Authorities have arrested the 12-year-old brother of an 8-year-old girl who was mysteriously stabbed at her home in a rural Northern California community last month.

The boy, who was not identified, will be charged with homicide, Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters Saturday night.

The April 27 attack on Leila Fowler shook the tightknit Valley Springs community of about 7,400 people and set off a massive manhunt.

The boy had told police he found his sister's body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as being tall with long gray hair.

Police have said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery at the house.
Investigators did a door-to-door sweep of homes, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across the oak-studded hills foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues.
As part of the investigation, authorities seized several knives from the home Leila shared with her father, stepmother and siblings to determine if one could have inflicted the fatal wounds. A neighbor who told detectives she saw a man flee the Fowler home later recanted the story and was discredited by police.

Leila's brother was taken into custody at 5:10 p.m. Saturday and police hastily called a news conference to announce the arrest.

"Citizens of Calaveras County, you can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

Authorities spent over 2,000 hours on the investigation "to provide Leila Fowler's family answers to her death," the sheriff said.

Kuntz said the investigation was ongoing. He declined to provide further details.

Several days after the killing, hundreds of people gathered at Jenny Lind Elementary School where Leila was a popular 3rd grader. Her mother, Krystal Walters, tearfully thanked the crowd for the support.

"I just want to thank the entire community and all of our family and friends for all the overwhelming amount of support you've given our family," Walters said at the time. "It will never be forgotten. Thank you."

Given the Republican obsession with Benghazi talking points, it’s time for a very specific flashback. In 2008, two non partisan groups released a study that determined that President Bush and his top aides made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001.

These statements were part of a deliberate campaign, according to the study conducted by the Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism. They concluded, “The false statements dramatically increased in August 2002, with congressional consideration of a war resolution, then escalated through the mid-term elections and spiked even higher from January 2003 to the eve of the invasion… In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003.”

The study’s conclusions were further reinforced when former Bush White House press secretary Scott McClellan wrote, “top Bush aides had outlined a strategy for carefully orchestrating the coming campaign to aggressively sell the war… In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president’s advantage.” (What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

According to the study, then President George W Bush made 232 false statements about Iraq and former leader Saddam Hussein’s possessing weapons of mass destruction, and 28 false statements about Iraq’s links to al Qaeda.

“President George W. Bush and seven of his administration’s top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq…

On at least 532 separate occasions, Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both.”

On July 2004, the Republican majority led Senate Select Committee released the Intelligence Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence, which identified numerous failures in intelligence gathering and “analysis” (i.e., interpretation). However, Republicans defended the Bush administration’s statements on Iraq.

An investigation into the administration’s use of the intelligence was delayed for three years due to Republicans claiming it wasn’t as important (Senator Roberts, R-KS) as other pending items. Phase two of the investigation was released in 2007, but not all of the report was released. It determined, “our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence.”

Read the examples of the egregious lies told in the lead up to the Iraq War.

The recent cancellation of U.S. college entrance exams in South Korea—the first time SAT tests have been called off nationwide anywhere in the world for suspected cheating—is throwing the spotlight back on the country's hyper-competitive academic environment.

The U.S.-based administrator of the SAT, the most widely used standardized evaluation tool for high-school students applying to American universities, scrapped the May 4 sessions in South Korea three days before the test date after it discovered questions from the tests circulating in test-prep centers in the country.

The cancellation has thrown college-entrance preparations for thousands of students into disarray. Some students now plan to travel to other countries in the region to ensure they are able to take the next test in the summer.

At least 10 staff members of test centers have been barred from leaving the country as part of an investigation by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has launched a separate inquiry.

Over the past year, at least seven lawmakers have been accused of academic plagiarism, along with multiple celebrities and even a star teacher who appeared regularly on national television.Though academic cheating is a world-wide concern, high-profile scandals over unfairly earned or bogus qualifications are commonplace in South Korea. Those seeking top government office are among those who have been caught with plagiarized dissertations or fake degrees. Huh Tae-yeol, the chief presidential secretary, issued a public apology in February—when he was still a nominee for his post—for copying part of his doctorate degree in 1999. He argued that standards at the time weren't as stringent.

The string of scandals prompted national daily newspaper Hankook Ilbo to question this week whether South Koreans are "unusual" because of their willingness to cheat. In an editorial, it blamed the tight link between test results and overall success that harks back to royal court exams of centuries ago.

In modern-day South Korea, the academic environment is ultra-competitive because obtaining qualifications from the best institutions has long been critical to winning the most-desired jobs. Almost two-thirds of South Koreans between 25 and 34 years old have college degrees, the highest ratio in the world, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

The need to gain a competitive edge has pushed South Koreans abroad. For several years, South Koreans were the largest foreign student group at U.S. universities, though they are now third behind the Chinese and Indians, according to the OECD.

About 60 registered SAT prep centers operate in Seoul alone, according to the metropolitan education office. But test leaks occur because there is demand for an advantage from students' parents, said Shim Jai-ok, executive director of the Korean-American Educational Commission in Seoul, which administers Fulbright grants and a number of standardized exams, but not the SAT tests.

"Children are given an incredible burden," said Ms. Shim. "Who [in the U.S. institutions] will trust the scores from here?"

Test-prep-center managers say the problem is widespread. Copies of official SAT booklets can be purchased from brokers for about 5 million won ($4,575), some managers say. Some also say they regularly hear from students and parents about brokers initiating contact.

U.S.-based Educational Testing Service is the SAT's developer, vendor and scorer. Thomas Ewing, a spokesman for ETS, declined to comment on the investigation, but in a written statement called the security measures for tests taken in South Korea "among the most stringent of any country in which the SAT is administered," adding that a security review for the country is under way.

The prosecutors' office declined to comment on the investigation.

The next SATs will take place as scheduled, according to ETS, but it didn't rule out another cancellation if similar problems are discovered. Mr. Ewing said there were no planned migrations for the SAT to a computerized format because it would be impossible to accommodate the average 3 million test takers on any given test date.

Many U.S.-bound students plan the calendar year around the six or seven official dates for the SAT, an abbreviation for Scholastic Aptitude Test, and the supplementary SAT subject tests because not all sections are offered every time.

"[The cancellation] threw my plans off," said Park Yun-jie, a Seoul-based high-school sophomore. She and her friends are considering a trip to Hong Kong or Japan for the next scheduled test date on June 1, forgoing her spot in Seoul because of the possibility of another cancellation.

In 2007, about 900 SAT scores were canceled because of suspicion of cheating. On Wednesday, just one week after the SAT cancellation notice in South Korea, 36 people were charged for illegal filming of English proficiency exams with spy cameras or for ordering the service, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Pass the cicadas -- a United Nations report calls for bringing bugs to your next picnic. On the menu that is.

Along with providing a satisfying crunch, "Insects are a highly nutritious and healthy food source with high fat, protein, vitamin, fiber and mineral content," says the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization report released in Rome on Monday.

Despite that endorsement, "We are not saying that people should be eating bugs," said FAO's Eva Muller, in a statement on the report. Rather, the advice is part of a call for forest conservation to help feed the world's 21st century population, projected to peak at 9 billion people by 2050. "We are saying that insects are just one resource provided by forests, and insects are pretty much untapped for their potential for food, and especially for feed."

About 2 billion people worldwide already munch on bugs regularly because food sources are increasingly stretched. The Western diet is the odd one worldwide, in its exclusion of bugs, notes the report, which calls for making regulations more friendly to bug farming.

"If life gives you locusts, make locust-enriched grain," says entomologist Doug Yanega, a senior museum scientist at the University of California, Riverside, and an expert on consuming edible bugs. "The U.N. report is perfectly logical, looking at it objectively, but it is tough to convince people."

Some scorpions (though not technically insects) and water bugs are yummy, Yanega adds. There are 10 million different insects, he says, and some are better than others. "Honey bees are perfectly delicious."

Cicadas should be good eating, too, he says. And that is good news since the latest brood is hitting the USA now. "You are what you eat with bugs. They eat tree sap for 17 years, that should make them pretty good."

The common beetroot that is normally cooked and sliced or grated for salad is from the species Beta Vulgaris and the family Chenopodiaceae. Beetroot is commonly cooked, but the juice of raw beetroot contains a host of health benefits, and is classed as a “super food” in today’s nutritional jargon.

Nutritional ingredients in beetroot juice

Beetroot juice contains a host of nutritional compounds.

Minerals

Beetroot juice contains magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and calcium as well as small amounts of copper, selenium, zinc, iron and manganese.

Amino acids

It contains trace amounts of various amino acids (including D-amino acids [Alpha Amino Acids]) which help to build proteins and for use by the body.

Antioxidants

Various antioxidants (including flavonoids and carotenoids) are found in the juice. They fight and destroy free radicals in the body and help to fight premature aging and to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Vitamins

Raw freeze-dried beetroot juice also provides vitamins A, B1, B2 , B3, C and folic acid [folate] (B9).

Other ingredients

The deep red color is produced by betacyanin and is seen as an anti-cancer agent for colon cancer. Silica is also present which helps to utilize the calcium in the body and strengthens the bones, hair and skin. Also of importance is the glycine betaine contained in beetroot juice.

Benefits of beetroot juice

The daily intake of beetroot juice has a host of health benefits, and these benefits are not merely folk-lore or based on anecdotal evidence, but are supported by good solid clinical investigation.

Reducing blood pressure (hypertension)

Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure within an hour of consuming it and therefore helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure, which in turn helps to prevent heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

Anemia and low blood hemoglobin

The iron content in the juice is most useful to people who have problems with low hemoglobin and anemia.

It aids in the absorption of iron, which increases the blood count and improves blood circulation and the oxygen-carrying capacity of erythrocytes (the red blood cells).

Cancer

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) can be formed during the cooking of meat and fish and are associated with an increased risk for cancer, but the juice of beetroot can help to negate this problem.

The betacyanin contained in beetroot (the beetroot’s deep red color pigment) has also been linked to fight cancers. Studies showed that it is helpful in reducing precancerous esophageal lesions and tumors.

The Betanin in beetroot has proven effective in fighting both skin tumors and liver tumors in a study done on mice - where the cancers were artificially created and then treated with beetroot.

One study suggests that cigarette smokers may want to look at adding beetroot juice to their diet, as it helps to expel cancer forming agents.

In a German study, which looked at alternative treatments used by cancer patients, beetroot juice rated the most popular of all alternative cancer treatments.

Aging

The main factor to keep in mind, when reading about all the positive effects of beetroot juice, is that it is in most areas effective, since it contains extremely active antioxidants and phenolic compounds.

The high anti-oxidant content will help prevent cell and DNA damage and help remove damaging and aging free radicals.

Digestive help and regulating the metabolism

Taking the juice is also associated with improving the digestive health as well as the body's metabolism. Apart from helping with the digestion of food, especially fat digestion, it also stimulates the nerves in the intestine.

The nutrient also helps individuals with hypochlorhydria, a condition causing abnormally low levels of stomach acid, by increasing stomach acidity.

Reduced oxygen use and boosting stamina

Beetroot is helpful in creating healthy red blood cells and helps to maximize the amount of oxygen being carried on the red blood cells.

It also increases the efficient uptake of oxygen and during exercise it helps that less oxygen is required – leading to far more stamina and staying power.

The reduced consumption of oxygen by the muscles during exercise and physical activity has important implications for our understanding of the factors that regulate mitochondrial respiration (cell functioning) and muscle contractile energetics in humans.

In other words – this means less fatigue, higher endurance and increased stamina, which provides more vitality and energy to live a full and energetic life.

The magnesium contained in the juice can also help to ease muscle tension, stress and anxiety.

Glandular fever – Epstein Barr virus

When beetroot was used on Epstein-Barr virus (glandular fever) early antigen (EBV-EA) induction, using Raji cells, revealed a high order of activity – and taking beetroot juice could therefore be of benefit to people suffering from glandular fever / Epstein Barr infection.

Obesity and overweight

In a clinical trial it was concluded that beetroot juice could help the metabolism in obese and overweight patients and that the inclusion of the juice could be important when treating obesity in overweight people holistically.

Detoxifying the liver

A clinical study showed that the introduction of beetroot juice helped the liver detoxify and clear it from oxidative stress, while also protecting the liver cell’s DNA.

The glycine betaine and methionine contained in the juice supports liver detoxification and stimulates the function of liver cells. It also protects the liver and bile ducts, thereby improving liver, kidney and bladder functioning and overall health.

Beet juice benefits the liver by protecting it against fatty depositions caused by alcohol abuse, protein deficiency etc.

From the above it is easy to see why beetroot juice is used as a detoxifying agent, or as part of a detox mixture.

Skin

Since it is a powerful antioxidant, the ripple effect of taking beet juice will also benefit the skin and protect it from premature aging due to the free-radical neutralizing effect the antioxidants have.

Immune system

The juice effectively boosts the immune system and fights inflammation (which leads to premature aging). Since the immune system is supported by this humble vegetable, it is worthwhile to include the raw juice in the diet, specifically when a person is prone torecurrent infections or has a deficient immune system.

The older generation used to talk about “building-up your strength” after illness or operations – and taking the juice will achieve just that.

Inflammation

Beetroot juice is helpful in fighting any inflammatory diseases, and if you have any type of inflammation it may be worthwhile to include it in your daily supplementation.

It must be kept in mind that inflammatory processes are one of the main causes of premature aging, and age related diseases.

Hair

Although not clinically verified, people do believe that the carotenoids contained in beet juice will help increase the quality, thickness and gloss of hair, and to fight dandruff.

What is clinically proven is that it assists with proper blood circulation. This will then also help to nourish the hair follicle and it may just be true that better quality hair can be produced. The natural silica in beetroot may also support the belief that it improves thegeneral health and gloss of the hair.

Brain function and age related neurological problems

Ingesting beetroot juice increases blood flow to the brain, which in older adults is very important, and may help in halting the progress of dementia. It also improves cognitive (mental) functioning.

In studies it was found that blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain in older people improved in as little as four (4) days. The frontal lobes of the brain are the part involved in dementia and reduced mental functioning – and is a critical part of the brain.

Radiation protection

After the catastrophe at Chernobyl, Russian scientists searched for compounds that could be used as radiation protectors and found that concentrates of dietary fibers (CDF) in beetroot (containing lignin) are a very effective agent when used for radiation protectionand radiation poisoning.

Side effects

If you have problems with your kidneys or gall bladder it is advisable to first contact your medical practitioner before taking beetroot juice on a daily basis, as the juice is rich in oxalate.

Please also check if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in beetroot juice.

After consumption of the juice, you may have red urine (Beeturia) and red stools, but this is a normal manifestation when taking beetroot juice.

Not only are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, there are many other reasons to love these yummy vegetables. Here are 9:

1. They are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including the prevention of heart attacks.

2. They are a good source of vitamin C. While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essential to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.

3. They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year. Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.

4. Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper immune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

5. Sweet potatoes are a good source of magnesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the population in North America may be deficient in this important mineral.

6. They are a source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kidneys.

7. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain.

8. Their rich orange colour indicates that they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body. Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect against the effects of aging. Studies at Harvard University of more than 124,000 people showed a 32 percent reduction in risk of lung cancer in people who consumed a variety of carotenoid-rich foods as part of their regular diet.2 Another study of women who had completed treatment for early stage breast cancer conducted by researchers at Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) found that women with the highest blood concentrations of carotenoids had the least likelihood of cancer recurrence.

9. There are versatile. Try them roasted, puréed, steamed, baked, or grilled. You can add them to soups and stews, or grill and place on top of leafy greens for a delicious salad. I enjoy grilling them with onions and red peppers for amazing sandwich or wrap ingredients. Puree them and add to smoothies and baked goods.

A pile of fluffy, golden pancakes is incomplete unless its drizzled with the rich sweetness of maple syrup. But something that heavenly cannot possibly be good for you, can it?

Surprisingly, the answer is "yes." Real maple syrup, unlike processed syrup, which uses high fructose corn syrup for it sweet taste, has properties that are beneficial to your health. A 2011 study out of the University of Rhode Island (URI) found that maple syrup possesses more than 50 natural phyochemicals, including some that have antioxidant properties comparable to those of vitamin C. (1)

Pancakes aren't the only way to enjoy this sweet-but-healthy treat. Maple syrup can be substituted for sugar or honey in your morning oatmeal to give your breakfast a extra dose of vitamins and minerals. You can also use maple syrup instead of other sweeteners while baking. And for you workout junkies looking for a new way to fuel, a hit of the mighty maple might be just what you need to power you through an extended training session.

Why Maple Syrup?

URI's research points out that maple syrup is more than a simple sweetener. While sugar, honey and corn syrup enter the bloodstream and cause your blood sugar to spike, maple syrup does not. According to Dr. Navindra Seeram, assistant pharmacy professor at URI and the study's head researcher, "the polyphenols in maple syrup inhibit enzymes that are involved in the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar." Certain properties of maple syrup actually restrict the body's processing of energy into sugar, keeping blood sugar levels more balanced and helping you avoid glucose spikes—and later, the debilitating crashes that can occur when the sugar high wears off.

Adding a dose of maple syrup to your diet? Remember these guidelines:

The darker the maple syrup, the higher its levels of antioxidants
Syrup works as a one-to-one substitute for sugar in recipes. But when you switch from sugar to syrup, reduce the amount of liquid the recipe calls for by about half a cup
You can also use syrup as a one-to-one substitute for liquid sweeteners like honey, molasses and corn syrup

Pre-Workout

A quick dose of simple carbohydrates can help you start a workout strong. Maple syrup delivers those carbs with anti-inflammatory compounds that help protect cells from oxidative damage, which exercise causes. So before you hit the gym, try incorporating maple syrup into your pre-workout snack. A good choice are KIND Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia and Quinoa. You could even sprinkle maple syrup over a bowl of Greek yogurt and berries for a potent mix of pre-workout protein and carbs. Or try your hand at this Maple Rice Pudding recipe.

During a Workout

Exercise causes you to lose valuable electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which help regulate your hydration level. Maple syrup contains 161 mg of potassium (3% of your daily requirement), so try this All-Natural Maple Sports Drink to keep your stamina up during a training session. (2)

Post-Workout

Two other minerals depleted by high-intensity workouts are manganese and zinc.(3) Manganese is known for its ability to enhance muscle and nerve function and to improve memory, concentration and overall mental stability.(3) Zinc is involved in important bodily functions like muscle protein synthesis, cellular growth and regeneration, which helps you heal from soreness and wounds. Low zinc levels can reduce your endurance capacity and energy levels.(3) Thankfully, a 1/4-cup serving of maple syrup delivers 44% of the USDA’s daily requirement for manganese and 41% of zinc. Get those valuable minerals back after a tough workout with a Fruity Maple Recovery Shake.

The benefits of consuming insects are multifold, starting with the fact that they're good for you. Consider the following: 100 grams of crickets contains 121 calories. Only 49.5 calories come from fat. Where you really see the nutritional value is in the 12.9 grams of protein and 75.8 milligrams of iron. They also have about 5 grams of carbohydrates. If you're watching your figure and want to cut down on the carbs, go with a silk worm pupae or a nice steaming bowl oftermites. Neither of these has any carbohydrates, and they're both great sources of protein and calories. But if it's protein you seek, look no further than the caterpillar. These little fellows pack a walloping 28 grams of protein per 100 grams [source: Lyon]. They're also loaded with iron, thiamine and niacin. You may know those last two by their more common names -- vitamins B1 and B3.

Compare the nutritional value of insects to beef and even fish and it's pretty clear which one is the smart food. While having protein levels on par with caterpillars, lean ground beef and cod come up short in iron and vitamin levels. Crickets also contain a lot of calcium, which we know is good for bone development. Besides nutritional value, insects are also abundant and environmentally sustainable. Farming and harvesting insects takes very little water and transport fuel compared to livestock, grains and even vegetables. It's also more efficient than raising cattle. One hundred pounds of feed produces 10 pounds of beef. The same amount of feed would produce more than four times that amount in crickets [source: National Geographic]. If America and Europe got on board, insects could help to provide a sustainable food source for the future.

So where do you get these things? Well, it's best to not venture into your backyard seeking beetles or termites. Chances are, anything in an urban area will be flush with pesticides. Your best bet is to buy them or raise them yourself. Pet stores and bait shops will have mealworms and crickets. You can also special order most anything from insect suppliers on the Internet.

There are a couple of things you should do before eating insects. To freshen them up, feed them fresh grains for a couple of days. This will clean out anything unsavory they may have eaten. Even though many insects can be eaten raw, you'll want to cook them to make sure it's safe and to improve the taste. Wash them with water and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to kill them. You may want to cut the heads from the worms, though you don't need to. Crickets can have their legs and wings removed -- there's not much meat there anyway.

If you're in a survival situation, insects may save your life. But be careful what you eat, as some can be toxic. It's doubtful that you'll die from eating a forbidden bug, but you can get sick. One common rule of thumb you can follow is:

Red, orange yellow, forget this fellow.

Black, green or brown, wolf it down.

Avoid eating brightly colored bugs or ones that have a strong odor. This odor is their way of saying "buzz off," and you should do just that. If you're an outdoor enthusiast, the safest thing to do is keep a book of edible plants and insects in your emergency kit.

Three NYPD officers have been named in a lawsuit alleging they "needlessly, and without warning pepper-sprayed a mother, father and their three small children," including a 5-month-old baby, in a New York City subway station in August, 2012.

The suit, filed last month by Marilyn Taylor, claims that Officers Maripily Clase, Suranjit Dey and Jermaine Hodge approached Taylor and her family after she used the station's service entrance to push the stroller carrying her 2-year-old child onto the subway platform -- arousing suspicions that she had skipped paying the fare.

According to the complaint filed by Taylor's attorney, and available at Gothamist:

During this stop, the aggressive language and demeanor of the officer defendants caused the Minor Children to become scared and upset. Ms. Taylor responded to her four-year-old daughter's question as to whether she was going to be okay by leaning over to tell her daughter that, "everyone is going to be okay."
At this point, defendant DEY unloaded pepper-spray into Ms. Taylor's face. The spray caused Ms. Taylor to reel backwards, nearly falling off the platform, and to fall to her knees, blinded and in pain. The pepper-spray struck Mr. McClain [Taylor's husband] as well, resulting in pain and discoloration of his left eye.
The Minor Children were also struck by the pepper-spray, causing them to scream and cry in fear and pain, and sending [the two-year-old] into fits of vomiting.

Taylor was then cuffed and detained by the officers, according to the lawsuit, and pushed down the station's stairwell in "an unreasonably forceful manner that caused bruising to Ms. Taylor's wrists and lower back," after which she was taken to Central Booking for her arraignment.

The complaint says that Taylor and McClain have both dealt with eye problems in the months since the incident, and that their children suffered severe psychological trauma. Additionally, the complaint alleges that the officers proceeded to harass and intimidate the family outside the station where the incident occurred in the weeks that followed.

The NYPD didn't immediately respond for comment on the lawsuit.

The police department, which was the subject of heated criticism after an officer famously pepper-sprayed peaceful protesters at Occupy Wall Street in 2011, has also been embroiled of late in a number of other controversies -- in particular, a stop-and-frisk program largely targeting New York's minority populations, and the disputed shooting and killing of 16-year-old Kimani Gray.

Sometimes oversharing on the internet does more than just annoy your friends. It can even land you in jail

The "stupid criminal" story has long been a staple of local crime reporting, late-night talk shows, and comedy-news programs such as NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! And now, the magic of social networking is giving ne'er-do-wells a new venue to thwart themselves, often in front of large audiences. Call it "cops-and-robbers 2.0," says Winston Ross at The Daily Beast. Driven by "a self-destructive combination of ignorance, narcissism, and generation-specific disregard for their own privacy," social-media (un-)savvy crooks are making life much easier for cops. Here, nine suspected crimes uncovered through Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook:

1. Stealing thousands of identities — and stopping for a steak
Authorities had been referring to an information-stealing couple as the "Bonnie & Clyde" of identity theft when, in January 2013, the IRS finally began closing in on them. A tipster told the IRS that a man named "Troy" had bragged about stealing some 700,000 identities. An IRS informant — who was a convicted felon — reportedly tracked down Troy and his girlfriend, Tiwanna Thomason, in Florida. The informant, convincing them he was in the same business, invited the couple to dinner where they could all scheme together. At the meeting, Troy reportedly handed over a flash drive containing the personal information of 46 individuals whose stolen identities were up for grabs. Within this drive, the IRS was able to find Troy's own information but still could not link him to the crimes. Then they caught a break when they came across a photo of a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a mouthwatering steak waiting to be carved that was uploaded to the account of @troymaye on Jan. 7 with the caption "Morton's." The date and the location placed the suspect, 44-year-old Nathaniel Troy Maye, and his girlfriend at the meeting with the IRS informant. Maye and Thomason were arrested in January and, in a judicial first, the Instagram photo was cited as evidence against the suspected identity thieves.

2. 'Chick Bank robber' tells-all on YouTube
A 7-minute video called "Chick Bank robber" lives up to its name. (Watch the video below.) It opens with a young, blonde, tattooed girl sitting on the floor of a cluttered bedroom handwriting signs she shows the camera. The first says, "I stole from a car," and then the girl holds up a bag of marijuana and a pipe. The next sign says, "Then I stole a car!" She mimes "oops" and proudly swings the keys in front of the video. Her next sign says, "Then I robbed a bank!!" She smiles broadly after this reveal while the subtitles read "with a gun, a pillow case and a note." She shows off a wad of cash as "$6,256" appears at the bottom of the screen. The girl, 19-year-old Hannah Sabata was arrested on Nov. 28 mere hours after the video was uploaded to YouTube. Police also got a call from her ex-boyfriend who said she texted him saying she had a whole pile of cash after robbing a bank. "I've been a sheriff for 19 years, and in law enforcement for 42 years, and I've never seen anything like this," York County Sheriff Dale Radcliff told The New York Times.

3. Setting up deadly human traps along hiking trails
Two Utah men were arrested on April 21, 2012, for setting crude, potentially deadly medieval-style booby traps along a popular hiking trail outside of Provo. A U.S. Forest Service ranger with military experience noticed and disarmed the tripwire-sprung traps, including a football-sized rock outfitted with sharp wooden spikes set to swing at someone's head. The police were tipped off that Benjamin Rutkowski, 19, and Kai Christensen, 21, were responsible after the two men chatted about their traps on Facebook. Once apprehended, they claimed they were targeting animals. Fat chance, said Sheriff Spencer Cannon. "There's no question these traps were set for humans and that these suspects knew their deadly potential."

4. Stealing gas from a cop carMichael Baker, 20, got a visit from the Jenkins, Ky., police on April 16, 2012, after a photo he posted on Facebook went viral in the town of 2,000. In the picture, Baker is siphoning gas from a Jenkins Police Department cruiser and flipping the bird while smiling. After getting booked for misdemeanor theft — he appears far less ebullient in his mugshot— Baker updated his 380 Facebook friends: "Lol i went too jail over Facebook."

5. Flaunting breasts, getting bustedThe FBI nabbed Higinio Ochoa of Galveston, Texas, on March 20, 2012, for allegedly hacking into four law enforcement websites. The trail that led the feds to Ochoa, 30, started with a racy calling-card photo of Ochoa's girlfriend, in which she is leaning toward the camera in a revealing swimsuit top with a taunting sign from "w0rmer & CabinCr3w." The embedded data showed the photo was taken with an iPhone at a house in Melbourne, Australia. After connecting Ochoa's name with the handle "w0rmer," the FBI read on Ochoa's Facebook page that he has a girlfriend in Australia, and matched the breast-centric photo with photos of the same woman (in more modest attire) on Ochoa's page.

6. Taunting a theft victim from his stolen laptopIn January 2011, police in Washington, D.C., arrested Rodney Knight Jr., 19, for breaking into the home of Washington Post journalist Marc Fisher and stealing a coat, cash, and a laptop from Fisher's son. Knight then logged into the son's Facebook account and posted a photo of himself wearing the pilfered coat and holding cash. "Full frontal photo," one police officer told Fisher. "That's pretty great." Another officer, Kyle Roe, described Knight as the stupidest criminal he'd ever encountered.

7. Dealing drugs, then Facebooking the getawayMichele Grasso vanished from the Sicilian resort town of Taormina in 2008 before police could arrest him for dealing drugs, and, though he was convicted in absentia in 2011, Italian authorities had no clue where Grasso was... until he started dropping hints on his Facebook page. First came photos of snow, then snaps of himself in front of a double-decker red bus, and finally the admission that he was in London, with plenty of touristy shots to prove it. Then, in January, he posted a photo of himself working at a pizzeria, including an outside shot with the restaurant's name. On Feb. 11, Grasso, 27, was arrested on an Interpol warrant and extradited to Rome.

8. Escaping prison, tempting fateCraig Lynch escaped from prison in Suffolk, England, in September 2009 — near the end of a seven-year burglary sentence — then spent the next four months rubbing it in Scotland Yard's face. He posted clues to his location on Facebook and plenty of photos of himself flipping off the police, and in the process developed quite a following. By the time the cops caught him in January 2010, Lynch had more than 40,000 fans on his Facebook page.

9. Picking a fight with cops who called you a 'creep'On Jan. 5, 2012, the Jefferson County, Ala., sheriff's office put a warrant out for Dustin McCombs, then shared a "Wanted" photo of the accused rapist on Facebook captioned "Creep of the Week." McCombs himself chimed in, starting a two-hour comment tirade: "And good thing I moved out of state." A few comments later, McCombs said he believes "it just may be considered defamation of character, you know the whole 'creep of the week' title." On Feb. 3, McCombs was arrested in Ohio, thanks largely to Facebook.

The face of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, to the majority of Americans, churns up feelings of hatred, anger, and unspeakable grief. But it’s fueling something else for a surprising number of young women: puppy love.

Since his arrest in April, 19-year-old Tsarnaev has grown into a bit of an online heartthrob, with supporters setting up special Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr pages in his honor, using the hashtag #freejahar. The fans declare his innocence, refer to him by his nickname of Jahar, write about how they wish they could get in touch with him (and, in one case, “curl up and take a nap” in his soft hair), publicize items like hand beaded “Free Jahar” bracelets, and note that he’s “beautiful,” “hot” and “too pretty to be guilty.” One Kansas teen even told the New York Post that she was going to get a Tsarnaev quote tattooed onto her arm, though she soon after changed her mind.

The seemingly bizarre idea of crushing on Tsarnaev, or any accused killer, though, is actually not so surprising, experts told Yahoo! Shine.

“It’s not that he’s a bomb suspect, it’s that he’s notorious,” Sheila Isenberg, author of “Women Who Love Men Who Kill,” explained. The hope with such women, she added, is that they’ll somehow be able to visit him and then get their 15 minutes of fame if they latch onto his—similar to those who fall in love with convicted criminals on death row. “A lot are going to say, ‘I just want to make sure he gets a fair trial,’” she said, “but that’s really window dressing for their inherent need to get famous themselves.”

Isenberg added, “You can’t get close to celebrities like George Clooney or Matt Damon. But a celebrity-slash-killer-slash-rapist-slash-bomber? I even expect that the horrific monster in Cleveland will have people trying to get in touch with him soon.” (And as far as Tsarnaev’s looks go, that “definitely helps” him get followers, she added, but it’s never necessary, as proven by the fact that even creepy serial killer John Wayne Gacy had his female fans.)

On a Facebook page called “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is Innocent,” which had nearly 8,500 followers by Monday afternoon, the smitten young women—along with media coverage of the phenomenon—have been harshly criticized as “hurting the cause,” which appears to be to spread the word that Tsarnaev is the victim of a conspiracy.

“The media is trying to make us look like fools,” wrote one Facebook page supporter, Aida Chechenkaa. Others had harsher words, while some just took it in stride, noting that Tsarnaev’s true supporters had to stay on course. “It is what it is. If he has teenage girls that are crushing on him, so be it,” wrote one supporter named Brenton Struck. “We just have to keep focused on our cause, which is to post flyers and spread the word of Jahar’s innocence.”

Psychologist Jill Weber, author of “Having Sex, Wanting Intimacy: Why Women Settle for One-Sided Relationships,” told Yahoo! Shine that Tsarnaev may attract certain young girls because he’s a bad character, and because that’s both excitingly rebellious and also provides a chance to “help” someone.

“Similar to the fascination teen girls have with vampire characters in movies and books, dark characters are a way to forge a separate identity and to defiantly (or rebelliously) declare oneself as independent of authority figures,” she noted. “Some of this is normal teen development, but being drawn to a criminal is a dysfunctional way to forge independence.”

She added that girls who are hyper-socialized “toward caring about the feelings of others to the expense of their own are more easily drawn to relationships with dysfunctional or even sociopathic men,” and have difficulty seeing that certain men are simply unhealthy.

In this case, as in other similar ones, such as when supporters of Aurora, Colorado, shooter James Holmes set up a Facebook page, social media fuels the fire.

“Social media normalizes such dark attractions,” Weber said. “If a teen girl sees others fascinated and interested in criminals, vampires, or other toxic personas, it makes it seem okay to her and so she digs deeper into her own toxic attraction for such. In the past, perhaps a girl may notice such a feeling but it may have passed quicker because the contagion that social media brings was not such an omnipresence force in our culture as it is now.”

What are the biggest health problems in the U.S.? It depends on whom you ask.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would put heart disease at the top of the list, since it's the leading cause of death in the nation. If we looked to Google for an answer, Americans searched for information about hemorrhoids more than any other health problem in 2012.

Probably the best source to ask about the biggest health problems facing Americans, though, are Americans themselves. Here are the top eight health problems identified by U.S. respondents in a 2012 Gallup poll.

1. AccessFor the 10th year in a row, Americans listed access to health care as one of their top two concerns. Obamacare's mandate that individuals purchase insurance goes into effect in 2014, so it will be interesting to see if this issue remains near the top of the list. For now, nearly a quarter of all Americans view access as the nation's most significant health issue.

2. CostThe high cost of health care has also ranked in the top two problems cited by Americans since 2003. If health insurance company predictions come true, expect this issue to stay among American's top concerns.

Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said that a "premium rate shock" was in store for next year with some insurance premiums doubling. Bertolini isn't alone with this line of thinking. UnitedHealth Group warned brokers earlier this year that some customers could see their premiums more than double, and some small business rates could jump by as much as 50%.

Insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealth will raise premiums largely because of the increased numbers of individuals with poor health who will buy insurance under Obamacare. Aetna actually encouraged brokers to reenroll members at the end of 2013 rather than in 2014 to delay cost increases. Both Aetna and UnitedHealth will attempt to make up for any negatives from the individual insurance market by growing their respective Medicare and Medicaid managed care businesses.

3. ObesityThe number of Americans who think obesity is the most urgent health problem has doubled in the last six years. According to the CDC, more than a third of adult Americans are obese. Some economists estimate that obesity-related costs account for more than 20% of total U.S. health-care expenditures.

4. CancerCancer continues to take its toll on Americans, causing more than 570,000 deaths in 2011. Understandably, the disease ranks highly among health challenges that face the U.S. The good news is that more effective treatments have become available with more on the way.

For example, Medivation and partner Astellas Pharma received approval for prostate cancer drug Xtandi last August -- three months ahead of schedule. Medivation also recently obtained a positive recommendation for Xtandi in Europe. In clinical studies, Xtandi prolonged survival rates in patients with advanced prostate cancer by five months compared to placebo.

While the U.S. commercial launch just got cranked up, some industry experts expect Xtandi to reach annual sales of more than $2 billion in the next several years. Success of drugs like this helps patients and investors alike.

5. Government interferenceIs Uncle Sam less of an uncle and more like George Orwell's "Big Brother" when it comes to health care? Many Americans might think so, resulting in government interference taking the fifth spot among health problems. Controversy over some provisions in Obamacare appear to be a likely reason for this issue ranking so highly.

6. Heart diseaseHeart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but comes in only at sixth place from the perspective of Americans according to the Gallup survey. Studies show that the most common type of heart disease, coronary heart disease, results in more than 385,000 deaths annually and costs nearly $109 billion.

7. DiabetesMore than 25 million Americans battle diabetes, so it's no surprise that the disease placed among the top health concerns. Diabetes contributes to many other health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and blindness.

As with several other health issues, there is some good news. For example, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved Johnson & Johnson's Invokana for type 2 diabetes. The drug controls blood sugar through a different mechanism than other available treatments.

Although there are plenty of diabetes drugs available, many think Invokana's unique approach will make it successful for patients and for J&J. Analysts expect the drug will attain sales of around $468 million by 2016.

8. AIDSThe CDC estimates that more than 15,500 Americans died from AIDS in 2010. There's good news on this front also in the U.S. and across the world. The United Nations AIDS Program says that death rates have declined as access to medications become more readily available.

Gilead Sciences stands as the leading maker of these medications. The biotech's Atripla is currently the most-used HIV drug. Atripla garnered $3.57 billion in revenue in 2012, up 11% from the prior year. Gilead obtained FDA approval recently for a new treatment, Stribild, which combines four of its drugs into one pill.

Even with the progress, some roadblocks have been encountered in the battle against AIDS. Gilead attempted to obtain separate regulatory approval for two of the drugs included in Stribild -- elvitegravir and cobicistat. However, the FDA announced it would not approve the drugs in April due to concerns about documentation and quality testing procedures. Gilead is working to address these issues.

It was in most respects a typical heist that happened in Dublin last month. Masked men, roughed-up security guards, $650,000 in stolen booty. But this wasn’t art or jewelry that was stolen. The contraband, instead, was four rhinoceros heads. Or, more specifically, their horns.

And this wasn’t the first time. A rhino-head heist spree swept Europe in 2011, as thieves raided museums and auctions houses in seven countries, prompting 30 investigations by Europol, 20 of which are ongoing. Similar heists have also beenon the rise in Africa, as well as in the odd American backwater town. Meanwhile, anonline business thrives as well—including one dealer on Facebook who only accepts bitcoin.

What is driving this “highly organized” crime ring?

If you guessed “China,” you were wrong. The answer is Vietnam. The country’s appetite for rhino horn is so great that it now fetches up to $100,000/kg, making it worth more than its weight in gold. (Horns average around 1-3 kg each, depending on the species.)

Behind the mysterious craze for rhino horn

The weird thing is that the surge in Vietnamese demand is fairly recent. Though rhino horn elixirs for fevers and liver problems were first prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine more than 1,800 years ago, by the early 1990s demand was limited. Trade bans among Asian countries instituted in the 1980s and early 1990s proved largely effective in quashing supply, with some help from poaching crackdowns in countries where rhinos live. Meanwhile, the removal of rhino horn powder from traditional Chinese pharmacopeia in the 1990s had largely doused demand. In the early 1990s, for instance, horns sold for only $250-500/kg (pdf, p.85). And only around 15 rhinos were poached in South Africa each year from 1990 to 2007.

But things started changing in 2008. That year, 83 were killed, followed by 122 the next year. By 2012, that number had hit 688. Here’s a look at how many rhinos were killed, on average, each day: Screen Shot 2013-05-09 at 1.22.58 PM

The cancer-zapping miracle drug?

What happened in 2008 to prompt a resurgence in demand? The closest guess is a rumor that swept Vietnam in the mid-2000s that imbibing rhino horn powder hadcured a Vietnamese politician’s cancer. That rumor persists to this day. And note that this has nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine. As Huijun Shen, the president of the UK Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine explained to Nature magazine, there’s no record of using rhino horn to treat cancer in nearly two millennia worth of Chinese medical texts (p.23).

In Vietnam, however, at least some respected doctors vouch for rhino horn’s cancer-curing properties. One woman who purchased $2,000 worth of horn powderon her doctors’ advice.

Rising standards of living are driving up demand

So why are Vietnamese willing to shell out thousands for the pharmacological equivalent of chewing your fingernails? The short answer: wealth. Vietnam’s tally of multimillionaires has grown 150% in the last five years. The Convention on the International Trade on Endangered Species notes that this rising wealth is “inflating a bubble of demand for rhino horn” (pdf, p.3). This chart of retail sales hints at how rapidly Vietnamese consumer spending has picked up in just a few years:

But as in many fast-developing countries, the quality and availability of cancer care in Vietnam hasn’t kept pace with the country’s economic growth. “Cancer is a big problem in Vietnam. We have about 150,000 new cases a year, and the waiting list for radiotherapy is very long,” Vietnamese oncologist Dr. Dang Huy Quoc Thinh told the International Association for Atomic Energy Bulletin (pdf, p.2). “People die because we can’t provide the treatment in time.” As of 2010 Vietnam had only 25 radiotherapy machines for a population of 87 million (pdf). Here’s a look at how that ratio—about 3.48 million people per machine—compares with those of neighboring countries, via the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (pdf, p.3):

Plus, rates of cancer are also rising 20-30% a year, both because prosperity has brought increased pollution and unhealthier lifestyles, and simply because more cases are being caught and diagnosed. However, many people still aren’t very familiar with cancer, so that 70-80% of patients at Vietnam’s four cancer hospitals are diagnosed only in late stages. That gives Vietnam a cancer mortality rate of 73%, one of the highest in the world, according to the deputy director of a hospital in Hanoi; the average for the developing world is 67.8%, he said.

“The alcoholic drink of millionaires”

Some conservation groups, however, don’t think rhino horn’s newfound popularity in Vietnam has much to do with the cancer cure-all rumor (pdf, p.2). The more likely reason, they say, is that the horn powder is increasingly seen as a cocaine-like party drug, virility enhancer and luxury item—”the alcoholic drink of millionaires,” as a Vietnamese news site called it.

That’s partly because it is supposed to help the liver. With alcohol consumption on the rise as living standards improve, the swinging Vietnamese now prize rhino horn as a way to let them drink more and cure hangovers faster. Tom Milliken, an expert on the rhino horn market, reckons that a rhino-horn detox, ”especially following excessive intake of alcohol, is probably the most common routine usage promoted in the marketplace” (pdf, p.29). (The idea that it’s an aphrodisiac, however, has no basis in traditional Chinese medicine.)

A status symbol for posh young Vietnamese

In fact, rhino horn is now more expensive than cocaine, which has helped build its cachet. It’s also ideal for greasing palms for business deals (pdf, p.36). That could be partly because newly affluent Vietnamese don’t have that much to spend their money on. The government has issued just 10 licenses for distributors of luxury goods. And its small size means Vietnam is still off the radar for many luxury brands.

Rhino horn is also popular among some public officials. ”I can drink a lot of alcohol but I am still sober and strong. I don’t have a headache and I do not feel tired,” Tran Huy Tu, a senior policeman, told AFP, apparently fearless of any consequences. “It’s not legal to buy this stuff, but in Vietnam you can buy anything with money.”

Officials have been entwined in the business for a while. The Vietnamese embassy in South Africa has been “repeatedly implicated in illicit rhino horn trade” (pdf, p.82) according to a report by conservation group Traffic. It’s not like all of the Vietnamese government has turned a blind eye; its customs officials sometimes confiscate rhino horn, and the government just signed an agreement with South Africa to step up enforcement.

Which country will be the next to lose its rhino population?

The Vietnamese rhino horn craze has caused an unprecedented surge in rhino poaching throughout Africa and Asia. The last rhino of Mozambique was confirmed dead in early May. Oftentimes, poachers saw off the rhinos’ horns while they’re still alive, leaving them to bleed to death:

Forest officials stand near a rare one-horn rhinoceros which was killed and dehorned by poachers at Karbi hills, near Kaziranga National Park, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. Poachers shot two rhinoceroses each on Wednesday and Thursday, two of them fatally, on the fringe of the Kaziranga National Park, taking advantage of heavy rains which have caused flooding across Assam state in recent days. (AP Photo

A rhinoceros killed by poachers in Karbi hills, near India’s Kaziranga National Park.

The slaughter is such that poaching is becoming less frequent in some areas, simply because there are so few rhinos left to kill. Have a look at how Zimbabwe’s poaching has trended:

Paradoxically, the world’s dwindling rhino population threatens only to make this worse, as diminished supply makes prices climb even higher. Given that one of the things driving demand is the perceived luxury of the item, higher prices alone are unlikely to snuff out demand. And with a single horn fetching as much as $300,000, the risk of being caught probably seems to many poachers to be one worth running.

That’s probably why the fight against poaching is something of a losing battle. Though South Africa has done an admirable job of protecting its white rhinos, 668 were poached there in 2012—a 50% increase on 2011. And as we discussed recently,other countries may soon use drones to foil poachers, so dire is the problem.

Vietnam’s own nature park rangers don’t have to worry, though. Their job is already done. In 2010, the last Javan rhino in Vietnam was found dead, a bullet wound in his leg and with his horn hacked off.

39-year old Colin Fielder from Victoria, Australia was clinically dead for 40 minutes—that is until a new resuscitation technique from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne brought him back to life, according to Herald Sun.

The new technique is one of two being performed by the hospital. They have already resuscitated three patients who were clinically dead—including Melbourne—with deaths spanning from 40 minutes to an hour.

The hospital is experimenting with a mechanical CPR machine which executes continual chest compressions. They are also experimenting with a portable heart-lung machine, most commonly used in theater, which maintains blood and oxygen flow to the brain and vital organs.

Fielder suffered a heart attack in June 2012 and was clinically dead for 40 minutes. "I'm so grateful, more than I could ever say," he told the Sun.

The Auto Pulse Machine and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have been used to treat seven patients so far.

The treatments allow doctors to figure out the cause of the heart attack, treat it, and maintain blood and oxygen flow. This decreases the risk for permanent disability. All three patients that were revived returned home without disability.

While in the ambulance, Fielder was offered a choice between two hospitals.

"For some reason, I said The Alfred, which is pretty lucky because they are the only one that has it," he said.

Currently the techniques are only available at The Alfred but according to senior intensive care physician Professor Stephen Bernard, there are high hopes for its expansion across all of Melbourne.

The treatment calls for three doctors trained in intensive-care and all the machinery being ready to go on site, said Bernard, which is not available at any other hospital in Victoria.

1. Muscle is like scaffolding for your entire body: Without muscle, your bones, joints, and ligaments are considerably more vulnerable to age-related decline and injury, according to Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, an orthopedic and spinal surgeon based in New York City. Building core strength in particular protects your spine, which is key to a healthy musculoskeletal system. In fact, a healthy, straight spine is pretty much the definition of youth and anti-aging, Dr. Hansraj says.

2. Muscle equals fewer marshmallows: Did I lose you at marshmallows? Stay with me. Muscle is much denser than fat. So if, for example, one pound of muscle is about the size of an apple, one pound of fat is the equivalent size-wise of a pound of marshmallows, according to Dr. Hansraj.

Still confused? Imagine how many marshmallows you would have to pile on a food scale to have it progress to one pound. Probably a lot. at least one full-sized bag. Now imagine the space five of those bags would take up (five pounds of fat) as opposed the amount of space five apples would take up (five pounds of muscle). It's a lot less space-and a lot less marshmallows. For an even easier and entirely fruit-focused analogy, a pound of fat is about the size of a grapefruit, and a pound of muscle is about the size of a tangerine.

3. Muscle lets you eat an Oreo guilt-free: Muscle is metabolically active tissue, which means it demands more fuel for support. While protein is the primary source of fuel (hence the body builder obsession with the stuff), this also means that more of the total calories you eat are burned as fuel rather than stored as fat. How many more? About 50 for every pound of muscle you add, according to Hansraj. That's about the calories in a single Oreo cookie, two Hershey kisses, or half a glass of Merlot. It's not a ton, but it does mean that if you watch your overall calorie intake, you can have little treats here and there totally and completely guilt-free.

4. Muscle keeps you sane: While the jury is still out on whether it provides a bigger mood boost than cardio, if you weight train at a high enough intensity, you can experience an effect similar to the runner's high, when your body releases natural pain-relieving opioids, says Richard Hammer, associate clinical professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. And according to Dr. Hansraj, weight-training leads to an improved androgenic hormone profile (in essence, a better balance between male and female hormones, which leads to a more stable mood).

5. Muscle lowers your risk of two major health threats: According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, people who lift weights are 37 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome-a cluster of risk factors linked to heart disease (the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.) and diabetes (type 2 diabetes currently affects 26 million Americans and is the fastest growing disease in the in the country, according to the CDC).

How? Muscle helps your body process blood glucose more efficiently, according to Dr. Hammer, which helps lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It's also associated with a smaller waist circumference (less marshmallows!), which is an indicator of lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, which in turn equals a healthier heart.

6. Light weights can get the job done: Not comfortable slinging super heavy weights? You can still reap the many benefits of building muscle. A recent study published in The Journal of Applied Physiology found that participants still experienced strength gains when lifting lighter weights as long as they worked their muscles to fatigue.  This is good news, since the 20-plus pounders tend to reside in the serious weight training part of the gym, which can be intimidating, eye roll inducing, or just too grunt-filled to be a fun place for ladies who lift.

7. Muscle lowers your risk of two major diseases: According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, people who lift weights are 37 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome-a cluster of risk factors linked to heart disease (the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.) and diabetes (type 2 diabetes currently affects 26 million Americans and is the fastest growing disease in the in the country, according to the CDC).  How? Muscle helps your body process blood glucose more efficiently, according to Dr. Hammer, which helps lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It's also associated with a smaller waist circumference (less marshmallows!), which is an indicator of lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, which in turn equals a healthier heart.

Superfoods are in the spotlight, from kimchi to kombucha to chia. Here's why some of these superfoods are so popular, and why you might try adding them to your diet for an added boost of nutrition.

Flax seeds - Flax seeds are good for the heart. They contain Omega 3's and alpha linolenic acid that can benefit your heart's health. Try incorporating flax seeds in baked goods, shakes, or a bowl of oatmeal.

Chia seeds - Chia seeds may resemble bird food, but they are packed with fiber. For example, Mamma Chia beverages deliver tons of nutrition.

Hemp seeds - Hemp seeds are a complete protein. When you're on the go, eat a handful of hemp seeds just as you would eat a handful of trail mix.

Kimchi - Fermented foods are another superfood to try adding to your diet. Simply, fermentation is the conversion of carbohydrates into alcohol or sugars. Kimchi can be added to soups for a little spiciness. You can even add 1 oz. kimchi juice to a margarita.

Miso - Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. With a salty, sweet, and nutty flavor, miso can be made into soup, a dressing with rice vinegar and grated ginger, or a marinade with a bit of maple syrup and a pork chop.

Kombucha - You can even drink superfoods. Kombucha is a fermented mushroom tea. While it may or may not be cleansing, kombucha does contain probiotics. Probiotics help regulate your digestive system.

Dairy probiotics - These probiotic drinks, like Kefir and Yakult, act similar to kombucha by also keeping the digestive system in order.

Green tea - Green tea fights free radicals and is a natural antioxidant that will help you feel and look great.

Some messages coming out of your mouth bypass the vocal chords. Turns out that your teeth, gums, and surrounding tissues also have plenty to say -- about your overall health.
"Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body," says Anthony Iacopino, dean of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry and a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. "What we see in the mouth can have a significant effect on other organ systems and processes in the body. And the reverse is also true: Things that are going on systemically in the body can manifest in the mouth."
So stay attuned to the following warning messages, and have worrisome symptoms checked out by a dentist or doctor.

Dental warning #1: Flat, worn teeth plus headache

Sign of: Big-time stress
Many people are surprised to learn they're tooth-grinders. After all, they do this in their sleep, when they're not aware of it. And they underestimate the physical toll that stress can place on the body. "Crunching and grinding the teeth at night during sleep is a common sign of emotional or psychological stress," says Iacopino.
You can sometimes see the flatness on your own teeth, or feel it with the tongue. Or the jaw may ache from the clenching.
What else to look for: Headaches, which are caused by spasms in the muscles doing the grinding. Sometimes the pain can radiate from the mouth and head down to the neck and upper back, Iacopino says. Mouth guards used at night can relieve the symptoms and protect teeth.

Dental warning #2: Cracking, crumbling teeth

Sign of: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Older adults, especially, are vulnerable to teeth that appear to be cracking or crumbling away. The enamel becomes thin and almost translucent. But this erosion isn't a normal consequence of aging. In fact, it can happen at any age.
Disintegrating teeth are usually caused by acid that's coming up from the stomach and dissolving them, Iacopino says. The cause: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, also called acid reflux disease). GERD causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus -- and from there, it's a short distance to the mouth for some of the damaging acid. GERD is a chronic disorder caused by damage or other changes to the natural barrier between the stomach and the esophagus.
What else to look for: Dry mouth and heartburn are related GERD symptoms. (But in an older adult in someone else's care -- in a nursing home, for example -- these complaints may go unreported.) Cracking or chipping teeth in a younger person is also a telltale sign of bulimia, the eating disorder in which the sufferer causes herself (or himself) to vomit before digesting. Same net result: Stomach acid washes up into the mouth, over time disintegrating the tooth enamel.

Dental warning #3: Sores that won't go away

Sign of: Oral cancer
Many people bite the insides of their mouth as a nervous habit. Others sometimes bite the gum accidentally, creating a sore. But when an open sore in the mouth doesn't go away within a week or two, it always warrants showing to a dentist or doctor. "We all injure our oral tissues, but if an area persists in being white or red rather than the normal healthy pink, this needs to be evaluated to rule out oral cancer," says Susan Hyde, an associate professor of clinical dentistry at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry.
More than 21,000 men and 9,000 women a year are diagnosed with oral cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Most are over age 60. Oral cancer has a survival rate of only 35 percent, Iacopino says, but this is mainly because cases are often detected too late. Smokers are six times more likely to develop oral cancer, but one in four oral cancers develop in non-smokers.
What else to look for: Suspicious oral ulcers tend to be raised sores and often have red or white (or red and white) borders. They may lurk underneath the tongue, where they're hard to see. Bleeding and numbness are other signs, but sometimes the only sign is a sore that doesn't seem to go away. A biopsy usually follows a visual check.

Dental warning #4: Gums growing over teeth

Sign of: Medication problems
If you notice your gum literally growing over your tooth, and you're taking a medication for heart disease or seizures or you take drugs to suppress your immune system (such as before a transplant), it's well worth mentioning this curious development to your prescribing doctor.
"A swelling of the gums to where it grows over the teeth is a sign the dosage or the medication need to be adjusted," the ADA's Anthony Iacopino says. Certain drugs can stimulate the growth of gum tissue. This can make it hard to brush and floss, inviting tooth decay and periodontal disease.
What else to look for: The overgrowth can cause an uncomfortable sensation. In extreme cases, the entire tooth can be covered.

Dental warning #5: Dry mouth

Sign of: Sjogren's syndrome, diabetes
Many things can cause dry mouth, from dehydration and allergies to smoking and new medications. (In fact, hundreds of drugs list dry mouth as a side effect, including those to treat depression and incontinence, muscle relaxants, antianxiety agents, and antihistamines.) But a lack of sufficient saliva is also an early warning of two autoimmune diseases unrelated to medicine use: Sjogren's syndrome and diabetes.
In Sjogren's, the white blood cells of the body attack their moisture-producing glands, for unknown reasons. Four million Americans have Sjogren's, 90 percent of them women. Twenty-four million people in the U.S. have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disease caused by high blood sugar.
What else to look for: Other signs of diabetes include excessive thirst, tingling in the hands and feet, frequent urination, blurred vision, and weight loss. In Sjogren's, the eyes are dry as well as the mouth, but the entire body is affected by the disorder. Because its symptoms mimic other diseases (such as diabetes), people are often misdiagnosed and go several years before being properly diagnosed.

According to a report from Politico, Vice President Joe Biden stated that the United States government is well within its rights tax citizens on violent media.

During a meeting on immigration reform, the Vice President met with religious leaders when the subject of violent video games was brought up. Reverend Franklin Graham asked if the taxation of violent media was something that was within the rights of the executive branch.

"Graham told Biden the government should consider taxing media companies that broadcast violent images and produce violent video games."

“He floated the idea that media and entertainment that portray violence should be subject to a special tax, with the proceeds going to help victims and their families."

Biden told Graham that there was “no restriction on the ability to do that, there’s no legal reason why they couldn’t tax violent images."

Biden told the religious leaders that he would like to see a comprehensive study of the impact that violent video games and movies has on developing brains.

“He said they really need a good scientific study, which they’ve done on things like smoking."

Yes, because smoking and video games are pretty much the exact same thing. We all know how much cancer comes from that crippling Halo addiction you're suffering from. We're pretty sure that this is just lip-service to placate the religious right. We can't see how the government would ever come close to pulling something like this off. What do you think?

A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines.

The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs).

While yellow light times were reduced by mere fractions of a second, research indicates a half-second reduction in the interval can double the number of RLC citations -- and the revenue they create. The 10 News investigation stemmed from a December discovery of a dangerously short yellow light in Hernando County. After the story aired, the county promised to re-time all of its intersections, and the 10 News Investigators promised to dig into yellow light timing all across Tampa Bay.

Red light cameras generated more than $100 million in revenue last year in approximately 70 Florida communities, with 52.5 percent of the revenue going to the state. The rest is divided by cities, counties, and the camera companies. In 2013, the cameras are on pace to generate $120 million.

"Red light cameras are a for-profit business between cities and camera companies and the state," said James Walker, executive director of the nonprofit National Motorists Association. "The (FDOT rule-change) was done, I believe, deliberately in order that more tickets would be given with yellows set deliberately too short."

The National Motorists Association identifies itself as a grassroots group that's been advocating for drivers since 1982. It fought the national 55 mph speed limit and is now campaigning against red light camera technology, contending the technology primarily targets safe drivers who are victims of short yellow lights or safely roll through right turns.

Proponents of the technology hang their hats on a reduction of serious accidents at RLC intersections. They also point out that every electronically generated violation is reviewed by a local police officer or sheriff's deputy before a citation is validated and sent to a driver. But questions about the fairness and constitutionality of RLCs linger, with questionable motivations of the state's yellow light reductions likely to add fuel to the fire.

FDOT CHANGES THE RULES

Yellow light times are calculated by a complex formula that takes into account variables such as the size of an intersection, the incline/decline of the roadway, driver reaction time, and deceleration rate. But ultimately, the proper intervals come down to a driver's approach speed.

When the Florida legislature approved 2010's Mark Wandell Act, regulating red light cameras across the state, FDOT had a long-standing rule that mandated yellow light calculations factor in either the posted speed limit or 85th percentile of drivers' actual speed -- whichever was greater. The point of the law was to calculate safe stopping times for the majority of drivers on any given roadway.

But in 2011, FDOT struck the "whichever is greater" language from its Traffic Engineering Manual (TEM), reducing minimum yellow light lengths and allowing communities to re-time their signals at RLC intersections.

The 10 News Investigators found a number of communities shortened their already-safe intervals to the new minimums. In some cases, FDOT mandated longer yellow lights, but seemingly only at intersections that hadn't been in compliance for years. Around Greater Tampa Bay, the yellow interval reductions typically took place at RLC intersections and corridors filled with RLC cameras.

FDOT's change in language may have been subtle, but the effects were quite significant. The removal of three little words meant the reduction of yellow light intervals of up to a second, meaning drastically more citations for drivers. A 10 News analysis indicates the rule change is likely costing Florida drivers millions of dollars a year.

"I think it's immoral to do that," Walker said. "You're basically punishing safe drivers with deliberately improper engineering. That's not moral to me."

But FDOT claims it had no financial motive to shorten yellow lights; the agency doesn't receive any direct payments from RLC fines. The state's portion of each $158 citation is split between its General Revenue Fund ($70), the Department of Health Administrative Trust Fund ($10), and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund ($3).

FDOT Traffic Operations engineer Mark Wilson said the agency was merely cleaning up language in its TEM to match federal guidelines. But 10 News found Florida's rules were already in compliance with federal guidelines, and there are no federal suggestions discouraging the use of "whichever is greater." FDOT is also ignoring numerous other federal guidelines (see below) that encourage longer yellow intervals.

The 10 News Investigators showed Wilson the emails from FDOT engineers in Tampa Bay, obtained through public records requests, instructing Pasco County officials in February 2012 to reduce the yellow light intervals on U.S. 19 from the already-short 4.5 seconds to the bare minimum 4.3 seconds. Wilson said he was not aware of the instructions and the engineer, who has since retired, misunderstood the purpose of the rule change.

"Those are (only) minimums. So some of the engineers said, 'Well, it's got to be that exact number.' That's not true. It has to be at least that number," Wilson said.

Wilson added that original language of the Mark Wandell Act required communities to perform engineering studies before installing RLCs, in order to comply with federal recommendations and determine drivers' actual approach speeds. But the requirement never made it into the final bill, allowing communities to install RLCs without any consideration of drivers' actual speed or the time it would take them to stop safely.

A Seattle man trying to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) to Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup died Tuesday after being hit by a pickup truck on the Oregon Coast.

Police in Lincoln City, Oregon, said 42-year-old Richard Swanson was hit at about 10 a.m. while walking south along U.S. Highway 101 near the city limits. He was declared dead at a local hospital. The driver has not been charged.

Lt. Jerry Palmer said investigators found materials among Swanson's things listing his website, breakawaybrazil.com.

Swanson set out on the trek to promote the One World Futbol Project, based in Berkeley, California, which donates durable soccer balls to people in developing countries. The company did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

"We are deeply saddened to learn about Richard's death," Lisa Tarver, chief operating officer of the One World Futbol Project, said in a statement. "He was a very inspiring man who in a very short time walked his way into many lives. Our thoughts are with his family."

Police said Palmer's soccer ball was recovered.

Kristi Schwesinger, a Seattle interior designer and close friend of Swanson's, said he had been a private investigator for many years, and switched to a new career as a graphic designer, but was laid off recently, and looking for an adventure.

"He was at a point in his life where he had raised his kids," she said. "Both his boys (Devin and Raven) had graduated from high school. He had no mortgage. He had sold his condo recently and was between jobs.

"And he loved the game of soccer," she said. "He stumbled on this great organization, One World Futbol, and decided this would be his passion the next year."

In an interview with The Daily News in Longview, Washington state, Swanson said he picked up soccer just five years ago and played on club teams and rooted for the Seattle Sounders.

"I felt destined that I should go on this trip," he said.

His website said he left Seattle on May 1, and the trip would take him on foot for more than a year through 11 countries before reaching Sao Paolo, Brazil, where the World Cup soccer tournament will be played.

"It will be a trip of a lifetime where I will push myself further than I ever thought possible," he wrote.

Swanson started out in flip-flops, and managed to spend 13 nights but switched to hiking sandals in Portland, Oregon, Schwesinger said. He stayed two nights in Vancouver, Washington state, with his son, Devin, but otherwise had been able to sleep on the couches of one stranger after another who befriended him and helped him on his journey.

"It was all by word of mouth, Facebook, media contacts, friends and family who put the word out," Schwesinger said.

Swanson spent Monday night in Lincoln City, where he was able to soak in a hot tub, and eat a gourmet breakfast, before he set off for Newport, not knowing where he would stay, she added. He posted photos and stories about his new friends on a Facebook page chronicling his journey.

Friends are talking about creating a foundation in Swanson's memory, and sending his two sons to Brazil for the World Cup, Schwesinger said.

"The hardest thing is he was so young," Schwesinger said. "Just today we were planning his surprise birthday party for Sunday. He was so young, so full of life, so excited by the journey he was on. To be taken from us so soon is really heartbreaking."