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Brazilian health authorities confirmed on Thursday a case of transmission of Zika through a transfusion of blood from a donor who had been infected with the mosquito-borne virus that is spreading rapidly through the Americas. The health department of Campinas, an industrial city near Sao Paulo, said a man with gunshot wounds became infected with Zika after multiple blood transfusions in April 2015. Officials said they determined that one of the people whose donated blood was used in the transfusion had been infected with Zika. Zika is usually contracted via mosquito bites, so transmission of the illness through blood transfusions adds another concern to efforts to contain the outbreak. Some countries have tightened procedures for blood donations, to protect blood supplies. Zika has been reported in 30 countries since it first appeared in the Americas last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to thousands of babies being born with microcephaly. This is a condition where infants have abnormally small heads and often have underdeveloped brains. Campinas health officials said the donor of the contaminated blood developed symptoms afterwards that were mistaken for dengue, a virus borne by the same mosquito that transmits Zika. A blood test that showed he had Zika was not completed until Jan. 28 this year. The blood center at the University of Campinas said a second person who donated blood in May developed symptoms and tested positive for Zika, though the recipient of the contaminated blood has not developed symptoms of the virus. Brazil's Health Ministry said the first recipient died of his wounds and not from the Zika infection. It said it was reinforcing instructions to blood banks that people infected with Zika or dengue not be permitted to donate blood for 30 days after full recovery from the active stage of Zika infection. On Tuesday, the American Red Cross urged prospective donors who have visited Zika outbreak zones to wait at least 28 days before giving blood, but said the risk of transmitting the virus through blood donations was "extremely" low in the continental United States. The agency asked donors who give blood and subsequently develop symptoms consistent with Zika within 14 days to notify the Red Cross so the product can be quarantined. Also causing concern is the possibility of transmission through sexual contact. Health officials in Texas reported on Tuesday that a person in Dallas became infected after having sex with another person who had traveled in Venezuela, where the virus is circulating. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Will Dunham and Frances Kerry) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-brazil-blood-idUSKCN0VD22N?utm_source=twitter

Russian bombers targeted military and intelligence installations in 2013 war game that caught Swedish airforce unprepared Two Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers escorted by four Sukhoi Su-27 jet fighters crossed the Gulf of Finland and came within 24 miles of Swedish territory off the island of Gotland, 100 miles from Stockholm, on March 29, 2013. They veered off after apparently completing dummy bombing runs against targets believed to include a military base in southern Sweden and the headquarters of Sweden’s signals intelligence agency outside Stockholm. The incident caused controversy in Sweden at the time because the Swedish military was caught unprepared and had to rely on Danish airforce jets, operating as part of a Nato’s Baltic air policing mission, to respond. Nato declined to comment further on the incident, saying it has “nothing to add” to the statement in the report. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/12139943/Russia-simulated-a-nuclear-strike-against-Sweden-Nato-admits.html

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership ups its pressure on the tax-exempt organization to donate $50 million The Jehovah’s Witnesses have been exempted from paying at least $368 million in taxes on their Brooklyn real estate holdings over the last 12 years, according to an analysis by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and consulting firm BJH Advisers. The Partnership released the finding to increase its pressure on the religious organization to donate $50 million to the borough as it sells off at great profit the remainder of its Brooklyn property and moves upstate. “This is the last chance to do it,” said the partnership’s president, Tucker Reed, who initially called for the monetary gift in a December op-ed in Crain's. “Once they leave and head upstate, if anyone goes knocking on their door with a tin cup saying, ‘Hey, remember Brooklyn,’ it is going to fall on deaf ears.” The study looked at the Witnesses’ Brooklyn portfolio of 37 properties concentrated in and around Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo. As a religious organization, the group is exempt from paying taxes. The analysis estimated that its property taxes would have totaled $138.6 million since 2006, while transfer and capital gains taxes for 21 of its sites sold since 2004 would have added up to about $230 million. Reed called that a conservative estimate, but said it shows the magnitude of the Witnesses' profits and the money that otherwise would have gone to taxpayers. “Hopefully this analysis starts to put some real numbers to what we are talking about,” he said. He and others have argued that the Witnesses have benefited handsomely from Brooklyn’s rise in popularity, but have not sufficiently given back to the community. In particular, elected officials including City Councilman Stephen Levin and his predecessor, David Yassky, point to the organization’s 2004 promise to improve a Dumbo subway station and asphalt park in exchange for a rezoning that increased the value of its property at 85 Jay St. While the Witnesses never built on the rezoned property, they have now put it up for sale. Some experts believe the property could fetch $1 billion, at least in part because of the 2004 rezoning. The promised improvements were never made. In January, the Witnesses agreed to fund a $5.5 million park upgrade. A spokesman also pointed out that the organization has made other improvements to the area and was investing in Brooklyn when few others would. He pointed to changes in plans as a reason the park improvements never materialized. Watchtower Portfolio Analysis Crain's

Why Go Red? Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. Fortunately, we can change that because 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events may be prevented with education and action. That’s why this year we are asking that you wear red on National Wear Red Day® And don’t forget to make your heart health a priority. Schedule your Well-Woman Visit (or get the women you love to do so) , a prevention check-up to review a woman’s overall health so her doctor can measure blood pressure, check cholesterol and look for signs of heart disease, stroke and other illnesses. Each year, 1 in 3 women die of heart disease and stroke. But we can change that because 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes. Go Red For Women is about much more than wearing red on National Wear Red Day. It’s about making a change. Here are a few ways you can make a change today: ♥ Go to GoRedForWomen.org to learn what you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. ♥ Encourage your family and friends to take small steps toward healthy lifestyle choices to reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke, too. ♥ Explain “What it means to Go Red” by sharing the following acronym: Get Your Numbers: Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose. Own Your Lifestyle: Stop smoking, lose weight, be physically active and eat healthy. Raise Your Voice: Advocate for more women-related research and education. Educate Your Family: Make healthy food choices for you & your family. Teach your kids the importance of staying active. Donate: Show your support with a donation of time or money. Women who are involved with the Go Red For Women movement live healthier lives. ♥ Nearly 90% have made at least one healthy behavior change. ♥ More than one-third has lost weight. ♥ More than 50% have increased their exercise. ♥ 6 out of 10 have changed their diets. ♥ More than 40% have checked their cholesterol levels. ♥ One third has talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans. Thank you,

Today I saw regular unleaded gas in Washington state at $1.79 / gallon. I really thought I would never see these prices again a couple years ago. What a surprise.

What are your favorite movies of all time? My list (under construction) Groundhog Day Forrest Gump Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I went to Genesis hotel through Exodus road. On the way, I saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the Beautiful gate for Judges to see Ruth calling loudly "Samuel, Samuel". At a stage, the first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job their brother. They started singing Psalms and teaching children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiates and Songs of Solomon. This coincided with the period that Isaiah was engaged in Jeremiah's Lamentations together with Ezekiel and Daniel their friends. By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around. Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah travelled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem. Habakkuk then visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi. Immediately after the tradition, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John got involved in Acts of the Romans who were behaving like the 1st Corinthians group because the 2nd Corithians group were always at loggerheads with the Galatians. At that time too they realized that the Ephesians and Philippians were close to the Colossians, suggested the first Thessalonians visit and that on their second Thessalonians visit they should first of all see the first and second of Timothy brothers who had gone to the house of Titus to teach Philemon his younger brother how to read and write in Hebrew. On hearing this James asked Peter twice to explain to him how the three Johns have disclosed to Jude the Revelations of this journey. - Submitted

the experience of offering a book to an irate passenger on a train who throws it out the window, hitting a suicidal person standing on the platform, saving their life both literally and spiritually.

Nice.... Try to always put the date in the Title ;-)

Here it is ok to talk about random non-sequiturs or pretty much anything you want. Enjoy.

The Government of Honduras declares a state of emergency with 3,649 suspected cases of the Zika virus in the past three months

The announcement of the pact, which still requires political approval, coincides with two days of talks in Brussels, where European data protection authorities were poised to restrict data transfers unless a deal was clinched. The European Commission said that the new Privacy Shield would place stronger obligations on U.S. companies to protect Europeans' personal data and ensure stronger monitoring and enforcement by U.S. agencies.

Negotiators for the European Commission and the United States agree on a pact protecting data transfers across the North Atlantic by companies such as Google and Amazon, imposing on such companies certain privacy shield obligations. (Reuters)

In the United States, Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow which according totradition signals an early spring

Krayzie Bone’s lightning cadence still blazes through the haunting darkness of E.1999 Eternal. On the 1995 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony classic, Krayzie dubbed himself “Mr. Sawn Off Leathaface” as tribute to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s lead psychopath. Since, the rapper, real name Anthony Henderson, crafted himself as an iconic rap antagonist. From Bone Thugs’ séance ode “Mr. Ouija” to claiming evil overpowers his innate goodness on 2001's Gemini: Good vs. Evil, the 42 year old has often dabbled with malevolence to impact the listener. However, Krayzie’s now exchanged being a thug soldier for being a soldier of God. He claims to have found salvation and discovered what he’d been missing. During our interview, the father of eight spoke candidly about being a Jehovah’s Witness, the Illuminati, and why he believes the devil is very real. There’s plenty of Bone Thugs nerd trivia amongst the spiritual vibes too. http://m.noisey.vice.com/blog/krayzie-bone-interview-2016

Now, 18 months on, Ashya King’s story has a sequel beyond the so-far happy ending of his recovery announced last March. The sequel is that the treatment his family fought for so hard has indeed been found to be superior to that generally offered by the NHS, and in precisely the ways that the Kings had argued. A study published in The Lancet Oncology – an offshoot of The Lancet – concluded that the proton beam therapy, such as Ashya eventually obtained in Prague, was as effective as conventional radiotherapy, but less likely to cause damage to hearing, brain function and vital organs, especially in children. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-age-of-deference-to-doctors-and-elites-is-over-good-riddance-a6851461.html

An all-electric Tesla truck! As for the second project, Elon Musk gave away this secret back in October, when he unwittingly tweeted about a “Model Y.” He was quick to delete that Tweet. But his followers managed to get a screenshot in time. (Source: “Elon Musk just teased the Model Y in a tweet (which he immediately deleted),” The Verge, October 6, 2015.) We may not know much about the car’s design or its launch date yet, but it’s certain that another car is in the pipeline after the “Model 3.” If not trucks, this is definitely where Tesla will find traction with EV enthusiasts. After all, premium electric cars are Tesla’s true economic moat. http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock/tsla-stock-revolutionary-vehicle-could-send-tesla-motors-inc-soaring/

Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, says that Russia's bombing campaign will continue until "Terrorist organisations" are defeated. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Scientists from the University of California conclude that study of the geology of the Earthand Moon indicate that both consist of a mixture of rocks from the original Earth and a hypothesized planetary-mass object called Theia after a collision.