MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) -- A church giving sermons about sex may have to find a new home. Brevard Public School District's risk-management department has threatened to boot New Hope Church out of Sherwood Elementary because of a worship series titled "Great Sex for You."

Church leaders mailed 25,000 fliers, asking residents "Is Your Sex Life A Bore?" The three-week program kicked off inside the school auditorium. Pastor Bruce Cadle had said the Christian church has been "shamefully silent" on the taboo topic.

Mark Langdorf, the director of risk management, says the mailers generated complaints, were not appropriate for elementary school children and shouldn't be used to advertise the sermon in the school.

Langdorf says the church's lease contract is under review.

Health

A false-color image of an influenza virus, or virion, taken with transmission electron micrography. The flu's protein-laced fatty coat (orange) toughens up in cold weather, helping it survive. Credit: CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith

A false-color image of an influenza virus, or virion, taken with transmission electron micrography. The flu's protein-laced fatty coat (orange) toughens up in cold weather, helping it survive. Credit: CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith Recreated influenza virions from the 1918 flu that killed an estimated 50 million people. Credit: CDC/Terrence Tumpey

With swine flu outbreaks creating what U.S. health officials Sunday called a public health emergency, LiveScience presents a 4-part Flu Special Report this week to examines the science of influenza, what you can do to be safe, and the risk of a pandemic. Part 1 today: Flu basics.

The flu virus is most commonly spread in liquid droplets made airborne by coughing or sneezing. Symptoms – such as fever, body ache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, and dry cough – begin showing in adults one to four days after being infected.

The new strain of swine flu is spreading from human to human, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't yet know how contagious it is. Bird flu, which has in recent years concerned scientists, has been slow to transmit between humans.

A study in 2006 showed that modern travel could contribute to spreading a flu pandemic across the United States in as little as three months.

An adult can begin spreading the flu virus one day before and three to seven days after symptoms show, and children can remain contagious even longer. Some infected individuals show no symptoms, yet they can still spread the virus to others.

Among the best preventative measures you can take, according to the CDC:

• Wash hands with soap or alcohol-based sanitizers;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth;
• avoid contact with sick people;
• and wear a face mask.

For the elderly and the young, flu vaccines can be crucial but they only work when designed for a specific flu strain.

Year-round problem

Many people think of the flu as a winter disease since incidence typically peaks from December to March. It's actually a year-round problem.

But people tend to stay indoors more in the winter, making person-to-person transmission of influenza, which is caused by a virus, easier, said Jennifer Morcone, a spokeswoman for the CDC. Further, a study in 2007 revealed that the influenza virus thrives on cold temperatures and low relative humidity, allowing them to remain virulent longer in the air or on surfaces after being sneezed out of an infected person.

Each year anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu. Anyone can contract it, but children, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions are more likely to experience complications, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections. However, the swine flu currently sweeping through Mexico and the United States has proven more problematic among healthy young adults.

The flu can also worsen chronic health problems: asthmatics are more likely to have asthma attacks and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have their condition worsen.

On average, 36,000 people in the United States die from influenza and related complications each year, according to the CDC. More than 200,000 are admitted to hospitals for treatment.

A pandemic in 1918 killed more than 20 million people worldwide.

The flu is sometimes confused with the common cold, and for good reason. Both are respiratory illnesses brought on by viruses. They share many of the same symptoms, and it is nearly impossible to make the distinction based on the variety of symptoms alone.

Flu symptoms, however, are generally more intense, especially fever and fatigue, and can lead to dangerous complications.

Viral roots

Influenza is a virus – a pack of protein and DNA that lacks the capacity to self-reproduce. So it infects a cell, hijacks the inner machinery and uses it to reproduce. The virus reproduces until there are so many copies that the cell bursts and the virus spills out, spreading to other healthy cells.

There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Swine flu (H1N1) and the much hyped avian flu (H5N1) are both Type A.

Type A: Infects people, pigs, birds, horses, seals, whales, and other animals. Wild birds are natural hosts. Divided into subtypes based on two surface proteins – hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). There are 15 HA and 9 NA subtypes, and these can be combined in various ways. Currently, the three most common subtypes in general human circulation are H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2. These can cause epidemics – defined as a high incidence of disease in an area or population – and also a widespread geographic or global disease called a pandemic.

Type B: Normally occurs only in humans. No subtypes. Known to cause human epidemics, but not pandemics.

Type C: Only causes mild respiratory illness in humans, and is not included in flu vaccines. Not capable of epidemic or pandemic spread.

Types A and B are further characterized into genetic variants called "strains." New strains are constantly evolving and take the place of older ones. While your body may have built up resistance against one strain, it may not be able to fend off its replacement.

Link to Part II, III,IV and  other videos

http://www.livescience.com/health/090426-sr-flu-basics.html

Pilot suspended after landing at wrong airport
Burnley Express
Published Date: 24 April 2009
AN airline which is banned from flying to Europe has this week announced that it has suspended a pilot and co-pilot who landed at the wrong airport in Lusaka, Zambia.
The pilot for Angola's flag carrier TAAG landed the Boeing 737 at Lusaka City Airport when he should have landed at Lusaka International Airport during a stopover from Harare to Luanda in April.

"Because this is a serious incident, Angola's Aviation Authority and TAAG have opened an investigation into the matter," a spokesman said.

"TAAG regrets the grief this has caused to passengers and reiterates its promise to deliver a service with the highest security standards."

The state carrier was banned from EU airspace in 2007 but Angola expects the airline to be allowed to fly to Europe later this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BlJiaOErzo

Man pleads not guilty to tattooing 7-year-old boy

Saturday, Apr. 25, 2009
The Associated Press
FRESNO, Calif. A Fresno man charged with tattooing a gang insignia Man a 7-year-boy while the father held him has pleaded not guilty.

Travis Gorman entered his plea Friday in Fresno County Superior Court. He faces felony charges of aggravated mayhem and street terrorism.

Fresno police say the 20-year-old tattooed the boy's belly with a dog paw. It is the insignia of the Bulldogs, who are Fresno's largest criminal street gang.

A warrant has been issued for the father, identified as 26-year-old Enrique Gonzalez.

Investigators learned of the crime Tuesday when the boy's mother brought the child to the offices of a multi-agency gang task force.

Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com

kptv.com

Man Fired, Returns Home To Find House Burning
Fire Victim Worked As Emergency Counselor

POSTED: 5:20 pm PDT April 24, 2009
UPDATED: 4:16 pm PDT April 25, 2009

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- An Oregon City man just couldn't catch a break Friday -- first he lost his job and then he returned home to find his house on fire.

Victor Gonzalez said there was a silver lining to getting fired Friday.

"If I hadn't gotten fired from work, I wouldn't have come home, and I don't know how far the fire would've gotten. So I guess that's a good thing," he said.

The single father lost his job and his house in a matter of two hours Friday morning.

The fire broke out just after 9 a.m. at the house on Canyon Ridge Drive. Luckily, everyone got out safely thanks in part to Gonzalez's 12-year-old daughter.

He said he knew everything would be OK with his daughter there to help out.

Gonzalez said he worked as an emergency department social worker, helping people deal with traumatic situations like fires. His past work with emergency situations is helping him to deal with the situation.

"You can choose to laugh or you can choose to cry and I'm choosing to laugh because I don't want to know what's going to happen if I cry," he said.

Now half of his roof is gone, his top floor is charred and firefighters soaked every inch of his house. Gonzalez isn't sure what his insurance will cover or if the house can even be repaired.

For now, he's just grateful everyone's OK and proud to have his daughter Audriana in his corner.

"She's been my partner in raising the family since we went through a divorce, and we couldn't be where we are without her," he said.

Gonzalez said it all started at about 7 a.m. when he started a fire in his wood stove to keep his two daughters and his niece cozy. He was called into work unexpectedly, but then was told he was let go.

When he returned home, he saw smoke on the roof. Gonzalez made sure to get everyone out of the home and then told his oldest daughter, Audriana, to call 911.

Gonzalez tried to fight the fire with his garden hose, but it grew too big, too fast. Even when fire crews arrived, it took them 30 minutes to get the fire under control.

Fire investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire, but they believe it may have started from embers coming out of the wood stove chimney.

Link to 911 call and video

http://www.kptv.com/news/19276320/detail.html

Mom caught at home with meth and 3 kids

Kids were 5, 2 and 9 months old.
Updated: Friday, 24 Apr 2009, 9:58 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 24 Apr 2009, 8:46 AM EDT

WARSAW, Ind. (WANE) - Three Warsaw individuals were arrested Thursday afternoon after Sheriff Deputies located two meth labs with children present.

According to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, officers responded to lot #678 in the West Haven Mobile Home Park on Thursday with Child Protective Services on a welfare check. Once inside, a working methamphetamine lab was found inside the mobile home where there were three children living with their mother.

As the officer's were awaiting the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force to arrive, the children's father was seen inside a vehicle driving by the residence. Sgt. Shaw pulled over the vehicle within the mobile home park and found a mobile methamphetamine lab.

Dale E. Shepherd Jr., 24, and Brittany M. Wright, 22, of lot #678, Warsaw, were both preliminary arrested on dealing/manufacturing methamphetamine, class B felony and neglect of a dependent, class D felony. The driver of the mobile meth lab vehicle, Toby D. Jackson, 27, of Warsaw, was also arrested and preliminarily charged with dealing methamphetamine.

All suspects bonds were set at $10,000.00 each. Shepherd was also found to have an outstanding civil body attachment warrant for $7097.01. Child Protective Services took custody of the three children at the residence who's ages were 5 years old, 2 years old, and 9 months old.

Link to pictures

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime_wane_warsaw_meth_kids_at_home_200904240833#

dailypress.com
WVa mother charged with trying to sell infant son
By P.J. DICKERSCHEID

Associated Press Writer

April 24, 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

A West Virginia mother was in jail Friday, accused of trying to sell her 5-month-old son for $10,000 to get money for a new apartment.

Rebecca Sue Taylor, 19, of Charleston offered to sell her baby to another woman identified as Leigh Burr after saying she was unable to bond with the infant and needed money for a new apartment, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Burr, no age or address available, said Taylor later cut the asking price to $5,000.

The women had been talking about Taylor serving as a possible surrogate mother for Burr when Taylor offered to sell her the baby she already had, police said in the criminal complaint.

Charleston Police Sgt. E. L. Hodges said Burr reported the offer to police on Sunday. Taylor was arrested Wednesday.

Hodges said the child is in state custody. He said he did not know anything about the baby's father.

Hodges said the two women were acquaintances, but he did not know the extent of their relationship. He also said he did not know anything about Taylor's financial situation or whether she was employed.

Burr does not have a published phone number and could not be reached for comment Friday.

Hodges said he's heard of similar cases across the country, but said such crimes are rare in West Virginia.

"We've been lucky," he said.

Taylor was being held Friday at South Central Regional Jail with bond set at $2,500. She has asked for a court-appointed attorney, though one has not yet been appointed, officials said.

A felony charge of offering the purchase or sale of a child carries a fine of $100 to $2,000 and one to five years in prison.

Wis. teen allegedly steals from cars to get money to pay lawyer to defend him on other charges
8:00 PM CDT, April 24, 2009

BELOIT, Wis. (AP) - A teen allegedly broke into cars to raise money to pay a lawyer to defend him on other charges. A criminal complaint said a resident caught the teen inside his Chevrolet Camaro in his garage about 4:30 a.m. April 16 and tackled him and held him for police.

Officers found a GPS system, nine CDs and seven video games in his backpack. The criminal complaint said he took the items to help pay for a lawyer.

He was charged with felony burglary, possession of burglar tools and bail jumping.

The teen was charged previously with drug possession, disorderly conduct and theft of movable property.

German doctors: 40-pound tumor removed from woman
By RACHEL NOLAN, Associated Press Writer

Friday, April 24, 2009

(04-24) 09:52 PDT BERLIN, Germany (AP) --

A German doctor said Friday that surgeons have successfully removed a 40-pound (18 kilogram) malignant bone tumor from a Saudi Arabian woman.

Dr. Heinz Zurbruegg, a surgeon at the private Capital Health clinic in Berlin, said the 35-year-old had only a few weeks to live when she arrived in Germany for care in September.

But he said that after five operations by the surgeons, no traces remain of the bone tumor that once ballooned from her pelvis and represented a third of her body weight.

He said she is now well enough to return home and that if follow-up exams continue to show no sign of any tumor, the next steps will be to reconstruct the partially removed pelvis and give her an artificial hip.

The woman, who spoke on the condition that her identity not be disclosed, said she traveled to Germany after doctors in Riyadh said they would have to amputate her leg to remove the bone tumor.

She said the tumor had kept her bedridden for five years, but she now can walk with crutches. She also said her husband and three young daughters are delighted by the doctors' success.

Link to picture of tumor area and other medical wonders

http://news.aol.com/article/german-doctors-40-pound-tumor-removed/444679?cid=14

Sex offender's promised gift of lottery winnings undelivered so far
April 25, 2009, 12:23AM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska's first big lottery produced more twists than anybody anticipated, and it's not over yet.
The winner of the $500,000 jackpot in January was a convicted sex offender who said he intended to donate $100,000 to Standing Together Against Rape, the Anchorage-based charity that the lottery was intended to benefit.

But Alec Ahsoak didn't give any of his winnings - $350,000 after taxes - to STAR. The advocacy organization never heard from him, STAR executive director Nancy Haag said this week. She said the group is looking ahead and not dwelling on it.

"I know that probably in the moment he probably was very excited and probably thought he could do more with his money than he really was able to," Haag said.

Ahsoak, 54, was attacked on the street within days of claiming his prize. Authorities say the attacker's motive related to Ahsoak's history as a sexual offender.

Ahsoak was not obligated to give away winnings. It was lottery operator Abe Spicola who said Ahsoak intended to give the money to STAR, after news broke about his history as a repeat sex offender. Ahsoak never denied or corrected the statement.

STAR ended up collecting about $11,000 as its share of the proceeds from the Lucky Times Pull-Tabs lottery, Haag said.

Efforts to reach Ahsoak weren't successful. No one answered the door at the inn where he's living. A manager said he usually keeps to himself. An attorney for Ahsoak, Lance Wells, also didn't return a call.

Spicola, the Lucky Times owner, said he didn't want to put more attention on or bring any more hardship to Ahsoak, considering all he had been through. He said people need to remember that perpetrators of sexual abuse often have been victimized themselves.

He said he hadn't been able to reach Ahsoak, either.

"He's changed his number. He's not returning calls. ... ... cannot even get calls returned through his lawyer," Spicola said.

"He just wants to disappear for a while and live his life, I think."

Lucky Times withheld $150,000 of Ahsoak's winnings for federal taxes. Spicola said he was trying to reach Ahsoak to finalize some paperwork.

Alaska law requires operators of pull-tab, bingo and other games of chance to team up with charities and give them at least 10 percent of the take after prizes. STAR paired with Spicola's Lucky Times Pull-Tabs for Alaska's first big payout and is doing so again this year.

Spicola said Lucky Times is running two sizable lotteries this year. One, with a $250,000 prize, will benefit an organization called Veteran's Aviation Outreach. That drawing is now scheduled for Labor Day, he said.

The other, with a $500,000 prize, will benefit STAR. Spicola said the drawing will be just after midnight on New Year's Day. Lucky Times should sell more tickets this time around, with more time and more experience, he said.

Just days after coming forward to win Alaska's biggest jackpot, Ahsoak was targeted walking out of 5th Avenue Mall downtown.

Brandon Hughes, 20, of the Los Angeles area, is accused of beating Ahsoak with a metal pipe or tie rod. He is in jail awaiting trial on charges of first-degree assault and tampering with evidence. Reagan King, 18, who authorities believe helped Hughes flee and get rid of the weapon, was arrested over the weekend on a charge of evidence tampering. Hughes knew a relative of a victim or victims of Ahsoak, according to authorities.

Ahsoak was convicted in 1993 of molesting two girls and sentenced to four years in prison. Police arrested him again in 2000 for molesting a different girl he was baby-sitting. He was sentenced to six years in prison in that case.

Ahsoak is registered as a sex offender.

Some of his victims and their parents have said that they didn't think he should get the money and that it instead should go to his victims.

Ahsoak said in January that he had been in treatment and was trying to turn his life around.

He talked about buying a house or cabin as well as vehicles with his winnings. It's not clear that happened.

Lost $11K Rings Returned to Owner
Rings Found At Sterling Heights Restaurant

POSTED: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
UPDATED: 8:15 pm EDT April 22, 2009

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich -- The cleaning crew at Andiamo's restaurant in Sterling Heights returned two pricey rings to a Macomb Township woman.

Nadine Ventimiglia washed her hands in the restaurant bathroom and took off her rings. She had to go to a different sink to get a paper towel, and forgot about the rings.

When she realized what she had done, she called the restaurant the next day, but the rings were gone.

Then, the restaurant owner called her back, and said one of the people who cleaned the restaurant had found the rings.

Ventimiglia told Local 4, "I was stunned, absolutely stunned. My rings were very special to me, and to have someone actually find them and turn them in and be honest enough to do that with today's economic times is amazing to me."

Linda Preka owns Nobile Cleaning Services. She said she always encourages honesty among her workers and has rewarded the employee who returned the rings.
Link to Video

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19254312/detail.html#video/