Man Amputates Own Leg With Saw... - because he could not pay for the procedure to be performed in hospital -

Man Amputates Own Leg With Saw... - because he could not pay for the procedure to be performed in hospital - 



A Chinese man has sawn off his right leg because he could not pay for the procedure to be performed in hospital.

Zheng Yanliang, who is from Boading in Hefei Province, used a metal saw and a small knife to amputate his leg while biting on a piece of wood in an effort to mask the intense pain.

According to local media reports, Mr Zheng, a farmer and factory worker from the village of Dongzang, first began to experience pain in his leg in January 2012.

After several visits to a local hospital, he was diagnosed with an arterial embolism. With no cure available, amputation was the only answer.

However, numerous hospital visits left his family with no money to pay for the operation.

Mr Zheng, 47, was sent home and given three months to live.

During that time, Mr Zheng was in agony. Neighbours reported hearing his screams at night, according to local media interviews with his wife.

She claimed that three doses of the prescribed painkillers did nothing to relieve his pain.

A local doctor refused to carry out the procedure and the family did not have the funds to visit the hospital.

The agony eventually prompted the extreme decision to embark on self-amputation in April last year.

Mr Zheng wrapped a piece of wood with a cloth and placed it in his mouth to bite on.

He then began to cut his leg using the saw and the knife.

His wife said that when she found him, his leg had been removed and the pain had resulted in three of Mr Zheng's teeth being forced out from his biting on the wood.

The wound on his leg has now healed, but his other leg is now infected with the same disease.

Mr Zheng's appeal for funds to allow him to have his remaining leg amputated in the safety of a hospital appear to have yielded results.

The coverage of the story, which has only recently emerged in the Chinese media, prompted a doctor in Shanghai to offer his services for free.

Zhang Qiang, from the Shanghai Wode Medical Centre, said he was prepared to cover all the costs for further treatment.

"My medical colleagues and I will provide him with free medical services," Dr Zhang said on his microblog.

Read more - 

http://news.sky.com/story/1153067/china-man-amputates-his-own-leg-with-saw

Health Officials Warn Of 'Super Lice' Strain Spreading Among Schoolchildren... -

Health Officials Warn Of 'Super Lice' Strain Spreading Among Schoolchildren... - 



A strain of super lice is going around local schools this year.

They’re not your average lice because these are resistant to the usual treatments.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about this and how to get rid of it.

Head lice has nothing to do with cleanliness or hygiene. Like the common cold, it’s something that happens to just about everyone at some point, especially children, who share hats and combs, who hug and touch hair.



“The types of outbreaks we hear about are at summer camps, in travel groups,” Dr. Robin Gehris said.

Even so, the reaction is predictable.

“The kids are really embarrassed. They get really embarrassed with it,” Deanna Hess, a nurse at the Mount Lebanon School District, said.

Lice are parasites that firmly attach to hair close to the scalp, especially at the neck and behind the ears. They need warmth and blood to survive.

“You can actually see under the microscope the attached nit. It even has a little cap on it if it’s a live nit,” Dr. Gehris said.

The first thing you might notice is itching.

“A lot of times the kids come up to us and say, Ms. Hess, my head is itching today. Can you check it?” Hess said.

Lice is easily treated with over-the-counter medicated shampoos and sprays containing the active ingredient permethrin.

Two treatments, a week apart, will get rid of the active, moving, contagious lice, plus any eggs that hatch after the initial application along with rigorous cleaning of bedding, clothing and carpeting.

However, it doesn’t always work.

“When you look in the literature there’s more and more reports of resistance among head lice,” Dr. Gehris said.

About 10 patients a month with a resistant case come to Pediatric Dermatologist Dr. Robin Gehris. She can prescribe a stronger prescription medicine.

“Some of them unfortunately are flammable. They have extreme odors, so it’s not something pleasant to try first line,” Dr. Gehris said.

But she cautions, not every case is truly resistant.

Parents, favoring natural remedies, may try mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, or heavy moisturizers to suffocate or dislodge the lice.

“We tell them they can try it, they can use it, because sometimes it does work,” Dr. Gehris said.

If the parasites remain, that is not really resistance, and a more appropriate treatment would be in order.

“Many of the over-the-counter products are very effective at treating lice on the very first pass,” Dr. Gehris said.

Read more - 

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/10/10/reported-cases-of-super-lice-on-the-rise/

Woman Arrested for 4th DUI After Calling 911 Saying She Was Too Drunk To Get Out of Car -

Woman Arrested for 4th DUI After Calling 911 Saying She Was Too Drunk To Get Out of Car - 



Police say a woman has been charged with her 4th DUI after calling 911 to say she was too drunk to get out of her vehicle. According to the Billings Gazette, 55-year-old Carol Frances Omeara appeared in Yellowstone County Justice Court on Wednesday and remained jailed Thursday on $3,000 bond.
She was arrested Tuesday night after she allegedly called dispatchers and said she couldn't get out of her vehicle. When asked if she was having medical or mechanical issues, Court records say she replied that she was too drunk. 
Prosecutors say Omeara's blood-alcohol level was nearly four times the limit at which a driver is considered legally intoxicated. 
Court records say she has three previous DUI convictions.


Read more -

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/10/11/Woman-Arrested-for-4th-DUI-After-Calling-911-Saying-She-Was-Too-Drunk-To-Get-Out-of-Car

Scientist measures brain waves to determine ideal prices for products... -

Scientist measures brain waves to determine ideal prices for products... - 



A German scientist is developing a new way of testing prices by measuring brain waves. Some marketing critics are horrified by the idea of feel-good pricing, but others argue it could make products more successful.

The most subversive criticism of capitalism at the moment comes from the small town of Aspach, in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, a region of southern Germany known for its industrious and energetic inhabitants. Kai-Markus Müller is sitting in his office in a nondescript building, thinking about the coffee-roasting company Starbucks. "Everyone thinks that they've truly figured out how to sell a relatively inexpensive product for a lot of money," he says. "But the odd thing is that even this company doesn't understand it."

Müller, a neurobiologist, isn't criticizing working conditions at the multinational purveyor of hot beverages. Instead, what he means is that the Seattle-based company gives away millions of dollars a year out of pure ignorance. The reason? Starbucks isn't charging enough for its coffee.
It's an almost obscene observation. Müller is convinced that customers would in fact be willing to dig even more deeply into their pockets for products for which Starbucks already charges upmarket prices.

The brain researcher is also a sales professional. Müller used to work for Simon, Kucher and Partners, a leading international consulting firm that helps companies find suitable prices for their products. But he soon lost interest in the job when he recognized that "classic market research doesn't work correctly." From the scientist's perspective, research subjects have only limited credibility when they are asked to honestly state how much money they would spend for a product.

Instead, Müller is searching for "neuronal mechanisms," deeply buried in the human brain, "that we can't just deliberately switch off." In fact, there is a center in our gray matter that monitors proportionality independently of reason. This brain region functions according to simple rules. For instance, coffee and cake makes sense, while coffee and mustard triggers an alarm. Experts recognize the unconscious defensive reaction on the basis of certain waves that become visible with the help of electroencephalography (EEG). Do these graphs also reveal something about consumers' willingness to pay for products?

Using the example of a small cup of coffee, for which Starbucks charged €1.80 ($2.45) in Stuttgart, Müller tried to get to the bottom of the question. He showed subjects the same pot of coffee on a screen several times, but with different prices in each instance. At the same time, an EEG plotted the subjects' brain activity.



Especially in the case of extreme offers, strong reactions appeared in the brain within milliseconds. Prices that were either too low or too high, such as 10 cents or €10 per cup, were unacceptable to the brain's control mechanism. "When the brain was expected to process unexpected and disproportionate prices, feelings of shock, doubt and astonishment manifested themselves," Müller reports.
Is Starbucks Missing Out on Profits?

According to the study results, the subjects would be willing to pay between €2.10 and €2.40 for a cup of coffee, which is significantly more than Starbucks actually charges. "In other words, the company is missing out on millions in profits, because it is not fully exploiting consumers' willingness to pay money," Müller concludes.

Together with scientists from the Munich University of Applied Sciences, Müller took the experiment a step further. The team of researchers had a vending machine installed in front of the university dining hall, where students could buy coffee for 70 cents and cappuccino for 80 cents. There was no fixed price for a latte macchiato. Instead, students were given the chance to decide for themselves how much to pay for the beverage.

Several weeks and hundreds of hot beverages later, the average price for the popular Italian drink among the Munich students had leveled off at 95 cents. Then Müller went into the laboratory with a smaller subject population. Once again, the subjects were shown prices and their brain waves were measured. The astonishing result was that, on average, the brain signaled its consent at an average price of 95 cents -- apparent proof that the ideal price for a product can be determined without any polling whatsoever.

Read more - 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/scientist-uses-brainwaves-to-test-ideal-prices-for-products-a-926807.html

Filed under "you can't make this shit up" - the White House Gift Shop Declares Bankruptcy -

Filed under "you can't make this shit up" - the White House Gift Shop Declares Bankruptcy - 



Filed under "you can't make this shit up," in perhaps the most ironic thing to come out of DC, the Washington Times reports that the White House Gift Shop has gone broke. Long run by a nonprofit group that helps uniformed Secret Service officers and their families the official White House Gift Shop, lists more than $600,000 in liabilities in a pending bankruptcy petition in Washington. The bankruptcy petition, filed in June in a case that remains active, doesn’t explain why the fund went bankrupt in the first place, but court records reveal a recent history of tax troubles and litigation.


Via The Washington Times,

In another sign of the tough times in Washington these days, the White House Gift Shop, long run by a nonprofit group that helps uniformed Secret Service officers and their families, has gone broke.

The Secret Service Uniformed Division Benefit Fund, which traces its roots to the 1940s and for years did business as the official White House Gift Shop, lists more than $600,000 in liabilities in a pending bankruptcy petition in Washington.

...

The fund — which operated independently of the White House and Secret Service, and was not a part of the government — disclosed tens of thousands of dollars in assets consisting mostly of Christmas decorations, as well as such trinkets as magnets, puzzles and paperweights, many valued at just a few dollars each.

...

The bankruptcy petition, filed in June in a case that remains active, doesn’t explain why the fund went bankrupt in the first place, but court records reveal a recent history of tax troubles and litigation.
 ...

The fund’s most recently available annual report to the Internal Revenue Service lists $10,550 in expenses in 2011 for golf, soccer and hockey tournaments for employees

...

...recently disclosed plans to sell off more than 7,000 holiday ornaments first in the fund’s bankruptcy petition, records show.

Although the fund placed the value of ornaments at more than $50,000, the trustee said the decorations ultimately could fetch a best offer price of a little more than $5,600.

Read more - 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/10/shelves-empty-at-bankrupt-white-house-gift-shop/?page=1

Janitor Admits To Paying Students $1 To Beat Up Fourth-Grade Classmate -

Janitor Admits To Paying Students $1 To Beat Up Fourth-Grade Classmate - 



When you work with or around children you're likely to confront many challenges that will leave you searching for the best response. And then there are no-brainers, such as refraining from ordering a hit on a fourth grader just because he or she made fun of you. But one janitor has apparently embraced that act of egregious impropriety and paid off two fourth-graders to "rough up" one of their nine-year old classmates who was mouthing off. A contracted janitor for the Grand Rapids Public School system in Michigan has admitted to the story, and was promptly fired on Monday, as the Associated Press reported. 

None of the parties have been identified in local reports. But the lunchtime incident centered over a $1 offer made by a female janitor to two students at the Campus Elementary school. Apparently, the janitor, who was employed through the privately-owned West Michigan Janitorial Service, was taken aback by comments directed at her by another fourth grader that involved a "curse word and unflattering comments," as the Grand Rapids Press reported. And according to reports, the students accepted the offer and beat up their classmate, as local NBC outlet WOOD reported. No major injuries, however, were reported. Reports also didn't mention if the pair of students will be disciplined for accepting the offer.

The mother of the targeted student was shocked by her child's ordeal. "To think that there's an adult that can be so like twisted to sit there and watch a little boy -- a little 9-year-old boy -- get beat up, and get enjoyment out of it," she told the Grand Rapids Press. She also is not being named in reports for fear of further attacks.

The incident came to the school's attention after a bystander overheard the scheme and reported it to school authorities, according to reports. And upon being questioned, the janitor confessed the story was true. She was then fired.

In speaking to the Grand Rapids Press, school spokesman John Helmholdt spoke in harsh terms about the worker's conduct. "It is absolutely unacceptable in any way, shape or form for an employee to behave in this manner," he said. "There are consequences, and this individual learned quick the hard way."

The female janitor, who began working at the school this year, had a clean criminal record, as the NBC affiliate reported. The victim's mother also said she is considering whether she wants to press charges. The Grand Rapids police are reportedly also looking into the matter.

The incident is not the only instance from this past week of workers who work with public school kids being accused of acting outrageously on the job. As AOL Jobs reported, Albuquerque mother Carola Montoya just came forward to say a bus driver for her second-grade daughter sent her a text message saying she didn't want to help out her "retarded" daughter anymore because of her cerebral palsy.

Read more - 

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/10/10/janitor-student-school-assault/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058&

Vatican recalled more than 6,000 medals this week after discovering the word ”Jesus” was misspelled as “Lesus” -

Vatican recalled more than 6,000 medals this week after discovering the word ”Jesus” was misspelled as “Lesus” - 



Holy oversight!

The Vatican recalled more than 6,000 commemorative medals this week after discovering the word ”Jesus” was misspelled as “Lesus” on the coins, according to a report in the German news site Spiegel International.  

The Rome-based Italian State Mint produced 200 of the coins in gold, 3,000 in silver, and 3,000 in bronze, to mark Pope Francis’s first year in his papacy.

The medallions depict a religious scene, with a Latin phrase surrounding the edges of the coin that should have read: "Vidit ergo Jesus publicanum et quia miserando antque eligendo vidit, ait illi sequere me" – which translates to "Jesus therefore sees the tax collector, and since he sees by having mercy and by choosing, he says to him, follow me."

Pope Francis has said that the phrase inspired him as a young man to seek a life in the church.   

The muddled medals went on sale at the Vatican Publishing House in St. Peter’s Square Tuesday and Britain’s Telegraph reports that four of them were sold before the recall. The mere handful of flawed coins will likely become valuable to collectors.

Read more - 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/11/vatican-coins-recalled-for-misspelling-jesus/?intcmp=latestnews

Air Canada Loses Woman’s Dog, and then Spokesman Dismisses Inquiries in an Accidental Email -

Air Canada Loses Woman’s Dog, and then Spokesman Dismisses Inquiries in an Accidental Email - 



 Air Canada admits it lost a customer’s precious cargo when one of its workers let a dog out of its crate, and it escaped.

CBS13 reached out to the airline about its pet policy, and we got a response we never expected.

Jutta Kulic is visiting Sacramento for a dog show, but her mind is back in San Francisco. That’s where the search for her dog that never made it to his final destination is now in its fifth day.

“I don’t know whether he was stunned, whether he was scared, whether he was hit,” Kulic said.

Before her friend passed away from cancer, Kulic promised to find good homes for her pets, including Larry, a 2-year-old Italian greyhound.

“These dogs are our family these dogs are the center of our universe,” she said.

And Kulic did find a home for Larry, in Canada.

This week, on her way to a dog show in Sacramento from their home in Ohio, Kulic booked a flight from San Francisco on Air Canada to Larry’s new home.

She zip-tied Larry’s crate several times before leaving him with the airline.

“And I very clearly instructed them never ever to open the door and let the dog out of that crate, unless he’s in a completely enclosed room,” Kulic said.

That flight ended up being cancelled and rescheduled for later that night.

Then came another call from Air Canada.


“They called me at about 6:30, and told me one of their employees had decided to walk the dog,” Kulic said.

Larry had run away, and Air Canada workers searching for the white and brown dog couldn’t find him.

“We’re sorry the animal was lost, because someone was simply stupid,” Kulic said.

Air Canada sent CBS13 a statement saying they have a team looking for Larry.

But we wanted answers about what went wrong—what procedures might not have been followed, and what they’re doing to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s pet.

Instead of answers, we got this email:

“I think I would just ignore, it is local news doing a story on a lost dog. Their entire government is shut down and about to default and this is how the US media spends its time.”



Read more - 

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/10/10/air-canada-loses-womans-dog-spokesman-dismisses-inquiries-in-accidental-email/

Boy, 15, kills himself over fear of 'being put on sex offender registry' for streaking at football game... -

Boy, 15, kills himself over fear of 'being put on sex offender registry' for streaking at football game... - 



A popular 15-year-old student has committed suicide after he reportedly faced expulsion and could have been placed on the sex offenders' register simply for streaking at a high school football game.
Christian Adamek, from Huntsville, Alabama, hanged himself on October 2, a week after he was arrested for running naked across the Sparkman High football field during a game.
The teenager died two days later from his injuries and on Wednesday, friends and family gathered at a memorial service as they struggled to comprehend the beloved student's death.
A video of Adamek streaking during a game against a rival team was posted on YouTube hours after the event and students took to Twitter to call him a 'legend'.

'Sparkman's new slogan is gonna be "Welcome to Sparkman High School, Home of Christian Adamek",' one student wrote.
But school staff did not treat the situation so lightly.

Sparkman High Principal Michael Campbell told WHNT a day before the suicide attempt that the teen could face major repercussions because of his actions.
'There's the legal complications,' Campbell said. 'Public lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.'


Read more: - 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2452030/Christian-Adamek-Boy-15-kills-facing-expulsion-sex-offender-registry-STREAKING-high-school-football-game.html