World News Trends

Halloween Poisoned Candies: Myths and Facts

For years now, there has been paranoia among parents taking their children out for a trick or treat. Almost every year, there are countless news stories around the world about poisonous candies, cyanide laced chocolates, razor blades in fruit and adulterated foods.

Over the years, these stories have been passed on by word of mouth and the media and exaggerated to such an extent that no one really knows the truth. The stories are often wild, imaginative and preposterous in many cases. Is trick or treating during Halloween a dangerous social event? Has anyone died, been incapacitated or killed in the past? How many children have been poisoned? Are poisoned candies common during Halloween? Has anyone demonstrated cyanide in candies or poisonous chemicals in chocolates?

The answer to all these question is NO.

Despite all these exaggerated stories, it is the rare child who has ever been harmed by treats given during Halloween. Sure, there have been a few reports of children being poisoned, but the culprits in these cases were not strangers but their own parents.

This annual event at the end of October, generates more myths than the ogopogo or UFOs. Says, Aaron Campbell g 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), “strangers are getting ready to poison the candy, as for all the warnings, “they are, to some extent, fear-mongering.”

To get the facts right, there has only one verified fact of poisoned Halloween candy laced with cyanide. This was in 1974 when an 8 year old died while sucking on a Pixy Stix- and the grim reaper was his loving dad.

As far as razor blades, pins and needles in Halloween foods – this is another myth and never has a case ever been proven.

So for all parents; stop becoming paranoid inspecting all the candies your child receives tonight. Rather, spend time worrying about car accidents that are four times more likely to kill your child then Halloween candy. The next most likely cause of harm during Halloween is allergic reactions to certain candies. So here is to another great Halloween and BOO to you all.

Tags: candy, Halloween

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Pancreatic Cancer 101

Pancreatic cancer has an extremely poor prognosis, even when it is diagnosed early. The cancer typically has spread by the time diagnosis is made. In the majority of patients, the cancer is never detected early. The signs and symptoms of the pancreatic cancer do not appear until the cancer has advanced and surgery is not possible. The typical signs of this cancer include abdominal and back pain, weight loss, yellow discoloration of skin, and eyes, depression, new onset diabetes, and  recurrent blood clots.

The treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage. However, in many cases the patients are simply too ill to undergo surgery. The surgery for pancreatic cancer is demanding. Only a few centers in the world are accomplished at pancreatic surgery. The mortality of surgery at inexperienced centers is anywhere from 70-100 percent, whereas at top centers the mortality from surgery is less than 10 percent.

Surgery is only possible when the cancer is localized. When surgery is not possible, patients may undergo radiation or chemotherapy. However, pancreatic cancers are very resistant to both these therapies. Currently several clinical trials are looking at gene therapy. However, these studies are only experimental and there is no guarantee of a cure. A number of alternative treatments are available but most of these are frauds to prey on people who are desperate.

Because the cause of pancreatic cancer is not known, prevention is difficult.

Tags: pancreatic cancer

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Dubai World’s Bankruptcy gets help

Dubai World has now secured complete credit support for its $24.9 billion streamlining plan said a spokesperson for this luxurious indebted City. For the past year, Dubai World has been trying to gather financial support after the global economic crises led to a complete meltdown of the city to pay off its debts.

Just last month, the state owned Dubai World indicated that nearly all its creditors had signed on to a debt restructuring plan which extends the time for the corporation to repay back its lender. This has helped avoid pricey legal squabbling and more chaos for Dubai.

Details of the agreement have not been released, which is very typical of how business is done in the Middle East.  Dubai World achieved complete support after a U.S. troubled Debt Company that had refused to sign on to the agreement, sold a $5 million sliver of debt to Deutsche Bank

Dubai World had been working for months with their 70 lenders to help with a restructuring plan. The deal now guarantees creditors full repayment on the principal of their outstanding loans over a 5-8 year period. Initially the lenders had refused to sign on as Dubai World was offering very low interest rates.

For the lenders, Dubai World’s bankruptcy has been a precarious situation. Had they decided to take their case to a special tribunal set up the government, the chance of success against state owned Dubai World would have been low. It is very rare for UAE courts to favor foreign lenders. Previous experience indicates that litigation in the Middle East is protracted and usually results in decisions favoring home based corporations.

Dubai World continues to have a thriving international business ranging from hotels, Condominiums, Luxury retail wear, Seaports and even a Mega City Center Plaza on the Las Vegas strip.

Dubai is keen to move on as the recent crises have led to a severe drop in its reputation as the “Las Vegas” of the Middle East. This new restructuring plan is just the beginning for Dubai World. It is estimated by the IMF that the emirates still owes billions of dollars to other state owned companies.  What this means is that this is not the time to buy Real Estate in Dubai.

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Stinky Tylenol recall

Johnson and Johnson are once again in the news with a major recall of their popular over the counter pain medication-Tylenol. This latest recall is for Tylenol 8 hour caplets. Consumers recently started to complain of a mouldy or musky odor when the vial was opened. The odor is felt to be to due to the presence of minute amounts of a chemical called 2, 4, 6, tribromoanisole. Despite the bad smell, the manufacturers indicate that the risk of adverse side effects is very small.

Johnson and Johnson have asked consumers to contact them at 1888 222 6063 or use the company website on more information on how to receive a refund or a replacement product.

Recalls are not a novelty for Johnson and Johnson. Just this year alone the company had had recalls on Benadryl, and Motrin-which provoked a congressional inquest.

Late last year, several lots of Tylenol arthritic pain 100 tabs were recalled because of a disturbing odor, nausea and diarrhea. In January, this was followed with a recall of Motrin and in May, several other non-prescription medications were recalled. The company has suspended production at some of its sites to root out the problem. Johnson and Johnson sales have been down by more than 0.7 percent compared to the same period last year. With the economy also hurting, Johnson and Johnson are fully aware what this may mean for the company if the trend continues.

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It is okay to beat your wife, but gently, says UAE high Court

Well, it must be tough for women who are unfortunate to be born in the Middle East. The highest court in the United Arab Emirates has ruled that a man is permitted to beat his spouse and children as long as he does not leave any marks or bruises.

Said Chief Justice Falah Al Jajeri in his latest ruling on this controversial issue, “Although the [law] permits the husband to use his right [to discipline], he has to abide by the limits of this right,”

According to Islamic law, males of the home are allowed to use some degree of physical discipline against any family members if warning them and refraining from sex with his wife does not solve the problem.

This ruling came about after a UAE national slapped and kicked his wife and daughter leaving them with many bruises and bodily injuries. The court said that physical marks were evidence of abuse and this is not permitted by the law. If a man hits with such force so as to leave bruises, he has abused his “hitting privileges.”

What is not so surprising is that many men in the Middle East think that disciplining family members including spouse with violence is a great solution. Said Dr Ahmed Al Kubasi, Head of Sharia studies at one the UAE colleges “If a wife committed something wrong, a husband can report her to police. But sometimes she does not do a serious thing or he does not want to let others know, when it is not good for the family. In this case, hitting is a better option.”

What the Islamic court in UAE has failed to understand is that it is very possible to kill someone with a blow to the skull without leaving any mark(s) on the outside. So for the time being, women in the Middle East better behave because men have been given the “license” to hit them.

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