TORARADICALcom

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

28 Now Dead From Meningitis

The meningitis outbreak has now killed twenty-eight people, and only continues to expand with 363 reported cases, including seven joint infections, in nineteen states.

Meningitis can take forty-two days to surface, leading to the still growing epidemic.

All of the illnesses and deaths were caused by a contamination in anti inflammatory steroid shots, most of which were given via the spine.

Seventy-six locations, in twenty-three states, were sent the shots, which were given to as many as fourteen thousand people.

New England Compounding Center made the shots, and has complied completely with government officials who are conducting the investigation.

Officials are investigating at least two other drugs, made by NECC, for possibilities that they too may have been contaminated.

Things are only getting worse for the company, and now the government, as evidence comes out that they had been under investigation, for issues in their processing, since 2002.

Disney Buys Lucasfilm for $4 Billion

On Tuesday afternoon, George Lucas and Disney announced that, for a price of a little over four billion dollars, Disney had bought all of Lucasfilm.

As part of this Disney has already promised that Star Wars: Episode VII will come out in 2015, with VIII and IX to follow.

Lucas will be a creative consultant for the third trilogy.

The Creator stated, "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

Under the purchase, Disney also gets Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the Indiana Jones franchise.

The purchase was made with cash and stock.

Markets being closed, due to the superstorm Sandy, kept the immediate reaction from being known, but expectations are for there to be a visible jump in their value.

Blue to Gold: ARMY Sgt. Clinton K. Ruiz

ARMY Sergeant Clinton K. Ruiz, twenty-two, of Murrieta, California, died October 25 in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Clinton Keith Ruiz, 22, of Poway, Calif., died Oct. 25 of wounds received during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. Ruiz was a graduate of Murrieta Valley High School of Murrieta Valley, Calif., in 2008. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2009 as a Psychological Operations Specialist. He was assigned to Alpha Company, 9th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne), 4th Military Information Support Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C., in February 2012. Sgt Ruiz deployed to Afghanistan in September 2012. Ruiz was previously assigned to the 4th Military Information Support Group (Airborne), in 2010 and the 5th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne), of Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2011. He completed Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., August 2009 and the Basic Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Ga., October 2009. Ruiz attended the Psychological Operations Advanced Individual Training and Korean Language School at Ft. Bragg, N.C., graduating in August 2010. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal (Campaign Star), Global War on Terrorism Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge. Ruiz is survived by his spouse Kira Ortega and son Caleb.

Read more: http://sgt-jim.blogspot.com/2012/10/rip-staff-sgt-kashif-m-memon-sgt.html

Sergeant Clinton Keith Ruiz, twenty-two, of Poway, California, died October 25 of wounds received during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan.

Ruiz was a graduate of Murrieta Valley High School of Murrieta Valley, California, in 2008. He enlisted in the US Army in May 2009 as a Psychological Operations Specialist. He was assigned to Alpha Company, 9th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne), 4th Military Information Support Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 2012.

Sgt Ruiz deployed to Afghanistan in September 2012. Ruiz was previously assigned to the 4th Military Information Support Group (Airborne), in 2010 and the 5th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne), of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2011.

He completed Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, August 2009 and the Basic Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, October 2009. Ruiz attended the Psychological Operations Advanced Individual Training and Korean Language School at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, graduating in August 2010.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal (Campaign Star), Global War on Terrorism Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge.

Ruiz is survived by his spouse Kira Ortega and son Caleb.

Blue to Gold: ARMY Staff Sgt. Kashif M Memon

ARMY Staff Sgt. Kashif M Memon, thirty-one, of Houston, Texas, died October 25 in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Kashif M. Memon, 31, of St. Paul. Minn. and Houston, Texas, died Oct. 25 of wounds received during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan. Memon was assigned to Alpha Company, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. This was his first combat deployment to Afghanistan as a Civil Affairs Soldier. His previous two combat deployments were as an Army infantryman from Fort Hood to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and as a Marine Corps infantry squad leader from Marine Corps Base Hawaii to Operation Enduring Freedom. Memon enlisted in the Marine Corps in Houston, Texas in 2001 and was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, while deploying to Okinawa, Japan; Pohang, South Korea; Thailand; Singapore; and Afghanistan. In Oct. 2007, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and was stationed at Fort Hood, Tex. and Fort Bragg, N.C. In 2010, Memon volunteered for and completed Civil Affairs training at Fort Bragg and was assigned in 2011 to Alpha Company, 96th CA Battalion as a CA Team Civil Affairs Engineer. Staff Sergeant Memon’s awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, three Good Conduct Medals, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon with '2' Device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with Two Stars and Army Parachutist Badge. SSG Memon was also a recipient of the Order of the Spur. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Badge. Memon is survived by his spouse, two sons and expecting a third child.

Read more: http://sgt-jim.blogspot.com/2012/10/rip-staff-sgt-kashif-m-memon-sgt.html

Staff Sergeant Kashif M. Memon, thirty-one, of St. Paul, Minnesota and Houston, Texas, died October 25 of wounds received during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. Memon was assigned to Alpha Company, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

This was his first combat deployment to Afghanistan as a Civil Affairs Soldier. His previous two combat deployments were as an Army infantryman from Fort Hood to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and as a Marine Corps infantry squad leader from Marine Corps Base Hawaii to Operation Enduring Freedom.

Memon enlisted in the Marine Corps in Houston, Texas in 2001 and was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, while deploying to Okinawa, Japan; Pohang, South Korea; Thailand; Singapore; and Afghanistan. In October 2007, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Bragg, North Carloina. In 2010, Memon volunteered for and completed Civil Affairs training at Fort Bragg and was assigned in 2011 to Alpha Company, 96th CA Battalion as a CA Team Civil Affairs Engineer.

Staff Sergeant Memon’s awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, three Good Conduct Medals, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon with '2' Device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with Two Stars and Army Parachutist Badge. SSG Memon was also a recipient of the Order of the Spur. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Badge.

Memon is survived by his spouse, two sons and expecting a third child.

Sandy Death Toll Hits 117, With 48 in the US

Forty-eight deaths have been reported in the US, bringing the total to one hundred and seventeen, caused by the storm. Sandy is currently dissipating as it makes it's way over the Great Lakes region of the US and Canada.

At the peak more than eight million were without power, stretching over seventeen states and one province. It could take more than a week to fully restore power to all areas.

Damage estimates are closing in on fifty billion dollars. National Guard units are helping with search and rescue efforts, in several states, with the Coast Guard searching the Atlantic waters.

New York City and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut have been declared national disaster areas. The New York City Fire Department had an overnight struggle with a six alarm fire, that destroyed over eighty homes.

The New York University Langone Medical Center was evacuated after it's backup generators failed. Some subways in New York City flooded to street level. A tanker, full of water, was driven up onto the ground of Staten Island.

Atlantic City's famous boardwalk is all but gone. It and several other New Jersey towns were completely submerged.

Flooding was not limited to just those areas. All up and down the eastern coast, flooding of several feet occurred. East of the mountains, a foot plus of snow was common.

Cell service in many areas was knocked out. Several news and other web organizations went down for hours, as they were hit by the storm.

On Wednesday, some cities are hoping to be able to begin public transit services, and the New York Stock Exchange is expected to be reopened.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Russian Vessel Carrying Gold Ore Missing

A Russian cargo vessel has gone missing in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The nine person crew put out a distress call, late Sunday, and has not been heard from since.

Hired by Polymetal, a mining company, the ship is carrying over seven hundred tons of gold ore.

Gold ore only contains a small percentage of gold, but it still makes for an extremely valuable cargo.

Iranian Ships Arrive in Sudan

An Iranian navy flotilla made it's way into the harbor of Port Sudan, Sudan, on Monday.

Iran stated that they wanted the visit to give a "message of peace and security to neighboring countries".

The flotilla, of two ships, is officially being sent to help the international effort against pirates.

Last week, a munitions factory exploded in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

Evidence came out that it was built with Iranian money and sending it's wares to Iran.

It is possible that the flotilla is there in connection to that incident, as well.

Meningitis Outbreak Continues to Expand

The meningitis outbreak continues to expand with 354 reported cases, including seven joint infections, in nineteen states.

Twenty-five people have died from the contaminated steroid shots.

Meningitis can take forty-two days to surface, leading to the still growing epidemic.

All of the illnesses and deaths were caused by a contamination in anti inflammatory steroid shots, most of which were given via the spine.

Seventy-six locations, in twenty-three states, were sent the shots, which were given to as many as fourteen thousand people.

New England Compounding Center made the shots, and has complied completely with government officials who are conducting the investigation.

Officials are investigating at least two other drugs, made by NECC, for possibilities that they too may have been contaminated.

Things are only getting worse for the company, and now the government, as evidence comes out that they had been under investigation, for issues in their processing, since 2002.

Sandy Makes Landfall, US Deaths Reported

As former hurricane, now considered a Superstorm, Sandy approaches landfall, which happened at 8:06pm EDT, the storm has picked up speed to nearly thirty miles per hour, as it aims at New Jersey. President Obama described it as "a big storm" and a "destructive storm".

Effects from the storm are already being felt in Canada, to the north, and the Great Lakes, to the west. Sandy is giving off sustained winds of ninety miles per hour, with gusts reaching towards one hundred and fifty miles per hour.

In Manhattan, New York, the top of a crane was knocked over by the winds, and it dangled eighty stories over the street. Several buildings across New York City, have reportedly collapsed. La Guardia Airport is among places that are flooded.

Sections of the Atlantic City, where the center of the storm made landfall, boardwalk were seen washing away into the raging surf, that is bringing storm surges as high as forty feet to New England, evacuations happened all along the coast. Flooding has already occurred all along the eastern sea board, with Delaware and Maryland reporting the worst damage from the rising waters.

More than three million were reportedly without power, from Virginia on north, and to avoid further damage power companies began shutting off power. Mass transits in major metros such as New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia either already have been shut down, or are considering doing so.

Most of the states, in the path, had already declared emergencies, with West Virginia doing so as it expects to see as much as two feet of snow, due to the storm. Nearly fifteen thousand flights, around the country and world, have been cancelled as airlines don't want to risk flying anywhere that the storm is.

Off the coast of North Carolina, the US Coast Guard rescued fourteen people from a replica of the HMS Bounty, after it was caught in the storm, two of the crew are believed to have gone down with the ship, early Monday morning. One of their bodies was found later.

Other death reports, in the US, started coming in, just before landfall. One in Maryland and two in NYC. The storm already killed forty-one as it crossed through the islands of the Caribbean.

Father of Benghazi Victim Learned of Son’s Death on CNN, Before Being Contacted by State Department

Last month, Ray Smith was hoping to get together with his son, Sean, whom he had not seen for fifteen years. But, it became devastatingly apparent, after seeing a story on CNN about the four Americans killed in Libya, that he would never see his son alive again. “I seen all these coffins come off the plane,” Smith recalled. “Four of them. Then I saw his picture in the corner. They mentioned Sean Smith was one of those killed.”

Smith received this gut wrenching news via television, prior to receiving a call, a form letter and a flag from Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy. But, the call did little to assuage Smith. Sean Smith, thirty-four, was killed during the September 11 attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, along with Ambassador Chris Stevens and ex-Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

Outraged by hearing about Sean’s death on TV, he contacted his congressman, Reresentative C.W. “Bill” Young (R-FL). “He blew up when he saw that,” the congressman said. “I went to [Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton to see if she could talk to him about his son. She and his son were friends.”

According to Young, Clinton had Patrick Kennedy call Smith. “I got a call from Patrick Kennedy about three weeks ago,” Smith said. “We didn’t talk too long, about two or three minutes.”

A little about Sean Smith:

Sean Smith (c. 1978[1] – September 11, 2012) was an Information Management Officer with the United States Foreign Service.

Sean Smith was an only child, and he grew up in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, California. He graduated from Mission Bay High School in 1995. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in July 1995, and he served as a Ground Radio Maintenance (2E) specialist. Smith served in the Air Force for six years, and he was promoted to Staff Sergeant in August 2000. He completed his military service in 2002. As a Foreign Service employee, Smith lived in The Hague, Netherlands with his wife Heather, and children Samantha and Nathan.[3][4] – Wikipedia

Commenting on his son’s tragic death, Ray Smith said: “I want answers. I want to know how he died. I want people brought to justice who did this to him.”

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012