Poisoned Halloween Candy: Trick, Treat or Myth?

Poisoned Halloween Candy: Trick, Treat or Myth? – Despite what all the warnings may lead parents to believe, there has never been a documented case of a stranger poisoning kids’ Halloween candy.

Every October for at least 60 years, phantom portraits of the evil Halloween humbug have been passed on by the media and word of mouth. Parents hear accounts of children dying, clutch their fists to their chests and issue mandates about not eating a single bite of sugar until all candy has been thoroughly inspected, preferably by magnifying glass.

But the evening’s sweet fun is likely being needlessly spoiled. Researchers such as Joel Best of University of Delaware, who followed up on nearly 100 stories of candy contamination, have found that such claims almost always turn out to be tall tales, often told by the children themselves. Best published his results in “Threatened Children: Rhetoric and Concern About Child-Victims” (University of Chicago Press, 1993).

It really is a myth that, every October, “strangers are getting ready to poison the candy,” said Aaron Campbell, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University and co-author of “Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies about Your Body and Health” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009). As for all the warnings, “they are, to some extent, fear-mongering,” Campbell told LiveScience.

There has been exactly one documented case of a child being directly poisoned by Halloween candy, Carroll said. In 1974, an 8-year-old died after sucking on a Pixy Stix laced with cyanide. But the poisoner was not some mysterious Grim Reaper posing as a harmless neighbor. Nope, it was good ol’ Dad.

In another case, a 5-year-old decided to try his uncle’s heroin, and with no one around to give him pointers, he overdosed and died. The family then sprinkled heroin into the child’shopes of using the candy myth to cover their own negligence. Halloween candy stash, in

What about razor blades lurking within nougat? Pins in chocolate? Syringes?

Nope. Nope. And nope.

So parents probably can stop inspecting every shiny wrapper for tampering and instead worry about something worthwhile: The National Safety Council reports that children are four times more likely to be killed by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year. (LiveScience)

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Mentawai Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 164, Marzuki Blamed People

Mentawai Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 164, Marzuki Blamed People – Lumbung Derma Command Post, a group of 29 NGOs and Mentawai student organizations in Padang, West Sumatra reported the death toll from Monday’s tsunami has climbed to 164 with hundreds still missing.

Yoseph, coordinator of the post, said hundreds of villagers are missing in four villages of Mentawai. According to their identification, most of the victims are people living in Betu Monga, Pagai Utara (58) and Malakopa, Pagai Selatan (86), Kompas.com reported.

West Sumatra governor Irwan Prayitno said bad weather condition is the main challenge for delivery of humanitarian aid to Mentawai. “We need bigger ships to deliver humanitarian aid to the island because the high tide,” Prayitno said.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie (politician from President SBY’s Demokrat Party) said “this is the risk of living in coastal area. Mentawai is far away. That’s the consequence of living in such island,” Marzuki is quoted by Detik.com.

Marzuki blamed people living in the coastal area. “Whoever afraid of high tides and waves, don’t live in coastal area. The question is, can you leave Mentawai despite early warnings two hours earlier?”

Marzuki suggested people live in Mentawai to be relocated to other areas. (Theindonesiatoday.com)

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Spanish Prostitutes Ordered To Wear Safety Vests

Spanish Prostitutes Ordered To Wear Safety Vests – Spanish prostitutes have been ordered to wear reflective safety vests for their own safety, according to reports. Women working on rural roadsides in Catalonia must don the vests to avoid a €40 ($56) fine. Prostitution is not banned in Spain, but it has been outlawed in some cities. However, lack of the safety vests is the only reason to fine the women working outside of the Spanish city of Lleida, where the vest program is now in effect, as prostitution is not illegal outside of the city limits.

However, some see the move as an attempt by Mayor Josep Maria Bea of Lleida to drive the women out of town. There are an estimated 300,000 female sex workers in Spain, according to the Telegraph.

Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodrígue Zapatero promised to ban prostitution survey showed that one in four Spanish men admitted to paying for sex.ads in newspapers, but has failed to do so. Meanwhile, a recent ( huffingtonpost.com )

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Mohammed, Britain’s Most Popular Boy’s Name In 2009

Mohammed, Britain’s Most Popular Boy’s Name In 2009 – Britain’s most popular baby names have been released, and Jack, the reigning champ for 14 years, has been replaced this year by Mohammed, reports the AFP.

The name, a reference to the Muslim prophet, was denied the top spot due to a plethora of spellings listed separately, including “Muhammad and Mohammad,” said the Daily Mail. However, the disparate spellings taken together formed the largest group, with 7,549 newborns given the name last year. The official top spot went to Oliver, with 7,364 newborns. The most popular girl’s name was Olivia. The lists were compiled by Britain’s Office of National Statistics.

The most frequent spelling alone, Mohammed, was the number four most popular name in London, while it was number one in “West Midlands region of central England which includes the city of Birmingham,” according to the Sidney Morning Herald. It was number 16 in the general list, with the second most frequent spelling coming in at 36. Jack came in third on the list, followed by Harry and Alfie. ( huffingtonpost.com )

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Paris Hilton abandona la mala vida para dedicarse a las labores sociales

Paris Hilton, quien había consagrado su vida a las fiestas, afirma a sus 29 años que ha decidido acabar con la vida nocturna y ahora quiere centrarse en realizar labores sociales y ayudar a los más necesitados.

Según Europapress, Hilton, ahora que ha descubierto lo que es criar a un niño (la hija de su novio Cy Waits), está encantada con la vida familiar y la prefiere antes que las noches salvajes.

“Cuando has estado saliendo durante tanto tiempo, el ámbito de las fiestas se hace viejo”, ha reconocido en una entrevista para Radar Online. “Ahora estoy orientando mi vida a hacer cosas más grandes y mejores”, agregó.

Entre esas nuevas ocupaciones, se encuentra la de hacer labores sociales. Tras un juicio por posesión de drogas y mentir a la autoridad, un juez obligó a Paris Hilton a cumplir 200 horas de servicio a la comunidad, que ella está realizando “encantada”, e incluso planea continuar cuando termine su obligación de hacerlo.

“Los servicios a la comunidad son importantes para mí. Es algo que disfruto“, explicó Paris. Incluso ha llegado a deshacerse de sus propias posesiones para ayudar a los más desfavorecidos. Este mes, las ganancias se destinarán a la lucha contra el cáncer de mama. “Tengo un montón de ropa, zapatos y joyas que quería donar. Es por una buena causa y creo que la gente lo disfrutará de verdad”, declaró. (yahoo.com )

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TWO saucy lovers topped off a night at a Pizza Express when it shut

TWO saucy lovers topped off a night at a Pizza Express when it shut – by having sex unaware passers-by were gawping.

The passionate pair were so overcome by lust they FORGOT they could be seen through the window of the brightly-lit eaterie.

Laughing crowds gathered outside – with many grabbing their camera phones to take snaps.

One Manchester reveller told how he and his mates had earlier spotted the pair snogging.

The witness grinned: “We just assumed it was a couple of the staff who’d got carried away.

“We popped into a club, then later walked past the same restaurant. Things had hotted up.

“The fella had his trousers round his ankles. Everyone was gobsmacked.

“The whole place was brightly lit and we had a great view. There was an empty bottle of wine and two glasses on a table.”

A shocked Pizza Express spokesman said: “We are obviously taking this seriously and looking into the matter immediately.” ( thesun.co.uk )

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Kids’ docs urged to screen new moms for depression

Kids’ docs urged to screen new moms for depression – An influential medical group says pediatricians should routinely screen new mothers for depression. Depression isn’t just bad for moms: It can also harm their babies.

That’s according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics report published Monday in the journal, Pediatrics. It cites research showing developmental and social delays in babies with depressed mothers.

The academy says that every year more than 400,000 babies are born to depressed women. Estimates say that between 5 percent and 25 percent of women develop postpartum depression.

The pediatrics academy says severely depressed women should be referred to experts for treatment.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists earlier this year recommended similar screening ( Associated Press )

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