WEIRD NEWS

Sweating Blood! Just in Time for Halloween!

The good news is, you'll be a huge hit on Halloween! The bad news is you're sweating blood! In Canada, doctors are baffled over a 21-year-old Italian woman suffering from a "most unusual" case of bleeding from her face and palms, a condition she's had for three years. The very rare condition is called hematohidrosis - in which blood is excreted or sweated out through pores or unbroken skin. The patient tends to break out in the bloody sweating when she's either asleep or doing something physical, and the condition seems to get worse when she's stressed. An episode can last up to five minutes. The poor woman's condition is so bad she's become "socially isolated" and showed depression and panic disorder symptoms. Although it's still not known what spurs such bleeding, different theories have emerged, including blood coagulation disorders or an overactive nervous system that reacts when a patient is under stress. A Toronto hematologist thinks this particular patient has "a very bizarre anatomical defect on a microscopic level" that's causing her bleeding, perhaps in her sweat ducts. (CBC)

"Gobsmacked By the Sheer Stupidity!"

Authorities in Australia say they're "gobsmacked" by the sheer stupidity of a group of men seen swimming up to a crocodile trap in Queensland - and then getting inside the thing with the bait! The idiots were spotted getting into the mouth of the trap at the Port Douglas marina, close to where a crocodile is suspected of killing an elderly dementia patient earlier this month. The local mayor, Julia Leu, said, "This is incredibly stupid and dangerous behavior. I'm wondering if these fellows are vying for the idiots of the year award or the idiots of the century award." Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles said, "I've seen some pretty ridiculous things in my time as environment minister, particularly when it comes to crocodiles, but this one takes the cake," noting that the traps are dangerous even without the crocodiles they're designed to attract. The Queensland government recently introduced a $15,000 fine for interfering with the traps after a similar incident. (Guardian)

This is Nuts!

In Canada, 33-year-old Justin Mathews had a severe allergy to nuts. So of course he was careful not to eat them. What he didn't expect was to be killed after performing air quality tests at a building where walnut shells had been used to blast paint off the walls. Mathews spent roughly 20 minutes inside an Edmonton fire station where a walnut-based sandblasting product was in use before complaining that he couldn't breathe. The poor man then went into anaphylactic shock and collapsed. He was taken off life support five days after arriving at University of Alberta Hospital, where doctors determined he'd suffered damage to 80% of his brain. Advanced Remediation Solutions, which performed the sandblasting, says nut oils are removed during processing of walnut-based products that have been used in sandblasting for a decade without causing allergic reactions. But to ensure others aren't injured or killed, Mathews' sister, Shari Reklow, says walnut-based products need to be regulated "in commercial and industrial applications" just as in food. She added, "If he'd seen a sign or a warning, he wouldn't have even gone in there." (National Post)

Okay - So Maybe Don't Eat Your Vegetables

We know mom wants you to eat all your vegetables, well unless they come from Walmart, Target or Trader Joes! It seems salad mixes and other "minimally processed" vegetable products from a California supplier have been recalled after food inspectors in Canada detected the listeria bacteria in a randomly chosen sample. Mann Packing says they are exercising what is an "abundance of caution" and voluntarily recalled the products, which have "best if used by" dates of Oct. 11 to Oct. 20. The products were sold at Walmart, Target, and Trader Joe's, among other major outlets. Consumers have been advised to either throw the products away or return them for a refund. There have been no confirmed illnesses linked to the possibly contaminated products, though the incubation period for listeria is up to 70 days, meaning cases could surface more than two months from now. (CNN)

Stephen Hawking Can Still Crash a Website

Well the Cambridge University website has crashed, and it's Stephen Hawking's fault. Well...sort of. The university finally put Hawking's doctoral thesis online, completed in 1966 when he was 24, "Properties of Expanding Universes" explores ideas about the origins of the universe that have resonated through the scientist's career. The university says the thesis was already the most-requested item in its online repository. It was free to view and download online as of Monday to mark Open Access Week. But so many tried to access it, the website temporarily crashed under the load. Hawking said he hoped making his thesis available to all would "inspire people around the world to look up at the stars and not down at their feet; to wonder about our place in the universe and to try and make sense of the cosmos." (Newser)

Ouch!

At Pittsburgh County jail in McAlester, Oklahoma, 32-year-old inmate Dustin Lance made the mistake of taking a pill he got from another inmate. The result was a 91-hour erection that left him in what he called "unbearable pain." Making things worse, Lance said when he asked for medical help, he was mocked by jail staff who denied him any treatment. So now Lance is suing stating that staff should have known that an erection lasting so long should be a cause for concern. Lance was jailed on December 15 last year for burglary and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Sheriff Chris Morris has been named as one of the defendants-but says he only heard about the incident when the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit says by the time Lance was finally treated, he had already suffered permanent damage. He's seeking $5 million in damages. He was released from jail two months after the incident when the current charges against him were dismissed. (Metro)

What the What?

Police in Volusia County, Florida have arrested 26-year-old Brittany Bonin for allegedly burning down the house of her ex-boyfriend...because of a fight...over a teddy bear. According to police, Bonin and the ex-boyfriend started feuding Saturday when she went to his home to retrieve the stuffed animal that she had given to his daughter. She reportedly pushed her way into the home while her ex fled for safety at the house of a nearby off-duty deputy. Before she left, Bonin allegedly set the house on fire and then followed her ex to the neighbor's home where she attempted to attack him. Volusia County Capt. Cliff Williams, the off-duty deputy, attempted to protect the man from Bonin but was stabbed while shielding him. Fortunately his injuries were not life-threatening. Bonin was booked at Volusia County Brach Jail on charges of assault, battery and arson and later denied bail. (New York Post)

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