brusing, multiple colors of bruising.”

Alarmingly, Critchfield was involved in a similar hostage situation just last year, and required a SWAT team to extract him from the home. That incident occurred just thirteen months ago, and Critchfield served only 120 days in jail before he was freed.

The victim is now recovering at home, and Critchfield has been charged with numerous offenses, including sodomy, sexual assault and child abuse. He is still on probation for the incident last November.

Facebook Status Update Saves Utah Woman’s Life During Hostage Situation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Walmart has pulled a batch of popular baby formula from its shelves after the tragic death of an infant in Lebanon, Missouri.

Shares in Mead Johnson, the parent company of Enfamil, plummeted following the announcement. Walmart said the measure was due to an “abundance of caution” as the baby’s death is investigated, and reports have emerged that a second child has fallen ill, with baby formula cited as a possible cause. Avery Corbett, the ten-day-old baby who was fatally sickened, was fed Enfamil purchased at a Walmart near the family’s Lebanon home, and contracted the dangerous Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria.

The second infant, also in Missouri, was not identified by name, but has reportedly recovered after battling an infection caused by the same bacteria. Mead Johnson spokesman Chris Perille had this to say in a statement after the company began taking a hit in the stock market:

“The family purchased the formula at a Wal-Mart store, and ‘out of an abundance of caution’ Wal-Mart decided to voluntarily ‘pull & hold’ the same size cans (12.5 oz.) of Enfamil Newborn from the same batch code until the investigation is completed.”

Perille continued:

“In the case of such a serious illness or death, an exhaustive investigation is undertaken by officials.  Since Cronobacter in commonly present in the environment, they will be examining a range of possible environmental sources and engaging in sampling and testing to try to identify the cause.  Among numerous things being tested are any formula consumed — which included Enfamil Newborn — the water used to prepare it, etc.”

Bloomberg cites an analyst who commented on the potential for contamination in powdered infant formula:

“Outbreaks of this particular bacteria are typically linked to powdered infant formula, but it is unclear at this point where along the chain the contamination occurred or if the formula is the cause altogether.”

Consumers can return product they’ve not yet used for a full refund or exchange.

Baby Formula Pulled After Infant’s Death is a post from: The Inquisitr

OAKLYN, NEW JERSEY- If you are a regular user of Ambien or are in the habit of sleepwalking, this tragic story will probably scare the pants off you.

55-year-old Charlene Ferrero, a resident of Oaklyn, New Jersey, had a tendency to sleepwalk- appearing awake to those around her, but not entirely conscious or coherent. Over the weekend, Ferrero- a waitress at the nearby Starview Diner- disappeared from her home in the night. A concerned neighbor found her door unlocked, as well as her keys, purse and other items in plain view. Worried, the neighbor called police and locked the door.

Ferrero’s body was later removed from a local lake, and police believe the waitress fell from a train trestle while sleepwalking, leading to her drowning death. Somewhat unnervingly, just a week and a half ago, another neighbor reported an eerie middle-of-the-night encounter with a sleepwalking Ferrero. Teresa Cerini says that she woke after a knock to her front door in the middle of the night to find Ferrero, disoriented and apparently asleep. Cerini asked why she was at the door in the middle of the night, as the Daily Mail recounts:

‘And she goes, “I’m so sorry. The people at Table Two ordered the eggs,”’ she told WPVI-TV.

Ms Cerini helped her friend home. Ms Ferrero said she used to sleepwalk as a child.

‘I said, “Guess what, honey? You still do,”’ Ms Cerini told her, telling her also that the behaviour was ‘scary and dangerous.’ 

Ferrero’s death was ruled an accident, and toxicology reports are pending.

Sleepwalking Woman Tragically Drowns in New Jersey is a post from: The Inquisitr

First, Crystal Cox is not a porn star, so let’s just get that out of the way right now.

If you blog, you’ve probably heard Cox’s name right now. The tale of woe that catapulted Cox’s name onto blogs and news sites across the web this week is somewhat multifaceted- on one hand, Cox was sued for defamation, fined $2.5 million for her words and a judge in Oregon ruled that the blogger’s words did not fall under typical press protections. On the other hand, her sites are- to be charitable- a bit alarmist and coarsely presented, and one could be forgiven to think that perhaps her intentions weren’t entirely altruistic in targeting Obsidian Finance Group as well as co-founder Kevin Padrick with her campaign of capital letters and red on black websites across several shrill, self-published sites.

Forbes suggests journalists- and by journalists, I assume the writer means people who spent $60,000 or more in J-school and don’t publish on the WordPress platform- should be reluctant to “claim” Cox as “one of [their] own.” Which on the surface sounds reasonable, and perhaps a case could be made for Cox’s postings being unreasonable, untrue, libelous, defamatory or- and I would stand behind this one- a crime against web design everywhere. But what I believe is most of note with the Crystal Cox case is what was said in US District Court Judge Marco Hernandez’s ruling. If you post anywhere on the internet- Facebook, Yelp or a message board for Corgi lovers- I’d encourage you to read this statement very carefully and with a critical eye:

“[While Crystal Cox] is a self-proclaimed “investigative blogger” and defines herself as “media,” the record fails to show that she is affiliated with any newspaper, magazine, periodical, book, pamphlet, news service, wire service, news or feature syndicate, broadcast station or network, or cable television system. Thus, she is not entitled to the protections of the law.”

I’m no constitutional lawyer, nor am I a journalist, but it seems that in an era where we all rely on liberal First Amendment privileges to speak freely without fear of reprisal, Hernandez’s words leave much room for precedent-setting restraint of citizen journalism and blogging as a whole. Cox may not be the best poster child for the web, but Hernandez’s ruling could come back to haunt us all for words we already can’t take back.

Do you agree with the ruling against Crystal Cox?

Crystal Cox Case Scares Blogosphere: Blogger Fined $2.5, Judge Rules Press Protections Don’t Apply is a post from: The Inquisitr

Back in September, the web was buzzing over an episode of Dr. Oz’s show during which he tested popular juices on the market and decreed many contained unsafe levels of arsenic.

At the time, the FDA struck back immediately, dismissing the reports, and a juice trade association issued a statement saying in part that the results broadcast on the Dr. Oz show should “not be interpreted as fact.” The story died down for a bit, and consumers kept swilling away at their apple juice, unconcerned that the innocuous baby bottle favorite may contain scary poisons. But the issue has popped up again following a report in consumer advocacy magazine Consumer Reports that seems to support what Dr. Oz initially claimed to some degree.

The report, released today, indicates that “roughly 10% of apple and grape juice samples tested by Consumer Reports contained total levels of arsenic that exceeded federal standards set for drinking water.” In and of itself, that doesn’t sound very comforting, but there’s more. According to MedPageToday, the arsenic found in the popular juices is not the natural form the FDA said can often be found in drinking water, and rather stems from “the inorganic form- a known carcinogen introduced into the environment through pesticides and wood treatments that have been banned, and coal-fired power plants.” Originally, the FDA had stated:

“…you can’t compare water and juice for several critical reasons. They include the fact that inorganic arsenic is the form found in drinking water, whereas organic arsenic is the form mostly found in food, including juices.”

As such, Consumer Reports says that the FDA’s remarks were ”irresponsible and misleading” when it comes to the arsenic and lead content in apple juice. Following the report, Consumer Reports’ Consumer Union- an advocacy group- has called on the government to re-examine recommended safe levels of lead and arsenic in apple and grape juice.

Consumer Reports Arsenic in Juice Testing: Was Dr. Oz Right? is a post from: The Inquisitr

I wonder if AppleCare covers this.

Australian Regional airline Regional Express (Rex) has confirmed an incident that occurred on a Lismore to Sydney flight Friday, during which an iPhone became unstable and- for lack of a better catchall term- apparently exploded during the journey. While that description may call up images of a blast and subsequent fire explosion, reports indicate the iPhone began to “emit a glow” and started smoking before it shattered. Rex explained the incident in a statement about the iPhone explosion:

“In accordance with company standard safety procedures, the flight attendant carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully. All passengers and crew on board were unharmed.”

The incident, though somewhat amusing and scary in equal measures, is a rare but not entirely uncommon phenomenon in which lithium batteries overheat and create the risk of fire. It’s happened before with Apple products, and there was an iPod Nano recall a few years back for similar overheating-related issues- and back in 2009, a French teen claimed an iPhone exploded while he was speaking on it, sending shards of glass from the display flying everywhere. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) are investigating this latest incident, and it has not been confirmed which model of the iPhone was involved.

As for the iPhone exploding on the flight, Apple has not commented directly on the situation thusfar. Apple is not the only company to be subject to such claims- Dell and Hewlett-Packard products have come in for similar complaints in the past surrounding overheating devices.

iPhone Explodes in Midair on Aussie Flight is a post from: The Inquisitr

A few months back, comments made by Dr. David Ludwig in the Journal of the American Medical Association as to the level of appropriate state intervention into childhood obesity sparked heated national debate.

Ludwig’s comments in a July piece suggested removing obese children from their homes and placing them in foster care, a concept that rightly upset many parents in the US, where childhood obesity is high. (Ludwig sniffed about a “chronic failure to address medical problems” on the part of parents in his article.) Now a woman whose 9-year-old son was placed in foster care due to weight struggles is speaking out about the controversial removal. The woman was not identified by name by local press, who report her son is on the honor roll and participates in school activities. But the child weighs 200 lbs., and local child welfare authorities believed that in and of itself, the child’s weight was reason enough to remove him from the care of his mother to live in foster care until he slims down.

Mary Louise Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Family Services in the family’s Ohio county, confirmed that the removal was based on “medical neglect” allegations made against the mother solely for the child’s weight. Local press obtained a brief comment from Madigan about the situation:

“This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” Madigan said. The agency worked with the mother for more than a year before asking Juvenile Court for custody of the child, she said.

Lawyers for the mother, a substitute elementary school teacher who is also taking vocational school classes, think the county has overreached in this case by arguing that medical conditions the boy is at risk for — but doesn’t yet have — pose an imminent danger to his health.

Juvenile Public Defender Sam Amata also spoke to the paper, noting that in the care of foster parents in another county, the child has lost a “few pounds”- but that the foster mother has struggled to keep up with medical appointments for the child. Amata points out that extra help has been offered to the foster mother, help that probably would have been more effective if offered to his actual mother. A trial to determine the fate of the family and the case has been scheduled for the child’s birthday.

Obese Ohio Child Placed in Foster Care For Being Overweight is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mobile phones are like the eggs of technology- one day they’re killing machines, the next, totally safe and not a worry.

It seems that the back and forth studies over the years have done little to quell concerns that mobile phones are piping cancer causing cells straight into your head, and many rely on earpieces to minimize the damage they believe cell phones carry in causing tumors and disease. But if you’re firmly attached at the ear to your iPhone, a new study might do a bit to calm worries that your mobile phone could make you sick one day down the road.

The study, out of Denmark, seems to be of a large enough scale to comfort those concerned with mobile phone risk. Data was culled from Denmark’s centralized cancer registry and cell phone records for nearly 360,000 Danes who were at least 30 years of age between 1990 and 2007. In the study, no higher risk of any form of cancer or brain tumors was discovered in those whose data was examined.

The study was funded by the Danish Strategic Research Council (note, not Motorola or Nokia) and Anders Ahlbom, a professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said in an editorial:

“The absence of a trend in the incidence of brain tumors in national statistics is reassuring,. Continued monitoring of health registers and prospective cohorts is warranted.”

Bloomberg cites some conflicting evidence about mobile phone risk in a piece on the findings, although it seems this particular research can go in the “mobile phone risk neutral to benign” category:

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the Geneva-based World Health Organization, said in June that mobile phones may cause brain cancer. A month later, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s committee on epidemiology undermined those findings, saying that using the technology may not increase the risk of tumors after reviewing studies from several countries.

Mobile Phone Risk: Cancer Not a Concern, Study Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re a fan of the original Austin Powers film from 1997, you may remember actor Joseph Son as one of the henchmen of Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil- with a bowler hat and a menacing demeanor, Son played Random Task.

In the years following the massive success of the original film, Son was arrested on a vandalism charge- but DNA revealed potential involvement in a much earlier, much more violent incident- the rape and torture of a woman in Huntington Beach, California. Just over a month ago Son was convicted after DNA taken following a parole violation revealed his involvement, and THR describes some of the facts of the case:

Prosecutors say the victim, who was 20-years-old at the time of the attack, describes walking her dog on Christmas Eve when Son and another man abducted her, dragged her into the back of a car, pistol whipped her and threatened to shoot her. She also alleges Son and the other man repeatedly raped her, and sexually penetrated her with a firearm before letting her go in Compton naked with her pants tied around her eyes.

It didn’t take very long for Son to land himself in serious trouble again, this time behind bars. The actor is suspected in the suspicious death of his prison cellmate, a 50-year-old man who has not been publicly named by authorities. Son only arrived at California’s Wasco State Prison on September 16th, and was assigned a cellmate who was in jail for failing to register as a sex offender. Prison officials have not disclosed what they believe may have happened or how Son may have been involved but the death has been classified as a homicide.

‘Austin Powers’ Actor a Suspect in Prison Killing is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police admit that in the case of missing baby Lisa Irwin, who disappeared from her crib without a trace in the middle of the night, that they have “next to nothing” to go on as they plead for help from the public.

Baby Lisa Irwin was placed in her crib by her mother at 10:30 PM Monday, but when her father checked on her at 4 AM, the child was nowhere to be found. Police were called immediately, and Officer Darin Snapp of the Kansas City Police indicates that a window in the baby’s room appeared to have been “tampered with.” Snapp indicates that police are “conducting an area canvas, knocking on doors and talking to anyone that was in the area that night.”

Snapp says authorities believe the baby was abducted and that the kidnapper entered and exited through the bedroom window. One neighborhood witness reported seeing an individual walking down the street late at night with a baby in a diaper, but no further information has been released about that particular lead.

Police Captain Steve Young confirmed to press that Irwin’s parents were being held and questioned, but that nothing seemed “hinky” about their version of events. Young conveys that the parents are being cooperative, and the captain also says investigators are frustrated at the lack of progress in the case thus far- but will press on until Irwin is found:

“You can say they are being held, but you can also say they are being cooperative… They’re an essential part of the investigation, and we’re continuing to talk to them.

“…Usually we find the kid pretty quickly,” Young said. “But, so far, we’re in the afternoon and we haven’t broken anything yet… Time’s crucial and I’m sure our detectives are becoming frustrated, but we’re on it and gonna fire back up this morning.”

The fear and frustration in authorities is palpable in a plea made to the public for information voiced by Snapp:

“We have no eyewitnesses and a six-hour time frame when the child could have been abducted… We need any help at all… We are pleading that if anyone saw anything, to contact us. It might be that small piece [of information] that puts everything together.”

Police are working through interviewing Irwin family friends and relatives to rule them out as suspects.

Lisa Irwin Case Stumps Authorities, Missing Baby’s Parents ‘Cooperative’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rescue crews have been working to stabilize a cruise ship in Norway after a below-deck fire that left two cruise ship workers dead and resulted in the successful evacuation of more than 200 people.

A Dutch team has managed to get three pumps into the vessel to try to right it, but Police Chief Jon Steven Hasseldal said the MS Nordlys is tilting at 21.7 degrees, over the mark of 20 degrees that is considered “critical.” Of the rescue efforts so far, Hasseldal said:

“At the moment it looks promising. It’s still a serious situation … but now there is a bit more stability in the ship.”

Around 260 people in total were evacuated from the MS Nordlys Thursday morning after an engine room fire. Reports specify that two of the crew were “found dead” after the fire, and that another nine were hospitalized with injuries including burns and smoke inhalation. Two of the injured are said to be critically hurt. The ship was slated to dock in Aalesund, 230 miles northwest of Norwegian capital Oslo.

Evacuation of the vessel went well, passengers report, and one told press:

“It was a well-organized evacuation… The crew did a really good job. Everything was calm and went smoothly. There was no panic.”

Hurtigruten, the cruise ship company that owns the endangered ship, says that it is working hard to secure emergency passports and other necessities for people who had to leave essential belongings behind in haste to depart the damaged vessel. Parts of Aalesund were evacuated ahead of the ship’s arrival, as it came into port billowing black smoke and listing.

Police say nothing about the fire “indicates sabotage or points to terror.”

Cruise Ship Tilting in Norway, 2 Dead in Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Seriously, if you got this wouldn’t you think you were involved in some action/thriller with the CIA involved kinda shit?

Scariest Fortune Cookie of All Time. All Time is a post from: The Inquisitr

The profile of the average American unable to pay accumulated debt is changing, and this time it seems certain markers of stability- namely college education and marriage- no longer offer the same levels of protection for everyday Americans from financial ruin.

In the past, lower-income Americans often found themselves in bankruptcy court filing for Chapter 7, as well as the newly divorced and broke- demographics more vulnerable to financial setbacks and more prone to spiraling debt issues. But new demographic data reveals that as fiscal hardships reverberate throughout the middle class, so too does the likelihood that Americans who have achieved these benchmarks of success will declare bankruptcy.

The data was released yesterday by the Institute for Financial Literacy, and their executive director Leslie Linfield spoke to press after the sobering stats were released. Linfield said the results are indicative of the impact of the Great Recession on Americans of every race, income level and education level:

“The Great Recession has had a dramatic impact on the bankruptcy filings of American consumers across the economic spectrum—including college educated, high income earners… While less educated, low income individuals continue to represent the typical bankruptcy filer, this report underscores sophisticated evolution of the profile of the American debtor that now extends to disparate age, income and ethnic groups.”

People with bachelor’s degrees made up 14% of filings in 2010, up from 11% in 2009. Interestingly, bankruptcies by those holding high school degrees dropped in proportion of filing parties by 9%- but still made up the largest amount of those filing bankruptcy, at 36%. One major factor was starting but not completing college, a circumstance found in 29% of filers in 2010. The study cites “all the burdens of school related debt and none of the rewards of an actual degree.” (And notably, hefty student debts are not discharged in any bankruptcy filing.)

The study included 50,000 bankruptcy filings, and all participants completed credit counseling prior to the filing.

Bankruptcy Filings Increase Among College Educated, Marrieds is a post from: The Inquisitr

An older teen has become the first vampire bat death in the US after the young man contracted rabies from a bite, officials have disclosed.

The 19-year-old migrant farm worker was originally from Mexico, and has not been publicly identified. The actual vampire bat bite occurred on July 15th of last year, while the teen was sleeping in his family’s home in Michoacán, Mexico. The victim did not seek medical attention for the bite, and crossed over into the US on July 29th to work on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana.

By August 3rd, the teen became so ill he was hospitalized. Puzzled physicians tested the young man for a battery of possible illnesses, including encephalitis, meningitis, HIV, syphilis, herpes, arboviruses, Lyme disease and autoimmune afflictions, but were unable to pin down what was causing the patient to deteriorate so rapidly.

Eventually, rabies was floated as a possible cause of the teen’s life threatening symptoms, but doctors did not come to the conclusion until August 20th, and the young man passed away in the hospital on August 21st. In the months since the victim succumbed to the rabies contracted by the bat bite, public health officials have notified everyone who had come in contact with the teen to warn them that they may have been exposed to rabies.

So far, no one who was exposed through the teen seems to have contracted rabies. Although officials did not give a reason for publicizing the case now, they did say that vampire bat deaths could become more common- the species is generally seen in Latin America, but changes in climate could be causing vampire bats to move up North. The CDC says:

“Expansion of vampire bats into the United States likely would lead to increased bat exposures to both humans and animals (including domestic livestock and wildlife species) and substantially alter rabies virus dynamics and ecology in the southern United States.”

Vampire bats are not found in the US outside of zoos.

Teen’s Vampire Bat Death Prompts Warnings From Officials is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the more commonly made arguments during the debate surrounding the debt ceiling -and the anticipation of the ensuing havoc had the default on our debts not been narrowly avoided-was that America’s corporate class and business owners were becoming “scared,” “frightened” and as such, unlikely to make jobs.

Allstate- the insurance company you probably know from their ubiquitous ads featuring worst case scenarios rather than a quacking duck or accented lizard- is one company that has elucidated their strategy for the time the debate was raging. During a recent Q2 call with analysts just 13 hours after the compromise had been reached, Allstate CEO Thomas J. Wilson described how the company handled looming financial disaster:

“Our assumptions are that any (financial market) dislocation will be temporary, and that the commercial banking system will continue to function… Given the highly liquid nature of our portfolio, and the long duration of our liabilities, this obviously only has a limited impact on us. Nevertheless, we did a number of things. We sold our long Treasuries, we put some additional hedges in place, we shifted the focus of our short-term portfolio, we underweighted equities, and we continued our shift into corporate credit.”

Wilson continued:

We also increased liquidity by building up operating cash. And two weeks ago, we issued $400 million in commercial paper, and placed the proceeds in compensating balances to ensure we have cash to take advantage of any short-term investment opportunities.”

Allstate has a $99 billion investment portfolio.

Allstate CEO Speaks About Debt Ceiling Debate Impact is a post from: The Inquisitr