11 things that can cause cancer

 
A decade ago, a doctor who was asking about my health habits told me I should cut my two daily cups of coffee to one. Coffee was, at that time, still on the "bad" list. These days, I think it's on the "good" list or at least the "neutral" list. So it goes with eggs, wine and other products that are considered good for you one moment, and bad the next.
In October 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) compiled a comprehensive "bad" list of its own: 116 substances and activities that are known to cause cancer. (Note that red meat didn't make the list; it's only a possible carcinogen at this point.)
While the list includes exposures, mixtures and agents that you probably won't be exposed to — unless you're a chimney sweeper, painter or cabinet maker — the list also includes things we can all take precautions against. In case you were still unclear on any of these, here are the top 11 substances that can cause cancer:
1. Tobacco smoke. Smoking the leaves of the tobacco plant through a cigarette, cigar, pipe or hookah pipe causes cancer.
2. Sunlamps and sunbed tanning. Tanning equipment emits UV radiation that overexposes you and causes skin cancer, cataracts and premature aging.
3. Secondhand smoke. A non-smoker's risk of getting lung cancer can increase by a quarter simply from breathing in other people's smoke. It also can increase your risk of cancers of the larynx and pharynx. Your pets won't like it, either.
4. Alcohol. Alcoholic beverage consumption is a known cause of breast, colorectal, larynx, liver, esophagus, oral cavity and pharynx cancers, and the IARC labels it a probable cause for pancreatic cancer.
5. Smokeless tobacco products. Chewing smokeless tobacco products causes cancers specific to the larynx and the mouth.
6. Processed meats. Meat that is cured for preservation or taste like bacon, sausage and ham is as dangerous a carcinogen as tobacco, according to the World Health Organization. Processed meat is linked to bowel cancer.
7. UV rays. Yes, the sun can cause cancer.
8. Contraceptives. Both combined forms (those that contain both estrogen and progesterone) as well as sequential oral forms of hormonal contraceptives (a period of estrogen followed by a period of progesterone and estrogen) were ranked as cancer-causing by the AIRC. Breast, cervical and liver cancer risk may be increased. Endometrial and ovarian cancers may be decreased.
9. Estrogen therapy (post-menopausal). Women who take estrogen and progestin were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
10. Outdoor air pollution. It can lead to lung cancer and an increased risk of bladder cancer.
11. Salted fish (Chinese style). Diets high in salt-cured meats and fish, or pickled foods that are typical in Asian diets, can increase the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer, in the upper throat behind the nose.
A few more specific risks with regard to chemicals, disease and occupational hazards include arsenic that ends up in drinking water from alloy manufacturing; the leather dust, benzene and solvents in boot and shoe manufacturing; iron and steel founding; magenta dye manufacturing; roofing with coal tar; manufacturing rubber; diesel exhaust; soots; asbestos; hepatitis C; the human papillomavirus; and tamoxifen.

Leopard wanders south Indian school, injures 3 before caught

BANGALORE, India — A leopard wandered into a school in southern India and injured three people as it tried to escape, officials said.
Onlookers including TV news crews watched the chase, which lasted several hours until forest workers shot the big cat with a tranquilizer dart on Sunday afternoon, according to Press Trust of India news agency.
The agency quoted school officials as saying the leopard was first seen on closed-circuit TV before dawn inside the private Vibgyor School in Bangalore, and then disappeared into some surrounding bushes.
The big cat later scaled a wall to re-enter the school grounds. It attacked and injured three people including a veterinarian and a man who was trying to climb over a gate to get away, the agency reported. Police said the three are being treated in a hospital.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Yemi Alade talks about her kind of man

– Music star Yemi Alade reveals key factors she looks out for in ideal man
– Talks business and why she delved into fashion, reveals plans for a shoe line in near future
Afro Pop singer Yemi Alade has talked about her fashion business enterprise and some of the qualities she looks out for in a man.

Speaking exclusively to Punch she said she loves a man with a great sense of style and humour.
She also added that she is interested in a man who has drive and ambition who can also show it not just talk about it.
She said: “I like my man to be God fearing; have a good sense of style and good humour. He has to be one that has ambition and purpose and he must show it, not just talk about it.”
Speaking on her recent foray into fashion, she said she delved into the business given the need to use the time in her youth to its full.
She added that she went into fashion given her love for African fashion.
She disclosed plans to also go into shoe designing in addition to her other business ventures.
She said: “I’m very good at multi-tasking. In the morning, I still go to the kitchen and do things myself. I am currently talking to someone for a shoe-line, and talking to other people for other business opportunities. I am everywhere. I must use my youth well.
“I have a business partner who will take care of my other businesses because she understands my work.
“I also went into fashion because of my love for African fashion. I discovered that whenever I go to other African countries to perform, they usually try to replicate my style, so I decided to make something for them and myself as well. The collection is about my personality, my style, and because my style is different, we have decided to make it available to my fans. We also made it in form of jewellery so that everybody can wear it.”

Yemi Alade is a multi award-winning Afro Pop singer. Her new album Mama Africa is set for a 2016 release and many, fans and critics alike, cannot wait for its release.

See what 2Baba's first son said about his father

– Nino Idibia is 2Baba’s first son
– He has taken after his father musically
– He shares his father’s photo and the caption is amazing

How best can a son describe his father? Nino Idibia is 2Baba’s first son. The young boy is already following in his father’s footstep as he has taken after him music wise. Aside following in his father line, the 10-year-old is his father’s look-alike.
The super star in the making shared his father’s photo on his Instagram. It was the picture of his father posing with highlife music legend Sir Victor Uwaifo and captioned it: “Best father ever #official2baba”
Nino is one of Sunmbo Ajaba-Adeoye’s sons for 2Baba. His step-mum Annie Idibia celebrated him on his 10th birthday thus: “Hurrrrrayyyy!!!!! Our first Son is 10 today!!!! Nino Fabulous, so much wisdom! The head of the gang!!!! So proud and fortunate to be part of your life! May you continue to grow in wisdom and become the great leader that you are!!! My fab son… @ninoIdibia mummy loves you…”

Wall St. down over 2 percent as tech rout deepens, oil drops

 


Wall Street was deep in the red on Monday, as technology stocks extended a selloff from Friday and U.S. crude oil slipped below $30 per barrel, sending investors scurrying for cover to safe-haven assets.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2 percent to its lowest since October 2014, weighed down by Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Facebook (FB.O), while the Dow Jones industrial average shed more than 300 points.
"Equities are in a 'go-nowhere-fast' mode, with a downward bias in the near term," said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.
"We need oil to stabilize to provide some confidence for investors, partly because to a degree, investors' stress is high, earnings visibility is low, and market internals continue to weaken," he said.
U.S. crude oil prices fell 2.6 percent after a meeting between Saudi Arabia and Venezuela failed to reassure investors of measures to bolster prices. [O/R]
Chesapeake Energy (CHK.N) was the latest casualty of lower energy prices, tumbling 35 percent to $2 after sources told Reuters that the beleaguered natural gas company had hired restructuring lawyers.
Demand for crude is considered a barometer for global economic health, and markets across the world have tracked the rise and fall in the price of the commodity this year.
At 10:28 a.m. ET the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 337.01 points, or 2.08 percent, at 15,867.96.
The S&P 500 .SPX was down 39.97 points, or 2.13 percent, at 1,840.08.
The Nasdaq Composite index .IXIC was down 112.53 points, or 2.58 percent, at 4,250.61.
Gold XAU= prices rose to their highest since June and the yield on 30-year U.S. treasuries hit their lowest since April.
All 10 major S&P sectors were lower, with the 2.8 percent fall in energy stocks .SPNY leading the decliners.
Microsoft's (MSFT.O) 3.1 percent decline to $48.61 also dragged down the S&P 500. Facebook (FB.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) were off about 3 percent, while Alphabet (GOOGL.O) dropped 1.6 percent.
Dismal sales outlooks from marquee technology names Tableau Software had sent shares in the enterprise sector crashing on Friday on fears that IT managers were curbing spending.
IT services provider Cognizant on Monday added to those worries. Cognizant (CTSH.O) dropped 6 percent to $55 after it forecast its slowest revenue growth in 14 years.
Tableau (DATA.N), which almost halved in value on Friday, was down 4.8 percent at $39.35.
Twitter (TWTR.N) shed 5.4 percent to hit a new record low of $14.87 after reports over the weekend that the company was planning to change how it display tweets.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 2,656 to 301. On the Nasdaq, 2,195 issues fell and 347 advanced.
The S&P 500 index showed 5 new 52-week highs and 67 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 2 new highs and 331 new lows.

Afrocandy and Nollywood actor Lurrenz reveal details about their sexual fantasies

– Soft-porn star Afrocandy talks sexual fantasies, revealing she fancies having sex with two men
– Nollywood actor Lawrence Onuzuruike aka Lurrenz adds that he will prefer to make love in a car
Controversial soft-porn star Judith Mazagwu also known as AfroCandy, famed for sharing racy pictures online, has gone a step further in her antics.

She is joined by Nollywood actor Lawrence Onuzukike, who is also referred to as Lurrenz, as they both spoke to Vanguard on thrilling sex experiences they would each love to have.
Both celebrities are unabashed in their revelations, which has many people wondering how eccentric they really are.
Speaking on her sexual fantasies, the soft porn star Afrocandy said she would love a romp with two guys at same time.
Also, she disclosed that she would love to have sex with a she-male.
She said: “I would like two guys to make love to me at the same time. Also, I will like to do it with a she male.”
Lurrenz, on his part, disclosed that he would fancy having sex with a lady in the car.

He said: “One of my sexual fantasies is to make love in the car. Since my car has tinted windows, I’ll like to drive it someday to a busy place such as shoprite, park the car, and make sweet love with my babe. It’ll be fun since we can see everyone around but they won’t be seeing us.”

THE NEW FAST SPREADING VIRUS "ZIKA"_3100 pregnant Colombian women 'have Zika'

   

3100 pregnant Colombian women 'have Zika'

More than 3100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos says, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas.
The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly, which prevents fetus' brains from developing properly. There is no vaccine or treatment.
There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, Santos said on Saturday.
There are 25,645 people infected with the disease in Colombia, Santos said during a TV broadcast with health officials, among them 3177 pregnant women.

More pulled out alive after Taiwan quake

   

More pulled out alive after Taiwan quake

Rescuers have pulled more survivors from a collapsed apartment tower in Taiwan and are still searching for about 120 others believed trapped in rubble a day after a strong earthquake shook the island.
Those found alive include a 20-year-old identified by Taiwan media as Huang Kuang-wei and another man in his 20s surnamed Kuo, who was able to walk out of the wreckage, supported by rescuers. Both were sent to hospital.
Firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers combed through the ruins on Sunday, some using their hands, watched anxiously by dozens of the victims' family members who wore thick jackets, woollen hats and scarves to combat the winter chill.
Medical staff with empty gurneys waited nearby.
"She's not answering my phone calls ... I am trying to hold my emotions and stay strong. I'll do that until I find her," said a woman surnamed Chang, 42, waiting to hear from her 24-year-old daughter who lived on the fifth floor.
At least 26 people are known to have died in the quake, which struck about 4am on Saturday, at the beginning of a Lunar New Year holiday, with most found in the collapsed Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building in the southern city of Tainan.
About 120 people are still beneath the rubble of the commercial-residential block, with most trapped deep in the wreckage, the government said.
Bodies continue to be found, including those of two sisters, aged 18 and 23, Taiwanese media reported.
The building's lower floors pancaked on top of each other in the 6.4 magnitude quake and then the whole structure toppled, raising immediate questions about the quality of materials and workmanship used in its construction in the 1990s.
President Ma Ying-jeou is scheduled to visit the disaster zone on Monday, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Tainan Mayor William Lai told reporters about 120 people are believed still missing in the debris, with efforts focusing on 30 who are closest to the rescuers and lighter equipment like drills being used.
The extent of damage to the Golden Dragon Building has raised questions.
Liu Shih-chung, Tainan city government deputy secretary general, said television footage of its ruins suggested the possibility of structural problems related to poor-quality reinforced steel and cement.
However, city officials have said it is too early to say for certain if poor construction was a factor in the collapse.
Authorities said the building had 96 apartments and 256 registered residents, though more people were inside when it collapsed

What's the Difference between the Unsuccessful and the Super Successful?

Matt Moore in Australia writes, “You’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with successful people. Did you ever look for unsuccessful people who followed your 8 traits and did not become Bill Gates, etc.?”

Good question, Matt. In addition to spending a lot of time hanging out with successful people, I also interviewed some unsuccessful people, in order to get a point of comparison. Some were homeless men and women and others were people I met who had not achieved success, no matter how you measure it. Their responses indicated they didn’t follow any of the 8 success principles. They were doing jobs they didn’t like; they didn’t work hard, had no focus, sat back in their comfort zones instead of pushing themselves, and didn’t try to improve. They were only out to help themselves rather than serve others, and they tended to give up rather than persist. So, there was a high correlation between not doing the 8 Traits and not achieving success.

On the other hand, with the successful people I interviewed there was a high correlation between following the 8 principles and achieving success. Did all the people who followed those principles reach Bill Gates kind of success? No, everything is a matter of degrees, including success. In any endeavor, we can achieve: 1. Small success. 2. Moderate success. 3. Big success. 4. Super success. And be careful not to look down on those who achieve small or moderate success. Big success is built on a foundation of small successes and we need to pass through 1 and 2 before we reach 3 or 4. As Bill Gates says, “We took one step at a time and made the software better and better.”

So, if successful people follow the 8 Traits, what differentiates the ones who achieve super success from those who achieve moderate success? Again, it’s a question of degree. The Gates and Oprahs of the world not only do the 8 Traits, they do them to a greater degree than other people. They love what they do more than most people. They work more hours (even after he was a multimillionaire, Bill Gates worked most nights until 10pm and only took 2 weeks off in 7 years). The super successful focus more, push themselves more, come up with more ideas, improve more, serve others more, and persist more. They do the 8 to a greater degree, and that correlates to a greater degree of success. By the way, this applies to success in any endeavor, from the mother who succeeds big time at creating a family, to the CEO who succeeds big time at creating a company.

You may think, “I’m doing all those 8 things, so how come I’m not super successful?” Well, how long have you been at it? Remember, there’s no overnight success. We need to apply the 8 principles and PERSIST for a long time before achieving any success, let alone BIG success. As EDS founder H. Ross Perot once said, “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.” So, if you’re doing everything right, but haven’t succeeded yet, hang in there and persist.

One last point: Forget about achieving “BIG” success, or comparing yourself to the Gates and Oprahs of the world. It just drains energy away from doing the 8 things that really will get you there. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “Don’t compare yourself to somebody else, especially materially. If I’m worrying about the other guy and what he’s doing, and what he’s making, about all the attention he’s getting, I’m not going to be able to do what I’m capable of doing.” So keep your head down, focus on doing the 8 Traits, and build a trail of small achievements. That’s the path to big success.

Survivors pulled out from Taiwan building

                           

Survivors pulled out from Taiwan building

At least four people, including an eight-year-old girl, have been rescued from a high-rise Taiwanese apartment building toppled by a powerful quake two days earlier, as frustration grew among families waiting for searchers to reach their buried loved ones.
More than 100 people are believed to still be under the debris in a disaster that struck during the most important family holiday in the Chinese calendar, the Lunar New Year.
Saturday's quake killed at least 38 people in Tainan city in southern Taiwan, all but two of them in the collapse of the 17-storey building. Even though the 6.4-magnitude quake was shallow, few buildings were reported to have been damaged, which experts said was because Taiwan's building standards are high.
Authorities have managed to rescue more than 170 people - the vast majority in the immediate hours after the quake - from the folded building using information about the building layout and the possible location of those trapped.
Five survivors were believed to have been pulled out on Sunday, and at least four on Monday. One of them, Tsao Wei-ling, called out "Here I am" as rescuers dug through to find her, Taiwan's Eastern Broadcasting Corp reported.
She was found under the body of her husband, who had shielded her from a collapsed beam, the government-run Central News Agency reported. Tsao's husband and two-year-old son were found dead, and five other members of the family remained unaccounted for, it said.
Teams also rescued on Monday a 42-year-old man from the building, and, later, an eight-year-old girl, who had been trapped for more than 61 hours.
Mayor Lai Ching-Te told reporters he briefly exchanged words with the girl, Lin Su-chin.
"She is awake, but looks dehydrated, lost some temperature but she's awake and her blood pressure is OK," he said. "I asked her if there's anything wrong with her body. She shook her head."
Shortly afterward, rescue workers also pulled out a 28-year-old Vietnamese woman, identified as Chen Mei-jih, who had been trapped on what was the building's fifth floor.
Family members of the missing flooded into the information centre in search of their loved ones or to wait anxiously.
Tensions rose as some relatives, losing patience, demanded to speak to rescue workers directly to get the latest information.
A couple sitting in a small room where officials release information said they had heard no news about their son and his family, including their young grandsons.
"Does that mean we are here to wait for bodies?" grandfather Liu Meng-hsun cried out angrily.
Outside, a woman stood at the edge of the rubble shouting, "Your grandma is here!" Rescuers had detected life within the area where the 16th-floor apartment of her son and his family was thought to be, and were said to have heard the sound of a child.
Her son, surnamed Wu, got out of the building soon after the quake, but his wife and their four-year-old girl remained trapped, according to volunteers assisting the family.
Earthquakes rattle Taiwan frequently. Most are minor and cause little or no damage, though a magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2300 people.
The spectacular fall of the high-rise, built in 1989, raised questions about whether its construction had been shoddy. The government says it will investigate whether the developer cut corners.
Huang Jia-rui, a structural engineer in Tainan, said Taiwan's buildings aren't as quake-proof as Japan's, which is a leader in engineering quake-proof structures, but the island is catching up.