Massive E. Coli Outbreak Spreads through Europe, Hundreds Sick

Massive E. Coli Outbreak Spreads through Europe, Hundreds Sick
An unprecedented outbreak of a rare and aggressive strain of E. Coli has spread from Germany through much of Europe, with at least 16 deaths confirmed so far.An E. coli outbreak that is being traced back to cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and other vegetables is spreading at an alarming rate across Northern Germany and into other European countries. Well over 400 people have been diagnosed with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, or EHEC. This particular strain of E. Coli is much more severe than standard E. Coli and attacks the kidneys, with the potential to cause seizures, strokes and comas.

"It's extraordinary to see so many cases of the kidney complication from a foodborne illness," said Dr. Robert Tauxe, a foodborne disease expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. "There has not been such an outbreak before that we know of in the history of public health."

Because the strain of E. coli is so virulent and it managed to find its way to grocery stores and supermarkets in Germany, officials throughout Europe and around the world are now monitoring food production and distribution channels to ensure that more outbreaks do not occur.

Officials have noted that the strain has primarily infected adults, at a rate of 86% of all confirmed infections - and that nearly two-thirds of the infected adults are women. The fact that more children have not been impacted is somewhat surprising, given that a typical E. coli strain would have a more immediate effect on the immune system of a child than an adult.
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 6/1/2011

eBay and PayPal Sue Google over Mobile Payments Trade Secrets

eBay and PayPal Sue Google over Mobile Payments Trade Secrets
eBay and PayPal sued Google today for improprieties related to trade secrets shared by two former PayPal employees who now work for Google and helped launch the new Google Wallet.As the world moves from paper currency, credit cards and debit cards to a virtual payment system based on mobile phones and handheld devices, the major companies driving the revolution are going to clash. In the latest example of this, eBay and its wholly-owned payment processing system, PayPal, have filed suit against Google, claiming that two of its new executives brought and illegally shared trade secrets that were obtained during and after their previous employment with PayPal.

The fine details of the suit have yet to emerge, but the primary complaint is based on the fact that two of PayPal's former high-level employees are now working for Google and helped the company develop and launch its new Google Wallet service, which was unveiled today. eBay claims that there was information transferred to Google while one of the executives still worked for PayPal and that the same former employee attempted to recruit other staffers at PayPal to join Google, which is a violation of the original employment contract.

Until very recently, PayPal and Google had been working together to establish a deal in which PayPal would be the payment processing system for Google's Android operating system for mobile phones. Now that Google Wallet has been officially unveiled, its clear that Google and PayPal will probably not be working together - now or in the future. As we move more toward a world where currency is no longer something that you hold in your hands, significant changes will come to the way in which we live, work and consume. Wealth and financial worth may become even more abstract notions than they are today.
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies