This story really bothered me. Basically seven innocent people were killed in Puerto Rico because they were physically standing between two drug traffickers in a shootout. It happened at the reopening of a neighborhood bar. Heres the story...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the reopening of a newly renovated neighborhood bar and grocery, killing at least seven and injuring 20, police said Sunday.

Dozens of people had crammed into the tiny La Tombola bar in Toa Baja, a municipality just west of San Juan, and were waiting for the band to resume playing when the assailants attacked, police Col. Jose Morales said. Among those seriously wounded were a 9-year-old girl and a pregnant woman who lost her 8-month-old fetus, he said.

The justice department plans to file a murder charge for the death of the fetus, said prosecutor Wanda Vazquez, who is investigating the case.

Vazquez said the scope of the killing makes investigators believe the attack may have involved a feud between drug traffickers.

At least two armed men began shooting as they entered, and several people inside returned fire, leaving the bar's newly renovated interior pocked with five different types of bullets, including those from an AK-47 assault rifle, Morales said. The shooting spilled outside before the gunmen fled in a car.

Three people were found dead inside and another three outside, while a seventh died at the hospital, Vazquez said.

As officials carried the uncovered body of one victim, some of the dozens of onlookers began to yell: ''That's Jochi! That's Jochi!'' while several women began to cry.

Vazquez said few people were willing to cooperate with police, complicating the investigation. ''This is a very tight, close-knit community.''

Police guarded those who were hospitalized as a preventive measure, although authorities do not believe any suspects are among them, Vazquez said.

Gov. Luis Fortuno visited the shooting victims, and he later called the attack a ''senseless act.''

''To those responsible for these actions, we are going to follow you, find you and charge you,'' he said at a news conference.

The killings happened just weeks after federal authorities and local police made several high-profile arrests of suspected drug dealers.

An estimated 30 percent of drugs reaching the U.S. come through the Caribbean, with Puerto Rico a popular transshipment point because drugs do not have to clear customs to reach the mainland.

Authorities say 709 people have been reported killed this year in Puerto Rico, 65 more than during the same period last year. Puerto Rico's police chief estimates that 70 percent of the killings are tied to drug trafficking.

Nearly 4 million people live in the U.S. Caribbean territory.

"illegal alien" costume stirs controversy

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Immigrant rights activists are calling on U.S. retailers to stop selling two controversial "Illegal Alien" costumes that have surfaced for Halloween, saying the outfits are a broadside attack on illegal immigrants.

The "Illegal Alien" costume was being offered by retailers including Target, Walgreens and Amazon.com.

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The "Illegal Alien Adult Costume," manufactured by Forum novelties, includes an orange jumpsuit, similar to prison garb, with "Illegal Alien" stamped in black across the chest; a space alien mask; and a fake Green Card. The "Illegal Alien Mask with Hat" also includes a space alien mask, this time with a dark handlebar mustache and a baseball cap.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles said it began receiving e-mails from concerned legal immigrants on Friday. In response, CHIRLA wrote a letter asking several retailers, including Target, Walgreens, and Amazon.com, to stop offering the costume.

As of Saturday afternoon, Target had pulled the products, and some links to the costumes on other sites were no longer functional.

Target said the "Illegal Alien" costume was inadvertently uploaded to its Web site due to a data entry error.

"It is never our intent to offend the consumers with the products we offer," a company statement said.

The makers of the costumes could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Jorge-Mario Cabrera, the director of communications for CHIRLA, said he initially thought the costume was a stab at harmless satire. But when he saw the Green Card, he realized it was an swipe at illegal immigrants.

"This was an ignorant attempt to poke fun at a small community," said Cabrera.

Political satire and Halloween often merge. Costumes depicting former well-known political figures are often seen along side those depicting Batman or Wonder Woman.

To some, the attempted humor of the costumes falls flat.

Guillermo Iglesias said both of his parents were illegal immigrants in the United States. He felt the costumes were offensive because they depicted illegal immigrants as "not one of us."

"I have a lot of illegal immigrant friends," said Iglesias. "If I showed them that costume, it would really hurt them."

Despite the controversy, some stores say the costumes have been a hit.

"It's a very well-recommended costume," said an employee at Ricky's, a costume store in New York City. The store has sold seven costumes for $39.99 apiece and is set to receive another shipment.

William Gheen, the president of Americans for Legal Immigration, said he intends to buy the costume, and calls the reaction unfounded.

"The only people getting upset are the hyper-sensitive, over-politically correct, pro-amnesty, illegal alien-supporting nuts," said Gheen. "You can't attack people's freedom in this country."

I think that the costume just shows how ignorant some americans can be, and highlights xenophobic viewpoints. I really think this costume is in bad taste, but I dont think it should be banned from being sold (at least online). I think that the stores should pull them from their shelves so people dont have to look at them, but they should be left online, where people looking specifically for them can find them. Its dumb, but I really think people should have the freedom to buy that costume.

local story

3 deaths occurred at the detroit marathon. One man fell on his head??? and another two collapsed towards the end of the race and were pronounced dead at the hospital. The cause of death of the last two were unknown. I bet it was heart failure. My boyfriend hopes to do an iron man race in two years, and it costs about $500 just to enter the event because of insurance issues. I guess a lot of people's hearts fail during such intense activity. It kind of freaks me out.

In florida, five kids lit 15 year old, Michael Brewer on fire. They did this in retaliation for him reporting his dad's bike stolen (which one of the 5 kids stole). They surrounded him at his apartment complex, dumped rubbing alcohol on him, and lit him on fire. Luckily a neighbor heard his screams and used a fire extinguisher to save the kid. Brewer has second degree burns on 80% of his body, and he is still in the hospital, and will be for several months. I dont know how some group of 15-year-olds can even think up such an evil act...

Virtual Dissection on IPhone

This is sweet.

I am really interested in anatomy, and how it is displayed in an interactive way.

"A new cell phone application allows users to carry out a virtual dissection of a human body.

The iPhone app, "Anatomy Lab," allows the user to move between 40 body layers to enable dissection.

The iPhone app, called "Anatomy Lab," has been developed by researchers from the University of Utah and provides images of a real human cadaver.

Utah professor Mark Nielsen told CNN that the application is aimed at medical and anatomy students who might not have the opportunity to dissect a real human body, but it's also proving a hit with medical practitioners.

"A lot of medical professionals, especially in physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine, are using it to educate patients and show them the body parts they're discussing" Nielsen told CNN.

"Anatomy Lab" lets the user move between 40 separate body layers, zoom in to view different structures and rotate them to get different view points.

It started out as a computer program showing the dissection of a cadaver, beginning with the skin and moving on to subcutaneous tissue, nerves, veins, and muscles. See some of the best health monitoring apps »

Nielsen said the iPhone's touch screen is perfect for the interactive nature of the application.

"The program's so logically set up for the iPhone -- you can pinch the screen to rotate and enlarge, and tap on things to identify them," he said.

Nielsen's son, Scott Nielsen, a physics major at the University of Utah, wrote the code for the iPhone version, which has so far sold more than 3,000 copies."

Circumcision Prevents Some STD

I found this interesting:

"Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infectionssuch as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis.his finding—published in a March, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine—adds to the evidence that there are health benefits to circumcision, the surgical removal of the penis foreskin, usually performed on newborns shortly after birth. It was already known that circumcision can reduce the risk of penile cancer, a relatively rare disease, as well as the risk of HIV infection."

Despite news of this benefit, circumcision is declining especial in the united states.

In the United States, infant circumcision is declining. About 64% of American male infants were circumcised in 1995, down from more than 90% in the 1970s. Rates tend to be higher in whites (81%) than in blacks (65%) or Hispanics (54%).

"Some opponents say the removal of the foreskin is an unnecessary surgical procedure that may reduce sexual sensitivity in adulthood. In Jewish and Muslim cultures, young or infant boys are routinely circumcised for religious reasons. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but the American Academy of Pediatrics currently says that the medical benefits are insufficient to recommend circumcision for all baby boys."

Bathroom Sounds