Wednesday, June 25, 2014

New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs – Turn Red


DrinkSavvy, a Massachusetts startup company, has designed new plastic cups and straws that detect the most commonly-used date rape drugs – GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine.


1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red

date rape detecting glasses New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red


The party cups are engineered with sensing strips that turn red when drugs are detected in a drink.


“If anyone puts a date rape drug into your drink, the DrinkSavvy party cup will immediately provide a visible color change, even in low lit bars, warning you to throw your drink out,” says the company.


DrinkSavvy’s product is particularly useful since the date rape drugs GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine, are odorless, colorless and tasteless. The company’s new drug detecting products are expected to be released in September, and available to the public by mid 2014.


Founded by former engineering student Michael Abramson, the company got its start with the help of an Indiegogo campaign, and raised more than its goal of $50,000, allowing the company to create the drinkware line of straws and 16-ounce plastic cups.


Writing for the International Business Times, Treye Green notes Abramson, a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was apparently the victim of a date rape spiked beverage himself one night while at a Boston nightclub.


“Rohypnol was slipped into his drink and he woke up the next morning on his apartment stairs. That incident led him to begin a collaboration with chemistry and biochemistry researchers at his university to develop a way to make the date-rape drugs visible.”


1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red

date rape detecting cup New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red


DrinkSavvy is making the products available free to rape crisis centers. Abramson also has plans to recruit bars, clubs and even colleges to use the drinkware as part of the fight against drug-facilitated sexual assaults.


The company claims every year millions of men and women (many of them college students) are victims of drug-facilitated sexual assaults.


Once a rape drug is slipped into your drink, the drug causes unconsciousness and memory loss, making the victim defenseless against sexual assault.


1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red

date rape detecting straw New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red


Besides party cups, glasses, and straws, DrinkSavvy will also produce stirrers and swizzle sticks. All the products will immediately change color to warn you before you consume a rape drug. DrinkSavvy has posted several media interviews on their website.






1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red


Inquisitive foodie with a professional investigative background and strong belief in the organic farm to table movement. Author of Bad Seeds: A FriendsEAT Guide to GMO's. Buy Now!




1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red



1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red



1x1.trans New Party Cups Detect Date Rape Drugs Turn Red





Friday, June 20, 2014

18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


When you’re pregnant, what you eat and drink influences your child’s health. And as Web MD points out, what you eat and drink may affect your child’s health forever.1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy



You and your unborn baby are more susceptible to the bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause foodborne illness.


“Whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy should form the basis of your diet. Rare meat, raw oysters, clams, sushi, unpasteurized eggs, raw cookie or cake dough, may contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites.”


To reduce your risk of foodborne illness, test meat, poultry, and fish with a food thermometer, and cook eggs until they are no longer runny.


According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), even if you don’t feel sick, some “bugs” like Listeria and Toxoplasma can infect your baby and cause serious health problems.


Your baby is also sensitive to toxins from the food that you eat, such as mercury in certain kinds of fish. HHS advises pregnant women to invest in a food thermometer to check the temperatures of cooked food.


Below is a list of foods to avoid and foods you should consider avoiding if you’re pregnant, courtesy of HHS:


Don’t Eat These Foods


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Brie Roasted Grape Grilled Cheese 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


1) Soft CHEESES
made from unpasteurized milk, including Brie, feta, Camembert, Roquefort, queso blanco, and queso fresco may contain E. coli or Listeria. Eat hard cheeses, such as cheddar or Swiss. Or, check the label and make sure that the cheese is made from pasteurized milk.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Edible Cookie Dough 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


2) Raw COOKIE DOUGH
or CAKE BATTER may contain Salmonella. Bake the cookies and cake. Don’t lick the spoon!


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Swordfish 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


3) Certain kinds of FISH,
such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (golden or white snapper) contains high levels of mercury. Eat up to 12 ounces a week of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Limit consumption of albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Raw Fish 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


4) Raw or undercooked FISH
such as sushi may contain parasites or bacteria. Cook fish to 145° F.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Grocery Store Salad Bar 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


5) SALADS made in a store,
such as ham salad, chicken salad, and seafood salad may contain Listeria. Make salads at home, following the food safety basics: clean, separate, cook, and chill.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Shellfish 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


6) Raw SHELLFISH,
such as oysters and clams may contain Vibrio bacteria. Cook shellfish to 145° F.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Sunflower Sprouts 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


7) Raw or undercooked SPROUTS,
such as alfalfa, clover, mung bean, and radish may contain E. coli or Salmonella. Cook sprouts thoroughly.


Be Careful with These Foods


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Morcilla Blood sausage 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


8) Hot dogs,
luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry may contain Listeria. Even if the label says that the meat is precooked, reheat these meats to steaming hot or 165° F before eating.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Egg1 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


9) Eggs and pasteurized egg products.
Undercooked eggs may contain Salmonella. Cook eggs until yolks are firm. Cook casseroles and other dishes containing eggs or egg products to 160° F.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Eggnog 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


10) Eggnog


Homemade eggnog may contain uncooked eggs, which may contain Salmonella. Make eggnog with a pasteurized egg product or buy pasteurized eggnog. When you make eggnog or other egg-fortified beverages, cook to 160°F


11) Fish may contain parasites or bacteria. Cook fish to 145° F.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Millesime Ice Cream 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


12) Ice Cream


Homemade ice cream may contain uncooked eggs, which may contain Salmonella. Make ice cream with a pasteurized egg product safer by adding the eggs to the amount of liquid called for in the recipe, then heating the mixture thoroughly.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Pork Meat 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


13) Meat: Beef, veal, lamb, and pork
(including ground meat). Undercooked meat may contain E. coli. Cook beef, veal, and lamb steaks and roasts to 145° F. Cook pork to 160° F. Cook all ground meats to 160° F.


14) Meat Spread or Pate


Unpasteurized refrigerated pates or meat spreads may contain Listeria. Eat canned versions, which are safe.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Salted Meat 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


15) Poultry and Stuffing (including ground poultry)


Undercooked meat may contain bacteria such as Campylobacter or Salmonella. Cook poultry to 165° F. If the poultry is stuffed, cook the stuffing to 165° F. Better yet, cook the stuffing separately.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Smoked Seafood1 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


16) Smoked Seafood


Refrigerated versions are not safe, unless they have been cooked to 165° F. Eat canned versions, which are safe, or cook to 165° F.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy



17) Unpasteurized JUICE or cider (including fresh squeezed) may contain E. coli. Drink pasteurized juice. Bring unpasteurized juice or cider to a rolling boil and boil for at least 1 minute before drinking.


1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Raw Milk in a Bottle 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


18) Unpasteurized MILK
may contain bacteria such as Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, or Salmonella. Drink pasteurized milk.






1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy


Inquisitive foodie with a professional investigative background and strong belief in the organic farm to table movement. Author of Bad Seeds: A FriendsEAT Guide to GMO's. Buy Now!




1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy



1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy



1x1.trans 18 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy