Zika virus: Florida steps up investigation after first local transmission

Mosquitos in South Florida transmitting Zika virus

Florida and national health officials reported the first local transmission of the Zika virus in a US state on Friday, as the state began an aggressive investigation and federal authorities short on funding braced for a health crisis.

Governor Rick Scott reported on Friday morning that four people in southern Florida probably contracted the virus through local mosquito bites, even though no insect trapped and tested in the state has proven positive for the virus so far.

This morning we learned that four people in our state likely have the Zika virus as a result of a mosquito bite. This means Florida has become the first state in our nation to have local transmission, Scott said.

Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: These are the first cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in the continental United States. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he added: As we have anticipated, Zika is now here.

Related: Florida reports first possible US Zika cases transmitted by mosquitoes

Although there have been more than 1,600 cases of the virus confirmed by health officials in nearly all 50 states, every patient save the four reports in Florida contracted the disease either traveling abroad or through sexual transmission. In Puerto Rico, there are more than 4,500 cases of the virus, virtually all contracted through mosquitos.

As many as 50 pregnant women a day are affected on the US territory, according to the CDC. This is a silent epidemic that is rapidly spreading through Puerto Rico, Frieden said.

The Florida report followed an announcement on Thursday that blood donations were suspended in the affected area until all current samples could be tested.

Two of the cases suspected of local transmission were in Miami-Dade County, and two were in Broward County, Scott said. The patients included one women and three men, and none has needed hospitalization.

Health officials believe that the infections occurred in a very small area just north of downtown Miami, of about a square mile. Officials are now going door to door in the area offering to test the public, and Scott said that they would be aggressively testing people.

While no mosquitoes trapped tested positive for the Zika virus, the department believes these cases were likely transmitted through infected mosquitoes in this area, the Florida health department said in a statement.

All the evidence we have seen indicates that this is mosquito-borne transmission that occurred several weeks ago in several blocks in Miami, Frieden added.

Earlier in July, authorities began investigating the possible first local transmission of Zika, but Scotts near-confirmation on Friday amounted to a serious development of the feared health crisis. There have been 386 cases of Zika reported in Florida so far, mostly in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Fifty-five pregnant women have been affected.

Florida is taking an aggressive approach, Scott said. We have worked hard to stay ahead of the spread of Zika and prepare for the worst.

Scott emphasized that there had been no reported cases of local transmission of Zika in central parts of the state. The Orlando area was teeming with an influx of tourists , attending the cluster of theme parks in the area such as Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. Officials fear local transmission because local mosquitos could spread the disease far more rapidly than isolated travel or s*x.

Experts in the UK recently urged expectant mothers to avoid travel to the upcoming Olympics in Brazil, which has been hard struck by the disease, and parts of the US, including Florida.

There is no treatment or preventive vaccine for Zika. The disease produces mild symptoms for most, such as headache, feverishness and red eyes, and 80% of healthy people who become infected suffer no symptoms.

But for expectant mothers, infection with the Zika virus can lead to infants born with serious brain defects and developmental abnormalities, especially an abnormally small head in a condition called microcephaly.

The CDC has also warned of likely local outbreaks in southern coastal states as the summer heats up, with poor communities in Florida, Texas and Louisiana on the frontline. Texas reported the first case of Zika being transmitted within the US in February, in a case believed to have been passed on through s*x.

We learn more about Zika each day but we recognize that the unknown can be scary, especially for pregnant women, Florida surgeon general Celeste Philip said on Friday. Were committed to sharing as much as we can as soon as we can.

Scott advised women in the affected area of Miami-Dade and Broward counties who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant to consult their OB-GYN for advice and Zika prevention kits.

The governor also ordered emergency funding for testing people, screening donated blood in the affected counties, and for testing mosquitos and reducing their breeding during sweltering summer months.

Florida has a good record combating similar diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya, but Scott has not yet invited in the CDCs wider emergency response team of experts on infectious diseases and the complex logistics to combat them, according to the Florida health department spokeswoman Mara Gambineri.

And a bitterly divided Congress failed last month to pass $1.1bn in federal funding measures to combat the Zika virus, with Texas senator John Cornyn s explaining Republican resistance by saying: We want to make sure were not writing blank checks.

The Florida senator Marco Rubio has bucked his partys line and pleaded for funding. Earlier this month, he called the Zika threat a full-blown health crisis for the US, allying himself with California Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat, who said: We need to act now.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEeueWBkCJD5GoGToJgZr7x4ICrWg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779168773579&ei=iOacV-DXAszS3gGfwYnoBg&url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/30/zika-virus-florida-investigation-first-local-transmission

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Just How Would Captain Fantastic Feel About His Own Film?

Captain Fantastic - Official Movie Review
Matt RossViggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, George MacKayUS theatrical: 8 Jul 2016

Captain Fantastic refers to its titular character, Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen), a devout woodsman and Chomskyite who stewards a forest commune of his six children, ages seven through 18, in the temperate and bountiful Pacific Northwest. Ben is a fine captain who has vigorously earned the allegiance of his tribe, each of who dutifully participate in a daily regimen of bluff climbing, running, bow hunting (no guns), and precise analytical readings and presentations of heavy works, a sample of which includes MiddleMarch, Guns, Germs, and Steel, and particle physics. Indeed, an average day at Bens communeat least in his mindwould make Iron Man competitions look like intermediate intramural fluff and even the most demanding University programs as exploitative rackets with an emphasis on regurgitation for an ultimately unquestioned existence.

While Bens militant adherence to the communes perpetuation is intriguing, Captain Fantastic the film has an at times frustratingly milder agenda, which subsumes Ben and guides him toward formulaic solutions which temper the full realization of any kind righteous philosophical bent.

When given the opportunity, Viggo Mortensen convincingly meshes roles as concerned father and wilderness commando into a richly layered, organically driven performance. There are a trove of human interest pieces on Mortensen as an earthy, hyper-intelligent polyglot whose uncompromising conviction to push the envelope is tempered by a gentle reserve. When Captain Fantastic simply lets Viggo be Viggo, the film often thrives.

At the films onset, Bodevan Cash (George MacKay) completes a deer hunting mission which doubles as a tribal rite of passageafter killing the deer with a knife, Bodevan eats a chunk of the deers heart to complete his entry into manhood. Five kids look on. Had their father been played by a lesser actor, concern or outrage may be a lasting affect which would stymie the films intellectual aspirations. However, Ben guides the ceremony with tender, almost resigned deliberation, signifying at once a captains deeply felt pride for his soldiers acceptance of a profound rite, but also a parents lamentation of the tasks potentially traumatic effects. Mortensen, his worldly and humanistic touch reflecting so many emotions at once, is an ideal surrogate for the audience to relax their outrage and reflect on Bens motivations more holistically.

The first act of Captain Fantastic operates at this high level, combining poignant dialogue, acute visual attention to commune lifes daily rigors, and expressive physical performance, to establish a lived-in feel. This segment is a terrific film within the film, and one which may leave some longing for its continuance. But if thats the case, then perhaps your film of choice is closer to Embrace of the Serpent (2016), where a full-blown chaotic relationship to the wilderness is explored, or JauJa (2015), starring Mortensen, in which there is no formulaic interference with his characters fate. In Captain Fantastic, however, the final two acts vigorously seek express formulaic reasons for Bens Thoreau-meets-Chomsky lifestyle, which gravitates Bens choice more toward an experiment.

The formulas begin to take hold when Bens departed wife and mother of six, Leslie Cash, commits suicide. A road trip to Leslies funeral commences and, just as soon as the engine revs up, the film transforms into a plot-orientated machine. One stark story device centers on whether the Cash family will honor Leslies demand, incorporated in a will, to be cremated will succeed over her ultra-rich and hippie-hating father Jacks (Frank Langella) insistence on having a Catholic funeral. The plot thickens even more excessively when Jack responds to Bens explanation of his daughters will with threats of a custody petitiona point which not only insults both Ben and Jacks intelligence, but also overwhelms the films prior nuanced character study into a sublimely fascinating family.

The same can be said for an interlude at Bens sisters home (Kathryn Hahn), which is more or less a side-by-side diagram of suburbanite conformity versus nonconformist life in the wild, with copious amounts of judgmental poo flung at the former. Theres no need for this exposition, particularly when later in the film, the split is summed up by far more elegantly when we see Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton) playing a first-person hunter game at Jackss stately home, the electronic light bathed over his face while Ben watches in a shadowy corner.

Of course, non-conformist judgments arent objectionable, as hippies have taken more than their fair share of mockery from the establishment, so why not a few films which turn matters the other way? Fair enough, but Captain Fantastic never follows through with its judgments and their consequences. There is, for example, a side-plot as to whether Bodevan will choose to attend Harvard and break away from the relatively innocuous fits of anti-social behavior, both which are formulaic if not somewhat Easy Street affairs. Ben has his great parental epiphany on none other than Jacks wide, sun kissed lawn.

At the beginning of the Captain Fantastic, concerns were on whether Bens kids would weather a bluff climb in a downpour. Fireside discussions flowed about Trotsky and great literature. Now this? What happened?

Depending on the audience, the answers will vary. One could argue Captain Fantastic is a sophomoric script altered by mainstream considerations. It can also be convincingly argued that within the film itself, contemporary American life was knocking at the door, and Bens parental instincts demanded compromise.

But theres a scene midway through Captain Fantastic which underpins the films prevailing intentions. Ben, who just led his kids on a free the food mission at a Supermarket, buys a store cake likely full of artificial ingredients which he has outlawed from his commune for years. The cake is somewhat ironically in honor of Noam Chomsky day, and Ben stuffs his face with a mouthful of gooey deliciousness. The scene is a microcosm of Captain Fantastic, which has its Captain, and eats him, too.

Captain Fantastic

Rating:

Argun Ulgen is a film and culture writer residing in New York, NY. Find him on Twitter @BrooklynCycles

Source: http://www.popmatters.com/review/captain-fantastic-how-would-captain-fantastic-feel-about-his-own-film/

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Three new cases of travel-related Zika virus in Williamson County

Mosquitos in South Florida transmitting Zika virus
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WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) The second, third and fourth cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in Williamson County.

The travel-related cases were confirmed this week through testing at the Department of State Health Services lab in Austin. The first case was confirmed by the county in May.

The three patients, one over the the age of 50, were infected with the virus during travel to Central America and the Caribbean.

The Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) is asking anyone with symptoms to see a healthcare provider if they visited an area where Zika is present or had sexual contact with someone who has traveled to an area where the virus is present.

GOING IN-DEPTH

• As of July 27, there are more than 6,400 confirmed cases of Zika virus in the U.S. and its territories. Thats 1,200 more compared to last week.
• More than 850 pregnant women have evidence of having Zika virus.
• Click here for a state-by-state table of Zika cases in the United States

Source: CDC

There are no reports of locally-transmitted Zika (mosquito to person) in Williamson County, or even this part of this United States.Four recently infected people in the Miami area one woman and three men are believed to have caught the virus locally through mosquito bites, officials announced Friday.

U.S. health officials said they do not expect a widespread outbreak of the sort seen in Brazil and other countries, according to the Associated Press.More than 1,650 people in the mainland U.S. have been infected with Zika in recent months, but the four people in Florida are believed to be first ones to contract the virus within the 50 states from mosquitoes.

WCCHD says these three new cases in Williamson Countyincrease the chance of local spread of the virus by area mosquitoes.

Residents, especially pregnant women, are asked to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Remember to use an EPA-approved insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, use or repair screens on windows and doors, use air conditioning when available and remove standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs, the department says.

The county says the three infected people are not related to each other.

What we know about the Zika virus

• Zika is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus).
• A pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus during pregnancy or during birth.
• Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects, and is associated with other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• A person who is infected with Zika virus can pass it to s*x partners.
• Many people infected with Zika virus wont have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms.
• No vaccines or treatments are currently available to treat or prevent Zika infections.

For more information, visit www.wcchd.org or www.texaszika.org.

Source: http://kxan.com/2016/07/29/three-new-cases-of-travel-related-zika-virus-in-williamson-county/

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San Diego County help wanted advertising down in June

San Diego officer fatally shot, another injured

The San Diego County economy took a dip in June as help wanted advertising and building permits dropped, said a monthly study from the University of San Diego.

It was the second month in a row that the index, which looks at economic activities in the region to judge its overall health, declined.

Job growth for the first six months of this year was good, adding 37,000 more jobs than the same time period in 2015. Yet, that data is delayed and the number of employers seeking workers in June declined by 2,800 posts.

The job growth is a measure of the past and it could be that help wanted (advertising) is a measure of the short-term future, said Alan Gin, author of the report for the universitys Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate.

Still, the report said the outlook for the rest of the year looks good, in part because of job growth. There were also some healthy signs in June the national economy was up, as were local stock prices.

USD Index of Leading Economic Indicators

Building permits: -0.63%

Unemployment insurance: -0.49%

Stock prices: +0.96%

Consumer confidence: -0.11%

Help wanted advertising: -1.59%

National economy: +0.64%

Source: University of San Diego

Building permits for residential housing dropped for the fourth month in a row. For the first six months of this year, permits were down 8.2 percent. The number of single-family units authorized were down 25 percent and multifamily down 0.53 percent.

State and local leaders have pushed for more multifamily housing because they say denser development serves more people and is less harmful to the environment. However, a recent report from the London Group Realty Advisors argued the region was too focused on multifamily when millennials will eventually want to move into single-family homes.

The unemployment rate in June rose slightly to 4.9 percent from 4.4 percent in May. It was the first time it was negative in eight months.

Consumer confidence in San Diego was down for the eighth month in a row, which is still a bit of a mystery. One theory from the author is that real wages have not gone up much. Accounting for inflation, wages increased just 1.2 percent from the first quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015.

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/29/help-wanted-down-june/

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Red-Carpet Exclusive Portraits: Woody Allen for "Caf Society"

Café Society Official International Trailer #1 (2016) - Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart Movie HD
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CHICAGO He is one of the most prolific American directors of the modern cinema era, and has also forged a career as stand-up comedian, actor, playwright and screenplay artist. He is Woody Allen, and he walked the Red Carpet at the Chicago History Museum on July 21st, 2016, for his new film Caf Society.

The film is his 47th feature film as writer/director, from Whats Up, Tiger Lily (1966) to the present day, and highlights Allens strengths as an artist. Caf Society is filled with romance, heartbreak and the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, and features Steve Carrell, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Corey Stoll and Parker Posey. It is schedule for nationwide release on July 29th, 2016

Woody Allens Latest Film is Caf Society, Releasing Nationwide on July 29th, 2016Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Woody Allen was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935. While in high school, and during brief college stints at New York University and the City College of New York, he wrote gags for newspaper columnists in Manhattan. He legally changed his name to Heywood Allen when he was 17 years old, and shortened it to Woody Allen once his jokes appeared in he newspaper.

Through that media, the writer Abe Burrows (Guys and Dolls) introduced him into a writing development program at the CBS Network when he was 20 years old, and soon he was writing for [Sid] Caesars Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, Candid Camera, and comedian Bob Hope, whose character was the inspiration for Allens later cowardly courageous persona. Allen estimated that by 1962 he had written 20,000 jokes for other sources.

The next phase of his career involved stand-up comedy, and he played the New York City venues, and was discovered at a Greenwich Village club called The Bitter End. His stand-up style was low-key and conversational, coming from life experiences, without schtick or ethnicity (Allen is Jewish). His act led to TV appearances on The Tonight Show and other ventures, which led to his playwrighting and film directing part of his life course.

Woody Allen on the Red Carpet at the Chicago History Museum on July 21st, 2016Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

His film debut was as screenwriter and actor, for the comedy Whats New Pussycat? (1965). One year later, his first directorial effort (which he also co-wrote) was an off-beat film comedy called Whats Up, Tiger Lily? in which he hilariously re-dubbed into English a James Bond-like Japanese film. At the same time, his stage plays Dont Drink the Water (1966), Play It Again, Sam (1969) and The Floating Light Blub (1969) were onBroadway.

Source: http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/26683/red-carpet-exclusive-portraits-woody-allen-for-caf-society

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Florida"s first locally acquired Zika virus cases believed to...

Zika Virus: 4 Possible Non-Travel-Related Cases In Florida

MIAMI - Gov. Rick Scott said Florida is the first state with a locally acquired case of the Zika virus.

Scott said Friday that the Florida Department of Health has concluded that four cases of the Zika virus likely came from mosquitoes in the Miami area.

The governor said no mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for Zika, but he said one woman and three men in Miami-Dade and Broward counties likely contracted the virus through mosquito bites.

He said state health officials believe the infections occurred in a small area just north of downtown Miami.

The area of concentration is in Wynwood, between Northwest Fifth Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard to Northwest 38th Street and Northwest 20th Street.

"If you live in this area and want to be tested, I urge you to contact the county health department, which stands ready to assist you," Scott said during a news conference in Orlando.

Scott"s announcement comes one day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked all blood banks in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to stop collecting blood because of increasing fears of spreading the Zika virus.

OneBlood, a nonprofit blood collection agency, said Friday it has immediately begun testing for the Zika virus. If testing reveals that any blood is reactive for the Zika virus, OneBlood will quarantine the blood, notify the donor and alert state and federal health officials.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he is committed to keeping residents safe from the Zika virus.

"Because our mosquito control efforts have been successful in the past, I am confident that Miami-Dade County is prepared to fight this, just like we -- together as a community -- have fought against West Nile, dengue fever and Chikungunya," Gimenez said.

Copyright 2016 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.local10.com/health/zika-virus/gov-rick-scott-zika-virus-locally-acquired-in-florida

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The Cheesecake Factory"s chocolate hazelnut cheesecake truffles ...

My Hot Cheesecake Factory Waiter!
Paul Kosmides from The Cheesecake Factory at 12 Oaks joins us in the FOX 2 Cooking School.

(WJBK) - In honor of National Cheesecake Day, which is July 30, The Cheesecake Factory joined us on The Nine to show us how they celebrate their favorite food holiday -- with a unique cheesecake truffle.

This recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Truffles comes courtesy of Paul Kosmides from The Cheesecake Factory at 12 Oaks. To learn more about The Cheesecake Factory, visit www.thecheesecakefactory.com.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES

IngredientsCheesecake slices - We suggest The Cheesecake Factory "Original" and Chocolate Mousse CheesecakeGhirardelli Dark Melting WafersRaw, Whole Hazelnuts (preferably without skin)

Directions1. Begin with your favorite Cheesecake. Remove any loose decorations or whip cream rosettes.2. Use a small 1 oz. scoop to scoop the Cheesecake into round b***s.3. Place scoops onto a wax-paper lined sheet tray.4. Place tray in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours to "deeply chill" the Cheesecake b***s. Keep in freezer until ready to use.5. Meanwhile, using a double boiler over low heat, heat the Dark Melting Wafers to approximately 100" F.6. Meanwhile, place Hazelnuts in a heavy saucepan in a single layer. Place over medium heat. Stir approximately every minute. Cook 5 - 10 minutes or until browned and they begin to give off a nutty aroma.a. Note: If you"re using roasted Hazelnuts instead of raw nuts, we recommend roasting them again to help activate the natural oils and wonderful aromas.7. Remove Hazelnuts from heat immediately so they don"t overcook. (Keep a close eye on them when cooking as they will go from brown to burnt very quickly.)8. Allow Hazelnuts to cool slightly before chopping.a. Note: if using Hazelnuts with skin on, place cooled nuts into a clean, dry towel and roll vigorously between your hands to remove the skin.9. RemoveReRRRRWhile the Hazelnuts are still slightly warm, use the side of a chef"s knife to crush them (similar to crushing garlic) and then coarsely chop to approx. 1/8" pieces. Sift the chopped nuts through a stainless steel strainer to remove any dust, and transfer the nuts into a glass bowl.10. Remove Cheesecake b***s from freezer & completely submerge in the heated Chocolate. Remove with a fork and "bounce" the fork on the surface of the chocolate to allow the extra to drip-off.11. Use another fork to transfer the dipped-cheesecake ball onto the wax paper-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle the top of the Truffle with chopped hazelnuts.12. Transfer decorated Truffles to serving tray.13. If making ahead of time: Transfer to a Tupperware container and store in freezer until ready to serve. (May be stored up to 2-3 weeks.) At least one hour before service, transfer to the refrigerator and serve from a refrigerated state.

Source: http://www.fox2detroit.com/good-day/cooking-school-sponsored-by-andiamo/183232728-story

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