Boy dies after sand tunnel collapse in New Jersey

A 12-year-old boy who was rushed to the hospital after a sand tunnel collapsed on him at a New Jersey beach has died.
The boy and his brother were digging a tunnel at the Long Branch, N.J., beach late Tuesday when it collapsed on him, trapping him under the sand, police and witnesses said. Lifeguards pulled the boy out of the sand and began administering CPR. He was unconscious "with blood trickling from his nose," a witness told the Asbury Park Press.
The boy was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center, where he was placed in the pediatric intensive care unit. He was pronounced dead on Wednesday afternoon, hospital officials told the paper.
According to NBCNewYork.com, a fire truck responding to the tunnel collapse struck a man holding his infant son, "knocking them both to the ground." Both were taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center, NBC said. The father suffered broken limbs; the baby was "injured but not severely."
Sadly, deaths from sand tunnel collapses are not terribly uncommon. According to CBS News, there were at least 16 beach-hole-related deaths between 1990 and 2010. According to a 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine—"Sudden Death from Collapsing Sand Holes"—there were 31 over a 20-year span.

"At least once a day, lifeguards have to stop someone from digging a hole too deep," a lifeguard told the North County (Calif.) Times after an 18-year-old man nearly suffocated in a sand tunnel collapse. "Holes are a hazard for everyone who uses the beach."

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'Dark Knight Rises' vs. 'The Avengers': Lack of 3D Will Limit Batman's Box Office

 Could "The Dark Knight Rises" sell more tickets on its opening weekend than "The Avengers" but still wind up making less money at the box office?

If it does, 3D -- or the lack of it in the case of "The Dark Knight Rises" -- would be the culprit.
"Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan has been among the loudest critics of Hollywood's rush to 3D, claiming it degrades the creative and viewing experience. "It's all about the money," he told the PGA's Produced By conference in May.
Just how much it's about the money could come into sharp focus starting Thursday midnight.
The last of three blockbuster Batman movies Nolan has made for Warner Bros., "Dark Knight Rises" is expected by analysts to open somewhere between $170 million and $195 million. That would make it the best U.S. opening ever-- for a non-3D movie.
Also read: 'The Dark Knight Rises to Detective Comics: Batman Through the Years'

If so, that "best debut ever" honor would still belong to Disney and Marvel's "The Avengers," which bowed to $207 million in the first week in May. About 52 percent of that total came from premium --aka more expensive-- 3D tickets. That adds up to about an extra $20 million, and while "Dark Knight Rises" will be on 332 premium-priced Imax screens, that could be the difference between the two films' first weekends.
"The Avengers" bowed on 4,349 screens in all, 3,364 of which were 3D, along with 275 Imax. "The Dark Knight Rises" will be in 4,404 theaters and 3,700 will offer midnight Thursday screenings.
Of course it isn't all about the opening weekend. Critics have been nearly rapturous over "Dark Knight Rises," with Christian Bale reprising the title role, and the film has cast a giant shadow on the cultural landscape all summer. The most conservative observers foresee a long and lucrative run both here and abroad.
Also read: AMC Adds 'Dark Knight Rises' Midnight Shows, Marathon Screenings to Meet Demand
But the smashing success of "The Avengers" and "Dark Knight Rises" will define the Hollywood's summer of 2012. And while executives at Warner Bros. and Disney are loathe to make any comparisons, it's hard to imagine bragging rights aren't on their minds.
And even with considerations surrounding 3D aside, most industry observers think "Dark Knight Rises" will have a tough time matching the opening and overall numbers put up by "The Avengers."
Also read: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Review: Falls Short of Bat-Legendary
"It was a perfect storm," Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations told TheWrap. "You had an audience primed for the summer's first big event, (director) Joss Whedon was making his debut and all the heat of the previous Marvel movies sort of culminated. It just clicked with audiences, even whole families, and it seemed to have just the right tone for a summer popcorn movie."
"Dark Knight Rises" has certainly built anticipation, evidenced by its huge presales. And the buzz surrounding Nolan's final entry in his Batman trilogy -- "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" were the first two -- has been near fever-pitch for weeks. But the relentlessly dark and gritty tone of the film, which is at the core of its appeal to many adults, might cut both ways at the box office.
Also read: First 'Dark Knight Rises' Review: Holy Hyperbole, Batman!
"I doubt it will keep anyone away the first weekend," said Bock, "but it could cut into family and repeat business, both of which helped "The Avengers' significantly."
The last Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," was a huge financial success. With a production budget of around $185 million, it opened to $158 million in July, 2008 and went on to make $533 million domestically and more than $1 billion worldwide. That was a huge jump from the Nolan's first Batman film, "Batman Begins," which made $205 million after opening to $48 million.
The death six months before the opening of actor Heath Ledger, who was playing The Joker, the most iconic of Batman villains, spiked media and public interest in "The Dark Knight."
Also read: Can Bane Measure Up to The Joker in 'Dark Knight Rises'?
Tom Hardy, a newcomer to the cast along with Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been front and center as fearsome bad guy Bane (above) in trailers for "Dark Knight Rises." But no matter how scary and fierce Hardy's Bane might be, it's hard to imagine he will capture the hearts and minds of moviegoers – or send them to the box office -- as did Ledger. The Australian actor was posthumously awarded the supporting actor Oscar for his role as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Another hurdle facing "The Dark Knight" in its pursuit of "The Avengers" is its running time of 2 hours, 45 minutes, as compared to 2 hours, 22 minutes for the Marvel film. That will cut into the number of times the film can be shown in a theater.
"If you have it playing 24 hours a day to packed houses, and I'm sure many theaters will," Bock said, "the numbers of times it can be screened could be at last one fewer per day. And that adds up."
Don't shed any tears for Nolan, Warner Bros. or the film's financier Legendary Entertainment, though. "The Dark Knight Rises" is expected to be among, if not the, most lucrative entry in the eight-film franchise, which has brought in more than $2.6 billion since it began with "Batman" in 1989.
And if "The Dark Knight Rises" opens to anything over $169 million -- the pre-"Avengers" record set by WB's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" -- no one at Warmers will be unhappy.
Even if they're No. 2, with a 2D asterisk.

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Four things car thieves love to see

 

Car theft is on the decline--and today, the chances that your vehicle will be stolen are lower than any time in the past 15 years.

The FBI estimates that in 2010, some 737,142 vehicles were stolen in the U.S., a drop of more than 7 percent from the year before. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the more of the same: it says that in 2009, car theft fell more than 21 percent, to an average of 1.33 vehicles stolen per 1,000.

But while anti-theft systems and marked car parts have made it harder to steal cars and sell the pieces, it's still far too common a crime in many cities--especially in California, which counts seven of the top 10 cities for car theft, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. As quickly as carmakers and drivers take preventative measures, professional theft rings and chop shops work to defeat them.

The most sophisticated crooks may have an upper hand, but some simple prevention can keep you and your car from falling victim to casual thieves. Many cars get stolen or vandalized because their owners didn't take the most basic precautions like locking up, never leaving it running, and never leaving the keys in it.

Beyond the obvious, it's all about eliminating the other clear signs that your car is there for the taking. When car thieves are looking for their next score, these are four things they love to see:

1) Easy targets. Cars parked in dark, isolated, or otherwise concealed areas are excellent choices for the aspiring car thief. But so do vehicles that show obvious signs of neglect: a collection of parking tickets, for example, or just a coat of road dust, anything that suggests the owner hasn't been on the scene in a while. If you're going to park your vehicle for an extended period, leave it somewhere attended--or disable it by removing the battery to make a quick getaway impossible.

2) Popular late-model cars. The list of most-stolen cars is topped by perennial best-sellers like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Impala, and Ford F-150. Some more exotic cars may have higher theft rates, but these mainstream victims of theft arise from a set of factors: the black market for parts, the ease of breaking into them, and the anonymity of driving off in one from the scene of the crime. If you own one, the usual precautions apply, but additional protection might not just be a good idea, it may also reduce your insurance rates.

3) Cars with no visible, activated alarm system. Real-time vehicle tracking systems such as GM's OnStar and aftermarket services like LoJack are the bane of thieves, but most luxury cars and even many mass-market vehicles come with basic anti-theft systems. They don't pose much of an obstacle if they're not activated, though. If you have a vehicle with such a system, make sure it's armed when you walk away.

4) Electronics and their tell-tale cords. Portable music players, laptops, tablets, even radar detectors--they're all easily and quickly lifted from exposed vehicles. They can also easily be wiped of identifying information and resold. Even the presence of charging cables may be enough to tell a casual vandal that it's worth getting into your car to go through the glovebox and armrest to see if you've stashed a phone or an iPod there. Do yourself a favor: tuck away the cables, and secure anything you'd rather not lose in the trunk--or carry it with you, rather than leaving it behind for prying eyes with prying tools.

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McDonald’s Video Reveals What’s in ‘Special Sauce’

Although the copycat recipe for the tangy special sauce that McDonald's uses on its Big Macs was has been floating around the Internet for awhile, the company has disclosed the exact ingredients in a new marketing video out of the business's Canada arm.
Over the last couple of years, McDonald's has been trotting out local farmers in its television ads presumably in an effort to appear less like a colossal multinational corporation and more like Ma and Pa's farm stand up yonder. This latest effort emphasizes that the assembly line burgers are actually just like something you would whip up in your own kitchen.
Related: "I Learned Everything I Needed to Know at McDonald's": CEO
The video shows executive chef Dan Coudreaut making a version of the Big Mac at home. "We have a question here from Christine," he begins, "What is in your special sauce?" To emphasize the folksy experience, Coudreaut strips off his white chef's coat and "has some fun cooking" in his regular shirt and jeans.
Related: Consumer Reports Readers Rate the Best and Worst Burgers
He cuts to the chase with that magic sauce. According to Coudreaut, it contains plain old mayo from the grocery store, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, onion powder, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, and paprika.
Next, the chef chops some onion, shreds lettuce, and lays out some sliced pickles, which he emphasizes, once again, are store bought. He cuts a fat bun into three pieces and toasts them in a skillet, and presses out a perfect couple of beef patties with a cookie cutter.
Watch: McDonald's Video Reveals Why Your Burger Looks Worse than the One on the Menu
Now it's time to build the burger. Layering sauce and condiments onto the "heel" and middle slice or "club" of the bun (so, that's what the club in club sandwich is) and topping them with the beef patties, he creates a towering, wonky Big Mac "with ingredients you can find in your grocery store, locally." Coudreaut ads, "Christine, I hope that answers your question about the Big Mac." But chef, now that your secret is out, isn't there is even less of a reason to patronize McDonald's?

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How Much Caffeine Are You Consuming?

How much caffeine do you consume each day?If you've been drinking green tea for its health benefits, you may be in for a jittery surprise: ounce for ounce, it has more caffeine than a can of Classic Coke. Trying to stay awake? Many energy drinks are all hype, with less caffeine per can than a cup of regular coffee.

Related: 7 myths about caffeine

According to Energy Fiend, a site that tracks listed and unlisted caffeine content in food and drinks, some of the most popular drinks out there have far more -- or far less -- caffeine than you might think.

In addition to checking out the caffeine content of sodas, coffees, and teas, the site also analyzed energy drinks and energy shots. Those concentrated shots, obviously, pack the biggest caffeine punch: 5-hour energy has about 69 milligrams of caffeine per fluid ounce, and Redline Power Rush has about twice as much. Among the beverages, Monster M3 Energy Drink delivered 150 mg of caffeine per 5-ounce can (that's 32 mg per fluid ounce), and Red Bull, which once was the ultimate go-to energy drink, has just 9.5 mg per ounce -- about as much as a Starbucks latte.

Related: Caffeine in pregnancy won't harm offspring, study says

Good old-fashioned coffee clocked in at anywhere from 51.3 mg of caffeine per ounce (in espresso form) to 0.3 mg per ounce for instant decaf (yes, decaf). And the caffeine content can depend on how the coffee is prepared: Drip coffee has 18.1 mg per ounce, brewed coffee has 13.4 mg per ounce, and instant coffee has just 7.1 mg per ounce. Your mileage may vary among the coffee-shop giants, too: Dunkin' Donuts' coffee has 13.2 mg of caffeine per ounce, compared to 15 mg for Caribou Coffee, 9.1 mg for McDonald's, and 20.6 mg for the regular brew at Starbucks.

Soda drinkers who want to avoid caffeine should stick to the classics: 7-Up, Fresca, Ginger Ale, and Sprite all have no caffeine. But all root beers aren't created equal; while A&W is caffeine-free, Barq's has 1.9 mg per ounce. Classic Coca-Cola had 2.8 mg per ounce, Pepsi had 3.2 per ounce, Diet Coke has 3.8 mg per ounce, and the myth of Mountain Dew is debunked, given that it has less caffeine than Diet Pepsi Max -- 4.5 mg per ounce, compared to 5.8 mg. (You can look up the caffeine content of your favorite beverage here.)

Moderate amounts of caffeine (200 to 300 mg per day) aren't harmful, according to the experts at the Mayo Clinic. "Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, alleviating fatigue, increasing wakefulness, and improving concentration and focus," they explain.

But knocking back 500 to 600 mg worth every day (that's about four cups of regular coffee, or two to three energy shots) can lead to a host of physical problems.

"Some research has linked high doses of coffee to infertility and increased risk of hip fractures in older women," Keri M. Gans, MS, RD, CDN told Prevention magazine. "If you stop drinking coffee abruptly, you may experience irritability, fatigue, headaches, and even depression."

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Burger King Employee Stands on Lettuce: Busted by Internet

 Dude, get your feet off my greensEver feel like nothing is secret any more because of the Internet? You may be right. It took 4Chan users only 15 minutes to track down and bust the Cleveland-area Burger King employee who stood on top of two containers of shredded lettuce and then posted a picture of the gross act. 4Chan is a bulletin board-type website where members post images and comments.
Related: Professor Allegedly Assaulted for Wearing Futuristic Glasses at McDonald's
"This is the lettuce you eat at Burger King," wrote the unnamed employee on the evening of July 16. Guess he thought that was funny. Other users weren't laughing: according to Hypervocal.com, Anonymous, the notorious vigilante hacking group, used GPS data embedded in the photo to locate the fast food restaurant's address and reportedly contacted the franchise and FoxNews8. "Whoever this is is getting fired," a morning shift manager named Andrea, told the Cleveland Scene.
Related: Why Photos of McDonald's Burgers look so Much Better than the Real Thing
Bryson W. Thornton, Director of Burger King's Global Communications, wrote in a statement to Yahoo! Shine:
"Burger King Corp. has recently been made aware of a photo that shows a BURGER KING® restaurant employee violating the company's stringent food handling procedures. Food safety is a top priority at all BURGER KING® restaurants and the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any violations such as the one in question. The restaurant where this photo was taken is independently-owned and operated by a BURGER KING® franchisee. The franchisee has taken swift action to investigate this matter and terminated the three employees involved in the incident."
Still, make mine a burger, but hold the lettuce.

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Report: Taiwanese teen dies after 40-hour Diablo III marathon

Diablo III (Credit: Blizzard)The years of anticipation for Diablo III have brought about a number of marathon play sessions since its release on May 15, but one fan's obsession with the game has proven fatal.

An 18-year old Diablo III player in Taiwan was found dead recently after a 40-hour marathon session with the game, reports the Australian Associated Press.
The player, who has only been identified as Chuang, reportedly booked a room at his local Internet café before diving into the game, not stopping for sleep or food the entire time. An employee of the café found him passed out on a table Sunday.
[Related: Diablo III sets PC sales record]
He woke up when approached, but collapsed after a few steps and was rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy is pending, but authorities noted that the long period of sitting still could have created blood clots, which proved fatal.
Sadly, it's not the first game-marathon-related death in Taiwan this year. In February, Chen Rong-yu had a fatal heart attack while playing in an Internet café in Taipei while playing online smash hit, League of Legends. Fellow players, though, didn't notice he had died for another nine hours.
Deaths in Internet cafes are rare, but happen from time to time when players concentrate so intensely on their games, that they ignore factors like the body's need for sleep and food.
Last year, a 30 year-old Chinese gamer died after staying up for three consecutive days, barely eating or drinking anything. And last August, 20 year-old Chris Staniforth suffered a pulmonary embolism after a marathon session on his Xbox.
The deaths underscore the risk of game addiction, which more and more people are becoming worried about as the industry grows.

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