National Beef Co. ground beef
Credit: NationalBeef.com

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), they discovered the problem during their routine monitoring, wherein a positive result for E. coli was detected. So far, there were no reports of illnesses related to the said recall.

As noted in the report at NationalBeef.com, the recalled products were produced on May 25, 2013, and have a “Use by/Freeze by” date of Friday. June 14, 2013. They were shipped in clear, 10 pound chubs, and were distributed to different wholesale and retailers, as well as to military commissaries.

National Beef emphasized that they are fully cooperating with respective authorities in investigating this issue thoroughly. They are also now informing their customers who have purchased the recalled products, which are listed below.

• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code “0481.”
• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code “0421.”
• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code “0484.”

With this, FSIS strongly suggests all consumers to prepare their raw meat products safely, including fresh and frozen products; and to consume ground beef that has only been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. For more information about this latest ground beef recall, the public is being invited to contact National Beef at (877) 857-4143.

According to a press release at the official website of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that day, Natura Pet is recalling the brand names Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Karma, and Mother Nature products with expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014. The recall did not mention any canned wet food included.

As noted in the report, the latest Natura Pet recall was issued after the FDA has confirmed that a single lot was tested positive for Salmonella contamination. The affected products were packaged in a single production facility, and were sold in bags via veterinary clinics, selected pet specialty retailers, and online in the United States and Canada.

With this, Natura Pet issued an official statement addressing the sad news, saying they are taking the additional precautionary measure regarding this latest recall. The company noted that the recalled products were manufactured on April 3, 2013, and have already implemented additional testing products for finished products.

“We are truly sorry. We know this news disappoints you; we are disappointed too. Natura will always focus on high-quality ingredients, product safety, and innovation in pet nutrition. We remain committed to making products you can trust.” A statement reads at NaturaPet.com that day.

Natura Pet also posted a guide (pdf file) on their official website on how affected customers can request a replacement voucher or refund. The FDA emphasized the clients who have bought the recalled dry pet foods should immediately dispose them properly.

For more information on this Natura Pet recall, the public is being advised to contact the company hotline at toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST), or visit NaturaPet.com.

Natura Pet Innova brand recall expiration date guide
Credit: NaturaPet.com

Natura Pet recall product list
Credit: FDA.gov

Two-faced kitten “Deucy” from Oregon
Credit: KGW-TV video

As shown in the news video below, “Deucy” was born last Tuesday, June 11, 2013 (6/11) at 6:11 a.m. with one healthy body and two faces. Durkee said that the rare kitten has been rejected by her own mother, so she decided to take care of her even brought her to a veterinarian for medical check-up.

That time, the vet said that the two-faced kitten was in good health condition and that she has no problem with her internal organs. But then, Durkee said she was amazed with the series of coincidences related to her birth, considering the time and the date, which also happens to fall on a Gemini astrological sign.

And as neighbors and media flocked to their home to see the cuteness of the kitten, Stephanie noted that she had been feeding “Deucy” with kitten formula milk every two hours using a syringe. The rare “Janus” kitten is being placed in a comfortable and warm drawer, and was even stronger than her two other siblings.

Apparently, there had been earlier reports of almost the same situations. Back in July 2012, a kitten with two faces named Gemini was born in Rhode Island. It also has 24 toes: seven on each of the two front paws and five on each on the back paws. The tiny kitten died, just days after he was was born.

Just last February, a two-faced kitten named Harvey Dent was born in Port Charlotte, Florida, but died two days later. However, there are rare cases when kittens with two faces survive longer. In September 2011, the Guinness World Records awarded ‘Frank and Louie” for being the longest living two-faced cat at the age of 12. Unlike “Deucy,” that cat has two faces, but only one head and brain.

Several 400-year-old plants that have been found by researchers from the University of Alberta reportedly resurrected back to life.

These icy plants called bryophytes were discovered at the Teardrop Glacier in the Canadian Arctic.

Bryophytes are plant species that “dried-out during long, cold winters and then come back to life after a time.” They were “extremophiles that survive in places where other plants don’t.”

The unusual thing about these plants was that they have endured 400 years under the icy Arctic environment and have shown signs of growing.

Catherine La Farge, researcher from the University of Alberta, revealed that they saw the 400-year-old plants with intact structures and green coloration.

The researcher explained that about four species were regenerated out of the 24 samples.

According to La Farge, “We know that bryophytes can remain dormant for many years (for example, in deserts) and then are reactivated, but nobody expected them to rejuvenate after nearly 400 years beneath a glacier. These simple, efficient plants, which have been around for more than 400 million years, have evolved a unique biology for optimal resilience. Any bryophyte cell can reprogram itself to initiate the development of an entire new plant. This is equivalent to stem cells in faunal systems.”

La Farge‘s team used radiocarbon dating to conclude that the plants were living from 400 to 600 years old.

The May 27th issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reportedly features the bryophyte research.

Below is a video of the 400-year-old plants.

About 3 feet of snow was dumped by a weekend storm in New York over the weekend.

The 2013 Memorial Day weekend storm covered the 5,000 foot N.Y. ski mountain in the Adirondacks near the Vermont boarder.

Several news sites reported on Sunday, May 26, 2013 that the Olympic Regional Development Authority was forced to close the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway located near the mountain.

Whiteface Mountain spokesman Jon Lundin said that the snow started falling lightly on Saturday until Sunday evening.

As of posting, authorities haven’t confirmed if the N.Y. 3 feet of snow was a record in the Whiteface area.

Mike Muccilli, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont said that a steady snow fall and gusty winds in Mount Mansfield, in Stowe. He said that about 13.2 inches of snow was dumped in the area.

Paul Templer, the man who was swallowed by hippo
Image Credit: Paul Templer video

Templer, who was 27 at that time and is now living in Michigan, uploaded a video at YouTube in August 2010 titled “A Bad Day At The Office” relating his encounter with the mad hippo. Last week, he shared his story to Guardian‘s Chris Broughton, which is now going viral.

As noted in the report, Templer said that he then owned a business taking clients to Victoria Falls, located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. He said that he was with three apprentice guides, who were all in kayaks that day. He said he was about to grab the arms of one of his guides who had been flung out of his boat, when the hippo attacked him until it swallowed him.

“I was aware that my legs were surrounded by water, but my top half was almost dry. I seemed to be trapped in something slimy. There was a terrible, sulphurous smell, like rotten eggs, and a tremendous pressure against my chest.” Paul Templer said, as told to Chris Broughton, posted at Guardian.co.uk.

“My arms were trapped but I managed to free one hand and felt around – my palm passed through the wiry bristles of the hippo’s snout. It was only then that I realized I was underwater, trapped up to my waist in his mouth. I wriggled as hard as I could, and in the few seconds for which he opened his jaws, I managed to escape.” Templer added.

Templer suffered nearly 40 puncture wounds; his arm was crushed and was eventually amputated. But two years after the incident, he went back to guide on the same river and met the same hippo again, but was not able to attack him this time. Paul Templer is now a motivational speaker.

Fluoride toothpaste
Credit: visitworldofsmiles.com

As noted at MyHealthNewsDaily.com this Tuesday, May 7, 2013, the study suggested bacteria loses its ability to stick to the teeth, when people use toothpaste with fluoride. Researchers noted that fluoride makes the germs easier to wash away with saliva, when brushing the teeth, and other activities.

Fluoride, which is derived from Fluorine, is widely used as major components of toothpaste, and is now often added to mouthwash and drinking water. The fluoride mystery has been studied for more than half a century, but there were a lot of controversies on how it can exactly reduce tooth decay.

“The bacteria we’re studying are likely to be charged negatively. They feel attached to positively charged surfaces. The fluoride probably makes tooth enamel more negatively charged, repelling germs.” Karin Jacobs told MyHealthNewsDaily.com, adding that the experiment was performed to artificial teeth.

Fluoride toothpaste is known for helping to harden the enamel coating that protects teeth from the acid produced by decay-causing bacteria. Earlier studies revealed that it can also help re-mineralize the teeth where the acid has already started to weaken the teeth.

The study, published at online journal Langumir last April 4, the experiment used a compound known as hydroxyapatite on the artificial teeth. However, this material notably more absorbent than real enamel, so it is being considered not a good representation of a real tooth.

Apparently, analyzing real teeth can be complicated, because teeth are significantly different from each other. Even a single tooth can be different throughout its composition. This variability helps explain the decades why it is difficult to solve the decades of fluoride mystery.

Alexus Stallworth, with Cain, the pit bull that
saved his mother Jackie Bonasera (right)
Image Credit: NBC New York video

According to a report at NBCNewYork.com this Saturday, Jackie heard the dog barking and ran downstairs, and discovered the fire on the side of her garage. She said she saw the fire was starting to spread from the front of the house to the back. Luckily, she managed to escape without any harm.

“I ran out of the house and my neighbors came running over, and then I thought about the dog — I’m like, ‘He saved my life, I have to save his. So I just put my robe over my face and I ran back in and I grabbed the dog and then I stood out here and I watched my house burn,” Bonasera, 44, told the paper.

“He’s a pit bull, too. They have such bad reps, but he’s such a good boy.” Alexus Stallworth, Bonasera‘s daughter, said, adding that Cain the pit bull is “the town hero.” She was outside the house when the house went on fire and took a video of the burning house using her cell phone camera.

As noted at Long IslandPress.com, around 75 firefighters from five different fire departments joined together to stop the fire from spreading further. Nassau County police said they are now investigating the possible cause of the fire, but noted that it is unlikely to be suspicious.

Laine and Caren Henry, inside a hospital
Credit: WhoTv.com video

As noted in the report, Laine was about to fetch his wife in a road near his father’s home, when he saw the black-and-white dog attacking his wife without a warning. He immediately jumped to fight with the dog, so he can save his wife from the mad dog, which was named Buddy. The Henry couple lives in Grimes.

“Caren turned and looked at me and I seen her face was nothing but blood, so I bit the dog literally in the nose and he let go and I grabbed our dog and I grabbed her and I put them in our pick-up and took off.” Laine said during the news interview at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, where they are being treated.

“It got me here and I had my sunglasses on which I’m glad I did because I think it might have taken my eye as well as my nose, then it knocked me down and then it went after my dog. It could have been a lot worse, he could have got my neck, and he could have taken my eye.” Caren Henry said.

“I’m a dog lover and I can understand wanting to keep your dog, but if you know your dog’s done this why don`t you have this tied up, why don’t you have it in a kennel, why is it running loose in someone’s yard.” Caren added, who also suffered from bites on her thigh and abdomen.

Meanwhile, local police records show that the same Labrador attacked another dog in 2012 in Des Moines. Unfortunately, there is no vicious dog ordinance in Dallas County, which could hold dog owners responsible for the attack. Fortunately, Buddy was proven to have rabies shots by a veterinarian.

The mad dog has been ordered to be quarantined for 14 days, and is not allowed to be with any other animals. Afterwards, it will be returned to its owner. But since it is not certain as who owns the dog, authorities said that it will be set free and the case will be closed.

Zipper the Dog, which was left alone inside a car
for 6 days without food or water
Credit: KOMONews.com video

As noted in the report this Thursday, April 25, Seattle Police Department said that security guards at the parking lot of Quality Food Center (QFC) in Westwood Village. They said they noticed the poor dog at the back of the car at around 1 a.m. last Sunday and called 911. Zipper the Dog was seen shaking and frightened.

Apparently, one of the security guards told the police that the car had been parked in the same spot for at least six days. However, he noted that he was not sure how long the dog had been left alone inside the car. Zipper was immediately given food and water, before they called the local police.

The owner of the car was not found because it had been recently sold. Nevertheless, investigators said that a man, who was believed to be the owner’s boyfriend, is the one responsible for taking care of Zipper, while the owner is away. No charges have been filed, as of this writing.

“We’re going to have a conversation with this individual, try to educate them about the proper care for the dog and let them know that it’s not acceptable to leave a dog inside a car on a warm day like today.” Don Baxter, manager of animal care and volunteer programs for the Seattle Animal Shelter, told the report.

Based on the latest update at the official website of Seattle Animal Shelter, Zipper has not been returned to the caretaker who left him in the car, and still remains on their shelter. Nevertheless, the dog is now happy, energetic, appears to be in good health, and is being well cared for by animal care staff.